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Tampa Bay Lightning Best-RCs Project |
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Featuring the best NHL rookie card for every Tampa Bay Lightning player.
Welcome to my Tampa Bay Lightning Best-RCs website! This site will help me to track my progress as I attempt to acquire the Best Rookie Card of every player to ever lace up the skates for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League. Below is the complete list of each player and their best rookie card. The players with no NHL rookie cards are greyed out. The cards listed in bold and underline are the ones I still need to acquire, while the cards in regular text are ones I already own. Below the rather large listing, on this page, is some additional information about the project. Thank you for taking the time to look over my site!
| Total Progress |
| 246/249 |
| 98.8% |
| Tampa Bay Lightning players (total) | 253 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning with NHL RCs | 249 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning without NHL RCs | 4 |
------------------------------------------------
By Year:
| 80-81 | 81-82 | 82-83 | 83-84 | 84-85 | 85-86 | 86-87 | 87-88 | 88-89 | 89-90 |
| 1/1 | 3/3 | 2/2 | 1/1 | 2/2 | 1/1 | 4/4 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 12/12 |
| 90-91 | 91-92 | 92-93 | 93-94 | 94-95 | 95-96 | 96-97 | 97-98 | 98-99 | 99-00 |
| 37/37 | 14/14 | 18/18 | 21/21 | 12/12 | 12/12 | 9/9 | 17/17 | 10/10 | 17/17 |
| 00-01 | 01-02 | 02-03 | 03-04 | 05-06 | 06-07 | 07-08 |
| 13/13 | 8/8 | 1/2 | 2/3 | 12/13 | 5/5 | 2/2 |
Link: Text list sorted by player
Link: Text list sorted by year and set
Dmitry Afanasenkov
2000-01 Black Diamond 65 Dmitri Afanasenkov
Nikita Alexeev
2001-02 UD Premier Collection 107 Nikita Alexeev
Mikael Andersson
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee 35 Mikael Andersson
Dave Andreychuk
1984-85 O-Pee-Chee 17 Dave Andreychuk
Evgeny Artyukhin
2005-06 The Cup 123 Evgeny Artyukhin
Kaspars Astashenko
2000-01 SPx 116 Kaspars Astashenko
Adrian Aucoin
1993-94 PowerPlay 478 Adrian Aucoin
Drew Bannister
1993-94 Pinnacle 460 Drew Bannister
Matthew Barnaby
1992-93 Parkhurst 483 Matthew Barnaby
Bob Beers
1990-91 Upper Deck French 125 Bob Beers
Brian Bellows
1983-84 O-Pee-Chee 167 Brian Bellows
Jean-Claude Bergeron
1990-91 OPC Premier 4 Jean-Claude Bergeron
Marc Bergevin
1989-90 O-Pee-Chee 249 Marc Bergevin
Tim Bergland
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee 507 Tim Bergland
Karel Betik
1999-00 Paramount 213 Karel Betik
Zac Bierk
1998-99 Upper Deck Gold Reserve 181 Zac Bierk
Mathieu Biron
1998-99 OPC Chrome 238 Mathieu Biron
Jason Bonsignore
1993-94 Pinnacle 489 Jason Bonsignore
Josef Boumedienne
2001-02 UD Premier Collection 82 Josef Boumedienne
Dan Boyle
1999-00 BAP Millennium 114 Dan Boyle
Brian Bradley
1989-90 O-Pee-Chee 287 Brian Bradley
Paul Brousseau
1997-98 Pinnacle Inside 141 Paul Brousseau
Marc Bureau
1990-91 Score 423 Marc Bureau
Sean Burke
1988-89 O-Pee-Chee 94 Sean Burke
Shawn Burr
1987-88 O-Pee-Chee 164 Shawn Burr
Vyacheslav Butsayev
1992-93 Upper Deck 503 Vyatcheslav Butsayev
Jock Callander
1992-93 Pro Set 175 Jock Callander
Jim Campbell
1992-93 Upper Deck 605 Jim Campbell
Dave Capuano
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee 170 Dave Capuano
