EDMONTON'S GAME
Hockey cards — the season's boxes, the Young Guns hunt & straight answers · Comic King
Hockey Cards — The Complete Comic King Guide
This is a hockey town, and hockey is the heart of our sports wall. Comic King carries the season's sealed product in Edmonton - Upper Deck flagship, O-Pee-Chee, tins and boxes - with honest advice about every era, from the Gretzky cards in your parents' basement to the Young Guns class arriving this season. If a product isn't on the shelf, we can special-order it on request.
Quick Facts
The license: Upper Deck holds the NHL exclusively — hockey is the most stable card license in sports, and has been for decades.
Who collects it: Oilers fans, Young Guns hunters, kids opening first packs, and everyone who ever had a binder in the 90s.
The defining chase: Young Guns — the rookie cards inside Upper Deck's flagship sets; a star's Young Gun becomes their card.
Products: Series 1 & 2 boxes · O-Pee-Chee · tins & blasters · premium lines up to The Cup.
Age Guide: All ages — the classic Canadian childhood hobby.
At Comic King: The season's sealed product carried; hot releases can be allocation-limited industry-wide — we'll tell you straight; special orders welcome.
Where Do I Start?
Buying for a kid? O-Pee-Chee — the affordable, tradition-soaked entry that starts every Canadian collection, or a couple of flagship packs and a binder.
Oilers fan? The season's flagship boxes and tins — every pack is a chance at this year's Oilers, and we'll tell you which products are hot.
Chasing Young Guns? Series 1 in November is the moment — the new class arrives and the whole hobby shows up for it.
Found your old collection? Read the eras section below, then bring it in — that conversation is our favourite part of the week.
The Season, Explained
Hockey cards run on the NHL calendar, and knowing the rhythm is half the hobby. The same cycle, every year:
Want a product the week it lands? Ask about preorders — allocations on hot releases are real, and reserving early is how you never miss a class.
Young Guns, Explained
Young Guns are the rookie cards inside Upper Deck's flagship Series 1 and 2 — the most collected rookie line in hockey, and for most players, the card that defines them forever. They arrive only in packs, which is the whole romance: every box of Series 1 is a shot at the class of the year. A generational player's Young Gun — think McDavid's — becomes one of the sport's iconic cards, and the hunt for the next one is what November is for. When you pull one that matters, protect it: sleeves and toploaders live by the counter, and grading turns great condition into proven condition.
The Eras — What Your Collection Means
Screen & Series Status
Updated July 2026: hockey remains the hobby's steadiest ground — Upper Deck's NHL exclusive continues, the annual product rhythm holds, and the next Series 1 class arrives as always in November. Ask at the counter which of the season's products are on the shelf right now.
Collector's Corner — We Buy, We Authenticate, We Grade
Hockey collections are Edmonton's most common walk-in, and we treat them properly: checked in front of you, live comps on screen, the eras table above as our shared framework, and honest offers either way. Gretzky-era material gets the authentication it deserves — his cards are the most faked in hockey — and slab-worthy cards can go to CGC grading through our in-store submission service. Whether it's a shoebox from the basement or a binder built over decades: we buy hockey card collections — bring them in.
FAQ - the three we hear most
What is the most valuable hockey card?
The 1979 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky rookie is hockey's holy grail — a perfect-condition copy has sold for millions, and only a couple exist in that grade. Even well-worn copies carry real value, which is exactly why authentication matters: it's also the most counterfeited card in the sport. If you think you have one, bring it in — we'll examine it together, no charge for looking.
When do new hockey cards come out?
The card season follows the NHL season, every year: O-Pee-Chee in late summer, Series 1 in November — the big one, when the new Young Guns class arrives — Series 2 in February, and the premium lines through spring. If you want a product on release week, ask us about preorders; hot releases sell through fast industry-wide.
Are my 1990s hockey cards worth anything?
Honestly: most cards from the late 80s and early 90s were printed in enormous quantities, so they're nostalgia more than treasure. But exceptions exist — key rookies, certain inserts, and anything in truly pristine condition — and vintage from the 70s and earlier is a different conversation entirely. Bring them in and we'll sort the exceptions from the bulk together, kindly and on screen.