Tomas Plekanec Autographed Card

Tomas Plekanec, one of the players I respected the most during his playing days, has lived through his share of bittersweet - mostly bitter - moments in 2018.

First, he was traded to forever rivals Toronto Maple Leafs at the trade deadline last year, then re-signed by the Montréal Canadiens - playing his 1000th NHL game at home at the Bell Centre - only to see his contract be annulled/bought out a month into the season.

"Pleky" had always been a leader with the team, taking his licks more often than deserved, whether it be waiting his turn behind Chris Higgins, Michael Ryder and many others to get a chance to make his mark offensively, to constantly being asked to carry struggling wingers back to productive times to being passed over twice for the captaincy (while carrying the title for the Czech Republic internationally, usually on teams that included Jaromir Jagr), then suffering the insult of being a healthy scratch to start the year.

He had immersed himself in Montréal so well that despite his wife (Lucie Plekancová Vondráčková) being a superstar singer and actress in the Europe, their two children's first language was French.

He twice led the Habs in scoring, both times so much ahead of everyone else, it was ridiculous:

2009-10, via HockeyDB

2010-11, via HockeyDB

And most of the time, he was also far ahead in plus/minuses as well, despite always playing against the opposition's top lines and starting in the defensive zone, even in his rookie season:

via HockeyReference

Honestly, objectively, he should have retired with at least one Selke Trophy, despite his career overlapping the likes of Pavel Datsyuk, Patrice Bergeron and Jonathan Toews.

It's not over yet, either, as he signed on to play with Jagr for Rytiri Kladno but accepted a loan to Champions League team HC Kometa Brno when it was clear Jagr was injured long-term.

He knew he was one of my favourite players and many times sent me unrequested autographed cards, such as this 2008-09 Series 1 card (#96 in the set, signed in blue sharpie) by Upper Deck:

I'm fairly certain I'd have even more of those if I didn't move every other year like the average Montrealer.

Hats off, Mr. Plekanec, and congratulations on a solid NHL career. 2018 wasn't easy for you, but you handled it with class, once again setting an example for the rest of us to follow. You will be missed.

Doug Lidster Autographed Card

Doug Lidster was the Vancouver Canucks' seventh-round pick (133rd overall) at the 1980 draft, and he proved to be worth it, as his 63-point season in 1986-87 still stands as the team's highest mark for a defenseman in a single season.

He played 666 games with the Canucks, accumulating 307 points in the process and sharing the captaincy with Trevor Linden and Dan Quinn in 1990-91, before Linden took the reigns by himself the following season, Lidster keeping the "A" as proof of his leadership skills. I mostly remember a quick and agile skater with a decent pass and good if unspectacular shot who didn't feel the need to use his size, kind of like Patrice Brisebois later on.

He twice won the Stanley Cup as a trade deadline addition, in 1994 with the New York Rangers (against the Canucks, who had traded him two months prior, prompting Lidster to mention in a post-series interview: “Once we won (the Stanley Cup) and we were shaking hands, I realized that I knew the Canuck players better than I knew my own teammates”), and in 1999 with the Dallas Stars (after spending most of the 1998-99 season with the Canadian National team).

He retired following that Cup win and went into coaching, which included a short stint as head coach for the OHL's Saginaw Spirit, a story that ended as quickly as it was sour for him (with an accusation of "abuse" for apparently poking the goalie in the chest with his index finger while trying to teach him how to take responsibility for his actions). He moved on from that adventure by winning two gold medals with the Women's Canadian team in 2002 and 2010 as an assistant coach.

As a player, in addition to during the 1998-99 season, he had suited up for Team Canada at the 1984 Olympics (to a fourth-place finish) as well as the 1985, 1990 and 1991 World Championships, winning silver twice.

Here he is sporting the "C" for the Canucks on card #247 from Pro Set's flagship 1991-92 Series 1 set, which he signed in black sharpie when he was an assistant coach with the team (2014-17):

I should have others from my youth as well, most likely signed in ball-point pen. I hope I find them in the near future.

Box Break: 2018-19 Upper Deck Series 1 Hobby Box

For the second time in as many days, I was granted a Christmas wish - to receive 2018-19 hockey cards for Christmas; this time around, my Mom bought me a full box of 24 eight-card packs of Upper Deck 2018-19 Series 1 cards.

