I showed Alex Daigle the autographed photo. It’s a big print – 11” x 14”. He is on the ice, wearing a black Pinnacle jersey. His eyes light up and a smile fills his face from east to west. “I remember this photo shoot,” he said. “We did a promotional photoshoot for Pinnacle in Laval. It was before the draft.” At that point, Alex Daigle called his kids over to show … [Read more...] about Three Decades After The Pinnacle Nurse Outfit Ad, It’s Time To Give Alexandre Daigle Some Love
1990s hockey cards
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
30 Years Ago, A Hockey Strike Was In The Cards
If you are an older hockey collector or even a fan, you might have some memories of what was happening on the ice 30 years ago in early April. Nothing. The NHL Players Association went on strike for the first time in April, 1992. They walked out immediately after the end of the regular season, putting the playoffs in jeopardy. The timing was perfect for them. The players … [Read more...] about 30 Years Ago, A Hockey Strike Was In The Cards
Remembering a Chat with Legendary Coach/Collector Scotty Bowman
I love looking back through my old notes, and I have become very fixated on what happened 25 years ago. There are a few reasons for this. I was transitioning from being the editor at Canadian Sports Collector and a part-time Pinnacle consultant and card back writer to becoming a full-time product development and brand manager at Pinnacle. And while any mention of the year … [Read more...] about Remembering a Chat with Legendary Coach/Collector Scotty Bowman
25 Years Later: An All-Star Goalie And The Fans On Flight 407
In my lifetime of more than 50 years in the hobby, there are a few memories that mean more to me than any piece of cardboard or signature. One of those memories happened 25 years ago this week, and I am still shaking my head that it happened half of my hobby life ago. I was standing in the San Jose airport, waiting for my flight to come home from the 1996-97 Pinnacle NHL … [Read more...] about 25 Years Later: An All-Star Goalie And The Fans On Flight 407
30 Years Later: Looking Back at 1990-91 Score Hockey
Last month, we took a look at the inaugural Upper Deck Hockey card set, which celebrated its 30th anniversary this season. Upper Deck was not the only new entry into the NHL hockey card market during the 1990-91 season. In fact, one set that was just as responsible for creating buzz, hype and explosive growth in hockey card collecting was the first Score Hockey card … [Read more...] about 30 Years Later: Looking Back at 1990-91 Score Hockey
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
A Collector’s Guide to the 2019 Hockey Hall of Fame Inductees
The annual announcement of new inductees by the Hockey Hall of Fame always creates discussion among fans - especially in years where there are some controversial choices made by its Selection Committee. This year, there has been plenty of uproar over the talents that are being enshrined in November. No matter how they feel, many hobbyists are already on the hunt for rookie … [Read more...] about A Collector’s Guide to the 2019 Hockey Hall of Fame Inductees
Hockey’s 10 Most Underrated Rookie Cards Of The 1980s
For the generation that grew up watching hockey in the 1980s, there are plenty of heroes from that era which are still heavily praised. The exploits of players like Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Mike Bossy and many others are well-remembered, but there are also those that were stars at the time which have been forgotten or are in danger of fading into the ether of hockey … [Read more...] about Hockey’s 10 Most Underrated Rookie Cards Of The 1980s