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If you are like me, you can’t wait to see new jersey designs unveiled by the National Hockey League teams every few years or so. Sure, there are a few team colours that should never change, but as proved by the Calgary Flames this year, you can always create an alternate rendition for a specific game or two that garners tremendous interest.

This month, the Flames unveiled such a special jersey, an alternate look that will be used for the 2011 Heritage Classic outdoor game on Feb. 20 at McMahon Stadium. In the words of the Flames, the team did its best to honour “the history of professional hockey in Calgary, inspired by the Calgary Tigers’ uniform” of the 1920s.

There has been very little modification to the Calgary Flames jersey design these past 30 years, so it is not surprising that some fans are hesitant to embrace the design. Some hockey fans emailed me and said they just didn’t like it, although I didn’t find out if they were Calgary fans or not. There is no question that the main Flames jersey remains very popular, so do keep in mind that the Flames will be wearing that one (as well as a 1980s Vintage version for a number of games) for the rest of the season. This jersey is only scheduled for Feb. 20 in the cold outdoors.

I like the design, especially for its connection to the Tigers from the old Western Canada Hockey League, a league that served as the western counterpart to the NHL in its day. Those Flames played in the old Victoria Arena in Calgary, playing their first match on Dec. 19, 1921. The team produced five Hockey Hall of Fame honoured members: Red Dutton, Herb Gardiner, Harry Oliver, Barney Stanley and Rusty Crawford.

So too does Barry Meisel of The MeiGray Group, the company that sells Calgary’s game-worn jerseys to the public. He points out that, “the Classic jerseys have been a consistent hit. The Calgary Flames have another winner with this throwback uniform that honours the Calgary Tigers. Collectors love unique jerseys – and this one will certainly be in demand.”

So there you have it, like it or not, if you’re a Calgary fan you’ll probably want to add this one to your collection. Kudos to the Flames for their efforts and their connection to the past – which will be part of the spirit for the Heritage Classic. I like the design and can’t wait to see it in action this coming February.

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I struggled the other day as to whether my son should store his new Victory cards in a box or in plastic sheets in a binder. Well, he’s 9 and sometimes a little messy, so I opted for the binder and sheets. Afterward, though, I thought I got it wrong and should have let him play with his stack and kept the cards loose in a box.

When I grew up with 1981 O-Pee-Chee baseball, I didn’t have any binder sheets. (Of course, I didn’t have a DS either). I think I kept my cards under my bed, or maybe on my (clean) desk or in a shoebox. The point was, they were loose for me to hold in my hands. In the summer time, I’d play with my cards every day, sorting them one day by card number and another day by team. Every new pack was a chance to resort my growing pile of cards.

In 1982, I actually sorted all my cards from my favourite player to least favourite player. I even used a pen on the card face to mark my favourites: 001 was Gary Carter, 002 was Andre Dawson, 044 was Jim Palmer.

Today’s market features numerous options for the sports collector. You have different brands that are released throughout the season and that are priced at different amounts. If you’re an adult with lots of disposable cash, you can spend more than a few hundred bucks on a pack of The Cup.

Victory, on the other hand, is the perfect brand to keep loose in the box. Who cares if the corners get dinged once or twice. Sort them back and forth or throw out the players you don’t like. Take an elastic and wrap it around your cards. Take your cards to school and trade them with your friends. Write something on the card fronts, throw your cards up against a wall, and bike with them in the spokes of your bicycle wheels.

Victory hockey cards should be fun. Let them be a fun reminder that you’re still a kid and that hockey is the coolest game in the world.

So when the season starts in October, make sure you take those cards out of the binder and put them in a (shoe) box for your kids. Give them a couple of new packs every Saturday night and let them play with their cards in between intermissions. Let them enjoy a loose stack of cards in their little hands.

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Call me crazy, but do we need rookie cards in every hockey product? Okay, so you can call me crazy, but if we take 2010-11 Victory as an example, there are definitely some products that could use less rookie cards instead of more.

Rookie cards have become a staple to every (modern) hockey card set this past decade. In no way am I suggesting that products like Upper Deck or SP Authentic or The Cup (or the new Certified hockey by Panini) should offer less rookie cards. These products have developed a proven track record over the past 10 years.

