Jimmy Howard: 2014 Winter Classic Mask

In my last post I showed a few pictures of Howard's new Christmas mask. Well, that's not the only new mask he has this season. In addition to that, his primary mask and special breast cancer mask, he has a fourth to add to the list for this season. That of course is the mask for the upcoming 2014 NHL Winter Classic in Ann Arbor. 

This one is once again painted by Ray Bishop of Bishop Designs and looks awesome. It makes great use of the new Red Wings logo on the Winter Classic uniforms. It also uses the vintage white which goes great with this shade of red. 

It's even got some similarities to his other masks with the old school "D" on the chin and the stripes running up the center and along the sides. I love the addition of the spotlight reflections all over the mask. 

Hopefully Howard is back and ready to play in this game. If not it would be a shame to see this mask go to waste. It'll look great with the retro themed pads that he has in the works. Click here to see a picture of those. 

Jimmy Howard: 2013 Christmas Mask

Since I am still going to focus on collecting Jimmy Howard, I thought I would continue posting any new masks of his here on the blog. In this case Howard and Ray Bishop of Bishop Designs have come up with something pretty neat for the holiday season. Here is a look at the pictures posted on Bishop Designs Facebook page:

Not something you see everyday is it? I love the idea of doing a Christmas themed mask like this, especially with a team like the Red Wings that has red as a primary color. I like how the old fashioned "D" is showing through on the chin an how the Wings logo was worked in on the bottom of either side. What do you guys think of it? 

According to this article from The Windsor Star, Howard was supposed to wear this mask earlier in the season and auction it off for charity. That hasn't happened yet because of his recent knee injury, but he may be able to get it some game action here soon. 

Super Script Update

Man it's been a while since I got myself one of these for my collection. In fact, the last time I did land one was all the way back in April of this year. That was about when I started to get bored with collecting, so one of the last sets I bought things for is the first set I've jumped back into this time around.

This one comes courtesy of eBay and features Byron Ritchie of the Carolina Hurricanes. It's card #41 in the set and is serial numbered 18/25. Here's a look at it:

This brings me to 51 for the Super Scripts. 51 out of 220 may not sound like much, but it's still far more than I ever imagined myself getting to with this set. I guess with a little patience and a lot of time, you can pretty much go after any set out there. As long they're not all 1 of 1's though, right?

Refocusing My Collection

I've had a few months away from the hobby now and honestly it's been awesome. I found myself a new hobby (model railroading) this summer and really just lost interest in collecting cards for a while. Not sure why, I was totally into it from late 2009 through April of this year.

I even contemplated giving up completely and selling off my collection to help pay for my new expensive hobby. I came close but decided to hold onto everything and just wait until I felt the need to collect again. For whatever reason I think that time is now. The new hockey season is in full swing and I've been trying to follow the Red Wings as closely as possible, which has refueled my interest in hockey in general.

Now that I've had a chance to take a step back and look at my collection as a whole, I think there is some cutting back that can be done. I think having three separate player collections is too much for me. I think having so many set projects going at the same time is too much for me. All that being said, here's what I plan on reducing my primary collecting goals to:

1) Jimmy Howard
This has been the main focus of my collection for the last few years and I plan to keep it that way. Howard is still my favorite player and even though he's having an off-year, I still want to keep adding to the collection. He has some really neat cards out there right now and I've got almost a year's worth to catch up on at this point.

2) MVP Stanley Cup Edition Parallels
This set is one of the reasons I started the blog and it remains a top priority, although with a slight change in direction. Rather than trying to go for the master set, I'd like to focus on only the Silver, Gold, and Super Scripts for now. I'll hold onto the other inserts and what not, I just won't continue to pursue the rest of them. This makes completion feel a lot more attainable and the parallels are the only reason I started going after this set, it just got out of hand when I thought to do the entire master set.

