...score against this guy...
Welcome to Boston Jaromir Jagr!
Showing posts with label Random. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Random. Show all posts
Friday, April 5, 2013
NHL Time Machine
As a Bruins fan I was definitely excited to hear that the team was able to pick up Jaromir Jagr at the trade deadline, especially since they got him for what amounts to basically a free rental. He paid immediate dividends, scoring the lone goal last night in a victory over the Devils (even if it did just glance in off of his skate). I have to admit though, seeing this guy...
...score against this guy...
...made me feel like I was back in the '90s again.
Welcome to Boston Jaromir Jagr!
...score against this guy...
Welcome to Boston Jaromir Jagr!
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Nutrition with Olaf Kolzig
Thursday, December 22, 2011
2011 Top 20 Under $25 - #11 - Normand Leveille Auto
Back to the countdown of the top 20 (under $25) items from this past year that did not get a post initially. Today we have #11 in the countdown, yet another auto...
What is it? A 2010-11 Panini Limited Select Signatures Normand Leveille auto.
When and where did I get it? Early March on eBay.
How much did it cost me? $12.00 (plus $2.95 shipping).
Of all the autographs I added to the collection this year, I'd say this is the most unique. I first saw the card on Casey's Drop the Gloves blog and tracked down my own copy just a couple of days later.
I think most hockey fans know the story, but for those who don't Normand was an up-and-coming young winger for the Boston Bruins in the early 80s. He was a good enough scorer to be drafted by the B's in the first round (14th overall) of the 1981 entry draft. After a decent rookie campaign in 1981-82 (33 points in 66 games), he was off to an even better start in 1982-83 when tragedy struck.
On October 23rd, 1982 the Bruins were squaring off against the Canucks in Vancouver. Normand had just enjoyed a great first period where he scored his second and third goals of the young season. In the locker room during the first intermission though, he began to feel dizzy and complained of shoulder pain. While being evaluated by the training staff, he lost consciousness and was rushed to an area hospital. Doctors confirmed that he had suffered a brain aneurysm due to a congenital condition. After hours of surgery and three weeks in a coma, he regained consciousness. He did well with his recovery, regaining most of his motor skills and was even able to walk again, however his hockey career was over. He would never again take to the ice in an NHL game after that first period in Vancouver.
It's certainly interesting to consider how different the Bruins franchise may have looked later on in the decade had Leveille been on the roster. He had topped the 100-point season in Juniors and was scoring at a point-per-game pace at the NHL level when the injury brought his career to a dramatic halt.
Normand did make one final appearance in front of the Boston faithful during the closing ceremonies for the old Boston Garden. With Ray Bourque's assistance, he made one final lap around the ice, bringing many in attendance to tears. Definitely a memorable moment in Bruins history.
While he may be an obscure name to many hockey fans, I was thrilled to add this one to the collection. Considering the card is hard-signed by Normand rather than being a sticker auto, and is numbered to 99 copies, I thought this was a steal for around $15 shipped...
What is it? A 2010-11 Panini Limited Select Signatures Normand Leveille auto.When and where did I get it? Early March on eBay.
How much did it cost me? $12.00 (plus $2.95 shipping).
Of all the autographs I added to the collection this year, I'd say this is the most unique. I first saw the card on Casey's Drop the Gloves blog and tracked down my own copy just a couple of days later.
I think most hockey fans know the story, but for those who don't Normand was an up-and-coming young winger for the Boston Bruins in the early 80s. He was a good enough scorer to be drafted by the B's in the first round (14th overall) of the 1981 entry draft. After a decent rookie campaign in 1981-82 (33 points in 66 games), he was off to an even better start in 1982-83 when tragedy struck.
On October 23rd, 1982 the Bruins were squaring off against the Canucks in Vancouver. Normand had just enjoyed a great first period where he scored his second and third goals of the young season. In the locker room during the first intermission though, he began to feel dizzy and complained of shoulder pain. While being evaluated by the training staff, he lost consciousness and was rushed to an area hospital. Doctors confirmed that he had suffered a brain aneurysm due to a congenital condition. After hours of surgery and three weeks in a coma, he regained consciousness. He did well with his recovery, regaining most of his motor skills and was even able to walk again, however his hockey career was over. He would never again take to the ice in an NHL game after that first period in Vancouver.
It's certainly interesting to consider how different the Bruins franchise may have looked later on in the decade had Leveille been on the roster. He had topped the 100-point season in Juniors and was scoring at a point-per-game pace at the NHL level when the injury brought his career to a dramatic halt.
