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Month of Mail - September & October 2022

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Added exactly 20 autographs over the past two months.  
The big addition recently was a 1938 menu signed by the Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings. Rarely do I get the opportunity to add so many vintage signatures at once. 
Another highlight was Alec Tidey that a I owe a big thanks to another collector (thanks Sean!) for grabbing me his signature at a recent signing. I'd been trying to reach Tidey for a long time. 
My grand total of unique NHL player autograph is now 7,260

                           Jack Adams (d. 1968)
From 1917 to 1927 Jack Adams scored 115 points in 173 career NHL games. He helped the Toronto Arenas win the Stanley Cup in 1917 and the Ottawa Senators win in 1927. He went on to win the Cup another 7 times as GM or coach of the Detroit Red Wings, a team he largely built.

                       Normie Smith (d. 1988)
Normie Smith won the Vezina Trophy in 1936-37 with the Detroit Red Wings. He played 174 games in the NHL between Detroit and the Montreal Maroons. He won the Stanley Cup in '36 and '37. He's also notable for holding the NHL record for most saves in one game with 92 during a 1936 playoff game.

                      Babe Siebert (d. 1939)
Winner of the 1937 Hart Trophy as NHL MVP, captain of the Montreal Canadiens from 1936-39 and two time Stanley Cup winner, Babe Siebert was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1964. He died tragically young in a swimming accident.

                       Ebbie Goodfellow (d. 1985)
A member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Ebbie Goodfellow won the Hart as NHL MVP in 1939-40. He won the Stanley Cup 3 times and spent time as captain of the Detroit Red Wings.

                      Walter Buswell (d. 1991)
From 1932 to 1940 Walter Buswell played 368 games in the NHL between the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens. He was captain of the 1939-40 Montreal Canadiens. 

                        Rod Lorrain (d. 1980)
From 1936 to 1942 Rod Lorrain played 179 NHL games with the Montreal Canadiens.

                          Georges Mantha (d. 1990)
From 1926 to 1941 Georges Mantha played just under 500 games in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens. He won the Stanley Cup in 1930 and 1931.

                      Doug Young (d. 1990)
Doug Young was captain of the Detroit Red Wings from 1935 to 1938, helping the franchise win the Stanley Cup in 1936 and 1937. The defenseman is also notable for playing in the 1939 NHL All-Star game.

                        Alex Motter (d. 1996)
From 1934 to 1943 Alex Motter played 265 games in the NHL between the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings. He helped Detroit with the Stanley Cup in 1943. 

                          Larry Aurie (d. 1952)
From 1927 to 1938 Larry Aurie played nearly 500 NHL games in Detroit, suiting up for the Cougars, Falcons and finally, the Red Wings. He won the Stanley Cup in 1936 and 1937.

                       Marty Barry (d. 1969)
From 1927 to 1940 Mary Barry played over 500 games in the NHL. He won the Lady Byng Trophy in 1937 and helped the Red Wings win the Stanley Cup in '36 and '37. Barry was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1965.

                        Pit Lepine (d. 1955)
From 1925 to 1938 Alfred "Pit" Lepine played well over 500 games in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens. He helped the Habs win the Stanley Cup in 1930 and 1931. 

                        Pete Bessone (d. 1989)
Defenseman Pete Bessone played 6 games in the NHL with the 1937-38 Detroit Red Wings. He helped USA win a Silver medal at the 1934 World Championships and in 1978 he was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.

                     Polly Drouin (d. 1968)
From 1935 to 1941 Polly Drouin played 156 games in the NHL, scoring 23 goals and 73 points.

                      Wilf Cude (d. 1968)
From 1930 to 1941 goalie Wilf Cude played 282 games in the NHL. He was a member of the Philadelphia Quakers, Bruins, Blackhawks, Red Wings and Canadiens.

                     Alec Tidey
From 1976 to 1980 Alec Tidey played 9 games in the NHL between the Buffalo Sabres and Edmonton Oilers. He also spent a season in the WHA, scoring 27 points in 74 games with the 1975-76 San Diego Mariners. 

                   Philip Holm
Defenseman Philip Holm played 1 game in the NHL with the 2017-18 Vancouver Canucks.

               Andrei Chibisov
An undrafted forward, Andrei Chibisov spent one season in North America with the Winnipeg Jets. He played 2 NHL games with Winnipeg and spent the rest of the season in the AHL. He won a Silver medal at the 2022 Olympics with Russia.

                 Ryan Lomberg
Ryan Lomberg has played 100 games in the NHL between the Calgary Flames and Florida Panthers.

                    Cameron Hughes
Cameron Hughes played 1 NHL game with the 2019-20 Boston Bruins and 1 game with the 2020-21 team for 2 career NHL games with Boston. He's currently in the Seattle Kraken organization. 

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                           Cecil Hart (d. 1940)
Cecil Hart spent 9 seasons as head coach of the Montreal Canadiens, guiding them to the Stanley Cup in 1930 and 1931. His father was the one who donated the NHL's Hart Trophy.
This goes with my collection of NHL GMs and Coaches who never played in the NHL.

                              Jean Tetreault
Jean Tetreault played 9 games in the WHA between the Vancouver Blazers and Minnesota Fighting Saints. He's most notable for his role in the movie Slap Shot, playing Chiefs player Andre Bergeron.
This goes with my collection of 'WHA only' autographs. 

                    Cam Johnson
Between the 2018/19 New Jersey Devils and the 2020/21 Columbus Blue Jackets,  Cam Johnson dressed in 9 NHL games as a backup goalie.
This goes with my collection of goalies who reached the NHL but only as backups.

               Adam Nightingale
Adam Nightingale was an NHL assistant coach with the 2019/20 Detroit Red Wings. He had previously spent a couple seasons as the team's video coach. He currently coaches the US National Development program.
This goes with my collection of NHL coaches and GMs who never played in the NHL.

Month of Mail - November 2022

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Rod Norrish is a highlight here for me. I absolutely love hearing back from former NHLers directly and I'd been trying to reach Norrish for years. Ditto for Kai Suikkanen, which might have been even more of a surprise. I had sent that request to Germany a couple years ago c/o a team he now no longer works for. It came back years later but from Finland and Suikkanen even added the Finnish postage since I had German return stamps. 

This past month saw 28 new NHL player autographs added. The grand total is now 7,288 unique NHL player signatures for 91% of everyone to ever play in the league. 

                     Rod Norrish
From 1973 to 1975 Rod Norrish played 21 games in the NHL with the Minnesota North Stars.

                 Kai Suikkanen
From 1981 to 1983 Kai Suikkanen played 2 games in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres. The Finn spent 3 seasons in North America and most of that was spent with the AHL's Rochester Americans. He helped Finland win Silver at the 1988 Olympics.

                      Dit Clapper (d. 1978)
Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1947, Dit Clapper was one of the legends of his era. He helped the Boston Bruins win the Stanley Cup in 1929, 1939 and 1941. He spent over a decade as captain of the Bruins.

                           Doug McCaig (d. 1982)
From 1941 to 1951 defenseman Doug McCaig played 263 regular season games in the NHL between the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks.

                       Cooney Weiland (d. 1985)
Cooney Weiland was the NHL's leading goal scorer of the 1929-30 season, scoring 43 goals in 44 games with Boston. He won the Stanley Cup with the Bruins in 1929 and 1939. He also spent a season, 1938-39, as captain of the Bruins. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1971.

                            Larry Brown
Through the 1970s defenseman Larry Brown played well over 400 games in the NHL. He dressed for the Rangers, Red Wings, Flyers and Kings. 

                       Butch Williams
During the 1970s Butch Williams played over 100 games in the NHL between the St. Louis Blues and California Seals. He also played 29 games in the WHA with the 1976-77 Edmonton Oilers. 

                              Steve Stone
Steve Stone played 2 games in the NHL with the 1973-74 Vancouver Canucks.

              Gerry Desaulniers (d. 1984)
From 1950 to 1954 Gerry Desaulniers recorded 2 points in 8 NHL games with the Montreal Canadiens. He played a couple of regular season games with the 1952-53 Stanley Cup winning Habs, not enough to get his name on the trophy. 

                 Nels Podolsky (d. 2007)
Nels Podolsky played 1 regular season game and 7 playoff games in the NHL with the 1948-49 Detroit Red Wings.

                               Adam Fox
Adam Fox is a star defenseman with the New York Rangers and won the 2021 Norris Trophy as the NHL's best blueliner.

                   Kaapo Kakko
The New York Rangers drafted Kaapo Kakko 2nd overall in the 2019 NHL draft. The Finn is in his 4th NHL season.

                 Charlie McAvoy
A first round pick by Boston in 2016, defenseman Charlie McAvoy has played well over 300 NHL games with the Bruins since making his debut during the 2017 NHL playoffs. 

                    Joel Farabee
The Flyers drafted Joel Farabee 14th overall in the 2018 NHL draft. He's nearing 200 NHL games played as a productive member of Philly. He won Silver at the 2019 World Juniors with Canada.

                 Morgan Frost
Morgan Frost was a 2017 Flyers first round draft pick. He represented Canada at the 2019 World Juniors. He's played just under 100 NHL games with the Flyers so far.

                    Dan Vladar
Dan Vladar made his NHL debut with the Boston Bruins but has become an NHL regular recently with the Calgary Flames.

                   Jake Oettinger
A first round pick of Dallas in the 2017 NHL draft, Oettinger is approaching 100 NHL games played. He made a name for himself with a strong performance in the 2022 playoffs, making 64 saves in one game alone.

                       Klim Kostin
From 2019 to 2022 Russian forward Klim Kostin scored 5 goals and 11 points in 46 NHL games with the St. Louis Blues.

                  John Marino
Since 2019 defenseman John Marino has played over 200 NHL games between the Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils.

               Martin Fehervary
Defenseman Martin Fehervary has played over 100 NHL games with the Washington Capitals since 2019. Internationally, Fehervary represented Slovakia at the 2018, 2019 and 2022 World Championships.

