The Bear-Shark Project...

Joe Thornton
2010-11 SP Authentic #34

After Joe Thornton departed from San Jose, I decided to take a look at other Sharks players who wore jersey number 19.

Joe Thornton facts from Wikipedia:

San Jose Sharks' all-time leader in points per game with 1.01.

Only player in NHL history to win the Art Ross Trophy and Hart Memorial Trophy while switching teams in his winning campaign – 2005–06.

Marco Sturm
2003-04 Upper Deck #158

Being a relatively new franchise, San Jose only a few players don the number 19 jersey before Thornton arrived.

Coincidentally, Marco Sturm was one of the players traded to Boston for Joe Thornton).



San Jose Sharks players to wear number 19 before Joe Thornton:
Marco Sturm (1998-2006)
Jeff Friesen (1996)
Doug Zmolek (1993-1994)
Brian Mullen (1992)

Brian Mullen
1992-93 O-Pee-Chee #260

Brian Mullen was one of the first San Jose Sharks to wear number 19.

From the back of the card:

"In November he [Brian Mullen] scored a wrap-around in overtime to clinch the Sharks' first-ever win over LA"

Joe Thornton
2005-06 Upper Deck MVP #28

Joe Thornton with the Boston Bruins, during the pre-beard era.
(I swear that he and Brent Burns must have had a contest going)

Mariusz Czerkawski
1995-96 Collector's Choice #50
(Player's Club Parallel)

Some of the Boston Bruins players to wear number 19 before Joe Thornton:
Rob DiMaio (1997-2000)
Kevin Sawyer (1996)
Mariusz Czerkawski (1994-1996)
Dave Poulin (1990-1993)
Ray Neufeld (1989-1990)
Tom McCarthy (1987-1988)
Normand Leveille (1982-83)
Bobby Lalonde (1980-81)
Ab DeMarco (1979)

Joe Thornton
1999-00 Stadium Club #75

Curiously enough, Joe Thornton actually wore number 6 at the very beginning of his career.

Being an older franchise, numbers 2 thru 9 had already been retired by the Boston Bruins - with the exception of jersey number 6.

A relatively low number for a centreman, Thornton wore 6 from 1998 - 2000.

Number 19 became available in Boston when Rob Dimaio was traded to the NY Rangers.
Joe Thornton wore number 19 with Boston from 2000-2006.

Dick Redmond
1981-82 O-Pee-Chee #9

Some of the Boston Bruins Players to Wear Number 6 Before Joe Thornton:
Alexei Kasatonov (1995-1996)
Glen Featherstone (1992-1994)
Gord Kluzak (1983-1991)
Dick Redmond (1978-82)
Mike Forbes (1978)
Dennis O'Brien (1978)
Clayton Pachal (1977)
Darryl Edestrand (1974-1978)
Nick Beverley (1973-74)
Ted Green (1961-1972)

Holy Painted Masks, Batman...

Ken Wregget
1995-96 Upper Deck #108

It's The Penguin!

This villain hasn't made as many film appearances compared to Batman's other foes, but it's always memorable when we get to see this diabolical rogue.

Ken Wregget
1995-96 Upper Deck #108
(card back)

At this angle we can get a half decent look...
Bonus point for puck in view.

The goalie definitely has more armor than the Dark Knight.

Fast Eddie...

Ed Belfour
1995-96 Pinnacle #153

A half-decent look at Ed Belfour's iconic eagle for Freaky Mask Friday.

Organizing my duplicates, and was once again thrilled to discover an extra copy of this card. (Might even put it in a toploader and stick it to my wall)

We saw the bird appear with all kinds of color schemes, from gold & green in Dallas, to blue in San Jose...

Ed Belfour
1993-94 Leaf #62

But it's the red one from his early days with the Hawks that instantly comes to mind when thinking of Eddie The Eagle.

Pinnacle of Achievement...

Keith Jones
1995-96 Pinnacle #27

Onward to 1995-96, is it?

STILL getting my collection in order.
At least I've made progress.

Picked up so many sets at the same time, I'd almost lost track.
Mass acquisitions.

