Derek Stepan Jersey And Stick Card

The one thing that came to mind when the New York Rangers finally got their hands on Rick Nash was ''wow, and they even got to keep all their stud defensemen and Derek Stepan''!

And now, thanks to a contest from Sports Card Info, I also get to have him!

This is card #10 in Panini's 2011-12 Luxury Suite set, and features a game-worn white jersey swatch with a piece of game-used stick. It probably becomes my most valuable card (money-wise) at the moment! (Yes, I did use to own a mint Mario Lemieux rookie card and a creased Wayne Gretzky rookie card, but lost both and over 10,000 cards in total in a 1998 flood...)

I love this card and will display it so it can be seen (away from light sources, though!), despite the one pet peeve of being a 2011-12 season card that displays 2011-12 stats on the back... if you're going to release a set after the season's over, when everything is compiled, might as well just make it a 2012-13 set...

Stepan has just finished his second NHL season and if his 17 goals were a drop from the previous season's 21, he still managed to get 51 points, which gives him 96 in total so far. Over a 20-year career, he might get to 1000 points.

The 51st overall pick in 2008 has already twice represented Team USA, once captaining the junior team to a gold medal (2010) on the strength of 14 points in 7 games, as well as at the 2011 World Championships (8 points in 7 games). He'll probably be an Olympian if the NHLPA can convince NHL owners to let the players go to Sotchi in 2014.