Shawn Chambers
1989-90 Topps 142 Shawn Chambers
Eric Charron
1994-95 Upper Deck 489 Eric Charron
Martin Cibak
2001-02 UD Premier Collection 81 Martin Cibak
Dino Ciccarelli
1981-82 O-Pee-Chee 161 Dino Ciccarelli
Enrico Ciccone
1991-92 Upper Deck 51 Enrico Ciccone
Zdeno Ciger
1990-91 OPC Premier 15 Zdeno Ciger
Wendel Clark
1986-87 O-Pee-Chee 149 Wendel Clark
Dan Cloutier
1994-95 Finest 145 Dan Cloutier
Ben Clymer
1999-00 Upper Deck Gold Reserve 348 Ben Clymer
Danton Cole
1990-91 OPC Premier 17 Danton Cole
Gerald Coleman
2005-06 Ultimate Collection 228 Gerald Coleman
Alain Cote
1991-92 OPC Premier 188 Alain Cote
Ryan Craig
2005-06 The Cup 156 Ryan Craig
Adam Creighton
1989-90 O-Pee-Chee 218 Adam Creighton
Cory Cross
1994-95 Upper Deck 340 Cory Cross
Doug Crossman
1982-83 O-Pee-Chee 63 Doug Crossman
John Cullen
1989-90 Topps 145 John Cullen
Jassen Cullimore
1991-92 Upper Deck 72 Jassen Cullimore
Jim Cummins
1993-94 Stadium Club 448 Jim Cummins
Alexandre Daigle
1992-93 Upper Deck 587 Alexandre Daigle
Mathieu Darche
2001-02 UD Premier Collection 59 Mathieu Darche
Louie DeBrusk
1991-92 Pinnacle 347 Louie DeBrusk
Xavier Delisle
1994-95 SP 178 Xavier Delisle
Marc Denis
1995-96 Upper Deck 529 Marc Denis
Rob DiMaio
1990-91 OPC Premier 27 Rob DiMaio
Chris Dingman
1997-98 Crown Royale 17 Chris Dingman
Stan Drulia
1992-93 Upper Deck 487 Stan Drulia
Donald Dufresne
1990-91 Upper Deck French 332 Donald Dufresne
Gordie Dwyer
2000-01 Pacific 383 Gordie Dwyer / Marek Posmyk
Karl Dykhuis
1990-91 Upper Deck French 471 Karl Dykhuis
Allan Egeland
NO RC
Brian Eklund
2005-06 SP Authentic 243 Brian Eklund
Nils Ekman
1999-00 BAP Memorabilia 324 Nils Ekman
Matt Elich
2000-01 SP Game Used 82 Matt Elich
Pat Elynuik
1989-90 Topps 94 Pat Elynuik
John Emmons
1992-93 Upper Deck 608 John Emmons
Ruslan Fedotenko
2000-01 Titanium 137 Ruslan Fedotenko
Steven Finn
1990-91 Pro Set 514 Steven Finn
Mark Fitzpatrick
1990-91 Upper Deck French 37 Mark Fitzpatrick
Wade Flaherty
1995-96 Upper Deck 57 Wade Flaherty
Colin Forbes
1997-98 Upper Deck 191 Colin Forbes
Kyle Freadrich
2000-01 SPx 119 Kyle Freadrich
Maxim Galanov
1993-94 Upper Deck 273 Maxim Galanov
Gerard Gallant
1987-88 O-Pee-Chee 67 Gerard Gallant
Bruce Gardiner
1997-98 Upper Deck 115 Bruce Gardiner
Aaron Gavey
1993-94 Pinnacle 473 Aaron Gavey
Randy Gilhen
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee 250 Randy Gilhen
Sascha Goc
2000-01 SP Authentic 150 Sascha Goc
John Grahame
1999-00 SP Authentic 96 John Grahame
Chris Gratton
1992-93 Upper Deck 590 Chris Gratton
Brent Gretzky
1993-94 Pinnacle 429 Brent Gretzky
Steve Guolla
1997-98 Pacific Invincible 126 Stephen Guolla
Sergei Gusev
1998-99 Be A Player 192 Sergei Gusev
Bob Halkidis
1992-93 Pro Set 190 Bob Halkidis
Jeff Halpern
1999-00 SP Authentic 120 Jeff Halpern
Roman Hamrlik
1992-93 Pinnacle 408 Roman Hamrlik
Ben Hankinson
1993-94 Pinnacle 210 Ben Hankinson
Mike Hartman
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee 16 Mike Hartman
Dwayne Hay
1996-97 Upper Deck Ice 123 Dwayne Hay
Timo Helbling
2005-06 Hot Prospects 267 Timo Helbling
Sami Helenius
1999-00 BAP Memorabilia 354 Sami Helenius
Ian Herbers
1993-94 Leaf 423 Ian Herbers
Matt Hervey
NO RC
Jan Hlavac
1994-95 SP 158 Jan Hlavac
Ken Hodge
1990-91 Upper Deck French 529 Ken Hodge Jr.
