2013 ITG Draft Prospects Box Break

Coming out tomorrow (June 20) is the 2013 Draft Prospects set, produced by In The Game Trading Cards. The set focuses on junior league prospects eligible for the NHL Entry Draft later this summer.

But just like the Heroes and Prospects sets of years past, there are also cards of current and former NHLers — here categorized as “First Round Picks” or “Draft Surprises.” There are also cards of “Future Draft Prospects” who are new to junior hockey and may one day be drafted by an NHL team.

A box costs around $90 and contains 12 cards, including seven base cards, three autographs and two game-used jersey cards.

Here’s what I got in the box I opened: Continue reading “2013 ITG Draft Prospects Box Break”

Magazine Mentions for June 2013

Just a quick heads-up about a few magazine articles I have coming out this month. First up is One and Done, published in Beckett Hockey issue #250. (June 2013, on sale now). The three-page article discusses five hockey card sets from the 1990s — both awesome and awful — that lasted only one year, never to be seen again. And yes, that is a card of Mister Rogers in the picture above, because I freakin’ LOVED the 1991-92 Pro Set Platinum set, Celebrity Captains and all.

Also hitting newsstands this month is the July 2013 issue of The Hockey News. On page 42, you will find short “In the Cards” reviews of three 2012-13 hockey sets. Blink, and you might miss them.

Currently, I’m working on a few articles for Puck Junk (I know, right?), as well as the next two stories for The Hockey Noob. And look for new content each day this month on Sal’s Hockey Autographs.

A new hobby — and a new blog!

This summer, I am going to learn how to play hockey.

I am going to blog about it too.

I’d like to introduce my third hockey blog, entitled The Hockey Noob, where I discuss what it is like to be an adult learning how to play hockey. I will also talk, from a beginner’s point of view, about equipment and training, and share advice I get from experts.

This blog is a part of the Chicago Now blog network, which is owned by The Chicago Tribune.

For those of you who thought about playing hockey, but did not know where to start — this is the blog for you.

Regardless of your past hockey experience, though, please check out my first post on The Hockey Noob, and please leave a Facebook comment at the bottom.

And if you are feeling especially generous, please “Like” The Hockey Noob Facebook page.

Blackhawks & Red Wings: Rivals No More

The only thing certain in the NHL is change

Game Seven last month between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings marked the last time these teams will face each other in a Western Conference playoff series.

Next year, the NHL will realign its conference structure, doing away with six divisions in favor of four larger divisions. As a result, the Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets will move to the Eastern Conference. It will be the first time since 1980-81 that the Blackhawks and Red Wings will not be divisional rivals. Continue reading “Blackhawks & Red Wings: Rivals No More”

2013 Stanley Cup Finals Prediction

It seems every time I am pursing some sort of academic degree and am too busy to fully enjoy the playoffs, the Chicago Blackhawks make it to the Stanley Cup Finals. That was the case in 2010 and that is the case now.

Fortunately, school’s out…for…summer. So, I’m gonna blog my blog all day, and watch hockey every (other) night.

My plan was to write some long, drawn out, stats-laden comparison between the Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins.

Instead, I decided to sum it up in five short paragraphs.

Here is how the Blackhawks can win: The ‘Hawks need to capitalize on mistakes made by the Bruins. Chicago takes advantage of quick transitions, going from defense to offense in the blink of an eye. They also need team scoring from all their top guys: Patrick Kane, Jonathan Towes, Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa.

Blackhawks player to watch: Bryan Bickell surprisingly leads the team with eight goals in the playoffs.

Here is how the Bruins can win: While the Blackhawks have a few tough players, the Bruins are “team tough” and need to intimidate the Blackhawks. Hit them hard and don’t give guys like Patrick Kane much room on the ice. Goalie Tuukka Rask needs to continue his outstanding play, as these games will probably be decided by one goal, and their defense needs to continue to help pinch in on offense.

Bruins player to watch: David Krecji leads the Bruins with 21 points (9G, 12A)

Prediction: Every game will be close and hard-fought. Both teams deserve to be where they are, so don’t expect any lopsided blow-outs. Home ice will definitely be an advantage for each team, but the Blackhawks will win in 7 games.

Of course, I’m sure at least two bloggers will disagree with my prediction. Feel free to sound off and let me know what you think.

I’m (almost) back

Just a quick note for those who still look at this site now and then. I haven’t abandoned this blog, but I’ve just been super busy the past two months, working on my second Masters Degree (I know, quite the boring academic).

