Don Marcotte

Don Marcotte

Retired player.

Fan letter sent: May 21, 2007.

Autographs received: May 31, 2007.

Marcotte played over a dozen years in the NHL--all with the Boston Bruins. He signed all five of my cards in blue sharpie. I still marvel at what great signers so many of these retired pros are.

Rob Niedermayer

Rob Niedermayer

Currently with the Anaheim Ducks.

Fan letter sent: February 13, 2007.

Autographs received: May 31, 2007.

Rob Niedermayer signed three of the four cards I sent him. He did not sign a 1992-1993 Upper Deck card depicting him as a member of the Canadian Junior Team. I'm not sure if he doesn't sign that card, or if signing three cards is his limit.

Emile "Butch" Bouchard

Emile "Butch" Bouchard

Retired player. Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1966.

Fan letter sent: May 21, 2007.

Autograph received: May 30, 2007.

I wrote to Emile "Butch" Bouchard three times--the first time, I used the wrong street address, and the second time I used the wrong zip code. But the third time was a charm! Amazing that a guy who is almost 87 years old is still willing to sign autographs for fans. Bouchard signed in a silver paint marker, which unfortunately smudged a little bit.

Brian Propp

Brian Propp

Retired player.

Fan letter sent: May 21, 2007.

Autographs received: May 29, 2007.

I wrote to Brian Propp earlier in the month, but it came back RTS. Fortunately, the envelope had one of those yellow stickers with his new address.

Interestingly, Propp signed all the cards To Sal, "Guffaw" Brian Propp. Perplexed, I checked the note that he neatly wrapped around my cards, which nicely explained what the heck "Guffaw" was:




At the top of the note, Propp wrote
"Check out www.brianpropp.iplayedthegame.com"

Ken Morrow

Ken Morrow

Retired player.

Fan letter sent: May 21, 2007.

Autograph received: May 29, 2007.

Another "Miracle on Ice" player from the 1980 Olympics, Morrow sent back my cards in just over a week. I wish I had a few more cards of his--including his RC--but these were the only cards I could scrounge up.

Bob Murray

Bob Murray

Retired player. Currently the Assistant General Manager of the Anaheim Ducks.

Fan letter sent: May 5, 2007.

Autographs received: May 26, 2007.

Bob Murray played a long time--sixteen years--for the Chicago Blackhawks. He then kicked around in the front office of the "organ-I-zation". After a few seasons, he ascended to the role of General Manager of the team. He was eventually fired, and that was a good thing--it allowed him to "escape" to another club, one who actually tries to build a winning team. And right now, he is the Assistant GM of the Ducks, who are currently in the Stanley Cup Finals.

I met Murray a few times when he was a player, and got numerous cards autographed by him. However, a lot of those I got signed in pen (what did I know back then?), so this time, I got many of the same cards signed in marker.

Rick Middleton

Rick Middleton

Retired player.

Fan letter sent: May 5, 2007.

Autographs received: May 25, 2007.

Rick Middleton wrote "Sal, Good Luck! Rick Middleton" on all six of the cards that I sent. Many autograph collectors don't like personalizations (because they can't turn around and sell the card). I, on the other hand, don't mind when a player takes the time to personalize, or add a note on the card like "Good luck" or "Best wishes".

Daniel Briere

Daniel Briere

Currently with the Buffalo Sabres.

Fan letter sent: December 8, 2006.

Autographs received: May 25, 2007.

Robert Lang

Robert Lang

Currently with the Detroit Red Wings.

Fan letter sent: February 12, 2007.

Autographs received: May 23, 2007.

Tom Lysiak

Tom Lysiak

Retired player.

Fan letter sent: May 5, 2007.

Autographs received: May 17, 2007.

Tom Lysiak was one of the 'Hawks leaders in the early 1980s.

Ray Ferraro

Ray Ferraro

Retired player. Currently a commentator for TSN (a Canadian TV network).

Fan letter sent: April 18, 2007.

Autographs received: May 17, 2007.

I've heard that one of Ray Ferraro's nicknames is "Big Ball of Hate", but I just don't see it. I remember him being an explosive forward when he was a player...I still remember his four-goal game against the Devils back in 1991. As a commentator, he seems very laid back, especially since Bret Hull seems to interrupt him every other sentence when they are on NBC. But this guy is all over the place--commentating on TSN, NBC and for Canucks games too, I think. He's like the Canadian Eddie Olczyk.

Bill Barber

Bill Barber

Retired player. Currently the Director of Player Personnel for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1990.

Fan letter sent: April 25, 2007.

Autograph received: May 17, 2007.

Rule the school! I am trying to get as many 81-82 Topps cards autographed as possible. Bill Barber had three cards in that set, and he signed all three. A Hat Trick, you could say?

Don Luce

Don Luce

Retired player.

Fan letter sent: April 12, 2007.

Autographs received: May 16, 2007.

Don Luce will always stand out in my mind as "the one card I needed to complete my 81-82 Topps set for, like, ever". Oh, and also, from what I hear, Luce was a really fine defensive forward. He's also a fine signer--an "every letter" signature--with number--in black sharpie. Nice!

Back to the 81-82 Topps card for a moment--you've just got to love the amount of airbrushing done on that card to make him look like a Maple Leaf. I love the way the Topps/OPC airbrush artists always went through great lengths to replicate the logo, but then forgot to add numbers on the sleeves.