Some very notable names in this post. Jacques Plante represents one of the last post-WWII legends that I needed. There are very few notable players from that time on who's signature I don't have.
Dan Snyder and Steve Moore represent some of the most notable names in 'dark' side of hockey history. Snyder was killed in a high speed accident involving Dany Heatley and Steve Moore's career was ended by Todd Bertuzzi in an on ice incident. The two players both became common names because of these tragic events.
When I was working on my autograph wantlist I underlined two post-2000 debuts as guys I'd have trouble finding due to their unfortunate young deaths. These two were BJ Young and Dan Snyder. With both now in the collection is has become a very real possibility that I'll be able to complete all the post-2000 debuts in the foreseeable future.
Dan Snyder
Dan Snyder was signed by the Atlanta Thrashers as a free agent after spending 4 seasons in the OHL with the Owen Sound Platters. From 2000 to 2003 Snyder scored 11 goals and 16 points in 49 career NHL games with the Atlanta Thrashers. He died in a car accident in 2003 at only 25.
One of my saved ebay searches was 'team signed Atlanta Thrashers' with the hope that an item from Snyder's time with the club would pop up. This was on a license plate signed by a bunch of others Thrashers from the period. I was extremely happy to find a Snyder autograph at an affordable price.
Dan Snyder was signed by the Atlanta Thrashers as a free agent after spending 4 seasons in the OHL with the Owen Sound Platters. From 2000 to 2003 Snyder scored 11 goals and 16 points in 49 career NHL games with the Atlanta Thrashers. He died in a car accident in 2003 at only 25.
One of my saved ebay searches was 'team signed Atlanta Thrashers' with the hope that an item from Snyder's time with the club would pop up. This was on a license plate signed by a bunch of others Thrashers from the period. I was extremely happy to find a Snyder autograph at an affordable price.
Jacques Plante
One of the best goalies of his time, Jacques Plante is an NHL legend who is credited for introducing the goalie mask. He won the Stanley Cup 6 times, Vezina Trophy 7 times and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1978. Plante moved to Switzerland after retiring from hockey and died there in 1986 at only 57 after a bout with cancer.
This didn't scan very well but I'm actually rather pleased with this in person. The part of the autograph covered by the old tape stain is clearly visible in hand and doesn't look that bad at all. I'm certainly willing to live with it because otherwise the signature would have been out of my price range. The future will give me plenty of time to upgrade but this little piece will go nicely into my collection right now. If you collect vintage I'd recommend checking out this website: casports2000.com, a reputable dealer with very reasonable prices. I've purchased numerous items from him over the years and am always satisfied.
Ike Hildebrand
From 1953 to 1955 Ike Hildebrand scored 7 goals and 18 points in 41 career NHL games. He was a member of the New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks. He was an even better lacross player and is in the Canadian lacross hall of fame. Hildebrand passed away in 2006.
Steve Moore
Steve Moore is a well known name because of the famous Todd Bertuzzi incident that cut his career short. Moore was drafted in the 2nd round of the 1998 NHL draft by the Avalanche. He attended 4 years of Harvard before making his NHL debut in 2001. From then until the career ending injury in 2004, he scored 5 goals and 12 points in 69 career NHL games with the Avs. I have not seen a TTM success from Moore since the injury and I'm not sure how receptive he is to fans. I had sent a request to his foundation along with a donation but never got a return. When I saw this among a lot of Hersey Bears autographs, I jumped on it because I'm not sure how often, if at all, Moore signs anymore.
Andrei Vasilyev
From 1994 to 1998 Russian forward Andrei Vasilyev scored 2 goals and 7 points in 16 career NHL games. He dressed for the New York Islanders and Phoenix Coyotes.
Josh Langfeld
From 2001 to 2008 Josh Langfeld scored 9 goals and 32 points in 143 career NHL games. He was a member of the Ottawa Senators, San Jose Sharks, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings and Nashville Predators. He won a couple NCAA championships with the University of Michigan before signing with the Sens, who had drafted Langeld 66th overall in 1997. Langeld fell of the map after retiring in 2010 and I haven't been able to locate him so this was a purchase. One of my common ebay searches is for autograph lots, this was a part of a small lot of Birmingham Sens signed postcards, with Langfeld the only one I needed.
