Mail Day! 1996-97 Score Sudden Death Jeremy Roenick vs Chris Osgood

It's been a while since I decided to search out for one of these 96-97 Score 'Sudden Death' insert cards in an attempt to further complete the set - but here you have it, finally after two previous attempts at ordering the card - Jeremy Roenick versus Chris Osgood.

The front features a fresh looking Roenick just a year before he headed to the desert and joined the Phoenix Coyotes and Osgood sporting the bird-cage style mask - one of the last to do so.  Just a side note; when Rick Dipietro came back to action after taking a beating from Brent Johnson, he wore one of Osgood's Bauer SK 2000 masks from Osgoods stint with the Islanders.

According to the back of the card, Osgood held Roenick to just one goal and three assists in the three years previous to this card. 

Now... just one more card left to fetch from this set and I'll have them all in my hands, Teemu Selanne vs Nikolai Khabibulin #15.  Hopefully I can pick it up before June, that way I'll fulfill one of the goals I set this past year in collecting.



Mail Day! 1996-97 Fleer Metal Universe Lot

Well it's been a significant period of time between my last post and now; with Christmas just around the bend, I haven't been picking up many cards and I've also begun another collection - Panini stickers.  I guess it doesn't hurt to ask - but does anyone have any of these stickers/albums from when they were a child lying around?  I just recently started the 2011-12 NHL Panini sticker album as well, anyone else?

Anyway let's get to my latest additions to my hockey card collection - this 14 card lot from the 1996-97 Fleer Metal Universe set, which I picked up almost a month ago online for just under a dollar and free shipping.

John Vanbiesbrouck #64 - My favorite card from the lot for sure, featuring Beezer breaking through what appears to be glass.    The reverse captures a nice, clear view of Vanbiesbrouck's famous mask.

I sometimes do an eBay search looking for card lots from this set as it is one of my all-time favorites based on the unique design; I've always been intrigued by the cards and the foiled cardboard blew me away as a kid.  I've yet to come across the complete set at auction but if I do I'll definitely put up a bid.  On a side note, I'm damn well sure I owned a bunch of these cards when I collected back in the late 90s - but sadly I was only able to find just one when I picked up my boxed hockey card collection at my parents house several months ago, when I decided to get back into the hobby.

Ron Francis #125
Oleg Tverdovsky #123
Eric Desjardins #110

Ray Sheppard #62
Radek Dvorak #57
Joe Murphy #134

Pat Verbeek #43
Andy Moog #41
German Titov #23

Jason Dawe #13
Paul Coffey #67
Jeff O'Neil #69
Geoff Sanderson #71

As for the player criteria from the lot there's nobody to exactly write home about but nothing from the bottom of the barrel - Vanbiesbrouck, Coffey, Francis, Verbeek just to name a few of my favorites.  I also wanted to mention how great the Moog card looks; his pose definitely entwines with the card design as it depicts a missle-like explosion in the glove of the netminder.

Jesus Christ, as I look through these cards I'm still amazed after 15 years!  What a unique design; even the Joe Murphy card looks like a solid keeper!

1996-97 Pinnacle Mint Collection

Along with the 92-93 Upper Deck packs I picked up, I also bought the last remaining pack of these 1996-97 Pinnacle Mint Collection from the card store.  For only a $1.50 I thought it was well worth the pickup, again just for the novelty and nostalgic rip value.  Only 30 cards and 30 coins in the set with a chance of pulling silver and gold chase cards and also nickel-silver, gold-plated, fine silver and 24KT gold coins.

Mail Day! 1996-97 Upper Deck Post Cereal "Grow Like A Pro"

I recently made a $3.00 eBay bid for (and obviously won) a 1996-97 Upper Deck/Post Cereal (Canadian Food Issue) "Grow Like A Pro" 24-Card Set.  The cards feature an NHL player wearing his NHLPA uniform on the front and a childhood photo of the player on the back.  I previously had only owned two of these cards from the set (Lindros & Yashin) from when I collected cards as a kid; I've always liked them, wanted more and enjoyed the inclusion of the childhood photos on the back.

Mail Day! 1996-97 Score Sudden Death Lot

Received another five 96-97 Score Sudden Death cards in the mail to add to my collection; only three more to go until I finally complete the set and fulfill a childhood desire.

Looking through the cards I own and the ones I need from this insert set - Score did a pretty good job at selecting the top players in the league at the time.  Although I did notice the exclusion of Patrick Roy from the set.

