Saturday, November 30, 2019

Month of Mail - November 2019

November was a huge month for the collection. These came from numerous people so thanks to Matt, Steve and Dennis among others. It wasn't a big month for TTM returns but was a big month for older signatures, most of long deceased players.

A total of 59 new NHL autographs were added this month. The grand total now stands at 6,329 unique NHL player autographs for 83% of everyone to ever play in the NHL.


                       Milt Halliday (d. 1989)
From 1926 to 1929 Milt Halliday played 63 regular season games in the NHL with the Ottawa Senators. He also played a few playoff games in 1927, helping the Senators win the Stanley Cup.

                      Obs Heximer (d. 1988)
Orville "Obs" Heximer played 19 NHL games with the 1929/30 New York Rangers, 48 games with the 1932/33 Boston Bruins and 18 games with the 1934/35 New York Americans.

               Haldor "Slim" Halderson (d. 1965)
Haldor "Slim" Halderson spent 1 season in the NHL, dressing with the 1926/27 Detroit Cougars and Toronto Maple Leafs. Halderson is most notable for winning the Stanley Cup with the 1925 Victoria Cougars and winning Gold at the 1920 Olympics, the first time hockey appeared at the games.

                        Alex Gray (d. 1986)
From 1927 to 1929 Alex Gray played 51 games in the NHL between the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs. He won the Stanley Cup in 1928 with the Rangers.

              Edward Dixon "Ted" Graham (d. 1979)
From 1927 to 1937 defenseman Teddy Graham played 350 games in the NHL. He played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Maroons, Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Eagles, Boston Bruins and New York Americans.

                     Louis Holmes (d. 2010)
From 1931 to 1933 Louis Holmes played 56 NHL games with the Chicago Blackhawks. Holmes later coached the gold medal winning 1952 Canadian Olympic team. His son, Chuck, also played in the NHL.

                    Art Herchenratter (d. 1989)
Art Herchenratter scored 1 goal and 3 points in 10 career NHL games with the 1940/41 Detroit Red Wings (even though he had the next year listed in his signature).

                      Fred Hergerts (d. 1998)
From 1934 to 1936 Fred Hergerts scored 2 goals and 6 points in 19 career NHL games with the New York Americans. 

                        Jack Keating (d. 1984)
Also known as Jackie Keating, from 1931 to 1933 he score 5 goals and 10 points in 35 NHL games with the New York Americans.

                        Red Hamill (d. 1985)
From 1937 to 1951 Red Hamill played over 400 games in the NHL between the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks. He won the Stanley Cup with the Bruins in 1939. He's also notable for spending a season as captain of the Blackhawks.

                   Alex "Bud" Cook (d. 1993)
During the 1930s Bud Cook played in the NHL with the Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators and St. Louis Eagles. This signature is from his time as head coach of the Quebec Aces. His brothers Bill and Bun are both members of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

                         Benny Grant (d. 1991)
Between 1928 and 1944 Benny Grant played 50 games in the NHL. He tended net for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Americans and Boston Bruins.

                      Gordon Henry (d. 1972)
From 1948 to 1953 goalie Gord Henry played 3 regular season and 5 playoff games in the NHL with the Boston Bruins.

                     Jack Gelineau (d. 1998)
From 1949 to 1951 Jack Gelineau was the Bruins starting goalie. He won the Calder Trophy in 1950 and played all 70 games for the 1950/51 Boston Bruins. Thanks to a contract dispute, that was his last season with Boston. He later played 2 games for the 1953/54 Chicago Blackhawks.

                  Lionel Bouvrette (d. 2000)
Lionel Bouvrette played 1 game in the NHL for the 1942/43 New York Rangers. His rights were owned by the Montreal Canadiens at the time but the Rangers were in need of an emergency replacement for 1 game.

                    Jean Marois (d. 1996)
Goalie Jean Marois played 1 NHL game for the 1943/44 Toronto Maple Leafs and 2 NHL games for the 1953/54 Chicago Blackhawks.

                    Frank Mario (d. 1995)
During the 1940s Frank Mario scored 9 goals and 28 points in 53 career NHL games with the Boston Bruins.

