Deja Vu Tuesday: Mike Gartner

2000-01_UD_Legends_GartnerWhenever a company makes a set of retired greats, the likelihood is high that a photo used on a card many years ago may find its way back on a card again. Take for instance this photograph of Mike Gartner on his 2000-01 Upper Deck Legends card. I knew I saw it on another card before. You just don’t forget a menacing, pissed-off glare like the one Gartner is giving here — even if it isn’t directed at you.

It turns out, I was right…from a certain point of view, as Obi-Wan Kenobi would say.

1988-89 O-Pee-Chee Stickers #67 - Mike Gartner (zoom)While this photo technically wasn’t used before on a card, it was used on an 1988-89 O-Pee-Chee sticker The stickers were affixed to hard backings and measure 2 1/8″ x 3″, so they are sort of like cards.

2000-01 Upper Deck Legends #129 - Mike Gartner1988-89 O-Pee-Chee Stickers #67 - Mike Gartner (zoom)

Here are the two, side by side for comparison. Obviously, the Upper Deck card has brighter colors; that red really pops.

There is a second card in the 2000-01 Upper Deck Legends hockey set, called “Team Foundations,” that coincidentally uses another photo of Gartner that had been seen on a card before.

2000-01_UD_Legends_CapitalsRecognize the picture of Gartner?

No?

It was previously used on his 1983-84 O-Pee-Chee card, but not cropped as tightly.

1983-84 O-Pee-Chee #369 - Mike GartnerAgain, here is a side by side comparison, with a zoom of just Gartner’s half of the 2000-01 card alongside his ’83-84 OPC card.

2000-01_UD_Legends_Capitals_CU1983-84 O-Pee-Chee #369 - Mike Gartner

It appears that Upper Deck airbrushed out that blue “blob” on the wall behind and to the left of Gartner’s head.

But getting back to the first card, I am glad that the awesome, “don’t mess with me” pic of Gartner was introduced to a new generation of fans 12 years after it originally appeared.

In fact, we are long overdue for this photo to make a third appearance. Maybe Upper Deck should use it as part of the Marquee Legends subset in an upcoming O-Pee-Chee set. This pic is too cool to not use every decade. 

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Author: Sal Barry

Sal Barry is the editor and webmaster of Puck Junk. He is a freelance hockey writer, college professor and terrible hockey player. Follow him on Twitter @puckjunk

3 thoughts on “Deja Vu Tuesday: Mike Gartner”

  1. What would be interesting to know is how UD got hold of a picture that was previously used by OPC, because in 2000-01 they did not yet own OPC…or did the photographer retain the rights to be able to resell the picture to them…? I wonder if they would still have used it if they knew that OPC had used it previously.

    1. I believe the latter is the case; the photographer owned the rights and re-sold the image.

      Also, Upper Deck does not own the O-Pee-Chee name; rather, they lease it from Topps, who bought the O-Pee-Chee brand in, I believe, 1996.

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