National Hockey Card Day is Saturday

This Saturday (tomorrow!) is National Hockey Card Day. And as all of you know by now, this year it will be held in both Canada and the U.S.

Participating stores will be giving away 5-card packs of Upper Deck Hockey cards containing an exclusive "National Hockey Card Day" set. Each country will get its own distinct set:

USA: List of participating American retailers

Canada: List of participating Canadian retailers

While the giveaway packs are free, a special 16th card (Sidney Crosby in Canada; Tim Thomas in America) will only be available if you make a purchase.

Canadian collectors who visit London Drugs or Toys R Us will get an oversized "blow up" card when they purchase an Upper Deck product. 

I'm excited, and am going to visit a few stores and try to build a few sets to trade to my fellow collectors north of the border.

A Few Magazine Mentions

I've been pretty scarce this past week or so, as the college semester is in full swing and I am teaching five--count 'em five!--classes between two different schools.

However, I wanted to quickly point out two "blink and you'll miss 'em" magazine articles that mention Puck Junk.

The February 13, 2012 issue of The Hockey News features my fourth "In The Cards" article (the third one was printed back in December). The short article talks about the trading card of Todd Ewen nomming on a hockey puck. Delicious!

Meanwhile, the January/February 2012 issue of The Want List has an article entitled "The Scott and Tracy Show...plus five other collector stories we wanted to share" (pages 16-19). The article talks about KSA Grading Services, Panini America, Bleacher Creatures,  KSKS Collectibles, Clouts N' Chara and Puck Junk.

In other news, I bought six boxes of hockey cards. Expect some breaks--including some video breaks--soon.

1990-91 Upper Deck Prototype Cards

Prior to the release of their inaugural hockey set, Upper Deck issued prototype cards of Wayne Gretzky and Patrick Roy. The two cards were given out at the National Sports Card Convention in Arlington, Texas in July 1990 - roughly four months before Upper Deck Hockey would hit the shelves. The prototypes helped generate excitement and anticipation for what would be one of the most memorable hockey releases ever. However, these cards are not without their own share of controversy. (Full Story)

10 Sets "Killed Off" in 2012

The new year is barely 3 weeks old and already I've managed to uphold one of my Collecting Resolutions:

Complete These @#$% Sets Already

I placed an order on the Beckett Marketplace last week and purchased 64 cards. Many brought me closer to completing many different sets. But 16 of these cards were special, because they helped me "kill off" 10 sets. Some of these cards I've needed only a short time, and others I've needed nearly a lifetime. Here are those 16 "special" cards:

1991-92 Pro Set Platinum #PC20 - Mark Messier
Sheesh, I've needed this card for 20 years. I don't know if that makes me old or lazy. Either way, I finally have every single insert card from the only Pro Set Platinum set ever made.

1993-94 Pinnacle #224 - Ed Belfour & #230 - Mario Lemieux About 2 years ago, I bought a near-complete set of '93-94 Pinnacle, I think for around $2. These two "quarter purchases" bring my set cost to a paltry $2.50. Just another reason why I love collecting sets from the 1990s.

1984-85 O-Pee-Chee Stickers #244 - Mike Eaves
This is the card that sparked my online purchase. Only two dealers on the Beckett Online Store had this sticker, and the guy I got it from wanted a mere 30 cents. Over the summer, I bought this set and thought it was complete. I thought wrong. It was missing one sticker--this one--but not anymore.

2007-08 Black Diamond #60 - Mike Knuble
Wow, two mentions of Mike Knuble on this blog in one week. Must be the apocalypse. This was the last card I needed from my 2007-08 Black Diamond base set. I still need many Double, Triple and Quadruple Diamonds from this set. If you have any for trade, send me an email.

2003-04 In The Game Toronto Star #17 Jarome Iginla and #31 Chris Chelios
These two cards complete an extra set. This set is available for trade, if you are interested.

1994-95 Fleer Slapshot Artists #6 Mike Modano
The last card to completes my Slapshot Artists insert set.

