Puck Junk Podcast: 2025-26 Flair Hockey Cards

Plus: 2026 Second Round Playoff Recap
Episode #246: May 20, 2026

Sal and Clemente recap Round 2 of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs and preview Round 3. Then they look at the 2025-26 Flair Hockey set, which hearkens back to the original 1994-95 Flair Hockey set, but with several new twists. The 1990s are back and won’t be going away anytime soon. It’s 122 minutes of hockey goodness – with chapters, so you can skip to your favorite parts. The YouTube version of the podcast features photos and video. 

Follow
Follow Sal Barry on X/Twitter, Instagram & Bluesky.
Follow Clemente Lisi on X/Twitter.
Podcast music by Retro Game Remix – follow them on YouTube. 

Listen
Listen to the Puck Junk Podcast on Apple Podcasts, YouTube Podcasts, Amazon Music, Castbox, Deezer, iHeartRadio, Overcast,  
PlayerFM, PocketCasts, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher,
or Transistor.

Connect 
Connect with us and other hockey fans on the Puck Junk Facebook Group.

Subscribe
Subscribe to the Puck Junk Email Newsletter and the YouTube Channel. 

Shop
Support this podcast! Buy a Puck Junk t-shirt from Etsy or hockey cards from the Puck Junk Card Shop on Buy Sports Cards. ■

Video: 2023-24 Ultimate Collection Hockey Box Break

Sal Barry of the Puck Junk Podcast opens a box of 2023-24 Ultimate Collection Hockey cards. Each box contains four premium hockey cards.

Will you collect any 2023-24 Ultimate Collection Hockey cards? Leave a comment and let us know!

Love hockey? Join the Puck Junk Facebook Group, listen to the Podcast, subscribe to the Newsletter and YouTube Channel, and support this site at the Online Shop. 

Follow Sal Barry on Bluesky @PuckJunk and on X/Twitter @PuckJunk. ■

Clemente’s Corner: Why Stanley Cup Success Rarely Boost Card Values

Every spring, as the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs heat up, a familiar pattern emerges in the hockey card market. 

Both collectors, and increasingly speculators in the form of YouTubers, turn their attention to the biggest names on the ice, hoping to capitalize on breakout performances and championship runs. 

Prices for certain players’ trading cards can spike sometimes in a matter of days. Despite this frenzy, the recent past reveals that the Stanley Cup Playoffs have little to no lasting impact on the long-term value of cards. Instead, they create short-lived surges that often fade once the Nationals Sports Collectors Convention rolls around in the summer.

At first glance, it makes sense why playoff performances would influence card prices.

Continue reading “Clemente’s Corner: Why Stanley Cup Success Rarely Boost Card Values”

Video: 2024-25 Stature Hockey Box Break

Sal Barry of the Puck Junk Podcast opens a box of 2024-25 Upper Deck Stature Hockey cards. Each box contains five premium hockey cards.

Will you collect any 2024-25 Stature Hockey cards? Leave a comment and let us know!

Love hockey? Join the Puck Junk Facebook Group, listen to the Podcast, subscribe to the Newsletter and YouTube Channel, and support this site at the Online Shop. 

Follow Sal Barry on Bluesky @PuckJunk and on X/Twitter @PuckJunk. ■

Digital, Fractional, or Physical?

It’s Crazy That These are Now Hobby Terms

“Let’s get physical! Physic – I mean, digital! Digital!”

In the latest episode of the Puck Junk Podcast, we talked at length about the 2025-26 Fleer Ultra Hockey card set, and how it is the first time in a long time that Fleer Ultra is back as a “physical card product.”

A physical card product. That just sounds WEIRD, doesn’t it? Like, what else would trading cards be…right? 

We now live in the day and age of where we have to sometimes state specifically if the cards we are talking about are PHYSICAL or DIGITAL.

Continue reading “Digital, Fractional, or Physical?”

2025-26 Upper Deck Series Two Box Break

Released in March, the 2025-26 Upper Deck Series Two Hockey card set is a continuation of Series One, which was released in October. Like Series One, Series Two has 200 base cards and 50 short-printed Young Guns. You get one Young Guns rookie card in every other pack, for a total of six per box.

A hobby box – costing around $230 – has 12 packs. Each pack has 12 cards. Let’s look at what’s inside a typical box of 2025-26 Upper Deck Series Two Hockey. 

