Dog vs. Cards…and another OPC break

About a week ago, I went to my local Target and purchased 4 O-Pee-Chee “Fat Boxes” and 1 Fat Pack. I did not have time to open them–I haven’t had much time to do anything fun lately–so there they sat, on the floor of my hockey room, in the Target shopping bag, minding their own business.

Then the other day, Gomez the Basset Hound decided that he wanted to rip some wax–and not the way most collectors do.

Keep in mind the following:

The bag had no food in it–only hockey cards.
The bag had been sitting on the floor all week–in plain sight and within reach.
As far as dogs go, Basset Hounds have the second-best sense of smell–second only to the Bloodhound and 800 times stronger than a human’s sense of smell.

So the dumb dog should have sniffed the bag and went about his business. But noooo--he had to bite the box open, just to make sure that there was no candy or gum or anything edible inside it.

The result…

The good news is that the cards rest in the bottom of the box, and Gomez tore into the top. None of the cards were harmed. Which brings us to this box break:

39 base card
No surprises here, as most of the cards in this box are going to be base cards.This mid-range photo of Patrick Kane was one of the best of the 39 base cards.

1 Marquee Rookie
Like my first “Fat Box,” this one also had a Marquee Rookie. Brenden Dillon is a defenseman who played 1 game for the Dallas Stars last year.

1 Sticker
It appears that every Fat Box will have 1 Marquee Rookie and 1 sticker. But the reason why I bought this was the next card, which you can only get in these boxes:

1 Marquee Legends Gold Card
What the…? I already got a Patrick Roy Marquee Legends Gold card in my first box. There are 10 different cards, and now I got 2 of the same one. I was hoping, you know, to get one I didn’t already have. I’m debating if I am going to chase this Gold insert set.

***
NOTE: I am definitely building this set. Cash flow has returned, and I plan on picking up a few hobby boxes in the next week. I will them post my Want List and Trade list for 2012-13 O-Pee-Chee.

***
NOTE: If you come across the October 29 issue of The Hockey News, I have another “In the Cards” article published on page 11.

Card of the Week: Hard Head

1958-59 Topps #43 – Charlie Burns

Paging through a binder of old hockey cards, this one of Charlie Burns–donning a helmet–sticks out like a sore thumb. Of course, he must have really stood out on the ice during his rookie season of 1958-59. Back then, Burns was the only NHL player to wear a helmet.

Burns sustained a head injury while playing junior hockey, resulting in a fractured skull. Surgery was performed and a metal plate was inserted into his head. From that point forward, Burns wore a helmet in games and in practices until he retired in 1974.

The backside of the card notes both his injury and his status as the league’s only helmeted player. The biography paragraph mentions that “he’s in comeback after severe skull injury.”

The cartoon, though, is ridiculous–and perhaps a bit insulting–as it shows a helmet-wearing player ramming another player in the midsection. Burns was not a reckless player, so the cartoonist was going for a cheap laugh. Mind you, this was during a time when even goalies didn’t wear masks and anyone wearing a helmet was usually considered soft.

Burns didn’t seem to mind the helmet, though. The photo above is obviously a posed portrait, so he easily could have removed his headgear before smiling for the photographer. But he chose to leave it on. A few of his other early cards show him posing while wearing a helmet.

Burns enjoyed a 16-year professional career–including 11 seasons in the NHL–all while wearing a helmet. Although he probably wouldn’t have worn it if he didn’t need to, he was a trailblazer nonetheless. By the time he retired in 1974, other players were starting to follow Burns’ lead and take a greater interest in their own safety on the ice.

Quick next exclusive SportsPick figure

Jonathan Quick is finally getting some love from McFarlane Toys–and all he had to do was lead the league in shutouts, win the Stanley Cup AND be named the Final’s Most Valuable Player. In December, Quick will have an exclusive 6-inch SportsPick figure released in his likeness by McFarlane Toys. The figure will feature Quick in the “glove save” pose and will be in the Los Angeles Kings’ home uniform. It will come packaged with a mini Stanley Cup.

An exclusive figure of Quick is a great idea–but one that does not go far enough. Why not include a mini Conn Smythe Trophy as well? Or how about a net? Longtime collectors of NHL SportsPicks figures will remember back when the goalies actually included nets and a water bottle. Unfortunately, the nets (and bottle) no longer come with goalie figures.

