Hockey cards, collectibles and culture
Just wanted to give a shout out to Jeff Kline for hooking me up with some 2002-03 Pacific Hockey cards. Jeff sent me 8 cards, nearly completing my set (I only need #362 – Tomas Kaberle).
He also gave me this Impact Zone insert card of Jarome Iginlia. That also nearly completes my Impact Zone insert set (I only need #7 – Saku Koivu).
So, thanks Jeff, for bringing me one step closer in my never-ending collection.
If anyone is wondering how I’ll spend the majority of my free time this weekend…well, here’s your answer. It’s time to party like it’s 1991.
I saw this advertisement at a bus stop in my neighborhood the other day. It is an ad for the NHL on VS., featuring Chicago Blackhawks players.
A poorly-designed ad. Yes, I’ve been quite critical lately.
The first thing that bugs me is how close Dave Bolland and Jonathan Toews are. I have never seen hockey players lean into each other–shoulder to shoulder–when jumping the boards. Plus, Bolland’s eyes are looking right at Toews, while Toewes is looking off into the distance. Shouldn’t he be looking at the guy he’s about to collide with?
Secondly–why doesn’t Toews have a stick?
Third, Adam Burish’s elbow makes a cameo. That number 37 at the left edge of the poster used to belong to Burish. Now, no one wears it because all the new ‘Hawks know they can’t possibly replace Burish’s awesomeness.
There’s a wider version of this ad that I’m trying to get a photo of–it’s on the side of Chicago buses, but the darn things won’t hold still long enough for me to snap a pic. I wonder how man ex-Hawks are on the larger (wider) version of this advertisement.
I received this eBay purchase in the mail today. Finally, I’ve added a “big card” to my 1957-58 Topps set build.
This is Hall of Fame defenseman Pierre Pilote’s rookie card.
As you can see, the centering is way off.
However, there is no creasing and the corners are good.
Plus, I did not pay much for it. The Beckett high price for a Pilote RC is around $100. I got this for $23 shipped. It feels good to get another card for this set–but it feels really good to get one of the big boys out of the way.
Those of you who read my Autograph Blog know that I recently visited all 30 American Hockey League websites, looking for each team’s player roster.
For the record, I am a professional web designer and graphic designer. I would love to be the webmaster of a pro hockey website. I think that mistakes or poor design on a professional website show laziness or lack of interest on the part of the webmaster / web team.
Thus, I feel the need to point out some of the more amusing mistakes I found on a few of these sites.
Mistake #1 – Distorted Images
Nathan Oystrick looks fat. In fact, every Peoria Rivermen player looks fat because their headshot photos are distorted.
Without getting into boring technical solutions, the picture needs to be taller, like this:
See? Much better? And it would only take them 5 minutes total to fix this problem for all the player pages.
Mistake #2 – Incorrect Data
Allegedly, the Syracuse Crunch have a center on their roster named COMING SOON. He has a page on the site, too.
Though COMING SOON’s height and weight are unknown, he was born July 06, 2010. I tell ya, these prospects keep getting younger and younger.
But he must be good because he is the first player listed under Forwards:
Even worse are the stats for goaltender Timo Pielmeier:
C’mon, guys–fix your database! Because I really want to know how well he did with the Cologne Sharks!
But this third one really takes the cake…
Mistake #3 – Bad Graphic Design
Amputee cheerleaders! Yes, the New England Patriot Cheerleaders–and their phantom limbs–will be at the Worcester Sharks game on Saturday. This image is currently on the Sharks’ home page:
Why do the cheerleaders fade out below the knee? To make room for the text, of course. But it looks stupid. When it comes to design, you try until you get it right…or don’t try at all.
In Other News…