The Panini America Quality Control Gallery: 2011-12 Rookie Anthology Hockey (74 Pics)

Man, what a week.

In one of the craziest four-day stretches in Panini America history, we’ve seen the buzz and excitement surrounding our 2012 Father’s Day promotion intensify by the day. We’ve been treated to in-office appearances by Arizona pitcher Brad Ziegler and New York Rangers goalie Cam Talbot. We’ve seen Panini America VP of Marketing Jason Howarth featured on ESPN’s “Mint Condition.” And yesterday, we watched as a by-product of the Ziegler visit — two boxes of Panini America Justin Bieber cards Ziegler requested for teammate J.J. Putz — turned into a viral sensation.

We simply can’t wait to see what the rest of the week holds. But it’s because of all that hair-raising hysteria that we almost overlooked the fact that 2011-12 Rookie Anthology Hockey was packing out this week. Luckily for all of us, Panini America Assistant NHL Brand Manager Tim Trout was on-location to witness the process — and to take tons of preview pics, which are featured in the gallery below.

Enjoy this extended first look at the rookie-intensive product that updates some of the company’s most popular rookie designs with new players, while also paying homage to today’s most popular current superstars.