2011-12 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Details & Review: Retros Throw It Way Back

Released October 4, 2011 • hobby box includes 36 packs with 6 cards each, 216 cards total • click here for checklist on Trading Card Database

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My review:

I sound like a broken record, but thankfully this is the last time I’ll have to say it: the O-Pee-Chee word mark is way too big. Other than that, I think it’s a pretty decent base design. That small stripe with the words “O-PEE-CHEE BRAND HOCKEY CARDS” is kind of odd but I don’t hate it. I like the powder blue borders but wonder if some team-specific color splashes could have given the bottom portion of the cards more life.

The retros throw it way back to the very first O-Pee-Chee cards from the 1930s. They aren’t an exact recreation of any set, the biggest difference being an all-new background design, but everything from the black and white player photos to the typography to the background stars, shapes, and colors make it clear that the ’11-’12 retros are an homage to those first O-Pee-Cards. It was a bit of an odd choice to only include the first initial for each player since that was not done in any of the original sets, but perhaps the designer(s) figured they were splitting the difference between the full names used in the A and B series cards and the lack of any first name or initial in the C series.

I think the retros are great, with just the right balance of new design elements mixed with a heavy dose of specific inspiration. I would have gone with full first names, but if that’s the worst I can say about them…

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Other than the retros, O-Pee-Chee’s insert game remained fairly weak for my tastes. There are photo variations for the first 50 cards in the base set that feature players sporting a playoff beard. These cards are fairly easy to spot if you know to look for the player name to be printed in silver instead of the usual gold. Falling four per hobby box, they are not especially rare.

My ratings /10:

base design   6.7
retro design  8.0
inserts       2.5
overall       7.4

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Regular Print Base Cards #1-500

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Short Prints #501-600 • 1:2 hobby packs

Marquee Legends #501-550, Marquee Rookies #551-599, Checklist #600

There are zero big name rookies to chase. A few guys included that have at least hung around in the league are Alex Stalock, Cam Talbot, and Colton Sceviour.

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Retro parallels • 1:1 hobby pack

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Other Parallels:
rainbow • 1:4
black rainbow • serial numbered to 100
retro blank backs • odds unknown, estimated print run of 5-20
playoff beard photo variations • 1:9 hobby packs

Inserts:
Trophy Winners, Team Leaders, League Leaders • combined 1:4.5 hobby packs
In Action • 1:36 hobby packs, short prints 1:360 hobby packs
box bottoms • two per blaster box (base design), four per hobby box (retro design)
Souvenirs • 1:144 hobby packs
Signatures • 1:216 hobby packs
Team Canada Signatures • 1:432 hobby packs
2010-11 OPC Rookie Update • base 1:9 hobby packs, retro 1:36, retro rainbow 1:144, retro black rainbow /100
Legends • 1 per hanger box thingy

Update Set #601-625

For the first time, update cards were inserted in packs of Upper Deck Series 2. The first 10 cards feature veterans that had changed teams and the final 15 cards are rookies, highlighted by Gabriel Landeskog, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Mika Zibanejad, and Mark Scheifele.