CARLSBAD, Calif., Jan. 24, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Upper Deck is helping to celebrate the return of hockey with National Hockey Card Day in Canada on Saturday, February 9! Upper Deck will be working with the company's network of Certified Diamond Dealers to give out hundreds of thousands of exclusive "National Hockey Card Day" NHL® trading card packs for FREE throughout Canada. All puck fans need to do is head out on Saturday, February 9 and visit a participating retailer to receive a FREE National Hockey Card Day pack. To further celebrate Canada's hockey passion, the players included in National Hockey Card Day packs will be featured as members of Team Canada.
"The only thing better than Upper Deck hockey cards is FREE Upper Deck hockey cards," said Chris Carlin, Upper Deck's sports marketing & social media manager. "On Saturday, February 9, hockey fans throughout Canada are invited to get involved in the great hobby of collecting hockey trading cards on National Hockey Card Day. All fans have to do is drop in on a participating shop that day to receive a FREE National Hockey Card Day pack that feature some of the greatest Canadian players to ever skate!"
"National Hockey Card day is a pivotal day in our industry as hockey fans converge on their local hobby shop to take advantage of the giveaway," said Geoff Connolly, owner of Cloutsnchara Sports Cards in Kitchener, Ontario. "It is always one of our busiest days of the year so we plan a variety of great events to go along with the FREE packs we will be giving away. Getting to engage new or lapsed collectors is an opportunity we do not take lightly so all the hobby shops work hard to make sure those who visit us on National Hockey Card Day have a great experience and leave smiling."
The main draw for collectors to visit participating retailers is the National Hockey Card Day set itself. The 16-card set with the special "National Hockey Card Day" logo on the front consists of three subsets that pay tribute to top Team Canada hockey players. On the "Canada's Rookies" set fans can find cards of Carter Ashton, Tyson Barrie, Casey Cizikas, Jaden Schwartz and Mark Stone. In the "Pride of Canada" set look for top Canadians like Martin Brodeur, Sidney Crosby, Jordan Eberle, Jarome Iginla and John Tavares. And in the "Hockey Heroes" set collectors can capture cards of legends like Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Eric Lindros, Bobby Orr and Joe Sakic.
Packs will yield five randomly assorted cards featuring the aforementioned players, while a special limited 16th card featuring Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux from the 1987 Canada Cup can be had as a gift with purchase from shop owners while supplies last. Some lucky collectors may also find some other special surprises in National Hockey Card Day packs like rare autograph cards.
There will be a retail component to the program as well where hockey fans can visit participating Toys "'R" Us and London Drug locations to receive one of five oversize National Hockey Card Day cards of either Sidney Crosby, Jarome Iginla, Bobby Orr, Joe Sakic and Jaden Schwartz with a purchase.
For more information on National Hockey Card Day in Canada and to view a list of participating retailers, please visit www.upperdeck.com. Also, Upper Deck has set up a Facebook page for the event and will be running a variety of promotions and giveaways on the page so make sure to "like" it today: www.facebook.com/NationalHockeyCardDay
About Upper Deck
Upper Deck is the leading sports and entertainment trading card and collectibles company. For more information on Upper Deck and its products please visit www.upperdeck.com.
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Legal Disclaimer
No purchase necessary. Packs may be obtained by participating retailers only. Packs are limited to one pack per person. Packs are available while supplies last. Items are subject to change. Participating retailers may require contact information including full name, address, phone number, and email before packs may be distributed.
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