My Puck Collection

[seagoal]

I've been wanting to post this for a few years now but never got around to it, partly because I never wanted it to seem solicitous.  But my collection has reached a good volume now and I have some time this morning so here we go.

(This is NOT a solicitation for pucks!)

It's difficult to pin an exact age on this collection but I'm gonna say it started roughly in 2002 with my Colorado Avalanche puck. I had just moved from home in Louisiana to Colorado where I went to university and I had just started playing ice hockey for the first time after only ever played roller hockey.  Growing up in Louisiana without ice hockey, and being pretty poor, meant I never saw or handled an ice hockey puck as a kid or teenager, only roller pucks. I was always enamored with pucks as a kid, seeing them on channel 42, Fox Sports Dallas, and watching my "home team" the Stars on TV.  I thought they were so cool and along with goalie gear (Eddie Belfour and Marty Turco's badass helmets, mostly), pucks were my favorite part of watching hockey and since I didn't have access to any in Louisiana, they were all the more intriguing. 

Fast forward to Colorado, one of the first things I did was buy an Avalanche puck and it was instantly one of my favorite souvenir possessions, ever.  I still have the puck, the oldest in my collection (though not the oldest in terms of the pucks' actual ages....more on that later). I lived in Colorado for seven years and the Avs were my new team, my first reall home team, and the Avs puck was "my puck", my only puck that I kept.  I started playing ice hockey immediately in Colorado, playing 5 times a week at one point.  I've not stopped playing since and while I was around pucks all the time, I didn't start the collection there other than the Avs puck. 

Fast forward to Seattle, one of my eventual best friends was from Detroit and he invited me to go to a Canucks game with him with ther Red Wings in town. So we went and I bought myself a Canucks puck at the game, puck #2 in the collection. That same buddy who took me was pretty stoked on how excited I was to get that puck and the next time he went home to Detroit he brought me back a Red Wings puck, puck #3 in the collection.  I was so excited and so moved at how thoughtful it was to not only buy me a puck, but bring it home with him from Michigan, from the source.  It was then, with 3 NHL pucks from the source of the teams' cities, that it got me thinking: what if I keep getting pucks from the source,  how many could I get? Could I get all NHL teams?

Thus, the real collection began, with 3 NHL pucks already.  The goal was to get all NHL pucks from the source directly, either through my own travellling or through direct connections with people.  Obvously, I could have just ordered them all online in one shoppping spree and call it a day, but that would be so boring and defeat the sentiment of the collection which was all about the sentiment of hockey and pucks and my friends in hockey.  So the collection started trickling in, one by one.  I started collecting non-NHL pucks as well when I would come across them in some way: finding them at rinks, being gifted, winning them, shutouts, etc.  They all have a personal connection of some sort and if it was given to me by someone, I always put a sticker on the back with that person's name to remember who they are and how I know them. In essence, it's just a collection of memories and personal connections as a hockey player.

The collection currently stands at 45 pucks.  I keep them in the window of my office at work.  They aren't in any particular order since I've had to rearrange them a few times when the collection has collapsed or needed taking down .  Some have rolled and are now upside down or sideways which kinda drives me crazy but it's quite the effort to expose these and rearrange them so I'm just leaving them for now. My newest ones are up top right now but below the top row there is no chronological order or theme.   Here is the collection with a note about each one which I'll separate into sections:

Section 1

NY Islanders: sent to me by our very own @SaveByRichter35 on here who is an islander through and through, but in fact is a Rangers fan, haha

Philadelphia Flyers: my partner used to go to Philly for work and grabbed this for me on a trip

Pittsburgh Penguins: my a partner is from Pittsburgh and were there together visiting family, got this one myself at a shop

Yellow Star: my buddies local team called Not Sure, they formed a Learn To Play graduates team and they needed a team name, they couldn't figure it out in time and when they told the GM they were "not sure" it stuck.  This is their puck which I grabbed after subbing for them. 

Kraken v Ottawa: these were on a table at the Kraken practice facility and just up for grabs

Kraken v Toronto: same as above

Section 2

Boston vs Montreal Winter Classic: a hockey buddy in Seattle is from Boston, was there for the game, and he texts me from game: Want a puck? Yes sir, I do, please and thank you

Detroit Red Wings: puck #3, already mentioned my buddy who took me the Canucks game and brought this to me from Michigan

Vancouver Canucks: puck #2, grabbed this myself at a game in Vancover

Kraken v Islanders: on the table at the Kraken practice facility

Edmonton Oilers: one of my two current best hockey friends in Seattle was in Alberta for a tournament and grabbed this for me at a shop.  His name is Dandee and he has the most pucks in the collection.

