Saturday, June 29, 2019

Month of Mail - June 2019

This month, 37 new NHL autographs came in the mail. The overall total is now 6,159 unique NHL autographs for 81% of everyone to every play in the NHL since it was created in 1917/18.

As usual, this month was a mixed bag between TTM returns, trades and purchases. Special thanks to Bryan for helping me with Jeff Libby. A team signed AHL program from the early 1980s and a TTM return from a local hero were some of this month's collecting highlights.


                      Babe Pratt
Hockey Hall of Famer Babe Pratt won the Hart Trophy in 1944 as league MVP. He won the Stanley Cup in 1940 and 1945. Pratt passed away in 1988. The autograph didn't scan well but its very legible in hand.

                           Bud Poile
From 1942 to 1950 Bud Poile played over 300 NHL games. He played for the Maple Leafs, Blackhawks, Red Wings, Rangers and Bruins. Poile scored over 100 goals and 229 points in the NHL, winning the Stanley Cup in '47 with Toronto. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990. His son, David, is current GM of the Nashville Predators. 

                          Barclay Plager
Barclay and brothers Bob and Bill spent years playing for the St. Louis Blues. Barclay was captain of the Blues from 1972 to 1976, played in 4 NHL All-Star games and has his number retired by the team. He later spent time as head coach of the Blues but in 1988 he passed away at just 46 from a brain tumour. 

                          Sugar Jim Henry
From 1941 to 1955 "Sugar" Jim Henry played over 400 games in the NHL, dressing for the New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins.  He also took 3 seasons off from pro hockey to serve in World War II. Henry played in the 1952 NHL All-Star game. He passed away in 2004.

                          Doug Brindley
Doug Brindley played 3 games in the NHL with the 1970/71 Toronto Maple Leafs. He later played two seasons in the WHA with the Cleveland Crusaders. After retiring from hockey, he spent many years as a police officer and detective.

                           Steve Short
Defenseman Steve Short played 5 NHL games with the 1977/78 Los Angeles Kings and 1 NHL game with the 1978/79 Detroit Red Wings.

                        David Pulkkinen
Dave Pulkkinen played 2 games in the NHL with the 1972/73 New York Islanders.

                       Bernie Lukowich
From 1973 to 1975 Bernie Lukowich scored 13 goals and 28 points in 79 career NHL games between the Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues. He later played 21 games in the WHA over two seasons with the Calgary Cowboys. His son, Brad, also played in the NHL.

                          Rich Lemieux
Richard Lemieux spent a few seasons in the NHL and a season in the WHA. He played for the Vancouver Canucks, Kansas City Scouts, Atlanta Flames and Cleveland Crusaders. 

                          Sergei Priakin
From 1988 to 1991 Sergei Priakin played 46 games in the NHL with the Calgary Flames. He played a couple regular season and 1 playoff game for the Stanley Cup winning '89 Flames. It was enough to get him a Cup ring but not enough to get his name engraved on the trophy. Internationally, he represented the Soviet Union at the World Juniors, Canada Cup and World Championship. He won Gold at the 1990 World Championships and Silver in 1987.

                            Rob Tudor
From 1978 to 1983 Rob Tudor played 28 games in the NHL, dressing with the Vancouver Canucks and St. Louis Blues. 

                           Warren Babe
From 1987 to 1991 Warren Babe played 21 games in the NHL with the Minnesota North Stars. He had been drafted 12th overall in 1986 and represented Canada at the 1988 World Juniors, winning a Gold medal.

                         Jeff Libby
Jeff Libby was undrafted and played at the University of Maine before turning pro. He played 1 game in the NHL with the 1997/98 New York Islanders. His hockey career ended abruptly in 1998, while playing in the AHL a brutal on-ice accident caused him to loose an eye.

                          Don Howse
Don Howse played 33 games in the NHL with the 1979/80 Los Angeles Kings. Howse was the last Newfoundland born NHL player autograph I had needed so I was thrilled to find this. 

                         Bernie Johnston
From 1979 to 1981 Bernie Johnston scored 12 goals and 36 points in 57 NHL games with the Hartford Whalers.

