Parade of 53-54 Parkhurst Day 6 - Bert Olmstead

Next up is Dirty Bertie. The one award that was always out of reach for Bert Olmstead was the Lady Byng and I am more than sure he was fine with that. Every team needs a little grit and sandpaper to win a championship and it was safe to say Bert provided that service for the Habs. Bert would win four Cups in his career with the Habs and one more with the Leafs before retiring from hockey. 

While Bert never lead the league in PIMs, he was never one to shy away from physicality or taking the occasional penalty. Bert was best known for being able to dish out hits with the best of them but he could also dish out passes and actually lead the league in assists in back to back seasons (1954-1956). 

1953-54 Parkhurst Bert Olmstead

Bert has great colour like the last couple cards but a few more creases and some rounded corners. Based on the look on his face and body language my best guess is he's dished the puck off and is about to be hit by another player.

Here is the back side of the card which points out that he was traded to Montreal from Detroit. What is most interesting is that trade occurred during the regular season but he would never actually play a game in Detroit. He would start that 1950-51 season in Chicago and would be traded to Detroit in Dec of 1950. Then got flipped to Montreal about 17 days later in the trade mentioned on the back of the card. The original trade from Chicago to Detroit saw Bert being traded with Vic Stasiuk for Lee Fogolin and Steve Black. What I find neat about that trade is both players going from Detroit to Chicago are from my hometown (Fort William which eventually becomes Thunder Bay). Needless to say the best piece of any of these trades was Bert and I am sure both the Hawks and Wings may have regretted those deals eventually.

Parade of 53-54 Parkhurst Day 5 - Eddie Sandford

Eddie Sandford is a player who I didn't know much about before doing this post but afterwards learned that it takes many players to make a team successful and sometimes the best one on the team are the most reliable ones and reliability is what Ed Sandford always brought to the table. 

Ed broke into the league in 47-48 at the age of 19 and would last 503 games and leave the NHL when he was 27. Each season he played except for one which saw him play just 10 games, Ed would score between 10-16 goals each and every year of his career. The highlight of his playing career would likely have been 1953 when he played in the Stanley Cup finals against the Canadiens. Ed had a career postseason which saw him score 8 goals in 8 games but unfortunately the Habs were just too much for the Bruins and they would win the series 4-1. 

Eddie would play another couple seasons and eventually hang up his skates after a season split between the Hawks and the Wings. Eddie would rejoin the Bruins and work for them in a variety of different capacities. 

1953-54 Parkhurst Eddie Sandford

This card is sharp! Maybe not the corners, but the colouring and lack of creases make it a great looking card. I also love the action shot and the inclusion of a couple other players and a few folks in the stands. This really is just one beautiful piece of cardboard in my eyes. 

Here is the backside. As you can see it is not the best centering but I assure you it is at least cut straight. My scanner and the penny sleeve the card is in created a bit of an optical illusion here. Thank you so much for stopping by! For all those out there who care, Happy Canada Day!

Parade of 53-54 Parkhurst Day 4 - Sid Smith

Growing up in Ontario and living in Canada the Maple Leafs have always been around me in terms of television, media and just general conversation. However given that I am a member of the under 40 years of age demographic, the 1993 season was probably their best year and best chance to win the Cup since I have been alive. What I find neat is when I collect and complete older sets is imagining how different the world was at that time (when the Leafs were on top). 

This brings us to Day 3 and Mr. Sid Smith. Sid won three Cups with the Leafs with the last one being in 1951 which was a couple of seasons before this card was printed. If the Conn Smythe Trophy existed back in 1951 Sid would likely have been a finalist. Sid was the Leafs leading goal scorer during that playoff run and finished one goal behind the Rocket who had 8. Max Bentley lead the team in points and playoffs in points with 13 just 3 ahead of Sid Smith. 

