Hockey Card Stories #6: The Unknowns

           In this Hockey Card Stories Post, I need someone to tell me the stories, because I have no idea. The cards in this blog post have shadowed backstories. Their situation is a mystery to me, and if anyone can figure it out, let me know, because these cards are strange. I was not necessarily the first owner, so I really have no clue.

WILLIE MITCHELL OPC PARALLEL PARALLEL?

As far as I know, I actually am the original owner of these cards, but there is some print error on the one on the right. There are small black markings all over the card, and if you reflect the light right, they almost expand, and it looks like ink running down the card. A strange parallel to a parallel.

TINY INACCURATE CHECKLIST?

This Esso NHL All-Star Collection Jacques Laperriere has some false information on the checklist on the back. This is the only Esso card I have in my entire collection. According to the checklist, I have Pierre Pilote, Norm Ullman, Ed Giacomin, Bernie Parent, Serge Savard, Mike Bossy, Lanny McDonald, Rick Middleton, Al MacInnis, and Paul Coffey. I have none of these cards, and I did not mark down the checklist.

REALLY ZOOMED-OUT CARD?

This looks like someone took an eraser in Corel Print House to the picture and then slapped it on a hockey card. I've seen some bad airbrushes in my time. But this, just erasing a whole part of the picture and then zooming out on it is just ridiculous. Also, this card was from 95-96, so most bad airbrush jobs should have been eliminated. So weird.

THE WORST DIE-CUT CARDS IN HISTORY?

No, these three cards are not die-cut. They are merely the result of the horrible cutting of a 1990 Kraft Dinner box. Whoever cut these cards out needs to know how to handle a pair of scissors. This is always the risk of getting cards from cereal boxes and things like that; there's always the risk of ending up with an absolutely brutal card.

MY FIRST AUTO CARD?

If this autograph is indeed legitimate, this will have been my first autographed card. However, I have no proof that this is the authentic autograph of Chris Hawes. It certainly looks real. I picked this up (I think) from some person who was giving away boxes of assorted cards, and this was in one. Chris Hawes wasn't the greatest player though, so if this is a real auto, it's not worth much.

Thanks for reading! If you can explain these cards, please do so! Keep updated for more hockey card posts!

Best Goalie Masks: Buffalo Sabres

         Once again, I face the problem of choosing between two very similar masks, and it may only be the quality of card that determined the winner. The best goalie mask of the Buffalo Sabres is...

 

92-93 TOM DRAPER

Never heard of Tom Draper? Neither did I, but this mask should make him well-known to some folk. It flows so well with the jersey and especially the rest of his equipment. The symmetry of the mask, as well as the modernistic look, separate this mask from the runner-up.

 

HONOURABLE MENTION:

91-92 DAREN PUPPA



This mask, as previously stated, is quite similar to Draper's, but the out of place bison on top ruins the symmetry which is consistent everywhere else. However, because it is so similar to Draper's, this mask is still great. It may be the quality of the photo that gives it a second-place finish.

 

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Pack Update

      Recently ordered some cards from a Scholastic book order... no big hits but these are the ones that were pretty good.

90-91 Upper Deck Mike Ricci RC-A very unflattering picture, but a good RC of a good player.

91-92 Pro Set French Nicklas Lidstrom-An unflattering name misspelling, but a nice RC, and I understand the Pro Set French is worth a bit more than English, which is nice because I already have the English version.

11-12 Panini Contenders Matt Duchene-A nice base card of Duchene.

10-11 Heroes and Prospects Joe Colborne RC-A rookie card before his NHL rookie year.

10-11 Heroes and Prospects Eric Tangredi-Another good AHL prospect card.

Thanks for reading, and keep updated for more hockey card posts! 

Amazing Pack Update!!!

          I was not expecting my top five priciest cards list to be changed so quickly... A friend of mine today gave me four amazing cards! I also picked up one 15-16 Tim Horton's collector's series pack, with one good card in it.

