Archive for Hockey
Upper Deck Heads North for the 2012 NHL® All-Star Game™
Posted by: | CommentsThe National Hockey League transformed three full floors of the Ottawa Convention Centre – a total of 100,000 square feet – into hockey heaven this past weekend. In collaboration with the 2012 NHL All-Star Game, the All-Star Fan Fair event was attended by over 30,000 fans and was an experience not to be missed. In the center of it all was the Upper Deck booth, jam-packed with excited hockey enthusiasts in search of the latest and greatest in trading cards and memorabilia.
Puck fans converged on Ottawa to take in the 2012 NHL All-Star Fan Fair.
The highly anticipated Upper Deck wrapper redemption program gave fans the opportunity to open three packs of Upper Deck NHL cards and receive one of three exclusive bonus packs featuring:
Pack 1 – Senators center Colin Greening, hockey legend Wayne Gretzky and current All-Star Tim Thomas of Boston
Pack 2 – Senators center Kyle Turris, hockey icon Mario Lemieux and red-hot rookie Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Pack 3 – Senators player Mika Zibanejad, hockey great Bobby Orr and Pittsburgh superstar Sidney Crosby
As an added bonus at this year’s show, collectors who opened an entire box received a highly sought after limited-edition card featuring Senators teammates Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and Erik Karlsson.
On Saturday, the crowd got even thicker as Upper Deck hosted a free autograph session with Cody Hodgson of the Vancouver Canucks. Hundreds of fans crammed into the booth, hoping to secure their wristband for a place in line to meet one of their favorite ‘Young Guns’ in person. Over 300 lucky fans met Cody and received a personalized oversized card, all compliments of Upper Deck.
Upper Deck got fans up close and personal with the young gun for the Canucks, Cody Hodgson!
While the Stanley Cup was the most sought after attraction at the event, followed by free autograph sessions with local and super star players, the Upper Deck Personalized Trading Card station was almost as high on the list of must-see attractions. From newborn infants to great grandparents and every age in between, Upper Deck fans put on an All Star jersey, grabbed gloves and a Stick and posed for their first-ever Upper Deck Rookie Card. The cards were a huge success and lines for the Personalized Trading Cards filled the booth throughout the entire weekend.
Fans were very fired up for their chance to get a personalized Upper Deck trading card made during the fun-filled weekend.
These guys loved their new cards!
Upper Deck memorabilia covered the walls in the booth, and hockey fans were in awe of the new breaking through and ice-charge pieces. By the end of the weekend, the walls were bare as customers happily hand carried their new purchases home. Our network of Certified Diamond Dealers were also pleased with the event, as their cases seemed close to empty by the close of the show. Our two Authorized Distributors in Canada, Universal and Grosnor, also attended the event – lending a hand wherever needed and helping to keep the dealers well-stocked.
Upper Deck’s athlete relations team was also able to corral a few all-stars to get them to sign trading cards for new Upper Deck releases. Here Steven Stamkos signs cards for new upcoming products.
Thanks to all the fans who cam out to join us in Ottawa and we look forward to seeing you next year in Columbus, Ohio!
The Upper Deck Hockey Team hopes to see you in Columbus next year for the 2013 All-Star Game!
Popularity: 1% [?]
Upper Deck Shares Short Print List for 2011-12 NHL Black Diamond
Posted by: | CommentsUpper Deck’s 2011-12 NHL Black Diamond released last Friday and collectors seem to be pretty excited about it, especially some of the previously unannounced goodies that can be found in packs. And now that the market has had a little time to react to the product, Upper Deck is pleased to share the short print list for two of the key inserts in the set.
