BEHIND THE MASKS - Auld Inspiring

There have been a few new pieces of info that have caught my ear over the past few days.

Trevor Linden has got some new cards out there.  In The Game has released an "all game-used stick" product called Stickwork and Linden has 8 cards in total (4 silver versions and 4 gold 1/1 parallels).  I've seen a few pop up on ebay.....they look nice....they're expensive..... I'm sitting back and relaxing.

With the recent announcement that Upper Deck will have the sole NHL license for the next few years, I'm going to guess that this will reduce the number of Linden cards being released in a calendar year.  My wallet will like that.

For those of you who might be interested, I got some additional info on that cool looking Medicine Hat Tigers team photo I picked up.  The seller got it from a huge lot sale.  There were about 35-40 of those photos included.  Not sure where they originated or when they were distributed.  He's keeping an eye out for any other Tigers goodies.  I like that.


Now on to my most recent card pickup.

I have been a bit of a goalie mask card collector for years now.  I love the sets and am thrilled that there are some retro players included in the checklists.  While the redundancy has made it less of an aggressive chase from year to year, I still keep an eye out for the odd sweet deal.

One set that was released a few years ago is called Inspired Masks.  These are masks that have people of inspiration to the goalies on their masks.  Definitely a unique checklist and to make things stand out even more, they were the first cards to be hand sketched.

Tough to find, I have slowly built this set up to where I am left with only a small few on the wantlist.  I snagged this one off ebay as it had a really good Buy It Now price......but I decided to toss him a Best Offer (even better).

2010/11 In The Game Between The Pipes

Inspired Masks

#IM-07 Alex Auld

While Auld might not be a staple of Montreal netminding, his mask from a few years ago was solid enough to land him a card in this limited set.  The card back really lays it all out....

"The Montreal Canadiens have a long and storied tradition of great goaltenders and in recent years, the current generation of crease protectors has paid tribute to them on their masks.  Auld is one of those netminders and he pays tribute to Hall of Famers Jacques Plante and Ken Dryden this season with a dynamic look that incorporates team colors.  The mask itself is a favorite of Habs fans and was created by DaveArt Designs."

The colors are really vibrant and bold on this mask which really makes the players on the side pop out even more.  A fine addition to the collection.

Whatever became of Alex Auld?

It seems as though he was playing in Austria last season, but one has to think his playing career is pretty much over.

Did you know he was involved in one of the best trades in Vancouver Canucks history?  Auld for Luongo (sure there were some other players involved.....Bertuzzi), but it's the one and only time I can legitimately say...

Thank you Mike Keenan.