Hockey Cards Rule

Hockey cards rule. Who didn't love the feeling of tearing the waxy wrapping off a brand new pack of cards? Trying to peel the gum off that Russian card without ruining it was part of the fun.

The early 90's were the glory years for hockey cards-- they were affordable, they were awesome, and they were everywhere. What really made these cards great was how simple, yet exciting, they were. With the exception of O-Pee-Chee's Red Army mini-set (there was one Russian card per pack) and Upper Deck's poorly made five card hologram set (the red blur was Yzerman, the grayish blur was Gretzky), there were no inserts. That meant that if you bought a full case of packs, you had a pretty good chance of putting together the full set-- goons, bums, geezers and all. They didn't have autographed platinum-die-cut-game-worn-jersey cards, they had blurry, off-centered cards that were totally awesome.

Unfortunately for some, these cards haven't appreciated in value much in the 16 years since they first came out. I guess since every kid in Canada had them, there isn't much demand for them now. Fortunately for me, this means people are willing to sell these sets for next to nothing. So I've been buying them.

Here is what rules about each set.