Book Review: Black Ice: The Val James Story

black_ice_coverIn the opening pages of “Black Ice,” a 12-year old Valmore James is teaching himself to ice skate after-hours in a darkened hockey arena. Meanwhile, his pet dog is making a game of emerging from the shadows, knocking James to the ice, and running away. James believes that if he could learn to skate while dodging a charging Doberman, he would be able to avoid getting hit when playing hockey.

But during his career, it was other hockey players who would try to avoid getting hit by James. In his autobiography, “Black Ice: The Val James Story,” we follow James, as he makes the unlikely journey as a young man, transplanted from Florida to New York, who learns how to play hockey as a teenager and becomes the first African American to skate in the NHL. We also learn about the endless racially-charged hatred that he had to endure because of the color of his skin. Continue reading “Book Review: Black Ice: The Val James Story”

Puck Junk Podcast: 1989-90 Topps / O-Pee-Chee & 2014-15 OPC Platinum Hockey Cards

Episode #1: May 12, 2015

This is the first in what will hopefully become a regular podcast series on this website, hosted by Sal Barry and Tim Parish. For those who don’t know, Tim maintains a sports card blog called The Real DFG and hangs out on Twitter @TheRealDFG.

Today, Sal and Tim talk about:

      • The Chicago Blackhawks sweep of the Minnesota Wild.
      • The new 2014-15 O-Pee-Chee Platinum Hockey set.
      • The 1989-90 Topps and O-Pee-Chee Hockey sets
      • How Pittsburgh was a big hockey town in the 1980s — and Chicago wasn’t.

Total running time is 28:17. Scroll down to see some card images. 

Question #1: If you listened to the podcast, what did you think? Positive or negative feedback is welcome, but please keep it constructive.

Question #2: What is your opinion on any of the topics we discussed?

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Podcast Intro and ending music credits:

“RetroFuture Clean” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Chris Chelios Ultimate Journey Card

2014-15 In The Game Ultimate Memorabilia #UJ-2 – Chris Chelios
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This Chris Chelios “Ultimate Journey” jersey card card is an enigma. It has two swatches of jerseys worn by my favorite player of all time. The left side of the card shows him with the Chicago Blackhawks; the right side, with the Detroit Red Wings.

As a lifelong Blackhawks fan, you can see why I have some problems with this card. Continue reading “Chris Chelios Ultimate Journey Card”

Buying Cards in the 1990s, Memory #1: The Suburban Convenience Store

During the sports card boom in the 1990s, you could find hockey cards almost anywhere in Chicago and the suburbs. I went to a lot of card shops back then; there were more of them 20 years ago. But what stands out two decades later is when I found hockey cards off the beaten path.This is one such story. Continue reading “Buying Cards in the 1990s, Memory #1: The Suburban Convenience Store”

1963-64 Cleveland Barons Team Photo

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The 1963-64 Cleveland Barons Hockey Team. Click to view larger.

If you gaze at a minor league team photo long enough, you won’t see a sailboat, but you will probably find a few guys who went on to play in the NHL. It’s like watching a Burger King commercial from ten years ago starring your favorite television actor before they were famous. Only in this case, it’s a hockey player who was riding buses to far-flung midsize American towns, such as Cleveland.

Continue reading “1963-64 Cleveland Barons Team Photo”

Book Review: Chill Factor

chill_factor_coverSo many stories about minor league hockey are of sad-sack franchises — the teams that can’t pay their players on time, have little support from the community, and end up folding or relocating in a few years. This is not one of those stories, because the Columbus Chill were not one of those teams. “Chill Factor: How a Minor-League Hockey Team Changed a City Forever” recounts the history of the Columbus Chill, one of the most successful minor-pro teams in hockey.

Just how successful was this team? The franchise got to go out on their own terms, turn a tidy profit and help build the city of Columbus into a serious contender for — and eventual winner of — an NHL franchise. Like any good story, there were setbacks along the way, but for once, the little guy comes out on top.

Continue reading “Book Review: Chill Factor”