Mother Ducker

Sports Illustrated for Kids is a spin-off of the magazine Sports Illustrated, but aimed at the younger set. Each issue includes a sheet of nine trading cards featuring athletes from various sports. The magazine's editors decided to have some fun, and put "April Fools' Day Cards" in the April 1999 issue of SI for Kids. This card shows Anaheim Mighty Ducks captain Paul Kariya skating on the ice with other ducks - real ducks. (Full story)

Puck Junk Giveaway #1

Summers sure seem long when there's no hockey on TV. So today, I am starting the first of (hopefully) several Puck Junk hockey card related giveaways and promotions over the summer.

This week, I'm giving away some shiny team logo stickers from the 1995-96 Panini Hockey set. Everyone likes shiny logo stickers, right? Well, to get one for FREE, just follow these easy steps:

Step 1
If you have not done so already, please become a follower of this blog by clicking on the FOLLOW button on the right, at the top (just below the Search box).**

Step 2
Post a reply here, listing your top three choices of team logos and your email like this:

1st choice: Boston Bruins
2nd choice: Vancouver Canucks
3rd choice: Winnipeg Jets

name@email.com

Or you can write it like...

name AT email DOT com

...if you're afraid of evil spam bots!!!!

Note that since these logo stickers are from 1995, there aren't any of Nashville, Minnesota, Columbus, Atlanta, Phoenix or Carolina--but there are of Hartford and Winnipeg.

Step 3
Next week, I'll email you asking for your mailing address.

Step 4
When you email me your address, I'll send you a logo sticker PLUS a few stickers of players from the teams you listed.


That's it. So please, don't crush my fragile ego. Become a "Puck Junkie", post a reply, and let me give you some rad hockey stickers.

Oh, and check here tomorrow for an all-new Card of the Week!

** - By following this blog, not only are you helping my fragile ego, but you will be alerted of much cooler contests and giveaways in the future.

1963-64 Parkhurst #56 - Billy McNeill

It's been a while since I purchased a 1963-64 Parkhurst Hockey card. The same day the Penguins won the cup, I got this in the mail. It is a card of former Red Wing Billy McNeill.

The card is in decent shape, with the typical discoloration and rounding of the corners. With shipping, it cost me $4.50.

I now have 3 cards, and need 96 more. Slow and steady wins the race...

Thanks, Greg

Thanks goes out to fellow sports card blogger Greg Armentrout, who sent me a bunch of cards featuring Michigan State Spartan hockey players - and a few coaches too - including this card you see here of current NHL player Rod Brind'Amour.

As you know, I love cards that show players before they made it to the pros, from the junior leagues to the minor leagues. You don't often see too many college hockey cards, either, so these are very much appreciated. The Michigan State set has cards of a few guys who made it to the pros, including Joe Murphy, Bob Essensa, Kelly Miller and Kip Miller.

Video Olympics for the Atari 2600

Sometimes we forget how far video games have come. Those old enough to remember when Wayne Gretzky played for the Oilers probably got their start playing video games on the Atari 2600 - with games like Space Invaders, Combat, Surround and Video Olympics.

Today, the ultra-realistic graphics and sound in games like "NHL '09" make us feel like we are controlling an actual hockey game on TV - from the player's stick movements to the line changes. That was not the case 30-something years ago, when your typical game was composed of basic shapes and bright colors underscored by boops and beeps for sound effects.(Full story)

The Holy Grail

Last week, the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Detroit Red Wings in game seven, winning the Stanley Cup - the third time the Penguins have won hockey's "Holy Grail" since joining the NHL in 1967. Not long ago, I too acquired a holy grail - one for card collectors: 1990-91 Pro Set Stanley Cup hologram.

The Pro Set Stanley Cup hologram is one of the hardest "chase cards" to find from the early 1990s. (Full story)

Beckett Marketplace purchase

Last week, I decided to purchase a bunch of cards from a Beckett.com dealer. I got free shipping, and it scratched a few itches for me.

For several years now, I've wanted to own the 2001-02 Topps Heritage Parallel set. Seeded one per pack, the cards resemble the classic 1971-72 Topps/OPC set, which is among my favorites. No one ever sells these cards as a full set, but I was able to find a dealer that had all 110 cards. About 1/3 of the cards were 25 cents, and another 1/3 were 45 cents. It cost me $61.47 to purchase all 110 cards.

I also purchased several cards to kill off some sets:

-- 1989-90 O-Pee-Chee (1 card)
-- 1993-94 Donruss (1 card)
-- 1993-94 Leaf Hat Tricks insert set (2 cards)
-- 1995-96 Pinnacle Select (1 card)
-- 1996-97 Leaf (1 card)
-- 2008-09 Fleer Ultra (5 cards)

Finally, I picked up another 67 different Chris Chelios cards. I'm trying to get all of Chelios' cards. I now have 326 different Chelios cards in my collection.


If you are considering ordering from the Beckett.com marketplace, you should know that if you order $50 or more from a single dealer, then the shipping is free. However, if you place an order over $100, then for some reason the site wants to charge you for shipping. So, I'd recommend placing an order between $50 and $99.99, because once your order hits $100 they try to charge you $14 or so for shipping.