Posts Tagged ‘Rookie’

I’m thinking that I should wrap this up in a few more parts, so let’s just cut to the chase, shall we?

1961-1966
1967-1970
1971-1973
1974-1976
1977-1978
1979-1980
1981
1982-1984
1985-1986
1987-1988
1989-1990
1991-1992
1993-1995
1996-1997
1998-2000
2001-2002

2003
Grant Fuhr
Pat Lafontaine

Grant Fuhr is not a Hall of Famer. He played 30+ games for 15 of his 19 seasons and during that span, I’d estimate that he had one really good year, four pretty good years, and a bunch of average-to-below average years. His best season was 87-88 when he posted a 40-24-9 mark with four shutouts and a GAA of 3.43. The shutouts and wins led the league, but the GAA was only 15th best. That is like a picture going 20-6 with a 3.76 ERA and winning the Cy Young Award. Would that ever happen? Probably not. I think the reason he won the Vezina was that he led the league in wins for a powerhouse team (Oilers) who won the Cup. During his other pretty good years, he went 113-31-25 with two shutouts and a GAA around 3.76. GUH! It should be worth mentioning that those seasons were with those great Oiler teams, which accounts for the wins. On the other hand, it is worth noting that the high GAA game in an era that experienced a huge scoring boom. Overall, Fuhr is 9th all time in wins, 15th in losses, 69th(!) in shutouts, and 1st in goals allowed. As I said earlier, he has that one Vezina Trophy to go along with four Cups. Is it enough? Nope. Fuhr, in my opinion, is in the Hall because he played on a great team; a team, mind you, that would have probably won those Cups with me in goal. Fuhr is out!

For some reason, I really liked Pat Lafontaine growing up. Like most of the players I followed and deemed “favorite” I have no idea why. During his eleven seasons (of 40+ games), Lafontaine netted 30+ goals nine times, 40+ seven times, and 50+ twice; pretty impressive. On the other hand, he only reached the 100+ point mark twice; not too impressive. He only finished in the top-1o in goals twice, assists once, and points twice. He won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy once and was named to the NHL All-Star 2nd Team once, but never captured a Cup. He is 52nd all-time in goals scored, 97th in assists, and 75th in points. I think he is currently in more for his potential if he could have stayed healthy. Even when healthy, though, he was on the bubble of being one of the truly greats. Sorry Pat, but you are out.

Inducted: No one
Kicked out: Grant Fuhr and Pat Lafontaine

2004
Raymond Bourque
Paul Coffey
Larry Murphy

Three defencemen in one year?!

Let’s start with the best of the lot, Ray Bourque. Twenty-two years in the league, 410 goals, 1169 assists, and 1579 points. Not bad for a defenceman. Bourque finished in the top-10 for assists seven times and in +/- (which is a big stat for blueliners) nine times. For his career, he is 4th all-time in assists, 11th in points, and 3rd in +/-. Now lets look at the individual awards: Calder Trophy, five time Norris Trophy winner, and one Stanley Cup. He was named to the NHL All-Star 1st Team thirteen times and the 2nd team six times. Oh, and he was an ace at the accuracy competition during the All-Star break. No brainer here, Bourque is in.

When Bourque wasn’t winning the Norris, Paul Coffey was. Over 1409 games, he tallied a total of 1531 points which is really good for a defenceman. He finished in the top-10 in assists nine times and  points six times; for his career he is 4th and 13th respectively. Three Norris Trophies and four Stanley Cups only add to his legacy. Finally, he was named to four NHL All-Star 1st Teams and four 2nd Teams. Coffey is in.

Lastly, there is Murphy, who is the weakest of the three. In 1615 games, Murphy put up 1216 points. While definitely a good number for a d-man, not quite as good as Bourque and Coffey. He only finished in the top-10 in assists once and +/- three times. For his career, he is 16th in assists, 40th in points, and 60th in +/-. Ehhhh. He never took home a Norris Trophy but did win the Cup four times. He was named to the NHL All-Star 2nd Team three times. I think in any other induction year, Murphy looks very good, but when you put him in the same class as Bourque and Coffey, he is the odd man out. Sorry, but Murphy is out.

Inducted: Raymond Bourque and Paul Coffey
Kicked out: Larry Murphy

2005
Valeri Kharlamov
Cam Neely

I didn’t want to evaluate Kharlamov because he never played in the NHL, but since I inducted Tretiak, I felt like I had to include him. I’m just going to assume he was great and induct him.

Neely is going to hurt me. Like, emotionally hurt and also, if he reads this, he is going to come to my home and mess me up. Over eleven seasons (of 40+ games), Neely was a force. He finished with 30+ goals seven times, 40+ four times, and 50+ three times including the rare 50 goals in 50 games feat. His career numbers aren’t amazing because injuries shorten his NHL playing days (thanks Ulfie). I think Neely is in the HOF now because he was a prototype at the time. He was big and agile, could score and fight, and was just overall a menacing SOB. Up until that point, there weren’t any real players like him in the league, but that changed shortly after his arrival. His career numbers don’t warrant his inclusion here, but I have to look a little beyond the numbers. Few players were more feared than Neely in the league and he was considered nearly, if not truly, elite during his career. Had he stayed healthy, I have to think he would have been a 500 goal scorer. I can’t, however, include him based on potential (see Pat Lafontaine). I have to be objective and pray that the Veteran’s Committee rights my wrong here. Neely is out.

Inducted: Valeri Kharlamov
Kicked out: Cam Neely

And there you have it. Let’s get to some cards, shall we?

