Man or Machine?
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| Petr Mrazek 2016-17 Parkhurst #119 |
This one caught my attention because it looked like Robocop...
Apparently it's supposed to be Peter Griffin as Robocop.
The weireder, the better.
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| Petr Mrazek 2016-17 Parkhurst #119 (card back) |
Friday, February 28, 2025
Freaky Mask Friday (Petr Mrazek, Detroit Red Wings)
Sunday, February 23, 2025
Project Lineup...
"Chainsaw & Hockey Mask"
Taking a look at what's in store for this year's collecting season. Certainly won't be going to a store to purchase any cards... Prefer to get massive boxes for next to nothing, along with countless cards given to me. Tons of unsorted junk anyway, so lets' begin!
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| Semyon Varlamov 2019-20 Upper Deck #344 |
2025 Projected Lineup (Designated Starters):
- 1980's Commons: Card Sets Now "Vintage".
- 1990's Junk: Using Wax as Low-Cost Wallpaper
- 2009-10 - 2019-20 Upper Deck: Sorting & Filing
- Original Six: Snapshots From a Simpler Time
- NHL All-Star Game: Flashing Back to Decades Past
- Expansion Teams of 1998-2000 (Preds, Thrashers, Jackets & Wild)
Most of my cards
are in binders - But still have a few thousand that could also stand to be filed
in such an album to be displayed and enjoyed.
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| Bob Sauve 1981-82 O-Pee-Chee #23 |
Have nearly 70% of the 1981-82
OPC set in my posession.
All commons, acquired for a couple dollars - Missing the
really great cards, but still quite a chunk of hockey history right there.
Would take
44 binder sheets to tuck them away, leaving space for the missing cards...
That's
the discouraging part, because it could easily get frustrating ensuring that the
correct spaces are left, to "display" the cards properly,
and allow the slots necessary should I happen to acquire a few more.. Maybe stick
to one or two teams per sitting, and finish it over a few days instead of trying
to stuff it into an afternoon.
Returning Segments:
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| Pascal Leclaire 2005-06 In The Game - Heroes and Prospects #89 |
- Minor League: Occasional cards, mentions of teams & players.
- "Freaky Mask Friday": Scary or unusual goalie masks on hockey card (preferably a decent angle).
- NHL Playoffs: The REAL Hockey Season. Particularly fond of cards that feature snapshots from the Playoffs.
- "WTF Hockey Cards": Attempting to explain how such a bad card could ever be made - Or making sense of what's going on in the photo".
- Random Re-Packs: Misadventures in Junk Wax for a few cheap thrills.
- Goalie Cards:
HOFers, backups & unknowns added to my collection.
Saturday, February 22, 2025
Original Six Saturday
New York Rangers & Montreal Canadiens
Another classic pulled from the Chainsaw & Hockey Mask archives...
(aka the semi-organized pile of relics occupying space in boxes and containers)
Just love the way Richard is protecting the puck with the blade of a (presumably) straight stick.
No names visible (or needed) on the uniforms - All players in the photo have had their jersey numbers retired by their respective organizations.
No names visible (or needed) on the uniforms - All players in the photo have had their jersey numbers retired by their respective organizations.
"In this shot featuring three Hall of Famers, the Canadiens' Henri Richard swoops in on Eddie Giacomin while Jean Ratelle makes a last ditch effort to break up the play.
Richard won an NHL record 11 Stanley Cups, Ratelle was a two-time winner of the Lady Byng trophy and Giacomin shared the Vezina trophy in 1970-71."
Friday, February 21, 2025
WTF Hockey Card: Peter Ahola (1992-93 Upper Deck #41)
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| Peter Ahola 1992-93 Upper Deck #41 (card back) |
Head Hunting...
Another edition of "WTF Hockey Cards".
Haven't done one of these in ages.
Can only guess what's happening here - But I suspect that Marty McSorley (number 33) has gotten in a fight...
His teammate Peter Ahola is possibly transporting McSorley's helmet and jersey to the penalty box.
Still, it makes for an entertaining scene.
Have seen a few other WTF cards while browsing a couple of my albums. Started using page flags to help find cards later.
Freaky Mask Friday (Martin Biron, New York Islanders)
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| Marin Biron 2009-10 Upper Deck #311 |
The vivid orange make those evil blue eyes stand out.