Some people buy an entire collection from a seller...
I'm the guy who picks through what that person doesn't want, to gradually acquire the stuff I'd like to have in my own collection.

Entire stacks of binders of complete (and near-complete) hockey card sets.

The hockey-card collecting (and organizing) season basically lasts around six months for me... It starts mid-winter, and tapers off as the days get longer.











 

 

 

Scott Mellanby
1995-96 Pinnacle #78

Tidying up the daunting mess, and can't really say when the mid-point of the "collecting" season occurred.

Had even pulled out a few boxes of near-complete (75-80%) sets - With the intention of putting the cards in a binder, leaving spaces for the "missing" cards. But never actually got around to some of them.

Now I'm tucking things away for summer, and taking care of a few more piles.

This year (aside from several re-packed packs), I did not acquire any boxes, sets or binders...

Figured just sorting what I had would keep be busy (and out of trouble).
Used to think that was just an expression...

Eric Lacroix
1995-96 Pinnacle #82

Nearly forgot that I had picked up the entire set of 1995-96 Pinnacle, in binder, in one shot.

Sure, it's less fun that way - But simply couldn't pass it up. A lot of these complete sets in binder have been filed away in the card closet, with the notion of pulling it out.

Nikolai Khabibulin
1995-96 Pinnacle #118

I definitely do recall looking at this set when I first got it - But really didn't scan that many cards.

Man of Many Masks...

John Vanbiesbrouck
1995-96 Upper Deck #321

Freaky Mask Friday - Continually surprised at the huge collection of masks worn by John Vanbiesbrouck.

Here's Beezer playing for the Panthers - WITHOUT the iconic golden cat on his mask... It's one of his Bumblebee masks which I'd often heard about, but seldom seen.

He must have briefly worn the alternate mask, captured here in this snapshot.

John Vanbiesbrouck
1994-95 Upper Deck #SP-31

Of course, this is THE iconic mask from the 1996 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Can't even recall If I was cheering for Florida or Colorado during that series. I liked both teams. Always a fan of the underdog, I may have been secretly hoping to see Florida win.

Freaky Mask Friday (Craig Billington, Boston Bruins)

Craig Billington
1995-96 Upper Deck #112

Looks like Craig Billington's eyes are bugging out of his head!

"All the better to see the puck with!"

An extra copy of this card is definitely going to my random pages of funny cards.

Craig Billington
1994-95 Flair #119

Here's a look Billington's mask transition to Ottawa from New Jersey...

In the right photo, Billington is still wearing his old New Jersey Devils mask.

The shape of a Roman visor seems to have been inspired by the Devil horns.

Absolutely Epic...

Andy Moog
1995-96 Pinnacle #114

Awesome view from a time when the netcam was relatively new...

Bonus point for Budweiser ad on the scoreboard.

Three Twenty-Five

Wendell Clark
1995-96 Upper Deck #325

A snapshot from a brief window back in time when Wendell Clark was with the New York Islanders.

Unfortunately, it had to be when they wore those god-awful "Fisherman" jerseys.

Another case of appreciating hockey history, for better or worse.

Jocelyn Thibault Trades...

Jocelyn Thibault
1995-96 Skybox Emotion #43

Following the Quebec Nordiques' relocation to Colorado to become the Avalanche, Jocelyn Thibault played just 10 games in an Avs uniform before being traded to Montreal in the Patrick Roy deal.























From nhltradetracker.com:

Jocelyn Thibault
1995-96 Zenith #34

Just happened to spot a painted mask on the recently traded T-Bo in the 1995-96 Zenith set...

Closer inspection reveals that Canadiens' logos have simply been painted on his snowy mountain Avalanche mask.


(In the 95-96 UD set, Thibault is wearing a plain white mask with the Canadiens)

Jocelyn Thibault
2005-06 Parkhurst #395

T-Bo was also briefly a member of the Penguins.
He played 38 games for the Pens during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons.

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.

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...

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.

Freaky Mask Friday...

 

Blaine Lacher
1995-96 Upper Deck #385

Yet another card that was just waiting to be uploaded...

Blaine Lacher's "Lock Ness Monster" mask.

