Even now as I wade into the decade that is my 40s, I can admit I still enjoy going through my hockey card binders once in a while and admiring the old uniforms – some good, some bad, but always nostalgia-worthy. I also love turning over the cards and going over the stats and always being pleasantly surprised that some of the guys on these cards put together some pretty decent seasons once upon a time.

The one thing that I find disappointing about cards in the late 1980s and 1990s, however, is that there aren’t a lot of truly awful ones out there. The classic O-Pee-Chee cut-and-paste jobs were a thing of the past, and even the airbrushing had improved significantly. The days of asking preschoolers to draw NHL logos on cards were long gone. Once in a while though, you find one great looking oddball card that gets the wheels turning in your head. Like this beauty here of St. Louis Blues legend Bernie Federko.

What is going through Bernie’s head at this very moment? I like to think he’s just realized someone has farted on the Blues’ bench, and he’s calling attention to one of the Blues who may have a little brown on his uniform, but it really could be any number of gross things taking place within Bernie’s eye shot. Maybe he got a whiff of someone’s equipment that wasn’t properly washed after a double-overtime game against a Norris-Division rival? Notice how no one on the bench wants to make eye-contact with Bernie? I suspect someone is stinky and doesn’t want to fess up. If ever I run into Bernie, I’ll be sure to ask him.