Cam Neely's Knee

With hockey returning sooner rather than later, I decided it was time to show off some cards of the greatest game on ice.  To be honest, hockey, up close to the ice is the best spectator sport there is.  Lots of action and speed, but on top of the ice you can follow the action.  One of my two favorite sporting events I've attended was a 6-6 tie between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New Jersey Devils.  Mario Lemieux scored two goals and assisted on another, while Claude Lemieux scored two goals and assisted on another for the Devils, keeping things even.  It was just a crazy, wide open, offensive oriented game. 

While I've always been a fan of high scoring defensemen, there is always a soft spot in my heart for Ulf Samuelsson, the enforcer.  He came to the Penguins in the Ron Francis trade, putting the Penguins over the top and sending the Whale to Carolina in the longer term.  The Whalers were not the only team damaged by Samuelsson.  He is most famous for the hit which destroyed Cam Neely's knee.  Sometimes those things happen in hockey. 

Occasionally, you get to sign a hockey card 20 years later.  I actually heard there was a new Samuelsson signature card, but I only won that one today.  In the interim, we can look at one of the very few autograph cards I've purchased and the only hockey autograph I deemed must have.  I am a big fan of the Swedish uniform and to be quite honest, I was a little surprised that Samuelsson played internationally, but not every Swede can be Peter Forsberg.  And someone has to protect him from the likes of Ulf Samuelsson. 



I imagine the person who pulled the card from the box felt the odds beat them.  I, on the other hand, thought I hit the jackpot when I paid something around $2 plus shipping for the card.  I also felt that I was beating the previous owner, like he was Cam Neely, going down clutching his wallet instead of his knee.  Another data point in why I stopped buy unopened boxes of product, since I can't control getting the cards I really want, nor can I get in the range of not wondering, "Why did I spend all that money on these cards and all I got was a lousy Carlos Ruiz relic?" 

So, let the games and hits begin. 

Trade Post: Plaschke, Thy Sweater is Argyle

So, a few weeks ago, I showed a Dodger of some interest on this blog.  It was a double of a card I obtained a year or so ago when I was on the great Dodger hunt of 2011.  That same day, Greg from Plaschke, Thy Sweater is Argyle reached out about its availabilty and after some back and forth negotiation, we were able to rehome the Dodger from close to its ancestral home to their current home.  I won't spoil the surprise of what I traded away, but instead will show the package Greg put together for the lonely card which crossed a nation. 



The Von Joshua moves me one card closer to completing my 1973 Topps set, which at the current rate of movement on my part, should be finished just shy of 2073.  One of these days, my focus will return, probably once I've finished with my T206 set and a smaller pre-war set, which eliminates the N173 Old Judge set from contention. Greg was also able to take some of the cards off my 2012 Topps set list as well.



I also gained his very nice Nicklas Lidstrom relic, numbered 260/599.  As another offensive minded defensemen, I am overjoyed to add a relic of his to my collection.  I'm rapidly moving my way through collecting something from all of my favorite defensemen, with Sergei Zubov moving to the top of the list.  Given that blogging was essentially non-existent, it is quite possible that this is the first time a Sergei Zubov relic topped any list in a blog.



I asked for the Neely, not because I am a Cam Neely fan, but instead, because I have a soft spot for Ulf Samuelsson, much like the insides of Cam Neely's knee.  I regret not tipping the card on its side when scanning and saving, to show the card equivalent of Cam Neely going down.  The Samuelsson itself was a very pleasant surprise in the package and a real favorite.  This is also not the last we will see of Cam Neely's relic on this blog, as he will make a return appearance with his old friend. 



Finally, we had these fine cards.  Player's Cigarettes is a British tobacco company, responsible for many of the tobacco cards still in existence today.  They issued cards containing cricketers, footballers, birds, plants, animals and men in uniform.  Before getting them, I did not know much about them, other than any time you can add something Ulster to your card collection, you pull the trigger, given how rare is it that Northern Ireland is represented.

The cards themselves are part of a 25 card set of Ceremonial and Court Dress cards.  Doing a little sleuthing, I discovered they are from 1911, making them just shy of the oldest cards included in the deal.  I've never said no to adding any new tobacco cards to my collection, though of course, I will now need to avoid searching out the last 23 to complete the run. 

Thanks again to Greg for sending these great additions to my collection.