Big Deal...

Zdeno Chara
2010-11 Upper Deck Artifacts #97

Hard to believe that big Zdeno Chara is now a member of the Washington Capitals...

As the largest player to ever play in the NHL, he was a force to be reckoned with.

He became the Boston Bruins' captain upon joining the team in 2006 (coinciding with the departure of Joe Thornton).

Zdeno Chara received the Norris Trophy as top defenceman in 2009, and helped lead the Bruins to a Stanley Cup Championship in 2011.

No longer his prime, and getting slower with every passing game, he's not quite ready to hang 'em up. He'll join fellow Czech Richard Panik in the Capitals' lineup, and will be 44 years old by the playoffs... At least they signed him for a bargain price. To Chara's credit, his plus / minus has steadily improved over the past five seasons.

After a decade and a half as captain, it will be strange to see him without the "C" on his uniform. Chara is associated with jersey number 33, and it seems to suit him. He wore number 3 with the Islanders and Senators before being traded to the Bruins.

Zdeno Chara
2009-10 Upper Deck #4

When Zdeno Chara arrived in Boston, his usual number 3 was unavailable due to it being retired in honor of Lionel Hitchman (playing career 1925–1934). Hitchman was actually the very first player in Boston Bruins' history to have his jersey retired.

Was surprised to learn that Chara briefly wore number 53 at the beginning of his career with the New York Islanders. (He'd switched to jersey number 3 by the time the Isles organization had decided to start wearing the infamous Captain Highliner "Fish Sticks" jerseys).

Game of Inches...

Kirk McLean
1995-96 Upper Deck #136

This is why I pick up stacks of random cards... To enjoy amazing images like this.

Kirk McLean gets some luck as the shot rings off the post, from Brett Hull of all people.

Even the St Louis crowd is taking in the excitement, some of them already celebrating what they think is a goal.

Kirk McLean
1995-96 Upper Deck #136
(card back)

Had often noticed a red "horse demon" appearing on Kirk McLean's mask sometime around 1995.

Kirk McLean
1995-96 Collector's Choice #91

This shot from 1995-96 Collector's Choice is offers another look at the creature.

Looking Out For Number One...

Craig Billington
1995-96 Upper Deck #112

Nobody cares about a stack of loose cards from 1995-96 Upper Deck. Since there are huge gaps in my collection, I'll snatch up random handfuls for the simple pleasure of sifting through them.

Craig Billington wore the oldschool number 1 jersey for every team he played for, including Boston Bruins.

Kinda find it strange to see jersey number 1 still being worn in Boston...

Most of the Original Six teams have retired the number 1 jersey, and honored it with the name of (at least) one former netminder.

Gerry Cheevers
1968-69 O-Pee-Chee #140

This got me wondering about Gerry Cheevers' number 30, not currently retired by the organization.

He won 2 Stanley Cups as a member of the Boston Bruins.

(Jersey number 30 has subsequently backstopped the Bruins to a Stanley Cup in 2011, worn by the now controversial Tim Thomas)

While Cheevers did briefly wear jersey number 1, he's more commonly associated with number 30.

Just happened to add this one to my collection a few days later.

Tiny Thompson
2004-05 In The Game Franchises #331

Also couldn't resist scanning this one, found in a re-pack.

Current goalie Tuukka Rask has recently become the all time wins leader in Bruins history, second only to this guy...

Hall of Fame goaltender Tiny Thompson helped the Bruins win their first ever Stanley Cup in 1929. He also won the Vezina Trophy four times during his ten-plus seasons in Boston.

It was a different era, and while the Bruins may never raise this guy's name to the rafters, the fact that his name still stands with 252 wins in a Boston uniform is pretty impressive... Especially since the NHL season was considerably shorter back then.

Just glad to have neat little tidbits like this.

Mikhail Shtalenkov
1995-96 Upper Deck #91

Only have a couple cards of goaltender Mikhail Shtalenkov.

This one caught my eye because of the action in front of the net. An opposing player has been knocked down, with a visible skate of another player in the mix.

Jim Carey
1995-96 Upper Deck #344

Blessed and cursed by sharing a name with a Hollywood celeb (albeit with different spelling). This earned him goofy nicknames like "The Net Dectective", but didn't stop Jim Carey from winning the Vezina Trophy as top goaltender in 1995-96.

He quietly left the hockey world around the turn of the millennium.

Jim Carey
1995-96 Upper Deck #344
(card back)

A better look at Carey's AHL Portland Pirates mask. The color scheme actually fit perfectly with the original Washington uniforms. He did get another painted mask with an eagle at some point.

