Hockey Time

Contributor: John McTaggart

For a very long time now I’ve dedicated much of this space to professing my love for the sport of hockey, and more specifically, the hockey hobby.

I’ve used all kinds of examples as to why many of those who turn their nose up at the frigid game should reconsider.

I’ve spoken with some of the hobby’s biggest hockey collectors.

I’ve run a few numbers across these pages as well, dazzling all of you with the growth potential of the hockey hobby.

I’ve even broken my own unwritten rule of giving investment advice and made a few suggestions regarding which young gun prospect (hockey people will get this reference) should be given a deep-dive into in terms of potential returns (see the article I did on Matty Beniers before the season got underway).

Now I’m sad… kinda

But now, I’m finding myself a little remorseful for going on and on about all this hockey nonsense.

Why you may ask?

Well, because based on what I’ve noticed within the past few months or so, people are starting to take notice — and that is scary to old-timers such as myself.

It’s a classic case of being careful what you wish for, right?

And yes, it’s entirely selfish, but I’m just speaking my truth.

Every day I open my Instagram feed its seems like there’s another post about a record sale of  certain hockey card.

More and more collectors are now showing off their newest Upper Deck Young Guns acquisition instead of some random basketball card.

I’m going to local shows and seeing more showcase real estate reserve for hockey than I can ever remember seeing in the past — and I live in Detroit— which is saying a lot about the hockey hobby today.

Heck, even one of the largest breaking companies on the planet broke a few cases of Upper Deck’s The Cup last week.

It’s Time to Shine

This is something that, if this were a few years ago, would have been laughed out of the break room.

Am I personally happy by this turn of events, despite me playing a small part in it, absolutely not.

I’m scared my comfortable little hockey hobby community is going to get trampled by the masses and turn into basketball or even football, complete with insane product pricing, bad actors, over-inflated and under performing prospects and (gulp) a community of self-serving influencers tossing about PSA 10 McDavid rookies like their potato chips.

As someone who loves the hockey hobby, who has a business that relies on the hockey hobby, and who wants to see more people get the same sort of satisfaction out of the hockey hobby — I’m over the moon with excitement about how things are trending.

But I will say this, if you’re already in the hobby, like me and many others, prepare yourself for the approaching insanity. 

I saw it way back in the day with basketball, and it was both fun and dizzying to be a part of back then.

Either way, the spotlight is warming for the hockey hobby, and I couldn’t be more excited to see it finally get a seat at the table in the hobby.