Backstopping to The Year 2000...

Jean-Sebastien Aubin
2000-01 Upper Deck #142

This one's been kicking around on my desk for years...
Pretty sure it's a duplicate.

Either way, it makes the grade as I climb my way out of the nineties and into the new millennium.

I have so few cards from this set that I'll take whatever I can get. If I haven't seen a card before, it's new to me!

This is the first time I've noticed that J-S Aubin catches with his right hand.

Dark Aces...

Corey Hirsch
1995-96 Upper Deck #405

Corey Hirsch wanted a haunted house on his mask... The artist suggested the house from Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho".

Back in 1995, it seemed like the goalie had just found cool way to embrace a fondness of horror movies...

Climbing to the professional ranks, few would have suspected the inner demons that Corey Hirsch was battling.

Corey Hirsch
1995-96 Upper Deck #405
(card back)

The "haunted house" on his mask was his own dark little secret - Possibly representing his inner turmoil.

I have mixed feelings about this card... It's essential towards building the set - But at the same time, it's a humbling reminder that even our hockey heroes are human.

Rink Rat...

Martin Brodeur
1999-00 Upper Deck MVP
Stanley Cup Edition #104

At a glance, the fan in the background appears to be wearing a New Jersey Devils logo on their jersey - But closer inspection reveals it to be the logo of the Albany River Rats.

The River Rats were the minor-league (AHL) affiliate of the New Jersey Devils from 1993-2006.

I'd speculate that this photo was not taken at an NHL rink, but at some cross-promotional River Rats & Devils event - Possibly even at the Albany home arena.

The Colorado Avalanche were briefly involved with the River Rats team from 2006-2007, before the Rats officially became the farm team of the Carolina Hurricanes (lasting until 2010).

The team was ultimately sold and relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina and became known as the Charlotte Checkers.

Upper Deck MVP Stanley Cup Edition (Inserts)

Paul Kariya
1999-00 Upper Deck MVP
Stanley Cup Edition #SC1

Had set these aside, and was actually looking forward to finally having a chance to go through them.

Not a fan of industry-driven chase cards... But I found a few inserts from the 1999-00 Upper Deck MVP Stanley Cup Edition set.

Yes, it's obscure, the name is ridiculously long, and I really can't explain why I enjoy this set so much...

Was only hoping to add some cards to my base set, but these were a bonus.

"Stanley Cup Talent"
Subset: 20 cards
Inserted 1:5 packs

The insert cards did not scan well - They look brutal.
In hand, they actually look half decent.

Again, my only criticism of this charming little set is the player selection - Full of names and faces that I do not associate with the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Here's a couple of guys who actually meet the criteria:


I immediately picked Paul Kariya as one of my favorites... Then I realized that this card was released a few years before Kariya and the Mighty Ducks made an unforgettable appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals...

Still, the loss was a stepping stone for the team to hoist the Cup a few years later (even if Kariya figured he had a better chance of winning a Championship in Colorado)

Jaromir Jagr
1999-00 Upper Deck MVP
Stanley Cup Edition #SC14

Jagr won the Stanley Cup as a teenager, on a team loaded of future Hall of Famers.

Still, he's become somewhat of an ageless wonder - Almost like the Keith Richards of the hockey world.

Citizen Kane...

Patrick Kane
2014-15 O-Pee-Chee #170

Still trying to work my way through my late 90s - early 2000s cards... But this one has been sitting on my desk for a while.

Possibly the biggest name being tossed around at the trade deadline is Patrick Kane.

(EDIT: Seems he's officially been dealt to the New York Rangers)

Wasn't even aware that he had cracked the top 50 in all-time NHL scoring. (Even at his age, he should still be able to command more money than an honest fan would see in a lifetime)

Liked the design of this set with the first card I saw - But now I'm not so sure...

Seems as if the border color within the set switches from red to blue then green to purple (or something similar). Some of the Hawks have a blue border, others have green... (the LA Kings actually look OK with purple, while the Bruins look terrible with red)

A complete set might look good in a binder - But I'm still not sure if I'd like to pursue this set...

Need to see a few more examples in hand.

Mario is Missing...

In addition to the "Anniversary Series" subset, there are four milestone cards dispersed throughout the second half of the 1992-93 O-Pee-Chee set.

With a conspicuous red stripe at the bottom of the milestone cards, they're easily recognizable. Fortunately, each player still has a regular base card, the milestone being an additional card within the set, marking a particular achievement or accomplishment from the previous season.

