The Real DFG

(knock, knock, knock) Housekeeping!

2012-01-22T20:51:00.000-06:00

Before you say "not another resolution post", don't worry, it's not. I have convinced myself not to do one because I just end up disappointing myself in the end. But, I have been trying to do some housekeeping on the blog. The content is starting to get a bit overwhelming and hard to manage so rather than running out of room on Blogger, I have been adjusting and condensing some of the features of the site.

First, the Card Garage is not closed. It is just in hibernation. I will most certainly bust it back open sometime here in the near future but not yet. I haven't had the time or energy to start going through boxes again. And, with the exception of searching for a few singles for some people, I have been more focused on my own PC and newer product.

Second, I've been trying to clean up my want lists a bit. I started with creating a page for my Tangradi collection, which consists of scans of all the cards I have of his. I also cleaned up my Bill Guerin list and posted it to Google Docs. My plan is to do the same for my other player PCs but they are considerably larger and will take some more time to work on. As for my set needs list, it is still constantly updated and grows all the time. My goal in the near future is to get the trade lists updated or at the very least, full of some content that is practical and easy to search. I haven't decided on list form, or images.

Third, I have linked to all my box breaks along the side panel. I know I did this before but I was missing a ton of them. I did this more for myself because I am always looking for past posts with images and most of them are in here. Plus, I noticed that many of these posts get multiple hits each and every week. So if you have already noticed them, great. If not, now you know.

Fourth, I have removed all blog links for sites that haven't been updated in a year or more, effectively removing 24 blogs. If you were on my list before and were removed but want to be put back on, let me know. Also, if you have a blog that isn't listed or know of one that should be on there, let me know that as well.

Fifth, I'm working on a different design. I'm bored with the current one. I just haven't found something I'm comfortable with yet. Plus, the organizational aspect of the current one works well and many other Blogger designs are less than adequate.

Sixth, I have some things that I want to do to get more engaged with the site again. I've been wrestling with the idea of a contest, feature post, and possible guest content. We will see what, if anything, comes out of it.

Pens vs. Canadiens: 3 Stars

2012-01-21T11:56:00.002-06:00

Since the game was last night, it's probably a little too late to post this but I was too tired to type it up after the game.

The Pens hosted Montreal last night at CES and things looked bleak until the third period when they out shot the Habs 14-7, scoring twice in regulation and then winning in an overtime shootout. Montreal still hasn't been able to find a way to right the sinking ship under their new coach and continues their slide to the bottom in the East. With that loss last night, they are now parked in 12th place in the Eastern Conference and have their work cut out for them heading down the stretch.

There were quite a few things that provoked my ire during that game about the way the Pens handled the first two periods and the way the refs handled some questionable calls. I won't even get into the little incident between Chris Kunitz and PK Slewban. Someone needs to tell him that dishing out slewfoot's (feet's...what's the plural form of that word anyway?) is not a recordable stat. If it were, he would win the award. I guess he was fined a couple hundred bucks for it this morning or something like that.

I will show this interesting vid capture of the game, where in a rare Eric Tangradi sighting, we see a ref almost get crushed.

So on to the nights 3 stars...

#3 Kris Letang (Actual 3rd star should have been Eric Cole but I'm giving it to Letang because I'm sick of awarding stars to the opposing team, especially Montreal, and Letang's goal was ridiculous!) - - Letang has shown why he was missed since returning from his concussion injury. In only his second game back since his injury, he scored the first goal for the Pens on a sick backhand shot that looked like it was going to be a wrap around try. At the last second, he stuffed it in right behind Peter Budaj, tying the game at 1 apiece.

#2 Evgeni Malkin - - Malkin continues to play in beast mode as of late with Crosby still on the shelf. He now has a goal in the last five games, including the game tying goal tonight and the game winner in the OT shootout. When he's hot, he's HOT! There isn't much you can say about it. Check out the highlight video below and just listen to his game tying shot. I love that sound!!

#1 Dustin Jeffrey - - Jeffrey scored twice in this game, and also added an assist on Letang's goal for a three point night. The goals were his first two of the season and coupled with the assist, this was the first time he has ever had a 3 point night. I loved to see this since it has been a rough road for him trying to comeback reconstructive knee surgery in the offseason. Kind of a triumphant return to the ice if you ask me.

Really?

2012-01-15T22:03:00.000-06:00

Ok, I get it. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is the hot commodity in this years rookie class in the NHL. Every year there is one, sometimes a couple. But this has to be some kind of joke.

Insane Ebay Auction

I know these are limited. I get that there are less than 100 of these out there. I get that you can only get them in Black Diamond, one pack, four cards per pack. I get all that. But come on people. No GU swatch, no auto, nothing other than the serial number and it's over a grand.

Pens vs. Lightning: 3 Stars

2012-01-15T18:09:00.000-06:00

Pens blow a 3-0 lead and then go on to win 6-3. The Pens have finally broken their losing streak by winning two in a row.

#3. Vincent Lecavalier - Vinny didn't have any goals but he helped set up two of the three Lightning scores. He also contributed by getting into a scrap with Geno after missing on a check that Malkin ducked out of. He racked up two roughing minors and a 10 minute misconduct, apparently packed up his stuff, and left the building without talking to anyone. Boucher said that he though Malkin went after his knees but after looking at the video, he was just avoiding the check. That's good enough for a star of the game if you ask me.

#2. James Neal - Neal had another great game adding two goals to the 6 that were scored. He had a power play goal early in the first period and added another goal in the third to go up 3-0. Neal is a beast for the Pens and having him in the lineup is one of the only reasons they haven't fallen out of the playoff hunt. With those two goals, he now has 24 goals and 40 points in 44 games.

#1. Evgeni Malkin - Malkin was fierce. FIERCE!! He had a five point night with three goals and two assists. He already had two assists on both of Neal's goals. Then :48 after Teddy Purcell tied the score, he unloaded, unassisted and scored the go ahead goal. Less than 2 minutes later, he scored again on what might possibly be a candidate for goal of the year so far. Then, with the net empty, he bounced the puck into the net for a hat trick. As I mentioned already, Malkin got into a scrap with Vinny and got a roughing penalty later in the game. These two have some history. Didn't Malkin get suspended for trying to kick Lecavalier back during the Olympics? I remember something like that. Regardless, Pens win!! Malkin has point number 50 and is one behind Henrik Sedin for the league lead.

Traded Mid-shift

2012-01-12T22:32:00.000-06:00

Not quite but almost.

Mike Cammalleri was just traded to the Calgary Flames seemingly in the middle of the game. As the game was moving on, I started wondering where he was and then Jack Edwards pipes up and says he was just sent to the hotel to pack. This is by far the most insane thing I have ever heard since the last insane thing Montreal did...only a few weeks ago when they fired their coach.

In exchange for Cammalleri, Karri Ramo of the KHL, and a 5th rounder, Calgary sends Rene Bourque, Patrick Holland (WHL), and a 2nd round pick in 2013.

Talk amongst yourselves.

Tin Break - - 2011-12 Upper Deck Series I

2012-01-11T21:40:00.001-06:00

Yes I said Tin. Every year, Upper Deck releases some type of tin box with their retail product. This year, Series I features a tin box with 12 packs and a Jumbo Winter Classic card that features last years WC between the Capitals and Penguins, you know, the one that killed Sidney Crosby? Yeah, that one. Each pack has 8 cards just like the other retail packs that are out there. The difference between a normal blaster, though, other than the Jumbo card, is that you get at least 2 UD Canvas cards, generally 3-5 Young Guns, and actually have a chance at pulling a GU card at 1 every 2 tins. The other difference is price. These carry a price tag around the $30 mark. A bit steep for the normal retail fare but it is really only $10 more than normal.

Since you can go all over and see the base cards, I figured I would just show what I was able to pull out of this one. I picked up one of these when they first hit the market too but I literally (yes, literally) can't find the box. How a tin full of cards disappears I will never know. It may have been misplaced into the dreaded Card Garage which if that is the case, it might be gone forever.

So here goes:

Here is my Jumbo card. It's Jordan Staal sporting the WC jersey which is cursed and should be permanently retired. Staal is out right now with a knee injury created by former teammate Mike Rupp in the game the other night against the Rangers.

Here were my regular Young Guns cards. I pulled Adam Larsson, Greg Nimesz, and Joe Vitale of the Pens. Vitale has been a big surprise and a bright spot in this years crop of rookies for Pittsburgh. If only there were more bright spots this year. They dropped their 6th straight tonight against Washington, lost the 8th spot in the East, and were shut out for the first time in a year and a half. Good job boys. Let's get healthy, eh?

I pulled 2 UD Canvas cards just as expected. What wasn't expected was the fact that one of them was a Young Gun. It's none other than Mika Zibanejad. Gesundheit!! These are seeded about 1 in 4 tins in the retail so a nice pull even though the subject could be questionable. I'm kidding of course. Mika isn't a bad player at all and is a pretty highly touted prospect for his size and physical play as a defensive minded forward. In fact, if any of you have been watching the World Junior Tournament, he scored the game winning goal for Sweden to win the gold medal. I wonder if his cards will skyrocket now??? Not likely, I'm sure.

There were two of the ever popular Ultimate Team cards. Here we have Dion Phaneuf and Taylor Hall. There are those that say these have no business being counted as cards at all and should just be lumped in with the other "ad" cards you sometimes pull. I don't care either way. I don't think they are horrible although I am not a huge fan either.

I did pull one Hockey Heroes card. Here we have 7 time All-Star in the 1950s, Alex Delvecchio. They changed these up this year with featuring a decade rather than a particular player. I like them. I like them a lot.

And finally, I pulled a Tim Thomas All World Team card. I am not a big fan of these either as they tend to permeate the retail versions of Upper Deck hockey. They aren't bad this year as they show the national colors along the bottom edge rather than a small flag. I have been pulling Thomas cards a bunch lately. I have two or three GU that have come from other recent products that I'm sure I will get to in other posts sometime soon.

Again, these are a little more cash than the traditional retail blaster but you do get the extra Canvas card and the Jumbo. Plus you will get an extra Young Gun or two over what is in a normal blaster. I only wish the tins were more practical to store cards in. If you leave the insert in there, you can get a couple small stacks of cards but without the insert, cards fly around all over the place. If you can imagine, I have way too many empty tins lying around.

Box Break - - 2005-06 Upper Deck Series II Hobby Box

2012-01-09T22:14:00.001-06:00

The Chicago Sun-Times is good for a couple shows a year and last year was no different. Even with the National being in Chicago this year, I still have an affinity for these shows because they are always well put together, feature a good selection of vendors and dealers, and have a great line up of autograph guests. This past November was no different.

While perusing some tables for any interesting hockey deals I could get my hand on, I came across a guy with a bunch of older boxes and bulk discounted sets from the late 80s/early 90s. As I fumbled over a few piles of stuff, I came across this box mixed in with the 1990 Pro Set and 1991 Score...

For those that can't see the box because of the crappy scan, it's a hobby box of 2005-06 Upper Deck Series II. The best part about the box is that it was under $35. Since the Crosby Young Gun was in Series I, the consolation prize in this box would be the Ovechkin rookie, with a slim chance at pulling the Victory Update rookie of Crosby or Ovechkin. A small price to pay for the opportunity to possibly pull one of those beauty's.

I couldn't wait till I got home so I proceeded to bust it at one of the tables near the snack bar in front of a live studio audience. Here is the breakdown of a typical box:

8 Cards/Pack
24 Packs/Box
3 Game Used Cards (approx.)
6 Young Guns Rookies (approx.)
1 Victory Update card/Pack
Randomly inserted Rookie Threads Autos and Rookie Ink cards.

The key rookies include, as I said, Alex Ovechkin, along with Jeff Carter, Thomas Vanek, Mikko Koivu, Ryan Getzlaf, and Johan Franzen.

And away...we...go...

I'll just get this out of the way now. I don't remember if it was 6 packs, 7, 9, it doesn't matter. What matters is that I pulled the top two cards that could have possibly come out of here. The Victory Update rookie of Sidney Crosby and the Ovechkin Young Gun. Ok, I will say it...Boom!! Goes the dynamite!!

A couple FINALIST insert cards. Here we have Tony Esposito as a Rookie Finalist and Bobby Clarke as an All Time Greatest Finalist. I'm not real sure what the point of this set was but it is nicely designed and features a good many stars of yesterday.

I figured I'd show some love to the other Young Guns that I pulled. We have ex-Penguin Ryan Whitney, Johan Franzen (the 12th best card in the set), RJ Umberger, and Brad Winchester. I did pull one other but I don't remember who it was and I obviously didn't scan it.

There is also a STARS IN THE MAKING set which feature younger players that are poised for greatness. The cards feature a date captured in time that features some significant event in each players career. I pulled Mike Richards and Dion Phaneuf. These cards remind me too much of the Game Breakers and Stars of the Game sets you find in Victory.

The Hometown Heroes sets are either loved or hated. The sideways layout is nice for a change of pace but makes for a pain if you would put these in an album. Here we have Dany Heatley then of the Senators.

There is also a GOAL CELEBRATIONS set that really misses the mark as none of the featured photos really shows anyone celebrating. I'm not real sure Upper Deck's design team knew what the wanted here. The checklist is decent though. Here we have ex-Thrasher, current Devil Ilya Kovalchuk.

I'm not scanning the base cards because you have all seen them before. If not, Google it.

And now the GU cards...

My first pull was this lovely Rookie Threads Andrej Meszaros card. It's a single color swatch as you can see, of a player that I really had no interest in. At least he was a #1 pick in his draft. Andrej is on the Flyers I think now.

GU #2 is this other lovely single color swatch card of Kyle Calder. I think this was the last year Kyle was on the Hawks before spending time in Detroit, LA, Philly, and Anaheim. You'd have to ask a Blackhawks fan if he was ever any good. As far as I can tell, he had at least two seasons with 30+ goals. That's not bad I guess. Kyle is retired now, as far as I know.

Finally, we had this Game Used...

Another crappy single color swatch but on an awesome card. A second Ovechkin rookie only a Rookie Threads Game Used card. I was shocked when this came out of the box. So was everyone else around me. This card rounded out one of the best boxes, if not THE best box, I have ever opened. Pick one of these up if you can find it for under $50 bucks. It's a fun break and you have some nice chances to win big.

Well It's Official

2012-01-08T21:00:00.000-06:00

That sad, pathetic display of what they tried to pass off as football marked an end to my 2011 NFL viewing season. Call me a sore loser if you will but with all the injuries that have plagued the Steelers this season, it's a wonder how they even made it to a wild card game in the first place. Big Ben had no business playing any of the last three weeks. We lost Mendenhall with a blown ACL. Clark is out with sickle cell-like symptoms because of the thin air in Denver. Troy has been hurt off and on most of the season, the O-line has been banged up since 2006. I could go on, and on.

I would like to congratulate the Denver Broncos defense in their decisive victory over the Steelers this afternoon. I know what you are thinking? But DFG??? The Denver offense was who put the beating on Pittsburgh. True. However no team lead by Tim Tebow will I ever give credit to as long as I live (I don't think that is correct grammar either but what are you, the Grammar Police?). I am not a fan, never was a fan, and never will be a fan. Despite his obvious ease at picking apart the battered and bruised backup Steelers D on 20+ yard passes today, I will still borrow a line from Dennis Green and say, he was who I thought he was. One game will not change that opinion. Anyone who watched the game saw that anymore than a 3 man pass rush and he crumpled like a piece of paper. His success only came after both Brett Keisel and Big Snack went down with injuries and never came back into the game. With no pass rush, he was able to bide time and make the decisions that his slow functioning brain could make. On one play alone, I counted 8 seconds before a defender was able to get into the backfield. That's unacceptable for the overall #1 defense and is the reason the game ended like it did. There, I said it...sour grapes.

But seriously, I don't like hype machines. I don't like them in any sport or in any aspect of life. All they do is get people's hopes up for good things and then it makes it 1000x's worse when they inevitably backfire. Yes I said inevitably because that's what happens. I'm not saying Tebow will be a bust (although one can hold onto hope) but he can't consistently play cardiac level ball and survive. He just can't. If he can pull the same crap on New England next week, I may change my mind a bit but I'll believe it when I see it. Speaking of believing what you see, what was that thing on his lip? Is that the syphilis flair up they have been talking about? Or maybe that herpes he thought he got treated? I don't know but it looked nasty.

So getting back to my original point, the season is over for me. If I watch another football game so be it but I will not be making a concerted effort to, not even the Super Bowl. Most of the teams left, I have no desire to see continue any further so I will now devote 100% of my attention to my favorite sport, women's beach volleyball...I mean hockey, yeah that's it. Hockey!!

I can't believe we lost to this.

Opposite Day

2012-01-08T17:03:00.002-06:00

I forgot to mention in my last post that it was opposite day and the score prediction was reversed.

Pathetic!!!

Wildcard Sunday - - Foreshadowing The Destruction of Tebow (wishful thinking...?)

