2014-15 MVP Hockey (Retail)

Back when this set was new JediJeff was turned to the Dark Side with his views on this set, but let's see how a five card retail blaster pack shakes out:

#193 Eddie Lack leads the way

#11 Calle Jarnkrok came out of the pack next

#276 Dustin Byfuglien. According to the Trading Card Database cards #201-300 are SP but I got one in each of the three packs I opened.

#106 Paul Martin

#58 Matt Cooke

Overall, I really like the look of the cards. The gold printing of the MVP logo, the large MVP area where the player name is, and the border stripes are printed in a metallic ink, it looks really nice in hand although I do agree that the border is slightly too large.

Here's the card back:

More gold, a team logo, and some stats, but not career stats. I do like that that they include pronunciation guides on the back. I heard the broadcasters talking about this guy but I had no idea that it was him, because his name does not look anything like the way it's pronounced.

Full disclosure: This was the very first pack of hockey cards I opened up once I decided to start collecting the sport actively, although it's the third or fourth overall. Even though I opened it in January, I'm just getting it posted in October. In fact, I have it scheduled to go off the day the 2017-18 season starts, my first with the sport.

My own blog: Cardboard History

2014-15 Upper Deck MVP hockey

I have 39 scan folders for this site. Today, the randomizer picked the last folder in the directory - MVP hockey. Here's a set that has been around a few years (I can't find the exact number online), and is basically the Collector's Choice of Upper Deck. Especially since Upper Deck renamed Collector's Choice to MVP.

No Sid, Ovech, N-H, Hall or any or the standard that have been on packs. Post boy honors go to Evgeni Malkin. Pack looks nice with the colors matching the Pens sweaters. That won't last when we look at the cards, but let's just soak it in right now. Eight cards in the pack.

Oooaf!!! This is a set that needs to be retired. The designs are poor with far too large of frames around the images. And is that a Donruss racing stripe running through the middle?

As you see the racing stripe changes with the club. Works for the most part when the team has some yellow in their palate.

Not so much with blue.

Or red. This also is a silver signature parallel, which fall one per pack if I recall.

Nice idea for a subset, with the 3 stars for the week. The badge, though - yeeeesh!!! Make it smaller!

Yes, it's a Blackhawk. Even they can't make the base set work.

One last card to endure.

And the back.

I like the pronunciation guide under the player's name. Major points for that. Logos for the product and the team are too damn big. You will get more years of stats with more seasons in the league. Not sure if it's full career stats. None of my players have that much NHL experience.

Eh - it's a pack of cards. Nothing great.