He played there? Hockey Edition: Part 3

As I type these words, my oldest son is upstairs playing his guitar and it's making me smile. Thanks for joining me again for the next edition of "He played there?" When I was picking out these particular cards, it dawned on me, a lot of this stack of players are former Pittsburgh Penguins. I don't know if that is a good or bad thing. With most of the players nearing the ends of their careers when these particular stops took place, maybe it's a bad thing. Well, either way, I'm starting it off with a former Penguin.

When you hear the name Patrick Marleau surely you think of him as a San Jose Shark. Trust me, we all do. However, during his 1779 game career that saw him surpass 500 goals (566) and 600 assists (631), Marleau made a pit stop here in Pittsburgh.....for 12 total games. Yep. 8 games of regular season hockey which saw him post 1 goal and 1 assist (I saw both of those by the way) and 4 playoff games where he would go scoreless. I was always a Marleau fan, so when the Penguins acquired him, I was excited. When I actually saw him play, my excitement died down a bit. Whatever you want to say about the guy, he is still a great hockey player. Will he ever make it to the Hall of Fame? I don't know. Most people say he wasn't good enough and didn't really win much of anything so it will hurt his chances. They may be right. Who knows? All I do know is in 2020, I got to see Patty Marleau suit up for my hometown team.

How was he acquired? On February 24, 2020, the San Jose Sharks traded Patrick Marleau to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 3rd Round Draft Pick in 2021 (Goalie Benjamin Gaudreau).

2020/21 O-Pee-Chee Patrick Marleau #398

This next player was a legend. Plain and simple. His best years, however, were overshadowed by the likes of Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. It's Dale Hawerchuk. "Ducky" as they called him was QMJHL Rookie of the Year, won a Guy Lafleur Trophy as QMJHL Playoff MVP, won 2 QMJHL Championships (1980 and 1981), won 2 Memorial Cup Championships (1980 and 1981), won the Jean Beliveau Trophy as the QMJHL Scoring Champion, won a Michel Briere Memorial Trophy as QMJHL Player of the Year, won the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as the Memorial Cup MVP and was named CHL Player of the Year and this was before he even stepped on NHL ice. Hawerchuk is an NHL Hall of Famer (inducted in 2001), a Calder Trophy Award winner, played in the NHL All-Star game 5 times, but never won a Stanley Cup. When I was 13, I rooted hard for Ducky. Why you ask? Well, because at one of the stops during his career, he played in St. Louis for the Blues. With me being a die-hard Blues fan growing up, I paid attention to him a little more than I had in previous years. Hawerchuk would only play in 1,188 games. I say the word "only" because I do believe he probably could have kept playing. In his final season in 1996, he had 34 points in 51 games for the Flyers. Hawerchuk suited up for 4 teams in his career (Winnipeg, Buffalo, St. Louis and Philadelphia). His shortest stint was with St. Louis back in 1995/96. He stuck it out with St. Louis until the trade deadline that season. He played great for the Blues. In 66 games, he posted 13 goals and 28 assists for 41 points. Also, he would score his 500th career goal while playing for St. Louis. I was so angry when the Blues traded Ducky to the Flyers for Craig MacTavish. MacTavish lasted a season and a half, play in 63 games and only post 8 points. I would have much rather St. Louis have kept Hawerchuk that season. Sadly, in 2020, Hawerchuk passed away due to stomach cancer. RIP Ducky.

How was he acquired? On September 8th, 1995, the St. Louis Blues signed Dale Hawerchuk to a 1-year contract. 

1995/96 Select Certified Dale Hawerchuk Mirror Gold #97

I actually just learned of this players suspension from the NHL back in 1986/87. This player had admitted to previous use of cocaine in a newspaper article and was initially suspended for the entire season. However, he was reinstated after 8 games. That was a pretty big hint. He was also named as one of the 100 greatest players in NHL history. Give up? It's Borje Salming. Salming is a Toronto Maple Leaf's legend. He still is their career goals, assists, points and best career plus-minus for a defenseman leader. Also, he was the first Swedish player and the 2nd European player (Vladislav Tretiak) to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. After 16 years of playing with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Salming would spend his last season in the NHL with Detroit Red Wings. In the last 49 games he would play that season, he posted 2 goals, 17 assists for 19 points before hanging up his skates. In 2022, during an alumni game, Salming experienced a twitching motion in his muscles which made him exit the game. It was found to be ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease. By November of 2022, Salming would pass away due to this disease. RIP Borje.