1996-97 Topps NHL Picks - O-Pee-Chee

Bernie Nicholls
1996-97 Topps NHL Picks
O-Pee-Chee #131

Because the hobby wasn't nearly confusing enough at the turn of the century, this particular 1996-97 set had Topps produce the odd numbered-cards, while Fleer released the even numbers.

To make things even more interesting, this one's a shiny silver insert card from what I believe is an O-Pee-Chee parallel set.

An insert card, which appears to be a parallel of the main set. (As usual with shiny cards, the card looks much better in hand than scanned)

(card back)

My collection is without an actual card of Bernie Nicholls in a Sharks' uniform...

Somehow, they predicted he would score 75 points with his new team...

Coming off 51 & 40 point seasons with the Hawks, he managed 12 goals, 33 assists for 45 points in 1996-97.

2017 Eastern Conference Finals (Pittsburgh VS Ottawa)

Matt Murray
2019-20 Upper Deck #103

Although the series was ultimately decided in double overtime of Game 7, Game 5 of this series saw the Pittsburgh Penguins defeat the Ottawa Senators by a score of 7-0. Matt Murray of the Penguins earning the shutout with 25 saves.

Matt Murray is now a member of the Ottawa Senators, although I highly doubt that the team will have many of the same faces in three long churning years of the hockey business.

Looking at my page of cards from 2019-20 Upper Deck, half of them have already switched teams or are currently on the trading block.

It will definitely be a change of pace for Matt Murray to watching the NHL playoffs on TV instead of starting in goal...

Richter Scale...

Mike Richter / Bernie Parent
1991-92 Pinnacle #384

YES! Gotta love a card with an old time goalie mask on it...

Now have three of these "The Idols" cards from 1991-92 Pinnacle.


From the back of the card:

"If, like Mike Richter, you were an aspiring goaltender growing up in Philadelphia during the mid-'70's, the NHL player you modeled yourself after was Bernie Parent..."

Never knew that Richter grew up in Philly...

Mike Richter
1996-97 Ultra #110

Mike Richter, coming off a World Cup of Hockey Championship.

Have only a handful of from 1996-97 Fleer Ultra. So far, I like the cards I've managed to collect.

A relatively simple design, with the emphasis on the player's name and team colors with sporty lettering.

Mike Richter
1996-97 Ultra #110
(card back)

Back of the card design is OK, but could use a bit of improvement... At least they managed to include an alternate player photograph.

Random Re-Pack...

Hungry for hockey, I busted open a random re-pack from my stash.

Only one third were duplicates.  I take it as a win anytime the majority of these "value packs" contain cards that I don't already own.

Andrei Vasilevskiy
2019-20 Upper Deck Artifacts #15

A modern card of this season's Stanley Cup winning goaltender.
Vasilevskiy was voted best netminder the previous season.

Ever notice that guys who win the Vezina trophy eventually seem to backstop a team to a Stanley Cup?

(Tom Barasso, Ed Belfour, Dominik Hasek, Tim Thomas, Brayden Holtby)

This makes a total of three cards from this set in my collection.
One of the better Artifacts card designs, in my opinion.

Semyon Varlamov
2013-14 Panini Contenders #18

Thought I already had this card of Semyon Varlamov...
(Turns out I have his Panini Prizm card from the same year)

2013-14 Panini Contenders
Total Cards: 287

Overall, it's a half decent looking card. The Photoshop effect almost looks like a pencil drawing, which is kinda neat. Including the back of the card however, they've managed to use the same photo three times...

Eric Fichaud, Zigmund Palffy, Todd Bertuzzi
3 Star Selection
1996-97 Collector's Choice #323

New York Islanders card, featuring the combination of an unpopular team logo with a highly controversial player...

Have mixed feelings tucking this one into my collection, but every hockey card is a piece of history, pretty or not.

Upper Deck Champ's

Evgeny Kuznetsov
2015-16 Upper Deck Champ's #74

2015-16 Upper Deck Champ's
Total Cards: 327


Had never even heard of this set... Apparently, the Upper Deck Champ's brand existed for only three seasons. (200 cards in 2008-09, and a 580 card set in 2009-10)

Seems they were attempting to capture the essence of "Old Time Hockey", something they've more or less accomplished with their "Upper Deck O-Pee-Chee" brand.

Evgeny Kuznetsov
2015-16 Upper Deck Champ's #74
(card back)

This is the first (and only) UD Champ's card that I've held in hand.  Would be interested to see some cards from the very first year (2008-09).

