Upper Deck Company Skates with National Hockey League Players' Association to Produce
Highly-Coveted "Be A Player" Card Set
Set Delivers One Authentic NHL Player Signature Card Per Pack
Leading sports and entertainment collectibles company, Upper Deck, and the National Hockey
League Players’ Association (NHLPA) have agreed to a partnership allowing Upper Deck to
produce and distribute Hockey trading card products featuring the Be A Player branding.
Originally developed in conjunction with Upper Deck in 1994, Be A Player products will
return to the Upper Deck lineup in 2005, the first time since the 1995/96 season.
Upper Deck’s first release, slated for the Spring, will be Be A Player Signature Edition,
featuring an autograph in every pack for a suggested $9.99 per pack. Be A Player remains
one of the industry’s most recognizable brands year-in and year-out. Upper Deck’s Be A
Player release features an all-star list that includes Jason Spezza, Joe Thornton, Jarome
Iginla and many more, including long-time Upper Deck spokesmen Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe.
Content highlights include single, dual, triple, and quad autograph cards of the NHL’s elite.
"The Upper Deck Company is excited to once again partner with the NHLPA and deliver this
exceptional product to fans and collectors," said Joe Fallon, Director of Sports Product
Development for the Upper Deck Company. "Adding Be A Player back into our portfolio
strengthens what is already an industry leading lineup of products, and fits quite nicely
alongside Brands such as SP Authentic, SPx and our core Upper Deck."
"Upper Deck is the leader in the card and collectibles industry, and furthering our partnership
makes perfect sense," said NHLPA Senior Director Ted Saskin. "The NHLPA recognizes the
need to work with a market leader who has demonstrated a consistent commitment to the category and
has the infrastructure and marketing capabilities to best support our assets during these challenging
times. Granting the Be A Player rights to Upper Deck is representative of the overall direction we
are taking to improve the current hockey card landscape so that long-term growth objectives can be
realized. The Be A Player Brand is important to the NHLPA and its members, and I am confident Upper
Deck will continue to build on what they helped establish in 1994."
Source: The Upper Deck Co, LLC
Date: February 14, 2005
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