Hockey Card Reviews: 13/14 Panini Score Jumbo Pack and a few base cards

     Yesterday, I went to a local sports card shop and picked up a Jumbo Pack of 13/14 Score Hockey, 12/13 Upper Deck SP Authentic, 12/13 Upper Deck Black Diamond and a few base cards of 13/14 Panini Score Hockey. I felt the pack from the side and thought that I had a Team 8’s Jersey Card. I shuffled through all the cards until I found the inserts. First came a few gold parallels. I was hoping for a black parallel, but I never found one. Then came the Hot Rookies which by the way were amazing. First came a Nathan Beaulieu Hot Rookies. Which was followed by 3 more Hot Rookies which were of Beau Bennett, Jonathan Huberdeau and Stefan Matteau. Getting a Stefan Matteau card was nice. Then came the hit of the pack which was an autograph of Tyson Barrie. The autograph on a sticker and was a Score Signatures. Moving onto the inserts, I got a gold Team Leaders and a Regular Team Leaders (check out the pictures to see the difference). I was hoping for a Team Score insert or a Future Franchise insert, but I am still happy of what I got. Besides I got great base cards such as Jakob Silferberg, Jordie Benn, Jay McClement, Jordan Nolan, and a Martin Erat on the Capitals. Let’s see some pictures but of course first the rating: 8/10.

The difference between a gold parallel and a regular base card

Teemu Selanne Season Highlights

The back of a base card

Tyson Barrie Score Signatures

Netcam Corey Crawford

Hot Rookies 

gold parellel Team Leaders and a Regular Team Leaders

Top Base Cards

Top Base Cards

Review: The Hockey Stick

   The hockey stick is very important to the game in hockey. In the late 1800’s when ice hockey was first invented there were sticks that was just a piece of wood. I would like to show of a graphic of how one of those sticks looked like (down below). Star players in the early 1900’s were Georges Vezina (picture down below) and Howie Morenz. The NHL was started in 1918. The first team was the Montreal Canadiens. Then came the Toronto Maple Leafs which were followed by the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, and the New York Rangers. There are rivalries throughout the league such as Rangers vs. Devils. These rivalries would have never been played if it wasn’t for the stick. You use the stick in hockey by shooting the puck, passing the puck and carrying the puck.
    The evolution of the stick (Timeline):

      Curves is still a big part of the hockey stick. Curves help you shoot the puck. Curves were invented by Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull. At first when the curve was just beginning to be in the NHL an illegal curve would be 1.5 inches. It later changed to 1 inch and then to half an inch. Until 2006 the amount for an illegal curve stayed the same. In 2006 they changed it to 3/4 of an inch. In the NHL, right now it is still 3/4 of an inch. 

      So that’s pretty much about the hockey stick. Now looks take a look at some photo’s:

Mini stick graphic of a stick in the late 1800’s and the early 1900’s

Howie Morenz

Georges Vezina

The Measurements of a hockey stick

Hockey stick factory in the 1890’s

Bauer Totalone NXG

Easton Stealth RS

Hockey Cards Review: 12/13 Panini Hockey Rookie Anthology

  Opening up my second box of Rookie Anthology was really exciting. I thought to myself should I open the box the day I got or wait a few days. Well, I decided to wait a few days. From my past Rookie Anthology break, I knew this had to be a great product. I waited a few days and then yesterday came the day that I should open it. 

    I got the box put it on my table and looked at it for a few seconds. I got my scissors and cut open the plastic. I opened the box and saw the set up. There was a Prizm bonus pack laying there for me to open. I pushed the box to the side got out the Prizm bonus pack and opened it. The last time I opened the Prizm bonus pack, I got a hit (Ryan Hamilton Rookie Autograph.) I was hoping for a hit in this one as well. I opened it. I got a Sean Couturtier base then came a turned upside down Jussi Rynnas rookie autograph. It was shinier then normal Prizm cards. The thing I was really for in a Prizm pack was a Lava Flow insert card. 