1995-96 Donruss Team Canada #13 - Darcy Tucker
Another "last card" for a 1990s insert set.

1999 Wayne Gretzky Living Legend #13 and #99
About a year ago, I bought this set online for a few bucks, but didn't get around to checking if it had all the cards until a few months later. It had two of card number 18 (one in place of 13) and had an extra card 89 in place of 99. Perhaps an honest mistake by the dealer.

1995-96 Playoff One-on-One #54 - Mark Recchi; #161 - Rick Tocchet and #199 - Alexander Selivanov
These three cards complete an extra set, which is now listed on my Sets for Trade page.

1995-96 Upper Deck Swedish Elite #31 - Stefan Polla
To complete another extra set (also available for trade).

I will admit that I paid a bit for these than I would have at a show. Most of the cards that you see above cost me 50 cents each. Some were a quarter, and some were around a dollar. At a card show, these cards are the stuff of quarter bins--if you find them. I guess I'm tired of looking.

Completing sets is fun. Maybe I'll make it a point to finish off at least one set a month.

Top 10 cards from 2011-12 Upper Deck Series 1

Upper Deck Hockey cards have been something special since 1990. Every year, the best hockey card photographs tend to end up on Upper Deck Series 1 and Series 2.

Even a run-of-the-mill photo on an Upper Deck Series 1 or 2 card would usually be the best card on another set like Victory, Donruss or Score.

So, I decided to pick the Top 10 photos from 2011-12 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey, based on the following criteria:

• Base cards only - no short prints or inserts

• Being an action photo wasn't good enough - this had to be a cut above

• I tried to go for a variety - not just goal scoring or just body checks

• Finally, nothing too gimmicky that you would normally find on a Pinnacle card

With so many great photos, it was hard to boil it down to the best of the best of the best. But I still did. For your enjoyment, here's the Top 10:

#10 - Jason Pominville

Buffalo Sabres winger Jason Pominville chips the puck past Philadelphia Flyers goalie Brian Boucher. You don't see his face, but you see what he does. A picture like this tells us more about Pominville as a player than a portrait ever will.

#9 - Mikka Kiprusoff

Open sky! A humongous television-like scoreboard! Fireworks! And that's just in the background of this photo of Mikka Kiprusoff, taken during the 2011 Heritage Classic.

#8 - Jordan Staal

You can almost feel Jordan Staal's intense level of concentration as he prepares to take a face-off against Anze Kopitar.

#7 - Derick Brassard

Speaking of intense,  this card of Derick Brassard is just oozing with emotion. It makes me want to know why he is so pissed off.

#6 - Niklas Lidstrom

Nicklas Lidstrom emerges from a wall of smoke that has his name and the Red Wings logo shone on it. The set also had a similar card of Shea Weber. This one wins out, though, because the bright Red Wings' uniform contrasts so sharply with the dark background that Lidstrom practically jumps off of the card.

#5 - Drew Doughty

Hockey card photography tries to take us into the game - but this photo takes us from being in the game to being at the game. The silhouetted people in this picture make us feel like we are there, witnessing Doughty pass his stick over the boards to a fan.  The purple and gold of Doughty's jersey--and the illuminated ice--make for one colorful card. 

#4 - Nathan Gerbe

Nathan Gerbe plays the puck while sailing through the air, a la Bobby Orr. This card would have been Number 1 if the puck at the bottom wasn't obscured by the card's border. Bad cropping aside, this is still an exciting moment to capture.

#3 Mike Knuble

The net-cam has been both a blessing and a curse. It is great for instant replays during a hockey game. But the net cam has also provided an overabundance of "goalie ass" cards for the past 15 or so years. This card is different. Instead of focusing on the keeper, the subject is Mike Knuble celebrating a goal. Looking up at Knuble - with the MSG rafters in the background - adds to the grandeur.

#2 - Braydon Coburn

Braydon Coburn of the Philadelphia Flyers lays out Carolina Hurricanes' rookie Jeff Skinner with a bone-crunching bodycheck. It is difficult to get more hockey-oriented action than this picture. You can almost feel Skinner's brain rattling around his skull from this hit. (As a side note, it is time to eliminate body checking from the sport, as it is literally causing more harm than good).

