Hockey cards, collectibles and culture
At last! It’s finally here! The annual hockey set builders dream release, better known as 2018-19 O-Pee-Chee. Upper Deck has had the O-Pee-Chee brand back in circulation since the 2006-07 season and shows no signs of letting up. The annual monster set features 500 base cards plus an additional 100 short-printed cards that feature Marquee Rookies, League … Continue reading “Box Break: 2018-19 O-Pee-Chee Hockey”
This season marks the return of the “third” or “alternate” jersey in the NHL. Other than outdoor games, NHL teams did not wear third jerseys least season due to it being Adidas’ first year outfitting the league. Over the summer, several teams unveiled third jerseys for the 2018-19 season, and they have been fantastic. Most … Continue reading “Hockey’s Best Throwback Jerseys”
NOTE: Veteran blogger Tim Parish — a.k.a. “The Real DFG” is now sharing his wit and sarcasm as a writer for Puck Junk. Please welcome him in the comments below. It’s that time of year again, ladies and gentleman. Yes, the hockey season is upon us. With training camps about done, I figured it is … Continue reading “Box Break: 2018-19 MVP Hockey”
Note: This article was originally published in 2010. It has been revised and updated with two more reasons why hockey is still better than soccer. As much as I admire soccer for being the world’s most popular sport, I just can’t get into it. Watching it bores me. Getting out of bed at some early … Continue reading “7 Reasons Why Hockey is Better Than Soccer”
By Sal Barry, Kyle Scully, Blake Isaacs & Jim Howard Before we fully turn our attention to the season that lies ahead, here is a look back at the biggest hockey stories of the 2017-18 season.
He Isn’t the Senators’ Only Problem, Though Embed from Getty Images From the 1976 to 1989, there was a baseball player named Dale Murphy who was the face of the Atlanta Braves franchise, for some reason. He was expected to provide much of the offensive support for a terrible team, and in return took a … Continue reading “Is Matt Duchene the Dale Murphy of Hockey?”
As the NHL season slowly slips away from us (because some of our teams couldn’t find the postseason if it was water and they fell off a boat), it’s nice to have Upper Deck around to remind us of the good times and the crazy moments like a high school yearbook. And much like a … Continue reading “Best of the Worst: 2017-18 Upper Deck Series 2 Hockey”
Expectations were not very high for the United States Men’s Ice Hockey Team during the 1992 Winter Olympics, but for a two-week span, the group of college players and minor leaguers captured the hearts and minds of Americans watching back home. After the U.S. rocked the hockey world at the 1980 Olympics with its “Miracle … Continue reading “The Near-Miracle on Ice: An Oral History of the 1992 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team”
While watching the Super Bowl last night, I opened a box of 2017-18 Black Diamond Hockey. My attention wasn’t diverted for long, though, as a box of Black Diamond has only one pack. A few years back, Upper Deck changed Black Diamond from a mid-range set where you got numerous packs to a high-end set … Continue reading “Box Break: 2017-18 Black Diamond Hockey”
Upper Deck released its inaugural edition of Grandeur Hockey Coins earlier this year. A box with one coin costs $100, while a four-coin box costs $499 and is guaranteed to contain one of the rarer coins. I finally got my hands on a one-coin box, so let’s check this puppy out.