Upper Deck launches ‘My MVP’ contest to find most passionate fans in NHL

Upper Deck launched its third annual “My MVP” contest Monday to find the most passionate NHL fans.

For the first time, Upper Deck will identify an MVP for every team in the league.

“An MVP can be the person who hypes up the crowd with a crazy dance on the big screen or a mega collector of team memorabilia and cards,” said Paul Nguyen, Upper Deck’s senior marketing manager. “Our mission at Upper Deck has always been to create experiences that bring fans closer to their favorite sport; My MVP is just one of the ways we encourage those connections.

“This year, we’re thrilled to highlight extraordinary fans from every single NHL team.”

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The contest has highlighted some of the league's most passionate fans, including two fans who wore the jerseys of their favorite team during their NHL-themed wedding.  

“Those are the type of people that we really wanted to highlight and celebrate because they bring so much fervor and passion to the game," Nguyen said. "So it’s connecting what we do and what we love to the fans of the game.”

Nominees should demonstrate a positive impact on their team’s fan community and culture. An Upper Deck panel of judges will choose up to five nominees per team to compete in a Twitter vote. All first-place winners of round one, crowned “Team MVP,” will then compete in a final round of voting.

Judges will then select a grand-prize winner from the top three finalists.

The Ultimate MVP winner will receive a prize package totaling an estimated $3,000, including two 2023 Stanley Cup Playoff tickets, travel and accommodations, and an official Upper Deck MVP trading card.

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Upper Deck President Jason Masherah says the program helps build communities and rivalries between the league's different fan bases. 

“What you see is a lot of positive support for whoever that nominee is for every team, which is really exciting," he said. “Social media can be very toxic, but this helps create a program that really helps bring people together to support each other and their fan bases and take on those rival fan bases and it becomes really fun.”

Fans can nominate themselves or other fans by logging onto Upper Deck’s nomination page, submitting their contact information and a brief description explaining how they shine in their team’s community.

“We are thrilled to continue working with Upper Deck on the My MVP contest,” said David McCarthy, group vice president of consumer products licensing at the NHL. “We love seeing fans’ passion for their teams and learning about their unique stories.”

The 2022 “My MVP” contest timeline is as follows:

Oct. 17-Nov. 7: Submit MVP nominations

Nov. 18-29: Voting for Team MVPs

Nov. 30: Team MVPs announced on Twitter

Dec. 2-12: Voting for the Ultimate MVP finalists on Twitter

Dec. 14: Ultimate MVP winner announced on Twitter

For official contest rules, visit UpperDeck.com/MyMVP. 

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