Wednesday, November 08, 2017
National Hockey League 2017-2018
Auston Matthews 2017-2018 opc
With the
addition of the Vegas Golden Knights this year, the National Hockey
League now has 31 teams. Each team carries about thirty players, with
a few on the bubble, not always dressing for each game. So now we are
saddled with about 900 players to keep track of, each year.
One of my
strategies to help muddle through the process is to purchase a couple
of sets of hockey cards. I have done it for years, and it helps.
Without resorting to the computer, I am able to lock down plenty of
information about every player. As an example, Joe Thornton is
featured on card # 327. On the front of the card, Joe is pictured
heading up ice with his trusty CCM stick. You can easily identify him
by his beard, which rivals that of the big ol' guy that visits most
of us on Christmas Eve.
On the back
of Thornton's card, in writing that almost requires a magnifying
glass for a septuagenarian's eyes, is a complete record of all of
Joe's pertinent stats for his entire career!! Nineteen seasons boiled
down to fit on the back of a hockey card. A true hockey warrior.
On the other
hand, there is only one season's experience listed on the back of
Auston Matthew's card. But in his first magical season with the
Leafs, Matthews managed to score 40 goals, had 29 assists, and firmly
entrenched himself as a superstar in the NHL. Those are powerful
words coming out of this laptop so early in his career. So far, very
well deserved.
The
O-Pee-Chee set does not include the cards of every player in the NHL.
There are 600 cards in the set. One card for each team is dedicated
as a “Team Check List”. There are special cards for “League
Leaders”...goals, assists, points, penalty minutes, save
percentage, etc. There are ten cards dedicated to “Season
Highlights”. There are also 50 cards of the young players in the
league called “Marquee Rookie” cards. Some of these players may
spend considerable time in the minor leagues this year. For those of
you wintering around Belleville, you can see these young stars in
action. Ottawa's Colin White is pictured on card # 505.
The cards
become available just before the season breaks; therefore, there are
several players shown in last year's uniforms. That will all change
with subsequent printing. As well, there are no Vegas players in the
set. A bit of a disappointment.
Card
companies are also affected by trades. In a recent three-team trade,
Ottawa's Kyle Turris ended up in Nashville, and Colorado's Matt
Duchene has become a Senator. There are several other players
involved in the trade, including Andrew Hammond, an Ottawa goalie who
was expected to see plenty of ice time with the Belleville Senators.
He is now with Colorado.
Duchene, a
Haliburton native, seems pleased with the trade. “I'm excited. It
will be amazing to be close to home. They've got a team that can win
the Stanley Cup. But it was a real pleasure to have player in
Colorado.”
Turris and
Duchene will face off against each other this coming weekend in
Stockholm, Sweden at the Ericsson Globe Arena. All part of the
expanding world of hockey!
When I
return home, I will bring all of my traders with me. We roughly
estimated almost 2 million cards, in that category. There will be a
reduction this summer. I promise!
James Hurst
November 7,
2017
# posted by James Hurst @ 9:21 AM 
