Wednesday, June 13, 2018

A look at my NHL Collection afer my first full season

The NHL has rapidly grown in importance to me. Since I "discovered" the sport back in October 2016, it has been a part of every day of my life since then...and it's becoming a bigger and bigger part all the time. The NHL -and hockey in general, I'll watch any form of hockey I can find- is now omnipresent in my life. I would say it's a safe bet to say that the "NHL era" of my collection is now in full swing. I've speculated on if that would happen in the past, and for sure, it has.  In fact, to be honest, the NHL is currently my #1 sport. It's surpassed the NBA...in such a short time it's come out of nowhere and become my #1. (but I will still collect the NBA to a high degree)

As you know, I like to document things...you might say I'm obsessed by it, and I wouldn't argue that point. When I began collecting the NBA in 1996 and NASCAR in 1992 there were not as easy ways to document as there are now. For one, the Trading Card Database didn't exist yet, which is where I'm gong to be pulling these screencaps from. Also, the leaderboards for my other two sports are pretty much set in stone...since I began tracking my collection on the Database there has only been one significant change to the top 10 people in either sport. The NHL, being new and wide open, may not be that way, and I am curious to track that as time goes on.

I thought I would take a look at my statistical leaders as reckoned by the Database in all the major statistical categories they provide. All these stats are accurate to the conclusion of the season. I've gotten more cards since then, but I specifically didn't add them on there so I could do this post. I've been planning it out since the Finals were going on but didn't get a chance to actually write it for quite a while. My plan is to track my collection in this format at the conclusion of each season, to see how it changes over the years.

I keep my statistics a little differently than the Database does. For example, if it's a League Leaders card, I count it as a League Leaders card, while the Database counts it towards each person's and team's total. Team cards, where applicable, are tagged to the person, where I track them as team cards. So there are some differences in the numbers shown and what I consider the "actual" numbers...but this is the best I can do considering to get to my numbers I'd need to scan everything and enter it into my Excel charts...something I can't do any time soon, there' s too much.

Please remember you can click on each screencap to see it larger and easier to read. 

Top 25 Players:
I'm not totally surprised Wayne Gretzky is leading. I am a little surprised his number is so high already, with 56 cards. Being the best player, and being active in the 90s, leads to a lot of cards being produced. Mark Messier has had the lead at various points as well, but the "official" leader is The Great One. Brian Leetch being third surprises me. Being a big Rangers fan, I do get his cards in team lots, so that must have helped him. Henrik Lundqvist, my favorite player in the sport, is in a three-way tie for 4th. That will change when I finish going through my COMC box, and get my next COMC order. It's probably going to put him in contention for the lead, actually. Lundqvist, Jagr and Iginla are players who I chase single cards of. Vincent Lecavalier was #1 before I officially became an NHL collector. A good friend of mine, a long time Lightning backer, sent me almost 4000 cards in 2015, and he included most of his duplicates...Lecavalier is his favorite player so that's how he got so high.

Top 25 Teams:
No surprise here, with the Rangers leading by a large margin. (165 cards). What actually DOES surprise me is the fact that the Islanders don't crack the top 10. Being a local team, I have access to their cards more than most teams. I must not be pulling too many of them out of packs. Also, people know me as a Rangers fan and sometimes send me Rangers just for the heck of it, which helps their numbers...as does the fact that I chase Lundqvist and Mats Zuccarello cards as singles. Just for my own future reference, the Vegas Golden Knights are in a tie for 40th, with Finland, with 22 cards in my collection.

Top Years:
This is an interesting chart, because I'm collecting everything all at once. My NBA and NASCAR collections are all very strong in certain times, because I was collecting heavily in certain times, meaning I have more cards from then. Some years, in the NBA especially, are so high that I doubt any year can ever catch them, even if I could afford to collect how I want to. The NHL is different, however, because I'm going for it all- and my funds are not high enough to buy up everything like I want to- however the current season is pretty darn high, as is last season..just due to the fact I have easy access to them.  It's nice to see such a mixture of years in the top 10. Only 4 years from the 90s are in the top 10 currently...I suspect that will change at some point, as I add more and more cards that I'm currently missing.

Top 25 Sets:
The Top 25 Sets is one that I think will change the most from year to year, as every day it could change. As of right now, just one Blaster can get a set into the top dozen, as that is all I have from 17-18 O-Pee-Chee. I don't know if any set can catch 1990-91 Pro Set though, but I don't mind - it's my favorite NHL set (that I've discovered, anyway)

Top 25 Brands:
I'm not really a big fan of this chart but had to screencap it anyway, just because it's there. Upper Deck seems like it's got an insurmountable lead, but I suspect OPC and Topps could vie for the lead if I had all the 80s and 90s cards I don't have yet.

