Hockey cards, collectibles and culture
If I played pro hockey, I would want this to be my rookie card. Marc Crawford, best known as an NHL head coach for 15 years, had one mainstream hockey card issued during his playing career — and it makes him look like a total bad ass. This is also one of the few times that blood … Continue reading “Card of The Week: Bleeding, Black & Blue”
You might enjoy the play of high-scoring forwards or hard-hitting defenseman more than that of puckstoppers, but “The Goaltenders” Union” is a must-read book for any hockey fan. It will get you up to speed on many of the game’s goalkeepers — not just the stars, but numerous rank-and-file netminders that have manned the pipes … Continue reading “Book Review: The Goaltenders’ Union”
Chicago Blackhawks’ General Manager Stan Bowman has had a busy summer, attempting to get the team under the salary cap before the start of the 2015-16 season. Some popular players were offloaded to create cap space: first, rising star Brandon Saad, followed by All-Star winger Patrick Sharp. These trades won’t be fondly remembered by ‘Hawks … Continue reading “The 5 Worst Trades in Blackhawks History”
Chicago Blackhawks’ merchandise has finally reached the tipping point, plummeting into absurdity. When I started watching hockey in 1989, it was nearly impossible to find a Blackhawks t-shirt in Chicago. Twenty-six years and three Stanley Cup Championships later, you can hardly walk ten feet without seeing Blackhawks t-shirts, towels or temporary tattoos for sale somewhere. … Continue reading “7 Incredibly Stupid Blackhawks Items”
Every June, when the NHL doles out its annual awards to the game’s best players, the argument of renaming the NHL’s trophies is always brought up. And not without good reason. Almost all of the awards are named after either players who skated nearly 100 years ago, or are former executives — many of whom … Continue reading “It’s Time to Rename the NHL Awards”
We all have regrets in life. Sometimes it’s no one’s fault but our own; sometimes fate just has a funny sense of humor. It could be a job we took that quickly turned sour; it could be that person you woke up next to the morning after a night on the town, celebrating your team … Continue reading “The one you wish you could throw back”
Piggy banks are passe, but puck banks are awesome. This is a large plastic puck, hollow inside, with a coin slot on the top and two “feet” on the bottom so it can stand upright. It measures 5 inches in diameter and was made in the 1970s. I found this at my local card shop … Continue reading “Chicago Blackhawks Puck Coin Bank”
The photograph on Ryan Johansen’s 2014-15 Upper Deck trading card is bad. No, it isn’t quite as terrible as the infamous Bryan Pitton Score rookie card from a few years back. Nor is it the worst card of all time, though it is the worst card from this year’s UD Series One. Seeing the back … Continue reading “Deja Vu Tuesday: Ryan Johansen”
This is currently my favorite video on YouTube. It combines Ilya Bryzgalov’s famous “Why you have to be mad?” quote with MAGIC!’s hit singe “Rude.” The visuals are funny, in a bad Photoshop sort of way, and the lyrics make sense if you have followed Bryzgalov’s career the past decade.
Even though they lost their license to make NHL trading cards, Panini is soldiering on with their annual hockey sticker set for 2014-15. I probably won’t collect this year’s sticker set, but I’m still glad it came out. Panini has made NHL sticker sets since 1987-88, and it is nice to see that trend continue. … Continue reading “Pack Break: 2014-15 Panini NHL Stickers”