Sid was a very good player during his time in the league and arguably would make the Hall of Very Good if one existed. He scored 20 or more goals six times in his career and finished in the top 10 in scoring three times. His best season was when they won the Cup in 50-51 when he finished with 30 goals and 51 points. Sid would eventually leave the NHL and move to the Ontario Senior league but before he hung up his skates for good he helped lead Team Canada to a Gold Medal a the 1958 World Hockey Championships were he'd score 9 goals and 14 points in 7 games. 

1953-54 Parkhurst Sid Smith

As you can see from the front, the card is a bit worn but what is very great is the colouring on the front still looks like it might have when it emerged from the pack 64 years ago. A few creases and rounded corners indicate it was probably played with a bit before it when into a box somewhere for a long period of time.

Here's the back side of the card. As you can read he was definitely a contender each season for the Lady Byng and would actually win twice in his career. Sid would also finish in the top five in voting for the award another four times.

Well thanks for stopping by, only a few more to go in this parade before I get a chance to update and share some other cards from my collection.

Parade of 53-54 Parkhurst Day 3 - Dave Creighton

Next up in the parade is Dave Creighton. Much like one of my heroes Alex Delvecchio, Dave was born in what would be known today as Thunder Bay. Dave would be born on the Port Arthur side rather than the Fort William which means little today but back in the day I am sure there would have been a little rivalry. 

Dave had a very respectable NHL career playing in over 600 games over the course of 12 years. His best offensive season was in 57-58 when he scored 52 points in 70 games. Dave would also score 20 goals twice and had over 15 goals in 6 different seasons and finish with 140 goals and 314 points in his career. Dave never won the Stanley Cup but did play for it in 52-53 when the Bruins lost to the Habs 4 games to 1. Dave did have one other accomplishment and that was he was a father to a former NHLer Adam Creighton. 

53-54 Parkhurst Dave Creighton

Here is the front side of the card. While Dave had been in the league for a few years, this is only his second NHL card with the first being from the previous 52-53 seasons. This card features a neat action shot where you can almost see the whole puck as it arrives on his stick (or just left his stick).

Here is the back side of the card. Much like the front, it has been well loved and handled but still in acceptable shape despite the mis-cut.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to continue the parade over the next couple days!

Parade of 53-54 Parkhurst Day 2 - Jimmy Thomson

Day two and the parade continues! This time we have a stop in Toronto with card number 8 which features NHL legend and player's advocate Jimmy Thomson.

53-54 Parkhurst Jimmy Thomson

I really like this card for a few reasons. First off like his rookie card, it clearly demonstrates an action photo which was translated into a piece of art. Second of all, look at his face, the detail and concentration also indicate this isn't just a posed shot. 

Another thing I love about this card is the write-up on the back. Just take a moment to read through it! I am sure the same thing popped out to you as it did me. In all just a pretty cool piece of NHL cardboard.

Jimmy was an excellent and reliable NHL player who spent 13 seasons in the NHL and from the sounds of things could have played longer if not for some issues with Conn Smythe and Jimmy's desire to start a player's union. During his playing career Jimmy would win the Memorial Cup and 4 Stanley Cups. In addition to these team accomplishments, he would also be named to the NHL second all-star team twice. Sadly Jimmy did pass away back in 1991 but his legacy in the NHLPA will live on in his honour.

Parade of 53-54 Parkhurst Day 1 - Bill Dineen

It's been a few years since I have last updated my progress on the 53-54 Parkhurst set. I have added a few more since that time and thought I would share them all in a parade of Parkhurst cards. When I last took count I believe I was at 24 based on my previous post and I will have that number over 30 by the end of it all so please enjoy the next few posts!

53-54 Parkhurst Bill Dineen UER RC

I know what you're thinking, it says Al Arbour on here and you are correct. The Hall of Fame head coach has an error of a RC. It seems Parkhurst put a picture on Bill Dineen on his card instead of Al and his very distinctive glasses. Al's pic does appear in the set but it's on card number 38 instead and it's on Bill Dineen's card. Based on the Beckett and collectors in general despite this card stating everything about Al Arbour, it's considered to be Bill Dineen's rookie.