Calgary Flames: my other best hockey friend in Seattle, Joe, is from Calgary and got this for me when visiting family

Section 3

Everett Silvertips: got this myself at a game in Everett

Seattle Thunderbirds: got this myself at a game

Chicago Blackhawks: a good friend of mine who lived above me in our apartment building in Seattle eventually moved to Chicago and sent this to me after moving away

Boston Bruins: same buddy who sent me the Winter Classic puck after eventually moving back home to Boston

Official Cooper: this puck I just sorta found one day at a rink here in Seattle and it was the puck I kept in my glove for years

Section 4

Winnipeg Jets: sent to my by our very own @insertnamehere

San Jose Sharks: my partner's coworker found out about my collection and it fascinated her.  She asked me "what teams I needed" and she sent me this from there after traveling there for work

NW Stars: found this randomly at rink here, they are like a Div 1 or 2 team...I play Div 4, not agianst them ever, haha

Hockey Wolf: local shop here in town, got this one at a tourny.  It's actually a Seattle Pride Tournament puck just backwards

St. Louis Blues: one of the most emotional pucks I have, this one was sent to me by our very own Bunnyman's wife after I had messaged him to ask for a Blues puck and getting the response from her instead, after his passing.  She graciously sent me this and told me it was on of his favorites. It's the legit oldest puck I have

Fox Sports Midwest: thrown in with the Blues goaltenders puck by Bunny's wife

Section 5

Skeletons Championship: this is my team, Skeletons, and we won the very first Kraken Hockey League season in our division and our teammate had these made for us as gifts

Greater Seattle Hockey League: our local league prior to being bought and rebranded by the Kraken

Washington Capitals: one my best friends from Seattle went to graduate school in Maryland but lived in DC, she sent time to me from there

Flying Monkeys: many of my Skeletons teammates play on this team and I am the "backup goalie" when my buddy is out. My man Rick got this for me.

Rangers (purple R): a team in our division that we play all the time, I found this in our team puck bag one day and snagged it..trading for a blank puck of course

Section 6

Arizona Coyotes: a customer of mine when I was a barista went there to visiti family and got this for me in Phoenix

Coachella Valley Firebirds: perhaps the one "cheating" puck, I got this a the Kraken team store at the rink, so not technically from the source.  Meh. The Kraken own them

Seattle Kraken: got this myself at the arena

Trash Pandas: there are I think 5 or 6 of these teams in our league, Skeletons was started by a group of Trash Pandas going rogue and splitting off.  My best friend Dandee got this for me

Colorado Avalanche: puck #1, what started it all for my collection

New York Rangers: when I got my first dog as an adult, I met someone on a forum who had a puppy the same age and breed as mine.  She lives in Manhattan and sent this to me

Kraken v Dallas Stars: my newest puck, this was given to me by Dandee who knows someone in Dallas who attended a game for the playoffs in Dallas vs Seattle

Spirit of 2010: randomly found this on the floor at the rink , it looked cool, I grabbed it

Section 7

Anaheim Ducks: again our very own @insertnamehere, perhaps the most thoughtful puck, he was in Anaheim on vacation taking his family to Disney Land and got Ducks tickets, PM'd me from the arena and got me this puck.  Super, super sweet and so generous

Seattle Pride Tournament: this was from the first game I played that year.  Notice the tape: I got a shutout and a teammate got me the puck

Minnesota Wild: one of my current coworkers is from there and was home visiting family, she brought this back for me

Section 8

LA Kings: my good buddy Rick on Skeletons/Flying Monkeys is from LA and got this for me when visiting family

Nashville Predators: one of my favorites because I love the Preds and Rinne/Saros.  I randomly saw on Twitter that a local guy I know was at the arena in Nashville with Seattle in town.  I texted him and asked for a puck and he sent me a menu to choose from : a picture of all their pucks for sale and I chose this one

Seattle Kraken anchor logo: got this one myself at the rink

Vegas Golden Knights: I LOVE this one.  It's so gawdy.  My buddy in 40+ is a semi-pro bowler and went there for a tournament.  I asked him to get me a puck and he got this gem...which cost $50 making it the most expensive in the collection

Columbus Blue Jackets: my buddy Dandee again, he used to live there and worked with a guy who still works at that company.  Dandee texted him and the dude said their office moved...into Nationwide Arena, literally.  He got this for me at work in the freaking arena, cool story

Honorable Mention

Skeletons Hockey Club: this is my main team, my hockey family really.  This puck lives in my glove and travels to and fro rinks to all games so it's not technically in the collection but it is mine.  It's the exact one I got on day 1 when our team was brand new and our captain handed out pucks.  Notice the white ring: that's paint from the tiny little practice rink walls where we practiced and goofed off prior to our first season.  I love this puck so much but of course, it now lives in a Bauer glove, not Vaughn. 

