Opinions

The 7th Annual Puck Junk Awards

At the end of June, the NHL doled out its annual awards, giving props to the best rookie, the top defenseman, and the most valuable player, among others. 

Unfortunately, the NHL overlooks other players who should also receive awards, but don’t – such as the player who came out of nowhere and impressed everyone, the player who can put up the points and their fists, and the player that everyone wants to punch in the face. 

That’s where the Puck Junk awards come in. For seven years now, this website has given shout-outs to the players who really deserve them. So, here are your Puck Junk Award Winners for 2024! 

Continue reading “The 7th Annual Puck Junk Awards”

Defense Wins Championships – But Offense Wins MVP?

The Panthers Win…and So Does McDavid?

Monday night’s Stanley Cup Final Game 7 between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers was certainly…something.

Exciting? Sure. It was a close Game 7 that was decided by one goal. But honestly, I feel that a lot of the excitement was the anticipation leading up to the game, and maybe not the game so much.

Did the game have exciting moments? Sure, that mad scramble in front of the Panthers’ crease, where both Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman were unable to tie the game, was intense. So was the breakaway goal scored by Oilers center Mattias Janmark. The game had its moments for sure. 

But the bottom line is that this was a game that was won by one goal because the Panthers played their suffocating style of defense, knowing that they could win the game 2-1 but not 8-7. 

And the saying goes, offense wins games, but defense wins championships.

Apparently, offense wins the MVP award, too. Continue reading “Defense Wins Championships – But Offense Wins MVP?”

Connor McDavid is For Real!

McJesus Went from Zero to Hero in a Hurry

In last week’s newsletter, I mentioned how stellar Panthers’ goalie Sergei Bobrovsky was through the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final. He allowed just one goal in the first two games, leading the Panthers to a 2-0 series lead. The Panthers also won Game 3 and looked poised to sweep the series.

Meanwhile, Oilers captain Connor McDavid was all but absent, scoring one assist in Game 2 and two assists in Game 3 in two losing efforts. 

Then McDavid woke up. Continue reading “Connor McDavid is For Real!”

Why I Want the Edmonton Oilers to Win the Stanley Cup

We All Want to See McDavid Win It Sooner Than Later, Right? 

This Saturday is Game One of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers – and I’ll admit that I want the Oilers to win the Cup. 

Not because I want to see a Canadian team win the Stanley Cup for the first time in 31 years. I could care less about that. Continue reading “Why I Want the Edmonton Oilers to Win the Stanley Cup”

Will a Stanley Cup Championship Boost Connor McDavid’s Card Prices?

Does a Championship Increase Card Values for All-Time Greats?

Last week, a member of the Puck Junk Facebook Group asked me if a Connor McDavid printing plate card that he pulled on ePack would increase in value if the Edmonton Oilers won the Stanley Cup.

After thinking about it for a moment, Continue reading “Will a Stanley Cup Championship Boost Connor McDavid’s Card Prices?”

Why 1993-94 Was My Favorite Season to Collect Hockey

Hockey Card Collecting was Less Complicated, More Fun 30 Years Ago

It is the 30th anniversary of the 1993-94 season – and that was my favorite year to collect hockey cards and memorabilia. That was the last year before collecting hockey got so darn complicated. 

Continue reading “Why 1993-94 Was My Favorite Season to Collect Hockey”

Should Upper Deck Change Its Redemption Policy?

Topps Changed Its Policy. Will UD Follow Suit?

Late last month, the Topps Trading Card Company announced that all redemption cards will now be valid for 10 years from the date of issue. This extends back to include redemption cards that were issued in 2021-22 products.

Normally, a redemption card – a little cardboard “I.O.U.” that promises the collector a premium card – would expire after two years or so. This would take the luster off of buying sealed products that were more than two years old. Sure, you might get a rookie card of a player that is now a superstar…or you might get an expired redemption card for an autograph of that same rookie that was now worthless. 

What this move does for Topps is increase desirability in both old and new card products. We all dislike getting redemption cards – but it is nice to know that if we buy a product from 2021 in 2024 that the redemption card is still worth something.

Of course, Topps does not make hockey cards, but Upper Deck does. So, will Upper Deck keep up with its main rival and also extend the window of its own redemption cards?

Continue reading “Should Upper Deck Change Its Redemption Policy?”

Checklists are NOT Dead!

A few weeks back, I opined that checklist cards in this day and age are pretty much useless and should be discontinued. I put a poll out on X/Twitter asking collectors if they like checklist cards.

As you can see from the poll results above, 50.7% of respondents still like checklists, while 49.3% do not like checklists.

There are two takeaways here:

Continue reading “Checklists are NOT Dead!”

What Would You Do With a Full Case of 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Cards?

In a record-setting auction that ended Sunday, February 25, a full case of 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Hockey cards sold at Heritage Auctions for $3.72 MILLION DOLLARS.

The winning bid, which was placed Saturday night, was for $3.1 million. The “buyer’s premium” that gets tacked on to the winning bid price was $620,000, bringing the grand total to $3.72M. 

What I want to know is, what would someone do with an entire case of 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Hockey cards?

Continue reading “What Would You Do With a Full Case of 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Cards?”