Here is the back side of the card which again talks about Al and his abilities with the puck. Bill started off in the NHL before eventually becoming an AHL star. Bill managed to hit double digits in goals 3 out of his 5 NHL seasons as a player. Bill Dineen was also a coach like Al and was also a successful coach like Al. Bill won two Avco Cups (WHA) and coached for a small period of time in the AHL and NHL. Bill did have a couple sons who would go on to play in the NHL most notably Kevin Dineen who also like Al and his father Bill would spend time coaching in the AHL and NHL. Kevin currently is an assistant coach with the Blackhawks and Bill sadly passed away about two years ago. Bill was inducted into the WHA Hall of Fame in 2010 and will forever be the face of this "Alger Arbour" card.

Back with a line of Golden Misfits

Wow, that was far longer than it needed to be but time is one of those things that seem to fix all. I did a little networking tweek between my desktop and network and all is well again. So, the playoffs have been nearly as surprising as the regular season was to me and I think front and center is the Golden Misfits line in Vegas.

Center

William Karlsson

Poor Wild Bill has had to change locations a few times in the last 5 years. Since 2014 he has played for 6 different clubs but it is with Vegas he as truly found a home. Hard to believe he was once a Duck but it is true. He played 18 games with them scoring 2 goals and an assist during that time. Then during trade deadline 2015 he found himself shipped to Columbus as part of the failed James Wisniewski deal which was a disaster for Anaheim and James didn't even suit up for a single playoff game. After stealing him away from Anaheim, Columbus lost him in the expansion draft and the rest is history. 43 goals and 78 points in the regular season and 12 points in 13 playoff games mean Wild Bill is money! 

Above is the front and back of his Trilogy Rookie Premieres card. It is numbered to /225 and I landed it years ago in a lot deal. Might have paid 2-3 dollars a card at the time.

Right Wing

Reilly Smith

While William Karlsson was clearly the biggest surprise of the line, both the other two guys are players clearly showing they belong among the leagues elite and have put together a great season thus far. Reilly Smith had a great year finishing 4th in team scoring with 60 points but he did so only playing 67 games. Prorated you are looking at a player who would have had 73 points this year. Unlike Karlsson, Reilly has had some success in the past including two seasons where he broke 20 goals and he also hit at least 50 points. Reilly was a player who has done well but was more of a salary dump by the Panthers who felt they had loads of other young players set to get big pay days and needed the room. Good for a team with a need for talent and lots of cap space. 

Above is a Panini Prime Rookies parallel which is numbered to /50. I picked this one up after Reilly's first 20 goal season when he was with the Bruins. Reilly has technically been traded 3 times and wasn't an expansion pick up. He was traded out of Dallas as part of the Seguin trade. Then he was traded to Florida as part of a salary dump of Marc Savard and then he was traded to Vegas as a dump of his own salary (5 yr, 25 million) which as he current production is a great deal. This post season Smith has had 14 points in 13 games.

Left Wing

Jonathan Marchessault

Last one from the top line is my favourite player of the three and arguably maybe even the most talented. Originally Jonathan Audy-Marchessault, he was a player who played very well in the Q but always was deemed too small. However, he managed to score very well in the AHL as well but despite some excellent production (295 games, 254 points) he would only see 49 NHL contests between the Jackets and Lightning over three seasons. Caught deep in the depth chart meant he was expendable and the Panthers decided to give him a shot. A few injuries to the Panthers roster gave him some more ice time and he delivered scoring 30 goals with the Panthers last season. Seeing there was a looming salary cap issue (perhaps Luongo's crazy contract has lead to these issues) they didn't protect him and Vegas said thank you very much!

While technically his goal production was "down" this season, with just 27 goals instead of 30, his assists were up significantly as he managed to bump his career high from 51 points last year to 75 points this year. Above is his Select Auto Rookie which is numbered to /399. I landed this one from the LCS last year from pocket change (about 3 dollars) just as he was starting to heat up for the Panthers.

So time will when this Cinderella story will end and regardless of it's outcome I know this will be among one of the greatest stories in modern NHL history and we can certainly say the top line had much to do with the success Vegas has achieved.

