Hockey

The photographs gracing C56 card fronts speak volumes about the foundation of hockey at the professional level, and the development of the game itself, and offer a crash-course in hockey history: Newsy Lalonde (#36) scored the first ever goal for the Montreal Canadiens franchise, and would later score in the first six games in the history of the NHL. Fred "Cyclone" Taylor (#15) was named to the first All-Star team in eighteen consecutive seasons from 1900-1918, he was one of the game's first true superstars. Frank (#1) and Lester Patrick (#26) were instrumental in the foundation of the PCHA, which was home to the Seattle Metropolitans - the first American team to win the Stanley Cup. The Patrick brothers also actively promoted women's hockey, and organized an international championship which was played in 1921. Each name on the C56 checklist made a notable contribution to the game, and today, twenty players included in the set are honored in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

I've decided to start searching for the 2010 Stanley Cup game winning puck that Chicago’s Patrick Kane put past Flyers goalie Michael Leighton shortly after 11PM on June 9th, 2010.

Here are the facts:
1) The puck went into the far back side of the net.

It wasn't long ago that then Upper Deck Brand Manager Karvin Cheung pulled me aside at the National Sports Collectors Convention and pulled this amazing looking Kobe Bryant card out of his pocket and showed it to me. The card was printed on acetate and was easily the coolest looking trading card I had ever seen at that point. It was from UD Focus, a groundbreaking set. Around the same time, they were going to be releasing a hockey product featuring acetate trading cards and they called it UD ICE. While not the first acetate product, it was the first to deliver acetate patch cards and it has been a collector favorite since it packed out for the first time and it is back with a vengeance for 09-10.

No matter what the year, no matter who is putting the set out, I always look forward to this release because it’s an autograph per pack product of some of the greatest players in the sport. The list is always deep and my box was pretty solid.

I did get a dual but we all know there are many other options with a lot of other players but my card is strong so I won’t complain a bit. This card is a Shea Weber/Ryan Suter special. The autos are sharp and these two players are stars and vital to their team’s success. Love it!

2009-10 SP Game Used Hockey is out and for the most part looks great but can it deliver considering the price tag is around $144 dollars? That’s a high price tag for a box that comes with 6 packs, three cards per pack (unless you get a hot pack, they had six cards).

Every pack delivers a game-used or autograph card. I love guaranteed hits, but at $24 a pack, I can’t tell you buying this by the pack is the answer. To me it’s by the box or nothing.

The Breakdown:
Base Cards – 150 cards
Masked Men II – 50 cards
Gold Medal Masks – 9 cards
Martin Brodeur Tribute – 9 cards
AHL Rookies – 9 cards
CHL Rookies – 9 cards
Net Brawlers – 9 cards
Goalie Graph Autographs – 130 cards
Roots of Goaltending – 9 cards
CHL Complete Logo – 14 cards
AHL Complete Logo – 6 cards

Sworn to secrecy for several months we can now report that an official statement is forth coming announcing that Panini has secured a license to be an official manufacturer of NHL trading cards. Unlike some other hobby news outlets we do not believe in spreading rumors and prefer to wait until all the facts are in before making such announcements.

This move by Panini shouldn't come as a surprise for two reason. First is the global reach of the Panini brand name which pairs well with the game's international influences, with NHL players from all over Europe currently on team rosters. Second is the fact that Panini has been producing sticker sets meaning they already have a wealth of images to draw from for card production.

The deal is reported not be be exclusive, meaning Upper Deck should remain a player in that genre. This actually might work out well for everyone with Upper Deck being able to cater to the North American market with mid range and higher end products, allowing Panini to focus on their core of lower priced products.