Month of Mail: September 2019

It was a great month for vintage signatures. A couple autographs came from a 1952 Galt BlackHawks OHA junior hockey program signed by a few players, 2 of which I needed. Finding 'toughies' on old programs like that gives me hope in eventually finding some of the most obscure guys. A couple other of these vintage signatures (Henderson and Lamirande) come all the way from Russia, signed while they traveled as members of Canada's World Championship team.

The month saw 25 new NHL player signatures added to the collection for a total of 6,261 unique NHL autographs, or 82% of everyone to play in the league.

                        Frank Finnigan (d. 1991)

Frank Finnigan was a star NHL player with the 1920s Ottawa Senators and spent time as team captain. He won the Stanley Cup in 1927 with the Ottawa Senators and in 1932 with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

                        Frank Eddolls (d. 1961)

From 1944 to 1952 defenseman Frank Eddolls played over 300 NHL games between the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers. He won the Stanley Cup with the 1946 Canadiens. Eddolls was the 6th captain of the New York Rangers, 1950-51. He later spent a season as a head coach in the NHL with the 1954/55 Chicago Blackhawks. He was head coach of the AHL's Buffalo Bisons when he passed away at just 40 in 1961. 

                   Leo Lamoureux (d. 1961)

Defenseman Leo Lamoureux was a member of the Montreal Canadiens from 1942 to 1947. He won the Stanley Cup with the Habs in 1944 and 1946.

                            John Henderson

John Henderson played 45 NHL games with the 1954/55 Boston Bruins as an NHL rookie. He played 1 more NHL game the following season and that was the extent of his big league career. He continued playing in the minors until 1970. He represented Canada at the 1958 World Championships, winning Gold. I was never able to locate him post hockey career so was very happy to find this goalie. 

                  Jean-Paul Lamirande (d. 1976)

From 1946 to 1955 Jean Lamirande played 49 regular season games in the NHL. He played all but one with the New York Rangers, dressing his last NHL game with the Montreal Canadiens. He won Gold at the 1958 World Championships with Canada.

                   Mike Buchanan (d. 2017)

Defenseman Mike Buchanan played 1 NHL game with the 1951/52 Chicago Blackhawks. Unlike today's players, Buchanan went on to play in the NCAA with the University of Michigan only after he played pro and in the NHL.

                         Jim McBurney

Jim McBurney recorded 1 assist in his only career NHL game with the 1952/53 Chicago Blackhawks. Called up from junior, it was his only professional hockey game. McBurney is still alive and I've unsuccessfully tried writing to him a few times over the years. I find it interesting that even though he's been around so long, the autograph I acquired here would have been signed during his first year as a junior hockey player, at the very start of his career. 

                     Lorne Duguid (d. 1981)

From 1931 to 1937 Lorne Duguid played 135 games in the NHL. He played for the Montreal Maroons, Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins.

                      Irv Frew (d. 1995)

Born in Scotland, Irv Frew was a long time pro hockey player who spent 3 season in the NHL. From 1933 to 1936 Frew played 95 games in the NHL, dressing for the Montreal Maroons, St. Louis Eagles and Montreal Canadiens.

                      Johnny Gagnon (d. 1984)

From 1930 to 1940 Johnny Gagnon scored 120 goals and 261 points in 454 career regular season NHL games. He spent the majority of that time with the Montreal Canadiens but he also had stints with the Boston Bruins and New York Americans. Gagnon won the Stanley Cup in 1931 with Montreal.

                         Sid Finney (d. 2009)

From 1951 to 1954 Irish born Sid Finney scored 10 goals and 17 points in 59 NHL games with the Chicago Blackhawks.

                           Bill Folk (d. 1976)

From 1951 to 1953 defenseman Bill Folk played 12 NHL games with the Detroit Red Wings.

                             Bob Gassoff (d. 1977)

From 1973 to 1977 Bob Gassoff played 245 regular season NHL games with the St. Louis Blues. The tough defenseman recorded 866 penalty minutes. He died at only 24 in a motorcycle accident. His brother, Brad, also played in the NHL.

