News & Views

Puck Junk’s Top Podcasts of 2024

With the first Puck Junk Podcast episode for 2025 just a few days away, I thought now would be a good time to look back and see how the Podcast did in 2024. 

During the 2024 calendar year, we released 34 episodes. Topics ranged from reviews of new hockey card releases, “setrospectives” of older hockey card sets, interviews with players and insiders, and recaps of major conventions such as the National and the Toronto Sport Card Expo. We really “ran the gambit” of topics, as Tim would say. 

We had listeners from all over the world tune into our show in 2024. About 53% of our audience hails from the United States, while 38% are from Canada. Rounding out the top three is Germany, which accounts for 2% of our audience. We also have listeners from Finland, China, Singapore, Sweden, Australia, Norway and France. (This might be the only time that China ranks higher than Sweden in anything related to hockey.)

For what it’s worth, most of our listeners get our show from Apple Podcasts, followed by Spotify. 

Below are the five most listened to episodes of the Puck Junk Podcast that were released in 2024. If you are a new listener, or you missed some of these episodes, give these a listen to tide you over until our next episode comes out at the end of the week. 

Continue reading “Puck Junk’s Top Podcasts of 2024”

The Case of the Resold OPC Case

Just imagine owning an O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky rookie card, pack fresh and with four sharp corners. Now imagine owning 24 of them.

For one recent auction winner, that dream could become a reality. On December 5, Heritage Auctions sold a full case of 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee hockey cards for $2.52 million USD. A case has 16 boxes. A box has 48 packs. Each pack has 14 cards. If the entire case is opened, it could have anywhere from 24 to 28 Gretzky rookie cards inside. 

Continue reading “The Case of the Resold OPC Case”

Clemente’s Corner: Talking Hockey Cards with ChatGPT

There’s so much talk about artificial intelligence these days. In fact, AI is all the rage. Some of you use it; many of us fear it.

I had a thought recently: What does ChatGPT think about the sports card hobby and could collectors learn anything from it? 

The following is a conversation with ChatGPT about the hockey card hobby and what we should know as we enter a new year.

Continue reading “Clemente’s Corner: Talking Hockey Cards with ChatGPT”

Clemente’s Corner: Oddball Collectibles Highlight the Fall 2024 Toronto Expo

The National Sports Collectors Convention may be the show everyone wants to attend each summer, but the Toronto Sport Card Expo is the show I need to fly to each fall.

The four-day show, which concluded this past weekend, is Canada’s biggest card and memorabilia show – and one that I have made a point to attend each November.

Held twice a year (there is also a spring edition), this fall’s get-together was packed with collectors and featured sports cards and memorabilia from the past and present. The show, however, is known for its hockey cards.

While I did buy cards for my collection, I also spent hours looking through bins rummaging for oddball hockey collectables that are the norm at Canadian shows.  

Here are some cool items I saw at the show (all dating back to the 1990s) and their backstory: Continue reading “Clemente’s Corner: Oddball Collectibles Highlight the Fall 2024 Toronto Expo”

Clemente’s Corner: Celebrini The Real Teal In Sharks Rebuild Year

“Do You Know the Way to San Jose” remains a popular song. It’s catchy. It has a good beat. I has endured the test of time. First released in 1968 by singer Dionne Warwick, it also remains an homage to the California city. 

Fast forward 56 years and Macklin Celebrini did find his way to San Jose. The No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NHL Entry Draft, Celebrini is also hoping to endure the test of time by having a very strong first pro season. 

Like the song, the 18-year-old center in a Sharks uniform also marks a homecoming of sorts. In fact, the Vancouver native is no stranger to San Jose. As a child, he moved to California and played for the San Jose Junior Sharks AAA team. As a member of the U14 team, Celebrini featured in 54 games and amassed an astonishing 49 goals and 45 assists for 94 points.

In addition, Celebrini – nicknamed “The Cheetah” because of his speed – has added hype to card collecting this season. All No. 1 picks typically do. How he will do in the coming weeks and months will have a huge impact on his rookie card values. For starters, he had a goal and an assist in his first game at SAP Center, a 4-2 preseason loss on Sept. 22 to the Vegas Golden Knights.

In the hopes that Celebrini will be a favorite among collectors, Upper Deck signed Celebrini to an exclusive autograph deal back in July.

“We’re committed to bringing fans even closer to their favorite NHL players, and the addition of Celebrini reflects our dedication to showcasing both seasoned legends and emerging stars,” said Upper Deck President Jason Masherah. “We’re proud to represent him at such an exciting time in his career and look forward to capturing his success on the ice once he makes his NHL debut.”