Kevin Hodson
1996-97 Flair 108 Kevin Hodson
Benoit Hogue
1989-90 O-Pee-Chee 201 Benoit Hogue
Johan Holmqvist
2000-01 SP Authentic 152 Johan Holmqvist
Brian Holzinger
1995-96 Finest 67 Brian Holzinger
Bill Houlder
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee 399 Bill Houlder
Jody Hull
1990-91 Upper Deck French 322 Jody Hull
Jamie Huscroft
1995-96 Collector's Choice 126 Jamie Huscroft
Pat Jablonski
1991-92 Pinnacle 331 Pat Jablonski
Dan Jancevski
2006-07 Upper Deck Trilogy 122 Dan Jancevski
Doug Janik
2002-03 Upper Deck Rookie Update 148 Doug Janik
Craig Janney
1989-90 Topps 190 Craig Janney
Andreas Johansson
1996-97 Be A Player 103 Andreas Johansson
Mike Johnson
1997-98 Zenith 82 Mike Johnson
Ryan Johnson
1998-99 Upper Deck Gold Reserve 15 Ryan Johnson
Jussi Jokinen
2005-06 The Cup 112 Jussi Jokinen
Blair Jones
2006-07 The Cup 159 Blair Jones
Chris Joseph
1990-91 Upper Deck French 323 Chris Joseph
Andreas Karlsson
1999-00 Upper Deck Gold Reserve 337 Andreas Karlsson
Steve Kasper
1981-82 O-Pee-Chee 4 Steve Kasper
Sheldon Keefe
1999-00 SP Authentic 123 Sheldon Keefe
Steve Kelly
1996-97 Metal Universe 183 Steve Kelly
Dan Kesa
1993-94 PowerPlay 460 Dan Kesa
Nikolai Khabibulin
1991-92 Upper Deck 652 Nikolai Khabibulin
Alexander Kharitonov
2000-01 Titanium 144 Alexander Kharitonov
Petr Klima
1986-87 O-Pee-Chee 98 Petr Klima
Dieter Kochan
2000-01 Titanium 145 Dieter Kochan
Evgeny Konstantinov
2001-02 UD Top Shelf 140 Evgeny Konstantinov
Chris Kontos
1992-93 Upper Deck 502 Chris Kontos
Filip Kuba
1999-00 BAP Millennium 109 Filip Kuba
Pavel Kubina
1998-99 Bowman's Best 133 Pavel Kubina
Kristian Kudroc
1999-00 SP Authentic 126 Kristian Kudroc
Jason Lafreniere
1988-89 O-Pee-Chee 223 Jason Lafreniere
Daymond Langkow
1995-96 SP 139 Daymond Langkow
Mario Larocque
1999-00 Pacific 400 Paul Mara / Mario Larocque
Janne Laukkanen
1991-92 Upper Deck 22 Janne Laukkanen
Vincent Lecavalier
1997-98 Zenith 95 Vincent Lecavalier
Jay Leach
2005-06 Upper Deck Ice 188 Jay Leach
Grant Ledyard
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee 406 Grant Ledyard
Junior Lessard
2005-06 Ultimate Collection 145 Junior Lessard
Chris LiPuma
1993-94 PowerPlay 446 Chris LiPuma
David Littman
1993-94 Ultra 237 David Littman
Brad Lukowich
1999-00 BAP Millennium 80 Brad Lukowich
Mike Lundin
2007-08 The Cup 116 Mike Lundin
Craig MacDonald
1999-00 BAP Memorabilia 175 Craig MacDonald
Troy Mallette
1990-91 Upper Deck French 11 Troy Mallette
Steve Maltais
1990-91 Score 417 Steve Maltais
Paul Mara
1996-97 Upper Deck Ice 149 Paul Mara
Bryan Marchment
1991-92 Stadium Club 384 Bryan Marchment
Steve Martins
1999-00 Pacific Omega 217 Steve Martins
Chris McAlpine
1995-96 Donruss 113 Chris McAlpine
Mike McBain
1994-95 SP 176 Mike McBain
Sandy McCarthy
1991-92 Upper Deck 77 Sandy McCarthy
Bill McDougall
1993-94 Upper Deck 324 Bill McDougall
