Sunday, December 29, 2013

Ending 2013 With A Huge Milestone: 50% Complete

36 new NHL autographs to start the new year.  The grand total of unique NHL signatures now stands at 3,553.  Between 1917 and the current day in 2013 7,064 people have played in the NHL. I am officially half way to that number in getting all their autographs.  I'm also trying to get more of my collection scanned and added to the My Collection page here.  Years 1999-2004 will soon be added and continuously updated as will the other seasons.  The goal will be to have every season dating back to the Original 6 years.  Sort of an autograph archives of hockey signatures.  


Mario Lemieux
Some may find it odd that with 3,500 different hockey autographs in the collection it has taken this long to add one of the game's best players in Lemieux.  The more autographs a player has on the market the lower that signature tends to be on my wantlist.  Over the years I would have bid on dozens, possibly hundreds, of Lemieux autographs but with low opening bids.  Finally my work paid off and I snagged this one under market value.  As soon as I free this card from its 2013 Leaf Best of Hockey case it will become more desirable and I'm sure that is the reason I got it for such a good deal.  

Bobby Clarke
Bobby Clarke is an NHL legend.  The long time captain of the Philadelphia Flyers won 2 Stanley Cups, 3 Hart Trophies, a Lester Pearson, Masterton, Selke and Lou Marsh as Canadian male athlete of the year.  The 8 time NHL all-star was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987.

Mark Pavelich
Mark Pavelich will best be known for his part in Team USA's 1980 miracle run to a gold medal.  He went on to play 350+ NHL games between the New York Rangers, Minnesota North Stars and San Jose Sharks.

Mike Modano
One of USA's best all time hockey players, Mike Modano retired in 2011 with well over 500 NHL goals scored.  He played in 8 NHL all-star games and won an Olympic silver medal with Team USA in 2002.  He helped the Dallas Stars win the Stanley Cup in 1999.

John Tavares
Drafted first overall in 2009 by the NY Islanders, John Tavares was a junior sensation.  He's played five full seasons with the Islanders and is emerging as an NHL superstar. 

Roberto Luongo
Selected 4th overall by the New York Islanders in 1997, Roberto Luongo has played 750+ NHL games between the Islanders, Panthers and Canucks.  He's a 2 time NHL all-star, former captain of the Canucks and winner of the 2011 William Jennings trophy.  He's best known for leading Team Canada to an Olympic gold medal in 2010.

Cam Ward
Cam Ward has played almost 500 games for the Carolina Hurricanes but his best season with the team was his first.  As a rookie in 2005/2006 he guided the Hurricanes to a Stanley Cup.  He was awarded the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP in the process.

Miikka Kiprusoff
In 2005/2006 Miikka Kiprusoff won the William Jennings trophy and Vezina trophy as the league's best netminder.  He recently retired after having played well over 600 NHL games between the Sharks and Flames.  He helped Team Finland win a bronze medal at the 2010 Olympics.

Dany Sabourin
Dany Sabourin saw time in 59 NHL games between the Calgary Flames, Pittsburgh Penguins and Vancouver Canucks.

Thomas Greiss
Since 2007 Thomas Greiss has played 50+ NHL games between the San Jose Sharks and Phoenix Coyotes. He has played in the 2006 and 2010 winter Olympics for Germany.

Kent Simpson
Kent Simpson recently played a single period for the 2013/14 Chicago Blackhawks.  I actually had this one lying around already but since he just made his debut, and gets added to my grand total, I decided to include it in the mail post. I have a rather large collection of certified junior autographs but i don't post them here when they come in.

Denis Tolpeko
Russian Denis Tolpeko played 26 games for the 2007/2008 Philadelphia Flyers.  This KHL autograph is his only certified signature on the market. 

Bobby Ryan
Drafted second overall in 2005, behind Crosby, Bobby Ryan scored 30+ goals in a season for the Ducks four times.  The current Ottawa Senator won a silver medal with Team USA in the 2010 Olympics.

Jay Harrison
Drafted by the Maple Leafs in 2001, Jay Harrison made his NHL debut with the team during the 2005/2006 season.  He has played nearly 300 NHL games between the Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes.  This remains his only certified autograph.

Luke Adam
Newfoundlander Luke Adam was a second draft pick by the Sabres in 2008.  He has played 84 games with the team since 2010.  His father Russ also played in the NHL.

Taylor Chorney
Since 2009 Taylor Chorney has played 59 games for the Edmonton Oilers and 2 games for the St. Louis Blues. His father Marc also played in the NHL.

