Al Muir

1997 Upper Deck All Star You Crash the Game Giveaway checklist, history, redemption details and why the hockey cards are so scarce today.

No one saw this coming. Chris Kreider had always been a solid top-six forward, putting up at least 20 goals in six of his past seven seasons with the New York Rangers. He brought a lot of value to the team with his speed and aggressive work around the crease (just ask Carey Price about his handiwork some time). Getty Images But the distance from solid contributor to 50-goal man is a Grand Canyon-like span and Kreider, who had never before scored as many as 30 in a season, seemed like an unlikely…

You might not know Dean Barnes, but you might have seen his collection. It recently traveled the country as part of the NHL’s Black Hockey History Tour. Meet Dean: “My name is Dean Barnes. My parents emigrated to Canada from Jamaica via England in the late 1960s, and I was born in Hamilton, Ontario. I’m passionate about education and learning, mental health and well-being, and sports. I was a multi-sport athlete, including hockey, when I was younger. The highest level I reached was playing for t…

This was the season that Jonathan Quick was supposed to gracefully step aside and let Cal Petersen assume the role of starting goalie in Los Angeles. After all, the Kings exposed the netminder for the expansion draft – Seattle passed – and signed his understudy to a three-year, $15 million contract extension. The time, it seemed, had come. But it turns out the veteran wasn’t quite ready to hand over the reins. Quick has been proven to be the best option this season for a surprising Kings team that’s exceeded expectations. This isn’t the first time that Quick has turned […]

Canada reclaimed Olympic gold in Beijing with a team many consider to be the fi nest women’s squad ever assembled. Thanks to Upper Deck you can add all of them to your collection, starting with these six key singles. 2018-19 Upper Deck Team Canada Juniors #79 Sarah Nurse The 27-year-old entered the tournament as Canada’s fourth-line center, but came home with the record for most points in a single Olympics. Nurse opened the scoring in the gold-medal game, then added an assist to pad her totals t…

When Tuukka Rask under-went surgery last year to repair a torn labrum in his hip, there was always a chance that the Boston Bruins netminder wouldn’t be able to continue his career. Still, it seemed wildly unfair when the 35-year-old had to curtail his comeback after just four games and announce his retirement. “Today is a day that I hoped would never come,” Rask said in a statement. “But now that it’s here, I feel I owe it to everyone to hear it from me. Over these last few weeks, I’ve realized that my body is not responding the way […]

These 10 Steven Stamkos hockey cards help tell the story of his Hall of Fame career from the juniors through to the Stanley Cup.

Paul Johnson first applied his love of set building to vintage series. Now, the father of two has a more modern perspective on the hobby. Meet Paul: “My name is Paul Johnson and I’ve been collecting since I was a kid. I’m now 55 years old and live in London, Ontario with my wife Karen, my daughter Taylor, and my son Bradley.” Getting Started: “My father got me started collecting cards. He’s now 87-years old and I’m glad to have shared some of my collecting exploits with him. “Like most kids, I started by trading with others and discovered the […]

Within days of the IIHF U18 Tournament ending in Texas, a slew of cards featuring Shane Wright, Connor Bedard, Matvei Michkov and other top stars from the event began appearing on eBay. The cards, emblazoned with logos of the event and sponsor Tissot, were offered out of Russia and featured members of the Canadian, Russian, Finnish, Swedish, and American teams. Asking prices for the singles started at $29.99 and went up as high as $99.99 for the big names. It appears several of them sold. Natura…

The first time Jamie Thomas saw artistic impressions of NHL stars inside an issue of Beckett Hockey, he knew exactly what he wanted to be. Now, more three decades later, the 41-year-old resident of Barrie, Ontario is living out his dream by having one of his pieces appear on the cover of the magazin…

Details on the first Connor Bedard hockey card, which is part of the 2020-21 Regina Pats team set. Includes print run info and more.

Here are seven hockey cards that helped shape and exemplify the decade.

Meet Recchi: “Hi, I’m Recchi. I’m a 13-year-old student from Baie-Sainte-Anne, New Brunswick. And yes, I got my name from NHL Hall of Famer Mark Recchi. When my parents were dating, my dad was a big Recchi fan, so whenever my mom was studying and my dad was watching the Montreal Canadiens play, she would always hear the name Recchi. One day, she said to my dad, ‘You know what, if we ever get married and have kids, we’re naming one Recchi.’ And that’s where I got my name from. “Just a few months ago, I reached out to Mr. […]

Profile of Joe Coppeto and his collection of Mike Richter cards and memorabilia.

Paul Zickler, Upper Deck's Hockey Brand Manager, talks about his job, Easter Eggs, the impacts of the pandemic on the hobby and what's coming next from UD.

You’ll notice this is a different approach to the Super Collector column … because Ed McGrogan is a different kind of collector. Ed serves as the Senior Editorial Manager for Tennis Magazine and Tennis.com, so he knows how to tell a story. When he asked for free rein to discuss his jaw-dropping Brian Leetch collection, we were happy to oblige. For player collectors, it was the Roaring Nineties. The quantity of cards available to chase posed a challenge, unlike the 1980s, but the quality of cards…

Panini has an exclusive autograph trading-card agreement Rangers winger Kaapo Kakko and his soon-to-be teammate Vitali Kravtsov.

List and analysis of 10 of the best Miro Heiskanen hockey cards from his rookie season with the Dallas Stars. Includes RCs, inserts and more.

Although he didn’t take the hobby by storm in 2018-19, here’s why Dallas defenseman Miro Heiskanen could become the season’s top rookie.