Basil McRae
1989-90 O-Pee-Chee 216 Basil McRae
Glen Metropolit
1999-00 UD Ultimate Victory 105 Glen Metropolit
Craig Millar
1997-98 SP Authentic 182 Craig Millar
Norm Milley
1997-98 Upper Deck 414 Norm Milley
Fredrik Modin
1996-97 Select Certified 112 Fredrik Modin
Michel Mongeau
1990-91 Upper Deck French 345 Michel Mongeau
Bryan Muir
1998-99 Upper Deck Gold Reserve 314 Bryan Muir
Brantt Myhres
1995-96 Upper Deck 23 Brantt Myhres
Andrei Nazarov
1993-94 Donruss 490 Andrei Nazarov
Stanislav Neckar
1994-95 Upper Deck 377 Stanislav Neckar
Jeff Norton
1989-90 Topps 120 Jeff Norton
Michael Nylander
1992-93 Pinnacle 400 Michael Nylander
Doug O'Brien
2005-06 Ultimate Collection 227 Doug O'Brien
Shane O'Brien
2006-07 Hot Prospects 102 Shane O'Brien
Jimmie Olvestad
1998-99 SPx Top Prospects 81 Jimmie Olvestad
Keith Osborne
1993-94 Upper Deck 76 Keith Osborne
Michel Ouellet
2006-07 The Cup 149 Michel Ouellet
Rich Parent
2000-01 SPx 115 Rich Parent
Eric Perrin
2003-04 Upper Deck Rookie Update 190 Eric Perrin
Brent Peterson
NO RC
Michel Petit
1987-88 O-Pee-Chee 262 Michel Petit
Robert Petrovicky
1992-93 Pinnacle 402 Robert Petrovicky
Alexandre Picard
2005-06 Ultimate Collection 217 Alexandre Picard
Adrien Plavsic
1990-91 OPC Premier 90 Adrien Plavsic
Rudy Poeschek
1993-94 Upper Deck 461 Rudy Poeschek
Marek Posmyk
1995-96 Upper Deck 542 Marek Posmyk
Patrick Poulin
1991-92 Upper Deck 65 Patrick Poulin
Nolan Pratt
1998-99 Upper Deck Gold Reserve 239 Nolan Pratt
Wayne Primeau
1995-96 Upper Deck 433 Wayne Primeau
Vaclav Prospal
1997-98 Donruss Preferred 105 Vaclav Prospal
Daren Puppa
1989-90 O-Pee-Chee 200 Daren Puppa
Yves Racine
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee 361 Yves Racine
Herb Raglan
1990-91 Pro Set 525 Herb Raglan
Rob Ramage
1980-81 O-Pee-Chee 213 Rob Ramage
Karri Ramo
2006-07 The Cup 158 Karri Ramo
Bill Ranford
1987-88 O-Pee-Chee 13 Bill Ranford
Paul Ranger
2005-06 Ultimate Collection 172 Paul Ranger
Joe Reekie
1990-91 Bowman 125 Joe Reekie
Jeff Reese
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee 349 Jeff Reese
Darren Reid
2005-06 Ultimate Collection 226 Darren Reid
Mikael Renberg
1992-93 Upper Deck 233 Mikael Renberg
Brad Richards
1997-98 Upper Deck 418 Brad Richards
Luke Richardson
1988-89 O-Pee-Chee 245 Luke Richardson
Stephane J. J. Richer
1987-88 O-Pee-Chee 233 Stephane Richer
Stephane J. G. Richer
1993-94 Stadium Club 347 Stephane Richer
Shawn Rivers
1993-94 Score 470 Shawn Rivers
Normand Rochefort
1982-83 O-Pee-Chee 291 Normand Rochefort
Dale Rominski
2000-01 SPx 108 Dale Rominski
Andre Roy
1999-00 Pacific Omega 166 Mike Fisher / Andre Roy
Gaetan Royer
2001-02 UD Mask Collection 168 Gaetan Royer
Jason Ruff
1992-93 Upper Deck 522 Jason Ruff
Darren Rumble
1992-93 Upper Deck 110 Darren Rumble
Kjell Samuelsson
1989-90 Topps 100 Kjell Samuelsson
Cory Sarich
1995-96 Upper Deck 519 Cory Sarich
