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Friday, January 3, 2014

The Quick And Easy Way To Find Out If You Have Just Pulled A 2013 Panini Contenders Football SP Rookie Ticket Autograph Card


Today is the release day for 2013 Panini Contenders Football cards.  We’ve received quite a few questions from collectors, all asking for ways to identify the coveted Short Print Versions of the Rookie Ticket Autos.  While it might have been tricky in the past, this year Panini has made it rather simple to identify these SPs.  They even released the information on their blog, The Knight’s Lance between Christmas and New Years.

Monday, December 30, 2013

The Winter Classic The NHL’s Savior Book Review



For those of us from parts of the world where temperatures dip below freezing, hockey is a game that is often played outdoors.  Most have fond memories of makeshift games on frozen bodies of water or outdoor rinks exposed to the elements. But Professional Hockey demands the predictability of controlled conditions and that is only obtainable indoors.  So when the NHL decided to move the game back outside, allowing the natural elements to come into play, it was a big deal. That simple conceptual move sparked a sense memory for a lot of former “snow day” kids, bringing back a certain childhood magic to the game that can get lost in tamed arenas. The Winter Classic became a specialty event unlike any other.

Everything you would want to know about this great event can be found in Russ Cohen and Michael del Tufo’s excellent book “The Winter Classic : The NHL’s Savior. “  All the details of the event from a behind the scenes look at how to the rinks are set up and maintained, to alumni and current player reactions to dealing with outdoor elements while playing on one of the fastest and most difficult playing surfaces of any sport, to a blow by blow account of all of the past Winter Classics and venues, 2008 to the present, can be found in this book.