Puck Junk Podcast: Triple Crown Line Interview

Episode #185: April 4, 2024

Sal Barry interviews the Los Angeles Kings’ famed “Triple Crown Line” – Marcel Dionne, Dave Taylor, and Charlie Simmer. The three talk about how their line was formed and some of their best memories of playing together. It’s 15 minutes of hockey goodness. 

Show Notes and Links
Marcel Dionne career stats at HockeyDB
Dave Taylor career stats at HockeyDB
Charlie Simmer career stats at HockeyDB
Special thanks to the Sport Card Expo for recording the interview. 

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Podcast music by Retro Game Remix – follow them on YouTube

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Puck Junk Podcast: Hall of Fame Hockey Card Sets

Episode #134 – November 9, 2022

Sal Barry and Tim Parish take a look at Hockey Hall of Fame trading card and postcard sets — specifically sets that use illustrations to depict its honored members: the 1983 Cartophilium Hockey Hall of Fame set (plus two subsequent trading card sets), the Legends of Hockey postcard set (issued from 1992 to 1996), and the 2010-11 In The Game Enshrined set. Plus, the guys give a quick recap of the new hockey card sets scheduled to come out soon. It’s 70 minutes of hockey goodness! 

Show Notes, Links, and Images:
1983 Cartophilium Hockey Hall of Fame Postcard checklist (TradingCardDB)
1985 Cartophilium Hockey Hall of Fame Card checklist (TradingCardDB)
1987 Cartophilium Hockey Hall of Fame Card checklist (TradingCardDB)
Sal’s Beckett Hockey article about the three Cartophilium Sets (PDF)
1992-1996 Legends of Hockey Postcard checklist (TradingCardDB)
2010-11 In The Game Enshrined checklist (TradingCardDB)
Tim’s box break of 2010-11 Enshrined (The Real DFG)

Some images from these sets

1983 Hall of Fame Postcard E-13 – Bobby Orr
1983 Hall of Fame Postcard E-13 – Bobby Orr (back)
Postcards in packaging.
Transparencies used to produce the Hall of Fame Postcards. Harry “Apple Cheeks” Lumley (left) and Cecil “Tiny” Thompson.
1985 Hall of Fame card #1 – Maurice Richard. The same design was used for the card fronts of the 1987 set.
1985 Hall of Fame card #1 – Maurice Richard (back). Despite the 1983 copyright date, these cards were issued in 1985.
1987 Hall of Fame card #1 – Maurice Richard. Unlike the 1983 postcards and 1985 cards, the 1987 cards had players’ statistics on the back.
Promo card for the 1985 Hall of Fame set.
1996 Legends of Hockey #73 – Terry Sawchuk
1996 Legends of Hockey #73 – Terry Sawchuk (back)
2010-11 In The Game Enshrined – Marcel Dionne
2010-11 In The Game Enshrined – Marcel Dionne (back)

Follow
Follow Sal Barry on Twitter @PuckJunk & Instagram @PuckJunk
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Podcast music by Jim “Not the Goalie” Howard (Instagram @flyingV2112)

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Clemente’s Corner: Collecting the ’72 Summit Series

The 1972 Summit Series Between Canada and the USSR has Some Great Collectibles

The year was 1972 and the Cold war was in full swing. Relations between the West and the Soviet Union were tense, sometimes teetering on the brink of nuclear war. It was also a time when the USSR dominated international competition, displacing Canada as the world’s hockey power.

Since the Olympics were only open to amateurs in those years, Canada could not field their NHL players. The Soviets, on the other hand, claimed their players were amateurs because they had been employed as military officers. In reality, they exclusively played hockey, skirting the rules and gobbling up gold medals in the process. Canada, upset that it could not use NHLers, withdrew from the 1970 IIHF World Championships.