Denis Savard
1981-82 O-Pee-Chee 63 Denis Savard
Corey Schwab
1995-96 Bowman 164 Corey Schwab
Alexander Selivanov
1994-95 Finest 79 Alexander Selivanov
Alexander Semak
1991-92 Upper Deck 4 Alexander Semak
Anatoli Semenov
1990-91 OPC Premier 104 Anatoli Semenov
David Shaw
1986-87 O-Pee-Chee 236 David Shaw
Jeff Shevalier
1997-98 Collector's Choice 127 Jeff Shevalier
Mike Sillinger
1990-91 OPC Premier 107 Mike Sillinger
Martin Simard
1991-92 Pro Set 526 Martin Simard
Reid Simpson
1997-98 Be A Player 47 Reid Simpson
Andrei Skopintsev
2000-01 BAP Memorabilia 251 Andrei Skopintsev
Matt Smaby
2007-08 The Cup 139 Matt Smaby
Mike Smith
2003-04 UD Premier Collection 67 Mike Smith
Corey Spring
NO RC
Martin St. Louis
1998-99 Upper Deck Gold Reserve 234 Martin St. Louis
Shayne Stevenson
1990-91 Score 405 Shayne Stevenson
Karl Stewart
2003-04 Parkhurst Rookie 116 Karl Stewart
Cory Stillman
1994-95 Upper Deck 268 Cory Stillman
Rich Sutter
1984-85 O-Pee-Chee 169 Rich Sutter
Jaroslav Svejkovsky
1996-97 Flair 125 Jaroslav Svejkovsky
Alexander Svitov
2002-03 UD Premier Collection 84 Alexander Svitov
Petr Svoboda
1988-89 O-Pee-Chee 256 Petr Svoboda
Darryl Sydor
1990-91 Upper Deck French 358 Darryl Sydor
Michal Sykora
1993-94 Pinnacle 452 Michal Sykora
Rick Tabaracci
1990-91 Upper Deck French 520 Rick Tabaracci
Peter Taglianetti
1988-89 O-Pee-Chee 257 Peter Taglianetti
Nick Tarnasky
2005-06 Ultimate Collection 229 Nick Tarnasky
Tim Taylor
1994-95 Upper Deck 325 Tim Taylor
Ryan Tobler
2001-02 SP Game Used 97 Ryan Tobler
Jeff Toms
1997-98 Pacific 342 Jeff Toms
Pavel Torgajev
1995-96 Ultra 215 Pavel Torgajev
Darcy Tucker
1994-95 Finest 164 Darcy Tucker
John Tucker
1986-87 O-Pee-Chee 67 John Tucker
Igor Ulanov
1991-92 Upper Deck 590 Igor Ulanov
Vladimir Vujtek
1992-93 Pinnacle 396 Vladimir Vujtek
Mick Vukota
1990-91 Upper Deck French 39 Mick Vukota
Kyle Wanvig
1998-99 SP Authentic 133 Kyle Wanvig
Jason Ward
1996-97 Upper Deck 388 Jason Ward
Todd Warriner
1993-94 PowerPlay 496 Todd Warriner
Kevin Weekes
1997-98 SP Authentic 183 Kevin Weekes
Jay Wells
1985-86 O-Pee-Chee 178 Jay Wells
Jason Wiemer
1994-95 Leaf Limited 119 Jason Wiemer
David Wilkie
1993-94 Pinnacle 487 David Wilkie
Derek Wilkinson
1997-98 Donruss 213 Derek Wilkinson
Shane Willis
1996-97 Black Diamond 26 Shane Willis
Craig Wolanin
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee 40 Craig Wolanin
Juha Ylonen
1991-92 Upper Deck 673 Juha Ylonen
Wendell Young
1990-91 Upper Deck French 102 Wendell Young
Paul Ysebaert
1990-91 Upper Deck French 375 Paul Ysebaert
Rob Zamuner
1992-93 Pinnacle 414 Rob Zamuner
Thomas Ziegler
2001-02 SPx 127 Thomas Ziegler
Andrei Zyuzin
1997-98 Pacific Omega 208 Andrei Zyuzin
-- Why the Tampa Bay Lightning?