2012-01-08T14:58:00.000-06:00

Before I get into some big, overblown, drawn out explanation of how the Steelers can beat the Broncos later today, let me just say this...The Steeler's D has two jobs today...stopping the run and preventing the "big" play. All week, the analysts and reporters have all been talking about how Denver is going to start slinging the ball and if they are going to win, Tebow will have to come out throwing. While this is probably true, lets' face facts here. The "chosen one" has completed 41% of his passes in the last three games and has 1 TD to 4 INTs. So I don't expect them to be gun-slinging like former Bronco legend John Elway says they will.

Instead, Denver is going to run the ball. They have the top ranked running game in the league and the Steelers have shown time and time again that this year has been an "off" year for their normally #1 ranked run defense. The key is going to be for the front line to not allow anything through. Too often this year, the Steelers D has looked more like a piece of Swiss cheese rather than the Steel Curtain. The front guys have missed their marks which have opened up holes into the linebackers. Unfortunately, the backs have just missed their assignments all too often. The Steelers secondary can't be relied on to stifle the running game by themselves and 90% of the time, at that point it is too late.

With all that being said, the potential problem is the Steelers offense. While the defense should be able to hold their own versus a one dimensional Denver offense, the offensive line will have to come up big trying to protect Big Ben and his bum ankle. Expect to see a ton of multiple tight end schemes to give Ben a little more time by holding off the outside rushers. The second issue is the running attack. Denver is beatable on the ground but Pittsburgh is without Mendenhall and will instead go with Isaac Redman and his former practice squad teammate John Clay. Both of these guys can pound the ball but don't offer much in the way of finesse running.

Since I don't think Denver can put up a ton of points, if the Steelers come out of the gate and get up early by a couple scores, the game could be over. Stopping the running game and forcing Tebow into throwing situations or flushing him out of the pocket early could lead to some turnovers. My prediction: The Steelers come out throwing, score a couple of nice, long, time consuming drives to go up 14-0 and then break out the running game to wear down the Broncos D. As long as Ben can keep the ball out of the other team's hands and if Troy can pull out a couple of big plays, this will be a good victory en route to New England.

Final score: Pittsburgh 31, Denver 13

Box Break - - 2002-03 Pacific Vanguard Hobby (Another Forgotten Post)

2012-01-05T21:45:00.000-06:00

This is another post that was sitting in the unpublished draft graveyard just waiting for the day it would be found again. I guess today is that day. It's only 5 months late. I decided to try and get caught up on all the posts that I started and never finished. This could take a while.

This is another box from Atlanta Sports Cards that I picked up at the National show on the 6th of August. Once again, this was a set that fell into the time frame where the last thing on my mind was card collecting.

Features of the set include a base set with 100 cards as well as 36 rookies that are all serial-numbered, most out of 1650. Rookie cards of Mike Cammalleri, Steve Ott, Jay Bouwmeester, and Ryan Miller can be found in this set. In addition, there are Pacific Complete cards inserted 1 per pack. Pacific Complete was a monster sized set (600 cards) that was broken up and inserted into each of the six major Pacific releases that year. 100 cards from the set are randomly inserted in Vanguard, those numbered 201-300. While the set itself doesn't have a ton of value, the more rare "Red" parallel versions can be found at almost 10x the value of the regular base cards.

There is also a Vanguard LTD variation of all 136 base cards. These cards are the same as the base versions with the words "Vanguard LTD" watermarked in a silvery stripe across the fronts of the cards. They are also all serial-numbered out of 450.

The game used cards fall at approximately 3 per box with an opportunity to pull the gold versions which are numbered to 50. The GU themselves are serial numbered too but the numbers vary depending on the player. There are 50 cards total in that set.

As for the rest of the inserts, there is an East Meets West set which features, you guessed it, an Eastern Conference star paired up with a Western Conference star. These usually come 2 per box. There are also V-Team and In Focus cards that fall about 1 per box. The V-Teams in particular have #'s 1-6 in the Hobby Packs, #7-12 in the Retail version.

Prime Prospects is a 20 card insert set that falls about 3-4 per box and features some of the bigger young stars in the making (at least at the time because in hind sight, the checklist is brutal). Finally, my favorite insert set in this release features our goalie friends, called Stonewallers. These cards show a brick wall with a silver foil center and the player overlayed on top. They actually look really nice in person. You can also find 3-4 of these in a box as well.

The base cards are printed using the foil-board that was prevalent in releases between 2001-2004 and has a mirror finish. The Players name is printed vertically down the right side of the card in the team colors. There is also a stripe directly to the left that features the product logo, very small at the top, and the players team and position. The interesting thing is the way it is phrased. Instead of listing the typical letter designation for position or even spelling it out, the cards say, for example, "Center For The Montreal Canadiens" (that's on the Saku Koivu card). It's something different. The rest of the card has the player cropped out of an action shot on top of the mirror foil with a team colored pattern design.

Box Breakdown:
6 Cards/Pack
24 Packs/Box
144 Total Cards

Here are some of the highlights to the box.

Ryan Miller and Mike Cammalleri Rookies

Jay Bouwmeester LTD Rookie. You can kind of see the "Vanguard LTD" symbol going across the middle.

Here were my lackluster Game Used cards. That's why I made them so small because they are kind of embarrassing. The best one here, numbering wise is the Klesla card out of 50. They are all small swatches, they are all white, and they are all from players that have little to no interest to me or anyone else on planet Earth.

The Stonewallers, as I said already, are my favorites in this set. I pulled Luongo, Potvin, and Patrick Lalime. I remember when he debuted for the Pens way back when. He was unstoppable then. Also, I pulled one V-Team of Marty Turco. I seem to always pull some kind of Turco insert.

There were two Prime Prospects inserts in this box. I pulled Rick Nash and Jay Bouwmeester. These aren't too bad to look at either but again, these are two of the better cards on the checklist.

Finally, I pulled one East/West card of Vinny Lecavalier and Joe Sakic, as well as one In Focus also of Mr. Sakic.

Overall, this was a good pick up for the price tag. You get a bunch of nice looking inserts, a few GU that you will probably wish you hadn't, and a chance at some nice rookie cards. It was a fun break to do as well and I wish I would have gotten it on video but as most of you already know, my video skills are non existent. If you do pick one up, just be careful with the cards because all that foil has a tendency to stick to itself after almost 10 years trapped in a pack.

Happy New Year, new PC status

2012-01-03T19:22:00.000-06:00

Well I could go on about my New Year's collecting resolutions just like every other blog out there but I won't. I did that last year and after about September or so, I couldn't stick to it any longer. Why? Well this year we had two major card shows in my area, the National show, and a host of other smaller events that popped up. I'm a sucker for a good show and none of these were an exception.

I did begin a new PC in 2011, against my better judgement. I began collecting Eric Tangradi cards as one of my player collection in addition to Super Mario, Jags, and Billy G. The first is a HOFer, the second most certainly will be, and the third has more character, integrity, and grit in his pinky finger than 90% of the league ever did. So how does a minor leaguer with only a few opportunities to move up to the big leagues and a wicked injury to his credit fit into this mix? I don't really know.

All I know is that Tangradi is a beast of a winger at 6' 4", 232lbs. He has the potential to wreak havoc in front of the net and a grinders mentality. Currently, he leads Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with 13 goals and is tied for 2nd in total points with 23. He made the AHL All Star team last year and has a great shot at making it again this year. For some reason, though, he just hasn't been able to solidify an extended look in the NHL. I'm holding out hope for big things to come.

There are a little more than 150 cards for Eric at the moment, 50+ of them are 1/1's. I've picked up a few out of packs, a couple in trade, and the rest from the Bay. I'm up to about 32 different cards with a few dupes. If you want to check out the collection so far, you can go here.

Pens vs. Blackhawks; 3 Stars

2011-12-20T21:47:00.000-06:00

The Pens were able to hold off an 8 minute Blackhawk barrage in the 3rd period to hang onto a 3-2 win at Consol tonight. The Pens are now 2 games out of 1st in the division and I believe 3 games back in the East. The Hawks, despite the loss, are still statistically the best team in hockey. Tonights 3 stars Crown Royale style...

3. Viktor Stalberg - - this guy was a beast on the ice and if it wasn't for the posts, the game would have been 4-2 Hawks. He deserves it.

2. Marc-Andre Fleury - - Fleury, as usual, is a beast in net for the Pens. He continues to dominate in the absence of many players due to injury. Clearly the MVP of the team thus far.

1. Evgeni Malkin - - He has definitely stepped it up in Crosby's absence. He had 6 shots on goal and 3 assists to show for it. He also took a high stick in the face which led to a 4:00 penalty, that eventually saw the game winner scored.

Merry Christmas, You're Fired!

2011-12-18T09:15:00.000-06:00

Sounds like something The Donald would say on his continually watered down reality show, doesn't it? Well the only reality here is that Jacques Martin has been fired as the Habs coach. I have many comments and thoughts on this subject, although I probably shouldn't even care. But I'm gonna let anyone that would like the floor to voice their thoughts.

Here is the six degrees of separation to the Penguins...1 step...Cunneyworth spent four seasons with the Pens from 1985-1989. He was a work horse winger, playing 70+ games a year, all of which scoring over 40 points each season.

But I will say this, as much as I liked Randy Cunneyworth as a player when he was on the Pens back in the day...come on, folks. The guy doesn't even speak French.

Show & Tell: Player PC Addition

2011-12-13T03:55:00.000-06:00

I don't post a whole lot of PC love on the site. I don't know why either. The whole purpose of collecting is to collect what you like, right? Well I felt that this one was definitely share worthy.

I picked this one up from the Bay about a week or two ago. It comes from the ITG Canada Vs. The World set that came out this year. I haven't picked up any boxes of this (I know, shocking isn't it?) and really didn't plan on it as their were many other priorities when it hit the shelves. I like them. I mean, I like everything ITG puts out. I just didn't get overhyped by the set or concept.

I have been a little gun shy about Jags since his Benedict Arnold loving butt parked itself in Philadelphia. He meant so much to the Pens and the city of Pittsburgh in his time spent there that although it was a business deal, every fan felt betrayed. So I have been less than motivated to add to this collection. But, lets face it. He is still one of the greatest ever.

So when I saw this, I had to have it. Let's just say it looks 1000X's better in person than it did in any picture. Here's my contribution to show and tell...

The best part is that it shows Jags in his early 2000's Pens jersey with a Penguin swatch as well as a swatch from his Czech Republic sweater from world competition.

Down Time

2011-12-12T22:50:00.000-06:00

For anyone that may have noticed, the site has been inaccessible for a few days. For as good as Blogger has been about keeping things clean around here, they failed epically recently. While looking over my "blog roll" on the side, I noticed that there was some "questionable" advertising posted on my main page. Upon further review, many of my posts, a ton of my images, and links to my pages had all been changed to...lets just say sites that are unrelated to either sports or cards (although I guess some might call it a sport). Either way, I apologize to anyone that may have been offended but I think it may be fixed for now.

Let me know if you find anything that might be broken.

Happy Thanksgiving (or in Canada, Happy Thursday)

2011-11-24T05:00:00.001-06:00

Thanksgiving is a time to reconnect with family and friends. It's a time to not only celebrate the beginning of the holiday season but also to reflect on all the things that have brought joy and cheer to us throughout the year. But enough of that sappy, sentimental crap. Since this is a card/sports blog, here is what I am thankful for in relation to this great hobby of ours.

5. I am thankful that the card companies are all finally starting to wise up to the fact that the blogging community of card collectors are not going away. This past year, especially, the manufacturers have began paying attention to the blogs, listening to the suggestions of collectors and taking heed to the voice of the hobby. Many of them have established their own blogs in addition to taking advantage of Facebook, Twitter, and the other social media outlets that are available. It is a new age in card collecting and they are finally realizing they need to get out of the 80s. Although there are many things broken with the hobby, this is probably this biggest step in the right direction in many, many years.

4. I am thankful for (and you may chastise me as you wish) my local card shop. Although the brick and mortar store of old has become as rare as the blue footed booby, those of us fortunate to have one nearby (that being a relative term) still use it to our advantage. I have used my shop to meet other collectors, talk about the hobby, trade with collectors, increase my collection, and of course pick up those ever elusive supplies that I need almost too regularly. Despite the draw to buy online and save the money, I'm still old fashioned in that I like to see it, touch it, and open it right there amidst the glass cases of cardboard heaven.

3. I am thankful for the fact that it would appear, at least on the surface, that card redemption programs seem to be on their way out or at the very least, gearing for an overhaul. Although there are still many manufacturers that still put them into packs to the chagrin of us collectors, it seems they are getting less and less over the last three years. I'll clarify this by saying that my experience is 95% with hockey products and there are only two manufacturers since 2010-11 and only one since 2005. While I have had a better than average experience with getting the cards back from the manufacturers, we all know that many of you have not. Of course my biggest gripe has always been the expired redemptions. I'm not a "big hit" collector but there is nothing that bugs me more than pulling a redemption that could have been an auto or GU of someone highly collectible only to find out that they are sorry but they can't honor an expired redemption. But nonetheless, it seems it may be close to running it's course. We can only hope, right?

2. I am thankful that I have the privilege of being a Pittsburgh sports fan. Let's face it, we have some storied franchises in the Burgh that have great tradition and a long history of championship caliber competition. We have a 3 time Stanley Cup winning team currently with some of the best talent in all the NHL. These guys are young, highly skilled, well coached, and very entertaining to watch. They put a great product on the ice that continually sells out each and every night. We have a 6 time Super Bowl championship team that, at least right now, appears to be primed for at least another playoff run. They have been in the playoffs 26 times, most of which in my lifetime, won 20 division titles, and 8 conference championships. We also have a baseball team (originally I ended it there but...) who believe it or not, do have 5 World Series rings. Sure they haven't fielded a winning team since I was in middle school but that's no reason to fret. I have had an opportunity to see some great players come up through the ranks, developing into solid star players (for other teams). I have no ill feelings toward the Pirates though. It makes it easy to be a team collector when no one else out there wants anything to do with their cards.

1. Most of all, I am thankful for all the great people I have talked with, emailed, met, traded with, and interact with on an almost daily basis in this awesome hobby. The people that blog are some of the nicest, most grounded, down to earth people you will ever meet. Since starting this blog in 2009, I have grown my collection 10 fold and it is mostly due to the blogging community. Everyone is generous and eager to help other collectors out (I should follow their lead sometime when I grow up). I never thought that this hobby and blogging experience would amount to much other than a creative outlet for my compulsion (which it has) but it has also brought me some great friendships. I am glad I have carved out my own little piece of this great community of ours.

I encourage anyone else, both blogger and reader to share what they are thankful for in this hobby. If you have a blog and published a post like this already, put the link in the comments.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!!
(unless of course you are in Canada then I say to you, Happy Thursday)

Welcome Back, Sid!!

2011-11-21T20:43:00.000-06:00

End of the 1st period...Crosby already has 1 goal and an assist to boot. He's got 4 shots on goal and he has been cross checked in the back and blasted into the boards...no one got upset, no one made a fuss, life goes on.

Just because I thought it was pretty funny, here's a video from Benstonium.

End of the 2nd Period...Crosby gets another assist on a sweet stuff goal by Malkin. Pens are up 4-0 (I know it's just the Islanders but so what?). He's only logged just under 12:00 minutes but if you are watching this game at all, you will know that he is working hard every second he is out there. The instincts are still there, the power is still there, the speed is still there. The only thing missing is the stamina but give him a week or two and that will be back too. This team could be lethal.

If you missed "The Goal", relive it here.

End of the game...Crosby...Period! Pens win 5-0!

2 Goals, 2 Assists, 8 shots on goal, just under 16:00 of ice time. Oh, and the #1 Star of the Game. It's like he never missed a day.

Crosby Returns To The Ice, Finally (FOR REAL THIS TIME!!!)

2011-11-20T16:33:00.000-06:00

After 61 straight games of being absent from the line-up, Crosby will finally take the ice Monday against the Islanders. CES will most definitely be a rockin' place to be and I wish I could be there to see it. My guess is that whatever game is on TV that night will be trumped just for this moment the world has been waiting for.

I, for one, am glad that we will no longer have to see constant interviews and media scrums questioning Crosby's availability, health, stamina, head-aches, black outs, dry-skin, foot odor, and the occasional not so fresh feeling he sometimes gets. It is time to put away the rumors and conjecture regarding his ability to bounce back, his wasted potential due to injury, and the idea that he would prematurely retire. I'm not going to compare this to when Lemieux fought through injury after injury, as well as beating cancer to come back on the ice because it isn't the same thing. But for this generation of Pens fans (and the hockey world as a whole) it is pretty darn close. Love him or hate him, there is no denying the impact Sid has made on the game in his short NHL career.

