Life is Just a FANtasy...

Brad Ference
2003-04 In The Game Action -
NHL All-Star FANtasy Team Sets #495

It's funny how some things annoy me while other things offer amusement...

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

Brad Ference
2003-04 In The Game Action -
NHL All-Star FANtasy Team Sets #495
(card back)

They must be relatively rare, because only about 5% of the images have been uploaded to TCDB.
(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).

Punching Out...

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...

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.

Hull Tracking Device...

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.

I Don't Think So, Tim...

Tim Thomas
2007-08 Upper Deck MVP #43

Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins with an early mask.
Really like that bear.

Photo from just his third season, I honestly didn't recognize him.

Seems his preferred masks are atypical of NHL goaltenders...

Tim Thomas
2010-11 Upper Deck #265
(UD 20th Anniversary Variation)

This is the mask style that I more commonly associate with Tim Thomas.

Even the cage isn't the usual "cat eye" style.

This look reminds me of Don Beaupre or Mike Liut (both of whom coincidentally played for the Washington Capitals)

Ball Fans...

Jamie Langenbrunner
2007-08 Upper Deck MVP #96

Here's a New York Knicks logo (NBA Basketball) on the boards of an NHL Hockey rink..

My hockey card collection now has (at least) one card containing a baseball, football, and now a basketball (even a card of a hockey player with a soccer ball).

Which brings up this card...






 

 

Brent Seabrook
2010-11 Upper Deck #157
(UD 20th Anniversary Variation)

Fan wearing a sweater "Gahannah Lady Lions".
Looks like a basketball to me...

Google search results elude to a softball team.
But apparently there are basketball AND softball teams out of Gahannah, Ohio.

Jazzy Blue Version...

Jake Allen
2016-17 Upper Deck
Shining Stars Blue #SS-45

Although I'm constantly venting my dislike of insert subsets and "chase cards", just happened to add this one to my stack. This particular card is very clean without being overdone.

There's a regular  Shining Stars subset in 2016-17 Upper Deck - Along with a Shining Stars Blue parallel set.

The blue theme just happens to work really well with the Blues motif.

Also a big fan of this particular St. Louis Blues uniform, so it instantly becomes a favorite within my collection.

Sacre Bleu: Jake Allen now plays for the Montreal Canadiens.

Dominator: Salvation...

Dominik Hasek
1999-00 Upper Deck
Sixth Sense #SS16

1999-00 Upper Deck
Sixth Sense (Insert Subset)
Total Cards: 20

Inserted 1:5 (Series Two packs)

Another insert subset that made me go "meh".

All those numbers in the background really annoy me.
Actually looks better when scanned - In hand, it like a jigsaw puzzle.

But a turn-of-the century Hasek for my collection?
I'll take it!

Hasek and the Sabres on a miraculous run to the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals...

He may have ultimately won the Cup with the Wings later in his career, but this is how I'll always remember Hasek - For better or worse, sporting the black, red & white Sabres uniform at the height of his career.

Decades later, this uniform is relatively likeable compared to all the crap they've tried.

The Buffalo Sabres are like the girl who keeps changing her look every six months...
A complete and total identity crisis.

Iron Butterfly...

Maxim Mikhailovsky
1991-92 O-Pee-Chee #22R

1991-92 O-Pee-Chee
"Sharks & Russians Inserts"
Total Cards: 66
(Inserted 1 per pack)


Always happy to find goaltender cards in re-packs.

Surprised that I didn't already have this card - Historically, this was one of the first insets subsets to ever exist.

Had previously found the entire "Special Card" series containing 10-cards of the newly drafted San Jose Sharks - But this is the first of the Russians to be added to my collection. (seems the Russians occupy card numbers 11R thru 66R - That's 55 cards!)

(The Sharks were sealed inside a hard plastic container, as if the previous collector had squirreled them away, assuming they'd be worth something someday...)

The previous years' set (1990-91 O-Pee-Chee) featured Russians in the high number series (with Dynamo Riga or the Soviet Wings) as regular base cards... (The 1990-91 OPC set also has 22 Russian special cards)

Back to the 1991-92 OPC set... I'm not even sure if this subset has an official name. "Sharks & Russians" seems a tad blunt - As if it was just a nickname given by fans...

Landed The Eagle...

Ed Belfour
1999-00 Upper Deck
All Star Class #AS14

1999-00 Upper Deck
All-Star Class (Insert Subset)
Total Cards: 30


How can I not be happy to pick up a card of Eddie the Eagle?

Tucked in a sleeve, and stuffed in a box of 2016-17 base cards that I picked up a while back.

The guy mentioned that he had included a few extras from previous years. Thought it was kinda cool of him, and I'm just getting through the box now.

