2009-10 Fleer Ultra pack

I’ve had this pack of 2009-10 Fleer Ultra for a few weeks now, and finally got around to opening it. Let’s see what my $1.99 ($2.20 with Chicago sales tax) nets me…

Card #114, Mikkel Boedker, Phoenix Coyotes – Despite watching a ton of Coyotes games last year, I don’t have an opinion on this guy one way or another. I’m not a huge fan of sets that flip-flop between vertical and horizontal photos, either.

Card #66, Tomas Vokoun, Florida Panthers – It looks like Vokoun is being screened by the Fleer Ultra logo.

Card #34, Christobal Huet, Chicago Blackhawks – Hey, one of those Gold Medallion cards. Parallel inserts suck–especially when you get one in every single pack. That means you’d have to buy 50 packs instead of 40 if you were going to try to complete the 200-card base set. Of course, Upper Deck knows this fact. As for the card itself, the photo is from the 2009 Winter Classic, so that makes it 10% cooler.

Card #110, Scott Hartnell, Philadelphia Flyers – I’m not sure why the Nashville Predators traded away this guy. Oh yeah–because his contract was about to expire. By the way, I’ve never been a fan of the black Flyers uniforms.

Card #236, Peter Regin, Ottawa Senators – An elusive Ultra Rookie card. You get one in every six packs. Too bad it had to be this one. It’s hard to get excited about–or even try to build–the rookie subset if it is just a bunch of leftovers from last year.

One thing I dig about these cards is that they show all of the player’s stats. Not sure how it deals with the stats of a super veteran like Mike Modano or Chris Chelios, but the layout looks like it can accommodate 20 seasons or so.

The back of the Gold Medallion parallel cards replace the big uniform number in the lower right with a “Gold Medallion” insignia.

Like most other sets with “hard-to-get-rookies,” I might just wait until I can find a base set in the $5 to $10 range. Then again, I did buy a jumbo pack too. If I get around to opening it, I’ll post the highlights from that too.

It’s Saturday!

My two favorite songs to hear on a Saturday night:


“Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting,” covered by Nickleback. This really gets me psyched for the next six hours of hockey. It reminds me of the “Are you ready for some football?” song from Monday Night Football, but in a good, non-redneck kind of way.


“Canadian Gold,” the new Hockey Night in Canada theme. This is the intro from last year–I can’t seem to find a video of this year’s shorter intro. Personally, I like the minute-long version instead of the truncated version. True, everyone likes the “old” theme song better. Having a new HNIC theme is like giving Star Wars a new theme. But “Canadian Gold” is still pretty awesome.

Bottom line, the only thing I want to do on a Saturday night is watch Hockey Night in Canada. A perfect Saturday evening starts with the “Saturday Night” song and ends with “After Hours.” Fortunately, my girlfriend is pretty understanding. Plus, she does not like going out on cold, winter Saturday nights anyway. Good thing hockey is not s summer sport.

Review: 1990-91 Boston Bruins team set

Your 1990 Stanley Cup runner-ups!

1990-91 Bruins Team SetProduced by a company called Sports Action, this team set was sold at the Boston Bruins Pro Shop during the 1990-91 season. Appealing in its simplistic design, the 24-card set came in a cardboard and polybag package that was stapled shut.  Continue reading “Review: 1990-91 Boston Bruins team set”

New Heroes & Prospects Set

In the Game’s annual Heroes & Prospects set will be released on January 27, 2010–which is also my 35th birthday.

Looking at the base card checklist, it appears that this season’s set will be heavy on the prospects and light on the heroes. Only 4 Heroes and 15 AHL Grads appear in the 150-card set. The other 131 cards are of Prospects.

What grabbed my attention was the inclusion of a Hero by the name of Larry Kwong. I had no idea who this gentlemen is, but after a little research leaned that he was the first Chinese-Canadian to play in the NHL, when he appeared in one minute of one game for the New York Rangers during the 1947-48 season.

As much as I would like to buy a box of cards by In the Game, their high price point–due to the inclusion of memorabilia and autograph cards–precludes me from doing so, I might still try to pick up a complete base set.

1963-64 Parkhurst #71 – William Harris

Another week, another Parkhurst card. This is my 18th step towards completing this 99-card set. A sweet looking card too–no creases or major corner wear. The gloss on the front is perfect. Probably the best card, condition-wise, that I’ve picked up from this set thus far.

The back of the card is intriguing. In 1963, one could mail away for an autographed puck for 30 cents plus 5 Parkhurst wrappers. You had your choice of Gordie Howe, Dave Keon or Jean Beliveau. I wonder if anyone ever got one of these (Al K.? Thom?). That is one thing that hockey cards are missing today–fun mail-away offers like this one and like the ones offered by Topps and OPC up to the 1990s.

81 cards to go, and I’ll have a complete set.

Card of the Week: Me

1989-90 trading card of Sal Barry

Sal Barry 1989Like most hockey fans, I too made an attempt to play the game. Having discovered hockey in January 1989, I quickly decided that it was a game that I must learn to play. I soon purchased a floor hockey stick, and encouraged all of my friends in the neighborhood to follow suit. By March of ’89, we were playing street hockey in the alley behind my Aunt’s house on a regular basis. But that was not good enough for me; I would also have to try my hand at ice hockey…real hockey. Continue reading “Card of the Week: Me”

Two Wrongs and a Right

Here are two wrong ways to use a hockey stick, followed by the right way.

WRONG WAY #1 – Using your stick to start a fight…between fans.
After being named the first star of the game, Anaheim Ducks defenseman Scott Niedermayer tosses his stick over the glass, intending to give it to a little girl. But his toss had bad aim, and the stick ended up in the midst of some adults who decided to fight over it.

WRONG WAY #2 – Using your stick to (literally) beat the goalie…on your own team.
Keith Ballard of the Florida Panther attempts to bang his stick on the goalpost after the Atlanta Thrashers score. Instead, he cracks his own goalie–Tomas Vokoun–in the head. Vokoun, who was removed from the game on a stretcher, was cut and needed stitches.

(You only really need to see the first 1:15)

RIGHT WAY TO USE A HOCKEY STICK
Now, check out this sweet goal by Chicago Blackahwks captain Jonathan Toews, who beats two defenders and the goalie, scores while getting tripped, and celebrates his goal in mid-air a la Bobby Orr.

Kids, that’s how you use a hockey stick. What an awesome goal. Too bad the Blackhawks lost that game 4-1.

Trailer: Forgotten Miracle

A new documentary about the 1960 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team will be released this week. That’s right, the 1960 team. Every four years, all the buzz among U.S. hockey fans is usually about the “Miracle on Ice” from 1980. But many of us overlook the fact that 20 years prior, the miracle first occurred when the U.S. team beat Russia, Canada and Czechoslovakia en route to U.S.A.’s first gold medal in hockey.

Here is the trailer to the documentary about the 1960 Olympic team, aptly entitled “Forgotten Miracle.”

Visit the Forgotten Miracle official website here.

Review: 2009-10 O-Pee-Chee

A great shot that just misses the mark

2009-10 OPC #230 - Patrick Sharp (front)For the fourth year in a row, Upper Deck has leased the name “O-Pee-Chee” from Topps in order to brand a set of hockey cards. Overtly emblazoning the O-Pee-Chee logo and featuring Wayne Gretzky on the box and wrapper, the set is clearly meant to appeal to old school collectors who cut their card-collecting teeth during the 1970s and 1980s. And for the most part, it will. Comprising the set are 500 base cards, 50 short-printed Marquee Rookies and 50 short-printed Legends.

Continue reading “Review: 2009-10 O-Pee-Chee”