1992-93 Topps Stadium Club card #410 – Pat Elynuik
“Art imitates life,” or so the saying goes. Sometimes, cards imitate life too. Such is the case with this card of former NHL player Pat Elynuik. On his 1992-93 Topps Stadium Club trading card, Elynuik poses with a bunch of Topps, Bowman and O-Pee-Chee cards from the previous year.
It is a worthless hockey card that shows a bunch of equally worthless hockey cards.
Thus, this card has become self-referential, almost parodic, and transcends the boundaries of ordinary hockey cards. And if that doesn’t mess with your mind, then Elynuik’s striped shirt will surely mess with your eyes.
So, why is the former Jets’ player caressing a tableful Stadium Club cards so lovingly? When this photo was taken, Elynuik owned a sports card store in Winnipeg. Strangely, this fact isn’t explained on the back of the card, leaving many to wonder why this picture was chosen. The photo was obviously taken with this purpose in mind, as Upper Deck, Score and Pro Set cards are notably absent from the background.
With its blah colors and the store’s boring selection – no Pro Set? – this card gets a FAIL in the looks department. But it also gets a WIN for the idea, as well as the bit of the Chicago Bulls / Michael Jordan poster on the wall to the right. What could have made this über, though, is if Elynuik was holding up his own Topps rookie card (seen on the back of this card). That would have truly been meta.
Is it just me, or does Pat seem like he might have a few children tied up in the back.
Yes, but only a few.
I look at this today and think "what kind of card shops would have had all those boxes of crappy Topps and Stadium Club?" At the time, that answer was, "All of them". Which is why only 5 of them are still in business today.