Chicago Blackhawks

Puck Junk Podcast: 2024-25 Synergy Hockey Cards

Episode #213: March 8, 2025

In this episode, the guys give their review of the 2024-25 Synergy Hockey set – which could be the last-ever Synergy set. Other topics include Sidney Crosby’s recent milestones, the passing of longtime Penguins announcer Mike Lange, Seth Jones’ trade to Florida, the recent Stadium Series, Shoresy Season 4, and the upcoming Chicago Sports Spectacular. Plus, would a 24-hour long card show be possible? It’s 90 minutes of hockey goodness – now with chapters, so you can skip ahead to your favorite parts. 

Links
2024-25 Synergy Box Break & Images (Puck Junk)
2024-25 Synergy Checklist (TCDB)

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Podcast music by Retro Game Remix – follow them on YouTube. 

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Puck Junk Podcast: The Bogus Bedard Bounty

Plus: World Juniors & Winter Classic
Episode #208: January 11, 2025

In the first Puck Junk Podcast for 2025, the guys talk about the $1 million dollar bounty that was offered for the Connor Bedard Young Guns Gold Outburst parallel – and then quietly revoked when no one was looking. Plus, the Winter Classic, World Junior Championships, Shoresy Season 4, the upcoming PWHL cards, and more. It’s 99 minutes of hockey goodness – now with chapters, too! 

Follow
Follow Sal Barry on X @PuckJunk, Instagram @PuckJunk & Bluesky @puckjunk
Follow Tim Parish on X @TheRealDFG & Instagram @therealdfg66.
Follow Clemente Lisi on X @ClementeLisi. 
Podcast music by Retro Game Remix – follow them on YouTube. 

Listen
Listen to the Puck Junk Podcast on Apple Podcasts, YouTube Podcasts, Amazon Music, Castbox, Deezer, iHeartRadio, Overcast,  
PlayerFM, PocketCasts, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher,
or Transistor.

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Connect with us and other hockey fans on the Puck Junk Facebook Group.

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Subscribe to the Puck Junk Email Newsletter and the YouTube Channel. 

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

Puck Junk Podcast: 2024-25 NHL Season Preview

Plus: Jeremy Swayman Gets Paid
Episode #202: October 11, 2024

In Episode #202 of the Puck Junk Podcast, Sal and Clemente ask their biggest questions for the 2024-25 NHL Season. Plus, will Jeremy Swayman redefine the goalie market now that he signed a new contract, how will Connor Bedard’s deal with Fanatics affect Upper Deck, and more. It’s 67 minutes of hockey goodness! 

Show Notes and Links
Clemente’s Interview with Macklin Celebrini (Puck Junk)
Fanatics’ Deal with Connor Bedard (Fanatics)
Upper Deck Files Suit Over Major Card Theft (Sports Collectors Daily)

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Follow Sal Barry on X/Twitter @PuckJunk & Instagram @PuckJunk.
Follow Tim Parish on X/Twitter @TheRealDFG & Instagram @therealdfg66.
Follow Clemente Lisi on X/Twitter @ClementeLisi. 
Podcast music by Retro Game Remix – follow them on YouTube. 

Listen
Listen to the Puck Junk Podcast on Apple Podcasts, YouTube Podcasts, Amazon Music, Castbox, Deezer, iHeartRadio, Overcast,  
PlayerFM, PocketCasts, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher,
or Transistor.

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Connect with us and other hockey fans on the Puck Junk Facebook Group.

Subscribe
Subscribe to the Puck Junk Email Newsletter and the YouTube Channel. 

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

Puck Junk Podcast: Why Connor Bedard Will Win the Calder Trophy

Plus: How Topps Policy Changes Could Affect Hockey Cards
Episode #188: May 10, 2024

In this episode of the Puck Junk Podcast, the guys discuss why Connor Bedard will win the Calder Trophy, as well as the latest population counts on graded copies of his Young Guns card. They also talk about Topps changing its redemption card policy and how it might force Upper Deck to do the same. Plus, how Fanatics is changing local cards shops…but not necessarily for the better. It’s 98 minutes of hockey goodness!

Links
Topps Announces Redemption Extension (Sports Collectors Daily)
Bedard, Faber, Hughes Named Calder Trophy Finalists (NHL.com)

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Follow Sal Barry on X/Twitter @PuckJunk & Instagram @PuckJunk.
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Podcast music by Retro Game Remix – follow them on YouTube. 

Listen
Listen to the Puck Junk Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Castbox, Deezer, iHeartRadio, Overcast,  
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or Transistor.

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Connect with us and other hockey fans on the Puck Junk Facebook Group.

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

Puck Junk Podcast: RIP Coyotes

Plus: The 2023-24 Connor Bedard Collection
Episode #187: May 2, 2024

In this episode, Sal Barry and Clemente Lisi talk about the relocation of the Arizona Coyotes to Utah and the 2023-24 Connor Bedard Collection box set. Plus, will the Feds start cracking down on The Hobby? It’s 73 minutes of hockey goodness! 

Links
The Opening of the film BASEketball (YouTube)
2023-24 Connor Bedard Collection Checklist (Trading Card DB)
You can buy the Connor Bedard set at the Upper Deck Store (link)
Review: 2016 Leaf Jack Eichel Collection (Puck Junk)
Review: 1985 Islander News Bryan Trottier (Puck Junk)

Follow
Follow Sal Barry on X/Twitter @PuckJunk & Instagram @PuckJunk.
Follow Tim Parish on X/Twitter @TheRealDFG & Instagram @therealdfg66.
Follow Clemente Lisi on X/Twitter @ClementeLisi. 
Podcast music by Retro Game Remix – follow them on YouTube. 