                         Scott Garland (d. 1979)

From 1975 to 1979 Scott Garland played 91 NHL games between the Toronto Maple Leafs and LA Kings. He died tragically young in a car accident.

                       Marc Dufour (d. 2015)

From 1963 to 1969 Marc Dufour appeared in 14 NHL games between the New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings.

                       Chris Evans (d. 2000)

Defenseman Chris Evans played over 200 games in both the NHL and WHA. He played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo Sabres, St. Louis Blues, Detroit Red Wings, Kansas City Scouts, Calgary Cowboys, Quebec Nordiques and Birmingham Bulls.

                       Gary Dineen (d. 2006)

Gary Dineen played 4 games in the NHL with the 1968/69 Minnesota North Stars. Internationally, he represented Canada at the Olympics in 1964 and 1968, brining home a bronze medal in '68.

                        Aut Erickson (d. 2010)

From 1959 to 1970 defenseman Aut Erickson played 226 regular season games in the NHL, dressing for the Bruins, Blackhawks, Maple Leafs and Seals. He played a playoff game for the 1967 Toronto Maple Leafs, enough to get his name immortalized on the Stanley Cup.

                         Scott Campbell

Defenseman Scott Campbell was drafted 1st overall in the 1977 WHA draft by the Houston Aeros. He played a season for Houston then a second season in the WHA with the Winnipeg Jets. Campbell followed the Jets to the NHL and played 80 NHL games between the Jets and St. Louis Blues. An illness forced him to an early retirement.

                      Bill Kitchen (d. 2012)

From 1981 to 1985 defenseman Bill Kitchen played 41 games in the NHL between the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs. His brother, Mike, also played in the NHL.

                         Vladimir Tarasenko

A three time NHL All-Star, Vladimir Tarasenko was a key part of the team's 2019 Stanley Cup win. It was the last autograph I needed for the 2012/13 year of debuts, putting me 118/118 for the year.

                    Ivan Provorov

Russian defenseman Ivan Provorov was drafted 7th overall in 2015 by Philadelphia. He's played 3 full seasons in the NHL with Philly. In 2017, he won a Bronze medal at the World Championships with Russia.

                    Ian McCoshen

Defenseman Ian McCoshen was drafted 31st overall by the Florida Panthers in 2013. He spent 3 seasons at Boston College before turning pro and has played 60 NHL games with the Panthers. Internationally, he represented the United States at the World Juniors in 2014 and 2015.

                      Paul LaDue

Defenseman Paul LaDue has played 67 NHL games with the LA Kings over 3 seasons. He was a 6th round draft pick in 2012 who attended the University of North Dakota.

                  Mikko Rantanen

Drafted 10th overall by Colorado in 2015, Mikko Rantanen has emerged as an NHL All-Star and recently signed a big six-year extension with the Avalanche.

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                          Paul Heaver

Defenseman Paul Heaver played 71 games in the WHA over two seasons. He dressed for the Toronto Toros and Birmingham Bulls.

                          Jim Sherrit
Jim Sherrit played 3 seasons in the WHA and was a solid contributor, netting 63 goals and 135 points in 193 regular season games. He won the WHA's Avco Cup in 1974 and 1975 with Gordie Howe's Houston Aeros.

                            Red Storey
Hockey Hall of Famer Red Storey was an NHL referee during the 1950s. Before becoming an official, he was a star CFL football player, winning the Grey Cup with the Toronto Argonauts.

                        Cameron Voss
Cameron Voss spent two years, 2016-2018, as an NHL official. He was a former college hockey goalie.

                                   Dave Leonardi
This is about as random as random hockey autographs come. Dave Leonardi is the long time "Sign Man" of the Philadelphia Flyers. He actually has three different autographed cards in this Broad Street Boys hockey card set. Leonardi is definitely the only NHL "sign man" with an official hockey card.

Month of Mail - August 2019

This month features a few TTM returns, one large buy of vintage signatures and a number of small purchases from some players who don't answer mail. I also added a few inexpensive but hard to find autographs from a European store using Google translate. I wasn't confident It was going to get here but low and behold the package and signatures found its way to Canada and my mailbox. 

With 50 new NHL player signatures added in August, the grand total of unique player autographs stands at 6,236 for 82% of everyone to ever play in the NHL. 

