Thread: The hobby is doomed...

without a true entry level product like Victory or Collector's Choice. I realize the hobby is probably doomed anyways, but it certainly is without affordable packs in retail spaces. Kids who have never tried hockey cards aren't going to drop $3 USD on a pack of Upper Deck, and if they do they I think they will be disappointed.
I realize $.99 packs are probably a break-even proposal, but in the long-term they bring much needed youngsters into the game. I believe that Upper Deck has given up on the hobby and is trying to reap what profits they can in the short term with mega buck products.

What do you guys think?

Couldn't disagree more.

The hobby has been around for over 100 years.

Back in 90-91 when it came out, packs of Upper Deck were $2.50 at the local store. Today, you can get O-Pee-Chee for roughly the same price. There's also lots of low-cost incentives for the kids when they come into stores--my pals at Players Choice always give the kids free packs of the National Hockey Card Day cards, and parents routinely come into the store buying full boxes of product for their kids, or kids themselves who save up their allowances to buy singles cards that they want of their favourite players & teams.

This "think of the children" stuff doesn't really carry water when you actually spend time at the LCS and see how many kids are engaged and involved with the hobby today.

There's OPC, MVP, Parkhurst, Tim Hortons and this year the Canadian Tire set at the lower-end of the spectrum. They are all decent options. I bought a fat pack of the new Parkhurst, and seriously it was fun for what I paid!

I'm trying to put myself in the shoes of a 7- or 8-year old, and I think I'd still be able to get into collecting cards.

It's a lot more complicated these days with all the inserts, parallels, variations, and short prints, so maybe it would be more difficult for a kid to know exactly what they have, or to try and build a complete set. I know I'd be frustrated with that! But at the basic level I think I'd still enjoy opening packs, finding a particular set I liked the best, and collecting my favorite player(s).

Question: Can you pull an autographed card or a jersey card from a low-cost product, or are they only available in the higher-end packs? I think if I pulled a game-used jersey card back when I was a kid, I'd be pretty stoked about it. At least the first few times it happened, anyway.

I don't know. It's an interesting question. Times are definitely different, and kids are different, too.

Originally Posted by Thick McRunfast

Question: Can you pull an autographed card or a jersey card from a low-cost product, or are they only available in the higher-end packs? I think if I pulled a game-used jersey card back when I was a kid, I'd be pretty stoked about it. At least the first few times it happened, anyway.

I don't know. It's an interesting question. Times are definitely different, and kids are different, too.

Some long odds autos and jerseys in MVP, some autos in Parkhurst blasters, plates and autos in Canadian Tire


I still remember when I pulled a Biron ProSign from MVP SCE, it's been over 15 years ago, and I still have it :)

Originally Posted by RGM81

This "think of the children" stuff doesn't really carry water when you actually spend time at the LCS and see how many kids are engaged and involved with the hobby today.

I regularly attend local shows and sometimes pop into a LCS. The ratio of adults to kids is atleast 10:1, probably 20:1. Contrast that with 25 years ago and it was 1:1.
Do you honestly believe that there are as many kids engaged in this hobby as there was when it was growing?

There's not as many adults engaged in the hobby as when it was growing. Lots of people that got back into it in 15-16 with the McDavid hype are slowly leaving it because there's no mega-rookie this year and they're getting bored and moving on to Bitcoin or the next great fad.

Upper Deck will accordingly have to adjust the business model in a couple years to reflect the loss of the "high value gamblers"--we're already seeing them react to no access to Hischier/Patrick this year by signing new autograph deals with some of the veteran stars, which people have been clamouring for for some time now. Additionally, securing the CHL license and releasing the juniors-level set at a cost-effective price (I've heard $65 a box for a 24-pack box) will engage young collectors. Many kids get to see these guys at games locally, fist bump then on their way to the locker room, go on the ice with them if they're in minor hockey programs, etc. It adds a level of engagement and connection not readily found with the millionaires of the NHL.

Let's also consider the digital access to things such as Topps Skate and UD e-Pack. Kids love their phones. They can "collect" these digital cards as a means of engagement as well. It may not be the cup of tea for the older generation, but given the growth of those platforms in all sports and beyond, clearly it's working on some level.

Bottom line: we're in little danger of the next generation falling off. There's always going to be kids that collect because they love hockey and they love their favourite players. The hobby has survived two World Wars, numerous economic downturns, the mass-production of cards through the 90's, scandals of all sorts/shapes/sizes, and more. It's proven remarkably resilient in the past century. As long as there's sports, there's going to be people who want to collect cardboard pictures of men.

I have to agree here.

The hobby is on the way out, weather you want to believe this or not.

Kids don't collect sports cards anymore. Go to any school yard. Yugioh, Pokemon, Magic, etc. That's what you see. My mother works for an elementary school. No joke, I have at least 10 close friends who are teachers. 2 of them very close friends, who still collect and trade with me regularly. They never see any students with sports cards. My 2 friends even offer up cards as rewards for good behavior, high test scores. No one wants them.
My nephews love sports and love hockey. One plays basically all year round. I've taken him to local shows and he has no interest in it at all. I gave him all my old Pokemon cards from when I was younger and he loved it.

If it wasn't for McDavid and Matthews, you would have seen this decline a lot sooner. Ask any LCS owner how much sports cards he moved in the 80s/90s and how much he is moving prior to 15-16. I used to go to 4-5 different LCS when I was in my early teens. I'm 31 now. All but 1 has closed down. Another hobby store just opened up 10min drive from my house, but this is a large multi-hobby store. Sports card look to make up 5% of their inventory, if that.

I love sports cards, specifically hockey. I love to collect, trade, everything involved with this hobby. But you're kidding yourself if you think this hobby will be around long term. I would love to spend time collecting with my (future) children, but I really doubt that will happen.

Originally Posted by Maggot

I regularly attend local shows and sometimes pop into a LCS. The ratio of adults to kids is atleast 10:1, probably 20:1. Contrast that with 25 years ago and it was 1:1.
Do you honestly believe that there are as many kids engaged in this hobby as there was when it was growing?

I remember a time when there were hockey packs in small grocery stores and gas stations. And it wasn't that long ago.

Everybody had packs of hockey cards. If you lived in the suburbs, you were issued them. They came in the mail with samples of Tide.

Originally Posted by odjickfan

I remember a time when there were hockey packs in small grocery stores and gas stations. And it wasn't that long ago.