The Hockey Card Licensing Discussion Thread

[RGM81]

Let's keep it civil, and let us have a nice discussion on what we would like to see with regards to the hockey card market in the future.

Discussion questions:
1. What are your thoughts on the UD Exclusive?
2. Would you like to see other manufacturers get a license, and if yes, who?
3. What would you like to see with regards to the number of manufacturers and releases?

Remember, keep it civil. Do not turn this into an "Upper Deck sucks" or "UD vs. ITG" thread.

Have fun!

[lakingsfan91]

Upper Deck Sucks

Actually, I am afraid that if there is no exclusive license then the market will be over saturated with products. Unless UD drops or combines titles, then topps, panini, itg, etc can make few products.

UNLESS

They do away with over producing jersey cards and having more patch/auto/stick/skate/jock strap cards. Jersey cards are getting excessive. Then I am all for the expansion of the license. I don't think one company should have the license. If multiple companies can produce NHL stuff, products would be better.

Pete

[maple19]

Does not matter to me as UD does a find job & ITG are find with me

And other companys have ways to put hockey in their products like Goodwin

Would like to seen press pass put hockey in their fusion set..

Would like to see the old OPC come Back to Canada and sell vending boxes again but that will never happen

mike

[Goose97]

Variety is the spice of life. The more variance we have to choose from will mean different ideas, and more appealing products to which competition will help accelerate.

And yes to limit how many sets to choose from will be ideal.
For example if UD, ITG, Topps, Panini, and Goodwin were the choices then limit the number of sets to each at 4. In relative UD terms, one low end set=Victory, a mid-low set=Regular UD I&II, Mid Set=SPA/SPx, and one high end set=The Cup.

I really think this type of competition will be beneficial for everyone, even UD. It might give them motivation to improve all aspects of their QC, and PR, and they will at least have more time to put together four better products, rather than jamming out 20 different sets a year.

[30ranfordfan]

I'm all in favour of it. Bring in more companies (ITG, Topps, MAYBE even Panini) limit the number of releases that they get (Upper Deck would have to drop some releases based on what they do now).

At the end of the day, I probably still collect the same set: UD Series 1 & 2..... but have a better variety of singles to chase.

I would just really like to see compition, becuase I think that would lead to more innovation.

[zunato]

I would like to see Upper Deck, Topps and ITG have an NHL license Then they should limit the different brands they can come out with to maybe 5 -7 brands each. Maybe 1 low end ($40-$60), 4 mid range ($60-$120) and 2 high end ($120-???).


Last year Upper Deck had 19 different Brands. That'a not even counting Power Play, Ovation and The Montreal Centennial set.

ITG had 4 or 5 brands last year.

Even at 7 brands each, that's still less sets than the 08/09 season.

[cnshockey]

Why can't this be uncivil so i can use lewd language about UD? I won't talk any smack about them because I could go on forever.

ITG DESERVES a part of the license. I love their cards and they could do great things with an NHL licensing agreement. In a way, I almost don't want them to get it because I love what they have right now and don't want them to change and turn into what UD has become. I love H&P. I love to follow juniors (probably the only one in Cali who does) and its just AWESOME to be able to get cards of some of my favorite prospects. I'm big on sports that aren't the big times. I absolutely love the CHL, college hockey, WJCs, and hockey with the kids before they hit it big. In football, I actually like college ball more than the NFL. (GO BLUE! Tate Forcier will be an elite NFLer one day). I think its great to see what ITG does with such restrictions. BTP might be my favorite product EVER. The only thing coming close would be H&P and 03-04 Ice. As a goalie, its AWESOME to have an all goalie set. UD doesn't do anything like that. Quite frankly, UD doesn't care about hockey and you can tell that ITG does. Anyways, ITG should get a part of the license. And really, UD should lose it. Lets see what they do without a licensing agreement.

[Fred Bear]

I'll start by saying that I hate UD, but I honestly don't know that I want things to change.

I say that because it's going to be determined by the economics of the situation (not common sense) and I (personally) don't know how many things would have to be 'changed' in order for collectors to win (it'll be more than just the exclusivity of the license, I know that much). I don't begrudge the NHL or the NHLPA any of the money that they make from licensing cards, but the cost of the license is 'why' UD pumps out so much trash - if they only put out 3-4 products, they would all have to be 'high-end' just to cover licensing costs. [Using a basic accounting approach, say they put out 18 products and the license is $18,000 - $1,000 goes into each product. If they put out only 6 products, the cost of each product 'triples'. You can spread the costs in a more complicated fashion, but if you reduce the number of brands, you'll have to cover the costs somehow (i.e. higher quantities produced).]

I would love to see what everyone seems to be proposing - 3-4 licensed manufacturers, ~15-20 licensed sets spread across the low-end-to-high-end spectrum. I just don't want to see a company like ITG sacrifice what they have today to 'compete' with Upper Deck (and potentially Topps and Panini). I would be MUCH happier if the NHL and NHLPA put some teeth to the words in their licensing and hold UD (or whoever holds the exclusive licensing) to the 'high standard' we, the collectors, were 'promised' by the exclusive deal.

I'm guessing, if anything changes, the NHL and NHLPA will open up the licensing as an open try-out to determine who gets the next exclusive and what a miserable couple of years that will be with 2-5 manufacturers each pumping out 10-15 sets...

Just my thoughts (good discussion topic btw)...

-Fred Bear...

[gardzy99]

I'm afraid for more than one company to get a license because to combat that the companies would sign individual players to exclusive rights and you'd be forced to buy more product AGAIN to collect high end players....As it stands now, it's brutal.....jerseys mean nothing anymore...stick pieces the same.....they need to create parallels that mean something...not 3 duplicate cards with different coloured backgrounds and lower denominators on them, but just limit production on all prints of everything INCLUDING commons.....

[reoddai]

Discussion questions:
1. What are your thoughts on the UD Exclusive?
2. Would you like to see other manufacturers get a license, and if yes, who?
3. What would you like to see with regards to the number of manufacturers and releases?

1. They haven't done a bad job per say. But the designs feel like they are repeating for 90% of the brands. I'd like to see someone else enter the market and have them run up some new stuff. My only major complains are the level of high end errors that are reaching the market. Multiple copies of the same 1/1 cards (not plates, actual 1/1 cards that had multiples released), numbering a card 000/249, etc. I'd really just like to have some new blood in the industry to spur growth either with UD or with the new company.

2. ITG is the first choice. They stuck with it during the hard times and they have shown flashes of brilliant designing. A Logo and full body shots would help. I wouldn't mind Topps either. Have another shot at the chrome and refractor technology cards. Finally, Panini does a great sticker. I'd love to see what they can do with a card. Can Pro Set ever come back? Ref cards, puck cards, errors, etc. They were hilariously disastrous, but wow did they try to change the game.

3. I don't mind having many manufacturers. The problem is that they all want to release 15+ sets. I could see the market with two big manufacturers, or 4 with less releases. 4 companies with 6-7 products each and you'd really see the products get designed and driven hard... or maybe it woulnd't be worth the effort to put them out, I don't know. I mean Topps just let their license die. Didn't even care to renew. When you're the baseball king, what does it matter if the niche hockey gets kicked out?

Cheers,
reoddai