PACK RIP - Hat Trick of Certified

A trip to my LCS shop this afternoon scored me three fresh packs of Certified. It seems like as long as I  buy two packs, I'm guaranteed something good. After these three packs, I still can't complain.

I'll spare you all the base cards and just show the bulk of them in one scan:

My first Canucks base card from all these packs (I think) is of Henrik Sedin.

The regular GU jersey cards are nothing to write home about, but not bad as a set. It all depends on player selection. Boy oh boy, did I get a good player...

Nick Lidstrom is a living legend and I'm sad to see him go. He was such a work horse for the Wings throughout his years and truly a household name. To me, pulling a Lidstrom hit is just as valuable as pulling a guy like Crosby. All class card.

 

Such a great insert idea and execution, and this card is the perfect example. The insert isn't called "Play-Off Rivals" it's called "Path to the Cup," which is a very smart move by Panini. Realistically, to get a good number of cards in a set that involves the play-offs, not all teams can be "rivals". Example A: Chicago and Phoenix; so by called the set "Path to the Cup" it eliminates the cheesiness factor and ups the ante. I particularly like the look of the back of the card with the scoreboard idea. Only thing I would change is the back pictures. Instead of re-using the same picture on the front, do a neat design with the two team logos; spice it up a bit.

Last but certainly not least is this SICK insert! It quite literally matches the name "Goalie Pulls" as the picture of Jimmy Howard is actually an acetate pull-out. Such a neat concept and really well executed! I think I might know a guy interested in it too...

Anyways, hope everyone is enjoying their weekend and let me know what you think of the product and your experiences with ripping some packs!

GO NUCKS GO!