09-10 OPC Premier John Taveres Auto RC /299

John Tavares has been a class act in my opinion from the moment the spotlight was thrown on him as a 15 year old. He ripped apart the junior ranks setting national records and even beat a Gretzky record in the process for goals by a 16 year old. However, this past season has been a tough one for him and with all the attention Crosby has received few have noticed that John hasn't been filling the net much this year after just missing out on an Art Ross trophy last year.

Currently he's on pace for 60 points which would represent his lowest point output for a full season since his rookie year. John does have 4 points in his last 4 games and 10 in his last 12 so he could be gearing up for a strong second half. I personally hope that this is true.

I am fortunate enough to already have a rookie or two of John's and his auto but one card I always really wanted was his OPC Premier rookie (even more so than his young gun). Not sure what the draw is exactly, but I do love the design from that season for OPC Premier, and having a relatively low print run with swatches and signatures is always a nice plus in my books.


09-10 OPC Premier John Taveres Auto RC /299

This is a pretty solid specimen. Gold signature, all Islanders colours are represented with a couple two colour pieces and its numbered 232/299. I think it's pretty funny how I am drawn to certain cards more than others especially when I am sure there are many more valuable and desirable ones out there. However for me, I would gladly take this card over his SPx rookie etc any day!

Thanks for stopping by, next post is going to be a sets of yesteryear as its been a while since I have done one of those. 

11-12 Prime Seams Incredible Chris Pronger /10

Here is another card I picked up in a trade about a year ago. In that time, Pronger has found himself inducted into the Hall of Fame which makes this card a fun one to own as it represents 1/3 of my HOF collection of him. I also own his rookie so I am just an autograph short of crossing him off my list. 

Pronger is a player who was on my radar pretty much since 1990 since he grew up a few hours west of Thunder Bay in a town I spent lots of time in called Dryden. At his prime there were few defenseman who were as good as him in the league and in 2000 some would say he was the best as he captured that Hart Trophy that season.

11-12 Prime Seams Incredible Chris Pronger /10

A pretty cool card which is only missing an autograph in my opinion. Very happy to land this one in my collection and it represents my only Pronger game used card at the moment.

A pile from the 3 for 5 bin! A little bit of everything for everyone.

Right now the 3 for 5 bin in my LCS is pretty lean thanks to me picking through all the good stuff. Rather than drag this out over 9 posts and bore everyone to death I figured I'd just lump them together. Enjoy the fruits of my 15 dollars!

2003-04 Private Stock Reserve Pavel Bure Jersey /750

Hall of Famer! Yes pleasure, I was willing to overlook the blue shirt.

2013-14 Upper Deck Canvas Valeri Nichushkin Young Gun

Love this guy's potential and love the photo. Seeing a shooting Star isn't too uncommon during a Dallas game but a flying Star is pretty awesome on cardboard.

2005-06 Trilogy Rookie Premiere Corey Crawford Rookie /999

This without a doubt is the coolest card of the bunch. Underrated beyond belief this keeper is and no respect at my LCS as this mint condition rookie was just sitting in the cheap seats. The crud at the top of the card was on the top loader. I promise to move it to a better top loader and give Corey 100% respect.

2006-07 Black Diamond Gemography Brad Winchester

I have far too many of his cards in my collection. Where is he now you ask? Retired. So perhaps he is on a beach somewhere spending his hard earned money. Though, he could also be waking up in a shady no-tell motel after a night of partying and drowning his sorrows.



2006-07 Black Diamond Gemography Jim Slater

I also have too many of Jim's cards in my collection. Jim left the NHL this season to play for Geneve in the Swiss league where he is playing with Tom Pyatt and Matt D'Agostini. Currently he has 25 points in 26 games which is pretty solid. These are his best numbers since he left college in 2005.

2013-14 Upper Deck Young Guns Jacob Trouba RC

Unless I already have a card in doubles or triplicate I typically love getting Young Guns in the 3 for 5 bin. Jacob is still very early in his career and given d-men usually take a few seasons to hit their stride I am thinking he is going to be an NHL star before long.