                    Ab DeMarco Sr. (d. 1989)

From 1938 to 1947 Ab DeMarco scored 72 goals and 165 points in 210 career NHL games. He was the New York Rangers leading scorer for two straight seasons. He played for the Blackhawks, Maple Leafs, Bruins and Rangers. His son, also named Ab DeMarco, played in the NHL as well.

                      Les Colvin (d. 2006)

Goalie Les Colvin played 1 game in the NHL with the 1948/49 Boston Bruins. 

                      Marcel Dheere (d. 2002)

Marcel "Ching" Dheere played 11 regular season games and 5 playoff games in the NHL with the 1942/43 Montreal Canadiens. 

                         Bill Carse (d. 2000)

Bill Carse played 1 NHL game with the 1938/39 New York Rangers then from 1939 to 1942 he played 121 NHL games with the Chicago Blackhawks. He left the NHL to join the fight in WWII and never returned to the Blackhawks. His brother, Bob, also played in the NHL.

                    Murray Davison (d. 2000)

Murray Davison played 1 game in the NHL with the 1965/66 Boston Bruins. He later spent a number of seasons as player/head coach of the CHL's Oklahoma City Blazers.

                       Floyd Curry (d. 2006)

From 1947 to 1958 Floyd Curry played over 600 NHL games with the Montreal Canadiens. He has his name on the Stanley Cup 4 times as a player with the Habs and another 2 as a Assistant GM in the 70s with Montreal.

                      Bill Cowley (d. 1993)

From 1934 to 1947 Bill Cowley scored 195 goals and 548 points in 549 career NHL games. He was the NHL scoring leader in 1941, won the Hart Trophy in '41 and '43 and won the Stanley Cup in '39 and '41. He was the NHL's all-time scoring leader when he retired. Cowley was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1968.

                  Harold Darragh (d. 1993)

Hal Darrah played over 300 NHL games from 1925 to 1933. He played in the NHL for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Quakers, Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs. Darragh won the Stanley Cup in 1932 with the Maple Leafs. Brother, Jack, also played in the NHL.

                   Chick Chalmers (d. 1994)

William "Chick" Chalmers played 1 game in the NHL with the 1953/54 New York Rangers. He went on to have a long career in the IHL.

                   Gerry "Doc" Couture (d. 1994)

From 1944 to 1954 Gerry Couture played nearly 400 games in the NHL. He won the Stanley Cup in 1950 with the Red Wings, contributing 24 goals for the team that season.

                     John Crawford (d. 1973)

From 1938 to 1950 Johnny 'Jack' Crawford was a regular with the Boston Bruins. A two time Stanley Cup winner (1939 & 1941), he was Bruins captain from 1946 to 1950. He was one of the only early NHL players to regularly wear a helmet. 

                       Dutch Delmonte (d. 1981)

Armand "Dutch" Delmonte played 1 game in the NHL with the 1945/46 Boston Bruins.

                      Jim Anderson (d. 2013)

After a long pro hockey career, Jim Anderson made his NHL debut as a 36 year old NHL rookie with the 1967/68 expansion Los Angeles Kings. Anderson scored 1 goal and 3 points in 7 career NHL games with the Kings that season. Anderson is also notable for coaching the Washington capitals for one season, to a miserable 4-45-5 record, but it was the franchise's first season. He went on to scout for the LA Kings for many years. 

                  Jim Cunningham (d. 2011)

Jim Cunningham played 1 game in the NHL with the 1977/78 Philadelphia Flyers.

                        Bob Cook (d. 1978)

From 1970 to 1975 Bob Cook scored 13 goals and 22 points in 72 career NHL games. He played for the Vancouver Canucks, Detroit Red Wings, New York Islanders and Minnesota North Stars. 

                     Mike Chernoff (d. 2011)

Mike Chernoff played 1 game in the NHL with the 1968/69 Minnesota North Stars. He later scored 11 goals and 21 points in 39 WHA games with the Vancouver Blazers.

                             Karel Betik

Defenseman Karel Betik recorded 2 assists in 3 career NHL games with the 1998/99 Tampa Bay Lightning. He's a Czech native but after coming to North America to play hockey, settled in Canada. 

