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In this episode, we speak to Dr. Dean Barnes, who is a superintendent of schools in Ontario, Canada and has gained notoriety for his collection of Black NHL Hockey player cards. He started his collection at age 8 with O-Pee-Chee brand cards and recently completed a set that includes Wayne Gretzky’s rookie card. More significantly, though, Dean has collected most of the nearly 100 cards of Black players who have played in the NHL, and he has taken his show on the road, displaying his collection all around North America as part of the NHL Black Hockey History Tour. I used to collect baseball cards myself, but I know very little about hockey, let alone the value of collecting Black player cards, so I was eager to speak with Dean about his journey and what the power of collecting these particular sports cards means to him. So listen in and learn from Dean about his collection, why it holds educational value, and how we all have the power to help normalize the experiences of visible minorities in sports.