                     Josh Norris
Josh Norris was drafted by the San Jose Sharks in the first round of the 2017 NHL draft. He was traded to Ottawa in the Erik Karlsson trade and made his NHL debut with the 2019-20 Sens. He's played well over 100 NHL games and has become a regular with the Sens. 

              Mackenzie Blackwood
Mackenzie Blackwood has played well over 100 NHL games since making his debut with the Devils in 2018/19. Internationally, he won a Silver with Canada at the 2019 World Championships. 

                    Carter Hart
Carter Hart is in his fifth NHL season as a member of the Philadelphia Flyers. Internationally, he helped Canada win Silver at the 2019 World Championships. 

                  Cal Petersen
Cal Petersen made his NHL debut with the 2018-19 Los Angeles Kings. He's since played over 100 games for the Kings. Internationally, he represented USA at the 2021 World Championships, winning a bronze.

                      Andrei Svechnikov 
Andrei Svechnikov was drafted 2nd overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2018 NHL draft. He's in his fifth season as a productive member of the Hurricanes, already having over 100 career NHL goals.

                      Alex Iafallo
Alex Iafallo stepped directly into the Kings lineup after his college career at Minnesota-Duluth. Since 2017 he's played well over 350 NHL games with Los Angeles.

                Henrik Haapala
Henrik Haapala has spent most of his career in Finland but in 2017-18 he travelled to North America after signing with the Florida Panthers. He recorded 1 point in 5 NHL games with the Panthers and spent the rest of the season with the AHL's Springfield Thunderbirds.


                              Brian Pinho
Brian Pinho made his NHL debut in the 2020 playoffs with the Washington Capitals. He played 2 playoff games for the Caps in 2020 and then 2 regular season games with the team the following season.


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                    Tim O'Connell
Tim O'Connell played 16 games in the WHA with the 1976-77 San Diego Mariners. He was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in 1973 but never signed with the NHL team. This goes into my collection of WHA autographs. 

                    Misha Donskov
Misha Donskov is in his fourth season as an assistant coach with the Vegas Golden Knights. This goes with my collection of NHL coaches/managers who never played in the NHL. 

                     Kyle Konin
Kyle Konin dressed in 1 NHL game as an emergency backup goalie with the 2021-22 St. Louis Blues. The final autographs of this post go into my collection of NHL backups autographs. 

                          Dusan Salficky 
Czech goalie Dusan Salficky spent the first part of the 2001-02 season in North America with the New York Islanders. He never played any NHL minutes but dressed in 5 NHL games with New York as a backup goalie. He also played in 4 AHL games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

                  Jacob Ingham
Jacob Ingham dressed in 1 NHL game (December 18, 2021) as an NHL backup goalie with the Los Angeles Kings.

                          Philippe Desrosiers
Philippe Desrosiers spent the 2020/21 NHL season on Florida's Taxi Squad, practising with the club all season. He dressed in one NHL regular season game as backup to Spencer Knight. 

Month of Mail - December 2022

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5 New NHL player autographs added this past month raises the grand total of unique NHL player signatures to 7,293 for 91% overall. 

                   Slava Duris
From 1980 to 1983 Czech defenseman Vitezslav (Slava) Duris played 89 games in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

                            Bob Bergloff
Bob Bergloff played 2 games in the NHL with the 1982-83 Minnesota North Stars.

                     Matt Luff
Matt Luff has played nearly 100 games in the NHL between the LA Kings, Nashville Predators and Detroit Red Wings.

                 Kurtis MacDermid
Defenseman Kurtis MacDermid has played nearly 200 games in the NHL between the Los Angeles Kings and Colorado Avalanche. He has his name on the Stanley Cup with the 2022 Avs. His father, Paul, and brother, Lane, also played in the NHL.

                               Sammy Blais
Sammy Blais has his name on the Stanley Cup as a member of the 2019 St. Louis Blues. He's currently a member of the New York Rangers.

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Some new autographs for my coaches, NHL backups only and women in hockey collections. 

                  Marty Johnston 
Marty Johnston spent some time as a professional hockey player in the ECHL before moving behind the bench. In 2022, he made it to the NHL as an assistant coach with the Winnipeg Jets. 

                      Trent Cull
Trent Cull was a professional hockey player in the AHL and IHL before becoming a coach. He was recently head coach of the AHL's Utica Comets and Abbotsford Canucks. In 2022 he was promoted to the NHL as assistant coach with the Vancouver Canucks.

                 Doug Carpenter
Doug Carpenter was head coach of the NHL's New Jersey Devils during the mid 80s and head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1989 to 1990.

                                Ron Ryan
During the 1970s Ron Ryan spent time as both coach and GM of the WHA's New England Whalers.

                    Gord Garbutt
Gord Garbutt was a member of the 1980/81 Edmonton Oilers for 1 regular season NHL game as their backup goalie.

                    Larry Thayer
Larry Thayer dressed as an NHL backup goalie in 1 NHL game with the 1979/80 Minnesota North Stars.

                 Alex D'Orio 
Alex D'Orio has dressed in 6 NHL games as a backup goalie with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was backup for 1 game with the 2020/21 Penguins and 5 games with the 2021/22 Penguins.

                  Ryan Lowe
Ryan Lowe dressed in 1 NHL game as an emergency backup goalie with the 2014/15 San Jose Sharks.

                Frederic Henry
Frederic Henry dressed in 1 NHL game as a backup goalie with the 2000/01 New Jersey Devils

                   Kacey Bellamy
Kacey Bellamy helped USA win Gold at the 2018 Olympics and Silver in 2014 and 2010. She also won medals in many World Championships. 

              Caitlin MacDonald
MacDonald was a member of the Canadian Under 18 squad that captured gold at the IIHF Under-18 World Championships. She got an Upper Deck World of Sports card for being on the team and I've slowly been adding some of the women in the set.

Month of Mail - January 2023

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A couple great and unexpected TTM returns this past month in Gustavsson and Stewart. 
With 3 new NHL player autographs added this month the grand total goes up to 7,296  unique NHL player signatures, still 91% overall. 

                  Peter Gustavsson
A Swedish forward, Peter Gustavsson had a brief stint in North America. He spent most of the 1981-82 season with the Forth Worth Texans but did get a couple games in the NHL with the Colorado Rockies. He spent the rest of his career in Sweden. 

                     Ryan Stewart
Ryan Stewart was Winnipeg's first round pick of the 1985 NHL draft, 18th overall. He played 3 NHL games with the 1985-86 Jets, scoring 1 goal. Illness and injuries plagued Stewart's career. 
I was thrilled to have finally located him as I didn't even have a signature example on file for Stewart, largely due to the common name. 

                   Kaapo Kahkonen
Kaapo Kahkonen is nearing 100 NHL games played between the Minnesota Wild and San Jose Sharks. Internationally, he backstopped Finland to a Gold medal at the 2016 World Juniors.

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                      Jay Varady
Jay Varady played for Union College but never turned pro as a player. He rose up through the hockey ranks behind the bench. He was a head coach in the AHL with the Tucson Roadrunners from 2018 to 2022. In 2022, he was hired by the Detroit Red Wings as an assistant coach. It goes with my collection of NHL managers/coaches autographs who only appeared in the NHL as such. 

                     Dale McMullin
Dale McMullin played 1 game in the WHA with the 1977-78 Edmonton Oilers. He was a star junior player with the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings and was drafted in both the WHA and NHL. This goes into my WHA collection

                         Bill Pye
Bill Pye made it to the NHL as a backup goalie with the 1992-93 Buffalo Sabres. This goes in my collection of NHL backups

                   Chris Rogles
Chris Rogles dressed in 1 NHL game as a backup goalie with the 1993-94 Chicago Blackhawks. He dressed as backup behind Jeff Hackett.

                  Mikhail Berdin
Russian netminder Mikhail Berdin dressed in 10 NHL games as backup goalie with the 2021-22 Winnipeg Jets. With luck certainly not on his side, Berdin was member of the Jets for an extended period of time but never saw any action in the NHL.

                               Vern Buffey
Vern Buffey spent a number of years as an NHL official, working when there was only 6 teams. This goes into my collection of NHL officials autographs.

Month of Mail - February 2023

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After a couple relatively slow months, low and behold February turned out to be a BIG month for my collection. Thanks to Gary for offering me a great lot of autographs including the Bruce Draper and Jirik. 
Thanks to Ty for the Dunlap and Couture autographs and thanks to Phil for another great lot.

With 23 new autographs added the grand total of unique NHL player autographs in my collection is 7,319 for 91% overall.


     
Harry "Punch" Broadbent (d. 1971)
I purchased a rather large personal collection of Punch Broadbent's stuff that included 1920s NHL programs, his personal scrapbook and correspondences from when he was an NHL player, hundreds of newspaper clippings with his personal notes etc. among a big box of things and best of all - his autograph, which was why I bought it all. Had a blast going through it and now feel somewhat connected to Punch. Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1962 Punch Broadbent was the NHL's 1922 scoring leader and a 4 time Stanley Cup champion. He was an early NHL star with Ottawa and Montreal.

                       Bruce Draper (d. 1968)
Bruce Draper played 1 game in the NHL with the 1962-63 Toronto Maple Leafs. He was a key member of the 1961 Toronto St. Michael's Majors Memorial Cup winning team. He passed away tragically young from Leukemia. His nephew is long time NHL player Kris Draper.

                     Jaroslav Jirik (d. 2011)
Jaroslav Jirik spent one season in North America and played 3 NHL games with the 1969-70 St. Louis Blues. He made history becoming the first Czech to play in the NHL. He won a bronze medal at the '64 Olympics and a silver at the '68 Olympics with the Czech national team.

                      Frank Dunlap (d. 1993)
Frank Dunlap played 5 games in the NHL with the 1943-44 Toronto Maple Leafs. He's actually more notable for his football career. He spent a number of years in the CFL and won the Grey Cup in 1951.

                   Rosie "Lolo" Couture (d. 1986)
Rosario Couture played over 300 games in the NHL, mostly with the Chicago Blackhawks but he finished his career with the Montreal Canadiens. He won the Stanley Cup in 1934 with Chicago.

