For a content creator on YouTube, reaching 1,000 subscribers is a big milestone. It means that you can be part of the YouTube Partner Program, which gives you the ability to start monetizing your channel.
One of the YouTube content creators I follow in the trading card realm is Retro Robbie, who posts videos about trading cards and coins. Over the past year or two, his channel has grown and his subscribers have increased, to the point where he started to hold a giveaway each time he gained another 100 subscribers. If you watch any of his videos, you'll clearly see that he's got the enthusiasm to be a content creator.
Well, recently all that enthusiasm helped him reach the 900-subscriber mark, and I happened to catch the video that allowed subscribers to enter the giveaway. All we had to do was like the video and leave a comment on it, so I figured I'd go for it. Once the entry period closed, Retro Robbie would choose 9 winners, and give each one a little team bag filled with cards from the sport of their choice. Some modern, some vintage.
And wouldn't you know it? I was one of the winners! I selected hockey as my sport of choice, and within a week or so, the prize package showed up in my mailbox.
Let's see what I got.
First up was a branded sticker. It seems like anyone who's anyone on YouTube has a branded sticker, or logo, or something. But now let's get to the cards.
That's Brett Hull's second-year card on the left, and a fun one, as it looks like he's enjoying pre-game warmups. In the middle, Bob Lorimer was a defensive defenseman who was with the Islanders for their first two Stanley Cup championships. Then he and another player were traded to the Colorado Rockies for a first-round draft pick. Yeesh. Talk about going from the top of the league to the bottom. (Fun fact: The Islanders used that pick to select Pat Lafontaine in 1983.) On the right, Adin Hill is currently with the Vegas Golden Knights, and had a great run as the starting goaltender during the 2022-23 playoffs, helping the Knights win the Cup. He's been playing rather well this season, too.
These next three cards are a bit more common. Joe Cirella had a solid 15-year career, mostly for the Devils and Rangers. Patrik Carnback was one of the original Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, and Rob Murray played in 108 total games across 8 seasons for Washington and Winnipeg.
Wayne Bianchin was a winger who played for Pittsburgh and Edmonton. In 1976-77 he had an interesting stat line: 28 goals and only 6 assists for 34 points in 79 games played. Joe Nieuwendyk is a Hall-of-Famer and 3x Cup winner (Calgary, Dallas, and New Jersey). The O-Pee-Chee Premier card he's featured on up there is from the very first Premier release, and I wish I had more cards from the set. They're somewhat scarce for a junk wax set, and the big rookies like Sergei Fedorov and Jaromir Jagr command a pretty decent price out there. On the right, Mason Appleton has found himself a steady role with Winnipeg over the past couple of years.
Oleg Belov was a Russian prospect drafted by Pittsburgh in 1995, but he opted for the European professional leagues, playing in Sweden, Switzerland, and then back in Russia. As for Alexander Mogilny, I sure hope he makes the Hall of Fame one day. He was electric throughout his career, especially in Buffalo, and just missed 1,000 career games played (990) and 500 career goals scored (473). Elvis Merzļikins is a young Latvian goalie who has played a pretty decent role in the Columbus net recently.
It's hard to see from the scan, but that card on the left is a Topps Premier Gold parallel of Kevin Miller, who played for a whopping 9 teams across his 13-year NHL career. (Not as many teams as journeyman legend Mike Sillinger, however.) Miller's brothers, Kelly and Kip, also played in the NHL, as did his cousins, Ryan and Drew. On the right is a man who needs no introduction: Jaromir Jagr. Since leaving the NHL in 2018, he's played for Kladno, the professional team he owns in Czechia. He says he's going to retire at the end of this season. We'll see. I mean, he's only 53 years old.
Somehow this is Damon Severson's 11th season in the league, which means I'm getting rather old. Severson was a solid defenseman in New Jersey for many years, and just a couple of seasons ago was traded to Columbus, where he's also done well. The man attached to the mustache on the right is Lanny McDonald, who had a fantastic NHL career and is a Hall-of-Famer. Side note: I love those Colorado jerseys.
And that's my little prize pack from Retro Robbie. There's some great variety there, with cards ranging from the 1978-79 set all the way to 2022-23.
If you have a favorite card from the bunch, let me know in the comment section.
And if you enjoy YouTube creators who post content about trading cards of all kinds (as well as coins), I hope you'll consider visiting Retro Robbie's channel and subscribing. As you'll see, he's already made it across the 1,000 subscriber mark!
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