Hockey Randomness!

Today seems as good a day as any to toss up a completely random assortment of hockey cards that have come across my desk in recent weeks.  Sort of a draft folder "catch all" of stuff that didn't make it into any other posts, but cards that I think are unique enough that they're worth showing anyway.

Like the wonderful, toothless Gordie Howe card above!  I picked this one up at my local shop at least a couple of years ago now, but only just got around to scanning and adding it to my inventoried collection.  That's a shame too, because I'd have to say this is one of the greatest images to grace any Whalers card in my entire collection.  I'd love to bust a box of this Parkhurst Champions set someday, it's full of awesome photographs like this and features some great on-card autos as well...

How about a couple of inserts from the height of the junk wax era?  I'm not sure why I love these obnoxious Scoring Power inserts from Flair, but I do.  I think I'm just a card or two away from completing this one, once I have them all I plan to feature the entire set in a post.  Don't worry, when the time comes I'll warn you to put your sunglasses on beforehand.

From '93-94 Ultra I've got a pair of Scoring King inserts, Pat LaFontaine...

...and Pierre Turgeon.  Funny that I ended up with these two players in the Sportlots order these came from, as I sometimes got them confused with each other when I was a kid.  May be in part due to the fact that they were traded for each other when I was around nine.  Anyway, moving on...

Vladimir Tarasenko is one of the most exciting young goalscorers in the game today.  If you're not familiar with him, just type his name into YouTube and sit back and enjoy!  He can really light the lamp with style, so I enjoy picking up a card or two of his from time to time.  I'm not sure about the design for this particular O-Pee-Chee retro parallel, but it was cheap enough anyway.

I grabbed a trio of O-Pee-Chee Metal Update cards at one point just because they were all guys I enjoyed watching play, and each was the minimum 18 cents price on Sportlots.

They don't scan so well, but they do look pretty sharp in person if you're a fan of Chrome/Metal cards.

Only after scanning them in did I realize the Chris Chelios is actually a "Metal X" parallel rather than a standard Metal card like the other two.  There's something wrong with the hobby when you have to scan a card in to realize what it is you're even holding.  Either way, cool Chelios.

I've always enjoyed the Canvas inserts from Upper Deck, but recently I've really started tracking down many more of them for my collection.  Aside from the faux-texture look, there are some awesome photos in this insert set year after year.  You could look at this one a dozen times and easily miss the sliver of puck at the very bottom of the shot.  A definite goal for Kane there!

A classic celebration shot of a guy who at times can be one of the more prolific scorers in the NHL.

You have to love a photo where not one part of the player or his stick is making any contact with the ice.  20-25 years ago a photo like this would have blown my mind, nowadays it's not all that uncommon.  I suppose we have Upper Deck to thank for that.

Given that Jaromir Jagr is quickly moving up the ranks of the best players to ever wear skates, I've been working on acquiring some more of his cardboard from his very short stint in Boston.  This Red parallel was a retail exclusive in 2013-14 Score, at least I think it was.  Either way, I don't see them around very often and I'm happy I landed this one.

I got a nice sticker to go with it, too!  I won't be peeling this and adhering it to anything though.

Here's a great card from SP Authentic.  Upper Deck seems to think that only 4-5 guys played for the Whalers over the years.  For a while there it was Ron Francis, and the past couple seasons it seems like Mike Liut has a ton of Whalers cardboard.  I'm not complaining though, I'm grateful that any Whalers are making modern-day checklists.

More Canvas!  Big Z has certainly lost a step or two, but is it really that surprising given his age and mileage over the years?  There's definitely a strong minority here locally that is crying for Chara to be dealt by the trade deadline.  Not sure how I feel about that, guess it depends on what the return would look like...

Here's another guy who's looked less than stellar at times this year.  The problem is he's much younger than Chara, and signed for many years to come.  In all honesty though, the defensive corps is a much larger issue than goaltending is with the present team.

Possibly my favorite card in this entire post, another fantastic addition to my collection courtesy of SP Authentic.  What an awesome shot featuring two of the greatest players ever celebrating in their bright red team Canada sweaters.  In my humble opinion this is one of the nicest photos to appear on a hockey card in the last few years.

Also from SP Authentic are these great retro inserts that pay homage to the '94-95 SP set.  I don't think I'd ever pursue this entire set, but I did grab a trio of players that are significant to me.

Another great late-career card of the guy who's now the #3 all-time goal scorer in NHL history!

See what I mean about Liut?  Still a nice card though, love those brown Cooper pads.

Here's another nice Canvas card, where we see a New Jersey Devil getting crushed by Erik Karlsson.  This one came out of the lone retail tin of UD Series 1 that I picked up this year.

So did this Seguin game jersey card.  Not a bad pull, but it pales in comparison to the McDavid Young Guns I was lucky enough to land.  I'm happy to ship Tyler here out to one of my trading partners if anyone wants it?

The '95-96 Rink Collection parallels aren't nearly as nice looking as the season prior, but I was still happy to land Ron Francis here for just a quarter.  It's borderline criminal how little hobby love Ron gets.

I was really, really bummed when Boston dealt Dougie Hamilton at last year's draft, and given the state of the team's defensive unit this year I can't help but think it would have been a big plus having Dougie back there.  Then again, the Flames haven't exactly been lighting the Western Conference on fire so who knows I guess.

Numbered to 299.  Cost $1.  Really no other reason that I made this purchase, I don't even like how the card looks, honestly.

I really enjoyed the 2013-14 Score hockey set, though I doubt I'll ever complete it given how enormous the checklist is.  I do have a couple of notable RCs to share though in Dougie Hamilton...

...and Calder winner Jonathan Huberdeau!  I really love the makeup of the Panthers team, and if the Bruins can't win it all this year (which looks to be the case) I'd certainly love to see Florida hoist the Cup.

Last card for today, we started off the post with a toothless subject so let's end with one!  Tell me that is not one of the coolest baby photos you've ever seen?