Panini America PC Spotlight: Tom Brien and a Bountiful Boston Bruins Stash (Gallery)
It’s been a long, cold winter so far for Tom Brien and so many other passionate hockey fans like him. Luckily for Brien, he’ll always have the fond memories of his beloved Boston Bruins winning the 2011 Stanley Cup — and a most impressive collection of Panini America cards to honor that accomplishment — to keep him warm.
And all it takes for Brien to instantly recall that magical season is one quick look at his wall, which includes, among other things, a framed master set of the Engravatures Bruins tribute that appeared in 2011-12 Dominion Hockey. It’s the centerpiece of a collection that Brien shares with us in this Panini America Personal Collection Spotlight.
Panini America Personal Collection Spotlight
Who: Tom Brien, Chattanooga, Tenn.
What: The Boston Bruins
“I now live in Chattanooga, Tenn., but was born in Massachusetts and have been a lifelong Boston Bruins fan. Patrice Bergeron is my favorite player and I have amassed a large collection of Bergeron hockey cards and game-used memorabilia including a game-worn jersey, stick, helmet and pair of gloves from the Winter Classic and a home jersey worn during Games 3, 4 and 6 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals.
“I was ecstatic when the Bruins won the Stanley Cup and i am collecting anything I can find that commemorates their championship. When I saw the checklist for 2011-12 Dominion Hockey and the sample cards from the pack out, I knew that I had to go after the entire Boston Bruins Engravatures Tribute set for my collection. I love the images of the players hoisting the Cup and the silver nameplates are a cool idea. With 15 copies of each card, I figured I had a reasonable chance of completing it in hopefully a relatively short time. I started out by opening three cases myself. I pulled some beautiful cards but, unfortunately, no Engravatures. However, my friend Frank on the Hobby Insider Message Board did pull several himself. We swung a trade and I was off and running with my set.
“I acquired the rest on eBay via a combination of high bids, Buy It Nows and Best Offers. Michael Ryder proved to be the elusive last one that I needed. After checking eBay every day for more than a week after I had completed the rest of the set, one finally popped up. I made a generous Best Offer — it was accepted and the set was complete! I created a custom black-wood frame to display the set. The 25 cards arrange nicely in a five-by-five grid and I have them between two sheets of Plexiglas so I can still view the backs if I choose. My favorite card is, of course, the Bergeron, but they are all awesome in the way that they capture the emotion of winning the ultimate prize in hockey.
“I have included images of the front and back of my framed Engravatures set, a picture of me in front of my Bergeron game-worn Winter Classic and Stanley Cup Finals jerseys and some bonus images of the Bergeron Prime Ties, Prime Authentics and Manufacturers Marks cards that I also own. Thanks for offering to profile me on The Knight’s Lance. I am fortunate that I can afford to have a collection like I do and I love to share it with others.”