(More on this card here later)

So now that he is back, the struggling Pens can finally get back on track. I mean, there was no way they could have won without him, right? WRONG!! The Pens have been playing some of the best hockey in the entire league through the first 20 games, going 11-6-3. They are tied with Philly for the most points in the East. My questions now center around one central theme, How long is it going to take? How long to get his legs under him? How long to get back to the elite level? How long before his line gels with him? How long before will be blasted into the boards for the first time? Is he going to hear footsteps every time he goes after a puck? And most importantly...will he ever learn to grow facial hair correctly?

The first game back should be a good test to see where he is health-. The Islanders are basically back to, well, Islander hockey. They have won two games in the last 13 including a 6-0 shellacking against the Bruins on Saturday. With all the issues they have been having, it should make for an interesting matchup. I'm not going to be the leader of the Lord Stanley chant any time soon but I can't help to think of how much better the Pens might look going forward. (barring another injury, of course.)

Crosby Returns To The Ice, Finally!!!

2011-11-10T21:00:00.000-06:00

Or that's what I would be saying if it were actually true. But alas, it's another day of speculation and conjecture on the subject by the media, the fans, the team, and of course the man himself. No he will not be in the lineup on Friday as it was rumored. No he will not be in the lineup at all this weekend.

I think the latest fuel that's been added to the fire was yesterday's trade of Mark Letestu to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Are the Pens clearing a roster spot? Maybe. Maybe not. But I do know this...Ray Shero up to this point in time has been a trading/waiver wire/drafting genius. Until he screws up royally, I trust he knows what's best.

Mark was a decent guy for most of his Pens career but this year has just stunk up the joint. Plus with Staal, Malkin, some injured guy, Jefferey, Adams, Vitale, etc., playing time would be at a premium on the front lines. He claims he is happy about the trade. Wouldn't you be? Going from the best team in hockey to the worst team in hockey. I know I would. Um, wait a minute. What? Oh, yeah that's it. He wanted more playing time. Well he's guaranteed to get it in Ohio. I'm pretty sure he will turn out to be a decent contributor as well. He even already has a goal in his first game.

In return, the Pens got 4 felt tip markers, a broken Ouija board, and some half eaten Jell-O pudding cups. Sounds fair to me. I mean, that's more than they got in the Jagr trade. Just kidding. They got a fourth-round pick in next years draft, which, by the way, will be held in Pittsburgh. The team now has 8 picks in the 2012 draft.

Hey, maybe this means Tangradi will get a phone call. What's that you say? He did get the call? Why yes. Yes he did!! Don't blow it this time, kid. You are the leading scorer on WBS, 12 points in 12 games, top 10 in scoring in the AHL, don't let it go to your head. Work for it!

Sunday Prediction

2011-10-30T09:47:00.000-05:00

Well we are here. It is week 8 in the NFL and it has come down once again to a home game against the New England Cheatriots, I mean Patriots. At this point in the season, the Pats are 5-1 and have the best record in the AFC. The Steelers, however, are 5-2, and with a win against the Patriots at Heinz Field, would become the leader atop the AFC. I'd be the worst Steelers fan in history if I tried to slant this little post down the middle so I'll get this out of the way now...I hate the Patriots; I hate Bill Belichick; I hate Tom Brady. I've never met any of these people. I don't know them personally. Are they nice guys? Don't know. Don't care. I hate them for what they have done over the last 10-12 years to my Steelers. That should be enough.

I wish I could say this was going to be another easy stroll through the park but I don't think that is the case. The Pats are 4-1 at Heinz Field. Yes, I said 4-1. That means that 80% of the time, they win. I believe that is the best record for any team not in the AFC North against the Steelers at home since Heinz Field opened in 2001 (of this I am probably incorrect but it sounded good and makes my point).

The Patriots are also 9-2 after a bye week since Belichick took over the team in 1999. This means that they take the extra time with the week off to prepare and dissect their opposing defense's tendencies so that by the time game day arrives, they have already beaten their opponent in their minds and in the playbook. Their 8 game, post-bye week win streak proves that.

Also, Tom Brady is 6-1 against the Steelers. 6-1!! No other quarterback (again, not in the AFC North) can say that. He wins at home, on the road, in the playoffs, it doesn't matter. The guy just has a brain for football and can breakdown a defense like a great field general in battle. I don't think I would even be as upset if any of these games would have been tightly contested. But in the last two wins alone, Brady has passed for 749 yards with seven touchdowns. In all, he has thrown for over 2,000 yards and 14 touchdown. And the worst part, he does this from an upright position. For some reason, the annually top ranked defense has the most problems getting him to the ground or picking off his passes. He's a surgeon and I hate him.

So, what do the Steelers need for a win? There is no doubt that New England is going to light up the Steelers' defense. I'm guessing there will be, once again, a ton of yards and the score to match. But the difference this year is that Big Ben and the Steelers' offense will do the same thing. Pittsburgh has moved, slowly, from a run-first type, punch-you-in-the-mouth kind of team to an air-it-out, deep threat, yardage-by-chunks kind of offense. I'm not saying I like this but it is pretty exciting to watch. The edge still goes to Tom but not by much, in my opinion. The real difference has to be in the defense. The Steelers are better equipped to stop the Patriots than the other way around. Don't expect to see three TE touchdowns like last year. And don't expect to see Wes Welker run loose all over Heinz Field.

So my prediction...Steelers 27 Patriots 24. It's going to take virtually a flawless game. And these guys in particular need to step it up and play perfect.

Yards will be at a premium and Mendy will need to break a few to keep Pittsburgh in this.

Not much more can be said about these two. Ben has to be perfect. PERFECT!! No turnovers. No stupid sacks. No throwing the ball up in desperation. And there is no doubt Troy will be all over the field.

Sanders will start in place of Hines Ward. Welcome to the big show.

Box Break - - 2008-09 Upper Deck Series II Hobby Box

2011-10-29T16:01:00.000-05:00

I know there are many of you out there that are a lot like me in that the majority of your card spending budget is consumed in some retail establishment or another. I didn't say all, just the majority. This means that you seldom, if ever get an opportunity to pick up something with a hobby version. I say seldom because depending on where you go, there are those rare occasions when the vendor that stocks the trading card aisle has a rogue box from the world of hobby products.

A little while back (ok it was probably a long while back since I have been seemingly too busy or lazy or both to post anything in forever) that very event occured. On the shelf amongst all the baseball blasters and value boxes was this...

A hobby box of 2008-09 Upper Deck Series II Hockey. I knew if I was so inclined I could get one of these from my LCS but how could I pass up one that was about $30 cheaper?

As this is Series II of Upper Deck's flagship release, the box collation was expected to be much like Series I. There are an average of 6 Young Guns rookies per box, 2 GU cards per box, and a whole host of inserts that fall about 1:4 packs. Also in Series II are the Victory Update cards. All of the high series Victory cards from their set each year are included 1 per pack in Series II and number 251-350. Victory Rookies tended to fall about 1:4 packs. So with two GU and a bunch of inserts, there is also the potential for 12 rookies (6 Young Guns, 6 Victory Rookies).

I realize that most of you have seen these before and probably have thousands of them (like me) so I will spare you the base card scans. Just know that these are the typical full bleed photos that Upper Deck is known for. The cards are borderless, with only a silver stripe sectioning off the name plate. The backs are also nice because they feature an additional player photo (a headshot) as well as stats that cover more than just a year or two in a players career. Upper Deck always does well with their bread and butter set and hopefully this year's release (2011-12) will continue this same tradition.

So as I said, this box was different. Funny enough, this became one of the better boxes I have opened this year. Why? Well mainly for one reason. I was able to finally complete my 2008-09 set. I know that doesn't seem like all that much considering I have broken some very nice boxes over the past 10 months but those last 8 cards for this set were becoming impossible to track down. It is always a good day when you are able to knock something completely off your set needs list.

Other than that, it was a pretty basic box with a typical collation. Here is what came out.

This is actually a very nice Rookie Materials card with a two color swatch of Mr. Turris. I wish I could say that he is tearing up the league at this point in his career but unfortunately, for this year at least, that isn't the case. Kyle is in a battle with Phoenix management over his contract and has yet to play a single game. If you believe the rumor mill known as ESPN, apparently he wants out of Phoenix completely. Coyotes GM Don Maloney has already said that he has no interest in letting him go though. Basically if he doesn't get a contract signed by December 1 he won't be playing for Phoenix or anyone else this season.

Here is some guy from the Lightning. It almost seems like if you aren't named Stamkos or St. Louis, you are an after thought in Tampa. That's unfortunate because as good of a player as Lecavalier is/was, his play always get overshadowed by Stamkos and his other diminutive teammate. I guess this would be considered the "other" hit in my box.

I pulled one Tales Of The Cup insert. Here we have a bearded Doug Weight from his time with Carolina and their Cup win in 2006. This is a very nice set to collect because it captures that moment that every hockey player dreams of achieving from the time they first strap on a pair of skates.

I pulled two The New Guard inserts. Here we have Jonathan Toews and Marian Gaborik. With a set name like New Guard, I would have expected this to be an all goalie set. But what do I know?

This is from the Favorite Sons insert set. These are kind of like the Hometown Heroes set from the year before (and year before that I think). I don't think I am really a fan of these.

The two above are the Spectacular Saves inserts. These had potential and feature supposedly spectacular saves made by their respective goalies. Of course you don't really get much from a still picture. This would probably be a good idea for one of those new Video Cards that are "all the rage" in the hobby. It comes across as a much better sell when you can actually see the save in action. Here we have the now relegated to backup duty Evgeni Nabokov. He was potentially going to split time with Al Montoya when the year started but I think he has only played in 3 or 4 games thus far. Also, the now retired Chris Osgood. Ozzie was a mainstay in net for Detroit for many, many years and retired as Detroit's all time leading goal scorer for goalies (he had 1). You didn't expect me to list that as a highlight, did you? Coincidentally, Naby had one too against Vancouver.

I'd be remiss if I didn't post a few of the Victory high numbers as well.

Nobody really noteworthy in this lot.

A couple of Gold Parallels including Michael Frolik's Rookie. Not bad.

I actually pulled a Black Parallel as well. These are seeded about 1:4000 packs. That might be an exaggeration but not by much. A tough pull. Unfortunately I ended up with Ron Hainsey.

Definitely a better selection here with Bogosian and Gillies. I remember opening a lot of 2008-09 stuff and it seemed like Petr Vrana was in every pack I opened. No change here.

Again, nothing to see here.

But wait! What is this?

I don't know, has anyone ever heard of this guy? Isn't he good or something? Too bad this wasn't the actual Young Guns card.

Speaking of which, last but not least, the 6 Young Guns that are "guaranteed" per box. Nothing really to write home about in this mix.

So 2 GU cards, 6 Young Guns, 12 Victory rookies (including the Stamkos, and the one Gold Parallel), and a Black Victory parallel. Considering all these and the fact that I polished off a set makes this a great break.

New Player Collection

2011-10-11T19:14:00.001-05:00

I think I have decided to make it official. All this despite the fact that he was unable to secure a roster spot this year and the fact that this was the second year in a row where he was unable to do so. Of course I am speaking of Penguins prospect Eric Tangradi. He is so close to making the team it is sick. He is going to have a few shots this year as his size and mobility around the boards makes him an excellent injury fill in. I just hope he can make the best of them without injury.

So far this year he has one point on an assist for WBS. That will inevitably increase as the 6'4" 225lb forward can not only bang down low but has a pretty good wrist shot. We will of course see.

At any rate, I have added him to the side panel along with some scans of the collection thus far. Positives...he only has about a 130 cards at this point. Negatives...most of them are either autos, memorabilia, or 1/1s. If you have anything that I may not have scanned in, let me know and we can trade. Or as has become customary, you send it to me and then 8 months from now when you have forgotten, I return the favor. (just kidding, partially).

In Honor Of Monday Night Football

2011-10-10T21:43:00.000-05:00

I almost forgot I had these until someone asked me about them the other day. How is it that other people know what I have in my collection and I don't? I'll never figure that out.

I have no opinion either way on whether or not "manu-patches" should exist or not. I happen to like the way this one looks so I have no problem with it. I will admit I have seen some pretty ugly ones before but if it looks good, is generally unobtrusive to the design, and brings something to the card, why not?

If I remember correctly, I won this in a raffle on a trading website. I don't remember which site it was though. I'm pretty sure it was TradeCardsNow but it could have been The Bench. No, it was TCN. It had to be. In case you can't tell, that is a sticker auto but nonetheless, it's a pretty nice card. Too bad it wasn't #9.

I would have thrown up my Calvin Johnson 1/1 Sketch card but, alas, I no longer possess that item. It was sold on the Bay a few weeks back for quite considerably less than I would have liked but more than I was offered when I took it to sell at the National. Oh, what the heck. You've all seen it before but here's to old times.

I suppose we should give the Bears some love...I guess.

I don't care if it is virtually worthless. I love these Rookie Premier photo shoot cards.

He can't spell. He can't speak in public. He probably can't read either. But man, can this guy run back a kick or what?

Waxing Ecstatic

2011-10-08T11:13:00.001-05:00

Here's a quick little thing I just saw that I thought I would share. It's a video that someone emailed to me and I thought it was pretty funny. If you've already seen it, tough, watch it again.

Troy Polamalu takes a moment to stop by Madame Toussaud's Wax Museum and scare the crap out of people at random. Good stuff. I wonder if any Ravens or Browns fans walked up talking smack only to realize it was really him?

Epic Lemieux

2011-10-07T20:06:00.000-05:00

How awesome would it have been to pull something like this out of a pack/box of 2010-11 Panini Dominion Hockey?

Instead, I got one of these...

If you are going to get a consolation prize, this ain't too shabby. In fact, it's quite epic!!

Talk amongst yourselves.

A Few From the Bay

2011-09-14T14:12:00.000-05:00

I thought I would take a moment and share a few new acquisitions that recently came to my door via the E of Bay. I have been on there way too much lately, partially because of trying to unload some of THE CUP cards I picked up, the other part because it becomes addicting.

I received three cards in the mail last week that all will find their place into my PC. Here they are in no particular order...

The first one is this 2010-11 Certified Mirror Red Dual Sweater #'d/150 of former Dallas Star and current Pittsburgh Penguin James Neal. I have always liked James Neal. He's been on my fantasy team quite often and always seems like the guy that doesn't make a lot of noise and just lets his game speak for itself. I like that. I haven't gone crazy yet and started a PC of him or anything but it's an option. I just wish Crosby would get healthy. I think that line would do amazing things.

Panini did an interesting thing on these cards. The swatch cut outs are positioned into the card design so that depending on the sweater color, it may or may not blend into the card. When I first bid on this, I had no idea it had the GU pieces in it. Wasn't I surprised?

The second card that came was this 2011 Topps Game Day Autograph of Emmanuel Sanders. As you can see, it's a sticker auto and Mr. Sanders isn't going to win any penmanship awards anytime soon. But it's a great looking card in my opinion of an up and coming Steeler. He was a 3rd round pick in last years draft and hasn't quite broken into the full time roster for Bruce Arians offense, at least yet. He still plays a role as could be seen in last week abysmal showing by the "black & yellow". He hauled in two passes for 20 yards, one of which for six. Here's hoping for more to come.

Apparently there are four different versions of each of these autograph cards in the Topps set. Each one features a write up on the back talking about a different moment in a particular game from last season. These "Game Day Moments" are broken down by quarter. This card here is 2nd quarter. I'm not sure on scarcity or whatnot of each version.

Finally, we got this 2010-11 Limited Phenoms Autograph #'d/299 of my apparent "man-crush" Eric Tangradi. I believe this makes 10 Tangradi autos, or maybe 11, I lost count. Invariably, it means he will either be traded, retire, or suffer a career ending injury because that is my luck. I know I always say that but I have a bad track record. Hopefully he can recover from that concussion he got back in February, make a big impression in the Prospects Tournament coming up, and strap the skates back on for the Pens. His size and presence on the ice are key to him maximizing his potential. He just needs to get tougher along the boards, own the paint, and master the art of being a "pest" in front of the net. Lots to handle but I think he can do it.

I really like these cut out style cards. I think the concept is cool as it makes the card look more like a focal piece for display. They did a really good job with the Crown Royal Scratching The Surface ones with the rink inset and the material patch with the team logo on these is really well done too. I can't believe I'm saying this but, good job Panini.

Last Chance for Upper Deck's THE CUP (for real this time)

2011-09-13T08:29:00.000-05:00

This is just a shameless self promotion for my Ebay Auctions because I can.

Anyone that might have been interested in any of THE CUP cards that were pulled from my last box break video can go check them out on my Ebay Auction page. I believe I placed everything from the boxes up for sale so there is nothing left behind. Most of the Auctions end TODAY! Some start at $.99.

There are also a few football cards on there including a 1/1 Calvin Johnson Artist Sketch card from last years Topps set and some Orange Refractors as well. I also put up a few of the autograph hits out of a 2010-11 SP Authentic Hockey box that was thrown into my THE CUP deal. There are cards of Dany Heatley, Zach Hamill, rookies Dana Tyrell and Zac Dalpe, and others. Most of these start at $.99 as well. Check them out.

