Archive for Pittsburgh Penguins
Robert Jansons: Capitals Stick Kid Scores!
Posted by: | CommentsTalk about a memorable day. Robert Jansons, a nine-year-old third-grader from Oakton, Virginia, was selected as the grand-prize winner in Upper Deck’s recent “2011 NHL Winter Classic Stick Kid” essay writing contest. And his prize for delivering the best entry out of the 50-plus submissions that poured in from eager 8-to-14-year-olds living in or around the Washington, D.C. area? To serve as the Washington Capitals “stick kid” during the team’s practice at the outdoor rink at Heinz Field the day before the big New Year’s Day NHL Winter Classic battle against the Pittsburgh Penguins. For Jansons, a competitive youth hockey player and rabid Caps fan, a better holiday present did not exist.
GREAT DAY: Smiling ear to ear, Jansons awaits his entry into the Washington Capitals locker room. Autographs came rather easily.
“The whole thing was like the best day of my life. It was even better than Christmas,” he said.
The grand prize package included game tickets to the NHL Winter Classic for Jansons’ family, two nights’ hotel accommodations in the Steel City, a travel voucher for $250, and an Upper Deck prize package. But for Jansons, the best part of the whole experience was simply meeting the players and getting to take “a gazillion pictures” with them.
“I got to meet right winger Mike Knuble,” added Jansons. “He’s my favorite player because he’s Latvian, just like me. He said ‘Sveiks,’ which means ‘hello’ in Latvian. It was pretty awesome.”
Jansons was accompanied on his big trip by his parents, Maris and Sonja, and his five-year-old brother, David. Oh yeah, and the Capitals beat the Penguins, 3-1. Overall, a good day for Caps’ fans, and a great day for Robert Jansons.
ALL IN THE FAMILY: Robert, his brother David, and his parents, Sonja and Maris, await the start of the Washington Capitals practice on Friday afternoon.
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Father-Son Duo Win Trip to NHL Winter Classic
Posted by: | CommentsPittsburgh here they come! Yesterday, upon hearing news of Upper Deck’s just announced “Collect the Set & Win” promotion whereby the first person to put together the company’s newly released 20th Anniversary hockey insert set would win a trip for two to the 2011 NHL Winter Classic in Pittsburgh, Jim and AJ Ramsay went right to work. Already avid hockey card collectors who routinely buy and sell packs, boxes and cases of product, the father-son duo were setting up at this weekend’s NHL Sports Card Expo at the Toronto International Centre when a passerby told them about Upper Deck’s promotion and grand prize.
Pittsburgh Bound: AJ and Jim Ramsay will be watching Sidney Crosby battle Alex Ovechkin in Pittsburgh live on New Year's Day.
Having just purchased and opened 20 cases of Upper Deck’s 2010-11 NHL Series One product, which was only released on Wednesday, the Ramsay tag team was on the verge of completing the 250-card insert set simply based on their passion for collecting. Little did they know that an incredible reward was near.
“The last four cards we needed were all ‘Young Guns,’ so this morning we went out to all the dealers at the show to try and track down the last four,” said AJ Ramsay, who resides with his dad in Winnipeg, Manitoba. “When I got the last four cards, I was so relieved, but we just didn’t know if someone else had beaten us to the punch. We were so happy that Upper Deck was in attendance at the show so we could check.
“Once we confirmed with the Upper Deck team that we were the first to complete the set, and they verified it, we couldn’t believe it,” added AJ. “We’ve had some great pulls from Upper Deck products before, but we’ve never had anything like this happen to us.”
Now embarking on its 20th year of producing NHL licensed trading cards, Upper Deck wanted to make sure this year’s flagship Series One Hockey set held something extra special. Therefore, all of the 250 cards from the base set had a variation insert card produced in the inaugural 1990-91 design. Each 20th Anniversary variation card sported unique photography reminiscent of the shots used during that time while also being printed on the same vintage card stock. More limited than the traditional base cards, the 20th Anniversary variation inserts could be found at a rate of six per box.
Fan Favorite: AJ Ramsay will be watching Sidney Crosby closely at the 2011 NHL Winter Classic at Heinz Field.
“It’s exciting for us, but I’m really excited for my son,” said Jim Ramsay. “He loves the Pittsburgh Penguins so to see them live [on New Year’s Day] is going to be a real thrill for him. I think it’s really nice to see a company offer its collectors this type of reward for completing such an impressive collection.”
The 2011 NHL Winter Classic, an outdoor, on-ice battle now in its fourth year, will be held at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh where fans will see Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins take on Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals.
Now that the grand prize is spoken for, there are still four great prizes left for anyone able to match the Ramsay’s feat. The second and third collectors to complete the entire set will both win a 2010 NHLPA Rookie Showcase multi-signed helmet. The fourth person to collect the set will win a Taylor Hall-signed UDA Reebok stick, and the fifth entry to be received from someone who completes the set will win a Tyler Seguin-signed 2010 NHLPA autographed puck from UDA.
Collectors interested in participating in Upper Deck’s “Collect the Set & Win” promotion need to contact Upper Deck via e-mail at UpperDeckMarketing@upperdeck.com when they are within 20 cards of completing the set. Upper Deck will stay in contact with those collectors and provide directions on where to send their sets upon completion for verification purposes. Once verified, Upper Deck will begin announcing the remaining prize-winners in sequential order. Sets will be held by Upper Deck until all five prizes have been claimed.