While collectors buy those products for the rookie cards (and memorabilia and autograph cards), they don’t buy Victory for the rookie cards. Victory hockey is one of the best entry-level products. At less than $2 a pack, it offers young fans their first sampling of hockey card collecting. As such, the emphasis needs to be on the best of hockey – the all-stars, not the unknown rookies.

If you take this year’s 2010-11 Victory, rookies are seeded in every second pack. There are 50 different rookie cards, all of whom made their debut late last season. That means the selection is pretty weak – it features numerous “prospects” that may never play more than 50 games in their NHL careers.

So why not feature fewer rookie cards in this product? Maybe offer 10 rookie cards that are seeded once in every 10th pack. Ironically, these rookie cards would appear harder to get, even though the odds of pulling any particular rookie card would be identical. At the rate of 50 cards by 1:2 packs, it will take you 100 packs to pull a P.K. Subban rookie card. At the rate of 10 cards by 1:10 packs, it would still take you 100 packs to pull that same Subban rookie card.

To fill that 50-card sheet, the 40 non-rookies would be an additional insert set of star players. Victory hockey already features two inserts of stars – Game Breakers and Stars of the Game. (For the record, 32 players appear in both 50-card “star” subsets with 18 unique players in Game Breakers and 18 more unique players in Stars of the Game). So why not go topical? Create a 20-card insert of Stanley Cup champions (the Chicago Blackhawks) and a 20-card set of International Stars (Olympic champions?) or NHL All-Stars (with photos from the NHL All-Star Game).

So let’s rethink the rookie card and the products in which they appear. Let’s produce fewer Taylor Chorney rookie cards (16 is too much), but still just as many John Tavares rookie cards (19 is just right). Some times, less might just mean more.

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He was a fighter, not a flashy scorer or speed skating magician. Yet, in his own right, Bob Probert was a legend in his time with the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League. He was a terror on the ice and a fan favourite off the ice. In the mold of Dave Schultz, Dave “Tiger” Williams and Dave Semenko before him, he helped craft a special group of collectors that picked up everything of those players who dropped the gloves.

In his day, Probert created enough space around him to score some goals. Then again, he was often close to puck magician Steve Yzerman on the ice, the teammate and captain Probert was sworn to protect. If anyone got close to Yzerman in the late 1980s or early 1990s, Probert was there to straighten them out. During Yzerman’s first 50-goal season in 1987-88, Probert accumulated a league-high 398 penalty minutes (not to mention 29 regular-season goals plus an assist in the NHL All-Star Game). The Red Wings won the Division title and were a force in the playoffs, but eventually came apart in the Campbell Conference final against the Edmonton Oilers.

For his part, Probert played in more than 1,000 NHL games including the playoffs. He played for the Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks, but of course was best known for his time with the Red Wings where he won three division titles. He made it as far as the Conference final twice in the playoffs, but never won an NHL championship. He did win playoff championships with the Ontario League’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (major junior in 1984-85) and American League’s Adirondack Red Wings (minor pro in 1985-86).

What fans remember most, though, were the fights. He was perhaps the most terrifying fighter of his era and would take on anyone and everyone that got in his way.

With Probert’s passing, we look back at the five coolest fight-themed insert names featuring Probert and his fellow fighters.

5. Squaring Off (2002-03 Fleer Throwbacks)
4. Tough Customers (2001-02 Be A Player Update)
3. Famous Scraps (2002-03 Signature Series) or Famous Battles (2005-06 In The Game Tough Customers)
2. Famous Fight Straps (2008-09 SP Game-Used)
1. Drop the Gloves (2002-03 Fleer Throwbacks)

MORE ON BOB PROBERT
- Did you know there are 313 items on the Bob Probert Collector’s Index. His rookie card was issued in 1988-89 O-Pee-Chee.
- In 2007, a 1986-87 Bob Probert game-worn jersey sold for $1,815 in a Classic Collectibles auction

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The Edmonton Oilers have made the right pick in selecting Taylor Hall first overall in the 2010 National Hockey League Entry Draft. Granted, the 18-year old left winger has just been drafted, has yet to play in the NHL and yet to prove himself against the best players in the world. On Draft Day 2010, however, he is the best player available, even if just a hair better than second-overall pick Tyler Seguin now of the Boston Bruins.

