Bad officiating makes Baby Jesus cry

Last night’s Canucks-Blackhawks game was the worst example of officiating I’ve ever seen.

Am I mad that the Blackhawks lost? No. The Canucks are a damn good team.

I am mad that the Blackhawks did not lose fair and square, but because of some very questionable calls.

Consider the following:

  • What should have been the first goal by the Blackhawks–and the game–was waived off due to goaltender interference.But there was no goalie interference, other than a Canucks defender getting in Roberto Luongo’s way. Why was this call not video reviewed? 
  •  The Canucks first goal was actually an offside play. The puck left the zone before defenseman Christan Ernhoff slap shot it past ‘Hawks goalie Marty Turco. What was the linesman doing? I know hockey is fast, but linesmen have one job to do–they should do it right.
  • Roberto Luongo got tangled up with one of his teammates in the third period, resulting in a goal mouth scramble that could have led to a goal for the Blackhawks. That is until the ref whistled the play dead, claiming that the net was dislodged. But the net wasn’t even touched.
  • Again in the third, Patrick Sharp was tripped while shooting on the Canucks goal. His feet were taken from underneath him with a stick, causing Sharp to crash headlong into the boards. Why no tripping call or penalty shot? Taking the puck carrier out by knocking his feet from under him is a penalty in EVERY version of hockey (ice, roller, floor).
  •  Brent Seabrook got a holding penalty in the third period that was total b.s. Normally, I’d concede a bad penalty call here and there, but at this point it seemed the refs would do whatever it took to make the Blackhawks lose.

Waving off a good goal, whistling a play dead due to a dislodged net that wasn’t dislodged and blatantly ignoring a flagrant trip were 3 calls that clearly cost the Blackhawks the game that could have–and should have–been theirs.

Head of NHL Officiating Terry Gregson should demote referees  Eric Furlatt and Chris Rooney to the AHL immediately. Those are the 2 clowns who were officiating the ‘Hawks-‘Nucks game. Obviously, they were watching some other game.

Top 5 Puck Junk Articles of 2010

OK, so we are 1 month into 2011, but I saw another blogger do this and I wanted to steal the idea follow suit. So, here are Puck Junk’s 5 most read articles of 2010.

5. Vintage Rookie Card Haul – Apparently, hockey card collectors like reading about old hockey cards.

4. Painted Penguin – Everything about this card is just plain wrong.

3. 2010 Blackhawks Training Camp Fest – My recap of the ‘Hawks first day of Training Camp. Special guest appearance by the Stanley Cup.

2. 2010-11 Upper Deck Victory review – The first (and so far only) video review I did of a hockey card set.

1. Sports Card Girl is a Scam – My investigation of a fake blogger who was running a link farm under the guise of a cute card collecting female. Apparently, this ruffled enough feathers to merit (in-actionable) legal threats against me.

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All right, enough about 2010. I hope 2011 is another good year for Puck Junk–and for my fellow hockey card bloggers too.

National Hockey Card Day is February 12


Upper Deck will continue National Hockey Card Day for a third year in a row–or NHCD as us cool kids call it.

On Saturday, February 12, 2011, hockey card collectors in Canada can get a free pack of hockey cards at their local card shop or at participating chain stores. The cards themselves are from a special, 16-card NHCD set that will feature some of Canada’s most popular players.

That’s right–this year the set will have an extra card, whereas the previous two NHCD sets had 15 cards.

Personally,  I wish Upper Deck would also have NHCD in the United States. Yes, hockey is “Canada’s sport,” but the U.S. has 80% of the NHL teams. Go figure. Plus, there is greater opportunity to grow the hobby in the U.S. with such a promotion.

What if Upper Deck were to have International Hockey Card Day next year, and give out cards in Canada and the U.S.? They could even take it a step further and give out different sets in each country.

While the NHCD set strictly has Canadian players (Gretzky, Crosby, Lemieux, Toews), the United States counterpart could feature some awesome American players from past and present (Joe Mullen, Chris Chelios, Jim Craig, Ryan Miller). And you’d end up with collectors in one country trading with collectors in the other country so as to get both sets. This idea has potential.

Would someone pick me up a complete 2011 NHCD set?  I will gladly trade for this year’s set (plus a wrapper), or purchase one if the price is right.

Chris Nilan Was Almost an All-Star

Custom card by Sal Barry

Former enforcer Chris Nilan almost played in the 1991 All-Star Game. His controversial selection changed how All-Star rosters are picked.

Back in the day, the coaches of each All-Star team would select the reserve players. Fans still voted for the starters, but it was up to the coach to choose the rest of the team.

Enter Boston Bruins head coach “Mad” Mike Milbury, who coached the Wales Conference team. Milbury picked Bruins enforcer Chris Nilan over more, ahem, traditional choices like Guy Lafleur or Kirk Muller.  

He *IS* smiling. Can’t you tell?

Milbury loves tough guys and physical play. Of course that’s meant in the most manly, bludgeon-each-other-over-the-head way possible. Nilan, who had 277 penalty minutes in 41 games with the Bruins in ’90-91, fit that to a T. He had the numbers all right…just not the numbers one would normally consider for inclusion in the mid-season classic.

In the end, Nilan did not play due to a broken ankle, and the NHL changed how reserve players were selected. Now a panel decides what non-starters are in the game, instead of leaving it up to the coaches.

What I never understood, though, is why Chris Nilan did not get an All-Star card.

The 1991-92 Pro Set Hockey set featured cards of players from the 1991 All-Star Game. All of the players.

Except for Nilan.

