Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Early Nov. Mail: McCartan, DeJordy & More


Jack McCartan and Denis DeJordy
In the early 1960’s Jack McCartan played a dozen games for the New York Rangers.  He’s best remembered for leading team USA to a 1960 Olympic Gold medal. 
As Chicago’s backup goaltender Denis DeJordy won the 1961 Stanley Cup.  He also had his name engraved on the 1967 Vezina when he shared the trophy with Glenn Hall. Both of these players earned their first autographs in this year's Between the Pipes.  
Andreas Karlsson and Lance Ward
With no NHL issued certified autographs of either player, these two rare European autos top my favorite cards of this mail post.  From 1999-2002 Andreas Karlsson was an Atlanta Thrasher and from 2006-2008 he was a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Lance Ward saw 4 NHL seasons in his hockey career.  He spent 2 and a half years in Florida and 1 and a half years in Anaheim.  From 200-2004 he played just over 200 games and scored 4 goal but amassed nearly 400 penalty minutes.
Nino Niederreiter and T.J. Brodie
Niederreiter made his NHL debut as an 18 year old rookie with the 10/11 New York Islanders.  The 5th overall pick of the 2010 NHL draft has seen his stock fall ever since.  In 64 NHL games he has scored only 1 goal and 3 points.  This card would have been a box hit a year ago but was picked up for a dollar last month.  Being an Islanders prospect doesn’t help his hobby value either. 
Defeseman TJ Brodie spent most of last season in the NHL with the Flames and seems poised to take a permanent roster spot. 
Roman Horak and Lance Bouma
Czech centerman Roman Horak played 61 games as a rookie for the 11/12 Calgary Flames. 
Another young Flames center, Lance Bouma has seen 43 games of action over the last two years in Calgary.  He was a memorial cup winner in 2007 with the Vancouver Giants before making the NHL.
Mike Fisher and Jared Cowen
Mike Fisher is a stellar hockey player, having scored 20+ goals 5 times through his career.  With that said he will still go into popular history as the hockey player who married Carrie Underwood. 
Hulking defeceman Jared Cowen was selected 9th overall in 2009.  In his first year out of junior he played a full 82 game season for the 11/12 Senators. 
Matt Pelech and John Scott
A first round pick of the 2005 NHL draft, Matt Pelech played 5 games with the 08/09 Calgary Flames. 
Tough guy John Scott has played 4 NHL seasons and has dressed with the Minnesota Wild, Chicago Blackhawks and most recently the 11/12 New York Rangers. 
Viktor Tikhonov and Ray Macias
Viktor Tikhonov was rushed into the NHL as an 18 year old after being selected in the first round of the 2008 draft.  He played 61 games in 2008/09, scoring 8 goals and 16 points.  He hasn’t been back in the league since. 
Ray Macias played 8 games for the Colorado Avalanche between 2008 and 2011.  He’s one of few NHLers born in California. 
Zach Hamill and Casey Wellman
Selected 8th overall in 2007, Zach Hamill has yet to reach his potential but has still managed to play 20 games for the Boston Bruins.  He dressed in 3 regular season games for the 2011 Cup winning squad. 
Casey Wellman’s father, Brad, is a former Major League Baseball player.  Casey seems to have chosen the right path for himself in hockey and has played over 40 games for the Minnesota Wild. 
Mike Moore and Jason Demers
Mike Moore scored a goal in his 6 game stint for the 10/11 San Jose Sharks.  He has since left the organization to sign in Nashville.
Jason Demers has been a roster player for the past 3 years in San Jose. 
Jerome Samson
Between 2009 and 2012 Jerome Samson played 46 game for the Carolina Hurricanes, scoring 2 goals and 9 points.  He’s notable for beating the odds and making the NHL as an undrafted player who paid his dues in the AHL after 3 full years in the QMJHL. 
Garth Butcher and Colten Teubert
