Archive for Hockey
Trade Deadline and the Player Collection: What To Do Now?
Posted by: | CommentsMarch 3, 2010 represented this year’s NHL trade deadline. This year was one of the best and worst all wrapped up together. We had big moves before the Olympic roster freeze, with names like Kovalchuk, Phaneuf, Giguere, Jokinen switching teams. On the actual deadline day, we saw a record number of deals completed (although most if not all were interchangeable parts moving), with the biggest names being Wolski and Mueller.
Being a player collector in this hobby can be tough, especially if you are collecting a mucker, or a banger. It can be even tougher if he also plays on your favorite team. I was lucky when this deadline day arrived: one of my top players got moved, as Clarke MacArthur was traded from the Buffalo Sabres to the Atlanta Thrashers. Personally I am not worried, as I can continue my collection without missing a beat (although since his rookie year, there have not been too many to collect overall). I like his game, and I like what he did at the World Juniors a few years back. The fact that he has zero association to my Montreal Canadiens makes that decision so much easier. For me, but not for everyone.
As an active member of a few different message boards, I have seen it every off season, and every trade deadline. People who heavily collect their favorite player on their favorite team see him get moved in a trade or sign on with another team in the offseason.
The question inevitably comes to this: Now what?
Trade or sell the player collection.
Sometimes the team draw is too strong for the player. I can see this: most times you cheer for your team, your team acquires player X, who then becomes your favorite player. When player X is moved, you go through a full gamut of emotions . . . from disbelief, to acceptance, to wondering what to do with your prized collection (not to mention the time, effort and money put into it). Do I still collect him? Can I still cheer for him now that he is on the hated (fill in new team here)? To the point of making the decision to give it up, your love for your favorite team is too strong.
Now to find someone in the exact opposite boat as you, someone who is a fan of your former collection’s new team, maybe they need to have all of his rookie cards, the shiny inserts you have accumulated, maybe the autographs and game used cards; they all need new homes. In a couple of months, I will have forgotten that I even collected player X, and have now moved my focus to player Y, and building up the best collection I can of him.
Keep the collection going.
Sometimes the player is your reason for loving the team in the first place. Or maybe there is another reason why player X is your man. It could be that you played hockey with or against him when you were younger. Or maybe he played for your favorite junior team, or for your college when you were there. Regardless, player X is your man through thick and thin. Where he goes, you go with him. Sometimes it is fun to collect some new items, and you look forward to the newest releases of player X with his new team. You will go through a year, or sometimes two years (depending on how popular your player is) of seeing him in a new uniform until you can get some new jersey and patch pieces It provides a new exhilaration and rejuvenation for you to get your act together and grab those remaining cards of your man before new ones hit the market with the new team. Maybe with player X moving, some of the other collectors of his cards will give their collections up and you can cherry pick some of the nicer items that slipped through the cracks, or that you simply didn’t have the funds to acquire when they first became available. Weekly searches on buy/sell sites become daily. It’s fun to be a player collector again!
Keep the Collection, but re-focus it.
This often times represents only collection cards of player X while he was on team Y. You will limit your collection to items that were released during his time with your team. Sometimes the focus gets even narrower; rookie cards, autographs and game used cards. Whatever the case becomes, you are not willing to divest all of your assets but in order to start up something new, you need to focus things, keep only your favorite or most prized possessions in the collection. You can sell off or trade some of the more common ones to another collector who has more desire to keep things going large scale or to a new collector for a starter collection.
Vault it, start a new one.
In some instances, collectors will just shelve the collection. They have invested heavily into it, and refuse to move it for dimes on the dollar, but the wind is out of the sails. They keep the collection right where it is and start over with something new. Sometimes they’ll start with a new set (to give the player collecting a bit of a break, it can be draining), or hop right into a new collection (who to collect now?) Typically, this option comes with a lot of reflection, and often the collector will struggle with things for a period of time while they make the decision to continue on. Choosing a new player collection usually comes with deep thought as well. Do you go for a rookie, start with all the true rookie cards, grab as many parallels as you can, or go at it 100%? Do you choose your favorite team’s newest acquisition (perhaps you know someone is going to try and off load their collection so you can get a good start)? Maybe it is time to start a collection of a retired guy who played for your team, or was an important player who your parents looked up to? With so many choices, it is no wonder why so many collectors take so much time in thinking about who they are going to collect, and how they want to do it.
Personally, I have a few player collections that I do different things with. It keeps me happy, enthusiastic about collecting and I rarely go through any days where the chase disappoints me.
Clarke MacArthur: I go at this player 100%. I am missing some key elements from his rookie year, namely high end 1/1’s from The Cup, as well as some rare parallels from this year. Those OPC blank backs and the Collector’s Choice Prime Choice Reserves are tough. What makes this fun for me is the overall chase; knowing there are only limited cards and rare finds left to be had.
