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
Fifty years ago was the 1972 Summit Series, where the best NHL players from Canada faced off in an eight-game exhibition series against the top hockey players from the Soviet Union. But, as it turned out, this was no mere exhibition series. In the book “1972: The Series That Changed Hockey Forever,” author Scott Morrison gives a comprehensive, almost exhaustive history of the Summit Series. Many books have been written on this subject, but “1972” might be the best.
The first-ever article on PuckJunk.com was about the 2007-08 Victory Hockey card set. My opinion on Victory has softened over the years.
I originally wanted to start a hockey website in 2006, when I got back into hockey card collecting as a hobby. But my job at the time kept me busy and with little energy for any extracurricular activities. When I quit my job in late summer of 2007, I finally had the time to make Puck Junk happen.
Another incentive for me to start this website was that I — incorrectly — thought that no one would ever give me a chance to write about hockey or hockey collectibles. Starting this website gave me an outlet to do that, but it led to so much more.
Over time, my writing improved. I became a freelance writer for The Hockey News, Beckett Hockey Magazine, and several other publications — some that are no longer around. I was a regular guest on XM Radio and later on Sports Byline USA to talk about sports collectibles. And in 2015, I got my Master’s Degree in journalism. That was also the year I started the Puck Junk Podcast with Tim Parish.
A lot of my thoughts about running Puck Junk for so long are unchanged from when I reflected on this site’s 10th Anniversary back in 2017, so I don’t want to rehash any of that here.
Instead, I thought it would be fun to look at some of the old screen shots and site banners from over the years. Admittedly, I did not take many screen shots of this website; I mean, why would I?
But I do have all of this website’s banners, which shows how Puck Junk’s look and feel has changed over the years, and how it has evolved from *just* a hockey card blog to a website about hockey cards, collectibles, and culture.
Please take a visual stroll with me down memory lane.
Plus: Buoy, the Kraken Mascot!
Episode #131 – October 6, 2022
Sal Barry and Tim Parish talk all about the new 2022-23 Upper Deck MVP set — the first hockey cards for the 2022-23 season. They also discuss the Seattle Kraken’s new mascot, Buoy. Plus, a look back at the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the USSR, digitally-enhanced dasher boards, the St. Louis Blues Hall of Fame, and more! It’s 81 minutes of hockey goodness.
Show Notes and Links
Oh, ‘Buoy!’ Mascot Reveal! (NHL.com)
1972: The Series that Changed Hockey Forever (Simon & Schuster Canada)
NHL to Debut Digitally Enhanced Dasherboards (ESPN)
Introducing the St. Louis Blues Hall of Fame (NHL.com)
Fake Dallas Stars Patch Cards (Twitter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
1986 McDonald’s Football Cards (Sports Collectors Digest)
Sal’s Favorite Chris Chelios Jersey Card (Twitter)
Here are some images from 2022-23 MVP Hockey:
This week, Sal Barry and Tim Parish talk about the four NHL defensemen who retired recently: Duncan Keith, Zdeno Chara, P.K. Subban, and Keith Yandle — including career accomplishments, who of the four will make it into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and their best hockey cards to collect. It’s 87 minutes of hockey goodness!
Don’t call it Series Three! The 2021-22 Upper Deck Extended Series Hockey card set was released in August of 2022, and adds another 250 cards to Upper Deck’s Series One/Two set. Extended Series has 200 base cards and 50 Young Guns rookie cards; technically 198 base cards, two base checklists, 49 Young Guns, and one Young Guns checklist. This makes Upper Deck’s flagship set a whopping 750 cards over three series.
Admittedly, there was less fervor over the release of Extended Series as there was for Series One and Series Two; perhaps because it doesn’t have the big-name rookies like Series One (Cole Caufield, Trevor Zegras) or Series Two (Moritz Seider, Mason McTavish) had.
However, what it does have is a plethora of interesting, retro insert cards; some styled to look like cards from the mid-2000s, and others that have designs inspired by late 1990s hockey cards.
