Sharing a couple more items I picked up in a trade at last weekend's card show. Both of these cards caught my eye immediately...even if I have to shoehorn them into a specific PC project.
What is it that appeals to me when I see a card? Years ago, I would say things like card design, quality of the signature (from an aesthetic view...not necessarily from a superstar standpoint), and honestly... is it something that is on one of my wantlists (the majority of stuff I chase lives on a wantlist).
But these days, a card can certainly click when it harkens back to a memory of my childhood or early days of watching hockey on TV.
This card did exactly that...
When I saw this card, it brought a huge grin to my face. For some reason, Howie Meeker is a guy that I'm just drawn to when I see stuff of his - be it cards, books, photos, you name it. Definitely a childhood memory thing for me.
I discovered hockey in the early 80's, card collecting, watching games in my room on my small, black & white TV (I was so pumped when I bought that television...saved up for quite a while to get it). All of 3 or 4 channels, but it got CBC. And on Saturday nights...that meant Hockey Night In Canada.
By the 80's, Meeker was out of the game as a player and did some youth coaching and such before really finding his calling as a color commentator for HNIC. He introduced us hockey fans to the telestrator which allowed Meeker to "draw" on the screen to emphasize his points and better share his hockey knowledge.
His calling card lines of "Stop it right there" and "Back it up, back it up" harken directly to those color commentating days where he would literally be barking live on air to the team in the control room to shuttle the videotape as he needed. As a kid, I thought it was the coolest thing.
I loved his book and was thrilled to find a copy of his rookie card at a show in Edmonton a few years back. He's a guy that just fills the room with positivity. This autographed card is one I couldn't pass up.
I love how he tried his best not to encroach on the Maple Leafs logo...that's old school - and equally awesome. It's one of just a handful of hard signed signatures you'll find of the man. I'm going to add him to my Voices Of The Game project (I'm actually making an exception with this card as all the others come from insert sets called...Voices Of The Game). He belongs there, no question.
One other card to share today from that same trade...equally as smile-inducing...
Nothing makes me stop in my tracks more than seeng a picture of Jacques Plante wearing his fibreglass mask - nothing. It was such a pivotal moment in the game of hockey when he donned his crude, handmade mask in a game for the first time and revolutionized the sport. He's on my Mount Rushmore of goalies without question.
Seeing this card with a beautiful piece of Plante's game-used Montreal Canadiens memorabilia...and then to be pocketed alongside the likes of Sawchuk and Hall - both legends themselves - incredible.
All three of these players have super-interesting stories and back in the day, were without question the top tier best of the best.
Plante, like Meeker, has a special spot in my hockey world. Back in the mid-90's, I was obsessed with the subject of goalie masks. I would spend hours saving articles and photos that I found online pertaining to mask history. I had dreams of a beefy goalie mask documentary that would share the dozens and dozens of awesome mask stories from all of these special, unique goalies. I still think about that.
This card doesn't really fit in with any specific collecting project I'm currently working on, but I could easily justify starting a small Jacques Plante PC. I've picked up a number of Plante/mask items through the years, so this triple-mem piece isn't too far out of place.
I've got one last card from my 4-for-1 trade and it could just be my favourite of all of them. I'll share that one in a few days.
Do you have any cards in your collection that really hit you with some core childhood memories of the game? Are there any cards you'd like to add because of that nostalgia?
I have a bunch of cards that stir up childhood memories of the game... and my love for the game. I recently purchased one of the 1981 Fleer Rickey Henderson cards, because he was my favorite player at the time... and 1981 Fleer was the first baseball card set I ever owned.
ReplyDeleteI didn’t even know of Fleer back in 81….living in Canada, it was all OPC. But 1981 was a key year for me as it was my first time buying some baseball packs. I can picture the Henderson from that year vividly. Not nearly as exciting as his RC photo, but sometimes it’s just the card and the time that matter most.
DeleteLove it. 👍