What are your thoughts? Have you had a few of the Vegas players in your collection without realizing it? When do you think this season will end for them?

Will My Scanner Ever Get Fixed?

Well Gallant has lead his team to the conference finals and last night the Jets punched their tickets so on to the conference finals we go! My hobby fun has continued in my blogging absence with some great trades and pick ups.

However, since I upgraded my wifi network my scanner has not wanted to participate in the party. This isn't the first time I've encountered this issue, its just the first time I've had this problem and my solutions haven't worked. I will give it a proper college try this weekend and hopefully be back posting on Monday! Hope all are well in the blogging world and I look forward to being active soon.

In the interim, here is something in honour of the Jets making their first ever conference finals from my COMC account.

Will Gerard Gallant Ever Get Respect?

I think it is safe to say the answer to my question is yes when he hoists this year's Jack Adams Trophy as best coach. However, this has been a long time coming if you ask me and the number of times he's be slighted or over looked will probably make this seem that much more sweet too.

Even the hobby world hasn't been the kindest to poor Gerard. Let's look at his rookie card.

87-88 OPC Gerard Gerald Gallant Rookie

Well for starters Gerard apparently goes by Gerald for this particular season, I am sure it was a pretty simple misunderstanding given Gerald is likely a more common name than Gerard. Still its never nice to have your first hockey card ever with the wrong name on the front.

 When you flip it over there is more insult to injury. OPC/Topps consistently write his name as Gerald on the back too. Then you look to see it wasn't even his first NHL season. It took three years for Gerard to get a rookie card and in all fairness he put up some decent numbers in some of those seasons. Again, no respect for Gerard.

Once upon a time the 87-88 OPC set was a must have for all collectors. It was loaded with pretty talented and highly priced rookies and second year cards. Some of the notables were Luc Robitaille, Adam Oates, Ron Hextall, Mike Vernon and many many others. Patrick Roy's second year card also has a great deal of collector's attention and the book price was nearly 200 in the early 90's. Today the set can be had for about half that price and many of those rookies came down to earth thanks to the internet making transactions easier and cards more available and a decrease in demand. Still during all that time a Gerard Gallant rookie could be had for a handful of nickels. Gallant would go on and have a decent NHL career scoring 30+ goals 4 times and 200+ penalty min in those seasons which is a feat few have accomplished. A bad back would force him out of hockey until he'd come back as a coach.

Gerard would win two QMJHL championships as the coach of the Sea Dogs and then he would come to the NHL and get the Panthers back in the playoffs. After a rough start the Panthers gave up on poor Gerard and made some other strange strange from office moves. Then came along the Vegas Golden Knights. I almost think the lack of respect poor Gerard has had over the years made him a perfect choice to run the Island of Misfit Toys because this year has been like none other and I believe they could very well make it out of the first round in the playoffs. Regardless of what happens I believe Gallant is a huge factor and maybe a Jack Adams will help get some of that respect and people will know the name Gerard and not Gerald for good!

Despite this season's successes, you can still land a Gallant rc for a great deal. Currently the book price on Gallant is about $1.00 compared to Ulf Samuelsson's rookie from the same set which books for $6.00! Which of those would you rather in your collection or running your team?

Thanks for stopping by!

Back Checking - Sandis Ozolinsh

Wow, it's been ages since I have done some back checking, so here is one that hopefully will make you smile like it did for me!

About a year ago I was at the LCS and I found a box of 93-94 Upper Deck Series 1 and 2 there for 10 dollars a piece. Given I didn't ever complete either of these sets I decided it would be fun to buy them and break them.

The set as a whole is much like early Upper Deck sets, very well designed, good photography and a backside which featured a second photo and all the necessary stats and vitals.

93-94 Upper Deck Series 1 Wayne Gretzky #99

 Here is a good example. Great colour scheme and a fantastic action shot of the Great One.

 Here is the back side. A different game, same Wayne and all the stats for the past 5 years as well as career totals. Sadly one of those seasons is not like the other and we can all thank Gary Suter for that one.

