Since the regular issue products don't get much attention I thought I'd review 2008-09 Black Diamond Hockey. I won't bother with the stats and stuff for the release, since you can find that on the product sheets.

I limit myself to one pack of the product, just as if I'm a kid spending his realistic allowance.

In this pack were:
2008-09 Black Diamond #20 Pascal Leclaire
2008-09 Black Diamond #21 Brenden Morrow
2008-09 Black Diamond #35 Dustin Brown
2008-09 Black Diamond #43 Sergei Kostitsyn
2008-09 Black Diamond #162 Ilya Zubov RC <><><>

So, four base, and a Triple Diamond Rookie Gems, guess I could do worse with a pack (and have on many occasions).

Player photos emblazoned upon a shiny faded effect background, player name, full team name, and foil team logo; four diamond logo with diamond count, position, and jersey number...not sure what the lowest diamond is for...and team logo.

Player photos stand out from the design, not a bad effect.

Reverse of cards features full color team logos, a gray fade headshot of the same photo from the front, player stats, up to five line regular season game stats, season played totals, the player name and the text "Single Diamond", with the player position and jersey number repeated here...

Okay I think, but personally I liked the Diamonds printed on as levels increase effect of previous years, rather than putting them on each card and filling them in...Would rather see the space used repeating the position and jersey number used instead for a player blurb on the rear.

The position and jersey number are fine on the back with the rookie gems, but I'd like to see draft stats and maybe even a blurb on those instead of the overblown rookie gems logo on the reverse...

Now I didn't pull any quadruple Diamonds, but from the list of players I have to confess: Why are they including Orr, Howe, Gretzky, Messier, Roy, Lemieux in here? It's been 6 years minimum since the last of these guys laced them, I can see putting them in an insert set if it's absolutely necessary, but see no place for them in the extended base set.

Don't hate it, but needs some improvement I think.