Brad Boyes

Brad Boyes

Currently with the St. Louis Blues.

Fan letter sent: October 14, 2008.

Autographs received: April 29, 2009.

This return took over six months, but it was totally worth the wait. Boyes nicely signed all four cards in blue Sharpie marker.

Matt Smaby

Matt Smaby

Currently with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Fan letter sent: January 20, 2009.

Autograph received: April 29, 2009.

Smaby split time this year between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Norfolk Admirals of the AHL. He signed this card in ballpoint pen.

Dave Bolland

Dave Bolland

Currently with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Fan letter sent: March 16, 2008.

Autographs received: April 27, 2009.

Bolland had a hell of a season, centering a line with Martin Havlat and Andrew Ladd on wings.

He signed both cards in black Sharpie marker.

Curtis McElhinney

Curtis McElhinney

Currently with the Calgary Flames.

Fan letter sent: April 6, 2009.

Autograph received: April 27, 2009.

McElhinney is the backup goaltender for the Calgary Flames. He got his first NHL win in the Flames' last game of the regular season. Afterward, on Hockey Night in Canada, McElhinney was being interviewed live when Adrian Aucoin got him with a shaving cream pie in the face. Oh snap, dawg! Welcome to the NHL, rookie!

McElhinney signed this card in black Sharpie marker. Ironically, today the Flames were eliminated by my Blackhawks in the first round of the playoffs.

Jeff Beukeboom

Jeff Beukeboom

Retired player. Currently an Assistant Coach with the Barrie Colts (OHL).

Fan letter sent: April 6, 2009.

Autographs received: April 24, 2009.

Beukeboom is probably one of the most fun names to say in hockey. He played 13 seasons in the NHL with the Oilers and the Rangers, and is now an assistant coach with the Barrie Colts--an Ontario Hockey League team.

Beukeboom signed all five cards sent in thin black marker. It 18 days to get these cards back. Great return--I'll have to write to him again early next season.

Harold Snepsts

Harold Snepsts

Retired player.

Fan letter sent: April 6, 2009.

Autographs received: April 24, 2009.

Snepsts played 17 seasons in the NHL (1974-1991), mostly with the Vancouver Canucks. He also played with the North Stars, Red Wings and Blues.

Snepsts signed all four cards in black Sharpie marker.

Rich Preston

Rich Preston

Retired player. Currently an Assistant Coach for the Calgary Flames.

Fan letter sent: April 6, 2009.

Autographs received: April 23, 2009.

Rich Preston used to play for the Chicago Blackhawks, and is now an assistant coach for the Calgary Flames. Back in the early 1990s, he was also an assistant coach with the Blackhawks. Right now, the Blackhawks and Flames are playing against each other in the first round of the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals.

For some reason, Preston signed three cards in ballpoint pen, but signed the fourth one in silver Sharpie marker. I think it was because he signed the first three cards, realized that anything signed in ballpoint pen looks like crap, and then pulled out the silver marker. Hopefully, Mr. Preston learned his lesson :)

All kidding aside, still a cool success.

Ulf Nilsson

Ulf Nilsson

Retired player.

Fan letter sent: April 6, 2009.

Autograph received: April 22, 2009.

This letter made it to Sweden and back in a scant 16 days. Ulf Nilsson signed all three cards in blue Sharpie marker. Awesome sig. I'll have to write to him again once I find more of his cards. I wouldn't mind getting one of his WHA cards 'graphed.

Andy Delmore

Andy Delmore

Currently with the Hamburg Freezers of the German Hockey League.

Fan letter sent: December 27, 2008.

Autographs received: April 22, 2009.

Delmore played 28 games for the Chicago Wolves during the 2006-07 season, and had a card issued in that year's team set. Now playing for the Hamburg Freezers of the German Hockey League, I decided to take a chance with an overseas TTM request to Germany.

Delmore signed my card, and also tossed in another card from a German League set. I'm not sure who made the card, but it's pretty slick looking. Delmore signed both in black marker.

I enclosed $2 to cover return postage, but he sent that back. Also, the return envelope had Canadian stamps on it. A lot of people who play overseas tend to wait until they're back in Canada or the U.S. and then return my cards (and the few dollars I throw in to cover postage). In fact, the Hamburg coach--Paul Gardner--did just that earlier this year.

Chris Terreri

Chris Terreri

Retired player. Currently the Goalie Coach for the Lowell Devils (AHL).

Fan letter sent: February 2, 2009.

Autographs received: April 20, 2009.

I remember Terreri well as a Devil--they used to show a lot of Devils games on SportsChannel back in the early 1990s, so I probably saw 2-3 Devils games per week.

Terreri signed my cards in black marker, though on some of the cards the signature seems as if the ink was starting to dry out.

Also, Terreri signed five cards, but kept the sixth one--a 1997-98 Score card that showed him with the Blackhawks. Kind of bummed that he kept that one, though it was not a top priority. But still, I was glad that he played a bit for the 'Hawks, so eventually I'll want to get that card signed. Maybe he needed it for his own collection...

Marcel Pronovost

Marcel Pronovost

Retired player. Currently a scout with the New Jersey Devils. Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1978.

Fan letter sent: November 7, 2008.

