TTM Sucess: Bobby Clarke

 It took a little over a month to get this TTM request returned, which is a great turnaround from Tuktoyaktuk, NWT to Philadelphia, PA and back.  The best part is that Bobby Clarke actually signed in the auto window horizontally instead of signing vertically, like he does on most TTMs.  Granted it is still at an angle.  I sent hime one pic to auto and one to keep if he wished.  He returned both signed.  He also returned the LOR which was a first for me.  Very happy with this return from a HHOFer. 

88-89 OPC Tribute: Vokoun, Bryzgalov and Landeskog

  The last two weeks have been busy at work.  I had to work on a few of my days off and the bloging time has been a causality.  Then today I wrote up my post only to find it wouldn't publish.  I was able to log back in later and I found out none of it saved.  So here we go again.  This time the shorten version.
  Tomas Vokoun has finally found himself on a Stnaley Cup contender.  He's now only 32 wins away from 300 in his career.  I think he'll easily get over 300 wins for his career this season and should be up over 40 wins on the year.  This is the year he becomes a household name.

#54 - Tomas Vokoun

  Even before He had even won a NHL game, I had about 50 rookie cards of Ilya Bryzgalov.  This could be the year, that collection hits paydirt.  Out of the desert and onto Broad St., Brygalov has found himself as #1 man between the pipes for a Stanley Cup Contender via free agency.   

#55 - Ilya Bryzgalov

  Gabriel Landeskog was the second overall pick in the 2011 entry draft.  After a strong start, it appears he will be spending the year with the Colorado Avalanche and should be a contender for the Calder trophy.

#124 - Gabriel Landeskog

TTM Success: Jarome Iginla

  I sent a copy of the 88-89 OPC Tribute card of Jarome Iginla to get autographed.  While I was checking for the address, I saw that he tends to send out a signed picture/postcard of himself and return any sent items unsigned.  Which is exactly happened to my request.  The card measures 3 1/2 inches by 8 1/2 inches, about the size of a pamphlet.  I do think it is a real signature and not a facsimile or an auto-pen.  I was able to find three signed versions of a previous years card and the signatures looked slightly different on each cards.
  So it appears you can easily get an Jarome Iginla auto without sending a card, just a LOR and an SASE.  While it's nice to get the auto, I was hoping to get the pictures that I sent signed.  Still it certainly better than nothing and perhaps I'll try to get some other Flames and maybe get this tallboy Iginla some line-mates 

TTM Success: Johnny Bower

  I sent 2 copies  each of 2 customs to Johnny Bower and suggested that he kept the extras.  He signed all 4 and returned them.  I am slightly bummed that he didn't keep the extra but I guess he gets so much mail that he would have a houseful of cards, pictures and customs of himself if he kept every extra offered.
  One of the customs was the card I included in the OPC Tribute set.  I added a faded white area for the auto.  Mr. Bower signed beneath the area for the auto. When I look at it, I can tell he was more concerned with not covering the action with his auto.  So his heart was in the right place.  I am just really happy to get a return.  Living this far north, the mail takes a bit longer to get where it is going.

A very nice return from a HHOF.  

Thank you Mr. Bower                

88-89 OPC Tribute: Halak, Spezza, and Beliveau

  Jaroslav Halak made his mark in the 2009-10 playoffs, where his brillant play helped the 8th seeded Montreal Canadiens upset the President's Trophy winners, the Washington Capitals.  Halak's stellar play helped the underdog Canadiens team make it to the Stanley Cup semi-finals.  In a surprising move, Halak was traded to the St. Louis Blues in the offseason.
  Jason Spezza is a player who always seems to be on the cusp on stardom.  Injuries have played a large role in holding Spezza back.  Spezza has missed an average of 12 games per season.  Spezza shared the lead in Play-off scoring with line mates Daniel Alfredsson and Danny Heatley in 2005-06 with 22pts

#52 - Jaroslav Halak

#53 - Jason Spezza

  When the Montreal Canadiens bought the Quebec Senior League in 1953, they were really only interested in one player, Jean Beliveau.  In the end Jean Beliveau, aka Le Gros Bill, would play 21 seasons, win 10 Stanley Cups, and gain entry into the HHOF.  After his retirement in 1971, Beliveau's name would make it onto the Stanley Cup seven more times as an executive of the Montreal Canadiens.  No other person in history has had his name on the cup as often as Beliveau.

#110 - Jean Beliveau

88-89 OPC Tribute: Boyle, Kessell, and Hextall

#50 - Dan Boyle

  Dan Boyle played in his second All-Star game in 2010-11.  He finished the season with 9 goals and 41 assists for 50pts.  All three totals were his lowest since joining the San Jose Sharks in 2008.  Boyle had saved this best hockey for the post-season, leading all defencemen is scoring with 16 pts in 18 games.

  Boyle won a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightening in 2003-04.  In 2010, Boyle had a 6pts in 7 games, helping Team Canada win the Gold Medal at the Vancouver Olympics.

#51 - Phil Kessell

  Phil Kessel have Leafs fans taking the paper bags off their heads and once again annoying non-Leafs fans everywhere.  Kessel is on pace for 137 goals and 219pts.  Totals that are a far cry from his career highs of 36 goals and 64 points.
  The Leafs are off to a 3-0-0 start in 2011-12.  It's the Leafs best starts since they went 4-0-0 in 2010-11, a season in which they missed the playoffs... again.

#109 - Ron Hextall

  Ron Hextall burst onto the NHL scene in 1986-87.  As a rookie, Hextall led the league in wins (37), won the Vezina trophy, and won the Conn Smythe as he led the Philadelphia Flyers to game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals.  The Flyers lost to the Edmonton Oilers and Hextall, or the Flyers, would not make it back to the Stanley Cup Finals until a decade later in 1996-97, where they were swept by the Detroit Red Wings.
  Ron Hextall is most know for being the first goalie to actually shoot and score a goal in the NHL (regular season and then in the play-offs) and having a mean streak.  Ron Hextall holds the record for PIM by a goalie for career (584), single season (113), career playoffs (115) and single playoff season (43).

  This is a great tribute video.  Really shows some of the great saves Hextall made, his two goals and also his famous mean streak.

88-89 OPC Tribute: Kovalchuk, Zetterberg and Scheifele

  Ilya Kovalchuk struggled in his first full season with the New Jersey Devils, posting his lowest totals for goals (31) and points (60) since his rookie season.  Kovalchuk loves playing for his country, he has played in the last eight straight World Hockey Championships for Russia.  Henrik Zetterberg posted his highest assist total (56) of his career last season.  His goals-per-game as dropped each of the past four season even though he has remained in the top 5 for Shots on net for each of those years.

   

#48 - Ilya Kovalchuk

#49 - Henrik Zetterberg

  Drafted 7th overall by the Winnipeg Jets, Mark Scheifele started the preseason with a bang.  He scored 2 goals and 2 assists against the Columbu Blue Jackets.  His regular season debut was a bit quieter, registering zero points and one shot on net, but he tied for the team high in +/- with a zero.

#123 - Mark Sheifele