The long and cold Canadian winters of our youth meant one thing....hockey. Constants in most of our lives were 6 am practices, playing on the pond and watching our NHL heroes skate on TV. During this special time, we were introduced to our hockey card hobbies. Whether it was Howe, Orr, Gretzky or Sakic....O Pee Chee, Upper Deck, Score or Parkhurst everyone remembers the sets and players where they developed their passion for collecting hockey cards.

The rebirth of the NHL in 2005/2006 also brings about a renaissance in hockey card collecting. With the one-two punch of Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin and an army of sets featuring cards we couldn't even dream of as kids, this year is the most exciting year for collectors in over a decade....if not ever. This series of articles will breakdown many of 05/06's most talked about hockey card sets.

Fleer Ultra

The first Fleer Ultra hockey set in a decade is also the first Fleer hockey release since Upper Deck acquired the brand. The 271-card set looks and feels much like it would if Fleer had made it themselves. The complete set has both Gold Medallion and Ice Medallion parallel versions and includes exciting memorabilia cards as well as rookies.

Unlike Upper Deck's base sets (Series 1 and Series 2) Fleer Ultra gives collectors a chance to get Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin (in one set), both of who's rookie cards are found in Ultra. Fleer's version of Crosby and Ovechkin's rookies are both already valued over $100.

As well as these two future Superstars, collectors will be excited to find 60 first year player cards. Key rookies include: Corey Perry, Jeff Carter, Gilbert Brule, Mike Richards, Thomas Vanek, Ryan Getzlaf, Dion Phaneuf and Henrik Lundqvist.

2005-06 Fleer Ultra Hockey is perfectly crafted to attract set collectors by giving them the opportunity to grab two memorabilia cards per hobby box and one autograph card per hundred and forty four packs and one Gold Medallion parallel per pack. Of all the memorabilia card subsets Ultra Rookie Uniformity Jerseys and Patches are the most impressive. Both the Jersey and Patches also come in autographed versions. Autographed Rookie Uniformity Jersey cards are numbered to 25 and Autographed Patch Cards are numbered to 5. Crosby and Ovechkin Uniformity Jersey autograph cards are already booking for over $600 each.

Other memorabilia subsets that are sure to be popular include: Ultra Super Six jersey and patch cards (also available in autographed versions) and Difference Makers which have jersey and patch as well as autographed versions.

"2005-06 Fleer Ultra Hockey is a great set to reintroduce the Fleer brand to hockey collectors," says Upper Deck Hockey Brand Manager Josh Zusman. "Fleer Ultra Hockey is locked and loaded with enough content for set collectors with its jersey parallels, Super Six and Franchise Players inserts, along with the parallels of each of those."

Basic Info: 271 card base set, including 71 first year players, 24 packs/box

Parallels: Gold Medallion (inserted 1:1) and Ice Medallion (numbered 1 out of 100)

Memorabilia: Ultra Rookie Uniformity Jersey and Patch cards, Scoring Kings Jersey and Patch cards, Difference Makers Jersey and Patch cards, Super Six Jersey and Patch cards

Autographs: Fresh Ink Autograph Cards (inserted 1:144), Fresh Ink Autograph Cards Blue Parallel (numbered to 25), Ultra Rookie Uniformity Jersey and Patch autograph cards, Scoring Kings Jersey and Patch autograph cards, Difference Makers Jersey and Patch autograph cards, Super Six Jersey and Patch autograph cards