5 out of 7 cards I got today are going straight to cases. We have: A 12-13 Upper Deck Game Jerseys Gilbert Perreault and Jordan Staal, a 79-80 Topps Vancouver Canucks checklist, graded at 6.5, an 06-07 SP Game Used Edition Authentic Fabrics Dual Patch Naslund/Luongo 12/25, graded at 9-that's a mouthful- and finally a Tim Horton's Carey Price Season Highlight Checklist. An awesome haul. I'd be speechless, but these are too awesome to stay quiet about.

Thanks for reading, and keep updated for more hockey card posts!

On This Day in Hockey: 1999

October 2, 1999

Boston's Ray Bourque scored his 386th career goal, making him the highest-scoring defenseman in NHL history.

There's no doubt that Raymond Bourque is one of the greatest defenseman in NHL history. He holds the defensman's record for most goals, assists, and points in a career. He also holds the record for most consecutive All-Star games, with 19. In those games he won 8 shooting accuracy competitions. He won five Norris Trophies. He actually holds the record for most career shots on goal, even though he is a defenseman. He's actually nearly 1000 shots ahead of the next leading shooter, Marcel Dionne. Phil Esposito thought Bourque was so good, that he "un-retired" his number 7 in order for Bourque to wear it. However, Bourque, in a move of class, gave Espo back the 7 and took 77, which was later also retired by the Bruins.

In one of the most famous stories in the NHL, Bourque played his last game as a player and promptly was handed the Stanley Cup by Colorado captain Joe Sakic, after literally waiting his whole career for it.

Thanks for reading! Keep updated for more hockey card posts!

Top Five Hockey Card Prices!

       So I recently picked up the September Beckett Hockey magazine, and I decided to look up every single one of my cards. Needless to say, not all of the cards were in the magazine. However, I was able to find prices for around 280 of my cards, and I have compiled the top five prices here.

#1: 13-14 Upper Deck Canvas Dougie Hamilton YG RC-$25.00

This is my highest-priced card, and definitely one of my best pulls out of a pack. It is in near-mint-mint condition, and is a nice canvas Young Gun card.

#2: 12-13 Artifacts Tundra Tandems M. Brodeur/R. Luongo-$20.00

As seen previously on this blog, I got this card after ordering it from eBay for a total price of $10.60: whatta steal! Definitely staying in my PC.

#3: 12-13 Between the Pipes Goaliegraphs Gilles Meloche-$15.00

Another one of my best pulls from a pack, this was only my third autograph card. Nice mask too!

T-#4: 09-10 Upper Deck Hedman/Tavares/Duchene CL & 09-10 Upper Deck Michael Grabner YG RC-$12.00

These two cards are both worth 12 bucks, but the checklist is definitely better condition, as the Grabner has been written on and crinkled. It is one of the priciest checklists I've ever seen.

T-#5: 11-12 Upper Deck Victory Cody Hodgson RC & 99-00 Upper Deck Daniel Sedin YG RC-#10.00

Both of these cards are worth ten dollars in mint condition, however the Hodgson is in better condition due to the fact that it is much newer (the Sedin is my oldest card that is over $8). These are both a nice collection to my PC.

Thanks for reading and keep updated for more hockey card posts!

On This Day In Hockey: 1972

September 28, 1972
Paul Henderson scored with 34 seconds left in the game to give Team Canada a 6-5 win over the Soviet Union. Canada won the eight-game series four games to three with one tie. Henderson scored the winning goal in each of the last three games.

In one of the most memorable moments in Canadian hockey history, Canada won the legendary Summit Series, with Paul Henderson becoming an instant hero with 3 game winners. However, Paul Henderson wasn't what you would call a star. He was a good player for the Maple Leafs, but only a career-high 38 goal season got him a spot on the roster. Henderson ended up playing on a line with legend Phil Esposito, who eventually set up Henderson's famous goal. As game 8 was entering the last minute of play, Henderson was actually sitting on the bench. He convinced coach Harry Sinden to send him out after Peter Mahovlich came out on a line change. apparently, Henderson "had a feeling" that he could score. Turns out that his feeling was right.

Thanks for watching, and keep updated for more hockey card posts!