Archive for Pittsburgh Penguins
The NHL: Not as Easy as it Looks!
Posted by: | CommentsTalk about parity. The NHL is one of the most generous sports leagues going, as it always accommodates a total of 16 teams in the playoffs. Just like the NBA, the NHL likes to see just about everybody get a chance to dive into the deep end and fend for themselves. Well, this year’s postseason is shaping up to a be a great representation of not only superb play out on the ice, but equally matched teams that like to stretch games into OT more often than not.
But before I make my predictions for this year’s playoffs, I’d like to share some personal background on why I’m starting to like the NHL more and more. First off, I’m a former collegiate wrestler, so I never really laced ‘em up with guys like Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin or Zdeno Chara. I liked to tie up with my opponent, shrug him a couple of times and then shoot in for a single-leg takedown. It seemed to work more often than not. I never took shots on goal or body-checked anybody into the boards. I liked to grapple. But having graduated from Oswego State University in New York, I did get to see plenty of good NCAA Division III hockey action during my time at O-State. And now I have newfound respect for all of these guys, from college hockey players to the pros. And it’s all because I took my four-year-old daughter, Dylan, skating over Christmas. It had been years since I put on skates, but I figured I’d at least be able to make some turns and enjoy the overall atmosphere. Boy was I wrong.
Not only did I have trouble just maintaining my balance, but I was pretty much useless in assisting my daughter during her first exposure to a skating rink. Sure I was able to hold her up and help her down the straight-aways, but we routinely crashed into the boards at either end since I seemingly forgot how to stop gracefully, or at least slow down upon arriving at the wall. After about 20 minutes of inflicting this personal punishment, Dylan was soaked and my ankles were screaming. I discovered muscles in my feet that I never knew existed based on the excruciating pain I suddenly felt. I couldn’t wait to put my shoes back on.
Dilly and Daddy trying not to crash into the boards (again)!
But enough about me, and Dylan. Although, truth be told, she’s a quick study and would have been happy to stay out on the ice for an hour or so. Now it’s time to recap where we are at with the NHL playoffs. In the Eastern Conference, we see the Penguins, Flyers, Bruins and Capitals – surprise, surprise – are all leading their best-of-seven opening round series, 2-1. Likewise, in the Western Conference, the Kings, Avalanche and Coyotes (the Coyotes?) are all one game ahead in their respective series, while the Blackhawks and Predators are playing their rubber match tonight. And even though Chicago finished with three more wins than Nashville during the regular season, I’m predicting an upset by the Predators in this particular opening-round battle. You see, a kid by the name of Colin Wilson is playing for Nashville and he’s somebody I got to meet last August at the NHL Rookie Photo Shoot in Toronto. He was a good kid who seemed destined to do great things in the NHL. And while he’s just getting warmed up (two shots on goal, no scores, through two games), he’ll be a force to be reckoned with in the years to come. His taping ability, however, left something to be desired. Check out this YouTube video Upper Deck produced earlier this season starring none other than Mr. Wilson.
As for my Stanley Cup winner, you ask? That’s easy: the Boston Bruins, of course. It’s been way too long since guys like Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, Johnny Bucyk and Derek Sanderson hoisted the Cup for Beantown back in 1972. Now it’s time for that monster, Chara, along with the likes of Mark Recchi, Patrice Bergeron and Tuukka Rask to bring Lord Stanley home. Besides, the Pats, Celtics and Red Sox have already won it all this decade!
Popularity: 3% [?]
The Puck Drops Here
Posted by: | CommentsWith this season’s NHL playoffs set to begin tonight with four first-round match-ups, Upper Deck has just released its newest NHL-licensed trading card set: 2009-10 SP Game-Used Hockey. A 100-card beauty, SP Game-Used packs all the thrills hockey card aficionados are looking for with at least one memorabilia or autographed card in every pack, on average. Not bad odds, huh?
