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Panini Peek: 2010-11 Zenith Hockey
Dare to tear? Dare to tear!
One of the most vexing*dilemmas of 1990s sports card collecting will once again rear its controversial visage*beginning this summer*with the*triumphant return of the fabled Zenith Hockey brand. A product that has been splendidly overhauled for a new generation, 2010-11 Zenith Hockey delivers more than just tough decisions. It also includes more than 200 Rookie Cards.
Due out*May 11, Zenith will carry a $10 pack SRP and each box should yield three autograph or memorabilia cards (at least one autograph is guaranteed), one Zenith Z-RC, four short-printed Legends one Red Hot parallel, and one card each from*Gifted Grinders*and*Crease Is The Word*(quite possibly the two*greatest hockey insert names of the 21st century.
Oh, yeah:*Each box also includes one*Dear to Tear Box Topper, an oversized card with a hidden collectible*inside from a roster that includes*Epix inserts and never-before-seen National Treasures and Donruss Elite Rookie Cards.
“The key to making this work is to force collectors to make a tough decision,” says Al Muir, Panini America*NHL Brand Manager. “Each Dare to Tear jumbo will feature either a true RC or one of hockey’s greatest legends and it will be fairly limited. If you tear one, you’re destroying a sure thing . . . but what you find inside might just make it worthwhile.
“Along with base cards and Epix*inserts, we’re seeding in RCs*you won’t find anywhere else, including National Treasures and Donruss Elite cards of Taylor Hall, Jeff Skinner*and many more. We also have autographed versions of the unsigned RCs that are inserted in base packs, along with a number of other surprises.”
Other product*highlights include Yours Truly*0n-card autographs from top-notch superstars such as Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and Steven Stamkos*and*autographed short-printed RCs numbered to just 199.
Case-breakers can expect each case to deliver one White Hot parallel, five autographed Rookie Cards, four Yours Truly autographs and at least one insert each from the Gifted Grinders, Scraps, Rookie Roll Call Materials, Epix Materials, Z-Team, Team Logo Die-Cuts inserts.*
This quick interview with Muir, a hobby legend*of sorts with a*keen sense*of — and deep appreciation for — hockey’s collecting history, should provide additional details on*one of the most exciting*releases of the season.
Of all the legendary brands at your disposal, why Zenith?
“A couple of reasons, actually. First, I was a big fan of Zenith back in the old days. Like a lot of collectors, I have fond memories of the technologies, the hot RCs of Vinnie Lecavalier and Roberto Luongo and yeah, the Dare to Tear cards. It just seemed like a program that offered both a nostalgic tug as well as an opportunity to update it to make it compelling for modern hobbyists.
RCs seem to be the biggest draw of the program. What can you tell us about the staggering amount of freshman content?
“Obviously rookies have to be a compelling part of any modern program, but Zenith just developed into something else in a really organic way. We originally planned for 50 RCs, but there was a tremendous influx of first-year talent in December and January that forced us to reconsider the possibilities. We know collectors want to see these players and as quickly as possible, so Zenith provided the proverbial window of opportunity. As more rookies made their debuts, we reconfigured the product to add more and more of them.
“Eventually, we ended up with three tiers of RCs, both signed and unsigned, within the base set. Then we added more RCs*as part of the Dare to Tear program, both as jumbos*and as some of the elements that collectors will pursue within the jumbos. We knew we weren’t going to make National Treasures or Elite as full-on hockey programs this year, so we created mini-versions of these almost as extensions to our basketball or football programs of the same name. It’s a unique approach that’s really in keeping with the experimental nature of the original Zenith.”
So, in a way, Zenith can almost be seen as a pilot for potential future releases of National Treasures and Donruss Elite hockey?
“We’ll definitely gauge how collectors respond to these in the secondary market. If the demand is there, we could certainly spin them off into their own entities as we move forward.”
Stay tuned to The Knight’s*Lance for*more information*on 2010-11 Zenith Hockey.
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