A Pair of Killer Blueliner Autos

Growing up in the 90's provided me a chance to see the game of hockey change drastically. In the early 90's a point a game player was my mental cutoff between an offensive star and an average player. During the 92-93 season, 69 players scored 75 points or more that season giving nearly all of them a point a game average. Eric Lindros had 75 point in 61 games that year and Gary Roberts had 79 points in 58 games. Even Kelly Kisio who wasn't known as a superstar had 78 points in 78 games. By the end of the 90's, the 98-99 season would only see 15 players score 75 points or more and the scoring would never be much higher than that going forward. Even this season with the final week getting underway, we have 8 players who have 75 points and the potential for a couple more but that's about it.

What has not changed however for the past couple decades is the importance of having a defenseman who can make a difference at both ends of the ice and that is what today's post is all about. One of the best defenseman of all-time in Al MacInnis and one of the best in today's game with Victor Hedman.

2013-14 Titanium Game Worn Gear Auto Al MacInnis /50

Al MacInnis will always be remembered in my head as a Calgary Flame but I am more than willing to accept him as a St. Louis Blue too since he spent 10 seasons there. Al scored 10 goals or more 19 times which is very impressive and it would have been 20 probably had there not been a lockout shortened season in 94-95. Al is without a doubt one of the biggest reasons the Flames won the Stanley Cup in 1989 and he was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP after leading the NHL in postseason scoring with 31 points in just 22 games.

2013-14 Titanium Game Worn Gear Auto Victor Hedman /50

Victor Hedman and the Tampa Bay Lightning made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals last year and fell just short to the Chicago Blackhawks. Even with a healthy Tyler Johnson and co it's hard to say they would have had enough in the tank to take Chicago but it definitely would have been a closer series. During the postseason of 2015, Victor Hedman was a rock and he played some of the best hockey of his career. Statistically, he averaged nearly 24 minutes per game and finished 4th in assists with 13 during the Stanley Cup playoffs. He was also second in +/- with 11 just behind Conn Smythe winner Duncan Keith.

Al MacInnis had one of those careers that most people envy and any rookie starting in the NHL would love to live. Victor is just part way through his and how well it will end only time will tell. At the beginning this year it looked like Tampa could be a force to be reckoned with and for periods of time this season I would say it's true.However in the past couple days it looks like they will be making the attempt at a second straight Stanley Cup Finals without their marquee sniper Steven Stamkos who is out with a blood clot for a period of 1-3 months which could very well mean we have seen the last of him in a Lightning uniform. Thankfully for Lightning fans, Hedman is under contract for one more season before he too will hit the market as a UFA.

5 Card 09-10 OPC Premier Auto Rookie Lot /299

Here is a lot of 5 09-10 OPC Premier rookies I was able to steal online. In all they set me back less than a blaster including shipping. 

Personally, I think the 09-10 OPC Premier rookies are some of the nicest products Upper Deck has put out in the last decade but the product did have a high pack price (approaching 200 with tax) and the resale on these was always lower than I thought it should be. Rookies are swatched up and numbered to 299 and in most cases feature a nice gold auto. I did however see silver autos on occasion which I don't think are intentionally short printed or anything like that. It is worth pointing out I have seen Leino autos with gold marker so it isn't like his are all silver either. 

I also want to point out when I first saw the 11-12 Panini Prime Rookies I immediately thought of this particular release.

09-10 OPC Premier Ville Leino Rookie /299

The least significant of my 5 rookies is Ville. I am not sure what his signature actually is; but it sort of reminds me of a nice cursive "y". Ville cashed in on an amazing post-season with the Flyers and really hasn't done much since. If he is hoping to remain in the NHL he better step up his game soon.

09-10 OPC Premier Viktor Stalberg Rookie /299

 Unlike some Leafs prospects, he hasn't exactly burned up the NHL after leaving the Buds which is good for Toronto and bad for Viktor. However, he did post 22 goals in his last full NHL season and he just got his first Cup ring which is pretty stellar. Is he a 20 goal guy? This season should show us if that is true or not.


09-10 OPC Premier Michal Neuvirth Rookie /299

What a nice signature! Name and number all present and very elegant looking. Michal unfortunately has been bit of a slide since his 10-11 NHL season where he was the number 1 guy in Washington. Hard to say if he will get back his job from Holtby, but a fresh start could jump start his career once again.

09-10 OPC Premier Tyler Myers Rookie /299

 This former Calder Trophy winner was also in my lot. This card was one major reason I bid on the lot. I had a little while back traded away my only decent Myers rookie and I felt my collection needed another one and since I didn't have his auto yet I wanted to kill two birds. A very nice card with a cool auto that links both names and number together. Tyler could be a long shot for Sochi but a great 2013-14 season could launch him into the starting 6.

09-10 OPC Premier Victor Hedman Rookie /299

The other reason for pursuing this lot was this card. A very nice two colour swatch to go along with a great on-card and number auto rookie. Victor has taken a little while to adjust to the North American game but this past year he really started to get into his own in my opinion. He nearly set career highs for goals and points despite playing only an abbreviated season. He could be a Norris contender in the next couple seasons and Tampa will definitely benefit from that.


5 cards that I am pretty happy to land for an amazing price. Some are available for trade, but I want to keep Myers and Hedman but the other three can be had, just let me know.

Upper Deck makes it right!

In perfect Mike Holmes style, Upper Deck decided to make it right for me. Just before Christmas, Zellers had a sale on blaster boxes (I appear to be a sucker for them) where I got a 12 pack one for 8 bucks. The odds on the box said 1:6 have young guns in them, so I of course think that I should get two. To my surprise, after opening the box I receive NONE.

I know it is an average of 1:6 but I figured I should at least get one. In the past I have had both good (3 yg's in a blaster box) and bad luck (4 yg's in a hobby box and 1 game used instead of 6 and 2) with these averages but I felt I should have had at least 1 for my purchase.

So I called UD customer support and they were very kind and gave me a case number and told me to mail in the box top along with a letter including my information. Fast forward 8 weeks and in the mail comes a letter along with three cards. The letter had a kind message affirming UD stance on pack and box odds being for the whole run and not on an individual basis but they also stated that they wish to give me some complimentary product as a sign that they care about my issue. I believe the gesture was sincere and I think that in the long run the act of kindness from UD will continue to keep me buying their product. Don't get me wrong, I will never be exclusively one company or another, but I think a company that does these sort of acts does show some care about their customer service because I know they could have told me to "cram it with walnuts, ugly".

Here is what I received:

Young Guns Checklist featuring the big three from last season. Duchene appears to be the most successful of the lot so far.

Frazer McLaren will likely have more fights than points in his career but for some people that is OK!

I was really surprised to see this gem in there. I didn't have a Brown G-U in my collection yet and I definitely will hang on to this one. The other two young guns are available for trade if someone needs them to finish their sets.