First up is the always popular Gemography autograph insert set:
GEM-AK Arturs Kulda Group D 1:68 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-BL Brian Lee Group D 1:68 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-BM Brett MacLean Group D 1:68 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-CA Cody Almond Group D 1:68 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-CO Cal O’Reilly Group D 1:68 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-DB Drayson Bowman Group D 1:68 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-JA Jamie Arniel Group D 1:68 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-JC John Carlson Group D 1:68 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-JD Jason Demers Group D 1:68 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-JM Jacob Markstrom Group D 1:68 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-JN John Negrin Group D 1:68 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-KA Keith Aulie Group D 1:68 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-KD Kaspars Daugavins Group D 1:68 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-LC Luca Caputi Group D 1:68 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-MH Matthew Halischuk Group D 1:68 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-MO Mark Olver Group D 1:68 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-MS Marco Scandella Group D 1:68 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-MZ Mats Zuccarello-Aasen Group D 1:68 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-NP Nick Palmieri Group D 1:68 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-OB Oskars Bartulis Group D 1:68 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-PB Patrik Berglund Group D 1:68 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-PC Patrice Cormier Group D 1:68 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-PL Philip Larsen Group D 1:68 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-RB Richard Bachman Group D 1:68 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-RM Ryan McDonagh Group D 1:68 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-TL Trevor Lewis Group D 1:68 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-TM Thomas McCollum Group D 1:68 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-TT Tomas Tatar Group D 1:68 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-AH Ales Hemsky Group C 1:570 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-BA Josh Bailey Group C 1:570 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-BS Brayden Schenn Group C 1:570 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-CS Cory Schneider Group C 1:570 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-DC Daniel Carcillo Group C 1:570 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-JB Jonathon Blum Group C 1:570 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-JE Jordan Eberle Group C 1:570 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-KT Kyle Turris Group C 1:570 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-ST Chris Stewart Group C 1:570 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-TE Tyler Ennis Group C 1:570 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-AB Andy Bathgate Group B 1:1,006 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-AO Alexander Ovechkin Group B 1:1,006 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-BE Patrice Bergeron Group B 1:1,006 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-BH Brett Hull Group B 1:1,006 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-CH Cody Hodgson Group B 1:1,006 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-CN Cam Neely Group B 1:1,006 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-GH Gordie Howe Group B 1:1,006 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-GL Guillaume Latendresse Group B 1:1,006 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-LO Logan Couture Group B 1:1,006 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-MA Rick MacLeish Group B 1:1,006 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-MN Markus Naslund Group B 1:1,006 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-PK Patrick Kane Group B 1:1,006 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-PM Peter Mueller Group B 1:1,006 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-SC Sidney Crosby Group B 1:1,006 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-SS Steven Stamkos Group B 1:1,006 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-VH Victor Hedman Group B 1:1,006 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-WG Wayne Gretzky Group B 1:1,006 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-BO Bobby Orr Group A 1:14,246 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-MM Mark Messier Group A 1:14,246 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
GEM-SH Steve Shutt Group A 1:14,246 h (Overall 1:60 h, 1:1,200 r)
Mark Messier, Bobby Orr and Steve Shutt are the three toughest pulls in the 2011-12 NHL Black Diamond Gemography set.
Next up are the Black Diamond Double Diamond jerseys which have a unique twist to them this season as they are basically puzzle cards. Collectors can assemble them in a way to show off four players from a certain team with the logo in the back of the four players like you see below.
Here is the short print list for the 2011-12 NHL Black Diamond Double Diamond jersey cards:
BOS-NH Nathan Horton Group F 1:18 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
BOS-TR Tuukka Rask Group F 1:18 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
BOS-TT Tim Thomas Group F 1:18 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
BOS-ZC Zdeno Chara Group F 1:18 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
CGY-JB Jay Bouwmeester Group F 1:18 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
CGY-MK Miikka Kiprusoff Group F 1:18 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
CGY-RB Rene Bourque Group F 1:18 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
DET-JE Jonathan Ericsson Group F 1:18 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
GOALIE-RB Richard Brodeur Group F 1:18 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
MTL-AK Andrei Kostitsyn Group F 1:18 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
