Upper Deck’s New Card Set Honors Indigenous Hockey History

I’ve been collecting hockey cards for close to 50 years, and the new set of NHL® First Peoples Rookie Cards from Upper Deck is easily my favorite. Upper Deck led the initiative to honour a group of Indigenous NHL hockey players who were never issued an NHL® licensed trading card before by creating a limited edition rookie card set featuring eight players:

1. Dan Frawley – Pittsburgh Penguins
2. Johnny Harms – Chicago Blackhawks
3. Danny Hodgson – Toronto Maple Leafs
4. Victor Mercredi – Atlanta Flames
5. Rocky Trottier – New Jersey Devils
6. William LeCaine – Pittsburgh Penguins
7. Ted Nolan – Detroit Red Wings
8. Jason Simon – Phoenix Coyotes

“The goal was to create a set that was for the community, by the community,” says Upper Deck Senior Marketing Manager Paul Nguyen. “It was important that from the start, Upper Deck worked with the Indigenous community to ensure that the set properly celebrated the players and the community as a whole.”

To make the cards as authentic as possible, the 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. Alexis grew up playing hockey, and designing the NHL® First Peoples Rookie Card set for Upper Deck was something he’d always dreamt of. Meanwhile, Cardinal has been collecting hockey cards for 23 years, and his hobby turned into a passion to work with the community to compile a list of over 100 identified players of Indigenous descent.

NHL® First Peoples Rookie Card Set Available Starting January 21

To ensure this special set of cards gets into the hands of fans who will truly appreciate these collectors’ items, Upper Deck will be distributing them to:

Indigenous Hockey Camps
-3 Nolan Hockey Camp
-Hockey Indigenous Development Camp

Indigenous-owned Hobby Shop
-First Row Collectibles

Indigenous Hockey Tournaments
-Mushkegowuk Cup – February 17-19 Timmins, Ontario
-Little Native Hockey League Tournament – March 13-18 Nipissing First Nation, Ontario

Free Athlete Signings
On Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023, there will be two free player signings at Certified Diamond Dealer shops. The athletes will sign 5×7 versions of their cards and will have the packs available.

Dan Frawley will be signing at MBA Sports in Belleville, ON, on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023, from 11 am -12…