A Look Back at the 1991 Canada Cup

Twenty-five years ago today, Canada won the 1991 Canada Cup Tournament when they beat the United States. It would be the last Canada Cup, as the tournament would be renamed the World Cup of Hockey in 1996.

A few months after the 1991 Canada Cup, Upper Deck released its 1991-92 hockey card set, which included a Canada Cup subset. This was the first time that a set of trading cards would feature pictures and players from the Canada Cup. These Canada Cup cards were also the first hockey cards for many of the European players — some who would go on to lengthy NHL careers.

Here’s a look at how each of the six teams, as well as many of the players, performed at the 1991 Canada Cup.
Continue reading “A Look Back at the 1991 Canada Cup”

Puck Junk Podcast #17 – Sept. 12, 2016

…with Sal Barry and Tim Parish.

Player not working? Listen to the podcast on SoundCloud.

In today’s podcast, Sal and Tim (@TheRealDFG) talk abut the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, including some of the preliminary matches, as well as the upcoming tournament games. They also discuss ESPN’s coverage — or lack thereof — in the United States, the uniforms and the World Cup Trophy that no one likes very much.

Speaking of unlikable trophies, here is the World Cup Trophy, which was designed by Frank Gehry and first awarded in 2004.

And here’s the original World Cup of Hockey Trophy, that was only used in the 1996 tournament.

Finally, here’s a picture of the O’Brien Trophy, which might make a more suitable award than the current World Cup Trophy.

(You can learn more about the O’Brien Trophy here.)

Total time of this podcast is 47 minutes 15 seconds.

Theme music by Jim “Not the Goalie” Howard.

Are you excited about the 2016 World Cup of Hockey? Have you watched any of the preliminary games yet, or do you plan on watching the actual tournament? What do you think of the uniforms? The trophy? Leave a comment and let us know. ■

Card of the Week: Paper Sabre

1974-75 Topps #24 – Jacques Lemaire

It is not uncommon for a trading card company to sometimes spell a player’s name wrong. And occasionally, a card company might flub the player’s position, such as listing him as a defenseman when he’s really a forward. Heck, we all make mistakes. But showing a player on a team he never played for? Well, that’s a mistake that you would have to go out of your way to make. And that’s exactly what card company Topps did in 1974, when they pictured Jacques Lemaire with the Buffalo Sabres — a team that he never played for.
Continue reading “Card of the Week: Paper Sabre”