Apologies for slacking off and generally being uninvolved in the card-collecting blogosphere.

But I’ll be back with some new quality content later this week--both here on Puck Junk and at Sal’s Hockey Autographs.

Plus, I’ll be launching an all-new project at the start of next week. Stay tuned.

Thank you for your patience.

A Trio of Tony-O

A little while back, I went to a card show and bought some vintage hockey cards. Three of them were early O-Pee-Chee cards of one of the best Chicago Blackhawks ever, Tony Esposito–aka “Tony-O.”

I never saw Tony-O play. He was my Aunt’s favorite player back in the 1970s. When I got into hockey, she loaned me her Tony Esposito Blackhawks jersey. So, Esposito was a personal favorite of mine. At age 15, I saved up enough money to buy a Tony Esposito rookie card.

And now, over two decades later, I finally picked up the next few cards from the Hall of Fame netminder’s career. Continue reading “A Trio of Tony-O”

2012-13 SP Game Used Box Break

It’s easy to figure out why someone would want to buy a box of SP Game Used Hockey by Upper Deck. Each and every pack in the box includes a card containing a game-used memorabilia card. A 5-pack box costs around $150, meaning that each 5-card pack costs $30. That heightens the expectations for getting great memorabilia cards instead of the lower-end memorabilia cards prevalent in Upper Deck’s more inexpensive sets.

Five packs is not a lot to play with, so this was one of the quickest boxes I ever opened. Continue reading “2012-13 SP Game Used Box Break”

A Great Week for Hockey

I’ve been busier than usual lately. Just finished writing a 10-page paper for a research methods class. Anyway, here are a few updates that you may find interesting:

My ’94-95 Lockout Article in Beckett Hockey #249

I have a 2-page article in the May 2013 issue of Beckett Hockey (#249). It is entitled A Hobby-Changing Experience, and is about the 1994-95 NHL Lockout and the long-term effects it had on the hockey card industry. A few sets got cancelled, a few new innovative ideas were tested–and there was even a lawsuit between two companies! Check out the issue–on sale now–for all of the interesting details.

Also making this a GREAT week for hockey…

The Norgeeks are Number One!

For the first time ever, I won a fantasy sports league. The Norgeeks (my team) won this year’s annual Just A Bit Offside fantasy hockey pool. Two years ago (as Team Puck Junk), I finished 4th, while last season I finished 2nd. Talk about progress.

Really, the guy who saved my season was Ray Emery. I picked up the Blackhawks backup goalie as a free agent, and he went 17-1-0 this year. That really helped, since Jonathan Quick and Braden Holtby performed horribly until the latter half of the season.

Unfortunately, Emery was injured for the last few games of the season. But that brings up my last piece of good news:

Carter Hutton Makes His NHL Debut

Who is Carter Hutton, you ask? He is the Blackhawks’ top minor league goalie. And after 4 seasons of working hard in the minors, he finally got a chance to play in an NHL game. This is the first time I really pulled for a player to get a shot in the big leagues.

Hutton appeared as a backup for the Philadelphia Flyers in 2009-10, the San Jose Sharks in 2010-11 and the Chicago Blackhawks in 2011-12. But he never actually stepped on the ice in any of those games, so while he has a few rookie cards in 2010-11 card sets, he never actually played in an NHL game. Until this past Saturday.

After 4 seasons of getting so very close, Hutton finally got his shot. He made 25 saves in a 3-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues. The Blues, vying for better playoff position, fielded their regular lineup, while the ‘Hawks rested many of their regulars and gave numerous other IceHogs players a chance to play. So, the game was kind of one-sided from the get-go, but Hutton did well enough that I think Coach Joel Quenneville might give him a shot next year in training camp.

So far, a great week.I had an article published, won first place in my fantasy hockey league and a minor league player I like got a chance to play in the NHL. And it’s only Tuesday. What other good hockey-related things might happen this week?

2012-13 Panini Limited Box Break

Panini Limited gets its name, I assume, from the fact that every card is serial numbered. The base, parallels, inserts, jerseys and autographed cards all proudly display a serial number on the front of the card. A box of 2012-13 Panini Limited costs around $80 and contains 7 cards. Three of them are either jersey or memorabilia cards. I recently opened up a box–here’s what I got: Continue reading “2012-13 Panini Limited Box Break”