People send me things and it rules. First was Sal at Puck Junk, who sent me an autographed card of Ken Hodge Jr. Unfortunately, I forgot to scan it and I’m too lazy to do it now. It is sweet, though, and much appreciated.

Then there was Captain Canuck over at Just a Bit Offside and Waxaholic. I had sent him some OPC and UD cards he needed for sets and included a Brad Marchand card along with it, since he is a HUGE B’s and Marchand fan. Much to my shock, he hates both the reigning Stanley Cup champs and the feisty winger. Not only did he return my Marchand card, but he included these to keep it company:

So, the Marchand card was the ‘return to sender’ and I checked it for graffiti and was surprised to find none. I LOVE the Horton canvas card, but hate the Kaberle card. Not the actual card, but the player. What a worthless bum and yet, he is front and center in the White House photos. The guy did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING and he is smiling like a dope behind Obama. Ugh. Hey Canuck, how’re you like Mr. Kaberle this season?

Anyways, thanks guy for all the goodies.

Next we have some eBay purchases. There is this:

2001-02 Topps Autographs #A-RF Ron Francis

I will have more to say about Ron Francis in my next Hockey Hall of Pretty Good post, so stay tuned. Ideally, I would have preferred a card of him in his Whalers uniform but I like having a signed card of a HOF player that was autographed during his playing days. Why, I can’t say, but I do.

Next is a card I wasn’t really looking for but I saw it on eBay, the bidding was low, and I figured, “Hey, why not?”

2010-11 Upper Deck The Cup Autographed Rookie Masterpieces #CUP-97 Adam McQuaid

Never did I think I’d actually own a 1/1 (because they don’t really appeal to me). Nor did I ever think I’d own a printing plate card (same reason). And never did I think I’d own either of one of my favorite players. But then eBay happened and it was just too cheap to pass up. So now I have a 1/1 printing plate autographed rookie of Adam McQuaid. Huzzah!

And lastly, I think I’m going to start a Derek Sanderson collection. I have nearly all of his vintage cards, but now he has quite a few new cards put out by Panini as well as some other random Upper Deck cards from the past years. If anyone has any, please hit me up.

I haven’t updated in a bit and with the holidays upon us, I figured it was time for something, so you’re going to get a little bit of everything in this post.

First up is a review of Panini’s 2011-12 Pinnacle release. I had actually forgotten that these were coming out because Panini releases so much junk, that I have started to tune them out. A trip to my LMC jogged my memory and seeing as I like to support local businesses, I ended up buying five packs, mostly because I wanted to get some of the Tough Times inserts. Sadly, I didn’t get any inserts, but that is okay because the base cards were enough to satisfy me.

WAIT, WHAT!?!

Yes folks, it’s true; Panini has managed to release a product that doesn’t totally suck. In fact, it rivals Upper Deck’s main release. Maybe not in terms of lasting value, but at least in terms of photography. Let’s look, shall we?

Here we have “Jumbo” Joe Thornton. Flat on his back. Basking in some as-yet-unknown happiness. So, the first thing about these cards is that they are all in landscape orientation. I don’t really have an opinion on this one way or another, but I applaud Panini/Pinnacle for trying something a little different. The front design is pretty minimal, which I like. I do wish the name and position were just a hair big, but I’m nitpicking. The photo is great, both because it is a non-typical hockey shot and because it captures pure emotion.

Now let’s look at the back…

I have a lot of thoughts on this. First, I really wish they used a different picture OR just replaced the picture with stats, but I get why they didn’t. I do like the write-up they provide which basically tells the story of the picture. Again, I can appreciate Panini/Pinnacle for changing it up. Without stats, though, this set has an Upper Deck Biography of a Season feel to me. I need my cards to have stats!

Before I show you some of the highlights, let me show you what the rookie cards look like…

Basically, it’s the same as a regular card only it has that totally unnecessary Panini foil. WHY?!?!! Panini, you are KILLIN’ ME with this stupid foil stuff. Just stop. Seriously, stop. NO ONE LIKES IT! Not only is it ugly, it takes away from the photography which you have OBVIOUSLY put time and thought into; maybe not with this particular card, but with most of the set.

Here are some more cards…

Teemu is pretty good, eh?

Really cool card of Vrbata shortening his stick.

Really cool Winter Classic shot!

Pussy.

Not a pussy.

I thought Russian judges were notoriously stingy?

Price flashing some leather. Unfortunately I see no puck and will assume it’s in the net.

Anyways, I give the overall base set a B+ and my valuable endorsement as a worthwhile set nearly equal to Upper Deck.

Next up is an early Christmas gift from my uncle. Check out this beauty:

The Rebel League: The Short and Unruly Life of the World Hockey Association by Ed Willes. I can’t wait to read this! I’ll post a review when I finish it.

Next I want to share a couple YouTube clips that are insane. Seriously guys, these clips are mental. There is comedy and then there is a(possibly) coked out Derek Sanderson talking about signing autographs, getting propositioned by female fans, selling surfboards in Australia, and not being thrilled by anything.

You’re welcome.

Lastly, I just got done watching the Bruins put an 8-0 ass whoopin’ on Florida. Sure, they are the Panthers, but they are also first in the Southeast Division. It’s a really good time to be a Bruins fan. Y’know, with them being one of the best, if not THE best team in hockey. They have it all: killer defense, great goaltending, toughness, balanced scoring, and good special teams. Bring it on, NHL. BRING. IT. ON!

Anyways, here is a highlight reel goal by this joker:

Oh, one last card from Pinnacle…

YEAH BITCHES! STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS UNTIL OTHERWISE NOTED!