Most of these come from a deal with a fellow autograph collector. A couple outstanding TTM requests also trickled in. I mailed a stack of new requests this week so hopefully I'll have more returns to post in the coming months. For the majority of the living retired guys I still need, if they're not impossible to find, I've likely already written them on multiple occasions at more than one address. It gets harder to find motivation to send new requests when you almost know the majority won't come back.
Tony Stiles
Defenseman Tony Stiles recorded 2 goals and 9 points in 30 career NHL games with the 1983/84 Calgary Flames. Stiles was an undrafted Michigan Tech alumni when his signed with Calgary in 1982. Internationally, Stiles was a member of Canada's 4th place team at the 1988 Winter Olympics.
Pat Daley
From 1979 to 1981 Pat Daley played a dozen games in the NHL with the Winnipeg Jets. Internationally, he represented Canada at the 1978 World Juniors.
Claude Houde
From 1974 to 1976 defenseman Claude Houde played 59 games in the NHL with the Kansas City Scouts.
Chris Hayes
Chris Hayes played just 1 game in the NHL and it came in the postseason. Hayes played a playoff game with the Boston Bruins in 1972 for a team that went on to claim the Stanley Cup. Hayes didn't get his name on the Trophy for his one game appearance. Hayes actually qualified to have his name engraved but the Bruins choose not to include him. A little hockey trivia, Hayes is one of only 2 NHL players whose only experience in the league came during the Stanley Cup finals. The other, Doug McKay, by sheer coicidence, is also featured in this mail post.
Jay Johnston
From 1980 to 1982 defenseman Jay Johnston played 8 games in the NHL with the Washington Capitals. He's also notable for winning the AHL's Calder Cup in 1980 with the Hershey Bears. There's a nice little article from a blog that documents Johnston's full career.
Greg Meredith
From 1980 to 1983 Greg Meredith scored 6 goals and 10 points in 38 career NHL games with the Calgary Flames. He was a Notre Dame alumni who had been drafted by the Flames in 1978.
Rob Plumb
From 1977 to 1979 Rob Plumb played 14 games in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings. He scored 3 goals and 5 points. His brother, Ron, also played in the NHL.
Kent Ruhnke
Kent Ruhnke played 2 NHL games with the 1975/76 Boston Bruins. He signed with the Bruins as an undrafted free agent who had just completed his degree at the University of Toronto. It was then and still is a rare accomplishment to go from Canadian university hockey to the NHL. Ruhnke also played 2 seasons in the WHA with Bobby Hull's Winnipeg Jets.
Vic Teal
Originally drafted by the St. Louis blues in 1969, Vic Teal played 1 game in the NHL with the 1973/74 New York Islanders. The Islanders had signed Teal as a free agent in 1973. His brother, Skip, also briefly appeared in the NHL.
Gary Dillon
Gary Dillon played 13 games in the NHL with the 1980/81 Colorado Rockies. He was later signed by the Quebec Nordiques, hence the picture, but he was never able to make it out of their AHL farm team. His brother, Wayne, also played in the NHL.
Bruce Gamble
This would certainly be the "First Star" of the mail post. I have a soft spot for goalies and Bruce Gamble played in well over 300 NHL games from 1958 to 1972. MVP of the 1968 NHL All-Star game, Gamble played for the Rangers, Bruins, Maple Leafs and Flyers. Unfortunately, Gamble had heart trouble and passed away in 1982 at only 44.
Don Poile
From 1954 to 1958 Don Poile played 66 games in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings. He netted 7 goals and 16 points playing with Gordie Howe's Red Wings. His brother, Bud, also played in the NHL.
Pete Kelly
From 1934 to 1942 Pete Kelly scored 21 goals and 59 points in 180 career NHL games. He played for the St. Louis Eagles, Detroit Red Wings and New York/Brooklyn Americans. He won the Stanley Cup with Detroit in 1936 and 1937. Kelly passed away in 2004.
Ted Hodgson
Ted Hodgson played 4 games in the NHL with the 1966/67 Boston Bruins. He later spent a couple seasons in the WHA, playing over 100 games in the league between 1972 and 1974. In the WHA he played for the Cleveland Crusaders and LA Sharks.
Lee Fogolin Sr.
From 1948 to 1957 Lee Fogolin Sr. played 427 regular season games in the NHL, playing for the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks. He's most notable for helping Detroit win the Stanley Cup in 1950. His son, who also goes by Lee Fogolin, became a longtime NHL player. Fogolin Sr. passed away in 2000.
Roger Lemelin
From 1974 to 1978 defenseman Roger Lemelin played 36 games in the NHL. He played for the Kansas City Souts and Colorado Rockies.
Ted Snell
From 1973 to 1975 Ted Snell scored 7 goals and 25 points in 107 career NHL games. Snell played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings and Kansas City Scouts.
Larry Gould
Larry Gould played 2 games in the NHL with the 1973/74 Vancouver Canucks. He played pro hockey for a decade, from 1972 to 1982. His brother, John Gould, also played in the NHL.