2009-10 SP Game-Used 'Authentic Fabrics' Evgeni Malkin Insert Card
In addition to the likelihood of landing either a memorabilia or autographed card in every pack, SP Game-Used Hockey boasts an incredible assortment of inserts starting with the readily available “Authentic Fabrics” (1:3 packs); moving on to “Inked Sweaters” autographed jersey cards (numbered to 50), featuring the likes of John Tavares, Matt Duchene and Patrick Kane; and closing with “Legends Classic Patches” (numbered to 25), including past hockey standouts like Bryan Trottier, Butch Goring, Billy Smith and Dale Hawerchuk.
2009-10 SP Game-Used 'Inked Sweaters' Mario Lemieux Insert Card
The depth of autographed cards inside the set is especially significant as rookies, current stars and retired legends abound. The two levels of the “SIGnificance” offerings (numbered to 50 and numbered to 25) are jam-packed with talent young and old as names like Jonathan Toews, Steven Stamkos, Steve Yzerman, Brian Leetch and even Johnny Bucyk jump off the checklist. The dual-signed “Extra SIGnificance” (numbered to 25) and thrice-signed “Triple SIGnificance” (numbered to 10) cards will no doubt have collectors screaming with excitement upon cracking lucky packs.
Lastly, the sought-after rookie cards that are available – “Authentic Rookies” (numbed to 999) and “Authentic Rookies SP” (numbed to 99) – will round out one’s collection very nicely. And the “Rookie Exclusives” autograph cards are all numbered to 100. With names like Tavares, Duchene and Victor Hedman all waiting to be discovered, excessive crack-packing will be at an all-time high.
So, what are you waiting for?
Popularity: 5% [?]
Brag Photo of the Week: The Captain’s Jersey
Posted by: | CommentsSometimes, when you work at Upper Deck, you get to explore the game-used room in all its glory. And hold stuff like this:
Note the “C” on the jersey, and you know who wore this one in a game.
When he’s not leading the Canadian team to Olympic Gold, Crosby’s day job is leading the Penguins to Stanley Cup championships in this black and gold jersey. Pretty cool to hold a jersey a guy like that wore on the job.
How about one more? I figured I might as well, since I was down there already.
Popularity: 6% [?]
Changing of the Guard: More Young Leaders in Today’s Game Than Ever
Posted by: | CommentsThe NHL rulebook (Rule 6.1) states, “One captain shall be appointed by each team and he alone shall have the privilege of discussing with the Referee any questions relating to interpretation of rules which may arise during the progress of a game.” It then continues, “Only the Captain, when invited to do so by the Referee, shall have the privilege of discussing any point relating to the interpretation of rules.” There are some other items in the NHL rules that discuss the captain, but in reality, this is their designation. At the highest level though, being a captain is so much more. In the locker room, as well as off the ice, the team captain serves as the team leader.
With 25 year old Eric Staal being named captain of the Carolina Hurricanes on January 20, 2010, Eric is the newest team captain, and one of many young captains currently in the league. The NHL seems to be going through a bit of a paradigm shift with younger leaders being identified early, and given prominent roles of leadership.
Current Pittsburgh Penguins superstar and team captain Sidney Crosby was named the youngest permanent captain in league history (19 years, 9 months, and 24 days). This action seemed to spark a change, with many teams now employing a young superstar as the captain. All one has to do to notice the shift is to take a quick look at all the current team captains to see that the league is getting younger, and many times it is the team’s best young star that is the face of the franchise.
With teams trying to lock up their good young talent earlier and for longer and longer contracts, it seems to make sense for these talented young players to get the leadership role at a younger age. Chicago Blackhawks 21 year old star Jonathan Toews is currently the youngest serving captain in the league. Other youngsters who carry the “C” are Mike Richards in Philadelphia and Dustin Brown in Los Angeles, among others.
Sometimes, there is concern that these players are being handed leadership roles too early. Most of the players who get to the NHL were probably captains of many of their teams growing up, and are now arguably their professional team’s best player. These players are all highly skilled and have been in big games their whole life. The older players seem to understand this as well, and are all about the team winning, which in the end is ALWAYS the goal.
Click here for a quick look at all current captains in the league.
