Hockey Ink In The Mail: Month of Mail

This was a big month for the collection with many Hockey Hall of Famers added. Much of these come from recent auction house wins and the others from more of the great collectors in this hobby who I've had the pleasure of dealing with. The auction wins brought me an array of 1940s team signed sheets and some very difficult to find signatures. It was an exciting day for me when they all arrived. I have sent out a bunch of TTM requests this year but I've been getting returns few and far between lately.

A total of 53 new NHL player autographs added this month, bringing the grand total to 6,873 unique NHL player autographs for 89% of everyone to play in the NHL.

Lionel Conacher (d. 1954)

This is one of my new favorite cards, "The Big Train" Lionel Conacher was Canada's top athlete of the half-century and Canada's male athlete of the year still wins the Lionel Conacher Award. Not only his Conacher a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, he was a star football player who won both the NHL's Stanley Cup and CFL's Grey Cup. On top of all that, he later became a member of the Canadian Parliament for multiple terms.

Aurele Joliat (d. 1986)

Joliat signed the back of a vintage 1940s photograph. I couldn't bring myself to cut it up so I display it in his year of debut binder next to a Joliat Card. Aurele Joliat is an early Montreal Canadiens legend who was a Stanley Cup winner, Hart Trophy winner and NHL All-Star. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1947.

Leroy Goldsworthy (d. 1980)

From 1929 to 1939 Leroy Goldsworthy played over 300 games in the NHL. He dressed for the Rangers, Detroit Falcons, Red Wings, Blackhawks, Canadiens, Bruins and Americans. The well travelled Goldsworthy won the Stanley Cup with Chicago in 1934.

Paul Runge (d. 1972)

During the 1930s Paul Runge scored 40 points in 132 NHL games between the Bruins, Canadiens and Maroons.

Doug Jackson (d. 1980)

Doug Jackson played 6 games in the NHL with the 1947/48 Chicago Blackhawks.

Gordie Bell (d. 1980)

Gordie Bell played 8 regular season games in the NHL with the 1945/46 Toronto Maple Leafs. He toiled in the minors until the 1956 NHL playoffs, when he played another 2 NHL games with the New York Rangers. His brother, Joe, also played in the NHL.

Doc Romnes (d. 1984)

Through the 1930s Doc Romnes played 359 regular season games and scored over 200 points in the NHL. He's perhaps most notable for winning the Lady Byng Trophy in 1935/36. He helped Chicago win the Stanley Cup in 1934 and 1938.

Tom Fowler (d. 1994)

Tom Fowler played 24 games in the NHL with the 1946-47 Chicago Blackhawks.

Ed Panagabko (d. 1979)

From 1955 to 1957 Ed Panagabko played 29 games in the NHL with the Boston Bruins.

Bill Gooden (d. 1998)

From 1942 to 1944 Bill Gooden played 53 games in the NHL with the New York Rangers, scoring 20 points.

Viv "Squee" Allen (d. 1995)

Vivian Allen played 6 games in the NHL with the 1940/41 New York Americans.

Real Chevrefils (d. 1981)

Through the 1950s Real Chevrefils was one of Boston's more reliable scorers. He netted 201 points in 387 NHL games during the 1950s. Save for one season as a Red Wing, he spent his career with the Bruins.

Red Mitchell (d. 1984)

From 1941 to 1945 defenseman Red Mitchell played 83 NHL games with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Russ Kopak (d. 1998)

Russ Kopak scored 7 goals and 16 points in 24 NHL games with the 1943/44 Boston Bruins.

Bill Summerhill (d. 1978)

From 1938 to 1942 Bill Summerhill scored 14 goals and 31 points in 72 career NHL games between the Montreal Canadiens and Brooklyn Americans.

Lloyd Finkbeiner (d. 1998)

Lloyd Finkbeiner played 2 games in the NHL with the 1940-41 New York Americans.

Mac Colville (d. 2003)

From 1935 to 1947 Mac Colville payed 353 regular season NHL games with the NY Rangers. He helped the Rangers win the Stanley Cup in 1940. Brother Neil also played in the NHL.

Jacques Locas Sr. (d. 1985)

From 1947 to 1949 Jacques Locas scored 7 goals and 15 points in 59 career NHL games with the Montreal Canadiens. His son of the same name also played pro hockey, carving out a career in the WHA.

