Jonas Hiller

Jonas Hiller

Currently with the Anaheim Ducks.

Fan letter sent: November 1, 2010.

Autographs received: April 19, 2012.

This is another return I had given up on. I wrote to Ducks' goaltender Jonas Hiller at the beginning of the 2010-11 season, and got back my cards 17 months later--536 days, to be exact.

Hiller signed all 4 cards in blue Sharpie marker, personalizing each one To Sal.

The month of April has been all about long-forgotten requests to goalies. Earlier this month, I got an autograph from Ryan Miller (543 days) and Daniel Larsson (429).

By the way, this is the second time I had written to Hiller. The first time, I got a response in less than two months. Back then, he was the Ducks' backup, and not the All-Star he is now. 

536 Days 

Round

Trip!

Daniel Larsson

429 Days 

Round

Trip!

Daniel Larsson

Currently with HV71 Jonkoping (Elitseren / Swedish Elite League).

Fan letter sent: February 14 2011.

Autographs received: April 18, 2012.

This return from Swedish goaltender Daniel Larsson took just over 14 months to get back. Honestly, I had given up on this one. Larsson now plays in Sweden, and when a letter sent overseas does not return within a year, I pretty much figure that it is a bust--perhaps the player changed teams or leagues, or my letter got lost.

But neither was the case, as evidenced by these autographs. Larsson nicely signed both of my cards in blue Sharpie marker. Technically, he never played for the Detroit Red Wings, but he did appear on the bench as a backup goaltender, hence his 2009-10 O-Pee-Chee Marquee Rookies card.

Ryan Miller

543 Days 

Round

Trip!

Ryan Miller

Currently with the Buffalo Sabres.

Fan letter sent: October 18, 2010.

Autographs received: April 13, 2012.

A return two seasons in the making! I wrote to Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller at the beginning of the 2010-11 season, and finally got a reply at the end of the 2011-12 season. For the record, my previous success from Miller took 27 months.

Miller signed one card in black Sharpie marker, and returned the other two unsigned.  He used to sign more than one card per request (my prior two successes were for four cards each), but I guess one is the limit now.

James Reimer

2011-12 TTM Stats
Letters sent: 115
Successes: 57
Percentage: 49%

James Reimer

Currently with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Fan letter sent: October 17, 2011.

Autographs received: April 13, 2012.

I was excited to get back these two cards. James Reimer is the number one goalie for the Toronto Maple Leafs--the world's most popular hockey team. The fact that such a popular player would sign my cards is pretty awesome. True, he has been injured and has more down time to answer fan mail, but I still think it is cool that a player from the top hockey market would answer a fan's request for autographs.

Reimer signed both of my cards in blue Sharpie marker, which looks great on the All Goalies card, but kind of blends in with his Leafs' jersey on the O-Pee-Chee card.

Brent Johnson

2011-12 TTM Stats
Letters sent: 115
Successes: 56
Percentage: 48%

Brent Johnson

Currently with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Fan letter sent: December 27, 2011.

Autographs received: April 12, 2012.

Brent Johnson is the backup goalie for the Pittsburgh Penguins. He signed my 3 cards in blue Sharpie marker. Turnaround time was about 10 weeks.

Brian Elliott

2011-12 TTM Stats
Letters sent: 115
Successes: 55
Percentage: 47%

Brian Elliott

Currently with the St. Louis Blues.

Fan letter sent: December 21, 2011.

Autographs received: March 28, 2012.

After a lackluster 2010-11 season split between the Ottawa Senators and Colorado Avalanche, Brian Elliot turned his career around. He posted a 1.56 GAA during the 2011-12 season while playing for the St. Louis Blues. He also played in the NHL All-Star Game.

Elliott autographed both of my cards in black Sharpie marker and added his number 30 beneath his signature.

I now have 25 signed cards from the 2010-11 Panini All Goalies set.

Richard Bachman

2011-12 TTM Stats
Letters sent: 115
Successes: 54
Percentage: 46%

Richard Bachman

Currently with the Dallas Stars.

Fan letter sent: February 8, 2012.