The Hall “brand” has profited from plenty of promotion these past three hockey seasons, with good reason. Hall plays for the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League. He won back-to-back Memorial Cup titles and was the first-ever back-to-back winner of the Stafford Smythe Trophy, awarded to the junior championship’s most valuable player.

This past year, both Hall and Seguin were tabbed as the potential first-overall selections. The Oilers waited until Draft Night to make their selection. Said Oilers general manager Steve Tambellini on TSN, “we felt like with Taylor, if you look at his resume of playing with the best team and being the best player, back-to-back Memorial Cup MVPs, prominent in the World Junior tournament, prominent on his own team for his entire junior career. I haven’t met a more competitive player than this young man.”

Hall should make an immediate jump to the NHL to join the up-and-coming Edmonton Oilers. When he does, he will be one of the most popular players on a very young team. Other rookie teammates could be Jordan Eberle (last year’s Canadian Junior Player of the Year) and Magnus Pääjärvi-Svensson (drafted 10th overall in 2009).

Should Hall play in early October, card collectors can expect to start finding his rookie cards in mid November. Hall will be the hot rookie to chase for the first part of the new hockey card season. Jersey collectors can probably start buying new authentic gigs in September when we know which number Hall will choose. As for game-used gear, his Oilers jerseys will be available via the MeiGray Group.

For Oilers fans, Hall represents a better future for a team that has missed the playoffs four-straight years since coming within a game of winning the 2006 Stanley Cup. The Oilers may not return to the Cup final just yet, but with Hall and the young company they have a good chance of returning to the playoffs.

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There are those who believe Paul Henderson belongs in the Hockey Hall of Fame. With no slight to his professional or international career, they believe that one moment – and one moment alone – should be enough to put him in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Henderson’s nomination is always a hot topic at this time of the year – less than three weeks before the Hockey Hall of Fame announces the Class of 2010. He won’t get in this year, but perhaps he will in the future, especially in the panel starts to consider him a Builder rather than a Player. His one moment – his winning goal from the 1972 Summit Series – serves as an iconic reminder of the game’s hold on Canada. Just by being Paul Henderson, he has served as an inspiration to countless young hockey players that keep the game growing in Canada and abroad.

Henderson is also a hot topic right now because his game-worn jersey from the 1972 Summit Series is available for purchase through the latest Classic Collectibles historic hockey auction. People believe that the government should step in and purchase the jersey. We’ll save that topic for another week.

This week, we will discuss which players we think should be in the Hockey Hall of Fame. We’ll look at two groups – first-year eligible players and (past-year) non-honoured retired players.

On the list of “first-year” eligible players, the Hockey Hall of Fame lists 13 different players (http://www.legendsofhockey.net/html/ind10prolog.htm). No offence to Matthew Barnaby, but you definitely do not belong. Sorry to Mike Ricci, Arturs Irbe, Fredrik Olausson, Peter Bonra, Scott Mellanby, Tommy Salo and Tony Amonte. Sean Burke was probably good enough, but he should not get in. Same holds true for John LeClair and Pierre Turgeon. I’m undecided about Eric Lindros, but am sure Joe Nieuwendyk will get in.

There may have been times that Nieuwendyk was not considered as “big” as a player as Turgeon (1992-93 before he got injured) or Eric Lindros (1994-95 when he won the Hart Trophy), but Joe delivered from start to finish throughout his career, be it his 50-goal rookie season, his Stanley Cup championships with three different teams (Calgary, Dallas and New Jersey), or his Conn Smythe Trophy performance in 1999.

Joe Nieuwendyk will be in the Hockey Hall of Fame, be it this year or next.

From the list of “missed” players from past years, there are a few “forgotten” names of note that should be re-considered for the Hockey Hall of Fame. There are plenty of all-star players – guys like Dino Ciccarelli, Doug Gilmour, Steve Larmer, Kevin Lowe and Alex Mogilny – that were very good and are receiving consideration. They are not at the top of my list, but they do indeed deserve further consideration.