P.K. Subban: P.K. had some memorable matchups as a member of the Belleville Bulls in the OHL against my hometown Kitchener Rangers. Drafted by my favorite team, the Montreal Canadiens, he seemed to be a logical fit. Having just made his NHL debut recently, I will be bombarded with Rookie Cards of his to chase starting in the 2010/11 season, and I will have to assess where I want my collection to go from here. I only have his minor league issues to chase right now, and am down to needing three cards, including all known 1/1’s. These three cards have a combined print run of 12. Yikes.
David Clarkson: I know David personally, and this is where my collection of him comes in. David is a great guy, grounded, level headed, and turning into an important player for the New Jersey Devils, (but having a tough year with injuries). For him, my focus is strictly on his rookie year. I have some rare parallels that I still need to acquire, not focusing in on any 1/1’s (as I have a friend who goes at him much stronger then I do), and anything I add on top of that is simply gravy.
Scott Stevens: Hometown boy who actually went to school with my aunt, and I have had the pleasure of meeting him on various occasions when he makes his way back home. He still looks like he could play, and is every bit the Hall of Fame person as he is Hall of Fame hockey player. My focus for him is game-used cards, and everything else is fun times. I don’t go out of my way to buy them, but if I can trade for them, or if the price is right, I will grab them. This is probably the least stressful of my collections and arguably the most fun to collect. I am always really excited to add items to this collection.
Howie Morenz: My favorite team’s first true superstar. My focus here is with modern releases (1950-present), mostly on non 1/1 game used equipment. At a young age I read about Morenz and fell in love with the story. This is by no means a cheap collection to hold, so the acquisitions are tough to come by, but very satisfying when I manage to get them. Not many of his items come available by trade, so I can only try and have funds available when something presents itself. I try and keep this one low stress, as there are lots of collectors out there with deeper pockets then I, and many of the items are quite limited. Getting to 100% isn’t really an option for me, but again for me, I love the chase.
We would love to hear how you look at your collections and how you choose to collect who you do and what kinds of limitations you use. Now that deadline day is over, player collectors can take a deep breath, and continue on . . . until the draft and free agency, and you may have to look at altering your collection all over again!
Don’t forget to register your 2009-2010 NHL Rookie cards. Click here to register them at Upper Deck’s Rookie Card tracker. By registering your codes from the back of your rookie cards, you will have a chance to win a box of cards from Upper Deck!
Christopher Carmichael has been hockey fan of over 20 years. He has been an active member on various hobby related sites, most notably www.hobbyinsider.net, and www.cloutsnchara.com. Christopher is also a long time collector, with a focus on a few select player collections, and the occasional set projects.
Popularity: 9% [?]
Canada Tops USA in Overtime for Olympic Hockey Bragging Rights
Posted by: | CommentsSidney Crosby fulfilled his destiny. At the age of 22 he has done more now then most players hope to accomplish in a career. He has won an Art Ross trophy as the top scorer. He has won a Hart Trophy as the leagues most valuable player. He has captained his team to a Stanley Cup. Now he has scored the Gold medal clinching goal in overtime at the Olympics, elevating himself to the folklore status: this is what happens when you score one of the greatest goals in Canadian International history. The game finished 3-2 for Canada in overtime, but it was a back and forth battle right to the end. Canada jumped out to an early 1-0 lead on a goal by Jonathan Toews, then Anaheim Duck forward Corey Perry added to the lead just before the halfway point in the game, putting the Canadian squad up 2-0. At that point, the American team knew that the next goal would be huge, and they were able to get it within a goal at the end of two periods. The Americans came in waves during a third period that saw them dominate play, and it wasn’t until the last minute with Ryan Miller on the bench when New Jersey Devil (and son of Canadian hockey hero from the 1972 Summit Series J.P) Zach Parise whacked home a loose puck in a scramble to tie the game . . . only to set up Crosby’s heroics in overtime.
When we take a look at the Olympics and how the games relate to the game of hockey, (and more importantly, how they relate to the world of collecting), there are some clear winners and losers.
Winners:
Sidney Crosby: Yeah his cards already go for a mint, but I think you will see a bit of a bump in some of his key available rookies, namely his Young Gun. Scores of Canadian fans will probably try and eat them up, making the many American fans who sell them some money along the way.
Crosby didn’t light up the tournament offensively like many predicted he would or could, but what he did do was score the big one. It was almost like it was predestined, from the time that Wayne Gretzky said that this kid had a chance to break some of his records, to being left off of the 2006 Olympic team, through winning the Stanley Cup at such a young age. It will go down in Canadian history as one of those “Do you remember where you were when . . .” moments. A timeless and classic moment to be sure.
