THE 20 GREATEST PITTSBURGH PENGUINS CARDS

The Pens flirted with irrelevance for nearly a quarter century before the luck of the draft handed them two of the greatest players the game has ever known. Five Stanley Cups later, Pittsburgh is one of the hobby’s most important markets and the Penguins remain one of the most widely collected teams. Here’s a look at the 20 cards that best represent the hobby history of this legendary organization. 01 2005-06 THE CUP SIDNEY CROSBY

There’s simply no way to overstate the importance of this single. With the NHL having just emerged from a lockout that cost it the entire 2004-05 season and left the hobby in tatters, Upper Deck placed a bold bet on a product that started out at an unprecedented $500 a pack. Crosby, who lived up to all expectations with a 39-goal, 102-point rookie season, was the key driver with a Rookie Card limited to just 99 copies that incorporated both a patch swatch and a hard-signed autograph. It was a single that completely recalibrated what hockey collectors wanted and expected from an RC, featuring a player who established himself as the greatest of his generation. Both set a standard that has yet to be exceeded.

02 1985-86 O-PEE-CHEE #9 MARIO LEMIEUX

The hockey hobby was still relatively innocent when Lemieux’s key RC was released. Hard to imagine now, but copies were widely available for just a couple bucks through mail order ads and the few show dealers who carried the sport. It wasn’t long though before he lived up to the hype that labeled the 18-year-old as “the next Gretzky” and fans from across the hobby spectrum began pursuing the card. By the time Mario capped off his career with the second-highest pointsper-game average in history (.754), this card was widely recognized as a foundational piece for any serious collection. Demand continues to rise as condition-obsessed collectors pay premiums for cards free of centering and print quality issues.

03 2005-06 UPPER DECK #201 SIDNEY CROSBY

Like Crosby’s The Cup RC, his Young Guns card is elevated by its importance to a hobby that was struggling to find its footing after a year on the sidelines. Although it wasn’t his first RC to hit the market, Sid’s YG was the most anticipated, as well as being the key single in what was being widely hyped as the Dual Rookie Class. It was an immediate smash, with singles quickly selling for more than $100 – an astonishing figure for a card that was relatively easy to acquire. It remains significant to this day, buoyed by Sid’s remarkable personal and team achievements, along with the limitless demand for premium graded copies.

05 1990-91 OPC PREMIER #50 JAROMIR JAGR

Pro Set, Score and Upper Deck all made their market debuts during the hobby’s breakthrough season of 1990-91, but there was no set more impactful than OPC Premier. The mid-year release was arguably the first premium hockey product, and a legitimate phenomenon that saw ravenous hobby demand boost the price of the $1 packs to $20 or more. The RC of Jagr, the fifth pick from the previous summer’s draft, was one of the key drivers of the product. His 27-goal rookie season built an immediate collector base that swelled as he won two Stanley Cups and five scoring titles on his way to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

07 2004-05 IN THE GAME FRANCHISES UPDATE #489 MICHEL BRIERE

The enduring allure of Briere is something you can’t truly understand unless you’re a Penguins die-hard. The Quebec-born phenom – his 75 goals and 161 points in just 50 games in 196869 set a Junior A record – was drafted 26th overall by the Pens that summer. He made the jump directly to the NHL, scoring 44 points as a rookie, then eight more in 10 playoff games to lead the upstart Pens to the semifinals. Tragically, a car crash two weeks later ended his life and robbed the franchise of its first superstar. This card, nearly four decades in the making, serves as a poignant reminder of what might have been.

04 1985-86 O-PEE-CHEE BOX BOTTOMS #I MARIO LEMIEUX

While not a true RC, this is by far the toughest of Mario’s rookie year collectibles, and one that continues to vex his most diligent collectors. One of 16 bonus singles printed on the bottom of OPC boxes, this card was often discarded by store clerks or disinterested collectors. Those that did pay attention rarely cut it with the care and precision demanded by today’s hobby. As a result, there are few of these yellowbordered singles in premium condition. Six copies to date have been graded by BGS, with just two of those earning a Gem Mint 9.5.