   After I opened the Prizm bonus pack, I got all the packs out. The packs are very basic. They have a touch of red and cool font. I put 5 packs side to side from each other. There are 10 packs per box and you are expected to get as many hits from 4-8 (including the Prizm bonus pack.) Last box I got 7 hits. I grabbed the first pack and opened it. The first card of the box was a Brandon Sutter base on the Pittsburgh Penguins. The next card was a Stan Mikita Legacies inset which I thought was a hit. The rest of the first pack was just base. I felt the next pack which felt really thick. I was thinking it was my Rookie Treasures or another one of those really thick Towering Defenders. Well, it was my Rookie Treasures. I was hoping for a better player, but I was fine getting a Michael Hutchinson. I forgot to tell the box # which was ...67. I was hoping for a Silhouette. I touched the third pack and opened it. In the third pack I got a Donruss Elite Rookie of Matt Hunwick. I quickly opened the fourth pack and got a Great Outdoors insert of Henrik Zetterberg numbered to /500. The last pack on the left side was the fifth. I ripped it open. I pulled a Hart Contenders of Steven Stamkos numbered to /999. The next card was the biggest hit of the box. It was a Game-Worn Gear red jersey card of Pavel Datsyuk. I love the Game-Worn Gear hits because you can get all-star players like Steven Stamkos (which I got.) 

    We opened half of the packs now. I opened the sixth pack very quickly. I pulled the second biggest hit of the box which was a Luxury Suite jersey card/autograph of Shawn Hunwick. This hit was probably the coolest of the box. The seventh pack was not lucky as I got just base. Moving on to the eighth pack now. I pulled a white jersey card of Ben Eager which was a Game-Worn Gear. The only thing I hate about the Game-Worn Gear is that you will probably get a one-color jersey card. The ninth pack was the second last pack. I pulled two inserts in this one as I got a Jason Zucker shiny Donruss Elite Rookie. The next insert was the second best insert which was a Sergei Bobrovsky Vezina Contenders. The last pack I opened I got a Royal Lineage for the Calgary Flames of Jarome Iginla, Alex Tanguay and a Matt Stajan. It was two colors. So that was the box as I got 6 hits. My rating for the box is 6.5/10. Let's see some Pictures:

#2 insert

#1insert

#3 insert

Top Base Cards

Top Hits

Hits

Basketball Card Reviews: 12/13 Panini Crusade Basketball Box Break

   Ok, first let's start off with the box. Clean, shiny, and a foil look. Sort of like the 12/13 Basketball Brilliance box. The Crusade logo on the box is so fabulous. The bending on the side of the Crusade logo is so fantastic. Just even coming up with an idea like that will make you a lot of money. Now let's go right into the base. Rough, sleek, feathery and sharp looking. The sides have feathers sticking out right into the player, which gives it an attraction. 

     Let’s start up the break. I ripped the plastic off the box. Next, I looked at the box number which was ... 74. That is another thing I like about, the place where they put the number is on the back with a shiny sticker thats shaped like a basketball. I opened the little tab in the box and pulled all the packs out. First, I opened the Kobe Anthology pack which comes in every box you get of 12/13 Panini Basketball. I have opened two of these packs in the past with no hits. So I was really hoping for one this time. Unfortunately, I got just base. Look down low to see the top Kobe Anthology cards. Knowing that I had to get at least one hit in every pack I opened the first one really quickly as I couldn’t wait to get my hands on my first pack. I saw a phaser in it. Quickly, I scattered through the cards tell I a Crusade blue insert of Jrue Holiday. Next, came an Elton Brand Majestic jersey card. The rest of the pack was just base. I opened the next pack. I saw a decoy. I pulled a Quest autograph of Chris Copeland. I was thinking that every autograph in the pack had to have a decoy because for the jersey card there was no decoy but for the autograph there was. Now the third pack came along. With excitement I pulled a Quest autograph of Nando De Colo. His “quest” to the finals was ruined when the Spurs traded him away. Coming onto the right deck of packs which was starting with the fourth pack. I opened the pack with no decoy inside I thought there was a jersey card inside. I thought right and pulled a sweet Jeff Green “green” jersey card. In every pack there is also one Crusade insert. The next pack was an ok pack. I pulled an Oj Mayo Quest jersey card. Just plain white, but i’ll take it. The next and final pack was also a stellar pack. I opened it with a decoy in it. I pulled an Alonzo Mourning autograph also followed along with two inserts. Those two inserts were an red Crusade parallel which was numbered to 99 of Len Elmore. Then came a Julius Erving “Dr. J” Royalty insert card. Then there was on more base card which was a Ty Lawson. 

