John Tonelli Quebec?

John Tonelli
1992-93 Stadium Club #159

Organizing my early 1990s Topps Stadium Club cards, found John Tonelli playing for the Quebec Nordiques.

Didn't realize that he finished his career playing 19 games for the Nords.

A four-time Stanley Cup winner with the New York Islanders,
John Tonelli scored 115 points in 172 career playoff games.

Mike McPhee...

Mike McPhee
1993-94 Pinnacle #163

Couple of cards that caught my attention, both of 10 year NHL veteran Mike McPhee.

Just two seasons with the Stars, wearing number 17. He had previously worn number 35 as a member of the 1986 Stanley Cup Champion Montreal Canadiens.

Here he is causing havoc for Vancouver goaltender Kay Whitmore. Snow spray, and at least one other player in the mix.

Another great looking card that's easy to overlook.

Mike McPhee
1994-95 Pinnacle #105

Shuffled to Minnesota in the 1992 off-season (for a 5th round draft pick), Mike McPhee spent one season playing for the "North Stars" and another year with the team as the "Dallas Stars".

In this snapshot, it looks like he's chopping the Tampa player right in the back. Ouch!

2020-21 UD Series 2...

Andrew Copp
2020-21 Upper Deck #444

It's actually been several months since I've picked up some random cards.

Found my very first card from 2020-21 Upper Deck Series 2.

Seeing Double...

Alex Pietrangelo
2015-16 Upper Deck #157

Hadn't found any non-duplicates in a while, but finally got a 2015-16 Upper Deck card that I don't already have.

Upper Cuts...

Scott Stevens
1993-94 Upper Deck #119

A couple acquisitions destined for my 1993-94 Upper Deck duplicates pile. Taking a moment to appreciate both cards from this under-rated set.

New Jersey defenceman Scott Stevens in front of the Tampa Bay net. Looks like he's peeling back after venturing deep into enemy territory.

Can't see a number on the goaltender, but the pads appear to be a match for J.C. Bergeron. (four different netminders saw action during the Lightning's first season)

Scott Stevens
1993-94 Upper Deck #119
(card back)

Photo from the back of the card shows the ridiculously low glass separating a vicious predator from the spectators... If only the people in the crowd knew enough not to antagonize these animals, they wouldn't have had to install a twelve foot high glass wall. Seems like a lot of time and effort to ensure the safety of a few idiots...

Brad May
1993-94 Upper Deck #201

The lights in the Buffalo arena are responsible for the vivid (almost surreal) colors that appear on some of the hockey cards of this era...

In this snapshot, an airborne Brad May jumps in front of Hartford goaltender Frank Pietrangelo.

(reminds me of Pat Verbeek's airborne card  #167 from 91-92 UD)

Brad May
1993-94 Upper Deck #201
(card back)

Back of the card also features a shot of May in front of the net. This time he's bothering Montreal's "red-light" Andre Racicot.

Freddy Gets Fingered...

Frederik Modin
2000-01 O-Pee-Chee #92

Yet another card featuring the Lightning VS Islanders. Great action in front of the net.

Is that Roberto Luongo in net? His number 1 could be hiding around the sleeve...

Five different goalies saw action for the Isles during the 1999-00 season (Weekes, Luongo, Potvin, Valiquette, Flaherty).

Frederik Modin
2007-08 Upper Deck #277

Spotting one cool card of Frederik Modin caused me to notice another, from his days with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Both horizontal cards from in front of the net.

The opposing team just happens to be the Anaheim Ducks, yet another expansion team.

Had considered the Ducks to be the most successful "new" team until recently...

Dave's Not Here...

Dave Andreychuk
2004-05 Upper Deck #157

I seem to recall Dave Andreychuk contemplating retirement after he captained the Tampa Bay Lightning to a Stanley Cup Championship in 2004. That was right before the next season was cancelled due the lockout (2004-05).

He actually did return in 2005-06 for half a season in Tampa before calling it quits.

Appropriately enough, Martin St. Louis (who was instrumental in Tampa's cup run) makes a cameo on the background.

Andreychuck wore number 25, while St. Louis wore 26.

Thunder Road...

Daren Puppa
1994-95 Select #45

Suddenly noticing all kinds of Tampa Bay Lightning VS New York Islanders within the cards of my collection...

Possibly because both teams were together in the Atlantic Division from 1993 to 1998, and a big chunk of my collection falls within that era.

Is that an Islander glove in the foreground?

Chris Gratton
1995-96 Topps #70

Always liked this card. Actually looks as if the defender is trying to get out of the way.

Patrick Flatley
1995-96 Topps #139

Just happened to pull an extra copy of this card from a re-pack...
As one of my favorite cards from the set, just had to include it.

