Police in Canada have made an arrest in connection with the theft of what police say was more than $500,000 worth of Wayne Gretzky memorabilia from the Ontario home of his 82-year-old father, Walter Gretzky. The Brantford Police Service, in a joint investigation with the Ontario Provincial Police and with the assistance of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, say a man from … [Read more...]
“Before They Were Pros” Video Library Auction Includes Kobe, LeBron, Shaq
Over 22 hours of Kobe Bryant high school game and interview footage will be going up for auction on July 23rd in Los Angeles. The Bryant footage dates to the mid-1990s and is a part of the media library of award-winning sports reporter Stu Ross, from his locally produced syndicated TV program, High School Sports Show. The entire library covers over 700 of some of the … [Read more...]
Notes: Records for Gretzky Stick; ’52 Mantle; Kobe Jerseys to Auction; Lindor Opens His Own Set
The stick Wayne Gretzky used to score the Stanley Cup-winning goal for the Edmonton Oilers in 1988 has sold for $29,462, the most ever paid for a game-used NHL stick according to Montreal-based Classic Auctions, which sold it as part of its first major auction of 2020. Items from the collection of the late Hall of Famer Jean Beliveau also drew a lot of interest. … [Read more...]
Vintage Pack Facts: 1980-81 O-Pee-Chee Hockey
Coming off a wild season where Gordie Howe retired, Wayne Gretzky rose to prominence, and the New York Islanders won their first of what proved to be four straight Stanley Cup championships, Canadian kids were ready to bust open packs of 1980-81 O-Pee-Chee. No one could possibly expect then that this set would prove to be arguably the decade's best in terms of rookie and … [Read more...]
New Tim Hortons Ad Tells Story of a Young, Autograph-Seeking Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Gretzky is thought by many to have been hockey's greatest player of all time. Now, through a special video called The Autograph, Tim Hortons Restaurants chain is telling the story of how a young Gretzky was inspired by hockey great Tim Horton. Horton, of course, was not just a star player. He was the co-founder of the popular Tim Hortons coffee and donuts chain … [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...]
Notes: Gretzky Collector’s Crazy Tattoo; Ruth Jersey on Nightly News; Gary V Touts Cards Again
He's been called the Gretzy of Gretzky collectors. Shawn Chaulk has sold off some of the remarkable number of game-worn Great One items he had in his world class collection but he now has something he can't sell. He'll take this one to the grave, too. Some take their love of sports cards to extreme levels like Mikey Douglas, the California man who put a T206 … [Read more...]
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...]
1988-89 O-Pee-Chee Hockey: Gretzky’s Move, Hull’s Rookie, Variations… and a Counterfeit Case
The hockey world changed forever on August 9, 1988 as the Edmonton Oilers shockingly traded Wayne Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings and the move also had an immediate impact on the 1988-89 O-Pee-Chee set - which was in the process of being designed by the folks at Topps. While the Topps set was traditionally released around the start of the season, O-Pee-Chee had a little bit … [Read more...]
1984-85 O-Pee-Chee: The End of an Era
For just over a decade, Canadian kids had the same amount of hockey cards to collect each year. The "396" era came to a close with 1984-85 O-Pee-Chee - a set which ranks among the best the company ever released thanks to a sharp and colorful design, tons of big rookie cards, and an awesome contest. What the card-buying public north of the border was not prepared for, though, … [Read more...]