Sunday, October 30, 2011

GAME DAY - Oct. 29th, 2011 - Canucks vs. Capitals

Yesterday was a great day.

Had to start the post with that first sentence because that's exactly what yesterday was - great! Let me explain; my day started at 7:30 that morning. I woke up and got myself ready for a 10am start to my soccer game in a town in BC called Aldergrove. I'm starting with this because my team is 10-0 to start the season and you could say we're drinking our own bath water in a way. Yesterday was different. With 10 minutes left, we had one player on the bench with a sprained ankle and another with a broken collar bone and an ambulance on the way; oh we were also down 4-3. But when a corner developed, I was able to score my first goal of the season (and a pretty nice one if I do say so myself) to tie the game up at 4 a piece! Being a center-back (defender) it's great to chip in on the offence once and awhile especially when it involves a little drama. Although the team (including myself) was ecstatic it was still a bittersweet game since the game ended in a tie and two of my team mates are out for 2 and 6 weeks respectively. Now we are 10-0-1 (still unbeaten), but nonetheless the day starts out on a mixed note. That was sure one exciting goal, and one that I will cherish for the rest of my soccer career.

Now onto some hockey (I know you guys don't read to learn about soccer).

I got home and had a couple hours to nurse my own bumps and bruises and get ready for the real game. My Canucks versus Russia the Washington Capitals! I went to the game with two of my team mates and all three of our dad's. We went to a fairly nice Italian restaurant called Q4 downtown. After we walked down to what I like to think as my home away from home - Rogers Arena. I walk in with this ticket in my hand:


Okay so it's not actually the ticket we walked in with, but it's the one I ended up with in the end. Being three groups of two people we decided to swap seats after every period and we ended up with the best seats in the 3rd. Right on the glass baby! 

When we walked in we got our complimentary copy of the nights program booklet.


I have a tin full of tickets and programs etc. that I want to share with you guys one day and this is the basic free program you get when you go to a Canucks game.

Now the day was getting a bit better.

Walking to our seats I see a small line of people, I peek around and low and behold it's...Gary Valk! Not sure if many of you remember Valk but he was part of the 94' cup run. He has a gig doing Canucks analysis after games featured on Rogers Sportsnet. Of course I jumped in the line and met Gary. He was fairly nice but not overly welcoming which I found odd. He wasn't like Dave Babych who I also met signing at a Canucks game. But nonetheless it was a neat experience, here's my souvenir. 


Not quite a great day (yet) but it certainly got better.

Now for the actual game. The meat and potatoes of this post. Here are some pics from our regular seats (period number 1).



These pictures are zoomed in from my iPhone so they aren't the greatest quality. They also make it look like we were really far away, but, these were actually taken in our original seats which are 15 rows away from the action. The first two periods were swapped with 4 goals going each way and non stop excitement. What really made the game fun was the people around us. There was a kid with his father straight off the boat from Russia, don't speak a lick of English that would just scream out random Russian words every time Ovie touched the puck. Me along with guys around us had some great conversations with them (or at least tried to).

There was also a goaltending change after the first by the Caps and a penalty shot that just squeaked by Luongo that added to the intensity!

The third period was the best. Take a gander at some of the pics!






OOOOOOOO-VVVVVVIEEEEEE! That was what was chanted throughout the 18,000+ people in attendance last night when Alex Ovechkin was sent to the box. That was what woke up the Canucks. Three consecutive and unanswered goals from the Vancouver Canucks! Let's just say the goal horn was ringing through my head all night long!


Now a 7-4 win over the Capitals is what made that day a GREAT day! 

Edler and Lappy both has 2 goals and both were dancing on the edge of hat tricks.

But that wasn't my first encounter with Ovechkin at Rogers Arena. Back in 2009 the Canucks beat the Caps 3-2 with the help of a beautiful penalty shot save by Roberto Luongo against Alexander Semin in the third period.


But the cream of the crop and probably the best out of the three games (even though last night's was an extremely close second) was the shoot out victory in 2006 when it was Ovie's first trip to Vancity. 3-2 was the final score.


Have you ever had one of those days where a hockey game makes it that much more spectacular? Tell me about it and post a comment.

As always...

GO NUCKS GO!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

WHAT DOES 25 BUCKS GETCHA? (Part 7)

PLEASE LEAVE COMMENT STATING WHAT DAY 2011-12 SCORE IS RELEASED! 
THANKS!

