Taking Collectors nearer to the Action

**Pheebs888** · 01-11-2016, 07:42 PM

Remember when game used cards came out how card manufacturers marketed them saying that they wanted to get collectors closer to the game? That was quite a good marketing tactic but now, it's possible to get even nearer to the athletes you love to collect if you are a Montreal Canadiens fans. Last season, the Habs organization introduced a new initiative called Club 1909. In a nutshell, anyone who joined Club 1909 could collect points by being active on social media on the team's page, by reading the team's news on its official website, taking quizzes, watching videos or playing simple games. A lot of fans were already doing those things so it didn't involve any extra effort for them.

Why collecting points you ask? Well, quite simply put, to get some goodies! How? Well, the Club 1909 portal has got a Rewards sections where you can redeem the points gathered for various goods and experiences. For instance, last season, I got exclusive access to a playoffs tickets presale and a signed Bell Centre signage of the playoffs. This season, a lot of game used stuff was put in the rewards section such as gloves, sticks and helmet. There were also banners of different players, goal pucks, warm up pucks and frames. For the Habs enthusiast, this is a gold mine!

Last week I received a shipping notification for the last two rewards I ordered and I must admit that it did get me somewhat excited. 2 days later, I had my Tomas Plekanec game used stick and my P.K. Subban Poplin banner in hand. It cost me 11 000 points to get those two items, 8 000 for the stick and 3000 for the banner. I know those seem like big numbers but, you can actually rack that up quite quickly. Here are some pictures or the Rewards section as it currently stands, it is due for a refill but it does give you an idea of what's normally in there and for how much. And because I think it looks pretty awesome, here is a picture of my Montreal Canadiens shrine which now features my two new rewards near the bottom and you can also see a portion of the Bell Centre autographed signage I got last summer:

I've said that Club 1909 is free which is true but you can become a premium member (for a one time 29.99$ payment), which gives you double the amount of points regular members get for each action or even a first line member for a 99.99$ yearly fee which means you get 3 times the points for each action as well as some other benefits including Questions and Answers sessions with the team executives and alumni, a membership kit including a scarf and coasters (for this season) as well as a presale for Canadiens tickets. This is a big deal since it's quite hard to obtain Habs tickets for the game you want to see every year. Using my priority access, I was able to secure tickets for the Habs vs Oilers matinee game of February 6 which should be McDavid's first game in Montreal (fingers crossed he will be back from his clavicle injury by then).

As for how long it takes to gather the points well, as a First Line member, I get 30 points per day on the 7th Player which is essentially where I can read and watch anything Habs related on their site. I also get 60 points per day by imputing the codes given daily on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google Plus. On game day, codes are also given during the broadcast and if you miss them, you can always check this handy twitter account which lists all the codes daily: https://twitter.com/CodesClub1909 . Finally, if you take part in the #GoHabsGo conversation on Twitter and enough #GoHabsGo mentions are recorded during the game, codes are unlocked. I spent 11 000 points on November 24th and my total was then 300 points. 7 weeks later, i'm now up to 6 550 points...hopefully some new goodies are added to the rewards sections shortly. If there is a God, game used gear from the Winter Classic will be added, I attended that game and that would make for awesome souvenirs.

I know most of you are card collectors and that for now, as far as I know, the Canadiens are the only team doing this in the NHL, but if you think it's a good idea, what's stopping you from suggesting a similar program to your favorite team or even to card manufacturers? They are already acquiring game used jerseys to put in cards so it wouldn't be impossible for them to follow suit and create some kind of redemption program based either on social media activity or on purchases made. Think about it, getting game used material to collectors that way is kind of easier, that would be the end of jerseys or patches being used on the wrong cards...Collectors could buy exactly what they want with the points gathered much like they do on Club 1909. When they sell game used material, teams can usually tell when and where the items were used which would be a big plus for collectors. I know that many of us hate the way the piece of jersey on game used cards are certified as having been used in a game but no word as to who worn them and when...this would be taking collecting to a whole new level. That being said, I do feel like the possibility to acquire game used items is such an alluring prospect that it's pulling me away from card collecting, much like when I first managed to get jerseys of my favorite players autographed and framed.

But for now, I'll carry on collecting Club 1909 points and improving my collection with highly sought after items. Love them or hate them, the Montreal Canadiens remain a world class organization and they are never short of ways to please their fans. I hope for collectors' sake that other teams or organization follow their lead.