Happy Saturday all....long time. Hope all is well.
I woke up this morning and in the midst of scrolling through some social media and eBay listings, stumbled across another new Linden card to add to the master list. He's been in a ton of products over the past year - which is fantastic. I haven't been chasing many of them. I'll get to that in a bit.
As I walked up to my office to sit down and add the new Linden cards to my list, I decided that I should take some time to fire up the ol' blog post machine and do some typing. For the first time in a long while I felt like I had something to say and share...and, well, it'd been a while.
We are nearing the middle of October (where has the time gone???) and it's Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada. I've got a couple days of solid rest and relaxation...something I'm welcoming with open arms. This past year has been unique. Not quite the rollercoaster ride of 2024, but still providing many ups and downs. While sportscard collecting has taken a bit of a back seat, I can say with absolute certainty that 2025 has been the year I've been the most involved with this great hobby. That brings a massive smile to my face.
Let's start with my guy, Trevor Linden. I mentioned that he has some new cards. It seems that Upper Deck has decided to include him in the new Ultimate product...one of their higher-end releases. It's not just 1 or 2 cards either...he has 11 new pieces of cardboard for me to chase. The base card (with parallels), an auto (with parallels), an emblem (with parallels)....yikes, and an Ultimate Signatures card. Some low-numbered stuff, but overall a nice mix of cards that I can scope out and acquire.
With only a couple more Upper Deck product releases for the 24/25 season, Linden has been included in 7 of them. Easily the most we've seen of Trev since he retired...which has been almost 20 years now. I love seeing new cards, new designs and new additions to the master list. But while he has almost 50 unique cards from the 24/25 season for me to hunt down...I've only acquired 2 to this point.
This Seafoam Green parallel (really???.....seafoam) from Artifacts is the only Linden I've picked up from eBay this year - for reals. I got it for what I thought was a crazy good price and so I decided to pull the trigger. That and the Copper parallel /99 (which I found at a local show) are the only 2 Linden pickups so far in 2025.
I've had to dial back the purchases over the past couple years as I've been hit with a little financial instability. It's crazy how things happen...one moment you feel like you're on solid ground and the next - quicksand. While it's been nothing that has created any sort of panic...I knew quickly that some of the "wants" in my world needed to go on the backburner as I dealt with more of the "needs".
I'm extremely fortunate that in my older age and wisdom (ha ha) I'm able to still enjoy the hobby even though I'm not buying cards at the rate I once did or would like to. Sportscard collecting can actually be so much more than "here's what I picked up today". I've really enjoyed reading and listening to and watching what others are doing and acquiring in their hobby world. So fulfilling.
I've mentioned a couple times that 2025 has been a strong year in terms of hobby enjoyment for me. That's because I made some serious shifts in my professional life.
I've been involved in video production for almost 30 years now. The past couple have been a real struggle. I once had the stability of solid, full-time work at a world-class facility. I made the decision to move on from that place as it was starting to really burn me out. While the journey since has been quite rocky (last year was not a fun year for me financially), I still take great pride in the decision I made and feel strongly that moving on to my next chapter was the best thing for me.
Last December, I had a friend reach out to me. He owns a sportscard shop here in town. He knew my situation and said that while he wouldn't be able to pay what I was getting in the video industry, he had a slot open at the shop if I'd be interested in working a couple shifts a week...something to help pay a few bills and get out of the house.
I jumped at it...and it has been the best decision I've made all year. I've been working at that sportscard shop each month since and just recently made the decision to work there full time. I absolutely love the environment, the people I work with, the customers who come in and the positive feelings that the hobby brings to me - and that I can then share with those I meet. I've been able to bring who I am and what I love about the hobby to the shop and I think it's been a perfect fit. Heck, I'm even able to bring a bit of my video production background into the shop. And they've said on many occasions that they are thrilled to have me.
It's funny...that decision to start working at the card shop has catapulted positive moment after positive moment throughout the year. I've had more freelance opportunities to do video work, I've been able to volunteer with more of a focused mind and I don't "bring work home with me" after leaving the card shop for the day. That's huge.
Speaking of freelance opportunities, I recently got a massive opportunity to try something that I've wanted to do for a long time...be a part of an NHL production.
I know someone who knows someone who works for the Calgary Flames and found out that they are in need of video replay operators (for their in-house Jumbotron feed). I had never done that before...but have been in production trucks during live sporting events and knew the tasks involved. I was referred to them and they invited me down to try it out.
I did as much homework prior...watching some tutorials and reading documents, to try and help me pick things up quicker. Must have worked because after an early goal to start the game, I rolled back the video, let the director know that I had the replay ready and (without hesitation) he called on me to "roll it". Went off without a hitch. I was on cloud nine.
The game was a blur, but by the 3rd period I was holding my own and proud to say more than just "a warm body in a chair"...I was contributing to the production, far more than I think anyone anticipated. After all, I had never done before. They reached out to me the next day and shared how much they appreciated my approach to the job, the seriousness in learning what needed to be done and my enthusiasm in asking questions and "jumping in". I'm being invited back.
I'm hoping that it can be the side gig that lines up perfectly with the card shop. I need just a touch more incoming dollars each month to make ends meet (card shop doesn't pay overly well....but the positives of working there far....FAR outweigh the financial shortcomings). Another side gig I'm looking at is from the National Music Centre (think of it as Canada's Music Hall Of Fame).
Another chance opportunity (someone I worked with referred me to them) had me applying for a fulltime position with their in-house video team. Walking through the doors of the place had me in awe. It is an absolutely stunning facility. Truly world-class. I had a super conversation with two of the lead members of the video team and was really impressed with their goals and approach to what the NMC is looking to do moving forward.
I couldn't help but think "if I took this job....I'd likely have to give up working at the card shop". It's funny, a year ago I'd have killed for an opportunity like this, but now I'm having second thoughts. I had a smile on my face as I shared with them that my current situation is one that I'm really happy with and want to continue. While I'd love to work at a place like the National Music Centre, working there full time might not be the option that's right for me. I was being selfish...and proud of it.
They appreciated my honesty....and called me back the next day. They wanted to bring me in on a contract-by-contract basis to help with their productions - when it would fit into my schedule. I was floored. I just worked my first event with them the other night. It was an intimate concert celebrating the 90th birthday of legendary trumpet player, Al Muirhead.
I've always said that if you do good things...good things happen. I believe that as strongly as ever. I have stuck to my guns and have listened to my gut and my heart when it comes to what it is I do on a day-by-day basis. While things still aren't perfect financially, I'm in a place where the weight has lifted off my shoulders a lot. That was the goal for 2025...find some stability.
One last thing to share (as I blab about a year's worth of blog stuff...LOL). You'll get a kick out of this. I was a part of a pretty fun hockey pool last season. We don't play for money, we play for punishment. I still don't know how I finished 8th out of 10 last season (well, I do...Swayman and Sheshterkin were abysmal as my goalies) but long story short, I was due for some punishment.
I had to wait all summer before the rest of the gang gathered to celebrate my epic 8th place finish....
This is the bowling shirt they gifted me and that I have to wear twice a week through the month of October. As a Linden guy...this is KILLING ME!!! To see Mark Messier's mug laughing at me (that photo is from the moment he's about to hoist the Stanley Cup in 1994...after defeating my Canucks in game 7) is unbearable. And the howls from the rest of the guys are equally as uncomfortable. Painful.
Man, life is good. I've got a lot to be thankful for this holiday season.
