Alex Ovechkin collectors may have a new white whale to chase when the newest premier hockey trading card product is released this week.
Upper Deck, the NHL’s exclusive trading card partner, is putting out their most expensive, premium card box of the year, “2024-25 The Cup,” on Wednesday. In this year’s product, several of hockey’s most legendary players will have one-of-one Exquisite patch autographs scattered throughout the thousands of boxes produced, and Ovechkin’s, in particular, is super special.
The Washington Capitals captain signed his card in gold ink and included an “895” inscription, alluding to the record-breaking goal that he scored to surpass Wayne Gretzky as the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer.
Screenshot: @upperdecksports/IG
The first glimpse of what Ovechkin’s card will look like came via a video that Upper Deck posted on their social media channels, showcasing some of the potential biggest hits to be found. After passing by cards featuring other legendary names, like Mario Lemieux and Mark Messier, the camera pans to Ovechkin’s one-of-one card. The striking black, white, and gold card also includes a three-color, red, white, and blue patch from one of Ovechkin’s game-used jerseys.
Of all the products that Upper Deck releases on an annual basis, cards from each year of “The Cup” are often the most sought after. The price point for a box this year, which includes just one pack of six cards, is an eye-popping $1,500.
While hitting a card like the ones pictured in Upper Deck’s video will net you your money back and then some, they are incredibly rare. The main chase in this year’s product will be San Jose Sharks star Macklin Celebrini’s rookie patch autograph, numbered to just 99 copies.
Outside of the one-of-one Ovechkin patch autograph, the Great 8 will appear in several other sets in the product, which will also include on-card autographs and/or game-used jersey patches. He is featured on a few multi-player cards, including a dual autograph with Gretzky and a triple autograph with Nikita Kucherov and Kirill Kaprizov.
Other Capitals cards on the checklist include John Carlson, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Pierrick Dubé, Tom Wilson, Charlie Lindgren, Dylan Strome, Connor McMichael, Darcy Kuemper, Ivan Miroshnichenko, Aliaksei Protas, Sonny Milano, TJ Oshie, Rasmus Sandin, Ethan Bear, and Nic Dowd.