Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Mail Call

Some recent trades and through the mail returns to show. Special thanks to Matt for some great autographs in a trade.
My 2000-2010 wantlist has shrunk to just over 20 players. Once a pipe dream, its becoming a very real possibility to get an autograph of everyone who has played in the league since the year I was born (1991). This light at the end of the tunnel has given me a little boost recently and I've been really digging to try and find addresses for the remaining players. I have a feeling that its going to be a long slog to try and find the dozen or so most obscure signatures, much of them from long retired Europeans.
With these 18 new NHL autographs, the grand total of unique player signatures now stands at 5,878 for 77% of everyone to ever play in the league.
On a personal note, my girlfriend and I purchased our first home this month here in beautiful Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. For the past decade I've had my mail sent to my parent's house and then I picked it up when I visited, usually once or twice a month. Having lived in three provinces and countless apartments over that period, I never had an address permanent enough to put on a TTM request. That will finally change now that we have a little house of our own. It will also mean I'll be able to display and share the collection with anyone interested who happens to be visiting Charlottetown.


                               Mark Smith
From 2000 to 2008 forward Mark Smith scored 70 points in 377 regular season NHL games. He spent the majority of his time in the league with the San Jose Sharks but retired as a Calgary Flame. As soon as I found out that Smith played for the Sharks alumni team, I had this request out. Its Mark Smith's super common name that makes him a relatively tough autograph and I'm very happy I didn't have to resort to purchasing this one. 

                            Steve Guenette
From 1986 to 1991 goalie Steve Guenette appeared between the pipes in 35 NHL games. He played for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Calgary Flames.

                         Hank Lammens
Hank Lammens was originally drafted by the New York Islanders in 1985. He attended St. Lawrence University then played a few seasons of pro before signing with the Canada national team then later the Ottawa Senators. In 1992, Lammens actually took time off from hockey to compete in the 1992 Summer Olympics as a sailor. He returned to pro hockey after and in 1993/94 finally made his NHL debut with the Ottawa Senators. Lammens played 27 career NHL games with the 93/94 Sens.

                             Todd Rohloff
From 2001 to 2004 Todd Rohloff played 75 games in the NHL, dressing for the Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets. The undrafted defenseman played for Miami University (Ohio) from 1994 to 1998.

                           Mike Farrell
Drafted by the Washington Capitals in 1998, Farrell played at Providence College before making his pro debut. From 2001 to 2003 Farrell played 12 NHL games with the Capitals. In 2003/04 he made his final appearance in the NHL, playing 1 game with the Nashville Predators.

                        Sebastien Bisaillon
Undrafted, Sebastien Bisaillon was signed by the Oilers as a free agent in 2006 and then sent back to juniors. Later that same year, a series of injured Oilers defensemen saw Bisaillon get recalled from junior for 2 NHL games during the 2006/07 NHL season. Bisaillon's first and unexpected taste of pro hockey would turn out to be his only stint in the NHL.

                        Patrick Coulombe
Patrick Coulombe played junior hockey with Sidney Crosby and the Rimouski Oceanic. From there he was signed as a undrafted free agent by the Vancouver Canucks. Defenseman Coulombe played 7 career NHL games, all with the 2006/07 Canucks.

                           Zack Fitzgerald
Defenseman Zack Fitzgerald was originally drafted by the St. Louis Blues in 2003. He was later signed by Vancouver and went on to play 1 game in the NHL with the 2007/08 Canucks. He was a tough customer who recorded 200+ penalty minutes in the AHL for five straight seasons.

                             Matt Ryan
Undrafted, Matt Ryan actually played a couple seasons of University in Niagara hockey BEFORE playing in the OHL and ultimately reaching the Memorial Cup in 2004 with the Guelph Storm. Ryan was signed to an NHL contract after his OHL career and turned pro. He played a dozen games in the NHL with the 2005/06 LA Kings.

                          Garrett Mitchell
Garrett Mitchell spent a few seasons in the AHL with the Hershey Bears after being drafted by the Washington Capitals in 2009. He's played 1 game in the NHL, appearing in a game against the Florida Panthers with the 2016/17 Washington Capitals.

                        Wade Brookbank
From 2003 to 2009 Wade Brookbank played 127 games in the NHL. The tough guy recorded 6 goals and 345 penalty minutes. He suited up for the Nashville Predators, Vancouver Canucks, Boston Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes. His brother, Sheldon, also played in the NHL.

                            Jakub Cutta
From 2000 to 2004 Czech defenseman Jakub Cutta played 8 games in the NHL as a member of the Washington Capitals. Internationally, Cutta won a Gold with the Czech Republic at the 2001 World Junior Championships. He's also notable for helping the Hershey Bears win the AHL's Calder Cup in 2006.

                           Martin Samuelsson
From 2002 to 2004 Swedish forward Martin Samuelsson played 14 games in the NHL with the Boston Bruins. The Bruins had drafted him in the first round, 27th overall, in 2000.

                                 Drew Fata
From 2006 to 2008 Drew Fata played 8 NHL games as a member of the New York Islanders. The defenseman was originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2001. Drew's older brother, Rico Fata, also played in the NHL.

                                  Kip Brennan
From 2001 to 2008 Kip Brennan played 61 games in the NHL. The forward recorded 1 goal and 2 points but racked up 222 penalty minutes. An enforcer, Brennan played for the Kings, Thrashers, Mighty Ducks and Islanders.

                              Errol Rausse
From 1979 to 1982 Errol Rausse scored 7 goals and 10 points in 31 career NHL games with the Washington Capitals. He spent most of his career in Europe, playing professionally in Italy until 1994.

                          Nelson Burton
From 1977 to 1979 Nelson Burton played 8 NHL games with the Washington Capitals.

                  Mike Corrigan
From 1967 to 1978 Mike Corrigan played nearly 600 regular season games in the NHL. His best season was 1972/73, a year that saw Corrigan score 37 goals for the LA Kings.
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                            Butch Barber
Butch Barber scored 23 points from the blueline through 75 WHA games as a member of the 1972/73 Chicago Cougars. He also played a handfull of WHA games with the 1973/74 New York Golden Blades. This one goes into my "WHA Only" collection. 

                              Bill Peters
Bill Peters started his coaching career as an assistant with the 1996/97 WHL's Spokane Chiefs. He worked his way through the ranks, eventually reaching the NHL as as assistant with the Detroit Red Wings in 2011. In 2014, he was hired as head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes and in the summer of 2018 he was hired as Calgary's new head coach. This, along with the next two autographs, go into my "Coaches, Ass. Coaches and GM" autograph collection. 

                       Dominique Ducharme
Dominique Ducharme played hockey at the University of Vermont from 1991 to 1995 and then had a brief professional career afterwards. He has spent the last few seasons as a head coach in the QMJHL before recently being promoted to the NHL as Montreal's new assistant coach.

                                Tim Army
As a player, Tim Army suited up for Providence College and later had a brief pro career in the AHL. He made his mark on the game as a coach, first reaching the NHL as an assistant coach with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in 1993. He remained with Anaheim until 1997. From 1997 to 2002 he was an assistant coach with the Washington Capitals. He spent a few years as a head coach at Providence College then returned to the NHL, again as an assistant coach. He helped coach the Colorado Avalanche from 2011 to 2017.

                                                         Rob Butler
This goes into my baseball/hockey autograph collection. You can read about Butler's link to hockey here. As noted on this card, Butler played high school hockey. 

                                                       Willard Reeves
This is a new addition to my small but growing football-hockey autograph collection. Willard played in the NFL and CFL but his son, Ryan, became a hockey player.

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