Upper Deck will again hold its National Hockey Card Day promotion in the U.S. and Canada. The programs will happen a week apart, starting north of the border on Saturday, February 9.
NHCD will move to U.S. based shops on February 16.
Upper Deck will be working with the company’s network of Certified Diamond Dealers to give out hundreds of thousands of exclusive “National Hockey Card Day” NHL trading card packs for free at participating retailers. Two separate sets will be produced for each country.
The 16-card American set with the special “National Hockey Card Day” logo on the front consists of three subsets that pay tribute to American-born players and international players on U.S. based NHL® franchises. On the “America’s Franchises” set fans can find cards of Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins), Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals), Ilya Kovalchuk (New Jersey Devils), Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers) and Anze Kopitar (Los Angeles Kings). In the “Stars in Stripes” set look for American-born players like Zach Parise (Minnesota Wild), Jonathan Quick (Los An
geles Kings), Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks), Dustin Brown (Los Angeles Kings) and Ryan Miller (Buffalo Sabres). And in the “American Icons” set collectors can capture cards of legends like Mike Modano, Brett Hull, Neal Broten, Tim Thomas and Brian Leetch.
Packs will yield five randomly assorted cards featuring the aforementioned players, while a special limited 16th card featuring Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick celebrating his 2012 Stanley Cup victory last season can be had as a gift with purchase from shop owners while supplies last. Some lucky collectors may also find some other special surprises in National Hockey Card Day packs like rare autograph cards.
“Of all professional sports leagues, the NHL has the most passionate fan base,” said Mike Fruitman, owner of Mike’s Stadium Sports Cards in Aurora, Colorado. “Being able to offer collectors free National Hockey Day packs with a bonus card of Jonathan Quick will be the perfect complement to hockey’s return.”
“National Hockey C
ard day is a pivotal day in our industry as hockey fans converge on their local hobby shop to take advantage of the giveaway,” said Geoff Connolly, owner of Cloutsnchara Sports Cards in Kitchener, Ontario. “It is always one of our busiest days of the year so we plan a variety of great events to go along with the free packs we will be giving away. Getting to engage new or lapsed collectors is an opportunity we do not take lightly so all the hobby shops work hard to make sure those who visit us on National Hockey Card Day have a great experience and leave smiling.”
Canada’s set will also have five cards and three subsets that pay tribute to top Team Canada hockey players. On the “Canada’s Rookies” set fans can find cards of Carter Ashton, Tyson Barrie, Casey Cizikas, Jaden Schwartz and Mark Stone. In the “Pride of Canada” set look for top Canadians like Martin Brodeur, Sidney Crosby, Jordan Eberle, Jarome Iginla and John Tavares. And in the “Hockey Heroes” set collectors can capture cards of legends like Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Eric Lindros, Bobby Orr and Joe Sakic.
A special limited 16th card featuring Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux from the 1987 Canada Cup can be had as a gift with purchase from shop owners while supplies last. Randomly inserted signed cards are also in the mix.
There will be a retail component to the program as well where hockey fans can visit participating Toys “‘R” Us and London Drug locations to receive one of five oversize National Hockey Card Day cards of either Sidney Crosby, Jarome Iginla, Bobby Orr, Joe Sakic and Jaden Schwartz with a purchase.
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[…] is back and Saturday was ‘National Hockey Card Day’ in Canada when collectors who visited hobby shops had a chance to pick up a free pack of cards […]