HOCKEY PROMPT

When I was a kid, I was really into collecting sports memorabilia. At the time, this was almost exclusively limited to sports cards, but as my love for sports grew, so did the variety of things I collected. My favorite sport was hockey. As a kid growing up in Pittsburgh in the early 90s, it was a given that my favorite team was the Pittsburgh Penguins. My parents were aware of this and how much I (and my brother) loved to collect sports cards and other things. We weren't able to get much considering we were poor, but that made it even more special when we were allowed to buy packs of cards.

Over the years, my parents got me some pretty awesome collectors items. Among them were two separate puck and card displays for Jaromir Jagr and Mario Lemieux that I loved very much (and still have). By far though, my absolute favorite and most cherished item is a 1991-92 Stanley Cup Champion team photo of the Pittsburgh Penguins autographed by Mario Lemieux. At the time, the fact that my dad was able to get me that blew my mind. I later learned that he had won it at work, but that didn't change anything. My dad is no longer with us, so that will always remind me of him and always brings back memories of my childhood.

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