Configuration:
Cards per pack: 3
Packs per box: 1
Boxes per case: 12
2017-18 Leaf Ultimate Hockey is all autographs and memorabilia cards — and premium ones at that. Featuring all-time greats from the past and a couple of the game’s top prospects, the 2017-18 Leaf Ultimate Hockey covers a lot of ground. As for hobby box, they come with three cards, all of which have signatures, memorabilia or a combination of the two.
AUTOGRAPHS
Kicking off the autographs are Ultimate Signatures, which have anywhere from one to eight players. Combinations feature a mix of teammates, rivals from a specific era and more. Gordie Howe, Tony Esposito, Jean Beliveau, Bobby Hull and Vladislav Tretiak are among the signatures available on these.
Among the autographed memorabilia cards are Ultimate Signature Relics. These have four swatches on them with a checklist that includes Mike Bossy and Manon Rheaume. There’s also Ultimate Auto Memorabilia, which include a jumbo swatch and signature from the likes of Howe and Mario Lemieux.
Leaf exclusives Nico Hischier and Nolan Patrick take a starring role in Ultimate Rookie Signature Patch. These come with jumbo patch pieces. Both players, the top two picks in the 2017 NHL Draft, appear on the dual-autograph Ultimate Rookie Card.
MEMORABILIA CARDS
Like many of the company’s products for the sport, 2017-18 Leaf Ultimate Hockey delves deep into the past for a couple of memorabilia inserts. Cyclone Taylor and Toe Blake are among those in Ultimate Pioneers. Ultimate Pioneers Quad take a similar approach, only with four players.
Memorabilia combinations play a big role in other parts of 2017-18 Leaf Ultimate Hockey as well. Ultimate Memorabilia comes with four- and six-player versions with both regular and premium prime tiers. International play is the focus of Ultimate Compatriots. These have gear from six players who represented their country.
Ultimate Super Series ’76 takes it back more than 40 years for more six-player memorabilia cards. These highlight the series of games between NHL teams and Soviet club squads.
The Ultimate Card is a single-player memorabilia insert that has eight swatches. These cover a wide variety of gear including jerseys, gloves, skates, sticks and more. Ultimate Equipment uses a similar mix, but with four pieces instead of eight.
For those looking for patches, Ultimate One-Timer Jumbo uses only prime swatches. Bobby Clarke, Pelle Lindberg and Martin Brodeur are among those on the checklist.
ULTIMATE CHOICE MEMORABILIA PROGRAM
2017-18 Leaf Ultimate Hockey is adding a new redemption program. These rare cards let collectors choose the card they want. Once redeemed, collectors will be given a list of cards and players available. All are one-of-ones, which means there’s an advantage to redeeming them quickly. As players are selected, they’re removed from the list of available options.
Maurice Richard, Georges Vezina and Jack Adams are among the players with Ultimate Choice Memorabilia cards.
2017-18 Leaf Ultimate Hockey has a total production run of 125 cases, each with 12 boxes.
