News & Views

Clemente’s Corner: 7 Great NHL Team Giveaways for 2026-27

There’s always something special about walking into an NHL arena and knowing you’re going home with more than just memories of the game.

Giveaway nights have become a big part of the league’s fan experience. While bobbleheads remain the undisputed king of promotional items, teams have gotten increasingly creative in recent years. Blankets, kitchenware, cups and other collectibles now compete for space on fans’ shelves.

The 2026-27 NHL season is no different. From now through to the end of the regular season, there are plenty of promotional nights worth circling on the calendar. Some celebrate the NHL’s biggest stars, while others offer the kind of bizarre memorabilia that makes you wonder who came up with the idea.

If you’re a collector — or just a fan who likes getting something extra with your ticket — here are seven giveaway dates worth getting.

Continue reading “Clemente’s Corner: 7 Great NHL Team Giveaways for 2026-27”

Hughes “Golden Goal” Signed Card at Auction

Card That Mysteriously Appeared Hits Over $100K

Remember back in February, when Jack Hughes scored the “Golden Goal” in the gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics. His overtime heroics gave the U.S. a 2-1 win over Canada – and the country’s first gold medal in men’s Olympic ice hockey since 1980. 

Later that day, Topps was selling cards of Hughes celebrating his goal as a part of its “Topps Now” print-on-demand card set. The card was available for a short period of time for $11.99 each. However, one lucky buyer would receive the card with Hughes’ autograph on it, along with the inscription “Golden Goal 2/22/26 Go USA!”

Well, that card has recently surfaced, and it is currently up for bid at the Fanatics Collect auctions website. The card currently has 26 bids and is at $110,000 – and it still has 7 days to go!

Could it top the $200K mark? It probably will.

Continue reading “Hughes “Golden Goal” Signed Card at Auction”

Clemente’s Corner: Get Ready for the Gavin McKenna Rookie Card Hype

Gavin McKenna, this year’s No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NHL draft, has collectors are watching closely to see whether his rookie cards will become the next big thing in the hobby.

Inevitably, they will be.

The hype surrounding McKenna is easy to understand. Before ever playing an NHL game, he built an impressive resume. He dominated at the junior level, made the jump to Penn State and immediately became one of the most talked-about young hockey players.

Now he is headed to the Toronto Maple Leafs, one of the league’s biggest markets, and Upper Deck has signed him to an exclusive autograph trading-card deal. That combination is almost tailor-made for the modern hockey-card market.

But why are collectors willing to pay so much for NHL rookies in the first place? It’s a question I’ve asked myself every fall.

Continue reading “Clemente’s Corner: Get Ready for the Gavin McKenna Rookie Card Hype”

Random Thoughts on the 2026 National

It was the best of shows – but not without its flaws

Last month, I set up to sell at the 2026 National Sports Collectors Convention. I previously set up at this show from 2021 to 2024. For the 2025 National, I could not get a table, so it was nice to be back this year as a seller of hockey cards and hockey memorabilia.

I already spent a lot of time talking about the 2026 NSCC on our most-recent podcast, but I wanted to use this editorial to share some random thoughts about the convention.  Continue reading “Random Thoughts on the 2026 National”

Clemente’s Corner: Hockey Collectors Find Their Place at the 2026 National

Every summer, the National Sports Collectors Convention is the place to be for card collectors. Dealers, grading companies, card manufacturers, athletes and thousands of passionate collectors gather under one roof to celebrate the hobby and the connections it creates.

Now in its 46th edition, the five-day event returned to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL, showcasing everything from vintage treasures to the latest modern releases. While baseball, basketball and football continued to dominate the show floor, hockey once again carved out its presence, drawing dedicated collectors from across North America.

For hockey enthusiasts, the National is about far more than buying and selling cards or memorabilia. It is also an opportunity to reconnect with fellow collectors, discover new products, meet players and, for me, get a firsthand look at where the hobby is headed.

Throughout the convention, dealers specializing in hockey collectibles reported great traffic at their booths, especially on Friday and Saturday. Collectors searched display cases for Hall of Famers such as Wayne Gretzky and Patrick Kane (who recently returned to the Chicago Blackhawks), while interest in today’s young stars remained extremely high. Matthew Schaefer and Macklin Celebrini were among the most sought-after names.

Continue reading “Clemente’s Corner: Hockey Collectors Find Their Place at the 2026 National”

Conquering the Card Closet

The Closet of Chaos is Now the Closet of Calm

Back in December, I wrote about how I did not have a good way to store my extra card supplies. I had half-full boxes of card pages, in all different sizes, that were just stuffed on a shelf in a closet. Other supplies like toploaders and soft sleeves were stashed wherever I could find room. It made locating and retrieving supplies difficult.

Heck, sometimes I even bought supplies that I already had enough of because I could not find them in the first place. 

Well, little by little, I kept figuring out what to do with my “Card Closet of Chaos.” Continue reading “Conquering the Card Closet”

Clemente’s Corner: The Pros and Cons of Fanatics Buying Upper Deck

As Fanatics continues its rapid expansion across the sports collectibles market, speculation about potential future acquisitions have become a regular topic over the last few years.

Following its acquisition of Topps in 2021 (and its growing influence over pro sports licensing in the ensuing years), many collectors and industry observers have begun asking whether Upper Deck could eventually become a target.

From a strategic standpoint, the idea makes sense. Upper Deck remains one of the few major independent companies left in sports collectibles and controls several valuable assets – most notably the NHL license – that would fit neatly into Fanatics’ long-term vision. While an acquisition could provide significant advantages, it would also create challenges and potential risks for Fanatics itself.

Fanatics, for example, has been sparring with Panini for years now. It recently announced that it would take over the license of World Cup soccer stickers away from Panini starting in 2031, ending a relationship between the Italian company and FIFA dating back to the 1970 tournament.

Upper Deck’s exclusive trading card license with the NHL and NHLPA is a multi-year deal. Both sides have been secretive when it comes to exact expiration date, only fueling speculation that Fanatics could swoop in (like it did with the NBA license in 2025 after Panini’s 16-year run). Upper Deck has produced NHL-licensed cards since the 1990-91 season. A key milestone came in 2005 when Upper Deck became the exclusive trading card manufacturer.

But rumors surface every few months that Upper Deck could be either taken over or that the company can lose its NHL license, bringing a sense a dread among hockey collectors who are happy with how Upper Deck makes cards.

The question isn’t simply whether Fanatics could buy Upper Deck – but if doing so would actually benefit them. Let’s examine the pros and cons of Fanatics purchasing Upper Deck: 

Continue reading “Clemente’s Corner: The Pros and Cons of Fanatics Buying Upper Deck”

The 9th Annual Puck Junk Awards

This year, the NHL skipped its annual awards show, instead announcing its annual trophy winners throughout the end of the season. That’s a bit of a letdown, as the NHL Awards Show – as cringy as it is sometimes – is a nice way to bookend the season. 

Show or no show, players still got their awards for being the best goalie, the best defenseman, the league MVP, and such. 

But sadly, there are no awards for the player with the most punchable face, the goalie least likely to play in an NHL game who got to play in an NHL game, or the guy who changed teams the most during the season. 

That is something I rectified in 2018 when I launched the Puck Junk Awards, for the true unsung heroes of hockey. 

So, let’s take a look at the Puck Junk Award Winners for 2026. 

Continue reading “The 9th Annual Puck Junk Awards”