You can also click on the little applet thingy over on the right that keeps scrolling through auction images. That will take you right to the page.

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Video Box Break - - 2010-11 Upper Deck The Cup

2011-09-08T21:48:00.000-05:00

The Cup!! That Holy of Holy's...the proverbial Grail of the sports card world was released back on August 30th to it's annual massive fanfare of praises, jaw drops, and eye ball pops. And from this collector's standpoint, it was quite impressive.

I have never been a big proponent of The Cup because as a standard-type run of the mill collector, there just usually isn't the coin to plunk down a mortgage payment for 10-15 cards. My last mass foray into the Cup was back in 2006 when a couple guys and myself split a case and boy was I disappointed. Since then, I have only managed a few singles here and there when they catch my eye.

Well enough standing in the shadows. It's time I venture into the ring where the big dogs play and get myself a taste for the finer things. Yes, my friends. I ventured to the uber-premium side of collecting and picked up a couple boxes of Upper Deck's 2010-11 The Cup. Did I die from it as I thought I would? No. Did I hurt a little afterward? Yes, maybe. But it was a whole lot of fun, and quite exhilarating to boot.

A couple of things to note though. I was kind of shocked by the serial numbering of some of the cards. The fact that there are cards numbered out of 249 or higher was perplexing to me considering the steep price tag on this set. Anything over 200 seems out of sorts for this level, at least to me. Also, the amount of plain color swatches is a little ridiculous. I know it happens and is a reoccurring theme in the industry but for a super premium product to throw 3-4 of the same color on one card??? That's kind of nuts, don't you think? The last thing...quality control. Since these are hand packed, I would think there would be better care made to keep corners and edges clean. Especially when you have foil embossing that tends to flake with little to no force. I didn't see that kind of care here, even if it was only on the base cards (on another guys box that bought one too).

But enough criticism. While I didn't love the nervous twitch this decision gave me or the indigestion afterward, I loved busting the product. The whole experience was fun and exciting. Upper Deck made the packages very rewarding and made me feel like I was really getting something special. I was skeptical at first but to hold the cards in hand is something quite awe inspiring (flair for the dramatic?). Even more so when they come straight from a pack that you opened yourself.

I busted everything right there in my LCS so I had nothing to open officially on camera but I did a little video anyway. Here it is if you'd like to waste about 14 minutes..

As you can see by my overwhelming enthusiasm, I am not really attached to any of these cards despite their aesthetic beauty. I pulled no Penguins, which was probably the only bad part about the whole thing. I pulled one more autograph than expected but also got one more base card than I would have liked so it balances out. They were, as I said, a blast to open though. Such an adrenalin rush.

If anyone out there might be interested in any of these beauts, they are all posted on my Ebay auction site against my best judgement, and also a few football I found lying around that I got tired of looking at, including my 1/1 Calvin Johnson Sketch Card that I have been asked close to 100 times about.

It will be interesting to see where, if anywhere, these might go considering The Cup is notorious for spiraling out of control at times on auction, although, I doubt any of mine would because I didn't pull any Lemieux, Gretzky, Crosby, or Ovechkin's. Either way, if I can recoup half a box it will have been worth it.

Here are some scans for those that couldn't get a good look because of my shoddy video skills.

Quick Trade Post

2011-09-01T10:40:00.000-05:00

Then, vacation.

Just wanted to do a quick trade post from a package I got from my good friend Dave over at Wax Stain Rookie. Dave does a nice job on all of his posts and video breaks. You should check out his site if you don't already do so.

Dave and I have been working on a trade that would send another familiar face my way for a small sampling of recent rookies. We finally came to an agreement and as his cards are still (assuming) in-transit as mine were rescued from their yellow paper sleeping chamber yesterday. Here you go.

What's better than a Mario Lemieux rookie card?

The answer is obvious. TWO MARIO LEMIEUX ROOKIE CARDS. This would be the second one I've added to the PC in less than two months. My goal of four is half way complete. This is another Topps version. It isn't perfect but who cares? It's a Mario Lemieux Rookie Card for cardboard god sake! I think I may even try to get 6 of them now, and 6 O-Pee-Chee ones to go with it.

Also in the package were a few other cards for the old player collection PCs...

A few Billy G's.

Both featuring his stint with the New York Football Islanders. I do already have both of these but again, I don't care. I have some sick obsession for Black Diamond cards. I don't know why. Also, I think I have enough of these MVP cards to try and put the set together. Although, do I really want to start another set that I may never finish. Heck, I might already have it started for all I know. I'm so unorganized.

The BAP Billy is one that I did not have. Guerin as a Shark are hard to come by, especially in the "non-frankencard" variety. You know what I'm talking about. Great addition to the PC.

Finally, he was kind enough to throw in one of the rarer finds. It's the 1997-98 Pinnacle Mint Die-Cut Jaromir Jagr Ultra Buyback Redemption Update card; a true Ebay 1/1. It has been updated to reflect recent events.

Thank you to Dave at Wax Stain Rookie. Hopefully you will get the same enjoyment out of your end of the deal.

I'm finally taking a well needed vacation for about a week or so to go visit family so posting will cease. Not that I have been regularly posting anyway but...

Thank you and good night.

Box Break - -2002-03 Pacific Heads-Up Hobby

2011-08-29T21:56:00.000-05:00

(Here is another in a long line of posts that were started yet never finished.)

We yet again have another box from Atlanta Sports Cards, another box from the National, another box from a time when I wasn't collecting, and another box from Pacific. Anyone see a theme brewing with these box breaks lately?

The hobby boxes of Heads-Up had the unique inclusion of a bobble head doll inside each box. So obviously, the boxes are fairly large. Back when these came out, it was a novelty that collector's hadn't really seen before and the set was quite popular. I remember seeing a dealer some years later that must have had 40-50 of these from the abundance of boxes that they opened. Most of the figures are listed for between $15-25 but there are a few of the major stars of the time with a $40-50 price tag. Of course I wasn't fortunate enough to pull a big name. Can you guess who was in mine?

Here's a hint...

It's none other than former Edmonton Oiler, Mike Comrie. Hooray!! Too bad it wasn't a bobble head of his wife. Come to think of it, she is kind of like a life size bobble head. Okay, moving on.

As for the base cards, this is a 125 card set that once again features the mirror foil background printing. The players this time, however, are featured in an action shot with the background blended into the foil and the player in the foreground. The team name and player name and position are along the bottom stamped in gold foil. The backs of the cards have a color scheme that goes with the team, there is a small headshot photo of the player in the upper corner (different from the front shot) and a brief bit of info about the player. Although stats are summarized, they do show the previous years worth of information.

There are quite a few parallel versions of the base cards. You will find randomly inserted into packs, Red at about 1 per box, Blue at about 2 per box, and Purple that come about 1 per case. Although they are parallel, the mirror foil isn't what is colored, despite how cool that might have been. Its the foil stamped team and player name that are the other colors. Also, each parallel is serial numbered on the back, Red #/80, Blue #/240, and Purple...I don't really know. They aren't listed. There are examples of the Regular, Red, and Blue in the images above.

As for the Game Worn Jersey cards, they are all Quads. There are a total of 36 and they feature four players from the same team on most cards, as well as some creative groupings on some of the higher numbers. The main cards feature a silver border around the sweater pieces and are not serial numbered. There is, however, a gold version that is numbered /30. These are listed anywhere from 2-3 times their regular counterparts because of their scarcity at not quite 1 per case.

Gold Parallel Jersey Version (Front & Back)

Regular Jersey Version (Front & Back)

As for inserts, Head First features players that have been recently drafted to their prospective teams. These show up about 1 per box. There are also Inside the Numbers cards which break down a players stats on the front and back and have a concentric circle design imprinted into the mirror foil background. The backs are also a little different than the base card design.

Stephen Weiss Head First...of all the cards you have to be kidding me.

This is the Inside the Numbers insert. I actually pulled two Haseks, not different cards either. Yes, my friends...Insert duplicates!!

Post Season Picks fall about 1 per box and a half and have a a player on the front that is generally a role player come playoff time. The cards are also mirror foil but have a two picture shot of the player in action and a headshot on the front with "Post Season Picks" imprinted into the foil. Showstoppers is another all goalie set that falls about two per box with 20 cards total. The backgrounds look like a mirror hockey net with the player on top. These have a very clean looking design. Finally, Stat Masters fall about 1 per case and the super rare 15 card set of Etched In Time are all serial numbered and fall about 1:289 packs.

Overall, I think the set itself could have used some work in the design category but for my money, the inserts are top notch. I like any set that features a goalie only insert and the Showstoppers are really well put together. The Postseason Picks cards are really well done too, although my scan doesn't do them justice. The Inside The Numbers cards I could have done without and the Heads Firsts seem to be lacking something but I'm not sure what exactly. I think the GU cards are really well done and the inclusion of a short printed gold version makes them even nicer in my book. Player selection is a bit iffy but anytime you get both Sedin's on a card, you are doing okay (still not a fan though). The bobble head is a great concept but I'm a little disappointed in my player selection. I was actually hoping to pull the Johan Hedberg which I have seen before in my LCS. I wonder if he will trade Moose for Comrie straight up? Hmmmm?

I say, great value box with insert appeal and novelty. If you can get one under $35 pick one up.

Here are the vitals from the box.

Box Breakdown:

18 Packs/Box
5 Cards/Pack
90 Cards/Box + 1 Bobble Head Doll

I pulled:

76/125 Base Cards (61%)
3 Duplicates
6 Inserts - 2 Showstoppers (Thibault, Joseph); 1 Postseason Picks (Yzerman); 1 Head First (Weiss); 2 Inside The Numbers (both of them Hasek, which seems to be a mistake since I got 91 cards instead of 90...Weird!)
2 Quad Game Used Jerseys - #15 Montreal Canadiens (Berezin/Koivu/Theodore/Perreault); #27 Vancouver Canucks GOLD VERSION #'d/30 (D. Sedin/H. Sedin/Cloutier/Bertuzzi)
3 Parallels - 1 Red (Doug Gilmour); 2 Blue (Denis Arkhipov, Mark Recchi)
1 Bobble Head Doll - Mike Comrie

2011-12 Parkhurst Champions - A Little Bit Of Everything For Everyone

2011-08-28T14:59:00.000-05:00

I don't normally do card release previews but when I read and saw these I just had to throw out my 2 Cents. Upper Deck has decided, once again, to revive an old brand, that being Parkhurst. This year, they will release Parkhurst Champions for the first time and from the looks of it, maybe not the last time either. I know this might be old news to some of you but I just stumbled upon these little gems and thought I would share with those of you that are like me and 2 months behind.

Parkhurst Champions is going to be another set that we all either love or hate and that is a retired player set. Being that it is Upper Deck, we should get all the greats including Gretzky, Howe, Orr, Lemieux, and well that was it. There were only 4 "greats" the rest are just "pretty goods". The base card design is similar to the past Parkhurst retired player releases of Upper Deck in that it shows either a black and white or color photo of the player with a crisp full-bleed photo. They also added a marquee of sorts at the botton with the player name and team that gives the cards a nostalgic yet higher end feel. The base set is 100 cards and has an all-autographed parallel set.

What I am interested in seeing is the Champs cards that have been inserted. As most of the hockey collector's are already aware, Champs made a quick exit from Upper Deck's stable of releases after only 2 years on the market. For those of us that have been building complete sets, the reintroduction of Champs to the market can be either a blessing or a curse depending on how you look at it. First off, it's not a regular release. You can't go and buy packs or boxes and bust away until the cows come home. The cards themselves will be the mini's, inserted at a rate of one per pack in the Parkhurst set. Secondly, there are once again short printed versions, Green Backs (like before), Green Back short prints, Parkhurst Backs, and the rarest of the lot, Parkhurst Back short prints. This makes a master set next to impossible.

Also included are the mini signatures that have been a big hit with collectors because of their simple design, clean cut look, and of course on-card auto. These will have a Red Parallel version #'d/5. But what Champ's set would be complete without the world famous Fossils & Artifacts cards that are inserted once again at a rate of about 1:1,280 packs. Those are always interesting once they finally start getting mailed out and go up on auctions.

Another resurrection of sorts are the Parkhurst Masterpiece Sketches and Renditions series inserts. Renditions are set to fall about 2-3 per box and will feature an artist interpretation of one of the many legends that don the checklist. The Sketch cards will #'d/10. There will also be a rarer black and white parallel in addition to B&W and Color autograph versions. Upper Deck's Masterpieces was always a great set and holds traction in all sports. I have always wondered why they haven't brought it back since it's popularity is sky high. Now at least we will get a crack at seeing it again, even if it's only an insert.

The most interesting thing about the set in my opinion are the Wire Image cards that are being inserted. These feature the wire image photo of a major event by each player depicted. I know a few collectors out there that actually have quite extensive collections of Wire Photos. These used to be locked down by the services that sent them for many years but in the last 10-20, we have seen an explosion of original photography surface from larger organizational sales as well as private collectors. Upper Deck has brought this idea to the card sets and featured some of these photos just like they were intended.

Oh, and did I mention there were autographed versions of these as well? Basically, there are autographed versions of everything in this set.

My original plan was to only start with the main Upper Deck set this year and the O-Pee-Chee if there is one. I think I may add this one to the mix as well. Each box will have on average two "hits" one being an autograph. There will be up to 5 wire photo cards with at least 1 being a multi-player photo, 2-3 Rendition cards with the potential for the Sketch or Auto version, and 20 Champ's mini-cards with endless parallel potentials. Already you can find pre-sells on these in the $70-90 range. Release date is set for October 20th.

Trade Post & A "Sedin'ing"

2011-08-23T21:32:00.000-05:00

Did you ever have one of those days? You know the ones I'm talking about. That was today. So when I came home to find a nice giant yellow envelope in my maibox, it seemed the bad day would turn into a nice evening. But then this happened...

For the sake of straining your eyes on my crappy webcam picture taking abilities, let me translate. That says "? Baseball Has Bip. Hockey Has..." What the heck could that mean? You can't Bip someone with non-baseball cards, can you? Has it been done before? I don't know. But certainly not to me. What did I do to anyone? But there really couldn't be anything too horrible in here, could there?

I have one word...Payback. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow. But it will come. You are lucky your package has already been sealed up and I don't really feel like re-opening it.

So on to what I really wanted to show. The rest of what was in here. I got some major dentage to my 2009-10 Champs set. Here we have a bunch of Red and Green parallels that I needed.

What Champs trade would be complete without some minis. Here are a few that I needed from my list.

Also, there were a bunch of 2011 Topps Baseball that I needed. I kind of gave up on this set a while ago because I really didn't feel like picking up any more packs/boxes. Also, with all the great hockey releases that continued to come out throughout the year, baseball became sort of an after thought. Here are a few. I know they look blurry but you get the point.

Oh, and I would be remiss if I didn't mention the O-Pee-Chee cards that were in there. We had some from 2008 and some from 2009. As you can see, the majority were rookies, including a Carey Price Marquee Rookie. Very nice stuff.

Thanks for the cards, Nick. The evening turned out pretty well after all. Despite the "bipping" the cards are all a welcomed addition to the set needs. I have your package ready to go so be on the look out. I also have some ideas for a future package.

Just remember...You started it.

And Now For Something Completely Different...

2011-08-22T20:15:00.000-05:00

How about some hockey news??

In the wake of preparations for the upcoming NFL kickoff week (which is still a little ways away), low and behold we have some hockey news. The NHL announced the schedule for 2011-12. Not just any schedule, though. The TV broadcast schedule. Now let me qualify this whole thing by saying that this really only applies to people in the United States. For our Canadian viewers...YOU LIVE IN CANADA!!! Is there anything else on TV except hockey? I don't think so.

To start, lets look at the Versus schedule first. This is stolen directly from their main page. A couple things to note...the flex games are set that way because as parent company, NBC gets first dibs on the game that will be televised on the network stations. Whatever other game is left will be shown on VS. in whatever region you may be in. If you still don't get VS., I apologize to you. It's not my fault. Blame Bettman.

