2021-22 UD SkyBox Metal Universe Hockey Hobby Box

An homage, of sorts, to '90s collecting, 2021-22 Skybox Metal Universe Hockey sees the return of Upper Deck's retro NHL brand for year two.

Similar to Fleer Retro and Fleer Showcase, the throwback-inspired release is heavily geared to inserts and parallels.

Although the 2020-21 product specifically mentions one autograph per Hobby box, the '21-22 box hit can be an autograph, PMG, Jambalaya, or "other coveted cards."

2021-22 Skybox Metal Universe Hockey Base / PMG Parallels

The main set for 2021-22 Skybox Metal Universe Hockey consists of base (#1-100), Alternate Jersey (#101-150; 1:2 packs) and rookie (#151-200; 1:2 packs) cards. Each pack should have either a base rookie card or alternate jersey edition.

Showcasing background artwork from 1997-98 Skybox Metal Universe Basketball, 1997-98 Retros (1:5 packs) also has a Purple Spectrum (#/199) parallel.

In addition to Printing Plates, all four subsets come as Precious Metal Gems (PMG) versions, which have long been a hobby favorite. While the Green/Red PMG cards total 100 copies, the first 10 cards are green and the final 90 are red.

2021-22 Skybox Metal Universe Hockey PMG Breakdown

2021-22 Skybox Metal Universe Hockey Inserts

The 2021-22 Skybox Metal Universe Hockey checklist really opens up with the insert selection. One key choice is Skybox Premium Prospects (1:5 packs), adding several rarity tiers.

The large insert selection consists of Amped Up (1:10 packs), Big Man on Ice (1:8 packs), a shoutout to the Big Man on Court NBA die-cuts, Championship Galaxy (1:38 packs), for past Stanley Cup winners, and Neon Icon (1:38 packs), offering top active players.

That leaves Pitter Patter (1:75 packs), Planet Metal (1:20 packs) and The Cheddar (1:10 packs).

Falling one per box, look for acetate inserts in Ice Carvings (1:25 packs), with top stars and rookies, and Skybox Metal Picks (1:38 packs), which utilizes a guitar pick design.

All of these inserts feature numbered Gold or Spectrum parallels.

The rarest inserts include Jambalaya (1:720), a die-cut classic, as well as Metal-X (1:240 packs) and Platinum Portraits (1:1,920 packs), with laser die-cut images.

2021-22 Skybox Metal Universe Hockey Autographs

Next up, 2021-22 Skybox Metal Universe Hockey turns to the autographs. The base set is home to the majority of the signed cards, including Base Autographs (1:140 packs), Base Alternate Jersey Autographs (1:1,000 packs) and Base Rookie Autographs (#/399 or less).

Collectors can chase signed inserts, as well, via 1998-99 Skybox Premium Prospects Autographs (1:135 packs), Championship Galaxy Autographs (1:2,000 packs), Neon Icon Autographs (1:2,000 packs), and Skybox Premium Prospects Star Emeralds Autographs (#/10).

Release Date: January 11, 2023
Product Configuration: 7 cards per pack, 15 packs per box, 16 boxes per case

2021-22 Skybox Metal Universe Hockey Hobby Box Break Average

• 1 Hit (Autograph, PMG, Jambalaya or other coveted cards)
• 5 Inserts (Amped Up, Big Man on Ice and/or The Cheddar)
• 1 Acetate Insert (Ice Carvings or Skybox Metal Picks)
• 3 1997-98 Cards