If you've been following my recent eBay pick-ups you'll know that I've blown through by first 25 dollar pre-paid Visa card pretty quickly and I'm working my way through the second. This is my first pick-up from my second card.

In my opinion this is the biggest steal I purchased value wise. Take a look:




As you can see this card adds a little extra flair to my GU collection. Nazem is considered a top prospect in the Maple Leafs organization. Like I said this card is probably the biggest "profit gain" in a card. I got this card for a whopping $4.07 and the book rings this in somewhere around the 15 dollar mark. It's also numbered to only 200 copies.

What really attracted me to this card was the set, player and yes even the swatch. Even though it's an all white piece of jersey, the size of the swatch makes up for it. My pet peeve is how sometimes cards include pieces the size of a dime.

With this beauty here's where I am in card number 2:

(1.02 + 3.05 Shipping) 2010-11 Ultimate Collection Nazem Kadri "Debut Threads" /200 (DT-NK)
------------------------------------------------
$20.93


GO NUCKS GO!

Monday, October 24, 2011

THANK YOU 67er!

A little while ago I posted up 3 cards that I bought from a lot on eBay. They included Charlie Hodge, Dale Tallon and Ray Cullen 1970-71 OPC cards. Upon seeing the horrific conditions of the cards, 1967er (as he's known to most) from Diamond Cuts and Wax Stains messaged me saying that he had a few cards to send my way that would make a nice fit in my collection. Being the nice guy he is, he not only replaced the most important card in the eBay lot (Charlie Hodge) but added some absolutely beautiful vintage cards! Let's see!

As I mentioned before, he sent me a card to replace my half destroyed Hodge. Let's compare the two:



Excuse my scanning abilities but it's clear to see that the first card is in wayyyyy better shape then the latter. But this biggest difference is on the back!



Now that is a sigh of relief!! That is a huge improvement, thank you!

Next we will move on to our next goalie - George Gardner. This is a really big help toward my goalie project and with these next two cards we are killing two birds with...well...I guess two stones, but it's still really good!


When I think of 70's hockey cards I think of these circular, pink backgrounded cards. Love the old school jersey's we're seeing too!


I'm a big fan of the cards that actually show goalies in their vintage pads. It really makes you appreciate the advancement in technology we've had in the past decades! These two cards really add a nice vintage feel to my Goalie Project!


Gary Smith is known as the pioneer of Canucks tenders. He was the first goalie to really breakout in Canucks gear and has one of the most famous nicknames...


This is my favourite part of the Smith card by far! I'm always a fan of the little caricatures on the back of old cards (and personally I think they should be brought back) but this one is definitely the best one I've seen!

And the big surprise is...


Wow! This is an awesome surprise! A card from the 60's! This is definitely the oldest card in my collection by about 5 years! Charlie Hodge in Canadiens gear ta boot! I was stoked when I saw this card, thanks sooooo much!


The back makes this card even better, it still has the blank trivia puck thingy. There's no way I'm scratching this card no matter how tempting it is.

Thanks so much 1967er!! Check your mailbox soon!

Alex Auld - 3/3 COMPLETE! 26 TOTAL
Murray Bannerman - 1/3 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL
Martin Brochu - 3/3 COMPLETE! 4 TOTAL
Richard Brodeur - 1/3 COMPLETE! 11 TOTAL (1 EVENT-USED, 1 AUTO)
Gary Bromley
Bruce Bullock
Sean Burke - 2/3 COMPLETE! 20 TOTAL
Frank Caprice
Jacques Caron
Dan Cloutier - 3/3 COMPLETE! 32 TOTAL (1 JERSEY)
Ed Dyck
Ken Ellacott
Bob Essensa - 3/3 COMPLETE! 14 TOTAL
Mike Fountain - 3/3 COMPLETE! 11 TOTAL
Troy Gamble - 2/2 COMPLETE! 21 TOTAL
George Gardner 2/3 COMPLETE! 2 TOTAL
John Garrett - 1/3 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL
Glen Hanlon
Johan Hedberg - 3/3 COMPLETE! 7 TOTAL
Rick Heinz
Corey Hirsch - 1/3 COMPLETE! 2 TOTAL (1 AUTO)
Charlie Hodge - 3/3 COMPLETE! 3 TOTAL
Arturs Irbe - 1/3 COMPLETE! 3 TOTAL
Jason LaBarbera - 2/3 COMPLETE! 4 TOTAL
Ken Lockett
Roberto Luongo - 3/3 COMPLETE! 49 TOTAL (1 JERSEY)
Drew MacIntyre - 1/3 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL
Cesare Maniago - 1/3 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL
Bob Mason
Dave McClelland
Steve McKichan
Kirk McLean - 1/3 COMPLETE! 3 TOTAL (1 AUTO)
Rob McVicar - 1/1 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL
Alfie Michaud
Tyler Moss
Mika Noronen - 3/3 COMPLETE! 6 TOTAL
Maxime Ouellet - 1/3 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL
Félix Potvin - 3/3 COMPLETE! 31 TOTAL (1 AUTO)
Andrew Raycroft - 1/3 COMPLETE! 7 TOTAL
Curt Ridley - 2/3 COMPLETE! 2 TOTAL
Dany Sabourin - 2/3 COMPLETE! 2 TOTAL
Curtis Sanford - 3/3 COMPLETE! 7 TOTAL
Cory Schneider - 1/2 COMPLETE! 10 TOTAL (1 JERSEY)
Corey Schwab - 1/3 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL
Petr Skudra - 3/3 COMPLETE! 4 TOTAL
Gary Smith - 1/3 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL
Garth Snow - 2/3 COMPLETE! 2 TOTAL (1 AUTO)
Kevin Weekes - 2/3 COMPLETE! 2 TOTAL
Steve Weeks
Kay Whitmore - 1/3 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL
Dunc Wilson - 1/3 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL
Wendell Young - 1/3 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL

GO NUCKS GO!

Friday, October 21, 2011

THE GOALIE PROJECT - Sean Burke

I figured it's been awhile since I've posted an "official" Goalie Project so, why not do it tonight? Today's goalie is one that bounced around after leaving the team he was drafted by. Yup, you guessed him, Sean Burke (the title didn't give it away at all).

As I was saying, Sean played for 9 NHL teams in his career his most prominent being with NJ, Hartford and I guess you could say Pheonix too. In fact he played the 1997-98 season with 3 different teams: the Hurricanes (25 games), Canucks (16 games), and Flyers (11 games). He would return to Philly later in 2003-04.

Here are my two pages of Sean Burke:



I like seeing these sheets because it gives a nice variety of cards, from 1990-91 UD to 2006-07 Victory. My favourite has to be the Pacific Revolution card though because it's so damn ugly. It looks like Burke is being warped back in time especially with that mismatching goalie gear.

If you've counted correctly I have Burke playing in 6 out of the 9 teams he has played for. The teams I don't have are Carolina, Florida, and LA; but life goes on. Including doubles I own 20 Sean Burke cards. So this lands me at 2 out of 3 for my Goalie Project. The only thing I need for a perfect 3 is his RC - eBay here I come...


Alex Auld - 3/3 COMPLETE! 26 TOTAL
Murray Bannerman - 1/3 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL
Martin Brochu - 3/3 COMPLETE! 4 TOTAL
Richard Brodeur - 1/3 COMPLETE! 11 TOTAL (1 EVENT-USED, 1 AUTO)
Gary Bromley
Bruce Bullock
Sean Burke - 2/3 COMPLETE! 20 TOTAL
Frank Caprice
Jacques Caron
Dan Cloutier - 3/3 COMPLETE! 32 TOTAL (1 JERSEY)
Ed Dyck
Ken Ellacott
Bob Essensa - 3/3 COMPLETE! 14 TOTAL
Mike Fountain - 3/3 COMPLETE! 11 TOTAL
Troy Gamble - 2/2 COMPLETE! 21 TOTAL
George Gardner
John Garrett - 1/3 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL
Glen Hanlon
Johan Hedberg - 3/3 COMPLETE! 7 TOTAL
Rick Heinz
Corey Hirsch - 1/3 COMPLETE! 2 TOTAL (1 AUTO)
Charlie Hodge - 1/3 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL
Arturs Irbe - 1/3 COMPLETE! 3 TOTAL
Jason LaBarbera - 2/3 COMPLETE! 4 TOTAL
Ken Lockett
Roberto Luongo - 3/3 COMPLETE! 49 TOTAL (1 JERSEY)
Drew MacIntyre - 1/3 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL
Cesare Maniago - 1/3 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL
Bob Mason
Dave McClelland
Steve McKichan
Kirk McLean - 1/3 COMPLETE! 3 TOTAL (1 AUTO)
Rob McVicar - 1/1 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL
Alfie Michaud
Tyler Moss
Mika Noronen - 3/3 COMPLETE! 6 TOTAL
Maxime Ouellet - 1/3 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL
Félix Potvin - 3/3 COMPLETE! 31 TOTAL (1 AUTO)
Andrew Raycroft - 1/3 COMPLETE! 7 TOTAL
Curt Ridley - 2/3 COMPLETE! 2 TOTAL
Dany Sabourin - 2/3 COMPLETE! 2 TOTAL
Curtis Sanford - 3/3 COMPLETE! 7 TOTAL
Cory Schneider - 1/2 COMPLETE! 10 TOTAL (1 JERSEY)
Corey Schwab - 1/3 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL
Petr Skudra - 3/3 COMPLETE! 4 TOTAL
Gary Smith
Garth Snow - 2/3 COMPLETE! 2 TOTAL (1 AUTO)
Kevin Weekes - 2/3 COMPLETE! 2 TOTAL
Steve Weeks
Kay Whitmore - 1/3 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL
Dunc Wilson - 1/3 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL
Wendell Young - 1/3 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL

GO NUCKS GO!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

WHAT DO YOU THINK?



vs.



All I can say is it's about time...what do you think? 

Edit: His new mask is the one at the top btw

GO NUCKS GO!

Monday, October 17, 2011

TOP 60 CARDS (Part 5) #40-36

Today I'm gonna put up a quick Top 60 post. You know how it goes, 5 cards as we continually inch our way closer to the top 10.

#40 - 2010-11 Score P.K Subban "Hot Rookies"


Like I said in Part 4 of my Top 60, this year was the first collecting year where I wasn't just focused on my Canucks RC's, but also the current "Hot Rookies" of ALL NHL teams. One of my favourite rookies from last season was definitely Subban. He's a great player but what I like to see the most out of P.K is his heart and his love for the game. He looks like he's having fun on and off the ice.

#39 - 2010-11 Score Alex Ovechkin "Snow Globe" (Die-Cut)


How can you tell I liked last years Score product? You can't get much more out of a card. Ovechkin? Check. Insert? Check. Die Cut? Check. Original? Check. Enough said about this one!

#38 - 2009-10 Ultimate Collection Henrik Zetterberg (/399)


This card was picked up a few years back in New York. Yup, that's what I said. Every few years we leave our igloos here in Canada, say bye to all the talking beavers and moose up here in the great white north and make or way east to NYC to see our family. When visiting a flea market I found a trading card area and was able to spy out the hockey cards. One table offered about a thousand or so cards for 10 cents a piece - I bought about 40 cards. One of them was this gem you see above, just ten cents and I have one of the only 399 copies made.

#37 - 1996-97 Metal Universe Alex Mogilny


This is my only card from Metal Universe and of course it's of a Canuck (a pretty good one at that). I think this card speaks for itself. I feel like Spider-Man should make an appearance on this card. Definitely not your typical hockey card.

#36 - 1994-95 Pinnacle Dan Cloutier "World Juniors" (RC)


This card is the definition of what I looked for as a kid while collecting. Dan Cloutier was a childhood favourite and his RC is right up my alley.  

36. 1994-95 Pinnacle "World Juniors" Dan Cloutier
37. 1996-97 Metal Universe Alex Mogilny
38. 2009-10 Ultimate Collection Henrik Zetterberg /499
39. 2010-11 Score "Snow Globe" Alex Ovechkin
40. 2010-11 Score "Hot Rookies" P.K Subban
41. 2010-11 Score "Hot Rookies" Nazem Kadri 
42. 1992-93 UD "Bloodlines" Trevor & Jamie Linden
43. 1992-93 UD "Profiles" Doug Gilmoure
44. 1991-92 UD John Tanner
45. 2003-04 Pacific McDonalds "Saturday NIght Rivals" Lalime / Belfour
46. 2002-03 Pacific McDonalds "Net-Fusions" Dominik Hasek
47. 2003-04 Canucks Fin Postcard (SIGNED)
48. 1992-93 "Profiles" Darius Kasperaitis
49. 1992-93 "Profiles" Alexei Kovalev
50. 1993-94 UD Kirk Muller
51. 2006-07 BAP RC AUTO Patrick O'Sullivan /10
52. 1990-91 Score Jan Erixon
53. 2007-08 UD McDonalds "In the Crease" Ryan Miller
54. 1994-95 Pinnacle Sylvain Turgeon (ft. Patrick Kane)
55. 2002-03 Pacific McDonalds "Net-Fusions" Evgeni Nabokov
56. 1994-95 Pinnacle Doug Lidster
57. 1990-91 Score / 1995-96 Topps - Oilers / Devils Stanley Cup
58. 1992-93 UD Jim Hrivnak
59. 1990-91 Topps Grant Fuhr
60. 1990-91 Bowman Daren Puppa

GO NUCKS GO!