Autographs received: April 20, 2009.

Mr. Pronovost signed both of my cards in blue Sharpie marker. Back in 2007, I also had a TTM success with him.

I can never stress enough how cool it is that so many of these Original Six era Hall of Famers are such willing signers.

RTS - Mike Hartman

Return to Sender - Mike Hartman

Retired player.

Fan letter sent: April 6, 2009.

RTS received: April 20, 2009.

It's been a while since my last RTS.

Here is the address that I used.

Mike Hartman
c/o Better Life Training
2102 S. Bend Blvd.
Charlotte, NC 28203

The street address was circled, and the yellow sticker says RETURN TO SENDER, NOT DELIVERABLE AS ADDRESSED, UNABLE TO FORWARD.

So, I'm not sure if that means my address is wrong, or if Hartman is no longer there.

In the past--probably 15 years ago--I wrote to Hartman and received my cards signed. But back then, he used a weird pink ballpoint pen. I'm hoping to get my cards signed by him in marker this time.

If anyone knows where I can write to Mike Hartman, let me know.

Joel Lundqvist

Joel Lundqvist

Currently with the Dallas Stars.

Fan letter sent: February 2, 2009.

Autograph received: April 18, 2009.

Joel Lundqvist signed the one card sent in black Sharpie marker.

That is a far cry from his identical twin brother, Henrick Lundqvist of the New York Rangers.

The Rangers' Lundqvist--or more specifically someone on his behalf--sent me an unsigned item and a form letter from the Rangers explaining that their schedule is just too hectic to respond to every single request. On the other hand, the Stars' Lundqvist signed my card, and I got a *nice* form letter from the Stars, thanking me for my letter.

Give it a quick read--I think you'll appreciate what it says:



What a difference, compared to how the Rangers, Devils and Flyers handle their fan mail.

One interesting tidbit about this letter. I've blurred out my address at the top--but it's my old address, and not my present one. Two years back, I got the same "form letter" when I wrote to Mathew Barnaby, who was then with the Stars. Apparently, the Stars keep track of the fan letters received, and save our addresses for later use? Who knows.

Joe Piskula

Joe Piskula

Currently with the Manchester Monarchs (AHL).

Fan letter sent: April 6, 2009.

Autograph received: April 18, 2009.

Piskula played 5 games for the Los Angeles Kings in the 2006-07 season after finishing his final season at the University of Wisconsin. Since then, he has spent the past two seasons with the Manchester Monarchs, the top minor-league team for the Kings.

Piskula signed this card in black Sharpie marker. The turnaround time was twelve days.

Michel Goulet

Michel Goulet

Retired player. Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1998. Currently works in the front office for the Colorado Avalanche.

Fan letter sent: April 6, 2009.

Autographs received: April 17, 2009.

How awesome! Michel Goulet is still a great TTM autograph signer. He signed all four cards in blue Sharpie marker.

Boris Valabik

Boris Valabik

Currently with the Atlanta Thrashers

Fan letter sent: December 27, 2008.

Autograph received: April 17, 2009.

It seems like Valabik has finally made the jump into the NHL. He appeared in 7 games for the Thrashers in 2007-08, and then 50 during the 2008-09 season. Part of that has to do with John Anderson, who coached the Wolves and now coaches the Thrashers. Anderson has promoted some of this minor-league guys to the parent club.

Valabik signed this 2006-2007 Chicago Wolves team-issue card in black Sharpie marker. I now have 18 out of 30 cards from this set signed. That's 60%! I'm more than halfway there. It would be great to get this whole team set signed.

Steve Martins

Steve Martins

Currently with the Chicago Wolves (AHL).

Fan letter sent: January 8, 2009.

Autograph received: April 17, 2009.

Martins has played on a lot of teams since starting his professional career in 1995. He spent the last three seasons with the Chicago Wolves, and also played for the Wolves in 1997-98, when they were in the "old" IHL. Martins has played for the Hartford Whalers, Ottawa Senators, Carolina Hurricanes, St. Louis Blues, New York Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Anyway, Martins signed this 2006-2007 Chicago Wolves team-issue card in black Sharpie marker.

Keith Acton

Keith Acton

Retired player. Currently an Assistant Coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Fan letter sent: April 6, 2009.

Autograph received: April 16, 2009.

Acton signed all three cards in blue Sharpie marker. The turnaround time was a very quick ten days. Then again, it's not like the Maple Leafs have anything better to do right now :)

Bryan McCabe

Bryan McCabe

Currently with the Florida Panthers.

Fan letter sent: October 28, 2008.

Autographs received: April 16, 2009.

Another out-of-the-playoffs player, this return took the whole season--but it was still a success. McCabe signed all three cards in black Sharpie marker. The card of him in the Blackhawks uniform was a giveaway card from a game during the 1999-2000 season.

Walt Poddubny

Walt Poddubny

Retired player. Recently deceased.

Purchased on eBay. Added to my collection April 15, 2009.

Another Poddubny card that I purchased on eBay recently, this marks the 300th signed card from the 1990-91 Pro Set Hockey set.

Earlier this month, I purchased another Poddubny card on eBay. I heard that he did not sign a lot in the past few years, so I picked up two of his signed cards as soon as he passed away.