You ever have one of those days?

Nationwide on prime time tv in two countries....



Sweet.


and by the way, three stars for Peter Budaj. Outstanding performance.

I don't believe in coincidence.

I never have. Chance favours the prepared mind and all that. But sometimes... sometimes odd little things happen that appear to be a coincidence.

 

I'm not sure what to call these oddities... so maybe I'll just show you an example.

 

As most of you know, I build the OPC set every year. This year I was actually serious about it, unlike last year.

This year, I went all in, actively trading and seeking out others to trade with rather than waiting passively.

Card shops, card shows, online, whatever... I wanted to finish this set, short prints and all.

 

And I did. Quite quickly and cost efficiently I might add. Not only did I finish the base set with SP's (1-600) I finished the sticker insert set (1-100) and.... AND... the retro parallel set with SP's (1-600).

 

I actually finished all of this quite awhile ago. But a little thing called laziness stopped me from bragging posting about it until now.

 

What does all this have to do with coincidence?

 

Well here is the card, the last card, I needed to complete the regular OPC base set, including the high number SP's.

 

Card #498.  A base checklist. Not even a short print. You'd think I would at least need a short print.

and here is the card I needed, the last card I needed, to finish off the retro parallel set with short prints.

Card #498  A base checklist. Not even a short print. And yes, the same damn checklist I needed for the regular set.

After getting 599 of the 600 cards for BOTH sets, I'd say it took me around two months to finally track down and acquire these last two pieces of the puzzle.

But I guess hard work pays off in the end.

Chance favours the prepared mind and all that.

Knockin' 'em down, one at a time...

That's the thing about us set collectors. We're happy going after sets, with our rumpled lists, even years after initial release. It doesn't bother us to root around in long forgotten boxes, looking for even one card that will put us ever closer to completion.

Of course when you can knock off more than one in a deal, that's all the better.

Perhaps you remember me mentioning a fellow at a card show that remarked on how I never buy from him. Well I made an effort to go to his table this time and see what he had. As luck would have it, he had 7 of the Pop Up inserts from OPC that I needed. I asked him how much, because as per usual, nothing was priced. He picked up his Beckett and after a brief moment of him frantically searching for them, stated he'd let them go for $45.

After I had regained conciousness, I politely declined and moved on to his neighbor. He had three Pop Ups at the front of his table. Again, I asked how much? (why can't people price their frakking cards???)
He said $5 for the lot.
Sold.
And both of us received dagger eyes from the dude that I never buy from.

Sir Patrick of Cup

Along with Marian the Shifty

and Jarome the Lost.

Every card gets me closer....

Then at trade night I found a guy with ten, TEN! Young Guns I needed from various years. I managed to deal for six of them... and it pained me greatly.

 

From the 08/09 set, Okposo and Boedker

and from the 09/10 set, a quartet. Letestu and Gunnarsson...

followed by Grabner and Marchand.

Having to trade for, let alone own, that last card was a painful process. I just had to focus on the number on my list. That generic little number that I got to cross off, nay, obliterate from my list.

I'm gettting closer... every day a little closer. If you can help with any of it, drop me a line.

Auto-matic Cardboard

I have some great stuff to show off from last week's trade night.

 

Do I have any of it scanned?

 

No.

 

But I do have a few cards from last Saturday's card show, so you get that instead.

 

I'm not really working on this set, which goes against my latest attempt at "only buying things from my wantlist" philosophy. However, I am always working on acquiring autos of those who represent this great country at an event held every four years that begins with "O" that I can't mention without getting a nasty letter regarding copyright from their lawyers.

 

But I'm not bitter.

 

Moving on.

 

We have Kim St-Pierre, three time gold medalist at the previously mentioned event. 2002, 2006, 2010. She holds the record for most wins (24) and most shutouts (15), as well as lowest G.A.A. (0.84)

 Interesting (maybe only to me) that during the last three "events", Canada started a different goalie in the gold medal match all three times. St-Pierre in '02, Charline Labonte in '06 and Shannon Szabados in '10.

Up next, Canadian forward Jennifer Botterill. Jennifer also won three gold medals. I wish Jen had moved her sig up half an inch.

 and the third card from the 3 for $5 box, is the second best American women's hockey player ever... Julie Chu. Julie has won two silvers and a bronze.

There you have it. Three pretty cool autographs for $5, and not one copyright infringement. If anyone has any others of these, let me know. Maybe we can swap.

Pot calling the kettle black

From the team that's been an absolute embarrassment throughout the league for the last few years.... we get this beauty from their head coach.



the team with the biggest reputation of diving in all of hockey, has the stones to come out and mouth off about other teams to "protect the sport".

Wow.

Look in your own back yard first pal... you won the Cup doing this, other teams are just following your "success model"...