I AM IN A BAD MOOD!!!!

I work had to earn money to pay for the hockey card I decide to buy.  Especially when those cards are Trevor Linden cards.

So it bugs the crap out of me when I receive a card in the mail that is damaged.  Especially when I feel that the damage was avoidable.

Recently, I purchased a very rare Trevor Linden card from this year's Superlative release.  How rare?  How 'bout a gold 1/1.

Yup.  That's right.  A damaged 1/1.

This story does not get better.

Here's the way the envelope looked BEFORE I opened it up.  Thanks UPS.

What boggled my mind was that a single card was packed up and sent in an envelope big enough for a beefy legal-sized document.  Why?  I don't know.  I haven't heard back from the seller yet.

But I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation.  Right?

I'm convinced that this oversized envelope was part of the reason why the card arrived damaged.

The other being that there was no protection - NONE - added to the card.  Just the toploader and card.

And of course the seal on this Superlative card had to be broken, leaving the card susceptible to coming out of the plastic holder (which of course part of it was).

It just gets better and better.

You just can't have too many creases can you?

So on top of the $215 I paid for the card, the $15 to the seller for shipping, the $52 for the UPS brokerage fee.....I'm left with this.

B-RUTAL!!!!!!!

The one thing I did do is take the card with me.  I could have refused the package and it would have been returned to the seller, but I knew that if I did that, the card would be gone forever.  Probably just end up in the trash.

In my delusional mind I'm hoping that magically this card can be fixed.

But before that, it's clobberin' time.  I can assure you all that I will not be the one holding the wet towel on this one.

I am really hoping that the seller chooses to work WITH me rather than put up some sort of fuss.  Right now, I'd just like to hear his side of the story.

And an offer to refund my money would be appreciated as well.

The brokerage I paid to UPS, well that will be determined after.  I was told that I should be able to get that back too since the fee is based on the value of the card.

And right now....it ain't what it was when I bought it.  That's for darn sure.

What was supposed to be an amazing Linden Card Of The Year post (I have 5 to show off) has now left me a little sour.

Hopefully by the end of the year I'll feel like doing up a proper post of the top cards that arrived sans damage.

Sadly, this card will not be a part of it.

TRADEBAIT - Some Patchy Goodness

I went to the local monthly card show last weekend with the hopes of picking up a couple new Trevor Linden cards recently released.  Sadly, I think a number of sellers had second thoughts about opening up some of Panini's latest offering 'Classics'.  Me thinks the price point is the culprit.

Anyways, what would have been a very quiet show was momentarily interrupted when I saw a discount box with some nice patch cards in it.

And since I'm a sucker for a good deal, I decided to justify a bit of a purchase to add some cards to the tradebox.  That....and I won the monthly poker game the night before.  So I had a few extra bucks in hand at the show (can't let it go to waste right?).

2011/12 Panini Crown Royale

Coat Of Arms

#22 Niklas Backstrom /25

This patch really pops out of the card.  Backstrom gets little hobby love it seems.  I find that odd.  I would have thought there's be a bit of a following based on his nationality (Finnish) as well as some of the phenomenal patches coming from Minnesota Wild jerseys.

A great patch and only numbered to 25.  By the way.....that'll be a trend during this show & tell.

2011/12 Panini Prime

Prime Trios

#16 Blake Wheeler/Mark Scheifele/Carl Klingberg /25

The guys on the side were throw-ins.  It's the dude in the middle that made me pick up this piece.  Mark Scheifele has a great shot to really showcase his talents at the upcoming World Junior tournament.  A solid performance will really help his chances to stick with the big club this year.

I'm anticipating more Scheifele collectors to come out of the woodworks once he is a staple on the Jets.

Soon.  Very soon.

2011/12 Panini Titanium

Game-Worn Gear (Patch)

#93 Brandon Dubinsky /25

Now, I tend to slag on the Rangers a lot but that's mostly due to one individual (who will remain nameless).

What I can say is they've got the makings of a solid team.  And they've got great looking patch cards.  This Dubinsky is no exception.

And what's better than one Rangers card?

2011/12 Panini Titanium

Game-Worn Gear (Patch)

#79 Derek Stepan /25

How about two.

The price on this one was just too good to pass up.  Hopefully I can find a Rangers collector who has some Linden cards to trade.

I think one of the goals over my holiday break is to properly scan and catalog my trade cards.  In the new year I'm going to be a little more aggressive in turning over some of this stuff so I can get a little relief in paying for some Linden cards.

I hear the new year is going to bring some doozies.

LINDEN CARD OF THE YEAR - The "Worst of" Edition

I've been fortunate to pick up some pretty nice cards for my Trevor Linden collection over the years.  Some have even been stunning enough to be given the moniker of 'Linden Card of the Year'.

This past weekend I came across a card that instantly had me think "This is definitely worthy of an award".  Sadly, it's not the award I'd like to give a Linden card.

Worst card of the year!

In fact, I'd go so far as saying it's the worst Trevor Linden card I've ever seen.

