A few weeks ago I got an email from my In The Game contact about the upcoming 2009-10 In The Game Heroes and Prospects set.  As I was looking at that sell sheet I took a look at other products that were being sold.  I came across a set I had not heard of but it has been out since 9/9/09.  It was entitled 1972 The Year In Hockey.  I asked my ITG rep if he could send a box for review, promising to give away any inserts I got.  As I waited for the package to arrive, I got fairly excited about the release.  My initial thought was that this was going to have players from the 70’s and players from today.  I was way off.

They used the 1971-72 design and remade the set.  That’s right, they used the players from 1971 and 1972 and completely redid the set.  At first I was confused as to why they would come up with an idea like this.  Then it came to me, it brings back the old idea of collecting cards.  The idea of “got him”, “got him”, “need him”, “need him”.  It’s something the card world hasn’t seen in an entire set.  Topps archive did come up with the idea but it was for only rookie and final year cards.  Imagine if Topps reissued the entire 1971 set of football or hockey or basketball.  No gold foil, just the original cards, on the back they can put reprint, I’m fine with that, but everything is cardboard.  Now toss in the autographs and game used from 1971.  How amazing would that be?

A lot of people never followed hockey until the Great One arrived, myself included.  However, over the past year my wife and I have made an effort to learn more about the history of hockey and I try to display that on my blog.  The 1972 The Year In Hockey set is 200 base cards, and the last 25 are the Canadian team, the Russian team and the games they played against each other in 1972.  The autographs are signed on card (no stickers!) and include not only the NHL players, but also the Russian players (as seen below).  Each box comes with 18 packs and 9 cards per pack (162 cards).  The box will contain three hard signed autographs and one game used.  The autographs can be not only players, but also celebrities from 1972 (television and movies).

As with most ITG products, there are also emblem patches and multiple player patch cards.  This was a great box to open, my wife and I even played pack wars to see who got the best card.  This is by far the best product of the year in my opinion and I hope this opens the doors for other sports to do the same.  Think of it as the next step in retro cards.

The Stats:

Base Cards: 156 cards (two of which have blank backs, not sure what that is about)

Game Used: 1 – Pat Stapleton (Blackhawks)

Autographs: 3 – Vladimir Petrov, Boris Mikhailov and Christian Bordeleau

Masked Men: 1 – Gerry Cheevers

Rookies: 1 – Shutt and O’Reilly

The Good:

• Great idea and design
• On card autographs (3 per box)
• Big swatches of jersey (1 per box)
• No duplicates in the box
• Packs come with 9 cards (a large amount for a newer product)

The Bad:

• If you don’t love old-time hockey this set is not for you.
• Only 18 packs in the box
• Some retail only cards
• Hobby boxes run about $90 on eBay.

Final Verdict:

Although the price for a box is steep, you do get your money’s worth in my opinion.  It’s not every set that you find these kinds of autographs and game used cards.  Now ITG has to do a set from 1980 that has autographs from the players from the Miracle on Ice.  If you don’t like hockey history stay away, but if you are like me and love old-time hockey, buy a couple packs if not a box.

I give it a 4.5/5.0 which is the highest I have ever rated a product.

You know how parents always think their kid is especially good in sports? That is until some other kid comes along and outshines every other kid out there…including yours. Now you want to check birth certificates and all that. Check this out.

Everybody knows who’s the best in this league. Crazy.

Bowling is not a sport people. Neither is darts, billiards, or dodge ball.  Now don’t get it twisted, I’m not saying that they aren’t enjoyable for what they are, games.  I myself enjoy the occasional game of tag, but it is not a sport.  Not everything that is remotely physical and done for money is a sport.

Lets begin by defining the word sport…

Webster’s defines it as 1 a : a source of diversion : recreation b : sexual play c (1) : physical activity engaged in for pleasure …

Let’s break this down one by one. 1a: a source of diversion.  It seems that drinking and beating your wife is a sport. 1b: sexual play. Apparently so is beating yourself.

And that leaves us with 1c: physical activity engaged in for pleasure.

Now we have to decide how much physical exertion qualifies for a physical activity.  An average billiards game of doubles 8-ball is anywhere between 15-20 minutes.  How much of that time is actually physical activity?  5 minutes, if that much?  And it’s considered a sport? I call bullshit.  20 minutes of spin the bottle is more taxing on the body than billiards, but I guess that falls under definition 1b.

Ok, so how about bowling? Average professional bowling match is 25-30 minutes, and again I ask how much of that is actual physical exertion? Maybe 10 minutes, give or take 3 min.  2 people writing in a notebook burn more calories than that, and they have more rules than don’t step past a line while wearing ugly sneakers.

Get it through your heads people, just because you get paid to play a game doesn’t make it a sport.  And again, I’m not knocking any of these games, but lets call a spade a spade and a game a game.  Speaking of spades, poker is damn sure not a sport.

