Don Marcotte

Don Marcotte

Retired player.

Fan letter sent: May 21, 2007.

Autographs received: May 31, 2007.

Marcotte played over a dozen years in the NHL--all with the Boston Bruins. He signed all five of my cards in blue sharpie. I still marvel at what great signers so many of these retired pros are.

Rob Niedermayer

Rob Niedermayer

Currently with the Anaheim Ducks.

Fan letter sent: February 13, 2007.

Autographs received: May 31, 2007.

Rob Niedermayer signed three of the four cards I sent him. He did not sign a 1992-1993 Upper Deck card depicting him as a member of the Canadian Junior Team. I'm not sure if he doesn't sign that card, or if signing three cards is his limit.

Emile "Butch" Bouchard

Emile "Butch" Bouchard

Retired player. Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1966.

Fan letter sent: May 21, 2007.

Autograph received: May 30, 2007.

I wrote to Emile "Butch" Bouchard three times--the first time, I used the wrong street address, and the second time I used the wrong zip code. But the third time was a charm! Amazing that a guy who is almost 87 years old is still willing to sign autographs for fans. Bouchard signed in a silver paint marker, which unfortunately smudged a little bit.

Brian Propp

Brian Propp

Retired player.

Fan letter sent: May 21, 2007.

Autographs received: May 29, 2007.

I wrote to Brian Propp earlier in the month, but it came back RTS. Fortunately, the envelope had one of those yellow stickers with his new address.

Interestingly, Propp signed all the cards To Sal, "Guffaw" Brian Propp. Perplexed, I checked the note that he neatly wrapped around my cards, which nicely explained what the heck "Guffaw" was:




At the top of the note, Propp wrote
"Check out www.brianpropp.iplayedthegame.com"

Ken Morrow

Ken Morrow

Retired player.

Fan letter sent: May 21, 2007.

Autograph received: May 29, 2007.

Another "Miracle on Ice" player from the 1980 Olympics, Morrow sent back my cards in just over a week. I wish I had a few more cards of his--including his RC--but these were the only cards I could scrounge up.

Bob Murray

Bob Murray

Retired player. Currently the Assistant General Manager of the Anaheim Ducks.

Fan letter sent: May 5, 2007.

Autographs received: May 26, 2007.

Bob Murray played a long time--sixteen years--for the Chicago Blackhawks. He then kicked around in the front office of the "organ-I-zation". After a few seasons, he ascended to the role of General Manager of the team. He was eventually fired, and that was a good thing--it allowed him to "escape" to another club, one who actually tries to build a winning team. And right now, he is the Assistant GM of the Ducks, who are currently in the Stanley Cup Finals.

I met Murray a few times when he was a player, and got numerous cards autographed by him. However, a lot of those I got signed in pen (what did I know back then?), so this time, I got many of the same cards signed in marker.

Rick Middleton

Rick Middleton

Retired player.

Fan letter sent: May 5, 2007.

Autographs received: May 25, 2007.

Rick Middleton wrote "Sal, Good Luck! Rick Middleton" on all six of the cards that I sent. Many autograph collectors don't like personalizations (because they can't turn around and sell the card). I, on the other hand, don't mind when a player takes the time to personalize, or add a note on the card like "Good luck" or "Best wishes".

Daniel Briere

Daniel Briere

Currently with the Buffalo Sabres.

Fan letter sent: December 8, 2006.

Autographs received: May 25, 2007.

Robert Lang

Robert Lang

Currently with the Detroit Red Wings.

Fan letter sent: February 12, 2007.

Autographs received: May 23, 2007.

Tom Lysiak

Tom Lysiak

Retired player.

Fan letter sent: May 5, 2007.

Autographs received: May 17, 2007.

Tom Lysiak was one of the 'Hawks leaders in the early 1980s.

Ray Ferraro

Ray Ferraro

Retired player. Currently a commentator for TSN (a Canadian TV network).

Fan letter sent: April 18, 2007.

Autographs received: May 17, 2007.

I've heard that one of Ray Ferraro's nicknames is "Big Ball of Hate", but I just don't see it. I remember him being an explosive forward when he was a player...I still remember his four-goal game against the Devils back in 1991. As a commentator, he seems very laid back, especially since Bret Hull seems to interrupt him every other sentence when they are on NBC. But this guy is all over the place--commentating on TSN, NBC and for Canucks games too, I think. He's like the Canadian Eddie Olczyk.

Bill Barber

Bill Barber

Retired player. Currently the Director of Player Personnel for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1990.

Fan letter sent: April 25, 2007.

Autograph received: May 17, 2007.

Rule the school! I am trying to get as many 81-82 Topps cards autographed as possible. Bill Barber had three cards in that set, and he signed all three. A Hat Trick, you could say?

Don Luce

Don Luce

Retired player.

Fan letter sent: April 12, 2007.

Autographs received: May 16, 2007.

