Michael McCarron Autographed Card

On December 29, I went to Place Bell to see the Laval Rocket play the Charlotte Checkers, a game the Checkers dominated where one goalie (Laval's Étienne Marcoux) and two skaters (one from each team) were clear standouts, despite not racking many points in a nine-goal game won 5-4 by Charlotte.

For the home team, Michael McCarron nabbed an assist, but he was clearly - by far - the best player wearing red. He was like a member of the 1990s Legion Of Doom playing against AHLers; the day when he will put all the ingredients together, his impact will likely be as massive as Milan Lucic's.

As it stands, he's 23 (two years from hitting his prime as a power forward), 6'6", 230 pounds, with a strong, accurate shot, deceptive and impressive speed, and a willingness to knock opponents over like bowling pins, whether they're in his way or not.

I'm not saying he'll be a constant threat to score 35 goals at the NHL level, but I can see a 20-25-goal scorer, 40-50-points per year with a high of 65 once, who is a driving force of play for at least t5hree years, hopefully five. He's already too good for the AHL, he deserves a third-line NHL job until he can prove to be a top-six forward.

He signed his first OHL card in blue sharpie for me after the game, #15 in In The Game's 2013-14 Heroes And Prospects set:

It shows him sporting the London Knights' white (home) uniform, the team he wore an "A" with for a year and won the Memorial Cup against (as a member of the Oshawa Generals, who traded for him midway through the 2014-15 season).

He has so far won three silver medals playing for Team USA - at the 2012 U-17 Championships, and the 2018 World Juniors and World U-18 Championships.

Jason Ward Autographed Card

In minor hockey and Juniors, Jason Ward was a gritty forward who willed himself to goals and points; the 1990s and turn-of-the-millennium Montréal Canadiens were always told by so-called experts they needed a power forward to compete with teams from the Western Conference. The Habs picking Ward at the 1997 draft seemed like a match made in Hockey Heaven, but being picked in the first round is probably what kept him from playing more than 336 NHL games in his career, what with the weight of expectations and all.

Also the fact that he wasn't a true power forward, one with a terrific shot and decent speed like Keith Tkachuk or Doug Weight. No, instead, Ward was a tireless worker who compensated his lack of offensive hockey instincts with a growing concern with overall play and defensive acumen, although he never could persuade his NHL employers to embrace his change of job description the way guys like Radek Bonk and Bryan Smolinski did.

That's not to say he wasn't a decent hockey player - he won the 2002-03 Les Cunningham Award as AHL MVP, after all, one that has gone equally to players who had NHL success (Jason Spezza, Stéphan Lebeau, Tyler Johnson) as career minor-leaguers (Jason Labarbera, Corey Locke, Martin Brochu) - but he just never put the pieces together in the best league in the world. Furthermore, from Juniors onward, he had never won a team championship - not the Memorial Cup, not World Juniors nor World Championship gold, not the Calder Cup and especially not the Stanley Cup. It took until three years after he retired from pro hockey following a season in Austria (posting 19 points in 35 games) that he won the Allan Cup (Canadian minor-league amateur championship) with the Dundas Real McCoys.

Considering he suited up for Team Canada at two World Juniors competitions (1998, eighth-place and 1999, silver), that's a rare feat. Speaking of which, here he is sporting his national team's white (home) uniform on card #272 from Upper Deck's 1998-99 UD Choice set, which he signed in blue sharpie while playing either for the New York Rangers or Tampa Bay Lightning:

Between his retirement and his Allan Cup-winning comeback, he was an assistant coach with the OHL's Brampton Battalion, which operated near where he now lives and coaches his sons' teams; he didn't follow the team when it moved to North Bay.

Kip Miller Autographed Card

If the Canadians have a few of what can be dubbed "Hockey's Royal Families", notably the Sutters from Alberta, the Millers from Michigan are without a doubt their American equivalent. At last count, ten Millers had suited up for the Michigan State University Spartans, including two Hobey Baker Award winners: goaltender Ryan Miller (also a Vezina winner and Olympic silver medalist) and Kip Miller, the Québec Nordiques' fourth-round pick (72nd overall) at the 1987 NHL draft who won a playoff MVP award in the IHL but never quite made his mark in the NHL.

He wasn't a bad player by any means - he had two consecutive 42-point seasons in 1998-99 and 1999-2000 playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, and even went on to collect 50 points in 2002-03 on a Washington Capitals team where only established "name" players Jaromir Jagr (77), Robert Lang (69), Sergei Gonchar (67), Peter Bondra (56) and Michael Nylander (56) did better; Miller's major problem was that he was a smallish (5'10", 185 pounds) skilled playmaker who was just not "first-line material" and wasn't good enough defensively to play the two-way game necessary to man a second line in the clutch-and-grab Dead Puck Era of the turn of the millennium.

His AHL totals are impressive (123 goals and 204 assists for 327 points in 326 games and just 188 penalty minutes), but his IHL totals are off the charts (216 goals, 363 assists and 597 points in 468 games), denoting a high skill level and understanding of the game. He retired at age 37 following a 25-goal, 47-assist and 72-point season with the Grand Rapids Griffins, the Detroit Red Wings' development team, ending his career pretty much where it had started.

Ryan's brother Drew Miller and Kip's brother Kevin Miller are the lone members of the family to have suited up for the Wings, while Kip's other brother Kelly Miller also retired after a year with the Griffins. Kevin, Drew and Kelly captained the Spartans, while Kip wore the "A".

Kip is also the only player in NHL history to have had three separate stints with the New York Islanders.

Here's how I'll always remember him, though, as #49 in my Nordiques Numbers Project, sporting the team's amazing dark blue (away) uniform:

That's card #42 from O-Pee-Chee's 1991-92 O-Pee-Chee Premier set, which surprisingly ended up being worth a lot of money but at the time cost relatively little to build (the link gets you a full box for $12). He signed it in blue sharpie between 2005 and 2007, so while he was an AHLer in his final seasons, either with the Chicago Wolves or the Griffins.

Benoit Pouliot Autographed Card

After posting just 19 points for the last-place Buffalo Sabres in 2017-18, it's really no surprise that Benoît Pouliot couldn't find employment in the NHL this year; what's somewhat puzzling is that he couldn't find work in Europe, perhaps in Switzerland, France or even in the KHL.

Many pundits decried - with reason - when he signed a five-year, $20M deal with the Edmonton Oilers in the summer of 2014, but after displaying some decent possession stats with the New York Rangers the previous season, he posted career-highs in Edmonton:

via HockeyDB

It just went downhill from there because of injuries.

He signed a couple of cards for me last season, including this one, #71 in Upper Deck's 2015-16 Series 1 set:

This slots him perfectly as #67 in my Oilers Numbers Project.

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.