2012 Leaf Executive Collection Masterpiece

Dual Cut Auto

Trevor Linden/Pavel Bure  1/1

Yup.  You're reading that right.  A 1/1 cut auto.  Just look at it.  Clearly the signature was taken from a photo where Tim Horton's happens to plastered on the boards behind where the autograph was placed.

And it gets worse.

If you caught that I said 'dual auto', here's the Bure...

Are you kidding me?!!!

What floors me even more is that the card is currently up for auction with a price tag of $375.  I wouldn't even pay a quarter of the price.  I don't even care that it's a 1/1.

I've got a big beef with cut autos of guys who are still alive.  If a card company wants to put an auto of a certain players on a card - then get the guy to sign the card.  Stickers would even be somewhat acceptable as well - but we're talking a 1/1.

What a joke of a card.

Sadly, I'll be adding it to my wantlist, but the price tag on it will have to drop considerably before I even THINK about making an offer.

Worst card of the year.

Worst card EVER!

PACK RIPPING - 2012/13 Panini Classics

Well, after voicing my displeasure with the banner card inserts in Panini's new 'Classics' product, I found myself looking at a shelf full of the stuff at the local card shop's trading night.

The shop had already busted a box so I took a look at the goods.  It was a little thin in my eyes.

Six packs per box.  Five cards per pack.  That's 30 cards total.  Yes, there is an autograph in every pack so that's six signatures (better than what one would pull in some other boxes of cards) and there is a banner card in every pack (not sure if that's a plus).  But sifting through the 30 cards and thinking "Man that's not many cards for the price".

$33 bucks a pack.  $185 a box.

About $10 bucks a pack more than I would have liked to see.  Especially since we are talking about players not named Crosby, Nugent-Hopkins, Stamkos and Ovechkin.

I knew pretty quick that a box of the stuff wouldn't be coming home with me.......but that didn't stop me from trying my hand at a pack.

Yes.  I caved - again.

2012/13 Panini Classics

(1 pack)

On a side note.....I really like the wrapper to this product.  A definite old-time feel.  The design is nice and the colors make me want to take a pottery class.

Here's what the base cards look like.  Nothing spectacular but it's supposed to be simple.....classic.  I think a bit more effort in really making the various components work together as opposed to having a number of different 'looks' would have helped.

There are elements that I like, but more misses than hits.

Ken Morrow.  Not the first guy on the list of "I hope I get this guy in my pack".  And a 'ho-hum' photo as well.

The card back on its own has a nice vibe to it.  70's WHA-feel (especially the name at the top).  Two big misses.....it has next to no flow from the front of the card.  It's like a different product entirely.

Wasted space.  The words "player statistics" and "defense" just blare out with "why am I here?".  Also, some real estate at the bottom of the card gets ignored.  Better housekeeping would have made this card back one of my faves - ever - from Panini.

Here are my whopping two other base cards.  Terrible PWM (plain white mask) on the Fuhr.  Horrible photo selection if you ask me.


On to the inserts.  Don't worry, it won't take long.

I'll be brief....because I don't like these cards.

Luc Robitaille Retired Banner card.  The scuffs on the die-cut card is done on purpose.  Why?  I don't know.  I guess it's because it's supposed to be old?  Big miss.

Will gladly trade for a Linden.

Johnny Bower auto.  I guess it could have been worse (like Ken Morrow or Rick Tocchet) but Johnny missed the mark - literally.

There's a faded space at the bottom of the photo (looks a little white) where the signature should go.  This just looks like Bower squeezed in his sig.  Again, not the worst, but definitely not enough to recoup the cost of my box.

Then again....I can't say that for too many products I've purchased this year.

I think I'll stick with buying singles of my guy.

Will gladly trade for a Linden.


I will say that with the unique checklist of players and the hard-signed autographs, the auto set would be a fun build.  Not as pricey as Parkhurst (and not as nice) but a solid chase (that is if you're buying singles in the secondary market).  I could easily see these cards hitting the discount bin post haste.  Beware though....there are short prints and super short prints of some of the bigger names.  But if you are looking to land a Nick Kypreos or Bruce Shoebottom sig, you'll be in luck.

OPINION - Fonts

Panini's latest hockey card offering hit the market on Wednesday and I'll admit it has me excited.

It's called Panini Classics and (with the current lockout) seems an appropriate product as it celebrates past players in the league.

It's a very diverse checklist and my guy is included.  The best part is that it appears he only has FOUR cards that I will need to pursue.

Hear that.....F-O-U-R!!!

And that suits me absolutely perfectly.

Two of those cards are unnumbered, non-memorabilia, non-signature cards.  That equals cheap.

(fist pump)

He also has two autographs - both not serial numbered - which should lead to some very manageable prices.

I've seen all four cards hit ebay already, but I'm in no rush to chase them down.  There's a local card show this weekend and a trade night on Thursday.  Maybe luck will be on my side and I can actually trade for a couple of these pieces of cardboard.

One of the cards though, prompted me to post about the use of fonts.  Font styles, font sizes, .....fonts.

Here's the culprit.  A nice card upon first glance.  Please note that the number and product logo appears to be foil-type silver and surely don't scan well.

But it's not the foil I'm disappointed with.  It's the fonts.