Chris Pusey
Goalie Chris Pusey appeared between the pipes for 1 NHL game with the 1985/86 Detroit Red Wings. Interesting note, Pusey later played senior hockey with the Brantford Blast and helped them compete for the Allen Cup. Its notable because he did so as a defenseman, not a goalie.
Jack Hughes
From 1980 to 1982 defenseman Jack Hughes played 46 NHL games with the Colorado Rockies. He spent most of 1980 playing and travelling with the US Olympic team. Unfortunately for Hughes, he was cut shortly before the Olympics and missed out on being part of the Miracle team.
Bruce Eakin
From 1981 to 1986 Bruce Eakin scored 2 goals and 4 points in 13 career NHL games. He played for the Calgary Flames and later the Detroit Red Wings. Eakin spent most of his pro hockey career in Germany, playing until 1999.
Mike McMahon jr.
The son of an NHLer by the same name, Mike McMahon jr. played over 200 games in both the NHL and WHA. In the NHL McMahon played for the Rangers, North Stars, Blackhawks, Red Wings, Penguins and Sabres. He passed away in 2013.
Dave Rochefort
Dave Rochefort played 1 game in the NHL with the 1966/67 Detroit Red Wings. His most success came as a junior hockey player, winning the Memorial Cup in 1963 and 1966 with the Edmonton Oil Kings.
Earl Ingarfield jr.
From 1979 to 1982 Earl Ingarfield jr. played 39 games in the NHL. He played for the Atlanta/Calgary Flames and Detroit Red Wings. His father, Earl Sr., had a long career in the NHL.
Ken Mann
Undrafted forward Ken Mann played 1 game in the NHL with the 1975/76 Detroit Red Wings. He was a star junior player who scored 44 goals in just 58 games with the 72/73 Windsor Spitfires.
Doug Halward
From 1975 to 1989 Doug Halward played 653 regular season games in the NHL. The defenseman put up a very respectable 293 points over a career that saw him play for the Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings,Vancouver Canucks, Detroit Red Wings and Edmonton Oilers.
Ray Staszak
Ray Staszak was a star college player who scored 37 goals and 72 points in just 38 games with the 1984/85 University of Illinois-Chicago hockey team. The Detroit Red Wings won a bidding frenzy for the free agent Staszak and Staszak became the first college hockey player to sign a million dollar NHL contract. It was huge money in 1985 and caused a ripple throughout the league. Staszak's NHL career, however, only lasted 4 games with the Red Wings. He scored 21 points in 26 AHL games but was forced to retired after part of just one pro hockey season due to injuries.
Tom Mellor
A Boston College alumni, Tom Mellor is most notable for helping the United States take home a silver medal from the 1972 Olympics. Mellor later played 26 career NHL games with the Detroit Red Wings.
Jim Shires
From 1970 to 1973 Jim Shires played 56 games in the NHL. He was a member of the Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues and Pittsburgh Penguins. He was originally signed by the Red Wings as a free agent who had played 4 years of college hockey at the University of Denver.
Pat Rupp
Goalie Pat Rupp played 1 NHL game with the 1963/64 Detroit Red Wings. He's most notable for his International career, representing the United States at the 1964 and 1968 Olympics.
Danny Gruen
From 1972 to 1974 Danny Gruen played 20 games in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings. He then spent three seasons in the rival WHA before returning to the NHL in 1976/77 to play for the Colorado Rockies. Gruen scored 9 goals and 22 points in 49 career NHL games.
Ed Stankiewicz
From 1953 to 1956 Ed Stankiewicz played 6 games in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings. His brother, Myron, also played in the NHL.
Doug McKay
Doug McKay played just 1 game in the NHL and it came during the 1950 NHL playoffs with the Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings went on to win the championship but McKay's name was left off the trophy. In a rare feat, he also won the AHL's Calder Cup in 1950 with the Indianapolis Capitals. He was a much bigger part of that team's win.
Al Jensen
From 1980 to 1987 goalie Al Jensen appeared in 179 NHL games. He played for the Detroit Red Wings, Washington Capitals and Los Angeles Kings. Jensen and Pat Riggin won the 1983/84 William M. Jennings Trophy for backstopping the Capitals to the NHL's lowest goals against average that season. Internationally, he represented Canada at the 1977 and 1978 World Juniors. Jensen has been a long-time NHL scout since hanging up his skates.
Bob Hoffmeyer
From 1977 to 1985 Bob Hoffmeyer played a couple hundred games in the NHL, dressing with the Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils. From 1987 to 1989 Hoffmeyer briefly returned to the NHL as an assistant coach with the Devils. He then turned to scouting as has been a Devils pro scout since 1993.
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Clare Drake
Clare Drake is best know for his time at the University of Alberta where he coached the school's hockey team for nearly 30 years with great success. In 1975/76, Drake spent time as head coach of the WHA's Edmonton Oilers. From 1989 to 1991 he had a short stint in the NHL as an assistant coach with the Winnipeg Jets. In 2017, Drake was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder.
How did you ever get Vic Teal's photo and autograph? He is on my list of Islanders wants. I am very jealous.
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