Nuts and Bolts...

Cal Clutterbuck
2019-20 Upper Deck #94

Managed to stay interested in this year's Playoffs until the Final Four. Really not enthused with the 2021 finalists however...

Would have preferred to see the New York Islanders and Vegas Golden Knights in the Finals.

Might re-watch some of the games from the seven-game series between the Lightning and Islanders.

The Semi-Finals can often be more entertaining than the actual Finals.

Max Pacioretty
2018-19 Upper Deck #430

Also wish the Canadiens and Golden Knights series could have gone seven games instead of six...

Max Pacioretty (formerly of the Canadiens) got to experience defeat at the hands of his former team.

Turning point in the series was a bad bounce when Vegas goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury tried to play the puck behind the net.

Seems rather unusual that 3 of the 4 teams to make the Final Four in 2020 would return in 2021.

(Dallas made the Finals last year, completely missing the Playoffs this season)

I kinda think it's a bit remarkable for 3 teams to make it this far in consecutive years, especially with the league structure being messed up for two years. Not to mention the parity in Gary Bettman's NHL where any team can win during any season.

This success has gotta mean something for the Lightning, Islanders and Golden Knights -  If they can afford to keep everybody.

The Price is Right...

Carey Price
2018-19 Upper Deck #99

Like a vulture to a carcass, I scavenged the discounted hockey cards at Walmart to see what I could get my sandy claws on...

Cheapest product on hand was 2018-19 Upper Deck. Even though the set design is my least favorite from the past five years, I picked up a single pack of Series 1, two jumbo packs of Series 2.

I personally find the snapshots seem to lack something that was present in other releases of the main Upper Deck flagship set. The lower part of the photo also fades to white, with a tribal "tramp stamp" design that seems out of place on a hockey card.


At least I managed to find a few cards I like, including this card of Carey Price making a save with his arm. Bonus point for a graphic of the Stanley Cup on the boards.

(Probably the only time we'll ever see Price and The Cup in the same photo)

Sidney Crosby
2018-19 Upper Deck #392

Very first card from a Series 2 jumbo pack was Sidney Crosby (standard version of the card).

Learned that's there's also a Short-Printed variation of card #392 (horizontal card with triple exposure).

Niklas Hjalmarsson
2018-19 Upper Deck #259

Applause for oldschool Arizona (aka Phoenix) Coyotes jerseys.

Chris Kunitz
2018-19 Upper Deck #295

Never realized that Chris Kunitz had been a member of the Blackhawks...

After winning 4 Stanley Cups (one in Anaheim, three with Pittsburgh) he finished his career with an Original Six team.

During that season, the Chicago Blackhawks had a number 21 patch on their jerseys to honor the late Stan Mikita.

Andrei Vasilevskiy
2018-19 Upper Deck #160

The puck is nowhere in sight, but it's still an interesting shot of Andrei Vasilevskiy.

Evgeny Kuznetsov
2018-19 Upper Deck #437

I like this snapshot... Apparently, the Kuznetsov card also has a short-printed (triple exposure) variation. I'm actually happier to have this one in my collection.

Colorful Characters....

Phil Kessel
2009-10 Upper Deck #1

2009-10 Upper Deck
Base Card Numbers: 1-200, 251-450
(Short Printed Young Guns: 201-250, 451-500)
Total Cards: 500

I like having the first card in a set, even though I only have a binder page or so of the colorful 2009-10 Upper Deck.

Kessel has become such an established veteran, it's hard to believe this photo was taken during his third NHL season.

From the back of the card:

"Kessel broke through to become an elite player for the top-seeded Bruins in his third year in the League..."

Phil Kessel
2018-19 Upper Deck #396

Also happened to acquire this Kessel card (2018-19 Upper Deck)... A tiny Penguins' logo is the only indicator of which team he was playing for.

Maxime Talbot
2009-10 Upper Deck #44

The 2009-10 Upper Deck set is growing on me... Talbot and the rest of the Pens without their gloves - Can only assume they're celebrating their Stanley Cup victory.

Maxime Talbot
2009-10 Upper Deck #44
(card back)

Bonus point for an alternate photo on the back. He even looks kinda mean! Score another bonus point for the visible Stanley Cup Finals badge on his jersey.

From the back of the card:

"Talbot came up big in the biggest game of the year, accounting for both goals in a 2-1 win in Game 7 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals."

Detroit Red Wings' Netminders...

Thomas McCollum
2010-11 Panini All Goalies #30

Random "new" cards added to my collection, featuring a few goaltenders from Original Six team Detroit Red Wings.

