A Salmon Arm Silverbacks team member has started a trading card business with his brother in Ontario, aiming to provide extra financial support while maintaining a strong family bond.
Goalie Daniel Dirracolo said his dad collected cards for over 20 years, and the love for card collecting grew him and his brother.
“We used to open a box every Christmas when we were young and he would buy us a box … we’d open it all together,” he said.
The Toronto native added that opening card boxes became a family tradition that eventually turned into a business.
“We started selling cards, and then we got into boxes and from there, it just grew,” he said.
The Dirracolo brothers opened up their store, Elite Cards Toronto, on Nov. 15 in Woodbridge, Ont.
“It’s been great. It’s awesome to work with family,” Dirracolo said. He added that their dad comes and helps out from time to time.
His favourite card so far has been the Auston Matthews Young Guns PSA 10, because both he and the Toronto Maple Leafs forward call Toronto home.
While playing in Salmon Arm with the Silverbacks, Dirracolo continues contributing to the business by managing social media and handling behind-the-scenes tasks.
“I am definitely still involved, a little less than obviously when I am back home for the summer,” he said.
He added that being around sports cards has changed how he views the hockey world.
“Because not only is it a business on the ice with the players, there’s the fans and the marketing side … there’s cards involved, there’s memorabilia.”
For now, Dirracolo will continue to represent the Salmon Arm Silverbacks and anticipates returning home to help operate the family-run business.