06 2008-09 O-PEECHEE WINTER CLASSIC HIGHLIGHTS #WC38 SIDNEY CROSBY

When legendary American broadcaster Mike Emrick announced his retirement in October, there was one call that appeared in every highlight package: Crosby’s shootout winner from the 2008 NHL Winter Classic. Little wonder. That bit of stick and puck magic, amplified by the falling snow, the largest crowd (to date) in NHL history, and Doc’s enthusiastic narration, ranks as the most iconic moment from what was arguably the most iconic game of the 21st century. This single, one of 10 short prints from the 40-card insert series, perfectly captures the scene of Sid staring down Ryan Miller before beating the Buffalo goaltender through the five-hole.

08 2006-07 THE CUP EVGENI MALKIN RC

Although this card was the most valuable RC from the 2006-07 campaign, it’s fair to say Malkin has never fully gotten his due from the hobby. The second pick of the 2004 draft has always played second banana to Crosby, despite boasting the kind of talent that would make him an elite No. 1 center on virtually every other team in the league. His 1.16 points-per-game over the past decade ranks third, behind only Connor McDavid (1.34) and Crosby (1.23), and he’s a five-time recipient of team MVP honors – including 2019-20 – all while playing alongside Sid. Interesting to note that this card has been graded just 38 times by BGS, exactly half as often as Crosby’s Cup RC.

09 2003-04 BE A PLAYER DRAFT REDEMPTIONS #1 MARC-ANDRE FLEURY

As the rare goalie who was selected first overall in the draft, Fleury was pre-ordained to be a hobby sensation. Collectors immediately swarmed his RCs, despite a lack of success on the ice (4-14-2 with a 3.64 GAA and .896 save percentage – numbers that would end a netminder today). This single doesn’t earn the RC tag, but it’s arguably his most compelling rookie-year issue. BAP inserted 100 redemption cards for each of the top-30 picks from the now legendary 2003 draft. All copies were hand-numbered out of 100, but just 56 copies of Fleury’s card were actually redeemed and put into circulation, making it one of his toughest cards to track down.

11 2005-06 UPPER DECK ICE #106 SIDNEY CROSBY

The revival of the all-acetate Ice brand was a huge hit in the post-lockout environment, with the Crosby RC pacing demand. The single, limited to just 99 copies, has remained one of his most popular rookies to this day, thanks in large part to the impact of professional grading and the enhanced likelihood of earning a high grade thanks to a forgiving substrate. BGS has slabbed the card 62 times, with 49 earning a Gem Mint 9.5 and seven accorded a Pristine 10.

13 1996-97 UPPER DECK GAME JERSEYS #GJ6 MARIO LEMIEUX

This was the ultimate game changer. As the first memorabiliaenhanced insert to hit the market, the 1996-97 UD Game Jerseys set revolutionized the industry and changed the way collectors assessed the value of a box. Singles routinely sold for hundreds of dollars while the Lemieux, as the most in-demand player in the series, sold for as much as $1,000. Even today, when demand for Mario’s memorabilia cards has been diluted by a seemingly endless supply, this single holds a special place in the collections of those lucky enough to own one.

10 1990-91 PENGUINS FOODLAND #11 JAROMIR JAGR

As the Lemieux-led Pens took their place among the NHL’s elite, team-related premiums became a big player in the hockey-crazed Pittsburgh market. The Foodland series, issued by a local grocery chain in conjunction with the Crimestoppers program, was a long-running success story, offering several years of attractive cards. This set was not one of them – the decisions to go with thick yellow borders and to devote almost as much space to the team name as the photo are indefensible – but it’s a beauty to Jagr collectors who covet this rookie-season single for its scarcity, not its beauty.

12 2018-19 UPPER DECK PREMIER SIGNATURE CHAMPIONS #SCSC SIDNEY CROSBY

There are plenty of lowprint run autographed cards in Crosby’s catalogue, but this one stands apart. After all, if you ask Sid how he’d like to be remembered, he wouldn’t fixate on the scoring titles or MVP honors. Instead, he’d want to be honored as a three-time Stanley Cup champion, a status captured perfectly on this card. It’s a marvelously simple design that offers a broad signing area for the on-card autograph, and is limited to just 10 copies. If you have one, you’ve got a gem.