                    Murdo Mackay (d. 2000)
From 1945 to 1949 Murdo Mackay played 19 regular season and 15 playoff games in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens.

                         Guy Labrie (d. 1974)
Guy Labrie played 15 NHL games with the 1943/44 Boston Bruins and 27 games with the 1944/45 New York Rangers. 

                     Joe Levandoski (d. 2001)
Defenseman Joe Levandoski played 8 games in the NHL with the 1946/47 New York Rangers.

                     Nil Tremblay (d. 1971)
From 1944 to 1946 Nil Tremblay played 3 regular season and 2 playoff games in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens.

                   Tom "Windy" O'Neill (d. 1973)
Rom 1943 to 1945 Tom "Windy" O'Neill scored 10 goals and 22 points in 66 career NHL games with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He also played 4 playoff games with the leafs in 1944. He became a successful lawyer after retiring from hockey.

                       Eddie Emberg (d. 2007)
Eddie Emberg scored a goal in 2 career NHL games, both in the playoffs, with the 1945 Montreal Canadiens.

                         Ron Ingram (d. 1988)
Between 1956 and 1965 Ron Ingram played over 100 games in the NHL. He played for the Blackhawks, Red Wings and Rangers. Ingram later coached in the WHA for the San Diego Mariners and Indianapolis Racers.

                  Fred "Skippy" Burchell (d. 1998)
From 1950 to 1954 Skippy Burchell played 4 games in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens.

                      Murray Murdoch (d. 2001)
From 1926 to 1937 Murray Murdoch played over 500 NHL games for the New York Rangers. He spent many years as head coach of Yale later in his life and was awarded the Lester Patrick Trophy in 1974 by USA Hockey.

                      Bill Quackenbush (d. 1999)
Defenseman Bill Quackenbush spent 14 seasons in the NHL, playing for the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings. He was the first defenseman to be awarded the Lady Byng Trophy and was a multiple time NHL all-star. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1976.

                         Ray Timgren (d. 1999)
Ray Timgren played in the NHL from 1948 to 1955. Most of his 250+ career games came as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs but he did spend a season with Chicago.

                         Gus Kyle (d. 1996)
From 1949 to 1951 Gus Kyle played over 200 games in the NHL between the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins. He later spent time as radio announcer of the St. Louis Blues. His brother, Bill, also played in the NHL.

                         Tony Bukovich (d. 2009)
From 1943 to 1945 Tony Bukovich scored 7 goals and 10 points in 17 career NHL games with the Detroit Red Wings.

                        Tony Demers (d. 1997)
From 1937 to 1943 Tony Demers scored 20 goals and 42 points in 83 NHL games with the Montreal Canadiens. He also played 1 game with the 1943/44 New York Rangers. Demers is most notable for having murdered a girlfriend in 1949. He was sentenced to manslaughter and spent less than a decade in prison.

                              John Wright
John Wright was drafted 4th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1966. He opted to attended the University of Toronto and didn't make his NHL debut until 1972 with the Vancouver Canucks. Wright went on to play 127 NHL games between the Canucks, St. Louis Blues and Kansas City Scouts.

                        Norm Gratton (d. 2010)
Drafted 11th overall by the Rangers in 1970, Gratton went on to play over 200 games in the NHL during the 1970s. He played for the Rangers, Flames, Sabres and North Stars. His brother, Gilles, was an NHL goalie.

                       Bill Heindl (d. 1992)
From 1970 to 1973 Bill Heindl played 18 games in the NHL between the Minnesota North Stars and New York Rangers.  He also played a season in the WHA with the 1973/74 Cleveland Crusaders. Internationally, he represented Canada at the 1969 World Championships.

                        Dan Hinton (d. 1994)
Dan Hinton played 14 games in the NHL with the 1976/77 Chicago Blackhawks.

                     Greg Hubick (d. 2013)
Defenseman Greg Hubick played 1 season for the Toronto Maple Leafs, scoring 14 points in 72 games with the 1975/76 team. He later played 5 NHL games with the 1979/80 Vancouver Canucks.

                       Bruce Greig (d. 2008)
Bruce Greig played 9 NHL games with the California Seals and then went on to play 60 games in the WHA between the Calgary Cowboys, Cincinnati Stingers and Indianapolis Racers. 

