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

2020-21 Upper Deck Extended Series Hobby Box Break #2

Since I am “all in” on building a set of 2020-21 Upper Deck Extended Series, I know that I will need at least two boxes to build the 200-card base set. Extended Series also has a plethora of insert sets designed to look like popular late 1990s Upper Deck releases such as HoloGr-FX, Ovation and Ultimate Victory, among others. (Click here for my first box break of 2020-21 Upper Deck Extended Series and for more general information about this set.) 

Since the inserts you get in 2020-21 Upper Deck Extended Series can vary from box to box, I’ve decided to post another box break so you can see some of the inserts that I didn’t get in my first box. 

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Goodbye and Thank You, Tony Esposito

Chicago Blackhawks legend Tony Esposito passed away on Tuesday at the age of 78. Like practically every other hockey fan, I had no idea that he was ill. And like the rest of the hockey world, I was shocked, surprised, and saddened by the loss of the man known as Tony-O.

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2020-21 Upper Deck Extended Series Hobby Box Break

I was excited when I learned that 2020-21 Upper Deck Extended Series — a.k.a. “Series 3” — was coming out this summer. The Upper Deck flagship set has been my favorite hockey card set to collect over the past 30 years, and I think that expanding the set from its usual 500 cards to 730 cards makes a great thing even better. 

Upper Deck Extended Series consists of 200 base cards and 30 Young Guns rookie cards — instead of the usual 50 Young Guns per series like there are in Series One and Series Two. A lot of the cards in the 200-card base set picture players from the 2020 NHL All-Star Game, which took place about six weeks before the league shut down in March 2020 due to COVID-19. Like Series One and Series Two, there are eight cards in a foil pack and 24 packs in a box.

Making Extended Series really appealing to myself and other old school hockey collectors is the inclusion of numerous insert sets based on popular sets from the late 1990s and early 2000s, such as HoloGr-FX and Ultimate Victory. 

I recently purchased a hobby box of 2020-21 Upper Deck Extended Series. Here is what I got. 

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Puck Junk Podcast: 2021 National Sports Collectors Convention Recap

Episode #97: August 4, 2021

Puck Junk Podcast hosts Sal Barry and Tim Parish are joined by Tim’s wife Jessica. The three of them share their perspectives on the 2021 National Sports Collectors Convention. Sal talks about being a dealer at the world’s biggest card show, while Tim and Jessica recap their experience trying to find hockey cards. The episode is one hour and thirty-five minutes, so get comfy before pushing that play button.

Show Notes, Links and Images: 
Dictionary.com entry for ubiquitous
Info about the Chicago Sports Spectacular in September (show website)
A few pictures of the Puck Junk booth at the 2021 National:

Sal at the Puck Junk booth on Day 1 of the 2021 NSCC.
Some of the shirts that were for sale at the show.
Sal was giving away these masks with the Puck Junk logo on them.
Some stuff that was for sale, including a Chicago Bulls ticket order form from 1986 picturing Michael Jordan.
Greg McLaughlin (left) from the Rebel Base Card Podcast visited Sal at the Puck Junk booth on Friday. 
Sal gave out hundreds of his new “business trading card” at the National over the past weekend.

Shout Outs to…
Justin Zang of Zang A Pang Cards on Instagram 
Arthur a.k.a. “Polish Warrior 79” on Twitter
Zackary Soof of Zack’s Hockey Box on YouTube
Mark Petree of Tree’s Collectibles
Greg McLaughlin from the Rebel Base Card Podcast
Jeff Baker from the TTMCast podcast

Follow Sal Barry on Twitter @PuckJunk.
Follow Tim Parish on Twitter @TheRealDFG.
Follow Jessica on Twitter @WifeOfDFG.
Podcast opening and closing music by Jim “Not the Goalie” Howard.

Subscribe to the Puck Junk Hockey Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, Podchaser, PocketCasts, Castbox , Castro,
Overcast, TuneIn and SoundCloud.

Love hockey? Join the Puck Junk Facebook Group and subscribe to Puck Junk on YouTube. 

Support this podcast and buy a shirt from the Puck Junk Online Shop. ■

Puck Junk Will Be at the 2021 Natoinal

Puck Junk will have a presence at the 2021 National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago this weekend, July 28 to August 1. I’ll be splitting space with AU Sports at booth number 1011, right next to Memory Lane, and very close to the Main Entrance and the VIP Entrance. 

I will be selling hockey t-shirts at 20% off the regular price. 

And I’ll also be selling some complete hockey sets — from the late 1960s all the way to the modern era, as well as a bunch of single hockey cards from all years. 

Drop by Booth 1011, say hi, talk hockey with me, and grab one of my new “business trading cards,” which would look great in a nine-pocket page or top loader. (Speaking of which, I’ll have packs of top loaders for sale at the show, too.) 

I will also be giving away a limited number of these sweet-looking face masks with the Puck Junk logo printed on them.

These machine-washable masks are two-layered, have adjustable ear loops and an adjustable nose piece, which is essential for guys like me who wear glasses.