                                Don McLean
I picked up a team signed 1968-69 Niagara Falls Flyers program for this particular autograph. McLean was only briefly with the team that season so it was a lucky find. That luck didn't last long as the program got lost in the mail and I was convinced I'd never see it. No thanks Canada Post, I was finally able to get it after over a month of it circling around Canada. The tracking for the package was wild. 
If you google "Don McLean" you'll see why this was such a difficult autograph to find. The famous musician of the same name made it impossible to find this Don McLean, who played 9 games in the NHL with the 1975-76 Washington Capitals. He had no cards and a short pro career so his autograph rarely pops up. 

                    Buddy O'Connor (d. 1977)
Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988, Buddy O'Connor was the 1947/48 NHL MVP, winner of the Hart Trophy as a member of the New York Rangers. He also won the Lady Byng that season. As a member of the Montreal Canadiens, he won the Stanley Cup in 1944 and 1946. 

                      Mike Karakas (d. 1992)
A member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, Karakas won the Calder as NHL rookie of the year in 1936. In 1938 he backstopped the Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup.

                           Joe Benoit (d. 1981)
Joe Benoit was the leading goal scorer of both the 1941-42 and 1942-43 Montreal Canadiens. He had a short but productive NHL career, scoring 144 points in 185 NHL games with the Habs during the 1940s. He won the Stanley Cup with the 1946 Canadiens.

                     Tony Graboski (d. 2000)
From 1940 to 1943 Graboski played 66 games in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens. The defenseman scored 6 goals and 16 points in the NHL.

                        Herb Foster (d. 2003)
Herb Foster scored 1 goal in 4 NHL games with the 1940/41 New York Rangers. He served in WWII and later returned to the NHL for a 1 game stint with the 1947/48 Rangers.

                         Bob Blake (d. 2008)
Bob Blake played 12 games in the NHL with the 1935-36 Boston Bruins. He had a long pro career outside of the NHL and in 1985 he was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.

                       Pete Palangio (d. 2004)
During the 1920s and 1930s Pete Palangio played 70 regular season games in the NHL. He dressed with the Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Cougars and Chicago Blackhawks. He helped Chicago win the Stanley Cup in 1938.

                         Mike Fidler
From 1976 to 1983 Mike Fidler played 271 NHL games between the Cleveland Barons, Minnesota North Stars, Hartford Whalers and Chicago Blackhawks. Internationally, Fidler represented USA at the 1978 World Championships. He was the very last autograph I needed for the 1976-77 year of debuts.

                         Fred Arthur
I'm slightly bitter about adding this one. Arthur refused to sign an autograph for me, which only meant I had to pay the inflated price he's made his early signatures. 
In the early 80s, he played 80 games in the NHL between the Hartford Whalers and Philadelphia Flyers.

                             Peter Loob
Defenceman Peter Loob recorded 1 goal and 3 points in 8 career NHL games with the 1984-85 Quebec Nordiques. It was the only season he played in North America, spending most of that time between the AHL and IHL. His brother, Hakan, also played in the NHL.

              Gordon "Moose" Sherritt (d. 2005)
Gordon Sherritt played 8 games in the NHL with the 1943-44 Detroit Red Wings.

                 Craig Cameron (d. 2012)
From 1966 to 1967 Craig Cameron played 552 regular season games in the NHL. He played for the Red Wings, Blues, North Stars and Islanders. He was the last autograph I needed for 1966/67 season of debuts.

                  Connie Tudin (d. 1988)
The autograph didn't scan well but its located just above the heel of the stick and is very visible in hand. Tudin played 4 games in the NHL with the 1941-42 Montreal Canadiens.

        Gary "Duke" Edmundson (d. 2016)
Gary Edmundson played 1 NHL game with the 1951-52 Montreal Canadiens. He toiled in the minors until reappearing in the NHL with the 1959-60 Toronto Maple Leafs. From 1959 until 1961 he played 42 NHL games with Toronto, scoring 4 goals and 10 points.

                      Ron Meighan
From 1981 to 1983 defenseman Ron Meighan played 48 games in the NHL between the Minnesota North Stars and Pittsburgh Penguins.

                     Adam Werner
Swedish goalie Adam Werner played 2 games in the NHL with the 2019/20 Colorado Avalanche.

                   Anton Wedin
Undrafted, Anton Wedin came to the Blackhawks as a 26 year old rookie with years of pro hockey in Sweden under his belt. He spent 1 season in North America, playing 4 NHL games with the 2019-20 Hawks. 

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                            Pierre Lagace
From 1977 to 1979 Pierre Lagace played 38 games in the WHA with the Quebec Nordiques.
I had tried writing to him a few times over the years but never got a reply so found this autograph on a cheap team signed 1979-80 Baltimore Clippers picture. This goes with my collection of World Hockey Association autographs.

                Frederic Cloutier
Cloutier dressed as a NHL backup goalie in 2 games with the 2002/03 Minnesota Wild and 3 games with the 2005/06 New York Islanders. Even though he dressed in 5 NHL games, he never saw any action in the crease.

                  Dan O'Halloran
Dan O'Halloran is one of the NHL's best known referees with over 1,500 games under his belt. This goes with my NHL officials collection

                   Tony Sericolo
Tony Sericolo spent 23 seasons as an NHL linesman. 

                  Brian Mach
Brian Mach was an NHL linesman from 2000 to 2021, working over 1,300 games.

                         Frank Selke Jr. (d. 2013)
Son of Hockey Hall of Famer Frank Selke, Selke Jr. spent many seasons working for the Canadiens. From 1968 to 1970 he was General Manager Oakland Seals. This goes with my collection of NHL coaches and GMs who never played in the league. 

Month of Mail - March 2023

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I was able to add a dozen new NHL player autographs this past month. The grand total of unique NHL player signatures in the collection is exactly 7,331 for 91% of everyone to ever play in the league since it was founded in 1917. 


                           George Hay (d. 1975)
Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958, George Hay scored the first goal in the Chicago Blackhawks history. He was a star NHL player during the 1920s. 

                            Herbie Lewis (d. 1991)
From 1928 to 1939 Herbie Lewis played nearly 500 games in the NHL, all with Detroit. He was a member of the Detroit Cougars, Detroit Falcons and Detroit Red Wings NHL teams. Lewis was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1989. He helped Detroit win the Stanley Cup in 1936 and 1937. He was captain of the 1933-34 Red Wings.

                            John Sorrell (d. 1984)
From 1930 to 1941 John Sorrell played just under 500 regular season NHL games between the Detroit Falcons/Red Wings and New York Americans. He won the Stanley Cup with Detroit in 1936 and 1937.

                          Art Wiebe (d. 1971)
From 1932 to 1944 Art Wiebe played over 400 games in the NHL, all with the Chicago Blackhawks. The defenseman helped Chicago win the Stanley Cup in 1938.

                        Gus Marker (d. 1997)
From 1932 to 1942 Gus Marker played 336 NHL games between the Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Maroons, Toronto Maple Leafs and Brooklyn Americans. He helped the Maroons win the Stanley Cup in 1935.

                        Reg Hamilton (d. 1991)
From 1935 to 1947 Reg Hamilton played well over 400 games in the NHL between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks. The defenseman helped Toronto win the Stanley Cup in 1942 and 1945.

                       George Redding (d. 1974)
From 1924 to 1926 George Redding played 35 games in the NHL with the Boston Bruins, scoring 3 goals and 5 points. He's also notable for dressing as the Bruins goalie for one game, 10 minutes total,  in an emergency situation during the 1924-25 season. 

                       Eddie Burke (d. 1993)
From 1931 to 1935 Eddie Burke played 106 games in the NHL between the Boston Bruins and New York Americans. He was the Americans leading goal and point scorer of the 1933-34 season with 20 goals and 30 points in 46 games.

             Leighton "Hap" Emms (d. 1988)
From 1926 to 1938 Hap Emms played 320 games in the NHL. He was a member of the Montreal Maroons, New York Americans, Detroit Falcons/Red Wings and Boston Bruins. He later had a long career coaching and managing in hockey, including a stint as GM of the Boston Bruins from 1965 to 1967.

                      Gerry McNamara
Goalie Gerry McNamara played 5 games with the 1960-61 Toronto Maple Leafs and another 2 games nearly a decade later with the 1969-70 Maple Leafs. He's best known for his time as General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, a position he held from 1981 to 1988.

                  Charles "Dinny" Dinsmore (d. 1982)
From 1924 to 1930 Dinny Dinsmore played 100 games in the NHL with the Montreal Maroons. He won the Stanley Cup in 1926 with the Maroons. He was also a strong football player who played for the Toronto Argonauts.

                            Mark Botell
Mark Botell played 1 season in the NHL. The defenseman recorded 14 points in 32 career NHL games with the 1981-82 Philadelphia Flyers. I found a cheap partial team signed 1981-82 Flyers team signed pennant with this nice Botell signature.


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The following autographs go in my collection of NHL managers and coaches who never played in the league. 

                      Frank J. Selke (d. 1985)
A member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Frank Selke has his name on the Stanley Cup 9 times. He was General Manager of the Montreal Canadiens from 1946 to 1964. Just last month I had added an autograph of his son, Frank Selke Jr, who also became an NHL GM.

                    Pierre Gauthier
Pierre Gauthier was General Manager of 3 different NHL teams. From 1995 to 1998 he was GM of the Ottawa Senators, from 1998 to 2002 he was GM of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks and from 2010 to 2012 he was GM of the Montreal Canadiens. He later worked as Director of Player Personnel with the Chicago Blackhawks, getting his name on the Stanley Cup in 2013 and 2015.

                       Pat Kelly
Pat Kelly played pro hockey for over a decade, never making it to the NHL and spending most of that time in the EHL with the Greensboro Generals and Clinton Comets. He later turned to coaching and in 1976 he became head coach of the WHA's Birmingham Bulls. In 1977 he was hired to be head coach of the NHL's Colorado Rockies. Kelly spent less than 2 years as a head coach in the NHL but did manage to take the Rockies to the playoffs for the first and only time in franchise history.