Found a few rookies and inserts from earlier seasons - Plus random inserts going all the way back to 1999.

Especially great because Belfour and the Dallas Stars had just won the Stanley Cup in 1999.

I prefer the design of this "All Star Class" over some of the subsequent seasons...

Hart War...

Tomas Vokoun
2009-10 Upper Deck MVP #HC9

2009-10 Upper Deck MVP
Hart Trophy Candidates...
Total Cards: 30


Again, not fond of insert cards...
Really not a fan of Award Winner cards either.

This one gets a passing grade because the design is relatively simple and elegant.

Considering I already own the complete base set of 2009-10 Upper Deck MVP - AND it's a goaltender card, it becomes a neat little treasure within my collection.

But it especially annoys me when a set (or subset) contains preliminary predictions that include pile of players who didn't actually win the award.


The actual Hart Trophy went to Alexander Ovechkin - Who doesn't even have a card in the set! (the subset does contain Ovi's teammate, Washington Capitals' Nicklas Backstrom)

It's especially mind boggling because Ovechkin was the reigning Hart Trophy winner at the time, ultimately winning the trophy for the second year in a row.

Tomas Vokoun
2009-10 Upper Deck MVP #HC9
(card back)

Couldn't resist scanning the back, because I rarely get to see
the vicious panther biting the hockey stick in half.

As mentioned before, the Florida Panthers "current" logo looks fine - But the "new" cat emblem looks like a tame kitty (or at best, a domesticated mountain lion).

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.)

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)

Imported Wax...

Arturs Irbe
1992-93 Ultra Import #5

Right in the middle of the hockey card boom was 1992-93 Fleer Ultra.

Back then, there were only several insert sets on top of the base set.

I had collected a few of the "Ultra Imports" back in the day, mostly because the graphics were pretty slick at the time...

(And because of players like Bure, Federov and Jagr)

Found an incomplete 1992-93 Fleer Ultra Imports subset within a random binder purchase.

Combined with my existing cards, I now have the full 25 cards in all their junk-wax glory!

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)

Retro Active...

Brian Boyle
2009-10 O-Pee-Chee #490

Only have nine of these base cards from 2009-10 O-Pee-Chee, plus two "retro parallels".

While I don't mind the design, I could do without the repeating letter "E" that makes up the border.

Figured the odds of having the same player's card in a 800 card set would be pretty slim...

Brian Boyle
2009-10 O-Pee-Chee #490
(Retro Parallel)

Turns out that I happened to have Boyle's parallel when I checked my newly acquired handful of cards.

Bonus point for a different LA Kings uniform on each photo.
Gotta laugh at Nike logo on retro card.

More UD Portraits...

Victor Hedman
2016-17 UD Portraits #P-26

2016-17 UD Portraits
Total Cards: 110

While I try not to support the chase cards that drive the hobby,
Some of these inserts occasionally find their way into my collection.

Found these tucked inside what I thought was a box base cards from 2016-17 Upper Deck.

"Portraits" is one of the subsets that I can tolerate...
Particularly fond of the design and color scheme of 2016-17 UD Portraits.

Victor Hedman, the MVP of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
I believe he's the third Swedish-born player to receive this honor. (Lidstrom, Zetterberg)

John Gibson
2016-17 UD Portraits #P-47

Fortunately, two of the three 2016-17 Portraits in my collection are goaltenders.

This one offers another look at John Gibson's "Insane Asylum" mask.

Chrome Dome...

Nicklas Lidstrom
1999-00 Topps Stadium Club Chrome #10

1999-00 Topps Stadium Club Chrome
Total Cards: 50

Normally scoff at parallel cards for ruining the hobby...
(Can even blame Bettman for ruining the actual sport itself)

Topps Stadium Club Chrome is a 50-card parallel set of Topps Stadium Club. (Not to be confused with the completely unrelated Topps Chrome)

Found this one within a bulk acquisition, along with a copy of Nicklas Lidstrom's base Stadium Club card.

Featured players' card numbers don't line up with the main set beyond card number 10...

Lidstrom's cards just happen to have the same card number.

Nicklas Lidstrom
1999-00 Topps Stadium Club #10

1999-00 Topps Stadium Club
Total Cards: 200

The regular base card from Stadium Club.
Bonus point for having Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood in the picture.

2010 NHL Winter Classic (2009-10 Upper Deck MVP #WC12)

With the "Winter Classic" and "Heritage Classic" on hold, the NHL has seized the opportunity to come up with a new brand of outdoor hockey in a scenic location.

"NHL Outdoors" will no doubt join what's already become a saturated field of outdoor venue games that also includes the "Stadium Series".

On February 21 2021 at Lake Tahoe, the Boston Bruins defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 7-3.