Mail Day! 1996-97 Score Sudden Death Mario Lemieux vs John Vanbiesbrouck

I'm another 1996-97 Sudden Death card closer to completing the set.  Received the Mario Lemieux vs John Vanbiesbrouck insert yesterday bringing the numbers to 7/15 within my hands.

First thing that I noticed about the photographs used on the front of the card (aside from the cat hair lingering from the scan) was the interesting look on Mario's face, just something about those eyebrows - and that mark underneath his eye, ow.  Great shot off Vanbiesbrouck's iconic mask as well.

Mail Day! 1996-97 Score Sudden Death Wayne Gretzky vs Felix Potvin

Another Sudden Death card to add to the collection, making it 6/15 - still a long ways to go.  Like most cards featuring The Great One, this card books in at the highest value from the set. I got it for a steal at 0.99 (+2.50 shipping)/  It features a faceoff against Wayne Gretzky and Felix Potvin.

1996-97 Upper Deck Collector's Choice 3 Star Selections

Inspired by a previous post over at Card Boarded and again as I was organizing my box of cards just earlier today, I wanted to post a feature on a favorite sub-set of mine from the 1996-97 Upper Deck Collector's Choice set that has been carried on over in the series through the years.

The '3 Star Selection' sub-set included 28 cards that featured 3 of the top players from each (26) team in the leauge; additionally 2 of the cards from the sub-set featured the top 3 players from the Eastern and Western Conference All-Star teams.

These were my favorite cards to pull from the Collector's Choice packs as a young collector.  After all my cards have been through, I feel lucky to sill have them in my collection.

St. Louis Blues - Brett Hull / Wayne Gretzky / Al Macinnis.  Pretty solid lineup here!  Gretzky would play briefly with St Louis, 31 games to be exact.  I don't have many cards with Gretzky in a Blues uniform.

New York Islanders - Eric Fichaud / Zigmund Palffy / Todd Bertuzzi.  I liked Fichaud as an Islander but he never lived up to the expectations his fantastic junior career had led to.  Palffy was another personal favorite of mine during these years, I was excited to see him represent Slovakia again during the 2010 Olympics.

Mail Day! 1996-97 Kraft Hockey Mascots

I received this envelope last Friday; the remaining three cards in the mascot set that Kraft and Upper Deck released on the back of Jell-o packs sometime in 96-97.  In the scan I included the entire set of 5 but the cards I ordered were of Dave Gagner & Harvey the Hound (most infamous for having his tounge ripped out by Craig McTavish), Felix Potvin & Carlton the Bear and Rob Niedermayer & Stanley C. Panther.

Mail Day! 1996-97 Score Sudden Death

Larger than usual Mail Day today; received the other four 96-97 Score Sudden Death cards that I had ordered. Damn Canada Post delay *shakes fist* Which brings me to 5/15 when it comes to completing the set of these guys.

Mail Day! 1996-97 Score Sudden Death Pavel Bure vs Curtis Joseph

Now that Canada Post is back in action my snail mail is slowly starting to dwindle in.



1996--97 Score Sudden Death Pavel Bure vs Curtis Joseph

First Mail Day post for the blog will be an insert that I ordered taken from the 1996-97 Score set. The 'Sudden Death' cards featured two "who's who" players (a skater and a goaltender) of the leauge at the time facing off against each other on cardboard.  It was a use your imagination sort of thing.  Back in the day me and my friends would fantasize about these sorts of faceoffs and dispute about would be the better man. 

Anyway after all these years I still love the insert set and wanted to collect all 15 of them; starting with this Pavel Bure and Curtis Joseph card, numbered 6 of 15.

1996-97 Kraft Hockey Mascots Marty Mcsorley & S.J. Sharkie

Found the Marty Mcsorley and S.J. Sharkie card that Kraft released in 96-97 on the back of Jell-o packs.  Love this player and mascot set, fun idea that I still think Upper Deck should include in an upcoming series. I was able to buy the other cards to finish the set online a few days ago.  Check out the Teemu Selanne and Wild Wing here.

Favorite Cards: 1996-97 Kraft Hockey Mascots Teemu Selanne & Wild Wing

I cut this out from a Jell-o box years ago.  One of my favorite all-time players and one of my favorite Saturday morning cartoon shows on the same card, hugging it out!