How was he acquired? On June 12, 1989, the Detroit Red Wings signed Borje Salmin to a 1-year contract. 

1989/90 O-Pee-Chee Borje Salming #278

Billy Guerin is beloved here in Pittsburgh. Guerin played an integral role in the Penguins Stanley Cup championship in 2008/09. That summer, I met Guerin at a Dick's Sporting Goods store near my house. He was a very nice guy and spent time with everyone that showed up that day. Currently, Guerin is the General Manager of the Minnesota Wild. It's no wonder that Guerin would feel comfortable in the GM's office as he played for 8 different teams during his 1,263 games in the NHL. Billy G played for the New Jersey Devils, Edmonton Oilers, Boston Bruins, Dallas Stars, St. Louis Blues, New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins, oh and the San Jose Sharks. I remembered all of these stops except for his time with San Jose. That's why we're here today to talk about him. Guerin was a trade deadline addition for the 2006/07 San Jose Sharks. He would play in 25 games total for them (16 regular season and 9 playoff games) before heading back east to play with the Islanders. 

How was he acquired? On February 27, 2007, the St. Louis Blues traded Bill Guerin to the San Jose Sharks for Jay Barriball, Ville Nieminen and a 2007 1st Round Draft Pick that ended up being David Perron. 

2007/08 Fleer Ultra Bill Guerin Gold Medallion #36

Mike Vernon was constantly told he was too small to play goalie. Vernon would laugh at the naysayers to make it to the NHL, make 5 All-Star teams, win 2 Stanley Cups, win 385 games (18th All-Time), win the William M. Jennings Trophy and the Conn Smythe Trophy, oh and also get inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame (2023). When you think of Vernon, of course you think of him as a Calgary Flame or a Detroit Red Wing, hell, or even a San Jose Shark. Do you remember Mike Vernon as a member of the Florida Panthers? Well, I sure as heck didn't. He would play 34 games for the Panthers during the 1999/00 season. Vernon even led them to the playoffs for the first time in 3 years. You would think after helping the team get back to the playoffs that your GM would reward you with another contract, but Panthers GM Bryan Murray did the exact opposite. When it came time to protect players from the 2000 NHL Expansion Draft, Murray left Vernon unprotected. Vernon would be claimed by the Minnesota Wild but then dealt immediately for Dan Cavanaugh and an 8th Round Draft Pick to the Calgary Flames where he would end his career. 

How was he acquired? On December 30th, 1999, the San Jose Sharks traded mike Vernon and a 2000 3rd Round Draft Pick to the Florida Panthers for Radek Dvorak.

2000/01 Topps Mike Vernon #65

Clark Gillies was an exceptional baseball player. In 1970, at the age of 16, he signed with the Houston Astros and played 3 years of minor league baseball in Covington, Virginia before moving back to Canada to play major junior hockey with the Regina Pats of the WHL. Gillies would eventually be selected in the 1st Round of the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft by the New York Islanders. Gillies was an integral part of the Islanders success playing tough as nails hockey. He would post 30 goals in 4 straight seasons and was part of the "Trio Grande" line in New York with Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier. This powerhouse squad would eventually win the Stanley Cup 4 consecutive years (1980, 1981, 1982, 1983). Gillies was also captain of the Islanders from 1976-1979. So, when you think of Gillies, you would associate him with the New York Islanders. However, he would end his career in New York, but not with the blue and orange, however, with the blue and yellow with the Buffalo Sabres. After an abysmal season in 1985/86, where Gillies would only score 4 goals in 55 games, the Islanders left him unprotected in the NHL Waiver Draft where the Buffalo Sabres would claim him. The last 2 seasons of Gillies' career he would play in 86 regular season games and 5 playoff games for the Sabres before calling it a career after the 1987/88 season. Gillies would die of cancer on January 21, 2022. RIP Clark.

How was he acquired? On October 7, 1986, the Buffalo Sabres claimed Clark Gillies off of waivers from the New York Islanders.

1988/89 O-Pee-Chee Clark Gillies #80

Because it's the time of year to give, I'll give you guys another former Pittsburgh Penguin. Mark Recchi! The Recching-Ball as he is referred to here in Pittsburgh was always fun to watch. He was short but played like he was over 6 foot tall. Recchi was so good that eventually he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame (2017). Mark won the Stanley Cup 5 times (3 as a player, 2 as a development coach). Towards the end of his career though, Recchi would move around a lot. He played for 7 teams total (Penguins, Flyers, Canadiens, Hurricanes, Thrashers, Lightning and Bruins). He had multiple stops with Pittsburgh (3) and Philadelphia (2). His shortest stint with a team was with the Carolina Hurricanes (20 regular season games, 25 playoff games). However, he would hoist the Stanley Cup in that lone season with the team. When the trade was made from Pittsburgh to Carolina, I thought the assets the Penguins received would have worked out, but sadly, the trade was a bust for Pittsburgh. It's ok, I'm happy that Recchi got to win another cup.

