Archive for Hockey
A Different Kind of Upset Letter
Posted by: | CommentsOne of the things I actually miss from my days managing the Customer Service group for Upper Deck is the letters I used to receive. I would on occasion receive appreciative letters about something I had helped a customer with which was nice, but more often than not the letters were concerning a problem.
What I appreciated about them was that the letters were always so different because collectors as a whole are very different. They all have their pet peeves and things that annoy them and luckily for us they are more than happy to share their opinions with us. We use that feedback to ultimately make a better product and to try to help them out. And now by embracing new social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and this blog, we can connect with them in new and exciting ways.
A colleague once asked me, “Don’t you get tired of hearing all the negativity?”
I responded, “It’s not negativity as much as it is an opportunity. Had they not taken the time to contact us, we may have lost their business forever. Now we have the opportunity to save them as a customer.”
I still believe that to be true. That being said, I’m not sure what to do with the letter we received today. The names have been blacked out to protect the customer, but this is just one that had a few of us in the office saying, “Really?”
Sports card and memorabilia collectors by and large are VERY passionate about their hobby and the sports they love. The vast majority of our core collecting base consists of males (94%) generally between the ages of 18 and 45. So it is not surprising the group that seems to be the biggest haters of this hobby and our products are the women they date or marry.
A couple of months ago I gave some tips to a collector who was looking for ways to balance his marriage and his love for the hobby, but I think it’s time to simplify that a bit by using some generalizations. I know that’s not a good thing to do, but it gets us to the answer the quickest.
At our core, guys can be a little stupid and women can be a little crazy. As this letter demonstrates, the husband was a little stupid for continuing to purchase cards, redeem items and for bringing in new memorabilia items that he knew his wife would hate. And in turn, she was a little crazy for writing a company blindly and telling us not to support our customer.
So where does that bring us? If you are one of the 94% in that age range that loves Upper Deck products, try not to be a little bit stupid because you will ultimately make your significant other a little bit crazy. And what does a crazy significant other do to a guy who is a passionate sports fan? Something like this…
Now that brings me to our real issue: How do we respond to this letter? Please give us your feedback in the comments section. We will give the person who provides the response we end up using a full box of 2009-10 NHL Be-A-Player and 2009-10 NHL ICE. We’ll even include this Upper Deck backpack for the lady in your life, because she never looks better than when she’s wearing a brand you love…
Popularity: 15% [?]
The Puck Drops Here
Posted by: | CommentsWith this season’s NHL playoffs set to begin tonight with four first-round match-ups, Upper Deck has just released its newest NHL-licensed trading card set: 2009-10 SP Game-Used Hockey. A 100-card beauty, SP Game-Used packs all the thrills hockey card aficionados are looking for with at least one memorabilia or autographed card in every pack, on average. Not bad odds, huh?
2009-10 SP Game-Used 'Authentic Fabrics' Evgeni Malkin Insert Card
In addition to the likelihood of landing either a memorabilia or autographed card in every pack, SP Game-Used Hockey boasts an incredible assortment of inserts starting with the readily available “Authentic Fabrics” (1:3 packs); moving on to “Inked Sweaters” autographed jersey cards (numbered to 50), featuring the likes of John Tavares, Matt Duchene and Patrick Kane; and closing with “Legends Classic Patches” (numbered to 25), including past hockey standouts like Bryan Trottier, Butch Goring, Billy Smith and Dale Hawerchuk.
2009-10 SP Game-Used 'Inked Sweaters' Mario Lemieux Insert Card
The depth of autographed cards inside the set is especially significant as rookies, current stars and retired legends abound. The two levels of the “SIGnificance” offerings (numbered to 50 and numbered to 25) are jam-packed with talent young and old as names like Jonathan Toews, Steven Stamkos, Steve Yzerman, Brian Leetch and even Johnny Bucyk jump off the checklist. The dual-signed “Extra SIGnificance” (numbered to 25) and thrice-signed “Triple SIGnificance” (numbered to 10) cards will no doubt have collectors screaming with excitement upon cracking lucky packs.
Lastly, the sought-after rookie cards that are available – “Authentic Rookies” (numbed to 999) and “Authentic Rookies SP” (numbed to 99) – will round out one’s collection very nicely. And the “Rookie Exclusives” autograph cards are all numbered to 100. With names like Tavares, Duchene and Victor Hedman all waiting to be discovered, excessive crack-packing will be at an all-time high.
So, what are you waiting for?
Popularity: 5% [?]