Ken Lockett
From 1974 to 1976 Ken Lockett played 55 games in net with the Vancouver Canucks. He also played a season in the WHA with the 1976/77 San Diego Mariners.
Mal Davis
From 1978 to 1986 Mal Davis scored 31 goals and 53 points in 100 regular season NHL games. He was a member of the Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres.
George McPhee
Currently GM of the Vegas Golden Knights, George McPhee played 115 games in the NHL in the 1980s between the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils. In 1982 he won the Hobey Baker award with Bowling Green State. From 1997 to 2014 he was GM of the Washington Capitals. This also represents my first TTM success from the Vegas Golden Knights. Good to see at least front office is answering fan mail.
Mark Mowers
From 1998 to 2008 Mark Mowers played 278 regular season NHL games, dressing with the Nashville Predators, Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins and Anaheim Ducks. He's currently a scout with the Montreal Canadiens.
Claude Julien
Best remembered as a long time NHL head coach and winner of the 2009 Jack Adams, Claude Julien once played in the NHL. From 1984 to 1986 the defenseman played 14 NHL games with the Quebec Nordiques. He's likely most notable for winning the Stanley Cup in 2011 as Bruins head coach. I still have his Behind the Bench certified autograph to chase but with the last one selling for close to $40, I'm good with waiting.
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8 "other" hockey autographs to finish off this post. One NHL backup only, 2 WHA players, 2 Women Olympians, a couple NHL coaches and an NHL owner.
Eric Semborski
The 2016/17 season was a dream come true for goalie Eric Semborski. He last played for Temple University in 2014, a Philadelphia based school, but as a local netminder, he dressed in 2 NHL games as an emergency backup during the 2016/17 season. Most people could only dream of such an opportunity and for Semborkski it happened twice. He dressed for the Blackhawks on December 3rd and for the Flyers on April 1st. The Flyers even attempted to put him in net for the final 30 seconds of the game but a sour referee forced Semborski back to the bench. He was excruciatingly close to being an official NHL alumni.
Byron Shutt
Byron Shutt scored 10 goals and 17 points in 65 career WHA games with the 1978/79 Cincinnati Stingers. He's the younger brother of Hockey Hall of Famer Steve Shutt.
Rich Pumple
From 1972 to 1975 Rich Pumple scored 27 goals and 57 points in 128 career games in the WHA, playing for the Cleveland Crusaders and Indianapolis Racers.
Kim Insalaco
As a member of the US National Team, Kim Insalaco won Bronze at the 2006 Olympics, Gold at the 2005 Women's World Championships and Silver at the 2004 Worlds. She was a forward who had spent time as captain of the Brown University women's team.
I'm trying to get an autograph of all the women who represented Canada or US at the National level in ice hockey.
Katie King
Katie King-Cowley was a long time member of the US National Team. She won Gold at the 1998 Olympics, noting it as her career highlight. She also won Silver at the 2002 Olympics and Bronze at the 2006 Olympics. At the Women's World Championships she helped US win Gold in 2005 and Silver on five other occasions. She married former NHLer and Olympian Ted Crowley.
Guy Boucher
A McGill Unversity alumni, Guy Boucher started his coaching career in the QMJHL. In 2010 he was hired as head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning, a position he held until 2013. In 2016 he was lured back to the NHL as head coach of the Ottawa Senators
George Gwozdecky
From 2013 to 2015 George Gwozdecky was an NHL assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Before that he has spent two decades coaching in the NCAA. He noted the desire to help young adults both on an off the ice as his reason stepping down from the NHL level.
Jeremy Jacobs Sr.
77 year old billionaire Jeremy Jacobs is the current owner of the Boston Bruins. He's owned the team since 1975 and is known to be one of the more active NHL owners and influencers.
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