Normand did make one final appearance in front of the Boston faithful during the closing ceremonies for the old Boston Garden. With Ray Bourque's assistance, he made one final lap around the ice, bringing many in attendance to tears. Definitely a memorable moment in Bruins history.While he may be an obscure name to many hockey fans, I was thrilled to add this one to the collection. Considering the card is hard-signed by Normand rather than being a sticker auto, and is numbered to 99 copies, I thought this was a steal for around $15 shipped...
Sunday, December 18, 2011
The Rest of My Vintage Hockey Haul
Happy Sunday everyone. After consecutive baseball posts, it's time to get back to some hockey cards. A few weeks ago, I posted a pretty good quarter box haul of vintage hockey. Here are the rest of the cards from that same trip to the local shop, the ones that didn't come from the quarter box:
The majority of my quarter box haul from this day consisted of 1973-74 Topps hockey, and I grabbed a few more from this set out of the dollar box, including this Henri Richard. Maurice's younger brother was a lifelong Canadien. He won an astounding 11 Stanley Cups as a player with the team, including 5 straight to start his career. His number is retired by the team and he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1979.
Alex Delvecchio's 1973-74 Topps card finds him at the tail end of an extremely long career that began in the 1951-52 season! He would play in just 11 games in 1973-74, his final year in the league. In total, the longtime linemate of Gordie Howe appeared in 1,549 games over 23 seasons, all with the Red Wings. Like Richard, his number is retired by his team and he was elected to the Hall of Fame.
The next three cards are all from the 1974-75 Topps set, and brought me to 240 out of 264 cards. I have a feeling this will end up being the first Topps set from the 1970s that I complete.
Second year card of Bill Barber, also in the Hall of Fame. I thought I already had a copy of this one for some reason, but the Want List said otherwise...
A few big names that I needed for the 1979-80 set were available on the cheap as well:
The man who once scored 10 points in a single game against the Bruins...
The man responsible for one of the most comical looks ever captured on a hockey card...
One of only two leaders cards that I still needed. Pretty decent group of netminders there, huh?
Even after these four 1979-80 Topps cards, I still have a decent way to go for this set. 73 cards left to be exact. I've finally gotten this one into a binder and my want list is up to date, so if you've got any extras floating around let me know.
I grabbed this off-center, mis-cut 1963-64 Topps Black Hawks (yes Black Hawks, not Blackhawks) team card. Truth be told, it's not as bad as it looks in the scan. Besides, it was so cheap, and other than the alignment issues is in really good shape. Having the Stanley Cup front and center certainly doesn't hurt either. I'm a big fan of team cards and this is now the oldest in my collection.
This card is everything a 70s hockey card should be. I've had my eye on this one for quite some time, great to finally cross it off the list. 23 cards to go now for the 74-75 Topps set, and another great Esposito for the collection to boot. Speaking of which...
Like the 73-74 Topps cards from the quarter box haul, this card was in fantastic shape and couldn't be left behind. Finishing things off, we have my favorite card from the lot:
All in all I took home a pretty sizable stack of 73-74 Topps that day. Even though I'm still less than halfway to the 198-card set I have added it to my want list so I can start picking away at it.
This lot cost me $12 total, I think I did pretty well...
The majority of my quarter box haul from this day consisted of 1973-74 Topps hockey, and I grabbed a few more from this set out of the dollar box, including this Henri Richard. Maurice's younger brother was a lifelong Canadien. He won an astounding 11 Stanley Cups as a player with the team, including 5 straight to start his career. His number is retired by the team and he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1979.
Alex Delvecchio's 1973-74 Topps card finds him at the tail end of an extremely long career that began in the 1951-52 season! He would play in just 11 games in 1973-74, his final year in the league. In total, the longtime linemate of Gordie Howe appeared in 1,549 games over 23 seasons, all with the Red Wings. Like Richard, his number is retired by his team and he was elected to the Hall of Fame.
The next three cards are all from the 1974-75 Topps set, and brought me to 240 out of 264 cards. I have a feeling this will end up being the first Topps set from the 1970s that I complete.
Second year card of Bill Barber, also in the Hall of Fame. I thought I already had a copy of this one for some reason, but the Want List said otherwise...
A few big names that I needed for the 1979-80 set were available on the cheap as well:
The man who once scored 10 points in a single game against the Bruins...
The man responsible for one of the most comical looks ever captured on a hockey card...
One of only two leaders cards that I still needed. Pretty decent group of netminders there, huh?
Even after these four 1979-80 Topps cards, I still have a decent way to go for this set. 73 cards left to be exact. I've finally gotten this one into a binder and my want list is up to date, so if you've got any extras floating around let me know.
