2010-11 Donruss Hockey

Mister_Ed · 01-03-2011, 03:05 PM

2010-11 Donruss Hockey
Configuration: 24 packs per box, 10 cards per pack

Per Box Break
2 Memorabilia or Autograph cards
1 Press Proof Parallel
6 Rated Rookies
3 Boys of Winter
2 Ultimate Draft
1 Les Gardiens
1 Tough Times
1 Fans of the Game

Highlights
50 Rated Rookies! Including the top players to make their NHL debuts in 2010-11! Look for Nazem Kadri, P.K. Subban, Zach Hamill and many more!
Tough Times inserts recall the most fearsome enforcers of the 1980s. Look for the parallels featuring on card autographs, average of 1 per case!
Look for a Die-Cut Gems parallel (#'d to 25 ) - Anticipate 2 per case on average!
Also find a Die-Cut Gems autograph (#'d to 10) with average of 1 per case!
One of the most popular inserts of the 90s, Les Gardiens, returns with an exciting new twist! Look for one per box on average!

First of all, I would like to take the chance to thank Panini for giving this box to CCW to review.

Do you like inserts? Set building? Innovative and interesting designed cards? If so, 2010-11 Donruss Hockey is the product for you!

Donruss Hockey is a lower end product that is affordable to all collectors who want to get some great stuff without breaking the bank. The box consists of 24 packs, each with 10 cards per pack. Two "hits" are promised in each box. In addition to that, there are at least 6 Rated Rookie cards per box, as well as a number of inserts and #d parallels.

What I Pulled

Base Cards

The base cards have a great design to them. The cards are almost full card pictures, with the player's name on the bottom and his team logo and position along the right hand side. The thing that is great about the base set is it includes a larger number of players than most hockey sets. This allows player and team collectors to get cards of some players that arent usually included in the base sets.

Rookie Cards

I recieved 6 Rated Rookies from the box. One of them was PK Subban, one of the hottest 2010-11 rookie cards! I love the design of the Rated Rookies, the full card photo and action shots make these rookies, in my opinion, as nice as any other rookie card out there this year.

Insert Cards

Now, on to the inserts! In my 24 packs, I recieved only 1 pack that was all base cards. The other 23 had a rookie, a hit, or an insert - and the inserts this year are sharp!

I will start with my favorite - the Les Gardiens set. These cards are made of plastic/acetate, and are see through. My scanner can not do this card the justice it deserves - it is absolutely gorgeous in person. I am going to have to collect this insert set, it is one of the nicest hockey insert sets Ive seen in my time as a hockey collector! I pulled a Jaroslav Halak.

The other insert sets are also fantastic, and they feature current stars, rookies, retired veterans, and hall of famers. The Boys of Winter set is a larger insert set, but has a bunch of the top stars and young players in the league. I pulled three of these: Rich Peverley, Phil Kessel, and Matt Moulson.

The next insert set is the Ultimate Draft set, which features draft picks from the year 2003. I pulled 2 of these: Loui Eriksson and Braydon Coburn.

Falling one per box on average, the Ice Kings and Tough Times inserts feature hockey greats and retired stars. I pulled a Tim Hunter Tough Times and a Bobby Hull Ice Kings.

The Fans of the Game set was extremely popular with Donruss sets in the past, and it returns this year in Donruss Hockey. I pulled two Fans of the Game cards: Justin Bieber and Michael Ontkean.

The last insert card I received was a Daniel Sedin Proof card, #d /100. These cards are identical to the base cards, except they are serially numbered, and the word Proof is in the top left corner. Falling at one per box, this will be an extremely difficult and desirable set to complete.

The Hits

Ok, lets be honest. The reason most people open boxes is to pull rookies, autographs, and game used cards. Here are the hits.

First off is this Matt Martin Boys of Winter Game Used Jersey card. Even though it would have been nice to get a colored jersey piece, the design of this card is fantastic.

My other hit was an Autograph Redemption from the Fans of the Game subset, featuring actor Michael Ontkean of "Slapshot" fame.

Final Thoughts

I love this product - there is no other way to say it. I am a big fan of pulling inserts, and I am also a set collector. 2010-11 Donruss allows for both of these things to take place - and two hits per box is not a bad ratio for a lower priced product. The photography and card design is amazing, and the insert sets are varied and cover past, present, and future stars. There is something in this set for everyone. The one critique I would give this set is that the inserts are not serially numbered. A lot of collectors prefer serially numbered inserts, and besides the Sedin proof, nothing was numbered. Other than that though, I can only say good things about this product.

Final Rating:
Value 4.5/5
Card Quality 5/5
Fun Factor 5/5
Rebuy Potential 4.5/5

I give Panini a 19/20 on this product!

NPN Info
2010-11 Panini Donruss Hockey
2300 E Randol Mill
Arlington, TX 76011-6333

Postmarked by 2/2/11

Thank you for reading my review. Please remember to support the sponsors who support CCW, and keep an eye out for contests where we give away the cards from this product!

thebighurt035 · 01-03-2011, 05:04 PM

Nice review Ed,
I really like the looks of the Ice Kings and Tough Times inserts.

Mister_Ed · 01-03-2011, 05:06 PM

as do I, although my favorite is the les gardiens series- ive always loved the see through cards

Leafsfan1967 · 01-03-2011, 05:21 PM

Very nice product for the price point. I love the Boys Of Winter jersey, and insert design. Looks sharp, as does the acetate Les Gardiens insert cards. I would have liked to have seen the Slap Shot auto as a bonus hit instead of the guaranteed hit, and had an actual NHL autograph instead, but it's not horrible. The redemption auto should be similiar to the insert you pulled. I won't say how I feel about redemptions in packs. No sense beating a dead horse. Terrific review Ed! Thanks for doing it, and a special thanks to Panini for sending us their products for review. It's very much appreciated!

gladdyontherise · 01-03-2011, 05:35 PM

Nice review, good looking design

ejiminee · 01-03-2011, 07:26 PM

Nice review, Ed.

I'm kinda partial to the Acetate cards, myself. And I know what you mean about the scanner not doing it justice.

Nice card set, too. Especially the Tough Times and Ice Kings inserts.

ranbethscards · 01-04-2011, 09:44 AM

Ed great review. What can you really say about the Les Gardiens set? Not being a hockey collector...I can see myself going after that set. Acetate and a great look!

Brads55 · 01-04-2011, 01:37 PM

I love the look of the Les Gardiens, Boys of Winter, and the Ice Kings sets. Great product and excellent review Ed!

key2win · 01-05-2011, 08:04 PM

Nice review Ed. The Les Gardiens insert set is one of the nicest card designs I have seen in awhile. I always love acetate cards.

jsab4807 · 01-05-2011, 08:33 PM

Wow....the Les Gardiens set is awesome. Props to Panini for seeming to put an extra effort on making nice insert/subsets this year, as there have been a bunch of really nice insert sets.