From 2011-12 Panini Prime, this is an Evgeni Malkin Captain's Cloth card numbered 1/2, featuring the upper half of his alternate captain "A" off of his home jersey. The letter is very well-framed, with only a slight amount of the top being cut off, with the detail of the shoulder seam being visible on the left. In its inaugural set, Panini chose to dispense with a lot of detail and design on the front of the card, making the patch the star. Instead, they saved most of the extras for the back side of the card.
Comparing the two, I must say, I still like the 2012-13 version better. Of course, Malkin carries MUCH more star power than Orpik, but what Panini discovered was that they were still able to put some design, and even a player photo, on the front side without taking much space away from the patch itself. I also like how they kept the slant of the letter with the 2012-13 version, as that's how it actually sits on the sweater.
Now all I have left is to get my hands on a Crosby. Considering how much sellers want for those, though, I'm not sure of my chances. Still, even if I never get one, I am absolutely thrilled to have these two as some of the top items in my Pittsburgh Penguins Collection.
That Orpik one is unbelievable! But the Malkin...why didn't they put him on the front of the card like the Brooksey? That was one thing I won't miss about Panini when they are gone. They seemed to just come up with some generic design, throw it at the wall to see if it stuck and then proceed to correct it over 2-3 releases down the road. No one can tell me that someone didn't think of putting a player image on the card in 2011 but it was suddenly a new idea in 2012. Still, those are awesome.
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