Ice/Champs

Every year, Upper Deck releases its Ice product. Every year, collectors are wooed by the small number of acetate rookie cards numbered to 99. Every year, despite saying "Man, I get nothing from Ice every time I open it", collectors buy it. Every year..... well, you get the picture. Ice has some great stuff in it, but it is absolutely feast or famine..... and mostly famine.

I bought 4 packs last year and got a dual jersey /100, but while it was cool, there wasn't much value. Nothing the year before, and in 05/06, thinking of the Crosby and Ovechkin rookies, I bought a few packs and got a jersey in something like 20 packs. Brutal.

Today, two packs from a blister pack from London Drugs. I go in expecting nothing, but at least hoping for a Doan.

Pack 1 - Elias, Savard, Pronger, Toskala, Tanguay
...... ok, that's just horrible.

Pack 2 - Grabovski, Ward, Legace, Lundqvist, Ellis
..... the Cam Ward is cool? I don't know.

Every year...... every year....... well, at least I didn't buy the Ice blaster.

So for the next one, a blaster of UD Champs. I've reviewed this before, but this is a 12 pack blaster that should have a jersey every 2 boxes, which is rare for a blaster. Lots of other stuff in here too. Here goes.

Pack 1 - Kovalev, Brett Sutter Rookie, Justin Williams mini, Pominville
I like the mini cards. 1 rookie every 2 packs, 1 mini rookie every 8 packs.

Pack 2 - Gagne, Frolov, Thomas mini, Henrik Sedin
Nice simple background on these.

Pack 3 - Boyes, Patrik Hornqvist rookie, Spider Monkey mini, Franzen
The Natural History collection minis are 1:6 packs, so this should be one of two. Very odd inclusion in a hockey set, but I guess it's at least different.

Pack 4 - Price, Toews, Biron mini, Leclaire
The mini set might be cool to collect. I don't know. There just isn't much to say yet.

Pack 5 - Nash, Fabian Brunnstrom rookie, Higgins mini, Kane
There's something to talk about. Brunnstrom!!!

Pack 6 - Toskala, Nicklas Backstrom, Kenndal McArdle mini rookie, Getzlaf
There's the mini rookie.

Pack 7 - Phil Esposito, Adam Pardy rookie, Brind'Amour mini, Kaberle
.... this just isn't an exciting break. I don't know why.

Pack 8 - Lehtonen, Tony Esposito, Derek Roy mini, Phaneuf
UD is relying too much on retired players this year. What's wrong with current players?

Pack 9 - Drury, Danny Taylor rookie, Red Deer mini, Leetch
Maybe because they have to have a Danny Taylor rookie otherwise. And it's not the city of Red Deer on the card, it's a red deer.

Pack 10 - Brad Richards, Brodeur, Langkow mini, Smyth
A Dallas Star card is nothing to sneeze at.

Pack 11 - Zetterberg, Pierre-Marc Bouchard Mini Threads jersey (white)
That would be a VERY searchable pack. Not the most inspiring jersey, but a jersey nonetheless.

Pack 12 - Nabokov, James Neal rookie, Mueller mini, Ryan Miller
YEEEEHAW..... both Dallas Star rookies in this group. Very nice.

So I met all the odds, but also got the jersey. MAKE SURE.... if you buy loose retail packs of this, they are incredibly easy to search, so be warned. There is normally a normal sized card at the back of the pack, but in the jersey pack, they are at the back of the pack, and are easily found just by feeling the back of the pack. Then again, I just told you how to find them yourself.

The one thing I will say for Champs? It's different. And while that's not necessarily an enthusiastic sounding endorsement, for Upper Deck, different is a compliment. This is an odd concept to be sure, but certainly points for something that stands out a little.