2005 The Cup Platinum Sidney Crosby ROOKIE /25 #180 BGS 9.5 GEM MINT

A standing-room only crowd turned out to watch the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 8, 2005. Witnessing the home debut of No. 1 draft pick Sidney Crosby was historic in itself, but 17,132 fans were also treated to another piece of history—Crosby’s first career goal. Even NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was swept up in the hype, taking in the game from a luxury box and calling Crosby the type of player who could “revitalize” the franchise. Upper Deck also used the build-up surrounding Crosby to push the debut of a new high-end product—Upper Deck The Cup. Crosby’s rookie cards were among the main draws from the product, including this /25 Platinum parallel of his base rookie, which is among the four highest-graded examples of the card ever assessed by BGS. After Crosby’s first goal, the crowd chanted his name, and you may want to do the same for yourself after winning this card.