The hits were pretty massive this time around as well, including six regular-issue Young Guns rookie cards, including hyped first-overall pick Rasmus Dahlin (as well as Marcus Pettersson, Samuel Montembault, Trevor Murphy, Morgan Klimchuk, and Luke Johnson):

I also pulled four Portraits cards, featuring Ben Bishop, Jake Guentzel, Semyon Varlamov and rookie Lias Andersson:

There were also five Canvas cards, including Young Gun Dominik Kahun, Claude Giroux, Artem Anisimov, Mikael Granlund and the checklist card featuring Taylor Hall and Nathan MacKinnon (not pictured):

One pretty sub-set that is contantly a staple of Upper Deck's flagship set is Shooting Stars, and I managed to land William Karlsson:

But the card that will soon make its way to my binders is this Ben Bishop jersey card:

My main gripe with this one is the card selection mixed with the odds; the main set consists of just 200 cards. This box had 190 pieces of cardboard (173 regular-issue cards, as the jersey card took the space of three cards in a pack) and my tin from yesterday had 96 (89 regular-issue cards if you take away the inserts).

Out of those 89, 75 were doubled in this box - or 85%. I still have 17 cards left to collect to complete the main set (notwithstanding the 50 Young Guns and other assorted sub-sets). This at a cost of over $100. Somehow, it doesn't feel right.

Still, it's a quality set.

I'll stick with the 8/10 grade I tacked onto it yesterday, it's just that it's accompanied by a slight feeling of disappointment.

Box Break: 2018-19 Upper Deck Series 1 Tin

Anywhere I could, this Christmas, I asked for 2018-19 hockey cards or help paying for my upcoming driving classes; the first Christmas Miracle came in at a gift exchange party where the person who had picked me went with the list I provided and got me a tin box of Upper Deck's flagship 2018-19 Series 1 cards, which consists of 12 eight-card packs for a total of 96 cards. These usually go for roughly $40-45.

Here is what this year's set looks like:

The design borrows heavily on past Artifacts sets, but with the traditional Series 1 super gloss. The photography is mostly excellent, and each team has as many different uniforms as possible, but I could do without the oddball pre/post-game shenanigans as well as the pretend-military-style warmup garbs:

 One sub-set that was new to me was Rookie Commence, of which I pulled Dylan Sikura:

Although the one everybody is curious about is the Young Guns, of which I pulled my favourite rookie, Elias Pettersson (as well as Nick Seeler and Mikhail Vorobyev):

I also pulled a rookie out of the two UD Portraits cards I nabbed:

And there was a Canvas card of Steven Stamkos:

My experience from years past makes me think I should unload the Pettersson card even though I really like him - he's by far my favourite rookie this year - because I fear losing it in yet another move or worse, damaging it. I've seen it go for $80-125 online and my guess is that someone paying that much for it would make sure it remains in pristine condition. Then again, I'd love to get it signed and use it as the centerpiece of a player collection of his...

All told, Upper Deck's flagship series once again hits the mark. This box is a solid 8/10.

Henrik Sedin Printing Plate

I purchased two boxes of cards on Upper Deck E-Pack on Black Friday and, as I mentioned yesterday, the first one got me my first One-Of-One and first Printing Plate, of the Ottawa Senators' Jean-Gabriel Pageau from Upper Deck's 2017-18 Compendium Series 2.

The second one got me this sweet Henrik Sedin Printing Plate, from Upper Deck's 2016-17 Compendium Series 2 set:

This one's of the "black" variety. I'm willing to trade it for something interesting and of equal value.

The Sedin Twins retired after last season, having played their entire NHL careers with the Vancouver Canucks; Henrik played 24 more games than his brother (1330 vs 1306), which enabled him to collect 29 more points (1070 vs 1049). Each won the Art Ross trophy as the league's points leader - in consecutive seasons - and Henrik served as captain of the Canucks.

