Friday the Thirteenth...

Gary Bromley
1980-81 O-Pee-Chee #330

Molded face masks were still being worn by NHL goaltenders when Jason Vorhees was barely old enough to wield a machete.

John Garrett
1980-81 O-Pee-Chee #77

Aside from re-printed shots, I had no oldschool goalie cards - Until picking up a bunch of mixed 80s & 90s stuff.

Ron Low
1979-80 O-Pee-Chee #348

The exact same photo of goaltender Ron Low also appears on his 1979-80 and 1980-81 cards. (From 1977 to 1980, he went from the Capitals, Wings, Nordiques, and then to the Oilers...)

It's much easier to sneak a 2-3 year old photograph into a set when the player hasn't been traded...

Grant Fuhr
2013-14 SP Authentic #81

Was pleasantly surprised to find this modern card...
Watched Grant Fuhr play wearing a helmet/cage in the 1990s, but recall seeing older photos of him with an old school mask. Happy to add this one to my collection.

Streaks & Skid Marks...

David Pastrnak
2018-19 Upper Deck MVP #43

After trailing 1-0 for most of the game (Sunday December 1, 2019), NHL leading goal scorer David Pastrnak wired a shot past Montreal's Carey Price (who actually played quite well) to spark a comeback for the Boston, who went on to win 3-1.

Winning their seventh consecutive game, the Bruins handed the Canadiens their EIGHTH consecutive loss...

Apparently it's been 70 years since the Montreal Canadiens have lost eight straight. Was curious how long it's been since they've lost nine in a row...

"...nine consecutive losses from Dec. 16, 1939-Jan. 6, 1940;
the longest losing streak in Canadiens history is 12 games, from Feb. 13-March 13, 1926"
-nhl.com

1993-94 Upper Deck

John Vanbiesbrouk
1993-94 Upper Deck #8

1993-94 Upper Deck
[Total Cards: 575]

Haven't found a whole lot of stuff from 1993-94 Upper Deck while out thrifting...

Phil Housley
1993-94 Upper Deck #525

Plenty of stuff from the first three hockey releases out there (90-91,91-92 & 92-93) but I'm happy to add any subsequent UD cards to my collection.

Phil Housley
1993-94 Upper Deck #525
 (card back)

2005-06 Upper Deck MVP

Marc Denis
2005-06 Upper Deck MVP #113

2005-06 Upper Deck MVP
[Total Cards: 445]

This set design is growing on me.
Didn't really care for it at first, due to what I felt was excessive whitespace...

Marc Denis
2005-06 Upper Deck MVP #113(card back)

Compared to sets that are overdone, this one is actually quite nice to look at.

Mario Lemieux
2005-06 Upper Deck MVP #306

Still unsure if I'd be interested in acquiring the entire set, but I suppose if would if the price was right.

Cool Cards: 2016-17 Upper Deck

Pekka Rinne
2016-17 Upper Deck
UD Portraits #P-5

Spotted a lone pack of 2016-17 Upper Deck, buried behind a pile of other re-pack stuff at Wal-Mart.

Considering 2016-17 UD is becoming scarce (despite an ample supply of 2015-16), I figured I'd take a chance.

The lone eight-card pack yielded two insert cards:

Nashville's All-Star netminder, currently in his 14th NHL season with the Predators.

Shane Doan
2016-17 Upper Deck
UD Canvas #C6

First time I saw one of these "UD Canvas" cards, I thought it was a print defect...

This card is from Shane Doan's last NHL season. Spent 21 years with the same franchise (Winnipeg/Phoenix/Arizona), scoring 972 points in 1540 career games.

Oldies from 1968-69 O-Pee-Chee

Carol Vadnais
1968-69 O-Pee-Chee #81

Picked up a random stray card from 1968-69.

The franchise known as the California Golden Seals franchise existed from 1967-1976 (and were also known as the Oakland Seals from 1967-1970).

Aside from the centering, the condition is incredible.

Carol Vadnais
1968-69 O-Pee-Chee #81
(card back)

This instantly becomes one of the oldest cards in my collection...

Leo Boivin
1968-69 O-Pee-Chee #101

Had previously found a lone card from the same set in a random binder at a sale. Too bad the condition isn't nearly as good.

1990-91 Upper Deck (Completed)

Now have every single base card from the first Upper Deck set (almost 30 years after the release).

Was missing cards from that pesky Series II.
The final four needed to complete the set:

Chris Nilan
1990-91 Upper Deck #442

Dale Hawerchuk
1990-91 Upper Deck #443

Gary Valk RC
1990-91 Upper Deck #530

Daryl Reaugh RC
1990-91 Upper Deck #541

Rick Tabaracci RC
1990-91 Upper Deck #520

Favorite Card?
So many great snapshots in this set, but this one stands out as most memorable.

