IP Success: Jordin Tootoo

  Getting an in-person auto is quite an achievement when you live in the Arctic Circle.   If you did get one, most people would bet it'd be Jordin Tootoo, and most people would be right.  Tootoo is a spokesperson for Canadian North, an airline that services the Arctic.  This week Canadian North and Jordin Tootoo made several stops in the Western Arctic.  Tootoo is the first Inuk to make the NHL and is a inspiration to aboriginals accross Canada, especially in the North.  Tootoo appeared at the school's gym, spoke about some of the obstacles he has overcame, such as his older brother's suicide and his battle with sobriety.  There were a few presentations and Tootoo even did some drum dancing with a group of kids.  The afternoon ended with Mr. Tootoo signing autographs.

Take this Shutout and Shove it!

  Who doesn't like a good goalie fight?  Rick Dipietro's mom, that's who.  Otherwise everybody loves goalie fights.  Goalies rarely get involved in the fisticuffs.  It takes a lot of effort.  It's not like the skaters who already part of the scrum.  For the goalies to meet, one, or both, have to skate across the ice and then receive the dreaded leaving the crease penalty.  It takes a lot of effort to get a goalie fight going but for some goalies it must be high on their bucket list since not only do they get into the fight, they give up their shutout to do so.  There have been three goalies who have giving up a shutout bid with 7 minutes or less left in the game, and got a into a fight instead.  How many can you remember?

TTM: Troy Loney

Troy Loney won two Stanley Cups while playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins and scored the Anahiem (Mighty) Ducks first Gordie Howe Hat Trick in franchise history.  Loney played 624 career NHL games and  also played in every single play-off game in the Pittsburgh Penguins back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992.  Mr. Loney signed 2 of 2, c/o home.

268 Day TTM Success: Joe Thronton

I thought this one was a goner.  Sent on September 20, 2011 and received on June 14th, 2012.   It was postmarked on June 1st, so I guess it got shuffled to the bottom of Joe's fan mail pile or it got lost under the car seat.  Either way, it's great to see back.  Joe Thornton is the only Art Ross Trophy winner to have been traded mid-season.  An Olympic Gold medalist in 2010, Thornton has yet to reach the Stanley Cup Final.  It may seem like Thornton, who played his 1000th game last season,  has been around forever but he's only turning 33 this summer.  Still, the Sharks window for the Cup could be closing as there regular season points have decreased in each of the past four seasons.

TTM: Joe Pavelski

Joe Pavelski is a player who seems on the cusp on breaking through to stardom.  Although it seems that way for the past few years.  Pavelski put his name on the map with a strong 2009-10 play-offs, leading the Sharks in scoring and potting 3 game-winning goals.  His +6 that play-offs was 17 points higher than team captain Joe Thornton, -11.  Pavelski has since established himself as a consistent producer, netting a career high 31 goals in 2011-12.  Can Pavelski make the jump to All-Star?  The Sharks will need him to if they hope to capture Lord Stanley.  Mr. Pavelski signed 2 of 3, keeping a card, c/o the San Jose Sharks.  He signed a Donruss card and a team issued oversized card.

TTM: Bob Mason

I featured Bob Mason and this card on a previous edition of The Forgotten and you can read that story here.  The key part of that post was to mention that Bob Mason never had a NHL card produced until 2004, 14 years after his last NHL game.  So I made up a rookie card, complete with the back, and I mailed it off to him in hopes of him keeping one and returning the other signed.  My success rate was 50%.  Mr. Mason signed and returned both copies of the card, and both copies of the 3.5x6.  The 3.5x6 was the same picture, just bigger.  While I am excited to get this back, I am also a bit disappointed that he never kept a copy.  Although I wonder how many times he has been sent a custom card of the 84-85 OPC set.  Considering quality Bob Mason pictures are rare on the web, I wouldn't be surprised if he seen this card several times before.

TTM: Curtis Sanford

  This return was a bit different.  I sent to Curtis Sanford c/o the Columbus Blue Jackets.  I sent him a total of 4 cards and 2 copies of the same picture.  I offered a copy of the picture and 2 cards for him to keep.  I even put the two cards in a plastic sleeve together and a post it note telling him to keep them.  In the end he return all four cards and both copies of the pictures signed.  The SASE threw me for a loop.  Mr. Sanford took his fanmail back with him to Ontario, peeled the USA stamps off and put a Canadian stamp on it. So there's a lot going on on this return, compare to most.  The effort Mr. Sanford put in is appreciated, especially considering that he has signed on to play overseas in the KHL for next season.

  Mr. Sanford was signed as an undrafted free agent by the St. Louis Blues in 2000.  He made his debut in the 2002-03, a season in which the St. Louis Blues used 7 different goalies.  While in St. Louis, injuries seemed to continually derail his chances at taking over the #1 spot.  In 2007, Sandford signed with the Vancouver Canucks as a back-up to Roberto Loungo.  Late in the 2008-09 season, Sanford was sent to the AHL.  Over the next 2 1/2 seasons, he went 52-27-8, with a 1.98 GAA and .925 save percentage.  In 2011, he signed a one year deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets.  Sanford outplayed starter Chris Mason but minor injuries once again hampered Sanford as he finished the season on injury reserve.  An UFA this off-season, Sanford was quick to sign on with another team... in the KHL.  Sanford will play on Lokomotiv Yaroslavl.  Lokomotiv took the 2011-12 KHL season off , after the horrific plane crash that claimed the lives of all passengers.