2011 - 12 Panini Contenders Hockey Box Break Recap And Review

[Baseball Nut]

Last year Panini was the first to fill the gap for Hockey collectors between trading cards for set builders and ultra premium sets for super-collectors with Contenders Hockey, which struck a balance of premium hits in a collectable set without the ultra premium price per box.


This year with 2011 - 12 Panini Contenders Hockey arrives with some changes, most of which work to make it an even better product. It still might be the best version of the Contenders line for any sport.


Contenders Hockey falls into our premium cards category. Each hobby box contains 18 – 5 card packs with three autographs per box on average.


Here is a look at some of the cards we pulled from our box.

Base Set

Jonathan Quick, front and back


Dustin Brown, Martin Brodeur, Anze Kopitar


Alex Ovechkin, Henrik Lundqvist, Nicklas Lidstrom


Claude Giroux, Sidney Crosby, Jeff Skinner


Jonathan Toews, Tim Thomas, Steven Stamkos


Inserts



Calder Contenders - Mark Katic, Ryan Thang



Roberto Luongo Cup Contenders, Patrick Roy Contenders Legacies

The Hits



Slava Voynov Calder Contenders Auto #/800, Carl Gunnarsson NHL Ink Auto


Jaromir Jagr Cup Contenders Patch Auto #/50


Overall Look

Panini didn’t have to change anything. Collectors would have been happy. They decided to overhaul the fronts of the base set, making these cards look better than ever. The emphasis is now on the player. The backs of the cards have everything you would want and the inserts have moved away from edge to edge foiling, now with well-chosen foil accents that make these cards very attractive. Design for the auto cards has improved to allow for a more free flowing signature. Normally I am not a fan of paint pen autos, but the one I pulled is in perfect condition and looks fantastic.

Quality and Variety of Players

The checklist is great for an autograph only product. The quality of the players is outstanding.

Do the Hits satisfy?

With so many desirable hits loaded in Contenders, it is hard to imagine anyone walking away without satisfaction. Hockey fans should pulled something good out of every box.

Will you keep coming back for more?

I could easily see case orders with Contenders. It is the perfect storm of Rookies, Stars and Legends cards that will keep these boxes consumed at a high rate.

Rating

5 out of 5

2011-12 Panini Contenders Hockey is a powerful product that should be a part of any serious Hockey fan’s collection.



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