2021-22 Upper Deck Extended Series is currently selling for around $100 for a hobby box. Each hobby box has 24 packs, and each pack has eight cards. Let’s take a look at what is inside a box of Extended Series.
Plus: How a Fanatics/Panini Merger Could Affect Hockey Cards
Episode #129 – September 22, 2022
Sal Barry and Tim Parish discuss some of the upcoming hockey card releases for the 2022-23 season, including Upper Deck Series One and O-Pee-Chee. They also talk about the hockey cards that are still coming out for the 2021-22 season, and how a merger between Fanatics and Panini America could potentially affect hockey cards in the future. It’s 77 minutes of hockey goodness!
Show Notes and Links:
Sept. 24, 2022 LUDEX Card Show at the Skyline Room (Facebook)
Puck Junk Podcast: 2022 National Recap Episode (Puck Junk)
Trading Card Database and Sportlots Announce Partnership (Sportlots)
Puck Junk Podcast: How to Complete Your Card Sets Episode (Puck Junk)
Puck Junk Podcast: Is Alexis Lafreniere Living Up to the Hype? (Puck Junk)
2022-23 Upper Deck Series One Young Guns Checklist (Upper Deck Blog)
The Great Hockey Card Comeback (The Hockey News)
Brady Tkachuk autographs some upcoming hockey cards (Twitter)
After a bye week, the Puck Junk Podcast is back! This time, Sal Barry and Tim Parish talk about the new 2021-22 Upper Deck Extended Series Hockey cards, including who are the best rookies in the set and if there is such a thing as too many inserts. Plus, if a tree falls on Tim’s house, does it make a sound? It’s one hour of (mostly) hockey goodness.
Show Notes and Links
Review: 2021-22 Seattle Kraken Box Set (Puck Junk)
Review: 2017-18 Upper Deck Vegas Golden Knights Boxed Set (Puck Junk)
Puck Junk Podcast: Hockey Sets We Want to See Return (Puck Junk)
Goldin video where a kid talks about investing in cards (Twitter)
Tim’s Tweet with commentary about above video (Twitter)
The Seattle Kraken hit the ice as the NHL’s newest team last fall. But despite the interest in all things Kraken, Upper Deck was slow in releasing hockey cards of Kraken players. Oh sure, there was that ONE Kraken card of Philipp Grubauer in the 2022 National Hockey Card Day USA set. There was also ONE Kraken card — a rookie card! — of Kole Lind in the 2021-22 Parkhurst set…but it actually pictures Nathan Bastian. Whoops! Finally, a handful of Kraken were included in Upper Deck Series Two.
Chris Driedger
But just as the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals were coming to a close, Upper Deck released the Seattle Kraken Commemorative Box Set, which contains 35 cards and includes many of the players who took to the ice in the Kraken’s inaugural campaign.
Upper Deck Series Two usually comes out in March or April — just in time for the Spring Sport Card and Memorabilia Expo. However, with all of the delays and production problems, due in large part to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021-22 Upper Deck Series Two set did not see its release until mid June of 2022 — right as the Stanley Cup Final was underway. Late or not, Series Two is always a hotly-anticipated hockey card set, as it features cards of many rookies who made their debut earlier that season.
Originally a hobby box of Series Two was selling for around $100, but has since settled to about $90 per box. Each box has 24 packs, and each pack has eight cards. Let’s see what’s inside a hobby box of 2021-22 Upper Deck Series Two Hockey.
Plus: The NHL ’23 Video Game Cover
Episode #127 – September 2, 2022
This week, Sal Barry and Tim Parish discuss and debate what four trading cards are THE most important, most significant, most iconic pieces of cardboard to depict a hockey player. Or rather, what four cards should be on the “Mount Rushmore of Hockey Cards.” Sure, you have to have the Wayne Gretzky rookie card up there. But what would the other three be? Plus, the guys talk about the upcoming NHL ’23 video game and how it will feature two cover athletes — including, for the first time, a woman hockey player. It’s one hour and 25 minutes of hockey goodness!
