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.

2019-20 O-Pee-Chee Platinum

Anthony Mantha
2019-20 O-Pee-Chee Platinum #28

Found this card from this year's OPC Platinum, buried within a re-pack.

As is the case with most shiny reflective cards, it looks much better in hand than when scanned...

Anthony Mantha
2019-20 O-Pee-Chee Platinum #28
(card back)

Back of the card is simple, clean and effective with brilliant white.
Just wish they'd use a different snapshot on the back. I realize it would be more time consuming to offer an alternative photo, but it would make the card so much more interesting.

2017-18 O-Pee-Chee

Chris Stewart
2017-18 O-Pee-Chee #299

Always enjoy acquiring cards from sets that I don't have...

I kinda like the design of 2017-18 O-Pee-Chee. Just enough graphics to make it interesting, without being too busy.

Actually can't decide if the look is supposed to be modern or retro... Relatively neat and clean, which appeals to my taste.

Hired Gun...

James Neal
2017-18 Upper Deck #434

It's hard keeping up with sniper James Neal, who has already played for 6 teams during his 12 year NHL career. (Dallas, Pittsburgh, Nashville, Vegas, Calgary and Edmonton)

From the back of the card:
"Neal scored the first goal in Golden Knights franchise history..."

The only question is which team will he sell his services to next year???

Mike Modano (2013-14 Upper Deck Artifacts #66)

Mike Modano
2013-14 Upper Deck Artifacts #66

Recently acquired this card, and was happy to find that I didn't already have it. A number of retired players were included in this set. (Had picked up some loose cards from 2013-14 UD Artifacts earlier this year, presumably from a box break)

From the back of the card: "Modano played 20 seasons with the Stars organization, winning a Stanley Cup in 1999 and finishing his career as the all-time American-born points and goals leader in NHL history."

Also enjoy the "retro" Dallas Stars jerseys... I just can't get into the new colors & motif (introduced in 2013)... Fortunately, everything old is new again, so hopefully it's only a matter of time before they decide to bring back this uniform, and ditch the ugly green gear that they're currently wearing.