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

WHAT DOES 25 BUCKS GETCHA? (Part 6) The Last of Card Number 1

Like I mentioned awhile back, when I originally got a 25 dollar gift card as a present I bought a second. This is the last purchase from the first card, it also get's me one step closer to finishing up an important goalie for my project.



In Part 1 of this new segment I showed you my first Curt Ridley card to enter into my collection. This is the second, and as you can see this is his RC. Getting 30+ year old cards in the mail is really neat, I get to see stuff I never would see if I only collected modern cards. I really appreciate the feel these cards have and the characters and interesting facts they show!


(1.00) Paypal membership
(0.99 + Free Shipping) 1978-79 OPC Curt Ridley (#302)
(8.89 + Free Shipping + 0.24 Tax) Mystery Lots x3
(2.75 + 2.50 Shipping) 2010-11 ITG GU Black Cory Schneider
(2.85 + Free Shipping + 0.34 Tax) 2004-05 UD "Frozen" Artifacts Dan Cloutier
(1.03 + 2.09 Shipping) 3 Card Lot of 1970-71 OPC
(1.13 + Free Shipping) 1976-77 Topps Curt Ridley (#197)
______________________________________________

$0.92

Alex Auld - 3/3 COMPLETE! 26 TOTAL
Murray Bannerman - 1/3 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL
Martin Brochu - 3/3 COMPLETE! 4 TOTAL
Richard Brodeur - 1/3 COMPLETE! 11 TOTAL (1 EVENT-USED, 1 AUTO)
Gary Bromley
Bruce Bullock
Sean Burke - 1/3 COMPLETE! 2 TOTAL
Frank Caprice
Jacques Caron
Dan Cloutier - 3/3 COMPLETE! 32 TOTAL (1 JERSEY)
Ed Dyck
Ken Ellacott
Bob Essensa - 3/3 COMPLETE! 14 TOTAL
Mike Fountain - 3/3 COMPLETE! 11 TOTAL
Troy Gamble - 2/2 COMPLETE! 21 TOTAL
George Gardner
John Garrett - 1/3 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL
Glen Hanlon
Johan Hedberg - 3/3 COMPLETE! 7 TOTAL
Rick Heinz
Corey Hirsch - 1/3 COMPLETE! 2 TOTAL (1 AUTO)
Charlie Hodge - 1/3 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL
Arturs Irbe - 1/3 COMPLETE! 3 TOTAL
Jason LaBarbera - 2/3 COMPLETE! 4 TOTAL
Ken Lockett
Roberto Luongo - 3/3 COMPLETE! 49 TOTAL (1 JERSEY)
Drew MacIntyre - 1/3 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL
Cesare Maniago - 1/3 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL
Bob Mason
Dave McClelland
Steve McKichan
Kirk McLean - 1/3 COMPLETE! 3 TOTAL (1 AUTO)
Rob McVicar - 1/1 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL
Alfie Michaud
Tyler Moss
Mika Noronen - 3/3 COMPLETE! 6 TOTAL
Maxime Ouellet - 1/3 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL
Félix Potvin - 3/3 COMPLETE! 31 TOTAL (1 AUTO)
Andrew Raycroft - 1/3 COMPLETE! 7 TOTAL
Curt Ridley - 2/3 COMPLETE! 2 TOTAL
Dany Sabourin - 2/3 COMPLETE! 2 TOTAL
Curtis Sanford - 3/3 COMPLETE! 7 TOTAL
Cory Schneider - 1/2 COMPLETE! 10 TOTAL (1 JERSEY)
Corey Schwab - 1/3 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL
Petr Skudra - 3/3 COMPLETE! 4 TOTAL
Gary Smith
Garth Snow - 2/3 COMPLETE! 2 TOTAL (1 AUTO)
Kevin Weekes - 2/3 COMPLETE! 2 TOTAL
Steve Weeks
Kay Whitmore - 1/3 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL
Dunc Wilson - 1/3 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL
Wendell Young - 1/3 COMPLETE! 1 TOTAL

So obviously there is pretty much nothing else I can juice out of this card but I think I did pretty good and got some valuable bang for my buck!

GO NUCKS GO!