"Makes it look mean!"
-Slap Shot (the movie)
Settling an Old Score
Are We Learning Yet...?
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| Glen Featherstone 1990-91 Score #25T |
Total Cards: 110
As I finally get around to sorting all these old cards, and making sense of the Score sets...
I'm just now discovering that there was a yellow "Traded" set alongside the original 1990-91 Score.
(Was previously only aware of the green "Traded" cards from the following year, 1991-92)
Really enjoy the composition of this shot.
Shows grit and determination appearing to flip the puck.
Just lucky that the photo was snapped just in time for us to see the round, airborne disk.
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| Ken Linesman 1990-91 Score #95T |
Of course, we've seen better...
But considering the photo contains at least half an ounce of excitement, this card gets a passing grade.
Especially enjoyable since the Kings and Oilers were bitter rivals, meeting in the Playoffs several times after the Gretzky trade.
Sunday, February 16, 2025
Life is Just a FANtasy...
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| Brad Ference 2003-04 In The Game Action - NHL All-Star FANtasy Team Sets #495 |
Never a fan of parallel sets (especially ones that are easily confused for the base set)...
Found this one in a re-pack years ago, and it caught my attention right away.
"In the game Action" has lots of great-looking cards.
Part of the reason I enjoy the card is the nostalgia of the Phoenix Coyotes uniform -
The funky green Kachina (in use from 1998-2003).
This is a really great jersey - Aside from the somewhat busy desertscape that isn't really visible in this shot (which probably makes it look better).
(They came out with a "Reverse Retro" version of the uniform in 2023, deciding that purple might suddenly spark the sales, but I digress...)
Back to the cardboard in question: Clearly stamped with an obnoxious silver foil logo of the 2004 NHL All-Star Game in Saint Paul, Minnesota
In my cynical adult mind, I assume they excess stock and decided to stamp the worthless pieces of cardboard with the All-Star Game logo right smack in the middle.
(rendering the card worthless? Or more valuable?)
Since the number of hockey fans in Phoenix is surely lower than the number of cards produced, they were unable to give them away so they ended up in re-packs.
This is purely my guess (and a bad one at that).
(If a card company s looking for advice on how to completely ruin a parallel set, check out Upper Deck MVP 2019-20 Silver Script for some inspiration)
Still, this card doesn't bother me because I could tell right away that the card was a parallel.
Therefore, it was relatively easy to look up.
It's actually kinda neat to have an oddity like this.
Now that I've confirmed what it is, some additional curiosity over where it came from.
2003-04 In The Game Action -
NHL All-Star FANtasy Team Sets
Total Cards: 624
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| Brad Ference 2003-04 In The Game Action - NHL All-Star FANtasy Team Sets #495 (card back) |
(This certainly doesn't mean it's valuable, as they've done a remarkable job of flooding the market with incredibly rare cards of little value)
I'm going to stick up for this set because I like it. Overall it's fairly underrated.
True, the photographs may not be as epic as some of the one's we've come to expect from competitor Upper Deck...
But I'll give these cards a chance. I only have a handful of them in my collection, so it's not really a fair sample. Most seem to contain a photo that is scan worthy.
Just to add a bit of confusion into the mix, there's also a serial parallel set called "NHL All-Star FANtasy" (minus the "Team Sets" suffix).
Fortunately there's only 10 numbered copies of each card, so those particular specimens are highly unlikely to find their way into my collection. (The serial number is stamped on the front, in huge numbers beside the All-Star emblem to make the card even less desirable).
Saturday, February 15, 2025
Just Like The Movies...
Puttin' On The Foil
The game has barely started and the Hanson Brothers have been involved in three fights....
Now that's some old fashioned good-time hockey!
Apparently it's available in hockey card size or 8x10.
Freakin' kickass, that's for sure.
God bless the Internet.
Original Six Saturday
Another snapshot from a previous era featuring the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks:
"A puck from an unseen stick is redirected by the outstretched toe of Wings' goaltender, Roger Crozier. Bill Gadsby reaches for Stan Mikita, who has parked himself on the goalstep in hopes of a more opportune rebound. In 1966, Roger Crozier was the first to win the Conn Smythe trophy while playing on a losing team in a Stanley Cup Final."
