Thursday, November 24, 2016

Mail - AHL Autos & Custom Cuts

23 new autographs added since my last post. The new total is 5,131 unique NHL autographs for 69% of everyone to every play in the league since it was created in 1917. 
In This post I've got a mix of autographs that were purchases online, at the local hobby store and a few TTM response.
There have been a few NHL players over the past couple years who's only signature was in Upper Deck's AHL releases. The autographs aren't terribly common so I'm happy to cross a bunch off the wantlist at once.
Shanahan was one of those that's been a long time coming. He was one of just a few modern day stars I didn't have. The remaining being just Jagr, Messier(incoming), Yzerman and Roy.
 A bunch of these autographs come from the local card shop here in Charlottetown, Backmandy. Not a big place but its packed with all kinds of great stuff. I found a few signatures I needed in a stack of signed index cards. I also bought a team signed St. Johns Maple Leafs program from the early 1990s for $10. I was hoping that with the amount of signatures on the thing there was bound to be at least one I needed, and at that price it was worth it. There ended up to be just one NHL autograph and a second for my NHL backups collection. The one NHL players, however, was a nice one to mark off the wantlist as Sharples was one of the last modern day NHL goalies who's signature I needed. There's also 3 TTM autographs in the post. I've recently sent out a handful of new envelops, my first batch in months. 


Brendan Shanahan
Brendan Shanahan was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013. He's got a lengthy hockey resume. Shanahan won the Stanley Cup in 1997, 1998 and 2002. He won an Olympic Gold in 2002 and in 1994 he had also won Gold at the World Championships, making him a member of the prestigioius triple gold club. Shanahan was a seven time NHL All-Star, scored over 650 goals in the NHL and 2003 won the King Clancy Trophy. He's currently President of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Kael Mouillierat
Undrafted, Kael Mouillierat played four years of college hockey and then worked his way up from the ECHL to the AHL, finally making his NHL debut in his fifth season of pro hockey. Mouillierat scored 1 goal and 2 points in 6 games with the 2014/15 New York Islanders and played another 1 NHL game with the 2015/16 Pittsburgh Penguins. He's currently playing in Sweden.

Garrett Wilson
A 2009 draft pick, Garrett Wilson made his NHL debut with the 2013/14 Florida Panthers. He played 24 NHL games with Florida over 3 NHL seasons. Wilson recorded no points and 2 fights. In 2016 he was signed by the Pittsburgh Penguins but has yet to move up from their AHL club.

Garnet Hathaway
An undrafted forward, Garnet Hathaway was signed by the Calgary Flames after four years of college hockey at Brown University. He recorded 3 assists in 14 NHL game as a rookie with the 2015/2016 Calgary Flames.

Michael Keranen
Swedish forward Michael Keranen played 1 NHL game with the 2015/16 Minnesota Wild. He was signed by the Wild as an undrafted free agent in 2014. Keranen has since gone back overseens and is now playing in the KHL.

Cole Schneider
Cole Schneider spent a few seasons with the Ottawa Senators but all of his time was spent playing for their AHL club. Schneider made his NHL debut in 2016 with the Buffalo Sabres after being traded to the club in February of the same year. Schneider played 2 games for the 2015/16 Sabres and has already played a handful of NHL games with the 2016/17 Sabres. 

Marek Hrivik
Slovakian forward Marek Hrivik was never drafted and after 3 years in the QMJHL with the Moncton Wildcats he signed with the New York Rangers as a free agent. In his fourth season of pro with the Rangers organization Hrivik made his NHL debut, recording 1 assist in 5 NHL games with the 2015/16 Rangers.

Mark Pederson
From 1989 to 1994 Mark Pederson scored 35 goals and 85 points in 169 regular season NHL games. Pederson played with the Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks and Detroit Red Wings. Pederson was a profilic goal scorer in the minors and was drafted 15th overall by Montreal in 1986. Pederson scored 40+ goals in all of his 3 seasons in the WHL and then did it again in his first pro season with Montreal's AHL team. He scored 53 goals in his second season in the AHL but was never able to translate that success to the next level. 

