North Las Vegas, NV, Tuesday March 17, 2009
This is the week that hobby shop owners across North America may want to think about reinforcing their shelves because Upper Deck’s 2008-09 Champ’s Hockey product is hitting with its wide array of rare fossils and artifact cards. The mammoth set is sure to create a fever-pitched frenzy amongst hockey card collectors as this product will take hockey enthusiasts back in time in more ways than one. Besides featuring unique cards boasting bones from creatures like the Woolly Mammoth and Woolly Rhinoceros, this unusual collection will transport people to a simpler time when pond hockey was the game people gathered to watch and keeping warm was priority number one.

“With its historical value and legacy, Champ’s Hockey is a terrific brand of hockey cards to collect,” explained Josh Zusman, Upper Deck’s Hockey brand manager. “And with this year’s launch being Upper Deck’s inaugural effort with the Champ’s brand, we’re very excited that we were able to include some extraordinary artifacts cards of pre-historic proportions. Now the chase is really on.”

Late last year, Upper Deck started to acquire rare dinosaur bones and teeth to its headquarters. Instantly there was a buzz in the air as many office personnel gathered to see the rare artifacts up close. An incredible assortment of bones and teeth from ancient dinosaurs, all to be cut down to size for inclusion right on top of Upper Deck’s 2008-09 Champs Hockey card fronts. Using special diamond cutters, the bones were carefully cut.

A woolly mammoth femur, Tyrannosaurus Rex tooth, Triceratops vertebrae, you name the ancient piece, Upper Deck officials sought them out. Some of the tooth cards collectors will find in 2008-09 Champ’s Hockey also include the Spinosaurus and the Pterosaur.

The 200-card regular set, with NHL rookies falling at a rate of 1:2 packs, is further supplemented by a 480-card mini-set within a set (2⅝” high by 1⅝” wide) that features an extensive Natural History Collection of endangered species. Some of those endangered species include the bald eagle; the great white shark; the California condor; the clouded leopard; the Chinese alligator; the black widow spider; even the King Cobra. In addition to the fossils and artifacts, Champs Hockey will also yield signatures from some of hockey’s greatest names from the past like Gordie Howe, Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky as well as current superstars like Martin Brodeur, Eric Staal, Jarome Iginla and Jonathan Toews.

Mini Hall of Legends sports memorabilia cards (1:240 packs) are also included and showcase actual tourney- or game-worn threads of hockey legends like Patrick Roy and Gordie Howe, as well as golfing great Tiger Woods!

“The 2008-09 Champ’s Hockey product is the perfect vessel by which to deliver something truly unique to the hobby,” added Zusman. “When we saw these incredible pieces coming in, everyone was in awe. The inclusion of these cards in this hockey release helps connect the Ice Age to the ice.”

Collectors can sink their teeth into 2008-09 Champ’s Hockey by visiting their local hobby shops this week. There are five cards per pack (three regular-sized cards and two minis), and 24 packs per box.

About Upper Deck
Upper Deck is the leading sports and entertainment trading card and collectibles company. For more information on Upper Deck and its products please visit www.upperdeck.com.