In 1971, the Canadian embassy in Moscow learned of the Soviets’ interest in playing a series of games after reading an article Soviet newspapers. The negotiations for the series were finalized at the Hotel International Prague during the 1972 World Ice Hockey Championships. The deal included the playing of eight games – four in Canada and the other four in the Soviet Union – and would pit players such as goaltender Vladislav Tretiak against future Hall of Famer Phil Esposito. 

The games – known as the “Summit Series” – were contested between September 2-28. The expectation was that Canada would win given that they featured the world’s best players; a roster that also included goaltender Ken Dryden, defenseman Serge Savard and center Bobby Clarke.

Canada won the series 4-3 after the third game ended in a 4-4 tie. The hero of the series, however, was Paul Henderson, a player who otherwise had a relatively average NHL career. He played in all eight games for Canada, tallying seven goals and three assists. Henderson scored the winning goal in the 6-5 win in Game 8 that won Canada the series.

On the 50th anniversary of that epic series, here’s a look at the collectables, from trading cards to pucks to signed photos, that continue to grab the fascination of hockey fans everywhere.

Continue reading “Clemente’s Corner: Collecting the ’72 Summit Series”

Re-imagining the 1991 NHL Entry Draft

Thirty years ago was the 1991 NHL Entry Draft. First-overall pick Eric Lindros was by far considered the best player available in the draft — a can’t-miss prospect who would be the next Wayne Gretzky. 

In fact, Lindros was called “The Next One” since he was 14 years old. And who could argue? He was 6’4″ and 230 pounds. He scored 149 points in just 57 games during his last season of major junior hockey. Lindros was a dominant force that could control the game. So, it wasn’t any surprise when the Quebec Nordiques selected Lindros with the first-overall pick. 

But was Lindros really the best player in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft? Would NHL scouts and GMs spend a first-overall pick on The Big E, or someone else, knowing then what we know now?

So, let’s imagine that we could re-do the first round of the 1991 NHL Entry Draft. Let’s set our Wayback Machines to June 22, 1991, pack an iPad with Hockey DB and Hockey Reference already bookmarked — we’ll worry about finding a WiFi hot spot when we get there — and see how the first round of the 1991 Draft would have played out in our alternate timeline.

Continue reading “Re-imagining the 1991 NHL Entry Draft”

The Puck Junk Bad Hockey Card Hall of Fame: Class of 2020

The COVID-19 Pandemic has delayed everything, from “pausing” the 2019-20 NHL season, to postponing the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. It has even delayed the induction of new members into the Puck Junk Bad Hockey Card Hall of Fame. But the wait is finally over.

A Wayne Gretzky rookie card recently sold at auction for $1.29 million dollars. Meanwhile, the 10 cards on this list would only cost you $5 combined. Yet, they are all priceless in each of their own, awful ways.

So here they are, the Puck Junk Bad Hockey Card Hall of Fame: Class of 2020. 

Continue reading “The Puck Junk Bad Hockey Card Hall of Fame: Class of 2020”

Puck Junk Podcast: Reverse Retro Jerseys, Part 3

Episode #75: November 20, 2020

Sal Barry, Tim Parish, Jim Howard and Blake Isaacs conclude their talk about the new NHL Reverse Retro jerseys. In part three of this three-part podcast, they look at the new jerseys for the New Jersey Devils, Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, San Jose Sharks, St. Louis Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets. 

Show Notes, Links and Images: 
Pictures of all Reverse Retro Jerseys (Instagram)
Pictures and Information about the Reverse Retro Jerseys (NHL.com)

Follow Sal Barry on Twitter @PuckJunk.
Follow Tim Parish on Twitter @TheRealDFG.
Follow Jim “Not the Goalie” Howard on Instagram @FlyingV2112.
Follow Blake Isaacs on Twitter @bisaacs1995.

Podcast music by Jim “Not the Goalie” Howard.

