A trading card manufacturer has released a new series of rookie cards honouring and featuring Indigenous hockey players.
The Upper Deck Company is a privately held corporation best known for creating trading cards. In addition to holding exclusive licenses to make memorabilia with athletes such as Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, LeBron James, Wayne Gretzky, and many more, the firm also produces sports-related things such as figurines and toys.
The “First Peoples Rookie Card Set” was designed by Jacob Alexis, an Indigenous artist from the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation, for the company’s new rookie card set. The card backs were written by Tallcree First Nation member and Indigenous card collector Naim Cardinal.
“I’m honoured to work with Upper Deck to help shine a spotlight on Indigenous hockey legends and be a part of bringing these cards to life,” said Cardinal.
Upper Deck also asked for advice from a board of mostly Indigenous community members. Dan Frawley of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Johnny Harms of the Chicago Blackhawks, Danny Hodgson of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Victor Mercredi of the Atlanta Flames, Rocky Trottier of the New Jersey Devils, William LeCaine of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Ted Nolan of the Detroit Red Wings, and Jason Simon of the Phoenix Coyotes all appear in the pack of eight cards.
The Upper Deck Company will also be distributing the new set exclusively at Indigenous hockey camps, including the 3 Nolan Hockey Camp and Hockey Indigenous Development Camp, as well as First Row Collectibles, an Indigenous-owned Certified Diamond Dealer hobby shop.
(Photo courtesy of Upper Deck)