Freaky Mask Friday (Petr Mrazek, Detroit Red Wings)

Man or Machine?

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.

Petr Mrazek
2016-17 Parkhurst #119
(card back)

Flipside offers a bit of a closer look at the masked character wearing a character on his mask...

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!

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.

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:

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.
  
  
  

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.

"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."

WTF Hockey Card: Peter Ahola (1992-93 Upper Deck #41)

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)

Marin Biron
2009-10 Upper Deck #311

Just love the simplicity of this one.
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...?

Glen Featherstone
1990-91 Score #25T

1990-91 Score Rookie and Traded
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.

Ken Linesman
1990-91 Score #95T

Now this is a cool card!
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.

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).

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!

Stumbled upon this custom card of the notorious Hanson Brothers.
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]

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.