NHL Playoffs and New Upper Deck Hockey Releases on the Horizon
Posted by: | CommentsDon’t forget to register your 2009-2010 NHL Rookie cards. Click here to register them at Upper Deck’s Rookie Card tracker. By registering your codes from the back of your rookie cards, you will have a chance to win a box of cards from Upper Deck! The next rookie of the month will be named early in April!
Going into the last week of the NHL season, there are many things left to be decided before the playoffs hit; in terms of playoff positioning, and the final push for season end individual awards.
In the East, the Washington Capitals have secured the President’s Trophy for best regular season record, after tearing through the league all year long. Aside from their dominance, the playoff seeds are still very much up in the air. Buffalo, Pittsburgh and New Jersey are all within a single point of one another, and the two division leaders will end up with the second and third seed respectively. Ottawa seems to be locked into the number five slot right now, while four teams fight for the last three spots.
It seems to be more of a crawl to the finish for Philadelphia, Boston, Montreal and the New York Rangers. They’ve all had a chance to pull away, with none of them taking the opportunity and running with it. That is why these teams are fighting for a playoff spot, and not for a division lead.
Over in the West, the top seven teams have already been decided with Calgary, Colorado, St. Louis and Anaheim mathematically still all fighting for the last spot. Most teams seem to be locked into their playoff spots, but there are some fights left to see who finishes five through seven. The road through the West is still to be determined as well, with Chicago a mere two points behind San Jose with a game in hand.
When looking at teams that have a chance to make a long playoff run, one thing that has always stuck out to me is the second half of the season. Not that you can discount the first half, as two points won in October has the same effect as two points won in March. But, when you look at second half, you are able to take a good look at teams who are playing well right now. Unfortunately, ESPN hockey insider Pierre LeBrun beat me to the punch.
Looking at his entry, you can see that Vancouver and Washington have put together a strong second half, and are primed for long playoff runs. A Stanley Cup final featuring arguably the two best players in the league this year would add a great element of intrigue as well. Alexander Ovechkin and Henrik Sedin have been at the top of the game all season long. Vancouver is probably the best bet for Canadian fans as well to be the first team since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens to hoist Lord Stanley’s mug.
This season, more so then in seasons past, there seem to be multiple choices that can be argued for just about all of the major awards.
On subject, most of the major awards have multiple candidates who will be considered. Here’s a summary:
Hart Trophy (voted league MVP): Alexander Ovechkin is the best player on the best team, but where would Vancouver be without the season long heroics of Henrik Sedin? Does Buffalo even make the playoffs without Ryan Miller? What about New Jersey without Martin Brodeur?
Norris Trophy (best defenseman): Mike Green has put up the kind of points we haven’t seen from a defenseman since Ray Bourque, so he has to be in consideration. What about Duncan Keith in Chicago? Keith sits second in points and ice time at almost 27 minutes a game playing against the best line on any team. What about youngster Drew Doughty in Los Angeles? Nicklas Lidstrom in Detroit is sure to get some votes, as are Chris Pronger in Philadelphia and Zdeno Chara in Boston, based solely on the fact they have been at the top of people’s ballots for so many years.
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (most gentlemanly): This one always stumps some people, so it helps to look at the league’s top players who avoid the penalty box. This brings to mind Martin St. Louis in Tampa Bay, as well as former teammate Brad Richards who now plays for Dallas. A strong case can be made for last year’s winner, Pavel Datsuyk from Detroit. Los Angeles Kings star Anze Kopitar has only been to the box seven times all year long.
Vezina Trophy (top goaltender): This one is never easy. Martin Brodeur has shown this year that he has no signs of slowing down, putting together another fine overall season. Ryan Miller in Buffalo has put it all together, and it would be scary to see where his team would be without him. Same goes for Ilya Bryzgalov in Phoenix. His play all season long led the Coyotes to their first playoff birth since 2000-01.
Frank J. Selke Trophy (defensive forward): This is another award that is tough to “judge”, but last years winner Pavel Datsuyk is still an elite player at both ends, as is Philadelphia captain Mike Richards. Vancouver Canuck second liner Ryan Kesler is able to chip in on the offensive end, while playing against other teams’ top lines: this helps free up the Sedins to do their thing.
Calder Trophy (top rookie): Lots of interesting choices here. Matt Duchene in Colorado has had a consistent year and leads in first year scorers, while Tyler Myers in Buffalo sits third in scoring, but has anchored play in his own end all season. A trio of goaltenders will get votes as well. Tukka Rask in Boston, Jim Howard in Detroit and Antti Niemi in Chicago will all get consideration, but I think they split the vote up a bit, leaving Duchene and Myers to battle it out for the Calder.