                  Spencer Carbery
Spencer Carbery played professionally in the ECHL until retiring in 2010. He quickly turned to coaching and started moving up the ranks, from ECHL to AHL and finally to the NHL. In 2021, he was hired as an assistant coach by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Month of Mail - April 2023

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My April mail was highlighted by a trade (thanks Ty!), a 1953-54 Calgary Stampeders team signed scrapbook and a 1970s Seattle totems autograph scrapbook.

With 10 new signatures added the grand total of unique NHL player autographs in my collection now stands at 7,341. 

Clarence "Taffy" Abel (d. 1964)
From 1926 to 1934 Taffy Abel played well over 300 games in the NHL between the New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks. He won the Cup with the Rangers in 1928 and with Chicago in 1934.  Internationally, he won a silver medal with USA at the 1924 Olympics. He's a member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.

Dave "Sweeney" Schriner (d. 1990)
Sweeney Shriner won the 1935 Calder Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year with the New York Americans. For the next two seasons he led the NHL in scoring. He was traded to Toronto in 1939 and helped them win the Stanley Cup in 1942 and 1945. Schriner was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1962.

Tommy Anderson (d. 1971)
Tommy Anderson is best known as the winner of the 1942 Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player. He had set a long since broken NHL record for points by a defenceman with 41 in 48 games. Military service interrupted Andersons' career and incredibly, he never played in the NHL again after winning the Hart Trophy.

Earl Robertson (d. 1979)
Goalie Earl Robertson made his NHL debut in the playoffs with the 1937 Detroit Red Wings, joining the team to replace an injured Normie Smith. Robertson backstopped Detroit to the Stanley Cup. The following season he became a full time NHL goalie with the New York Americans. 

Johnny Arundel (d. 2002)
Arundel played 3 games in the NHL with the 1949-50 Toronto Maple Leafs.

Red Dutton (d. 1987)
From 1926 to 1936 Red Dutton played 449 regular season games in the NHL between the Montreal Maroons and New York Americans. He later coached the Americans and spent time as President of the NHL. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958.

Barry Cummins
Defenseman Barry Cummins played 36 games in the NHL with the 1973-74 California Golden Seals. 

George Pargeter (d. 2005)
George Pargeter played 4 games in the NHL with the 1946-47 Montreal Canadiens.

John Michaluk (d. 1998)
John Michaluk played 1 game in the NHL with the 1950-51 Chicago Blackhawks. His brother, Art, also played in the NHL.

Bob McDonald (d. 1977)
Bob McDonald played 1 game in the NHL with the 1943/44 New York Rangers. 


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Tim Regan
Tim Regan dresses as a backup goalie in the NHL with the 1973/74 Buffalo Sabres. He's most notable for winning a Silver medal with USA at the 1972 Olympics.

Ray Martyniuk (d. 2013)
Ray Martyniuk dressed as an NHL backup goalie with the 1971-72 California Golden Seals.

Florent Fortier
Florent Fortier played 4 regular season and 1 playoff game in the WHA with the 1975-76 Quebec Nordiques. He netted 1 goal and 2 points.

Ted Long
Ted Long played 1 game in the WHA with the 1976-77 Cincinnati Stingers. This goes with my collection of WHA autographs.

Bill Stewart (d. 1964)
Bill Stewart was an interesting person, he's best known as being an umpire in Major League Baseball. He officiated multiple World Series games. He also officiated in the NHL for many years and was the leagues first American official. From 1937 to 1939 he was coach of the Chicago Blackhawks, winning the Stanley Cup in 1938.

Peter DeBoer
Peter DeBoer has been head coach of the Florida Panthers, New Jersey Devils, San Jose Sharks, Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars. This goes with my collection of NHL coaches and GMs

Dan Muse
From 2017 to 2020 Dan Muse was an NHL assistant coach with the Nashville Predators. He moved on to work with the USA National Development Team.

Bob Hartley
In 1998 Bob Hartley was named head coach of the Colorado Avalanche and was behind the bench when they won the Stanley Cup in 2001. After being let go the Avs he was head coach of the Atlanta Thrashers from 2003 to 2007. His third and final stint as an NHL coach was with the Flames from 2012 to 2016. He won the Jack Adams Trophy as NHL's coach of the year in 2015.

Bob Jones
Bob Jones has been an assistant coach in the NHL with the Ottawa Senators since 2019.

Richard Trottier
Richard Trottier officiated in the NHL from 1989 to 2001. This goes with my collection of NHL official autographs.


Month of Mail - May 2023

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Huge thanks to a fellow collector for helping with the Darrell May. May is an NHL scout and he was able to get him in person at a junior game. Thanks to Ty for hooking me up with the Gardiner autograph and thanks to Mattias in Sweden for some great vintage signatures.

A 1961 OHA playoff program signed by players from both teams provided me an autograph of Andre Champagne and Billy Taylor. A team signed 1948 Rangers program landed me the Trudell autograph. 

With 13 new NHL player autographs added in May, the grand total of unique NHL player signatures in my collection is currently 7,354 for 92% of everyone to ever play in the NHL. 


                      Chuck Gardiner (d. 1934)
Chuck Gardiner won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goalie in 1932 and 1934. He was captain of the Blackhawks in 1934 when he backstopped the team to a Stanley Cup championship. Tragically, Gardiner died a few months later from illness. He was an inaugural inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1945.

                  Rene Trudell (d. 1984)
From 1945 to 1948 Rene Trudell scored 24 goals and 52 points in 129 NHL games with the New York Rangers. 

                        Jimmy Haggarty (d. 1998)
Jim Haggarty scored 1 goal and 2 points in 5 career NHL games with the 1941-42 Montreal Canadiens. Haggarty is also notable for winning a Silver medal at the 1936 Olympics with Canada.

                      Bob Whitelaw (d. 1972)
From 1940 to 1942 defenseman Bob Whitelaw played 32 regular season and 8 playoff games in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings.

                       Jack Keating (d. 1951)
From 1938 to 1940 Jack Keating scored 3 goals in 12 career NHL games with the Detroit Red Wings.

                       Warren Godfrey (d. 1997)
From 1952 to 1968 Warren Godfrey played 788 regular season games in the NHL between the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings.

              Bob Walton (d. 1992)
Bob Walton played 4 games in the NHL with the 1943-44 Montreal Canadiens. His son, Mike Walton, also played in the NHL.

           Bert Peer (d. 1992)
Bert Peer played 1 game in the NHL with the 1939-40 Detroit Red Wings.

               Bill "Batt" Phillips (d. 1998)
Bill Phillips spent one season in the NHL, playing 27 regular season and 4 playoff games with the 1929-30 Montreal Maroons.

                         Andre Champagne
Andre Champagne played 2 games in the NHL with the 1962-63 Toronto Maple Leafs. I spent a lot of time searching for Champagne's current whereabouts but always came up empty. Finally found his autograph on an old program.

                          Billy Taylor (d. 1979)
Billy Taylor played 2 games in the NHL with the 1964-65 New York Rangers. His father of the same name also played in the NHL.

                       Bucky Hollingworth (d. 1974)
Defenseman Gord "Bucky" Hollingworth played 163 games in the NHL between the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings.

                                Darrell May
From 1985 to 1988 Darrell May played 6 games in the NHL with the St. Louis Blues. He's been working as a scout in Western Canada for the Chicago Blackhawks since 2009. 


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The final two autographs of the post go into my World Hockey Association autograph collection

                      Bill Morris
Bill Morris scored 4 goals and 12 points in 36 career WHA games with the 1974-75 Edmonton Oilers.

                    Blair Davidson
Blair Davidson played 2 games in the WHA with the 1976-77 Phoenix Roadrunners.



Month of Mail - June 2023

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With 16 new NHL autographs added this month the grand total is 7,370 for 92% of everyone to ever play in the league. These came via the usual mix of through the mail returns, trades and purchases.


                        Bobby Bauer (d. 1964)
Bobby Bauer was a member of Boston's famous Kraut Line with Woody Dumart and Milt Schmidt. Bauer won the Stanley Cup twice, the Lady Byng Trophy 3 times and in 1996 he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

                         Bill Jennings (d. 1999)
From 1940 to 1945 Bill Jennings scored 32 goals and 65 points in 108 regular season NHL games between the Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins. He was one of the top scores of the 1944-45 Bruins, scoring 20 goals in 39 games.

                      Jack Shewchuk (d. 1989)
From 1938 to 1945 Jack Shewchuk played 187 regular season games in the NHL. The former defenseman is most notable for helping Boston win the Stanley Cup in 1941.

                     Hal Winkler (d. 1956)
From 1926 to 1928 goalie Hal Winkler played 75 games in the NHL between the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins. He's most notable for being the first goalie every to suit up for the inaugural NY Rangers in 1926.

                     Myles Lane (d. 1987)
From 1928 to 1934 Myles Lane played 60 regular season games in the NHL between the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins. He won the Stanley Cup with the Bruins in 1929 and is notable for being one of the first Americans to stick around in the NHL. Lane was also an exception football player and is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.

                      Clint Albright (d. 1999)
Clint Albright spent 1 season in the NHL with the 1948-49 New York Rangers. He scored 14 goals and 19 points in 59 games with New York.

                       Ray Gariepy (d. 2012)
Defenseman Ray Gariepy played 35 games with the 1953-54 Boston Bruins and 1 game with the 1955-56 Toronto Maple Leafs. He recorded 7 points in 36 career NHL games.

                    George Patterson (d. 1977)
From 1926 to 1935 George Patterson played 299 regular season games in the NHL. The well travelled Patterson suited up for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York Americans, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Eagles. There was a documentary recently released about Patterson's career.

                      Eddie Slowinski (d. 1999)
From 1947 to 1953 Ed Slowinski played 291 regular season games in the NHL with the New York Rangers. He scored 58 goals and 132 points in the NHL. 

                   Samuel Henley
I was thrilled to hear back from Samuel Henley. He played 1 game in the NHL with the 2016-17 Colorado Avalanche and he was one of the last debuts from that season I hadn't been able to find. Henley retired from pro hockey shortly after his NHL debut. He scored a goal in his only NHL game.

                       Niko Mikkola
Finnish defenseman Niko Mikkola has played 3 full season in the NHL. He's been a member of the St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers. Internationally he helped Finland win Gold at the 2016 World Juniors and at the 2019 World Championships.

