SHARK WEEK: (Day 9) Shark Finn!

Antti Niemi
2014-15 Upper Deck #405

Couldn't believe this guys spent 5 seasons with the San Jose Sharks, earning 25 shutouts in 296 games.

He even led the league with 24 wins in the shortened 2012-13 season. (Also logged more minutes than any other netminder that year)

Just a great composition with the goaltender reacting to something.
He's in position, but appears to be attempting to field an unexpected high shot.

No puck visible, but the fans seem to be having a good time.
Is someone about to spill their popcorn?

Waiting for Gaborik...

Quick /  Kopitar / Gaborik
Series 1 Checklist
2014-15 Upper Deck #199

Nearly a decade ago, the Los Angeles Kings hoisted the Stanley Cup...


Back in his rookie season, Marian Gaborik (then of the Minnesota Wild) made it as far as the Western Conference Finals...

Shown here with the Los Angeles Kings in 2014, Gaborik's previous postseason was - Ironically playing for the New York Rangers in 2012.

He also managed to play a couple of part-seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets (no playoffs to speak of there!).

Gaborik and the Kings defeated the Rangers to capture the Stanley Cup in 2014.

Marian Gaborik managed to produce decent numbers, accumulating 58 points in 84 career playoff games.

Lundqvist/  Nash / St. Louis
Series 1 Checklist
2014-15 Upper Deck #200

The New York Rangers wear their Stanley Cup badges on the shoulder - possibly the only team I've ever seen do so.


After an appearance in the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals, goaltender Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers would battle back all the way to the 2015 Conference Finals, where they were defeated by the Tampa Bay Lightning.


Didn't even realize that Rick Nash played 12 Playoff games with the Boston Bruins in 2018.


Martin St. Louis managed to win a Cup as a member of the 2004 Tampa Bay Lightning.

Freaky Mask Friday (Antti Raanta, Chicago Blackhawks)

Antti Raanta
2014-15 Upper Deck #288

A refreshing break from overly complex mask designs...

This one is simple but effective. The shading can only be appreciated from close-up, but it's a nice touch.

2014-15 Upper Deck (Completed Set)

Dwight King
2014-15 Upper Deck #88

Picked up 2014-15 Upper Deck Series 2 to go along with Series 1 which I had found the previous year.

From the very first card I found, to eventually acquiring the entire set... Definitely brings back some of that magic from a simpler time.

An all-round terrific set with a good design and so many great photographs.

Great snapshot of the puck in the net.

Kyle Palmieri
2014-15 Upper Deck #4

Kyle Palmieri tucks it home, puck still visible in the net.

Great card to have on the very first page of the album.

Martin Erat
2014-15 Upper Deck #260

Nothing like scoring a goal against your old team...

Former Nashville Predator Martin Erat celebrates a goal as a member of the Arizona Coyotes.

The yellow-clad Nashville fans are definitely not impressed.

Martin Brodeur
2014-15 Upper Deck #416

Just looks so strange seeing Martin Brodeur in a St. Louis Blues uniform...

After spending countless seasons in New Jersey, it's definitely curious that he chose to finish his career with several games playing for St. Louis.

(Oddly enough, another former Rookie of the Year and eventual Stanley Cup winner Tom Barasso finished his career by playing six games with the Blues)

Corey Crawford
2014-15 Upper Deck #44

Goaltender bumping helmets with a teammate, presumably after a Hawks victory. Nice shot of the mask, and a very striking card overall.

Freaky Mask Friday (Thomas Greiss, Pittsburgh Penguins)

Thomas Greiss
2014-15 Upper Deck #402

Really intrigued by the monster on the mask of Thomas Greiss.

It's also a great looking card. Right in front of the net, with a glimpse at the sheer magnitude of the arena.

Distant background even has a few players visible on the bench (plus an official), ever so lightly obscured by a fog of snow spray.

The colors also flow beside each other in such an impeccable way...

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.

"The Flower"

Guy Lafleur
2014-15 O-Pee-Chee #564

Guy Lafleur
1951-2022


Won five Stanley Cups in 14 seasons with the Montreal Canadiens.
Also played briefly with the New York Rangers and Quebec Nordiques.

Scored 560 goals, 793 assists for 1353 points in 1126 games.

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...

Puckstopper or Ball Player?

Reto Berra
2014-15 Upper Deck #298

Had never even heard of this guy...

Born in Switzerland, Reto Berra played just 76 NHL games between 2013-2018.

Drafted by St. Louis, played games for Calgary, Colorado, Florida and Anaheim.

Shown here wearing the goalie number 20, which is less common in North America.

(he also wore number 29 with Calgary, and number 1 with Anaheim).


2014-15 would also be the last year for the "Bigfoot" shoulder patch on the Avs jerseys.
The sasquatch patch had been part the team's uniform since the relocation to Colorado in 1995-96.

Kickin' it Oldskool...

Braden Holtby
2014-15 Upper Deck #478

Another dose of nostalgia with the oldschool Washington Capitals uniforms.

Bonus point for the fan in the background wearing a retro Caps jersey...

The Vancouver Canucks signed Braden Holtby (winner of the 2018 Stanley Cup) while losing free-agent Jakob Markstrom (a 2020 NHL All-Star) to Calgary.


Somebody should slap the girl who's looking at her phone.

Jamie Benn
2019-20 Upper Deck MVP #75

Another girl playing with her phone...

Bonus point for "retro" Dallas Stars jersey worn by the fan on the left.