Continue reading “2025-26 Upper Deck Series Two Box Break”

Puck Junk Podcast: 2025-26 Fleer Ultra Hockey Cards

Plus: 2026 First Round Playoff Recap
Episode #245: May 6, 2026

The stars have aligned and all three hosts are back! This week, Sal, Tim, and Clemente give a recap of the first round of the 2026 NHL playoffs – including some upsets and some not-so-surprising sweeps. The guys then take a long look at the new 2025-26 Fleer Ultra hockey card set, which is back as a physical card product for the first time in over a decade. It’s 118 minutes of hockey goodness – with chapters, so you can skip to your favorite parts. The YouTube version of the podcast features photos and video. 

Follow
Follow Sal Barry on X/Twitter, Instagram & Bluesky.
Follow Clemente Lisi on X/Twitter.
Podcast music by Retro Game Remix – follow them on YouTube. 

Listen
Listen to the Puck Junk Podcast on Apple Podcasts, YouTube Podcasts, Amazon Music, Castbox, Deezer, iHeartRadio, Overcast,  
PlayerFM, PocketCasts, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher,
or Transistor.

Connect 
Connect with us and other hockey fans on the Puck Junk Facebook Group.

Subscribe
Subscribe to the Puck Junk Email Newsletter and the YouTube Channel. 

Shop
Support this podcast! Buy a Puck Junk t-shirt from Etsy or hockey cards from the Puck Junk Card Shop on Buy Sports Cards. ■

2025-26 Flair Hockey Box Break

Flair is the latest brand of hockey cards from the 1990s to make a comeback. Flair was a brand of premium hockey cards made by Fleer, first during the 1994-95 season and then again in 1996-97. The 1994-95 Flair set perhaps best known for its use of thick, glossy cardstock and the abundance of photos – two on the front and one on the back. Now made by Upper Deck, the 2025-26 Flair set uses a design evocative of its 1994-95 predecessor. The set also reprises a few 1994-95 Flair insert sets such as “Hot Numbers,” “Center Spotlight,” and “Scoring Power.” 

A box of 2025-26 Flair Hockey cards costs around $230 and contains 10 packs. Each pack has 4 cards. I recently opened a box of 2025-26 Flair Hockey. Let’s see what was inside. 

Continue reading “2025-26 Flair Hockey Box Break”

Clemente’s Corner: Rangers Centennial Set Delivers Plenty of Nostalgia

The 2025-26 Upper Deck New York Rangers Centennial Box Set was one of the most anticipated releases for hockey collectors this season, celebrating 100 years of one of the NHL’s most iconic franchises.

The Rangers, founded in 1926, are an Original Six team whose history is filled with legendary players – something Upper Deck has captured perfectly in this collectible set. Designed to honor the Rangers’ centennial, this set offers a unique way to celebrate a century of history while enjoying the excitement of premium hockey Upper Deck cards. Continue reading “Clemente’s Corner: Rangers Centennial Set Delivers Plenty of Nostalgia”

Puck Junk Podcast: 2025-26 Upper Deck Series Two Hockey Cards

Plus: Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Patrick Kane
Episode #244: April 15, 2026

Sal Barry and Clemente Lisi give their review of 2025-26 Upper Deck Series Two Hockey cards, from what’s great about the set, to the top rookies, to the best – and worst – inserts. Plus, a look at recent milestones hit by Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, and Patrick Kane. It’s 118 minutes of hockey goodness – with chapters, so you can skip to your favorite parts. The YouTube version of the podcast features photos and video. 

Follow
Follow Sal Barry on X/Twitter, Instagram & Bluesky.
Follow Clemente Lisi on X/Twitter.
Podcast music by Retro Game Remix – follow them on YouTube. 

Listen
Listen to the Puck Junk Podcast on Apple Podcasts, YouTube Podcasts, Amazon Music, Castbox, Deezer, iHeartRadio, Overcast,  
PlayerFM, PocketCasts, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher,
or Transistor.

Connect 
Connect with us and other hockey fans on the Puck Junk Facebook Group.

Subscribe
Subscribe to the Puck Junk Email Newsletter and the YouTube Channel. 

Shop
Support this podcast! Buy a Puck Junk t-shirt from Etsy or hockey cards from the Puck Junk Card Shop on Buy Sports Cards. ■