Upper Deck First Peoples' Rookie Cards
From 2020-2023, I collaborated with Upper Deck on creating the first ever all-Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Metis) set of hockey cards for players who never had an NHL licensed rookie card during their playing career. Working alongside Chris Carlin, Customer Service Manager, Upper Deck, Graphic Artist, Jacob Alexis, and five members of an advisory committee, we consulted with players and family members to create this set of hockey cards. Additionally, I spent time researching each player and wrote the card backs for each card which includes the players’ Indigenous ancestry, biographical information (ie: birth place, birthdate, etc.), statistics, and highlights their major contributions to the game of hockey.
The trading card set was rooted in Indigenous perspectives in relationality and Truth and Reconciliation. All work was guided by nehiyaw (Cree) and isgabi (Nakota Sioux) perspectives as the designer, Jacob, is a member of the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation and I am nehiyaw (Cree). While putting the set together, Call to Action #87 was our guide-which states “we call upon all levels of government, in collaboration with Aboriginal peoples, sports halls of fame, and other relevant organizations, to provide public education that tells the national story of Aboriginal athletes in history.” (Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action, 2015). Combined with relationality perspectives, our team set out to have the initiative approved by the National Hockey League (NHL) and The Upper Deck Company LLC. The idea was presented by Upper Deck to the NHL in early 2021 and was approved soon after the meeting.
Upper Deck First Peoples' Rookie Card (Photo Source: Upper Deck Blog Website, 2023)
The set features eight former NHL hockey players from the 1940s to the 1990s including: Dan Frawley (Nippissing First Nation/anishnaabe), Johnny Harms (Indigenous ancestry unknown), Danny Hodgson (nehiyaw/Metis ancestry), Victor Mercredi (dene), Rocky Trottier (nehiyaw/Metis ancestry), Bill LeCaine (Wood Mountain Lakota Sioux/Lakota), Ted Nolan (Garden River First Nation/anishnaabe), and Jason Simon (Aamjinwaang First Nation/anishnaabe). Every aspect of the cards was vetted through the players or their surviving family members as there were several players who have moved on to the spirit world. It was crucial that, in order for this to be so meaningful, there was consultation and consent given to review the cards prior to printing and distribution. Historically, hockey players and other athletes were not often given the opportunity to provide input for what was shared on their hockey cards. Since this was the first officially licensed NHL Rookie Cards for each of these players, extra steps were taken to make this special.
The Upper Deck First Peoples Rookie Cards were first released in January 2023 and, through consultation with an Indigenous Advisory Committee, were distributed for free to various Indigenous hockey events including Indigenous hockey camps such as the 3 Nolans Hockey Camp and the Hockey Indigenous Development Camp. Additionally, the hockey cards were made available at Indigenous hockey tournaments across Canada including the Mushkegowuk Cup, Little Native Hockey League Tournament (LNHL), and the Yukon First Nation Hockey Tournament. There was only one sports card shop, First Row Collectibles, in Winnipeg, MB. and owned by Curtis Howson, who has Metis and First Nations ancestry, chosen to distribute the hockey cards.
According to the Upper Deck website (2023), the purpose is
:
“to help shine a light on the Indigenous community and honor iconic Indigenous players, Upper Deck created a limited-edition set featuring Indigenous hockey players who never had an NHL® licensed trading card before. The goal was to create a set that was for the community, by the community. So, [sic] it was important that from the start, Upper Deck worked with the Indigenous community to ensure that the set properly celebrated the players and the community as a whole.” (Upper Deck, 2023).
Through hours of conversations with the players, their families, and Upper Deck, the delicateness of the project was taken into consideration to make this accessible for the community to appropriately celebrate these players.