Joe Pavelski
2019-20 Upper Deck #393

A retro Pens jersey in the Dallas crowd.

Jake Guentzel
2019-20 Upper Deck #351

Finally, a card featuring Jake Guentzel of the Penguins with a throwback Winnipeg Jets jersey on a spectator.

Padded Wall of Fame...

John Gibson
2014-15 Upper Deck #7

Just happened to notice the "Insane Asylum" on the mask of Anaheim's John Gibson.

From this low angle, we can appreciate the background detail of the California state rival Los Angeles Kings' retired numbers hanging from the rafters.

30 Rogie Vachon
16 Marcel Dionne
18 Dave Taylor
99 Wayne Gretzky
20 Luc Robitaille

Original Fix...

Daniel Paille
2014-15 Upper Deck #266

Can't get enough of the Original Six...
Suddenly obsessed with modern cards featuring these rivalries.

Two more, from 2014-15 Upper Deck.

Boston and Detroit... At least we can see a Red Wings logo this time... Although we can't really see much of the Wings' players, it's still a neat shot.

Justin Abdelkader
2014-15 Upper Deck #316

Detroit and Toronto... Absolutely love this snapshot. Possibly my favorite card in the entire 2014-15 UD set...

Cards like this are the reason why I collect 'em in the first place... If only the puck were visible.

The guy in the crowd wearing neon green looks like a tennis ball from this angle.

Justin Abdelkader
2015-16 Upper Deck #318

The 2015-16 Upper Deck card also features the same matchup with Toronto at Detroit, this time with a wider angle of the rink.

Four Red Wings are visible in the shot.

Dan Cleary
2008-09 Upper Deck #321

Detroit at Chicago.
Action in front of the Hawks net.

Platinum Records...

Patrice Bergeron
2014-15 O-Pee-Chee Platinum #101

2014-15 O-Pee-Chee Platinum
Total cards: 200

One of my favorite "new" OPC retro designs...
Already had one from the regular 2014-15 O-Pee-Chee (Total cards: 618).

Just thrilled that it's another card featuring an Original Six team...

Patrice Bergeron will no longer have an "A" on his sweater. The long-time member of the Boston Bruins has since been promoted to Captain, following the departure of Zdeno Chara. (Big Chara had been the Bruins' captain for almost a decade and a half)

Patrice Bergeron
2014-15 O-Pee-Chee Platinum #101
(card back)

Bergeron scored the Stanley Cup game-winning goal for the Bruins in 2011. He also has a career plus / minus over +200.

Looking into the set details of OPC Platinum, the base set appears to have MANY variation cards, depicting players with alternate uniforms. Almost enough to make my head spin.

O-Pee-Chee 2012-13, 2013-14 & 2014-15

Andrew Ladd
2012-13 O-Pee-Chee #49

Taking a look at random cards filed into my O-Pee-Chee binder. Turns out that I have collected cards from three consecutive years of "modern" OPC.

Artem Anisimov
2012-13 O-Pee-Chee #279

I don't mind the retro look of 2012-13 OPC. The design is actually quite good.

But is the blurred yellow done on purpose to make it look old? The white corners and tiny edges completely throw me off...

Jussi Jokinen
2013-14 O-Pee-Chee #106

At least the borders are clean and crisp on the following season, 2013-14.

Stephane Robidas
2013-14 O-Pee-Chee #468

I realize that retro color schemes are the trend here.... But purple and light blue for Dallas?

Brendan Smith
2014-15 O-Pee-Chee #326

Probably my favorite of these three OPC designs. Just an 80s era throwback, simple and effective.

Brendan Smith
2014-15 O-Pee-Chee #326
(card back)

Even the back is a tad neater.

Sharks Goaltenders of the Past... And Future?

Arturs Irbe
2014-15 Upper Deck Trilogy #90
(Radiant Blue)

Rummaging through the bin at the local card shop might soon be a thing of the past...

A couple cards that I picked up a few months back, both of them coincidentally being netminders for the San Jose Sharks.

First one is nineties goaltender Arturs Irbe, featured in a modern set... (2014-15 Upper Deck Trilogy).

It's also a low-numbered parallel, in radiant blue color... Which actually looks pretty cool with the Sharks' motif.

Aaron Dell YG RC
2016-17 Upper Deck #478

Love the orange eyes that seem to glow on Aaron Dell's mask. The snapshot is almost head-on, which makes them stand out even more.

Always nice to find insert cards & rookie cards of goaltenders.

Seems the color orange has started appearing on the San Jose Sharks uniforms... Even the goalie pads have orange on them.

Another NDJ Goaltender...

Cory Schneider
2014-15 Upper Deck Trilogy #64

2014-15 Upper Deck Trilogy
[Total Cards: 200]

This is the only card from 2014-15 Upper Deck Trilogy in my collection. Since I've always been a fan of goalie cards, this one has been on top of my oddball pile for a while now.

In the 2014-15 season Cory Schneider became the main man in the Devils net with the departure of Martin Brodeur.

Definitely considering putting together a "Goalie Binder" for my assortment of nomadic masked warriors.

Cool Card: Darcy Kuemper (2014-15 Upper Deck #99)

Darcy Kuemper
2014-15 Upper Deck #99

I like this shot of Darcy Kuemper snagging the puck, eyes fixed on his catch. Can even see the puck through his glove.

The modern retro look of the Minnesota Wild uniform complements the card design quite well.