The number 16 is a generic number font that all the cards in the insert set use.  It has zero connection to the number styles used on Canucks jerseys throughout Linden's career.

Huge fail.

Add to that the seemingly 'beginner-esque' glow/border around the player name and the retirement year.  This looks very simple and unimpressive.

I would have thought (and hoped) that the card would implement the fonts that reflect the actual banner that has been raised to celebrate said player's honour.  Apparently not.

So I took the ball and ran with it.  I designed my own card.  I used the number style similar to the one used on the actual banner and I used the Canucks font that Linden wore on his back during his last game in the NHL.

While it's not exactly perfect, it's a huge improvement on what's actually out there.

The idea that each one of these cards could have had a very personal connection to the player, just by the use of fonts, was completely missed by Panini and the end result is a 'ho-hum' insert set.  Think of the great Boston cards, Montreal, even a team like Los Angeles.  All unique to the player and the jersey.  But no.

And imagine the rare, parallels you could create.  Imagine this Linden with the retro black, orange and yellow - complete with the proper font and number style.

Ooooooohh.....I might have to do another custom.

And don't get me started on colors.  Where's the white Panini?!!  Last time I checked Vancouver has white in their jersey.

Fonts!  They are not to be taken lightly.

ONE OF THE GOOD GUYS - Calgary Hitmen 'Teddy Bear Toss'

OK....It's not 'ONE'.....it's 'MANY'!!!

I've been waiting for this past weekend's local junior hockey game so that I could post about a fantastic annual event that takes place here in town.

For 18 years, the WHL's Calgary Hitmen have been making a huge impact  with just the simple scoring of a single goal.  Of course the goal needs to come in the right place and at the right time.

This year, it was December 2......the annual Teddy Bear Toss.

For those of you not familiar with the concept, it's pretty simple.

Everybody coming to the game brings a stuffed animal.  When the home team scores their first goal - start chuckin'!

Wanna see over 20,000 bears hit the ice at one time?  Me too.

(go to 1:18 of the video)


Pavlo Padakin was the lucky player to score the Teddy Bear goal this year.  A definite career highlight for him.

Every player in that dressing room wants to be the one to score that special goal and the effort on the ice each and every year just elevates on this night.

Too much fun.

As much fun as it is to see on TV, it's even more of a blast in person (especially if you are down close to the glass).  Bears flying everywhere!  I took my niece and nephew to it a few years back and the whole game was just about the one moment.  A definite memory.

Now on to what these bears are all about.

The stuffed animals are gathered up and delivered by the Hitmen to local charities including the Alberta Children's Hospital.  A real cool gesture by the team without question.

Here's a look at the delivery of the bears.  Nice job guys.

I think it's also a good opportunity for some of these young men to see how important being a role model is and rewarding giving back to your community can be.

Since the inception of the Teddy Bear Toss, the Hitmen have donated more than 213,000 bears to the Calgary community.  This year over 50 charities have requested bears from the Teddy Bear Toss event.

In addition to the flying fuzzies, you may have noticed some unique jerseys worn by the players.

These special Christmas-style jerseys have a Santa hat perched on the front player logo as well as snow tufts on the numbers both on the sleeves as well as the back.

These jerseys will be auctioned off and the proceeds going to charity as well.  If for some reason you are interested in bidding, you can go to the Hitmen website and bid.

The Teddy Bear Toss - One Of The Good Guys!

RAISE THE CUP - The Century Mark

A recent mailday has allowed me to show off card #100 in my Raise The Cup project.

Out of all the mini-projects I've got going on in my card collecting, this pc is one that I think I'm most proud of.  It really showcases the fact that collecting can be anything you want - YOU make the parameters.  As well, card collecting doesn't need to cost an arm and a leg to enjoy.  Many of the cards in this project are simple base cards.

Without further ado...

1994/95 Topps Stadium Club

#9 Adam Graves

Adam seems to be doing more struggling than enjoying.  No problem there since he's lifting the Cup that my Canucks could have...should have won in '94.

There were a number of cards from this release that showed Rangers with the Stanley Cup.  The one year they had to go that route eh?

1990/91 Upper Deck

#167 Esa Tikkanen

Oh Upper Deck.  How your simple Series I and II releases have become the mainstay and "go to" for so many.  The photography is solid and the card design (albeit simple) is always consistent.

Esa seems to be less than impressed about his Cup victory.  He must have given Graves some lessons in New York.

2010/11 Score

#33 Brent Sopel (Season Highlight)

Brent Sopel has a Cup and my guy doesn't.  Ugh.  He looks as shocked as I am at the fact.

Actually, this photo is exactly the kind of photo that makes this project enjoyable.  It's that moment where they live the lifelong dream.

2011/12 Panini Contenders

Contenders Legacies

#153 Patrick Roy  /999

Another card from this solid insert set to add to the collection.  This one has most of the Cup in it.

After looking at this card, I've come to the conclusion that somebody needs to come out with a Raise The Cup insert set, with hard-signed autographs on each card, that isn't going to cost collectors an arm and a leg.

That would be one sweet set to build.

Current Collection - 100 cards