*The views and opinions in the preceding diatribe is solely that of the author, and does not reflect the views of Chillpops, and remember to shut the fuck up.

Adonis

So the Knicks have begun their winning streak. Watch out NBA here they come. They made a miraculous comeback last night to beat the Pacers. The Knicks spotted the the Pacers a nice big lead in the first half giving up 70 points. They did that because they knew the Pacers are missing the only player that could have stopped them from coming back.

Reggie still knows how to get it in.

Next up for the blazing hot Knicks is the underachieving Nets. Chalk that one up as a win as well. With the addition of lightning fast AI later this week there will be no stopping the Knicks.

Huh? What? What do you mean that’s not what he looks like now? What do you mean that was a long time ago? Well what does he look like now?

Why’s he sitting there? I mean he’s still a starter, right? He’ll still work great with Patrick. What? PATRICK EWING RETIRED? Starks? Then who the hell’s on the team?

And these are their best players? These faces look as weird as the spanish on the jersey. It’s been a bad decade for this team. Let’s hope turns around soon.

Pops

So I’m watching the baseball playoffs the other night and up to pinch hit is Gary Matthews Jr. The first thought that popped into my head was how overpaid this guy is. And yes in the grand scheme of things all baseball players are overpaid.

For the most part athletes’ salary is contingent on skills and potential. If he’s young, you want to keep him on your team for a while so you pay up. If he’s proven to be good over a certain period of time, you pay up. Simple, right? Not for the Angels.
This dude had a (as in one) good play. Not a good season. He made a play that others have done before and got pa-haid. The genuises that run the Angels thought that he was a great player and decided to win the non-existent bidding war for this guy. They decided that his baseball skills were worth 50 mil over 5 years. That’s very easy math folks. Ten million dollars a year. Cause of one play? Well damn that must’ve been a hell of a play. Let’s see. (click on pic)

Wow. That was something, huh? Unbelievable even. He covered a lot of ground and really got up there. Has anyone else ever done something like that?

That’s how you use a wall.

Okay, so lightning can strike twice. Surely, that’s the only two times something like that has happened. Nah.

Well then he must be the centerpiece of that team, right? Ahnt. No. The very next chance they got they brought in another centerfielder.

Yeah that guy. The one who’s known for his great defense. The one who robbed Barry Bonds in the All Star game. By the way, did you see who wasn’t playing centerfield in that clip. Ha.

So he was moved and moved until he got to where he is now. He sits his scrubby ass on the bench until his manager decides to let him bat…once. So they should just pay him less, right? WRONG. He’s due his ten mil a year. To sit there.

Pay me ten mil a year. I’ll sit like noone’s ever sat before. I’d get dudes water and everything. Make myself usefull. He just sits there.
He’s not the only professional lottery winner. Nah. Other dudes have pulled this off too.
GM’s need to stop watching highlight reels and start doing better research.

Pops

I have been a Mike and Mike fan since I put their show accidentally some six or seven years ago. If you don’t know who they are, the show is called “Mike and Mike in the morning”. It’s a sports talk show that comes on from 6-10 AM on ESPN2. The show is co-hosted by Mike “Greeny” Greenberg and Mike Golic. It’s a perfect pairing. Talk about the odd couple. No two people can be more dissimilar than these two and make such a good duo. Golic is the former athlete turned radio host and Greeny’s the journalist turned radio host.

So, Like I said I’ve been watching and listening (they’re on espn radio simultaneously) for years. I know what to expect from each of them. Golic is the man’s man and Greeny takes metrosexual to a new level. (He goes to a salon to get his hair cut. Nuff said) So usually Golic is the one calling current athletes out for whatever reason. Not this time.

Eyo. I think he meant that. When the vein on the side of your neck looks like it’s about to pop, you need to relax. That little guy’s ready to smack someone. Not the linebacker he’s calling out, mind you, but someone. lol.

That was a good little rant though. Brings up thoughts of other classic rants. Can you guess what my next post will be about? Ha.

Oh, and I won’t get into the linebacker’s comments because I have no time for ignorance.

Pops

We are going to open a pack of Between the Pipes and Heroes and Prospects.  First let’s start with 2009 Between the Pipes:

Geroge Gardner not only played in the NHL, but also the WHL and the WHA.  He was best known for his days with the Vancouver Blazers.  His overall WHA recod was 23-45 with a 3.89 GAA and 1 shutout.

Grant Fuhr won 5 Stanley Cups with that powerful 1980’s Edmonton Oilers teams.  He won the Vezina Trophy in 1987-88, and shared the Jennings Trophy with Hasek in 1993-94.  He was a 6 time All Star and won the MVP in the 1986 All Star game.  His career record was 403-295 with a 3.38 GAA and 25 shutouts.