Key Rookie: 2005/06 Upper Deck Young Gun #201
Cool Insert: 2009/10 Upper Deck All World Team #AW32 SP
Underappreciated: 2005/06 Upper Deck Phenomenal Beginnings Box Set
Ryan Miller: For anyone doubting that Ryan Miller’s time has finally arrived, look no further then his play in this tournament and you’ll know he is indeed the real deal. Named the top goaltender as well as the tournament MVP, Miller proved what many of us thought: in order for USA to compete for a medal, Miller will have to stand on his head. He played fantastic throughout the tournament, outplayed goalies with better career resumes (notably Martin Brodeur in the final game of the Round Robin to give the American team the bye straight into quarterfinals, and then Miikaa Kiprusoff in the semifinals). Without Miller in the net, the American team doesn’t make it to the medal round. I can see an influx in many of Miller’s cards on the horizon. Rookies, autographs and even game used cards will change hands, as a new American hero has emerged.
Key Rookie: Upper Deck Premier Collection #46 /399
Cool Autograph: 2009/10 Upper Deck Trilogy Ice Scripts #IS-RM
Underappreciated: 2008/09 Fleer Ultra EX Essentials #EX38
Jonathan Toews: Many people believed that Toews would come in and be the Canadian team’s 13th forward, while others questioned his assignment to the team altogether. The not yet 22 year old captain of the Chicago Blackhawks proved without a shadow of a doubt that he was born to be great. After being the Canadian hero in the 2007 World Junior Championships (yeah I am talking about his shootout performance against the Americans, sorry), he also competed in the World Senior Championships that same year and didn’t look out of place playing with men. He scored 7 points in 9 games there, helping the senior squad to gold there as well.
With a resume like that, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Toews excelled at this tournament (ultimately being named the top forward), but to many it did. The Hawks captain proved he can do it all. He could jump into the scoring, play on the top line or drop down and be a shutdown forward, as he proved when he teamed with Rick Nash and Mike Richards in the Russia/Canada quarterfinal matchup to shut down the Russian superstars. A spike in his cards seems to be but a formality at this point, and his place on future Canadian International teams seems to be a lock now as well for the next 10-15 years.
Key Rookie: 2007/08 Upper Deck SP Authentic Future Watch #203
Cool Base Card: 2009 Goodwin Champions #90
Underappreciated: 2007/08 Upper Deck Black Diamond RC #191
Team USA: If nothing else, this squad proved you can get results as a team. Yes, they were full of NHL talent, so we knew they would be able to compete. But what surprised many fans was the way they were built: strong in net, a strong defense that isn’t afraid to take the body, two scoring lines, two shut down lines (not unlike your favorite NHL team is probably built). They showed that they could not just compete, but dominate some of the world’s top teams at any given point.
The semifinal game against Finland was perfect example of this. At the end of the first period, the Americans were up 6-0, having chased a former Vezina Trophy winner by making him allow more goals (4) then he had saves (3). They showed at times they could dominate the mighty Canadian team by capitalizing on mistakes, and they put the finishing touches on teams when they had the chance. They never quit, not even in the last minute of the gold medal game, when Zach Parise banged home the tying goal against a sprawling Roberto Luongo. They came out in the overtime period that reminded me of the Canada/USA World Junior gold medal game just a couple months back when both teams were out to win the game, not lose it, and traded chances. These Americans were not afraid to win, much less lose. The only problem is that in a tournament like this, you don’t “win” a silver medal. You lose gold, and your consolation prize is silver. You could see it in their faces. It wasn’t what they wanted, they wanted the gold. It might take some time, but I think they will come to appreciate that silver medal. As a Canadian writing this, I am proud of how the American team played, what they stood for, and their determination they showed. This team proved they are still a world power in the game of hockey, and they should be proud of that, because when this tournament started, many thought they were not.
Losers:
Peter Forsberg: Showed that he still has hands that dazzle on the ice, but also that his foot problems have not yet been figured out. To say he was slow would be an understatement. He looked as though he was skating with an anchor tied to his back. On a positive note, it was an accomplishment for him to be named to the team and play. I wouldn’t say he embarrassed himself, as much as he showed that he is but a shell of his former dominating play that arguably made him the game’s best player at one point.
Evgeni Nabakov: In the quarterfinal game against the Canadians, Nabby laid an egg. He gave up four goals and was pulled. He’s one guy who will love getting back to the NHL. He knows his team will be in the playoffs, and he knows those are seven game series. He can have a bad game and come back strong; at the Olympics when it is one and done, you don’t get that chance. He may wear goat horns for a while, but he will be back and will again prove he is one of the games best puck stoppers.