Listen
Listen to the Puck Junk Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Castbox, Deezer, iHeartRadio, Overcast,  
PlayerFM, PocketCasts, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher,
or Transistor.

Connect 
Connect with us and other hockey fans on the Puck Junk Facebook Group.

Subscribe
Subscribe to the Puck Junk Email Newsletter and the YouTube Channel. 

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

Puck Junk Podcast: The Spring 2024 Chicago Sports Spectacular

Plus: Is Card Cleaning Wrong? 
Episode #183: March 22, 2024

In this episode, Sal, Tim, and Clemente talk about the Spring 2024 Chicago Sports Spectacular – and how nearly everyone was looking for Connor Bedard’s Young Guns rookie card. They also discuss if “card cleaning” is right or wrong, the new Parkhurst Champions set, and the upcoming PWHL sets. It’s TWO HOURS of hockey goodness. 

Show Notes and Links
2022-23 Parkhurst Champions Checklist (Trading Card DB)
Is Cleaning Cards a Dirty Business? (Puck Junk)
Connor Bedard’s Young Guns Prices Do Not COMP-ute! (Puck Junk)
The Decline in Value of the Connor Bedard Young Guns Card (Puck Junk)
Finally, here’s that awesome card that Clemente found (and Sal bought)…

It’s…beautiful! 

Follow
Follow Sal Barry on X/Twitter @PuckJunk & Instagram @PuckJunk.
Follow Tim Parish on X/Twitter @TheRealDFG & Instagram @therealdfg66.
Follow Clemente Lisi on X/Twitter @ClementeLisi. 
Podcast music by Retro Game Remix – follow them on YouTube. 

Listen
Listen to the Puck Junk Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Castbox, Deezer, iHeartRadio, Overcast,  
PlayerFM, PocketCasts, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher,
or Transistor.

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Connect with us and other hockey fans on the Puck Junk Facebook Group.

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Subscribe to the Puck Junk Email Newsletter and the YouTube Channel. 

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

 

The Decline in Value of the Connor Bedard Young Guns Card

When You Start at the Top, There’s Only One Way to Go.

This past weekend, I set up at the Chicago Sports Spectacular to sell hockey cards and t-shirts. The Spectacular is a twice-annual, three-day show with around 400 vendors and dozens of autograph guests. The show draws a large crowd, and many in the crowd were wearing Blackhawks jerseys with Connor Bedard’s name and number 98 on the back. 

The March Chicago Sports Spectacular was the first major Chicago-area show since Bedard’s Young Guns card was released in 2023-24 Upper Deck Series 2 on March 6 – and as you probably have guessed, everyone was talking about him.

At least half of the people who stopped by my booth asked if I had any Bedard cards, though many of them were looking specifically for his Young Guns card. And some even offered to sell me a Bedard Young Guns card, usually asking around $500 to $600. I could have bought that card ten times over.

But I didn’t. Continue reading “The Decline in Value of the Connor Bedard Young Guns Card”

Clemente’s Corner: Connor Bedard’s Young Guns Prices Do Not COMP-ute!

Amid the usual sea of Michael Jordan, Mark Grace and Walter Payton cards and jerseys, another – much younger – athlete was prominently on display at the recent Chicago Sports Spectacular.

Connor Bedard was very much on the minds and tongues of many at the three-day event, the Windy City’s biggest sports collectables gathering and one of the best-attended regional shows in North America.

And Bedard’s Young Guns card was hands down the most-talked about item – even by those who don’t typically buy hockey. It was a card that had shaggy-haired teens carrying silver cases scurrying about in search of it, while seasoned collectors shook their heads (some in disgust) at some of the prices in the showcases.

Continue reading “Clemente’s Corner: Connor Bedard’s Young Guns Prices Do Not COMP-ute!”

Puck Junk Podcast: Connor Bedard Young Guns Mania!

Episode #182: March 8, 2024

In Episode #182 of the Puck Junk Podcast, Sal, Tim, and Clemente talk about the Connor Bedard Young Guns rookie card that finally came out with the launch of 2023-24 Upper Deck Series 2 Hockey this week. They discuss some of the insane prices Bedard’s Young Guns card, plus the variants and the inserts, have sold for so far – and how and why this card is setting the hockey card market on fire. It’s 78 minutes of hockey goodness! 

Show Notes and Links
The March 2024 Chicago Sports Spectacular Website (link)
Clemente’s Article about Connor Bedard (Sports Collectors Digest)
Connor Bedard Mania is Upon Us (Puck Junk)
Zero Game Goalies: Daniel Altschuller (Puck Junk)
Subscribe to the Puck Junk Newsletter (link)

Follow
Follow Sal Barry on X/Twitter @PuckJunk & Instagram @PuckJunk.
Follow Tim Parish on X/Twitter @TheRealDFG & Instagram @therealdfg66.
Follow Clemente Lisi on X/Twitter @ClementeLisi. 
Podcast music by Retro Game Remix – follow them on YouTube. 

Listen
Listen to the Puck Junk Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Castbox, Deezer, iHeartRadio, Overcast,  
PlayerFM, PocketCasts, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher,
or Transistor.

Connect 
Connect with us and other hockey fans on the Puck Junk Facebook Group.

Subscribe
Subscribe to the Puck Junk Email Newsletter and the YouTube Channel. 

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