3) Detroit Red Wings
I've been collecting Wings cards since the day I got into hockey cards. I like the variety that you get when collecting a team, especially one of the Original Six. I don't plan on going after any big ticket items, but I will continue to be on the lookout for cool base and inserts to add to this ever expanding part of my collection.

4) Metal Universe
Here's another one that I plan to stick with, only with more changes. I'm going to forget going after the inserts and focus solely on the base sets. I say sets because I'm adding the 12-13 set from UD Fleer Retro. I love the look of both sets and they would look great next to one another once completed. I'm just three cards away from having the original 96-97 set done and there are 60 cards for me to go after with the new set.

5) Side Projects
I'm going to lump together my Goaltending Gallimaufry, Captured on Cardboard and Masks into this category. I'm no longer going to keep track of which Mask cards I need on the sidebar, I'll just keep a count of what I have and add them as I come across great deals. The other two projects are probably the most fun I have collecting since they give new life to base cards, so I really want to continue to pursue both of them.

So that's the plan for now. I am not planning on coming back into the whole collecting thing at the level I was at before. Now that I have another time-consuming and relatively expensive hobby competing with this, I will be a lot more selective on which cards I buy and when. That being said, I do not plan on getting back into a post per day pace or anything, I'll just try to be more active than I have been for the last 8 months or so. 

Jimmy Howard: New Mask for 2013-14

I'm still here, alive and well, just haven't been very active in the whole card collecting thing for a few months now. So even though I'm still on a break from collecting, it doesn't mean I'm not excited for the 2013-14 season and all the new goalie mask art that comes with it. Jimmy Howard is still my favorite player and I was definitely looking forward to seeing what he would be wearing this season. Here's a look at his new lid.

Just like last year, this mask was done by Ray Bishop of Bishop Designs. It features the Spirit of Detroit holding up the Detroit skyline on either side of the mask. On the chin it's got the old school "D" inside a shield with red wings coming out of either side.

Bonus: Here is a look at Jimmy's other mask for breast cancer awareness. Click here to read the full story over at In Goal Magazine. It's a pretty cool looking mask if you ask me. I just really hope Panini or UD thinks to get pictures of it on some of his cards. They would go perfectly with my Goaltending Gallimaufry project. 

Anyway, I haven't completely given up on cards. I'm still searching eBay once in a while for any new Howard stuff, but none of it really makes me want them that badly. I may rethink some of my collecting priorities in the near future to better streamline my collecting goals. In the mean time, I'm kind of busy with other things, so who knows when that will be. 

Taking a Break

It's been over a month now since I've posted anything on here and that is the longest I've ever gone between posts. For whatever reason, I made a point of keeping up a post-per-day pace back in April and I just felt burned out after that. Since that time I've somehow completely lost interest in this blog and collecting hockey cards. 

Part of that was getting wrapped up in the Red Wings surprise playoff success against the Duck and near success against the Blackhawks. The rest just comes down to the fact that collecting has fallen on my list of priorities. I've got a lot going on at home and work, leaving little time for the hobby I love. Then I spent last week in Costa Rica away from everything and that felt great, so why not continue on with one less thing to worry about?

The view from our room in Cost Rica

All that being said, I contemplated giving up on the hobby entirely, but then thought about it for a second and decided that I would just take an extended break from blogging and collecting. I still pop on here once in a while to see what's going on with other blogs as I will continue to read them, but that's about it until I get motivated to collect again.

Until then, thank you to everyone that has stopped by over the last few years. I am glad to have been a part of the hockey card blogosphere and am definitely looking forward to a time when I can get back at it. By the way, one last thing: Go Bruins!

Pack Break: 2010-11 Upper Deck Series 1

Here is the last of the regular packs from my Meijer mystery cube. I've busted plenty of packs of 2010-11 Upper Deck Series 1 before, but you can never go wrong with a pack that can potentially yield a Young Gun rookie card.