     So it turns out I was right about that every autograph pack has a decoy or some people call, a phaser. This was a great little bit over a mediocre box. My rating for this box would be a 6.5/10 rating. Photo’s: 

All The Hits

Top 3 Base Cards

Top 3 Insert Cards

Top Kobe Anthology Cards

Special Thanks To Panini America Inc. 

Basketball Card Reviews: 12/13 Panini Crusade Basketball Box

    Ok, first let's start off with the box. Clean, shiny, and a foil look. Sort of like the 12/13 Basketball Brilliance box. The Crusade logo on the box is so fabulous. The bending on the side of the Crusade logo is so fantastic. Just even coming up with an idea like that will make you a lot of money. Now let's go right into the base. Rough, sleek, feathery and sharp looking. The sides have feathers sticking out right into the player, which gives it an attraction. 

     Let’s start up the break. I ripped the plastic off the box. Next, I looked at the box number which was ... 74. That is another thing I like about, the place where they put the number is on the back with a shiny sticker thats shaped like a basketball. I opened the little tab in the box and pulled all the packs out. First, I opened the Kobe Anthology pack which comes in every box you get of 12/13 Panini Basketball. I have opened two of these packs in the past with no hits. So I was really hoping for one this time. Unfortunately, I got just base. Look down low to see the top Kobe Anthology cards. Knowing that I had to get at least one hit in every pack I opened the first one really quickly as I couldn’t wait to get my hands on my first pack. I saw a phaser in it. Quickly, I scattered through the cards tell I a Crusade blue insert of Jrue Holiday. Next, came an Elton Brand Majestic jersey card. The rest of the pack was just base. I opened the next pack. I saw a decoy. I pulled a Quest autograph of Chris Copeland. I was thinking that every autograph in the pack had to have a decoy because for the jersey card there was no decoy but for the autograph there was. Now the third pack came along. With excitement I pulled a Quest autograph of Nando De Colo. His “quest” to the finals was ruined when the Spurs traded him away. Coming onto the right deck of packs which was starting with the fourth pack. I opened the pack with no decoy inside I thought there was a jersey card inside. I thought right and pulled a sweet Jeff Green “green” jersey card. In every pack there is also one Crusade insert. The next pack was an ok pack. I pulled an Oj Mayo Quest jersey card. Just plain white, but i’ll take it. The next and final pack was also a stellar pack. I opened it with a decoy in it. I pulled an Alonzo Mourning autograph also followed along with two inserts. Those two inserts were an red Crusade parallel which was numbered to 99 of Len Elmore. Then came a Julius Erving “Dr. J” Royalty insert card. Then there was on more base card which was a Ty Lawson. 

     So it turns out I was right about that every autograph pack has a decoy or some people call, a phaser. This was a great little bit over a mediocre box. My rating for this box would be a 6.5/10 rating. Photo’s: 

