QUEBEC — The organizers of Quebec International Peewee Hockey Tournament are warning against fake Alexis Lafreniere cards from the tournament circulating on websites.
Quebec City police say they are investigating the counterfeit cards, which are going for $100 on eBay and could be on other sales platforms.
The New York Rangers selected Lafreniere with the No. 1 pick this year in the NHL draft.
He led Canada to a gold medal at the 2020 world junior hockey championship in the Czech Republic and played junior hockey for the Rimouski Oceanic of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
In a statement, the tournament organizers say they regularly keep tabs on various resale sites to ensure that cards or items put up for sale with the tournament logo are authentic.
That's when they came across the fake 2013 Lafreniere card with the tournament logo on it.
Such a card doesn't exist and never has, organizers said.
“The Quebec International Peewee Hockey Tournament has never produced an Alexis Lafreniere card," tournament general manager Patrick Dom said in a statement.
"We invite the public to be extremely careful — the fact that Alexis Lafreniere was the New York Rangers' first pick in the 2020 draft probably makes some people want to take advantage of the situation."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 10, 2020.
The Canadian Press