Best Goalie Masks #3-Winnipeg Jets

                       When you need to choose the best goalie masks of the new Jets, there isn't too much to choose from. Especially just with hockey cards. It wasn't that hard of a decision for me, as I only have two Jets goalie cards. But choosing between them was difficult.

 BEST GOALIE MASK OF THE 2011-PRESENT JETS:

11-12 ONDREJ PAVELEC

Pavelec's 2011-12 mask is literally a jet. It has the rustic steely feel, and the stylized Jets logo on the top. His mask definitely looks like it's made out of a retired war jet.

HONOURABLE MENTION:

11-12 CHRIS MASON

Well, it's my only other Jets goalie, so this wasn't too hard. I do love the images of fighter jets flying in the sky on Mason's mask, and the stylized logo on the chin.

Thanks for reading! NEXT UP: EDMONTON OILERS! Check back for updates!

Hockey Card Stories #3-So Happy Together

                 We all know that cards of the same make look great together. But these 6 cards went way above that, making putting two cards beside each other all that more satisfying.

92-93 UPPER DECK OTTAWA SENATORS
Expansion team cards. Those cheesy photos.

 Because the Ottawa Senators hadn't played yet, Upper Deck took the liberty to have the players put on the brakes in an arena with coincidentally excellent lighting for just this purpose. Putting these Darren Rumble and Brad Shaw cards beside each other is a magical moment.

01-02 UPPER DECK MVP

On their own, each of these cards looks so unfinished. Give them the right partner, however, and the magic comes together. It's never finished though. Even if you have the complete set, there is no end. Perfectionists watch out.

91-92 PRO SET AND PRO SET PLATINUM GEOFF SANDERSON

The first time you notice these, it's one of those "wait a second" moments (which I happened to talk about in my last Hockey Card stories entry). You put them together and do a triple take. Same teams, same brand, same boards. Same player? Thanks to Pro Set Platinum, I've got to look on the back of the second card to confirm this.

 Wow. Two photographers were competing for the same shot and an incredible pair of hockey cards came into being.

That's it for Hockey Card Stories #3! Keep posted for updates and other stuff! Share your hockey card stories in the comments!

Best Goalie Masks #2-Calgary Flames

                 It's time to choose the best goalie masks of the Calgary Flames. Miikka Kiprusoff is my all-time favourite goalie, so I'm a little biased. However, you will not find a Kiprusoff card in this blog post. Let's just get a good look at him before we start.

Awesome. Not a big fan of the mask though. Oh well, he's still the best.

                Okay, so if not Kipper, than who? Kidder? Brathwaite? MacDonald?

BEST CALGARY FLAMES GOALIE MASK:

99-00 J.S. GIGUERE

Not too great of a view, but you can still clearly see the roaring tiger on Giguere's mask. Pure awesome. Not only is there a tiger, but the artist also managed to incorporate some...Calgary Flames. The flames start at the chin and morph into a freakishly awesome tiger at the top.

HONOURABLE MENTION

99-00 MIKE VERNON

Man, after going with the classic Cooper helmet for so long, it was weird to see Vernon sporting the modern mask. It was even weirder to see him traded. However, in 2000, Vernon came back and rocked one of the best masks ever. Calgary Flames, he just can't seem to stay away. They are everywhere on that mask.

Thanks for reading! NEXT UP: WINNIPEG JETS (2011-Present)

Keep posted for updates!

Pack Update

                Pack Update time! I got packs of 13-14 Upper Deck and 14-15 Artifacts!
HIGHLIGHTS
Artifacts:

Larry Murphy: Cool guy
Eddie Shack: My first of the legend.
Duncan Keith: Cool All-Star shot.
Hampus Lindholm: Doing good things for the Ducks.
Marcel Dionne: Love that Artifacts puts other team shots of players like this.

Upper Deck:

Shining Stars Steven Stamkos: Really nice card of a great player.

Jannik Hansen: Not too many highlights for this series. He plays for Vancouver...

Thanks for reading and check back for more updates and stuff!

Hockey Card Stories #2-Not what they seem

              Glance at something, move on, then- WAIT, WHAT??? That happens with hockey cards too. These 5 cards are normal at first glance, but after more careful inspection, they become much more interesting.

91-92 PRO SET KELLY KISIO-DRAFTED BY MINNESOTA???

What is going on here? Is Pro Set telling me who Kelly Kisio was first drafted by? No, Kisio was undrafted and originally signed by Detroit. Expansion draft? The North Stars have been around for a while now, so that's not possible. So, the only other explanation is typo. Apparently this card was an error card, and it's supposed to say "Drafted by San Jose." So confusing!

11-12 UPPER DECK KRIS LETANG NET CAM???

Yep, you read that right. Kris Letang doesn't want a net cam shot of the goalie he's barging into, he wants a net cam card. He's a defenseman anyway, so why he's on top of the opposing goalie is beyond me. Kris Letang net cam, everybody.

11-12 UPPER DECK PASCAL DUPUIS-HE'S HOW GOOD???

So this looks like a normal Dupuis card. Not a net cam, not a typo anywhere. What's wrong with it? Well, let's learn some more about Pascal and look at his stats on the back.

HOW HAVE I NOT PICKED HIM IN MY HOCKEY POOL??? 105 points?? 47 goals??? Since when? Something seems fishy. Let's check him out on HockeyDB. 