#1 - James Reimer

The best photo in the set shows us how dangerous this game is--especially for a goalie. An opposing player tumbles backwards over Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender James Reimer, knocking off Reimer's mask in the process. Notice all the workplace hazards - sharpened skates, stick blades, not to mention the puck - are striking distance from Remier's now-exposed face. And yet, Reimer seems unphased, as if he is trying to inhale the puck before it gets away from him.

Of course you may disagree with these picks. 
So I ask:

• What was your favorite card from 2011-12 Upper Deck Series 1
• What card should have been on this list?

Card of the Week: The Other Number Nine

 A number is more than just a number when it comes to sports . Many times, it becomes synonymous with the player itself. Thus, it is unwise to give a new player number last worn by a superstar. Those are some big skates to fill, and fans are always going to draw comparisons. But the Chicago Black Hawks ignored that logic in 1973 when they issued Dale Tallon number 9 - the very same digit made famous by Bobby Hull for 15 seasons. (Full story)

A Suite Jersey Card

I normally avoid jersey cards like the plague, but when I find one of the right player--and for the right price--I usually get a weak in the knees, re-think my dislike of such cards and then end up buying it.

This was the case recently, when I found a 2010-11 Luxury Suite card of  Patrick Kane at my local card shop. It features a red jersey swatch. Not only is that better than the ubiquitous white jersey swatch, but Kane is wearing a red jersey on the card front.

The back of the card uses a different photo than the front--perhaps because Luxury Suite is a high-end set. I am glad that they didn't use this particular photograph on the card's front, as Kane is wearing the white road uniform here.

Jersey cards look 10 times better when the swatch is the same color as the jersey worn in the photo. Maybe because, at a subconscious level, you think that the piece of jersey is from the jersey the player is wearing. If the swatch does not match the photo (even if it is the "right" team), I am way less likely to buy it.

Question: Are you more likely to buy a jersey card if the swatch matches the photo (white/white or color/color)?

5 Collecting Resolutions for 2012

Every year, I try to make some New Year's Resolutions in regards to hockey card collecting. This year, I'm making them public. Maybe this will make me more accountable for my collecting habits, right?

So, here are my 5 Collecting Resolutions for 2012:

5. Avoid Retail Packs En Masse
I like opening up blaster boxes as much as the next sports card blogger. Packs are fun to open and for $10 to $20 you get an easy blog post out of the deal.

But I also get a pang of remorse. Why spend $20 on a blaster when you can spend $60 or so on a hobby box and have vastly better odds of getting rookies, cool parallels, jersey or autograph cards. Plus, my local Target doesn't really need my $20.

Will I still buy blasters and/or retail packs? Sure, once in a while. But if I am going to build a set, this year I will stick to hobby boxes.

Why am I saving these again? Oh, right...

4. Deal With Empty Boxes and Wrappers
When I buy a box of cards, I put the empty box and wrappers aside to deal with later. I save 4 wrappers with the least amount of tearing along with the top of the card box.

The problem is, I am notorious for putting this off. The boxes and wrappers pile up, taking up space on, under or around the "card table" in my "Room of Hockey" until it becomes unsightly. So in 2012, I will be more diligent in dealing with the empties.

200...201...203...wait, 203? Aw, hell...

3. Check All Sets When I Receive Them
This is probably my worst habit. I buy a set off of eBay, but don't bother to actually check and see if each and every card is there until I have leisure time to put the set in pages. But that could be days, weeks, even months after I've bought it.

This is bad, bad, BAD.

I've been shorted a card numerous times during 2011. And really, you can't complain to the seller about a missing or damaged card two months after the fact.

The whole reason that I buy sets in the first place is so I don't have to mess around with tracking down more single cards. So this year I will strive to check the sets the day I get them.

