A Successful International Experiment

So a while back Shane from Shoebox Legends writes to ask me if I wanted to participate in an experiment. I was flattered and immediately agreed to (for the sake of science of course). So fast forward a little over a week and in my mail was a wonderful care package of 9 cards in a PWE!  The best part is they all arrive safe and sound and what would have originally cost a finger or two to mail to Canada set Shane back nothing more than probably the hair off his knuckles!

I on the other hand, get ALL the rewards! Check them out!

Here is the gem of them all! My first Brett Connolly Young Gun! Despite having countless rookies and autos I never actually had this card (now I have 2, story to follow). Brett was recently traded to the Boston Bruins which did excite me because he was getting a new start after being buried low in the depth chart due to the hoarding of many young offensive forwards by Steve Yzerman.

Love this kid, just wish the coaches did. I have a couple of his rookies but this is the first Prizm one! Eric was a bit of a whipping boy for PDB, but since his firing, Eric has seen an increase in ice time and a decrease in scratches which will hopefully translate to a longer term deal next season (especially since we let Marek Zidlicky go).

I said that the Connolly YG was the Gem, but that is because I was expecting it. The real diamonds in the rough are this card and the next one.The Stadion cards are a Czech release from the early 2000's which feature players from all sorts of sports. Here is an awesome photo that I doubt Upper Deck would ever put on their cards. Scott has been wounded in action and I can almost picture this being taken while he was on the bench waiting to hear if the player got 4 minutes for the infraction! Or maybe it was a fight? Maybe it was a "no call". Well the cool thing about these cards, is there is a date stamp on the back which states when the photo was taken it this one was from Game 3 of the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals. Ville Niemenen took a 2 min boarding call against Scott in the first period so this could have been the result or maybe it was something missed. Either way, Scott didn't take any penalties during this game so it is safe to say it wasn't a fight. Love this card!

Here is another one, this time Scott Gomez is celebrating a goal! No games this time, this game is from April 20 2001 and while the Devils lost this game 3-2 to Carolina, they would go on to of course win the series and make it eventually to the Cup final. This particular game, Scott Gomez was one of the goal scorers but Arturs Irbe stopped 37 of 39 from the win. Based on these two cards I am very tempted to try and see others from this set. I am not sure how many Devils make an appearance but these two are great examples so far.

Yikes! Ok, don't judge a book by its cover but I have a hard time seeing him as a goalie coach! Maybe the accountant or something like that but not goalie coach. Well, it turns out boys and girls that the goalie coach for the 1980 USA Miracle on Ice team was Mr Strelow! He was only with the Devils for one season but he did coach in San Jose and Washington as well.

Leading scorer in Devils history! Sweet!

Some more Elias! Awesome!

In addition to these 7 cards, there was also base cards of Zach Parise and Brian Gionta filling out a PWE stuffed with 9 cards. Every card made it safe and sound and I want to thank Shane again for including me on a pretty awesome experiment. Hopefully it isn't 3 weeks until my next post either :)

13-14 The Cup Eric Gelinas Auto Rookie /249

Every year the hockey season ends, summer begins and some point after that a new season of collecting begins and The Cup shows up fashionably late. For many collectors this is the highlight of the season as the super-premium set hits the market and nearly an equal number of collectors are annoyed that it is even called a product from the previous year. 

I am on the fence a little bit, I know this product is something I probably will never be able to afford to break and the cards are a little inflated in my opinion. However, the cards are usually very good quality and the late release allows for collectors to finally get an auto rookie of their favourite players. Despite many strange auto rookies you can land (Daniel Bang for example has a few), Eric Gelinas and Reid Boucher actually didn't have an auto rookie on the market until the release of The Cup! I am a pretty big fan of Boucher and Gelinas so I was very pleased that at least Upper Deck had done the right thing and snuck them into their set as part of the infamous auto rookie subset. Usually there are 10 or so rookies that didn't get to go to the showcase and therefore there are no event used swatches of these players so they end up with just an auto rookie. Such was the case for Eric Gelinas, so here enjoy!

13-14 The Cup Eric Gelinas Auto Rookie /249

Neat signature, on-card and numbered with his 22. You can kind of make out his name but definitely more scribble than scribe! This year's design is pretty decent and I am pleased this is apart of my collection and is now my favourite Gelinas rookie replacing this one at the top.

Eric Gelinas Prizm Rookie /10

Lou certainly wanted to save the best for last with his summer signing and finally Eric Gelinas resigned with the Devils for what is likely a bridging contract of 1 year at 900k. Last season Eric played very well offensively and when compared with other rookie defenseman, he was among the best. He finished tied for 3rd in points even though he appeared in the fewest games of any in the top 5. Eric also was tied for the league lead in GWG among rookie rearguards and second in power play points. 

This kid is going to be an offensive superstar and that is something the offensively challenged Devils need more of from their back end. I am hopeful that he will prove himself this season and get more minutes and hopefully and lengthy contract. His agent wanted him to hold out for more but I think Eric did the right thing putting team first and I am sure he will be rewarded after this year.

2013/14 Panini Prizm Gold Rookie /10

This amazing piece of art was numbered 1/10 and I found this one in the spring. My biggest gripe about this past year is the sheer number of Daniel Bang autos out on the market ( I count 4 different releases with his auto and he will NEVER be back in the NHL after playing 8 games) and NONE of Reid Boucher or Eric Gelinas.

If there is any hope now it will be in 2013/14 The Cup (assuming it is coming out) which if it does come out won't be until 2016 I am sure.

Big Thanks To Wes From Hobby Insiders

A little while back I sold my Scott Laughton and bought a couple cool cards with it. During that time I got a chance to talk to a fellow collector named Wes, he bought the Scott and he also told me about a forum called Hobby Insiders (HI). Ryan who runs Two Pad Stack also mentioned it to me so with all this peer pressure I decided to check it out. I have enjoyed my time with it so far, even made a deal or two on there. Well, Wes sent along a welcome gift and here it is!

13/14 UD Series 2 Reid Boucher Canvas Young Gun

 Wow, been wanting this for a while and here it is. Very happy to have a rookie of a future Devils superstar (yep I said superstar!)

13/14 Upper Deck Series 1 Damien Brunner Young Gun

 I already had one, but I do collect multiples of rookie because they are....rookies! I have loads of Recchi, Roenick and Jagr rookies too if you don't believe me!

13/14 Upper Deck Series 2 Damien Brunner Rookie Materials

 I didn't have this one but I am glad I do! Damien had an amazing start, and then cooled off. I am expecting a much better season next year from him and that will certainly increase the appreciation I have for these cards.

13/14 UD Black Diamond Eric Gelinas Rookie

Another one I was needing and wanting pretty badly. These cards never disappoint in person and I have been very tempted to get a Mackinnon as well in Black Diamond form. However, like my Patrick Kane, I will wait a little while before I pull the trigger and take advantage of a saturated rookie market.

Thank you very much Wes and I know you sent these along and asked for nothing, however that isn't how I work. Still trying to find a piece or two for the package and I will get it sent off soon. In the meantime, thank you very much I do appreciate them all!