2013-14 Upper Deck Young Guns Ryan Murray RC

Hated him at the WJHC in 2012 where he repeatedly turned the puck over. The Blue Jackets have been slow bringing him along and for good reason but I think eventually he could be a decent defenseman and totally worth the $1.67.

2013-14 Upper Deck Young Guns Rasmus Ristolainen

Think Victor Hedman just slightly shorter.

2013-14 Contenders NHL Ink Steve Oleksy Auto

A roller hockey stud and an ice hockey minor-leaguer. Interesting auto here but again, autos for less than 2 bucks are always fun to snap up!

There you go, 9 cards covering all sorts of different players and all welcomed into my ever growing collection. Thanks for stopping by, I have a few fun posts coming up so stay tuned!

13-14 Select Calvin Pickard Auto Rookie /399

When you lose to someone you like or respect it actually takes a tiny bit of the sting out of the loss. At least that is what I believe and losing last night 3-0 to Colorado was softened a bit by my like of many of the Avs players including the goalie of record with a shutout. Calvin Pickard.

A talented and hardworking goalie who has done very well when called upon and I believe could be a starter in the NHL someday turned aside all the Devils shots last night to earn his first shutout of the season. I have two auto rookies of Calvin and here is my favourite of the two.

13-14 Select Calvin Pickard Auto Rookie /399

Picked this one up last season when he was called up and had been doing well. I have lost track of how many auto rookie cards I have from this set but I will count them up someday. I believe it's around 20-25 for those who are curious. I like his signature as it is very sharp and compact and he includes his number in his signature which I always like to see.

13-14 Contenders Matt Tennyson Auto Rookie

Not all my posts are killer cards and white whales. Here's a guppy for everything to say meh over. I rescued this card from the cheap bin. When I discovered it, it was living in a penny sleeve mashed between cards in top loaders and it was $1.50 for anyone who wanted it. I paid a dollar and brought it home from the pound (LCS).

Matt Tennyson is a semi-regular player with the Sharks so right off the bat this card is worth owning! Matt was undrafted but signed as a free agent with the Sharks after three pretty solid years of college hockey. Currently he is the 7th defenseman on the depth chart so he doesn't play everyday and given the best that Brent Burns is on offense I suspect Matt will have trouble climbing the depth chart this season. Brent Burns really has nothing to do with that, I just wanted to make reference to the awesome season he's having. Matt has 1 goal and 2 assists so far this season in his limited work but I believe in a season or two with the Sharks or another club he could be a 5th or 6th d-man scoring 15-20 points a year.

13-14 Contenders Matt Tennyson Auto Rookie

Interesting auto to say the least and was applied via sticker on a typical rookie ticket design. These ones aren't numbered but I am sure there are plenty enough out there for all Tennyson fans. Worth the cost and for a dollar I had another subject for a post.

13-14 Panini Contenders Rookie Ticket Mikhail Grigorenko Patch Auto /100

Mikhail Grigorenko former 1 round draft pick, former junior hockey superstar and NHL bust. The first two are very correct but the last can be left to interpretation. I am still cheering for him to make something of himself and when he was trade to Colorado I felt, finally, he will have some supporting players and a clean slate. Sadly his time in Colorado hasn't gone as well as I hoped and I think it is only a matter of time before Mikhail bolts for the KHL where mediocre players become stars. During his last 12 games, Grigorenko has manage to score 1 goal and 0 assists which isn't what you would expect from a offensive star. Grigorenko is still very young and there is lots of time to turn it around but with new players flooding into the league each year I am not sure how many more chances this kid will get.

13-14 Panini Contenders Rookie Ticket Mikhail Grigorenko Patch Auto /100

A pretty solid rookie insert card with a small piece of yellow patch peeking out. His auto which is messy but very consistent is signed with a gold marker and works well with the black background.

Earlier in the season Mikhail did have a stretch of 6 games where he put up 7 points which tends to suggest it's feast or famine with this kid but perhaps the second half of the season will  prove to be more productive and we will see an improvement before the year is over. I, for one, am still hopeful.