Autographs received: March 27, 2012.

Richard Bachman split the 2011-12 season between the Dallas Stars and their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars. He signed both of my cards in black Sharpie marker and added 31, his uniform number.

Brent Sopel

2011-12 TTM Stats
Letters sent: 115
Successes: 53
Percentage: 46%

Brent Sopel

Currently with Metallurg Novokuznetsk (KHL).

Fan letter sent: December 27, 2011.

Autographs received: March 20, 2012.

Brent Sopel was a member of the Chicago Blackhawks when they won the Stanley Cup in 2010.

Shortly afterward, he was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers. Sopel returned to Chicago later that summer and brought the Stanley Cup to Chicago's Gay Pride Parade. That was a big deal to Chicago's gay community, and was a classy move by Sopel. The Score card (right) shows Sopel at Game 6 of the Cup Finals, but the back of the card talks about the parade.

This past season, Sopel played in the KHL. I wrote to him in Russia, but he waited to get back to the U.S. before sending back my cards. He signed both cards in black Sharpie marker, and also sent back the $2 that I enclosed for postage.

Jonathan Carlsson

2011-12 TTM Stats
Letters sent: 115
Successes:52
Percentage: 45%

Jonathan Carlsson

Currently with Gävle Brynäs IF (Elitserien / Swedish Elite League)

Fan letter sent: December 27, 2011.

Autographs received: March 19, 2012.

Jonathan Carlsson was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2008. He spent the 2009-10 season in North America, splitting time between the Rockford Icehogs of the AHL and the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL. After that, he returned to Sweden to play pro hockey.

I wrote to Carlsson c/o Brynas IF, located in Gävle, Sweden. He signed my Rockford Icehogs team card in black Sharpie marker. He also wrote a short note, thanking me for my letter.

Mark Bell

Mark Bell

Currently with the Anaheim Ducks.

Signed insert card.

Mark Bell made an NHL comeback late in the 2011-12 season. He spent most of the season in the AHL with the Syracuse Crunch, and the prior two years playing with Kloten in the Swiss-A league.

This card is printed on shiny gold foil board and is hard-signed in black Sharpie marker.

Thanks to Justin G. for giving me this card for my collection. 

Chris Chelios

Chris Chelios

Retired player.

Purchased on eBay, April 2012.

I normally do not buy autographed cards on eBay, but this one looked legit. I have gotten Chelios' autograph several times in person back in the day, and own a few certified autos. It is one of those autographs I can recognize because I've seen it enough times throughout the years. As you can see, this is nicely signed in blue Sharpie marker.

This card is from the 1990-91 Chicago Blackhawks photo album, and shows Chelios in his first season with the 'Hawks. The cards were issued in book form, but many people would cut them out to get them autographed.

Al MacInnis

Al MacInnis

Retired player. Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007.

Signed insert card.

Pulled from a pack of 2010-11 Artifacts in February 2012.

Al MacInnis won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Stanley Cup MVP in 1989. He also won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman in 1999. He was a First Team All-Star four times and a Second Team All-Star three times.  MacInnis was well known for his 100 mile-per-hour slapshot. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007.

Considering all that--plus that I grew up watching MacInnis--this is one heck of a cool autograph to get in a pack of cards. Notice how nice MacInnis' autograph looks--an every-letter signature and his number in blue Sharpie marker. So much nicer than the usual squiggle most players give nowadays.

Bob Probert

Bob Probert

Deceased player.

Signed insert cards.

Purchased on eBay back in February 2012.

For nearly a decade, Bob Probert was the best fighter in the NHL. Sure, he lost some fights, but he won most and was feared by nearly everyone. That gave him a lot of room on the ice, which contributed to a few decent seasons, point-wise. He even played in the All-Star Game in 1988.

I found these cards on eBay back in February. These are signed inserts--not TTMs or IPs. They were from the same seller, who had them at "Buy It Now" prices of $5 each. I quickly bought both of them. One is from my collection, and the other I will hopefully trade for a different card signed by Probert.

These cards are from the 1995-96 Be A Player set. They are signed on-card in black Sharpie marker.