Nick Kypreos

Nick Kypreos

Retired player. Currently a commentator for Rodgers Sportsnet.

Fan letter sent: November 6, 2009.

Autograph receiveds: December 11, 2009.

Nick Kypreos generously signed all six of the cards that I sent in black Sharpie marker. He played 8 seasons in the NHL, and won the Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers in 1994.

Ron Hextall

Ron Hextall

Retired player. Currently the Assistant General Manager of the Los Angeles Kings.

Fan letter sent: November 6, 2009.

Autograph received: December 4, 2009.

I have always been a fan of Ron Hextall. A big, temperamental goalie for the Flyers during the 1980s and 1990s, he was the first NHL netminder to actually score an empty-net goal (whereas Billy Smith was just credited with scoring the goal).

Hextall signed all three cards I sent in black Sharpie marker. On the Champ's card, he added "All the Best" above his signature, while on the Score card he wrote "Best Wishes, Ron Hextall."

Daniel Carcillo & Aaron Voros

Daniel Carcillo & Aaron Voros

Carcillo is currently with the Philadelphia Flyers; Voros is currently with the New York Rangers.

Purchased at a card show on November 22, 2009.

Carcillo was one of my favorite players on the Phoenix Coyotes. He reminds me of a young Dave Manson, if anyone remembers that former NHL defenseman from the 1990s. Manson was a hot-head who sometimes took dumb penalties, but was a talented player and also a heavyweight when it came to fighting.

Carcillo is like that in a lot of regards. I don't think he'll ever make much of an offensive contributor, but he is a tough fighter. Once he stops taking dumb penalties, I think he'll become one of those agitator-type players for Philly.

Voros used to play for the Minnesota Wild. I'm not too sure why he is on a card with Carcillo--too bad it isn't a Phoenix teammate from 2007-08 (the year this card was made), or a popular adversary like George Parros.

Both signatures have been signed in black Sharpie marker. The autographs are on stickers that were later applied to the card.

Shea Weber

Shea Weber

Currently with the Nashville Predators.

Purchased at a card show on November 22, 2009.

Shea Weber is one of my favorite defenseman in the NHL. He put up decent numbers last year--53 points in 81 games--and is on pace for about 60 points this season. Luckily, I picked him for my fantasy hockey team this year.

I was also lucky to find this for $3 at a recent card show. I don't know what it is "worth" according to the price guides, and I don't care. A certified signature from one of my favorite players is definitely worth that.

The card is signed in black Sharpie marker. The autograph is on a sticker that was later applied to the card.

Danny Richmond

Danny Richmond

Currently with the Peoria Rivermen (AHL).

Purchased at a card show on November 22, 2009.

Another card show purchase I could not pass up. Richmond was born in Chicago, and played parts of three seasons with the Blackhawks. He wore number 44 (my favorite number), and this card is signed in blue Sharpie marker. The autograph was signed on a sticker that was later applied to the card, but the sig itself was neatly done and looks great.

Jim Slater

Jim Slater

Currently with the Atlanta Thrashers.

Purchased at a card show on November 22, 2009.

Slater has been a regular with the Atlanta Thrashers since his rookie season in 2005-06. While I have successfully written to him in the past, I could not pass up this card at a recent card show. The signature is in blue Sharpie marker, it is hard-signed (that is, signed on the card itself and not on a sticker), and best of all, it was only a buck.

Gaston Gingras

Gaston Gingras

Retired player.

Fan letter sent: September 14, 2009.

Autograph received: November 27, 2009.

Can you believe I've had that 1988-89 card of Gaston Gingras since...well, 1989. Twenty years later, and I finally got it signed. Mr. Gingras autographed all three cards in black Sharpie marker.

Craig Anderson

Craig Anderson

Currently with the Colorado Avalanche.

Fan letter sent: September 14, 2009.

Autograph received: November 18, 2009.

When I re-started collecting autographs TTM three years ago, Craig Anderson was my first success of the new millennium. Way back in November 2006, he was kicking it in the AHL with the Rochester Americans. Three years later, he is one of the top goalies in the NHL. And yet, he is still willing to sign autographs.

In a recent interview on Hockey Night in Canada, he mentioned how important the fans are to him. It is great to see that his success has not gone to his head thus far.

The still-humble Anderson signed both cards I sent in black Sharpie marker.

Grant Mulvey

Grant Mulvey

Retired player.

Autograph obtained in person on October 21, 2009.

My friend Jim got me this autograph when he went to a Blackhawks game on October 21. Mulvey wrote "To Sal, Go Hawks," and added his name and #22 (his uniform number). It's a nice autograph, but you think they could have found a slightly better picture? It looks like a JPEG that was taken off of the internet, sized up and printed on glossy paper. Still cool to have.

Steve Poapst

Steve Poapst

Retired player. Currently the head coach of the Chicago Steel (UHL).

Autograph obtained in person on November 9, 2009.

I went to the Chicago Blackhawks game on November 9, and Steve Poapst was signing autographs in the lobby. Each game, the team has a former player sign before the game and during intermissions. I got the photo signed before the game, and then got my two cards signed during 1st intermission.

Poapst had a long road to the NHL: 4 seasons of NCAA hockey, plus 2 in the ECHL and another 3 in the AHL before getting a 3-game shot with the Washington Capitals in 1995-96. He'd toil in the minors for another few years, but finally became somewhat of a regular in the NHL in 2000-01, when he split time between the Blackhawks and the Norfolk Admirals. He would then go on to play three full seasons for the 'Hawks before the lockout, and split the 2005-06 season with the Penguins and the Blues.

