Canadian Indigenous hockey players who’ve never had a licensed NHL trading card before are getting one now, courtesy of Upper Deck.
The company says it “worked with the players, their families and the Indigenous community” to create the NHL First Peoples cards and make the set “as authentic as possible.” The cards feature players across multiple eras.
The pack of eight cards features Dan Frawley from the Pittsburgh Penguins, Johnny Harms from the Chicago Blackhawks, Danny Hodgson from the Toronto Maple Leafs, Victor Mercredi from the Atlanta Flames, Rocky Trottier from the New Jersey Devils, William LeCaine from the Pittsburgh Penguins, Ted Nolan from the Detroit Red Wings, and Jason Simon from the Phoenix Coyotes.
The First Peoples Rookie Card set was designed by an Indigenous artist from the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation, Jacob Alexis, and the card backs were written by Indigenous card collector Naim Cardinal, who is a Cree and member of Tallcree First Nation. Upper Deck also worked with a board of mostly Indigenous community members for guidance to properly celebrate these communities.
“I’m honored to work with Upper Deck to help shine a spotlight on Indigenous hockey legends and be a part of bringing these cards to life,” Cardinal remarked. “These former players have earned their names and images on official trading cards, and it’s great to see both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people honor them as athletes in a real way.”
Upper Deck is distributing packs of the cards at Indigenous hockey camps, 3 Nolan Hockey Camp and Hockey Indigenous Development Camp, as well as at the Indigenous-owned Certified Diamond Dealer hobby shop, First Row Collectibles. The packs will also be distributed at games where Indigenous NHL Alumni teams play in different Indigenous communities. The first packs were handed out in Alberta last week.
Additionally, fans will receive packs at the Mushkegowuk Cup on February 17-19, an annual minor hockey tournament that brings together First Nations teams and fans, as well as the Little Native Hockey League Tournament on March 13-18.
“It was paramount for us to do this right and involve the Indigenous community from the inception of the idea through distribution,” said Upper Deck President Jason Masherah. “We’re thrilled to give these iconic Indigenous players the recognition they deserve and get the cards in the hands of excited community members.”
On Saturday, January 21, there will be two free player signings at Certified Diamond Dealer shops. The athletes will sign 5×7 versions of their cards and packs will be available. Dan Frawley will be signing at MBA Sports in Belleville ON from 11am-12pm and Danny Hodgson will be signing at All In Sports Den in Fort McMurray, AB from 12-1pm.
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