93-94 Upper Deck Series 1 Sandis Ozolinsh #72

Much like the Gretzky, a pretty cool action shot here. Carrying the puck with his heads up and players behind him are on their feet! Then you flip the card over and I am honestly at a loss for words on this one:

Is that Ace Ventura?

Or perhaps it is his impersonation of SJ Sharkie? Either way, when I saw this side of the card I must admit it made me laugh and even now it's still funny and maybe one of the most memorable card backs I have ever come across. I do comment Upper Deck and Sandis on their creativity and while I must say my first thought was WTF, it's actually a fun card and collecting should be all about fun! What are your thoughts? Is this card a winner or a loser for you? Do you have any card backs that stand out as memorable to you?

Thanks for stopping by!

Pair O'Duclair

When Anthony Duclair was drafted in 2013 in the 3rd round by the New York Rangers, they were getting a forward who was a bit on the smallish size but had plenty of speed and potential. In the 14-15 season they gave him a 18 game test drive before sending him back to junior where he tore it up. Then the Rangers saw a chance to land Keith Yandle and that would end up costing them plenty including Mr. Duclair.

2015-16 was an exciting time in the desert as Domi and Duclair showed a great deal of chemistry and Anthony put up a great rookie season which saw him score 20 and add another 24 assists which was exactly what the Yotes were hoping for when they landed him. However, the next two plus seasons have been a disaster and Duclair even spent some time in the AHL. Since that great season, Duclair has played 121 games between the NHL and AHL and has only manged a combined total of 17 goals and 43 points. Truly much left to be desired.

Things got so bad he demanded a trade and he got his wishes. Dealt with Clendening to the Blackhawks in exchange for Panik and Laurent. Interestingly enough, Dauphin Laurent went in the same draft as Duclair, just a round sooner. Since the trade Duclair has played 14 games as has had 2 goals and 3 assists for 5 points. Not exactly lighting it up but I have watched a few of those games and he has looked great at times. It just seems he is missing that swagger and confidence he had in his rookie season with the Coyotes.

So with the Hawks season all but over, they will be faced with a tough choice. Do they resign Duclair who is an RFA and hasn't shown a great deal of productivity in his limited time with the club or do they ship him off at the deadline or in the off season? There is no way I see him walking at the end of the year and at the very least I can see the Hawks resigning him at his current price of 1.2 million a year and he will get another chance to showcase what he can do and try and parlay that into a good contract once he hits his prime. Duclair is still a kid and won't even turn 23 until the end of the summer so there is lots of time to grow and develop. Time will tell who gives him that chance!

A couple of years ago I bought a couple packs of 14-15 Trilogy and hit a couple Duclairs. 

14-15 Trilogy Trilogy Anthony Duclair Rookie Premieres Level 1 Green /199

Loves me the Rookie Premieres! Not sure if its the foil board or just the affordability on the secondary market but either way I felt hitting this was a win. 

 14-15 Upper Deck Trilogy Anthony Duclair Rookie Premieres Auto Level 2 Blue /225

This one I hit as a redemption. I must say when it arrived I felt there was much left to be desired in that signature! Still in the end it was a fun hit because I already had it's non-auto match and they pair sit pretty well together in the collection.

Duclair has loads of potential and I think in time we might see that potential come back to the surface and someone will have a great second line winger. He tore it up at the 2015 WJHC scoring 4 goals, 8 points in 7 games while helping lead Canada to gold so he will always have me in his corner. I just hope that he's able to do it before the NHL clubs give up on him and he will be over seas finding his game a little too late like Linden Vey or Nigel Dawes.

09-10 Upper Deck Series 1 Retail Box Break

Last summer I picked up a couple boxes of retail hockey. Two 09-10 and one 14-15. The 14-15 was epic-ally awful. So bad I didn't want to spend any time scanning the cards to share them let alone rehash the experience. The one 09-10 was equally bad. Thankfully there was gone good box in the lot and I will share some of those with you wonderful folks today. If it had been the only box, then I would have called it a success. Sadly it needs to carry the weight of its crappy brethren so that in itself also diminishes the success here.