Michael Hutchinson is a long term project with the Boston Bruins.  He shows flashes of brilliance, but is still a 0.500 goalie who let’s up about 3 goals a game.  Should spend next year in the CHL for one more year before moving on the the AHL.

Josh Unice is a top prospect in the Blackhawks system.  He had an amazing season in 2007-08 when he went 30-6 record and a 2.45 GAA.  He took a step back last year but was also involved in a trade and had some injury woes.  Look for him to spend one more year in the juniors then move up to the AHL and should at sometime see some time in the NHL.

Pack Rating: 2.0/5.0 – love the Fuhr card, but also the Unice is nice too.

Here is the next Heroes and Prospects Pack:

Kelsey Tessier is an outstanding prospect for the Colorado Avelanche.  He is a solid scorer and distributer.  I can see him in the minors next season and possibly landing on the Avs at some point next season.

Fabian Brunnstrom is a standout with the Dallas Stars.  This season he went 17-12-19 in his rookie year.  He looked fabulous at times and also looked lost during other times.  He is definitely NHL ready right now, he just needs to adapt to the North American game. Great card!

Teddy Purcell is a LA King.  He showed some serious output for the Manchester Monarchs last year when  he put up 25-58-83.  He still needs to grow into a rold for the Kings, but I think he is going to be an outstanding player if the Kings remain patient with him.

Darren Helm is yet another decent prospect for the Detroit Red Wings and there never ending supply of great talent.  Last season he split time with Grand Rapids and Detroit and put up a combined 13-25-38.  He is burried in the lines for Detroit, should spend some more time at Grand Rapids before an extended stay in Detroit.

Jordan Eberle is a rising star in the Oilers system.  He moved up from the juniors to the AHL last season and put up a combined 38-45-83 in just 70 games.  His offensive output is not a question, the only question is when the Oilers are going to have a full time slot for him.  It might be by next season.

Pack Rating – 4.0/5.0 – Very nice pack, every player should end up as a regular in the NHL.

If you disagree with any of my pack ratings or have an opinion on any of these players, leave a comment. We all would like to hear about it.

Two more hockey pack reviews, first 2009 Between The Pipes:

J-S Giguere is of course the starting goalie (although not for much longer) for the Anaheim Ducks.  Before this season he had never had a GAA above 2.66, this year it was 3.10 and he had all kinds of injury issues this year.  He is still one of the best goalies in hockey even with the last season.  Pencil him in for another 30 win season with a GAA of around 2.55 for next year.

Justin Pogge is a goalie for the AHL Marlies (Toronto affiliate).  Too bad for Justin that Toskala is doing well for the Leafs.  The truth is thoughm, he is going to have to make the jump soon.  He is just too good to be in the minors.  His last 2 seasons he has averaged 26 wins and a GAA of around 2.60.  This season he had some injury issues, next season he should be ready for the leaf to the majors.

Gary Smith nicknamed “Suitcase” for playing on 6 teams in 13 seasons.  The WHL was the last stop on his career and he was on the 1978 Indianapolis Racers team that featured Wayne Gretzky just before they folded.  He then moved on to the Jets and led the team to a cup.

Curtis McElhinney is currently the backup with the Calgary Flames.  He is a solid backup and deserves some more time.  Even if it might not be with the Calgary Flames.

Pack Rating: 2.0/5.0, besides the Guiguere and Pogge the pack was a bit weak.

Now for the Heroes and Prospects pack:

What a pack!

Victor Hedman is a stud defensivman who is likely going to be the second overall pick in this upcoming draft.  He could very well be  the next great defensive Swede.

Zach Bogosian is a former first round draft pick of the Thrashers.  He went 9-10-19 in 47 games, then got sent down to the AHL team.  Next year he will be with the parent club, and he should be one of the best defensive guys on that team.

Max Paxioretty has already gotten a taste of the majors this year with Montreal, and what little I have seen of him, I like and he is an exciting player. He went 6-23-29 for the Hamilton Bulldogs before getting the call, then helped out down the stretch for the Canadiens going 3-8-11 in 34 games.

Steven Stamkos was last years first overall pick in the draft for the Lightening.  This season he sure had his ups and downs as he was trying to get used to the speed of the NHL.  He ended up going 23-23-46 and had a monster second half.  He is going to be a star in the league and it might not be long before he is one of the best in the league.

Oscar Moller is a right wing prospect for the LA Kings.  He spent most of last season in LA and went 7-8-15 in 40 games.  He is still very young and could probably use a season in the AHL to get used to North American play.

Pack Rating: 5.0/5.0 – what can I say not a bad player in this pack and all should be starters in the NHL very soon.

Have any stories with the above players? Don’t like my rating? Leave us a comment.