I am the Crazy Cat Lady of Mario Lemieux RCs

2. Don't Be A Hoarder
When I like a card, I tend to buy many copies of it. I'm not talking about having one copy of a card in a complete set and another copy for my player collection (a la Chris Chelios). I'm talking many, many copies of the same card, for really no good reason.

Why do I have 6 copies of the 1990-91 Pro Set Stanley Cup Hologram?

Because it's cool, that's why. But 6 of them? Wouldn't that money be better spent towards Young Guns of Sid and Alex, or a Stan Mikita rookie card...or, you know, cards that I don't have?

This year, I am going to ask myself that question whenever I buy a pricey card that I already have. (That includes you, Mario Lemieux).

1. Complete These @#$% Sets Already
A great deal of my want list--not just what I post online, but my 53-page Word document--is comprised of sets that just a few cards away from completion. And many of the cards I need can be found on the Beckett Marketplace for around a quarter each.

So, what's stopping me? Sellers on the Beckett Marketplace don't gouge on shipping, and this is a really good way to kill off many sets at once. Plus it is less time consuming than sifting through quarter boxes at a show in the hopes of finding that elusive Mark Fitzpatrick card.

This year, I am going to knock off as many sets as I can. I might even keep track of how many sets I complete in 2012.

Question: Do you have any collecting resolutions for 2012? I'd love to hear about them.

Some Video Games Are NOT for Kids

The last week has been a steady mix of hanging out with friends--including an awesome New Year's Eve party (thanks, Phil)--and the usual boring "teacher stuff" I do to get prepared for the semester (which started Tuesday). Yes, friends and work are my excuses for not blogging the past 6 days.

Anyway, I found this brochure, starring Patrick Sharp and Bryan Campbell to warn you that...

"Some video games are for kids. Some aren't."

That's right, kids...the Blackhawks are here to warn your parents about the new Call of Duty game.  Perhaps you'd rather play something less violent, like NHL '12 instead?

Here are scans of the front cover and an inside page:

Click images to see larger.

Keep in mind that this was printed in 2010, some time before the Blackhawks unloaded Campbell's ridiculous contract traded Campbell to the Florida Panthers.

I am always happy to see the Blackhawks get exposure, even if it is on the counter of my local GameStop. But two things perplex me about this pamphlet.

First, why the Blackhawks? Sure they won the Stanley Cup in 2010, but seeing as how this is Chicago I am surprised that it doesn't feature, say Brian Urlacher and Devin Hester of the Bears. Or Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah of the Bulls. Or Carlos Zambrano of the Cubs (he counts as two guys).

Wait, Zambrano was traded to Florida? I guess that's where all unwanted Chicago athletes end up.

Zing!

Secondly, why Campbell and Sharp? Why not these two fellows instead? Obviously, they know about video games:

I know 2011 was a long time ago, but wasn't Jonathan Toews on the cover of a video game?

And the year before that, who graced the cover of the best only hockey video game out there?

Right. So when the Blackhawks "teamed up" with the ESRB to warn about the evils of Rated-M games, why did they forget about their two cover boys?

In other news, I got an XBOX 360 and NHL '12. Are any of you on XBOX Live? If so, add me as one of your gaming friends. My XBOX Live ID is Puck Junk.

25 Rookie Cards for the Collection

With all the vintage cards I've been showing on Puck Junk lately, you probably think I've turned my back on newer cards.

That is so not true.

Over the past month, I've picked up 25 different rookie cards. Some were quarter bin fodder too good to pass up, while others were cards of awesome players at great prices. One was even given to me by a 'Hawk-hatin' Penguins fan. Which brings me to the first card, actually...

2010-11 O-Pee-Chee #541 - Nick Leddy (Marquee Rookies). At last month's card show, fellow blogger Tim (The Real DFG) flat out gave me this card--and didn't want anything in return. I guess Tim doesn't like offensively-minded, puck-moving defensemen :)

2009-10 Upper Deck #203 - Matt Duchene (Young Guns). This one cost me the most out of all of these. I think I got it for less than "half book" if memory serves me correctly. Now, only 26 more Young Guns, and my 2009-10 Upper Deck set will be complete.