The two players that I do think are missing are Pavel Bure and Adam Oates – both superstar players from the 1990s. In Bure, you have the most dominant goal scorer from his era. He was often injured, especially late in his career, but when he was healthy he was better than Jaromir Jagr, better than Teemu Selänne, and maybe even better than Mario Lemieux at putting the puck in the net.

In all, Bure won three NHL goal-scoring titles, the last two which were recognized with the Maurice Richard Trophy (Bure was the first two-time winner of the trophy). Bure did not win a Stanley Cup championship, although he did win a Clarence Campbell Bowl en route to the 1994 Stanley Cup final. He also won a silver medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano.

Oates, meanwhile, was the best passer from his era not named Gretzky or Lemieux. He was definitely the most underrated player during his era, often overshadowed by his goal-scoring linemates. Oates helped Brett Hull win three consecutive NHL goal-scoring titles from 1989-90 to 1991-92 (Oates was traded to Boston in 1991-92). He helped Cam Neely score 50 goals in 49 games in 1993-94 and then helped Peter Bondra win an NHL goal-scoring title in 1997-98 (with the Capitals).

In all, Oates won three NHL assist titles, none of which are recognized by an official NHL trophy. Oates did not win a Stanley Cup championship, although he did win a Prince of Wales Trophy with the Capitals en route to the 1998 Stanley Cup final and a Clarence Campbell Bowl with the Ducks en route to the 2003 Stanley Cup final.

So the next time you consider worthy Hockey Hall of Fame candidates, do not forget Bure or Oates, both of whom deserve their place amongst hockey’s all-time greats.

DID YOU KNOW?
Only 12 players have won the NHL’s goal-scoring title three or more times during their careers. Eleven of them have been inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame (everyone except Pavel Bure). Bobby Hull won or co-won the title seven times while Phil Esposito won six (straight) times. Charlie Conacher, Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe and Maurice Richard are all five-time winners while Pavel Bure, Bill Cook, Babe Dye, Brett Hull, Mario Lemieux and Teemu Selänne are all three-time winners.

Only 12 players have won the NHL’s assist title three or more times during their careers. Eleven of them have been inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame (everyone except Adam Oates). Wayne Gretzky won or co-won the title 16 times (yes, incredible) while Orr won or co-won it five times. The ten three-time winners are Frank Boucher, Bill Cowley, Phil Esposito, Gordie Howe, Jaromir Jagr, Elmer Lach, Mario Lemieux, Stan Mikita, Adam Oates and Joe Primeau.

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Since 1962, fans have come to expect that the Chicago Blackhawks will lose in the Stanley Cup final. Since 1976, the same has held true for the Philadelphia Flyers. This year, one of those two teams is finally going to win.

Both the Blackhawks and Flyers have reached the Stanley Cup final five times since they last won the National Hockey League’s playoff championship. The Blackhawks won in 1961, but then lost in 1962, 1965, 1971, 1973 and 1992. The Flyers won in 1975, but then lost in 1976, 1980, 1985, 1987 and 1997. One of those two teams will set a record with six straight visits without getting to taste any champagne.

Chicago and Philadelphia are both considered “good” hockey markets, although both have run dry in the Stanley Cup final for extended periods. The Blackhawks have the longest streak dating back to 1961 when Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita helped deliver Chicago its first Stanley Cup in 27 years. Chicago’s new streak is 49 years.

In the Chicago marketplace, that streak is not considered long. The Chicago White Sox baseball team went 88 years between World Series championships (1917 and 2005). The Chicago Cubs baseball team has gone 102 years (its last title was 1908).

Should the Blackhawks win, the Toronto Maple Leafs would hold the longest dry spell at 43 years (its last title and Stanley Cup final appearance was 1967). Next in line is the Boston Bruins at 40 years (1970), but there is also the Los Angeles Kings and St. Louis Blues that have never won since entering the NHL in 1967-68. Other teams never to have won the Stanley Cup are the Buffalo Sabres (since 1970-71 expansion), Vancouver Canucks (since 1970-71 expansion) and Washington Capitals (since 1974-75 expansion).