I grabbed this off-center, mis-cut 1963-64 Topps Black Hawks (yes Black Hawks, not Blackhawks) team card. Truth be told, it's not as bad as it looks in the scan. Besides, it was so cheap, and other than the alignment issues is in really good shape. Having the Stanley Cup front and center certainly doesn't hurt either. I'm a big fan of team cards and this is now the oldest in my collection.
This card is everything a 70s hockey card should be. I've had my eye on this one for quite some time, great to finally cross it off the list. 23 cards to go now for the 74-75 Topps set, and another great Esposito for the collection to boot. Speaking of which...
Like the 73-74 Topps cards from the quarter box haul, this card was in fantastic shape and couldn't be left behind. Finishing things off, we have my favorite card from the lot:
All in all I took home a pretty sizable stack of 73-74 Topps that day. Even though I'm still less than halfway to the 198-card set I have added it to my want list so I can start picking away at it.This lot cost me $12 total, I think I did pretty well...
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
NHL Realignment - What Do You Think?
As you've probably heard, the NHL's Board of Governors has approved a realignment plan that, pending approval from the NHLPA, should be in place for the 2012-13 season. The current format of two three-division conferences will be replaced by a four conference format.
The catalyst for this change was the Atlanta Thrashers franchise moving to Winnipeg. It just didn't make sense for a team located in Manitoba to be a member of the Eastern Conference's Southeast Division going forward. Other teams had some gripes with the current format as well, most notably the Red Wings. The Wings are currently a Western Conference team despite being located in the Eastern time zone. The result is a whole lot of games being played two to three time zones away, which means many 10 PM starts that tend to reduce the number of your fans who can watch the games in their entirety.
So, going forward the league will have four (yet to be named) conferences. The teams will be grouped into these four conferences as follows:
Conference "A"
Anaheim Ducks
Calgary Flames
Colorado Avalanche
Edmonton Oilers
Los Angeles Kings
Phoenix Coyotes
San Jose Sharks
Vancouver Canucks
Conference "B"
Chicago Blackhawks
Columbus Blue Jackets
Dallas Stars
Detroit Red Wings
Minnesota Wild
Nashville Predators
St. Louis Blues
Winnipeg Jets
Conference "C"
Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
Florida Panthers
Montreal Canadiens
Ottawa Senators
Tampa Bay Lightning
Toronto Maple Leafs
Conference "D"
Carolina Hurricanes
New Jersey Devils
New York Islanders
New York Rangers
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Washington Capitals
Along with the realignment comes some obvious scheduling changes. In the regular season, every team will play every other team twice (once at home and once on the road) regardless of conference. The remaining games will be inter-conference match-ups. In Conferences "C" and "D", which contain seven teams each, each team would play the other teams in the conference six times total (three home, three away). In Conferences "A" and "B", which contain eight teams each, each team would play the other teams in the conference either five or six times (on a rotating basis).
As for the playoffs, the top four teams from each conference would qualify. They would play a 1 vs. 4, 2 vs. 3 playoff within the conference. The winners of each conference would make up the 4 semi-final teams in a run for the Cup.
I for one am actually really excited for this new alignment. I think the league dealt with the Winnipeg problem in a creative way that helped some other current Western Conference teams with their scheduling gripes as well. The same number of teams will qualify for the playoffs under the new format, and by keeping the first two rounds of the playoffs within each conference I think existing rivalries will be magnified and new rivalries will be built. Geographically this makes a whole lot of sense. I am also happy that most of the classic rivalries (Boston/Montreal, Chicago/Detroit, Philadelphia/New York, etc) have been preserved within the new structure. I love that every team plays every other team both at home and on the road in a given season. This means that NHL fans in every city will have at least one to chance to see all of the league's major stars. Like any proposal, it is not without flaw. One thing I can think of right off the bat is that the teams in Conference "A" and "B" have a 50% chance of making the post-season, while the teams in Conference "C" and "D" have a greater than 50% chance. Overall though, I still like this change.
So, what do you think of the realignment? Does your favorite team benefit, or is it hurt by these changes in your opinion? Finally, what do you think some good names would be for these four new conferences? I'm definitely interested in hearing all of your thoughts on this major change...