Uh huh. So who else on the Penguins could it be? Let's start with Geno. 

Well that's more like it. Upper Deck, how could you mix up those two?

90-91 SEVENTH INNING SKETCH TODD BOJCUN-PHOTO NEGATIVE???

What moron puts his jersey on inside out? Actually not Todd Bojcun. You may notice that the writing on his helmet is backwards, too. And his stick. Try turning those inside out. This could be a photo negative put on a hockey card, but to make it definite, let's look at what hand Bojcun catches with. NHL.com...

Aha! Catches with his left. So why, in the picture, is Bojcun holding his stick with his left? Bill Durnan? Probably not, as that is a conventional blocker. A photo negative on a hockey card. Sad...

08-09 COLLECTOR'S CHOICE HENRIK SEDIN-ARE THEY THAT ALIKE???

 We all know that the Sedin twins have freakishly similar stats. However, looking at the back of this card, they seem a little too similar.

Henrik had that many 20 goal seasons? Hmm... HockeyDB...

This is Daniel, by the way. This explains it. The twins are so alike, even Upper Deck can't tell them apart.

Thanks for reading! Keep posted for updates! Tell me your own hockey card stories!

Best Goalie Masks #1-Vancouver Canucks

             So I just read the Hockey News issue on goalie masks, and now I'm on a goalie frenzy. Plus, I am a goalie, so I'm always a little obsessed. Anyway, I thought it'd be fun to do the best goalie mask on each team, with an honourable mention. I thought it'd be great to start with my favourite team, the Canucks.
Oh and here's my mask, an old road hockey one I picked up at a garage sale.

So who has the best mask in the great history of the Canucks? Luongo's Johnny Canuck mask? Or his off-white one? Kirk McLean? 

No.

BEST CANUCKS MASK

11-12 CORY SCHNEIDER

A mask with masks on it. What better idea is there? It's also got a few of the Canucks old logos. I see a Curt Ridley mask up there in the corner, too. It's great. Too bad Schneider left.

HONOURABLE MENTION

97-98 COREY HIRSCH

When you're on Vancouver in the 90s, what are you going to do? The logo is a skate. Corey Hirsch went with the cultural background of the city and has First Nations style art all over it. He would have to change the next year, as we can see from the colouring on the borders that the Canucks colour scheme has changed.

That's it for the Canucks! Next up: CALGARY FLAMES! Will it be Turek? Brathwaite? Vernon? Kipprusoff?

Stay tuned...

Hockey Card Stories #1-Firsts

           We've all had our firsts. First car, first house, first goal...and first hockey card. Today I'm going to show you my hockey card firsts. How about you? Post yours in the comments!

FIRST HOCKEY CARD

This title belongs to two cards. A 99-00 Upper Deck Retro Jarome Iginla the Rookie Year-

And an 05-06 Upper Deck Rookie Class Peter Budaj. Not bad. I believe they were given to me by either (or both) of my brothers. Those two cards were the first of many to come.

FIRST PACK

My first pack came way back in elementary school. It was a 07-08 Upper Deck MVP pack and I'm not sure where all of them went. However, these below are the ones that I do remember getting in that first pack.

It was an okay pull, and it also gave birth to my first insert card. It also led to my...

FIRST TRADE

I received this card also in elementary and in exchange, gave the guy... someone on the Hurricanes, I can't quite remember who-from that first pack. It wasn't in good condition, but It looked cool to a newbie like me, so I accepted.

It's an 05-06 Fleer Ultra Ilya Kovalchuk, so chances are, he was better than that Hurricanes player.

FIRST ROOKIE

In another of my earliest packs, a 2009-10 Upper Deck MVP, I got what I think is my first rookie card. I didn't know who he was, but I remember remarking that it would be funny if he was a fighter, because his last name was... well, you'll see.

Of course, now I know that Lovejoy is not a fighter, but he is a tough defenseman. And now he has also gone back to the team he played for on this card.

FIRST AUTOGRAPH

So, in around 2009, I was desperately wanting my first Alex Burrows card. I had a substantial amount of Canucks cards, but not one Alex Burrows. For my birthday that year, someone killed two birds with one stone, and got me a signed Alex Burrows.

And it's not just an insert, it's a hard-signed card too.

FIRST JUMBO CARD

Everyone had a jumbo card or two except me. Then in Christmas 2010, I received a box of 10-11 Upper Deck, and it always came with a Jumbo Card. But this was certainly not a

 lame card.

It's a Derek Stepan Young Guns card, and I still have not opened the package to this day.

FIRST JERSEY CARD

This card, as you have already seen, is my first and only jersey card.

It took trial and toil to obtain. I paid the local card shop a visit, and knew I just had to get this card. However, my debit card did not seem to be working. I kept trying, but it did not work. I left the store in sadness, but halfway through the walk home, remembered that I had changed my pin code! I was typing in my old one! I vowed to come back the next day and get the card once and for all, and the rest is history.

FIRST LEGENDS

It took me a while to get my first Gretzky, Howe, and Orr, but I eventually succeeded in the quest. My first Crosby was given to me by my second-grade lunch monitor. The Brodeur came in a birthday present.

The Howe I got in a dollar store pack, and just before the visit, I mentioned how crazy it'd be to land a Howe. The Gretzky was given to me, along with some other cards, by a school friend, and the Orr I traded for.

So how about you? What were your first cards? Tell me in the comments!