13-14 Panini Playbook AUTObiography Tyler Seguin Auto /99

Given the choice between Sidney Crosby and Tyler Seguin...who would you choose? Pretty easy choice this season, though Sidney has come on of late with 12 points in his last 7 games but Tyler's currently sitting in third in NHL scoring and is on pace for 45 goals and 95 points. Over the past two and a half seasons Tyler has outscored Sidney 98 to 76 in the goals department but Sidney has the edge in the points department over the same time period with 229 to 212. With that being said each has other intangibles they bring to their respective and a case can be made for each guy. But what shocks me is how little demand there is for Seguin's cards in comparison to Crosby's and as a result Tyler's cards can book for less than half the value of Crosby.



13-14 Panini Playbook AUTObiography Tyler Seguin Auto /99

This card was picked up in a trade last year. It features a nice on card auto which isn't my first but I am a pretty big fan of Tyler and what he does on the ice so it was a pleasure to add. The card is also numbered to /99 which is always nice to know there aren't a few thousand of them kicking around. If you are interested in adding this to your collection, one of the /99 from this release are available on eBay for under 30 dollars I believe plus many of his other autographs.

11-12 The Cup Enshrinements Adam Henrique /50

Unlike the previous Henrique pick up, this one is from his rookie year but this time just features his autograph. However, I do like the simplicity of this card and the use of black and white foil board with the red accent.


11-12 The Cup Enshrinements Adam Henrique /50

Cool design and looks very nice in person but scans like hell. Good sized autograph right over the Devils crest and a pretty solid photo to go with it. Looks like Adam is deep in thought on where to send the puck. This card was another shoestring budget addition from this past spring.

I always thought the Enshrinements insert was meant to be for people who are in the Hall of Fame or have won a Cup but clearly they also chucked rookies in there and possibly other non-winning veterans.

12-13 The Cup Signature Patches Adam Henrique /99

When it comes to patch autos and patch auto rookies The Cup typically is where you will spend the most money and get the respective player's highest regarded piece of cardboard. Of course this isn't always true but very often it is. Having Adam Henrique as a focus of my collecting means there are plenty of options for patch autos and thankfully that also means the prices are pretty reasonable when the supply is high and the demand is on the lower end.

12-13 The Cup Signature Patches Adam Henrique /99

A nice and clean looking card with a solid and legible signature with number. A sweet looking patch with some red jersey showing and a good design with a subtle but great use of foil. I loved all those things about this card and for some the numbering 01/99 would be a perk but for me I'm pretty indifferent. Landing this card about a year ago for 10 bucks with shipping was a nice perk!! While it's not a rookie, it is a great looking card and one I enjoy pulling out and putting on display from time to time.

1996-97 Donruss Canadian Ice Mario Lemieux Auto /1200

Ages ago I made a small trade I regretted. In the trade I gave up two cards (one being my Lemieux autograph) I really liked so I could add a pile of cards that were OK and one decent card. I did it mostly to be nice but if I could do it all again I wouldn't. With that being said, I am sure some others have done similar trades with me so I guess it's the Universe balancing itself out or something like that. Anyway, Happy New Year all and what better way is there to start a new year than the see the Magnificent One?

1996-97 Donruss Canadian Ice Mario Lemieux Auto /1200

This golden foiled beauty is a very nice card in person, even if the scan disagrees with that statement. A nice on-card auto done with a (fine tipped felt pen?). You can actually see the impression of the signature in the card which I think is neat given today's day and age of sharpies and stickers. Thanks to a 90's release date and relatively high production run I was able to land this for a very affordable price and I definitely plan on keeping this one for a long time or until I do something stupid again! 

You will probably see this card again at a later date as it complete my Lemieux HOF trifecta and I hope to get back to those posts again because I have completed several over the past year. Thanks for stopping by and Happy New Year once again. I hope your year is filled with loads of cool additions to your person PCs and the best of health and happiness!