The catalyst for this change was the Atlanta Thrashers franchise moving to Winnipeg. It just didn't make sense for a team located in Manitoba to be a member of the Eastern Conference's Southeast Division going forward. Other teams had some gripes with the current format as well, most notably the Red Wings. The Wings are currently a Western Conference team despite being located in the Eastern time zone. The result is a whole lot of games being played two to three time zones away, which means many 10 PM starts that tend to reduce the number of your fans who can watch the games in their entirety.So, going forward the league will have four (yet to be named) conferences. The teams will be grouped into these four conferences as follows:
Conference "A"
Anaheim Ducks
Calgary Flames
Colorado Avalanche
Edmonton Oilers
Los Angeles Kings
Phoenix Coyotes
San Jose Sharks
Vancouver Canucks
Conference "B"
Chicago Blackhawks
Columbus Blue Jackets
Dallas Stars
Detroit Red Wings
Minnesota Wild
Nashville Predators
St. Louis Blues
Winnipeg Jets
Conference "C"
Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
Florida Panthers
Montreal Canadiens
Ottawa Senators
Tampa Bay Lightning
Toronto Maple Leafs
Conference "D"
Carolina Hurricanes
New Jersey Devils
New York Islanders
New York Rangers
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Washington Capitals
Along with the realignment comes some obvious scheduling changes. In the regular season, every team will play every other team twice (once at home and once on the road) regardless of conference. The remaining games will be inter-conference match-ups. In Conferences "C" and "D", which contain seven teams each, each team would play the other teams in the conference six times total (three home, three away). In Conferences "A" and "B", which contain eight teams each, each team would play the other teams in the conference either five or six times (on a rotating basis).
As for the playoffs, the top four teams from each conference would qualify. They would play a 1 vs. 4, 2 vs. 3 playoff within the conference. The winners of each conference would make up the 4 semi-final teams in a run for the Cup.
I for one am actually really excited for this new alignment. I think the league dealt with the Winnipeg problem in a creative way that helped some other current Western Conference teams with their scheduling gripes as well. The same number of teams will qualify for the playoffs under the new format, and by keeping the first two rounds of the playoffs within each conference I think existing rivalries will be magnified and new rivalries will be built. Geographically this makes a whole lot of sense. I am also happy that most of the classic rivalries (Boston/Montreal, Chicago/Detroit, Philadelphia/New York, etc) have been preserved within the new structure. I love that every team plays every other team both at home and on the road in a given season. This means that NHL fans in every city will have at least one to chance to see all of the league's major stars. Like any proposal, it is not without flaw. One thing I can think of right off the bat is that the teams in Conference "A" and "B" have a 50% chance of making the post-season, while the teams in Conference "C" and "D" have a greater than 50% chance. Overall though, I still like this change.
So, what do you think of the realignment? Does your favorite team benefit, or is it hurt by these changes in your opinion? Finally, what do you think some good names would be for these four new conferences? I'm definitely interested in hearing all of your thoughts on this major change...
Sunday, December 4, 2011
2011 Top 20 Under $25 - #15 - 1993 Finest John Olerud Refractor
What is it? A 1993 Topps Finest John Olerud refractor.When and where did I get it? March 2nd on eBay.
How much did it cost me? $20.50 (free shipping!).
Like almost everyone who was collecting in 1993, I found the Topps Finest refractors to be some of the most desirable baseball cards of the era. Seeded at one per box (a very expensive box at that), these were supposedly limited to around 250 copies each, give or take. The scarcity of the cards, combined with the sheer number of Hall-of-Famers and stars in the set, has resulted in a ton of collector interest that really hasn't waned at all over the years. These refractors still demand a premium on the market, in fact you can expect to pay well into the hundreds for decent examples of the biggest names in the set like Nolan Ryan and Ken Griffey, Jr.
As it stands now, Olerud is my second of these refractors, the other being the Will Clark I got earlier this year. I always liked Olerud as a player, although I have to admit this is largely because I played several seasons as the Toronto Blue Jays in Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball for Super Nintendo, and he was an absolute beast in that game. Aside from that, my brothers and I always found it comical that he wore a batting helmet while fielding his position (too young to realize there is nothing comical about a brain aneurysm I guess).
In all seriousness though, if you were to take a time machine back to 1993 and bust a box of Finest, there would be very few refractors you'd be happier to pull than this one. John was enjoying his breakout season, flirting with batting .400 as far into the season as late August. He'd finish at .363 with a .473 on-base percentage, a 1.072 OPS and 54 doubles, all good for first in the AL. Throw in career highs of 200 hits, 24 home runs and 107 RBI and Olerud appeared to be on the path to super-stardom. He was named an All-Star and finished third in AL MVP voting that season as the Blue Jays won their second consecutive World Series.