All The Hits

Top 3 Base Cards

Top 3 Insert Cards

Top Kobe Anthology Cards

Hockey Cards Review: 12/13 Panini Rookie Anthology Box + 1 pack

      Rookie anthology is probably my second favorite product launched ever. I got this box, went home and ripped it open the next day. This is my first ever hockey box ever. I am happy that it is my second favorite product, rookie anthology. The box is very clean looking and has a nice rapper on it. The most part I love about opening boxing is holding it in your hands and ripping it open. So I enjoyed the moment of ripping the plastic of the box and then finally opened it. There is also a Prizm bonus pack in each box. I decided to open the Prizm pack first. There is only three cards and there is a good chance you could get an autograph. I opened the pack and the first that I got was a base of Cory Schneider. The next card was turned over. I was thinking it was an autograph. Well, I was right, I got an autograph of Ryan Hamilton of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Getting an autograph in the Prizm pack, this had to be a good box. The first pack I opened I got a Keith Aulie Titanium Bronze Metallic autograph. The rest of the cards were just base which included all-star goalie Pekka Rinne. There is an estimate of every box that you get 4 or 5 hits per box. I was hoping to lean towards the five hits more than the four hits. I don't really like the boxes that have all the hits in the first packs. Well,  that sort of was the case. The next pack I pulled a very cool card which was a piece of James Van Riemsdyk stick (which was  Bauer Totalone.) This had to be a good box. Then I opened the 3rd pack. In it I got a Royal Lineage of the Columbus Blue Jackets. In the Royal Lineage subset you get three jersey cards of three different players, so I got Jared Boll, Brandon Dubinsky, and Artem Anisimov. This was the best three packs i'd ever gotten. I was thinking if this was a hot box. The next pack which was the fourth, was all base. The fifth was all base except for two cards. One of those two cards was a Martin Brodeur Vezina Contenders. I was hoping for a hot box. I opened the sixth pack and got Barret Jackman Game-Worn Gear Jersey Card. I new I had to get another hit because you get at least one Rookie Treasures. The next pack was all base. In the next pack, which was very thick, I got a Jeff Shultz Towering Defenders one-color patch. The card was numbered 5/10. I opened the second last pack, and in it I got my Rookie Treasures of Dalton Prout. The next and final pack was all base that finished off with a nice Adam Henrique. I also bought one pack. In it I got a Game-Worn Gear of Steven Stamkos. My rating for the box:  9/10.  Let's take a look:

Dalton Prout Rookie Treasures

Ryan Hamilton

Jeff Shultz Towering Defenders patch

Royal Lineage of Jared Boll, Brandon Dubinsky, and Artem Anisimov Jersey Card

Game-Worn Gear of Barret Jackman

James Van Riemsdyk Luxury Suite Piece of Stick

Titanium Metallic Bronze Autograph of Keith Aulie

Steven Stamkos Game-Worn Gear in extra pack

Hockey Card Reviews: 12/13 Panini Certified Mini Box

      First off, there is 5 cards per pack and 3 packs per box. Each mini box has at least one autograph. I
love  Panini hockey certified, there is about a 43% chance you will get in autograph in each pack, that is what I love about Panini hockey certified. What do you guys like about certified? First, I ripped the box open, then I opened my first pack and got all base. The 12/13 hockey certified set is very shiny and includes all-stars like Danny Briere and Patrick Kane. Next, I opened the second pack and got a Sidney Crosby Blue Parallel numbered to /99. I love these parallel card because of the magnificent glow of the color (mine is blue, so it glows blue.) I was really hoping to either pull a Goalie Pulls or getting a black parallel numbered 1/1, but the box went ok so that is why i'm giving this a rating of 6.5/10. In the next and final pack I pulled a certified signatures of Tyler Bozak, which was not numbered. Let's see:

Top Base Card

Sidney Crosby Blue Parallel

Tyler Bozak Certified Signatures

2nd Top Base Card

3rd Top Base Card

5th Top Base Card

4th Top Base Card

Basketball Cards Review: 12/13 Brilliance Box Break

   I have just made a post on Brilliance. By far my favorite basketball set for 12/13 is Panini Brilliance. First, we'll talk about the base cards I got in the box. Like I said the Brilliance base are very shiny. The top base cards were Kevin Durant,  Andrew Bogut, Anthony Davis (RC), Ricky Rubio, and Shaquille O'Neal. The box got off to a very early start getting all three hits in the first 10 packs. First, I pulled a giant patch of Al-Farouq Aminu. Then came the first autograph of the box, a Quincy Acy. Next came the biggest hit of the box which was a Marks of Brilliance redemption of Blake Griffin. The top inserts cards were Blake Griffin Magic Numbers, Dwayne Wade Scorers Inc., Anthony Davis Spellbound, and Kevin Durant Spellbound. The top hit was the Blake Griffin Marks of Brilliance autograph redemption. Let's take a look at these BRILLIANT cards:

Top Base Cards
Andrew Bogut, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis (RC)

Blake Griffin Redemption

Kevin Durant insert Spellbound

Anthony Davis insert Spellbound

Top 2 Kobe Anthology cards

Scorers Inc. insert Dwayne Wade

Top Base Cards
Shaquille O'Neal, Ricky Rubio

Top Inserts and Hits
Blake Griffin, Al-Farouq Aminu