 |
| Shayne Corson 1993-94 Parkhurst #338 |
 |
| Larry Hillman 1991-92 Ultimate Original Six #36 |
 |
| Mark Stone 2019-20 Upper Deck MVP #49 |
It still looks weird to me...
The Vegas Golden Knights against the Minnesota Wild in the 2021 Playoffs.
Another expansion team matchup. The relatively shiny new Golden Knights managed to make it all the way to the Finals during their very first year (2017-18).
The Vegas Golden Knights have never missed the Playoffs during their short existence, and have emerged the series winner 5 times.
Los Angeles, San Jose and Winnipeg were knocked out by the Knights en route to the Finals in 2018. After that incredible first year, Vegas was dealt a first-round elimination in 2019.
One of my very first Vegas Golden Knights cards was probably Mark Stone from 2019-20 Upper Deck MVP. Appropriate, as he's since been named Captain of the team.
 |
| Andrew Brunette 2003-04 Upper Deck #94 |
The Minnesota Wild (established in 2000-01) made a surprise run to the Western Conference Finals in 2003. This counts for 2 of the 4 playoff series victories in the team's history.
The Wild have defeated Colorado twice, with the other series wins coming over St Louis and Vancouver.
Digging into the earliest Minnesota Wild cards that I actually collected, Andrew Burnette's card caught my attention, having played for expansion teams Nashville, Atlanta and Minnesota.
He had two different stints with the Wild. From 2001-2004, and again from 2008-2011.
 |
| Milan Hejduk 2002-03 Pacific #91 |
 |
| Chris Pronger 2000-01 O-Pee-Chee #9 |
Chris Pronger of the St Louis Blues would come close to winning a Stanley Cup a few times before finally hoisting the prized trophy as a member of the Anaheim Ducks.
 |
| Mike Commodore 2007-08 Upper Deck #184 |
The old guard in the Central Division (Dallas, Detroit and Chicago) are on the outside of the Playoff picture looking in...
Meanwhile, 2021 is the first time that the Carolina Hurricanes will encounter the Nashville Predators in the playoffs.
 |
| David Legwand 2003-04 O-Pee-Chee #78 |
Guess I still consider Nashville to be "new". The Predators have been around for more than two decades, and the franchise has a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals under its' belt...
Card from 2004, the very first year that the Predators made the playoffs. Legwand is probably the franchise's most iconic player, and these white (home) jerseys are my favorite Preds uniform.
 |
| Joe Cirella 1993-94 Leaf #269 |
2021 marks the first time that the two Florida-based expansion teams will face each other in the postseason.
The Florida Panthers went to the Finals in just their third year in existence...
They haven't had much luck in the playoff department since that magical year (1995-96), having missed the playoffs 10 times in 17 years. Yikes.
 |
| Petr Klima 1993-94 Upper Deck #526 |
The Tampa Bay Lightning went all the way during their tenth season (2003-04), and again in 2019-20.
Decided to dig up some cards depicting some early 1990s meetings between these two franchises.
Still missing the majority of that pesky Series 2 (93-94 UD). Just happened to have this one in my collection.
 |
| Ulf Samuelsson 1993-94 Fleer Ultra #204 |
The 2021 playoff matchup between the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders is the sixth playoff series between these teams. (previous playoff meetings: 1975, 1982, 1993, 2013 and 2019)
The Divisional Playoff bracket has also been re-instated for the 2021 season with the Islanders and Penguins in the "East Division".
The Pens and Isles were in the Patrick Division from 1981-1993.
From 1993-1998, the Penguins played in the "Northeast Division" while the Islanders were in the "Atlantic Division".
The teams were "re-united" in the Atlantic Division from 1998-2013, joining what became known as the "Metropolitan Division" from 2013-2020.
Historically, the Islanders have owned the Penguins in the Playoffs. Going into 2021, the Islanders had only lost a single series against the "mighty" Penguins... (Pittsburgh emerged as the victor in 2013)
This includes the historic 1975 series where the Isles came back to win in seven games over Pittsburgh after being down 3-0 in the series.
 |
| Vladmir Malakhov 1993-94 Pinnacle #104 |
Another memorable event in 1993 was the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins up 3-1 in the series, only to fall to the Islanders who managed to survive elimination and win in seven.
The Stanley Cup was up for grabs, and it would also mark the end of Divisional Playoffs. Not only were teams separated by he newly formed "Northeast" and "Atlantic" Divisions, but the playoff format had eliminated the divisional brackets.
From 1993-2020 the top teams in each conference would be seeded seeded from 1 thru 8 (regardless of standing within their respective divisions).
 |
| Zdeno Chara 2011-12 Score #61 |
 |
| Steve Leach 1993-94 Pinnacle #73 |
After 6 seasons in Washington, Steve Leach played 5 seasons in Boston where he would score 159 of his 283 career NHL points.
 |
| Al Iafrate 1994-95 Select #80 |
The acquisiton of Al Iafrate was definitely exciting for Bruins fans...
Unfortunately, the big defenceman with the booming slapshot would only suit up for a dozen games with the Bruins. He missed a couple seasons due to injury, returning to play briefly with the San Jose Sharks.
 |
| Joe Juneau 1994-95 Topps/OPC Premier #100 |
Washington landed Joe Juneau in the Al Iafrate trade. Juneau would spend six seasons in Washington, scoring 234 points in 312 games with the Caps.
(Juneau would also play in Buffalo, Ottawa, and Phoenix before finishing his career in Montreal)
 |
| Adam Oates 1999-00 O-Pee-Chee #202 |
After nearly 6 seasons with the Bruins, Adam Oates became a member of the Washington Capitals, and would provide veteran leadership for the Caps during their 1998 appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals.
 |
| Sergei Gonchar 2002-03 Upper-Deck #175 |
In a season when the Bruins were already heavy favorites to win The Cup, the 2004 acquisition of Sergei Gonchar and Michael Nylander definitely seemed to improve the Bruins' chances...
However, the Bruins were defeated in the first round in a seven game series against their hated rivals, the Montreal Canadiens.
 |
| Brian Bellows 1993-94 Leaf #76 |
 |
| John Vanbiesbrouk 1991-92 Upper Deck #324 |
Just a look at John Vanbiesbrouk's helmet / cage combo.
Always liked this card. Looks as if he's bracing for impact, or clearing his crease...
Either way, it's Claude Lemieux - In that case, hit him again!
 |
| Alexei Kovalev 1993-94 Topps/OPC Premier #187 |
In the background and slightly out of focus, we can see the typical square cage associated with John Vanbiesbrouk.
Three Rangers in this snapshot, looking as if they're preparing for a defensive zone faceoff. (Guessing the other guy is Adam Graves?)
Was surprised that no major card sets feature Vanbiesbrouk actually wearing this mask on his own card.
 |
| John Vanbiesbrouk 1993-94 Topps/OPC Premier #314 |
In addition to the 1993-94 Premier cameo, Vanbiesbrouk also appears in Series 2 as a member of the Florida Panthers.