Chris Lindberg
From 1991 to 1994 Chris Lindberg played 116 regular season games in the NHL, suiting up for the Calgary Flames and Quebec Nordiques. He's most notable for helping Canada win a Silver medal at the 1992 Olympics. Lindberg contributed 1 goal and 5 points in 8 games during the tournament.

Craig Martin
Craig Martin played 20 NHL games with the 1994/95 Winnipeg Jets and 1 NHL game with the 1996/97 Florida Panthers. In 21 career NHL games he recorded 1 assist and 4 fights. He squared off with NHL tough guys Stu "Grim Reaper" Rimson and Rob "Rayzor" Ray. 

Joe Day
From 1991 to 1994 Joe Day played 72 games in the NHL, dressing with the Hartford Whalers and New York Islanders.

Bob Fryday
From 1949 to 1952 Bob Fryday played 5 games in the NHL for the Montreal Canadiens, scoring 1 goal. Fryday passed away in 2007.

Warren Skorodenski
From 1981 to 1988 goalie Warren Skorodenski played in 35 NHL games. He suited up for the Chicago Blackhawks, where he's best known for his mask, and later with the Edmonton Oilers.

Scott Sharples
Scott Sharples played 1 game in the NHL with the 1991/92 Calgary Flames. He spent his last year of pro hockey, 1992/93, with the Leafs organization but spent most of his time in the AHL. I'd tried writing to him a couple times and he was one of only a handful of modern day NHL goalies whose signature I didn't have. This was a nice find on an old AHL program.

Jason Ruff
From 1992 to 1994 Jason Ruff played 14 games in the NHL, splitting that time between the St. Louis Blues and Tampa Bay Lightning. He was a prolific scorer in the minors, including a 42 goal season with the 1994/95 IHL's Atlanta Knights.

Jean-Mark Richard
Defenceman Jean-Mark Richard played 4 NHL games with the 1987/88 Quebec Nordiques and 1 NHL games with the 1989/90 Nordiques. He recorded 2 goals and 1 assist in his first stint with the Nords.

Aldo Guidolin
From 1952 to 1956 defenceman Aldo Guidolin played 182 regular season games in the NHL with the New York Rangers. In the late 1970s, Guildolin returned to the NHL as coach of the Colorado Rockies. He passed away last year.

Ross Johnstone
Ross Johnstone is most notable for winning the 1945 Stanley Cup with the Toronto Maple Leafs. From 1943 to 1945 Johnstone played 42 NHL games with Toronto. He passed away in 2009.

Alan Rittinger
Alan Rittinger scored 3 goals and 10 points in 19 NHL games with the 1943/44 Boston Bruins.

Clifford "Red" Goupille
From 1935 to 1943 defenceman Red Goupille played 222 regular season games in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens. He passed away in 2005. 

Gary Morrison
From 1979 to 1982 Gary Morrison played 43 regular season games in the NHL with the Philadelphia Flyers. He recorded 1 goal and 16 points.

Sylvain Couturier
From 1988 to 1992 Sylvain Couturier scored 4 goals and 9 points in 33 NHL games with the Los Angeles Kings. He's the father of NHLer Sean Couturier. I think this was the third time I tried sending to Couturier via the Acadie Bathurst Titan so happy to finally hear back.

Don Spring
From 1980 to 1984 defenceman Don Spring played 259 NHL games with the Winnipeg Jets. He's also notable for playing with Team Canada at the 1980 Olympics. Spring was born in Venezuela but raised in Canada.

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As usual, I'll end the post with notable recently acquired autographs that fall outside of my NHL players collection. 

Mark Richards
Mark Richards appeared in an NHL game as a backup goalie with the 1992/93 Winnipeg Jets. One of the main reasons I'm happy to find a Mark Richards autograph on a program is that because is name is so common, its hard to locate him post-hockey career.

Wayne Forsey
From 1979 to 1987 NHL official Wayne Forsey worked 600 regular season and 23 playoff games. He had been a decent hockey player and in 1971 had been drafted by the New York Rangers.

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