The hockey world went into a state of shock on August 9, 1988 when the announcement of Wayne Gretzky's trade from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings was made. The ripple effect of the biggest deal in NHL history to that point and beyond was instant and widespread - and one of the biggest impacts was in the hockey card market. Coming off his fourth Stanley Cup … [Read more...] about The Big Deal: Wayne Gretzky’s Move South Changed the Hobby Forever
1990-91 Upper Deck
Spring Expo 1991 Flashback: How The Hottest Product In The Hobby Became A Punch Line
With the Toronto Spring Expo fast approaching, I wanted to go back through time and think about some memorable shows from past years. I attended by first Toronto Spring Expo in 1991. I had just started working for Canadian Sportscard Collector magazine, which in its infancy was in a newspaper format rather than a magazine format. While the show has always been very … [Read more...] about Spring Expo 1991 Flashback: How The Hottest Product In The Hobby Became A Punch Line
Game Changer: 30th Anniversary of Upper Deck Hockey Slips By
Sometimes anniversaries are celebrated, and sometimes they come and go. This year, a big one came and went without much fanfare at all. This was the 30th anniversary of the 1990-91 hockey card season. That was the season that the hockey card market took off. It was also the year that Upper Deck released its first set of NHL hockey cards, one that changed collecting and the … [Read more...] about Game Changer: 30th Anniversary of Upper Deck Hockey Slips By
Glasnost on Ice: Collecting Rookie Cards of the NHL’s First Soviet Players
Heading into the 1989-90 season, hockey fans were intrigued by the arrival of talents from the Soviet Union, but hockey card collectors would have to wait a year - and for the hobby to boom - before adding most of them to their collections. All told, ten players from behind the Iron Curtain skated for an NHL club in 1989-90 and while some of them were bound for the Hockey … [Read more...] about Glasnost on Ice: Collecting Rookie Cards of the NHL’s First Soviet Players
1990-91 Rookie Card Recap: The Hockey Prospecting Market Arrives
Longtime hockey card collectors will remember the 1990-91 season as the year that the hobby boomed as three new manufacturers became licensed by the NHL and NHLPA. The arrival of Pro Set, Score, and Upper Deck was a watershed moment and produced an incredible rookie card class which is loaded up with Hall of Famers, memorable stars, infamous fighters, and more. Whether you … [Read more...] about 1990-91 Rookie Card Recap: The Hockey Prospecting Market Arrives