The Ultimate Hockey Card Set - Card #44

Wow, has it really been nearly two years since I last selected a card for my Ultimate Hockey Card Set?  Since it's been a while, I'll give you the quick breakdown on what this is.  The rules are simple, I'm building a virtual franken-set of all the best cards in my collection by number.  Today I'm going to look at all the card #44s in my hockey collection and pick just one for inclusion in the set.

Since 44 is a relatively low number, I had quite a few cards to choose from.  There were probably 5-6 that I think could easily have been selected, this Scotty Bowman Masterpieces card among them.  Boy do I wish Masterpieces lasted for more than one hockey release!

There were definitely a wide variety of #44s to be found within my boxes and binders, over 50 of them out of the 15,000+ hockey cards I have inventoried and cataloged.  In addition to standard cards there were autographs, like this fantastic Paul MacLean card...

...and even inserts.  20 years ago I wouldn't have imagined that we'd see insert sets with over 50 cards in them.  I'm not sure it's a good thing, actually.

Here's a #44 that I can't even read since it's Swedish.  This came from a pack I posted nearly five years ago now.

When I think of Brian Rolston I don't associate him with the Wild, but I like this celebration shot nonetheless.  The Wild logo has kind of grown on me over the years I think.

A nice mid-'80s Topps release of Joe Mullen, a very under-rated Hall of Fame player.  I like that the red Flames logo is almost the same size as the white logo on Joe's sweater in the photo.  It almost looks like Mullen was wearing a solid red sweater in the photo when the Flames logo up and left for the lower right corner, leaving him with a corresponding bare white patch on the front of his jersey.  I'm starting to think that I spend way too much time staring at hockey cards...

I like Mike Liut, but his only chance of making this set is wearing a Whalers sweater.  Next!

I have not one...

...but two Fedorov #44s.  Nice enough cards, but not quite up to par for The Ultimate Hockey Card Set.

I've only got one or two cards of Dit Clapper.  As a player he's certainly worthy of inclusion in my set, but this isn't going to be the card that gets him there...

Now we're getting to the really tough choices.  This '95-96 Upper Deck Claude Lemieux got some serious consideration.  It's one of those perfect "moment in time" photos; thanks to this card I'll never forget who won the Conn Smythe award in '95.  There's just something about seeing Lemieux, who I remember as a fairly tough customer, apparently crying as he hoists the trophy.

This one kind of hurt, one of the better cards that I've had to pass on since starting this series of posts.  It's from the set that most feel is the best looking of all the O-Pee-Chee WHA sets, and also features a forgotten franchise and a fantastic photograph.  I love me a good Nordiques card, whether it be WHA or NHL.

Here's the runner-up, a card I featured earlier this year.  I had wanted one of these original 1933 Ice Kings cards for a while and finally found Normie here at a decent price.  Unfortunately he was beaten out by a card that is worth much less (both sentimentally and monetarily), a junk wax card even!  Here's the winner for card #44:

 1990-91 Upper Deck - #44 - Mark Messier

Right now you might be asking yourself how someone who professes his love of vintage cardboard so often could actually choose a '90-91 Upper Deck card over an 80-year-old beauty.  Well, hear me out...

Even though I didn't particularly like or dislike Mark as a player, I really felt that Messier deserved to be included in this franken-set.  I mean the guy played for 25 years at the NHL level (and in the WHA before that!), was a 15-time All-Star (including 4 First Team selections), Conn Smythe, Hart and Lester B Pearson award winner, and captured 6 Stanley Cups!  Mark amassed more career points than anyone not named Gretzky!  Yes, I know longevity was a factor there, but you don't end up #2 on the all-time scoring list by chance.

As far as what Messier card would make the cut for my set, it wasn't the easiest decision.  I mainly collect Topps hockey and not O-Pee-Chee when it comes to the older stuff, and Topps inexplicably ignored Messier for the first few years of his career.  In '80-81 he was included on the O-Pee-Chee checklist (his true rookie card), but not Topps.  '81-82?  Same thing.  The next two years Topps did not release a hockey set, but when they returned for '84-85 they still left him off the checklist (other than a card in the All Star subset).  The following year, '85-86, same thing, no Topps card!