I caught up with Celebrini at last month’s NHLPA Rookie Showcase, organized in conjunction with Upper Deck, in Arlington, Va. During his appearance there, Celebrini took the time to discuss the upcoming NHL season, playing alongside a former rival and his favorite hockey card ever.  

Continue reading “Clemente’s Corner: Celebrini The Real Teal In Sharks Rebuild Year”

Clemente’s Corner: Josh Doan Takes Father-Son Legacy to Utah

Josh Doan

If the name Josh Doan sounds familiar it’s because you may remember his father, Shane.

The elder Doan spent his entire 21-year NHL career with the Arizona Coyotes franchise, beginning with the original Winnipeg Jets in 1995 before playing in Phoenix for two decades. He was the last remaining player active in the NHL from the original Jets before he announced his retirement in 2017.

Last season, his son Josh made his debut for Arizona. But his Coyotes career only lasted 11 games. The franchise relocated to Salt Lake City over the summer, where they will be known as the Utah Hockey Club this coming season.

Doan got the chance to put on the new Utah jersey for the very first time this Wednesday when he attended the NHLPA Rookie Showcase in Arlington, Va. The annual event – held in cooperation with Upper Deck – allows the card company to take photos and collect autographs of the 35 rookies in attendance to be used in future releases.

Doan, sporting the new Utah jersey for the very first time, talked about the coming season, what it’s like to be on a new team and what cards he liked to collect as a child. 

Continue reading “Clemente’s Corner: Josh Doan Takes Father-Son Legacy to Utah”

Interlocking Card Frames Make a Great Wall Display

You put a lot of time, passion, and money into your collection. So, it is only natural that you would want to display your best cards – either graded or ungraded – on your wall. BCW Interlocking Card Frames are a great way to display your cardboard treasures for the world to see. They are versatile, easy to hang, fit together nicely, and add a touch of class to your display. Read the rest of the story at the BCW Supplies Blog.

The 2024-25 Collecting Season Starts Today

Launch of MVP Signals Start of New Collecting Year

Happy New Collecting Year!

Today, Upper Deck released its 2024-25 MVP Hockey card set. In recent history, MVP is always the first hockey set released for the season – meaning that the 2024-25 hockey collecting season has officially begun.

Like previous years’ MVP sets, the 2024-25 MVP Hockey set consists of 200 base cards and 50 short prints. The 50 short prints are either of rookies who made their debuts late during the previous season – a.k.a. “Leftover Rookies,” as I like to call them – or of star NHL players.

Of course, there are parallels and inserts galore, as well as the chance of pulling a redemption card that can be exchanged for a “Number One Draft Pick” card of Sharks’ rookie Macklin Celebrini.

With the start of hockey season still over six weeks away, it does seem a bit premature to release cards for the new season. I mean, some of us are still trying to complete several sets from the 2023-24 season.

Continue reading “The 2024-25 Collecting Season Starts Today”

Clemente’s Corner: Why Fanatics Fest Was Better for Hockey Fans Than the National

It’s been quite a busy summer for card and memorabilia collectors. Over the span of just a few weeks, both the National Sports Collectors Convention and Fanatics Fest NYC took place in Cleveland and New York, respectively.

Many of you went to one of these big shows. Some may have even gone to both. I was among that group who walked thousands of steps in an effort to compare the two shows and figure out which one was better.  

So, which one was the better show?

The answer depends largely on what you were looking for. The National is a card and memorabilia show with autograph signers. Fanatics Fest was sold as the first-ever “immersive sports festival” that also had a card show as a part of it. They, too, had signers, but it was much bigger and the production value high enough to make it a first-class event.

Here are three reasons why Fanatics Fest NYC was better than this year’s National when it comes to hockey fans and collectors:

Continue reading “Clemente’s Corner: Why Fanatics Fest Was Better for Hockey Fans Than the National”

Tim’s Take: Hobby Re-Packs in a Post-Pandemic Society

As Marvin Gaye once pined, “Life Is a Gamble.”

If you know that obscure song (more of an ambiance piece) from the Trouble Man soundtrack, kudos to you and your good taste in music.

But it’s true. Life IS a gamble. The phenomenon of re-pack products for trading cards has pushed its way to the forefront of the hobby over the last few years and surely tests that cliche.

If you want my personal, honest opinion on these right off the top, well, “JUST DON’T!”

There, done, article over.

But what’s the fun in that?

Continue reading “Tim’s Take: Hobby Re-Packs in a Post-Pandemic Society”