14 1990-91 KRAFT #87 MARIO LEMIEUX

For several years, the annual Kraft set was one of the hobby’s biggest releases and one of the only national-scale alternatives to O-Pee-Chee. Collectors avidly anticipated its arrival, even as the market was flooded with new brands in 199091, because the company was always innovating to create a set that challenged collectors and moved a variety of Kraft products. This Lemieux was available as part of an uncut, six-card sheet of Eastern Conference All Stars that was inserted into 48-count cases of Kraft Dinner. To be fair, one sheet in every other case of KD in a country that considers it a national heritage food may seem like a lot. Instead, because few consumers bought entire cases, and most of the sheets were thrown out with the cardboard packaging, making this a difficult card to track down.

15 1975-76 O-PEECHEE #305 PIERRE LAROUCHE

Though he spent just four seasons in Pittsburgh, Larouche made them count by etching his name in the record books multiple times. He was the youngest player ever to score 50 goals in a season, the youngest to score 100 goals and 300 points in a career, and later, the first to score 50 goals with two different teams. He scored in bunches throughout his career, but importantly, he did it with style. The anticipation of seeing him do something special put butts in seats and then he lifted them out again with his speed and creativity. His RC suffers from a poor photo choice, but it’s still a classic.

17 1997-98 COLLECTOR’S CHOICE #208 PATRICK LALIME

Though some might prefer Ken Wreggett’s Danny DeVito/Penguin tribute, this card captures our choice for the best mask ever worn by a Pittsburgh netminder. The 3-D artwork of a cartoon penguin breaking through the ice was groundbreaking for the time, and is perfectly preserved in close-up for this single. Lalime wore this during his rookie season in Pittsburgh, where he set the record for most consecutive wins from the start of a career with 16. That’s a run Pens fans will never forget.

19 1971-72 O-PEE-CHEE #77 SYL APPS

Apps was a rarity in his day, a product of Princeton University and the collegiate development system. And while he didn’t reach the heights of his father, Hall of Famer Syl Apps Sr., he went on to enjoy a solid NHL run. The center of Pittsburgh’s Century Line, he was a gifted playmaker who retired with the franchise record for career assists and was second in points to Pronovost. His best season was 1975-76 when he posted 99 points and was the MVP at the All-Star Game. It’s hard to imagine why OPC chose a studio photo of Apps with the Rangers, the team for which he played his first 31 games before finishing his rookie season in Pittsburgh, but it doesn’t detract from the card’s appeal.

16 1968-69 O-PEECHEE #100

LES BINKLEY

At 33, Binkley became the very first player acquired by the expansion Penguins in 1967. He went on to man the crease for five solid seasons with the club, but as the back of his RC notes, that’s not the most interesting note on his career. When he was offered his first AHL deal in 1960 after years of toiling in the lower minors, it wasn’t to tend the twine for the Cleveland Barons – it was to be the team’s trainer. Binkley took the job and thrived in it, but when starter Gil Mayer got hurt late in the season, he stepped between the pipes. A star was born, and Binkley spent the next six seasons preparing for his eventual NHL debut in Pittsburgh.

18 1969-70 OPC #155 JEAN PRONOVOST

The youngest of the three Pronovost brothers to skate in the NHL, Jean made his mark as Pittsburgh’s first true star. The dashing winger, who was pilfered from the Bruins in 1968, was the first player in team history to breach the 50-goal and 100-point marks during an epic 1975-76 season that saw him finish eighth in NHL scoring. He authored three more seasons of 40-plus goals, was a four-time NHL All Star, and an inaugural member of the team’s Hall of Fame. His RC remains a largely regional delicacy, much like a Primanti Brothers sandwich, but is extremely difficult to track down in top condition.

20 1990-91 PRO SET #674 BOB JOHNSON

He earned the nickname “Badger Bob” during a stint with the University of Wisconsin that saw him win three NCAA championships, but when he made the jump to the NHL, he made sure everyday was a great day for hockey. Johnson’s infectious leadership style won over a Penguins room that had little interest in defensive hockey, and eventually led the team to its first Stanley Cup in 1991. He passed away from brain cancer shortly after this card, his first major NHL single, was released.