                 Elias Pettersson
Swedish forward Elias Pettersson was drafted 5th overall by the Canucks in 2017 and has quickly developed into one of the team's best scorers. 
Pettersson and the next few autographs go towards finishing off the 2019-20 season of debuts. I'm only 10 signatures away from completing the year now. 

                 Igor Shesterkin
The 2022 Vezina Trophy winner, Igor Shesterkin is one of the NHL's best goalie.

                 Oliver Wahlstrom
Wahlstrom was drafted 11th overall by the Islanders in 2018. He's entering his fourth season as a full time member of the Islanders.

               Jack Studnicka
Jack Studnicka made his NHL debut with the 2019-20 Boston Bruins but spent a lot of this him in the Bruins organization with their AHL affiliate. He found a home with the 2022-23 Vancouver Canucks, his first full season in the NHL.

                 Gerry Mayhew
Gerald Mayhew has played 57 games in the NHL between the Minnesota Wild, Philadelphia Flyers and Anaheim Ducks.

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                    Kyle Davidson
Kyle Davidson has been General Manager of the Chicago Blackhawks since 2021. He has started working for Chicago in 2012, rising up the ranks of the organization.
This goes with my collection of NHL coaches and GMs who never played in the NHL.

                     Chanda Gunn
Goalie Chanda Gunn is most notable for winning a Bronze medal with USA at the 2006 Olympics in Turin.
Gunn and the remaining autographs of this post go to my"women of hockey"autograph collection. I'm getting close to all the American and Canadian players from the  '98, '02, and '06 Olympics. 

                Jamie Hagerman
Jamie Hagerman won Olympic Bronze with USA at the 2006 Olympics. She also won gold at the 2005 Women's World Championships.

                   Sarah Parsons
Sarah Parsons helped USA win Gold at the Women's World Championships in 2005 and 2008. She also won Bronze at the 2006 Olympics.

                             Shelley Looney
Shelley Looney won Olympic Gold in 1998 and Silver in 2002.

                          Courtney Kennedy
Courtney Kennedy won a Silver medal at the 2002 Olympics and a Bronze at the 2006 Olympics.

                             Caitlin Cahow
Caitlin Cahow helped USA win Silver at the 2010 Olympics and Bronze in 2006. 

Month of Mail - July 2023

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July 2023 saw 9 new NHL player autographs added. The grand total of unique NHL player autographs I've been able to find is now 7,379 for 92% of everyone to ever play in the league. 

                         Reg Noble (d. 1962)
Reg Noble played in the newly formed NHL during the 1917-18 season with the Toronto Arenas, ending the year with a Stanley Cup championship. He won the Cup again in 1922 and 1926. He was captain of the Toronto St. Pats from 1920 to 1924. Noble was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1962. 

                           Hooley Smith (d. 1963)
From 1924 to 1941 Hooley Smith played over 700 games in the NHL, scoring over 200 goals and over 400 points. He won the Stanley Cup in 1927 with the Senators and in 1935 with the Maroons. He was captain of the Maroons from 1932 to 1936. He's also notable for helping Canada bring home Gold from the 1924 Olympics. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972.

                       Paul Goodman (d. 1959)
Paul Goodman made his NHL debut in the 1938 playoffs with Chicago as a relief netminder. He played in only one game before he was sent back to the stands. The Hawks went on to win the Cup and Goodman's one game, a lost, got his name on the the trophy. Goodman went on to play 52 games with Chicago over 2 NHL seasons. 

        Percy "Perk" Galbraith (d. 1961)
Park Galbraith played in the NHL from 1926 to 1934. He helped the Bruins win the Stanley Cup in 1929. 

                               Tim Coulis
From 1979 to 1986 Tim Coulis played 47 games in the NHL between the Washington Capitals and Minnesota North Stars.

                               Steve Hazlett
Steve Hazlett played 1 game in the NHL with the 1979-80 Vancouver Canucks.

                  Bob Dawes (d. 2003)
Bob Dawes played 32 regular season and 10 playoff games in the NHL between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens. He's most notable for winning the Stanley Cup in 1949 with Toronto.

                    Joona Luoto
Joona Luoto played 16 games in the NHL with the 2019-20 Winnipeg Jets. He went back to Finland then returned to the NHL with the 2022-23 Columbus Blue Jackets, playing 7 games with the club.

                  Mathieu Olivier
Mathieu Olivier has played over 100 games in the NHL between the Nashville Predators and Columbus Blue Jackets.

Month of Mail - August 2023

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A total of 8 new NHL player autographs added over the month of August 2023. The grand total of unique autographs in my collection is now 7,387 for 92% of everyone to ever play in the NHL. 

                  Wildor Larochelle (d. 1964)
From 1925 to 1937 Wildor Larochelle played 475 games in the NHL between the Montreal Canadiens and Chicago Blackhawks. He won the Stanley Cup with the Habs in 1930 and 1931.

                   Norm Locking (d. 1995)
From 1934 to 1936 Norm Locking played 48 games in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks. 

                       Tommy Cook (d. 1961)
From 1929 to 1937 Tommy Cook was a member of the Chicago Blackhawks, helping them win the Stanley Cup in 1934. Cook finished off his career with the 1937-38 Montreal Maroons.

                       Eddie Ouellette (d. 1975)
Ouellette played 43 games in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks during the 1935-36 season.

                     Louis Trudel (d. 1971)
Trudel played 305 games in the NHL between the Montreal Canadiens and Chicago Blackhawks. Trudel won the Stanley Cup in 1934 and 1938 with Chicago.

                 Donnie McFadyen (d. 1990)
From 1932 to 1936 Donnie McFadyen played 164 games in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks. He helped Chicago win the Stanley Cup in 1934.

                      Wilf Field (d. 1979)
Defenceman Wilf Field played 214 games in the NHL between the New York Americans, Montreal Canadiens and Chicago Blackhawks. 

           Joe Krol (d. 1993)
Joe Krol played 26 games in the NHL between the New York Rangers and Brooklyn Americans.


Month of Mail - September 2023

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A few new autographs to share from September 2023. I added 13 new NHL player autographs making the grand total exactly 7,400 unique NHL player signatures for 92% of everyone to ever play in the NHL. 

Six of these came from an awesome little 1935-36 Pittsburgh Shamrocks team signed sheet via a fellow collector. A 1983/84 signed AHL yearbook provided Chris Langevin, a 1973-74 Portland Buckaroos team signed photo gave me Doug Buhr and a 1982 Michigan State University team signed program gave me Mark Hamway and Newell Brown. 

                       Howie Morenz (d. 1937)
Thanks to Dr. Price and the President's Choice team for creating this awesome custom card for my new Morenz autograph. It includes a piece of Morenz game used glove. This is a big addition to my vintage autographs, Morenz was one of, if not the biggest, hockey stars of the early NHL. He's one of the original 9 inductees to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

                       Paul Gauthier (d. 1984)
Paul Gauthier played 1 game in the NHL with the 1937-38 Montreal Canadiens. He was one of the smallest goalies to ever play in the NHL and is recognized as the lightest goalie (125 lbs) to ever play in the league.

                      Melville "Sparky" Vail (d. 1983)
From 1928 to 1930 Sparky Vail played 50 games in the NHL with the New York Rangers. 

                      Nick Wasnie (d. 1991)
From 1927 to 1935 Wasnie played 250 games in the NHL between the Blackhawks, Canadiens, New York Americans, Ottawa Senators and St. Louis Eagles. He won the Stanley Cup with the Habs in 1930 and 1931.

                     Jean-Louis Bourcier (d. 1989)
Jean Bourcier played 9 games in the NHL with the 1935-36 Montreal Canadiens. His brother, Conrad, also played a handful of games in the NHL with the Habs that season.

                          Rusty Hughes (d. 1983)
James "Rusty" Hughes spent 1 season in the NHL. He played 40 games with the 1929-30 Detroit Cougars. 

                           Bill Holmes (d. 1961)
From 1925 to 1930 Bill Holmes played 52 games in the NHL between the Montreal Canadiens and New York Americans. This is indeed Holmes' signature, cut from a team signed piece.

                      Don Gallinger (d. 2000)
Don Gallinger was one of Boston's better players during the 1940s. He led the 1945-46 Bruins in scoring with 40 points in 50 games. Gallinger is most notable for being banned from the NHL from 1946 all the way to 1970 for his role in a betting scandal. 

                         Doug Buhr (d. 2006)
Doug Buhr played 6 games in the NHL with the 1974/75 Kansas City Scouts.

                     Dan Dorion
Dan Dorion played 4 games in the NHL with the New Jersey Devils during the 1980s. He netted 1 goal and 2 points in those 4 games. I had been searching for Dan for year to send him an autograph and finally tracked him down, retired in Hawaii.

                      Mark Hamway
From 1984 to 1987 Mark Hamway played 53 games in the NHL with the New York Islanders, scoring 5 goals and 18 points. 

                           Chris Langevin
During the 1980s Chris Langevin played 22 games in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres.

                 Auston Matthews
No introduction needed for one of today's top NHL stars. I finally coughed up the money to add Matthews and nearly complete the 2016-17 season of debuts. Being a star in the league's hottest market makes his autographs sell for a big premium compared to almost everybody else. 

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                  Dan Delianedis
Dan Delianedis spent some time in the NHL in 1987-88 as New Jersey's backup goalie. He dressed in 4 NHL games with the Devils but never got any official minutes in the crease. 

                             Bob Vroman
Bob Vroman dressed in 8 NHL games as a backup goalie with the 1973-74 Los Angeles Kings.
Vroman and Delianedis go in my collection of NHL backup goalie autographs.

                       Newell Brown
This was a 'bonus' autograph on a team signed Michigan State piece I purchased for the Mark Hamway autograph. Brown also fits into my collection, he has gone on to have a lengthy NHL career as an assistant coach. Since 1996 he has coached the Blackhawks, Mighty Ducks, Blue Jackets, Canucks and Coyotes. He's had multiple stints with the Ducks and Canucks. He never answered any of my letters over the years for an autograph so finally adding him to my collection of NHL coaches/GMs who never played in the league.