Silver & Bronze (1997-98 Donruss Preferred)

Daymond Lankow
1997-98 Donruss Preferred #23

1997-98 Donruss Preferred
Total Cards: 200

Acquired a few more random cards from 1997-98 Donruss Preferred...

Daymond Lankow
1997-98 Donruss Preferred #23
(card back)

This time, was lucky enough to get one of the players under the "silver" ranking - Which is NOT a parallel set... They decided to designate each player within the set to be worthy of gold, silver or bronze.

Todd Harvey
1997-98 Donruss Preferred #144

Still not sure what I think of this set design, although silver looks better than "shameful bronze".

Cool Cards (2015-16 Upper Deck)

Marc Staal
2015-16 Upper Deck #129

A couple of recent acquisitions from 2015-16 Upper Deck (Series I).

The fans in the background seem to be amused by Marc Staal playing a game of "leap frog".

John Carlson
2015-16 Upper Deck #188

I just love the intensity on this card... Carlson driving hard around the net, while a member of the Islanders is determined to cut him off.

More Random Cards...

Sandis Ozolinsh
1997-98 SP Authentic #41

My first card from the very first year of SP Authentic...
Future incarnations of the product would be brilliant white, while the early years are "Ooh, shiny!".

The "SP Authentic" brand effectively replaced the original brand simply known as "SP" (which had three releases, 1994-95, 1995-96 and 1996-97)..

Since it's debut in 1997-98, SP Authentic has been released every single season.

Dominik Hasek
2018-19 SP #95

Seems they revived the regular "SP" brand in 2018-19 & 2019-20, after an absence of 22 years.

The card numbers and player photos are the same, but the SP Authentic set has considerably more insert cards...

My research suggests that it's basically a more affordable alternative to "SP Authentic". Perhaps the regular SP is more suitable for those of us who simply enjoy to collect the base set.

Tomas Vokoun
2010-11 Upper Deck #117

I'll always think of Tomas Vokoun as a member of the Nashville Predators, but here he is with the Florida Panthers.... Either way, he still has a vicious cat painted on his mask.

Just noticing that Vokoun catches right.

Eric Fehr
2013-14 Score #529

Always enjoy cards where a player has just scored a goal... This one has it all, from ecstatic fans to dejected goaltender.

Bee's Knees to the Cat's Meow...

John Vanbiesbrouck
1993-94 Score #445

This is a really terrific snapshot from The Coolest Game on Earth.

The only card I have featuring the John Vanbiesbrouck bumblebee mask with the city skyline. This would be the final season in New York for the Beezer, as he was drafted by the expansion Florida Panthers (along with Joe Cirella, the New York Ranger wearing number 6 in the photo).

At 5' 8", The Beezer is the only netminder featured in the "Little Big Men" category. Other players are Fleury, Recchi, Ronning, and Granato. Never realized that Recchi was 5' 10", which is considered little in the NHL.

Strange how they didn't include goaltender Chris Terreri at 5' 9".

Striking Gold...

Shawn Antoski
1993-94 Topps Premier #31
(Gold Variation)

Always liked the facial expression here as the player gets crosschecked in the back of the ribs (by Daryl Sydor, I believe).

Now I have the gold version!

How's My Portfolio?

Ryan Getzlaf
2015-16 Upper Deck Portfolio #51

2015-16 Upper Deck Portfolio
Total Cards: 340

Never even knew there was such a brand called "Upper Deck Portfolio"
Apparently it only existed for a single season, 2015-16.

Ryan Getzlaf
2015-16 Upper Deck Portfolio #51
(card back)

Card number 51 from this set is Ryan Getzlaf... Coincidentally, Getzlaf wore number 51 during the first couple seasons of his career. Has remarkably spent his entire career with the Anaheim (Mighty) Ducks.

Rod Brind'Amour
2015-16 Upper Deck Portfolio #184

Gotta feel old when the guys you remember as hockey players are becoming hockey coaches...

Rod Brind'Amour
2015-16 Upper Deck Portfolio #184
(card back)

Things go full circle... One-time captain of the Carolina Hurricanes, Rod Brind'amour now stands behind the Canes' bench as their coach.

Vegas Betting Odds...

Marc-Andre Fleury
2016-17 Upper Deck #394

Card from what would be Marc-Andre Fleury's last season in Pittsburgh...

Recently snagged another copy of the card without realizing I already had it.

(Had actually picked up the entire 2016-17 UD Series II for nothing. Seems like forever ago, now... Before the sky started falling)

Marc-Andre Fleury
2019-20 Upper Deck #198

One of my favorite acquisitions from 2019-20. Looks like it'll also be Fleury's last season in Vegas...