I decided on this particular card for two reasons.  First of all, the '90-91 Upper Deck set was a game changer in terms of the hockey card landscape, just like their '89 release was for baseball.  I hadn't selected a 1990-91 Upper Deck card yet so it was high time I did so. 

Secondly, and most importantly, this card depicts what I find to be the most impressive aspect of Messier's career.  After winning four Stanley Cups with Gretzky, I'm sure fans in Edmonton doubted whether they'd ever win another once he was dealt to Los Angeles.  Well it only took Messier and the boys two seasons to bring another Cup to Edmonton, this time sans Gretzky.  Not only that, but he went on to capture another one with New York in '94, and we all know the drama related to that one, including the famous guarantee in the Eastern Conference Finals.

All his points, trophies, All-Star selections and other accolades aside, those two Stanley Cups after the Gretzky days are what impress me the most about Mark.  I couldn't think of a better card to represent this than card #44 from Upper Deck's inaugural hockey release, which shows a smiling Messier in the locker room after that 1990 Cup win.

So, there's my choice.  If you want to view all 18 cards that I've selected so far you can see that here.  What do you think?  Should I have picked the Brodeur, Ice Kings, or any of the other cards over the Upper Deck Messier?  I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

The Ultimate Hockey Card Set - Card #194

I can't believe I haven't selected a card for The Ultimate Hockey Card Set since early June.  I'm going to try to do at least one a month for both the baseball and hockey sets going forward.  I already covered baseball in October, so today I'll be choosing the best card #194 from my hockey collection. 

As usual we'll look at the runners-up first, like the 1994-95 Upper Deck SP Jamie Langenbrunner pictured above.  Certainly an interesting card, I guess this would be considered a rookie?  638 NHL points, not to mention two Stanley Cup Championships, is nothing to scoff at.  He's still at it too, assuming there are any games this season to play.

Card #194 in the inaugural Upper Deck hockey set features Dave Babych of my beloved Hartford Whalers.  I definitely want to select a card from this set eventually, but despite my love of all things Whalers, today is not that day.  Sorry Dave Babych!

Like many young hockey fans I was big on the Flyers in the mid-'90s.  Everybody liked Lindros and LeClair, myself included, but I always had this warped idea that Mikael Renberg was right up there alongside those players.  As I got a little older and saw their careers progress, I realized how far off base that was.  This is the Electric Ice parallel, which earns it even more points in my book.  Still not my best #194 though.

Somehow I acquired this Ville Koistinen card from 2007-08 Upper Deck SPX.  Usually game-used cards have non-standard numbering, so I don't think I'll have too many of them to consider for the franken-set, but SPX is a strange beast and as it stands Ville here fills slot #194 on the checklist.  I bought this card very early on in my return to collecting, before I had really narrowed my focus, during the days when I would just browse eBay and blow my budget on whatever I came across that interested me.  I think it ended up in my hands as part of a lot that I purchased because I wanted the David Krejci.  Anyway, I have no place in my collection nowadays for a card like this, and would be happy to part with it if anyone's interested...

This late-career card of Paul Kariya happens to be #194 in the 2008-09 Fleer Ultra set.  As one of the big names during the collecting heyday of my youth, I'd have no problem selecting a Kariya card for this set.  I think I'd want him to be pictured with the Mighty Ducks though.  Besides, I'm not a fan of 2008-09 Fleer Ultra.

Here's the runner-up, from the 1973-74 Topps set.  This is certainly a beautiful card, in fact based on pure aesthetics I would say it maybe surpasses the card I ultimately chose for #194 below.  A couple of things went against this card in the end, though.  For starters, it only represents the quarter-finals of the '72-73 playoffs, so it's not like it symbolizes a very critical event or game in the annals of hockey history.  Not only that, but I've already selected a card from the '73-74 Topps set (#146 - Cesare Maniago).  I know that some sets are definitely going to be represented more than once (I've already selected 2 '79-80 Topps cards for example), however I want the franken-set to cover as wide a range of sets as possible, so this will factor into my decision with tie-breakers or close calls.  The card I ended up choosing is a bit more recent than this one, 15 years more to be precise...

