About a week ago, I found some old hockey cards getting dusty in my closet. As I sorted through, I noticed a handful of Golden Knight players. I found old Cody Eakin, Deryk Engelland, Marc-Andre Fleury, and multiple James Neal cards.
After trading VGK players with my one-year-old, I thought, screw these old cards. We need the 2017-18 Golden Knights player cards. It was time to reach out to Upper Deck, the crown jewel of trading cards. Player artwork, autographs, jersey swatches, and stick inserts are what UD excels in. In fact, this Upper Deck card got me amped for an eventual Erik Brannstrom Rookie Profile card.
I learned a lot about the trading card industry. It’s a slow but advanced process. I get it, we’re working with artists. For some reason, there is never enough time between seasons for trading card companies. For instance, players that relocate during the offseason usually get stuck in a previous team’s jersey on their new card. For example, Neal’s first Golden Knight’s card would likely be a picture of the forward in Predators yellow. So, that’s what I expected. Unfortunately, I was deeply disappointed.
When Upper Deck released their 2017-18 NHL MVP series checklist, the Golden Knights were completely invisible. Not one Vegas card was printed by Upper Deck for their first released series. It doesn’t end with UD, it’s possible other Golden Knight trading cards (O-pee-chee, Panini, Topps) won’t be available to start the season either. Here’s the Upper Deck team checklist, take a look.
