Sal Barry

Sal Barry is the editor and webmaster of Puck Junk. He is a freelance hockey writer, college professor and terrible hockey player. Follow him on Twitter @puckjunk

1990 Blackhawks Red-White Scrimmage Roster

Twenty years ago was the 1990-91 season–a season in hockey that I will never forget. My Aunt Gayle had season tickets to the Chicago Blackhawks, and I went to a lot of games that year. The ‘Hawks were the best team during the regular season. The All-Star Game was in Chicago. And let us not forget that the hockey card scene EXPLODED in 1990-91…but that’s another story.

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Being 15 years old at the time and into everything hockey, I saved a lot of stuff from that year. Not just the cards, but anything I could get my hands on. Here is a roster sheet from the annual 1990 Blackhawks Red Vs. White Scrimmage–or the “Red-White Game” as us ‘Hawks fans called it. Continue reading “1990 Blackhawks Red-White Scrimmage Roster”

Puck Junk is 3 today…

Today is this website’s 3rd Birthday...or Anniversary…or whatever websites celebrate.

Though I wanted to launch Puck Junk much sooner–I got the idea in fall 2006 and started designing it in spring of 2007–I didn’t actually get around to launch it until October 5, 2007.

I like hockey cards, writing and making websites. This site seemed like a good combination of the three. And I’m glad I followed through with it.

I won’t beat myself up on how I wish I was writing more. We bloggers do the best we can, given that this is a hobby and not a full-time job.

But I am proud to say that I’ve written more during the past year than in either of the previous 2.

In 3 relatively short years, I went from a site that got maybe a dozen visits a month to a site that gets around 2,000. Not quite Amazon.com-level traffic, but I appreciate that anyone would want to read what I write.

And I’ve become “online friends” with other bloggers who also share my passion of collecting and reminiscing.

Some readers have sent me cards to help out my collection–not because they want anything in exchange, but because they enjoy this site.

A few people have told me how they’ve dug out their “old” cards from the 1990s, and have started collecting again. One guy mentioned that he was going try and finish his 1990-91 Pro Set hockey set with his 6-year old son.

So this site has done more than just help me blab about my collection. In some small way, I’ve been able to contribute to the hobby.

But enough about me…and this site. October 5 is an important day for 2 very good reasons…

Both Mario Lemieux and Patrick Roy were born on October 5, 1965.

For those bad at math, that makes them 45 years old. A crazy coincidence that two of the greatest hockey players ever would be born in Quebec on the exact same date.

Why hasn’t Quebec made October 5 a holiday? If not for Puck Junk, then for Mario and Patrick.

What the…?

I got a package in the mail on Friday, but I wasn’t expecting anything. No recent trades, no eBay purchases. What could this be? Waitaminute….

..the postmark reads Nov. 05, ’09. This was sent out almost a year ago.

Quickly opening the package, I found this:

A 1990-91 Boston Bruins team-issue set. That’s strange…I already have one.

And then I remembered. I bought this on eBay a year ago. A month after paying for it, I still hadn’t received it so the seller sent me a second set, which I did receive. I guess the eBay seller’s first attempt finally made it through, 11 months later.

Gotta love the post office.

Anyway, I reviewed this set last year. If anyone is interested in trading for this one, it is available.

I Like Big Cards (I Cannot Lie…)

I picked up some BIG CARDS over the past weekend. No, not big as in expensive. Big as in physically big, like this 8″ x 10″ Be A Player Portrait card of Cam Ward. Yes, it is a sticker autograph, but Ward is hard to get an autograph from through-the-mail.

I might have to find more of these 8″ x 10″ autographed cards.

I also picked up a lot of 50–count ’em 50–2005-06 Beehive Jumbo cards. These measure in at 5″ x 7″. Here are a few of my favorite cards from the stack:

Luc Robitaille
Martin Brodeur
Bobby Clarke
Phil Esposito
Grant Fuhr
Jaromir Jagr
Roberto Luongo
Corey Perry

I’m not sure if I’m actually going to build out this Beehive set. The jumbos were issued one per pack, and there’s like 150 of them. And a few of these were doubles, which I’ve put up on my  Singes for Trade page.

Review: 1991 Louisville Hockey Stick Cards

Odd, oversized cards of NHL superstars

1991-92 Louisville Mark Messier 1991-92 Louisville Pat Lafontaine

Not much is known about these two hockey cards. The backs are blank, and there is no copyright date on them. The cards measure 4″ x 6″ and feature former NHL superstars Mark Messier and Pat Lafontaine. Each is in an All-Star Game uniform, and at the bottom it reads “Louisville” – the manufacturer of the hockey sticks that Messier and Lafontaine are using in the pictures. Continue reading “Review: 1991 Louisville Hockey Stick Cards”

Blackhawks Training Camp Fest 2010

On Saturday, September 18, I attended the Chicago Blackhawks Training Camp Festival. For five bucks, we could watch the first day of training camp. My friend Heather had an extra ticket for the 100 level section. Though I was initially lukewarm to the idea of getting up early on a Saturday morning, I let curiosity get the better of me;  I’ve never seen an NHL practice before.

Surprisingly, I had a good time. I got to see some new ‘Hawks–and ‘Hawk hopefuls. Several former Blackhawks were signing autographs, and some memorabilia dealers were there too.

I’ll let the pictures do most of the talking… Continue reading “Blackhawks Training Camp Fest 2010”

Review: 2010 WHA Hall of Fame

Remembering 12 of the rival league’s greatest players

2010 WHA Hall of Fame #2 - Pat StapletonFounded in 2009, the World Hockey Association Hall of Fame is a non-profit organization that honors and remembers the defunct league and its players. In July 2010, the WHA HOF released a 10-card set commemorating 12 of the league’s former players and one trophy. Continue reading “Review: 2010 WHA Hall of Fame”