                           Brad Palmer
Forward Brad Palmer was drafted 16th overall in 1980 by the Minnesota North Stars. From 1980 to 1983 he went on to score 32 goals and 70 points in 168 career NHL games between the North Stars and Boston Bruins. The highlight was helping the North Stars reaching the Stanley Cup finals in 1981, where he scored 8 goals and 13 points in 19 playoff games.

                        Sergei Mylnikov (d. 2017)
Russian goalie Sergei Mylnikov played 10 NHL games with the 1989/90 Quebec Nordiques. He was a 30 year old rookie who had won Olympic Gold in 1988. Mylnikov was the last player I needed from the 1989/90 year of debuts.

                 Bill McDonagh (d. 2019)
Bill McDonagh played 4 games in the NHL with the 1949/50 New York Rangers. The signature didn't scan well, but its on the bottom left of the photo and very visable in person. 

                  Bill Ezinicki (d. 2012)
From 1944 to 1955 Bill Ezinicki scored 79 goals and 184 points in 368 career regular season NHL games, dressing with the Maple Leafs, Bruins and Rangers. He won the Stanley Cup 3 times as a member of the Maple Leafs (1947, 1948 and 1949). 

                   Ron Handy
Ron Handy played 10 games in the NHL with the 1984/85 New York Islanders and 4 games with the 1987/88 St. Louis Blues.

                   Larry Floyd
From 1982 to 1984 Larry Floyd scored 2 goals and 5 points in 12 NHL games with the New Jersey Devils.

                   Rick Lessard
From 1988 to 1992 Rick Lessard played 15 games in the NHL between the Calgary Flames and San Jose Sharks.
  
                    Peter Dineen
Peter Dineen was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in 1980. He spent many years in the AHL until making his NHL debut with the 1986/87 LA Kings. Dineen played 11 NHL games with the Kings that season and later played 2 more NHL games with the 1989/90 Detroit Red Wings. His two brothers (Kevin, Gord) and father (Bill) all played in the NHL.

                             Randy Smith
Randy Smith played 3 games in the NHL with the Minnesota North Stars in the 1980s. In 1992 he represented Canada at the Olympics and came home with a Silver medal.

                           Dave Donnelly
From 1983 to 1988 Dave Donnelly scored 39 points in 137 career NHL games between the Bruins, Blackhawks and Oilers. He played a few games for the 1987/88 Stanley Cup winning Edmonton Oilers, not enough to get his name on the Cup. Internationally, he represented Canada at the 1984 Olympics.  

                     Tapio Levo
From 1981 to 1983 defenseman Tapio Levo scored 69 points in 107 NHL games for the Colorado Rockies/New Jersey Devils. Internationally, he represented Finland at the World Championships, Canada Cup and Olympics.

                       Jiri Sejba
Czech forward Jiri Sejba played 11 NHL games with the 1990/91 Buffalo Sabres. He only spent two seasons in North America. He represented the Czech Republic at the Olympics and World Championships multiple times. He won Gold at the 1985 worlds. 

                    Brad Turner
Defenseman Brad Turner was originally drafted by the Minnesota North Stars in 1986. He went to the University of Michigan and later made it to the NHL when he played 3 games with the 1991/92 New York Islanders.

                        Barry Nieckar
During the 1990s, Barry Nieckar played 8 games in the NHL between the Hartford Whalers, Calgary Flames and Anaheim Mighty Ducks.

                 Thomas Ziegler
Swiss forward Thomas Ziegler played 5 games in the NHL with the 2000/01 Tampa Bay Lightning. Internationally, he represented Switzerland at the World Championships and Olympics and number of times.

                          C.J. Young
A Harvard grad, C.J. Young spent one season in the NHL. He scored 7 goals and 14 points in 43 games between the 1992/93 Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames. Internationally, he represented the United States at the 1992 Olympics.

                 Chris DiDomenico
Chris DiDomenico was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2007. He spent years in the ECHL, AHL, Italy and Switzerland before finally making his NHL debut with the 2016/17 Ottawa Senators. From 2016 to 2018 DiDomenico scored 6 goals and 10 points in 27 career games with the Sens.

