a box break meant for somebody else...

You ever buy a box of cards, rush home, rip into it, and at the end felt a little let down because you knew this box was meant for someone else? This just happened to me. And I feel a little let down over it too. I've seen dozens of box breaks for this product on the various forums, all with cards I've drooled over... but not this one. This one was meant for someone else.

But let's get back to that later. First up the standard review. Of what? Why 2009/10 In The Game Between the Pipes of course. For a refresher on last year's version, go to my review HERE. It went a little better than this year.

The base set is divided into four subsets.... the first, Future Stars. These are the guys that either have been drafted in the last year or two, or are about to be this summer. I chose Leland Irving as my example. Why? Well he's the Flames heir apparent, and if Kipper keeps playing the way he did this morning, we may be seeing Leland sooner than later.
Stars of the Game features today's current players, this year in a "painted" look. Here's Marc being told that if he agrees to take a quick vacation in Vancouver, talk to some pretty girls, and generally smile for the cameras... they'll pay him with a Gold Medal. No catches.

Next we have Greats of the Game. Some cool cards here... although some duds as well. They may have tried too hard in expanding the checklist. Allan Bester? Grant Fuhr? Putting these against the likes of Johnny Bower and Georges Vezina is close to sacrilege.

I know you are all wondering how you get a nick name like Rogie. Well, if you have a name like Rogatien, you gotta be called something.

and last but not least, in my opinion, are cards from "The Rival League" We're talking WHA here people.

Gary "Bones" Bromley from the Cowboys. Yes Flames fans, Calgary had a pro hockey team before we borrowed one from Atlanta. You all just never went to see them, so they left. Shame on you! You go to the penalty box, you hang your head, and you feel shame!

That takes care of the base set, now onto the inserts... There are six insert sets to chase. The first five on the list fall at 1:8 packs combined. The Masked Men fall at 1:8 themselves.

1. Gold Medal Masks. - didn't get any, although I did win one over at Cards On Ice!

2. Martin Brodeur Tribute - pulled 1

3. Net Brawlers - didn't get any

4. CHL All Stars - pulled 1

5. AHL All Stars - didn't get any

6. Masked Men - Pulled 3


First up, my CHL All Star

Then my Martin Brodeur tribute. There are several of these, mine is #6. Get used to seeing Marty... he owns this box.

Masked Men - Tim Thomas (I bet a lot of card companies are wishing they hadn't jumped on the bandwagon of this flash in the pan backup....)

Martin Brodeur (again, but not the last Marty insert)

Ilya Bryzgalov. If the voters vote with their brain cells, and not their ass, Ilya will be league MVP at the upcoming Awards Ceremony.

Next up we have the autographs. Seeded 1:8 I pulled 2. It's always fun to pull these and wait to see when/where they get drafted...

wow. Jamie Tucker, although I have never met you, you sir, are a Douche. A Douche of the highest standing. How often do you see someone's jersey number being 2/3 of their signature?

Show some pride you cockknocker, at least pretend you went to school.

Your auto makes the next one look like calligraphy.

James Reimer, the Leafs future saviour. Good luck with that James. Work hard and someday you too, may have a career that rivals Allan Bester.

Now the relics, again seeded 1:8

Martin Brodeur.

Somewhere in Calgary is a Brodeur super collector. In two boxes, purchased at the same shop as mine, he pulled nothing. Not one Brodeur. I now know why.


And we end with Chris Osgoods goal pads /60

Pretty cool stuff, but not of a dude I collect. None of these are dudes I collect. Story of my life.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some base cards to sort and put in pages.

You asked for it...

by voting in the poll over on the sidebar, In The Game's 1972 The Year In Hockey.
This box cost me $85. 18 packs per box, 9* cards per pack. (only the packs with a "hit" have 9 cards, the others have a decoy card that can be used as points towards a redemption)
The set consists of 200 cards, no SP's! Along with a few insert sets.
First up, the base cards. Now we all know that ITG does not have the ability to produce licensed NHL hockey cards. So you will not see logos etc... but as usual, they do an outstanding job.

and for my special group of followers that worship all that is facial hair, I give you your Holy Grail. Mr. Cowboy Bill Flett.

awesome.

The NHL stars take up the first 100 cards including a checklist. For the next 50 cards, we are treated with some of the stars of the brand new WHA. (World Hockey Association)

Mr. Gilles Gratton, who once told his coach that he couldn't play that night because the moon was descending in the wrong house as Mercury was rising.... true story.

but Gratton is best known for his time with the Rangers and giving us this beauty...

The rest of the base set is divided up amongst the biggest hockey story of that particular year. Maybe all time. Canada vs. USSR. (please go here after finishing here, it's an amazing site) It changed hockey forever. Of course Canada was at a disadvantage with the NHL not allowing them to choose players from the new WHA.

The greatest goalie to never play in the NHL.

Each game (there were eight) gets a mini write up on it's own card.

Now as for inserts, I found several.... the first being one that I must admit I do not like. I just cannot understand the fascination with these, even as an obsessive compulsive player collector, I do not go for these...

Blank backs. I found two, They both look like this;

incredible, aren't they?

Next up, one of the best insert sets of the year.

Masked Men. I only found two in my box, but some boxes didn't get any.....

For those of you who remember Bernie Parent and his stark, white mask while playing for the Flyers....

this is from his days with the Blazers in the WHA.

I didn't get any cards in the Coaches inserts, but I did get this one in a trade.

Now the hits you've all been waiting for... each box will deliver you three ON CARD autos. Yeah. ITG does it right.

and one game used card. Now the game used could be from one of different levels of scarcity. The one I found was of the most common variety.

Although they are not individually numbered, according to the ITG website, there were between 70-90 of these produced. Not bad for the most common, eh?

All in all a great box to bust. I spent more time reading the cards than I care to admit.

For the first time, I believe ever, ITG has delivered a product where a set cannot be completed out of one box. I'm torn on this. As a set collector, I need to complete this set. But at $85 a box (at least, I've seen it a lot higher) this isn't realistic. But there's always trading, right?

I'll give it a 9/10 (dropping down to 18 packs from the normal 24, and the blank backs... otherwise this is a 10)