Here are the listed odds for this pack: Young Guns (1:4), 20th Anniversary (1:4), 20th Anniversary YG (1:48), Brodeur Missing Link (1:5000), Hockey Heroes (1:12), All-World Team (1:12), All-World Team SP (1:120), UD Game Jerseys (1:24), EA Super Stars (1:8).

Here's another look at the wrapper:

And here's a look at the eight cards inside:

Well, no Young Guns this time, but I did at least get the Hockey Heroes header card that can help me complete the Steve Yzerman version of the set for my Red Wings Collection. I even pulled the portrait card a while back, so I should be pretty close to having all of them now. 

There was nothing special among the other seven cards. In fact, I think I already have copies of most of them so these are all going right into my traders box.

Thoughts: Consistency

Not sure if anyone even noticed, but I went the entire month of April averaging at least a post a day. I did this on purpose to see if I could stick to my goal of maintaining a post per day pace for at least one month. While I managed to achieve that goal, it was not the easiest thing to do given how little time I have for this hobby sometimes. 

Now that April has come and gone, I've gone almost a week without posting now and I have to say its actually kind of nice. It's good to get a break once in a while, isn't it? There's no scrambling to throw something together just to meet an arbitrary goal. 

Part of the reason for the lack of posts has been watching playoff hockey at night. he other part of it is that I ended up traveling this past weekend to see family instead of heading up to the spring expo like I had hoped. It actually ended up being a pretty nice weekend away and has got me refreshed and ready to get back into the hobby the best I can this month. 

Our vacation spot of choice: Michigan's Upper Peninsula

I don't know if I will be able to keep that one post per day pace going, but I will definitely try. Blogging about hockey cards and my collection is actually one of the more relaxing things I get to do, so why shouldn't I try to do as much as I can?

Pack Break: 2009-10 MVP

Let's get back into the packs that came out of the Meijer mystery cube I bought recently. The fourth pack I opened was from 2009-10 MVP, which I have opened several of in the past. I never got anything spectacular and expected more of the same here. 

The main draw for any of the MVP sets has been the script parallels, and in this case there are golds numbered to 100 and supers numbers to 25 like previous iterations. Not sure if you can even get these from retail pack though, anyone know either way?

First, here's a look again at the wrapper:

Here's a look at what was inside:

As expected, nothing spectacular, but I did manage to at least get one of the MVP Rookies. I have to say this is one of my least favorite MVP base set designs. I wish they would've never switched to including the silver signatures on the base cards, what was wrong with the way it used to be? Would you prefer the base cards to have nothing but the MVP logo?

Jimmy Howard: A Pair of Parallels

Gotta love coming home from work to another bubble mailer and knowing what's waiting inside. These two additions to my Jimmy Howard collection once again come from the bay thanks to another great deal. The second was actually just a "bonus" to the first one which was in the title of the listing. I got both for just $1.99 plus shipping.

The first and more limited of the two comes from 2012-13 Panini Limited, specifically the silver version of the base set. It is clearly serial numbered 18/49 in the upper left corner. I have to say I love the look of this set in person. The only thing that would make this card better would be Howard shown in the home red jersey.

The second one is an unnumbered red hot parallel from 2010-11 Panini Zenith. This card looks so much better than the scan. Its really cool to see the different ways it reflects light off the surface. I'm definitely glad they went with the road white on this one.

The cool thing about this one is that it completes another rainbow for my Howard collection. Here is a look at it alongside the base and white hot parallel.

Who doesn't love rainbows? This one may not be the greatest with all the 1 of 1's out there, but its still a pretty neat accomplishment for a player collector like me. This makes two of these now, the other being from 2010-11 Victory.

I've got a few others rainbows like this started, but none are that close to completion yet. The only one I really want to finish is 2010-11 Black Diamond, where I already have the platinum 1 of 1 and just need the gold version to finish it. 

Pack Break: 2008-09 Collector's Choice

Time for pack number three from my recent Meijer mystery cube. This time it is once again UD Choice, although here is it back to being called Collector's Choice and is exactly ten years newer. I've posted at least one pack of this stuff before and it went pretty well with a Choice Reserve rookie card of Darren Helm for my Red Wings collection.

