Hockey Supercollector: Recchi Robichaud and His Connor McDavid Collection
Meet Recchi:
“Hi, I’m Recchi. I’m a 13-year-old student from Baie-Sainte-Anne, New Brunswick. And yes, I got my name from NHL Hall of Famer Mark Recchi. When my parents were dating, my dad was a big Recchi fan, so whenever my mom was studying and my dad was watching the Montreal Canadiens play, she would always hear the name Recchi. One day, she said to my dad, ‘You know what, if we ever get married and have kids, we’re naming one Recchi.’ And that’s where I got my name from.
“Just a few months ago, I reached out to Mr. Recchi and told him how my parents named me after him. He messaged me back saying that it was really cool, and then even added me as a friend on top of that!”
Getting Started:
“I first started getting into the hobby around the age of eight when my dad gave me all of his old cards. They were mostly from the ’90s, so as I dug through them I found cards of many of the NHL’s all-time greats, including Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Patrick Roy. That was so fun and exciting because I already knew who they were because my dad and I would watch a lot of their highlights on YouTube. After that, I started saving up money from doing chores around the house and would buy cards from Walmart, usually rack packs or boxes.”
The Collection:
“My collection is focused on Connor McDavid. I own 208 unique McDavid cards. I try to get any card of his I can, whether it is an insert or a base card. I also have many from when he played for the Erie Otters in the Ontario Hockey League during the 2014-15 campaign.”
Why McDavid?
“I started collecting McDavid as soon as I started collecting cards in general. I knew that he was the obvious choice to go first in the 2015 NHL draft and, after watching all his highlights from his time with the Otters, I figured it would be fun collecting cards of him. He was so amazing in 2014, whether it was his speed, his goal scoring, or playmaking. Every time he steps on the ice, you know to keep your eyes on him.”
Sharing the Experience:
“What makes collecting fun for me is the time I spend opening up packs with my dad. He’s really big into opening cards too, just like me, and sometimes he’ll even stop by Walmart and buy a pack to open by himself and then bring it home for me to see what he got. I remember one time, back in 2015, McDavid’s rookie year, my dad and I bought a box of 2015-16 O-Pee-Chee Platinum. Sure enough, we pulled a Connor McDavid Retro Rookie. I remember we were both screaming and freaking out at what had just come out of that pack. That’s a moment I’ll never forget.”
Challenges of Collecting McDavid:
“I think that the biggest challenge of collecting McDavid is the volume of competition. Not many people want to trade off their McDavid cards because, again, he’s the best player in the world. Then when it comes to buying singles, for some cards you are going to pay an arm and a leg. The prices on his cards are just through the roof.”
White Whale No. 1:
“My goal was to own an autographed McDavid card, so I wrote to him in care of the team. So one day me and dad were about to go for a drive when we decided to check the mail first. When I opened it up I noticed there was an envelope with the Edmonton Oilers logo on it, and immediately I started to scream in excitement. Then I took it back to the car to open it and there it was, the card I sent back in Febuary, signed by Connor McDavid!
“I had also reached out to Upper Deck by email about my card collection, showing them an article the Oilers had written about me. They responded by asking for my mailing address. A little more than a month later I received a package with an Upper Deck logo sticker on the box. I was through the roof excited, just imagining what could be inside. I opened it up to find three hobby boxes (2019-20 Ice, 2019-20 Allure, and 2019-20 SP Game-Used), along with an Upper Deck shirt and hat, and a 5 X 7 Game-Dated Moments card of Connor winning his third Fastest Player competition at the 2019 NHL All-Star game. Finally, there was an autographed play mat signed in silver ink at the 2020 NHL All-Star Game by McDavid. I actually had tears of joy. I was just so overwhelmed that Upper Deck was so nice to send me a package.”
White Whale No. 2:
“Now I’m looking for a patch card of Connor. I guess the one I would want the most would be the 2016-17 The Cup Quad Foundations, or a 2019-20 SP Game-Used Supreme Patch.”
