Card #2 is none other than Brendan Shanahan. As has been the case with the four previous cards, we again have what I feel is a strange player selection. To me, this card is the one that makes the absolute least sense in this set. Like the players depicted on the first four cards I've shown, Brendan's time in Hartford was brief. Shanahan served as team captain for the 1995-96 season, his only full season with the Whalers. He then spent the entire off-season whining and making it known that no part of him wanted to wear the green and blue any longer. Great attitude for your captain to have about your franchise. Eventually ownership had enough, and he was dealt to Detroit for Paul Coffey and Keith Primeau (both of whom also appear in this set) just 2 games into the 1996-97 season.I get that Shanahan is a significant hockey figure. He's the only career 600+ goal and 2,000+ PIM guy in the history of the league. What I don't get is why Panini would think that a player who hated the city of Hartford and the team itself, and left a bad taste in the mouths of the fans, would be a good choice to include in a 10-card set paying tribute to the franchise.
To add insult to injury, they decided to make it one of two cards in the set that is numbered to just 24 copies, meaning I had to shell out more for this card than for any that I've shown so far. Don't worry though, they will definitely get more interesting from here on out...My Set:
#2 - Brendan Shanahan (#'d/24)
#3 - Keith Primeau (#'d/50)
#5 - Paul Coffey (#'d/50)
#7 - Tiger Williams (#'d/50)
#8 - Daryl Reaugh (#'d/50)
3 comments:
dear god what have I done?
you bought them all, didn't you?
It sounds like they've picked a bunch of names that generic hockey fans would know rather than names that would actually be meaningful to someone who cared about the Whalers.
I think you're right about Panini choosing recognizable names over players who were significant to the franchise. Don't worry though, it's going to get much better over the final 5 cards!
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