Score Ritual...

Uwe Krupp
1996-97 Score #175

Always find plenty of Score while gambling on re-packs... At least the designs were getting better by the mid-nineties...

Uwe Krupp
1996-97 Score #175
(card back)

From the back of the card:

"The big defenceman scored a pair of key goals, including a game winner, in the Avalanche's semifinal series victory over Detroit".

Not to mention his game-winning goal in triple overtime for the Stanley Cup, securing a victory against the Florida Panthers in a lopsided 4-0 series victory.

Scott Clemmensen
2011-12 Score #215

Just realized that the set design bares a slight resemblance to some of the modern designs of the Score brand (specifically 2011-12)...

A good snapshot of a hockey scene... I like the red cat with demonical eyes on his mask.

Scott Clemmensen
2011-12 Score #215
(card back)

The flip side of the card scores a win in my books... (Just realized that Panini actually does cardbacks quite well)

Team logo, vitals, stats... Only thing absent is a photo on the back - Although I'm starting to believe that a photo on the reverse side is only worthwhile if it's a different photo than on the front.

At 6 foot 3, Clemmensen would have been one of the tallest goaltenders...
While goaltenders have no doubt gotten bigger and taller, at the moment, only a handful of active NHL goalies are over 6'3".

Three different stints with the New Jersey Devils over his career, yet he played almost twice as many games as a member of the Florida Panthers.

Appreciating Victory...

Arturs Irbe
2002-03 Upper Deck Victory #42

Arturs Irbe, coming off a season where he and the Carolina Hurricanes all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals (losing in 5 games to Detroit).

Irbe would retire in 2004, and the Canes would hoist Lord Stanley's Mug in 2006 (backstopped by Cam Ward & Martin Gerber).

Not overly fond of UD Victory, but this card design is alright... It's actually the nicest-looking Victory card I've seen.

Bonus points for the closeup of a recognizable goaltender at the turn of the century.

This Bud's For You...

Pavel Bure
1993-94 Upper Deck #35

Managed to spot the same fan making appearances on three different hockey cards...

Always noticed the contrasting background characters on this particular card from 1993-94 Upper Deck.

The dude with the beard and sunglasses obviously had nothing to wear to the game, so he draped an American flag over his shoulders... (surely the librarian next to him must have "Shushed" him for his loud attire)

Brent Gilchrist
1992-93 Fleer Ultra #293

Literally did a double take when I happened upon this card from 1992-93 Fleer Ultra...

It's the exact same guy, wearing the exact same outfit, sitting in the exact same seat (just behind the "w" in "Budweiser").

With millions of sports cards produced, surely this has  happened before.

Rob Blake
1991-92 Pro Set Platinum #51

Had often noticed this card where Rob Blake is eating his chinstrap...

After scouring my LA Kings cards via TCDB, I spotted the same fan on Rob Blake's card #51 from 1991-92 Pro Set Platinum.

Wearing a black LA Kings jersey, I wouldn't have even noticed him if he wasn't sitting in his favorite seat behind the Budweiser ad.



Gonna keep a lookout for hockey card photos taken in Los Angeles during the early 1990s, just to see if this guy makes additional appearances... Pretty sure I've seen him on other cards, partially cropped out, or out of focus in the distant background.

2008-09 Upper Deck #75 (Bill Guerin)

Bill Guerin
2008-09 Upper Deck #75

One of the most under-rated players from the previous decade...

A highly skilled player, earns bonus points for being consistently effective.

Didn't realize that Bill Guerin also played 16 games in a San Jose Sharks uniform...

Won a championship in 1995 as a youngster with the New Jersey Devils, during his 7 years with the franchise.

Spent 2 years with the New York Islanders before winning a Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009.

He initially wore number 12 with the Devils, and 9 with the Oilers, before switching to number 13 during his stint with the Bruins. He would then keep lucky number 13 for the rest of his career (Boston, Dallas, St. Louis, SJS, NYI, Pittsburgh).

Have less than a page worth of cards from this set, so I'll glady file this one in my "post-lockout" Upper Deck binder.

Speak of the Devil...

Peter Sidorkiewicz
1991-92 Pinnacle #234

Seldom seen without a mask, this photo of Peter Sidorkiewicz looks a bit like Claude Lemieux...

Claude Lemieux
1992-93 Topps #43

Coincidentally pulled Claude Lemieux (1992-93 Topps) from the same re-pack.

Peter Sidorkiewicz
1991-92 Pinnacle #234
(card back)

Back of the Sidorkiewicz card (1991-92 Pinnacle) has a nice snapshot of what seems to be a glove save.