Blaine Lacher
1995-96 Upper Deck #385
(card back)

We get a head-on view of the creature on the flip side.

From Montreal Without Love...

Patrick Roy
1995-96 Zenith #117

Patrick Roy sporting the "just got traded" look with a plain white goalie mask.

A bit of an iconic card, it's one of the first images I ever saw of Patrick Roy with the Avalanche.


This was also the debut of the Zenith brand. In addition to the 1995-96 set, Pinnacle also had two more releases of Zenith in 1996-97 and 1997-98.

The "Zenith" brand was briefly resurrected by Panini in 2010-11.

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.

Rock & Roll Air Guitar with Mike Modano (1995-96 Upper Deck #420)

Mike Modano
1995-96 Upper Deck #420

Looks like Mike Modano is jammin' with an air guitar in this snapshot.

Let's get ready to rock!

Whalers & Flames Trade of '94 (Gary Suter Becomes a Hawk)

Gary Suter
1993-94 Pinnacle #14

Always interested to find out how players arrived at certain teams...

Gary Suter was traded from the Calgary Flames to the Hartford Whalers as part of a six-man deal in 1994.

Suter never actually played a single game for the Whalers, as he was sent to Chicago the very next day.



















From nhltradetracker.com:

Jocelyn Lemieux
1994-95 Premier #122

The Hartford Whalers traded Gary Suter (along with Randy Cunneyworth) to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Jocelyn Lemieux (and Frantisek Kucera).

Gary Suter
1995-96 Upper Deck #284

My favorite Gary Suter stat:

"Gary Suter became the first Chicago defenseman to register a hat trick in a playoff game on April 24 1994"

-https://blackhawkup.com/2014/06/26/throwback-thursday-gary-suter-2/


Defenceman Gary Suter also holds the NHL record for most assists in a single game by a rookie with 6 assists in a 9-3 Calgary Flames victory over the Edmonton Oilers (Apr. 4, 1986). He was also the NHL rookie of the year in 1986.


This particular card has a Brett Hull cameo on the front, Chris Chelios on the back.

Ninety-Five Nostalgia...

Sylvain Cote
1994-95 Pinnacle #33

Two random cards that happened to catch my eye...

Horizontal snapshots featuring the Pens VS Caps rivalry. Tomas Sandstrom also appears on both cards.

Looks like Sylvain Cote has just managed to evade the forecheck by Sandstrom.

Tomas Sandstrom
1995-96 Upper Deck #185

Another battle on Tomas Sandstrom's card, with the home & away teams reversed.

At the time these cards were released, the "Patrick" Division no longer existed.
The Capitals were playing in the "Atlantic" Division with the Rangers, Islanders, Flyers and Devils (along with the Panthers and Lightning).

The Penguins had been grouped with the "Northeast" Division (Bruins, Sabres, Whalers, Canadiens, Nordiques and Senators).

Feelin' Groovy...

Owen Nolan
1997-98 Upper Deck Smooth Grooves #SG24

Not very often that a re-pack yields an insert card...

Granted, it's from the 1990s, so it has little monetary worth... But once again the nostalgic value is priceless.

Always been a fan of the oldschool Sharks uniform

Now have a total of 2 cards from this 60 card subset.

Owen Nolan is possibly the most famous hockey player born in Ireland.

Owen Nolan
1997-98 Upper Deck Smooth Grooves #SG24
(card back)

Bonus point for the All-Star patch on his jersey (from the 1996-97 All-Star game in San Jose).

Part of the original Quebec Nordiques team that relocated to Colorado, it would appear as if Nolan wore a Colorado Avalanche jersey for a brief period of time before being traded to the San Jose Sharks on October 26, 1995.

Owen Nolan
1995-96 Skybox Emotion #40

Nolan appeared in just 9 games for the Colorado Avalanche (in which he scored 8 points). Only 6 major cards list him as a member of the Avs.

In the 1995-96 Parkhurst International, Skybox E-Motion, and Upper Deck sets, he's wearing an Avalanche jersey.

(The 1995-96 card sets from Leaf & Pinnacle feature members of the Colorado Avalanche still wearing their Quebec Nordiques uniforms)