Month of Mail - October 2023

October was a great month for my collection. A bunch of these autographs come from the same collector and are exceptionally special to me. The collector, who has since passed away, recounted some wonderful stories of how he had obtained the signatures decades ago. It was captivating to me to hear about writing to then retired players in the 1970s and how he found addresses, long before the internet. Safe to say those signatures will never be leaving my personal collection. 

With 18 new NHL player autographs added this month the grand total of unique NHL player autographs in my collection is now 7,418 for 92% of everyone to ever play in the league. 

                     Cy Denneny (d. 1970)

Hockey Hall of Famer Cy Denneny played in the NHL from 1917 to 1929. He was the leading scorer of the NHL in 1923-24 with 22 goals in 22 games. He won the Stanley Cup 4 times as an Ottawa Senator and once more with the Bruins. He was captain of the Senators from 1923 to 1926. He was a top scorer his whole career and retired as the league's all time scorer, a record long since eclipsed.

                    Maurice Courteau (d. 1985)

Goalie Maurice Courteau appeared in 6 NHL games with the 1943-44 Boston Bruins.

                  Joe "Otto" Schmidt (d. 2000)

Forward Joe Schmidt played in 2 NHL games with the 1943-44 Boston Bruins. His brother, Jack, also played in the NHL.

                       Tom Brennan (d. 2003)

From 1943 to 1945 Tom Brennan played in a dozen NHL games with the Boston Bruins. He recorded 2 goals and 4 points.

                 Russ "Buster" Brayshaw (d. 1993)

Russ Brayshaw spent 1 season in the NHL. He recorded 5 goals and 14 points in 43 career NHL games with the 1944-45 Chicago Blackhawks. He later became a very successful junior coach with the Edmonton Oil Kings, taking the team to a record 6 consecutive Memorial Cup appearances

                      Max Bentley (d. 1984)

Max Bentley was one of the NHL's leading scorers of the 1940s and early 1950s. He was the league's leading scorer in 1946 and 1947. In 1946, as a member of the Blackhawks, he won the Hart Trophy as the league's MVP. With Toronto he won the Stanley Cup in 1948, 1949 and 1951. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966.

                       Bill Benson (d. 2012)

From 1940 to 1942 Bill Benson scored 36 points in 67 career NHL games with the New York/Brooklyn Americans.

                  Harold "Hal" Jackson (d. 1997)

From 1936 to 1947 Harold Jackson played over 200 games in the NHL between the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings. A defenseman, he won the Cup with the Hawks in 1938 and again in 1943 with the Red Wings.

                    Danny Cox (d. 1982)

Danny Cox played over 300 games in the NHL through the 1920s and 1930s. He played for the Maple Leafs, Senators, Falcons and Rangers.

                       Ralph Taylor (d. 1976)

From 1927 to 1930 defenseman Ralph Taylor played over 100 games in the NHL between the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers.

                         Ron Howell (d. 1992)

Defenseman Ron Howell played 4 games in the NHL during the 1950s with the New York Rangers. He's actually better known as a pro football player, playing in the CFL from 1954 to 1962. His brother is hockey legend Harry Howell.

                       Bert Hirschfeld (d. 1996)

From 1949 to 1951 Bert Hirschfeld played 33 games in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens.

                     Moe Croghan (d. 1979)

Maurice "Moe" Croghan played 16 games in the NHL with the 1937-38 Montreal Maroons.

                     Danny Schock (d. 2017)

From 1970 to 1971 Danny Schock played 20 games in the NHL between the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers. He's most notable for playing 1 playoff game with the 1970 Bruins and getting his name engraved on the Stanley Cup. His brother, Ron, also played in the NHL.

                      Jim Stanfield (d. 2009)

From 1969 to 1972 Jim Stanfield played 7 games in the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings. His brothers, Jack and Fred, also played in the NHL.

                      Terry Reardon (d. 1993)

From 1938 to 1947 Terry Reardon played 197 regular season games in the NHL between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens. With the Bruins he won the Stanley Cup in 1939 and 1941. He was one of the leading scorers of the 1941-42 Habs with 17 goals and 34 points in just 33 games. His brother, Ken, also played in the NHL. Terry later spent many years as a head coach in the AHL with the Providence Reds and Baltimore Clippers.

                            Hank Ciesla (d. 1976)

Hank Ciesla spent 4 full seasons in the NHL between the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers. From 1955 to 1959 he scored 26 goals and 77 points in 269 NHL games.

                        Don Ashby (d. 1981)

From 1975 to 1981 Don Ashby played 188 NHL games scoring a very respectable 40 goals and 96 points. He played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Rockies and Edmonton Oilers. He died suddenly in a car accident before his hockey career was over,  Ashby was only 26.