Don Luce will always stand out in my mind as "the one card I needed to complete my 81-82 Topps set for, like, ever". Oh, and also, from what I hear, Luce was a really fine defensive forward. He's also a fine signer--an "every letter" signature--with number--in black sharpie. Nice!

Back to the 81-82 Topps card for a moment--you've just got to love the amount of airbrushing done on that card to make him look like a Maple Leaf. I love the way the Topps/OPC airbrush artists always went through great lengths to replicate the logo, but then forgot to add numbers on the sleeves.

Chris Kunitz

Chris Kunitz

Currently with the Anaheim Ducks.

Fan letter sent: December 22, 2006.

Autograph received: May 12, 2007.

Christian Ehrhoff

Christian Ehrhoff

Currently with the San Jose Sharks.

Fan letter sent: March 9, 2007.

Autograph received: May 12, 2007.

Now that San Jose have been eliminated from the playoffs, I wonder if I can expect more 'graphs from Sharks players.

Lee Norwood

Lee Norwood

Retired player. Currently the head coach for Eastern Michigan University.

Fan letter sent: March 31, 2007.

Autograph received: May 10, 2007.

Lee Norwood played 21 games for the Chicago Wolves in the 1995-96 season, but played most of his career for the Detroit Red Wings.

Steve Christoff

Steve Christoff

Retired player.

Fan letter sent: April 12, 2007.

Autograph received: May 9, 2007.

Steve Christoff was a member of the 1980 Team USA "Miracle on Ice".

Glenn Hall

Glenn Hall

Retired player. Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1975.

Fan letter sent: April 25, 2007.

Autograph received: May 8, 2007.

"Mr. Goalie", Glenn Hall. Amazing. I am truly honored that he signed and returned my card to me. The man played 502 consecutive games--a record that not even Martin Brodeur will ever beat. He's won a Stanley Cup, the Cadler Trophy (rookie of the year), three Vezina Trophies (best goaltender) and the Conn Smythe Trophy (playoff MVP).

I may have to put all of these "Hall of Fame" cards in a frame. I love the paintings, and I've got quite a few of them signed now.

Rod Brind'Amour

Rod Brind'Amour

Currently with the Carolina Hurricanes

Fan letter sent: January 22, 2007.

Autographs received: May 8, 2007.

Every dog has his day, so I was glad to see Brind'Amour captain the Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup in 2006. He's been in the league a long time, and you love to see a guy like that finally win a Cup.

I remember wayyyyyy back in 1989, when Inside Hockey magazine had an article, "25 People to Know", and Brind'Amour was one of these noteworthy players. This was right before he made his debut in the '89 playoffs with St. Louis. Since then, I've been a fan of his.

Kelly Hrudey

Kelly Hrudey

Retired player. Currently a commentator for TSN (a Canadian TV network).

Fan letter sent: April 9, 2007.

Autographs received: May 7, 2007.

Hrudey had character, and it's great to see him still involved in the game, as a commentator for TSN (though in the U.S., I don't really get to "see" or "hear" him). Especially cool is his 1986-97 card, where you can see his trademark bandana.

Bobby Clarke

Bobby Clarke

Retired player. Currently the Senior Vice President of the Philadelphia Flyers. Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1987.

Fan letter sent: April 18, 2007.

Autographs received: May 7, 2007.

Bobby Clarke, a.k.a. "Bob Clarke". I think it is cool when awesome players retire and get involved in coaching, managing, etc. But it's really cool when those same players sign autographs for the fans.

The first time I wrote to Clarke, asking him to sign my cards, was way back in May of 1996. Later that month, he returned all four of my cards signed. Eleven years later, I decided to write to him again. This time, I sent three cards, but he only signed two. Curious that he did not sign the 1990-91 Pro Set "Career Point Leader" card. Oh well...maybe I'll try that one in another 11 years.

David Legwand

David Legwand

Currently with the Nashville Predators.

Fan letter sent: January 22, 2007.

Autograph received: May 7, 2007.

Currently, 10 out of 12 members of the Nashville Predators have returned my cards signed. The only two I have not yet received cards back from yet are Martin Erat (letter sent 2/14/2007) and Marek Zidlicky (letter sent 2/13/2007). No rush, no worries.

Johnny Bucyk

Johnny Bucyk

Retired player. Elected into the Hall of Fame in 1981.

Fan letter sent: April 18, 2007.

Autograph received: May 5, 2007.

There are two amazing things about getting these cards back signed by "The Chief", Johnny Bucyk. First, it is awesome that a man as accomplished as Bucyk is still so fan-friendly after all these years, autographing my cards so promptly.

But secondly--and almost more importantly--I would not have received these cards unless it was for the help of a random stranger. My SASE (postmarked April 27) came back to me in an envelope from a law office (postmarked May 2). There was a note attached that read:

Hello Sal

This is a little weird because this ended up in a law office in MA, and when we tried to send it back the post office redelivered it to us. So, thought I would try putting it in a different envelope and let's hope you get it this time. Looks like the cards could be valuable.