Since I didn't get around to posting the stated odds that time, I will do that now. Here's what you can get from these packs: Subsets (1:1), Parallels (1:1), CupQuest (1:6), and Stick-Ums (1:18). Nothing too spectacular, but it's just right for an entry level product.

Here's another look at the wrapper:

And here's a look at what was inside:

Well, I got the expected parallel card with the Choice Reserve Fedorov and the expected subset with the Boston 3 Star Selections. Along with that there were three base cards, two of which are goalies so that's cool. Then I managed to hit one of the Stick-Ums that come 1:18 packs. Now if only it were one of the Red Wings this pack would be perfect.

Pack Break: 1998-99 UD Choice

Time for pack number two from the Meijer mystery cube. This one is once again from the late 1990's and comes from the 98-99 edition of Upper Deck's Collector's Choice set. Actually scratch that, at that time it had been changed to just "UD Choice" instead. 

There are six cards per pack and there were several "inserts" to chase after. They included Bobble Heads (1:4), Star Quest Blue (2:1), Star Quest Green (1:7), Star Quest Red (1:11), Star Quest Gold (/100) and Choice Reserve (1:6). 

Here's a look at the wrapper:

Now here's a look at what was inside: 

As you can see I ended up with the two Star Quest Blue cards as stated on the back. Then there were three regular base cards and the one World Junior Showcase card. Gotta love those old Tampa 3rd jerseys shown on the Ysebaert and the picture on the Sakic base card is just awesome even if it does get a bit blurry.

Pack Break: 1997-98 Limited

This was the oldest pack that came out of my recent Meijer mystery cube. I've never opened a pack of this stuff as far as I can remember, so its kind of neat to at least have something different this time around. Apparently this is the "most limited NHL base set in the hobby to date" according to the wrapper. 

The back of the wrapper lists the different subsets including Counterparts, Double Team, Star Factor, and Unlimited Potential/Talent. Apparently there is a Limited Exposure parallel set numbered to 25 each. Finally, there are the Fabric of the Game inserts that fall 1 in 5 packs. These things were printed on either canvas, nylon, or wood.

Here's a look at the wrapper:

Now here's a look at what was inside:

I wasn't even sure what this set looked like until I opened the pack. I ended up with five of the counterparts cards where the front has a silver foil finish and the back is just glossy. After all, these make up half of the 200 card base set, so I guess this would be pretty common.

Super Script Update

Now this is more like it, two Super Scripts just a couple of days. I could get used to a pace like that. The Moran that I showed in my last post was the 49th in my set, making this the 50th, a pretty nice milestone if you ask me. While I already pass this mark with my Gold Script set, there is just something a bit more satisfying doing it with this set.

This one goes back to the main part of the base set and adds another Dallas Star to the project. It features defenseman Brad Lukowich and is numbered 10/25.

Like I said earlier, this makes 50 of these things now. I've definitely come a long way from the four that I had when I started this blog back in late 2009, man has it really been that long already? As far as 2013 goes, this is the 10th one I've picked up in just under four months, which only leaves me with eight more to catch up to my total from last year.

SCE Super Script Update

In one of my recent thoughts posts, I mentioned that I had a couple of deals that were incomplete after a significant amount of time since sending out my end of each one. Well, I guess it was a good idea to say something in that post about them miraculously showing up in my mailbox as one of them finally did.

As you probably noticed from the title, this one was another for my MVP Stanley Cup Edition Super Script project. It's another one of the CHL subset cards, this time featuring former Calgary Hitmen center Brad Moran. It's #203 in the set and numbered 18/25.

 

This is the fourth CHL Super Script I've been able to pick up for my set, the others being Branislav Mezei, Brett Lysak, and Brian Kazarian. It is also the 49th Super Script that I've gotten overall. That means the next one will be a bit of a mini-milestone for this project.