                         Joel Baillargeon

From 1986 to 1989 Joel Baillargeon played 20 games in the NHL, dressing for the Winnipeg Jets and Quebec Nordiques. His father, Paul Baillargeon, was a famous Canadian wrestler.

                            Tommy Lehman

From 1987 to 1990 Swedish forward Tommy Lehman scored 5 goals and 10 points in 36 career NHL games between the Boston Bruins and Edmonton Oilers. He played 1 game for the Stanley Cup winning 1989/90 Oilers but it wasn't enough to get his name on the trophy.

                          Jeff Brubaker

Jeff Brubaker started his career in the WHA with the New England Whalers. He followed the team to the NHL and from 1979 to 1989 he played 178 games in the NHL. The well travelled Brubaker played for the Whalers, Canadiens, Flames, Maple Leafs, Oilers, Rangers and Red Wings.

                      Sheldon Kannegiesser

I could never reach Sheldon Kannegiesser via TTM so I opted to purchase his book, which I had also wanted, called Rhymes of a Blueliner Balladeer. Its a fun read and if you buy directly from the publisher, you can opt for a signed copy. I cut out the autograph for my autograph collection and the book sits now sits comfortably with my collection of hockey books. He played 366 regular season games in the NHL, dressing for the Penguins, Rangers, Kings and Canucks. His brother, Gold, also played in the NHL.

                            Darryl Maggs

Darry Maggs played over 100 games in the NHL between the Chicago Blackhawks and California Golden Seals before singing with the WHA in 1973. Maggs played over 400 games in the WHA and then in 1979/80 played 5 more NHL games with the Toronto Maple Leafs before retiring. 

                         Mike Crombeen

From 1977 to 1985 Mike Crombeen played 475 regular season games in the NHL. Drafted 5th overall by the Barons in 1977, he spent most of his career with the St. Louis Blues. His son, BJ, also played in the NHL.

                        Vincent Tremblay

From 1979 to 1984 Vincent Tremblay played 58 games in the NHL. He spent most of that time with the Toronto Maple Leafs but also suited up for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

                             Bob Sirois

From 1974 to 1980 Bob Sirois scored 92 goals and 212 points in 282 career NHL games. He has a book called Discrimination in the NHL: Quebec Players Sidelined that I have yet to read but would eventually like to pick up a copy for my growing hockey book collection. 

                          Peter Sturgeon

From 1979 to 1981 Peter Sturgeon played 6 games in the NHL with the Colorado Rockies.

                            Red Laurence

From 1978 to 1980 Don "Red" Laurence played scored 15 goals and 37 points in 79 career NHL games between the Atlanta Flames and St. Louis Blues.

                        Serge Beaudoin

Defenseman Serge Beaudoin played over 300 games in the WHA during the 1970s. He later played 3 games in the NHL with the 1979/80 Atlanta Flames.

                               Gerry Hart

From 1968 to 1983 defenseman Gerry Hart played 730 regular season games in the NHL. He suited up for the Red Wings, Islanders, Nordiques and Blues.

                           Rich Costello

From 1983 to 1986 Rich Costello scored 2 goals and 4 points in 12 career NHL games with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

                         Bob Crawford

Bob Crawford scored 36 goals and 61 points with the 1983/84 Hartford Whalers in his best NHL season. He also played for the Blues, Rangers and Capitals.

                            Dennis Smith

Dennis Smith played 4 NHL games with the 1989/90 Washington Capitals and 4 NHL games with the 1990/91 LA Kings. 

                  Larry Trader

From 1982 to 1988 Larry Trader played 91 games in the NHL between the Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues and Montreal Canadiens.

                  Bob Manno

From 1976 to 1985 Bob Manno scored 172 points in 371 career NHL games between the Detroit Red Wings and Vancouver Canucks. He spent much of his later career playing in Italy, gaining his citizenship and representing the country at the 1992 Olympics.

                Miloslav Horava

From 1988 to 1991 Czech defenseman Miloslav Horava played 80 games in the NHL with the New York Rangers.