Brad Richards
2003-04 O-Pee-Chee #221

Brad Richards won the Con Smythe trophy as Playoff MVP during Tampa Bay's first Stanley Cup victory in 2004.

Noah Welch
2009-10 Upper Deck #92

Possibly my all-time favorite Lightning uniform is the white "away" jersey from 2007-08, which were also used as third jerseys until 2011.

Battle of Florida...

Daren Puppa
1994-95 Score #72

Exploring some of my Tampa Bay Lightning cards has caused me to take a second look at this one.

The goaltender appears to block a shot, with iconic Florida Panther Dave Lowry hungrily prowling for a possible rebound.

This card also features an ad for Blockbuster video (RIP).

Le Chiffre...

Daren Puppa
1996-97 Leaf #73

Another card featuring a Tampa Bay VS Montreal matchup...
Can also appreciate the black and silver Lightning jerseys.

This was also during the time of Tampa Bay's experimental font (1996-1999) for the numbers and player names (all of which were basically illegible).

Daren Puppa
1996-97 Leaf #73
(card back)

Tampa Bay's current netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy wears number 88.

One of their first goalies was Darren Puppa wearing number 93, which was a fairly unusual digit at the time.

Even more surprising, back of the card shows a teammate wearing number 95 (Michel Petit).
Had just assumed that 93 would have been the highest number on the team.









On a sidenote, I wonder if we'll ever see another goaltender win a championship while wearing a traditional goalie number (1, 29, 30, 31...).

Back-to-Back Champs...

Matt Murray
2016-17 Upper Deck #144

In what's being called the closest thing to a "dynasty" in today's NHL, the Tampa Bay Lightning become the first team to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions since the Pittsburgh Penguins (2016 & 2017).

Chris Osgood
1999-00 O-Pee-Chee #84

It was nearly two decades since the back-to-back victories by the Detroit Red Wings (1997 & 1998) and Pittsburgh Penguins (1991 & 1992).

Bill Ranford
1990-91 Upper Deck #42

Even the Edmonton Oilers, who won 5 Championships over 7 seasons (from 1984-1990) never actually won more than two years in a row.

Butch Goring
1983-94 O-Pee-Chee #7

The New York Islanders' four consecutive Cups (1980-1983) will probably stand for quite some time.

In those four seasons, they remarkably lost only three games during the Finals. Another impressive stat is four different Islanders players winning the Playoff MVP. (Trottier, Goring, Bossy, Smith)

The Isles' Championships were actually preceded by four consecutive Stanley Cups by the Montreal Canadiens (1976-1979) coached by Scotty Bowman.

Lightning Strike Twice...

Andrei Vasilevskiy
2019-20 Upper Deck #272

With a 1-0 victory in Game 5 over Montreal, the Tampa Bay Lightning celebrated their second Stanley Cup victory in as many years.

Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy was named Playoff MVP.

He also becomes the first goaltender in NHL history to record a shutout in 3 consecutive series-clinching games. This includes winning 2-0 over Carolina in the second round, and a 1-0 victory over the NY Islanders in the third round.

Prolongation...

Patrick Roy
1993-94 Upper Deck #49

Hoping to see Montreal extend the Stanley Cup Final series against Tampa, just for the sake of seeing more championship hockey.

Snapshot from 1993, the last time the Montreal Canadiens were in the Stanley Cup Finals...

Patrick Roy has Wayne Gretzky on the doorstep, appearing to thwart a scoring chance by The Great One.

Quite possibly the coolest looking card from 1993-94 Upper Deck. Excellent composition.

Just happened to notice the Montreal defender barely has any tape on his stick. Also conveniently happens to be an Upper Deck advertisement on the boards.

Also note the Stanley Cup badge visible on Roy's jersey. Got me wondering exactly when they decided to eliminat the color orange from the badge design... Seems 2004 was the very last time that orange was used. Returning from the lockout, a new design emerged in 2006.

Sacre Bleu...

Ryan Callahan
2014-15 Upper Deck #422

Because hockey and summertime go together like cold pizza and warm beer, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens are playing for the Stanley Cup.

My favorite card featuring these teams. A frantic moment on the doorstep as Ryan Callahan tries to get past the backup goaltender (whom I believe is Dustin Tokarski). All the defencemen (Subban and Markov) can do is watch...

Sadly, none of these players still play for these teams. (Subban is with the New Jersey Devils, while Tokarski is a member of the Buffalo Sabres)

"There's No Canada Like French Canada..."

The Lightning hoisted the Cup last year, while the Canadiens have historically won nearly a hundred times.

Victory or defeat, Montreal citizens will undoubtedly destroy part of their own town...