                      Ron Caron (d. 2012)
After many years in the Montreal Canadiens organization, helping the club win half a dozen Stanley Cups, Ron Caron left the Habs to become General Managers of the St. Louis Blues. He was the Blues GM from 1983 to 1994.

                    Riikka Sallinen
Riikka Sallinen was a star player on Finland's national team for decades. She has a bronze medal from the 1998 and 2018 Olympics. She was inducted into the International Ice Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010 and into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2022. She's the first European woman in the HHOF.
This goes with my collection of women hockey autographs


Month of Mail - October 2023

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October was a great month for my collection. A bunch of these autographs come from the same collector and are exceptionally special to me. The collector, who has since passed away, recounted some wonderful stories of how he had obtained the signatures decades ago. It was captivating to me to hear about writing to then retired players in the 1970s and how he found addresses, long before the internet. Safe to say those signatures will never be leaving my personal collection. 

With 18 new NHL player autographs added this month the grand total of unique NHL player autographs in my collection is now 7,418 for 92% of everyone to ever play in the league. 


                     Cy Denneny (d. 1970)
Hockey Hall of Famer Cy Denneny played in the NHL from 1917 to 1929. He was the leading scorer of the NHL in 1923-24 with 22 goals in 22 games. He won the Stanley Cup 4 times as an Ottawa Senator and once more with the Bruins. He was captain of the Senators from 1923 to 1926. He was a top scorer his whole career and retired as the league's all time scorer, a record long since eclipsed.

                    Maurice Courteau (d. 1985)
Goalie Maurice Courteau appeared in 6 NHL games with the 1943-44 Boston Bruins.

                  Joe "Otto" Schmidt (d. 2000)
Forward Joe Schmidt played in 2 NHL games with the 1943-44 Boston Bruins. His brother, Jack, also played in the NHL.

                       Tom Brennan (d. 2003)
From 1943 to 1945 Tom Brennan played in a dozen NHL games with the Boston Bruins. He recorded 2 goals and 4 points.

                 Russ "Buster" Brayshaw (d. 1993)
Russ Brayshaw spent 1 season in the NHL. He recorded 5 goals and 14 points in 43 career NHL games with the 1944-45 Chicago Blackhawks. He later became a very successful junior coach with the Edmonton Oil Kings, taking the team to a record 6 consecutive Memorial Cup appearances

                      Max Bentley (d. 1984)
Max Bentley was one of the NHL's leading scorers of the 1940s and early 1950s. He was the league's leading scorer in 1946 and 1947. In 1946, as a member of the Blackhawks, he won the Hart Trophy as the league's MVP. With Toronto he won the Stanley Cup in 1948, 1949 and 1951. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966.

                       Bill Benson (d. 2012)
From 1940 to 1942 Bill Benson scored 36 points in 67 career NHL games with the New York/Brooklyn Americans.

                  Harold "Hal" Jackson (d. 1997)
From 1936 to 1947 Harold Jackson played over 200 games in the NHL between the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings. A defenseman, he won the Cup with the Hawks in 1938 and again in 1943 with the Red Wings.

                    Danny Cox (d. 1982)
Danny Cox played over 300 games in the NHL through the 1920s and 1930s. He played for the Maple Leafs, Senators, Falcons and Rangers.

                       Ralph Taylor (d. 1976)
From 1927 to 1930 defenseman Ralph Taylor played over 100 games in the NHL between the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers.

                         Ron Howell (d. 1992)
Defenseman Ron Howell played 4 games in the NHL during the 1950s with the New York Rangers. He's actually better known as a pro football player, playing in the CFL from 1954 to 1962. His brother is hockey legend Harry Howell.

                       Bert Hirschfeld (d. 1996)
From 1949 to 1951 Bert Hirschfeld played 33 games in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens.

                     Moe Croghan (d. 1979)
Maurice "Moe" Croghan played 16 games in the NHL with the 1937-38 Montreal Maroons.

                     Danny Schock (d. 2017)
From 1970 to 1971 Danny Schock played 20 games in the NHL between the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers. He's most notable for playing 1 playoff game with the 1970 Bruins and getting his name engraved on the Stanley Cup. His brother, Ron, also played in the NHL.

                      Jim Stanfield (d. 2009)
From 1969 to 1972 Jim Stanfield played 7 games in the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings. His brothers, Jack and Fred, also played in the NHL.

                      Terry Reardon (d. 1993)
From 1938 to 1947 Terry Reardon played 197 regular season games in the NHL between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens. With the Bruins he won the Stanley Cup in 1939 and 1941. He was one of the leading scorers of the 1941-42 Habs with 17 goals and 34 points in just 33 games. His brother, Ken, also played in the NHL. Terry later spent many years as a head coach in the AHL with the Providence Reds and Baltimore Clippers.

                            Hank Ciesla (d. 1976)
Hank Ciesla spent 4 full seasons in the NHL between the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers. From 1955 to 1959 he scored 26 goals and 77 points in 269 NHL games.

                        Don Ashby (d. 1981)
From 1975 to 1981 Don Ashby played 188 NHL games scoring a very respectable 40 goals and 96 points. He played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Rockies and Edmonton Oilers. He died suddenly in a car accident before his hockey career was over,  Ashby was only 26.


Month of Mail - November 2023

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Quality over quantity this month. November, 2023 saw six new autographs added to my collection including a couple of my most wanted autographs in Masterton and Brier. The new signatures raise the grand total of unique NHL player signatures in my collection to 7,424 for 92% of everyone to ever play in the league. 

                         Bill Masterton (d. 1968)
This is a huge addition to my collection. Bill Masterton was a star college player who made his NHL debut with the expansion 1967-68 Minnesota North Stars. He scored the first goal in franchise history. Tragically, Masterton died half way through his first NHL season in an on ice incident. His death eventually led to the widespread adoption of helmets in the NHL and his legacy also lives on in the NHL's Bill Masterton Trophy. This autograph also has an interesting story behind it, I acquired it from a long time collector who had originally got it from Masterton's widow in the early 70s. Along with the autograph, I obtained the original letter from his widow that accompanied the signature. The main reason I started collecting autographs was to feel closer to the game's history and I most certainly feel that here. Thanks to Dr. Price and the President's Choice team for helping me do the autograph justice with the beautiful custom card. It's easily one of my most prized possessions. 

                           Michel Briere (d. 1971)
Michel Briere scored 44 points in 76 games as an NHL rookie with the 1969-70 Pittsburgh Penguins. The emerging star was critically injured in a car accident following the season. Briere was in a coma for months an eventually passed away. Along with Masterton, his story is one of the most tragic in NHL history. The Penguins retired his #21.

                       John Ross Roach (d. 1973)
When the Toronto Maple Leafs took to the ice for the first time in 1926 their goalie was John Ross Roach. Aside from being the first goalie in Leafs history, he's notable for winning the Stanley Cup in 1922, being one of only 6 goalies ever to be an NHL captain and was an NHL All-Star. He played nearly 500 games in the NHL between the Toronto St. Pats/Maple Leafs, New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings.

                           Morris Stefaniw
I don't think Stefaniw answers mail so I finally added one of his signatures from a team signed AHL program. Stefaniw played 13 games in the NHL with the 1972-73 Atlanta Flames. He only scored 1 goal in the NHL but it was notable for being the first goal in Flames' history.
For me this autograph is also notable for being the last I needed from the 1972-73 year of debuts. 

                     Josh Currie
Josh Currie played 21 NHL games with the 2018-19 Edmonton Oilers and 1 NHL game with the 2020-21 Pittsburgh Penguins. He recorded 5 points in 22 career NHL games. He was one of the very last of the 2018-19 debuts I needed. 

                          Pierre Engvall
I was waiting for Engvall to get a certified autograph but surprisingly he hasn't signed for Upper Deck at all. Therefore, I picked up this signed photo as Engvall was one of the last of the 2019-20 NHL debuts I still needed. Currently a member of the NY Islanders, he's in his 6th NHL season and has recorded over 100 career points in the league, including a 15 goal season with the '21-22 Leafs. 


Month of Mail - December 2023

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Ending 2023 with 6 new NHL player autographs. The grand total of unique NHL player autographs in my collection now stands at 7,430. Happy New Year everyone! 

                     Ace Bailey (d. 1992)
Ace Bailey was a star player with the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1926 to 1934. He led NHL in scoring in 1928-29 and in 1932 he helped Toronto win the Stanley Cup. His career was ended abruptly after a violent on ice incident with Eddie Shore. Bailey was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1975.

                Jack Church (d. 1996)
From 1938 to 1946 defenseman Jack Church played 130 regular season games in the NHL between the Toronto Maple Leafs, Brooklyn Americans and Boston Bruins. 

                 Clare "Rags" Raglan (d. 2002)
From 1950 to 1953 defenseman Rags Raglan played 100 games in the NHL between the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks. His son, Herb, also played in the NHL.

                       Vic Myles (d. 1983)
Vic Myles spent one season in the NHL, playing 45 games for the 1942-43 New York Rangers. 

             James "Kilby" MacDonald (d. 1986)
Kilby MacDonald had an exceptional rookie year in the NHL. With the 1939-40 New York Rangers MacDonald netted 28 points in 44 games, won the Calder Trophy as NHL's rookie of the year and ended the year with a Stanley Cup win. He never matched his rookie totals, only playing 4 seasons in the NHL. 

                            Colin Blackwell
Colin Blackwell has played nearly 200 NHL games between the Nashville Predators, New York Rangers, Seattle Kraken, Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks. Blackwell was one of the last of the 2018-19 NHL debuts I needed. The very last one I need, Cale Makar, is on the way. 

A Season in Autographs: 2020/2021

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From 1917/18 to 2020/21 a grand total of 8,151 people have played in the NHL. 


