Back in 1945, respected Canadian author Hugh MacLennan wrote a novel entitled Two Solitudes and it addressed the tensions between French and English Canadians through a mythological lens. A decade-and-a-half later, those tensions were readily apparent on the ice as the Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs battled for NHL supremacy - a rivalry which … [Read more...]
Stickers and More: The History of Early Hockey Inserts
Today, the heads of collectors would explode if a trading card maker decided to release a product without any form of insert. However, earlier generations of hockey card enthusiasts had plenty of premium items inserted into packs at equal odds which are just as desired today as they were when they were being pulled from wax packs. In the post-War era, it took more than a … [Read more...]
Spelling it Out: 1933-34 V252 Canadian Chewing Gum
Hockey's original gum card era began in a memorable fashion during the Great Depression as Canadian kids were looking to escape from the grim reality of the world around them. With the sport gaining national momentum thanks to radio broadcast of Hockey Night in Canada, the thought of getting a picture of your favorite stars and a stick of gum was a tempting way to spend your … [Read more...]
1982-83 O-Pee-Chee: Going Gaga for Gretzky
Following his historic 1981-82 campaign, most of the hockey world was wild for Edmonton Oilers superstar Wayne Gretzky. While there were still some doubters following a 92-goal, 212-point effort, the 1982-83 O-Pee-Chee hockey set was happy to include him on plenty of cards. Heading into this season, American collectors were denied a Topps set and London, Ontario-based … [Read more...]
Mistaken Identity: 1937-38 V356 World Wide Gum Hockey Cards
The largest single-issue hockey card set issued before World War II, the relatively plain 1937-38 V356 World Wide Gum release has never had a sparkling reputation in the hobby. However, it is a collection which still deserves the respect of modern fans since it is a perfect snapshot of the NHL as it edged toward the Original Six era and holds a few secrets that took decades to … [Read more...]
1910-11 C56 Imperial Tobacco Set: The Dawn of Hockey Cards
The first true set of hockey cards, 1910-11 C56 is iconic within the hobby as it dates back to a time before the National Hockey League was formed and the game's early pioneers were playing for the highest bidder. Issued is packs of cigarettes produced in Canada by Imperial Tobacco, the 1910-11 C56 collection came out as hockey stars were emerging as sporting heroes in an … [Read more...]
1954-55 Parkhurst: Preparing For Battle
The hockey card world was turned upside down in the mid-1950s. Canadian kids had a difficult choice to make as they could check out the new competition from Topps or stick with what they already liked with the 1954-55 Parkhurst collection. 1954-55 Parkhurst was the last set to feature all of the Original Six together in one offering. Topps made deals with the teams … [Read more...]
1977-78 O-Pee-Chee WHA Has A Difficult Legacy
Down to eight teams heading into the 1977-78 season, the World Hockey Association was on its last legs, but that did not stop them from being involved in a trading card project for the fourth straight year. The 1977-78 O-Pee-Chee WHA set marked the end of an era, whether or not collectors cared much at the time. Even now, it appears that O-Pee-Chee got a little overzealous … [Read more...]
The Illustrious 11: Collecting the Hockey Hall of Fame’s First Class
A great deal of attention gets paid to baseball's original Hall of Fame class from 1936, but in other sports, there is less discussion about their pioneering players and builders. In the case of the Hockey Hall of Fame, the first group of inductees were an impressive group - even if some of those names have been forgotten today. Some of them are still relevant to modern … [Read more...]
1940-41 O-Pee-Chee: Prelude to War
With World War II raging on, kids in Canada needed some form of escape from the awful realities of the world around them and O-Pee-Chee, who had been bringing cards of hockey heroes to the nation's youth was ready to wrap up its original run. With the 1940-41 O-Pee-Chee collection, it was the continuation of a large 5" x 7" offering from the previous year and it was the last … [Read more...]