[The Detroit Red wings fell to the Montreal Canadiens during the 1966 Stanley Cup Final.
The winning goal being scored by Henri Richard in overtime during Game Six]
"A puck from an unseen stick is redirected by the outstretched toe of Wings' goaltender, Roger Crozier. Bill Gadsby reaches for Stan Mikita, who has parked himself on the goalstep in hopes of a more opportune rebound. In 1966, Roger Crozier was the first to win the Conn Smythe trophy while playing on a losing team in a Stanley Cup Final."
[The Detroit Red wings fell to the Montreal Canadiens during the 1966 Stanley Cup Final.
The winning goal being scored by Henri Richard in overtime during Game Six]
Thursday, February 13, 2025
Punching Out...
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| Ray Emery 2009-10 Upper Deck Victory #288 |
The Razor's Edge
Ray Emery was known as a goaltender who seemed to enjoy fighting - Participated in countless brawls, often squaring off against other players (including non-goaltenders). He would even don a few masks featuring boxer Mike Tyson.
Backstopped the Ottawa Senators to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2007 (wearing the oldschool jersey number 1).
Was credited with a Stanley Cup win as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013 (a season in which he posted a ridiculous 17-1 record).
Shared the 2012-13 Jennings Award (fewest goals scored against) with teammate Corey Crawford in Chicago.
NHL Career: 2002-2015:
145 wins, 86 losses in 287 career games.
Posted 16 shutouts with a 2.70 Goals Against Average.
(Ottawa, Philadelphia, Anaheim, Chicago, returned for two additional seasons in Philadelphia.)
In July of 2015, Ray Emery jumped into the water for a morning swim and did not resurface.
His death officially ruled "non-criminal" with a mention of "misadventure".
Granted, the incident occurred in the offseason, and he did embrace somewhat of a partying lifestyle which one could draw endless speculation from. But there's just something about a 31-year old athlete kicking off during his morning workout that doesn't sit right...
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| Ray Emery 2009-10 Upper Deck Victory #288 (card back) |
Back to the 2009-10 Victory cards, trying to make sense of which cardsets they fit into...
2009-10 Upper Deck Victory
Total Cards: 250
This being card number 288, I had to scratch my head for a moment...
Back of the card says 2009-10 Upper Deck Victory Series II.
Apparently, card numbers 251-350
"were inserted into Series Two packs of 2009-10 Upper Deck and are listed as an insert within that set."
-tcdb.com
Simply including the cards as a bonus would be sufficient...
But tuning a hundred base cards into an insert set within an unrelated set is needlessly confusing.
So is this considered a base card or an insert? Technically it's both - Although the odds of actually completing this particular base set are instantly discouraging.
Yet another brilliant marketing strategy as the NHL and Upper Deck do everything they can think of to maximize profits and drive away lifelong fans.
The NHL (and shareholders) would claim that it makes the items "more collectible".
I say it makes the collecting experience "less fun".
They would say that enjoying record profits is "more fun".
Who am I to argue.
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Conked Out...
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| Ty Conklin 2009-10 Upper Deck MVP #49 |
Ty Conklin appears with his new team - The Detroit Red Wings.
But apparently, he's sinced moved to St. Louis!
(It's hard to keep up with this guy)
Also visible on his jersey is the 2009 Winter Classic patch.
The NHL outdoor game took place in historic Wrigley Field, Chicago where the Red Wings defeated the Blackhawks 6-4.
This was just the second NHL game to be marketed as a "Winter Classic".
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| Ty Conklin 2009-10 Upper Deck MVP #49 (card back) |
"Conklin had a campaign to remember in 2008-09...
...earning the nod as the starting goaltender in the third outdoor game of his career (with Edmonton, Pittsburgh and Detroit)"
Played for SIX different teams in his 9-year NHL career.
(Edmonton, Columbus, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Detroit and St. Louis)
Was completely unaware that he returned for a second stint with Detroit (15 games) in 2011-12.
Detroit 101...
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| Ty Conklin 2008-09 Upper Deck MVP #100 |
Taking a moment to examine the cards as I make the swap...
Noticed Ty Conklin in a Pittsburgh Penguins uniform, listed as a member of the Detroit Red Wings!
Particularly noteable, as the Penguins and Red Wings had met in the 2008 Stanley Cup Final.
