Stamkos wasn't in the cards

Alright, alright, I admit it. The only reason I bought another box of Upper Deck Hockey Series I on Black Friday was the off chance that I'd finally pull a Young Guns card -- the common-man's cardboard gold standard for rookie cards -- for Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos.

It didn't surprise me when I didn't pull one out of the first box I busted. Nope, that would have been too easy. Pulling Young Guns for Atlanta's Zach Bogosian and Los Angeles' Drew Doughty, however, helped ease the pain.

I felt certain, too, that a Stamkos Young Gun was in the works when the second box yielded Philly's Lucas Sbisa and another Doughty card. In a sense, my hunch was right. I did pull a Stamkos Young Gun card. It just wasn't the one I wanted.

Nope, I got the lovely parting gift of the Young Guns checklist card, where Stamkos shares space with St. Louis' Alex Pietrangelo and Doughty.

It was the third box, though, that broke my heart. Though it produced Young Guns for St. Louis' Patrik Berglund, the Isles' Kyle Okposo and Toronto's Luke Schenn, I was pretty disappointed that I hadn't scored a Young Guns for Stamkos.

With any investment -- sound or foolish -- I prefer to take the long-term view. Though I'm happy with the quantity of quality Young Guns I've pulled so far -- and this is a pretty deep and solid set -- I believe Stamkos possesses the most potential for long-term appreciation.

Will I buy more? Doubt it. I know when to walk away.