Martin Brodeur: He played in the tight game vs. Switzerland and ended up having to stop all four shootout shots to preserve the win. He then came back against the Americans in the final round robin game and was clearly not on. He gave up bad goals, played the puck horribly, and forced the coaching staff to sit the all-time wins and shutouts leader down for the rest of the tournament. While I am sure it had to be difficult for him to not play, it was the right decision. On the bench, Brodeur turned out to be another coach, often helping teammates with some of the finer points. He took it in stride, and like Nabakov, will be eager to get back to NHL hockey and prove he is still among the elite.
In closing, the Olympic hockey tournament had it all. It had great performances in losing efforts in David vs. Goliath type games. Look no further than the Swiss goaltender stonewalling the Americans in the quarterfinals, only to eventually succumb to the powerful, most consistent team. The Slovakian team beat the mighty Russians in a shootout, and the Americans beating the home town Canadians in the round robin; both shockers at the time. Slovakia did it again to medal favorite Sweden in the quarterfinals, only to fall in the semis to Canada.
It had great individual performances: Ryan Miller in the American net, and Pavol Demitra showing that he can still put up points, leading the Olympic tournament in scoring. Brian Rafalski put up points like they were going out of style for the American squad off the blue line. I watched a round robin game that not many watched: the Norway/Switzerland game. What a game that was. The best part of it was that I witnessed the greatest hockey name possibly ever score a hat trick: Tore Vikingstad (you just want to hear him talk about himself in the third person, or maybe that is just me looking too much into a Norwegian name being Vikingstad).
Looking at the games now less then a week after their completion, I remember all of these things, but in the end, when I look back on the 2010 Olympics I will remember a gold medal game that many in North America felt would mean “winning” the Olympics as a whole. Team Canada and their record of most gold medals as a host nation vs. Team USA and their record medal haul. In the end, it was Canada who was able to win the game on “the goal”, that will go down in Canadian hockey history as one of the biggest ever scored.
Thanks for the memories.
Christopher Carmichael has been hockey fan of over 20 years. He has been an active member on various hobby related sites, most notably www.hobbyinsider.net, and www.cloutsnchara.com. Christopher is also a long time collector, with a focus on a few select player collections, and the occasional set projects.
Popularity: 24% [?]
Looking Back at Some of the Best Hockey Designs from Upper Deck
Posted by: | CommentsWith the NHL on the Olympic break and a roster freeze in effect until March 1, I thought it would be a great time to take a look back at some of my favorite designs that Upper Deck has brought to the hockey market in the last twenty years. Feel free to comment at the end with some of your personal favorites.
10. 1990/91 Young Guns: Year one brought us a new company with great photography, glossy cards and foil packaging. Many collectors still get nostalgic when thinking about opening and collecting these cards early in the days of Upper Deck.
Looking back, I personally loved the design of the Young Guns. They were very simple, and not a lot different then the base set design at all. Factor in the chance of getting a Pavel Bure or the Sergei Fedorov Young Gun, and you had a winner.
Bonus points: Look at the rookie crop from this year: guys like Jagr, Modano, Nolan, Mogilny, Richter, Brind’Amour, Belfour, Larionov, Joseph, Graves, Recchi, Sundin, Nedved, Potvin, Neidermayer, Bondra . . . WOW! Can you imagine a rookie crop that deep? This group makes other deep years like 03/04 and 05/06 look weak by comparison.
9. 2004/05 Ultimate Collection Patches: Thanks to a limited in print run with a maximum of 35 copies of any one card, giant patches (and some simply stunning looking cards), all past and future patch cards are compared to this set. A simple and small head shot, lots of shiny silver and a great big patch; it seems like a simple recipe for success and it certainly was. The checklist for this set was amazing as well; coupling young stars with proven veterans meant high collectability. These cards still do very well on the secondary market on the rare occasions you see them become available.
I have personally never owned any of these cards, but I know people who have, and they are stunning. If you get a chance to own one of these at some point, make it happen.
8. 1996/97 Upper Deck Game Jersey: If memory serves me correctly, this was the first year that game used jerseys made their way into the hockey card market. The design is simple, yet appealing. Hitting them were long odds though, making them huge pulls of the day. A landmark set in terms of innovation, we owe a lot of our box break hits or pack hits to this concept and set.
Every time I see one of these cards show up on a message board’s show and tell section, it is highly responded to in a positive fashion. Again, I have never personally owned one of these cards, as they arrived in the time I took off of collecting to focus on my studies. But I was still close to the hobby, and remember thinking that player jerseys in trading cards were so cool. Since getting back into the hobby, I have been a game used junkie.
