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Lightning Round: The future of trading cards and the NHL

The NHL and Upper Deck. It’s a relationship that goes back more than 30 years. Which, as you may know, is longer than the Tampa Bay Lightning have been in the league. Born in the heyday of the junk wax era when manufacturers churned out enough cardboard to build a million houses of cards, the partnership has weathered the storm of rivals (Score, Topps, Panini have all gone by the wayside in regards of hockey cards) and the ups and downs of the market. Now their relationship is likely to be challenged once again. A seismic change is tearing through the trading card world as Fanatics has been gobbling up exclusive licenses with the leagues and player associations of major league sports.