Steve Galvao is a good old Canadian kid who grew up loving hockey and collecting hockey cards. To see more of Steve’s work, visit his website, the Shoebox Collection. You can view his earlier blog posts here. ■
News & Views
Card ‘Toons: At the All-Star Break…
Steve Galvao is a good old Canadian kid who grew up loving hockey and collecting hockey cards. To see more of Steve’s work, visit his website, the Shoebox Collection. You can see his earlier blog posts here.
Card ‘Toons: Sour Grapes
Steve Galvao is a good old Canadian kid who grew up loving hockey and collecting hockey cards. To see more of Steve’s work, visit his website, the Shoebox Collection. You can see his earlier blog posts here.
Best of the Worst: 2014-15 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey
Upper Deck, unarguably, hands down, without a doubt, has the BEST picture for their Series 1 and 2 sets over any other card company. I always look forward to buying a hobby box or two when they come out just for the photograph and candid shots they somehow get. Seriously, I marvel at the angles and wonder how many pictures are shot and how many must end up on the cutting room floor/recycling bin of the computer.
So I was super excited to get my hands on this new box that came out! And while there were some great ones there….I noticed a lot of stinkers too! From the box I bought here’s my list of my Top Ten Best of the Worst: Continue reading “Best of the Worst: 2014-15 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey”
What’s That Song in the 2015 NHL All-Star Game Commercial?
If you live in the U.S., chances are you’ve seen the above commercial for the upcoming NHL All-Star Game — probably ten times an hour when watching your favorite team on TV. Visually, it’s a pretty cool commercial, with elite NHL players as celestial bodies in the sky, playing hockey among the stars. But if that tune playing in the ad has started to grow on you after hearing it for the 40th time, you’re probably asking, hey, what’s that generic-sounding alt-rock noise in the background?
Well, I’m glad you asked. Continue reading “What’s That Song in the 2015 NHL All-Star Game Commercial?”
Puck Junk’s Top 5 Articles of 2014
First off, I would like to thank everyone who visits this blog, reads my stuff, trades cards with me, and generally enjoys talking hockey. 2014 was a good year for Puck Junk, with many new readers visiting and commenting on this site. So, I’ve taken a look to determine what were Puck Junk’s top five articles in 2014. There’s proof in numbers, so if you missed one of these the first time around, give it a read; you’ll probably like it. Continue reading “Puck Junk’s Top 5 Articles of 2014”
Top 10 Hockey Card News Stories of 2014
2014 was an eventful year for the hockey card industry. So much went down in our humble little hobby, which is always overshadowed by baseball card collecting, that it felt like the 1990s again. There were exclusive deals, company mergers, rookies galore and even a book about hockey cards. Here is a rundown of the ten biggest hockey card news stories for the year. Continue reading “Top 10 Hockey Card News Stories of 2014”
2015 IIHF World Junior Championship Schedule and Results
All times are Eastern Standard Time (EST).
Games televised in Canada on TSN.
Games televised in the U.S. on the NHL Network. Continue reading “2015 IIHF World Junior Championship Schedule and Results”
An Interview with Goalie Scott Darling of the Chicago Blackhawks
Goaltender Scott Darling has been the surprise story for the Chicago Blackhawks this season. In two call-ups from the AHL this year, he has posted a 5-2 record and a 1.97 goals allowed average. A far cry from 2010, when Darling was near the bottom of the pro hockey landscape. Off-ice troubles led to him to leave the University of Maine after two seasons. And despite being drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes in 2007, he did not make their team.
But in 2011, Darling made a conscious choice to turn his life around. He stopped drinking alcohol, lost weight and worked diligently with his goaltending coach, Brian Daccord. Darling quickly moved up the pro hockey ranks, playing a second season in the Southern Professional Hockey League, then progressing to the ECHL and last year to the AHL with the Milwaukee Admirals. The Blackhawks noticed Darling’s play in Milwaukee, and signed him to a two-way contract over the summer. He is currently the number one goalie for the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs.
Born in Newport News, Virginia, Darling “moved around a ton until second grade,” living in Washington state and Alabama before his family finally settled in the Chicago suburb of Lemont. He followed the Blackhawks avidly during his youth. Now, he’s played seven games for them, and is likely to play more before the season is through. I recently spoke with Darling about his ascent to the NHL, being teammates with Gustav Nyquist in college, his appearance on “Road to the Winter Classic,” and getting into a goalie fight.
Sal Barry: What were your earliest hockey memories?
Scott Darling: When I lived just outside of Tacoma, Washington, my dad played goalie. I used to go watch him play in a men’s league. We also went to Tacoma Rockets games. We were season ticket holders. I was probably in…gosh..I don’t even know if I was in kindergarten yet. I used to go to every game. Those were probably my earliest hockey memories, going to the Rockets games and watching my dad play in a men’s league.
Continue reading “An Interview with Goalie Scott Darling of the Chicago Blackhawks”
Franken-Cards
JERSEY CARDS! Love ‘em or Hate ‘em, you’re bound to come across them if you spend any appreciable time (and money) opening packs. Sometimes you luck out and score the star player of your favorite team! YAY! And sometimes you pull some dude you don’t know on a team you dislike. BOO! But hang on to him anyways, because you never know when Nathan Gerbe will get picked up by the Carolina Hurricanes.
Then there are the jersey cards that make you scratch you head when the swatch of jersey does not match the picture on the card. Like, not even close. Continue reading “Franken-Cards”