How was he acquired? On March 9, 2006, the Pittsburgh Penguins traded Mark Recchi to the Carolina Hurricanes for Krys Kolanos, Niklas Nordgren and a 2007 2nd Round Draft Pick used on Kevin Marshall.

2005/06 Parkhurst Mark Recchi #98

I don't know why, but I never liked Brian Propp as a kid. Maybe because he played on a lot of teams that I considered a rival of teams I liked. Who knows. When I remember Propp, I remember him as a Flyer or a North Star. He was one of the better players on the North Stars team that the Penguins defeated to win their first Stanley Cup on my 9th birthday. My family and I rooted so hard against Brian Propp then, maybe that is where my dislike of the guy came from. I couldn't tell ya. He was good though. He was almost a point per game player in the NHL (1,016 games, 1,003 points). He suited up for the Flyers, North Stars, Whalers and Bruins. For the life of me, I do not recall him suiting up for the Bruins, but hockeydb and Upper Deck say otherwise. Propp played a partial season with Boston in 1989/90 by playing in 14 games, scoring 12 points. When I was looking for board games in my old closet at my parents' house, I stumbled upon the card you see below. It was laying on its side unprotected, and I picked it up and my mom asked, "Who's that dear?" I said, "Brian Propp...for the Bruins?" Why my mom, who is the cleanest, neat freak known to man didn't pick that card up for all that time is a little fishy to me. That night, I went home with a shoe box of junk wax hockey cards of mine and I have a feeling this was planned by my mom. So, thanks mom!

How was he acquired? On March 2, 1990, the Philadelphia Flyers traded Brian Propp to the Boston Bruins for a 1990 2nd Round Draft Pick (Terran Sandwith).

1990/91 Upper Deck Brian Propp #2

Chris Chelios was a terrific player that hung around a little too long in the NHL. He loved playing so much towards the end of his career, he spent 48 games in the AHL. You obviously know that he played for the Canadiens, Blackhawks and Red Wings. What you may not know is that he retired as an Atlanta Thrasher. At 48 years of age, Chelios would get called up to the NHL by Atlanta Thrashers from the Chicago Wolves of the AHL in March of 2010 to play in his final 7 NHL games of his illustrious career. He would go scoreless and only get on the scoresheet as a minus -2. Finding a card to commemorate this was a toughie since he only has 1 card of him in a Thrasher uniform. When I looked this up, I realized I did have the card. I have a bag of commons that I keep, and I want to use for an art project that is in my head, and the Chelios was in that bag. So, enjoy.

How was he acquired? On March 2nd, 2010, the Atlanta Thrashers signed Chris Chelios.

2010/11 Score Season Highlight Chris Chelios #17

Only 23 players have scored 60 goals in an NHL season. Some of the players on that list might surprise you. Steve Shutt, Reggie Leach and Lanny McDonald kinda surprised me. One name that didn't was Dennis Maruk. This is because I read Ken Reid's book: Dennis Maruk: The Unforgettable Story of Hockey's Forgotten 60-Goal Man. It's a decent read. I read it while on vacation one year at Hilton Head. Maruk played for the Minnesota North Stars, Washington Capitals, Cleveland Barons and the California Golden Seals. He would have his best years in Washington though. However, his rookie season, he was no slouch. In 80 games with the Seals before they moved to Cleveland, he posted 30 goals and 32 assists. His career seemed so wild to me. You see ups and downs and a stint in the IHL for 5 games. Really just wild. A guy who posted 50 goals and then 60 the next year should be a superstar in the league, and he never really got treated like one. Anyways, if someone thinks of Maruk, they usually associate him with the Capitals or North Stars, but down below, you will see him with the Seals where he got his start in the NHL.

How was he acquired? On June 3rd, 1975, the California Golden Seals drafted Dennis Maruk in round 2 at 21st Overall in the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft.