Leslie

Wow! How cool is that, of a complete stranger, to take the time and do this? Instead of keeping my cards or instead of just throwing them away, this person saw to it that I get these Bucyk autographs. Sure, maybe I'm making a big deal out of something small...but this made my week. I was both happy (to get the cards) and also touched that this person was so nice!

Clark Gillies

Clark Gillies

Retired player. Elected to the Hall of Fame in 2002.

Fan letter sent: April 17, 2007.

Autograph received: May 5, 2007.

On the 1981-82 Topps card, Clark Gillies kind of resembles "Figo", the Turkish-born owner of the local dry cleaner.

All kidding aside, Saturday was a good day, as I got cards back from two HOFers.

Chris Chelios

Chris Chelios

Currently with the Detroit Red Wings (but a Blackhawk forever).

Purchased at a card shop in Chicago on May 4, 2007.

If you are one of the three people who might read my blog, you're probably thinking by now "Enough with the Chelios, already!"

I had Friday, May 4 off, as I had to get an MRI on my knee (I hurt my knee running--that's right, running--in a 5 kilometer charity run. And boy, did it hurt...I wonder if this is what Bobby Orr felt like?)

Anyway, on my way home from the doctor, I decided to stop into my local card shop and get some card pages...and low and behold, here's this "beauty", on sale for $11.99.

I say "beauty" because that frame is awful. Well, OK, that's a bit harsh....but all of my framed items are in simple black frames. Not a fan of the whole "wood grain" thing.

Another thing making this item tacky is the fact that it has to tell us, front and center, that it is indeed an original autograph. As we can see here....



In case the little engraved name placard that says "Original Autograph CHRIS CHELIOS" is not good enough for you, then you may have also noticed the not-too-subtle gold seal in the lower right corner. It's shiny--so it's hard to read in the photo--but it says "Walt Disney World Co. Guaranteed Authentic".

So now, you're probably thinking, "OK, this must be a real autograph, because it says both 'original autograph' AND 'guaranteed authentic'." And both of those make for convincing arguments. But not as convincing as what's on the back of the frame...



Wow! I'm sure whatever grandparent that originally bought this for their grandson was convinced--beyond a reasonable doubt--that this was in fact, a genuine, true, guaranteed, original, authentic, genuine--oh wait, I already said genuine--real autograph!

All kidding aside, the frame sucks, but this was worth my $12.

Pete Peeters

Pete Peeters

Retired player. Currently the Goaltender Coach of the Edmonton Oilers.

Fan letter sent: April 13, 2007.

Autograph received: May 2, 2007.

Pete Peeters stands out in my mind for several reasons. First, he has a fun name to say..."Pete Peeters". I wonder if he got teased about that as a kid? At least he didn't go by "Peter Peeters."

Secondly, he's another "80's Goaltender" who didn't really cross over in to the 1990s. Sure, he was "NHL Player of the Month" during October of the 1990-91 season. He retired after that year, though. He was pretty much the 3rd sting goalie for the Flyers in the 89-90 and 90-91 seasons. Despite that, he played an awful lot as Ron Hextall was chronically injured and/or suspended those two years. I'm not dissing Peeters, though. Actually, I'm kind of surprised that he didn't play a few more seasons, as he was always pretty consistent, and always played a lot of games each season.

Third, who could forget that brouhaha over his "trade" to the Winnipeg Jets, and then his "trade" back to the Philadelphia Flyers right before the 1989-90 season? Philly sent him, along with Keith Acton, over to the Jets for future considerations. Then, right after the NHL Waiver Draft, he and Acton were traded back to the Flyers, for future considerations. So, he was a Jet for five days, although this was before the season began. Not his fault, as I'm sure the Flyers thought that he'd get "drafted away" if they left him unprotected...and yet, they didn't want to lose him. Still, one of the more suspicious transactions in NHL history.

For the record, this is the second time I've written to Peeters. I wrote to him 10 years ago when he was a Goalie Coach for the Phoenix Coyotes--he promptly signed and returned my cards too, back then. So nice to see that he is still a fast and willing signer.

Craig Hartsburg

Craig Hartsburg

Retired player. Currently the head coach of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL).

Fan letter sent: April 18, 2007.

Autograph received: May 2, 2007.

Hartsburg used to coach the Chicago Blackhawks, but he didn't work out well as the team's coach. Maybe because he was too young or too inexperienced, and no one took him seriously? I don't know.

He's kind of been all over the map as a coach, constantly retreading his steps. He's gone from an NHL Assistant Coach, to an OHL Head Coach, then an NHL Head Coach, back to the OHL as a Head Coach, then back to the NHL as an Assistant Coach and then back to the OHL as a Head Coach. Isn't that like working at Wal-Mart, starting out as a cart collector, then becoming a cashier, then a greeter, and then back to being a cart collector, etc., etc.?