“It’s always the flipping gas!!!”
What else could I add to the list? My pregnant wife was marching the hospital halls with her sister trying to speed up labour and my three year old is waiting at my in-laws for her overnight bag. As much as my preference was a direct “Hospital, House, Hospital” return trip, our car was sucking fumes. Gas station it was…
I can’t quite recall why I went into the gas station that evening. I could have paid at the pump quite likely, and yet I didn’t. Neither here nor there, in the store I was. Being later in the evening it was not very busy, allowing for a quick and appreciated jog up to the cash as soon as I entered. The God of gas jockeys was working that night, sensing I was in a rush and confidently pronouncing my total before I was even at the counter or had my wallet part way out of my back pocket. It was in that split second between confirming my purchase price and throwing my card his way that I caught a glimpse of a familiar shine over the shoulder of my speedy friend. There, framed by a wall of Canada’s finest tobacco products (that sweet Carolina smoke), were two boxes: both 05-06 Upper Deck, Series One and Two. In a reflexive adjustment, I confirmed the gas total while also tagging on a pack of each of the cards (darts already purchased earlier in the day, these were the only packs procured that particular evening). End scene as my backside was back into the car to make a delivery before headed back to the hospital to witness one…
That night at the hospital I was gifted one of the greatest gifts of my life:
An Alexander Ovechkin rookie card from the series two retail pack I bought earlier.
The following morning the birth of my second child warranted some re-arrangements being made to my “greatest gifts of my life” list…
2005-06 Upper Deck Young Guns: Alexander Ovechkin
The 05-06 releases spoiled us collectors. A double rookie class from the 2004 and 2005 drafts, each led by generational talents in Ovechkin and Crosby. Throw in a solid supporting cast of rookies such as Getzlaf, Perry, Carter, Richards, Phaneuf, Lundqvist, Vanek and Parise and you had a great shot at a worthy rookie pull from your pack. The cherry on top? This release contained one of the nicer card designs in memory, to the extent that it was actually utilized in the 20-21 Extended Series as a parallel insert that was highly sought after on release. Rather than continuing to pump its tires, let’s have a look see at this beauty, shall we?
Doesn’t get any better than this, eh? The beauty of this card lies in its subtleties. The line and corner of cut up ice anchoring the card from the left, highlighted by the foiled and underlined “Young Guns” badging headed up the boundary between design element and player shot. A progressively darker team colour-based cascade of lines fading the player photo out into an area of player and team identification, using the aforementioned fade and an additional metallic silver bar running the width as the respective areas for doing so. While team name is presented in black ink, player name is foiled, with text size varying for first (smaller) and last (larger) monikers. The bottom portion of our “cascade” displays a “Rookie” labelling with a simple lightening of the letters in comparison to the background while maintaining the lined design element within the text. Player position pops nicely off the corner piece of our ice, again drawing from team colours in doing so. Looks slick!
Similar elements are carried over into the back of the card, with a slightly larger ice-textured corner flipping to the right side, and more contained strip of our lined background used as a fantastic backdrop for team, league, NHLPA and company logos. A player headshot within a crest/shield shaped area draws us to the player name and demographics holding down the right side of the upper portion, leaving the middle area for a few years of junior/pre-NHL stats and a brief write-up. The use of sharp lining coming from the sides and approaching the center of the card pull one’s attention into the information, and give a sense of action in an otherwise static rundown of information. Holding everything together is the subtle but easy on the eye use of the team colours again in the upper left corner as well as the right (with the text colouring), containing the content with their boundaries and those of the logo banner below. It’s as close to a flawless design as I’ve seen, absent the slightly too small text for the stats and write-up on the back. That being said, I wonder if it were any bigger if the balance of the back would be thrown off, in which case I’d settle for things “as-is”!
Positive vibes to you all. Please put some care into you and yours this beautiful day and look out for one another where possible! Our impact on others with even the smallest of actions, is far greater than we tend to realize. My best your way…
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Do you have a piece of treasured memorabilia that has a great story behind it? Let me know and you can be featured in an article. Doesn't matter how big or small the piece is, how valuable it may be, or whether it's a common item or more oddball. If you think it has a story, contact me via the information below and we'll chat. In the meantime, check out some previous "Display Case" articles via the links below to see what others have submitted in the past...
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Shawn Gates
[email protected]
Facebook: ShawnMcShawn
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Previous “Ultimate Set Build” Articles
1959-60 Parkhurst
59-60 Base
1980-81 O-Pee-Chee
80-81 Base
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee
90-91 Base
1991-92 Upper Deck
High Series Young Guns
1994-95 Fleer
94-95 Base
1998-99 UD McDonalds Ice
Gretzky Base
2005-06 ITG Heroes & Prospects
Prospects Base
2008 UD Champs
Champ’s Mini Signatures
2016-17 Upper Deck Parkhurst
Rookie Red Parallel
2017 Upper Deck Toronto Maple Leafs Centennial
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#12: Scotty Bowman – Stick Detective!!!
#13: Touch 'Em All Joe!!!
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