While this isn't the same as a traditional box break, it was still a box of cards with at least some randomness to it. I received this Vegas Golden Knights inaugural season box set as a Christmas gift, but never really got a chance to scan everything and show it here.
In this box you are guaranteed a full 50-card base set as well as five Golden parallels. These were retailing for $19.99 at the time and can still be found for sale at various online retailers. I had always wanted to get one, but never got around to it for whatever reason.
Here is what's available in one of these boxes:
- 35 Base Cards
- 15 Season Highlights
- 5 Golden Parallels
- Autographs (1:20 boxes)
We'll get things started with the base set. There is a nice selection of players in this set, although now that we are two seasons removed from the inaugural one, some of them are no longer with the team. I chose to show Malcolm Subban here because he was one of my favorite players on the Knights while he was there.
As far as the base design, I actually like the overall look. The only negative would just be the amount of text all crammed together at the bottom of the card. I think it would've looked better with the primary logo instead of the full word mark.
The back of the cards are are very nicely done. I really like the use of both logos here. It's a shame they recycled the photo from the front though. I would've been nice to see a separate photo here, maybe with the player shown in the opposite color jersey.
Here is what's available in one of these boxes:
- 35 Base Cards
- 15 Season Highlights
- 5 Golden Parallels
- Autographs (1:20 boxes)
We'll get things started with the base set. There is a nice selection of players in this set, although now that we are two seasons removed from the inaugural one, some of them are no longer with the team. I chose to show Malcolm Subban here because he was one of my favorite players on the Knights while he was there.
As far as the base design, I actually like the overall look. The only negative would just be the amount of text all crammed together at the bottom of the card. I think it would've looked better with the primary logo instead of the full word mark.
The back of the cards are are very nicely done. I really like the use of both logos here. It's a shame they recycled the photo from the front though. I would've been nice to see a separate photo here, maybe with the player shown in the opposite color jersey.
Interestingly, Subban is one of 5 goaltenders featured in the set, all of whom actually did make at least one appearance for the Golden Knights during that season. Subban played 22 games and helped the team make the playoffs. The others were Marc-Andre Fleury (46 GP), Maxime Lagace (16 GP), Oscar Dansk (4 GP) and Dylan Ferguson (1 GP).
Of the remaining 30 base cards featuring forwards and defensemen, there are some familiar names and some not-so familiar names. Some of the key names in this set are William Karlsson (43G-35A-78P), Jonathan Marchessault (27G-48A-75P) and Reilly Smith (22G-38A-60P), all of whom are still with the team as of right now.
Some of the not-so familiar names would be Vadim Shipachyov (1G-0A-1P), Tomas Hyka (1G-2A-3P) and Stefan Matteau (0G-1A-1P). They combined for 21 games played and are names that I vaguely remember from that first season, but nowhere near as much as the core group that led the team to the Stanley Cup Final.
In addition to the base cards, there were 15 Season Highlights cards featuring significant moments throughout the season. This one focuses on the Golden Knights home opener on Oct 10, 2017. I remember watching this entire game as well as the pregame speech by Deryk Engelland. That game really cemented my fandom of this team.
Design wise these are very similar to the main base cards, just rotated 90 degrees with even more text. The front has a quick note listing the date and describing what is shown on the card. The back has a more detailed write-up as you can see below.
Lastly we have the golden parallels as promised on the box. Of the five I decided to show off Marc-Andre Fleury. These definitely look better than the scan as the gold foil pops a lot more in better lighting. They are not serial numbered or anything like that, they just have the gold foil VGK logo and some fancy decoration on either side.
If it were up to me, I would've gone with the primary logo instead of the word mark. This would work out nicely for the golden parallels as you could just swap out the standard printing for the gold foil. This would also help cut down on the clutter caused by the current gold foil design sitting above all that text.
Overall I was very happy with this box, especially considering I didn't even have to pay for it myself. Its a nice way to commemorate that first season on cardboard and should be a part of any Golden Knights collection.
Beyond this awesome trading card set, there are some other great ways to relive that amazing first season. While game highlights on YouTube are always fun to watch, I highly recommend checking out the documentary film "Valiant" by Cruz Angeles.
Released in 2019, the film provides an in-depth look at the team's first season in Vegas. I bought myself a copy on Amazon and have watched it multiple times now. If you click on the linked photo below it will take you to the film's website for more information.
Hopefully things can start getting back to normal soon and somewhere down the road the Golden Knights can finish what they started that year and capture the Stanley Cup.
Golden Knights Collection Total: 94
Very cool. I'm tempted to pick up one of these box sets. I remember my parents jumped on the Knights band wagon that first season. It bugged me a little, because they never show any interest in the Sharks when they lived here... but they loved the Knights. Oh well... it made them happy, which makes me happy.
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