DAY	DATE	VISITOR	HOME	EASTERN TIME	LOCAL TIME	NOTES
Thu.	10/6	Philadelphia	Boston	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Thu.	10/6	Pittsburgh	Vancouver	10:00 PM	7:00 PM
Fri.	10/7	N.Y. Rangers	Los Angeles	1:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	10/8	N.Y. Rangers	Anaheim	1:00 PM	7:00 PM
Mon.	10/10	Tampa Bay	Washington (Non Exclusive)	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Tue.	10/11	Florida	Pittsburgh (Non Exclusive)	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	10/12	Boston	Carolina	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Mon.	10/17	Colorado	Toronto	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Tue.	10/18	Pittsburgh (Non Exclusive)	Minnesota	7:30 PM	6:30 PM
Tue.	10/25	Tampa Bay	Buffalo	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Mon.	10/31	San Jose	N.Y. Rangers (Non Exclusive)	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Tue.	11/1	Anaheim	Washington (Non Exclusive)	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	11/2	Philadelphia	Buffalo	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Mon.	11/7	N.Y. Islanders	Boston (Non Exclusive)	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Tue.	11/8	Carolina	New Jersey	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	11/9	Philadelphia	Tampa Bay	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Mon.	11/14	Buffalo	Montreal	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Tue.	11/15	Colorado	Pittsburgh	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	11/16	New Jersey	Buffalo	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Mon.	11/21	Boston (Non Exclusive)	Montreal	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Tue.	11/22	Los Angeles	St. Louis	7:30 PM	6:30 PM
Mon.	11/28	Tampa Bay	Minnesota	7:30 PM	6:30 PM
Tue.	11/29	Pittsburgh (Non Exclusive)	N.Y. Rangers (Non Exclusive)	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	11/30	Tampa Bay	Detroit	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Mon.	12/5	Phoenix	Chicago	8:00 PM	7:00 PM
Tue.	12/6	Detroit (Non Exclusive)	St. Louis	7:30 PM	6:30 PM
Wed.	12/7	Philadelphia	Buffalo	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Mon.	12/12	New Jersey	Tampa Bay	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Tue.	12/13	San Jose	Colorado	9:00 PM	7:00 PM
Wed.	12/14	Chicago	Minnesota	7:30 PM	6:30 PM
Mon.	12/19	Anaheim	Dallas	8:00 PM	7:00 PM
Tue.	12/20	Chicago	Pittsburgh	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	12/21	Philadelphia	Dallas	7:30 PM	6:30 PM
Mon.	12/26	Dallas	St. Louis	7:30 PM	6:30 PM
Tue.	12/27	St. Louis	Detroit (Non Exclusive)	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	12/28	N.Y. Rangers	Washington	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Mon.	1/2	San Jose	Vancouver	8:00 PM	5:00 PM
Tue.	1/3	Detroit (Non Exclusive)	Dallas	8:00 PM	7:00 PM
Wed.	1/4	Boston	New Jersey	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Sun.	1/8	Detroit	Chicago	7:30 PM	6:30 PM
Tue.	1/10	San Jose	Minnesota	7:30 PM	6:30 PM
Wed.	1/11	Pittsburgh	Washington	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Sun.	1/15	N.Y. Rangers	Montreal	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Mon.	1/16	Dallas	St. Louis	7:30 PM	6:30 PM
Tue.	1/17	Nashville	N.Y. Rangers	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	1/18	Buffalo	Chicago	7:30 PM	6:30 PM
Mon.	1/23	St. Louis	Detroit (Non Exclusive)	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Tue.	1/24	Minnesota	Colorado	9:00 PM	7:00 PM
Wed.	1/25	Detroit	Montreal	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Tue.	1/31	Washington	Tampa Bay	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	2/1	N.Y. Rangers	Buffalo	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Sun.	2/5	Boston	Washington	12:30 PM	12:30 PM
Mon.	2/6	Detroit	Phoenix	8:00 PM	6:00 PM
Tue.	2/7	Los Angeles	Tampa Bay	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	2/8	Boston	Buffalo	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Sun.	2/12	Washington	N.Y. Rangers	3:00 PM	3:00 PM	NBC/VERSUS Flex
Sun.	2/12	Philadelphia	Detroit	7:30 PM	7:30 PM	NBC/VERSUS Flex
Mon.	2/13	San Jose	Washington	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Tue.	2/14	Anaheim	Minnesota	7:30 PM	6:30 PM
Wed.	2/15	Boston	Montreal	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Sun.	2/19	New Jersey	Montreal	6:00 PM	6:00 PM
Mon.	2/20	Washington (Non Exclusive)	Carolina	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Tue.	2/21	Detroit (Non Exclusive)	Chicago (Non Exclusive)	8:00 PM	7:00 PM
Wed.	2/22	Los Angeles	Colorado	9:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sun.	2/26	Chicago	Anaheim	7:00 PM	4:00 PM
Mon.	2/27	New Jersey	N.Y. Rangers	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Tue.	2/28	Los Angeles	Minnesota	7:30 PM	6:30 PM
Wed.	2/29	Pittsburgh	Dallas	7:30 PM	6:30 PM
Sun.	3/4	Boston	N.Y. Rangers	3:00 PM	3:00 PM
Sun.	3/4	Philadelphia	Washington	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Mon.	3/5	Buffalo	Winnipeg	8:00 PM	7:00 PM
Tue.	3/6	Minnesota	Colorado	9:00 PM	7:00 PM
Wed.	3/7	Toronto	Pittsburgh	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Sun.	3/11	Los Angeles	Chicago	7:00 PM	6:00 PM	NBC/VERSUS Flex
Sun.	3/11	Boston	Pittsburgh	7:30 PM	7:30 PM	NBC/VERSUS Flex
Mon.	3/12	Anaheim	Colorado	9:00 PM	7:00 PM
Tue.	3/13	Carolina	N.Y. Rangers (Non Exclusive)	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	3/14	Colorado	Buffalo	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Sun.	3/18	Pittsburgh	Philadelphia	3:00 PM	3:00 PM	NBC/VERSUS Flex
Sun.	3/18	Washington	Chicago	7:00 PM	6:00 PM	NBC/VERSUS Flex
Mon.	3/19	New Jersey	N.Y. Rangers	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Tue.	3/20	Phoenix	Dallas	8:00 PM	7:00 PM
Wed.	3/21	Detroit	N.Y. Rangers	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Sun.	3/25	Minnesota	Washington	5:00 PM	5:00 PM	NBC/VERSUS Flex
Sun.	3/25	Nashville	Chicago	7:30 PM	6:30 PM	NBC/VERSUS Flex
Mon.	3/26	Tampa Bay	Philadelphia	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Tue.	3/27	Tampa Bay	Boston (Non Exclusive)	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	3/28	Detroit	Columbus	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Sun.	4/1	Boston	N.Y. Rangers	3:00 PM	3:00 PM	NBC/VERSUS Flex
Sun.	4/1	Philadelphia	Pittsburgh	7:30 PM	7:30 PM	NBC/VERSUS Flex
Mon.	4/2	Washington (Non Exclusive)	Tampa Bay	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Tue.	4/3	Pittsburgh (Non Exclusive)	Boston (Non Exclusive)	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	4/4	Detroit	St. Louis	7:30 PM	6:30 PM
Thu.	4/5	Columbus	Colorado	9:00 PM	7:00 PM
Fri.	4/6	Phoenix	St. Louis	7:30 PM	6:30 PM
Sat.	4/7	Buffalo	Boston	3:00 PM	3:00 PM	NBC/VERSUS Flex
Sat.	4/7	Washington	N.Y. Rangers	3:00 PM	3:00 PM	NBC/VERSUS Flex
Sat.	4/7	Philadelphia	Pittsburgh	4:00 PM	4:00 PM	NBC/VERSUS Flex
Sat.	4/7	Chicago	Detroit	4:00 PM	4:00 PM	NBC/VERSUS Flex

Did you see that? If my count is correct, the Pens have 14 games on VS. (and that was the sound of half of the United States and all of Canada shutting their TVs off simultaneously.) But the big winner looks to be the Champs. It appears Boston also has 14 games which is a big upgrade from last season where they only had 10. I will admit, I didn't count anyone else so for all I know, they could all have 14 games.

How about NBC? NBC, just like every year since rejoining the ranks of televised NHL games, doesn't really start broadcasting until the second half of the season. Each year they usually have a kickoff/preview kind of game around Thanksgiving just to "wet your whistle" so to speak. This year it's Detroit, the odds on favorite to win the Cup this year, versus the Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins. That still sounds weird when I say it. Here is what they are planning to broadcast.

DAY	DATE	VISITOR	HOME	EASTERN TIME	LOCAL TIME	NOTES
Fri.	11/25	Detroit	Boston	1:00 PM	1:00 PM
Mon.	1/2	N.Y. Rangers	Philadelphia	1:00 PM	1:00 PM
Sat.	1/14	Chicago	Detroit	12:30 PM	12:30 PM
Sun.	1/22	Boston	Philadelphia	3:00 PM	3:00 PM
Sun.	1/22	Washington	Pittsburgh	3:00 PM	3:00 PM
Sun.	2/12	Washington	N.Y. Rangers	3:00 PM	3:00 PM	NBC/VS Flex
Sun.	2/12	Philadelphia	Detroit	7:30 PM	7:30 PM	NBC/VS Flex
Sun.	2/19	Pittsburgh	Buffalo	12:30 PM	12:30 PM
Sun.	2/19	San Jose	Detroit	12:30 PM	12:30 PM
Sun.	2/19	St. Louis	Chicago	3:00 PM	2:00 PM
Sun.	2/19	Boston	Minnesota	3:00 PM	2:00 PM
Sun.	3/4	Boston	N.Y. Rangers	3:00 PM	3:00 PM	NBC/VS Flex
Sun.	3/4	Philadelphia	Washington	7:00 PM	7:00 PM	NBC/VS Flex
Sun.	3/11	Los Angeles	Chicago	7:00 PM	6:00 PM	NBC/VS Flex
Sun.	3/11	Boston	Pittsburgh	7:30 PM	7:30 PM	NBC/VS Flex
Sun.	3/18	Pittsburgh	Philadelphia	3:00 PM	3:00 PM	NBC/VS Flex
Sun.	3/18	Washington	Chicago	7:00 PM	6:00 PM	NBC/VS Flex
Sun.	4/1	Boston	N.Y. Rangers	3:00 PM	3:00 PM	NBC/VS Flex
Sun.	4/1	Philadelphia	Pittsburgh	7:30 PM	7:30 PM	NBC/VS Flex
Sat.	4/7	Buffalo	Boston	3:00 PM	3:00 PM	NBC/VS Flex
Sat.	4/7	Washington	N.Y. Rangers	3:00 PM	3:00 PM	NBC/VS Flex
Sat.	4/7	Philadelphia	Pittsburgh	4:00 PM	4:00 PM	NBC/VS Flex
Sat.	4/7	Chicago	Detroit	4:00 PM	4:00 PM	NBC/VS Flex

Again, ripped straight from the source. The Flex thing is once again a choice that NBC makes on who gets what game. The Pens only have 6 on NBC this year. Boston has 5.

The NHL network has finally got into the swing of things this year with a ton of games on the docket. It always amazed me before how the NHL Network didn't show games as often as I thought they should. The NFL Network basically took over the Thursday game thing and cut everyone else out except the local regional market networks that televise their local teams. It would be cool to see the NHL finally step up and do that. I'm sick of watching reruns of the 2010 Stanley Cup finals and the Day With The Cup series. You can only see those so many times. This is definitely a step in the right direction in my opinion.

DAY	DATE	VISITOR	HOME	EASTERN TIME	LOCAL TIME
Sat.	10/8	Tampa Bay	Boston	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sun.	10/9	Montreal	Winnipeg	5:00 PM	4:00 PM
Thu.	10/13	Washington	Pittsburgh	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	10/15	Boston	Chicago	8:30 PM	7:30 PM
Thu.	10/20	Washington	Philadelphia	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	10/22	Minnesota	Vancouver	4:00 PM	1:00 PM
Sat.	10/22	Detroit	Washington	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Thu.	10/27	Montreal	Boston	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Fri.	10/28	San Jose	Detroit	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Sat.	10/29	Ottawa	N.Y. Rangers	3:00 PM	3:00 PM
Sat.	10/29	Boston	Montreal	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Thu.	11/3	Anaheim	N.Y. Rangers	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Fri.	11/4	Chicago	Tampa Bay	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Sat.	11/5	Montreal	N.Y. Rangers	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Fri.	11/11	Washington	New Jersey	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	11/12	New Jersey	Washington	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Thu.	11/17	Pittsburgh	Tampa Bay	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Sat.	11/19	Detroit	Los Angeles	4:00 PM	1:00 PM
Sat.	11/19	N.Y. Rangers	Montreal	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Fri.	11/25	N.Y. Rangers	Washington	4:00 PM	4:00 PM
Sat.	11/26	Philadelphia	N.Y. Rangers	2:00 PM	2:00 PM
Sat.	11/26	Pittsburgh	Montreal	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Thu.	12/1	Pittsburgh	Washington	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Fri.	12/2	Detroit	Buffalo	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Sat.	12/3	Montreal	Los Angeles	3:30 PM	12:30 PM
Sat.	12/3	Toronto	Boston	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Thu.	12/8	Pittsburgh	Philadelphia	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	12/10	Montreal	New Jersey	3:00 PM	3:00 PM
Sat.	12/10	Tampa Bay	Philadelphia	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Thu.	12/15	Philadelphia	Montreal	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Sat.	12/17	Boston	Philadelphia	1:00 PM	1:00 PM
Sat.	12/17	Los Angeles	Detroit	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Fri.	12/23	Philadelphia	N.Y. Rangers	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sun.	1/1	Calgary	Nashville	6:00 PM	5:00 PM
Fri.	1/6	N.Y. Rangers	Pittsburgh	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	1/7	Vancouver	Boston	1:00 PM	1:00 PM
Sat.	1/7	Detroit	Toronto	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Thu.	1/12	Montreal	Boston	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Fri.	1/13	Tampa Bay	Washington	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	1/14	Colorado	Dallas	3:00 PM	2:00 PM
Sat.	1/14	N.Y. Rangers	Toronto	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Thu.	1/19	Pittsburgh	N.Y. Rangers	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Fri.	1/20	Montreal	Pittsburgh	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	1/21	N.Y. Rangers	Boston	1:00 PM	1:00 PM
Sat.	1/21	San Jose	Vancouver	4:00 PM	1:00 PM
Sat.	1/21	Montreal	Toronto	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Thu.	2/2	Carolina	Boston	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	2/4	Pittsburgh	Boston	1:00 PM	1:00 PM
Sat.	2/4	Los Angeles	Carolina	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Thu.	2/9	Toronto	Philadelphia	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Fri.	2/10	Anaheim	Detroit	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Sat.	2/11	Winnipeg	Pittsburgh	2:00 PM	2:00 PM
Sat.	2/11	Montreal	Toronto	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Thu.	2/16	Chicago	N.Y. Rangers	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	2/18	Pittsburgh	Philadelphia	1:00 PM	1:00 PM
Sat.	2/18	Washington	Tampa Bay	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Thu.	2/23	Vancouver	Detroit	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Sat.	2/25	Tampa Bay	Pittsburgh	1:00 PM	1:00 PM
Sat.	2/25	Chicago	Los Angeles	8:00 PM	5:00 PM
Sat.	2/25	Washington	Toronto	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Fri.	3/2	N.Y. Rangers	Tampa Bay	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Sat.	3/3	Toronto	Montreal	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sun.	3/4	Chicago	Detroit	4:00 PM	4:00 PM
Thu.	3/8	Tampa Bay	Washington	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Fri.	3/9	N.Y. Rangers	Chicago	8:30 PM	7:30 PM
Sat.	3/10	Washington	Boston	1:00 PM	1:00 PM
Sat.	3/10	Philadelphia	Toronto	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Thu.	3/15	Pittsburgh	N.Y. Rangers	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	3/17	Philadelphia	Boston	1:00 PM	1:00 PM
Sat.	3/17	St. Louis	Tampa Bay	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Thu.	3/22	Washington	Philadelphia	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	3/24	Boston	Los Angeles	9:00 PM	6:00 PM
Sat.	3/24	Montreal	Philadelphia	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Thu.	3/29	Washington	Boston	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Fri.	3/30	Montreal	N.Y. Rangers	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Sat.	3/31	Boston	N.Y. Islanders	1:00 PM	1:00 PM
Sat.	3/31	Montreal	Washington	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	4/7	Los Angeles	San Jose	10:30 PM	7:30 PM

The Stanley Cup champs have 14 games slated for NHL Network. The Pens have 12. Not too shabby since when you add them up, thats 32 game that I have the potential to see of my team.

Alright, alright I'll cave. Here are the Canadian network games that will be televised. First with CBC...Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto seem to dominate the network time slots here. I really wish we had something like Hockey Night In Canada here in the US. It will never happen though. Our sports networks are too dominated by the NFL (which is fine by me) and the MLB. Throw in some soccer and some tennis and there is really nothing left for hockey broadcasts. Some regional markets have local shows that are similar. Chicago's pre-game type shows are ok but if you aren't a Hawks fan, you may be bored. I speak from experience.

