Jessica Campbell’s NHL Coaching Milestone: A New Era for Her Sports Cards
Jessica Campbell made history on Tuesday when she became the first woman to coach in an NHL game.
Campbell, 32, was an assistant coach for the Seattle Kraken when they took on the St. Louis Blues.
The name might be new to some, but get used to it. Card collectors can also find cards of Campbell, from the last decade when her cards appeared in the 2010 Upper Deck World of Sports and 2015-16 Upper Deck Team Canada Junior sets.
Her cards from her days on Team Canada had a surge in value earlier this year when it was rumored that she would become an assistant for Seattle.
In July, a Campbell patch card that included a piece of memorabilia and numbered to just three copies sold for $139.99. Another oversized nameplate memorabilia card, numbered to just eight copies sold for $51.57 in April.
Her cards used to sell for much less. In 2021, a similar nameplate card sold for just $20.50.
And, well, her cards didn’t sell at all. Card Ladder recorded just three sales of Campbell’s cards before 2024. Since there have been more than 20 sales, which shows interest, but the cards are still not plentiful.
It’s probably why there are just two current listings of hers on eBay, with one at a Buy It Now price of $50.85 for a base card from the Team Canada Juniors set.
History made. 👏
— NHL (@NHL) October 8, 2024
📺: @espn & @ESPNPlus ➡️ https://t.co/S5tPrXCygm pic.twitter.com/j4KiMD8izZ
That doesn’t mean you have to pay that price. Patience is the key when it comes to buying one of Campbell’s cards for a lower price.
Campbell joins a growing contingent of female coaches and managers in major sports. One of the most well-known was former Tampa Tarpons manager, a New York Yankees affiliate, Rachael Balkovec, who now works in the Miami Marlins front office. Balkovec’s autographed cards and low-numbered cards have sold for hundreds if not thousands of dollars.
There is a possibility that Campbell could get another Upper Deck card. Upper Deck, which has an exclusive NHL license to make hockey cards, does create a “Game-Dated Moments’ set, which features highlights from throughout the season.
Maybe Campbell’s moment will be immortalized on cards for years to come.
Susan is an award-winning journalist who spent over a decade working in the sports card industry. You can follow her at twitter.com/yanxchick