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End of tour.  

Current count is 45 with 24 of those being NHL pucks from the source, leaving 8 NHL teams left to get. 

I know 1 of those 8 are in the works....no official word yet on that one but it is from Canada and may or may not be from someone on here...stay tuned.

Anyway, so that's my puck collection.  Been wanting to share this with the forum because I've spent so much time on here over the years and you guys are such a part of my hockey story.  I get good feels from my pucks and wanted to share the story.

Cheers goalie buds. 

 

Edited June 29, 2023 by seagoal

[chile57]

Can always appreciate the journey @seagoal. Keep kicking ass on collecting. 

[seagoal]

1 minute ago, chile57 said:

Can always appreciate the journey @seagoal. Keep kicking ass on collecting. 

Thanks buddy, it's been a really fun project.  One day I'll build a nice wood display with a glass cover to hang up, and of course, keep the top open for new ones

 

[johncho]

I know it's not a solicitation for pucks, but are you looking for any from the Ottawa/Montreal region? I can get some OHL ones for you too.

[chile57]

14 hours ago, seagoal said:

Thanks buddy, it's been a really fun project.  One day I'll build a nice wood display with a glass cover to hang up, and of course, keep the top open for new ones

 

Cool - I'd be down to read about/see pictures of the build too. I like to dabble in wood working when I can find the time.

[coopaloop1234]

Loved the St Louis Bunnyman pucks and obviously the old Cooper puck.

Cooper one is clearly the best one. 

[seagoal]

13 minutes ago, coopaloop1234 said:

Loved the St Louis Bunnyman pucks and obviously the old Cooper puck.

Cooper one is clearly the best one. 

I got that one pretty randomly and it ended up in my glove just because it had something on it.  I've always kept one in my glove forever and that was the one for a long time until I replaced it with the Skeletons puck.

Maybe I'll make a little sticker for it that says    aloop    for it

 

2 hours ago, johncho said:

I know it's not a solicitation for pucks, but are you looking for any from the Ottawa/Montreal region? I can get some OHL ones for you too.

That's kind to offer.

The NHL pucks I still need are:

Tampa Bay

Florida

Buffalo

New Jersey

Carolina

Montreal

Toronto

Ottawa - though this one is in the works

I have the Kraken v Senators  and Kraken v Maple Leafs pucks but those do not count because I got them in Seattle.

I've always imagined the Florida teams are going to be the most difficult because, unlike in most NHL places, the only place to find a puck there is likely the official team store in the arenas.  This has turned out to be true so far.  In other places you can find pucks in sporting good stores, Targets, airport gift shops, drug stores, etc.

[coopaloop1234]

1 minute ago, seagoal said:

I got that one pretty randomly and it ended up in my glove just because it had something on it.  I've always kept one in my glove forever and that was the one for a long time until I replaced it with the Skeletons puck.

Maybe I'll make a little sticker for it that says    aloop    for it

I'd be more than honoured. 

Though I'll probably steal it from you in the middle of the night. 

Quote

Ottawa - though this one is in the works

That sounds like a @Lucky Pucker to me 

[seagoal]

5 minutes ago, coopaloop1234 said:

I'd be more than honoured. 

Though I'll probably steal it from you in the middle of the night. 

That sounds like a @Lucky Pucker to me 

I can neither confirm nor deny that at this time.

[coopaloop1234]

13 minutes ago, seagoal said:

I can neither confirm nor deny that at this time.

He'd be the only one dumb enough to live in Ottawa*

*note, I have not been to Ottawa, I'm sure it's nice, I just want to make fun of Lucky. 

[insertnamehere]

Happy to help! Maybe next time I go to Florida, if you don't have them by then, I'll have to check out some games. 

[Lucky Pucker]

23 hours ago, seagoal said:

I can neither confirm nor deny that at this time.

I can confirm that I have the Sens puck - but I deny having mailed it out yet. Mea culpa

Funny thing is i haven’t gone to a post office in >15 years, and I’m going to have to look up where they’re hidden!

23 hours ago, coopaloop1234 said:

He'd be the only one dumb enough to live in Ottawa*

*note, I have not been to Ottawa, I'm sure it's nice, I just want to make fun of Lucky. 

Well, you know what they say about Ottawa: 

…

nothing, actually. Nobody talks about Ottawa. 
 

