While the junk wax era in hockey di start more in the late 80’s, 1990 is the year that really saw it boom! For me, hockey cards to that point was OPC. That’s all we had, absent a dip south of the border and landing a pack of Topps which were essentially the same damn cards on less appealing stock. Then comes the 90-91 release year, and in addition to the OPC release I was accustomed to here was what seemed like a buffet of new offerings hitting the local convenience stores that pushed us into a new era of what hockey cards could be. The folded wax packages of the past gave way to airtight foil and plastic packaging that, along with the absence of the stale carboard gum, carried an air of upping the game! The days of two to three-hundred card sets gave way to checklists hitting 700. Flatly coloured cardboard was replaced with bright, vibrant images on glossy card stock. Counterfeit security measures, staggered series releases, packs by language, top shelf offerings (OPC Premier you say?), holograms, consistent insert presence, and the introduction of a $1 pack? The new guys on the scene in Pro Set, Upper Deck and Score made themselves known right from the start.
In my neck of the woods, my exposure to this hobby paradigm shift came primarily through the Upper Deck and Pro Set releases. Score didn’t get a lot of buzz around my usual haunts until their 91-92 release invaded stores the following year, leaving me in the dark to my fav of the 90-91 releases now: the inaugural 90-91 Score. Let me share why as we make our next entry into the ultimate set build with this stud!
1990-91 Score
In all honesty, I was not hip to Marty Brodeur until the 94 playoffs mind blasting series between Buffalo and New Jersey. Rookie Brodeur and recently on the scene Dominik Hasek put on a goaltending display that was out of this world and had me hooked on both players. No sense of where his rookie was at that time, and I would have been excused for not guessing 90-91 Score as the rookie card hype for that series was solely on one fella: Eric Lindros. Never mind that he wasn’t eligible until the 91 draft, Score went ahead and signed Eric to an exclusive card deal as a 17 year old, releasing what is considered his only rookie card. But unbeknownst to me at the time, the set also contained the only rookie card for the future hall of fame goalie as well:
What isn’t there to love about this card?!?!? Contained within a 1990 NHL Draft Picks subset of this 440 card release, this card oozes rookie: draft jersey and cap, a kid thrilled to have just taken the next step, and a great simple backdrop to it all, seemingly straight from a school photo shoot! The best thing about this for me though will always be the “I can’t grow a moustache” moustache! Cracks me up every time I see it!
As for the design of the card in general, I love the overall simple and meaningful layout. Top and bottom flanked with the red goal lines while the picture has the blue lines and centre ice line framing it in. Simple yet nice badging for name, position and team, while the subset logo is basic but classy, not looking completely cheesy 31 years later. Company name on the front alternated colours between the American (blue) and Canadian (red) versions, a pattern carried over to the back of the card with the borders. Speaking of which…
Nothing too over the top here, and that’s what I love about these cards. At a time where the companies knew they had to find a way to grab a piece of the market, and the temptation to do too much being an easy one to potentially fall into, Score kept it simple in a way that successfully avoided looking amateurish. The fading blue, priming memories of the rinks themselves was a great touch, and compliment to the rink lines of the front design. While the American version contained an English-only write up, the Canadian version was bilingual, featuring the player blurbs in both English and French. A more prominent difference between the sets? Cards 300-311 and card 330 were different between the American and Canadian versions, with the former displaying different players and the latter being the Hobey Baker winner (US) or Memorial Cup champs (CAN). One last thing about this release: Loved how the colours and pictures were so crisp, as opposed to the Pro Set and Bowman sets which I always found to be somewhat flat and fuzzy.
Such a fantastic rookie card, and one of my all time favs. This set was loaded with other great rookies too, including Sundin, Nolan, Jagr, Roenick, Recchi, CuJo, Modano and Mogilny, so you definitely had bang for your literal buck! Keep in mind, however, that this set was MASSIVELY overproduced, and as such the rookies don’t hold tonnes of value, with all but the most prominent falling well under $10, Brodeur, Lindros and Jagr potentially exceeding that on occasion. Matters not a bit to me though. Love the set anyhow, blemishes and all!
Well wishes and positive energy to you all. Look out for you and yours and the randoms you cross paths with in the run of your day. The positivity you share with them may be more impactful than you could ever begin to appreciate. All the best!
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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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80-81 Base
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