21 Cards, 21 Teams, and One NHL Golden Age

If Ken Reid is the godfather of sports card nerds, I want to be one of his followers… and, as it turns out, I guess I kind of am. (Read his hockey card books… just do it.) And there’s no better time to dig into at-home hobbies than in this brand new, uncharted era of […]

Jacques Plante, Homemade Toques, and Being Old in Edmonton

Jacques Plante played professional hockey until he was 58 years old. Actually, that’s a huge fucking lie. He didn’t. I like to tell little fibs sometimes. But to see him wearing an Oilers jersey as quite an elderly gentleman, I might have had you thinking there for a second. Plante was actually 46 years old […]

Mike Lampman, California, and Hockey Bros

There is no question that Mike Lampman is one of the best – and most underrated – hockey names of all time. In fact, it’s almost too much. It’s like a name they would’ve given a player in the Blades of Steel video game, or something the hockey bros would call each other on the […]

Doug Rader, Eating Baseball Cards and Spitting Chewing Tobacco

In his book Temporary Insanity, which, as you know, I’m kind of obsessed with, Jay Johnstone says that Doug Rader (nicknames: “Rooster” and “Rojo”) used to hide in the ceiling pipes in the clubhouse and spit tobacco juice on people. Sure, a pretty gross and childish prank, but you’d have to put a bit of effort […]

Joe Charboneau, Razor Blade Tattoo Removal, and Drinking Beer with a Straw.

Listen, before you judge this story – have you ever been named the American League Rookie of the Year? If you have, well, good job, I’m happy for you. If not, then you should try to be better next time around. Now, a fellow named Joe Charboneau did win the award in 1980, when he hit 23 […]

I Would Vote Jay Johnstone into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

I read Over the Edge by Jay Johnstone and Rick Talley as a child who was definitely too young to be reading it. My parents, I think, had no idea that it was as adult a book as it was when they got it for me, and I will be forever grateful for their lack […]

Cooperalls, CCM ProPacs, and (Finally!) the Cooperall Cup

For a brief time in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, the long pants known as Cooperalls ruled the hockey world. Well, not really, but looking back through the rosy lenses of nostalgia (which I love, of course), they were pretty damn cool. They were even sported by a young Brett Hull when he played […]

George Bell, Josh Donaldson, and Purple Butts

Today, Josh Donaldson was named the American League Most Valuable Player, making him the first Toronto Blue Jay to win the award since George Bell in 1987. I decided to share a few quick facts about each of these great players, to help give us all a better understanding of two of the most significant […]

Knocking Hockey Hall of Famers Down a Peg or Two

There’s a lot of talk today about the class of 2015 being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame tonight. And sure, it’s a great group. Among NHL stars Sergei Fedorov, Phil Housley, Nicklas Lidstrom, and Chris Pronger, there is US National Team star Angela Ruggiero as well as builders Peter Karmanos and Bill Hay. […]

Joe Torre, Playoff Droughts, and Being Uncomfortable on Photo Day

With Game 5 of the World Series going tonight at Citi “I Wish They Still Called It Shea Stadium” Field, I thought I’d talk about the Mets a little. And in this case, someone that a lot of people forget was a Met for a while. Joe Torre, who looks wildly uncomfortable here on 1981 Fleer […]