Category: News & Views

Hockey Trade Night at The National

This Friday, after The National Sports Collectors Convention wraps up for the night, two colleagues and I will be hosting a Hockey Card Trade Night. Meet other hockey fans, trade cards with each other, and take part in our free raffle. The get-together will be at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare right across the street from the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. 

Here are the full details:

Date: Friday, August 2, 2019
Time: 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Location: Hyatt Regency O’Hare, 9300 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.
(right across the street from the DES Convention Center)
Room Number: DFW
For More Info: Call 586-522-5093 or email TreesCollectables@aol.com

We should have a sign out in the lobby that looks like the graphic above. 

Hopefully, some of you who see this will be at The National and will visit our little hockey card trading event. ■

Follow Sal Barry on Twitter @PuckJunk.

I Used FaceApp on Some Hockey Cards

Like 12.7 million other people this month, I downloaded FaceApp because it looked like a fun little phone app to play around with. For those who don’t know, FaceApp is a program for mobile phones that lets you take a picture and, using artificial intelligence, alters it by adding a smile, facial hair or glasses, among other things. You can also age a person to look older or younger than they actually are, with convincing results. 

It’s a very cool app, but unfortunately, like the 12.7 million other users, I didn’t realize that it had a questionable privacy policy. So, I ended up deleting FaceApp from my phone a few hours later, but not before having fun with some hockey cards. 

Continue reading “I Used FaceApp on Some Hockey Cards”

Blake’s Takes: A Look Ahead to Next Season

With free agency having settled, hockey news has slowed down over recent weeks. So, I decided this week would be the perfect time to start my season previews. Each week, I’ll choose a few teams to feature and assess what we can expect from them this year. This week features the Sabres, Penguins, and Kings. I also take a look at one of the more-surprising extensions signed last week. 

Continue reading “Blake’s Takes: A Look Ahead to Next Season”

Blake’s Takes: A Trade of the Big Boys

The craziness of free agency may have died down, but there were still a few notable storylines in the NHL last week. We saw one of the more interesting trades in recent memory that seems even on paper but is most certainly not. There was a major change in number as well as a very large extension. Also, the NHL’s newest team finally named a GM.

Continue reading “Blake’s Takes: A Trade of the Big Boys”

Blake’s Takes: More Offseason Talk

There were so many moves made this offseason that I had to comment on some of the signings from the beginning of July. I also look into the new contracts of Jordan Binnington of Kevin LeBanc, and the big trade between Colorado and Toronto.

Continue reading “Blake’s Takes: More Offseason Talk”

Blake’s Takes: The Offseason Madness Continues

I hope everyone had a fantastic Canada Day and Independence Day. As some of you may have noticed, there was no Blake’s Take’s last week. I’ve been traveling around Norway and Iceland so I didn’t have a chance to cover all the craziness that was the start of free agency until now. 

Continue reading “Blake’s Takes: The Offseason Madness Continues”

Blake’s Takes: The Offseason Frenzy Begins

Last week, a few big-name players signed contract extensions, and superstars were traded. The NHL Awards and the NHL Draft also took place. Here are a few of the biggest headlines from one of the craziest weeks in hockey. 

Continue reading “Blake’s Takes: The Offseason Frenzy Begins”

Re-Imagining the 1994 NHL Entry Draft

The 1994 NHL Entry Draft took place 25 years ago. Unlike the drafts from the prior few years, it did not boast a generational talent like Eric Lindros, who headlined the 1991 Draft. Nor was it particularly deep, like the 1990 or 1993 Drafts. The 1994 Draft did have two players who scored over 1000 points — one who will be in the Hockey Hall of Fame some day — and three future Calder Trophy winners. And yet, those players weren’t even drafted in the first round!

So, let’s pretend that we could re-do the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. Who would be the new first-overall pick? 

Continue reading “Re-Imagining the 1994 NHL Entry Draft”

Canucks Bring Back the Black Skate

If you’re not scoring points in the game, you might as well score some points with the fans, and the Vancouver Canucks are doing exactly that. For the upcoming 2019-20 season, the British Columbia team is bringing back its storied “Black Stake” jersey for three games. 

Continue reading “Canucks Bring Back the Black Skate”

The Second Annual Puck Junk Awards

A.K.A. 6 NHL Awards We Still Want to See

Another NHL season is in the books, meaning it’s time for the annual postseason awards. Each year, the NHL gives its award to the best goalie, best defenseman, most (popular) valuable player, yada, yada, yada. What the NHL really needs is some fun awards, so last year I came up with the Puck Junk Awards, to recognize this year’s surprise goalie, toughest mofo and best (worst?) boomerang player, among others. Here are the winners of the 2019 Puck Junk Awards. 

Continue reading “The Second Annual Puck Junk Awards”