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Health & Fitness

Celebrating National Hockey Card Day

I know where I will be celebrating National Hockey Card Day this Saturday (January 19).  I will be at AU Sports in Morton Grove picking up my free pack of Upper Deck National Hockey Card Day cards.  I will also use that time to add other cool stuff to my ever-growing hockey memorabilia collection.

This is the third year for the program in the United States and the sixth in Canada.  The 21 card sets are completely different on each side of the border.  Each pack contains five cards, in addition to randomly inserted autographs.

Free hockey cards?!  I am all over that!  Plus, AU Sports is sweetening the deal by discounting all packs and supplies in celebration of National Hockey Card Day!

Scott Beatty, owner/operator AU Sports Memorabilia is almost as excited as I am.  Beatty told me, “National Hockey Card Day is always a big hit with our customers and we make sure the kids get a little something more.  We like to surprise them with an extra pack. It’s one of our favorite days of the year!”

Extra pack?  This day just keeps getting better.

My love for hockey cards dates back to my youth.  There was nothing like AU Sports in my area.  We had to rely on the corner store for our hockey cards, but their supply went quickly and was replenished too sporadically.

I still can list my top 5 hockey cards of my youth.
1973 Keith Magnuson
1974 Phil Roberto
1974 Brian Spencer
1977 Bobby Orr
1979 Dale Tallon
As a matter of fact, when I discovered AU Sports over 20 years ago, my first purchase included each of these cards in better condition than the ones I had owned since childhood.  Ahhh the memories.

Over the years, I have created new memories at AU Sports not just with new purchases, but also by talking hockey (and all sports) with the staff and fellow customers.  It’s like a sports clubhouse for collectors.

I am guessing that I will see many of my fellow collectors on Saturday at AU.  We will all be picking up our free National Hockey Card Day packs, buying other cool sports stuff and talking about hockey, the greatest sport of all.

I wonder if they have a 1980 Joel Quennevelle rookie card?  I bet they do.  I will find out Saturday, as I celebrate National Hockey Card Day!

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