Yes, Nilan was injured. But so were these players…

Brett Hull also sat out due to injury. His inclusion on an All-Star card is understandable, as he was voted to the starting lineup.

Brian Skrudland was another controversial selection by Milbury. Skrudland was a defensive forward — and a fine one too. He also sat out because he was injured, but still “suited up” for this trading card photo.

The player who replaced Nilan in the All-Star Game was Bruins’ teammate Dave Christian.

But nowhere on Christian’s card is it noted that he was a replacement for Nilan.

Click to see much larger.

Did the NHL tell Pro Set to exclude Nilan from the set? Perhaps. Nilan was not in the game, and most likely not at the pre-game photo shoot either. Thus no photo. But removing any mention of him seems just like the strange, yet spiteful, kind of thing the NHL would do.

It looks right…but feels wrong.
It is as if the NHL wanted everyone forget that Nilan was going to play in an All-Star Game. And if it wasn’t for Wikipedia and my All-Star Game program, they might have gotten their wish.

Tom Fenton to Get a Real Card

Former collegiate goaltender Tom Fenton–who appeared as an emergency backup goalie for the Phoenix Coyotes last month–is getting his own hockey card. Today, hockey card manufacturer In the Game announced that Fenton will be a part of the 2010-11 Between the Pipes set.

“You’re not going to see him in any other products this season,” stated ITG president Dr. Brian Price in a press release, “so it was important that we do our best to bring his cards to collectors.”

Between the Pipes focuses exclusively on goaltenders, and this year’s set will feature both signed and unsigned cards of Fenton. As ITG does not have an NHL license, they will most likely show Fenton from his playing days with the American International College Yellow Jackets.

As a hockey card collector, I am excited that Fenton is going to get a card. While Fenton’s role as a one-game backup goalie hardly significant in the grander scheme of pro hockey, it is still pretty darn cool.

Besides, do we really need another card of Brodeur, Roy or Luongo, when we can have one of someone who played a small, but interesting role for a night?

Apparently, I’m Quote-Worthy

A few months ago, I subscribed to a magazine called The Want List, which focuses exclusively on hockey cards and memorabilia. Recently, they asked some of their readers to rate what they thought the most influential hockey jerseys were.

I just got the new issue yesterday, and on page 37 I am quoted in The Want List’s 25 Most Influential Hockey Jerseys article.

OK, so it’s not like I wrote the Declaration of Independence or anything. But it is still cool to see my name on paper.

Two issues in, and I’m really enjoying my subscription to The Want List. The majority of it is about hockey cards, but some of it also covers hockey jerseys (obviously), hockey toys, hockey pucks, hockey DVDs…the key word here is hockey.

I’m also learning some new stuff from this mag, too. One article in the new ish was about hockey cards made by the Paterson and Paulin chocolate companies during the 1920s. Admittedly, I don’t know too much about cards from that era.

The Want List is chock-full of hockey card articles. If you are interested in learning more or subscribing to the magazine, check out their website.

Free Panini Hockey Sticker Book

Bagged with the new issue of Beckett Hockey Magazine (Issue #221) is a 2010-11 Panini Hockey sticker album. The album has 72 full-color pages and  comes with 6 stickers:

Jonathan Toews, Henrik Sedin, Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby…

…P.K Subban and Ryan Miller.

Not a bad group of guys to be featured on promotional stickers.

While the newsstand price of Beckett Hockey is high at $10, it might be worthwhile to pick up this issue to get these promo stickers, which are adhered to a larger sheet stapled into the book, instead of on their own individual backings.

The 2010-11 Panini set contains 364 stickers. Each team is given 7 stickers. There are also stickers of logos, season highlights, award winners and a rookie subset. Unfortunately, all 30 of the rookies are guys who debuted late last year (leftover rookies), and not recent draft picks like Taylor Hall of Jeff Skinner.

One nice thing about collecting Panini stickers is that you can order directly from Panini the last few that you need for 20 cents apiece. I plan on purchasing a box or two and putting together this set.

Question of the week: Do you plan to collect the 2010-11 Panini Hockey sticker set? Vote in the poll above (upper right corner of this blog), and post your comments here on why/why not.

Update: You can order packets of stickers directly from Panini. A pack of 8 stickers is $1.00. There are 50 packs in a box, if you want to buy a whole box. An album can be purchased for $1.99. Prices include shipping. Send a check or money order payable to Panini America Inc. Orders can be sent to:

NHL Hockey 2010-11 Direct Sales
Panini America, Inc.
2300 E. Randol Mill Rd.
Arlington, TX 76011

If you got a little money left over after the holidays, maybe you wanna pick up a few dozen packs and get some trades going.

Irvin Kershner 1923-2010

American film director Irvin Kershner passed away this Saturday. Many of you already know this by now, but I just learned the sad news today.

Kershner is probably best known as the director of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. That film holds a special place in my heart, and is my favorite film of all time.

The Empire Strikes Back was the first “non-cartoon” movie that I saw as a child. I was 5 at the time, and I remember my mom taking me to the old Devon Theater in Chicago to see it. The line wrapped all the way around the block! I’m not sure how long we waited, but after that film I would always and forever be a fan of the Star Wars movies.

Coincidentally, the first trading cards I ever had as a kid were movie cards based on Empire. My mom used to buy them for me, and I recall having stacks of these in a shoebox. Now, I only have a few dozen.

Below are some of my cards from the various sets based on The Empire Strikes Back.

The scene with the Imperial AT-AT Walkers was my favorite part of The Empire Strikes Back. If you have 7 minutes to spare, watch this clip and remember how awesome a film Empire is…and how awesome a job Irvin Kershner did when directing it.