1988-89 Topps - #194 - Pierre Turgeon (RC)

You may not have seen that one coming but I stand by my selection.  Pierre Turgeon was a solid player.  He was the 34th player in the history of the NHL to score 500 career goals as a matter of fact.  When this rookie card came out, he was a big name prospect.  Taken #1 overall in the 1987 NHL entry draft, he turned in a respectable 42-point rookie season in 1987-88.  He shot to stardom in his sophomore season though, the season that this card represents, appearing in every single game for Buffalo and racking up 30+ goals, 50+ assists and 80+ points.  The following year, which was the first year I collected hockey cards as a kid, he was even better with 40+ goals, 60+ assists and 100+ points, again skating in every one of Buffalo's games. 

This was one of the cards to have during my first couple of years of collecting.  It remains the 4th most valuable card in the '88-89 Topps set behind the Hull RC, Gretzky and Shanahan RC.  As an added bonus, the Buffalo Sabres finally get some representation in my franken-set as well.

So, do you agree with the selection, or do you have a #194 that tops this one?

The Ultimate Hockey Card Set, now at 17 cards and counting, can be seen here...

The Ultimate Hockey Card Set - Card #24 (My New Favorite Hockey Card!)

A couple of weeks ago I added what I think is a pretty spectacular card to my hockey collection.  It's one I've been searching out for a couple of years now, a "white whale".  I think it's my new favorite hockey card.  Of course it's #24 in its set, and it's being selected for my Ultimate Hockey Card franken-set.  Just how much do I like this card?  Enough to select it for the set over this here absolutely awesome #24 from my collection:

Yes, it pains me to say this, but the 1992-93 Topps Stadium Club Wayne Presley card will not be inducted into The Ultimate Hockey Card Set.  This card has a lot going for it.  Early '90s hog?  Check (that might even be a four-wheeler).  Biker gloves?  Check.  Denim on denim?  Hell yeah, Wayne Presley doesn't follow fashion trends, he sets fashion trends.  Initially I thought maybe this photo had actually been taken on the set of Top Gun, but it turns out that film came out a few years earlier, and Wayne Presley was not a cast member.  If I had a runner-up hockey franken-set I'd include this card, but unfortunately as it stands Wayne and his bad-ass jean jacket are out...

Let's check out some of the other runners-up for #24...

This Andy Moog is an '81-82 O-Pee-Chee reprint from the 2001-02 Topps/O-Pee-Chee Archives set.  I've been just a few cards away from finishing this set for what seems like forever now.  They're tricky to track down for whatever reason.

This Brett Hull card doesn't look great in the scan, but it's a Sportflics-style card from the '96-97 Pinnacle McDonald's set.  I'm pretty sure this one is from either the quarter or dime box at the local hobby shop.

I always liked the Canada Cup subset at the beginning of the '91-92 Upper Deck flagship set.  There were some pretty great players included, and seeing them in their international sweaters was something a little different at the time.  Jari Kurri, shown here as captain of team Finland, is a great example.

Card #24 in the 1984-85 O-Pee-Chee set belongs to Hall-of-Famer Gilbert Perreault.  This wouldn't have been a bad choice at all.  I want to include as many teams in the set as possible, and as Sabres go Perreault would be an obvious pick.  Unfortunately for Gil there was just too much competition for this spot.

#24 from the 1985-86 7-Eleven set features the Clarence S. Campbell Trophy, awarded annually to the Western Conference Champions in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  This certainly would have been an appropriate choice, given that the Kings just took home this trophy a week or so ago and are now up 1-0 on the Devils in the Cup Finals.

Peter Stastny has card #24 in one of my favorite '90s insert sets, '92-93 Fleer Ultra Imports.  I've decided that inserts can be included in the set.  After all, this card has a #24 on the back just like any other.  This one's not making the cut anyway.  This isn't the first time Stastny's been snubbed, better luck next time Peter...

I've got a couple of #24 WHA cards.  From the '75-76 set, a terribly off-centered Gene Peacosh of the San Diego Mariners...

...and from the '77-78 set, Ron Plumb of the Cincinnati Stingers.  Great logo, but there's no way this one's making the cut.

