Visit our Sponsors
2009-10 O-Pee-Chee Update
200-card factory serves as a nice addendum
By Sal J. Barry
Published July 30, 2010
Last season, Upper Deck released a 200-card Update Set for its 2008-09 O-Pee-Chee set, but in 5-card packs. Three out of 5 of the cards in the pack were parallels, making this a particularly hard set to piece together. Fortunately, Upper Deck did not repeat that mistake, and instead issued the 2009-10 Update as a pre-collated factory set.
Player selection
This 200-card update-swelling the overall set to a monstrous 800 cards-features 150 cards of veterans, 48 Marquee Rookies and 2 checklists. Many of the players shown were traded in the off-season, and thus are in their new uniforms, like Chris Pronger, Craig Anderson, Phil Kessel and Mike Cammalerri.
Front Design
This Update Set utilizes the same design as the "regular" OPC set issued earlier this year. The giant, obnoxious O-Pee-Chee logo dominates the design of the card front, but otherwise the design is appealing. Team colors at the top and bottom adorn the borders, while two hockey stick-shaped "swoops" give the top of the card a little visual flair. Providing a nice visual touch is the inversed "E" from the O-Pee-Chee logo that is used as a pattern along the top and sides of the cards. A game-action photo is used with the team logo superimposed in the lower right corner.
The back of each card can accommodate up to 15 years of stats, and also has height, weight and if they are a left or right-handed shot (or catch for goalies). With so many players coming from European countries, name pronunciations would have been helpful too.
In my review of the regular 2009-10 OPC set, I complained about the cheap stock that these cards are printed on, resulting in unsightly, hard-to-read gray card backs. That complaint still stands, though is somewhat mitigated, as a factory set costs far less than piecing together a set via packs.
Subsets
There are 48 Marquee Rookies, featuring players who made their debut during the 2009-10 season. Of course, Jonathan Tavares, Viktor Hedman, Matt Duschense are included, as well as rookie-of-the-year Tyler Myers.
The Marquee Rookies have a simpler design than the base cards, utilizing a head-and-shoulder portrait shot superimposed over a solid colored background. Many times, the background color is the same color as the player's jersey, causing the two to visually run together a bit. The word ROOKIE - which takes up about 20% of the card - and the borders are printed in gold ink.
There are also two checklists. Does anyone actually "check" these anymore?
Retail Notes The set was sold by hobby dealers, but not retail outlets like Target or Wal-Mart. The set ranges in price from $25 to $35. In addition to the 200 cards, 5 metal foil parallel cards are included. One in every 5 update sets included a jersey card instead of some (or all) of the base parallels.
Final rating:
The 2009-10 O-Pee-Chee Update Set has cards of all the sought-after rookies from the season, as well as numerous star players in their new uniforms. That's a pretty good deal, considering that it costs less than half the price of your average wax box.
BONUS
Five interesting cards...
Click photos to enlarge
200-card factory serves as a nice addendum
By Sal J. Barry
Published July 30, 2010
Quick Stats
2009-10 O-Pee-Chee Update
Click images to enlarge
200 card factory set
Card size: 2 1/2" wide x 3 1/2" tall
Player selection - 5/5
Card design - 4/5
Stats & info - 3/5
Subset Quality - 3/5
Download printable checklist
Released in April 2010, the O-Pee-Chee Update Set featured 200 cards that extended the O-Pee-Chee set
issued earlier in the 2009-10 hockey season.
This was a smart move by Upper Deck, who currently leases the "O-Pee-Chee" brand name from Topps.
2009-10 O-Pee-Chee Update
Click images to enlarge
200 card factory set
Card size: 2 1/2" wide x 3 1/2" tall
Player selection - 5/5
Card design - 4/5
Stats & info - 3/5
Subset Quality - 3/5
Download printable checklist
Last season, Upper Deck released a 200-card Update Set for its 2008-09 O-Pee-Chee set, but in 5-card packs. Three out of 5 of the cards in the pack were parallels, making this a particularly hard set to piece together. Fortunately, Upper Deck did not repeat that mistake, and instead issued the 2009-10 Update as a pre-collated factory set.
Player selection
This 200-card update-swelling the overall set to a monstrous 800 cards-features 150 cards of veterans, 48 Marquee Rookies and 2 checklists. Many of the players shown were traded in the off-season, and thus are in their new uniforms, like Chris Pronger, Craig Anderson, Phil Kessel and Mike Cammalerri.
Front Design
This Update Set utilizes the same design as the "regular" OPC set issued earlier this year. The giant, obnoxious O-Pee-Chee logo dominates the design of the card front, but otherwise the design is appealing. Team colors at the top and bottom adorn the borders, while two hockey stick-shaped "swoops" give the top of the card a little visual flair. Providing a nice visual touch is the inversed "E" from the O-Pee-Chee logo that is used as a pattern along the top and sides of the cards. A game-action photo is used with the team logo superimposed in the lower right corner.
Click images to enlarge
Factory Box (sealed)
641 - Manny Malhotra
800 - John Tavares
(Marquee Rookies)
Back design / stats & info 
Factory Box (sealed)
641 - Manny Malhotra
800 - John Tavares
(Marquee Rookies)
The back of each card can accommodate up to 15 years of stats, and also has height, weight and if they are a left or right-handed shot (or catch for goalies). With so many players coming from European countries, name pronunciations would have been helpful too.
In my review of the regular 2009-10 OPC set, I complained about the cheap stock that these cards are printed on, resulting in unsightly, hard-to-read gray card backs. That complaint still stands, though is somewhat mitigated, as a factory set costs far less than piecing together a set via packs.
Subsets
There are 48 Marquee Rookies, featuring players who made their debut during the 2009-10 season. Of course, Jonathan Tavares, Viktor Hedman, Matt Duschense are included, as well as rookie-of-the-year Tyler Myers.
The Marquee Rookies have a simpler design than the base cards, utilizing a head-and-shoulder portrait shot superimposed over a solid colored background. Many times, the background color is the same color as the player's jersey, causing the two to visually run together a bit. The word ROOKIE - which takes up about 20% of the card - and the borders are printed in gold ink.
There are also two checklists. Does anyone actually "check" these anymore?
Retail Notes The set was sold by hobby dealers, but not retail outlets like Target or Wal-Mart. The set ranges in price from $25 to $35. In addition to the 200 cards, 5 metal foil parallel cards are included. One in every 5 update sets included a jersey card instead of some (or all) of the base parallels.
Final rating:
The 2009-10 O-Pee-Chee Update Set has cards of all the sought-after rookies from the season, as well as numerous star players in their new uniforms. That's a pretty good deal, considering that it costs less than half the price of your average wax box.
BONUS
Five interesting cards...
Click photos to enlarge
-
680 - Andrew Ebbett - Despite avoiding this practice in the prior 2009-10 OPC set, the Update Set has a few 'franken-cards' like this one, where the photo is from one team and the design and borders another team. Would it really have mattered if Ebbett's card had the 'Hawks border?
-
699 - Craig Anderson - Avs goalie looks poised and ready.
-
707 - Brent Sopel - He may have been fourth on the depth chart, but in many games during the playoffs, Sopel played like the 'Hawks best defenseman.
-
748 - Mathieu Roy - I don't know what's funnier: the expression on Roy's face, or on the guy sitting behind him.
-
771 - Tyler Myers - The 2009-10 Rookie of the Year.