The next longest dry spell is the Philadelphia Flyers: 35 years since their second-straight Stanley Cup title in 1975. For the record, the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team waited only 28 years between its 1980 and 2008 World Series titles, so 35 years for the Flyers is a long time.

So which one of these two NHL franchises will put an end to their long droughts? For hockey fans in one of those two cities, there will be a Stanley Cup parade like none other. For hockey fans in the opposite city, it will be wait until next year for yet another long summer.

WHAT ARE THE ODDS?
The Stanley Cup finalist who played in the NHL Winter Classic has lost each of the last two finals: the Penguins played outdoors and lost the Stanley Cup in 2008; the Red Wings played outdoors and lost the Stanley Cup in 2009. Will the same hold true for the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010?… The Stanley Cup finalist with Marian Hossa on its roster has lost each of the last two finals: Hossa and the Penguins lost in 2008; Hossa and the Red Wings lost in 2009. Will the same hold true for the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010?

HOCKEY HALL OF FAME
Five players from the Chicago Blackhawks’ 1961 Stanley Cup championship team are also honoured members of the Hockey Hall of Fame: Glenn Hall, Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, Pierre Pilote and Al Arbour. Arbour, it should be noted, was in fact honoured as a builder (for his coaching), not as a player… Three players from Philadelphia Flyers’ 1975 Stanley Cup championship team are also honoured members of the Hockey Hall of Fame: Bill Barber, Bobby Clarke and Bernie Parent…. The Blackhawks’ 1961 head coach Rudy Pilous is an honoured member of the Hockey Hall of Fame; the Flyers’ 1975 head coach Fred Shero is not an honoured member.

OLYMPIC CHARM
Three players on the 2010 Blackhawks won a gold medal at the Vancouver Olympics: Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Jonathan Toews… two players on the 2010 Flyers won a gold medal at the Vancouver Olympics: Chris Pronger and Mike Richards. Jeff Carter, it should be noted, did not play, but was a stand by had Anaheim’s Ryan Getzlaf been injured.

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The Edmonton Oilers may think they will weigh their options and consider both Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin before the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, but in truth there is but one option to make. It will be Taylor Hall selected first overall by the Oilers.

Hall and Seguin are equal players, with Seguin in fact rated the best in North America both National Hockey League Central Scouting Service. That was early in the playoffs, though, before Hall took off and got his team back into the Memorial Cup final. We’ll know this weekend whether Hall can lead his team to a second-straight major-junior championship with the Windsor Spitfires.

Fifteen years from now, we may look back and consider that Hall and Seguin are equal players, or that Seguin is better than Hall or Hall is better than Seguin. Who knows, the scouting reports suggest they will both be all-star players. So why, then, is Hall a lock for first overall?

Expectations.

Hall has carried a load of expectations since last year. He is the fan favourite for the first overall pick, something the Oilers brass must consider equally to Hall’s talents. If Hall and Seguin are equal, then why not go with Hall and make the Edmonton fans.

Hall’s first overall selection will also be good for the hobby. Hall will go to the Oilers while Seguin will go to the Boston Bruins, unless there is a trade just before the draft. Both should be in the National Hockey League next season and both should make an early impact, although Seguin may get less ice time with a strong Boston team than Hall will get with a weak Edmonton team.

The Hall-Seguin duo will be a favourite combination for rookie card collectors. They will also good company, starting with high 2009 draft picks Brayden Schenn (who could be in the Memorial Cup final with Brandon) and Nazem Kadri. Other rookie stars that could make their debut in October are Jordan Eberle and Cody Hodgson.

So stop the debate and enjoy the playoffs, Hall will be selected first and Seguin will be selected second. As for who will be selected third, well, we’ll have to weigh our options and get back to you.

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If Panini wants to make a difference in the hockey card hobby, it best pay attention to player selection for the upcoming 2010-11 NHL season. As 2009-10 proved so painfully once again, some of the game’s best young players are often overlooked in today’s NHL card sets.

In a market laden with rookie cards, card companies often forget sophomores and even NHL rookies in favour of “semi” stars and once proven veterans. Sure, they get everybody who makes their NHL debut and even the big guys beyond Year I, but they miss other young stars in Year II or even NHL rookies whose rookie cards may have been issued in previous years.

