McDavid the Youn Gun

It’s no mystery that I am a fan of both the sport of hockey and the hockey hobby.

I’ve been professing my love for it since the very beginning of this newsletter.

So, needless to say, I am incredibly excited about how this year’s Stanley Cup Finals are shaping up, both as a fan and as a hockey card collector. It literally brings my heart such joy to see the entire world, the United States in particular, finally get a chance to see what the sport is all about in network primetime, finally featuring the game’s best — Connor McDavid.

And the Oilers superstar has risen to the occasion in his first Stanley Cup Finals appearance, racking up a pair of four-point games heading into game 6.

It’s not that the finals have been bad in the past, or lacked any real excitement. It’s just something was missing. That something was McDavid.

Now, why does this matter?

It matters because he is clearly the game’s top player, and along with that, the game’s most exciting. 

People who aren’t familiar with the game need to see the game’s best talent performing on the sport’s biggest stage. They’re finally getting a chance to do that.

The drama, the action, the flow, the tension of a Stanley Cup Finals game is unmatched in sports, and knowing these athletes are on ice skates doing all these crazy things — that adds to the wonder and awe of the game. 

Now, if you’re not familiar with how the hockey hobby works, it’s pretty simple — everything builds off a player’s Young Guns card. 

Young Guns are the absolute pillar in the hobby in terms of rookie cards for a player. Sure, there are rookies worth more. There are certainly rookie cards that are more rare, but all-in-all, the Young Guns rookie is the one every collector will want.

McDavid, clearly the best player of this generation, and easily among the best of all time, has a 2015 Upper Deck Young Guns card that is worth around $2,500 USD in a PSA 10 as of the time I’m penning this column. Now, this isn’t a rare card, admittedly, but it’s still the most recognizable and sought after McDavid rookie card, no question. If you’re a serious modern hockey card collector, you either already have or desperately want to add one of these to the collection. 

And truthfully, $2,500 isn’t all that bad for this card. 

If the Oilers should complete their comeback, they’re currently down in the series to the Florida Panthers, 3-2, but have won the last two, then that $2,500 will look like a steal.

It’s the only feather in McDavid’s cap that is missing, and it’s a big, beautiful and necessary feather too.

Without one, an otherwise brilliant and legendary career will be incomplete. 

So, tune in tonight if you’re not planning to already.

Give this great game, which is set to showcase its greatest player, a chance.

Take a few moments to learn a bit more about the hockey hobby, about the game’s history.  

I’m telling you — you’ll be happy you did.