DAY	DATE	VISITOR	HOME	EASTERN TIME	LOCAL TIME
Thu.	10/6	Montreal	Toronto	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Thu.	10/6	Pittsburgh	Vancouver	10:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	10/8	Ottawa	Toronto	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	10/8	Pittsburgh	Calgary	10:00 PM	8:00 PM
Sun.	10/9	Montreal	Winnipeg	5:00 PM	4:00 PM
Sat.	10/15	Calgary	Toronto	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	10/15	Colorado	Montreal	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	10/15	Ottawa	Washington	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	10/15	Winnipeg	Phoenix	7:00 PM	4:00 PM
Sat.	10/15	Vancouver	Edmonton	10:00 PM	8:00 PM
Sat.	10/22	Toronto	Montreal	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	10/22	Columbus	Ottawa	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	10/22	Carolina	Winnipeg	7:00 PM	6:00 PM
Sat.	10/22	N.Y. Rangers	Edmonton	10:00 PM	8:00 PM
Sat.	10/29	Ottawa	N.Y. Rangers	3:00 PM	3:00 PM
Sat.	10/29	Pittsburgh	Toronto	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	10/29	Boston	Montreal	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	10/29	Winnipeg	Tampa Bay	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	10/29	Washington	Vancouver	10:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	11/5	Boston	Toronto	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	11/5	Buffalo	Ottawa	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	11/5	Winnipeg	New Jersey	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	11/5	Montreal	N.Y. Rangers	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	11/5	Edmonton	Phoenix	10:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	11/12	Ottawa	Toronto	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	11/12	Winnipeg	Columbus	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	11/12	Montreal	Nashville	7:00 PM	6:00 PM
Sat.	11/12	Calgary	Colorado	10:00 PM	8:00 PM
Sat.	11/19	Philadelphia	Winnipeg	3:00 PM	2:00 PM
Sat.	11/19	Washington	Toronto	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	11/19	N.Y. Rangers	Montreal	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	11/19	Chicago	Edmonton	10:00 PM	8:00 PM
Sat.	11/26	Edmonton	Colorado	7:00 PM	5:00 PM
Sat.	11/26	Winnipeg	Boston	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	11/26	Pittsburgh	Montreal	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	11/26	Vancouver	San Jose	10:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	12/3	Montreal	Los Angeles	3:30 PM	12:30 PM
Sat.	12/3	Toronto	Boston	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	12/3	Ottawa	Washington	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	12/3	New Jersey	Winnipeg	7:00 PM	6:00 PM
Sat.	12/3	Calgary	Edmonton	10:00 PM	8:00 PM
Sat.	12/10	Montreal	New Jersey	1:00 PM	1:00 PM
Sat.	12/10	Vancouver	Ottawa	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	12/10	Winnipeg	Detroit	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	12/10	Edmonton	Calgary	10:00 PM	8:00 PM
Sat.	12/17	Vancouver	Toronto	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	12/17	New Jersey	Montreal	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	12/17	Anaheim	Winnipeg	7:00 PM	6:00 PM
Sat.	12/17	Edmonton	San Jose	10:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	12/31	Montreal	Florida	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	12/31	Ottawa	Buffalo	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	12/31	Toronto	Winnipeg	7:00 PM	6:00 PM
Sat.	12/31	Vancouver	Los Angeles	10:00 PM	7:00 PM
Mon.	1/2	N.Y. Rangers	Philadelphia	1:00 PM	1:00 PM
Sat.	1/7	Winnipeg	Buffalo	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	1/7	Detroit	Toronto	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	1/7	Tampa Bay	Montreal	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	1/7	Minnesota	Calgary	10:00 PM	8:00 PM
Sat.	1/14	N.Y. Rangers	Toronto	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	1/14	Ottawa	Montreal	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	1/14	New Jersey	Winnipeg	3:00 PM	2:00 PM
Sat.	1/14	Los Angeles	Calgary	10:00 PM	8:00 PM
Sat.	1/21	Montreal	Toronto	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	1/21	Florida	Winnipeg	7:00 PM	6:00 PM
Sat.	1/21	Calgary	Edmonton	10:00 PM	8:00 PM
Sat.	2/4	Washington	Montreal	2:00 PM	2:00 PM
Sat.	2/4	Toronto	Ottawa	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	2/4	Detroit	Edmonton	10:00 PM	8:00 PM
Sun.	2/5	Winnipeg	Montreal	2:00 PM	2:00 PM
Sat.	2/11	Winnipeg	Pittsburgh	2:00 PM	2:00 PM
Sat.	2/11	Edmonton	Ottawa	2:00 PM	2:00 PM
Sat.	2/11	Montreal	Toronto	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	2/11	Vancouver	Calgary	10:00 PM	8:00 PM
Sat.	2/18	Toronto	Vancouver	7:00 PM	4:00 PM
Sat.	2/18	Calgary	Los Angeles	10:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sun.	2/19	New Jersey	Montreal	6:00 PM	6:00 PM
Sat.	2/25	St. Louis	Winnipeg	2:00 PM	1:00 PM
Sat.	2/25	Washington	Toronto	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	2/25	Boston	Ottawa	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	2/25	Philadelphia	Calgary	10:00 PM	8:00 PM
Thu.	3/1	Minnesota	Montreal	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	3/3	Toronto	Montreal	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	3/3	Buffalo	Vancouver	10:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	3/10	Philadelphia	Toronto	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	3/10	Buffalo	Ottawa	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	3/10	Montreal	Vancouver	10:00 PM	7:00 PM
Fri.	3/16	Montreal	Ottawa	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	3/17	N.Y. Islanders	Montreal	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	3/17	Toronto	Ottawa	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	3/17	Columbus	Vancouver	10:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	3/24	N.Y. Rangers	Toronto	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	3/24	Pittsburgh	Ottawa	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	3/24	Montreal	Philadelphia	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	3/24	Winnipeg	Nashville	7:00 PM	6:00 PM
Sat.	3/24	Vancouver	Colorado	10:00 PM	8:00 PM
Sat.	3/31	Ottawa	Philadelphia	1:00 PM	1:00 PM
Sat.	3/31	Buffalo	Toronto	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	3/31	Montreal	Washington	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	3/31	Winnipeg	Tampa Bay	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	3/31	Calgary	Vancouver	10:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	4/7	Ottawa	New Jersey	3:00 PM	3:00 PM
Sat.	4/7	Toronto	Montreal	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	4/7	Tampa Bay	Winnipeg	7:00 PM	6:00 PM
Sat.	4/7	Edmonton	Vancouver	10:00 PM	7:00 PM

Next up is TSN...I have always said that this channel is what ESPN should (used to) be but is a far cry from now. Between this and CBC are reasons alone to move to Canada for the winter. I don't care much for the announcing crew that they use sometimes but you can't be perfect all the time. Here is what TSN is offering up for their viewing audience this season...

DAY	DATE	VISITOR	HOME	EASTERN TIME	LOCAL TIME
Fri.	10/7	N.Y. Rangers	Los Angeles	1:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sat.	10/8	N.Y. Rangers	Anaheim	1:00 PM	7:00 PM
Tue.	10/11	Minnesota	Ottawa	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	10/12	Vancouver	Philadelphia	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Thu.	10/13	Winnipeg	Chicago	8:30 PM	7:30 PM
Tue.	10/18	Buffalo	Montreal	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Tue.	10/18	N.Y. Rangers	Vancouver	10:00 PM	7:00 PM
Wed.	10/19	Winnipeg	Toronto	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Thu.	10/20	Toronto	Boston	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Thu.	10/20	N.Y. Rangers	Calgary	9:30 PM	7:30 PM
Tue.	10/25	Ottawa	Carolina	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Wed.	10/26	Philadelphia	Montreal	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Thu.	10/27	Toronto	N.Y. Rangers	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Thu.	10/27	Washington	Edmonton	9:30 PM	7:30 PM
Tue.	11/1	Ottawa	Boston	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Tue.	11/1	Vancouver	Calgary	9:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	11/2	Toronto	New Jersey	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	11/9	N.Y. Rangers	Ottawa	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Thu.	11/10	Toronto	St. Louis	8:00 PM	7:00 PM
Wed.	11/16	Carolina	Montreal	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Wed.	11/23	Calgary	Detroit	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Tue.	11/29	Nashville	Calgary	9:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	11/30	Boston	Toronto	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Wed.	11/30	Minnesota	Edmonton	9:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	12/7	Washington	Ottawa	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Wed.	12/7	Carolina	Edmonton	9:30 PM	7:30 PM
Fri.	12/9	Colorado	Edmonton	9:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	12/14	Boston	Ottawa	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Thu.	12/15	Philadelphia	Montreal	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Fri.	12/16	Toronto	Buffalo	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Tue.	12/20	Buffalo	Ottawa	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	12/21	Montreal	Chicago	7:30 PM	6:30 PM
Wed.	12/21	Detroit	Vancouver	10:00 PM	7:00 PM
Thu.	12/22	Detroit	Calgary	9:30 PM	7:30 PM
Fri.	12/23	Toronto	N.Y. Islanders	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Wed.	12/28	Vancouver	San Jose	10:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	1/4	Winnipeg	Montreal	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	1/11	New Jersey	Edmonton	9:00 PM	7:00 PM
Thu.	1/12	Montreal	Boston	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Fri.	1/13	Toronto	Buffalo	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	1/18	Washington	Montreal	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Thu.	1/19	Minnesota	Toronto	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Mon.	1/23	San Jose	Edmonton	9:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	1/25	Detroit	Montreal	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Tue.	1/31	Toronto	Pittsburgh	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Tue.	1/31	Chicago	Vancouver	10:00 PM	7:00 PM
Wed.	2/1	Pittsburgh	Toronto	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Thu.	2/2	Chicago	Edmonton	9:30 PM	7:30 PM
Fri.	2/3	Chicago	Calgary	9:00 PM	7:00 PM
Wed.	2/8	Edmonton	Detroit	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	2/8	Calgary	San Jose	10:00 PM	7:00 PM
Thu.	2/9	Toronto	Philadelphia	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Wed.	2/15	Boston	Montreal	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Thu.	2/16	Calgary	Dallas	8:30 PM	7:30 PM
Fri.	2/17	Boston	Winnipeg	8:00 PM	7:00 PM
Wed.	2/22	Washington	Ottawa	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Thu.	2/23	San Jose	Toronto	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Fri.	2/24	Montreal	Washington	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Mon.	2/27	St. Louis	Calgary	9:00 PM	7:00 PM
Wed.	2/29	Toronto	Chicago	8:00 PM	7:00 PM
Fri.	3/2	Chicago	Ottawa	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Fri.	3/2	Dallas	Edmonton	9:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	3/7	Toronto	Pittsburgh	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Mon.	3/12	Montreal	Buffalo	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Mon.	3/12	San Jose	Edmonton	9:30 PM	7:30 PM
Tue.	3/13	San Jose	Calgary	9:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	3/14	Ottawa	Montreal	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	3/21	Vancouver	Chicago	8:00 PM	7:00 PM
Mon.	3/26	Los Angeles	Vancouver	10:00 PM	7:00 PM
Wed.	3/28	N.Y. Rangers	Winnipeg	7:00 PM	6:00 PM
Thu.	3/29	Philadelphia	Toronto	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Fri.	3/30	Montreal	N.Y. Rangers	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Fri.	3/30	Dallas	Vancouver	10:00 PM	7:00 PM
Tue.	4/3	Anaheim	Vancouver	10:00 PM	7:00 PM
Wed.	4/4	Tampa Bay	Montreal	7:30 PM	7:30 PM

And finally, the deuce...TSN2 (do they call it that?)...They liked it some much they added a second channel. Remember when ESPN2 used to carry all the NHL games. Ahhh, those were the days. But enough about me. There are a bunch of TBD games. Not sure what is going on with those as far as scheduling. Maybe that might just be another one of Gary Bettman's expansion teams, located where water never freezes like the Equator or the Bahamas. Hey, I hear the Trinidadians would like a shot at a team too.

DAY	DATE	VISITOR	HOME	EASTERN TIME	LOCAL TIME
Fri.	10/7	Anaheim	Buffalo	1:00 PM	8:00 PM
Sat.	10/8	Buffalo	Los Angeles	2:00 PM	8:00 PM
Mon.	10/10	Tampa Bay	Washington	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Tue.	10/11	Florida	Pittsburgh	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	10/12	Boston	Carolina	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Tue.	10/18	Pittsburgh	Minnesota	7:30 PM	6:30 PM
Tue.	10/25	Tampa Bay	Buffalo	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Mon.	10/31	San Jose	N.Y. Rangers	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Tue.	11/1	Anaheim	Washington	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Tue.	11/8	Carolina	New Jersey	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	11/9	Philadelphia	Tampa Bay	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Tue.	11/15	Colorado	Pittsburgh	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Tue.	11/22	Los Angeles	St. Louis	7:30 PM	6:30 PM
Mon.	11/28	Tampa Bay	Minnesota	7:30 PM	6:30 PM
Tue.	11/29	Pittsburgh	N.Y. Rangers	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	11/30	Tampa Bay	Detroit	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Mon.	12/5	Phoenix	Chicago	8:00 PM	7:00 PM
Tue.	12/6	Detroit	St. Louis	7:30 PM	6:30 PM
Wed.	12/7	Philadelphia	Buffalo	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Mon.	12/12	New Jersey	Tampa Bay	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Tue.	12/13	San Jose	Colorado	9:00 PM	7:00 PM
Wed.	12/14	Chicago	Minnesota	7:30 PM	6:30 PM
Tue.	12/20	Chicago	Pittsburgh	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	12/21	Philadelphia	Dallas	7:30 PM	6:30 PM
Tue.	12/27	St. Louis	Detroit	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	12/28	N.Y. Rangers	Washington	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Sun.	1/8	Detroit	Chicago	7:30 PM	6:30 PM
Tue.	1/10	San Jose	Minnesota	7:30 PM	6:30 PM
Wed.	1/11	Pittsburgh	Washington	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Sat.	1/14	Chicago	Detroit	12:30 PM	12:30 PM
Mon.	1/16	Dallas	St. Louis	7:30 PM	6:30 PM
Tue.	1/17	Nashville	N.Y. Rangers	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	1/18	Buffalo	Chicago	7:30 PM	6:30 PM
Mon.	1/23	St. Louis	Detroit	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Tue.	1/31	Washington	Tampa Bay	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	2/1	N.Y. Rangers	Buffalo	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Sun.	2/5	Boston	Washington	12:30 PM	12:30 PM
Mon.	2/6	Detroit	Phoenix	8:00 PM	6:00 PM
Tue.	2/7	Los Angeles	Tampa Bay	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	2/8	Boston	Buffalo	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Sun.	2/12	TBD	TBD	12:30 PM	TBD
Sun.	2/12	Philadelphia	Detroit	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Mon.	2/13	San Jose	Washington	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Tue.	2/14	Anaheim	Minnesota	7:30 PM	6:30 PM
Sun.	2/19	TBD	TBD	12:30 PM	TBD
Sun.	2/19	TBD	TBD	12:30 PM	TBD
Mon.	2/20	Washington	Carolina	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Tue.	2/21	Detroit	Chicago	8:00 PM	7:00 PM
Wed.	2/22	Los Angeles	Colorado	9:00 PM	7:00 PM
Mon.	2/27	New Jersey	N.Y. Rangers	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Tue.	2/28	Los Angeles	Minnesota	7:30 PM	6:30 PM
Wed.	2/29	Pittsburgh	Dallas	7:30 PM	6:30 PM
Sun.	3/4	TBD	TBD	12:30 PM	TBD
Sun.	3/4	TBD	TBD	12:30 PM	TBD
Tue.	3/6	Minnesota	Colorado	9:00 PM	7:00 PM
Sun.	3/11	TBD	TBD	12:30 PM	TBD
Sun.	3/11	TBD	TBD	12:30 PM	TBD
Mon.	3/12	Anaheim	Colorado	9:00 PM	7:00 PM
Tue.	3/13	Carolina	N.Y. Rangers	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	3/14	Colorado	Buffalo	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Mon.	3/19	New Jersey	N.Y. Rangers	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Tue.	3/20	Phoenix	Dallas	8:00 PM	7:00 PM
Wed.	3/21	Detroit	N.Y. Rangers	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Sun.	3/25	Nashville	Chicago	7:30 PM	6:30 PM
Mon.	3/26	Tampa Bay	Philadelphia	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Tue.	3/27	Tampa Bay	Boston	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Sun.	4/1	TBD	TBD	12:30 PM	TBD
Mon.	4/2	Washington	Tampa Bay	7:00 PM	7:00 PM
Tue.	4/3	Pittsburgh	Boston	7:30 PM	7:30 PM
Wed.	4/4	Detroit	St. Louis	7:30 PM	6:30 PM
Thu.	4/5	Columbus	Colorado	9:00 PM	7:00 PM
Fri.	4/6	Phoenix	St. Louis	7:30 PM	6:30 PM
Sat.	4/7	TBD	TBD	12:30 PM	TBD
Sat.	4/7	TBD	TBD	12:30 PM	TBD

Let's play some hockey already!!

More Fun With The Futility of Redemptions

2011-08-20T22:32:00.000-05:00

Oh, Upper Deck. This love/hate relationship we have together is beginning to wear thin. Sure its' a one sided affair. You don't even know who I am, and yet you sit idly by, taunting me. You mock me at every turn, bringing me back into the fold with your clever little gimmicks and sweet pull potentials. Then, like a prized fighter in the 5th round of a championship fight, you knock me down once again with your dud boxes, poor production quality, and wicked hatred for the general populace you claim to service.