7. 1999/00 & 2003/04 Upper Deck 500 Goal Club: Easily some of the nicest cards ever produced, and the kicker? These were inserted into random products. Some of them also have very rare autographed versions as well. These cards do very well on the secondary market a decade after the original release. This is something I feel could be updated again soon, as there are a few guys who have hit the 500 goal mark recently that could be included. Among the names that could be included in this “update” set would be: Pierre Turgeon, Mats Sundin, Peter Bondra, Teemu Selanne, Mark Recchi, Jeremy Roenick, Mike Modano and Keith Tkachuk. The design is fantastic, and the overall eye appeal of the card is still without question. The significance of reaching 500 goals should also not be understated, one of the true measuring sticks for a potential Hall of Fame career.
6. 1996/97 Black Diamond: Overall a very esthetically pleasing set. Black Diamond cards typically do not scan well to show off their true look, but when you have one in hand, you are able to get a better feel for them. A couple of key rookies in this set are the driving force behind it, such as Patrick Marleau and Joe Thronton. Much like today’s Black Diamond, the set was broken into tiers. At this point, there was only single diamond, double diamond and triple diamond (unlike today’s version that has quad diamond as well). Black Diamond Gold was the parallel version, with the triple diamond gold cards running with only 50 copies of each.
96/97 Black Diamond also gave us the Run for the Cup insert set. These were limited to 100 copies, which was a very limited print run at that time. Some of the big names included in this set were Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Patrick Roy, Steve Yzerman, Joe Sakic and Mark Messier. Not a bad start to a checklist.
5. 2006/07 Sweet Shot Ice Signings: This autographed set from the first release of Sweet Shot Hockey was a winner. The Ice Signings feature an autographed piece of acetate that looks like a hockey rink. Looking down on the surface allows you to see the blue line, center ice, as well as the goal areas and all the faceoff dots. Serial numbered to 100 makes it an excellent, but not out of the question set to chase. With a strong checklist for the year of release, you knew you wouldn’t be disappointed if you landed one of them in your pack break. The Ice Signings found their way back into the 07/08 release and once again did very well. I chose to put the inaugural release on this list.
4. 2005/06 SPx Flashback Fabrics: These cards are actually part of the regular set in SPx, making up one of the most difficult subsets to obtain in recent memory. Some very short printed cards are in this, making a “Master Set” all but a pipe dream for those looking to do so. A few cards have print runs of ten or under, and another few are limited to just 25 copies, making for a fun, and very challenging set to collect. The most unique aspect of these cards, however, is the design. It features a decent size jersey piece (in later years they would use patches as a parallel), and an autograph; but the kicker for me is the quick reference on the front of the card that it was flashing back to. It gave an actual date or event of significance for the player pictured on the card. For the most part, these were significant events in the history of the game and things that today’s collector probably wouldn’t remember, so it served as a bit of a history lesson as well. Some of the cards in this set will still command $1,000 or more on the secondary market, proving that it is still a collection that many still appreciate years later.
3. 2005/06 SP Game Used Auto Draft: Here’s another autograph set I’m putting in here because of the concept. Each pictured player has an autograph serial numbered to the position that he was drafted in. Some of the notables in the set are former first overall picks Joe Thronton, Mike Modano and Vincent Lecavalier. The great thing about this is you can once again get a bit of a history lesson: it is not always first round picks that turn out to be stars in the NHL. Look at players such as Luc Robitallie (/171) and Patrick Roy (/51) among them. A very fun set to collect, but clearly very difficult. Also a great item if your favorite player happens to be in the set.
2. 1999/00 UD Retro INKredible: There are two levels in this product, with level two limited to just 25 copies. Both have matching checklists, and the level one cards are a thing of beauty. Coming out of 1999/00 Upper Deck Retro, the design on these cards is just that: if the hockey market back in the day featured player signatures on cards, this is what they’d probably look like.
All hard signed with a nice big spot for the player autograph, these cards deliver the goods. It’s still one of the all time great autograph sets, and heavily collected. Some of the bigger names in this set fetch big money when they become available. One of the last releases features hard signed cards from former Montreal Canadiens great Maurice Richard; with other greats such as Bobby Orr, Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky on the checklist of only 29 players, it makes for a fantastic group of players (and a quite the accomplishment for those who have finished it).
1. The Cup “Property of”: Simply put, these cards are fantastic. They are released in Upper Deck’s highest of high-end releases “The Cup”, and are always 1/1’s. They feature the nameplate of the pictured player’s game used stick, and if your favorite player happens to be in the set, it becomes a chase for the centerpiece of your collection. Over the years (starting with 05/06) they have had some of the all-time greats featured in the set including Bobby Orr, Mark Messier, Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull and Tony Esposito to simply name a few. Year in and year out, these cards are very well designed and come with a tremendous amount of eye appeal. If you are one of the lucky few to own one, chances are good that it is a centerpiece of your collection.