Joking aside, I followed a girl here and that has worked out astonishingly well for me, so imma stay right here.

regards from a dumb - but very happy - Ottawan 

[seagoal]

1 hour ago, Lucky Pucker said:

I can confirm that I have the Sens puck - but I deny having mailed it out yet. Mea culpa

Funny thing is i haven’t gone to a post office in >15 years, and I’m going to have to look up where they’re hidden!

Well, you know what they say about Ottawa: 

…

nothing, actually. Nobody talks about Ottawa. 
 

Joking aside, I followed a girl here and that has worked out astonishingly well for me, so imma stay right here.

regards from a dumb - but very happy - Ottawan 

Jeez, I bet Googl-eh could help you find one

Well, last I looked there was a Kraken puck in Toronto getting cleared through customs......

[johncho]

On 7/1/2023 at 12:52 PM, Lucky Pucker said:

I followed a girl here and that has worked out astonishingly well for me, so imma stay right here.

Same same (but different girl)

[seagoal]

Newest puck to the collection from Ottawa, it's got a neat design to it.

Did some rearranging to make room for more and straighten out the crooked ones

I thought Ottawa might be the longest travelled puck but nope, that would be the Islanders so far.  Ultimately it will be the Panthers, I'm sure. 

Thanks to @Lucky Pucker, one of my longest online goalie friends. 

 

Edited July 17, 2023 by seagoal

[seagoal]

Puck #47

A Pilsner Urquell puck given to me by my buddy Dandee (#36 on our team).  This one is kinda beat up but it's my first beer puck and hey, I love beer.

 

Edited July 24, 2023 by seagoal

[seagoal]

2 new pucks this past weekend,  bringing the total to 49.

Both of the same color scheme. 

The nicer one is a local league team's puck called Iced Awesome and the beat up one is from a organization that runs rinks and leagues in the suburbs east of Seattle. 

Edited August 4, 2023 by seagoal

[keeperton]

1 hour ago, seagoal said:

2 new pucks this past weekend,  bringing the total to 49.

Both of the same color scheme. 

The nicer one is a local league team's puck called Iced Awesome and the beat up one is from a organization that runs rinks and leagues in the suburbs east of Seattle. 

Neat, a Sno-Kings puck. If we're ever at the same hockey thing, either up there (some of my dudes want to do a Seattle weekend tournament) or down here, I should give you an early 2000s Winterhawks puck that I have multiples of.

[seagoal]

1 hour ago, keeperton said:

Neat, a Sno-Kings puck. If we're ever at the same hockey thing, either up there (some of my dudes want to do a Seattle weekend tournament) or down here, I should give you an early 2000s Winterhawks puck that I have multiples of.

Yeah, it'd be great to meet you.  You should look out for Lost Anchor or Kraken Cup tournaments, see if you can land a spot. I play in a lot of those.  

I'd love a Winterhawks puck.  So far only 2 WHL pucks.  

[seagoal]

@keeperton

In my game last night at KCI our game puck happened to be a Spokane Chiefs puck......i was scheming how to walk away with it, haha.  Didn't happen. 

[seagoal]

Puck #50.  This was in the penalty box of the rink we played in last night, which is where we enter the ice there.

[keeperton]

On 8/4/2023 at 2:30 PM, seagoal said:

Yeah, it'd be great to meet you.  You should look out for Lost Anchor or Kraken Cup tournaments, see if you can land a spot. I play in a lot of those.  

I'd love a Winterhawks puck.  So far only 2 WHL pucks.  

I know some of my dudes were looking into doing a Seattle tournament (or at least Washingtonian) this year. Sucks that I might have to sit it out if I end up needing to get surgery on my hip.

[coopaloop1234]

5 hours ago, seagoal said:

Puck #50.  This was in the penalty box of the rink we played in last night, which is where we enter the ice there.

Clearly the rarest of them all. 

[seagoal]

2 minutes ago, coopaloop1234 said:

Clearly the rarest of them all. 

I know the company and the logo on signs in Canada, but I had no idea they had pucks.  Total score.  This was a good find.

[coopaloop1234]

3 minutes ago, seagoal said:

I know the company and the logo on signs in Canada, but I had no idea they had pucks.  Total score.  This was a good find.

The Canadian Tire bucket of pucks has been a staple of every Canadian beer league or minor hockey team for decades lol. 

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/canadian-tire-logo-hockey-practice-pucks-30-pk-0830248p.0830248.html?loc=plp

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/pail-of-12-hockey-pucks-0830175p.0830175.html

I had a chuckle seeing it on display.