Lack of Hockey Guests at the 2024 National is a Letdown

HOF Goalie Hasek Only Hockey Star at the NSCC

I’ve been thinking about the upcoming National Sports Collectors Convention a lot lately, which will take place in Cleveland July 24-28. The annual, five-day sports card and memorabilia show is always something I look forward to. Although baseball cards make up the majority of what is for sale at the NSCC, you can always find hockey cards, jerseys, and other great memorabilia pieces if you look.

However, what you won’t find at the National this year are many former hockey players signing autographs. In fact, there will be only one hockey autograph guest at the National this year: Hall of Fame goalie Dominik Hasek. 

While Hasek is an awesome guest, having just one hockey autograph guest at the biggest card show in the world is a huge letdown.

I get it. Hockey isn’t big in Cleveland. The city had two pro teams in the 1970s – the Barons of the NHL and the Crusaders of the WHA – and both had short, forgettable existences. 

And Cleveland is a football town. That is reflected in the guest lineup, which has 62 football players signing autographs over the five-day event, along with 53 baseball players, 18 basketball players, 8 women’s soccer players, 7 actors, 2 boxers, 1 former pro wrestler, and 1 guy who sang the Pokémon theme song. 

Hockey is tied with “Guy Who Sang the Pokémon Song” when it comes to autograph guests at the National! 

It’s the National Sports Collectors Convention – emphasis on Sports.

If hockey cards and memorabilia make up 10% of all sports memorabilia sold in the United States, shouldn’t there be more than just one hockey guy out of the 153 total autograph guests?

Why not bring in a few former Blackhawks, Red Wings, Blues, or other NHLers who played in the Midwest. Ex-NHL players like Denis Savard, Brett Hull, Adam Oates, Jeremy Roenick, and Chris Chelios are all in the Hall of Fame, have played for one or more team in the Midwest, and have signed autographs at shows in the past.

Former hockey superstar Rick Nash spent the majority of his career with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Surely, quite a few people from Ohio would want his autograph. And legends like Marcel Dionne and – more recently – Jaromir Jagr are regular signers at big card shows like the Toronto Expo.

Baseball may be the biggest driver in the sports card market but having a few more hockey guests at the 2024 National – or at least MORE THAN ONE – would encourage dealers to bring some more hockey cards and memorabilia to the show, which in turn would draw more hockey fans to the show.

I will be at the National this year, selling hockey cards and Puck Junk shirts, and promoting the Puck Junk Podcast. I’ll have some cool giveaway items for Puck Junk readers/listeners, too – find me at booth #700 with AU Sports and Memory Lane. 

Are you going to the National this year? I‘d love to see you there. Leave a reply or hit me up on social media and let me know. 

Note: This article is an updated version of an editorial that originally appeared in Volume 2 – Issue 28 of the Puck Junk Newsletter. For stories like these, plus news and updates about hockey cards and collectibles, subscribe to the newsletter here.

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Follow Sal Barry on X/Twitter @PuckJunk. ■