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...] about 1977-78 O-Pee-Chee WHA Has A Difficult Legacy
Old Hockey Card Sets
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...] about The Illustrious 11: Collecting the Hockey Hall of Fame’s First Class
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...] about 1940-41 O-Pee-Chee: Prelude to War
Testing The Waters: 1981-82 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Stickers
One of the most memorable things for Canadian kids growing up in the 1980s was O-Pee-Chee's annual hockey sticker album which let you affix the day's hottest stars to its pages and provided a sense of accomplishment once all the stickers were inside. The fun all started with 1981-82 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Stickers - a test issue purported to only be available in Ontario and Quebec … [Read more...] about Testing The Waters: 1981-82 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Stickers
1958-59 Parkhurst Highlights Hockey’s Greatest Rivalry
If a kid in Canada wanted to get a hockey card featuring a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs or Montreal Canadiens in the 1950s, they only had one option. The 1958-59 Parkhurst set was the place to get them and while the company did not need bells and whistles to grab those nickels from youngsters, a stick of gum was at least part of the offering. While the 1958-59 Topps set … [Read more...] about 1958-59 Parkhurst Highlights Hockey’s Greatest Rivalry
1975-76 O-Pee-Chee Hockey: Traded Cards Come Into Style
One of the greatest quirks about classic O-Pee-Chee cards regardless of sport was that the London, Ontario-based company was quick to update their cards with notations of trades or other player movement. The familiar "Now With..." notation was a part of Canadian childhood for many years as we saw many of our favorite players in their old uniforms since there was not enough time … [Read more...] about 1975-76 O-Pee-Chee Hockey: Traded Cards Come Into Style
1963-64 Parkhurst Closes Chapter in Hockey Card History
Regarded by most vintage hockey card collectors to be one of the visually striking sets ever made, 1963-64 Parkhurst marked the end of the company's run of releases which captured the imagination of Canadian kids who wanted to worship their heroes and chew plenty of gum along the way. With the exception of the 1956-57 season, Parkhurst hockey cards and the closely associated … [Read more...] about 1963-64 Parkhurst Closes Chapter in Hockey Card History
1960-61 Topps Pays Tribute To Old Time Hockey
The game of hockey has long celebrated its rich history and this is especially apparent when it comes to hockey cards. In the post-war era, collectors got their first look at legends on cardboard thanks to the Old-Time Greats subset in 1955-56 Parkhurst, but it only focused on players that had skated for the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs. Just five years later, the … [Read more...] about 1960-61 Topps Pays Tribute To Old Time Hockey
1973-74 Topps Hockey Set Loaded With Hall Of Famers
The 1973-74 hockey season marked a changing of the guard in the NHL. The Philadelphia Flyers became the first team from the 1967 expansion class to win the Stanley Cup, stopping Boston in six games. Topps was also undergoing some changes in its hockey product, most notably expanding its set by 22 to an all-time high of 198 cards. That’s a good thing. Not only did a larger … [Read more...] about 1973-74 Topps Hockey Set Loaded With Hall Of Famers
1969-70 Topps Hockey Set Reflected NHL’s Growth
The 1960s were a time of upheaval and growth for the NHL, and the 1969-70 Topps hockey set put the finishing touches to a decade of change. Topps' wax packs now carried a few more cards but the prices in each sport had morphed from a nickel to a dime between the spring release of baseball and the fall and winter sports. Each pack contained a pair of player stamps (more … [Read more...] about 1969-70 Topps Hockey Set Reflected NHL’s Growth