Review: 2007-08 MVP Hockey

I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised by my disappointment in Upper Deck's 2007-08 MVP Hockey product. Here it is, nearly mid-October, and, yet again, we're offered a product that is outdated.

Just take a look at the cards shown above. Not only do the pictures show Ruslan Fedotenko and Viktor Kozlov in their old uniforms, but the cards also incorrectly state that they're still with those teams.

To me, that's pretty sad. Fedotenko signed with the New York Islanders on July 4th. Kozlov joined the Washington Capitals even earlier, on July 1st. I find it hard to believe -- outrageous, even -- that Upper Deck failed to take the time to update each player's new team, let alone show the players in their new uniforms.

Unacceptable, I tell you. Sheer laziness, too.

And while this 300-card base set, including checklists, comes with a moderate price point, I still can't help but think that it's nothing but a waste of money for most NHL card collectors.

Though I'll never know the exact reason for Upper Deck's continued lack of effort, it's my guess that the lack of competition within the industry plays a major role.

Granted, the heydays of the late 1980s and early 1990s are long gone, but it would be nice to know that Upper Deck, and the other companies hiding under its corporate umbrella, had some competition. If it did, I'm sure the kind of nonsense shown with this MVP release wouldn't exist.

So, for now, the only thing I can do is severely limit my spending on their products. I'll commit to buying a couple boxes each of Upper Deck Hockey Series I and II, but beyond that, it's going to take something pretty special, such as a low-priced, non-glossy 700-card set, to pry any more dollars out of my wallet.

Won't you please join me?

Box Buster: 2007-08 MVP Hockey
Vital stats: 24 packs, eight cards per pack (192 total)
Price paid: $47.04 (including tax)
Purchased at: Water Wonder, Pinellas Park, Fla.
Set completion: 165 of 300 base cards (55 percent)
Duplicates: None
MVP Rookies (1:2 packs): David Clarkson, Matt Ellis, Jameson Hunt, Jack Johnson (shown), Patrick Kaleta, Martin Lojek, Frans Nielsen, Pierre Parenteau, Aaron Rome, Rob Schremp, Jeff Schultz and Jonathan Sigalet.
Total: 12 out of 50 (24 percent)
MVP Rookie Redemption cards (1:24): One
One on One Jerseys dual memorabilia (1:24): St. Louis Paul Kariya and Columbus' Rick Nash
One on One Autographs dual autographs (1:288): None

Superstar inserts (1:2): Game Faces (2) - Jaromir Jagr and Ilya Kovalchuk; Hart Candidates (2) - Martin Brodeur and Vinny Lecavalier; Monumental Moments (4) - Daniel Briere, Vinny Lecavalier, Scott Niedermayer and Mats Sundin; and New World Order (4) - Kari Lehtonen, Evgeni Malkin, Alexander Ovechkin and Thomas Vanek.
Parallel - Gold Scripts (numbered to 100): Rick Dipietro (045/100)
Parallel - Super Scripts (numbered to 25): Fredrik Modin (24/25) (shown above)
Puckhound's Grade: 1 puck out of 5