My Favorite Cards: 1986-87 Topps Mario Lemieux

One of my earliest vivid memories is from when I was four years old and I had just gotten some sort of shot at the doctor. Because I had handled it so well, I was able to go to the Red Owl to pick out a toy and rent a movie.

I rented Ghostbusters, as usual, but I don't know what toy I got. Probably some sort of WWF action figure or M.A.S.K. toy.

I also remember getting a splinter near the store's door on our way out, then acting like I was getting a finger amputated when my dad removed it with a tweezers at home.

My dad bought out the store's stock of 1986-1987 Topps hockey cards and allowing me to stay up late to open them with him. In mom and dad's room no less!

We went through the cards and put aside the biggest prizes in the box: the North Stars cards, of course. I'm guessing there was a handful of Patrick Roy rookies in that box, too, but we didn't even care at the time.

Then, we pulled a Mario Lemieux card. It's not his rookie- that's worth a fortune- but rather his second-year card. He was coming off of a 100-point rookie season and was hailed as the new Gretzky.

My dad and I didn't have any card holders/albums/cases back then, so we put it securely in my dad's closet, where it got pretty beat up over the years. So much for safe keeping.

I still have that card in my collection and it's about the only hockey card I give a crap about.