The Allure hockey card set that was supposed to come out last year — during the 2021-22 season — came out this year, in 2023. That’s pretty standard these days, with the trading card industry still feeling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some sets come out on time, while others — such as the 2021-22 Allure hockey card set — are late by a season or more.
Allure cards are known for their thick, chromium cardstock, giving the cards a nice heft and a metal look to them. A hobby box of 2021-22 Allure has eight packs, with each pack containing eight cards. Allure promises you one autographed card per box, on average. Not too long ago, I opened a box of 2021-22 Allure. Let’s see what’s inside.
In the latest Puck Junk Podcast, Sal Barry and Tim Parish talk all about the SP Signature Edition Legends Hockey Card set — including some of the insane prices that the Future Watch Autographs are currently selling for. They also discuss the new line of Upper Deck Evolution “Authentic Digital Collectibles,” and Jonathan Toews’ last game with the Blackhawks. It’s 78 minutes of hockey goodness!
SP Signature Edition Legends – Base Card FrontSP Signature Edition Legends – Base Card BackAn example of the Future Watch Autographs. This Dominik Hasek card sold on eBay for $1,000 on 4/18/2023.
Every year, many new players make their NHL debut. Some play in only a handful of NHL games, while a few are good enough to stick around for over a decade. Eventually, the fresh-faced rookies of yesteryear become the grizzled old veterans of today, who toiled season after season in the hopes of winning the Stanley Cup one day. And that day might be soon.
With the 2023 NHL Playoffs starting tonight, here is a list of the oldest player from each team in the postseason — and why we should be rooting for each of them.
Plus: The Chicago Wolves Go Independent
Episode #150: April 14, 2023
Sal Barry, Tim Parish, and Jim Howard talk about the new 2021-22 Allure Hockey card set, including their thoughts on the design, the various inserts like 16-Bit, and the various parallels. They also discuss the Chicago Wolves AHL team going without a parent NHL club for next season, the Boston Bruins making NHL history, EBUG Jett Alexander getting his 70 seconds of fame, the new Evolution digital trading cards by Upper Deck, and more!. It’s 73 minutes of hockey goodness.
Show Notes, Links and Images: Chicago Wolves to Shed Hurricanes Affiliation (The Athletic) Chicago Wolves Goalie Pyotr Kochetkov Scores a Goalie Goal (YouTube)
Boston Bruins Secure NHL Record for Single-Season Victories (ESPN)
Jett Alexander Plays for Leafs as Emergency Goalie (NHL)
Press Release About Evolution Digital Trading Cards (Upper Deck)
2021-22 Allure Hockey Checklist (Cardboard Connection)
Some images from 2021-22 Allure Hockey
Base CardBase Card (back)AutographRed Line ParallelDouble Rainbow ParallelYellow-Green Parallel16-Bit inserts are allegedly a “case hit” found once in every case.2021-22 Allure Hockey Box
Don’t let the release date fool you. The 2021-22 Synergy Hockey set was released in February 2023, about a year later than it should have come out. Part of the reason for this is that the plastic used to make Synergy cards was in short supply during the COVID-19 pandemic. But now, things are starting to normalize again — at least with trading cards, which are coming out, *ahem*, less than a year late instead of over a year late.
Two features make Synergy base cards unique. The cards are twice as thick as normal cards, with a top layer that is printed on die-cut foil board and a bottom layer printed on Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol (PETG) plastic, usually referred to as acetate. Synergy cards are similar to the “two-layer thick” Fleer EX cards from the 1990s and in various retro-themed sets over the past decade. Synergy base cards, and even more so the insert cards, feel like they would fit right in with the zany, overdesigned hockey cards from the 1990s.
This is the fifth year that Upper Deck has released Synergy as a hockey card set. A box costs about $100 and contains eight three-card packs, for a total of 24 cards. I recently broke a box of 2021-22 Synergy. Let’s see what’s inside.
Normally an early-season release, the 2022-23 O-Pee-Chee Hockey set was released on March 1, right as the regular season was winding down. Releasing the set later later in the season allowed Upper Deck to include rookie cards of players who made their debut early in the ’22-23 season, such as Shane Wright of the Seattle Kraken and first-overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky of the Montreal Canadiens.
A hobby box of 2022-23 O-Pee-Chee costs around $60 for 18 packs. Each pack contains 10 cards, so a box yields 180 cards. As usual, O-Pee-Chee has numerous parallels, as well as popular inserts, such as Playing Cards.
I recently opened a box of 2022-23 O-Pee-Chee Hockey cards. Here’s what was inside.
I am a New York Rangers fan. I don’t hide that fact from readers. It’s also the reason why I feel like I have to defend Alexis Lafreniere.
Chosen first overall in the 2020 NHL Draft, Lafreniere has been a topic of conversation even before ever skating a shift for the Rangers. That’s because he came into the league during the pandemic at a time when interest in the overall hobby skyrocketed. Sal and Tim tackled this very topic on the Puck Junk Podcast back in March 2021, during Lafreniere’s rookie season.
Three years later, there’s still debate over whether Lafreniere is a bust or has yet to come into his own. I choose to argue the latter. Let me explain.
Sal Barry and Tim Parish are joined by Paul Zickler, the Senior Sports Brand Manager at Upper Deck. Paul talks about the big changes coming to Upper Deck hockey cards starting with 2023-24 Upper Deck Series One. Paul also talks about some of the other new and upcoming hockey card sets. It’s 48 minutes of hockey goodness!
Plus: Changes to 2023-24 Upper Deck
Episode #148: March 31, 2023
This week, Sal Barry and Tim Parish talk all about the new 2022-23 O-Pee-Chee Hockey card set, including what they love about it and what could be better. They also have a long discussion about Upper Deck’s planned changes to its flagship set (Series One, Series Two, and Extended Series) for 2023-24, and how this will impact the hobby. Plus, a look at the 2022-23 Upper Deck Series Two Checklist and more. It’s 86 minutes of hockey goodness!
Show Notes, Links and Images: NHL needs frank Pride Night discussion (New York Post
2022-23 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Checklist (Cardboard Connection)
2022-23 Upper Deck Series 2 Checklist (Beckett) The Great Space Coaster Intro Theme (YouTube)
Upper Deck’s Flagship Series Will See a Refresh (Upper Deck Blog)
Some images from 2022-23 O-Pee-Chee Hockey:
Base CardBase Card (back)Marquee Rookie (Short Print)Retro ParallelPink ParallelPlaying card
2022-23 Upper Deck Series Two Lunch Box Legends card:
He’s a lunch box legend. With stars in his eyes.
And finally, this allegedly is the design of the forthcoming 2023-24 Upper Deck Portraits inserts. Allegedly…
It seems like every NHL player who has some degree of success writes a book when their career comes to an end. But what about the thousands of players who don’t make it to the NHL? What sacrifices did they make — and what scars did they pick up — along the way to ultimately fall short of reaching their dreams? In “Conflicted Scars: An Average Player’s Journey to the NHL”, ex-NHL draft pick Justin Davis talks about the hazing by teammates, horrid living conditions, and health risks he endured while playing major junior in the Ontario Hockey League. The physical scars may quickly heal, but emotional scars sometimes take decades to even be discovered before the healing can begin.
