You know what I enjoy?
A good 1980s hockey police card set.
They also provide excellent information on the card backs. Local police departments at the time would encourage kids to exercise, study hard in school, and develop self-esteem. They also warned us sternly about the dangers of hanging out with the wrong crowd, and of drugs and alcohol.
And a third reason?
You'll find some surprisingly good photography. Check out this shot from the 1986-87 Washington Capitals Police set:
Now that's hockey action.
Bob Carpenter is waiting for a shot to come in from the point. He'd love to try and redirect it with his stick blade or shaft and score a goal that way. But at very least, he's succeeded in making life difficult for Islanders goaltender Kelly Hrudey. Just look. Hrudey is trying his hardest to keep an eye on the play in front of him by crouching down and looking around Carpenter, while maintaining some sort of angle with the shooter. With all of that happening, the crowd behind the glass knows a scoring chance is coming. Just look at their focus!
Can you find this same kind of action in the 1986-87 Topps flagship hockey set? Fat chance!
And that's not all. Check out this next card:
I think more goal celebrations like this one should be featured on hockey cards. I love it because Lou Francheschetti and his teammates are not elated. They're not exuberant. They're just some blue collar players getting together after scoring a goal.
Good job, guys.
And then it's back to work.
The camera angle and proximity almost make you feel like you're celebrating right along with them. Fantastic.
Both of those cards are now in my collection, thanks to a small trade on TCDB. Here's the third card that was part of the trade.
Mike Gartner scored 708 career goals. He's a member of the Hall of Fame, and was selected as one of the NHL's 100 greatest players during the league's 100th anniversary in 2017-18. He was also one of the fastest skaters of his generation. Despite all this, I feel like he's underrated—or at least a little bit underappreciated. For all those reasons, I snatched up the card. I like how the image shows him in action, using that speed.
Now here are the card backs, featuring some of that wise advice mentioned earlier.
Do police departments still have these kinds of programs today? If not, I think they should.
Regardless, I'm pretty happy to have these cards in my collection, and I think I might search around for examples from other teams to add.
With all that being said, however, I think it's only fair to mention that not every card in this police set is fantastic. The TCDB member I traded with was kind enough to add an extra card for me in the envelope.
Who's there? Michal? Is that you? Tap your stick on the ice three times if that's you.
(Taps stick on ice three times. Sound echoes through empty, dark hockey rink.)
Yep, that one's kind of a stinker. But think back to those flagship Topps and O-Pee-Chee sets of the era again. You'll find image after image of players standing around in warmups, or waiting for a face-off to start. So even with the few stinkers, you've still got to be impressed with police sets like these.
How about you readers and collectors?
Do you have any police cards from a local team, be it hockey or another sport? Do any of the cards boast surprisingly good photography?
Share in the comment section, and thanks for reading!