2019/2020                                                                               


128 Players made their NHL debuts through the 2020/2021 season

In The Collection: 117/128 = 91%


*Sampo Ranta made his debut during the playoffs


Calen Addison

Jack Ahcan

Frederic Allard

Wade Allison

Olle Alsing

Kevin Bahl

Alexander Barabanov

Alex Barre-Boulet

Morgan Barron

Simon Benoit

Jacob Bernard-Docker

Mathias Brome

Jacob Bryson

Kyle Burroughs

Quinton Byfield

Bowen Byram

Jackson Cates

Cole Caufield

Jalen Chatfield

Ivan Chekhovich

Sasha Chmlevski

Dylan Coghlan

Ross Colton

Dylan Cozens

Jeremy Davies

Ty Dellandrea

Gregori Denisenko

Jamie Drysdale

Joshua Dunne

Mackenzie Entwistle

David Farrance

Cal Foote

Nolan Foote

Jonah Gadjovich

Glenn Gawdin

Filip Gustavsson

Fredrik Handemark

Mike Hardman

Aleksi Heponiemi

Nils Hoglander

Michael Houser

Ville Husso

Tanner Jeannot

Jan Jenik

Reese Johnson

Zac Jones

Pierre-Olivier Joseph

Dakota Joshua

Arthur Kaliyev

Wyatt Kalynuk

Kirill Kaprizov

Joey Keane

Parker Kelly

Matt Kiersted

Spencer Knight

Josef Korenar

Vitali Kravtsov

Peyton Krebs

Rasmus Kupari

Philipp Kurashev

Tanner Laczynski

Alexis Lafreniere

Kevin Lankinen

Mikko Lehtonen

John Leonard

Kole Lind

William Lockwood

Steven Lorentz

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Connor Mackey

Philippe Maillet

Mikhail Maltsev

Ryan McLeod

Connor McMichael

Alexei Melnichuk

Nicolas Meloche

Marc Michaelis

Keaton Middleton

K'Andre Miller

Ian Mitchell

Brett Murray

Alex Newhook

Drew O'Connor

Brinson Pasichnuk

Lane Pederson

Matthew Phillips

Garrett Pilon

Shane Pinto

Ivan Prosvetov

Sampo Ranta

Jack Rathone

Alec Regula

Tarmo Reunanen

Justin Richards

Alexander Romanov

Arttu Ruotsalainen

Adam Ruzicka

Drake Rymsha

Mattias Samuelsson

Yegor Sharangovich

Stuart Skinner

Cole Smith

Ty Smith

Victor Soderstrom

Ilya Sorokin

Logan Stanley

Oskar Steen

Austin Strand

Marian Studenic

Tim Stutzle

Maksim Sushko

Pius Suter

Jeremy Swayman

Ben Thomas

Logan Thompson

Tyce Thompson

Vitek Vanecek

Veini Vehvilainen

Joe Veleno

Jeffrey Viel

Daniel Walcott

Jesse Ylonen

Cam York
Artyom Zagidulin

Egor Zamula

Trevor Zegras

Radim Zohorna

Artem Zub


Month of Mail - January 2024

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I've managed to find 8 new NHL player autographs to start off 2024. The grand total of unique NHL player signatures in my collection now sits at 7,555 for 93% of everyone to ever play in the league. 

                           Gerry Carson (d. 1956)
From 1928 to 1937 Gerard (Gerry) Carson played 261 games in the NHL. The defenseman was a member of the Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers and Montreal Maroons. He won the Stanley Cup with the Canadiens in 1930.

                         Dave Reece
I'm thrilled to be able to add a Dave Reece autograph. Reece played 14 NHL games with the 1975-76 Boston Bruins. He has an unfortunate role in hockey history, the victim of Darryl Sittler's record 10 point night. I'm fairly certain Reece doesn't answer mail so I've never been able to add his autograph. This was signed when he was a member of the 1977 US National team and a huge thanks to a European collector who went out of his way to help me obtain this. Thanks Alex! 

           Charles Chuck "Beef" Corrigan (d. 1988)
Charles Corrigan played 19 games in the NHL, scoring 2 goals and 4 points. He played for the 1937-38 Toronto Maple Leafs and the 1940-41 New York Americans.

                    Cale Makar
This is the very last autograph I needed to complete the 2018-19 season of debuts. Cale Makar has become an NHL star. The explosive defenseman won the 2020 Calder and 2022 he won the Stanley Cup along with the Norris and the Conn Smythe. 

                   Nick Suzuki
Originally a Vegas Golden Knights first round pick in 2017, Nick Suzuki became an impact player with the Montreal Canadiens and has been team captain since 2022. He's a three time NHL All-Star.

                 Jason Robertson
Jason Robertson exploded for 41 goals with the 2021/22 Dallas Stars. He followed that up with a 46 goal season in 2022/23. 

                  Jordan Gross
From 2019 to 2023 Jordan Gross played 25 games in the NHL between the Arizona Coyotes, Colorado Avalanche and Nashville Predators. The defenseman is an undrafted Notre Dame product.

                 Jake Bischoff
Defenseman Jake Bischoff played 4 games in the NHL with the 2019-20 Vegas Golden Knights. He was originally drafted by the New York Islanders in 2012.


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Outside of my NHL player collection I've added a few new women of hockey autographs. With the PWHL seemingly taking off and the continued growth of women's hockey, I'm soon going to have to re-evaluate how I have this collection organized. I hope to add plenty of PWHL autographs over time. 

                Claire Thompson
Claire Thompson was a dominant member of Canada's Gold medal winning 2022 Olympic team blueline. She set the Olympic record for points by a defenseman. Currently playing for New York's PWHL team, she also played for Canada at the 2021 and 2023 World Championships.

                  Kristin O'Neill
Kristin O'Neill currently plays for Montreal in the PWHL. She played for Canada at the World Championships in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

                   Ashton Bell
Ashton Bell currently plays for Ottawa in the PWHL. She's best known for being a member of Canada's 2022 Gold medal winning Olympic team. She also played for Canada at the 2021 and 2022 World Championships.

                   Ella Shelton
A member of New York's PWHL team, Ella Shelton made history by scoring the first goal in PWHL history. She's most notable for helping Canada win Gold at the 2022 Olympics. 

                Kristen Campbell
Kristen Campbell, who currently plays with Toronto in the PWHL, won Gold with Canada at the 2022 Olympics. She also represented Canada at the World Championships in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

                  Jim Midgley
Jim Midgley spent two seasons in the NHL as an assistant coach with the New York Islanders, from 2021 to 2023. In 2023 he left the NHL and returned to the QMJHL as head coach of the Halifax Mooseheads. This goes with my collection of NHL GMs/Coaches who never played in the league.

                      Eddie Mepham (d. 1986)
This is a new addition to my NHL officials collection. Eddie Mepham was an NHL linesman for 10 years during the 1940s and early 1950s. He worked the 1947 and 1948 NHL All-Star games. He later spent 20 years as a goal judge at Maple Leaf Gardens. 

Month of Mail - February 2024

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The month of February, 2024 was a fantastic month for my NHL officials collection and my Women's of hockey collection. I also found 4 more NHL player signatures, raising the grand total of unique signatures to 7,559 for 93% of everyone to play in the NHL.


                         Dick Bittner (d. 2002)
Goalie Richard "Dick" Bittner played 1 game in the NHL with the 1949-50 Boston Bruins. He's also notable for representing USA at the 1949 World Championships. 

                         Alex Ritson (d. 2008)
Alex Ritson played 1 game in the NHL with the 1944-45 New York Rangers.

                        Tony Savage (d. 1974)
Gordon "Tony" Savage spent one season in the NHL and played with both the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins. Between the two clubs, he played 49 games. The defenseman started the year in Montreal, was traded to Boston but then after only 8 games with the Bruins, was traded back to Montreal and finished the season a Canadien.

                   Colin Chisholm
Colin Chisholm played 1 game in the NHL with the 1986-87 Minnesota North Stars.


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                      Dave Nonis
Dave Nonis was General Manager of the Vancouver Canucks from 2004 to 2008 and GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2013 to 2015. This one goes with my collection of NHL coaches & managers who never played in the league. Nonis was one of the most notable recent GMs I was missing so it was great to finally get a reply from him after years of trying. 

                       Bob Myers
Myers spent 22 years in the NHL and worked well over 1,000 games. He officiated the 1980 Stanley Cup finals.

                          Tim Peel
Peel worked over 1,300 games in the NHL and also worked the 2014 Olympics.

                    Ian Sandercock
Ian Sandercock worked in the NHL during the 1980s.

                   Stephane Auger
Stephane Auger spent 15 years as an NHL referee.

                   Mark Faucette
Mark Faucette started officiating in the NHL in the mid 1980s and worked over 900 games in the league.

                      Craig Spada
Craig Spada refereed 247 games in the NHL over his career.

                      Jake Brenk
Jake Brenk was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in 2001 and played some pro hockey but never made it to the NHL as a player. In 2015, Brenk made it to the big leagues as a referee.

                    Paul Flaherty
Paul Flaherty worked as an NHL official during the 1970s and 1980s. He later worked as a video replay official at Boston Bruins games.

                      Brian Sopp
Brian Sopp was an NHL linesman during the 1965-66 season. He left the NHL to return to studies and graduated from Harvard.

                     Kyle Rehman
Kyle Rehman has been an NHL referee since 2008.

                   Andy McElman
From 1993 to 2016 Andy McElman worked 1500 NHL games.



With this new small lot of Canadian women hockey legend autographs, I'm only a couple of signatures away from having all women to represent Canada at the Olympics in hockey.

                  Laura Schuler
Laura Schuler played on Canada's inaugural 1990 World Championship team and was a key member of the National team throughout the decade. She brought home a silver from the 1998 Olympics.

                     Nancy Drolet
Nancy Drolet was a long time member of Canada's national team. She won Gold at the 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2001 World Championships. She also won Silver at the 1998 Olympics.

                 Karen Nystrom
Karen Nystrom was a member of Canada's 1998 Olympic team. She was also on Canada's 1992, 1994 and 1997 World Championship Gold medal winning teams. 

                    Judy Diduck
Judy Diduck helped Canada win Gold at the 1990, 1992, 1994 and 1997 World Championships. She was a member of Canada's 1998 silver medal winning Olympic team. She was also a star ringette player. Her brother, Gerald, played in the NHL.

