Would a UD version of 'Between the Pipes work?

MrWrestler74

Verified Trader ,
Joined
Jun 10, 2010
Messages
1,369
Reaction score
0
Location
Chilliwack, BC
Unless I'm mistaken, and there's a good chance I am, but I'd be up for a goalie only release from UD similar to Between the Pipes. I don't believe they've done one. Has it been teased at all as a possible product? Anyone else wanna chime in on this thought? :dance:
 
If I recall they did do a "Mask" collection in the early 2000s and each box had a mini Goalie mask with variations and some being signed (sticker).
 
If I recall they did do a "Mask" collection in the early 2000s and each box had a mini Goalie mask with variations and some being signed (sticker).

2001-02 and 2002-03 Mask Collection were fun products with a larger focus on goalies. The mini masks (in fact, any larger bonus item in a box) were also nice things that frankly I miss in products, however, there were tons of non-goalie hits within them which took points away from them in my eyes. If I am opening a product called "Mask Collection", I don't want a Milan Hejduk or Chris Drury jersey card, I'd rather have a jersey of a backup goalie if that is what must happen.

Leaf's Masked Men was a brilliant successor to Between the Pipes, then that was stopped after only two years of production.
 
Considering all of the products that come out from UD every year, I cannot believe there is not room for one goalie-only release.
I don't know of a goalie only release that hasn't been a success, and its been a few years since Leaf did theirs.
 
I've asked about the "Masked" products a few times when Jeremy had some of the reps from the companies on and from my understanding the Mask cards themselves can be very hard to produce because of the artists. I believe I recall them saying you need to have individual agreements with those artists.

As for a goalie only release, I think it would be great since I collect a goalie but I believe that for most UD products it is the RC content that drives the sales so I am guessing we are not likely to see it.
 
The rookie card thing is certainly noted for sure. That said, with net cord, pads, gloves, etc, it could be driven by relic and auto hits from goalies you wouldn't often see. Heck, rookie goalies are aplenty.
 
I would definitely be interested with Upper Deck producing (artistic) limited cards like in the Parkhurst Masterpieces and Ultimate Masterpieces of goalie MASKS or simply head shots (NO masks).
 
If I am opening a product called "Mask Collection", I don't want a Milan Hejduk or Chris Drury jersey card, I'd rather have a jersey of a backup goalie if that is what must happen.

While I hear you, one of the top selling cards from Mask collection was the Espen Knutsen patches.
 
While I hear you, one of the top selling cards from Mask collection was the Espen Knutsen patches.

And the Jeff Friesen dual patch. The first two years a single copy didn't go under $60.
 
Forgot about that one. Wasn't it the first game used for both players?

Friesen had cards in 01-02 Be A Player Memorabilia but that was his first year of UD cards and his first patch card that UD made.
 
The rookie card thing is certainly noted for sure. That said, with net cord, pads, gloves, etc, it could be driven by relic and auto hits from goalies you wouldn't often see. Heck, rookie goalies are aplenty.

I don't know. This season had a ridiculous number of goalie rookies (23 Goalie YGs!!) but the two seasons before only had 7.
 
I would love it but I have a feeling that I would be very disappointed with it. A box of BTP was around $100 give or take. Two autos and two game used cards with many of those as patches. Many boxes had a 5th and some even a 6th hit. Will UD use game used jerseys or would they use photo shoot jerseys? If UD was to use game used jerseys would they then have to go and buy those jerseys or do they have some sitting at an UD warehouse? If they need to buy those jerseys the cost of that would be reflected in the product price. The Canadian to USD was closer to at par then which equates to about $125 Canadian a box now. Do you really feel as if UD could create a similar product with four plus hits and then all of the cool parallels for $125 Canadian a box?

Also look at how good Heroes and Prospects was and compare it to what UD has done with the CHL license. ITG did much better of a job.
 
I would love it but I have a feeling that I would be very disappointed with it. A box of BTP was around $100 give or take. Two autos and two game used cards with many of those as patches. Many boxes had a 5th and some even a 6th hit. Will UD use game used jerseys or would they use photo shoot jerseys? If UD was to use game used jerseys would they then have to go and buy those jerseys or do they have some sitting at an UD warehouse? If they need to buy those jerseys the cost of that would be reflected in the product price. The Canadian to USD was closer to at par then which equates to about $125 Canadian a box now. Do you really feel as if UD could create a similar product with four plus hits and then all of the cool parallels for $125 Canadian a box?

Also look at how good Heroes and Prospects was and compare it to what UD has done with the CHL license. ITG did much better of a job.


I agree very much with this.

I think a goalie set (ONLY goalies, not like the old Mask Collection releases) would work well, if it was done right.

I think the biggest issue is that sets that followed the old BTP formula don't really get made anymore. How many sets does UD do... where there is a simple, unnumbed, base set of 200+ cards ?

Say they do a 24 pack box... each pack is 7 base cards + a hit. Your 24 hits (on average) are two autos, two GU, 6 inserts, and 14 parallels (let's a say an unnumbered Foil parallel of which you get 12, and an unnumbered Gold Foil parallel of which you get 2).

What would a product like that cost today? I'd image that UD would be charging $200+ a box, and most of the hits wouldn't be worth much.

Let's say you did a 153 base cards (three checklists included in there, the base set would fill 17 9-pocket pages): Who are the 153 goalies? Let's say you did 3 active goalies for each team - that would be 96 of them. Maybe you can bring the active totals up to 100 or even 110 (depending on how many rookies, one game call-ups there's been) - but I think 110 would be tough.

So you're filling it out with past players. UD doesn't seem very imaginative with getting new old names. You're going to see a base card of Patrick Roy, using a photo they've used 33 times already. Would they go out of their way to find goalies that never had cards before? I think that would be cool - but how many people would be interested in pulling a Bob Dupuis Rookie Card?

That last point: It's one thing I loved about some of the later ITG releases (and to some extent, current Leaf ones). You'd see autographs & game used cards from guys who never had autographs or game used before. I can't see UD ever following that model.

If they made it, you'd likely see a much smaller base set (80 current guys, 20 legends) using mostly photoshoot jerseys they have in their warehouse already, it would just be the same guys that already have GU & autos, the only unique thing is that you might get some base cards of backups that otherwise wouldn't have a card with their current team.

I don't think my tastes are really in line with the mainstream though. I'd big into a BTP style set, but probably not a watered down version of it... that's somewhere between BTP & Paini's All-Goalies.
 
It would be pretty sweet if they added some CHL & AHL goalies in there to make a big set.
 
I'd be totally fine with another Mask collection release. The mini masks were awesome and the game used stuff was really cool. It doesn't need to be a goalie only product to be successful.
 

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
389,511
Messages
2,233,222
Members
4,147
Latest member
Robbyhav
Back
Top