Sean was in the early part of his career at this point, which began with a four-year stint in New Jersey. In his rookie season of 1987-88, the second round pick was most impressive for the Devils, as he led the club far into the playoffs and just a win from the Stanley Cup Finals. Many fans felt he was the future of the franchise. Few could have foreseen that just a few seasons later he'd be sent to Hartford after sitting out the entire 1991-92 season due to a contract dispute.
He'd go on to become the main goaltender for my beloved Hartford Whalers from '92-93 through the franchise's move to Carolina following the 1996-97 season. In the end, Burke played a total of 18 seasons at the NHL level, quite impressive for any netminder. He'd play with the Hurricanes, Canucks, Flyers, Panthers, Coyotes, Lightning, and Los Angeles Kings before putting the pads away for the final time.
Another nice addition to my project here. I picked this one up for $4.99 with free shipping, but used the same Amex gift card that I paid for my '58 Hank Aaron with, so it really didn't set me back anything.
Tune in next Sunday for another autograph towards this project, this one sent to me by a hobby friend!
1989-90 O-Pee-Chee Sean Burke Auto -
2019 Running Total - $17.06
Love it! Nice to see another one scratched off the list.
ReplyDeleteFree cards are the best cards. Nice Burke auto. Man, did he play for a bunch of teams.
ReplyDeleteNice. Burke was around when I was really into collecting hockey cards, so I'm familiar with a lot of his 90's cards (especially his Whalers stuff).
ReplyDeleteVery nice auto, and an underrated set IMO. I'll have to read up on his year-long holdout, it was just before I really got into hockey and I'm assuming it was pretty controversial at the time. (Then again, it could have been overshadowed by Eric Lindros's year-long holdout.)
ReplyDeleteBurkie had some great cards with the Whale.