1994-95 Pinnacle #288: Sylvain Turgeon
No NHL players can boast appearing on a hockey card 12 years before their career began — except Patrick Kane. On Sylvain Turgeon’s 1994-95 Pinnacle hockey card, you see the Senators winger trying not to fall flat on his face in a game against the Sabres from the previous year. This photo actually makes for a pretty good metaphor for the Senators’ 1993-94 season, when they went 14-61-9 in 84 games.
Now, take a closer look at the wide-eyed kid in the stands.
Yep, that’s Patrick Kane appearing on Turgeon’s card a good dozen years before he’d play professionally for the Chicago Blackhawks and get his own cards.
Little Kaner, a Buffalo native, is sitting in the front row at the old Memorial Auditorium, wearing a Pat Lafontaine jersey and looking up in awe at Dale Hawerchuk — who may or may not have tripped Turgeon.
This picture was taken when the Senators visited the Sabres on March 20, 1994, when Kane was just five-and-a-half years old.
Believe it or not, this card at one time sold for as high as $25. Today, it still sells for far more than what a common card of an average player should sell for. But look hard enough, and you can find it for a quarter a card show or at a card shop. This isn’t a “Patrick Kane Rookie Card” like many eBay sellers want you to believe. Still, it does show us a future NHL star before he’d win rookie of the year, hoist the Stanley Cup multiple times– and grow hockey’s best mullet.
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Very cool – I had no idea!
“This photo actually makes for a pretty good metaphor for the Senators’ 1993-94 season, when they went 14-61-9 in 84 games.”
I remember seeing several games that year at the Civic Centre – As awesome as it was as a child to be at a game in person, that is definitely the understatement of the year!
WOW, dude i have about 8 of those cards at home in a binder. Turgeon was a favorite of mine so i collected all of his cards and this one was a heavily common one in those big card packs you find all the time for 5 bucks at a store. Ebay here i come
Glad I could help. Maybe you’ll trade me one? 🙂
You should send me one! I’m a Hawks fan in the suburbs 🙂
Believe it or not, this might not be his first time appearing on an nhl card. I recall seeing a similar story a few years ago and it was definitely not this card. Kane must have went to a lot of games as a kid, probably because his dad was a well-known ticket scalper at the old Aud.
Wow. This is one of the neatest things I’ve ever seen. Do you know the story of how they identified this as Kane?
I believe his dad had season tickets in that spot. Could be wrong but swore I heard that somewhere.
That would make sense then
When the 1994-95 NHL strike ended, did all clubs reprint new tickets to be used for the remainder of the shortened season? I am trying to determine if all original NHL game tickets (season booklets or sheets) were voided. Does anyone know how this was handled? Thanks and GO FLYERS! Gerry
Hi Gerard – welcome to Puck Junk! I assume that the NHL did have its teams reprint the tickets, as not only were the dates different, but so were the opponents. Remember that teams only played within their conference during the 48-game schedule.