2025 Card-vent Calendar: December 10, 2025

December 10, 2025:

1991 ProCards #596 Peter Bakovic AUTO

Back in the day, my best friend's dad was the public address announcer for the minor league Milwaukee Admirals, so naturally I was invited to a ton of games.  Hockey developed a bit of a following in my class of mostly sports-minded boys.  Some took after it quite a bit.  I can even remember the last time I went trick-or-treating before I was too old for it, our buddy Greg went as a goaltender, in full pads.  As you might guessed, we visited about one block of houses before Greg declared, "I'm going home, you guys."

As I recall, Greg's mom, Patty, was also a big fan of the Admirals.  Greg's whole family was pretty much full-blooded Italian.  In fact, through most of school, we called him by his nickname "paisan."  Patty was a little meatball of a lady.  (Side note: She was there when I saw my first movie boobs.  For Greg's birthday she let us rent A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors.  She quickly jumped up when the nurse started taking her top off and covered "Greggy's" eyes, but the rest of us got a good look.)  The other thing I remember about her was that she was a big Peter Bakovic (Buh-KOH-vick) fan, often going on and on about how much she enjoyed watching "my Peter" play.

 

One day in junior high, we went to the gym where career day was set up.  And who happened to be there but Peter Bakovic!  I think he was in a coaching or front office role by then, but maybe not.  All of us guys got to meet Peter Bakovic that day, much to the chagrin of Patty, who wished she could have been there.

 

Just goes to show that athletes can become local legends, no matter how high they rise in the sport.  And maybe, just maybe, one will become the object of a crush by a round little Italian mom.