Garth Butcher was a tough defenceman who played over a dozen years in the NHL.  He played in the 1993 All-Star game and was the St. Louis Blues captain for a while in the early 90s. 
Originally a first round pick by the LA Kings, Colten Teubert came to the Oilers in the trade that saw Dustin Penner go the other way.  He made his NHL debut last year and played 24 games for Edmonton, netting only 1 assist.  He was a star junior player who won a gold and silver medal with team Canada’s world junior teams in 2009 and 2010.
Cory Emmerton and T.J. Brennan
After 4 years of season in the AHL Cory Emmerton finally became a full time Detroit Red Wing last season.  The left winger was a bottom line player who scored 6 goals and 10 points in 71 games. 
Rookie TJ Brennan scored 1 goal in 11 games for the 11/12 Buffalo Sabres. 
Drayson Bowman and Nicklas Grossman
Drayson Bowman was one of the Spokan Chief’s best playes when they captured the 2008 Memorial Cup.  He has gone on to play parts of three seasons in the NHL. 
Nicklas Grossmann (correctly spelled with the additional ‘n’)  has spent 5 full years in the NHL playing for the Stars and most recently the Philadelphia Flyers. 
Stacy Roest and Jason Strudwick
Stacy Roest played a couple seasons in Minnesota and Detroit. 
Jason Strudwick spent over a dozen seasons in the NHL.  The forward is a bottom line player who only scored 13 goals over his long career. 
Patrik Stefan and Paul Comrie
The Atlanta Thrashers were almost doomed from the very beginning.  Their first ever pick as a franchise was in 1999 when they selected Patrik Stefan with their 1st overall pick.  Stefan is destined to remain one of the biggest busts in NHL draft history.  He did, however, play 455 NHL games and netted 188 points. 
Mike’s brother, Paul Comrie played 15 games for the Edmonton Oilers in 99/00.  His first season of pro hockey would actually be his last as he was forced to retire at only 24 due to concussions.  He has since entered his lucrative family business of running The Brick stores. 
Andrei Kovalenko and Valeri Zelepukin
Through an NHL career that lasted over 600 games Andrei Kovalenko dressed for the Nordiques, Avalanche, Canadiens, Oilers, Flyers, Hurricanes and Bruins.  In 96/97, the best year of his career, he exploded for 32 goals and 59 points in Edmonton. 
A veteran of the old Soviet regime, Valeri Zelepukin joined the New Jersey Devils after the USSR fell and would help the team win their fist Stanley Cup in 1995. 
Mark Osborne and Dan Quinn
Mark Osborne spent 14 years in the NHL.  He had 4 seasons of 20+ goals, 2 in Detroit and 2 in Toronto. 
Here’s a great article about Dan Quinn’s career.  His world was turned upside down in 1992 when he was accused of raping a young girl. 
Dean Evason and Joel Otto
Dean Evason played over 800 career NHL games.  His best years were in Hartford and he scored 20+ goals a couple times for the Whalers. 
Centerman Joel Otto retired with over 500 NHL points.  The longtime Calgary Flame won the 1989 Stanley Cup.  He was an important piece of that squad and amassed 19 points in only 22 games during the successful playoff run.
Len Ronson and Dave Lucas
Len Ronson played 13 games for the 60/61 New York Rangers and 5 games for the 68/69 Oakland Seals. 
Dave Lucas played a single NHL game, for the 62/63 Detroit Red Wings.
Norm Johnson and Jean Cusson
Norm Jonson played 75 career NHL games in the Original 6 between Boston and Chicago. 
Jean Cusson played 2 games for the inaugural 1967/68 Oakland Seals.
Rick Newell and Jim Culhane
Rick Newell played 7 games for the Red Wings in the mid 1970s. He also played half a season for the 74/75 Phoenix Roadrunners of the WHA. 
Jim Culhane saw half a dozen games in the NHL for the 89/90 Hartford Whales. 


Tyson Sexsmith and Jordan Pearce
Both Tyler Sexsmith and Jordan Pearce will go into my “backup” only binder, very likely for a temporary amount of time as both netminders are still top prospects for their respected clubs, San Jose and Detroit.  

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