Lightning Card of the Week - And Now...It Begins

Little Known Fact - Marty is the same size as Lord Stanley's Cup

  

2010-11 Certified Champions Martin St. Louis #17 297/500

I really, really like this insert series, I really, really like this card.  It's serial numbered, has a definite theme and the layout is fantastic.  I'm sure it's a happy coincidence, but I really like how the Lightning logo on St. Louis' sweater is centered right on top of the "Certified Champions".  Well done, Panini!

Watching a player, especially one on your favorite team, lift the Cup is really why we put up with all of the nonsense that the NHL puts us through.  It seems such a long, long time ago that the Kings had their victory skate.  Through all of the blustering, meditations, false hopes, gloom and doom we can finally get past the sniping at the podium and back to the sniping from the left face off dot (Stamkos shooots and SCOOOOOOORRREEESSSSS!)

It's been so long that someone asked me the other day what the Lightning gave up for Anders Lindback and my response was, "ummmmm a lot?"  (For the record it was 2 2nd round picks, a 3rd round pick, and the rights to Lightning Legend Sebastien Caron for Lindback, Kyle Wilson and a 7th round pick.) So I'm a bit rusty on my current Tampa Bay Lightning squad, but it will only take a few games for me to get back into the flow, so hopefully I'll piece together some sort of preview by the end of the weekend.

My one NHL protest will probably be buying my next jersey from a Chinese distributor instead of an approved NHL dealer.  That's right, baby - DAMN THE MAN!

Hopefully, the short season lends itself to exciting action on the ice as each team fights for every point available.  The last thing the league needs is a rash of injuries to major stars (I'm looking at you, Sidney).  If they're extremely lucky, one of the offensive studs starts off the season red-hot and garners some interest in a possible 50 goals in 48 games scenario. And hopefully for my fantasy team that offensive stud is Alex Ovechkin.

As for Mr. Saint Louis, I'm thinking he has a bit of a bounce back season as he spends the entire season on Stamkos' line (up-and-comer Cory Conacher seems to be penciled in as Lecavalier's wingman). It's no doubt that his career is winding down, but perhaps, with the extra time off, he can stave off Father Time for one more season.   

Panini's Big Pull

As I was whiling away the hours on Wednesday I took a gander at Panini's site and noticed they had posted a preview of 2011-12 Certified Hockey. Normally, I'm not one to comment on card previews as I think it's hard to judge a product without seeing it in hand. However, one of the inserts that they have included in next season's set is Big Pulls





Pretty cool. An insert with a fairly large autograph on some sort of textured background (not sure if it's a relic or not). And who doesn't like Jeff Skinner? No really, is there anyone that doesn't like him?

But wait! There's more!



The autograph actually slides out of the card, hence Big Pull becomes a devilish play on words.

I'm not going to lie, me likey this insert. As in I might break my $15.00 per card self-imposed eBay limit should a certain center that hails from Ile Bizard be featured in the checklist.

It will also be interesting to see if this set evolves in future generations. For instance, perhaps include an action photo in the space behind the auto so that when it's pulled out there isn't white space showing.

Honestly, an insert like this does more for me then a video trading card. Nice to see Panini bringing something new to the table. At least I'm assuming they're bringing something new...does anyone else know of a similar product from the past?

(photos pulled directly from Panini's blog, please don't sue!)

Our First Hockey Product of the Year!

It's July, the draft is over and free agency Christmas is over. That means it's time for companies to release their upcoming product. The first notice I received in my in-box was from our friends at Panini. Their first foray into hockey with their new NHL license is 2010-11 Panini Certified.

I don't know if it's because we've only seen Upper Deck product for the past few seasons, but I am intrigued by this offering. It's not in my price range at the moment (SRP is $10.00 for a five card pack), but I will be scouring the internets for Vinny's cards.

The product slicks advertise 10 packs per box (8 boxes per case) and each box should contain the following:

 

• 1 Autograph
  
• 2 Memorabilia Cards
  
• An additional Auto or Memorabilia Card
  
• 1 Mirror Red Parallel
  
• 4 additional parallels or inserts
  
• 50 super-premium cards per box
  

The release date is posted as September 22^nd (or roughly the same time Ilya Kovalchuck makes a decision), just in time to catch the buzz of the season is opening.

Based on what I see I like this product. It looks like Panini is coming out of the gates strong with their new license. I'm not sure if they are using sticker auto's or not. If they are, then they've done a good job of incorporating them into the design based on the examples below.