One of the great things about technology is the ability it gives all of us to be able to come together on here and talk hockey.
With that in mind...
Some years ago, I became a digital pen pal of sorts with a guy that was a huge hockey fan and a big hockey card enthusiast. He ran a fun Instagram page where he posted pictures of the cards and his love for the game and its history was obvious - especially when it came to the Red Wings.
One time while we were chatting, I mentioned how I had “grand plans” to make a coffee table that had a bunch of cards under the glass and put it in the man cave.
It wasn’t long after that I received some envelopes in the mail, carefully filled with hockey cards from all different teams and eras that I like.
Like I said, his love and enthusiasm for the game, and the cards that captured its history in snapshots, was very real and he wanted to share that with people.
As life tends to do, it got in the way of my hockey table plans and I never got around to it. You get busy with the everyday things, find excuses, etc., etc...
When I slowed down a bit, I realized that we hadn’t chatted in a while. What’s more, I couldn’t remember the last time I saw a post from him.
When I looked up his account, I was shocked (and saddened) to see he passed away.
While I never met him personally, the love of hockey formed a foundation to which modern technology granted the ability for the friendship to grow and his passing left me with a strange sadness.
For awhile, I found it tough to look at the cards he sent me. They bummed me out, so I ended up storing them under my desk, to be revisited at a later date...
That “later date” came yesterday.
Like most of us, I’m stuck inside and as such, I busted out the cards as a way to fill the that hockey void we’re all feeling. Looking through them got me pumped up. It’s a great mix. I had a lot of fun (and laughs) looking through them, reading the stats, bios and looking at some of the ridiculous pictures.
Lots of old Nordiques, Whalers, Hawks, Kings, Devils (with those great Christmas Tree sweaters) stuff in the bin.
And of course the Panthers - for which this blog was written.
I picked out a few of them and since I can’t upload the cards directly, I’ll do my best to find and post them.
Hopefully some of these names will jog your memory.
Im skipping the standard guys like Beezer, Bure and Jovanovski. Love those dudes, but I thought it would be more fun to look at some of the others...
Trevor Kidd
I really dig this one. He’s rocking a wicked mask and his stance is awesome. He’s poised and hyper-focused.
The stats on the back are for the 1999-00 season:
GP - 28
W - 14
L - 11
T - 2
ShO - 1
GGA - 2.63
SV% - .915
Those Brian’s pads would be scoffed at and deemed tanks by today’s standards, but I love them. Does anyone rock the rolls anymore? Or, more appropriately, do companies make leg pads with them anymore..?
Such a solid kit with his signature checkered pattern and matching the leg pads, glove and blocker with vibrant yellows and reds.
Beaut.
Gord Murphy
With one of the most Canadian sounding names of all time, Gord put in six seasons on the Cats blue line and in the 93-94 season, put up an impressive 14 goals and 29 assists from the backend.
The blurb on the back of the card reads:
“Gord’s career was rejuvenated in Florida, where he scored a career high 43 points one year after recording his career low with 17.”
What a jump! Must have been that Roger Neilson scheme.
[Image from Amazon]
Evgeny Davydov
Before Evgenii Dadonov, there was Evgeny Davydov. Nothing confusing there...
Anyways, he was traded to Florida via Winnipeg on 9/30/93, so this Donruss card from 1994 only has his numbers from the 92-93, and they’re not too shabby.
In 79 games, the winger netted 28 goals and racked up 21 assists.
After his time in Canada and the US, he played for 14 teams across France, Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, Germany and Italy between 1995-2000.
Whose your davydov?
[Image from The Trading Card Database]
Ivan Majesky
A big boy. This Topps Total card has him billed at 6’ 5” and 224 lbs. He had a long reach to disrupt streaking forwards and played a simple game.
The back of the card describes his role:
“A powerfully built skater with a zeal for physical play, Ivan is a smart, non-nonsense rear guard who moves the puck well and mans his post diligently.”
We sure could use that on the backend right now...
[Image from Amazon]
Mark Parrish
Not much to say here other than what’s summed up on the back of the card and that’s that on October 30, 1998, a rookie Parrish scored four goals against the Blackhawks - a franchise first.
When asked about the damage he did that night in the high-traffic area, he said,
“I feel comfortable there. Let everyone else play on the perimeter.”
[Image from eBay]
Jesse Belanger
A 50 point man for the 93-94 season.
17 goals and 33 assists in 70 games.
[Image from eBay]
Brian Skrudland
The first ever captain of the franchise (held for four years), Skruds was the leader of an expansion team that had no superstars, just a bunch of guys putting on the work boots every night.
I think that’s one of the coolest things about this organization’s history. A lot of the early success was built on hard work and sheer will to beat teams that were more gifted talent-wise.
Skrudland lived and breathed this mindset and effort, along with a serious tough guy dad/uncle haircut. For all those reasons, he’s always been a favorite of mine.
[Image from Kronozio]
Olli Jokinen
Who doesn’t love this guy? He was great for the Cats and I loved watching him operate.
Interesting blurb on the back of this one:
”Jokinen was unyielding on opposing defenses throughout the ‘06-07 season. Leading the Panthers and trailing only Alexander Ovechkin among all league skaters with 351 shots on net.”
Hey...you can’t score if you don’t take any shots. There’s some guys on the current roster that could take a note from Olli in this department.
Rob Niedermayer
Drafted by Florida fifth overall in the 1993, Rob sharpened his claws—err, skills with the Cats for seven seasons.
He set his career high in a Panthers jersey during the ‘95-96 season with 61 points (26 G, 35 A).
[Image from Krozio]
Scott Mellanby
This is my favorite card of the Panthers lot. Not only because I’m a Mellanby fan, but I love the front and back images so much. On the front, he looks like he’s hauling and either changing direction or about to slam into someone. On the back he looks like he’s dumping the puck in after a long shift. In both images, the red, navy, yellow and white of the Florida sweater just pops so well and it’s great compositions within the frame of the card.
One of the original Cats, he scored the first goal in Panthers history and was the spark that started the “rat trick” frenzy. Though, looking back, what happened to the rat was pretty inhumane...
Mellanby was one of those expansion draft success stories where he was left unprotected by the Oilers and scooped up by Florida - where he went on to have eight great years with in a Panthers sweater.
[Image from Kronozio]
https://www.kronozio.com/remote.axd/kronozio.blob.core.windows.net/images/card/5f93768eb580447498c3f84e5c4e6951_back.jpg?rotate=-90&quality=40
[Image from Kronozio]
Some of the other Cats cards found in the gin are Stu Barnes, Shawn Matthias and Peter Mueller.
You know what the best part of all these is? They’re all in the leaping cat logo!
___________________
I hope seeing some of these old gems helped bring back memories and pass some time for you during these strange days.
I’d love to hear about some of the Panthers cards you guys have and if there’s any stories behind them. Or maybe some of your favorite players from the past.
Breaking these back out really makes me want to make that damn table. I think it would be a great way to honor an old friend.
Be safe out there, guys. I’ll be back with another blog this weekend.
As always...Go Panthers! 
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