Intertribal Life Newspaper -

CARLSBAD, Calif.-To help shine a light on the Indigenous community and honor iconic Indigenous players, Upper Deck created a limited-edition set featuring Indigenous hockey players who have not been featured on a NHL® licensed trading card before. The goal was to create a set that was for the community, by the community. So it was important that from the start, Upper Deck worked with the Indigenous community to ensure that the set properly celebrated the players and the community as a whole.

"It was paramount for us to do this right and involve the Indigenous community from the inception of the idea through distribution," said Upper Deck President Jason Masherah. "We're thrilled to give these iconic Indigenous players the recognition they deserve and get the cards in the hands of excited community members."

To make the cards as authentic as possible, the set was designed by an Indigenous artist from the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation, Jacob Alexis, and the card backs were written by Indigenous card collector Naim Cardinal, who is a Cree and member of Tallcree First Nation. 

"I'm honored to work with Upper Deck to help shine a spotlight on Indigenous hockey legends and be a part of bringing these cards to life," said Cardinal. "These former players have earned their names and images on official trading cards, and it's great to see both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people honor them as athletes in a real way."

The pack of eight cards features Dan Frawley from the Pittsburgh Penguins, Johnny Harms from the Chicago Blackhawks, Danny Hodgson from the Toronto Maple Leafs, Victor Mercredi from the Atlanta Flames, Rocky Trottier from the New Jersey Devils, William LeCaine from the Pittsburgh Penguins, Ted Nolan from the Detroit Red Wings, and Jason Simon from the Phoenix Coyotes. There will be signing events with Frawley in Belleville, Ontario and Hodgson in Fort McMurray, Alberta on January 21st to further engage fans.