Sergei Makarov (True) Rookie Cards

With their pick in the 12th Round of the 1983 NHL Entry, the Calgary Flames selected Sergei Makarov, he has 8 true rookie cards and 4 rookie parallels.

Sergei Makarov, The Bridge Between Two Nations

At first glance, one would ask, why would a player who only played 7 years in the NHL be inducted into the Hall of Fame?

To me it didn’t seem like he did much but then it hit me; it’s called the Hockey Hall of Fame not the NHL Hall of Fame.

When you look at the totality of his career one quickly sees his worthiness as a Hall of Famer.

Sergei Makarov is worthy of the Hockey Hall of Fame for two primary reasons.

First, for his outstanding play as an international hockey player and for helping create a relationship between the NHL and Russia.

In 1989 Sergei Makarov was allowed by the Soviet Union to join the NHL and the Calgary Flames. When we think about this it’s an amazing achievement. To have the tenacity to change the politics of two nations is no easy task but an honorable one.

He made an immediate impact during his rookie season and earned the Calder Memorial Trophy for the 1989-1990 season.

This award is named after the first president of the NHL Frank Calder and represents Rookie of the Year honors.

Prior to the NHL Sergei Makarov played with the CSKA Moscow (Red Army) and had 11 Championship seasons!

He was also awarded the Soviet Player of the Year honors three times, Soviet League All-Star Team ten times, and led the league in points nine times! When you add up all those accolades then it all starts to make sense.

Career Stats 

According to Hockey-Reference.com Sergei Makarov complete career stats are: Games Played 943 | Goals 456 | Assist 638 | Points 1094 | Penalties in Minutes 607

These are his NHL career stats are: Games Played 424 | Goals 134 | Assist 250 | Points 384 | Penalties in Minutes 317

Sergei Makarov True Rookie Cards:

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1990 Bowman, #92 (RC)

This set contains 264 cards. It never really got off the ground. Collectors did not care for the dark, boring photography that left you feeling kind of unmoved.

At the end of the day, it seemed like a copycat version of the Bowman Baseball set. This exact set was printed with the Tiffany technology but still did not impress collectors much.

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1990 Pro Set, #38 (RC)

This 705 card set was aggressive for its day. No borders decent photography and a large checklist made this a hit with collectors.

The card front has some nice features, the big bold team logo on the top left side of the card is cool. The back of the card is decent but the colors are strikingly different.

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1990 Score, #71 (RC)

This 440 card set was printed in a single series. There are two versions of it, American and Canadian.

The one we’re looking at here is the American version. This Sergei Makarov rookie card offers a fantastic full-action photo.

Red and blue stripes across the front of it with a really cool vector image on the lower right.

The card back gives us everything a good card back should have plus really interesting dual flags at the bottom. Two main differences between the American & Canadian versions are the color of the “Score” logo on the upper right front of the card.

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1990 Score Canadian, #71 (RC)

The Score Canadian Sergei Makarov rookie card mimics the American version with two exceptions. On the front of the card, the Score brand logo is in red, the American version is in blue.

The second distinction can be found in the card back with English and French translations. There are no parallels for either Score or Score Canadian.

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1990 Topps, #60 (RC)

This is a 396 card set released in a single series. In my opinion, this one really fell flat. Bad photography, bad card design, and the plain gray card stock on the back of the card is brutal.

It makes you just want to put this product in the penalty box.

As you can see here, not a very exciting Sergei Makarov rookie card BUT a rookie card of a HOF nonetheless. There is a Topps Tiffany parallel for this one.

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1990 O-Pee-Chee, #60 (RC)

This particular set is a 528 card set that was an instant hit among collectors. Most of the set mirrors the American version but with a couple of differences.

O-Pee-Chee included a 132 card “Premier” set (cards 397-528) that piggy-backed off of the base set.

All are printed on thicker card stock and coated with a high gloss. The backs of the cards are bilingual obviously with a mint green background.

However, although card design and collector popularity peaked at all-time highs so did the print runs and this set followed suit with the practices of the day.

Mass-produced and prices have dropped severely over the years. There are no parallels for this set.

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1990 Upper Deck, #123 (RC)

After the success of 1989 Upper Deck Baseball hockey collectors wondered if they would get their turn in the sun.

The much-anticipated release of Upper Deck’s hockey card premier was greeted with open arms. They did not disappoint either.

Let’s not forget the introduction of the small holographic logo on the back which assured collectors of authenticity.

This hologram gave collectors reassurance due to the counterfeiting issues that were plaguing the hobby at the time.

There are two parallels available. ’90 BB Hologram Back, and ’90 Comic Ball Hologram Back.

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1990 Upper Deck French, #123 (RC)

Upper Deck French is a 550 card set released in two series. 400 cards in Series 1 and 150 cards for Series 2.

It’s been said that this set sold more than ten times the amount of the American version on the secondary market.

Barry Sal of PuckJunk.com wrote a great article on the topic, you can check it out here, Every 1990-91 Hokey Card Set Ranked.

It mimics the American version in every aspect. Exceptions, one big one. Straight French language front and back with no English translations.

Unlike the American version, there are no parallels for Upper Deck French.

Happy Collecting Collectors,

Learn. Collect. Enjoy.