This 2006-07 Parkhurst Richard Brodeur has some good elements.  In the end though, even the JOFA helmet, brown pads and the "flying V" Canucks sweater couldn't push this one to the top of the list.

Alexander Mogilny's Upper Deck rookie card happens to be #24.  The original "Alexander the Great" was an exciting player during an era when I was really into both hockey and cards as a kid, so he's always been a favorite.

1994-95 Upper Deck SP has Eddie Belfour featured on card #24.  Ed's a Hall-of-Famer now, and I love the photo chosen for this one.  This card was also tempting because I've yet to choose a Blackhawks card for the set.  For now that trend is going to continue though.

Here's a card that, had it not been for my recent acquisition, would have been in the running alongside the Wayne Presley that led off this post.  The '74-75 Topps Jacques Lemaire is a well-known card, in fact this was even thrown out as a suggestion for the set in the comments on an earlier post.  Of course, the reason this card has drawn attention is the fact that Jacques never played a single game for the Sabres.  An interesting card, and Lemaire is also a member of the Hall of Fame.  Unbelievably though, the Sabres are getting shafted for the fourth time in this post.

I've dragged this out long enough, here's my recent acquisition, and the card I'm going with for the set:

1933 Goudey Sport Kings - #24 - Howie Morenz

This Howie Morenz is from the 1933 Sport Kings set released by The Goudey Gum Co.  The 48-card set paid tribute to the top athletes from the world of sports, everything from baseball and hockey to wrestling and dog-sledding.  The checklist includes names like Babe Ruth, Red Grange and Ty Cobb.  The design is a classic, and has been recycled countless times throughout the years, including the Upper Deck Goudey baseball sets from a few years back.  Each card features a portrait of the subject front and center against a plain colored background, with the Sport Kings Gum banner along the top, and a silhouette of the subject's sport along the bottom, above the name.  The cards are nearly square at 2 3/8" x 2 7/8".

There are four hockey players represented in the Sport Kings set; Howie Morenz here, Eddie Shore, Ace Bailey and Ching Johnson.  Someday I would love to acquire the other three, particularly the Shore, but for now I'm thrilled to have the Morenz card.

I won't bore you with a long summary of the life and career of Howie Morenz, I've kept you long enough already.  I'd say this nearly 80-year-old piece of cardboard depicting one of hockey's greatest players (and one of the 9 original Hockey Hall of Fame inductees) certainly deserves a spot in my franken-set.  This will surely be a favorite in my collection for years to come.

The Ultimate Hockey Card Set, now at 16 cards and counting, can be seen here...

The Ultimate Hockey Card Set - Card #53

I can't believe it's been nearly two weeks since my last post.  Things have been a little hectic around here lately, but despite the lack of posting I've still been reading all of the other great sports card blogs out there, and have picked up plenty of new cardboard recently as well.  I'll try to get back into the swing of things here with another selection for The Ultimate Hockey Card Set.  Today we'll choose card #53 for the franken-set.  First, let's take a look at a few card #53s from my collection that did not make the cut...
 

I've mentioned quite a few times before that I have a soft spot for '89-90 Topps/O-Pee-Chee.  It was the very first set that I collected as a kid, in fact I still have my original white 3-ring binder with all the cards sorted out by team.  Unfortunately for Guy here, there were just too many better #53s in my monster boxes.  Besides, I just selected the Sakic rookie from '89-90 Topps in my last Ultimate Hockey Card Set post.

Card #53 in the inaugural Upper Deck flagship set belongs to Dale Hawerchuk.  This card got some consideration for a number of reasons.  First of all, I definitely want to include a '90-91 Upper Deck card at some point because it was a pretty ground-breaking set at the time.  Secondly, I would like to cover as many teams as possible in the set and I haven't yet chosen a Winnipeg Jet.  Finally, Dale Hawerchuk is a Hall-of-Famer and is probably worthy of inclusion in the set as well.  Despite all of these facts though, this card just comes up short.

I have quite a few #53s that feature teams of the past, like this 1981-82 Topps Whalers team leaders card...

...or this 1977-78 O-Pee-Chee WHA card featuring Dennis Sobchuk of the Cincinnati Stingers.  Man those old WHA logos are great.