They're likely looking at Hall Of Fame nods down the road, with international play for Team Sweden netting the pair six medals (2006 Olympic gold, 2013 World Championship gold, 1999 and 2001 World Championship bronze, 1998 European Junior Championship gold and U17 silver in 1997), with Daniel adding an extra silver Olympic medal in 2014 while Henrik, Johan Franzen and Henrik Zetterberg missed the tournament due to injuries, and Nicklas Backstrom missed the Final against Canada (who iced a full team) due to traces of a banned substance in his blood.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau Printing Plate

I purchased two boxes of cards on Upper Deck E-Pack on Black Friday, and the first one got me my first One-Of-One and first Printing Plate, and it featured none other than the Ottawa Senators' Jean-Gabriel Pageau; it was the yellow printing plate from Upper Deck's 2017-18 Compendium Series 2 set, and I got it in the mail today.

In a sad turn of events, the 25-year-old breakout two-way star was injured at the team's physical exam during training camp, tearing his Achilles's tendon. He is out for at least six months, probably until the end of the year.

Pageau is about to enter his prime, a period during which he will be expected to score 20-25 goals per year for some 50-65 points total, then enter a plateau that will see him score 15-20 goals and 45-50 points for a few years before regressing. To waste a year of such importance is terrible news for both the athlete and the team.

The Sens are doing ok this year, with four players nearing or besting the point-per-game mark, with one Québec-born defenseman (Thomas Chabot) leading the league in points at his position and another (Maxime Lajoie) doing the same for rookie defensemen. In the absence of a reliable backup, 37-year-old Craig Anderson is holding the fort, alternating brilliant outings with ones where he looks exhausted, as can be expected. Head coach Guy Boucher is making the best of a roster that was predicted to finish last in the league, showing why he is one of the better tacticians in the NHL.

Box Break: 2018-19 O-Pee-Chee Hobby Box

The 1980s and early 90s are a hotbed of nostalgia, so when Upper Deck put Patrick Roy wearing the Montréal Canadiens' white (then-home) uniform on their boxes of 2018-19 O-Pee-Chee, of course I was going to jump on one; the question was, however: blaster box or hobby box? I had the $100 to spare, so I went on Amazon on Black Friday (no rebate on this product) and got myself 36 packs with 8 cards apiece, and here's what I got from it...

A lot of good-to-sign regular-issue cards, such as these:

Old-school cardboard, just like Topps used to make. 45 cards of players from Canadian teams (which will be easier to get signed, although still no guarantee), and 186 of players on American teams.

There were also a handful of parallels, such as these:

I suppose they don't count as doubles, then...

The best parallels are the colorful Retro ones, though, reminiscent of OPC cards of the 1960s and 70s:

I nabbed 15 of those featuring players. Like the parallels above them, they consist of the same photo as the regular-issue card, except here the picture's cropped differently, sometimes by as much as 75%.

There is one set that is now being repeated everywhere, in every set, and that's Season Highlights:

I could do without, especially since they're poorly translated (the French should read Faits Saillants De La Saison, not Saison Faits Saillants). But not as much as the fucking checklists, of which I got 13:

I don't care that some are Retro parallels, fuck off with them. Please.

The Marquee Rookies are the true highlights of the set, although here again, the translation doesn't mean anything (Marquee does not exist in French; to keep it close, they could have written Recrue De Marque):

I got parallels of Oskar Lindblom and Henrik Borgstrom, as well as regular-issue cards of Tomas Hyka, Zach Whitecloud, Victor Ejdsell, Dylan Sikura, Marcus Pettersson, Louis Belpedio, Morgan Klimchuk, Landon Bow, Casey Mittelstadt, Dillon Heatherington, Mackenzie Backwood, and Michael Dal Colle. That's 14 rookies.

I also pulled 9 Minis, of Mikko Rantanen, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, John Gibson, Steven Stamkos, Brent Burns, Jack Eichel, Teuvo Teravainen, T.J. Oshie and Eric Staal (not pictured):

Oh, and a few League Leader cards, which are just slightly better than Season Highlight cards, again, with different picture crops:

All told, I got what I paid for, which is a lot of cardboard to get signed and perhaps a few rookies to trade to some collectors.

OPC is always clear about what you're getting with them, and I love that I can trust their product to be what it is: a relatively affordable way to amass a quantity of relatively current cards; it's an entry-level low-end product that is rich in cheesy history and isn't afraid to wink at it the exact same way every single year.

That consistency has me rating this one a 8/10. But please, fix the French. A quarter of Canada (and of the NHL) is worth that much respect.