Goalies Jimmy Howard and Tuukka Rask are two prime examples from the 2009-10 season. Howard’s rookie cards were issued in 2005-06; Rask’s rookie cards were issued in 2007-08. Detroit’s 26-year old Howard has made a breakthrough this season with 37 wins, but he has only been featured in 2009-10 Victory. Rask has had a great year himself and has supplanted last year Vézina Trophy winner Tim Thomas in Boston’s goal. The 23-year old Rask was barely featured in 2009-10 O-Pee-Chee (he is on a four-player quad jersey card), but has no base cards through early May.

It should be noted that Howard and Rask were both featured in 2009-10 Between The Pipes, a goalie-specific set that features American Hockey League players. Howard and Rask were, of course, minor-league goaltenders last year. The duo has played the full season at the NHL level, though, so by January they should have had more NHL cards.

In fairness to the Upper Deck Company, this problem isn’t unique to the 2009-10 season or UDC’s exclusive reign since 2004-05. In fact, this problem goes back more than 10 years to the days of In The Game, Pacific Trading Cards, and the Topps Company. It used to be worse in the late 1990s when card companies didn’t just neglect the rookies and young stars, but also missed the rookie cards.

The first issue at hand is response time. By 2010-11, Howard and Rask will be featured in every set. That is a full year, though, after they got hot as NHL rookies in 2009-10.

The second issue is player selection. Instead of coming back time and time again to Jean-Pierre Dumont or Chris Drury, take a stab at one of the young kids like Howard or Rask.

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The National Hockey League will make a mistake if it renames its annual player awards. The National Hockey League Players’ Association, somehow, did not make a mistake in renaming its annual award.

Nothing against the NHL or NHLPA, but I think renaming seasoned awards such as the Hart Trophy, Calder Trophy or Vézina Trophy is wrong. Those trophies have history and the persons after whom the trophies were named made significant contributions to the game of hockey. I believe in the same tradition and memory carried by the Lester B. Pearson Award.

The Ted Lindsay Award, however, is a fabulous fit. In a way, the NHLPA didn’t really rename its trophy as it did retire the Lester B. Pearson Award and introduce the Ted Lindsay Award. The new trophy itself even recognizes the first 38 winners as recipients of the Lester B. Pearson Award, not the Ted Lindsay Award.

Lester B. Pearson was the Prime Minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968, during which time the NHLPA was created in 1967. He was a significant Canadian, having won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 “for his role in defusing the Suez Crisis through the United Nations.”

Lindsay should have been given a prize for creating the first National Hockey League Players’ Association in 1957. He created the first association with the help of fellow players Bill Gadsby, Doug Harvey, Fern Flaman, Gus Mortson, Jim Thomson, and others. The Association’s mandate was to “promote, foster and protect the interests of the players.” Lindsay was the first president.

For his efforts, Lindsay was branded an outcast. He was stripped of his captaincy in Detroit and then traded to a weak Chicago Blackhawks team for no other reason than to break Lindsay’s will. The NHL owners wanted nothing to do with the players working together for the better good.

That first Association may have been squashed, but as the NHLPA said, “it laid the groundwork for the formation of the current NHLPA… in 1967, the NHLPA was formally ratified as a labour organization whose members are the players in the NHL.”

The Lester B. Pearson award was introduced in 1970-71. It celebrates the NHL’s Most Outstanding Player, as voted by members of the NHLPA. Twenty-two different players won the Pearson Award from 1970-71 to 2008-09.

The new Ted Lindsay award will also celebrate the NHL’s Most Outstanding Player. It will still be the players that cast the ballot, taking part in an annual secret ballot to choose the best player in the game.

According to the NHLPA, Pearson’s name will continue to play an important role within the NHLPA. Along with his name being engraved on the Lindsay Award, the NHLPA’s Goals & Dreams equipment donation will now be made in Pearson’s name to a Canadian youth hockey organization.

Make no mistake about it, the NHLPA got it right in naming this “new” trophy in honour of Lindsay. It is, after all, his legacy that the NHL players are well represented in today’s game.

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