Eventually John came back down to earth. While he was never a top-tier player, he did enjoy a lengthy career that included 2,200+ hits, 500 doubles, 250+ home runs and four 100+ RBI seasons. He would go on to spend time with the Mets, Mariners, Yankees and even Red Sox before calling it a career.
1993 was one hell of a season for John Olerud, and for the Toronto Blue Jays organization. Given the prices that some of these refractors fetch, I thought dropping an Andrew Jackson on this one was more than reasonable.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
2011 Top 20 Under $25 - #16 - 1986 Topps Traded Set
Time for #16 in the 2011 Top 20 Under $25 countdown...
What is it? A complete set of 1986 Topps Traded baseball.
When and where did I get it? Picked it up at the local hobby shop back in April.
How much did it cost me? $10 flat.
This blog has been all about hockey lately, but I do still enjoy baseball cards...really, I do. Just like with hockey, I'd love to finish as many pre-1990 Topps sets as possible. When I saw this '86 Traded set for a ten spot I couldn't resist. There is truly something for everyone in this 132-card set. I've picked out some highlights to show here. Since this post is image heavy I'm going to keep the commentary sparse.
My favorite card without a doubt is the Will Clark rookie at the top of this post. He was one of the two players I always collected as a kid, so it's got some nostalgic value. The set has some other notable rookies as well, including a couple of juicers...
...The Big Cat...
...Bobby Bo...
...Bo Jackson...
...Wally Joyner...
...Kevin Mitchell...
...and John Kruk sporting a very impressive sweat ring on his cap. A couple of guys in the set have made headlines recently...
...the recently departed former Red Sox manager Terry Francona, in Chicago Cubs jersey...
...and the new Cubs skipper Dale Sveum. A few of the Red Sox cards are interesting...
...Sammy Stewart...
...slugger Don Baylor...
...and the great Tom Seaver. Tom's photo is heavily airbrushed, but he's not alone...
Like any great 80's set, we have some examples of the era's fashion trends. We've got everything from some bling...
...to some of the terrible uniforms of the day...
...the rainbow Astros uniform...
...a very nice Cardinals warm-up jacket...
...no idea what the White Sox were thinking with these...
...and of course, not to be outdone, the Pittsburgh Pirates. There's some interesting eye-wear to be found...
A couple of other cards of note...
...a Rooster...
...the elder Griffey...
...an All-Star, Gold Glove, Hall-of-Fame, no-hitter throwing knuckler, still throwing despite looking like a grandfather...
...Lou Piniella...
...a Bip! (but not a bipping)...
...and the Wild Thing.
Great variety in this set. Not bad for $10, huh?
What is it? A complete set of 1986 Topps Traded baseball.When and where did I get it? Picked it up at the local hobby shop back in April.
How much did it cost me? $10 flat.
This blog has been all about hockey lately, but I do still enjoy baseball cards...really, I do. Just like with hockey, I'd love to finish as many pre-1990 Topps sets as possible. When I saw this '86 Traded set for a ten spot I couldn't resist. There is truly something for everyone in this 132-card set. I've picked out some highlights to show here. Since this post is image heavy I'm going to keep the commentary sparse.
My favorite card without a doubt is the Will Clark rookie at the top of this post. He was one of the two players I always collected as a kid, so it's got some nostalgic value. The set has some other notable rookies as well, including a couple of juicers...
...The Big Cat...
...Bobby Bo...
...Bo Jackson...
...Wally Joyner...
...Kevin Mitchell...
...and John Kruk sporting a very impressive sweat ring on his cap. A couple of guys in the set have made headlines recently...
...the recently departed former Red Sox manager Terry Francona, in Chicago Cubs jersey...
...and the new Cubs skipper Dale Sveum. A few of the Red Sox cards are interesting...
...Sammy Stewart...
...slugger Don Baylor...
...and the great Tom Seaver. Tom's photo is heavily airbrushed, but he's not alone...
Like any great 80's set, we have some examples of the era's fashion trends. We've got everything from some bling...
...to some of the terrible uniforms of the day...
...the rainbow Astros uniform...
...a very nice Cardinals warm-up jacket...
...no idea what the White Sox were thinking with these...
...and of course, not to be outdone, the Pittsburgh Pirates. There's some interesting eye-wear to be found...
A couple of other cards of note...
...a Rooster...
...the elder Griffey...
...an All-Star, Gold Glove, Hall-of-Fame, no-hitter throwing knuckler, still throwing despite looking like a grandfather...
...Lou Piniella...
...a Bip! (but not a bipping)...
...and the Wild Thing.Great variety in this set. Not bad for $10, huh?
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