I Fell in Love: 2013-2014 Upper Deck The Cup Signature Renditions

As I’ve already mentioned, Steve Yzerman was my favorite hockey player when I was a kid. But before Steve Yzerman, there was Ron Hextall.

My absolute earliest hockey-watching memory is the 1987 Stanley Cup final between the Edmonton Oilers and the Philadelphia Flyers. All of the family members I was watching the game with were rooting for the Wayne Gretzky and the Oilers, like the loyal Canadians they were. So I ended up rooting for the Flyers, like the mouthy kid I was. And Ron Hextall, then a rookie, turned in an amazing performance that series, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy even though the Flyers lost. It made quite the impression on me. I became such a Hextall fan that I remember my dad waking me up late one night a year or two later so I could watch the highlights on TV the night Hextall scored his first goal into an empty net.

So that’s why I happened to be searching Ron Hextall cards on eBay when I came across this:

I was immediately floored. I love the painted look of the card, especially with the vivid colors of his jersey, the trophy and the NHL logo contrasted against the black and white elsewhere. And the fact that it celebrated Hextall’s performance in that ’87 Cup final – well, clearly, this was a card that was meant to be. I did a bit of waiting and watching and finally found one that didn’t wasn’t getting bid well into the $20’s. I ended up winning this one for just $15.50, plus $2 in shipping. A couple months later, and that’s still the cheapest I’ve sign any of these cards go for.

Of course, it wasn’t until after I’d won the auction that I realized why mine may have been cheaper. It is signed with a blue sharpie, whereas every other version of this card has been signed in gold ink and, I have to admit, look even nicer. But I’ve consoled myself that this particular card is even more unique. It’s also the last card in the series, numbered 35/35, which makes me think there might be some story behind the blue ink. Maybe the original was damaged and Upper Deck had to make a replacement, so Hextall didn’t have the same pen when he signed this one? Who knows.

Here’s a look at the back:

So it's a "digital illustration," which isn't nearly as cool as some sort of actual painting. But whatever, this card is absolutely gorgeous.

It's also responsible for what has become a mini-obsession with me for the Signature Renditions subset of this year’s release of The Cup. There are around 50 in the subset that, like the Hextall, have single autographs and are each numbered to 35, plus another 25 or so that have dual autographs and are numbered to just 15. Most of them have been selling for prices far beyond my range (including, alas, two duals that include Yzerman). But I’ve been able to pick up a few more of the single autos that I’ll be showing off over the next few weeks.