Category: News & Views

Puck Junk’s Top Podcasts of 2023

With 2023 now fully behind us, I wanted to take a look back at the Puck Junk Podcast and how it did last year. During 2023, we released 36 episodes of the Puck Junk Podcast. That was five more episodes than we released in 2022 (31 episodes), and 10 more episodes than we released 2021 (26 episodes). 

In 2023, our podcast had more listeners than ever, experiencing about a 25% growth over 2022.

As for our listeners, 55% of our listeners are from the United States and 38% are from Canada. No surprises there. But rounding out the top five countries that listened to the Puck Junk Podcast are Germany, Finland, and…Singapore? 

Yep. We also have listeners from Australia, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the Czech Republic. 

If you are a recent subscriber to the Puck Junk Podcast, you may have missed out on some of our best episodes from 2023. Or maybe you are a longtime listener and one of these episodes flew under your radar. Either way, here are the five most-listened to episodes of the Puck Junk Podcast from 2023. 

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What Is Your Collecting Resolution for 2024?

Happy New Year, Puck Junk readers! As 2023 was winding down, I started thinking about what kind of New Year’s “Collecting” Resolution I wanted to make for 2024. 

Sure, we may want to exercise more, eat better foods, or read more books in the new year. But as collectors, we also make resolutions when it comes to collecting.

Usually, these resolutions usually involve better organizing our collection. Hey – the struggle is real. 

In the past, I’ve made New Year’s “Collecting” Resolutions to get rid of duplicate cards, complete sets, or to get myself a “Holy Grail” card sometime during the year. And I’ve done all of those in 2023.

So, I need to give myself an entirely new “Collecting” Resolution for 2024.

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Successful Toronto Sport Card Expo Not Just for Hockey Cards, Collectors

The Sport Card Expo in Toronto attracted a record crowd and proved that Canada’s biggest card show is not just about hockey cards and collectibles.

It was once billed as “the world’s biggest hockey show,” but the Sport Card Expo in Toronto is now much more than that.

The Expo, held twice annually in the spring and the fall, is Canada’s largest sports cards show. The most-recent Sport Card Expo took place on Nov. 9-12. While most dealers had quite a bit of hockey cards and memorabilia for sale, there was certainly no shortage of baseball, basketball, football and non-sports cards.

“People in Canada don’t only collect hockey,” says Mike Bergman, owner of Lower Level Sports Cards in Winnipeg. “People collect all sports — anything that has a card, even pop culture. It’s about collecting what they like and what’s in their mind from their childhood.”

Dealers from the U.S. who traveled north of the border also tend to shy away from bringing too much hockey with them.

“Here, I bring more of everything else but hockey,” says Chris Worczak, owner of Niagara Sports Cards in Niagara Falls, N.Y. “Everybody has hockey here. So, I’m going to bring the stuff that’s different, like vintage baseball cards.”

The Fall 2023 Sport Card Expo was the largest since the show first began in 1991. Not only did it boast a higher attendance, but the show was physically bigger, taking up just under 200,000 square feet across three halls at the International Centre in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga.

Read the article story at Sports Collectors Digest. 

Clemente’s Corner: What The National Can Learn From The Sport Card Expo

The Sport Card Expo held twice a year in Toronto is Canada’s largest and longest-running collectibles show. It’s also the type of show that can teach a few things to the National Sports Collectors Convention held in the United States each July.

It was the second Expo I attended. The first was the Spring 2022 Expo, which is normally held in April, but was delayed until June that year due to the pandemic. The Fall 2023 Expo, like the 2023 National, was bigger than ever. For the first time, the Expo spanned three halls and the four-day extravaganza took up 200,000 square feet of space.

[Photo by Clemente Lisi]
In many ways, the Expo is like the National. It featured over 400 dealers and many corporate booths, including Upper Deck, eBay, PSA and Beckett.

In other ways it was very different – and in a good way. Here are three things the National can learn from the Expo.

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The Best 2023-24 NHL Game-Night Giveaway Items

Hockey fans loves free stuff and will sometimes go through great lengths to get it. How else do you explain thousands of fans lining up outside of the rink on a freezing February night a good 90 minutes before puck drop – all so they can get a free bobblehead figure that kind of looks like their team’s star player?

Pro sports teams know this all too well, or they wouldn’t do it. Suddenly, a game that may have not drawn a sellout crowd does – all because of a special hat, shirt, or whatever the Flyers decide to put Gritty on this year. 

Since today is the start of the 2023-24 season, now is a good time to see what free goodies NHL teams have lined up for ticket-buying fans this year. Twenty-two out of 32 teams are planning at least one giveaway. 

Bobbleheads seem to be the most-popular item, with 12 teams planning on giving out at least one, and 39 different bobblehead figures being given away across the league. The Kings have five bobblehead giveaways planned, including a unique Dia De Los Muertos Goalie Bobblehead figure. The Red Wings, Canadiens, Kraken, and Blues are all giving out four bobbleheads during the season. The Blue Jackets are giving out three bobbleheads this year, including a special Bob Ross bobblehead limited to just the first 500 fans who buy a special ticket package. 

However, the Blues may have out-bobbled the competition this year with two of their planned releases: a bobblehead of Jordan Binnington on a motorcycle…

Binny on a bike!

…AND a Jordan Kyrou figure dressed as The Mandalorian – complete with removable helmet.

But a Mandalorian NEVER removes their helmet in the presence of others. 

Now, THIS is the way! 

The giveaway, that is. 

In fact, Star Wars themed nights seems to be the way that NHL teams are trending this year, as nine teams are giving away some sort of Star Wars trinket to help sell tickets:

      • Carolina Hurricanes – Star Wars-themed item (TBA)
      • Columbus Blue Jackets – Star Wars-themed jersey
      • Florida Panthers – Star Wars Shirt
      • Los Angeles Kings – Star Wars Retro Tin Lunchbox
      • Nashville Predators – Star Wars Predators Jersey
      • New York Islanders – Star Wars Bucket Hat
      • Ottawa Senators – Star Wars Senators Puzzle
      • Philadelphia Flyers – Star Wars Poster
      • St. Louis Blues – Star Wars Jordan Kyrou Mandalorian Bobblehead

Other interesting, non-Star Wars items that teams are giving out this year include an Arizona Coyotes Kachina Trucker Mullet Hat, a Columbus Blue Jackets Nesting Doll Set, a Detroit Red Wings Gravy Boat, Philadelphia Flyers Gritty Earmuffs, a Pittsburgh Penguins Trapper Hat, and a Washington Capitals Sonny Milano “Chia Head.”

Below is a list of the best promotional items that NHL teams will be giving away during the 2023-24 season. 

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Clemente’s Corner: Five New Hockey Card Sets to Collect This Fall

Fall brings with it two things. The start of a new NHL season and a bunch of hockey card releases.

There’s nothing like ripping packs while watching games. Those looking to scratch that rip itch have lots of releases to look forward to between now and the end of the calendar year. 

Here are five releases (with release dates) to watch for over the next three months:  

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Clemente’s Corner: The Legacy of Jack Adams

Here’s a quiz question that could stump even the biggest hockey fan: Name the only person in history to win the Stanley Cup as a player, manager and general manager? 

Stumped? The answer is Jack Adams. 

If that name is familiar it’s because Adams has a trophy named after him: the Jack Adams Award. It is given each year to the coach who has “contributed the most to his team’s success.” 

Who was Adams?

Why does he still matter?

Should collectors even consider chasing his cards?

These are the questions I was searching the answers for when I read recently that Adams’ rookie card had turned 100 years old.  

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