Don’t forget to register your 2009-2010 NHL Rookie cards. Click here to register them at Upper Deck’s Rookie Card tracker. By registering your codes from the back of your rookie cards, you will have a chance to win a box of cards from Upper Deck!
We are interested in hearing about your all-time favorite Upper Deck cards over the years, and what makes them your favorites. Maybe it is the look of the cards, or maybe it is the player checklist; whatever it is, we want to hear about it. I wanted to thank some of the great members at www.hobbyinsider.net for helping me out with a refresher on some of the nicest cards that have been released, as well as some pictures to go along with the write ups.
Christopher Carmichael has been hockey fan of over 20 years. He has been an active member on various hobby related sites, most notably www.hobbyinsider.net, and www.cloutsnchara.com. Christopher is also a long time collector, with a focus on a few select player collections, and the occasional set projects.
Popularity: 54% [?]
January Rookie of the Month: Matt Duchene, Colorado Avalanche
Posted by: | CommentsHave 2009-2010 NHL Rookie cards? Click here to register them at Upper Deck’s Rookie Card tracker. By registering your codes from the back of your rookie cards, you will have a chance to win a box of cards from Upper Deck!
During the month of January, 2009 first rounder (3rd overall) Colorado Avalance forward Matt Duchene finally turned 19 years old. One thing you typically don’t see out of many first year NHL players (never mind one that still has junior eligibility remaining) is consistency. A quick look at Duchene shows that this is not so much a problem, and he even looks to be getting better as the season moves on.
October: 14 Games 2 Goals 5 Assists -3
November: 14 Games 4 Goals 3 Assists -6
December: 14 Games 5 Goals 8 Assists -1
January: 12 Games 6 Goals 3 Assists +2
His goal scoring is much improved, along with his overall play. Matt plays both ends of the rink, and his skating ability is one of the reasons he is able to do so at such a young age. His play has helped the surprising Colorado Avalanche to a 6th place position in the strong Western Conference, when at season’s start, many thought they would be lucky to compete for the last playoff spot (let alone a division crown). He’s one of only five NHL rookies who have scored a short handed goal this season, and one of five rookie contributors to the Avalanche lineup. These are among the reasons that Matt Duchene has been selected as the Rookie of the Month for January.
The season is past the halfway mark now, which means that there are some certified rookie cards of Matt Duchene available, and certainly some to keep on the radar as they become live.
So far here is a list of what is out there for Duchene collectors to have at:
- RR-283 08/09 Be A Player (Rookie Redemptions /99)
- #163 Trilogy /499
- #203 Upper Deck Series One Young Guns (a hobby staple)
- #371 NHL MVP
- #221 NHL Black Diamond
- SPx /484 (first card to feature memorabilia and autograph of the season)
- #74 UD Black (Autographed Letter Patch Redemptions)
- #202 Fleer Ultra (packed out early in the year as rookie redemptions)
- #223 Artifacts (another early season rookie redemption)
- #251 Collectors Choice
The Collector’s Choice, MVP and Fleer Ultra Upper Deck Series One brands make it realistic for any collector of any age to grab a rookie card of their favorite player, and my favorite among these is the MVP card. With two levels of parallels (Gold Scripts /100, and Super Scripts /25), it gives collectors a chance at an attainable “Rainbow”. The picture on it makes me smile. Not many 18 year olds have mastered their “tough” face yet.
Black Diamond, SPx, Trilogy and Artifacts offer releases that give a chance at a short printed version of Duchene. Artifacts will be /750 once they are produced, while SPx and Trilogy both limited to under 500 copies worldwide will make things a bit harder on those looking to acquire them. Black Diamond is another one of the staples in the collecting community but with only one “Quad Diamond Rookie” per box on average, typically you have to open up a bit more product to get the one you are looking for.
A quick look at what appears to be in store for the future this year.
- Be A Player
- Victory (which appears in UD2 packs)
- O-Pee-Chee Premier Hockey (features quad memorabilia and auto)
- O-Pee-Chee Update (with Metal and Metal X variations)
- Ultimate Collection (featuring a hard signed rookie, maybe even the first Shield card)
- SP Authentic (Arguably the most collected set of the year)
- Champs Hockey
- Ice (limited to just 99 copies)
- SP Game Used
- The Cup? (The highest of the high end Upper Deck releases, featuring a hard signed autograph and a patch piece of memorabilia)
Duchene has been a high mover on the secondary market, with his cards in demand following each new release. Personally, I am looking forward to the release of SP Authentic. With a rookie card hard signed /999, a SP Future Watch Limited Patch possibility /100 that will feature a piece of patch and a signature (as well as some interesting combinations that he might be featured on in the Sign of the Times autographed subsets), things will be very intriguing for collectors.