As the regular season winds down, the folks at Upper Deck are getting ready to gear up as well. SP Game Used hits today, with lots of great hits including the always popular “By the Letter”, as well as lots of game-used hits for the jersey card junkie, patch parallels, as well as a good host of autographs. Always one of my personal favorites, “SPGU” is a product that I usually find a way to break at least one box of.
In a couple of weeks, Ice will hit. Short printed rookies to /99, great insert sets, hard signed “Glacial Graphs” and a host of game-used jersey cards always make for a fun rip. Frozen Foursomes have become some of the most sought after cards on the secondary market as well. Ice is currently scheduled to hit shops April 20.
A week later on April 27, O-Pee-Chee Update is tabbed to hit. Updating one of the season’s first releases with the full rookie crop, O-Pee-Chee has a few tricks up its sleeves from what I have been hearing. Hard signed Metal cards fall a couple per case, and “Top Draws” triple jersey cards feature some of the hottest rookies of the year.
The month of May should bring at least three more new releases as well. SPA features the first hard signed rookies of the year, the always popular autograph set “Sign of the Times” and the return of the “Immortal Inks” and other autographs. If you like the hard signed autograph, this is a great set for you.
Be A Player returns in May as well. With autos falling in every pack, it always makes for a fun break. It is a great chance to see some guys who don’t get into a lot of the other checklists. Added value comes in with the Rookie Jersey cards, autograph parallels numbered to just 10, as well as the chance at pulling some great multi-player autographs.
Ultimate Collection is also currently slated to go live near the end of May. It’s one of the higher-end releases, with the potential at some of the year’s first shield cards. It always features great hard signed rookies (some being short printed), and other great autograph and game-used inserts. This is always a product that people like to tear into.
After that, there are still a couple of higher-end anticipated releases to finish out the season for collecting: O-Pee-Chee Premier and The Cup. These two products deliver the goods in both high quality and quantity. Nice cards come out of each and every pack of this stuff, and while you do pay for this quality, they are routinely some of the best looking cards of the year.
It is a great time of year to be a hockey fan. We are about to witness some of the best hockey in the second season, and the release of some of the best cards the hobby will see all season long as well. What else could a hockey fan want?
Christopher Carmichael has been hockey fan of over 20 years. He has been an active member on various hobby related sites, most notably www.hobbyinsider.net, and www.cloutsnchara.com. Christopher is also a long time collector, with a focus on a few select player collections, and the occasional set projects.
Popularity: 6% [?]
Brag Photo of the Week: The Captain’s Jersey
Posted by: | CommentsSometimes, when you work at Upper Deck, you get to explore the game-used room in all its glory. And hold stuff like this:
Note the “C” on the jersey, and you know who wore this one in a game.
When he’s not leading the Canadian team to Olympic Gold, Crosby’s day job is leading the Penguins to Stanley Cup championships in this black and gold jersey. Pretty cool to hold a jersey a guy like that wore on the job.
How about one more? I figured I might as well, since I was down there already.
Popularity: 6% [?]
The Race for the NHL Awards
Posted by: | CommentsHave you heard the news about the Upper Deck Awards? Check out Toby Wachter’s blog entry from earlier in the week if you have not and help nominate the best of the best!
Heading into the last two weeks of the season, playoff and draft positioning are not the only things that are still in doubt. While many of the NHL’s season awards are voted on, there are some based on pure performance. For example, the Art Ross trophy is given annually to the player with the most points, and the Rocket Richard Trophy goes to the top goal scorer. These, along with a few others, are still very much in play.
The Art Ross Trophy (most points)
The top two guys in contention here have been near the top all season. Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals and Henrik Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks are separated by just a single point, with 98 and 99 points respectively. Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby, and triggerman Nicklas Backstrom also of the Capitals sit 10 points back and while technically still have a chance; it appears to be a two horse race between the European superstars.
Ovechkin would probably be running away with the scoring title had it not been for a couple of two game suspensions and missing six games with injury, but the Art Ross doesn’t care about things like points per game: it is a straight race of most points, so staying on the ice counts for a lot. With fewer than ten games left for both the Capitals and the Canucks, the winner will be whichever superstar maintains pace until the end.
Sedin has 16 points in his past 10 games, with Ovechkin having just 9 points over the same number of games (interrupted by his most recent two game suspension). All told, neither one is out of it. But with his track record, I think Ovechkin will find a way to win the scoring title, while helping his team to the President’s trophy (and getting ready for what he hopes to be a long playoff run). Vancouver also has high aspirations of an extended playoff run, led by an Olympic Gold medal winning goaltender while Sedin putting in his best season to date.
Look for both of these two fine players to also end up near the top of the Hart Trophy and the Lester B. Pearson Award vote getters as well. Both have been valuable components and key cogs into the success of their respective teams.