Thought I had every card in the set - until I realized that Mario Lemieux's milestone card is an empty slot in my binder. How can this be? Could have sworn that I had 1992-93 O-Pee-Chee #240.

The card image was so familiar, as if I'd held it in my hand. It should be with the rest of the cards in the set, or maybe even with my Lemieux cards... But it's not.

Mario Lemieux
Playoff MVP
2002 Topps Chrome Reprint #8
(of 10-card subset)

Mario Lemieux
Playoff MVP:

Turns out, I picked up the 2002 Topps Chrome edition of the card at a sale somewhere... Maybe that's why the photo on the card seemed so familiar.

So, I appears still need the actual 1992-93 O-Pee-Chee #240 to complete my set.

The Chrome Reprint is nifty to have. It even scans half decent.

Mario Lemieux
Playoff MVP card back
1992-93 O-Pee-Chee #240*
(* 2002 Topps Chrome Reprint)

Back of the card has a list of Con Smythe winners... I find it fascinating that during the 4 consecutive years of NY Islanders victories, they had 4 different Playoff MVPs. (Trottier, Goring, Bossy, Smith) Now that's a damn good team.

Mike Gartner
1992-93 O-Pee-Chee #245

Mike Gartner
500 Goals

Scoring 500 NHL goals is quite a feat. Mike Gartner's daily ritual of firing a hundred pucks in practice has produced effective results.

Paul Coffey
1992-93 O-Pee-Chee #318

Paul Coffey
#1 Scoring Defenceman

Paul Coffey scored his 1,053rd point to surppass Mike Bossy's career point total.

Paul Coffey was traded from Pittsburgh to Los Angeles on February of 1992, so it's odd seeing a recent photo of him with LA early in the set (card #5) - then towards the end of the set, and we see a photo of him back in a Pittsburgh uniform...

I get it though, he was wearing a Penguins uniform when he set the milestone.

Ray Bourque
1,000 Points
(1992-93 O-Pee-Chee #348)

Ray Bourque
1,000 Points

This card celebrates Ray Bourque's thousandth point as a player and a Bruin. Before the end of his career, Bourque would accumulate 1,579 points surpassing Coffey's 1,531, to become the highest scoring defenceman of all time.

McInnis, Housley, Murphy, Lidstrom and Leetch would also score over 1,000 points in their respective careers.

It's still a pretty exclusive club. Currently, only eight defencemen have ever reached the 1,000 point milestone.

Nobody from the current crop is really close yet...
(Active defencemen with 500-700 points include Brent Burns and Eric Karlson.)

1992-93 O-Pee-Chee (Coffey, Bourque, Lemieux, Gartner)

Paul Coffey
1992-93 O-Pee-Chee #5

Base cards of the players featured in 1992-93 O-Pee-Chee milestones.

Each of these guys got two cards in the set - A milestone card, along with a regular card.

(Paul Coffey, Ray Bourque, Mario Lemieux, Mike Gartner)

Ray Bourque
1992-93 O-Pee-Chee #126

Not a single jersey in the Boston crowd... How times have changed. Is that a beer ad on the boards?

Ray Bourque
1992-93 O-Pee-Chee #138

One of my first Mario Lemieux cards. This was right before Pittsburgh changed their uniforms and put the Skating Penguin into hibernation.

Apparently Mario was instrumental in bringing back the old logo.

Mike Gartner
1992-93 O-Pee-Chee #300

Part of me feels that they could have have used a better photo on Mike Gartner's card... But it's still intense, and right in the middle of the action.

Swede Emotion...

Kristian Huselius
1999-00 Upper Deck
Swedish Hockey League #77

1999-00 Upper Deck Swedish Hockey League
Total Cards: 220

Didn't even know this set existed...
Founds maybe 20 cards from this set in a huge box of mixed 90s stuff.

The card design is borrowed from Upper Deck MVP from the same year. Only after looking it up did I realize it was a separate set.

As I continue to sort & file all these random cards into my collection, it gets increasingly more difficult from the late-nineties onward...

Death Mask...

Jamie Storr
1994-95 Select #170

Freaky Mask Friday and my fascination with Ancient Egypt... This card of Jamie Storr immediately caught my eye...

The artwork on his goalie mask depicts an Egyptian Pharoah (or King).
It's especially fitting within the Los Angeles Kings motif.

Looks pretty slick while at the same time being relatively simple. (Bonus point for the fact that the gold Select Rookie emblem looks like a pyramid!)