Had this one in my rookie card collection, reluctant to put it in the set binder. Was able to snag another copy of the card to fill the slot.

Rick Tabaracci RC
1990-91 Upper Deck #520(card back)

WTF Hockey Card: Markus Naslund (2002-03 Upper Pacific #281)

Markus Naslund
2002-03 Upper Pacific #281

Markus Naslund collides with a member of the Calgary Flames...

But look even closer... There's definitely another helmet visible bottom right, meaning another member of the Flames is at the bottom of the pile.

Cool Card: Danton Cole (1991-92 Upper Deck #210)

Danton Cole
1991-92 Upper Deck #210

I get a laugh over how many players have fallen into the net.
Either way, there are at least 3 members of the LA Kings piled on top of the goaltender...

There might even be a member of the Jets in there.

Cool Card: Penalty Minute Leaders (1983-84 O-Pee-Chee #220)

Penalty Minute Leader
(Randy Holt)
1983-84 O-Pee-Chee #220

Started collecting in the 90s, so I missed out on cards that recognize the most penalized players in the league.

Not sure exactly when the PIM Leader cards were phased out...

These cards are just as entertaining as the leader cards for goals, points, wins, etc.

Penalty Minute Leaders
(card back)
1983-84 O-Pee-Chee #220

Cool Card: Darcy Kuemper (2014-15 Upper Deck #99)

Darcy Kuemper
2014-15 Upper Deck #99

I like this shot of Darcy Kuemper snagging the puck, eyes fixed on his catch. Can even see the puck through his glove.

The modern retro look of the Minnesota Wild uniform complements the card design quite well.

1986-87 O-Pee-Chee

Ed Olcyzk
1986-87 O-Pee-Chee #82

Keep adding 80s cards to my collection, a few at a time, whenever I find them for the right price.

Bernie Nicholls
1986-87 O-Pee-Chee #159

Had absolutely no cards from the 86-87 season until picking up these two. I still think Bernie Nicholls looks like Nicholas Cage...

2009-10 SP Authentic

Chris Drury
2009-10 SP Authentic #81

This card that sold the set for me...

Found a lone Chris Drury from 2009-10 SP Authentic in a binder of mixed cards.

I liked the look of the card so much that I grabbed the entire set after seeing it advertised locally.

Chris Drury
2009-10 SP Authentic #81
(card back)

Even the back of the card is done quite well. Neat and clean, with all the vital statistics.

In lieu of a photograph on the back, having the player's last name in big bold letters is a novel idea.

Mario Lemieux (1987-88 O-Pee-Chee #15)

Mario Lemieux
1987-88 O-Pee-Chee #15

Slowly expanding my collection, which now includes cards from pretty much every season between 1979 and 2019...

At the moment however, this is my only card from 1987-88...
Luckily it's a Mario.

Incidentally, I don't own a single card from 1985-86 (the Mario Lemieux rookie year).

Mario Lemieux
1987-88 O-Pee-Chee #15
(card back)

Mario Lemieux (1989-90 O-Pee-Chee #1)

Mario Lemieux
1989-90 O-Pee-Chee #1

Years of collecting on and off, yet had never actually acquired this card.

Being card #1 in the set, simply had to snatch it up.

Still missing 20 cards towards completing my 89-90 OPC, but the first page of the binder now looks much better.

1992-93 Upper Deck Euro Rookie Team

Nicklas Lidstrom
1992-93 Upper Deck #ERT2
(Euro Rookie Team)

Had slowly managed to acquire 4 of the 6 cards in the 1992-92 Upper Deck Euro Rookie Team without even realizing it.

Couldn't resist purchasing the whole subset for practically nothing...

Already had Bure and Hasek, but was missing Nick Lidstrom.

Cool Card: Mario Lemieux (2002-03 Upper Deck Piece of History #72)

Mario Lemieux
2002-03 Upper Deck Piece of History #72

2002-03 Upper Deck Piece of History
Total Cards: 150

Intrigued by 2002-03 UD Piece of History...

Only have a Lemieux base card and a Nabokov insert at the moment, but it seems like a neat little set.

Cool Card: Roberto Luongo (2001-02 Upper Deck Mask Collection #113)

Roberto Luongo
2001-02 Upper Deck Mask Collection #113

2001-02 Upper Deck Mask Collection
Total Cards: 190

The set name is confusing...
First 100 cards are players, followed by 30 goaltenders and 60 rookies.

There's also a collection of mini goalie masks bearing the same name

Although I hope to acquire a few more (simply because they're cool to look at), it's not near the top on my list of sets I'd like to have.

1999-00 Upper Deck MVP Stanley Cup Edition

Ladislav Kohn
1999-00 Upper Deck MVP Stanley Cup Edition #7

Can't find much info on this charming little set...
Some of my favorite cards from the turn of the century.