Currently there are two NHL teams with no serving captain, and oddly enough, they are arguably the two most storied franchises in the league. The Toronto Maple Leafs have not had a team captain since Mats Sundin left town, and the Montreal Canadiens chose not to name a new one when former captain Saku Koivu left for Anaheim in the off-season. The fact that these two teams were not ready to name a captain reveals the pressures captains have to deal with, both on and off ice. It also shows that these long time rivals and storied franchises don’t seem to have the people in place at this stage to feel comfortable giving that responsibility to anyone on their current squad. Not having a team captain on my favorite team (Montreal) is a bit weird for me, but if you look back on history and review past captains, you’ll note the intense pressure the team leader is subject to in that market. This being the case, it is probably for the best to wait until a solid leader emerges.
While the youth movement seems to be in full effect across the league, there are still many teams who have grizzled veterans as their leaders. The first two that come to mind for me are Niklas Lidstrom for the Detroit Red Wings and Scott Neidermayer of the Anaheim Ducks. Both players are former multiple-time Stanley Cup winners, and seem to have won just about everything. Lidstrom (aged 39), and Neidermayer (aged 36) are among the oldest team captains in the league, but 40 year old San Jose Shark Rob Blake is currently the oldest serving captain. These three vets provide a stable environment for youngsters to come up, and provide upper and middle management the assurances that come with a steady influence. The fact that any player in the league would love to have assembled a career that matches theirs is icing on the cake.
Captains have a huge role on the ice, but an even bigger role removed from playing the game itself. They must be able to handle the pressures of media both before and after games, as well as providing community support for their market. The “face of the franchise” is not at all a far off reach. Many have their own charities that they raise funds for, and they are also generally counted on by management to be the focal point of the teams’ charities (not to mention outreach events and ticket drives). In the off-season, the captain can be counted on to help out with recruiting, often giving a call to perspective free agents or welcoming new additions to the area. Small things like this do not go unnoticed, and you usually hear about it when the press conference happens for the big free agent signings each summer.
In the hobby, it almost always seems that the team captain will get significant hobby love, at least at the regional level. Because a team often has their most prominent player or superstar in this position, they will get a great amount of hobby action worldwide. Some of today’s biggest hobby superstars are captains. Jarome Iginla (Calgary Flames), the previously mentioned Crosby and Toews, as well as Rick Nash (Columbus Blue Jackets), Ilya Kovalchuk (Atlanta Thrashers) are just some of the hobby heroes that act as team captain.
History has also shown that team captains do very well in the hobby. A laundry list of who’s who in the hobby and still get featured regularly all acted as team captains. Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Mario Lemieux, Mark Messier and Jean Beliveau are some of the most prominent hits that can come out of any product. These players were known for majority of their careers as team captains, and are also known as some of the greatest leaders of all time.
One of the more recent cardboard tributes to captains was in 2006/07, when Upper Deck released the Parkhurst brand. This had a “Salute to Captains” subset, as well as an autographed parallel to most of the greats. These gave the collectors new and old a bit of a history lesson in some of the game’s great past leaders. This set was done very well, and remains a highly collected: it’s one of my personal favorites releases of all time.
2009-10 also marks the return of long time Red Wings captain and hobby hero Steve Yzerman to Upper Deck products, and that should get collectors going crazy over the prospect of some amazing cards with heroes of today and yesteryear. One can only imagine the possibilities the Upper Deck creative staff will be able to come up with for him. Past Red Wings stars like Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay and Alex Delvecchio and current Red Wings captain Nick Lidstrom should provide some great combinations for multi player signatures in sets like SPA, Ultimate and The Cup to name a few. With many a rabid Detroit fans, as well as those who collect Hall of Famer autographs, Yzerman will be a welcome addition to the lineup. I for one am looking forward to it.
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: 4% [?]
Taking a Deeper Look at the NHL Scoring Race
Posted by: | CommentsOne surefire way to become a hero in the hobby market is by consistently putting up numbers. When you take a quick look at the scoring leaders, you will see familiar names Sidney Crosby (currently 4th), Joe Thornton (3rd) and Alexander Ovechkin (2nd) in points. All three of these players are typical hobby heroes. We all know who they are and expect them to put up the points they do while leading their teams to glory. Last year Thornton led the San Jose Sharks to the President’s Trophy as the top team overall in the regular season. Sidney Crosby, as we all know, was the youngest captain in the history of the NHL to hoist the Stanley Cup. And all Alexander the Great did was win his second straight Hart Trophy as league MVP; were it not for an early season injury, as well as a suspension, he would no doubt be leading in scoring at this point.