It's time for another in a long line of blogger rants about redemptions. Yes, my friends, I was again a victim of the industry's slap-in-the-face known as the redemption card. Although it would seem I have actually had better odds than most collectors out there in cashing in those evil cards that have become the bane of collector's around the world, it's hard to say for sure since most of us only talk about the bad experiences and not about the good. I have probably about a 85%+ turn around rate which is definitely going to rank in the top tier. Today, we continue that all too familiar saga.

For some reason I needed to bust some packs the other day. You would think with all the boxes I broke from the National, I would have been satiated at least until some new hockey releases started to appear. I guess that "while" was up the other day as (you know the feeling) hands went clammy, heart started racing and the blood began pumping while strolling past the card aisle in [insert retailer name here]. I had to bust something so I began to peruse the welcomed, yet rarely seen well stocked shelves. I had lots of choices but I already knew I was overburdened with Donruss, Pinnacle, and Upper Deck from last year, as well as this years Victory. Plus, the latest Topps Football release still hasn't amplified it's siren song loud enough for me to hear, nor have the other early football releases peaked my curiosity. I therefore decided, once again against my best judgment, that I would take another shot at a franken-box of hockey cards.

You all know the franken-box. I believe I have talked about them many times before but these can usually be found in one of three ways (or more if you look hard enough), a random packaged box with 15-16 packs for around the $20 mark (which isn't entirely a bad deal all the time; just most of the time), a plastic cube-like box for between $5-10 with a random amount of cards (at least you get a neat carrying case), or a blister pack hanging on a peg hook offering 4-10 packs for $5-15 (I have no need for another sixth line defenseman's autograph).

I decided on the first, making my way to the self-serve checkout (I can't let anyone see the shame). I had a good feeling about this one, too. If only I had a time machine. 16 packs were in the box ranging from regular Upper Deck releases from the last 4 years to Ultra, to Artifacts, to ITG. I think there were a few older Victory packs in there too along with the pack that I had never opened before, 2005-06 UD PowerPlay.

Powerplay was a 172 card set that was issued I believe for the first time in 2005 with six card packs for about $3/pack. You can still pick up a box if you so desire. I'm not going to endorse any one site here but you can Google it and probably find a box for less than $50.

As far as I know, there were not differing hobby and retail versions but I could be wrong on that one. In the set, the first 90 cards feature the typical range of veteran players listed alphabetically by team name. The rest of the cards are spread between In Action, Cup Celebrations, and Goal Robbers. The Rookie cards are 133-172. But my point is not to review the product here. I'm focusing on the redemptions that fell about 1:12 packs. These were lettered A-D and were supposed to be good for 10 cards. Yes I said 10 Cards!!.

My card that I had the unfortunate luck of pulling was labeled Group C. Pulling a Group C card would have entitled the lucky owner to cards #153-162 in the set. Yeah for me. Who are the fine gentleman associated with such cards, you ask? Well let me show you.

153 Corey Perry

154 Alexander Perezhogin

155 Zach Parise

156 Mike Richards

157 Braydon Coburn

158 Cam Ward

159 David Leneveu

160 Andrew Alberts

161 Petteri Nokelainen

162 Lee Stempniak

I guess if it was a bunch of scrub, nobodies, that never made it to the NHL or at best, were relegated to an occasional call up from the minors, I wouldn't have cared as much. As soon as I did it, I knew I shouldn't have gone and looked to see who was on this list because it was only going to fuel my ire. But I did. And now here I am. Not that this matters one bit but you have three $6 cards, a $5 card, a $4 card, and some commons on that list. No Crosby or Ovechkin but not a bunch of garbage either. Translation...probably about $10-12 worth of rookie cards that will never be seen.

So what does Upper Deck plan to do about expired redemptions for product that has never been recalled or bought back off the market in order to be repackaged to prevent false hopes and failed collation? Nothing. Sure, it's a subject that comes up all the time. Sure it is bad publicity when collector's go on their rampages about the frustrating nature of the situation. Sure it makes a collector want to throw every card manufactured by them out the window. It was even discussed at the uhh, umm, Industry Summit held in Vegas back in March. But for now, they are content with this...

"This redemption offer is now expired. Unfortunately, late entries cannot be honored and our inventory is now depleted. We apologize that we can no longer assist you with this promotion."

Well since you are sorry, all is forgiven. NOT!! Here are what my redemption cards would have looked like. This just makes me sadder because I really like this design. It's busy but somehow works.

Blogger Problems

2011-08-20T22:12:00.000-05:00

Ever since I moved my page over to it's own domain, Blogger has given me nothing but fits. When I post, it doesn't show up on anyone's blog rolls. ANYONE'S!! Not even my own since I follow myself just to make sure it works. I've read through countless numbers of troubleshooting posts and not a single one offers a solution.

Has anyone else ever encountered a problem like this? Is so, would you care to enlighten me on how to fix it?

(NOT THAT ANYONE CAN READ THIS POST ANYWAY...)

Autographs From The National - An Olympic Hockey Hero

2011-08-17T21:56:00.000-05:00

I had mentioned before that I was able to get another autograph at the National show a few weekends ago. That auto came via a redemption of sorts with the fine folks at In The Game.

For their redemption program, if you busted a "Special National" version box of ITG: Decades 80s at their booth, you would receive the box loaded multi-player, multi-GU card featuring current, former, and future Blackhawks and an additional 1/1 Show Stamped card based on some numbering system on the boxes (which I will show in a future post). In addition, you were entitled to an autograph ticket for former Olympic Team USA and "Miracle On Ice" team member, Mark Wells.

Wells played collegiately as a forward for Bowling Green back in the late 70s before joining Team USA after college. For those of you that didn't know, I am a graduate of Ball State University, fellow MAC conference and rival school for BG. More on that later.

Mark was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in his sophomore year of college and eventually made the team in Nova Scotia. He put his NHL career on hold so that he could take part in the Olympics which basically doomed his future career. Montreal sold his rights to Detroit, his "hometown" team however he wanted to stay a Canadien. He never quite made it to the NHL roster however and was signed by the Rangers after the 1980 season. He toiled around the minor leagues, playing with New Haven, Flint, Fort Wayne, and also Oklahoma City. Unfortunately, Wells never was able to crack the roster of any NHL team and retired in 1982 without playing in a single NHL game. A pretty sad ending to a career with tons of promise and a Gold medal to boot. I would encourage anyone interested to look up his story. If you can find it, it's very sad testament to the fragile nature of life and how easily things can be taken from us. But, I want to stay positive here so, moving on...

With autograph ticket in hand, we made our way back to the ITG booth at the appropriate time. Much to my surprise, there was anything but a line waiting for Mr. Wells to sign. I didn't have anything for him to autograph as my intentions were not to bother with the in person autographs in the first place. There were dealers with 8x10s and various other memorabilia, I just had no intentions of looking. ITG was very kind to provided a large scale "blow up" of their regular issue autograph cards for Mark to sign for anyone without an item.

As I approached the table, I quickly remembered he was a Bowling Green guy and I just so happened to be wearing one of my Ball State Football shirts. One glance was all it took, "Ball State football, huh?", he said. I said, "Yes, sir. And I know you were a Falcon." He proceeded to ask if I had played football to which I responded with laughter and asked him if "fantasy" counted. We struck up a conversation about watching small conference schools and the competition level between MAC teams vs. bigger conferences. He had asked about whether BSU had a hockey team yet or not. Back when I was a student, an intramural-type team was formed but I was unaware of an actual NCAA sanctioned team. He said that was a shame because more schools need to get programs going, to which I agreed. As I didn't want to take up more of his time, I thanked him for signing and stepped aside so that my collecting pal, Sal could get his 400 cards and photos signed (slight exaggeration; he only had 240).

I heard after talking to some folks at the show that Mark has had some health problems over the years due to a back condition that he has had multiple surgeries for. Mounting financial/medical issues led him to do what most could not and that was sell his medal. Last year it was consigned to Heritage Auctions and sold for over $300,000. Unfortunately, that was the second sale, captained by a private collector that had bought it from Mark some eight/nine years ago when he was in dire straits. Mark had only received a mere fraction of what it was purchased for from auction, something like less than 15% of that auction value. I will say this though...Judging by his spirits and attitude at the show, I couldn't tell that he was probably in some serious pain having to sit in one spot for hours on end, especially on those metal folding chairs.

What a great experience for me though, even if it was only short lived. I now have an Olympic gold medalist's autograph and a member of the symbolic team of heros better known as the Miracle On Ice. I was definitely too young to remember when that all went down but I have seen the video, watched the documentaries, heard the commentary, and even saw the movies (both the 1981 Steve Guttenberg version and the Disney remake with Kurt Russel). Even still, despite knowing the outcome already, the story gives me goosebumps every time, not only because of the excitement of the sport itself, but of the cultural impact the event had and still has to this day. Mark Wells was a part of that little "miracle" and even though he may no longer have the reward for the hard work and effort, no one can ever take away the memories and experience he has with being an Olympic champion. No amount of money can ever buy that.

Recapping My National Plan

2011-08-15T22:44:00.000-05:00

When I announced I was going to attend the National Sports Collectors Convention last week, I created my "gameplan", if you will, that I would follow to the letter in order to get out of their in one piece. Well good intentions are not just paving material for the gateway to hell.

I set out with my goals in hand, ready to attack at the moment my 5 year old Nike ACGs hit the floor of the convention center. What I failed to remember was the sheer size and magnitude of the show. Last time I went was 1993 and the show was held at McCormick Place in Chicago, the former "IT" place for conventions until they ran into the UNION problem a couple years back. Of course that show seemed big. I was only like 16 or something so everything seemed bigger (or is that when you are six?). At any rate, I got immediately overwhelmed by the scope of what was present in front of me.

I hit a few tables right off the bat, looking for a few cards that would get my collecting juices flowing. After browsing about a dozen or so, I made my way through the carpeted area with all the Premium vendors. This is where the card manufacturers were along with many of the show sponsors, broadcasters, and larger dealers. It was there that I was sort of sucked into the hype of the promotional packs being given away for pack redemption. I watched for a bit as people were busting boxes left and right at the Panini booth and the Upper Deck kiosks, in hopes of pulling any of the rare cards that both manufacturers put into their show packs.

As that excitement wore off, I hit a few dealer tables in hopes of scoring a great deal on some wax. I was just looking at this point because who knew how many other dealers may have had the same thing for a dollar or two less? Certainly not I, at that point. It was then that I ran into my buddy Sal from Puck Junk. We chatted a moment before he had some business to take care of with the guy from The Wantlist, the Canadian collector magazine that has all the great kind of articles that Beckett used to have eons ago when it was relevant as well as real time pricing and of course, the biggest, most comprehensive Wantlist you can imagine. If you are a hockey collector and don't get this publication, what is wrong with you? Go here and check it out.

Next thing I know, Justin from The Hopeful Chase strolls by and we all decide to go to the special VIP Lounge to do some trading. Yes, I said it. Actual trading of cardboard took place. So when they say there's no trading in the VIP room, they are wrong. Since I have already sort of alluded to it being something I picked up, I might as well share. First, I traded for this beauty.

Is that a Mario Lemieux Rookie, you ask? Yes. Yes it is. Sure it is a little off center but the corners are all sharp and the back of the card looks almost perfect. Did I mention it's a Mario Lemieux rookie? Sure I gave up one of the most iconic football cards of all time to get it but I really had no emotional attachment to it despite is uber-coolness and if I wasn't going to cash in on this garage collection project anytime soon, the least I could do is flip stuff for my own PC. Right? RIGHT?!!?

Also in the mix were a few other cards that I needed including...

I have been off-and-on putting this set together. Occasionally I pick up one or two and then I don't see or hear from them again for months. Kind of like one of those relatives that you really want to see but then are sick of them after an hour or so. Of course, seeing them here on this scan makes me want to start looking for them again.

A couple of singles that I didn't have for some reason. The Rookie Finalist Lemieux I actually have never seen before so that was cool. The Tangradi I thought I had but turns out I didn't. I have some weird man-crush on Tangradi which I can't really explain so don't expect him to be on the Pens that much longer.

You may recall seeing this in another blog post on another blog. Well it's mine now. A Sweet Dual-Sweater Swatch of Flower. The colors are actually the same and come from the dark sweaters (not the one in the picture). The interesting thing is the two different textures. One is definitely from a sleeve, the other, not too sure. It's out of /35 too.

So with those trades out of the way, that leaves my goals. I only had four. Let's see how they turned out.

1. Pick up 2 boxes. - - As usual, I went overboard on this one. Atlanta Sports Cards had quite a few boxes that have been on my radar. In fact, I have been on their website numerous times and had these in my cart but never pulled the trigger. In all, I picked up 7 boxes including ITG Decades: 80s, a blaster of BAP, and a variety of Pacific products from the early 00s. If you haven't seen them already, I'll be posting most of the breaks on the blog. So on a scale of 1-10, 1 being complete failure; 10 being triumphant success...this goal would rank a 10.

2. Pick up 5 cards for each of my main player collections - - Well since I have 3 player collections, 15 cards didn't seem like a big deal. Well, it was. I picked up quite a few Mario's. If you count the ones I got in trade, I picked up a total of 9. As for Jagr, I'm really not on the Jaromir kick at the moment. Looking at some of his cards, while cool, makes me want to burn them. I don't know why. Maybe it's the image of the up coming orange and black jersey he will be wearing. As for Billy G., do you know how hard it is to find Guerin cards? Pretty damn difficult unless it's an auto or GU card and even then, you have to dig. So using my scoring system, this goal ranks a 5 out of 10. Three players, five cards each, 33% per player. Bonus points for the extra Lemieux's.

3. Pick up at least one autograph or memorabilia card for each of my Pittsburgh team collections - -This one kind of fell flat as well. While I did get a few nice autos of Penguins that I didn't have (3 to be exact), the Pirates I sought out to pick up were no where to be found and I really didn't even look at Steeler cards at all. I give this one a 3 out of 10.

4. Sell something. Alright, you can't say I didn't try on this one. I had about a dozen or so cards to try and get rid of. The only one that I had any traction on was this one. I offered up stuff to about a dozen or so guys at the show and 7 of them were all interested in this one in particular. Only one guy made me an offer to which I politely refused. The others weren't really sure what to offer. I had one guy who wanted it but really couldn't come up with a number. I threw out a Ben, not knowing if that was fair or not, but even at that, couldn't get anyone to bite. So I can't really give this one a legitimate score other than for trying. We will say 1 out of 10 in this case.

So adding up my score, with 40 possible points I scored 19 in completion of my goals. But if you take into account that all 9 of the Mario cards were ones I needed and I picked up a Lemieux rookie, as well as three autograph Penguin cards, a hockey HOFer signed puck, an Olympic hero signed photo card, a bunch of fun boxes to bust, and some pretty cool memories from the show, I'd say that's pretty close to a perfect score.

More on this later.

Video Box Break - - 2002-03 Pacific Hockey Hobby Box

2011-08-13T16:05:00.000-05:00

Here is another box I picked up from the National when it was held in Chicago. These came from the guys at Atlanta Sports Cards just like most of the boxes I purchased. I decided since it was sooooo much fun, eh em...doing a video box break for the last one, why not try it again.

So with crappy webcam, no video recording ability, and shoddy editing skills I give you my break of 2002-03 Pacific Hockey.

Autographs From The National - A Hockey Hall Of Famer

2011-08-10T23:28:00.000-05:00

I know what I said. I said no autographs. I said I wasn't going to waste my time standing in long lines for hours on end waiting for a guy to sign something, hoping they don't quit before my turn. But...An opportunity came my way that I couldn't pass up. The events of the day resulted in my acquisition of two in-person autographs of important hockey figures. The first one was a Hockey Hall of Famer.

Bill Gadsby, for those that are unaware, played in the 1940s, 50s and 60s. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1970. I will spare you the rote details of spewing out his story when it can be read from the source. Check out a very good quick read biography about Bill over at the Hockey Hall Of Fame website.

I will say this though, they don't build them like Bill anymore. He played in an era where defensive minded hockey was key. He was such a fierce competitor that he was willing to throw caution to the wind and sacrifice himself to protect his net. At one point in his career, he was even better known for his broken bones, body scars, stitched up face, and various other injuries caused by his "reckless" yet effective play.

Though he spent most of his NHL career with Chicago, he also played with the Rangers and retired with the Red Wings (even coaching them for one season). He went out on top, too, leaving the game as the highest scoring defenseman and one of the only players to log 1,000 games (along with Gordie Howe). He also led the all-time points, games, and penalty minutes for defensemen at his retirement (and all time stitches at 600). Unfortunately, despite all the hard work and 20+ years of service to a game he loved, he was never rewarded with a Cup. He came close, but both teams he played on lost in the finals (once to Toronto, and another time to Montreal).

So I set out on my mission to find something for him to sign. I must have walked around the entire floor of the National twice before I finally found someone that had something other than an 8x10. There was a booth set up not too far from the autograph pavilion selling all sorts of memorabilia and display cases, including Detroit pucks. I had to have one. Next stop, find the autograph line.

