Review: 1993-94 High Liner Greatest Goalies Set & Album

08_Tony_Esposito

Back in the 1990s, I was so jealous of Canadian people. Not because of Canada’s universal health care system — I was too young to appreciate that sort of thing then — but because all of the ways Canadians could get hockey cards. In the U.S., if a box of cereal or a frozen pizza had a trading card enclosed, it was usually a baseball or basketball card.

At a glance:
– 1993-94 High Liner Greatest Goalies
– 15 Cards (size: 2 1/2″ x 3 1/2″)
– One Mini Album
Download checklist

But in The Great White North, hockey cards could be found packed in boxes of cereal, at local McDonald’s restaurants and even with fish sticks! The 1993-94 Greatest Goalies set was found, one card per box, in specially-marked packages of High Liner brand frozen fish products. It is a 15-card set that goalie enthusiasts should not overlook.

Player Selection (5 out of 5)
The 13 different goalies featured were all excellent goaltenders; twelve of them were former Vezina Trophy winners, and one was named to the All-Rookie Team in 1992-93. No cold fish in this set!

01_Patrick_Roy

The first six cards are of then-current star goaltenders Patrick Roy, Ed Belfour, Grant Fuhr, Ron Hextall, John Vanbiesbrouck and Tom Barrasso.

04_Ron_Hextall05_John_Vanbiesbrouck

Interestingly, Vanbiesbrouck’s card shows him as a member of the Rangers, while Hextall’s card shows him with the Nordiques. Both goalies had changed teams over the summer, though their cards are meant to reflect the 1992-93 season.

12_Bill_Durnan

The next six cards are of retired goaltending legends Bernie Parent, Tony Esposito, Johnny Bower, Jacques Plante, Terry Sawchuck and Bill Durnan. Durnan is an interesting choice, as he isn’t often mentioned when discussing the NHL’s all-time greats. Yet, Durnan won the Vezina Trophy six times in his seven-year NHL career, wore a trapper on both hands and was the last goalie to serve as a team captain until Roberto Luongo was named the Canucks’ captain in 2008.

13_Felix_Potvin

The final goalie card is of Felix Potvin, who was named to the NHL’s All-Rookie Team in 1992-93.

14_Goalie_Mask

Card 14 in the set details the evolution of the goalie mask, with photos on the front and a history on the back.

15_Checklist

Rounding out the set is a Vezina Trophy card, with a checklist on the back.

Front Design (4 out of 5)
The 1993-94 High Liner Greatest Goalies set has a clean, uncluttered design; almost a throwback to the simpler cards of the 1980s. An action photo of the goaltender adorns the front, with a “Greatest Goalies” logo, player name and team name all at the bottom.

02_Ed_Belfour

Stats & Info / Back Design (5 out of 5)
For goalies who played in 1992-93, their 1992-93 stats are displayed on the back, along with their height, weight, birth date, birthplace, first NHL season, a short biography and a list of years that they won the Vezina Trophy. The cards also have a head shot of the goalie without his mask.

02_Ed_Belfour_back

For the retired greats, there are two lines of stats: their regular season career totals, and their career playoff totals. Also included are their birth date, birth place first and last NHL seasons, total NHL seasons, and the years they won the Vezina Trophy. Like the cards of the modern goalies, these too have a head shot on the back.

08_Tony_Esposito_back

Cards are bilingoual with all information in both English and French.

Retail Notes
Packages of High Liner frozen fish products included one card, which was bagged in clear cellophane.

Sealed-Cards

At the bottom of each hockey card was a scratch-n-win game card. The game card was perforated, so it could be torn away from the trading card. Therefore, it is likely to find cards from this set with rough bottom edges where the game card once was attached.

Unfolded-Cards

Prizes included a Chevrolet Astro Van, a Sony Handycam and a Super Nintendo. No mention if “NHL’ 94” — or any hockey game for that matter — came with the Super Nintendo if won.

Game_Card

Game_Card_back

The entire 15-card Greatest Goalies set could be ordered directly from High Liner, which included an album. Does anyone remember how much it cost to order the complete set?

Cards ordered directly from High Liner did not have the game card affixed to the bottom, and thus have a smooth bottom edge. Otherwise, the mail-away versions are the same as the cards found packed in High Liner products.

Greatest Goalies Album
I love it when sets have their own special album. The 1993-94 Greatest Goalies mail-away set came with this cute little album.

Album

The album has 16 one-pocket pages. Each pocket can hold one card. Since the set has 15 cards, I used the last pocket to hold an unused game card.

 Rating 4 out of 5The 1993-94 High Liner Greatest Goalies set is a good set to have, especially if you collect goalies. Nine of the netminders from this set are in the Hockey Hall of Fame, and the other three had excellent careers. The small album makes it especially neat to own.

BONUS
For your viewing pleasure, here is the entire set, front and back. Enjoy!

01_Patrick_Roy

01_Patrick_Roy_back

Card 1 – Patrick Roy, Montreal Canadiens, 1992-93

02_Ed_Belfour

02_Ed_Belfour_backCard 2 – Ed Belfour, Chicago Blackhawks, 1992-93

03_Grant_Fuhr

03_Grant_Fuhr_backCard 3 – Grant Fuhr, Buffalo Sabres, 1992-93

04_Ron_Hextall

04_Ron_Hextall_backCard 4 – Ron Hextall, Quebec Nordiques, 1992-93

05_John_Vanbiesbrouck

05_John_Vanbiesbrouck_backCard 5 – John Vanbeisbrouck, New York Rangers, 1992-93

06_Tom_Barrasso

06_Tom_Barrasso_backCard 6 – Tom Barrasso, Pittsburgh Penguins, 1992-93

07_Bernie_Parent

07_Bernie_Parent_backCard 7 – Bernie Parent, Philadelphia Flyers, 1973-74

08_Tony_Esposito

08_Tony_Esposito_backCard 8 – Tony Esposito, Chicago Blackhawks, 1972-73

09_Johnny_Bower

09_Johnny_Bower_backCard 9 – Johnny Bower, Toronto Maple Leafs, 1966-67

10_Jacques_Plante

10_Jacques_Plante_backCard 10 – Jacques Plante, Montreal Canadiens, 1961-62

11_Terry_Sawchuk

11_Terry_Sawchuk_backCard 11 – Terry Sawchuk, Detroit Red Wings, 1960-61

12_Bill_Durnan

12_Bill_Durnan_backCard 12 – Bill Durnan, Montreal Canadiens, 1947-48

13_Felix_Potvin

13_Felix_Potvin_backCard 13 – Felix Potvin, Toronto Maple Leafs, 1992-93

14_Goalie_Mask

14_Goalie_Mask_backCard 14 – The Evolution of the Goalie Mask

15_Checklist

15_Checklist_back

Card 15 – Vezina Trophy / Checklist

Game_Card

Game_Card_backShoot & Score Contest Game Card

Did you collect this set back in 1993-94? Do you know what the full set sold for back then? Do you have the set today? Leave a comment — I want to know your thoughts and memories of the 1993-94 High Liner Greatest Goalies set. ■

 

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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

6 thoughts on “Review: 1993-94 High Liner Greatest Goalies Set & Album”

  1. My husband has this set. He has treasured it for years. Don’t know what his parents paid for it though

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