MTL-AM Andrei Markov Group F 1:18 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
PHI-CG Claude Giroux Group F 1:18 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
PHI-SH Scott Hartnell Group F 1:18 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
PITT-JS Jordan Staal Group F 1:18 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
TOR-JG Jonas Gustavsson Group F 1:18 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
TOR-NK Nikolai Kulemin Group F 1:18 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
TOR-TB Tyler Bozak Group F 1:18 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
VAN-RK Ryan Kesler Group F 1:18 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
VAN-RL Roberto Luongo Group F 1:18 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
WASH-MG Mike Green Group F 1:18 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
09TC-DT Dustin Tokarski Group E 1:43 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
09TC-PK P.K. Subban Group E 1:43 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
09TC-TM Tyler Myers Group E 1:43 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
DET-HZ Henrik Zetterberg Group E 1:43 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
DET-JH Jim Howard Group E 1:43 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
DET-NK Niklas Kronwall Group E 1:43 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
GOALIE-MB Martin Brodeur Group E 1:43 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
GOALIE-PR Patrick Roy Group E 1:43 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
GR8-GP Gilbert Perreault Group E 1:43 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
PHI-CP Chris Pronger Group E 1:43 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
PHI-JV James van Riemsdyk Group E 1:43 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
PITT-MF Marc-Andre Fleury Group E 1:43 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
TOR-PK Phil Kessel Group E 1:43 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
VAN-AE Alexander Edler Group E 1:43 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
09TC-JE Jordan Eberle Group D 1:144 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
CGY-JI Jarome Iginla Group D 1:144 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
PITT-KL Kristopher Letang Group D 1:144 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
PITT-SC Sidney Crosby Group D 1:144 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
VAN-DS Daniel Sedin Group D 1:144 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
WASH-OV Alexander Ovechkin Group D 1:144 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
09TC-CH Cody Hodgson Group C 1:220 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
GR8-ML Mario Lemieux Group C 1:220 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
GR8-MM Mark Messier Group C 1:220 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
WASH-AS Alexander Semin Group C 1:220 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
WASH-NB Nicklas Backstrom Group C 1:220 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
09TC-JT John Tavares Group B 1:647 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
GOALIE-TE Tony Esposito Group B 1:647 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
MTL-PK P.K. Subban Group B 1:647 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
GR8-WG Wayne Gretzky Group A 1:4,274 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
MTL-CP Carey Price Group A 1:4,274 h (Overall 1:12 h, 1:48 r)
The 2011-12 NHL Black Diamond Double Diamond Jersey cards can be assembled to show off a unique design if you have the right cards in hand to complete the puzzle.
Popularity: 2% [?]
The Upper Deck NHL Rookie Boot Camp Series Continues; Ryan Ellis Was Bad With Money
Posted by: | CommentsEvery year we have a great time at the NHLPA Rookie Showcase where Upper Deck has the opportunity to spend time with the top NHL rookies. One of our goals we have leaving the event it to come up with a fun way to introduce the new rookies to fans and for the last few seasons we have done that with our Rookie Boot Camp videos which have been pretty popular with hockey fans around the world. After all, one of these players will likely end up being the next big Upper Deck rookie card, so fans should get to know them.
Ryan Ellis who was recently called up by the Nashville Predators is the lead character in UD's new Rookie Boot Camp video.
And fans of these videos will have a whole new series of videos to enjoy throughout the course of the season with the second video launching today. After two successful seasons, Upper Deck put Coach Ron Cherry on the bench and brought in Coach Dewey Schuntz who is widely regarded as the worst rookie in NHL history. It was our hope he could teach the players what not to do and we think he did a great job. Watch this second video where Coach Schuntz works with Ryan Ellis of the Nashville Predators to help him get better managing his money. Also, look for two small cameos from Jake Gardiner of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Marcus Kruger of the Chicago Blackhawks.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Get Closer To The NHL Than Ever Before; Become A UD Stick Kid!
Posted by: | CommentsThousands of fans will be descending on Ottawa, Ontario for the 2012 NHL All-Star Game, but one fan will get to experience the event like no other courtesy of Upper Deck. We are looking for a youngster (boy or girl) to represent Upper Deck at the 2012 NHL All-Star festivities working with the players as a Stick Kid. Former Upper Deck Stick Kids have all claimed this was one of the best experiences of their lives as they came face to face with the greatest stars in the NHL.
Upper Deck Stick Kids serve UD at the NHL All-Star Superskills Challenge and also get great access to the players during the event. It is a dream job for the kid chosen and to have the opportunity to win is not that difficult. Youngsters in the Ottawa area simply need to submit an essay as to why they feel they should be selected as Upper Deck’s Stick Kid for the NHL All-Star Festivities.
We will be taking applications at the Bell Cup and kids can also submit their application to us via e-mail at Stick_Kid@upperdeck.com up until Friday, January 13, 2012. Good luck to all those participating!
Popularity: 2% [?]