Jamie Storr had (at least) three different mask designs during his time with the LA Kings.

In addition to Jamie Storr having used this Egyptian theme, apparently two other former Kings goalies briefly had their own renditions of the Egyptian Pharoah on their masks. (Rob Stauber & Stephane Fiset)

Major Minor Leaguers...

Ryan Miller
2005-06 In the Game #92

A few cards of guys who were making their way up to the NHL.

Great snapshot of Ryan Miller backstopping the Rochester Americans of the AHL.

Actually really like this 2005-06 In The Game set. Crisp, clean, and glossy enough that you'd almost swear it was an NHL card.

Al Montoya
2005-06 In the Game
Hot Prospects #374

Al Montoya played for the Islanders, Jets, Panthers, Canadiens...
Also made brief appearances with the Coyotes and Oilers.

Finished his NHL career with 67 wins, 49 losses and 24 ties / OT losses.

Angelo Esposito
2005-06 In the Game
Hot Prospects #373

Angelo Esposito playing for the Quebec Remparts of the OHL

Once a highly touted prospect, I don't believe this guy ever actually played a game in the NHL.

Wade Dubielwicz
2006-07 In The Game
Between The Pipes #53

Wade Dubielwicz, another familiar NHL backup goaltender.
He may have played for just about every expansion team at some point...

Yutaka Fukufuji
2006-07 In The Game
Between The Pipes #55

I just think this guy's name is fun to say...

Yutaka Fukufuji is of course the first ever Japanese-born NHL goaltender.

Can't ever recall seeing a goalie wear number 44.

2011 Winter Classic

Eric Fehr
2011-12 Score #3

Another great card with a player celebrating a goal.

This one's from the 2011 Winter Classic.
 
Not only are the Capitals wearing red helmets with their white uniforms, but the pants are also red...

The Caps have had red pants from 2011-2015, which must be why it seemed familiar to me.

Apparently the team did have red pants in their very first NHL season (1974-75).


As for the red helmets? Not sure where the idea came from, but it kinda works - Surely just an attempt to make the Winter Classic look even more like old time hockey.

Jim Bedard
1979-80 O-Pee-Chee #62

The only other Capitals card I have that depicts a  player with a white jersey and red helmet.

Sure, it's the goaltender - But it's still an awesome card.

Islanders Goalie Cameos...

Eric Brewer
1999-00 O-Pee-Chee #97

Netminder Tommy Salo doesn't have his own card within the 1999-00 O-Pee-Chee set.

Salo played 51 games and posted 5 shutouts the previous season.

The New York Islanders goalie can be spotted here on Eric Brewer's card.

Jaroslav Svejkovsky
1999-00 O-Pee-Chee #161

Another Isles goalie can be spotted within the set. Wade Flaherty appeared in 60 games with the Isles over a span of four seasons.

Wearing jersey number 30 with the NYI was the only time he used that number.

The only set from this season that features a Wade Flaherty card is 1999-2000 Pacific.
https://www.tcdb.com/ViewCard.cfm/sid/5518/cid/1247849/1999-00-Pacific-254-Wade-Flaherty

The rest of his career was with expansion teams, wearing number 31 with San Jose, Tampa Bay and Florida.

He donned 34 for a single game with the Nashville Predators.

Focusin'

Alexei Yashin
1994-95 Pinnacle #28

Another card destined for the duplicates pile...

Managed to score the entire set of 1994-95 Pinnacle, but still enjoy this card.

Alexei Yashin displays some incredible balance and concentration.

Don't Wear it Out...

1990-91 Topps #59

Just another common junk wax card that I didn't already have...

A welcome addition to my collection of 1990-91 Topps.

Will probably eventually end up buying the entire set for five bucks - But it's still fun to slowly acquire more cards, a few at a time.

This Vancouver team card also shows a player wearing number 10, but it isn't Pavel Bure.

I instantly tend to associate number 10 with the speedy Russian Rocket...



Thought it might be Geoff Courtnall, because I watched an old playoff game (possibly Los Angeles against Vancouver) from 1991 where number 10 was worn by Geoff Courtnall...

The pictured player is likely Brian Bradley, who wore number 10 with the Vancouver Canucks from 1988 to 1991.

A trade in January 1991 sent Brian Bradley to Toronto.

In March 1991, the Vancouver Canucks acquired Geoff Courtnall from the St Louis Blues in a big grade (that also included Sergio Momesso and Cliff Ronning).

Geoff Courtnall had been number 9 with the Blues... When he joined Vancouver, 9 was occupied by Andrew McBain, so Courtnall took the now vacant jersey number 10.

