Hockey cards, collectibles and culture
“Pond Hockey,” the seventh episode of The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, starts out promising. The Don’t Bothers are understandably angry at Evan for thinking of rejoining the Ducks. But the episode crams too much into too little time, feels rushed, and isn’t as satisfying as the previous six episodes.
NOTE: This review contains minor spoilers.
Continue reading “Review: The Mighty Ducks Game Changers, Season 1, Episode 7”
President’s Choice Trading Cards will release a new hockey card set this Friday called “Roots.” The cards picture Original Six Era players — like Eddie Shore, Glenn Hall and Gordie Howe — and have a piece of game-worn memorabilia on them. Roots cards are serial numbered to 1, 2 or 3 copies each.
The full press release is below: Continue reading “President’s Choice Trading Cards to Release “Roots” Hockey Card Set”
Upper Deck announced today that they have signed L.A. Kings first-round draft pick Quinton Byfield to an exclusive autograph deal. Upper Deck will sell memorabilia autographed by Byfield, who was picked second overall in the 2020 NHL Draft. He is the highest-drafted black player in NHL history. Byfield made his NHL debut on April 28, 2021 when he suited up for the Kings against the Anaheim Ducks.
“We are proud to have Quinton as an exclusive spokesman,” says Gabriel Garcia, Director of Upper Deck Authenticated. “He’s already made NHL history and we look forward to being a part of his journey as he continues to break barriers. We couldn’t be more excited to offer his fans a collection of new and authentic memorabilia.”
Some of the autographed items bearing Byfield’s signature are signed L.A. Kings hockey pucks, signed Sudbury Wolves jerseys and signed prints varying in size from 16″ x 20″ to 16″ x 24″. Items are available for purchase at the Upper Deck’s online store and range in price from $399 to $999. Upper Deck Authenticated is also selling prints autographed by Byfield and fellow 2020 Team Canada teammate Alexis Lafreniere, who was selected first-overall by the New York Rangers in 2020.
The full press release from Upper Deck is below: Continue reading “Quinton Byfield and Upper Deck Sign Exclusive Autograph Deal”
This was an action-packed week in hockey. Two notable players decided to retire, which was sad. However, we did see a milestone from a veteran and a first goal by a rookie. As usual, I’ll highlight one of my favorite plays from last week, provided by one of our usual suspects.
Happy Monday!
Continue reading “Blake’s Takes: 2 Goals, 2 Retirements and a Milestone”
Usually, a spin-off series will have guest stars in the first episode to draw in viewers and connect the past to the present. In The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, we had to wait until the sixth episode to see what the old Ducks players were up to these days — and it was worth the wait.
Entitled “Spirit of the Ducks,” Game Changers brings back Fulton Reed, Adam Banks, Guy Germaine, Connie Moreau, Les Averman and Ken Wu from the Ducks movies. It’s the episode that we’ve all been waiting for, and while it feels good to reconnect with old friends, there are some hurt feelings, too.
NOTE: This review contains minor spoilers and assumes you’ve seen the previous episode.
Continue reading “Review: The Mighty Ducks Game Changers, Season 1, Episode 6”
Thirty years ago was the “Hockey Card Explosion,” when hockey cards skyrocketed in popularity as several new companies entered the market. In the second part of this podcast series, Sal Barry and Tim Parish examine the often-overlooked 1990-91 Topps and O-Pee-Chee sets, including the insert sets and box bottom cards.
Show Notes, Links and Images:
Write us a review at Apple Podcasts (link)
1990-91 Topps Hockey Checklist (Trading Card DB)
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Checklist (Trading Card DB)
The Card Shop in the Basement of the Hat Store (Puck Junk)
Chicago Blackhawks – Minnesota North Stars Pregame Brawl (YouTube)
1990-91 Topps and O-Pee-Chee Hockey Card Images
1990-91 Topps #120 – Wayne Gretzky
1990-91 Topps #120 – Wayne Gretzky (back)
1990-91 Topps #348- Mike Modano (Rookie Card)
1990-91 Topps #175- Mario Lemieux
1990-91 Topps #175- Mario Lemieux (back)
1990-91 Topps Team Scoring Leaders Inserts #14 – Joe Sakic
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee #527 – Wayne Van Dorp (Rookie Card)
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee #527 – Wayne Van Dorp (Rookie Card)
Note the text on the back that refers to the pregame brawl.
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee #436- Alain Chevrier
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee #430- Tim Cheveldae (Rookie Card)
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee #77 – Brett Hull…what a great smile!
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee #461 – Tim Watters (Rookie Card)
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee #1 – Wayne Gretzky “Number One”
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee #522 – Wayne Gretzky (Art Ross Trophy Winner)
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee #262 – Buffalo Sabres
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee #75 – John Vanbiesbrouck
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee #131 – James Patrick; note the incorrect border colors
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee #214 – Jim Waite Top Prospect (Rookie Card)
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee Red Army Inserts #19R – Sergei Fedorov (RC)
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee Red Army Inserts #17R – Viktor Tikhonov (RC)
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee Red Army Inserts #7R – Arturs Irbe (RC)
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee Red #501 – Arturs Irbe – AGAIN! (RC)
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee #485 – Sergei B. Makarov (RC)
Not to be confused with 1990 Rookie of the Year Sergei Makarov
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee #445 – Sergei Mylnikov (Rookie Card)
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee Box Bottoms #G – Mario Lemieux
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Factory Set
Top Panel with Mark Messier & Nikolai Varjanov
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Factory Set
Front Panel with Bill Ranford (Conn Smythe Trophy Winner)
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Factory Set –
Back Panel with some interesting players shown.
Follow Sal Barry on Twitter @PuckJunk.
Follow Tim Parish on Twitter @TheRealDFG.
Podcast opening and closing music by Jim “Not the Goalie” Howard.
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It was a rather quiet week in the hockey world. That gave me the opportunity to write about some of my favorite random things I saw throughout the week. That includes Stanley Cup championship rings, NHL records being broken, and very difficult goals to swallow.
Happy Monday!
In the fifth episode of The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, entitled “Cherry Picker,” the Don’t Bothers are psyched because their next game is against the Hawks. No, these aren’t the black-clad “evil team” from the original Ducks film. The Hawks, who now wear orange and black, are the second-worst team in the league, which means the Don’t Bothers (0-5 thus far) might get their first win of the season. But a surprise visit from Evan’s estranged father suddenly complicates things for Evan, Alex and the team.
Continue reading “Review: The Mighty Ducks Game Changers, Season 1, Episode 5”
Did you know that Wyatt Russell has a hockey card? Yes, the actor who plays John Walker — a.k.a. the new Captain America — in the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier used to be a pro hockey player. His hockey card is from a set of movie trading cards made to promote the film Goon: Last of the Enforcers. Russell’s life — going from hockey player, to actor playing hockey player, to actor playing Captain America — took an interesting and unconventional road.
The dust has settled and the 2021 trade deadline is behind us. Two major trades occurred during the deadline in addition to a plethora of other smaller deals that will surely pay dividends come playoff time. Other than the deadline, last week we saw three NHLers play in their 1,000th game, the Frozen Four champion was crowned, and the Memorial Cup was canceled. Read all about it here.
Happy Monday!
Continue reading “Blake’s Takes: Big Moves at the Trade Deadline”
