First Look at 2015-16 SP Game Used!

[Gallinator]

Errr...it's a different match-up every year...Caps have been in it twice!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NHL_Winter_Classic

[geschrocks33]

Errr...it's a different match-up every year...Caps have been in it twice!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NHL_Winter_Classic

Yeah but when you add into consideration all the Stadium Series stuff they use as well you get the breakdown like this:

12 Outdoor Games have been played in the U.S (not counting any 2016 games)

14 Teams have played in these games:

PIT - 3
CHI - 3
NYR - 3
DET - 2
PHI - 2
WSH - 2
LA - 2
BOS
NYI
NJ
ANA
SJ
BUF
TOR

If you add in this years games, you get this:

15 Total Games

CHI - 4
PIT - 3
NYR - 3
DET - 3
PHI - 2
WSH - 2
LA - 2
BOS - 2
NYI
NJ
ANA
SJ
BUF
TOR
MTL
COL
MIN

You get to add in Colorado & Minnesota, and Montreal, but Montreal has played outdoors twice in the Heritage Classic already.

Also, CGY, VAN, EDM, and OTT have played in the Heritage Classic so that bumps the total up a bit

21 of the 30 teams are represented there, with a whole lot of repeat guys, and this will be Chicago's 3rd year in a row in an outdoor game. Makes for a whole lot of Chicago outdoor cards in SPGU

Teams who haven't played outdoors:

Carolina
Tampa Bay
Florida
Dallas
Winnipeg
Columbus
St. Louis
Nashville
Arizona

[EliasDevil]

Not a fan of it still using the Devils outdoor game. Hopefully they got new jerseys from guys like Elias and Josefson and it's not just last year's leftovers from Gionta and Brunner

[RGM81]

Teams who haven't played outdoors:

Carolina
Tampa Bay
Florida
Dallas
Winnipeg
Columbus
St. Louis
Nashville
Arizona

It's almost like the NHL knows what it's doing when it sets up these outdoor games. LOL

[Drewk86a]

Sure I'm in the minority, but I don't like the Media Guide booklets. From what they show I ask, what is it about the booklet that makes it a "Media Guide" other than naming it so? Wouldn't a media guide have some facts, stats, or other information? Could have done much better with the design on those.

Other cards look great. Really lie the stick card.

[Sharky94]

Errr...it's a different match-up every year...Caps have been in it twice!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NHL_Winter_Classic

Yes, but the first time was before they started doing most of the WC memorabilia cards. My point was that when you have special cards having to do with a particular matchup (WC cards, Day With The Cup, etc), most collectors don't really care, unless they are a fan of one of the two teams involved. Do most card collectors go after Day With The Cup cards if it's not their team with the Cup? I seriously doubt it. Why would anybody care about a $50 insert of a Blackhawk with the Cup if they aren't a Blackhawks fan (other than being able to sell it to make some money)? Those kinds of cards are nice if you ARE a fan of the team, but if not, most collectors dont care. If UD keeps making those types of cards, they should not make them a key component of their set because they are appealing to a very small minority in the market.

[30ranfordfan]

If you're in the minority, count me in!

I don't see what's special about them, vs any other dual player booklet... or what that has to do with a Media Guide. Final product might make it more obvious though??

Sure I'm in the minority, but I don't like the Media Guide booklets. From what they show I ask, what is it about the booklet that makes it a "Media Guide" other than naming it so? Wouldn't a media guide have some facts, stats, or other information? Could have done much better with the design on those.

Other cards look great. Really lie the stick card.

[30ranfordfan]

You're right. Team Collectors or Player Collectors are going to be the ones primarily interested in these cards. The only Day With The Cup I've pulled, it was a nice card to flip and recoup some of the box price. I've also purchased one (Ranford, Kings, he's the goalie coach).

Those net cord cards do nothing for me... they've been tried in other sets too, and I have zero interest in them.... but I would point out that they're different, and that's something that lot's of people clamor for. We bemoan the one-colour swatches of jersey cards.... an how half the "hits" end up in the dollar bin, because there is nothing unique or particularly interesting about a card. These netcords? They're definitely unique (compared to jersey cards) but they're becoming more and more plentiful.... making them less unique.

Then there is the Winter Classic jerseys themselves. They've put some lesser players in there (I made a point to pick up a Colin Fraser Patch card, but I'm probably in the minority when I saw that on a checklist and said "YES!") which has added to variety.... but even for the star players: If they make a Winter Classic GU Card of Ovechkin (as an example) then anyone picking up that card, can actually point to the game the jersey was used in. Not so with most UD memorabilia cards.

Just like the NHL over doing it with outdoor games, UD likely is over doing it with these cards, but they're not showing up in every product, so I'll give them ups for trying something different.

Will there be anything in that set that I'm after? Between NYI, NYR, NJD, PIT, CHI: I can't think of a particular player that I'm interested in adding, but I'd have to see a checklist to know that for sure.

Yes, but the first time was before they started doing most of the WC memorabilia cards. My point was that when you have special cards having to do with a particular matchup (WC cards, Day With The Cup, etc), most collectors don't really care, unless they are a fan of one of the two teams involved. Do most card collectors go after Day With The Cup cards if it's not their team with the Cup? I seriously doubt it. Why would anybody care about a $50 insert of a Blackhawk with the Cup if they aren't a Blackhawks fan (other than being able to sell it to make some money)? Those kinds of cards are nice if you ARE a fan of the team, but if not, most collectors dont care. If UD keeps making those types of cards, they should not make them a key component of their set because they are appealing to a very small minority in the market.

[geschrocks33]

I would've loved to see Clutterbuck get some love there, but alas he can't even get put into a 600 card set anymore apparently

[RGM81]

Yes, but the first time was before they started doing most of the WC memorabilia cards. My point was that when you have special cards having to do with a particular matchup (WC cards, Day With The Cup, etc), most collectors don't really care, unless they are a fan of one of the two teams involved. Do most card collectors go after Day With The Cup cards if it's not their team with the Cup? I seriously doubt it. Why would anybody care about a $50 insert of a Blackhawk with the Cup if they aren't a Blackhawks fan (other than being able to sell it to make some money)? Those kinds of cards are nice if you ARE a fan of the team, but if not, most collectors dont care. If UD keeps making those types of cards, they should not make them a key component of their set because they are appealing to a very small minority in the market.

You can say the same thing about literally every hockey card ever made. Guy rips open a tin of The Cup and their big hit is a Columbus Blue Jackets ARP - he complains online. Two pals split a box of Artifacts and they get a $50 memorabilia auto of Teemu Selanne; well, KingKuba didn't open it, two Blues fans in St. Louis did, so why would they care about that card since they're not a Jets fan? Heck, Habs fans complained when they opened boxes of Canadiens Centennial and didn't pull the right Habs from the checklist.

Until the day comes that all Upper Deck does is fulfill made-to-order cards taken over the phone, people are going to complain about hockey cards on the Internet because they "don't care" about particular hits that they pull from a break.

The negative attitude you're displaying in this commentary is pretty much exactly why team-based group breaks have come to rule the hobby market these days. Because, sadly, you're right. Bobby in Burnaby only wants Canucks cards for his PC so he doesn't open his own box where he'll get 98% cards he "doesn't care about" and just goes into the group break for a fraction of the price. Mikey in Montreal doesn't want to deal with adding to his traders box, and even though his team is always near the top of the most expensive teams, he still prefers to do a break for "just the hits" of his Habs. On and on. Soon nobody's actually opening wax and the market dries up for the collectors that aren't on the group break bandwagon.