2021-22

2021-22 Upper Deck Series One Hobby Box Break

The one set that I look forward to is Upper Deck’s flagship release — a.k.a. Upper Deck Series One, Upper Deck Series Two, and for the first time last year, Upper Deck Extended Series. This season, I had to look forward a bit longer, as production delays pushed Upper Deck Series One’s release date from November 2021 to March 2022. 

But it’s March and I finally got my hands on a hobby box. Like last year, a hobby box of Upper Deck Series One has 24 packs. Each pack has eight cards. Let’s take a look and see what was inside my box of 2021-22 Upper Deck Series One Hockey. 

Continue reading “2021-22 Upper Deck Series One Hobby Box Break”

Snap Shots: No Trade for You!

Welcome to Snap Shots! This week, we look at a trade that was voided, another third jersey — would that make it a second third jersey or a fourth jersey — for the Maple Leafs, and a team that went from hero to zero in less than a year. 

Continue reading “Snap Shots: No Trade for You!”

Snap Shots: Tons of Trades

Snap Shots is three days late, but better late than never, as they say. I had a busy weekend selling at a sports memorabilia convention, then other things got in the way. Such is life. But I still wanted to chip in my two cents about what went on around the NHL over the past seven — make that 10 — days. Two players skated in their 1,000th games, and set some interesting records in the process. Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal scoring record got a little closer to being broken, and, of course, there was the NHL trade deadline. 

Continue reading “Snap Shots: Tons of Trades”

Snap Shots: Nicklas Backstrom Scores 1,000th Point

I didn’t have as much time as usual to focus on this week’s edition of Snap Shots. So, here is a very quick rundown of the top five hockey stories over the past week. 

Continue reading “Snap Shots: Nicklas Backstrom Scores 1,000th Point”

Snap Shots: More Stats & Milestones

It was another busy week in the NHL, as the league unveiled a new stat, two players hit the 1,000-game mark and the Blue Jackets retired a number for the first time in the team’s 22-year history. Plus, the IIHF took a stance on Russia’s participation in future ice hockey tournaments. 

Continue reading “Snap Shots: More Stats & Milestones”

Puck Junk Podcast: 2021-22 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Cards

Plus: Hockey’s Reaction to Russia 
Episode #113: March 4, 2022

In Episode #113 of the Puck Junk Podcast, Sal Barry and Tim Parish discuss the new 2021-22 O-Pee-Chee Hockey card set, including talk about all the different variants and Easter eggs. Other topics include the hockey world’s reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Blackhawks new General Manager, the Stadium Series, and National Hockey Card Day. 

Show Notes and Links:
How to Remove Tape from Trading Card Top Loaders (Puck Junk)
Fat Guy Hockey Video Game T-Shirt Now Available (Puck Junk Shop)
Chicago Sports Spectacular March 18-20, 2022 (Show Website)
IIHF Puts Sanctions on Russia and Belarus (IIHF.com)
NHL Statement on Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine (NHL.com)
Blackhawks Hire Interim GM Kyle Davidson to be Next GM (ESPN)
National Hockey Card Day Trade Group (Facebook)
April Fool’s Day O-Pee-Chee Cards (Puck Junk)
2021-22 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Checklist and Images (Cardboard Connection)

Follow Sal Barry on Twitter @PuckJunk & Instagram @PuckJunk. 
Follow Tim Parish on Twitter @TheRealDFG & Instagram @therealdfg66.
Podcast opening and closing music by Jim “Not the Goalie” Howard.

Subscribe to the Puck Junk Hockey Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, Podchaser, PocketCasts, Castbox , Castro,
Overcast, TuneIn and SoundCloud.

Love hockey? Join the Puck Junk Facebook Group and subscribe to Puck Junk on YouTube. 

Support this podcast and buy a shirt from the Puck Junk Online Shop. ■

Snap Shots: Hockey World Reacts to Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was on all our minds last week. Naturally, talk about the war found its way into hockey circles. Hockey is a global sport. Many of the game’s best players are from Russia, and there are numerous international hockey tournaments, from the annual World Junior Championships and World Championships, to the quadrennial Winter Olympics which just recently took place. 

In a life-and-death situation like this, that can impact hundreds of thousands of lives, athletes and sportswriters cannot just “stick to sports.” That said, several prominent current and former NHL players spoke out about the war in Ukraine and what it could potentially mean for Russian hockey players. 

Other hockey news this week includes two players reaching career milestones, another player having his jersey number retired, and the passing of one of hockey’s all-time great builders. 

Continue reading “Snap Shots: Hockey World Reacts to Russian Invasion of Ukraine”

Puck Junk Podcast: RC…or Not RC? That is the Question

Episode #112: Feb. 25, 2022

In this episode of the Puck Junk Podcast, Sal Barry and Tim Parish talk about what makes a hockey card a “rookie card.” Plus, the upcoming National Hockey Card Day, a recap of the Olympic hockey tournaments, the Blackhawks and Bobby Hull parting ways, and the return of Sean Avery. 

Show Notes and Links:
Sal talked comic books on the 21st Century Boys ComicCast (Spotify)
Review of Sean Avery’s Autobiography (Puck Junk)
2022 NHL Stadium Series Time-Lapse (YouTube)
2020-21 O-Pee-Chee Platinum on e-Pack (Upper Deck e-Pack)
National Hockey Card Day 2022 (Upper Deck)
The same photo being used on 2 different Patrick Kane cards (Puck Junk)
Peeling the film off of 1994-95 Topps Finest Hockey cards (Twitter)
The pile of protective film that no one wanted to buy (Twitter)
Chicago Sports Spectacular Show March 18-20, 2022 Show (Website)
Tim’s Twitter discussion about hockey rookie cards (Twitter)
How Hockey Cards Led to the NHL Player Strike in 1992 (The Hockey News)

Follow Sal Barry on Twitter @PuckJunk & Instagram @PuckJunk. 
Follow Tim Parish on Twitter @TheRealDFG & Instagram @therealdfg66.
Podcast opening and closing music by Jim “Not the Goalie” Howard.

Subscribe to the Puck Junk Hockey Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, Podchaser, PocketCasts, Castbox , Castro,
Overcast, TuneIn and SoundCloud.

Love hockey? Join the Puck Junk Facebook Group and subscribe to Puck Junk on YouTube. 

Support this podcast and buy a shirt from the Puck Junk Online Shop. ■

Snap Shots: Crosby Joins 500-Goal Club

Happy Monday and welcome to Snap Shots. This week, we will look at two NHL milestones that were reached, a recap of hockey at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, and the long-awaited return of one of the league’s star players. 

Continue reading “Snap Shots: Crosby Joins 500-Goal Club”

2021-22 MVP Hockey Box Break

Hockey cards for the 2021-22 season finally started hitting store shelves at the end of 2021. First up was 2021-22 Upper Deck MVP Hockey, the company’s “lower-end” card set that isn’t too expensive to buy or too difficult to complete. It also doesn’t have any rookies from the 2021-22 season; the 30 rookie cards are of players who made their debut in the abbreviated 2021 season. A box of MVP has 20 packs with eight cards per pack. The current online price of MVP is around $50 for a hobby box. I recently got a hobby box. Here is what I found inside. 

Continue reading “2021-22 MVP Hockey Box Break”