Starting off this week (or is it “facing off”?) with this St. Louis Blues commemorative graphic from 1992, celebrating 25 years in the NHL going back to their 1967 inception. This one’s for my pal Roger Hacker, who recently left his gig with the San Francisco 49ers to become the Blues’ newly minted Chief Communications Officer!
Now for the rest of this week’s picks:
- ’Tis the season for this 1997 Seattle SuperSonics Hallmark Christmas ornament.
- Need a stocking stuffer for the Dol-fan on your Christmas list? This 1998 Dan Marino Beanie Baby should do the trick.
- These Buffalo Sabres earrings are called “Ear-naments.”
- Look at this 1996 Madison Square Garden model. Only been there once, for a late-1980s radio promotion Michael Jackson concert. Private jet into Teterboro, the works. We were supposed to be way up close but ended up in the very top row — the Bob Uecker treatment.
- Here we have a 1969 Boston Patriots inflatable football doll, still in the package, with the AFL logo right there on top.
- This book is called Turk Broda of the Leafs. As the cover says, it’s the story of a great netminder. And why have I included this today? Simply because his name is Turk Broda!
- • So that’s how Hammerin’ Hank Aaron hit all those dingers: Here’s the “Eye Ball” hitting trainer. Get a better batting average, develop your batting eye, learn to switch-hit, and improve your stance. “It’s fun, too!” says Hank.
- “Lets Go Islanders, Rake ’Em Up” is the slogan on this Islanders/Maple Leafs playoff rally towel of unknown vintage.
- I guarantee that I’ve never seen a plush stuffed Green Bay Packers helmet until now.
- Here’s a nice early-1970s NFL gumball helmet collection that includes a great display case. Looks like a few of them have pencil sharpeners inside.
That’ll do it for this edition of CC. See you back here next week!
The Leafs and Islanders have played 3 times in the playoffs – 1978, 1981 and 2002. The 2002 series is the only one that makes sense for Mega Millions.
Yep, since Mega Millions was inaugurated as The Big Game (“It cannot be tamed!” went the commercials) in 1996, and had just switched to its current name in 2002.
Another gumball helmet collection with wrongly-applied decals.
Seeing those wildly inaccurate Chargers stickers always makes me chuckle.
I can’t recall ever coming across a yellow ‘Skins helmet for the offering…Nice!
We always talk on this site about franchises with “discontinuous” history, like the Browns, the Hornets, the Jets, and how their founding date is a bit of a myth.
The Blues are in that category. The 1967 franchise was revoked in 1983 when Ralston Purina tried to sell the team to be moved to Saskatoon, the NHL turned them down, and Ralston basically threw the keys on the table.
The Blues didn’t participate in the 1983 NHL draft as a result.
The current franchise was granted to Harry Ornest on July 27, 1983. He bought the arena from Ralston in a separate deal. The league revoked the 1967 Blues franchise at the same time.
I don’t actually care, I’m not needlessly pedantic. The Blues are from 1967, the Jets are from 1972, etc. I just think its a funny chapter of NHL history.
I didn’t know that! (Or maybe just didn’t remember.) Interesting!
Here’s a good background of the nonsense. Most of the headlines have always been about how the Blues almost moved to Saskatoon, but the story of the franchise being revoked and reissued is pretty cool.
link
Now that I’ve got that back story, it sorta reminds me of an old Steven Wright joke:
“I went down the street to the 24-hour grocery. When I got there, the guy was locking the front door. I said, ‘Hey, the sign says you’re open 24 hours.’ He said, ‘Yes, but not in a row.'”
This is really enlightening. Thanks for sharing, Mike.
The Blues assets were given back to the NHL…that included the team’s history, right?
I figured since the franchise wasn’t folded like the Barons, everything simply passed on lock, stock and barrel to the new owner; history was kept intact since the team wasn’t dissolved.
I didn’t know the league actually granted Ornest a new franchise, but no one ever blinked an eye (‘considered’ it to be new).
Sorry to hijack Collector’s Corner!
That was the era when the St. Louis Arena was renamed the Checkerdome by Ralsotn Purina.
I like the Rams gumball helmet with the decal backwards.
Yellow Redskins, white wishbone for the Bears and Cowboys without the blue outline.
Also there’s the Colts helmet at the top but a pseudo Colts in the bottom right. An upside-down omega?
Based on the career stat line on the back of the package, that Hank Aaron “Eye Ball” would date back to after the 1968 season was completed.