Collectors Corner #16: One Habs Fan & His Josh Gorges Super Collection

Richard's Panini Prime Colors Completed Number of Josh Gorges. A once-in-a-lifetime accomplishment for any collector.

Today I'd like to turn the spotlight on fellow SportsCardForum Hockey Moderator Richard and his Josh Gorges Super Collection. He is a collector that puts a lot of pride into his collection and the hobby at large and I'm glad to have the opportunity to showcase his collection with you all today! No matter their player's impact on the game, dedicated player collectors are a different breed of collectors that I really appreciate.... and totally understand. 

Introduction

I always enjoy telling this story. I got back into collecting hockey cards in early 2008. I was living in Halifax at the time, and was out for a Saturday morning walk when I saw the sign at the Halifax Forum that there was a card show that day. I thought it would be neat to check it out, so I went in with my then-girlfriend (now wife). Things had changed a lot since I last collected cards as a teenager. Autos, memorabilia, actual short-printed cards – quite overwhelming at first! I left with a Carey Price O-Pee-Chee RC (which I still own!) and from there I got back into things pretty quickly, joining online forums and really immersing myself in the hobby. Hard to believe that it’s been 12 years as an active collector. It’s still pretty fun most of the time – when the Canadiens are doing well it’s even more fun because you like to see your collection grow as the team is succeeding.

What/Who Do You Collect?

As a lifelong Montreal Canadiens fan, I focus my collection on the Habs generally, but a couple of players specifically. I’ve always been attracted by the allure of the Canadiens goalie mythology—the lineage from Plante to Dryden to Roy and now Price is an incredible legacy. So Carey Price has been my superstar collection for a long time; I’ve got over 400 cards, lots of great autos, and some great memories associated with collecting this player. But my “other” passion project, the reason that I’m here, is my Josh Gorges collection. It is a real chronology of his career, from the beginning in Kelowna to the end in Buffalo. I have what I fully believe is the most complete and best collection of Josh Gorges that you're likely to ever see. It is a long-running project that has brought me tremendous enjoyment ever since I got back into the hobby in 2008. Through a lot of dedication and patience, and thanks to many fantastic collectors throughout the world, I've been able to accumulate more than 90% of the cards produced of Gorges.

​Why Did You Start Collecting Josh Gorges?

Because Carey Price cards are expensive, and I needed an alternative! Gorges was an easy pick: he’s from the same town as me, he played his junior here, was the captain of the Memorial Cup winning Rockets in 2004, and I think when the Habs acquired him from San Jose I was about the only person who knew the caliber of a player we were getting. He was never flashy, but he worked his butt off, earned his way into a permanent roster spot and emerged as a true leader on the team. He spent 7 years with the Habs, and over that time the number of cards grew as his career did. I was psyched when he got into sets like Panini Prime or SP Authentic. Almost everybody gets an OPC or UD1/2 card, but to get included in those sets, especially the autographs and memorabilia, that’s a sign that you’re popular. 
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In addition, I’ve met Josh a number of times over the years. He’s humble, he gives back to his community, and he’s always been very respectful of the team and its history. It’s a shame he never won a Cup in Montreal, but he’s got the make up of a champion and I respect that through and through.

What’s Your Favourite Card or Item(s)?

It’s so difficult to pick just one. Of the 258 non-1/1 cards produced, I’m only missing twelve, in addition to owning 19 1/1’s. Can I show off a couple of favourite cards and a couple memorabilia items? Yeah, let’s do that.
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Okay, so this little 2012-13 Prime show & tell is all about completed print runs. 
2012-13 Prime Captains Cloth #21 Josh Gorges – 2 copies to complete the A

​2012-13 Prime Colors Numbers #112 Josh Gorges – all 6 copies

​2010-11 Dominion Tag Team Combos #20 Carey Price / Josh Gorges – my two favourite players on one card!

​2011-12 Upper Deck Montreal Canadiens Gold #11 Josh Gorges – this was a set released by McDonald’s only in the province of Quebec. Landing one of these Gold parallels was an incredibly difficult find!

​2012-13 SP Game Used Supreme Patches #SPJG Josh Gorges

So that’s the cards component. Over time I’ve been able to add quite a few unique game-worn memorabilia items – I own a set of gloves, a stick, and a helmet of Josh’s. They’re all signed. Another one of the great perks of him being a local guy; I’ve met him a number of times over the years. Since he’s retired, he hosts an annual charity softball tournament every summer in Kelowna (cancelled this year unfortunately due to coronavirus) that features a lot of NHL stars. Last year I even played in a game against his team. That was awesome.

​Of the memorabilia pieces I have, I like this one best. The Canadiens have a fan club called Club 1909 where you can score some pretty awesome pieces. Josh only ever scored 17 goals in his NHL career; 13 in Montreal, so this is about as rare as it gets. And yes I got it signed too!

What’s On Your Current Josh Gorges Wantlist? Are there any ‘White Whales’ you’d like to add one day?

Like I said before, the list is pretty short, 12 cards in all that are non-1/1. If you happen to have any, please PLEASE drop me a line:

2004-05 ITG Heroes and Prospects Chicago National #82 Josh Gorges /10
2004-05 ITG Heroes and Prospects Toronto Fall Expo Hockey Lives #82 Josh Gorges /10
2005-06 Upper Deck Rookie Ink #RIJG Josh Gorges /6
2012-13 SP Game Used Authentic Fabrics Sixes Patch #AF6MTLBOS P.K. Subban / Milan Lucic / Josh Gorges / Carey Price / Tim Thomas / Zdeno Chara /6
2013-14 Artifacts Tundra Sixes Green Patch #T6LBBR Carey Price/P.K. Subban/Raphael Diaz/David Desharnais/Josh Gorges/Tomas Plekanec /6
2013-14 Artifacts Tundra Sixes Red Strap #T6LBBR Carey Price/P.K. Subban/Raphael Diaz/David Desharnais/Josh Gorges/Tomas Plekanec /6
2013-14 Dominion Update Quad Patch #24 Michael Bournival / Rene Bourque / Tomas Plekanec / Josh Gorges /5
2013-14 SPx Winning Trios Patch #W3LBBR Josh Gorges/Carey Price/P.K. Subban /5
2013-14 The Cup Quads Patch #C4HBBR Patrick Roy/Jose Theodore/Carey Price/Josh Gorges /5
2013-14 Upper Deck Team Canada High Gloss Gold #144 Josh Gorges /10
2014-15 O-Pee-Chee Retro Blank Backs #155 Josh Gorges
2015-16 O-Pee-Chee Retro Blank Backs #214 Josh Gorges
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Of these, some are around on eBay, I wouldn’t call them “white whales” so much as “cards I don’t want to spend the asking price for.” The ones that I would love to even see a copy of because I never have would be the SPx Winning Trios Patch with Carey and P.K., along with the Team Canada High Gloss. That one has really eluded me. It almost makes me look like a slacker during that 2013-14 season, eh?

Contact Info: How Can Other Collectors Reach Out To You?

SportsCardForum: RGM81
Hobby Insider Forums: RGM81
Instagram: @rgm_81
Twitter: @RealRGM81

Josh Gorges Collection Gallery

If you want to get in contact with me about getting ​YOUR COLLECTION featured on my blog, feel free to leave a comment on this post below, fill out a contact form on my Contact Page, or send me an email at creasecollector@gmail.com and we will be in touch very soon. :)

​Happy Collecting,

​- Aaron