However, Topps missed the boat on two players who should have had rookie cards in this set, but did not.

Superstars who have rookie cards in the 1989-90 Topps Hockey set are Brian Leetch, Joe Sakic and Trevor Linden. teams have more cards in the O-Pee-Chee set, too. Needless to say, in the 1989-90 O-Pee-Chee set, Canadian teams are much better represented. Canadian teams only get four or five cards each. The focus on U.S.-based teams is heavy, with teams like the Blackhawks and Rangers getting eight or nine cards each. Like the previous three seasons, the 1989-90 Topps Hockey set has 196 player cards and 2 checklists for a total of 198 cards.

So, let’s take a look back at 1989-90 Topps Hockey, and long for the days when a collector could build an entire set from only one box of cards. Next year, the marketplace would expand, Topps would be overshadowed by newer companies making slicker products, and hockey card sets would balloon to upwards of 500 cards each. If any set could represent the end of an era, it was this one.

Download 1990 topps brett hull