Hockey
Greats

"A Different Player Will Appear Each Year" — The Greatest Names in NHL History

The Hockey Greats series launched in 1997 with the most obvious possible choice: Wayne Gretzky, "The Great One" — the greatest scorer in NHL history, holder of more than 60 NHL records, depicted here in his New York Rangers jersey at 4½ inches tall, sculpted by Duane Unruh, with an exclusive Upper Deck trading card. The back of the box explains the series premise: "High-speed skating and heads-up play characterize the heroes of the ice who will be featured in this new series. A different player will appear each year." The founding entry set the bar high — Gretzky's career statistics include 2,857 regular-season points, a record so dominant it exceeds the second-highest scorer in NHL history by more than 1,000 points.

The series continued with three more legends: Mario Lemieux (#2, 1998) — two-time Stanley Cup champion, two-time cancer survivor, 1,723 career points; Gordie Howe (#3, 1999) — "Mr. Hockey," 26 NHL seasons, 801 goals, still active in the WHA at 52 years old; and Eric Lindros (#4, 2000) — "The Next One," the dominant physical center of the late 1990s, 88 career goals in his peak 1995–96 season, captain of Team Canada 1998. The series concluded at four entries in 2000. Then 23 years passed. In 2023, Hallmark returned to the ice with Connor McDavid — the Edmonton Oilers captain widely regarded as the greatest player of his generation, the most dominant skater in the current era, the spiritual successor to the Gretzky legacy in Edmonton.

Tips for the Collection

• 01
  Keep the original packaging — the exclusive Upper Deck trading cards are inside. Each Hockey Greats ornament came with an exclusive Upper Deck trading card available only through this ornament. If you have the original boxes, the cards are typically still inside or clipped to the packaging. For collectors who care about both the ornament and the card, original packaging preserves both. The Gretzky card in particular is the most sought-after in the series.
• 02
  Display the four original series entries in number order with McDavid as the coda. #1 Gretzky through #4 Lindros in sequence tell the story of the 1997–2000 series — from the all-time scoring champion to the dominant power forward of the late 1990s. Then McDavid in 2023 as the modern epilogue — Edmonton Oilers, the same franchise where Gretzky defined the game in the 1980s, now home to the player most often compared to him. The circle is complete on those two branches.
• 03
  All 5 Hockey Greats Hallmark ornaments — #1–4 (1997–2000) and the 2023 Connor McDavid — are at Already Christmas. The Great One, The Magnificent One, Mr. Hockey, The Next One, and the current generation's answer to all of them. Five ornaments. The best players in NHL history, on the Christmas tree. All five here.