Without further ado, the top 4 Guns out of 6 I got and one game used card.

09-10 Upper Deck Dmitry Kulikov Young Gun

First up is Dmitry Kulikov. Kulikov is a pretty steady defenseman who currently is apart of a pretty solid blue line group in Winnipeg. Having grown up in Lipetsk, I am sure living in Winnipeg isn't as painful as some seem to find it given they get cold weather on occasion in that part of Russia.  

09-10 Upper Deck Artem Anisimov Young Gun

Artem hit a milestone this week scoring his 300th career point. It took him 600 games which is pretty decent, at that pace he'd be good for 41 points in an 82 game season. Playing 82 games in a season has been a challenge for Artem given he hasn't reached that total in the past 7 seasons. Still, he's a very dynamic player and can often surprise defenders with a great move or a superb pass.

09-10 Upper Deck James van Riemsdyk

Oh boy, back in 2009 this was a pretty coveted card. Second overall pick, loads of talent and potential and the sky was the limit. James in now in his 9th season, he's managed some great numbers including a career high in goals of 30 and he's cracked 60 points twice. This year he's on pace for 32 goals and 49 points. However, if we were to look at the 2007 draft class as a whole, he'd likely still be a first rounder but guys selected behind him (Voracek, Couture, Shattenkirk, Pacioretty, Subban, Simmonds, and Benn) may all get some consideration before JVR. With that being said, given the 50 Young Gun cards I could have hit, this is one of the better ones. 

09-10 Upper Deck Jamie Benn Young Gun 

The biggest hit of the box without a doubt is this one. Jamie was a 5th round steal for the Dallas Stars and as of today, ranks second in points from those selected in 2007 with 569 just behind Patrick Kane (805). Jamie has scored 20 goals or more in every season he's played except the lockout year and this season is on pace for 30 goals and 75 points. He's definitely an elite talent and this was one YG I was missing from my collection so in all a very nice hit.


The Game Used Card!

All retail boxes back then came with a single game used card and I think I did pretty well with Anze Kopitar!

So there you have it, been a while since I shared a box break but given how bad my luck has been in this department, you can probably understand how I didn't want to use up too much of my limited blogging time on some pretty spectacularly awful boxes. This was definitely a success but far from my best too.

How about yourselves? Any box luck lately?

Is it time for a Pul Party in Edmonton?

Well, a few months ago my neighbour was in Las Vegas and he asked me if I wanted to lay some money down on an NHL team. At the time, odds were pretty bleak on Devils and Knights so being a casual Oilers fan I asked him to lay down a sawbuck on the Oil.

Damn, that was 10 dollars wasted. While I haven't given up complete hope, the team has struggled and I am not entirely sure what it would take to fix that club right now. McDavid is doing all he can do but the Robin to his Batman, Draisaitl, really hasn't dominated like I had expected he might and their goaltending has been down right awful. When you factor in the RNH injury and Lucic playing like he's 35 years old, someone will need to step up and make a difference in the second half if this team plans on making the post-season for a second consecutive year.

Jesse Puljujarvi has struggled again this season with Oilers and currently has 9 goals and 15 points in 34 games but of late has shown some flashes of skill and talent which had made him a player who was in the same conversation as Patrik Laine. I hope that someday he is able to find his game here in North America much like Leon Draisaitl did last season and when/if he does the Oilers should hopefully at least offer a little more offensive punch which in turn should alleviate some stress off the back end. 


16-17 Upper Deck Series 1 Jesse Puljujarvi Young Gun

Could be a good time to pick one of these up while they are still on the cheap because if he does take off much like Leon did, you could find yourself paying a 5-6x premium in a year or two. With that being said, I don't know much about the Oilers chances for making the playoffs other than SportsClubStats has them listed at 0.8% as of last night and Cam Talbot made a guarantee that they would make it. If Cam is going to be correct, McDavid will need to carry much of the load, Cam will need to improve his puck stopping and secondary scoring will need to come from players like Lucic and Puljujarvi to help overcome those odds!