Sure, including a Conn Smythe Trophy and net would undoubtedly raise the production costs of the figure, and thus the price. But most collectors would not mind paying a few dollars more for an exclusive figure that feels more like an exclusive and less like a repaint of a Marty Turco.

Jonathan Quick vs. Marty Turco — The goalie pads might be different, but the body of the upcoming Jonathan Quick figure (left) appears to be a repaint of an earlier figure like Marty Turco. That’s OK, but why not include a Conn Smythe Trophy and a net?

Collectors in the United States can purchase the Jonathan Quick figure through the Spawn Online Store. In Canada, the figure is exclusive to Grosnor Distribution. Additionally, fans in L.A. can get this figure in the Kings’ team store–assuming the season resumes by December. In the meantime, I will have to evict a less-worthy hockey figure off my bookshelf to make room for this one.

Photos courtesy of McFarlane Toys.

Puck Junk is 5 Today

October 5, 2007 was the day I officially launched PuckJunk.com.

That doesn’t seem too long ago. But I feel like I got a lot accomplished in 5 years, including a Masters Degree, a successful career change and maintaining this website (and that other hockey website I also do). So I guess 5 years was a while ago.

Screen shot from 2007 — My first-ever article for this site was a review of 2007-08 Victory Hockey.

Five years! None of my previous “hobby websites” have lasted that long. My fansite about The Matrix movies lasted about 4 years, though I didn’t update it in the last year. My G.I. Joe fansite only lasted maybe around 2 years. My Transformers website never got off the ground. But my hockey card and collectibles site–FIVE YEARS AND COUNTING.

And counting! That’s the great part. I still enjoy collecting hockey cards and I still enjoy writing about them.

Why? Because of the rest of the blogosphere. My other fansites were islands unto themselves, while Puck Junk is part of a community that enjoys hockey cards. Thanks to everyone who has traded cards with me, and thanks to everyone who’s listened to me prattle on about old cards, new cards, good cards, bad cards, rookie cards and lost cards.

Here’s to the next half-decade.

FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY GIVEAWAY CONTEST

To celebrate Puck Junk’s 5th Anniversary, I am giving away a sealed deck of Hockey Hall of Fame playing cards, which uses photos of some of the greatest all-time players.

If you would like to be entered in the drawing, just post a reply saying so by Sunday afternoon.. I will do a random drawing on Sunday night.

ALSO…
Happy Birthday to these guys!

Review: 2003-04 Topps Lost Rookies

What if Topps didn’t always play it safe?

What if Topp was not such a boring company when it came to hockey cards in the 1980s? While Topps made epic-sized, 792 card baseball sets that featured practically every player on a team, including bit players and first round draft picks before they even suited up for a game, their hockey sets were seriously lacking,

In that decade, Topps hockey sets were not much bigger than most non-sports sets, sometimes weighing in at a scant 165 cards. That is, if they even bothered to make a hockey set at all.

Those of us who started collecting hockey in the 1980s will remember when NHL players had to EARN a rookie card. While some exceptional players in the 1960s and 1970s got rookie cards during their rookie season–like Bobby Orr and Guy Lafleur–the 1980s were a different story. A player had to play a full season before they were granted cardboard. Even Mario Lemieux, who rewrote the record books in junior hockey and was drafted first overall, had to play in the NHL for a year before getting a card.

In 2003-04, Topps released an insert set called The Lost Rookies. Found 1 in every 12 packs of Topps Hockey, The Lost Rookies is a “what if” set that depicts 11 superstars on cards from their rookie year–such as Lemieux on a 1984-85 Topps card or Joe Sakic in the 1988-89 set. It is a very cool idea, and a great set for anyone who enjoyed hockey in the 1980s, 1990s or 2000s.

Continue reading “Review: 2003-04 Topps Lost Rookies”

Card of the Week: Of Stick Saves & Sausage Links

1994-95 Classic Milwaukee Admirals – The Fabulous Fritz

I recently purchased a team set of 1994-95 Milwaukee Admirals, made by Classic Games, when I unearthed this little unexpected gem: Fritz Usinger–a.k.a. “The Fabulous Fritz.” This was a card that totally caught me off guard when I first saw it. Who the heck is Fritz, and why is he so fabulous?

The front shows us a rosy-cheeked lawn gnome, wearing goalie equipment from the 1950s, strolling–not skating–by while catching a flying bratwurst with an open bun.

Suddenly, I’ve lost my appetite.

