7 . Toronto Maple Leafs Rookie Redemption
Seriously. I bought both of these boxes at the same time and pulled the exact same Rookie Redemption Card. Yuck.
6. Jonas Hiller Base Card 2/299
Hiller has played his entire career with the Anaheim Ducks ever since being signed as an undrafted free agent in 2007, and is responsible for running two goaltenders out of town. After making a strong debut in his rookie season, GM Brian Burke felt he was ready to assume a permanent role as the team's backup, so he then placed Ilya Bryzgalov on waivers, who was then picked up by the Phoenix Coyotes. During the 2008-09 NHL season, Hiller and Jean-Sebastien Giguere were splitting time in goal, but the team went with Giguere as starter for the 2009 playoffs. The following season, Hiller signed a four-year contract extension, and Giguere was traded to the Maple Leafs the day after that contract was signed.
5. Henrik Sedin Limited Captains Silver 44/49
I seem to be pulling a lot of the Sedin twins, but maybe it just seems that way because there are two of them and I can't really tell them apart, except for their jersey numbers....or the name on the card. Henrik was drafted third overall in the 199 NHL Entry Draft, one spot behind twin brother Daniel. What was considered a pretty deep draft at the time turned out to not live up to the hype, as only 16 players from the first round played in a total of at least 82 NHL games, and only four (The Sedins, Nick Boynton, and Martin Havlat) have made appearances in an NHL All Star Game.
4. Jeremy Roenick Board Members 189/199
Like the Steve Yzerman Limited Duels card I pulled from Box #4, this is a thinner card than most from Limited, and is printed on an acetate material. The card features Roenick checking some random Lightning player into the boards, and despite Roenick's time traveling from team-to-team later in his career, I love how this card has him in his Blackhawks gear. Roenick may have never won the Stanley Cup, but he is the subject of the greatest trash talking in sports history, when Patrick Roy said during a press conference, "I can't really hear what Jeremy says, because I've got my two Stanley Cup ring plugging my ears."
3. Jeremy Welsh Phenoms Redemption /499
A 2012 free agent signing of the Carolina Hurricanes, Welsh has only played in a few NHL seasons, while getting experience with the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. He only played in one game during the 2011-12 season, but made it to the big time for six games this past year, getting one assist.
2. Carey Price Jumbo Jersey 27/99
This is a great looking card, not only because of the player, but because of the big, bright red jersey swatch right in the middle. The three-time NHL All-Star was named the team's starting goaltender during the 2007-08 season and has held on to the position ever since. Price played in a majority of the team's games (39) during the 2012-13 season, finishing with a 21-13 record, a 2059 GAA, and a .905 SV%.
1. Jonas Hiller Crease Cleaners Patch 2/5
Wow. This is easily the best-looking card I've pulled out of Limited this year, and second out of anything next to the Dominik Hasek patch I got out of SP Game Used. With the longer rectangular size of the swatch on these cards, it really allowed them to showcase the different colors present, and luckily min contained a patch from the crest of the home jersey, instead of a number or nameplate, which can be a bit more restrictive, color-wise. This one contains four colors and six breaks in the fabric and appears to come specifically from the letter D in the word Ducks from the front of the team's away jersey, which like the Price card, is the one features in the card's photo.
That's it for box # 5. I know Hiller isn't the biggest name in the NHL right now, but when you pull a card that looks that great, it doesn't really matter. I'm planning on keeping the Hiller, but like the Hasek patch, I'd have no problem parting with it if the right deal came along.
Beautiful Hiller!
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