Card of the Week: 1999-00 Upper Deck Century Legends #23 – Ken Dryden

Ken_DrydenI acquired a personal grail of mine recently when I added this card to my collection: a 1999-2000 Upper Deck Century Legends Ken Dryden. It’s a card that technically does not exist, and yet I have one. Continue reading “Card of the Week: 1999-00 Upper Deck Century Legends #23 – Ken Dryden”

Andrew Shaw Pretty Darn Funny in Local Car Commercials

Blackhawks fans have been seeing a lot of Andrew Shaw lately. Not just as a regular in the ‘Hawks lineup, but in quite a few commercials that air during the games, too. Shaw seems to be doing a pretty good job as a pitchman. There’s his bit part in the BMO Harris Bank Commercial (“His name is Steve!“) from earlier this year. Shaw is now starring in commercials for local car dealer Bill Kaye Chevrolet.

Shaw sounds natural when delivering his lines in the 30-second commercial. None of that typical robotic reading of the cue cards stuff that we get from most athletes. The best part is when he nonchalantly skates off, saying “Gotta go,” after smashing a hapless employee into the glass.

In another spot, the sum total of Shaw’s acting is making angry eyes while slurping some (we presume) coffee. But it works.


Shaw seems so relaxed in front of the camera that it is easy to picture him going into broadcasting when he retires — most likely as a studio analyst like Jamie McClennan or P.J. Stock. We know Shaw would always have something to say.

Hockey Extreme Value 10-Pack Box Break

boxNormally, I avoid re-pack boxes unless they guarantee something spiffy. A few years back, I bought a so-called Hockey Cube because it promised two autographed cards and a full set of 2010-11 Score Traded. This particular box of packs, repacked by the Fairfield Company in Iowa, made no promises, other than a 40% savings.

Still, I was enticed by that pack of Be A Player, clearly shown in the right window of the box. We all know that Be A Player packs tend to have a higher ratio of autographed inserts than other sets. For $20 $12, I took a gamble to see if I’d pull an autograph. Continue reading “Hockey Extreme Value 10-Pack Box Break”