The Fabulous Fritz is a cartoon mascot used on the sign for Usinger’s Sausage Shop (picture here). Fritz Usinger is also the name of the business’s present owner. Usinger’s has been in business in Milwaukee since 1880. The sole purpose of this card was to make Milwaukee Admirals fans, circa 1994, aware of the sausage shop’s existence.

The back of the card tries to play up both Fritz’s love of making sausage and his supposed love for hockey. His height and weight are listed as “short” and “stocky” respectively, his favorite food as (surprise!) “Bratwurst,” while his Win-Loss total reads “It’s how you play the game that counts.”

1994-95 Classic Milwaukee Admirals – The Fabulous Fritz (back) — If you visit Usinger’s Retail Store, tell ’em Puck Junk sent you. Then be prepared for an awkward pause and/or stare.

I think we are all pretty used to advertisements on team-issued card sets, usually in the form of a sponsor logo somewhere on the card.

So, which do you prefer–a sponsor card like this one–potentially displacing a more relevant card–or a sponsor logo on every card in the set?

For me, a card like this is amusing for about 5 seconds. I’d rather have a card of the team’s mascot, secretary or PR guy.

Roenick appeared in “Go On” this week

Matthew Perry and Jeremy Roenick — Former NHL superstar Jeremy Roenick (right) made a guest appearance on the TV show “Go On” earlier this week. (NBC/Universal)

Jeremy Roenick, one of my favorite former Blackhawks’ players, had a small guest role on the new TV show “Go On” this past Tuesday. The sitcom is about a smug sports radio show host named Ryan King, played by Matthew Perry. However, King lost his wife and is attending group therapy sessions to cope. (Yes, this is a comedy.)

In this week’s episode, King is invited to play in Jeremy Roenick’s weekly pickup hockey game. I won’t tell you anything else about the episode because you might want to watch it online. However, I will spoil the best line:

“Yo, Roenick! Get back on ‘D,’ princess!”

As a longtime hockey fan, it is awesome to see a hockey player–one of my heroes, no less–appear on a TV show. Whenever an athlete guest stars on a show in the U.S., it is always a baseball, football or basketball player. Nice that hockey is finally starting to get its due here south of the border.

If you want to see the episode, you can watch it at NBC’s website.

Did anyone else see this week’s episode of “Go On?” What did you think of it and/or Roenick’s acting?

2011-12 Deutsche Eishockey Liga Pack Rip #1

My good buddy Phil has supported Puck Junk since I launched the site in 2007. He’s not really a hockey fan per se, but he was always willing to proofread my articles, and he’s always good for a game of NHL ’94 on the SNES. Phil has lived in Cologne, Germany for the past two years, and brought me some German Hockey Cards last time he visited Chicago.

These “playercards,” as they are called on the wrapper, are from the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL), which is the top-tier professional league in Germany. Each pack has 6 cards. You probably haven’t heard of most of these guys–but that’s OK, because I haven’t either.

#24 – Constantin Braun – Berlin Polar Bears
Braun is a defenseman and was a 6th round draft pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 2006.

#117 – Thomas Holzmann – Iserlohn Roosters
Holzmann seems to be a fringe player. A look at his stats on HockeyDB shows that he bounces between the DEL and the second-tier league in Germany.

#10 – Greg Moore – Augsburger Panther
Hey! A name I can pronounce! Greg Moore is an American who was drafted by the Calgary Flames in 2003. He played 10 games in the NHL–6 for the New York Rangers and 4 for the Columbus Blue Jackets–and spent most of his pro career in the American Hockey League. Last year was his first in the DEL, where he finished 4th in team scoring.

#146 – Danijel Kovacic – Krefeld Penguins
Danijel does not play a lot of games for the Krefeld Penguins–a team that uses an insane cartoon bird on their logo. The photo on the front shows some great action of Danijel about to trap the puck.

#115 – Jassen Cullimore- Iserlohn Roosters
I know this guy! I think we all remember Jassen Cullimore during his 15-plus seasons in the NHL. He played in 51 out of 52 games for the Iserlohn Roosters in the 2011-12 season, which was his first year in Europe.

#67 – Thomas Oppenheimer – Hamburg Freezers
Oppenheimer is currently in his 7th season in the DEL. You know…if they got rid of the advertisements, that Hamburg Freezers jersey would be totally awesome (and not just mostly awesome).

