How A Player Is Carded

I don't really cover any sort of hockey card collecting on HBIC despite me having a pile stored away in the hopes that they may eventually be worth more than the card stock they are printed on. I know there are still some who collect them, but I have given up the collecting a long time ago. In saying this, though, hockey cards have evolved in leaps and bounds from just being a picture of a player on the front and stats on the back to cards with holograms, pieces of jerseys, and an assortment of other features.

I've always been curious as to how some of these innovations came about, so I did a little searching and found a pretty interesting video from the NHL Network and Upper Deck. I'm not going to lie that there's a little marketing in this video, but Upper Deck shows off some of the technology they use to make these new cards with new innovations. Honestly, it's pretty interesting.

Pretty cool, right? Who knew that pieces of cardboard once stuck in bike spokes could turn out to be an area of cutting-edge technology? I have to admit that my old hockey cards look a little inferior compared to these new cards, but we'll see how the age factor works for me.

Hockey cards, like the game itself, have evolved a lot in the last twenty years with all sorts of new innovations and changes that have arguably made the product better. While some will still cling to the old hockey cards for sentimental reasons, it stands to reason that we're not far off from having holographic 3D images and video embedded in cards soon.

That could be as soon as next season if Upper Deck continues their innovative trends!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!