Why Did We Choose a Photo Without a Helmet and in a Practice Jersey?

When I got hold of one of Jaromír’s broken game-used Christian Super Stick 2000 hockey sticks several years ago, I was absolutely thrilled. I obtained it from North America. I knew immediately that it was a unique piece that would one day be used to make cards – and that it would make many collectors happy.

From photographs, I knew that JJ68 used this type of stick in the early 1990s. I also recognised it from his 1991–92 Pro Set card.

An Audience with a God

Now there were two things to solve. First, we had to find a suitable photograph with usage rights. Second, we needed to secure an official “audience with a god” :-). These days, a Name Plate card simply cannot be without an autograph. The cards had already been manufactured during 2022 and were originally intended for a slightly different concept, but that is a story for another time.

After several long months, the long-awaited audience finally happened, and Jaromír really took his time – the card is beautifully signed. We are incredibly grateful for that. No rushed autograph like those sometimes seen even on The Cup cards and other top international products, let alone signatures obtained outside an arena. It is also worth remembering that Jaromír is no longer very keen on signing autographs.

Photographs Are Tricky

Back to the photographs. Jaromír may have used this type of stick at the 1990 World Junior Championship, the 1990 World Championship, the 1991 Canada Cup and the 1994 World Championship. Those were tournaments where he represented Czechoslovakia and used Christian sticks, probably until the end of summer 1994, when he switched to KOHO sticks. Christian sticks came in light and black versions. I wanted this type of stick to be visible in the photograph and on the card. We needed a photo where you could clearly see the stick – that was my thinking.

Photographs are always tricky. They have a major influence on how a card feels, how attractive it is and, naturally, on its value. The image also has to have suitable composition, sharpness and so on.

Of the sources available to us, the photograph from the 1994 World Championship came out on top. The main reason was that this particular type of stick is clearly visible. That proved decisive even though Jaromír is “only” wearing a practice jersey in the shot. The word “only” belongs in quotation marks because it actually created a unique card featuring him in an unusual jersey. The fact that JJ68 is not wearing a helmet also played a role, allowing us to admire his famous mullet – a hairstyle so characteristic of the 1990s. In its own way, that can also have a significant effect on the card’s value.

The “Mullet” in All Its Glory

Personally, I wrestled with the idea that for some collectors – perhaps even for me – a top card featuring a practice jersey might be worth less. We discussed it both within our team and with several collectors. But when one collector told me he would immediately pay CZK 40,000 for the card, I was stunned. He explained that precisely because he had never seen this photograph before and because the image fits the artefact embedded in the card so perfectly, it had even greater value to him. There is something to that, I thought – I feel the same way. I had never seen Jágr’s magnificent mullet displayed so clearly. I cannot remember another card where the iconic 1990s hairstyle is this visible. Want the classic Jágr haircut? Here it is – this is how it was worn.

Although the stick embedded in the card is almost certainly not the exact stick Jaromír is holding in the photograph, it is the same Christian model he used in the early 1990s. That is why we chose this image over a photograph in one of the older national-team jerseys. And who would not want to see Jaromír on a card with his iconic hairstyle in all its glory?