Friday, November 21, 2008

Third-line stars

It doesn't happen too often, but it's always a kick when you actually see an NHL player enjoy signing autographs. Mostly, they're second- and third-year pros. As a result, most Upper Deck products lack cards for these players.

That's where minor league sets, from teams to top prospects to All Star Game participants, come in handy. They're a great way to fill out a team book and, if you're good, bulk up the day's haul. Sure, you get a couple of stinkers, but it's common for 75 percent of these sets to serve as card stock.

Case in point: If if wasn't for three Manchester Monarchs cards from AHL team sets, I'd have gotten only one card signed by Nashville's Jerred Smithson, an O-Pee-Chee Predators card.

Nashville's Rich Peverley seemed a bit surprised as I addressed him by name. So, too, did Kevin Klein.

Klein's card comes from In the Game's Heroes and Prospects sets, another book-filling must-have for card hounds.

1 comment:

Rob's TTM Graphs said...

Also a great card to have is the Between the Pipes set. They are all prospect goalies and look great signed.