So you read the post about buying Steven Stamkos rookie cards and decided they were too rich for your blood. That’s OK. We here at Raw Charge have a solution for you. Kind of a do-it-yourself project you will. It won’t take anything more than a nice printer, some glue, a pair of scissors and a hockey/baseball card you no longer care about.
Step One
Go to this website. Manipulate the images until they are the size of your hockey card (2 ½” by 3 ½”) and print out a nice copy.
Yes, that website has been sitting around on the internet since 2008. It’s fantastic to have a piece of history frozen in time. This is an archive of the press Stamkos was getting from the local paper (still known as the St. Petersburg Times), and was part of a complete audio/visual package available online. I’m not sure if The Times actually printed these cards out for the physical paper or not, so this might be the only place you can get them.
There is even an audio clip from Tom Jones and Damian Cristodero where they talk about the type of player he may become while a slideshow plays in the background. They call him Steve! They compare him to Brad Richards! Cristodero (miss you covering the team) whiffs a bit on Melrose’s influence on the rookie, but it’s interesting to hear them talk about a prospect that has yet to step on the ice for the team.
Step Two
Assemble your materials.
Yes. I am desecrating a Pavel Bure Pro Set rookie card (French version). Trust me, I have plenty. I’m pretty sure I received it as filler for a hockey trade I made last year.
Step Three
Cut out the photos. Be careful to make sure you cut evenly. As you will see in the next step I have no patience with getting the sizes exact so my card ended up being a bit off-center. That’s going to hurt the sale value.
Step Four
Apply good old-fashioned Elmer’s Glue to the front of the card. Make it tacky. The photo The Times chose for this product was from the 2008 Home Hardware Top Prospects Game, a showcase game that featured the top draft talent available from The Ontario Hockey League, Western Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
Other players on the roster included Drew Doughty, Jordan Eberle, James Wright, Mitch Wahl and Luke Schenn. Stamkos led his team to an 8-4 win by scoring a goal, adding an assist while also picking up a fighting major.
Step Five
Repeat with the back of the card. This card includes a quote from Phil Esposito: “Steve Stamkos is a guy, that when he matures and becomes the believes he can become, that will not only score 35-45 goals with 85-90 points, but will also be a plus-13. He is that well rounded of a player.”
Again with the “Steve” Stamkos. It just sounds so odd. How good is Trader Phil at his predictions? Well he’s a little off. In his three 90+ point seasons Stamkos maxed out at a plus-7 in his 60-goal season. It’s kind of unfair to point that out in his career as he is just developing into a more responsible defensive center. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him fulfill Esposito’s prophecy in the future (if he can stay healthy).
Step Six
Set under heavy box or book until the glue dries.
Congratulations. You have your own Steven Stamkos rookie card. Place in a protective holder, list on eBay and reap your rewards!
The pdf has five different photo and backs so you can make your own set. Check out number four. A snapshot of a two-year old Stamkos sitting in a chair on a beach. Not just any beach, but St. Pete Beach! It was destiny that he would sign with the Lightning after all.
Quotes on the back of the cards come from:
Scotty Bowman – “He is head and shoulders above all others.”
Pat Burns – “Incredible skills!”
Paul Titanic (his youth league coach) – “Even when he was 7 or 8, Steven always was aware of what was going on around him.”
Vinny Lecavalier – “He’s a pure scorer with sick skills”.
Even if you don’t use the templates to make your own cards, it’s a nifty little piece of nostalgia for when Stamkos was a blank slate of a player in the NHL.
