Hockey cards, collectibles and culture
Marian Hossa will make his debut as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks tonight, as the ‘Hawks take on the Sharks at 9:30 pm CST.
The Blackhawks are 15-5-2 so far this year, and have won their past 7 games. If you think the ‘Hawks are tough…well, now they got Hossa. Western Conference teams, be afraid. Be very afraid.
What’s with Balon’s bug-eyed expression? He kind of looks like that big-headed alien you see during the end credits of the original “Star Trek” TV show.
Believe it or not, this alien’s name is Balok. That’s way too close to “Balon” to be a mere coincidence. If Gene Roddenberry was alive today, he would totally admit that his inspiration for that alien character was this card of David Balon.
This is my 16th card in my 1963-64 Parkhurst set.
Note: I was not on “The War Room” this week, but will be back on their show next Wednesday.
Or, perhaps more accurately I should state that I completed the 100-card base set of 2008-09 Artifacts Hockey.
Many of the cards from this set I got in a mega-lot I purchased back in March. A good number were also “donated” by Brandon of Cardboard Hockey, Etc.. The rest I picked up in trades here and there, including the last three I acquired this week: Dominik Hasek, Alexander Steen and Jonathan Toews.
This card of William Lawrence (Bill) Hicke cost me $2.97, including shipping. This is the 15th card in my Parkhurst set. Only 84 more cards to go…
OK, this card has a slight crease, but for $2.49 shipped I feel that I got a great deal. I mean, in ten years from now, I’ll probably have a few “slight creases” of my own. Reaume is the 14th card for this set. Is it too soon to start looking ahead to card 20?
Yesterday was Halloween, and today is the 50th anniversary of when Jacques Plante first wore a goalie mask in a game–November 1, 1959.
What is ironic about these two days being back-to-back is that the classic, “Jason-style” goalie mask will forever be associated with Halloween (the holiday, not the movie).
Yet, the very same classic goalie mask still “means” hockey–even though it was last used in the NHL 20 years ago. Most goalies started to change over to helmets during the early-to-mid 1980s, after Bernie Parent sustained a career-ending eye-injury in 1979.
Though no longer used in hockey, the classic goalie mask continues to be a symbol of Halloween. Worn by Jason Vorhees in the “Friday the 13th” series of movies, the plain white goalie mask remains a staple for people who don’t want to put a lot of thought into dressing up once a year–never mind the fact that those films, like the mask itself, have not been relevant since the 1980s.
Get some black clothes, a $5 toy mask and a machete (prop or otherwise) and you’ve got the lazy man’s Halloween costume. 97 out of 100 people will get it (the other 3 will think you’re a zombie Pelle Lindbergh).
Fitting to both Halloween and the anniversary of the goalie mask, the Chicago Blackhawks gave out a Halloween-inspired mask to fans who attended their game on October 30. I think Wayne and Garth would approve.
No, not that Wayne and Garth.
“Game on!”
By the way, here’s a cool article about one of the last goalies to go without a mask.
Card 13 in my Parkhurst set. That’s…13%! A lucky 13%. Harris is the third Maple Leaf card that I’ve added in my slow march to a complete ’63-64 Parkhurst set.
Another Friday, another Parkhurst card. Claude Provost here is my 12th card in my slowly-growing ’63-64 Parkhurst set. Sure, we all dig the flags seen on the backgrounds of the Toronto and Detroit cards, but there’s something so cool about the horizontal stripes on the Montreal cards. This one is particularly striking because the green and yellow stripes contrast so sharply with the red and blue of Provost’s uniform.
The Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League (AHL) have signed Chris Chelios today. He will make his debut with the team on Friday. The full story can be seen on the Chicago Wolves’ website.
As many of you know, Chelios is my favorite player. Way back when he was with the Montreal Canadiens, I enjoyed his rough-and-tumble style of play. When he became a Chicago Blackhawks player in 1990, he also became my favorite player. He was our top defenseman on the team, but also contributed a lot of offense. In fact, he led the team in scoring during the 1995-96 season.
Virtually all of the players I grew up watching have retired–but not Chelios. He kept soldiering on over all these years. My joke all along has been that I will still be a kid until Chelios retires. And it looks like Chelios will stave off retirement a little while longer.
Above is Chris Chelios’ rookie card, from the 1984-85 season. Below is a custom card I made of Chelios–based on the ’84-85 design–but wearing a Chicago Wolves uniform (well, practice jersey anyway).
Jena-Guy Talbot was featured on two cards in the 1963-64 Parkhurst set, and I now have both. This is my eleventh card, bringing me up to…11% of a complete set. A slow march. Snails pace, sure, but I am trying to build this set on a shoestring budget. After all, collecting is a waiting game.