1976/77 Topps Dennis Maruk RC #86

Last, but not least, I'm ending it with Brett Hull. My childhood favorite player. Nowadays, I can't even stand the guy. Friends of my dad who had him on their plane said he wasn't a nice guy at all. I didn't want to believe them, but now I think they were right all along. We are here to talk about where he played though, so moving on! Hull was coming off a 25-goal season for Detroit and Wayne Gretzky had just signed on as the coach of the Phoenix Coyotes. So, before the 2004 season, Hull signed with the Coyotes to get coached by his buddy Gretzky. However, due to the lockout of the entire 2004/05 season, Hull wouldn't play with the Coyotes until the 2005/06 season. Brett wouldn't last very long with the Coyotes. After only 5 games and 1 assist, he called it a career. Fun fact about the card, I actually found this in a $1 bin at a card show. I snatched it up so fast!

How was he acquired? On August 6th, 2004, the Phoenix Coyotes signed Brett Hull to a 2-year $4.5million contract. 

2005/06 Upper Deck Game Jersey Brett Hull #J-BHu

As always, thanks for reading!

Hockey Card Finds: The most interesting man on the rink

In 2005, I started to get the collecting itch again after purging most of my collection in 2002 to assist with the purchase of my first house. With $10 burning a hole in my pocket at a flea market in Ohio, I purchased a lot of 50 hockey rookie cards from an older lady selling mostly knitted dolls.  She wouldn't let me look inside the small box, but she said her son had collected up until a few years ago and these were his "leftovers." I figured most of the cards were commons and I remember when I got back to my house, I had heard of a few of the guys, but some of the cards were from players in the 1970's. Not all are in the best shape, but for $10, what do you want? After a while, I decided just to put the box in the corner of my closet, and I simply forgot about it. So, 14 years later, I decided I would take out a card from the box at random and write a small post about the player. I'll count down from 50. Here goes:

42. 1978/79 O-Pee-Chee Jere Gillis RC #109

Jere Gillis was born on January 18, 1957, in Bend, Oregon and later raised in Montreal. He was the son of skier Gene Gillis and Rhona Wurtele a Canadian Olympic skier, who competed at the 1948 Winter Olympics. 

At a young age, Gillis would stand out on mostly any rink he played at. His speed and shot were lethal, and his dominance would lead him to a trip to the QMJHL. Gillis played junior hockey in the “Q” for the Sherbrooke Castors scoring 376 points in 4 seasons. He would outscore such Castors players as Jimmy Mann and Rick Vaive! This would lead Gillis into being selected 4th overall in the NHL Entry Draft in 1977 and 7th overall that same year in the WHA Draft. Jere ended up taking his talents to the NHL rather than the WHA. His first season in Vancouver would be his best. He scored 23 goals, 18 assists for 41 points in 79 games. The next 3 seasons that followed in Vancouver, however, were not so great. Gillis posted 25 points in 78 games in '78-79, 30 points in 67 games in '79-80 before going goalless in 11 games to start the '80-81 season. Vancouver then gave up on Gillis and traded him on November 11, 1980, along with defenseman Jeff Bandura to the New York Rangers for defenseman Mario Marois and right-wing Jim Mayer. In New York, Gillis put up some decent numbers in the first 35 games (10 goals, 10 assists). However, in the 1981-82 season, Gillis would go back to a slump and post only 3 goals in 26 games for the Rangers before they shipped him out as well. The Quebec Nordiques then acquired Gillis and forward Dean Talafous (who refused to report to New York and was substituted with Pat Hickey) for winger Robbie Ftorek and an 8th Round Draft Pick in 1982 (Brian Glynn). Jere never settled in Quebec and soon found himself a free agent after seasons end. From there, he would sign with the Buffalo Sabres. After a rough training camp, Gillis was assigned to the AHL to play for the Rochester Americans. He would only see action with the Sabres for 3 games that year going scoreless. The Vancouver Canucks came calling after that season for his services again. He would play for them for 2 seasons (37 games each year) with a few stops with the Fredericton Express in the AHL. 1986 would be his last season to play in the NHL when the Philadelphia Flyers called him up from the Hershey Bears of the AHL for 1 single game where he didn't post a point. After 10 seasons and almost 400 games in the NHL and 173 total points, Gillis would spend time playing in Italy for Brunico SG and then in the BHL (British Hockey League) playing parts of 2 seasons with the Solihull Barons and Peterborough Pirates (who were coached that season by Rocky Saganiuk). The competition in this league wasn't the greatest as Gillis would post 93 points (46 goals, 47 assists) in 18 games that first season in Solihull. He would pop up one more time playing for Acton Vale Nova in the QSPHL for 5 games posting 3 assists in 1996-97 before hanging up his skates for good.

