Circa 1988 New York Islanders PRIDE Set

Twelve sessions of safety. Twelve sessions of captive boredom. Twelve sessions of bribery.

Thus sums up the Nassau County Police Department's P.R.I.D.E. program of the 1980s.

Before I receive tons of hate mail for the above comments, I need to confess that I'm just being silly, and I was a police officer (and a kid) in the past... The NCPD is an excellent organization, the hockey cards they distributed these many years ago are also excellent, and the idea of having kids earn the cards was a good one.

The New York Islanders were the subject of at least a couple of these "P.R.I.D.E." sets produced during the '80s. Based on the players pictured, the cards featured here were printed in 1987 or 1988. The twelve cards are standard sized and showcase borderless action shots on the fronts, with player names appearing in small font across the bottoms. Card backs are less attractive but informative, specifying one of twelve learning sessions and giving useful childhood tips (Just keep saying "NO" and give them the cold shoulder). Drug abuse was the main focus of the twelve sessions, with minors in self-esteem, healthy eating and exercise. According to the backs, the cards were printed by Penny Lane Graphics Inc. of Hempstead, Long Island.

Hockey fans are well aware of the legendary Islander lineups of the 1980s, with LaFontaine, Sutter and Trottier headlining an impressive group of skaters in the set. Twelve bona fide Islanders are found here, with defenseman Steve Konroyd being the short-timer of the group... Konroyd played in 169 contests for the Islanders during parts of four seasons.

From what I can tell, these P.R.I.D.E. cards are hopelessly rare. Little to no information can be found about them on the interwebs, and the set we own came from a guy who actually attended the twelve sessions as a lad back in the 1980s. It would be silly to quote a value for the set, and my quota for silliness was already filled at the beginning of this post.

Session One: Randy Wood (My Rights)

Two: Steve Konroyd (Drug Use and Misuse)

Three: Jeff Norton (Consequences of Drug Use)

Four: Kelly Hrudey (Resist Pressures to Use Drugs)

Five: Pat LaFontaine (Ways to Say "NO")

Six: Gerald Diduck (Building Self-Esteem)

Seven: Brent Sutter (Assertiveness)

Eight: Greg Gilbert (Managing Stress Without Drugs)

Nine: Alan Kerr (Alternatives to Drug Abuse)

Ten: Bryan Trottier (Role Models)

Eleven: Mikko Makela (Taking A Stand)

Twelve: Bob Bassen (Culmination)