When I arrived, it was 10 minutes until signing time and there was a line of about 25 people or so in front of myself and Sal, from Puck Junk. Or so I thought until I was informed that our line was actually behind the line to the right of us, which was also behind all the Super-Uber VIP ticket holders. Essentially we went from 25 in line to about 200 in 9.6 seconds. But it was definitely worth it for the experience of getting the autograph of a Hockey Hall of Famer. Here is the awesome result.

The glare between the camera and the case sucks but the puck is fantastic. I love how the old-timers take great care and effort in signing their names. It makes for such a better experience knowing who signed and not needing a decoder ring to decipher someone's scribble. Plus, he added the inscription without even being asked. Very nice guy and a class act.

Victory Is Mine

2011-08-08T22:27:00.000-05:00

Just when I thought there was no hope for the future, a bright light shone in the distance like a beacon. No, I was not on a ship at sea, nor was I part of a political speech that wastes 20 minutes of my afternoon while I would have been watching Maury. My friends...that beacon was the first card set of 2011-12.

There is nothing I like better than when the first cards of the year hit the shelves. We finally get to see players in their new team uniforms, we get to see the first crop of rookies that got to play at the end of last season, and we get a preview of what is to come in future releases.

The Upper Deck Victory set has always been the first set on the market each year almost since its inception. Victory is usually released in two phases. The first comes in regular release as part of an initial 200 base + 50 rookie set. The second will be an insert into Series 2 of the Upper Deck flagship brand. They also have two insert sets, Game Breakers and Stars of the Game which feature all the best players from each team.

This year, Upper Deck brought back the MVP brand and instead of boxing it separate, decided to make it an insert into the Victory packs. MVP has been away from the scene for a few years but I think it will be welcomed back considering the rate of insertion into boxes is about 18 per box. Plus, it takes on the design more like the 2009 version rather than the same boring white border/shield design that was recycled year after year from 2005-2008. Chasing the 100 card complete set (88 base cards, 12 rookies) will definitely give collectors a challenge.

Also, the Red & Black parallels are back. As most collector's know, the black parallels have always been a huge hit within the hobby considering their scarcity. This year, regular black parallels are falling 1:720 packs with rookie black parallels falling at a whopping 1:1,440 packs. Quite a few of the black rookies from previous years can be found selling for north of $100. Red parallels can be found only in Fat Packs (36 card double blister packs usually in retail). Although less rare, the Red rookies can still garner a premium over their base counterparts.

Not one to shy away from a challenge, I once again set out down the path of building this yearly staple of a set when I saw the fresh new product.

In addition to the photos above, here are a few more for your viewing pleasure...

Base Card design

Red parallel base cards

Game Breakers

Stars Of The Game

Video Box Break - - 2001-02 Pacific Private Stock Titanium Hobby

2011-08-07T15:34:00.000-05:00

The National is over and what a fun time it was. I got to see lots of cool stuff, meet a lot of fun and interesting people, pick up some stuff I didn't think I would, and of course, add to my box break inventory.

All the times I have been on Atlanta Sports Cards website, filling up my cart with all sorts of boxes from an age where collecting was the farthest thing from my mind, and I never once actually completed my order. I don't know why. I just didn't. Seeing that they were actually at the National show, I didn't think for one minute that they would have any of what I wanted. Well I was wrong. They had everything, and then some.

I've been a little burned out on new product (that's not to say I didn't get any) so I wanted to boost my collection a bit with early 00's stuff, namely 2000-01 through 2004-05. The first box I purchased was 2001-02 Pacific Private Stock Titanium.

Not the best year for cards but the Titanium set had such a limited print run of rookie cards, that they all carry a pretty high demand and dollar value. Plus, this was a premium set at the time with only 6 packs and a "hit" in every pack. That hit is a dual sided GU jersey card of various teammates around the league. There is also usually an insert card in each pack as well consisting of a Premier Date parallel, Hobby parallel, All Star, Rookie Team, Saturday Knights, or 3-Star Selection.

I decided to try my hand at another Video Box Break just because I am a glutton for punishment and really have no idea what I am doing. So maybe the practice will help. Check it out if you need to waste 12 minutes of your life on something.

I Caved Like A Chinese Coal Mine

2011-08-03T21:52:00.000-05:00

When it comes to technology you pretty much have two choices. You either get on the train and enjoy the ride or get left behind at the station. With that said, I did the unthinkable the other day and posted my first ever Tweet. It was strange. It felt dirty. I had to shower afterward. But I got through it. Why, you ask? Well, I figured if I was ever going to make something out of myself as a blogger, or collector, or card seller, or purveyor of cardboard, or expert on something in particular of which I don't know of yet, or all of the above, I was going to have to get with the times. So there you have it. Short and sweet. I'm a Twittererer-like-thingy-person now I guess.

I will be posting updates from the National show on Saturday. If I enjoy it, I may continue. If it seems like work. Well, you know the rest.

If you'd like to follow me, although I have no idea why you would, you can click the link over on the right side of this page or I guess my handle (is that what it's called?) is @therealdfg.

Tomorrow is garbage day...and the first day of the NATIONAL!!

2011-08-02T22:43:00.000-05:00

It is. Wednesday's are garbage days. Except when there is a holiday prior to the Wednesday. Then it falls on Thursday. Which if you ask me, screws everything up because it is one more bag to go to the curb on one week and one less the next. Speaking of garbage day, I can't forget to take those boxes we got from Costco out to....

Oh, you aren't here to listen to talk about garbage? Me neither.

Tomorrow is the first day of the National Sports Card Collector's Convention held this year at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL, just outside of Chicago. Don't forget the "E" or else you will be at a different convention center where this years NAMBLA convention is being held. Rather than waste your time speaking about what is on tap for this years show, I will point your attention here for more information.

As some of you are already aware, I finally broke my silence on the subject yesterday and gave the world exactly what they have been waiting for...the confirmation that I will be in attendance on Saturday. I know, I know. Hold your applause. While up until yesterday I was kind of indifferent to the whole thing, after making my decision something changed. The adrenaline started flowing I think and the ideas of what wonders await me began to consume my thoughts. What would I pick up? What would I get to see? Will I participate in any redemption programs? Will I get autographs? Will I go into a coma from the shock of 850,000 square feet of cardboard paradise (or high blood sugar)? I don't know.

I think one thing that has gotten me back on the right track is the fact that these shows are always a good place to meet other collectors. There are at least three other bloggers that I regularly communicate with that I will be meeting up with at some point over the weekend to do some real live trading. I will most definitely be blogging about those later on. Also, there are quite a few others out there in the cyber-card land that will be attending the event that I plan on seeking out, some with their own booths including Card Connection Radio and Freedom Cardboard. If you are going to the show and haven't already let me know about it, drop me a line and if you are there on Saturday, maybe we can meet in person and talk some shop, maybe even trade if you let me know ahead of time. That is probably my favorite part of this whole experience.

Since I am in prep mode at this point, it is always wise when attending a show of this size to have a game plan. Since I only have about 6-7 solid hours of time on Saturday to do my thing, I have plotted out my goal (although it will probably be tossed out the window within the first 10 minutes). 3 things I plan to avoid to save time/money...

1. I'm going to pass on the autograph guests. There are too many good signers there that I can't decide which is the one I want the most so I choose none of the above. That saves me money, for one and time standing in long lines.

2. Next are the strictly memorabilia booths and tables. "Hey, that's cool" or "Whoa, look at that" may be uttered a time or two but I'm skipping them if at all possible. I'd love to have some nice mounted posters, old school pennants, framed artwork, signed equipment etc. but the reality is I have no space to call my own in order to display them. I have had a 75th Anniversary lithograph of the Steelers for what seems like six years that is still in a tube without a frame, two All-Penguin and All-Steeler Team Card Displays that aren't properly hung, and a few baseballs and pucks that need a home. Despite the "Coolness" of all of it, I have other business to attend to.

3. The manufacturer booths. Again, unless there is simply something I can't live without, I'm walking. I did want to participate in at least the Panini wrapper redemption promotion so I may have to seek out something off their lists but the other guys do nothing for me. That means you Topps, Upper Deck, Tristar. Beckett...you are pretty much dead to me so I will pass all together just as I do at all the Sun-Times shows. Supply dealers, if you are there and I'm sure you will be, I have already found my bastion for cheap holders/boxes/albums so I doubt you will draw me in with your siren song.

So with those out of the way, that leaves my goals. I only have four. We will see how this turns out.

1. 2 boxes. I always look for 2 boxes of something. That's not to say I only will get 2 boxes, but 2 is my goal. I have pretty much overdid it with 2010-11 products so chances are I will be looking for something older unless I find something with a rock bottom price. I'm thinking something in the way of ITG from a few years back and maybe some early 2000s hockey if it exists. Pre-2005 hockey is sometimes hard to come by at shows unless of course you are talking early 90s, which I'm not, ever.

2. 5 cards for each of my main player collections. Yes I said 5...each. That's 15 cards that I need for all three of my main hockey player collections including Jagr, Guerin, and Lemieux. When you think about it, that isn't unreasonable for a show this size. Someone has got to have something I need. As for my other player collections, if I get something, so be it. If not, it isn't high on my priority list.

3. At least one autograph or memorabilia card for each of my Pittsburgh team collections. This goal usually spirals out of control and I end up with more than one or two or ten. Last big show, I picked up 15 TTM/in person on-card Penguin autographs...23 total if you include the manufacturer obtained ones. I think I should be able to get a few Steeler and Pirates this time around.

4. Sell something. I know this one is almost like trying to find a unicorn in a field of barbed wire but I need to do something. What better place to make an attempt than with an audience of thousands of collectors and dealers. I don't anticipate enormous success on this one but I am going to try. I just need some strategery in setting this one up. Since I don't possess a Bryce Harper Super Duper Auto Refractarama Chrome Zygote Relic card to sell, it's going to take something rare and unusual to get at least the dealers that claim to buy interested. I really need to think this one through between now and Saturday.

One things for sure. I can hardly wait.

Oh, and PS...I actually may Tweet this little event if my phone holds up. Since I have an account, might as well use it, right. It's over on the right if you want to check it out.

Saturday National, Sunday International?

2011-08-01T21:10:00.000-05:00

So Saturday it is. After months of speculation and conjecture regarding the subject, I have finally decided to grace the National with my presence. I was on the fence about the whole thing for the last few months. At the last Sun-Times show at the Rosemont in Chicago I was all gung-ho about the whole thing, being that it would be my first National since 1992 or 1993 I think, whichever year was in Chicago. It was the first year for the Marlins and Rockies if that helps for reference because Topps gave away some promotional preview cards with players from both teams.

The last few months have gotten me in a rut and turned me more toward the dark side of not collecting at all. I don't know what it is other than life in general just catching up. I'm kind of burnt out at work and tired of being so busy all the time. I haven't had the chance to get the Garage Project off the ground as I had hoped and I have been feeling a little dejected about the whole thing. Its pretty much my own fault too because I just don't have the time or the energy to inventory and scan, and inventory and scan, etc, etc.

I have had a few trade proposals lately that have caused me to sit back and rethink what collecting is for me. And I think that I have figured it out. Collecting is fun. Plain and simple. So I'd be a dummy if I didn't take the opportunity to go to the largest show of the year since it's in my own backyard. What could be more fun than walking around all day looking at cards, talking to collectors, and being around my own kind? My answer...nothing.

So if anyone else out there is going on Saturday, drop me a line and let me know. Maybe we can meet up at some point, talk some shop, or if you let me know enough in advance, maybe even do some trading.

Box Break (Old School) - - 1995-96 Upper Deck Retail

2011-07-30T23:56:00.000-05:00

I decided to start doing some house cleaning. You may have noticed a few changes around here.including a semi-redesign of the page with a new, sleeker header. I like it at least. Oh, and the address is now a dot com. I have wanted to do that for quite a while and finally decided to go ahead with it. I have a few more tricks up my sleeve so if you care, stay tuned. But for now, I noticed I had a bunch of posts started but never finished so I figured why not get these into the land of the living? Lets start with an old school box break.

I was at my LCS a few weeks ago (at least it was when I started this post originally), partially to kill some time and partially to check out whatever new hockey releases donned the shelves. After deeply pondering my options, I couldn't decide between a couple boxes. The shop owner, who must have a psychology degree because he can read a situation very well, decided to make me an offer that I couldn't refuse so that I would take both boxes and he would make the sale. Classic deal making, if I do say so myself.

Since sometimes you have to go "old school", a box of 1995-96 Upper Deck Series I Retail was thrown into the mix for good measure. I don't have many of these in my collection other than a few singles here and there. These came from an era in time when I took a hiatus from collecting. It's hard to keep a hobby going when you have a full time student schedule and three jobs to help pay for it. At any rate, I always wanted to build this set because I thought it had a very appealing design because of the rounded gold foil name plate at the tops of the cards that seem to blend into the background, the inconspicuous logo and team designation on the front, and the secondary photo on the backs. Mainly though, this was a cool set due to the border-less, live-action photography Upper Deck became synonymous with.

Up to this point in UD Hockey history, their releases had featured some type of border around the front of the card, mostly white. 1995-96 was the first year where the border was erased and made way for a full bleed photograph. The card backs look sort of similar to the 1994-95 cards with a black border down the left side and another full photo that extends out to the opposite edge. Of course, unlike many of the releases we get today, the back photo is not the same as the one on the front. The stats are also listed along with a brief write up about the player.

Since this was a retail box, I wasn't expecting much, although I don't really remember how much different product releases were between hobby and retail 16 years ago. This set featured parallels of the base cards called "Electric ICE" which were the same as the regular cards but with either silver foil or gold foil instead of the bronze color. In the retail versions, there area also Predictor cards which for those unfamiliar were kind of a gambling game where essentially you would get a card of a player with a stat. If they hit that mark, you would win. I don't really remember the prize other than it being a complete set of winning predictor cards, although the "fine print" says the total approx. retail value of the trade cards are $250,000 US. In 2011 money, that's like $10!! Looking back, the only winners were the Jagr's, Lemieux's, and Patrick Roy cards.

Ok, enough build up. What is in the packs? As I said, this is series I. There are 270 base cards. Electric ICE are inserted 1 per pack. Gold come about 1 per box. Predictor cards should also be about 1 per box. There is an insert set in series I called Freeze Frame at about 1 per box and the extremely elusive "Predictor Pack" which features an entire 12 card pack of Predictor cards at 1 per 175 packs (approx 6 boxes). There are also Gretzky Collection cards that feature different events in the career of the Great One.

Within the set itself, there are base cards, a subset of Star Rookies which replaced the Young Guns temporarily, the Mike Milbury's Scouting Report subset, and a subset of 5th Anniversary cards with a few of the 90/91 key cards with different photos on the backs and a 5th Anniversary logo. Hey, in the early-mid 90s, 5 years was a big deal.

Drum roll, please...Here's my box

12 Cards/Pack
36 Packs/Box
Base Cards: 234/270 (87%)
Duplicates: 157!!
Inserts: 1 - Wayne Gretzky Collection #12
Parallels: Electric Ice - 36; Electric Ice Gold -1

Some examples of the base card design. Here we have Markus Naslund as a Pen, Khabibulin making an acrobatic save, David Oliver being speared into the net, and Esa Tikkanen amidst a team celebration.

Electric Ice cards look just like the base but with the EI logo down the right side. The Primeau is the Gold version. These were just three goalie shots that I liked.

Two of the subsets with the Mike Milbury Scouting Report and the back of a 5th Anniversary card featuring Super Mario. The front is his "Lemieux's Scoring Streak" card from the 1990-91 set. Dougy G sported the toothless look well before Duncan Keith made it popular.

Some of the Star Rookies including Daymond Langkow and the Senior Yearbook photos of Aki-Petteri Berg and Shane Doan. That Doan card has got to be one of the worst cards of all time. Notice I said "one of". There are many. And yet, at the same time, it is equally as awesome.

As you can see, I got no Predictor cards, which is fine by me since I don't have a time machine handy. I would have liked a Freeze Frame or two but the Gretzky Collection card is alright too since it is apparently a tough pull at only 1 per box or so. The Gold card I got was the Keith Primeau 5th Anniversary card. I think I have about 40 of the original version. But for me, the biggest disappointment was the 157 doubles. Quality control was a far cry from what it is now (and it isn't that great now). To have a set with only 270 cards and not be able to complete it out of 432 cards is kind of ridiculous if you ask me. In fact, most of the packs had duplicate cards in the same packs.

Maybe we put up with much more as collector's back then. Either way though, I still like this set and will be trying to complete it sometime in the future. If anyone else is trying the same feat, let me know because I may have some that you need.

In case you hadn't noticed...

2011-07-16T01:23:00.000-05:00

The Real DFG is now a Real URL.

WWW.THEREALDFG.COM

You can change your bookmarks if you want or just leave 'em. Blogger should send you to the right place. (Should being the operative word)

There may be changes afoot as well. Stay tuned.