While enjoying his retirement in Quebec, Gillis would convert to become a Scientologist. In an interview, Gillis would go on to say, "I made it to the NHL, but Scientology has made me more successful. It has given me an understanding of life and relationships that cleared up a lot of advice that I had before. And life is great!" Scientology was just the start to Gillis’ wild ride. He would go on to act and perform stunts in movies. Gillis has performed stunts in 86 films to be exact! His credits are quite impressive. Below are just some of the blockbuster films he has been a part of:

 - Battlefield Earth (2000)

 - Rollerball (2002)

 - The Sum of All Fears (2002)

 - Shattered Glass (2003)

 - Secret Window (2004)

 - The Notebook (2004)

 - The Aviator (2004)

 - 300 (2006)

 - Blades of Glory (2007)

 - Goon (2011)

 - Pacific Rim (2013)

As you can see, Mr. Gillis has led an interesting life. It’s quite possible he tosses back a few Dos Equis just like the old, bearded dude who is claiming to be “The Most Interesting Man in the World”. However, my money is on Jere Gillis. 

Hockey Card Finds: From college to King

In 2005, I started to get the collecting itch again after purging most of my collection in 2002 to assist with the purchase of my first house. With $10 burning a hole in my pocket at a flea market in Ohio, I purchased a lot of 50 hockey rookie cards from an older lady selling mostly knitted dolls.  She wouldn't let me look inside the small box, but she said her son had collected up until a few years ago and these were his "leftovers." I figured most of the cards were commons and I remember when I got back to my house, I had heard of a few of the guys, but some of the cards were from players in the 1970's. Not all are in the best shape, but for $10, what do you want? After a while, I decided just to put the box in the corner of my closet, and I simply forgot about it. So, 14 years later, I decided I would take out a card from the box at random and write a small post about the player. I'll count down from 50. Here goes:

43. 1983/84 O-Pee-Chee Gary Laskoski RC #156

The first goalie on this list is Gary Laskoski. Laskoski was born on June 6, 1959, in Ottawa, Ontario. During his college years, Laskoski would attend St. Lawrence University. He immediately became their starter. In his freshman season, Gary would play in 21 games with abysmal results (5 wins, 15 losses). His Goals Against Average wasn't anything to write home about either at 4.94 to go along with an .876 Save Percentage. However, St. Lawrence stuck with Laskoski as their back stopper for the next 3 seasons. With a Win-Loss record of 3-13, 10-10 and 7-7, it didn't appear that Laskoski had what it takes to be a starting goalie, let alone a backup goalie in the NHL. This is where the Los Angeles Kings come in. They offered Laskoski a tryout before the 1982/83 season started. His performance was so stellar, the Kings named him their starting goaltender for that season. Gary didn't even sign an actual NHL contact until after several regular season games had already been played. Instead, the Kings were paying him $200 a game! That season, the Kings goaltending was less than great. In the Smythe Division that year, you could find the Los Angeles Kings at the bottom of the standings with 27 wins total and 41 losses to go along with 12 ties. The Kings would use not only Laskoski in net, but also Mario Lessard (19 games), Markus Mattsson (19 games), Mike Blake (9 games) and Doug Keans (6 games). Laskoski would get the bulk of the work, however, and play in 46 of the teams 80 games winning 15 and losing 20 with 4 ties to his credit. His GAA was almost average for the era at 4.56 with a Save Percentage of .857. Even after that pretty average season, the Kings didn't go out to find a better goalie. The opening of the 1983/84 season saw the Kings sit Laskoski for the first month of the season before trying him back out as their starting goalie. It did not go well at all. Gary would hold onto the starting job from November until the end of December. His record of 4-7-1 to go along with a 4.96 GAA and a .829 save percentage didn't warrant him any more starts and the Kings decided to go with Mike Blake as their starter with Marco Baron and Markus Mattsson backing him up. As for Laskoski, well, he was sent down to the Kings affiliate the New Haven Nighthawks where he would finish out his last season of pro hockey before retirement. 

Information about Laskoski is hard to find. I tried multiple searches for information from him and there wasn't much, so I apologize. I think as of right now he's a retired Geophysical Technologist. At least I think that's him, but I could be wrong. Fun fact, Laskoski was the only goalie in NHL history that played in the NHL the season immediately after playing college hockey and not playing any games in the minors beforehand until Devon Levi became the second in 2022. Pretty wild.

Thanks for reading.