Conklin bailed the Penguins out of a jam towards the end of the 2008 regular season when he stepped into the net to replace an injured Marc-Andre Fleury.
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| Nicklas Kronwall 2008-09 Upper Deck MVP #101 |
From the same page, the next consecutive cards is another noteable character from the 2008 (and 2009!) NHL Playoffs.
A fairly new NHL blueliner at the time, Nicklas Kronwall had just 9 regular season games under his belt when he was called up to join the Wings for the postseason.
Cool Card: Curtis Joseph (2002-03 Upper Deck #64)
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| Curtis Joseph 2002-03 Upper Deck #64 |
He even gets to retain his number 31, which he wore throughout his entire NHL career.
Hoped his move to Detroit would finally be his chance to win a Stanley Cup, but it wasn't meant to be. Curtis Joseph remains one of the best goaltenders to never win the elusive trophy.
Hull Tracking Device...
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| Brett Hull 1991-92 Upper Deck Brett Hull's Hockey Heroes 9 of 9 (Checklist) |
Checklisted
Wouldn't normally be enthused to obtain a checklist card, but this was on my wantlist simply to complete the "Brett Hull" subset in 1991-92 Upper Deck.
It instantly became my favorite in the set. All other cards in the subset have photographs, but the checklist has some great artwork.
The 1991-92 Upper Deck collection is becoming ridiculously heavy... (Figured nothing would top the binder with 705 cards from 1990-91 Pro-Set).
A few insert sets have slowly tipped the scales, and now that 1991-92 Upper Deck binder contains enough cardboard to give someone a concussion. (a good item to store on a top shelf)
Upper Deck invites us to "Relive Brett Hull's illustrious career" with the Brett Hull Hockey Heroes segment.
Not normally the kind of set that would appeal to me, especially since I'm not necessarily a huge Brett Hull fan. But this is a very nice little subset with a great variety of moments from 1983-1990.
Friday, February 7, 2025
Freaky Mask Friday (Calvin Pickard, Colorado Avalanche)
Just Don't Call It a Yeti...
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| Calvin Pickard 2013-14 Panini Prizm #224 |
With a midwinter dumping of fresh powder, it seems like an ideal time to bring out another Avalanche goaltender card.
Shown here with his first NHL team (Colorado), Pickard has also played for Toronto, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Detroit.
Currently backstopping the Edmonton Oilers, the goalie will surely be jinxed with a mention that he's currently one of the hottest goalies in the league in terms of wins.
Hasn't lost a game in 2025, and has managed 11 wins in his last 12 games.
Sunday, February 2, 2025
Shadow Games...
Groundhog Day
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| Mark Messier 2002-03 Pacific #256 |
Shane Corson is an excellent shadow-man, and he makes a cameo appearance on several players' cards within 2002-03 Pacific...
To find the same player harassing FOUR star players within a 410 card set, it's actually rather impressive. A very neat occurrence.
(Having nearly collected 75% of the set, would be amused to find Corson on other cards)
Here's Shane Corson making sure his Mark doesn't make a Mess of the scoresheet...
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| Vincent Damphousse 2002-03 Pacific #332 |
They were born in 1966 and 1967 respectively...
Both of them are former first round picks (8th and 6th).
But I believe the confusion arose by the fact that each played for Toronto, Edmonton and Montreal - And BOTH of them wore 21 for Edmonton at some point...
They were also traded for one another during the 1992 offseason.
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| Shayne Corson (with Jeremy Roenick cameo) 2002-03 Pacific #358 |
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| Jaromir Jagr 2002-03 Pacific #392 |
Certainly not the first card I've seen of Jaromir Jagr being "Czeched" by one of the other team's best defensive players...
The card earns a bonus point for pizza ad on the boards.
Also noticing that many stripes adorn the socks of Toronto's turn of the Century uniforms.
Saturday, February 1, 2025
Original Six Saturday: Detroit VS Toronto
Old Time Hockey at its Finest...
More memorabilia that hasn't seen the light of day in years.
I like it when a photo comes complete with a caption.
"Toronto's goaltender Terry Sawchuk and Red Kelly (#4) face Detroit, the team with which both previously starred. Battling for puck control behind the Maple Leafs' net is Red Wings captain Alex Delvecchio, while Dean Prentice (#20) straining to get at the loose puck."
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