                           Mark Renaud
From 1979 to 1984 Mark Renaud played 152 games in the NHL between the Hartford Whalers and Buffalo Sabres.

                             Brian Hill
Brian Hill played 19 games in the NHL with the 1979/80 Hartford Whalers. He spent most of his pro hockey career in Austria, obtaining his citizenship and representing the country internationally. 

                        Rick Bourbonnais
From 1975 to 1978 Rick Bourbonnais played 71 games in the NHL with the St. Louis Blues. 

                          Gary Burns
During the early 1980s Gary Burns played 11 regular season and 5 playoff games in the NHL with the New York Rangers. He scored 2 goals and 4 points in the NHL with New York. Burns was originally drafted by the Maple Leafs in 1975 and spent 4 seasons at the University of New Hampshire.

                           Randy MacGregor
Randy MacGregor scored a goal and two points in 2 NHL games with the 1981/82 Hartford Whalers. 

                Sam St. Laurent
From 1985 to 1990 Sam St. Laurent played 34 games in the NHL between the New Jersey Devils and Detroit Red Wings. He won a Silver medal as Canada's third string goalie at the 1992 Olympics.

                 Bryan Maxwell
In 1975, Bryan Maxwell was drafted 4th overall by the Minnesota North Stars in the NHL draft and 2nd overall by the Cleveland Crusaders in the WHA draft. 

                Francois Lacombe
Francois Lacombe played his first full season in the NHL with the 1968/69 Oakland Seals as a 20 year old rookie. The defenseman contributed 18 points in 72 NHL games. The next season he only played 2 NHL games with the Seals and then the following year 1 game with the Buffalo Sabres. He played in the minors until the WHA game him a new opportunity in 1972. He spent 7 seasons in the WHA, mostly with Quebec, and when the leagues merged, he returned to the NHL for a final season with the Nordiques in 1979/80.

                       Bob Plager
Defenseman Bob Plager broke into the NHL with the 1964/65 New York Rangers. He played a couple yeas in New York but was best know for his decade as a St. Louis Blue. He's one of three Plager brothers who played for the club. He was briefly head coach of the St. Louis Blues in 1992/93.

                 Jordan Martinook
Jordan Martinook just finished his fourth full season in the NHL. He's scored 41 goals and 90 points in the NHL between the Arizona Coyotes and Carolina Hurricanes. 

                  Michael Paliotta
A University of Vermont product, Michael Paliotta played 1 NHL game with the 2014/15 Chicago Blackhawks and 1 NHL game with the 2015/16 Columbus Blue Jackets.

                     Kevin Gravel
Defenseman Kevin Gravel has played over 100 games in the NHL between the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers. A St. Cloud State alumni, Gravel represented USA at the World Juniors in 2012.  In 2015, he won the Calder Cup with the AHL's Manchester Monarchs. 

                      Roman Lyubimov
Forward Roman Lyubimov spent 1 year in North America, playing 47 NHL games with the 2016/17 Philadelphia Flyers. Internationally, he won a bronze medal at the 2016 World Championships with Russia.

                     Patrick Holland
Patrick Holland was drafted by the Calgary Flames in 2010. While still playing junior in the WHL, he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens. Holland played 5 NHL games with the 2013/14 Canadiens. He retired from pro hockey in 2016 and went to study at the University of Victoria. He plays on the hockey team and I tried sending to him there multiple times but had no success.

                      Andrew Campbell
Defenseman Andrew Campbell has played 42 games in the NHL between the Los Angeles Kings, Arizona Coyotes and Toronto Maple Leafs.

                       Spencer Abbott
An undrafted University of Maine alumni, Spencer Abbott played 1 NHL game with the 2013/14 Toronto Maple Leafs and 1 NHL game with the 2016/17 Chicago Blackhawks.

                        Iiro Pakarinen
From 2014 to 2018 Iiro Pakarinen scored 10 goals and 23 points in 134 career NHL games with the Edmonton Oilers. In 2014, he won a Silver medal at the World Championships with Finland.  