                     Kelly O'Leary
Kelly O'Leary represented US at the World Championships in 1990, 1992, 1994 and 1997.

                        Kelly Dyer
Kelly Dyer was easily one of the best female netminders of the early 1990s. She was a staple on the US National team and is one of only a handful of women to play professional men's hockey.

                       Eve Gascon
Eve Gascon is one of only 3 women to play in the QMJHL. She now plays college hockey in Minnesota.

                      Erica Howe
Erica Howe currently plays for PWHL Toronto. She has represented Canada internationally at the 2008 U18 World Championships and the 2016 World Championships. 

Month of Mail - March 2024

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A huge month of mail for March 2024. A total of 25 new NHL signatures brings the grand total up to 7,584 for 93% of everyone to ever play in the NHL. 

                          Newsy Lalonde (d. 1970)
Newsy Lalonde is widely considered to be one of the all time best players of his generation, if not the best. He was a high scorer who captained the Montreal Canadiens from 1915 to 1921, leading them to the Stanley Cup in 1916. He scored an incredible 124 goals in 99 regular season NHL games. Only Gretzky and Lemieux tallied more points per game in the NHL over their careers than Lalonde. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1970. 

                      Bert Lindsay (d. 1960)
Goalie Bert Lindsay tended goal during the NHL's very first season in 1917/18 with the Montreal Wanderers. He was a seasoned pro by then who had a long career. He also tended goal for the 1918/19 Toronto Arenas. Bert is also notable for being the father of hockey legend Ted Lindsay.

                        Johnny Mowers (d. 1995)
From 1940 to 1947 Johnny Mowers played over 150 NHL games with the Detroit Red Wings. He had a huge season in 1942-43, helping Detroit win the Stanley Cup and also winning the Vezina Trophy. It was his last full season in the NHL. He enlisted in the army and when he returned to hockey, his job was gone. 

                    Frank Fredrickson (d. 1979)
Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958, Frank Fredrickson won Olympic Gold in 1920 and the Stanley Cup in 1925, making him the first to achieve the feat. In the NHL, he played with the Detroit Cougars, Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Falcons.

                      Barney Stanley (d. 1971)
Barney Stanley played at least one game in the NHL with the 1927-28 Chicago Blackhawks during a season he was the team's head coach. He had a long pro career in leagues rival to the NHL during the 1920s. He won the Stanley Cup in 1915 with the Vancouver Millionaires. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1963.

                     Gord Hannigan (d. 1966)
Through the 1950s Gord Hannigan scored 60 points in 161 NHL games with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Two of his brothers, Pat and Ray, also played in the NHL. Gord actually had a big impact on Canadian history that not many people know about. He ran a food chain in Western Canada during his playing days that strongly and directly influenced his teammate, Tim Horton. Gord Hannigan was only 37 when he died.

                      George McAvoy (d. 1998)
Defenseman George McAvoy played 4 games in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens during the 1955 playoffs. Those playoff games were his only games in the NHL. He also represented Canada at the World Championships in 1955, winning Gold.

                         Ernie Roche (d. 1988)
Defenseman Ernie Roche played 4 games in the NHL with the 1950-51 Montreal Canadiens.

                           Wally Clune (d. 1998)
Wally Clune played 5 games in the NHL with the 1955-56 Montreal Canadiens.

                       Wally Kilrea (d. 1992)
Through the 1930s Wally Kilrea played over 300 games in the NHL. He played for the Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Quakers,  New York Americans, Montreal Maroons and Detroit Red Wings. The well travelled Kilrea won the Stanley Cup with Detroit in '36 and '37. He's a member of the great Kilrea hockey family that includes Hec, Ken and Brian.

                       Clare Martin (d. 1980)
From 1941 to 1952 defenseman Clare Martin played over 200 games in the NHL between the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks. 

                       Sammy Godin (d. 1975)
From 1927 to 1929 Sam Godin played 47 games in the NHL with the Ottawa Senators and then later played another 36 games in the NHL with the 1933-34 Montreal Canadiens.

                          Don Grosso (d. 1985)
From 1938 to 1947 Don Grosso scored over 200 points in 336 regular season games in the NHL. He spent most of his career with the Detroit Red Wings but was also a member of the Blackhawks and Bruins. He helped Detroit win the Stanley Cup in 1943, scoring 4 goals in 10 playoff games.

                       Vic Desjardins (d. 1988)
Michigan native Vic Desjardins played in the NHL with the 1930-31 Chicago Blackhawks and 1931-32 New York Rangers. There were very few Americans in the NHL at the time. He was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1974.

                      Gerry Lowrey (d. 1979)
From 1927 to 1933 Gerry Lowrey played over 200 games in the NHL. He played for the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Quakers, Chicago Blackhawks and Ottawa Senators.

                        Cully Simon (d. 1980)
From 1942 to 1945 John "Cully" Simon played 130 regular season games in the NHL between the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks. He's most notable for helping Detroit win the Stanley Cup in 1943. His brother, Thain, also played in the NHL.

                         Ron Rowe (d. 2005)
Ron Rowe scored 1 goal in 5 NHL games with the 1947-48 New York Rangers.

                      D'arcy Coulson (d. 1996)
Defenseman D'Arcy Coulson played 28 games in the NHL with the 1930-31 Philadelphia Quakers. He recorded 0 points but over 100 penalty minutes.

                     Roly McLenehan (d. 1984)
Roland/Rollie/Roly McLenehan scored 2 goals and 3 points in 9 career NHL games with the 1945-46 Detroit Red Wings.

                         Bob Gracie (d. 1963)
Bob Gracie played nearly 400 NHL games through the 1930s. The well traveled Gracie played for the Maple Leafs, Bruins, Americans, Maroons, Canadiens and Blackhawks. He won the Stanley Cup with Toronto in 1932 and with the Montreal Maroons in 1935.

                         Moe White (d. 2003)
Moe White played 4 games in the NHL with the 1945-46 Montreal Canadiens. This completed my Year of Debuts for 1945-46.

                            Normand Baron
Norman Baron was an enforcer who played 27 games in the NHL between the Montreal Canadiens and St. Louis Blues. He certainly has a unique story, he quit hockey after junior and spent years as bodybuilder before returning to hockey at 25 and making it to the NHL.

                                Jon Fontas
Jon Fontas played 2 games in the NHL with the Minnesota North Stars. He has remained active in hockey as an instructor but oddly and unfortunately for me, he seems adverse to signing so I had to buy an index card he had signed during his playing days. He was one of the last living former players I'd long needed.

                               Mike Lauen
Mike Lauen played 4 games in the NHL with the 1983-84 Winnipeg Jets. Lauen is also notable for representing USA at the 1980 World Junior Championships, scoring 5 points in 5 games.

                              Mike Posavad
From 1985 to 1987 Mike Posavad played 8 games in the NHL with the St. Louis Blues.


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                  Ryan Warsofsky
Ryan Warsofsky attended Curry College and then played a little lower level pro before becoming a coach. In 2016 he became a head coach in the ECHL, in 2019 he became head coach of the AHL's Charlotte Checkers and then in 2022 he was promoted to the NHL as an assistant coach with the San Jose Sharks. This goes with my collection of NHL coaches and managers who never played in the NHL.

                       Scott Driscoll
Scott Driscoll spent 28 seasons in the NHL as a linesman. He worked the Stanley Cup finals in 2004, 2007 and 2014. This goes with my collection of NHL official autographs

                    Marianne Grnak
Marianne Grnak helped Canada win Gold at the 1994 World Championships. This and the next couple of autographs to with my collection of USA/Canada women national players

                 Shawna Davidson
Shawna Davidson represented USA at the 1990, 1992 and 1994 World Championships. She brought home a Silver medal each time.

                     Fiona Smith
Fiona Smith won a Silver medal at the 1998 Olympics as a member of Team Canada. She also won Gold at the 1997 and 1999 World Championships.

Month of Mail - April 2024

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April, 2024 saw 7 new NHL autographs added including a huge addition in Joe Turner. I'm honoured to own such an important autograph. 
The grand total of unique NHL player autographs in my collection now stands at 7,591 for 93% of everyone to ever play in the league. 


                            Joe Turner (d. 1944)
Goalie Joe Turner played 1 game in the NHL with the 1941-42 Detroit Red Wings. He signed this autograph while playing with Detroit's AHL affiliate, the Indianapolis Capitals in 1942. Tuner served in WWII and was killed in action in Germany in 1944, one of two NHL players who never came home.

                             Art Ross (d. 1964)
Art Ross is a true legend of the game. A member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and honored with the Art Ross Trophy, he was a long time player, coach and manager. As a player, he won the Stanley Cup in 1907 and 1908 and played in the NHL during the league's very first season in 1917-18. As coach and GM of the Boston Bruins, he won the Stanley Cup another 3 times.

                       Lorne Chabot (d. 1946)
Through the 1920s and 1930s goalie Lorne Chabot played over 400 games in the NHL. He played for the Rangers, Maple Leafs, Canadiens, Blackhawks, Maroons and Americans. He won the Stanley Cup with the Rangers in 1928 and with the Maple Leafs in 1932. He won the Vezina Trophy in 1935 with the Blackhawks.

                      Bill Beveridge (d. 1995)
From 1929 to 1943 goalie Bill Beveridge played just short of 300 regular season games in the NHL. He played for the Detroit Cougars, Ottawa Senators, St. Louis Eagles, Montreal Maroons and NY Rangers.

                   Conny "Connie" Brown (d. 1996)
From 1938 to 1943 Conny Smith scored 15 goals and 39 points in 91 NHL games with the Detroit Red Wings. Most current databases note his name as "Connie" Brown but he did indeed sign as "Conny" and newspapers from his playing days also spell his name as "Conny."

                  Fred "Frock" Lowrey (d. 1968)
From 1924 to 1926 Fred Lowrey played 54 games in the NHL between the Montreal Maroons and Pittsburgh Pirates. Two of his brothers, Eddie and Gerry, also played in the NHL.

                       Veini Vehvilainen
Veini Vehvilainen played 1 game in the NHL with the 2020-21 Columbus Blue Jackets. Internationally, he won a Gold Medal with Finland at the 2019 World Championships.


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