Earl Seibert (d. 1990)

From 1931 to 1946 defenseman Earl Seibert was an NHL regular, playing over 650 NHL games. He was a member of the Rangers, Blackhawks and Red Wings. He played on many All-Star teams, won the Stanley Cup twice and spent time as captain of the Blackhawks. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1963.

Frank Bennett (d. 1996)

Frank Bennett played 7 games in the NHL with the 1943/44 Detroit Red Wings.

Sherman White (d. 1975)

Sherman White recorded 2 assists in 4 career NHL games with the New York Rangers.

Fern Perreault

During the late 1940s Fern Perreault played 3 games in the NHL with the New York Rangers.

Marcel Fillion (d. 1998)

Marcel Fillion played 1 game in the NHL with the 1944/45 Boston Bruins. His brother, Bob, also played in the NHL.

Bud MacPherson (d. 1988)

I already have Dollard St. Laurent (and generally avoid multi signed pieces) so this acts alone as my Bud MacPherson autograph. This is actually my very first "lumbergraph" autograph card with a piece of a stick. From 1948 to 1957 Bud MacPherson played over 250 NHL games with the Montreal Canadiens. He has his name on the Stanley Cup as a member of the 1952/53 Habs.

Syd Howe (d. 1976)

Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1965, Syd Howe was an NHL star with the Detroit Red Wings during the 1930s and 1940s. He won the Stanley Cup 3 times and was captain of 3 different NHL clubs (Ottawa Senators, St. Louis Eagles and Detroit Red Wings).

Scotty Bowman (d. 1990)

Ralph "Scotty" Bowman (no relation to the famous coach) played nearly 300 games during the 1930s. He was a member of the Ottawa Senators, St. Louis Eagles and Detroit Red Wings. He helped Detroit win the Stanley Cup twice.

Carl Voss (d. 1993)

Carl Voss won the Calder Trophy in 1933 as NHL rookie of the year. The well travelled Voss played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, Ottawa Senators, St. Louis Eagles, New York Americans, Montreal Maroons and Chicago Blackhawks. Voss was also a star football player and won the CFL's Grey Cup. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1974 as a builder.

Bill Touhey (d. 1999)

From 1927 to 1934 Bill Touhey played 273 regular season games in the NHL, scoring over 100 points. He played for the Montreal Maroons, Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins.

Max Kaminsky (d. 1961)

During the 1930s, Max Kaminsky played over 100 games in the NHL between the Ottawa Senators, St. Louis Eagles, Boston Bruins and Montreal Maroons. When Kaminsky passed away from cancer, he was coaching in the OHL. The league still honors his name by giving the Max Kaminsky Trophy to the league's best defenseman.

Nakina Smith (d. 1982)

Nakina Smith scored a goal and 3 points in 10 career NHL games with the 1943/44 Detroit Red Wings.

Emil Hansen (d. 1955)

Defenseman Emil Hansen played 7 games in the NHL with the 1932-33 Detroit Red Wings. His brother, Oscar, also played in the NHL.

Ernie Laforce (d. 2009)

Defenseman Ernie Laforce played 1 game in the NHL with the 1942/43 Montreal Cnanadiens.

Joe Carveth (d. 1985)

From 1940 to 1951 Joe Carveth played over 500 games in the NHL. He played for the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens. He helped Detroit win the Stanley Cup in 1943 and 1950.

Joe Shack (d. 1987)

From 1942 to 1945 Joe Schack scored 36 points in 70 career NHL games with the New York Rangers. He later spent many years playing professionally in Britain.

Lynn Patrick (d. 1980)

Hockey Hall of Famer Lynn Patrick spent a decade as one of New York's best players, helping them win the Stanley Cup in 1940. He later spent time as head coach of the Rangers, Bruins and Blues. His father, uncle, brother and sons all played in the NHL.

Cecil Dillon (d. 1969)

Through the 1930s Cecil Dillon was a key piece of the New York Rangers offense, leading the team in scoring from 1936 to 1938. He was a key piece of the Rangers that won the 1933 Stanley Cup.

Ching Johnson (d. 1979)

From 1926 to 1938 defenseman Ching Johnson played over 400 games in the NHL with the New York Rangers. He helped the Rangers win 2 Stanley Cups and in 1958 he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Neil Colville (d. 1987)

Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1967, Neil Colville played nearly 500 games with the Rangers during the 1930s and 1940s. He won the Stanley Cup in 1940 and was captain of the Rangers from 1945-49. He also spent some time as head coach of the Rangers.