2008-09 Champ's #137 - Darren Helm. Only 5 more cards and I'll have all 100 of the Champ's Rookies from this set.

2007-08 O-Pee-Chee #596 - Mayson Raymond (Marquee Rookies). I like Raymond, and couldn't pass this up for a quarter.

2007-08 MVP #208 - David Krejci. Totally worth the buck I paid for it.

2007-08 Black Diamond #158 - David Krejci (Rookie Gems). I am slowly putting together the 2007-08 Black Diamond set, including all short prints. I think I got a sizable stack of the short prints for next to nothing (including a Quadruple Diamond Wayne Gretzky), so I pick away at this set when I find a card. This cost me only $2.

2006-07 Upper Deck Ovation #178 - Shea Weber. I've been a fan of Weber since his rookie season. Hie is an awesome defenseman, and I always try to pick up his various rookie cards when I find them.

2005-06 MVP #431 - Brent Seabrook. When I see a rookie card of a decent Blackhawk for a quarter, of course I'm going to pick it up. You all may know Seabrook as Duncan Keith's defensive partner. The two are effective together - in fact, Seabrook was on the 2010 Canadian Olympic team so that Keith could be paired with him at the Olympics.

2005-06 Fleer Ultra #201 - Braydon Coburn. Coburn spent a season with the Chicago Wolves (2005-06) and has since developed into a reliable defenseman who always comes back. (If you don't get the reference, watch this 30-second video).

2005-06 Fleer Ultra #220 - George Parros. This was Parros before his mustache phase.

2005-06 Fleer Ultra #241 - Ryan Clowe. I got all 3 RCs from this set for a quarter each. I bought the Coburn and Parros cards because I like those players, but this one I actually needed for my set. I'm 34 cards away from finishing it, including Sid and Ovie, so it's gonna take a while.

2005-06 Victory #298 - Braydon Coburn. Glad they didn't use the same photo as the Fleer Ultra card pictured above.

2005-06 Victory #280 - Ryan Getzlaf. I couldn't belive that I found this card for only a quarter. Two of them, in fact.

2005-06 Victory #277 - George Parros. Another RC of the Ducks' enforcer. 

2005-06 Victory #253 - Brent Seabrook. Another RC of "Seabs".

2005-06 Beehive #103 - Jeff Carter. I like the portrait style, head-and-shoulder photographs used for the rookie cards in this set. 

2005-06 Beehive #126 - Henrik Lundqvist. A rookie card of "King Henrik". Worth every cent of the one dollar I paid it for.

2005-06 Beehive #104 - Corey Perry. His bright blue eyes make Perry look like one of the Fremen in Dune.

2005-06 Beehive #122 - Brent Seabrook. Yes, another Seabrook RC that I couldn't pass up.

2005-06 Beehive #134 - R.J. Umberger. This guy has been a solid player for the Columbus Blue Jackets the past 3 seasons.

2005-06 Upper Deck #216 - Henrik Lundqvist (Young Guns). This card has a "book value" of $12 to $30, so I thought it was an absolute steal for $10.

2005-06 Upper Deck #215 - Jimmy Howard (Young Guns). This photo of Howard stepping out onto the ice is pretty cool. Also note that he's wearing his mask from his days with the University of Maine.

2005-06 Upper Deck #203 - Dion Phaneuf (Young Guns). Did you know that Phaneuf came in third in voting for the 2006 Calder Trophy? At one time, Phaneuf was considered a better prospect (and defenseman) than Duncan Keith. How times have changed.

2005-06 Upper Deck #230 - Duncan Keith (Young Guns). Speaking of Keith, I got this Duncan Keith rookie card from AU Sports, which is one of my favorite card shops. Now I am only 23 Young Guns away (including Crosby and Ovechkin) from having the entire set.

2002-03 Upper Deck #204 - Sean Avery (Young Guns). I also got this Sean Avery card from AU Sports. This reminds me of my favorite Sean Avery video of all time. (It's 39 seconds well-spent).