                              Jordan Oesterle
Defenseman Jordan Oesterle has played over 150 NHL games between the Edmonton Oilers, Chicago Blackhawks and Arizona Coyotes. Internationally, he represented the United States at the 2018 World Championships and brought home a bronze medal. 

               Andreas Englund
Defenseman Andreas Englund has played 9 NHL games with the Ottawa Senators since 2016. Internationally, he represented Sweden at the World Junior Championships in 2015 and 2016.

                              Ondrej Kase
One of the last players selected in the 2014 NHL draft, Ondrej Kase has become a solid NHL player with the Anaheim Ducks. He scored 11 goals and 20 points in 30 games with the 2018/19 Ducks before an injury ended his season. Internationally, he represented Czech Republic at the World Junior Championships in 2014 and 2015.

                            Rasmus Andersson
Swedish defenseman Rasmus Andersson made his NHL debut with the 2016/17 Calgary Flames. He's since become a full time member of the club. His father, Peter, played in the NHL with the New York Rangers.

                          Austin Czarnik
Forward Austin Czarnik has played over 100 games in the NHL between the Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames. Internationally, he represented USA at the World Junior Championships in 2012.


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                           Alf Handrahan
Alf Handrahan was a tough hockey player who played 14 games in the WHA with the 1977/78 Cincinnati Stingers. This is my favourite autograph of the post because Handrahan is from my neck of the woods, western Prince Edward Island. He moved to the States a long time ago so I'd never been able to locate him. Always great to add a local legend. 

                             Frank Turnbull
Goalie Frank Turnbull played 4 games in the WHA with the Edmonton Oilers. 
All of these 'WHA only' player autographs are added to this collection page

                            Peter McNamee
Peter McNamee signed in the WHA after attending the University of Pennsylvania. From 1973 to 1977 he played 175 games in the WHA, dressing for the Vancouver Blazers, Phoenix Roadrunners and San Diego Mariners.

                             Bob Leduc
Bob Leduc played 3 seasons in the WHA, playing for the Ottawa Nationals and Toronto Toros. He scored 47 goals and 113 points in 158 WHA games. In his final year in the WHA he served as player/head coach of the 1974/75 Toros.

                           Steve Warr
Defenseman Steve Warr played 1 full season in the WHA with the 1972/73 Ottawa Nationals. In 1974, he played 2 WHA playoff games with the Toronto Toros.

                              Hal Willis
From 1972 to 1974 Hal Willis played 92 games in the WHA between the New York Raiders and Los Angeles Sharks.

                             Paul Crowley
Paul Crowley played 4 games in the WHA with the 1975/76 Toronto Toros. He spent a numbers of years in the AHL but was never able to break into the NHL.

                         Charlie Brown
Charlie Brown won a Silver medal at the 1972 Olympics with team USA.

                           Tara Mounsey
Denfenseman Tara Mounsey won Gold in 1998 and Silver in 2002 with USA's national women's hockey team. This goes with my Women of Hockey autograph collection

                             Sue Merz
As a member of the US National female hockey team Sue Merz won Olympic gold in 1998 and silver in 2002.

                            Cindy Curley
Cindy Curley was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013. She was captain of the US national's women's team from 1989 to 1996. She won 3 Silver medals at the Women's World Championships with USA.

                       Jocelyne Lamoureux
Jocelyn Lamoureux has been a member of USA's national women's team since 2009. She won Gold at the Olympics in 2018 as well as Silver in 2010 and 2014.

                           Paul Devorski
Paul Devorski was an NHL official from 1987 to 2015. He refereed a number of Stanley Cup finals as well as the Olympics.

                          Wes McCauley
Referee Wes McCauley has officiated over 1000 NHL games and 6 Stanley Cup finals.

                          Jay Sharrers
NHL official Jay Sharrers worked over 1400 regular season NHL games from 1990 to 2017. He worked 7 Stanley Cup finals and the Winter Olympics. 

                        Gord Broseker
Gord Broseker was an NHL linesman from 1973 to 2002. He worked over 2000 total NHL games which includes 5 Stanley Cup finals.

                                   Levi Robinson
The card notes that Robinson "also played on the hockey team." It goes into my unique baseball/hockey autograph collection.


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