At this point, it is tough to pick out my favorites; I managed to scoop a pre-release photo of the Ice card from the Upper Deck Facebook page. But looking at what is out there, I am reminded of my personal experience at the Upper Deck Rookie Photo Shoot. I was there as a media representative for www.hobbyinsider.net, covering the event for their magazine, “The Insiders Edge”. A picture of me even made it into the Press Release and was on this very blog after the event. Here is a photo of me interviewing Victor Hedman at the event. Consider this my “Brag Photo of the Week”.
I was able to meet up with Matt, and get an interview with him. He is a very down to earth character who was supremely confident in his preparations for the year. There was very little doubt that he was going to make the big club right out of camp in his eyes, and as evidenced by his role as the second line center, he has shown the ability that he knew he possessed. It is interesting for me to see, having been there, some of the photos from that event being used for many of the early season releases for his cards. I have only had the luck of pulling a Young Gun to this point, but as the benchmark rookie card in any year, I was happy to do so. The nice thing is this, any time Matt Duchene comes out of your pack you are never disappointed.
Going back for a moment to the Rookie Photo Shoot, I have really enjoyed the crispness of many of this year’s photographs; the “action” shots are very well done. The event provides a unique opportunity to get some photographs that would otherwise be hard to obtain.
Focusing back on Matt Duchene to close out: his continued strong play and consistent numbers will help keep him in the Calder Trophy (given annually to the NHL’s top rookie) hunt all season long. His ability to help a team with low expectations get into the playoff hunt could be the swing point for him. It will certainly be tough to deny him should the Avalanche make the playoffs, or even better, win a division title.
Christopher Carmichael has been hockey fan of over 20 years. He has been an active member on various hobby related sites, most notably www.hobbyinsider.net, and www.cloutsnchara.com. Christopher is also a long time collector, with a focus on a few select player collections, and the occasional set projects.
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Four Teams, Three Trades, Two Franchises Desperate for a Shakeup
Posted by: | CommentsThe past few days have brought three very large trades involving some of the biggest hockey markets in the league (not to mention some of the largest hobby markets).
If you are a fan of NHL hockey and you have not heard about the Toronto Maple Leafs/Calgary Flames, Anaheim Ducks/Toronto Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames/New York Ranger trades by now, you are probably living under a rock.
Let’s take a look at the three trades, both in a hockey sense, as well as a hobby sense.
Toronto Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames make a 7 player deal:
To Toronto: To Calgary:
D Dion Phaneuf D Ian White
F Fredric Sjostrom F Jamal Mayers
D Keith Aullie F Matt Stajan
F Niklas Hagman
Hagman and Stajan should be able to provide some secondary scoring to the Calgary lineup. This appears to be a trade by both teams to help shake things up more then anything else. The hope has to be that a guy like Stajan can win some faceoffs, and feed the puck to a guy like Jarome Iginla on a consistent basis. I think that Ian White is the key to the deal for Calgary. He can move the puck, is a bit of a disturber, and can log big minutes if/when needed. He proved his versatility last year by jumping up front and playing some good minutes at forward before working his way back into the lineup as a defenseman, and arguably one of the Leafs top two.
For Toronto, Dion Phaneuf provides another key face of the franchise. Phil Kessel will no longer have to be the only face that people turn to. This gives the Leafs another marketable player in town. He will look to play his game of dishing out big hits and unloading bombs on the power play from the point. If he can clean up his defensive game in his own end and become a more responsible player, he should be able to return to the form that left him as Norris Trophy candidate year in and year out. Sjostrom will be counted on primarily to help out an abysmal penalty kill and play some quality minutes going forward. Aullie is currently playing in the minors, but can having a six foot six inch guy learning to play the game be a bad thing? Honestly what is the worst that could happen to him? Pretty safe throw in to the deal.
Hobby wise, this deal should most impact Phaneuf. Over the next few weeks there will probably be a flood of his stuff available on the market as Calgary fans look to offload some of the items that they have of his, and Toronto fans should be looking for some of his key rookie cards. Young Guns, SPA Future Watch Auto, Ultimate and The Cup (short printed to just 99 copies), can expect to see a lot of buying and selling. In the end, I think once we start to see some items that feature Dion in a Maple Leaf jersey, we will truly see what kind of effect his presence in Toronto will really have on his trading card market.
Outside of Phaneuf, I can’t see a lot of movement going on. Maybe Leaf collectors look to move White and Stajan items, but I don’t see them getting any kind of investment on them. They will continue to move at their current levels and potentially even lower. This could be a great opportunity for player collectors of any of these players involved in the trade to grab some of the lower print run stuff that might be sitting in other people’s collections. If nothing else, it should be interesting to watch how the market goes with these guys.