What are your thoughts? Oilers dead in the water? How are things looking for your club with 30 games to go? Thanks for stopping by!

The Other Phil Esposito Rookie

A while back I shared with you one of the bigger pick ups I have had in recent memory and that was my Phil Esposito Rookie. The card books at a whopping $400 usd in Nr Mint condition however, when it is found in the shape mine was in with a crease or two and some tiny paper loss it was very affordable but still nice on the eyes. According to most guides that represents his only rookie card. However, there was another Phil Esposito card released that year with the 65-66 Coca-Cola Set.

While it isn't an official rookie card, I have a slightly more liberal definition of the term and would definitely consider this card his OTHER rookie card. The condition of this one is much much better than my other but still has some rounded corners (2 of them) but much like the other card is very easy on the eyes. The book on this one is $40 dollars in Nr Mint condition so if you are looking to add a Phil to your collection from his rookie year this isn't a bad choice and won't break the bank. I believe I spent about 12 dollars in total on this one and it was definitely worth every penny.

65-66 Coca-Cola Phil Esposito Rookie

Here is the front. Like all cards from this set, they are b&w photos but look very nice in person. I really like the fact that it isn't a canned photo that you've seen on countless other cards before hand and is unique to this set. This is my third one from the set with Howe and Delvecchio being my first two.


Back side

I still love the back side of these cards. So much statistical information unlike the Topps version of Phil's rookie. Both minor, regular season and playoff stats plus some vitals make these cards winners in my eyes. I would love to try and build this set someday because I believe it would definitely make a beautiful set once completed and placed in a binder.

Anyone else out there chasing this set or have it already? Are there any food based sets out there that spark your collecting passion? Thanks for stopping by and Happy Birthday to Wayne Gretzky!

A Pair of Rookie Surprises

A while back I erroneously thought that Kasperi Kapanen would have a break out season. Maybe I was caught up in his playoff performance or maybe I felt the Leafs would be much more of a juggernaut than they have been. Either way, his 10 goals in 22 games is impressive except that's all been in the AHL. Nico Hischier has been everything I hoped he could have been and maybe a bit more but that's not a surprise. Jesper Bratt has been an excellent surprise and I can't wait for Series 2 to drop so I can chase him there. Brock Boeser has had an excellent season but much like Keller this too was expected but you could argue he certainly has exceeded expectations. 

Two guys that definitely might not have garnered much Calder consideration before the season have had great first halves and they are Danton Heinen and Kyle Connor. This past weekend I returned my recycling and got a whopping $9.75 for my troubles and was able to cash in at the LCS and land these two babies with those funds!

16-17 Upper Deck Danton Heinen Young Gun

 Let's start with Danton. Danton was one of those junior players who didn't play at the highest level and was a star for his team. Then went off to College in the States to hone his game and payed his dues with a season in the AHL. Now at the age of 22 he's matured and fine tuned his game to have NHL success. After 36 games he has 10 goals and 30 points. That's pretty impressive for a player picked in the 4th round in the 2014 draft. Both him and Arvidsson were picked in the same round that year. If he is able to keep this pace going he will finish with 22 goals and 65 points in 78 games which would certainly please any Bruins fan I am sure.

16-17 Upper Deck Kyle Connor Young Gun

Kyle arrived at the NHL via the USHL and one year of College. Much like Heinen his is an older rookie but not Makarov old (21 years to be exact) just more experienced than your average rookie. Kyle did have the benefit of a pretty long stint last year which saw him play 20 games and put up 2 goals and 5 points in that time. This season has been a success thus far with him putting up 15 goals and 28 points in 38 games. This would have him on pace to net 30 as a rookie which much like Heinen I believe exceed the expectations of many given the depth the Jets already have at the forward position.