Box Break: 2018-19 Artifacts Blaster Box

I actually bought this blaster box of Upper Deck's 2018-19 Artifacts hockey cards in early November, but I was a tad too busy to post this review - and perhaps a little too underwhelmed as well. Every year, I eagerly away the Artifacts and Ice sets, as they are the best-looking and -feeling hockey cards out there, especially Artifacts, with its thick cardboard and matte finish, a treat to get signed.

Well, the cards are no longer printed on as-thick cardboard - it feels half as thick. And they're glossy enough that I'll likely build muscle in my forearms just trying to erase the gloss off them to get them signed. They still look classy, but they feel like regular-issue MVP cards:

At $30 (plus tax, so closer to $35) for 35 cards, this is not a good deal.

I did manage one hit, a Ruby Parallel Rookie card of the Toronto Maple Leafs' Andreas Johnsson, but I doubt I can make $35 back with it, if anything:

If I can get anything back with the Johnsson card, maybe I'll revise this in the future, but my feeling, after a month of holding off on this review, is to grade this year's Artifacts set a 5.5/10.

2017-18 Upper Deck Golden Knights Inaugural Season Box Break

From the minute I saw this box of cards advertised, I wanted to get my hands on Upper Deck's 2017-18 Vegas Golden Knights Inaugural Season box sets; of course, my luck being what it is, I did not get an autographed card, which usually comes once in every 20 boxes.

What I did get was a very nice-looking set of special players providing special moments in a very special season. I'd rooted all year for these guys and even though they fell short of the Stanley Cup, the mementos remain to bring back memories of an extremely exciting year of puck-watching.

Here is what the regular-issue player cards look like, front and back:

The "Gold" variants just have embossed gold foil on the front, the back is the same:

The "gold" variants also come with the Season Highlights cards (in fact, most of them are from this sub-set, a 3:2 ratio compared to the player cards in my box when the set itself is 15:35):

One of the best things of the Golden Knights' season was their success despite having to resort to five different goalies, because of injuries; all five made the cut:

As you'd imagine, Fleury also appears many times in the Season Highlights.

All told, I was a bit sad to not land an autograph card, but this set looks great and is everything it set out to be. The original price was $30 (U.S.) for the 50-card set plus five goldies, but many places now have it discounted at $15 (U.S.), including online outlets, which is where I got mine.

At that price, I'm thinking of buying two to keep one intact and use the other one to get cards signed.

This set deserves a solid 8.5/10.

2018-19 Upper Deck Tim Hortons: 15-Pack Break

As usual, I bought myself a few Upper Deck Tim Hortons packs this year to see if I liked them, and to have "special and unique" cards to try to get signed. At $1.99 per three-card pack, these have been consistently priced for nearly half a decade, which I guess is a good thing.

They also consistenly look good, although they usually come curved, so it's nearly impossible to get true gem mint cards in a given pack. Still, you can't say that these don't look terrific:

I chose to feature Pierre-Luc Dubois' back, which consists of only one season, but it's good to note that the cards show the semi-detailed stats from the past five years, with career totals.

I landed five All-Star Standouts inserts, which look like this:

That's Auston Matthews, Carey Price (twice), Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid. Hard to do better, even if it's only for the trade value of the Matthews, Price and Crosby (any takers?).

I also fell upon three nice foil Game Day Action cards of Evgeni Malkin, Nikita Kucherov and Brad Marchand (not pictured, of course):

My favourite sub-set, though, is probably Superstar Showcase, for which I pulled McDavid, Matthews and Taylor Hall (not pictured):

The set does its best to feature the biggest stars, the best youngsters and a few players per team, all within a 120-card checklist that includes former Leaf Tim Horton himself, which means that for a Kyle Palmieri and Rasmus Ristolainen inclusion, there is a Dustin Byfuglien, Ryan Ellis or a Thomas Chabot missing.

It's a hard and expensive set to complete (I have never completed a series myself), but a very nice collection to just get cards for fun from, which makes it a very good flashback/nostalgia piece, bringing me back to the days when, as a kid, I couldn't afford more than a pack of cards per week, maybe two, and it was more about the fun of seeing what I was going to pull and trying to trade for a Patrick Roy or a Wayne Gretzky than completing a series.

The player selection and price bring this note down, but the look and card stock make up for it. This is a solid 7.5/10.