NEW BE A PLAYER UPDATE SERIES PRESENTS A HOBBY DILEMMA: WHERE DO YOU DRAW THE LINE BEFORE PUTTING TOO MUCH IN A BOX?

The first thing you will notice is the 2001-02 Update Series is different from any Update Series Be A Player has done in the past. Be A Player brought back the boxed Update set two years ago and this year, instead of a boxed set, this product will be issued in traditional packs and boxes.

The next feature that jumps out is the fact the Update Series contains new cards from all four Be A Player brands (except for Ultimate Memorabilia 2nd Edition) issued during the 2001-02 season: the Memorabilia Series (200 new Update cards, set now complete at 500); Parkhurst (100 new Update cards, set now complete at 400); Between the Pipes (20 new Update cards, set now complete at 170 cards); and Signature Series (25 new Update cards in both unsigned and signed versions, set now complete at 250 cards). This allows collectors to complete each of their base sets with the latest rookies and traded players in their new uniforms.

The rookie card content in this product is especially exciting. Out of the 345 new base cards across the four brands, 182 (or 53 per cent) qualify as rookie cards including Ilya Kovalchuk, Dan Blackburn, Pavel Datsyuk and Kristian Huselius in the Memorabilia Series, as well as late-season call-ups such as the Islanders' Trent Hunter, Nashville's Jan Lasak, and Florida's Stephen Weiss.

The Update Series also incorporates the usual wide array of inserts, autographed cards including more Limited and Extra Limited Signature Series cards, and game-worn memorabilia cards that In The Game has become noted for. There are, in fact, 17 different insert series introducing more than 230 new cards. Some are designated as updates to insert series found in earlier brands while others are unique to the Update brand. Each box will contain at least one game-worn memorabilia card or a Parkhurst Vintage Autograph card. The stated production run of these inserts will not exceed 100. In many cases, the production quantities will be substantially lower than 100.

"We know our Update boxed sets from the past two years were very appealing to collectors," said Dr. Brian H. Price, President of In the Game, "but we chose to dramatically enhance the Update concept this year. By the time we were finished, we wondered if we hadn't put too much into the brand. There's a lot for collectors to sink their teeth into and I think it provides tremendous value."

Here is the insert breakdown, beginning with cards that update previously issued insert sets.

2001-02 Memorabilia Series
-The 500-Goal Scorers game-worn jersey set consisted of 28 cards. However, two new members joined the club in 2001-02, Ron Francis and Brendan Shanahan. Both now have cards in this set, making it complete at 30 cards.
-The Country of Origin game-worn memorabilia set originally consisted of 40 cards. There are now 20 new Country of Origin cards in the Update Series and the full series is complete at 60.

2001-02 Parkhurst
-Again, the 500-Goal Scorers game-worn jersey set consisted of 28 cards.. With the addition of Francis and Shanahan cards in the Update Series, that set is now complete at 30 cards.
-The Milestones game-worn memorabilia insert set was comprised of 22 cards. There are an additional 24 Milestones insert cards in the Update Series making the set complete at 56.
-The Teammates game-worn memorabilia insert set (featuring three players per card) originally consisted of 18 cards. Ten more cards have been added to the series to make it complete at 28.
-The Vintage Autographs insert set consisted of 40 cards. Another 19 are now found in the Update Series making the set complete at 59.

2001-02 Between the Pipes
-The Masks insert set was very popular and included 30 cards. Now 10 more have been added in the Update Series making the set complete at 40. As with the first 30 cards, there are Silver and Gold versions of the final 10 with production runs of 300 and 30 respectively.

2001-02 Signature Series
-There were a total of 38 "Limited" and "Extra Limited" autographed cards in Signature Series. Collectors will find six more in the Update Series including Mark Messier, Mario Lemieux and Steve Yzerman making the set final at 44 cards.
-Signature Series included a 70-card Game-Used Jersey insert set. Of those 70, 49 were also found in special autographed versions hand-numbered out of 10. In the Update Series, you will find eight more autographed Game Jersey cards meaning that a total of 57 out of the 70 cards have been signed.
-Staying with that 70-card Game-Used Jersey set, collectors will also find an additional 28 cards in the Update Series meaning the set is complete at 98 cards.
-A limited number of the 500-Goal Scorer game-worn memorabilia cards were also signed by many of the players in the set. You will find three more autographed versions of these cards in the Update Series including Steve Yzerman, Mario Lemieux and Mark Messier.

Insert sets unique to Update Series

-Let's begin with the 10-card Rocket's Rivals insert set utilizing the great Maurice Richard in various combinations with high-profile opponents. Pieces of game-worn jersey from each player adorn these cards.

-Travel Plans is a 16-card set focusing on big names who have recently switched teams. You'll find two pieces of their game-worn jersey on these cards, one from their old club and one from the new. Look for stars like Jaromir Jagr, Dominik Hasek, and Eric Lindros. -Passing the Torch is a six-card effort devoted to three high-profile players from the past and present for each of the original six NHL teams. Each card comes with three pieces of game-worn memorabilia, one from each player.

-Tough Customers is a 40-card series that is bound to inspire the passions of collectors everywhere. Take the game's toughest players, the guys you know you have to answer to when you try to take liberties with their teammates. Now pair them up on cards with pieces of their game-worn memorabilia and you have something that stands out from the crowd. Duos include Bob Probert with Tie Domi, Dave Schultz with Tiger Williams, and even Mr. Hockey® with Stan Mikita.

-Heritage is a 30-card effort that presents many of today's top performers with a former team as well as a piece of game-worn jersey from that team. This is a great set for reliving old (and not-so-old) memories.

"Between the concept of updating four of our previously issued sets, the sheer number of rookie cards, and the array of high quality memorabilia cards, there's a lot to like in the Update Series," said Price. "It's the perfect way to punctuate what has been a successful season for us and it will serve as a springboard for an even more impressive lineup of products in 2002-03."

Every pack of the Update Series will hold four cards including one decoy He Shoots, He Scores redemption points card (or a game-worn memorabilia card). There are 24 packs per box and 20 boxes per case. The production run will be restricted to 800 serially-numbered cases. The scheduled release date is June 21, 2002.

There will be 20 different He Shoots, He Scores redemption cards, each with a different point value. Collectors who accumulate enough points will be able to redeem the cards for a special He Shoots, He Scores game-worn jersey card that is not available in packs of Be A Player cards. There will be 40 cards in the set and each is sequentially numbered to 20. For more information on the He Shoots, He Scores program throughout various Be A Player products, visit the company website at www.baptradingcards.com.

In the Game has been producing Be A Player hockey cards since the 1998-99 season. The company's product lineup for 2001-02 features six brands including Be A Player Memorabilia (released August 2001), Parkhurst (released December 2001), Between the Pipes (released March 2002), Signature Series (released April 23, 2002), the Ultimate Memorabilia 2nd Edition (released May 17th) as well as the Update Series.