I have said much about my experience with the Detroit Vipers on other pages of this website. In the 99-00 and 00-01 seasons, the Detroit Vipers entered an affiliation with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Many players who I had watched play with the Vipers made the jump (at least temporarily) to the Lightning. From that point on, I have continued to follow the Lightning as my NHL team of choice. For quite a few years, there remained a few members of the team and staff who, at one time or another, had connections to the Detroit Vipers.
-- What is the Best-RC collection?
The Best-RC collection was originally an attempt to own the best rookie card of every player in the sport of hockey. Although this is still a collection I am pursuing (in part) between the years of 1980 and 2003, the cost of many rookie cards before and after that timespan made the project unrealistic to complete. As such, I decided to continue the project for only Tampa Bay Lightning players and Detroit Vipers alumni.
-- About the creation of the Best-RC list:
To begin, I acquired the Tampa Bay Lightning All-Time Roster from The Internet Hockey Database. I then had to look up the full card listings for all the players. These card listings were cross-checked between Beckett Online's database, and the card database at The Internet Hockey Database. Next, I had to attempt to determine, where applicable, which NHL RC was the "best". I often had to compare different sets to determine which set contained the rookie cards with the highest perceived values. After careful scrutiny, I was able to select a "Best-RC" for each player on the list, aside from those who had no NHL RCs at all.
-- More on the choices for Best-RCs:
In cases of ties or near-ties in value, I opted for the set that is more widely traded and widely accepted, especially in terms of rookies and rookie cards. Occasionally, I had to be a bit subjective in my decisions. In situations where a player has more than one card in the set that features their best rookie card, at the same value, I went with the earliest numbered card printed in the set. In situations where there are two versions of the set that features the player's best rookie card (French and English), and the two versions are equally valued, I omitted marking any indication of the card's language version.
-- Why only the Best RCs?
Simply put, it would be terribly expensive and essentially futile to chase every single RC. While new players will undoubtedly earn handfuls of shortprinted rookie cards, players who debuted in the early 90's earned handfuls of redundant, worthless rookie cards. Since neither of those chases interest me, I decided to go for only each player's best rookie card.
-- Note:
Due to the volatility of the current year's RC market, and for the ease of this project's operation, the valid roster will only be updated at the end of each hockey season.
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