What I like about these cards
The design on the front is very clean, with the player name, number, position, team logo and league logo all nicely arranged at the bottom of the card. Since the players’ uniforms are so cluttered with ads, it was a wise move to design a card that is decidedly un-cluttered.

I also like the backs of the cards. You get a helmet-less photograph of the player, vitals and 5 lines of statistics. Such a nice, simple, effective use of space.

If Upper Deck Victory was designed as good as this set, I’d be a fan of Victory.

What I don’t like about these cards
The card number is very small and not very noticeable–it is buried in the lower right corner on the card back, if anyone is looking for it. Should I ever put a set of these together, it is gonna be murder sorting them out.

So, what do you think of these cards?

Card of the Week: Season On Ice

2005 Topps Chronicles #TC8 – On Ice

In 2005, Topps released a set of trading cards called The Topps Chronicles. Each week during the 2005 calendar year, you could buy an exclusive card directly from the Topps’ website for $4.75. The cards were printed on plastic and had a shiny chromium finish.

The Topps Chronicles wasn’t so much a sports/non-sports hybrid set as it was a set about current events. Each card would focus on an event deemed by Topps to be the biggest news of the previous week. Some cards featured entertainment or political news, while other cards were about sports. This card, entitled “On Ice,” discusses the cancellation of the 2004-05 NHL season.

The front of the card has a photo illustration of a chain and a lock–emblazoned with the NHL logo–obstructing our view of the ice at Madison Square Garden. Not the most subtle point, but perhaps better than a picture of Mario Lemieux and Steve Yzerman picketing in front of Maple Leaf Gardens.

The back shows a Chicago Blackhawks’ ticket sign and gives more information about what went down that fateful day in February 2005:

The 2004-05 NHL season became the first in any major American sport to go completely unplayed when Commissioner Gary Bettman cancelled it on February 16. Despite s aeries of last-ditch meetings and concessions on both sides, the NHL and its Players Association could not agree on a new collective bargaining agreement that would provide the “cost certainty” the owners believed to be necessary to proceed.

Did you hear that? The NHL was the first major American sport to cancel an entire season. Suck it, Major League Baseball!

I also like the fact that Topps told it like it was, calling those final meetings “last ditch” and not some wussy euphemism like “11th hour.” Trying to salvage the season in February, when it is all but over, is truly a last ditch effort.

Topps’ license to make hockey cards expired in 2004. Technically, this is the last hockey card they ever made, though it is from a non-hockey set of cards.

2012-13 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Pack Rip

Even though I love everything about the new O-Pee-Chee set, I have yet to take the plunge and buy a whole box. Part of me really wants to buy a whole case, but in order to do that I need to accumulate a bit of disposable income (well, more than a bit actually). The summer months were rough for me financially, but now that I am teaching again (yay Fall semester!) I should have some funds to buy at least a few boxes next month.

In the meantime, I purchased a hobby pack to tide me over. It was not the pack to end all packs, but it was still a darn good pack. No, I did not get a Gretzky autograph or some 1-in-6400 deckle edge insert card.

Still, I think I got my money’s worth.

5 Base Cards

Let’s see…one Red Wing, one Flame, one Predator and two Sharks. Nice–none of those silly Eastern Conference teams!

1 Retro Parallel

One big reason that I am NOT buying retail packs is because you get a Retro Parallel in every other retail pack.. In hobby packs, the Retros are one per pack. Getting a Retro here is no big deal–because you are supposed to get one–but I enjoy the card nonetheless.

1 Rainbow Parallel

I can do without the Rainbow Parallels. These fall 1 in every 4 packs.

1 Sticker

Am I the only one who wishes that the sticker design was instead the base card design? I think the stickers look fabulous–a combination of old OPC hockey and old Topps baseball. Stickers happen at a rate of 1 in every 3 packs, so I think I did pretty good getting a 1-in-4 card and a 1-in-3 card in the same pack.

Contest Update
Twelve hockey card collectors have participated in the One-Card Challenge so far. As of this writing, Captain Canuck is narrowly in the lead with 5 points. Kazi is in 2nd place with 4 points, and Dave H is in 3rd with 3 points.

But it is still anyone’s game! There are 13 days left until the end of the contest. Give a card–or receive a card–to complete a set and get a point in the standings. Give me a card (hint, hint) and get TWO points in the standings.

Rules for the contest and a list of what “last cards” are needed can be seen here.

(And Jimmy, I have emailed you about that Arturs Irbe card you have for me–twice in fact.)