Our Origin Story
The spark for our project ignited in the early 2000s, back when our company President, Bruce C. was a massive Arturs Irbe hockey card "Super Collector", a collection which even landed him a feature in the Fall 2012 edition of Beckett magazine. When a game-used Irbe stick was added to his collection in 2009, everything changed. That single piece of history inspired a massive new mission: preserving the history of goaltending through the incredible gear worn by these heroes in goal. Originally founded as a hobby under the name "Bruce C. Goaltending Museum," we have evolved into a privately funded, incorporated museum-focused business: "Heroes of the Crease: Goaltending Museum and Memorabilia Ltd." (or "Heroes of the Crease Ltd." for short). Despite that exciting shift, we are still highly active in the sports card world, always remembering the hobby roots that started it all and embracing that changing world as well.
Our Mission
At Heroes of the Crease, our mission is to preserve the history of hockey goaltending through the game-worn relics of its finest goalies who played in North America's highest level of pro hockey. To tell the true story of professional goaltending, we look beyond the legends and household names. Though we only pursue the relics of the best goalies, we still honor the athletes who appeared for merely moments, the ones with perhaps minutes of major-pro experience or even a single career start. Together, the greats and the less-familiar netminders form the complete picture of the toughest position in all of sports. Every netminder beat impossible statistical odds to realize a lifelong dream, and they all deserve to be remembered. In the sports card world, our mission is to entertain, hunt down rare cards for loyal clients, and deliver excitement right to your door. Best of all, every card adventure directly funds our museum preservation project!
Our Vision
We don't just collect gear to let it sit in a closet while accumulating dust.
Our ultimate vision is to secure at least one piece of game-used memorabilia from every single goalie who surpassed 200 North American major-pro games, have their name on the Stanley Cup as a player or coach, are fan-favorites, or whose stories are compelling and worth telling to our audience. It is a truly ambitious quest. The grand finale we are aiming for? Creating a world-class, educational traveling exhibition to share our passion and the history of the crease with fans around the globe. Coupled with a booming sports card endeavor that brings joy to thousands of collectors, we are building something truly special and we are glad to have you along for the ride!
Our ultimate vision is to secure at least one piece of game-used memorabilia from every single goalie who surpassed 200 North American major-pro games, have their name on the Stanley Cup as a player or coach, are fan-favorites, or whose stories are compelling and worth telling to our audience. It is a truly ambitious quest. The grand finale we are aiming for? Creating a world-class, educational traveling exhibition to share our passion and the history of the crease with fans around the globe. Coupled with a booming sports card endeavor that brings joy to thousands of collectors, we are building something truly special and we are glad to have you along for the ride!
Our Values
Integrity First: Absolute honesty in every single deal we make.
Historical Accuracy: Total transparency and precision in our memorabilia descriptions that evolve as our research reveals new things, with zero deception and zero fake theatrics.
Community First: Treat every collector, fan, and client with the highest level of respect. Heroes of the Crease aims to set the standard and to be a model of excellence in the card and memorabilia community; the ultimate authority on goaltending history.
Thank you all for taking this incredible journey with me and my company!
Sincerely,
Bruce Csanyi
Owner/President
Heroes of the Crease Ltd.
Historical Accuracy: Total transparency and precision in our memorabilia descriptions that evolve as our research reveals new things, with zero deception and zero fake theatrics.
Community First: Treat every collector, fan, and client with the highest level of respect. Heroes of the Crease aims to set the standard and to be a model of excellence in the card and memorabilia community; the ultimate authority on goaltending history.
Thank you all for taking this incredible journey with me and my company!
Sincerely,
Bruce Csanyi
Owner/President
Heroes of the Crease Ltd.