Connecticut Cards 001 - Cup Connection

I've briefly mentioned on this blog (and on TCDB) that I am a Peter Worrell super collector. Of the 215 Worrell cards producted (according to the database) I've got 137 of them. Not counting 1/1s, promo stuff, or cards that likely don't exist I'm only missing a handful.

I never really explained why I super collect his cards, and so I thought I'd kick off my new Connecticut Cards series with Worrell - who played parts of two seasons with the AHL's Beast of New Haven.

Worrell was first and foremost an enforcer, but he could score a few goals in the AHL. He did not appear in the '98-99 Beast team set (which you'll see on this blog eventually) because he was called up to the Florida Panthers. When I pulled this Pacific rookie card - which is a dime a dozen common - I jumped for joy like it was a 1/1 auto. Pete was on an NHL hockey card! This was very exciting to me.

I got to see about a dozen Beast games in their two years of existence, and Worrell suited up for most of them. He was a fan favorite for sure, and a nice guy off the ice - as far as we knew. (In the NHL, he got into a little bit of trouble here and there.*)

*I can't find the link, but there was one post-game interview in which he disagreed with a penalty by saying "I hit my girlfriend harder than that." You hit your girlfriend? :No!:

Worrell settled into a regular role as the Panthers' tough guy from 1998-2003, earning over 1,300 penalty minutes and 150 trading cards. He even scored a goal in the playoffs - against Martin Brodeur and the Devils!

By the time he was traded to Colorado I had decided that if I was ever going to try and acquire every card of a player, Peter would be the guy. And so my PC officially began..right before the lockout. In the "new" NHL, the rules changes virtually eliminated the need for an enforcer of his ilk.

Yesterday I was scrolling through my collection on TCDB to see which Zdeno Chara cards I have in my collection - completely forgetting that Chara had been matched up against Peter Worrell in In The Game's Enforcers set:

For a moment I was amazed that Worrell squared off against a guy who's still an active NHL player. This was shortly after I saw Chara play for the Lowell Lock Monsters against New Haven:

Then, as I pulled out my four variations of this card ("one of one" my ass) I found this:

 

Pete also fought former Flames enforcer - and current head coach of the Stanley Cup-leading St. Louis Blues - Craig Berube. 

Berube and Worrell showed some mutual respect in this fight. Looks like Berube learned his lesson after calling Pete a "monkey" four years earlier. 

I'll show off more cards from my Peter Worrell PC - and other Beast of New Haven alums - in future editions of Connecticut Cards. Thanks for reading!


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