Quinton Howden
Quinton Howden was a first round draft pick by the Panthers in 2010.  He was on the 2011 and 2012 Team Canada world junior teams, winning a bronze and silver medal.

Brendan Smith
A first round pick by the Red Wings in 2007, defenceman Brendan Smith is nearing the 100 games played mark.

Mats Zuccarello
Only the seventh Norwegian to play in the NHL, Mats Zuccarello has emerged as a scoring threat for the Rangers, scoring 60 points in just over NHL 100 games.

   
Brad Fast
A Michigan State University alumni, Brad Fast is a member of the 'one game wonders' club.  He played a single NHL game for the 2003/2004 Carolina Hurricanes, scoring a goal.  

   
Steve Brule
Steve Brule played in a total of 3 NHL games.  He played a game in the playoffs for the 1999/2000 New Jersey Devils and 2 regular season games for the 2002/2003 Colorado Avalanche.  His single game with the Devils got him his name on the Stanley Cup as they claimed the trophy in 2000.

    
Ian MacNeil
Ian MacNeil played 2 games for the 2002/2003 Philadelphia Flyers.

  
Eric Landry
Between 1997 and 2002 Eric Landry played 68 NHL games between the Calgary Flames and Montreal Canadiens. 

Ab DeMarco jr.
Between 1970 and 1979 Ab Demarco played 350+ NHL games while dressing for the Rangers, Blues, Penguins, Canucks, Kings and Bruins.  He also spent a season in the WHA playing for the Edmonton Oilers.  His father, also called Ab, had a long career in the NHL as well.

Graeme Nicolson
Defenceman Graeme Nicolson played 1 game for the 1978/1979 Boston Bruins, 41 games for the 1981/1982 Colorado Rockies and 10 games for the 1982/1983 New York Rangers.

Al MacNeil
Sydney, Nova Scotia native Al MacNeil played over 500 games in the NHL between 1956 and 1968.  As a coach he won the Stanley Cup with the 1971 Montreal Canadiens.  As director of player personnel he later claimed two more Stanley Cups, in 1978 and 1979, both with the Habs.  Unfortunately he did not sign the card on top of the faded logo as I requested.

Guy Trottier
Guy Trottier, no relation to Bryan, played 100+ games in both the NHL and WHA.

Tom Miller
Between 1970 and 1975 Tom Miller played over 100 NHL games between the Detroit Red Wings and New York Islanders. 

Tim Ecclestone
Between 1967 and 1978 Tim Ecclestone played over 700 games in the NHL. He spent time with the St.Louis Blues, Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs and Atlanta Flames.

Bill Hajt
Bill Hajt spent his entire career playing for the Buffalo Sabres.  Between 1973 and 1986 he played, including playoffs, nearly 1000 games with the club.  His son Chris also played in the NHL.

Stan Gilbertson
Stan Gilbertson played well over 400 NHL games in the 1970s.  He had to retire early when he lost part of his leg in a car accident.

Brian Wilks
Between 1984 and 1989 Brian Wilks played 48 games in the NHL for the Los Angeles Kings.

Paul Mulvey
Between 1978 and 1982 Paul Mulvey played 225 NHL games while dressing for the Capitals, Kings and Penguins.  He was a tough customer who saw over 600 minutes in the penalty box over that span.  His brother Grant also played in the NHL.

John English
Defenceman John English played 3 games for the 1987/88 Los Angeles Kings.  In just 3 career NHL games he has 1 goal and 4 points. 

Rich Nantais
Between 1974 and 1977 Richard Nantais played 63 games for the Minnesota North Stars.

Steve Langdon
Steve Langdon played 7 games for the Boston Bruins in the 1970s.  





To end the post, as usual, a few more hockey autographs of people who never played in the NHL.

Floyd Lahache
Floyd Lahache played 11 games in the WHA for the 1977/1978 Cincinnati Stingers.  The defenceman recorded 3 assists. 

Doug Lindskog
Doug Lindskog played 2 games for the 1976/1977 WHA's Calgary Cowboys.  He was drafted by the Cowboys as well as the NHL's St. Louis Blues.

Dunc Rousseau
Dunc Rousseau was a member of the Winnipeg Jets from 1972-1974.  He played 150+ games for the club through two seasons.

Matt Pavelich
In 1987 Matt Pavelich became the first linesman to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.  He worked over 1,700 regular season NHL games over a 30 year period.  His brother Marty played in the NHL.

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