                     Dale Krentz

From 1986 to 1989 Dale Krentz scored 5 goals and 8 points in 30 career NHL games with the Detroit Red Wings. An undrafted Michigan State player, Krentz found success in Germany in the 90s. 

                      Dan Hodgson

From 1985 to 1989 Dan Hodgson scored 29 goals and 74 points in 114 career NHL games as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks. He later played over a dozen seasons in Switzerland. Internationally, he won Gold as a member of Canada's 1985 World Junior Championship team.

                      Ron Fischer

From 1981 to 1983 Ronn Fischer played 18 games in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres. He later spent over a decade playing pro in Germany. He went as far as getting his German citizenship and representing them at the Olympics in 1988 and 1992.

                        Bob Miller

From 1977 to 1985 Bob Miller played over 400 NHL games, dressing for the Bruins, Rockies and Kings. He represented the United States Internationally at many tournaments including the Olympics, Canada Cup and four World Championships. His brother, Paul, also played in the NHL.

                        John Mahaffy (d. 2015)

John Mahaffy had a short but productive NHL career. He scored 7 points in 9 games with the 1942/43 Montreal Canadiens and then netted 9 goals and 29 points in 28 games with the 1943/44 New York Rangers. He also netted 1 assist in his only career NHL playoff game with the 1944/45 Canadiens. In total, Mahaffy put up 37 points in 38 NHL games. He was also a high scoring player in the AHL.

                     Moe Lemay

From 1981 to 1989 Moe Lemay played over 300 games in the NHL. He played for the Canucks, Oilers, Bruins and Jets. Internationally, he won Gold at the 1982 Wold Juniors with team Canada.

                  Craig Laughlin

During the 1980s, Craig Laughlin scored 136 goals and 341 points in 549 career NHL games. He spent most of that time with the Capitals but also dressed with the Canadiens, Kings and Maple Leafs. He's been a long time color analyst with the Capitals since hanging up his skates. 

                      Ryan Barnes

Ryan Barnes played 2 NHL games with the 2003/04 Detroit Red Wings.

                                Dan Renouf

An undrafted University of Maine alumni, Dan Renouf played 1 game in the NHL with the 2016/17 Detroit Red Wings.

                    Boo Nieves

A University of Michigan grad, Cristoval "Boo" Nieves has played over 70 games in the NHL with the New York Rangers.

                    Nick Lappin

Nick Lappin was signed by the Devils as an undrafted Brown University alumni. He's played 60 NHL games over 3 seasons with New Jersey. His father, Peter, has a brief NHL career.

                   Griffen Molino

Griffen Molino played 5 games in the NHL with the 2016/17 Vancouver Canucks.

                    Anton Blidh

Swedish forward Anton Blidh has played 21 NHL games with the Boston Bruins over 3 seasons.

                  Erik Burgdoerfer

Defenseman Erik Burgdoerfer made his NHL debut as an undrafted 27 year old with the 2016/17 Buffalo Sabres. He's played 8 NHL games between the Sabres and Ottawa Senators.

                 Joel Hanley

Defenseman Joel Hanley has played 38 regular season NHL games between the Montreal Canadiens, Arizona Coyotes and Dallas Stars.

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                               Dean Blais

Dean Blais is a long time NCAA head coach with the University of North Dakota and the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He spent 1 season in the NHL as an assistant coach of the 2005/06 Columbus Blue Jackets. This autograph goes into the collection of NHL coaches and GMs who never made the league as players.

                           Dave Tretowicz

Dave Tretowicz was drafted by the Calgary Flames and spent 3 seasons in the IHL but never played in the NHL. He's notable for represented USA at the 1992 Olympics.

                              Yvon Bilodeau

Yvon Bilodeau played 4 games in the WHA with the 1975/76 Calgary Cowboys. He was originally drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers but never made it to the NHL. He later found success in playing in Germany. This goes into the WHA collection. 

                 Jessica Campbell

Jessica Campbell won Silver as a member of Canada at the 2015 World Women's Championships. This goes into my women of hockey collection.

                         Justin Pugh

Justin Pugh is an NFL player who grew up playing hockey. This custom card goes into my football/hockey autograph collection.