Subscribe to the Puck Junk Hockey Podcast on Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsSpotifyiHeartRadioStitcherPodchaserPocketCastsCastbox , Castro,
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Puck Junk Podcast: Reverse Retro Jerseys, Part 2

Episode #74: November 19, 2020

Sal Barry, Tim Parish, Jim Howard and Blake Isaacs continue their discussion of the new NHL Reverse Retro Jerseys. In part two of this three-part podcast, they talk about the jerseys for the Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, Las Vegas Golden Knights, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, New York Islanders and New York Rangers.

Show Notes, Links and Images:
Pictures of all Reverse Retro Jerseys (Instagram)
Pictures and Information about the Reverse Retro Jerseys (NHL.com)

Follow Sal Barry on Twitter @PuckJunk.
Follow Tim Parish on Twitter @TheRealDFG.
Follow Jim “Not the Goalie” Howard on Instagram @FlyingV2112.
Follow Blake Isaacs on Twitter @bisaacs1995.

Podcast music by Jim “Not the Goalie” Howard.

Subscribe to the Puck Junk Hockey Podcast on Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsSpotifyiHeartRadioStitcherPodchaserPocketCastsCastbox , Castro,
OvercastTuneIn and SoundCloud.

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

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

“Red Penguins” Movie Released Today

“Red Penguins” is a new hockey documentary about the strange partnership between the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Russian Red Army hockey team and the Walt Disney Corporation. Back in the early 1990s, the famed Red Army hockey team was broke, so it reached out to NHL teams for help. The Pittsburgh Penguins answered the call, and for two seasons co-owned the Red Army team, re-branding it as the Russian Penguins.

Things went well at first. Pittsburgh Penguins ownership brought in a marketing team that introduced “North American Hockey” to an unsuspecting Russian fan base — from opening-night theatrics, game-night giveaways, strippers (seriously), bears drinking beer and more. It was nothing like Russian hockey fans had ever seen. Unfortunately, this also drew the attention of the Russian Mob, who wanted a piece of the action, too. And that’s when things really go off the rails. 

If this story sounds familiar to you, it is because I wrote about it last year for The Hockey News. Last fall, “Red Penguins” was featured at the Toronto International Film Festival and received strong reviews. The film was set to be released in theaters this spring, but then the COVID-19 pandemic swept the continent and closed theaters. 

However, “Red Penguins” is finally available as of today via streaming services. You can stream “Red Penguins” on iTunes and on Amazon Prime Video for $5.99.

Follow Sal Barry on Twitter @PuckJunk.

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Book Review: 99 Stories of the Game

Hey, Wayne! What is This Book? Please Explain. 

Stumbling around in a discount book store last fall, I found a copy of 99 Stories of the Game by Wayne Gretzky sitting by the cash register. I’d seen this book before and had passing interest, as in I was mildly interested in reading it one day, but I’d always passed on it. But this one has a gold sticker in the corner advertizing it as a signed copy and I actually had to put my eyeballs on the ink to see if was real. It was! Who is going to turn down a $15 autograph of the man whose many accomplishments also include hawking a ready to eat soup mix from your own Stanley Cup?

I will say that the title is a little misleading, or it was for me. Continue reading “Book Review: 99 Stories of the Game”

Book Review – Chris Chelios: Made in America

Chris Chelios is the greatest American-born defenseman to play in the NHL. He may be the greatest American to ever play hockey at any position. Chelios spent 26 seasons in the NHL, breaking in with the Montreal Canadians at age 22 in 1984, winning numerous accolades along the way, and finally retiring at age 48 in 2010.

Also, Chris Chelios is my favorite hockey player of all-time. So, I am not sure why it took me this long to review “Chris Chelios: Made in America,” penned by Chelios and former USA Today hockey writer Kevin Allen in 2014. Nor can I guarantee that this will be a totally unbiased review of his book.

Regardless of how you feel about Chelios — hockey fans either loved him or hated him for his physical, almost reckless style of play — his book is an enjoyable memoir of his storied career.

Continue reading “Book Review – Chris Chelios: Made in America”