Those are all the stats the Database gives you. at least for your own collection, but here are two leaders I've added on my own.

Lowest SN:
SN 1/2. I still can't believe I pulled this card! This will not be my lowest numbered card for very long- I have a printing plate in my COMC box waiting to be shipped.

Oldest Card:
1957-58 Topps. The oldest NHL card I've seen in person since I began collecting the sport. The NHL has cards going back to the 1920s, but I have not seen any yet...and I doubt I could afford one anyway!

Thanks for reading, and thanks to everyone who has sent me NHL cards...more than half my collection has arrived as gifts or trades! I was at 9928 NHL cards at the conclusion of the season.

18 comments:

  1. Great post Billy! I've really enjoyed the fact that I can get these kind of stats out of TCDB myself. Gretzky is #1 in my current collection as well! Probably the case for a lot of us...

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    1. The stats they provide are really great. There are advanced stats as well that are kind of hidden unless you know where to look...after more than 5 years I still find new stuff on there from time to time!

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  2. You are truly a super-collector! It'll be fun watching your collection grow!

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  3. Fantastic Gretzky card, I am jealous!!

    The early 50's Parkhurst and Topps cards are affordable if you don't mind lower grade cardboard. Some day I will start buying some of those.

    Send me your address when you get a chance, I can send you some hockey that I hope will enhance your collection a little.

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    1. I still can't believe I pulled that one...
      I don't mind low grade. I have a card with 100% paper loss on one side in my collection.
      Thank you! I don't think I have your contact info...I will look and see if I can locate it. I don't know what your Database ID is or I would send you a message on there. I always have it open when I am on the internet.

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  4. Great rundown. It will be interesting to see how the collecxtion morphs over time.

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    1. I really enjoy tracking it's growth...I will be collecting the NHL for the rest of my life, so it's got a long way to go!

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  5. Your oldest hockey card is a lot older than my oldest hockey card - and the Creighton looks really clean! I like the the Devils rank #2 on your team list, which is surprising since you only have one longtime Devil on your top players list. The years list didn't surprise me: junk wax, junk wax, current year, last year, junk wax...lol.

    Can't wait to see what you got from COMC! My next post will feature my Spring Cleaning spoils..though I only have 27 cards incoming.

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    1. A buddy on the Database sent me a "welcome to hockey" package last year that was more than 100 Devils cards. I got a post out of it called "The Devils Made me Do it" which is one of my favorite post titles ever, lol. His username, NJDevils. He's a fan of them for sure.

      I lucked into that Creighton. $10 locally. It's nearly pack fresh...the same dealer has other older cards but the 60s cards are all in much worse shape...I've bought most of them by now. I don't know how this one stayed so good if it came from the same source.

      My next COMC order is going to be a big one...I've been building it since last year. It's going to be about 300 cards, and I probably won't ship it until July. I was going to ship it this month but I spent too much money on my modeling hobby!

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  6. One thing I forgot to mention in my original post: The Database combines the two Winnipeg Jets into one listing. I don't. The same with the Ottawa Senators but I don't have any of the original Senators in my collection yet.

    I pulled a card of Henrik Lundqvist out of a pack today, just about 20 minutes ago, so the numbers have already changed...

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  7. Love the statistical breakdown TCD provides. I don't think I'll ever actually find the time to list my collection, but I gotta admit... I wish I would have started when I re-entered the hobby back in 2008.

    P.S. That Gretzky is sick!

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    1. Never too late to start...you don't have to list everything all at once like I did. Just grab a box and click away, lol.

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    2. Maybe I'll do it with one of my player PC's or a single area of my collection like the autographs. Maybe.

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  8. I was more info hockey in the 90s same with basketball. Now I just collect the rookies for each. I never watch either any more.

    Someday Gretzky rookie amd auto will hopefully join my collection. Unlikely anyday soon lol

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    1. Yeah I don't think I'll ever be able to rationalize getting either Gretzky rookie or the early Jordans...I can't bring myself to spend that much money on one card when there's thousands of cheap cards I want as well...I'd rather have quantity.

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  9. Most of the stats were not surprising, even the Islanders being lower on the list. They haven't been a great team since the early 1980s, so they don't get a lot of cardboard love. Therefore, not very surprising that you don't have many. The oldest is very cool, as my oldest is only my 68-69 OPC Bernie Parent RC. I have a bunch of stuff for you (still), and now that I know you collect Iginla & Jagr (both of whom I have many cards), the box will gain a few more items. :) Nice write up!

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    1. Thanks Dan! I'm still amazed I lucked into that one. Being in the right place in the right time has got to be one of the things that has helped me the most in my hobbies. I did pick up an Islander or two on COMC this week, I'll get them into the top 10 someday for sure.

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