Time will tell if these players are true stars or just Ken Hodge Jr. flashes in the pan. Given the fact that Connor was a first round pick I could see him being a long term star who is a consistent contributor on the power play and second line for the Jets which only makes them that much more lethal with Laine, Scheifele, Little, Wheeler and others in the line up already. Heinen also has a great deal of potential and perhaps he will offer a yang to Marchand's ying for the next number of seasons and when you mix in Patrice and Pasta the Bruins will climb back to the top where they once occupied. Either way, it seems there has been a massive influx of young talent over the past three seasons and I can't remember a time in the last 20 years where hockey was this exciting to watch!

Another Case of Cards Becoming Relevant

About 2.5 years ago I bought a couple boxes of 13-14 Contenders when they were being blown out and felt I did pretty good on those boxes. Some cards were surefire hits like a Malkin auto /25 which I would eventually trade away and others were sleeper hits. A couple that was a long-term dormant were these two cards. Recently my team traded away one of my favourite Devils of all-time Adam Henrique and the return was Sami Vatanen. While we gave up lots, I understand why we made the trade but at the same time we as a club haven't been quite the same in Henrique's absence and I can't help but think it has partly to do with the team missing what he used to bring to the dressing room.

With that being said, the Sami has been steadily improving and looking more and more at home with each passing game and I believe in the long term it probably will be viewed as a good move especially given Adam could always return once he hits UFA status in 2019.

13-14 Dominion Showcase Pen Pals Vatanen/Etem /99

Even though this card says it is Dominion, it was pulled from a box of Contenders. Features two on card autos, one of Sami Vatanen and one of Emerson Etem. At the time I thought Emerson could offer a great deal of potential for this card but it appears his career is pretty much done in the NHL/AHL and Sami is getting top billing in my opinion on this card.

2013-14 Contenders Quad Autos Anaheim Ducks

The second Vatanen auto came on this card which was pulled from the same box. This time, he is joined by Lindholm and John Gibson as well as Etem. Three out of the four have adapted well to NHL life and that makes this card a solid one for the collection. Having Sami on the Devils just adds that much more to it in the cool factor department and truly makes it a winner.

I did actually pull a third Ducks auto from the second box and it was a quad booklet of Fasth, Etem, Rakell and Andersen. Only Rakell is still with the Ducks but Andersen has been doing very well for himself as well which makes it a pretty decent hit as well.

I certainly enjoy when cards in my collection become much more relevant due to trades but as with any trade you usually lose someone too and while Henrique is no longer with us, I will continue to enjoy the cards I do have of him in my collection and wish him all the success in Anaheim that doesn't impact the Devils but I won't likely be chasing any of his Ducks stuff in the future. Meanwhile Sami should make us a better team in the long term and I look forward to our Cinderella year continuing in the second half.

Do you have any cards that became much more relevant to your collection thanks to a trade or signing?

I Just Wanted the Carl Yastrzemski With the Big Sideburns

One of my favourite episodes of the Simpsons is "Three Men and a Comic Book" where Milhouse wants to go to The Android's Dungeon to buy a Carl Yastrzemski card and is instead convinced to buy a Radioactive Man Comic #1 with Bart and Martin. As a kid who only collected hockey cards, I had no idea that such card actually existed and probably didn't until a couple years ago. Well along with my Randy Johnson cards I can also say I have a Carl Yastrezemski card with the big sideburns at work as well!

Being a Simpsons fan, baseball fan and sports card junkie I believed this card was a must have in my collection and being able to land it for about 2 bucks from COMC in amazing shape what more could I really ask for!

Simpsons Version

1973 Topps Carl Yastrzemski

Here is the front side, check out those mutton chops!

Here is the base side which is very neat for a couple reasons. First, Yaz was a stud at the plate, check out those numbers. Second, clearly they weren't paid much in the old days given he had a second job as a bank director!

When it comes to pop culture, I can't think of too many examples of sports cards making an appearance. There have been a few and for me personally, this one is probably the biggest that comes to my mind. How about you? Are there some cards that transcended into pop culture that are must owns or have cool stories? Thanks for stopping by and Happy New Year!