If you can’t remember my booth number, just keep an eye out for my banner. 

The National Sports Collectors Convention starts Wednesday, July 28 and runs until Sunday, August 1. Click here for more information about the NSCC and to buy tickets.

And if you do make it to the National, be sure to drop by Booth 1011, check out what I’ve got for sale, and talk some hockey! 

Love hockey? Join the Puck Junk Facebook Group, subscribe to Puck Junk on Apple Podcasts and  YouTube, and support this site at the Puck Junk Online Shop. 

Follow Sal Barry on Twitter @PuckJunk. ■

1988-89 Topps Hockey Cards Set Checklist, Details & Review

Neon and pushpins make this set stick around

The 1988-89 Topps Hockey Card set has a fun-looking design, some notable rookie cards, and a historically significant card, too. This was the third year in a row that Topps released a hockey set with 198 cards. In addition to the 198 cards, there are 33 insert stickers and 16 “box bottom” cards that were found in four-card panels on the bottom of display boxes. 

This set features bright colors and a quirky design elements. Notable rookie cards include Brett Hull, Brendan Shanahan, Joe Nieuwendyk, and Bob Probert. The Wayne Gretzky card is significant because it is the first hockey card to use a press conference photo, as Gretzky was traded from the Oilers to the Kings that summer, and a photo of Gretzky suited up with the Kings was not yet available. 

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National Hockey Card Day 2021 is Saturday, July 24

Get Free Exclusive Hockey Cards — in the U.S., in Canada, and in Europe! 

Saturday, July 24 is National Hockey Card Day in the United States and in Canada — and, for the first time, several European countries as well! Card shops in the United States will give away packs of cards exclusive to the U.S. Several card stores in Germany, Austria, Sweden, the Czech Republic, and France will also give out the same packs given out in the U.S. Card shops in Canada, as well as Toys R Us and London Drugs,  will give cards exclusive to the Canadian market. 

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The Fourth Annual Puck Junk Awards

A.K.A. 7 Awards the NHL Should Give

Each year, the NHL gives out awards to celebrate the best goalie, defenseman, coach, and all-around player, among others. But I’ve always found their awards lacking. Yes, scoring more goals — or allowing less goals — than your competitor wins the game, but hockey is about much more than that. 

So, back in 2018 I created the Puck Junk Awards to give props to the NHL’s biggest surprise player, toughest son-of-a-gun, and the guy that everyone hates, among others. And this year, Puck Junk Podcast cohost Tim Parish chipped in his two cents on who should win these awards that we wish were real. 

So, without further ado, here are your winners of the 2021 Puck Junk Awards!

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Puck Junk Podcast: The Duncan Keith Trade 

Episode #96: July 13, 2021

Sal Barry and Tim Parish talk about longtime Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith getting traded to the Edmonton Oilers, and give their opinions about the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, Vladimir Tarasenko wanting out of St. Louis, and the upcoming NHL Expansion Draft. Then they shift their focus to trading cards and discuss National Hockey Card Day, Upper Deck Extended Series Hockey, and the upcoming National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago. It’s an hour-forty of hockey goodness. 

Show Notes, Links, and Images: 
Oilers acquire star defenseman Duncan Keith from Blackhawks (ESPN)
What Haters Get Wrong about the Vegas Golden Knights (Puck Junk)
Topps Now Hockey Sticker print runs (Topps)
National Hockey Card Day images and retailer list (Upper Deck)
National Hockey Card Day trade group (Facebook)
National Sports Collectors Convention website

Follow Sal Barry on Twitter @PuckJunk.
Follow Tim Parish on Twitter @TheRealDFG.
Podcast opening and closing music by Jim “Not the Goalie” Howard.

Subscribe to the Puck Junk Hockey Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, Podchaser, PocketCasts, Castbox , Castro,
Overcast, TuneIn and SoundCloud.

Love hockey? Join the Puck Junk Facebook Group and subscribe to Puck Junk on YouTube. 

Support this podcast and buy a shirt from the Puck Junk Online Shop. ■

1990-91 NHL Season Preview: A Special Advertising Supplement

If you subscribed to cable television in the 1980s and 1990s, you no doubt remember the monthly cable guide that was mailed to your home. Those thick, black-and-white magazines, usually printed on cheap newsprint-type paper, would list out everything that was scheduled to air on cable TV that month. When I was a kid, I would go through it page-by-page — hell, I’d study the thing like there was going to be a test about it — and note what hockey games were being televised that month. 

Back in October of 1990, my monthly cable guide  included this special, pull-out “1990-91 NHL Season Preview Special Advertising Supplement.” Measuring 5″ by 7-1/4″, it is an eight-page, full-color booklet printed on magazine paper instead of the typical newsprint. It has two hockey articles, some random trivia, and the burning questions for the season. 

This “advertising supplement” seems like the thing that most people would have read once and thrown away, and not carefully preserved for 30 years like I did. 

But I think we established that I am not like “most people,” and have saved some of the most random “puck junk” over the years. So, let’s take a look at what the big stories were prior to the 1990-91 NHL season. 

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