Brag Photo: A Nativity Scene of Upper Deck NHL Cards
Posted by: | CommentsEvery year, the day after Halloween it seems like the tinsel comes out and we are bombarded with different holiday images from every direction. From Christmas trees to Hanukkah candles to images of Santa Claus and his reindeer, we see it all not only in person, but online as well. One of the more iconic images we see each year is the Nativity scene featuring biblical characters like Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, the Three Kings, a shepherd, an angel and some animals.
I see them on street corners and at stores, but I have seen more and more of them online, usually shared through social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. Nowadays people are getting more and more creative with their Nativity scenes it seems, showing their passion for different things they love like dogs, Legos and even meat of all things.
Seriously? The person who created this either needs to run (not walk) to a psychiatrist or cardiologist. Probably both...
As I saw some of these oddball Nativity scenes I thought to myself, “There should be a Nativity scene for collectors.” And as I thought of that, I started thinking of how you would do it. I was on baby duty and my son was napping so I started putting it together by looking up some card images the other night. The biggest question was which players would play each part? Here’s who I cast for the Upper Deck NHL Card Nativity Scene.
Baby Jesus – This was tough because if you think about the greatest hockey player, you immediately think of Wayne Gretzky. But he is a legend who is no longer playing. We need someone younger. And even though he has been working through some medical issues as of late, there is nobody bigger than Sidney Crosby playing these days. I thought the 2005-06 Upper Deck Young Guns Autographed Sidney Crosby rookie card would be the perfect card to play the role of baby Jesus, as long as we shrink it.
Joseph – Again I thought of Gretzky here, but it just didn’t seem quite right with baby Jesus being played by Crosby. If Sid has any “father figure” in the NHL, it would likely be Mario Lemieux. Not only do they share the same uniform and ability to score, they are good friends as well. Therefore I selected a 2011 Parkhurst Champions Renditions Autographed Mario Lemieux card for the role of Joseph.
Mary – This is where it gets a little more difficult. Surely there have been a multitude of amazing women to lace on the skates, but in my opinion Haley Wickenheiser is probably the greatest. She has collected so many gold medals that even the Three Kings are jealous of her and she is as awesome off the ice as she is on. That is why I selected the 2011 Goodwin Champions Autographed Haley Wickenheiser card for the role of Mary.
Three Kings – Now I can get Wayne Gretzky involved! Who better to play the Three Kings than three of the greatest Los Angeles Kings players of all-time? I went with 2011 Parkhurst Champions cards of Wayne Gretzky, Marcel Dionne and Luc Robitaille to play the part of the Three Kings in my Upper Deck NHL Nativity scene.
Shepherd – Initially I thought of Don Cherry for the role of the shepherd, but then I really tried to think of someone who has helped shepherd players to great success. I couldn’t think of anyone better than Scotty Bowman who led his teams to nine Stanley Cup victories and a multitude of other successes. I chose the 2005-06 Upper Deck The Cup Stanley Cup Titlists Autographed Scotty Bowman card to play our shepherd.
Angel – This was another tough one, but as I thought about the great ladies of hockey, I thought Cammi Granato would be an excellent star to have shine as our angel. Don’t get me wrong, I was tempted to plug in a girl from one of the NHL Ice Crew teams, but thought better of it. I went with the 2011 Goodwin Champions Autographed Cammi Granato card for that spot.
Animals – I went back and forth on this. Should we include cards of “animals” on the ice like Milan Lucic and Sean Avery? Seemed to be in bad taste (at this point I was thinking maybe this whole idea was). Maybe a mascot like our friend Bailey from the Kings? Nah, what’s a lion going to be doing in a Nativity scene? I even toyed around with using some of the 2011 Goodwin Champions Animal Kingdom Patch Cards, but they just didn’t look right. In fact, it was starting to get weird and as my son started waking up from his nap, I thought maybe it would be best if we just left a regular old sheep or donkey in there.
Sorry Bailey, we couldn't make a place for you in this Nativity scene.
So with the cast set, I shared the card images with one of our designers the next day at work. He quickly flipped me back a completed version on my vision of a Nativity scene for Upper Deck NHL collectors. Here it is puck fans, I hope you enjoy it and from all of us at the Upper Deck Company, we hope you have a wonderful holiday season!
Popularity: 1% [?]
