Andrew MacDonald

Andrew MacDonald

Currently with the New York Islanders.

Fan letter sent: November 29, 2010.

Autograph received:February 11, 2011.

The first time I wrote to New York Islanders defenseman Andrew MacDonald, my letter came back marked Return To Sender. 

I had sent my TTM request to the Islanders' old address, and I guess the Post Office wasn't forwarding their mail.

 So I tried again, using the current (correct) address, and it worked. MacDonald signed my card in thin black maker.

Adam Deadmarsh

Adam Deadmarsh

Retired player. Currently the Video/Development Coach with the Colorado Avalanche.

Signed insert card. Purchased February 2011.

I found this signed insert card at a card/coin/stamp shop that I visit every now and then. Normally, I leave the shop empty-handed, as the owner never gets in any new hockey cards.

But this one jumped out at me. It was only $5--probably too much, but I like it. It is signed in blue and numbered 339/1500.

Deadmarsh enjoyed a 9-year NHL career with the Quebec Nordiques, Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings. Here he is pictured from his junior days with the Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Hockey League.

Jeff Taffe

Jeff Taffe

Currently with the Rockford Icehogs (AHL).

Autograph acquired in a trade, February 2011.

This is another card I received in a trade from Zac, a fellow blogger and autograph collector. Zac wrote to Taffe earlier this year and sent 2 copies of the same card. As you can see, this card is nicely autographed in blue Sharpie marker. 

It is safe to say that Taffe is what you call a "journeyman." In a pro career that started in 2002, he has played for 5 different NHL teams--including 1 game for the Chicago Blackhawks this year--and 7 AHL teams.

Jordan Leopold

Jordan Leopold

Currently with the Buffalo Sabres.

Autograph acquired in a trade, February 2011.

An art show that I organized and curated has kept me away from blogging the past 2 weeks. Now that the show has opened successfully, I finally have some free time to get back to my hobbies.

Anyway, fellow TTM autograph collector and blogger Zac traded me this Jordan Leopold signed card earlier in the month. It is nicely 'graphed in blue Sharpie marker. 

Paul Baxter

Paul Baxter

Retired player.

Autographed insert card purchased in December 2010. 

Late last year, I purchased 4 boxes of Donruss Hockey cards. One of them had this signed "Tough Times" insert of former NHL enforcer Paul Baxter.

Baxter is totally an appropriate player to be featured on this card. During his 12-year pro career, he racked up 1564 penalty minutes in the NHL and another 962 in the World Hockey Association. In the 1981-82 season, Baxter "earned" 409 PIMs, which was tops in the NHL.

This card is pretty sweet. The autograph is on-card and in blue Sharpie marker. 

Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson

Currently with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL).

Fan letter sent: December 30, 2010.

Autograph received: February 7, 2011.

Nick Johnson played 6 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2009-10 season, but is currently playing for their minor league team. He signed both cards in black Sharpie marker. He also added his uniform numbers--20 on the Victory card (left) and 42 on his Score card (right).

Unfortunately, the ink on the Victory card seems to have smeared or lifted a bit, as some of it got transferred to the back of the Score card. That tends to happen when players sign the cards and quickly stack them on top of each other before stuffing them into the return envelope.  

Dude! That's My Card!

My autographed 1982-83 OPC Steve Konroyd rookie card made an appearance during the telecast of last night's Blackhawks-Oilers game.

Crazy, right?

In the Chicago Blackhawks Pre-Game show, studio analyst--and former NHLer--Steve Konroyd was presented with a cake for his 50th birthday. While this happened, a snazzy graphic popped up in the background using two images of Konroyd as a player--one of them being a hockey card I got signed by Konroyd in 2008.

Now, some of you are probably thinking, Sal, you're crazy...how do you know the card is from your collection? And I wouldn't blame you for thinking that.

But do a Google Image Search for "Steve Konroyd", and my signed card is the first card that shows up.

Coincidence? Perhaps, but I beg to differ. Most bloggers don't like to dig too deep when finding an image for their post--how many of us go to the 10th page in the Google search results?

Why then would a television graphics department (intern with a computer) be any different? 

Still, a quick side-by-side comparison is in order:

Of course, we are comparing a scan to a television image. Even though the TV image of the card is blurry--mainly because they had to blow up the borrowed website image--you can tell that the autographs are the same.

You don't have to be a graphologist to know that no two autographs are exactly alike--ever!

Over the past few years, several images of autographed cards have been borrowed from this website--sometimes with permission, other times not--by a few newspapers. But until yesterday, never by a TV show--or two, if you also count the Post-Game show.

Unfortunately, no shout out was given to "Sal's Hockey Autographs." ;-)

Angelo Esposito

Angelo Esposito

Currently with the Chicago Wolves (AHL).

Fan letter sent: April 19, 2010.

Autograph received:February 5, 2011.

I sent this request out to Angelo Esposito as the 2009-10 season was winding down. He signed the card in blue Sharpie marker, adding his number 18.

Esposito was a first round draft pick (20th overall) for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2007. A year later, his rights were traded to the Atlanta Thrashers. Though he put up decent numbers in the QMJHL (288 points in 208 games), he hasn't yet duplicated that success in the AHL.

Weekly Show-And-Tell: 1982-83-O-Pee-Chee

Here are my autographed cards from the 1982-83 O-Pee-Chee Hockey set. Many of these were aquired over the past few years, but some are from the 1990s. Here for the first time are my '82-83 autographs of Tony Esposito, Bobby Clarke, Bernie Federko, Tomas Gradin, Dave Lewis, Rick Green, John Anderson and Al Secord.

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