2010-11 Panini All-Goalies
Total Cards: 100

Actually get a kick out of the "All Goalies" logo with the old time goaltender mask. The goal sticks make it look like a skull and crossbones. Cheesy or not, but I kinda like it.

On the front of this card, the faded background helps from revealing that the backup goaltender is probably warming up against the boards. Thomas McCollum appeared in just three games in two seasons.

Still, I have a respect for the unknown goaltenders. Also find it interesting that he wore number 38, one of the less common  numbers in the traditional "goalie number" range.

Jimmy Howard
2010-11 SP Authentic #104

Jimmy Howard has been the main man in the Detroit net for a number of seasons, having been with the team for his entire career.

2010-11 SP Authentic
Base Cards: 1-200
(Short Print / Serial Numbered: 201-310)
Total Cards: 310

While I'm always happy to add random SP Authentic cards to my collection, I feel there's already an abundance of whitespace on a typical SPA card - The "fade to white" effect towards the bottom of the card makes it look like they were trying to save money on ink...

Another minor, nit-picking detail regarding the player and team name... The small foil letters are super-imposed over a grey background (containing a redundant team name).

Three cards from this set in my collection so far, this one being the first goalie.

Jonathan Bernier
2018-19 Upper Deck #317

Just happened to pull this card of Jonathan Bernier. First card I have of him in a Wings' uniform. He's worn number 45 with every NHL team he's played for (LA, Toronto, Colorado & Detroit) except for a season in Anaheim. (He wore number 1 with the Anaheim Ducks as jersey 45 was occupied by defenceman Sami Vatanen).

2018-19 Upper Deck
Base Card Numbers: 1-200, 251-450
Short Print / Serial Numbered: 201-250, 451-500)
Total Cards: 500

More Random Cards...

Sandis Ozolinsh
1997-98 SP Authentic #41

My first card from the very first year of SP Authentic...
Future incarnations of the product would be brilliant white, while the early years are "Ooh, shiny!".

The "SP Authentic" brand effectively replaced the original brand simply known as "SP" (which had three releases, 1994-95, 1995-96 and 1996-97)..

Since it's debut in 1997-98, SP Authentic has been released every single season.

Dominik Hasek
2018-19 SP #95

Seems they revived the regular "SP" brand in 2018-19 & 2019-20, after an absence of 22 years.

The card numbers and player photos are the same, but the SP Authentic set has considerably more insert cards...

My research suggests that it's basically a more affordable alternative to "SP Authentic". Perhaps the regular SP is more suitable for those of us who simply enjoy to collect the base set.

Tomas Vokoun
2010-11 Upper Deck #117

I'll always think of Tomas Vokoun as a member of the Nashville Predators, but here he is with the Florida Panthers.... Either way, he still has a vicious cat painted on his mask.

Just noticing that Vokoun catches right.

Eric Fehr
2013-14 Score #529

Always enjoy cards where a player has just scored a goal... This one has it all, from ecstatic fans to dejected goaltender.

NHLers of the Past & Present (Magnus Arvedson & Viktor Arvidsson)

Magnus Arvedson
2002-03 Pacific #261

Magnus Arvedson (Left Wing)
Born: 1971, Sweden
Drafted: 5th round 1997 (119th overall)
NHL Career: 1997-2004
Teams: Senators, Canucks
Numbers Worn: 20, 21

Scored 225 points in 434 career games.

Viktor Arvidsson
2018-19 Upper Deck #357

Viktor Arvidsson (Left Wing)
Born: 1993, Sweden
Drafted: 4th round 2014 (112th overall)
Active NHL Career: 2014-present
Teams: Predators
Numbers Worn: 38, 33

Randomly Inserted...

Nathan MacKinnon
2015-16 O-Pee-Chee #223
(Rainbow Insert)

My favorite thing about re-pack hockey cards is the chance to add something random or interesting to my collection... Especially if I've never seen a single card from that set.

Didn't even realize this was a parallel card... Problem with modern sets is that sometimes the entire set is glossy, holographic or reflective...

2015-16 O-Pee-Chee
[Total Cards: 600]

Nathan MacKinnon
2015-16 O-Pee-Chee #223
(Rainbow Insert - Card Back)

As a bonus, the back of the card is clean & white instead of dull cardboard.

Kyle Okposo
2018-19 O-Pee-Chee Platinum #122

A base card from O-Pee-Chee Platinum. I now have ten from this set in my collection.

2018-19 O-Pee-Chee Platinum
[Total Cards: 200]

Kyle Okposo recently scored his 500th NHL point.

After chasing the puck down the length of the ice, he was able to poke it past the defenceman, walk in all alone and score.

