The Art Of The Sweep

When I started the draft for this post the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs were in full motion. The Finals series to determine the 2019 Champions between the St. Louis Blues

and the Boston Bruins

was just beginning. So yeah this post draft had a full length playoff beard that almost rivals Rip Van Winkle's beard. The Final Series is long long over and the St. Louis Blues won the Stanley Cup.

Their fourth time in the Final Series and now their first WIN.

Among many things that were interesting about this season's playoffs was the results of the Eastern Conference Champions Road to victory.

The Boston Bruins representing the Eastern Conference had a somewhat normal road to the Cup Finals.

In round one the Bruins beat the Maple Leafs in 7 games.

Then for round 2, in 6 games they beat the Blue Jackets.

Who had swept the Tampa Bay Lightning round 1.

The Bruins then swept the Carolina Hurricanes.

Who in round one beat my Washington Capitals,

then in round 2 swept the New York Islanders

who had swept the Pittsburgh Penguins in round 1.

I just find that a neat sort of pattern.

Now is the time on Sprockets when we dance.

Note: The cards I showed here were totally picked at random. Most of them were in the same semi-unsorted box. The box is only sorted somewhat by sport and/or set.

Something Is Gonna Break.

???

OK I will be a bit mysterious for now. In a day or so I will bust open a box of cards I got recently. I will then post some scans of the box break; the box, a pack, a sample of a base card, some or all of the inserts and of course all the hits. I plan on doing a review of what it is and give a little backstory of how it came to be. Actually how I got my grubby little hands on it. I might just end up giving away all the cards, or at least a good portion of them.

Why the mystery? Why not? Seriously though it is mostly just to insure I get a December post or two in on this blog. Also being a bit mysterious with a planned future post tends to get more people to read a blog, or get them excited about it a little.

In the meantime here is An Alex Ovechkin card I haven't shown. I got it from a group box break. I don't recall exactly when, but I think it was one of the last hockey ones I was in earlier this year. I cut back on all the breaks I was participating in. Now-Days I am only in one Baseball break that is taking December off. I may or may not continue with that one. I like group breaks but it just gets too expensive to stay in them month after month, especially if you are in more than just one or two. Plus the groups tend to repeat some of the products they bust, or they bust stuff you really don't want, or they only bust the high end stuff and your team is rarely in the expensive 5 cards or less 1 pack boxes. I digress.

Notice this card is one of those plastic acetate "see through" cards. Well it looks like it's white but that is the background of my flatbed scanner, actually the padding on the underside of the scanner cover. I tend not to like this type of card, but this one has grown some on me. At least it isn't a die-cut one with weird angles and shapes.

 2012-13 Panini Rookie Anthology Hockey: Intensity Elite Acetate:

I-16 Alex Ovechkin Capitals #258/500

(Front and Back in front of scanner's white background)

???

Ovechkin and Team Logo

A recent Alexander Ovechkin add and a Capitals Team Logo I got a while back but didn't post here yet.

2008-09 Fleer Ultra Difference Makers DM2

1978-79 Topps Capitals Team Logo Sticker

Ice Fun - 2010-11 Upper Deck Artifacts Hockey Twofer.

Once again from a sale from a member of TCC I got a nice deal on some terrific cards. This time some 2010-11 Upper Deck Artifacts Hockey cards. The first one from my fave team The Washington Capitals - Star Alexander Ovechkin card #178 serial numbered 686/999. Sort of a jersey number card since it has an 8 in it.

2010-11 Artifacts Star - 178 Alex Ovechkin #/999

Next we have a card from Nick Johnson.

D'OH! Not That NICK JOHNSON!

 

This Nick Johnson Rookie for the Pittsburgh Penguins. This card is Pittsburgh Penguins - Rookie Nick Johnson card #104 serial numbered 456/999. Nice how it is a sequential number counting  up to something.

2010-11 Artifacts Rookie - 104 Nick Johnson #/999

I like the design of these cards. I might have to bit the bullet and start getting the base set of this.

2008-09 Upper Deck MVP "Alexander The GR8"

"Alexander The GR8" - 8 card Subset

For their 2008-08 Hockey MVP set Upper Deck produced an eight card subset honoring the career of current great Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals). Eight cards is logical in a couple of ways. First Ovechkin's jersey number is 8. Second the subset title "Alexander The GR8" plays with the Historical Greek King and the awesomeness of Ovechkin's hockey career.

Each of the eight cards has an action picture of Alex on the front with his name and Washington Capitals on the left edge, under his name is a highlight of his career.

2008-09 UD Hockey MVP #AO1

On the back there is a brief paragraph that gives more detail of the highlight that is on the front of the card and a black and white headshot of Alex. Each headshot is different.

2008-09 UD Hockey MVP #AO1 (Back)

The set is not all that rare and I imagine it only really appeals to Capital's fans, and completists who are building that Master set of 2008-09 Upper Deck Hockey MVP.

2008-09 UD Hockey MVP #AO3

While I was building this little subset, I noticed I had misplaced card #3 from the set (#AO3). I searched high and low for it and couldn't find it. I looked everywhere I knew I had hockey cards. Especially the other cards from this set I had (at the time I only had 3 or 4) and hockey cards I knew I had gotten around the same time. Well I couldn't find it so I ordered another copy of it from sportlots.com The replacement card three was the last card I finally received from the subset. Even after having the complete set I couldn't find the original #3.

2008-09 UD Hockey MVP #AO3 (Back)

Well I finally found my original card #3 of this subset. Wouldn't you know it I finally found it while searching for something else. What had happened was the penny sleeve I had it in got stuck to the penny sleeve of the card above it in the pile and then the box that I had them in. I had searched that stack of cards before and had seen the card before it several times. Only this time when I was checking the backs I recognized the back. Mystery solved.

So now I have an extra one of these cards to trade for either another Alex O card or some other hockey card or any similar card really.