Butch Keeling (d. 1984)

Mel "Butch" Keeling played over 500 games in the NHL during the 1920s and 1930s. He won the Stanley Cup in 1933 with the New York Rangers.

Joe Cooper (d. 1979)

These signature didn't scan very well but you can actually see the "Joe" very well in person. Joe Cooper played 420 regular season NHL games through the 1930s and 1940s. He played for the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers.

Bill Cook (d. 1986)

Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1952, Bill Cook scored the first goal in New York Rangers history. He was the team's first captain and won the Stanley Cup twice (1928 and 1933).

Rollie Boutin

From 1978 to 1981 goalie Rollie Boutin played 22 games in the NHL with the Washington Capitals.

Bill Sweeney (d. 1991)

Bill Sweeney scored 1 goal in 4 career NHL games with the 1959-60 New York Rangers. He was a star minor league player during the 1960s with the Springfield Indians, 3 times leading the AHL in scoring.

Hal Laycoe (d. 1998)

From 1945 to 1956 Hal Laycoe played well over 500 games in the NHL, dressing for the New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins.

Jack Bionda (d. 1999)

During the 1950s Jack Bionda played 93 games in the NHL between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins. As good as a hockey player he was, Bionda was even better at Lacrosse and is a member of the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame.

Virgil Johnson (d. 1993)

From 1937 to 1945 Virgil Johnson played 76 regular season games in the NHL and another 19 playoff games with the Chicago Blackhawks. The defenseman helped Chicago win the 1938 Stanley Cup and in 1974 he was inducted in the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.

Bill Taylor Sr. (d. 1990)

From 1939 to 1948 Bill Taylor scored 267 points in 323 career regular season NHL games. He played for the Maple Leafs, Red Wings, Bruins and Rangers. He won the Stanley Cup in 1942 with Toronto. His son, also named Bill, had a brief NHL career. This isn't the best quality signature (overlapped by another autograph), so I will try and upgrade in the future if I can.

Chuck Holmes (d. 2019)

From 1958 to 1962 Chuck Holmes played 23 games in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings. His father, Lou Holmes, also played in the NHL.

Bob Wilson (d. 2020)

Bob Wilson played 1 game in the NHL with the 1953/54 Chicago Blackhawks. He spent most of the next two decades playing pro hockey in the minors.

Howie Mackie (d. 1952)

Howie Mackie helped Detroit win the Stanley Cup in 1937. He played 13 regular season and 8 playoff games for the club that season, which was his rookie year. Mackie only played 2 more games in the NHL with Detroit, spending the rest of his career in the AHL.

Brian Ferlin

Brian Ferlin played 7 games in the NHL with the 2014-15 Boston Bruins, recording 1 assist.

Nick Jensen

Since 2016 Nick Jensen has played over 300 NHL games between the Detroit Red Wings and Washington Capitals. He helped USA win a bronze medal at the 2018 World Championships.

Oscar Fantenberg

From 2017 to 2020 Swedish defenseman Oscar Fantenberg played 124 NHL games between the Los Angeles Kings, Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks. He's currently playing in the KHL. Internationally, he represented Sweden at the 2016 World Championships.

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Jake Milford (d. 1984)

This one is a big addition for me because Jake Milford was born in the same place I call home, Charlottetown, PEI. Milford played some pro hockey in the 1940s and made it as far as the AHL. He later became a coach then manager. In 1973, he was name General Manager of the Los Angles Kings and held the position until 1977. From 1977 to 1981 he was General Manager of the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks team he assembled reached the Cup finals in '82. Milford was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1984.

Fred Creighton (d. 2011)

Fred Creighton played pro hockey in the 1950s and 60s but never made it to the NHL. He turned to coaching and that's how he made it to the big leagues. From 1974 to 1979 Creighton was head coach of the Atlanta Flames. He also spent one season, 1979/80, as head coach of the Boston Bruins.

Jarda Krupicka

A hockey 'pioneer' Jarda Krupicka was one of the first Europeans to come to North America to play pro hockey. The Czech spent one unmemorable season in the WHA, playing 36 games between the 1972/73 Los Angeles Sharks and New York Raiders. It was his only season in North America.

Ray Delorenzi

Ray Delorenzi netted 20 points in 42 career WHA games between the Vancouver Blazers and Calgary Cowboys. A Notre Dame grad, he became an very successful surgeon after leaving hockey. Delorenzi is also notable for having a very small role in the 1977 movie Slap Shot.