                      A.J. Greer
A.J. Greer was drafted 39th overall by the Avalanche in 2015. He's played 37 NHL games with Colorado. 

                       Tim Heed
Swedish defenseman was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in 2010 but was never signed by the club. He came to North America in 2016 after signing with the San Jose Sharks. Since then, Heed has played over 80 NHL games with the Sharks.

                    Brian Eklund
Goalie Brian Eklund played 1 game in the NHL with the 2005/06 Tampa Bay Lightning.

                   Jarod Palmer
Jarod Palmer scored 1 goal in 6 NHL games with the 2011/12 Minnesota Wild. Palmer had long been the last player I needed from the 2011/12 year of debuts.

                        Frederick Gaudreau
Undrafted, Frederick Gaudreau worked his way up from the ECHL to be an NHL regular with the Nashville Predators. He made his NHL debut with the 2016/17 Preds and has played 84 games in the NHL.

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                    Zane Kalemba
Zane Kalemba tended net for Princeton University and then spent a few years playing professional hockey. He's notable for his brief stint in the NHL as an emergency backup with the Winnipeg Jets. Kalemba dressed as the Jets backup goalie March 8, 2018. This goes with my collection of NHL backup only goalies

                          Murray Keogan
Murray Keogan scored 42 goals and 84 points in 124 career WHA games between the Phoenix Roadrunners and Calgary Cowboys. 

                             John Kiely
John Kiley played 1 season in the WHA, dressing in 22 games with the 1975/76 Cincinnati Stingers. Special thanks to John for sending me back such a wonderful letter as well. 
Kiely and Keogan go into my WHA only collection. 

            Jim Johannson (d. 2018)
Another one of my side collections is modern US/Canadian hockey Olympians who never made the NHL. Johannson played a few seasons of pro in the IHL but is most notable for being a member of USA's 1988 and 1992 Olympic hockey teams. In 2018, he was GM of the Olympic team but sadly passed away suddenly the same year.

                   Derek Lalonde
Derek Lalonde started his coaching career in 2003 with Ferris State University as an assistant coach. From 2006 to 2011 he held the same position with the University of Denver. In 2011 he was promoted to head coach with the USHL's Green Bay Gamblers and in 2014 he was again promoted to head coach of the ECHL's Toledo Walleye. In 2016 he rose up the ranks to the AHL and in 2018 Lalonde made his way to the top as a assistant coach with the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning.

                    Mike Haviland
Mike Haviland was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in 1990 and played a little professional hockey but never made it to the NHL. From 2008 to 2012 he was an assistant coach with the Chicago Blackhawks. He has his name engraved on the Stanley Cup with the 2010 Hawks. Since 2014 he's been head coach of Colorado College.
Haviland and Lalonde are added to my collection of NHL coaches and GMs who did not play in the league. 

                    Bill Chadwick
Bill Chadwick was an NHL official from 1939 to 1955, the first American born official in league history. He later spent 14 years a as a color commentator with the New York Rangers. Chadwick was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1964.

                       Emily Clark
Emily Clark has represented Canada at 4 World Championships and the 2018 Olympics.
Clark and the next couple autographs go with my Women of Hockey in Autographs collection. 

                     Loren Gabel
A Clarkson University alumni, Loren Gabel represented Canada at the 2019 World Championships.

               Jaime Bourbonnais
Currently a member of Cornell, Jaime Bourbonnais represented Canada at the 2019 World Championships. Her grandfather, Roger Bourbonnais, was a hockey player who twice represented Canada at the Olympics.

                             Sarah Tueting
Sarah Tueting won Gold at the 1998 Olympics and Silver at the 2002 Olympics with Team USA. 

                                 Ron Piche
I picked up this Ron Piche autograph to display with his old baseball card that has a neat picture of a hockey player, noting Piche's connection to the game. This and the next coupe of signatures are added to my very unique Baseball-Hockey autograph collection. 

                                Tony La Russa

                                      Dan Plesac

                                    Doug Pederson
Pederson goes with my other Football-Hockey autographs. 


1 comment:

  1. I had a Brian Eklund auto on his ICE rookie at one point too! Cool autos! I just purchased a Daniel Dore auto that I have had my eye on for some time. Awesome post!

    ReplyDelete