Sean Leahy Introduces Card Bored

I have often used images of old hockey cards in my nearly 1000 profiles of former hockey players. I do this because I feel it adds a nice flavour of nostalgia.

Sean Leahy loves these old hockey cards, too. And over at Yahoo!'s Puck Daddy blog Leahy is introducing the new feature Card Bored, which looks back at hockey through classic cards. Or as Leahy himself puts it, "adventures in the nostalgic joys and unintentional hilarity of the hockey card industry."

If I had known this ahead of time I would have asked Leahy to contribute such a feature here at Greatest Hockey Legends. But good on Sean. He deserves better recognition over at Puck Daddy, which everyone associates with Greg Wyshynski.

By The Way: There are a lot of good hockey card blogs and websites out there that will never get the exposure Yahoo! can provide. Check out a few. One of my favorites is Sal's Hockey Autograph Blog

Why don't hockey cards show fighting?

Hockey cards try to capture the spirit of hockey, from the graceful skill to the savage physicality.

However this Phil Roberto card to the right, card #3 in the 1977-78 OPC/Topps collection, is the only NHL hockey card in history to feature a fight.

Though fighting has always been a part of the game, the NHL marketing departments steer away from it. This includes in the world of hockey cards, where the NHL has to approve images of such thuggery. And that simply is not going to happen. You can't celebrate it, or endorse it. That would be wrong. And possibly litigious.

So somehow this Roberto card slipped through the cracks. Despite the fact that it is the only card in history to feature a fight, the card is of little collectible value. It is essentially a common card, selling for just a few dimes.

It's funny that Roberto of all people is photographed in a fight. In the 1970s goon era, Roberto was almost a saint in comparison to the worst offenders. The former Niagara Falls junior star played in a solid 385 NHL games, though his career was mostly undistinguished. He only picked up 464 PIMs in that time. I don't know how many fights he got into, but I'm thinking they were few and far between.

No, Roberto was actually thought to have a career as an offensive catalyst, but he never really got going after a freak accident that essentially cost him 1 and 1/2 seasons. A glass door fell on him. He put up his arm to protect himself, but he was cut badly. Originally a Montreal draft pick, Robert would score 75 goals and 181 points in a career that best remembers him as a St. Louis Blue.

Roberto has remained active in hockey, coaching and managing in the Southeastern United States with ECHL teams like the Colombus Cottonmouths and Birmingham Bulls.

$100,000 Hockey Cards

I like to use hockey cards to visualize players here at Greatest Hockey Legends.com. After all, people come to my website to remember their hockey heroes of yesterday, and what a great way to relive memories than with that special hockey card from your past.

Speaking of hockey cards, Eric Bonnici introduce himself and his website to me this weekend. He runs Hockey Headquarters.com, a fancy site about hockey cards and other memorabilia. But, much like my own websites, I really appreciate the content Eric dedicates to his site.

Here's some fascinating news from his site: a 1910-11 Newsy Lalonde rookie card and a 1911-12 Georges Vezina rookie card sold for $100,000 each! As you might expect, both cards now hold the record for the highest valued hockey card.

Bonnici describes both cards in detail if you click on the links. Interestingly, while the Vezina card is in mint condition, the Lalonde card is only graded 3 out of 10. Apparently it is so rare that only 2 cards are publicly known.

Fear not, if you don't have that lucrative Vezina or Lalonde card in a Sprinters shoe box in your attic, perhaps you have a Wayne Gretzky rookie card. Apparently The Great One's card sold in 2006 for $80,000.