It appears that Geoff Courtnall chose jersey 14 the following season, when that number became available. (Number 14 had been worn by free agent Steve Bozek who joined the new expansion team San Jose Sharks)


This would once again leave jersey number 10 vacant when rookie Pavel Bure debuted the next season.

Pretty sure the NHL has a rule that the same player cannot change numbers midseason.

1994-95 UD: Ducking Blue Bolts...

Guy Hebert
1994-95 Upper Deck #3

Gradually making progress on the piles/stacks of random cards around my desk...

It's easy to become over-enthusiastic when setting aside cards to scan - Takes a second of inspiration to add something to the scanning pile...

Had set aside a bunch from 1994-1995 Upper Deck.
Revisiting the pile, only half of them were begging to be scanned.

Didn't own a single card from this set back when it was released.
Would eventually like to own every Upper Deck base set from 1990-1999.

Really don't care that the modern sets are "worth" more...
These are the players I grew up watching, so the nostalgic "value" is priceless.

Peter Stastny
1994-95 Upper Deck #60

Peter Stastny with the St. Louis Blues?
After 17 games in a Blues uniform the previous season, he would play just 6 games in 1994-95.

Roman Hamrlik
1994-95 Upper Deck #174

Somehow a St. Louis Blues player finds himself caught between Hamrlik's legs.

Red Wing Robitaille...

Luc Robitaille
2003-04 O-Pee-Chee #212

Another great looking card featuring Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille.

Seen here with the Red Wings, but was surprised to learn that Robitaille had returned for his third stint with the LA Kings before the 2003-04 season began.

The Detroit Red Wings and Nashville Predators would meet in the playoffs in 2004.

It was Nashville's first trip to the playoffs, and they were eventually overpowered by a more experienced Detroit team... But it was still a pretty thrilling series to watch.

Leetching (on the Power Play)

Brian Leetch
1995-96 Collector's Choice #247

Great snapshot of defenceman Brian Leetch in close to the opposing net for a shot.

This card has yet another Mark Messier cameo.

Empty seats in the background offer an explanation to why hockey left Hartford...

Man or Machine...?

Dominik Hasek
1994-95 O-Pee-Chee Premier #440

This was THE goalie stat of the 1993-94 NHL season...

Dominik Hasek managed to finish the season with a 1.95 Goals-Against Average.

As a result, it seems like it was mentioned on most of Hasek's cards from 1994-95.

This is from the one that sums it up best.

From the back of the card:

"The 'Dominator' became the first goalie since Bernie Parent (1973-74) to post a GAA under 2.00"

Dominik Hasek accomplished a second time in 1998-99 (same year he led the Sabres to the Stanley Cup Finals).

It's a pretty exclusive club.
In over a century of hockey, it's happened less than a hundred times.

Modern era goalies with a less-than 2.00 Goals-Against Average include:
Elliot, Harding, Kiprusoff, Turco, Tugnutt, Cechmanek, Roloson, Brodeur, Belfour, Binnington, Boucher, Roy, Crawford, Quick, Turek, Price, Schneider, Halak, Lundqvist, Rask, Backstrom, Bishop and Dafoe.

I'm Lovin It...

Mike Richter
1992-93 Upper Deck McDonald's #McD-25

Randomly picked up a few complete sets of McDonald's NHL Cards.

Always enjoy obscure card sets like these. With 25-40 cards total, quality control and attention to detail are important: All the cards have to look slick and cool.

Flipping through the 1992-93 Upper Deck McDonald's All-Star set, and this card caught my eye...

All of the goalie cards in this set are great, but I absolutely love this action shot of Mike Richter making a save- On Brett Hull, of all people. The puck is still suspended in the air, almost rolling off his goal stick.

Hull would be named MVP of the 1992 All-Star Game, while Richter defeated Vancouver's Kirk Maclean to earn bragging rights as the top goaltender in the skills competition.

The goaltending duel between Richter and Maclean served as a preview of things to come - Their respective teams would meet for a showdown in the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals, one of the most epic series in the modern era.

Richter was still wearing a regular helmet, and would soon don the Statue of Liberty mask that he's best known for. A goaltender with a Cooper helmet in an All-Star Game is just something you just wouldn't see today...

Brett Hull
1991-92 Topps #303

Just for fun, here's a Brett Hull card with a Mike Richter cameo. Richter looks thrilled to have Hull skating through his crease...

Party Like it's 1995...