The Rocket Richard Trophy (top goal scorer)
The race for the Rocket Richard trophy appears to be between three former number one overall picks. 2004 top pick Alexander Ovechkin and 2005 number one Sidney Crosby are currently tied with 45 goals, and 2008 first overall pick Tampa Bay Lightning sophomore sensation Steven Stamkos is just two back, sitting with 43. Ovechkin is the two time defending Richard Trophy, but this year is providing some tough competition. Crosby and Ovechkin have been compared against one another since their time in the junior ranks, and are the two most recognizable superstars currently in the league.
Until recently, Ovechkin has been the one noted as the pure goal scorer. How can we forget last year’s playoffs, when it seemed that Sidney Crosby officially decided that he wanted to be a goal scorer too? Think back to May 4, 2009, game two of the second round: Washington wins 4-3. The Caps may have won the game, but in the end Pittsburgh won the series, and in turn the Stanley Cup. This memorable game could be the one that has propelled both into the upper stratospheres of stardom.
Stamkos is the new guy in this equation. The second year star is not having a sophomore slump, and has continued to build off of the strong second half of his rookie year through. He’s no longer being called a bust (not that many close to the game thought that, but the notion was certainly there). Stamkos leads the league in power play markers and sits just two goals behind the leaders. For him to come back and win this thing would certainly propel his star within the league, as well as a sure bump in his collectability on the secondary market.
The William M. Jennings Trophy (lowest goals against)
Some fans either came into the season or speculated during it that Martin Brodeur had lost something, or couldn’t do it all on his own any longer. Well, look no further than his stats. With ten games remaining, Brodeur (who was pulled after his performance in the round robin of the Olympics against the USA) is primed to win his fifth Jennings trophy. While not a sure thing at this point, Chicago’s tandem of goalies Cristobal Huet and Antti Niemi are the next closest, giving up 179 to the Devils 172.
Brodeur is likely to once again be the sole winner. He is on pace to play 70+ games for the 12th time in his sure to be Hall of Fame career. Just when you think he is down, he once again proves that his job is to stop the puck from entering the net, and that there is still no one better at that job in the league on a per game basis. While others may stop more pucks on a nightly basis, or over the course of the year, Marty is the one goalie who consistently gives his team the best chance to win. The Jennings trophy winner may not appeal much to collectors, but when it is Martin Brodeur who is the one winning it, his collectors will certainly take notice.
The Plus/Minus and Roger Crozier
The last two awards that we can look at that are based on pure performance. First is the NHL Plus/Minus Award, which is currently being held down by (who else), Alexander Ovechkin. At a +44, he is seven points up on teammate Jeff Schultz.
Next is the Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award, which is given annually to the NHL goaltender who has played a minimum of 25 games and has the highest save percentage. This one is currently a three man race, which will likely go down to the last games of the season. Boston Bruins rookie Tuukka Rask currently leads with a .930 save percentage, but sitting just one percentage point back is Buffalo Sabres saving grace Ryan Miller at .929. Just behind him is steady Florida Panther goalie Thomas Vokoun at .928.
These two awards are not as high profile, and if anyone will bring some recognition to them (in particular the Plus/Minus award), Alex Ovechkin is certainly a guy who could do that. Ryan Miller could do the same for the Saving Grace award as well with the overall season he has had, making the 09-10 season his official coming out party. Don’t be surprised if Miller also gets some consideration for the Hart, Pearson, and Vezina Trophies.
So far it has been an amazing season of races, both in terms of the standings as well as statistics. Soon we will know who wins each of these statistically oriented awards, while in the coming days, we will look a bit more closely at some of the awards that are judged. This should prove more difficult, but fun never the less.
I look forward to hearing your take on these year end awards: individual accolades are great, but most all of these players would exchange any of them for a chance to hold the Stanley Cup above their heads. It should be a great race to the finish line before the second season begins!
Don’t forget to register your 2009-2010 NHL Rookie cards. Click here to register them at Upper Deck’s Rookie Card tracker. By registering your codes from the back of your rookie cards, you will have a chance to win a box of cards from Upper Deck! The next rookie of the month will be named early in April!
Follow Upper Deck on Twitter as well for all the latest updates on product releases, contests and updates.
www.twitter.com/UpperDeckSports
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www.twitter.com/UpperDeckHockey
Christopher Carmichael has been hockey fan of over 20 years. He has been an active member on various hobby related sites, most notably www.hobbyinsider.net, and www.cloutsnchara.com. Christopher is also a long time collector, with a focus on a few select player collections, and the occasional set projects.
Popularity: 6% [?]