To Toronto: To Anaheim:
G Jean-Sebastien Giguere G Vesa Toskala
F Jason Blake
On the surface, this trade seems to be a swap of unmovable contracts in Blake and Giguere. Anaheim has re-upped with Jonas Hillier who supplanted the former Conn Smythe trophy and Stanley Cup winning goaltender with a great season last year. It was a great playoff where he was able to lead the Ducks past the number one seeded San Jose Sharks, and he’s followed with overall solid play this year. Giguere wanted nothing to do with being a back up. Blake has big money and term left on his free agent deal that he signed with the Maple Leafs following a career year, and has never lived up to the contract. Toskala got himself buried behind a rookie goaltender playing in his first season in North America because of his poor play. Lots of movable parts here that all ended up getting moved for each other.
Blake will be able to provide some veteran leadership to a team that is on the verge of becoming real young, real fast. He has good skating abilities, but is predicable with his moves. If he gets in the right situation, he might be an effective player for that team. Toskala heads back out west where he will not be the starting goaltender, but will be in a much more friendly market that should allow him to walk the streets freely (unlike the microscope that is Toronto). Let’s not forget that Toskala’s best years were with San Jose, outside the pressure cooker. I for one hope he can find his game again; I never like to see a guy run out of town to the point where he is no longer a functional player.
J-S Giguere has been given a chance. He is joining a manager that he has had previous success with, his most influential goalie coach, and a situation where he is not expected to win immediately. The interesting component will be how the duties are handed out between Jonas Gustavsson and Giguere. The plan had been to see what the Leafs had with Gustavsson, but with Giguere still having a year remaining on his agreement past this year, the reigns might be more tempered going forward. This might allow the Maple Leafs to bring The Monster along a bit slower, and maybe get him signed to a more manageable contract going forward.
Hobby wise, I am not sure how to read into Giguere’s arrival to the Leafs. Logic says that he should do well, and see a bump up in his items, but he has a very loyal following to begin with. I don’t see a lot of people off loading their collections because of the move, but there might be more competition for some of his lower numbered items. As for the hobby impact of the former Leafs, Blake and Toskala? They have yet to make a significant impact, but we’ll see what happens in their new environment.
To Calgary: To New York Rangers:
F Christopher Higgins F Olli Jokinen
F Ales Kotalik F Brandon Prust
This might go down as one of the weirdest trades in a long time. It turns out there was a snag in the deal, which put it on the backburner after all things seemed to be agreed upon. Jokinen was needed to play in the game on February 1 against the Flyers before the trade would be officially announced.
When you look at the final pieces of this deal, it seems as though the teams were trading for the other team’s problems, in hopes of being able to infuse energy into struggling squads. The Rangers have to hope that Jokinen can play some minutes with sniper Marian Gaborik, but with Jokinen being a horse himself and liking the puck on his stick and shooting, I am not sold that it will happen. Calgary tried, and at times forced Jarome Iginla and Jokinen together with little success, and I see the same happening in the Big Apple. Depending on his play, I can see Jokinen possibly taking on some local hobby love if he can find a way to return to the form that saw him be a regular offensive contributor (back when he averaged 90 points/season between the first two seasons post lockout).
Prust, on the other hand, will offer some much needed sandpaper to a lineup that seems to have no faith in what off-season acquisition Donald Brashear brings to the table each night (he’s been a healthy scratch more often then not recently). Prust should be a player that the Big Apple fans really take to; it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see him gain a bit of a local following there.
When it comes to Kotalik and Higgins going to Calgary, I see a situation involving two guys with high expectations simply not working. Both have talent and a pedigree to work from. Coach Brent Sutter in Calgary has to hope that these guys combined with the four new acquisitions will somehow work to form the core of the four forward lines on his team. This is the first time I can remember a team in a situation where they feel they have a legitimate chance at advancing in the Stanley Cup playoffs go through a turnover of half of their top twelve forwards. It will be interesting to see how this situation plays out.
The pre-Olympic deals have begun. This is probably just the start of what should be a very intriguing next month as the trade deadline is only days after the freeze. Mark March 3, 2010 on your calendar now if you have not yet done so already.
Oh, and in case you haven’t seen it yet, check out for the newest rookie to win “Rookie of the Month” honors, and don’t forget to enter in all your rookie card codes from the Upper Deck products you have collected so far. Not only can you win prizes, but the site has some great features that allow you to track rookies and their cards all season long!
Christopher Carmichael has been hockey fan of over 20 years. He has been an active member on various hobby related sites, most notably www.hobbyinsider.net, and www.cloutsnchara.com. Christopher is also a long time collector, with a focus on a few select player collections, and the occasional set projects.
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