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NHL Winter Classic: Win a Trip for Two!
Posted by: | CommentsCheck this out: Upper Deck has something cool planned to commemorate the fact that it’s entering its 20th year of producing NHL licensed trading cards. Each of the 250 cards from the company’s 2010-11 NHL Series One base set will have a variation insert appearing in the same classic design as the inaugural 1990-91 set. Each 20th Anniversary variation insert will sport unique photography reminiscent of the shots used back then and are being printed on the same vintage card stock. More limited than the traditional base cards, the 20th Anniversary variation cards can be found six per box, on average, so completing the entire 250-card set may be difficult, but while worth the effort. Read on…
As a special thank you to collectors for their support over the years, Upper Deck has launched a special “Collect the Set & Win” promotion where the first five people who complete the 20th Anniversary variation set will receive some very noteworthy prizes.
For instance, the first person to collect the set will win a trip for two to the 2011 NHL Winter Classic at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh to see Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins take on Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals on New Year’s Day (Jan. 1, 2011). The second and third collectors to complete the entire set will both win a 2010 NHLPA Rookie Showcase multi-signed helmet. The fourth person to collect the set will win a Taylor Hall-signed UDA Reebok stick. And the fifth entry to be received from someone who completes the set will win a Tyler Seguin-signed 2010 NHLPA autographed puck from UDA.
Old School: Check out Sidney's variation insert card as part of Upper Deck's 20th Anniversary celebration.
If you’re a hockey fan and love to collect, this may be the pursuit you’ve been looking for. Anybody interested in participating simply needs to contact Upper Deck via e-mail at UpperDeckMarketing@upperdeck.com when they are within 20 cards of completing the set. Upper Deck will stay in contact with those collectors and provide directions on where to send their sets upon completion for verification purposes. Once verified, Upper Deck will begin announcing the prize-winners in sequential order. Upper Deck’s 2010-11 Series One Hockey set hit store shelves yesterday, so the chase is on!
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The Crosby Files: In Pursuit of Sidney
Posted by: | CommentsIn 2005 the NHL was coming out of a lockout and I can remember racing home from work to watch the NHL Draft Lottery on one of the ESPN stations in order to see which lucky team would win the right to select Sidney Crosby of the Rimouski Oceanic. I had been listening to a great deal of chatter about Crosby as he had been anointed as “The Next One” by many media outlets and scouts, and I was hopeful my hometown Rangers would somehow walk off with the first selection.
The Next One: Sidney Crosby was destined to be a special player.
A couple of months later I was felled by a major health crisis and was hospitalized for close to six weeks. During a long convalescence at home, I received a New York Mets team card set as a gift from a friend and I instantly became fascinated with collecting again after many years of being away from the hobby. As the months passed and I recovered slowly but surely, I re-entered the trading card arena. I read magazines and visited countless websites. Then in 2007, I purchased one box each of 2004-05 and 2005-06 hockey cards (made by one of UD’s competitors). Going through each pack I pulled several Sidney Crosby Oceanic and Team Canada cards. I remember thinking to myself how cool it was to pull cards of Crosby and quickly placed them into an Ultra 9 pocket sheet. I had no inkling of what kind of an insane journey I was about to embark upon.
The Sidney Collection: Do you think you could collect every one of The Kid's cards?
Once I returned to my job, I dabbled in collecting and enjoyed talking “puck” with co-workers. One afternoon, I bought a box of 2005-06 Upper Deck Series 2 Hockey cards and ran back to the office to open that bad boy up. After going through the first few packs, I saw a certain card and could not believe it. There in my hand was a Sidney Crosby Victory rookie card (#285). It was my first Upper Deck Crosby so I made sure I stored it safely until I got home. Once there, I added this beauty to my burgeoning collection. Over the next few weeks, I spent most of my free time researching Crosby and his cards. One morning during this all encompassing research project, I happened upon a website where a collector was showing off his entire Crosby collection. There were probably only 20 cards displayed but I went nuts. I was hooked and the fuse had been lit. I made the decision to forgo all other cards and start building my own Sidney Crosby personal collection.
Lord Stanley's Cup: Crosby has made a big splash in a very short amount of time.
Well, that was more than three years ago and looking back I had no idea how hard it would be to together a personal collection of just Crosby cards. I had not considered the cost or availability and had no clue as to the level of commitment putting a serious collection together would take. Today I am one of Sid’s biggest fans and have painfully learned that there are a lot of Crosby cards available and many of them remain totally out of my price range.
I originally began assembling the collection through buying boxes and was able to pick up singles from Beckett and through hockey card site trades with other collectors. By doing this I learned a great deal and made many terrific friendships with fantastic people. Inevitably, my passion has led me to eBay and I have been active there for quite a while. So, 1,100-plus cards (plus duplicates) into the personal collection, my passion to collect Crosby burns deeper than ever. I have resigned myself to the fact that I’ll probably never own all of Sid’s cards but the fun I’ve had and the people I’ve met, keep me trying to get as close as I can.
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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!
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