Blake Wheeler
2009-10 Upper Deck MVP #WC12

More than a decade ago, the Bruins and Flyers played in the third "Winter Classic" on January 1, 2010. The Bruins won 2-1 in overtime.

Stumbled upon a lone card from 2009-10 Upper Deck MVP. This twenty card subset was basically just to promote the 2010 Winter Classic featuring the Bruins and Flyers. Had picked up the 300 base card set, so I hadn't discovered this 20-card subset.

Of course, these photos are not actually taken during the actual game itself, with the card set being released in 2009, and the game taking place in 2010.

The first modern regular season NHL outdoor game was Montreal visiting Edmonton in 2003.

Blake Wheeler
2009-10 Upper Deck MVP #WC12
(card back)

It would take five whole years before the NHL would introduce the "Winter Classic" game between the Penguins and Sabres in 2008.

Detroit would visit Chicago in 2009 for the second "Winter Classic". A snapshot from that game is featured on #WC20, the very last card of the "Winter Classic" subset.

Maybe it's because I only have one of these in my collection, but I kinda like the corny design. The old-time Bruins logo does it for me...

NHL's Greatest Hits...

Cal Clutterbuck
2009-10 O-Pee-Chee #SL11

2009-10 O-Pee-Chee Stat Leaders

Total Cards: 17

An insert card from 2009-10 O-Pee-Chee. The retro design with a shiny reflective surface that made me think it was from a parallel set, when it's just a regular Stat Leaders insert subset.

Being the lone card of its kind in my collection, I'm really glad to have "NHL Hits Leaders" instead of something less exciting like "NHL Power Play Points Leaders" or "NHL Takeaways Leaders".

NHL Hits Leaders
2009-10 O-Pee-Chee #SL11
(card back)

I actually appreciate the card design. The card flows beautifully, and it's one of my favorite new acquisitions.

Note that Alexander Ovechkin, in his fourth year, was one of the league leaders in hits.

Apparently, there is also a "Penalty Minutes Leaders" card in this set (#SL6 Daniel Carcillo).

Eric Godard
2008-09 Upper Deck #404

That's my puck! Eric Godard checks an opposing player of the way... Even knocks the other guy's helmet off.

In addition to the intense physical play, this card earns a bonus point for a pizza ad on the boards.

Really starting to like the 2008-09 Upper Deck set, hoping to acquire more cards...

Coincidentally, Eric Godard racked up the penalty minutes that season, as he's listed 5th on the "Penalty Minutes Leaders" card from the 2009-10 OPC Stat Leaders subset.

"Old Time Hockey"

Peter Forsberg
2003-04 Topps C55 #1
(Full Length Variation)

2003-04 Topps C55
Total Cards: 155

Hidden within a bulk purchase of cards was a random handful of 2003-04 Topps C55.

Combined with a simple, old-time border design, it seems like player photographs have been rendered to make them seem appear as if they were illustrated.

For the most part, they look pretty good. I'm not keen on pursuing the entire set just yet, but would definitely like to find more of these.

Petr Nedved
2003-04 Topps C55 #39

One of my favorites... I just find it amusing to see a Nike logo on an old-fashioned card design.

It's also funny to consider that these are inspired by a set of cards originally designed to help sell tobacco - Introducing kids to the joys of hockey card collecting while getting their nicotine fix.

Mario Lemieux
2003-04 Topps C55 #66
(Closeup Variation)

Had collected a few of these back in the day, including Mario.

Mario Lemieux
2003-04 Topps C55 #66
(Full Length Variation)

In addition to the closeup shot, I was aware that variation cards existed for Forsberg, Lemiux, Nash and Kovalchuk (among others, ten in total).

As a set builder, these variations drive me nuts... But since I'm not actively collecting this set, I was pleasantly surprised to find this "full length" shot, which is also conveniently numbered card 66.

Jean-Sebastien Giguere
2003-04 Topps C55
Award Winners #15 of 16

The team that loses in the Stanley Cup Finals is often forgotten... That's not the case with Jean-Sebastien Giguere of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. He was THE story during the 2003 playoffs, and received the Conn Smythe Trophy as Playoff MVP for his efforts. Really glad to be adding this one to my collection.


Somehow, I was under the impression that Ron Hextall was the only previous winner to be a member of a losing team... A total of four goaltenders and one player have received this honor:

Roger Crozier (1966 Detroit Red Wings)
Glenn Hall (1968 St Louis Blues)
Reggie Leach (1976 Philadelphia Flyers)
Ron Hextall (1987 Philadelphia Flyers)
Jean-Sebastien Giguere (2003 Anaheim Mighty Ducks)

(Reggie Leach of the Flyers is the only non-goaltender to win Playoff MVP in a losing effort)