Review: 1972-73 Quebec Nordiques

Twenty-one cards from the upstart team’s first season

Richard Brodeur

The World Hockey Association was founded in 1972, and placed several teams into markets that yearned to have an NHL presence. One founding member of the WHA was the Quebec Nordiques, giving the province of Quebec another team to call their own. Longtime Montreal Canadiens’ defenseman J.C. Tremblay was the Nordiques’ first captain, while a 20-year old Richard Brodeur was breaking into pro hockey as the Nords’ backup. Released during the season was a postcard set featuring the Quebec’s inaugural roster. Continue reading “Review: 1972-73 Quebec Nordiques”

Review: 1972-73 Atlanta Flames Postcards

Color action photography makes for a worthwhile set

Pat Quinn Team postcard sets seemed to be all the rage in the 1970s and 1980s. Many NHL and WHA teams gave out postcards picturing the players – either in response to an autograph request or as a giveaway at a game. In their inaugural season, the Atlanta Flames issued a simple, yet fantastic, set of postcards that featured practically everyone on their team. Continue reading “Review: 1972-73 Atlanta Flames Postcards”

Review: 1984-85 O-Pee-Chee Hockey

The set that was truly a “head” of its time

Perfection. There is no other word to better describe the 1984-85 O-Pee-Chee Hockey set. Hands down, it is the best hockey card set from the 1980s. It might even be the best hockey set made during the “O-Pee-Chee Era” (1968-1993). The ’84-85 O-Pee-Chee set achieves perfection because of its fantastic design, excellent photography and comprehensive player selection – not to mention that it includes the rookie cards of five future Hall of Fame players. Continue reading “Review: 1984-85 O-Pee-Chee Hockey”

Review: 2010-11 Victory Hockey (video)

Upper Deck serves up more of the same

Here is a video I put together about the first set of the 2010-11 season, Upper Deck Victory.

Continue reading “Review: 2010-11 Victory Hockey (video)”

Review: 1991 Louisville Hockey Stick Cards

Odd, oversized cards of NHL superstars

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”

Review: 2010 WHA Hall of Fame

Remembering 12 of the rival league’s greatest players

Founded 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”

Review: 2002-03 Fleer Throwbacks

91-card set “punches it” old school

There are hockey card sets dedicated to goaltenders. There are hockey card sets dedicated to leading scorers. And then, there’s Fleer Throwbacks.

At a glance:
– 2002-03 Fleer Throwbacks
– 91 cards
– 1 “bonus” Bob Probert card
– Size: 2 1/2″ x 3 1/2″
– Download Checklist

The term “throwback” implies something that hearkens back to an earlier time period or age. The 2002-03 Fleer Throwbacks hockey set features 91 former players who aptly fit that description – men who were tough enough to play in any era. Most of the players in this set were known for their rough-and-tumble style of play, while others were just gritty. No, this isn’t merely an homage to “goons” or “enforcers” – though Fleer Throwbacks has plenty of those, too.

Continue reading “Review: 2002-03 Fleer Throwbacks”

Review: 2009-10 O-Pee-Chee Update

200-card factory serves as a nice addendum

Released in April 2010, the O-Pee-Chee Update Set featured 200 cards that extended the O-Pee-Chee set issued earlier in the 2009-10 hockey season. This was a smart move by Upper Deck, who currently leases the “O-Pee-Chee” brand name from Topps.

In 2009, Upper Deck released a 200-card Update Set for its 2008-09 O-Pee-Chee set, but in 5-card packs. Three out of 5 of the cards in the pack were parallels, making this a particularly hard set to piece together. Fortunately, Upper Deck did not repeat that mistake, and instead issued the 2009-10 Update as a pre-collated factory set. Continue reading “Review: 2009-10 O-Pee-Chee Update”

Review: 1979-80 Topps Hockey

An iconic set from an amazing year

1979-80 was an epic year for hockey for so many reasons. It was a changing of the guard, with Wayne Gretzky playing his first NHL season, and Gordie Howe playing in his last. It was also the first season after the NHL absorbed four WHA (World Hockey Association) teams. And it was a year that a team of Americans would pull off one of the biggest miracles on ice. But that’s another story.

Like the year it represents, the 1979-80 Topps set was a landmark release, and still remains popular among collectors today. Continue reading “Review: 1979-80 Topps Hockey”

Review: 2009 National Hockey Card Day

15 cards of Canada’s most beloved players

Given away in 5-card foil packs on February 21, 2009, the National Hockey Card Day set by Upper Deck focused on some of Canada’s most beloved players. Packs were handed out, free of charge, at card shops, Toys R’ Us, and Wal-Mart stores across Canada as an effort to increase interest in hockey card collecting. This is similar to Free Comic Book Day, when numerous comic books – made especially for the event – are given away at comic shops across the U.S. The 2009 National Hockey Card Day set has 15 cards: 5 are of rookies, 5 of popular current superstars and 5 of retired greats. Continue reading “Review: 2009 National Hockey Card Day”