Troy Loney

Troy Loney

Retired player.

Fan letter sent: September 14, 2009.

Autograph receiveds: November 2, 2009.

Troy Loney played from 1983 to 1995 in the NHL. He started his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins. When the Anaheim Mighty Ducks joined the league in 1993, Loney was claimed by them in the expansion draft. He would be the Ducks' first team captain. After one season with Anaheim, he would split his final season--the lockout-shortened 1994-95 campaign--split between the New York Rangers and the New York Islanders.

Loney neatly signed all five cards sent in black Sharpie marker.

Kelly Kisio

Kelly Kisio

Retired player. Currently the General Manager of the Calgary Hitmen (WHL).

Fan letter sent: September 14, 2009.

Autograph receiveds: October 27, 2009.

Kelly Kisio played from 1982 to 1995 in the NHL. As you can see from the cards above, he played for the Red Wings, Rangers, Sharks and Flames. Kisio generously signed all six cards sent in black Sharpie marker. He is currently the GM of the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League.

Walt Poddubny

Walt Poddubny

Retired player. Recently deceased.

Purchased from eBay. Added to my collection September 14, 2009.

Walt Poddubny passed away in March of 2009. He was a player I watched, mainly with the New Jersey Devils. Earlier this year, I purchased two other Poddubny cards off of eBay. I normally don't buy signed cards via the internet, but I will make an exception here and there.

Walt Poddubny

Walt Poddubny

Retired player. Recently deceased.

Purchased from eBay. Added to my collection September 3, 2009.

Walt Poddubny passed away in March of 2009. He was a player I watched, mainly with the New Jersey Devils. When Walt first passed away, autographed items went for quite a bit on eBay--around $10 to $20, which is "a lot" for an average NHL player. With all due respect, now that his death is old news, the demand--and price--for a signed Poddubny card has died down. I normally don't buy signed cards on eBay, but will make an exception here and there.

Peter Zezel

Peter Zezel

Retired player. Recently deceased.

Purchased from eBay. Added to my collection September 14, 2009.

Along with the Poddubny card, I also acquired this autographed card of Zezel, who sadly passed away in May of this year. I actually wrote to Zezel back in 2008, and he signed my cards then. I have always heard great things about him when it came to the way he interacted with fans.

As selfish as it sounds, I wish I had written to Zezel for autographs a few more times. I liked him as a player. I saw him a lot growing up, especially with the Maple Leafs and Blues, who played my Blackhawks an awful lot during the early 1990s. I probably have two dozen cards that I would have liked for him to sign.

But what made him uber in my mind was that he had a bit part in the hockey film "Youngblood". He is referred to as "Rossini" by the coach, and is an assistant captain for the Hamilton Mustangs (the team that Patrick Swayze and Rob Lowe play for in the film). I actually made a few custom hockey cards of Zezel--as his character from the film--that you can see here.

Gaëtan Duchesne

Gaëtan Duchesne

Retired player. Recently deceased.

Purchased on eBay. Added to my collection September 3, 2009.

Gaëtan Duchesne passed away in April 2007. I purchased this card on eBay along with a card of Walt Poddubny (that you'll see on Friday).

Patrice Bergeron

Patrice Bergeron

Currently with Boston Bruins.

Sent to me by Upper Deck to compensate for a lousy insert card.

Upper Deck mailed me this card as a compensation of sorts. A month ago, I sent a sub-par jersey card back to Upper Deck, explaining to their customer service that I did not wish to have a mismatched jersey card in my collection (full details here).

Upper Deck sent back the lame jersey card, but also included this 2007-08 Black Diamond Gemography card of Patrice Bergeron. I was pleasantly surprised--that was actually a very nice move on the part of their customer service.

Hopefully, Bergeron will hit his stride again like he did in '05-06, when he lead his team in scoring.

Walt Tkaczuk

Walt Tkaczuk

Retired player.

Insert from a pack of 2008-09 Champ's hockey cards.

Personally, when spending $100 or so on a box of hockey cards, I'd rather get a card of a longtime NHL veteran--even if he didn't score 50 goals or win any awards--than of a guy who played a handful of games. Tkaczuk played 945 games over 13 seasons for the New York Rangers, from 1968 to 1981. Strangely, this card is signed in black Sharpie marker, while the other three Mini Signatures Champ's cards I pulled were signed in blue.

Mike Iggulden

Mike Iggulden

Currently with the Riga Dynamo of the KHL (Russia).

Insert from a pack of 2008-09 Champ's hockey cards.

This has to be the worst autographed insert I have ever pulled from a pack of hockey cards.

First, Iggulden played one game with the San Jose Sharks, which is the photo that the card uses. But last season, he was traded to the Islanders. So, even though he is pictured as a Sharks player, it says "New York Islanders" at the bottom.

Even worse, the guy lasted 12 games in the NHL, and is now with the Riga Dynamo of the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia. Why would Upper Deck put a card like this in a mid-level product like Champ's? Yes, that set came out last season--I got this card in a box over the summer--but why would they get a hard-signed autographs from guys in the minors like this one?

Howard Walker

Howard Walker

Retired player.

Fan letter sent: September 14, 2009.

Autograph received: October 13, 2009.

Howard walker played 80 games with the Washington Capitals, and three more with the Calgary Flames. Walker signed my card in ballpoint pen, and also enclosed a short, hand-written note of his own:




If you can't read his writing, the note says:

Good luck with your collection
Howard Walker
Go Black Hawks

It's always nice when a former player takes an extra step like that to communicate with fans.