If you would have said that Vancouver Canuck forward Henrik Sedin would be leading the NHL scoring race at this point, you would probably have had a few people scratching their heads. Long an important part of the Canucks team success and a big part of the offense for the team, Henrik has taken his game to another level. Consider that brother and forever linemate Daniel Sedin has missed 18 games this season due to a broken foot and the fact that Henrik is atop the scoring race becomes all the more intriguing. Henrik has been on a tear for most of the season. Now that his brother is back, with Alex Burrows playing very well on the wing, they are one of the top lines in the league.
Sedin will be heavily counted on by both the Vancouver Canucks for the rest of the season, as well as the Swedish Olympic team. The cycle and puck possession game has been one of his strengths for years now, and it seems that his offensive game has come at a more regular rate this season.
Saturday night marks a key match-up for Sedin, as he faces who some say is the best player in the league, hobby superstar Sidney Crosby. The two superstars will face each other again in the 2010 Winter Olympics, where they will be on opposing sides as they both look to help propel their home countries to Olympic Gold. Sedin already has one Olympic gold in his possession from his run with the Swedish team in 2006. Crosby was part of the taxi squad and watched as the Canadian team finished a disappointing 7th at those games. While Crosby will be counted on to improve that, it will be a tall task to win gold on home soil. Sedin is hoping for more of the same, and winning gold in his club team’s city will no doubt hold special meaning for him.
Overall Sidney Crosby’s numbers appear to be down a bit from seasons past, but the Penguin star seems to be maturing into a more complete player. He far and away leads the league in face-off wins and seems to be playing in all situations much more then in seasons past. While I am sure that he would love for his offensive numbers be up some, I believe he would trade that fact for overall team success, as evidenced by the Stanley Cup win, and his desire to help Canada win its second gold in the past three Olympics.
Another NHL superstar is looking to lead his team and country to Olympic gold next month, and his all out offensive game could be the difference. Alexander Ovechkin is coming off of a five-point night against the Toronto Maple Leafs (1G, 4A +3), and is priming himself up for another run at NHL regular season awards. Recently named captain of the Washington Capitals after the departure of former captain Chris Clark via trade, it seems as though the changing of the guard in the American capital is complete.
Also among the scoring leaders at this point are talented New York Ranger forward Marian Gaborik, who missed the majority of last season, playing in only 17 games. The former Minnesota Wild winger, and recent free-agent acquisition, has been one of the lone bright spots for a Ranger team that has had trouble all year scoring goals. Currently on pace for nearly 50 goals, he is putting together the season many thought he would if he could stay healthy; no one has ever questioned the talent. Gaborik has some of the most diehard collectors out there, and, with him being in New York under the bright lights, has done nothing to push his collectors into looking elsewhere for something new.
Another pleasant surprise has to be the play of Dallas Star forward Bradley Glenn Richards, who is playing his best hockey since winning the Conn Smyth trophy as playoff MVP and the Lady Byng trophy for Sportsmanlike Conduct while helping the Tampa Bay Lightning win the Stanley Cup way back in 2003-04. Returning to the top 10 in league scoring has to be a great boost for the PEI native and his cards.
While there is still a lot of hockey left to be played this season, it is a nice time to take a look at where the league’s superstars are and what impact they are having both in the game and in the hobby. For both Crosby and Ovechkin, hobby superstardom is nothing new, and both will remain at the top of the current player hobby chain. and Guys like Joe Thornton and Marian Gaborik are legitimate hobby stars, and the door appears to be wide open for guys like Brad Richards to reclaim a spot among the elite players and re-establish his hobby following. Henrik Sedin to is poised to push beyond the local hobby markets of the Canadian Pacific coast and his native Sweden. Their continued success this year should be able to help each of them accomplish this.
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: 4% [?]
