Tim’s Take: Fanatics Strikes Back

If you recall in my article where we first discussed the Panini vs. Fanatics lawsuit, we asked if Fanatics was a monopoly, as Panini accused them of being. In that article, we said the short answer was no, and the long answer was also probably no.

But let’s flip the script and turn the attention to the accuser, Panini. Is Panini a monopoly in the hobby space?

I think the conclusion ultimately ends up being the same. But fortunately for all of us captivated by this drama, if both parties have their way, we may now eventually find out. Let’s break down a simple timeline of what has transpired to get us here, shall we?

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Tim’s Take: The 2023 National Sports Collectors Convention

My every-other year visit to the National Sports Card Collector’s Convention wrapped up Sunday afternoon and I wanted to join the cast of thousands that will take to social media to regale you in the fun they had. But I think I’m going to take a different approach from just showing off what I bought because this wasn’t my first trip to the largest, and most important hobby show of the year. It wasn’t my second, or my third, or even my fourth. This was my ninth time participating in this colossal event.

In that time I’ve seen many, many cool things, I’ve met dozens and dozens of cool people, and I’ve developed many hobby friends. In recent years, I’ve met many listeners of the Puck Junk Podcast as well as those that interact on social media. It’s been one of the best hobby experiences that I look forward to annually, and especially every other year when it becomes a “home game” for me.

But there’s no shortage of controversy and discourse in this amazing hobby and that makes it interesting, and fun. So let me get this part out of the way first. There was a popular narrative on social media all week, which was, of course, the abundance of detracting opinions and negativity. The list is long. There was the stuff about breakers getting loaded boxes. There were the instances of the “influencers” seemingly getting most of the bigger promo pack hits. There was a lot of talk about preferential treatment given to YouTubers with large followings for “on-site grading” promotions. There were the countless examples of the seemingly incessant need of “collectors” to suckle the teat of hobby celebrities and brag about how they are all now “best friends”.

Were all of these things true? Maybe. But that’s not the point and I’m not here to discuss that (at least for now). What I will address instead are the two biggest issues people continually pointed out, the “10x comp pricing” and the “extreme heat,” as well as some observations I had.

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The 6th Annual Puck Junk Awards

The National Hockey League really needs to upgrade its hardware game. Sure, there is no better trophy in sports than the Stanley Cup. And the NHL does a pretty good job at honoring its best forwards, defensemen, and goalies each year. But what about honoring the best scorer who can also fight, the player who came out of nowhere and wowed everyone, or the guy who clawed his way back into the league after a year-long hiatus? 
 
Since 2018, Puck Junk has given out awards to such players. They may not have scored 50 goals or posted 15 shutouts, but they were still interesting, exciting — or even infamous — during the past season. 
 
That said, here are your 2023 Puck Junk Award winners!

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Blake’s Takes: The Final Edition

After almost four years of writing for Puck Junk, I’m officially announcing that I’ll be taking some time away. This will be my last column. It could be my last one forever. I’m not sure.

That doesn’t mean I’m not going to go out with a bang. In this week’s column, I’ll dig into one of my favorite fan moments, an intriguing contract extension, and a few other takes.

I’ll close with some thoughts about my last few years writing for Puck Junk. It’s been a ride. Let’s get down to it.

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Blake’s Takes: Ben Bishop’s Career Has Come to an End

Last week was a great week for milestones and great plays. Four out of five of this week’s takes are from those two categories. The last take is rather sad; it’s about Ben Bishop and an injury that will cost him the rest of his playing career.

I won’t keep everyone down in the dumps for too long. It’s the holiday season and there is still a lot of hockey to be played.

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Blake’s Takes: The Jack Hughes Contract Extension

Jack Hughes 2021-22

For those who celebrated, I hope you all had a great Hanukkah. For those who don’t, Christmas is right around the corner. In this week’s column, I’ll lead off with my favorite topic, another big extension. This week’s recipient is none other than former first-overall pick, Jack Hughes. I’ll comment on Hughes’ newfound wealth as well as the most-recent player to receive the honor of a jersey retirement.

Those weren’t the only two things to happen in hockey last week. I’ll also take a look at the two new Stadium Series jerseys and a few of my favorite plays.

Happy Monday!

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Blake’s Takes: Jerseys in Jersey and Happy Hanukkah

A day late, but better than never! Last week was a huge week around the NHL. This week, I’ll share my thoughts on Evander Kane’s potential return to the ice as well as a dustup involving two of the league’s most frequent offenders.

On a lighter note, a few new uniforms were released last week and they are deserving of my attention. I wrote more than a few words about those uniforms as well another take or two.

Happy Tuesday and Happy Hanukkah!

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Blake’s Takes: Career Resurrections and Milestones

In this week’s column, I’ll highlight two of my favorite players that have resurrected their careers this season. There were also a few notable milestones reached last week that I want to write about. Get ready for another great column and let’s have a great week.

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Blake’s Takes: Coaches and GMs Ousted

Last week wasn’t kind to coaches and GMs around the league, as two of them are out of a job. I’ll share my thoughts on those two vacancies. More importantly, I’ll shed some light on two of my favorite positive storylines around the NHL and share a video that should provide you all with some laughs.

Happy Monday!

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