I really enjoyed hand-collating the 2008-09 Upper Deck Masterpieces set a few years ago, and it's got a pretty strong #53 on the checklist in the form of Guy Lafleur.  Guy is certainly worthy of inclusion, but I'm confident I can find a better Lafleur card than this in my collection.

This shiny Sergei Fedorov is card #53 in the 2001-02 Topps Chrome set.  I'm a big Fedorov guy but today is not his day...

Now we get down to the final three.  Capturing the bronze is this Ron Francis base card from Upper Deck The Cup.  Certainly one of my thickest cards, but not as nice as the two cards that beat it out.  Besides, I already selected Francis' O-Pee-Chee rookie for this set.

The runner-up is Wayne Gretzky's base card from the 1987-88 Topps set.  I've got the O-Pee-Chee version as well, and it's certainly a nice looking card.  I'm sure at least one or two more Gretzky's will be selected for this set eventually, but today Wayne has been beaten out by a card that's just plain better than this one.  Here's your winner, card #53 in The Ultimate Hockey Card Set:

1986-87 Topps - #53 - Patrick Roy (RC)

This card was one of the top additions to my collection over the past winter.  Patrick Roy's rookie is one of those cards that I've always coveted, even more so in the past couple of years since I decided to focus heavily on completing the run of Topps hockey sets from '79-80 through '89-90.  When I had a little extra tax money in my pocket a few months ago, and found this one at a price I was satisfied with, I finally pulled the trigger.

Roy was one of the best (arguably the best) goalies to ever put on pads, and the rookie card of the Hall-of-Famer and Stanley Cup champion is one of the more instantly recognizable hockey cards out there.  I can't think of another card #53 that could supplant this one, can you?

The Ultimate Hockey Card Set, now at 15 cards and counting, can be seen here...

The Ultimate Hockey Card Set - Card #113

Been a while since I did one of these posts. Today we'll choose card #113 for the franken-set of my all-time favorite hockey cards...

Not surprisingly, #113 is not exactly a number that belongs to All-Stars or Hall-of-Famers in most sets. Most of my #113s are like this Scott Young card here, nothing exceptional or really out of the ordinary.

Here's another one, decent player, decent card, but just nothing that special about it.

Peter Stastny is certainly worthy of inclusion somewhere in the set, and this card is unique for sure. The thing is, when I think of Stastny I think of the Nordiques, not the New Jersey Devils.

Steve Yzerman is one of the best players featured on any of my #113s. While the 1995-96 Upper Deck set is great, this card did not make the cut. Besides, I selected Yzerman's rookie card a while back so he's in the set already as it is.

The runner-up was this 1982-83 O-Pee-Chee Kevin Lowe. '82-83 O-Pee-Chee is one of my favorite sets of the '80s. Lowe himself should be one of the first few people to come to mind when you think of the Edmonton Oilers. He was the team's first-ever NHL draft pick, has played more NHL games (both regular season and playoffs) in an Oilers sweater than anyone else, and scored the team's first goal (assisted by Gretzky). Since the end of his playing career he has served within the Edmonton organization as an assistant coach, head coach, general manager, Executive Vice President, and President of Hockey Operations (the role he currently holds). Huh, maybe I made the wrong choice here? Here's the card I'm going with over Lowe:

1989-90 Topps - #113 - Joe Sakic (RC)

This was the obvious choice for me for a few reasons. First of all, I've been putting a lot of effort into my 1980-81 through 1989-90 hockey sets lately, and I have a soft spot for the 1989-90 set in particular as it was the first I ever collected as a kid. I'd like to add at least one card from each year of the decade to this franken-set and Sakic's rookie seemed like the best choice from '89-90.

Secondly, and most importantly, Sakic was no slouch. 2 Stanley Cup Championships, 15th all-time in career goals scored, 8th all-time in career points, and twenty years spent with just a single franchise. Joe's a shoe-in for the Hall-of-Fame for sure.

Finally, this gave me a chance to select my very first Quebec Nordiques card, which was long overdue. If you can get past the fact that it's from the '89-90 Topps set, it's actually a significant card and one that I think just edges out the '82-83 O-Pee-Chee Kevin Lowe.

The Ultimate Hockey Card Set, now at 14 cards and counting, can be found here.