Thursday February 05, 2009
I felt inclined to share a little bit of what happens behind the scenes after recently attending the 2009 NHL All-Star festivities.

One of the things that makes the NHL All-Star Game great each year is how available the athletes are to their fans. They aren�t rushed in through an underground parking lot, but rather they walk in on a red carpet to sign autographs and pose for pictures with fans. In Montreal for the 2009 NHL All-Star game, I was blown away by how many rabid NHL fanatics braved subzero temperatures to meet their heroes at Windsor Station adjacent to the Bell Centre Arena.

Upper Deck treated these fans to a variety of fun activities leading up to the game including a �Lucky Shot� interactive game for the youngsters, the chance to make your own Upper Deck trading card, various card give-a-ways, trading stations, the always popular wrapper redemption program and three FREE athlete signings.

Drew Doughty (Kings)
Luke Schenn (Leafs)
Steven Stamkos (Lightning)

One of the pieces that I want to share though that most fans and collectors don�t know, is that we use the NHL All-Star Game as an opportunity to collect signatures for upcoming projects and for outstanding redemptions. Our Athlete Relations Team secures a large conference room right next to where the athletes check in. We work hand in hand with the NHL to bring guys in to sign after the check in or at the very least, set up a signing session with them during the weekend.

I witnessed this first hand when we saw Joe Thornton and Devin Setoguchi of the Sharks checking in. We quickly scooped the teammates up and brought them in to sign a few high-end cards for the new 2008-09 Ultimate Collection Hockey. Check out the play-by-play through pictures on how it went down.

Both players were in great spirits when we had them in.

I hope you enjoyed! If you need any of these files as attachments, please let me know.

Sincerely,

Chris Carlin
Hobby Marketing Manager
The Upper Deck Company