1999-00 UD MVP Stanley Cup Edition
Total Cards: 220



Unsure as to why they chose such a long name for the set... (Plus the fact that featured players don't necessarily have any NHL Stanley Cup Playoff experience...)

I just enjoy the look and feel of the cards.

Dan Cloutier
1999-00 Upper Deck MVP Stanley Cup Edition #168

Only familiar with Upper Deck MVP Stanley Cup Edition because I happened to pick up a team set back in the day.

(card back)
1999-00 Upper Deck MVP Stanley Cup Edition #168

Have 24 cards in my posession at the moment, but this is one set that I'd really like to collect.

Jyrki Lumme
1999-00 Upper Deck MVP Stanley Cup Edition #143

Maybe it's the nostalgia of the bright (sometimes experimental) late 90s uniforms, but I like the overall sense of style. The cards strike a balance of being modern yet timeless.

Front and back, the graphics are beautiful without being overdone. Very smooth and classy.

Robert Lang
1999-00 Upper Deck MVP Stanley Cup Edition #150

The only negative comment about the set design is the first letter of the player's last name... The bronze foil lettering is almost unreadable against black.

Still hoping to stumble upon a few more of these cards... Considering that my collection doesn't contain many cards from 1999-00, anything from this set would be a welcome addition.

Read about another blogger/collector building a complete set of MVP Stanley Cup Edition with a single box break... That kind of thing doesn't tend to happen in the modern era. Another reason to look fondly back to the "good old days".

Sergei Federov (1992-93 Upper Deck Euro Stars #E1)

Sergei Federov
1992-93 Upper Deck
Euro Stars #E1

Always nice when you can obtain the first card of a set/subset.

Federov was the last "big name" player I was missing in this case. (Fortunate enough to pull Hasek & Jagr from back in the 90s).

Still hoping to complete my 1992-93 Upper Deck Euro Stars.

Missing a bunch of 50 cent cards, but it's a subset that I'd really like to finish... Probably because it was one of the first ones I started collecting.

Maybe this year...

Bill Barber (1981-82 Topps #2)

Bill Barber
1981-82 Topps #2

One person's trash is another person's treasure...
Had absolutely no cards from 81-82 Topps until finding this card of Bill Barber. The card is actually in great shape.

12 NHL seasons, all with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Scored 30 or more goals in his first 10 seasons, and reached the 50 goal mark 1975-76 season.

883 points in 903 career games.

Hakan Loob (1984-85 O-Pee-Chee #229)

Hakan Loob
1984-85 O-Pee-Chee #229

Had actually never even heard of this guy....

Swedish-born Hakan Loob joined the 50 goal club by scoring exactly 50 goals in 1987-88.

Six seasons in the NHL, all with Calgary.
Left the NHL after winning the Cup with the  Flames in 1989.

429 points in 450 career games.

Cool Card: Logan Couture (2016-17 Upper Deck #152)

Logan Couture
2016-17 Upper Deck #152

Nothing like scoring a goal in the NHL Stanley Cup Finals...

Not even three minutes into Game 5 of the 2016 Finals, and Logan Couture has opened the scoring. The Sharks would win the game 4-2 to force a sixth game.

Visible is Matt Murray (number 30) in net for Pittsburgh)

Cool Card: Corey Crawford (2015-16 Upper Deck #40)

Corey Crawford
2015-16 Upper Deck #40

While I've tried to avoid collecting "new" stuff, sometimes it's a package deal when you pick up a huge binder of random cards...

Corey Crawford of the Chicago Blackhawks lunges across the crease (with a number of Chicago Bulls Championship banners hanging from the rafters).

Cool Cards: Martin St Louis & Duncan Keith

Martin St Louis
2005-06 Upper Deck Power Play #81

More cards that remind me of each other, ten years apart...

Martin St Louis was a big part of the Tampa Bay Lightning cup winning team in 2004.

Duncan Keith
2015-06 Upper Deck #41

Ten years later, Duncan Keith celebrating a goal in the Stanley Cup Finals, helping the Chicago Blackhawks capture a third championship in six years.

Cool Card: Ryan Malone (2005-06 Upper Deck #152)

Ryan Malone
2005-06 Upper Deck #152

A bitter, disgruntled fan following the 2004-05 lockout, I've returned to the hobby with the mindset to acquire NHL stuff second hand, or at bargain basement prices...
Recently added a few loose 05-06 cards to my collection, including this one.

An exciting young player in his second season with Pittsburgh, shown here in alone against Evgeni Nabokov.







 

Greg Malone
1980-81 O-Pee-Chee #186

Ryan's father, Greg Malone also wore #12 with the Pittsburgh Penguins.