Teemu Selanne
1994-95 Upper Deck #90

Still with the Winnipeg Jets, I love the facial expresion on Teemu Selanne while he's being checked by a member of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. Selanne would join Anaheim partway through the 95-96 season.

Rick Tabaracci
1994-95 Upper Deck #187

Rick Tabaracci in the air like an eagle as his crease gets crashed - By his own player!
(I'm sure he had the best of intentions, and didn't plan on taking out his own goaltender...)

Vyacheslav Kozlov
1994-95 Upper Deck #373

Kozlov getting tangled up with a member of the Blues.

Electric Ice Age...

Dino Ciccarelli
1994-95 Upper Deck #5
(Electric Ice Parallel)

I believe 1994-95 Upper Deck was the very first set to feature the Electric Ice parallel set (inserted 1:35 packs).

To have a chance of obtaining all 570 cards one would have needed nearly 20,000 packs!

I'm sure that someone out there has done it. It's time consuming but relatively inexpensive to accumulate all these unwanted pieces of 90s Junk Wax.

Of the five cards that I have in my collection, Dino Ciccarelli is probably the best known player of the lot.


The following season, Upper Deck introduced an even more elusive "Electric Ice Gold" set.

Just two seasons until the "Electric Ice" melted and was no more.

(The name re-surfaced decades later when Upper Deck featured a 7-card redemption set called "Electric Ice Achievements" in 2021-22)

2011-12 Upper Deck...

Chris Stewart
2011-12 Upper Deck #36

Here's a Blues player giving a rough time to a member of the Nashville Predators.

Whether he's holding him down on purpose remains to be seen.
I just love these battles on cards.

Still diggin' those retro Blues jerseys!

Jonathan Quick.
2011-12 Upper Deck #118

Another card from this set, this time it's horizontal...
Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick spreads out to corral a loose puck.

The Kings would win the Stanley Cup that season, so Quick was in top form.

Long Island Horizon...

Josh Bailey
2011-12 Pinnacle #232

Onward with 2011-12 scans, to an awesome overhead angle to capture Josh Bailey knocking the puck past Martin Brodeur of all people.

(Sorry Marty, you can't stop 'em all)

Ray Ferarro
1991-92 Upper Deck #311

Another horizontal card with an Islander around the net. This time Ray Ferarro attempts the wraparound.

Also digging the obscure goalie cameo. It could be Frederic Chabot who wore number 1 with the Montreal Canadiens during the 1990-91 season. It's neat that he shows up on this card, as he played just 3 games (a total of 108 minutes) that season.

Pieces of Flair...

Tom Barasso
1994-95 Flair #133

The 1994-95 Flair set uses a couple player photographs super-imposed over each other...

In this case, we can see the transition from Tom Barasso's 1992-93 mask to the mask he wore the following season.

I kinda prefer the white mask... There's something about the yellow cage, and simple Penguin (aka pidgeon) logo on either side.

Today's masks are so bogged down with detail that it becomes harder to recognize a goaltender from a distance.

Case of Mistaken Identity (Vyacheslav & Viktor Kozlov)

Always thought there was only one Kozlov in the NHL... Vyacheslav Kozlov (aka. Slava Kozlov) won two championships with the Detroit Red Wings. Didn't realize that Viktor Kozlov was quietly putting up points for teams like the Sharks and Panthers...

Vyacheslav Kozlov
2007-08 Upper Deck #423

Vyacheslav Kozlov (Left Wing)
Born: 1972
Drafted: 3rd round 1990 (45th overall)
Playing Career: 1992-2008
Teams: Red Wings, Sabres, Thrashers
Numbers Worn: 13

Scored 853 points in 1182 career games.

Vyacheslav Kozlov
1993-94 Topps Premier #494

Vyacheslav Kozlov was a member of the Stanley Cup winning Detroit Red Wings in 1997 & 1998. Was also on the receiving end of a devastating Scott Stevens bodycheck, known today as a "predatory hit".

Viktor Kozlov
1995-96 Parkhurst International
Emerald Ice #515

Viktor Kozlov (Center)
Born: 1975
Drafted: 1st round 1993 (6th overall)
Playing Career: 1994-2009
Teams: Sharks, Panthers, Devils, Islanders
Numbers Worn: 47, 25, 22

Scored 573 points in 897 career games.

Viktor Kozlov
2002-03 O-Pee-Chee #132

Viktor Kozlov received votes for both Lady Byng and Selke Trophies. Impressive when a player can be considered for both awards.