To make it even more exciting, Okposo's goal was part of a sequence where the Buffalo Sabres scored 3 unanswered goals in 91 seconds...

Jonas Hiller
2015-16 UD Full Force #35

Had never even heard of Full Force. Seems that there was only one release of this particular Upper Deck hockey brand.

2015-16 Upper Deck Full Force
[Total Cards: 123]

Card design is OK. Certainly not my favorite style, but there's nothing I really dislike about it. Team logo, player name and position are neat and legible on the front of the card, vitals on the back. At least they didn't completely overdo the graphics. 

700 Goals for Ovi

Alexander Ovechkin
2019-20 Upper Deck MVP
Laser Shots #S-1

After scoring 14 goals in seven games, Alexander Ovechkin went scoreless for 5 games... Almost seemed to stall at 698 career goals. For a player like him, a "slump" like that is unusual. But he hit the 700 mark with style, after one-timing a slapshot into the top corner.

Ten years ago, I'd have said that no-one will ever score 900 career goals...
But now that Alexander Ovechkin has hit the 700 goal mark (and seems to score 40-50 goals per year) he (and teammate Nick Backstrom) seems confident that it can happen.

Wayne Gretzky
1991-92 Pro Set #CC5

Was never a big fan of Ovechkin, although it is exciting to see records get broken.

Now that he's matured a bit, I can actually appreciate the fact that he has his sights on breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record of 894.

Actually needed this random Wayne Gretzky card towards finishing my 1991-92 Pro Set CC insert series...

Random Repacks...

Brayden Schenn
2018-19 SP Authentic #53

It's always fun to flip through some "new" cards, so I picked up a few of the re-packed variety. Going into it, I knew I'd find plenty of Score, Pro Set and Bowman...




















So else what did the hockey gods have in store? An assortment of old & new, from a dozen different sets.
Obviously, most are from the 90s... A good handful from the last 5 years, plus a random scattering from the turn of the century.

Kyle Turris
2019-20 Upper Deck Artifacts #47

I guess one good thing about so many brands, is that there's always going to be something I've never seen before.


Was surprised to find a lone card from 2019-20 Upper Deck Artifacts within the repacks, especially considering that the set was released not even 5 months ago...

Kris Letang
2017-18 Upper Deck #393

Also found a few from 2017-18 & 2018-19 Upper Deck. Just guessing that this shot of Kris Letang took place during a home game in Pittsburgh to honor the 2017 Stanley Cup Champs.

Cool Cards: Jake Guentzel

Jake Guentzel
2019-20 Upper Deck MVP #66
(Silver Script)

Considering that Jake Guentzel is coming off a 40 goal season, getting his Silver Script variation from my last box of 2019-20 Upper Deck MVP was a decent find.

There's even a legible number 59 beside his signature.

While it's neat to have a parallel, as I'd almost rather have pulled the regular version towards completing the base set.

Jake Guentzel
2018-19 OPC Coast to Coast #25

On my travels, also happened to pick up a lone O-Pee-Chee card.

Jake Guentzel scored 13 goals in the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, including 5 game-winning goals.

It's a pretty impressive stat. (Other players to score 5 winners in a playoff run include the likes of Mario Lemieux, Mike Bossy and Jari Kurri.)

Streaks & Skid Marks...

David Pastrnak
2018-19 Upper Deck MVP #43

After trailing 1-0 for most of the game (Sunday December 1, 2019), NHL leading goal scorer David Pastrnak wired a shot past Montreal's Carey Price (who actually played quite well) to spark a comeback for the Boston, who went on to win 3-1.

Winning their seventh consecutive game, the Bruins handed the Canadiens their EIGHTH consecutive loss...

Apparently it's been 70 years since the Montreal Canadiens have lost eight straight. Was curious how long it's been since they've lost nine in a row...

"...nine consecutive losses from Dec. 16, 1939-Jan. 6, 1940;
the longest losing streak in Canadiens history is 12 games, from Feb. 13-March 13, 1926"
-nhl.com

2018-19 Goal of the Year?

Aleksander Barkov
2018-19 Upper Deck MVP #17

In a game between the Florida Panthers and Montreal Canadiens [February 17, 2019], Florida captain Aleksander Barkov scored one of the prettiest highlight reel goals I've ever seen...

Even with a defender in hot pursuit, he was able to pull off an incredible "between-the-legs" move to give his team the go-ahead goal.

Scoring goals with this technique seemed to emerge at the turn of the century, and would only happen on occasion... But this day in age, as the speed and skill continues to evolve, it seems as if several goals like this are scored every year.