Hockey Card Finds: Don't put Baby in an Expansion Draft

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:

47. 1978/79 O-Pee-Chee John Baby RC #366

It's been a while since I actually posted one of these. Probably 5 years to be exact, but here we go. Last Sunday, I was rooting through our storage area in our house looking for my chameleon mask to wear while I take the kids trick or treating around our neighborhood. In the corner of my eye, I saw a box. Just a normal Amazon box sitting on the top shelf and it was unmarked. I looked inside to see 2 small boxes of sports cards and one of them was the small box full of crappy hockey rookie cards for this blog that I bought off the nice old lady in Ohio. Yay! So, here we go again.

John Baby or "Butch" as he was nicknamed was born May 18, 1957, in Sudbury, Ontario. His father, John Sr., was a member of the Sudbury Wolves when they won the Allan Cup in 1954. As a youngster, Baby was known for being an offensive defenseman, not like his father who was more of a defensive defenseman. Baby would start his junior hockey career with the Kitchener Rangers in the OHA. In his first season there in 1974, he would put up 13 goals along with 26 assists for 39 points. Not only showing off his offensive skills, but also with a little snarl to his game by sitting in the penalty box for 112 minutes. The next season, Baby played 3 games with Kitchener before being dealt to his hometown Sudbury Wolves. This is when Butch's career took off. Playing on a team in Sudbury with players like Rod Schutt, Ron Duguay, Alex McKendry, Randy Carlyle, Mike Foligno, Wes Jarvis and Dave Farrish, Baby would find himself in a great situation to put up points and solidify his draft status. During his second season in Sudbury, Butch would become the #1 defenseman for the Wolves due to Carlyle being drafted by the Maple Leafs and heading out to play with the Dallas Black Hawks in the CHL and David Farrish being drafted by the Rangers and suiting up that same season for them. In 1976/77, John Baby would become a star for the Sudbury Wolves. Playing in 61 games, Butch had 32 goals, 61 assists for 93 points. Also, don't forget that Baby played with a bit of a mean streak, he also added 118 penalty minutes! Putting up 93 points as a defenseman in your draft year should solidify you as a 1st Round Draft Pick, however, Baby was selected in the 4th Round, 59th overall by the Cleveland Barons. He would also be selected in the WHA Amateur Draft by the New England Whalers in Round 3 at 23rd overall. Baby decided to play for Cleveland rather than try his luck out in New England with the Whalers. John would start his rookie year in the NHL with Cleveland, playing for most of the month of October and a game in November in the 1977/78 season. He would be sent down to the Phoenix Roadrunners for 16 games and with the Broome Dusters of the AHL for 25 games before being called back up to the NHL in March to finish out the season with the Barons. He scored his first NHL goal during this call-up in March against the New York Rangers and against goalie John Davidson. This would be the only goal for the Barons that day in a 6-1 loss. 

The next season (1978), the Cleveland Barons and Minnesota North Stars would merge their teams due to financial struggles. The merged franchises decided to continue on as the Minnesota North Stars. This would be the end of the Cleveland Barons in the NHL. There was a Dispersal Draft before the rosters were set in stone. The merged team was allowed to protect 14 players. Baby was left unprotected for the Dispersal Draft but went unselected in this draft meaning he would stay as a part of the Minnesota North Stars. The only players who were selected in the Dispersal Draft were Mike Crombeen by the Blues and Randy Holt by the Canucks. If Baby were selected by another team in this draft, it's very possible his career could have went in a different direction. However, in the 1978/79 season with the Minnesota North Stars, John Baby would play his last 2 games in the NHL scoring 1 assist. The remainder of that season he played with the Oklahoma City Stars (76 games, 40 points). Then in the 1979/80 season, the NHL was expanded and 4 WHA teams merged into the NHL. John Baby was claimed by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1979 NHL Expansion Draft at 23rd overall. Baby would never end up suiting up for the Nordiques. Instead, he played out his career in the minors with the Syracuse Firebirds in 1979/80, the Binghampton Whalers in 1980/81 and 1 final season 2 years later with the Kalamazoo Wings in the IHL in 1983/84. He would finish his career with 26 games under his belt, scoring 2 goals and 8 assists for 10 points to go along with 26 penalty minutes. 

Thanks for reading.

He played there? Hockey Edition: Part 2

It appears a lot of people enjoyed the first hockey edition, which was a little surprising to me. Thank you for all that read and commented. I promise that I'll get to those comments soon. Before I do that, on to Part 2! 

This might be one of the biggest names on this list. Martin Brodeur played 22 seasons in the NHL (21 of those with the New Jersey Devils). He was a 5-time William M. Jennings Trophy winner, 4-time Vezina Trophy winner, 10-time NHL All-Star, he won the Calder Memorial Trophy as Rookie of the Year, 3-time Stanley Cup winner, 2-time Olympic Gold Medalist, and has the most career wins of all time (691). Did you know that Brodeur ended his 22nd season as a St. Louis Blue? True story! Brodeur signed a tryout contract with St. Louis after their starting goalie (Brian Elliott) went down with an injury. A week after Brodeur's tryout, he was signed to a 1-year contract with the Blues. After starting only 5 games in a month and a half, Brodeur decided to hang up the skates for good. His final win came on December 29th, 2014 against the Colorado Avalanche which ended in a shutout for Brodeur for a score of 3-0. 

How was he acquired? The St. Louis Blues signed Martin Brodeur to a 1-year contact on December 2, 2014. 

2014/15 OPC Platinum Martin Brodeur #1

Let's stick with goalies for a second here. The next one I do remember, but only because my dad was on a trip for work when it happened. He and I would save newspapers of big sporting events that happened and most of the time, he would grab one when someone would leave a paper behind on the airplane he was working on. My dad was a flight attendant for USAirways (as I have pointed out in this blog quite a few times). This particular newspaper though, was one that I actually saved from our local paper when it happened because I thought it was a big deal. Now, looking back at it, it really was not. I couldn't wait to show my dad that paper when he came home from the trip. It's weird, but I still remember the sound he would make walking up the stairs with his work bag making a screech from the leather carrying clip that was over the strap of his bag, with a swish from his dress pants and the rustling of his work shirt to go with the thump that came with our steps from the basement up the stairs. I waited until he was to the last step before jumping off the couch to show him the paper. When I saw his face, I could tell he was less than impressed, and maybe it wasn't a big deal that Ed Belfour had been traded to the Sharks from the Chicago Blackhawks. Belfour's tenure with the Sharks would be brief (13 regular season games and 3 playoff appearances) before he headed out to Dallas to go win his only Stanley Cup. When I was 14, this trade was obviously a huge deal to me because Belfour had been a household name for several years and I even drew my dad a cool sketch of Belfour's 1991/92 Stadium Club card that I was accused by him of tracing, but later it was found out that I did not in fact trace the card. Take that, dad! Anyways, I found my old Sharks Belfour card to show you the proof that this trade actually did happen.

How was he acquired? On January 25, 1997, the Chicago Blackhawks traded Ed Belfour to the San Jose Sharks for Ulf Dahlen, Michal Sykora and Chris Terreri.

1996/97 Black Diamond Ed Belfour #34

The card that inspired this whole "He played there" blog is this next one. My wife bought me a hockey wax pack scented candle one year for Christmas. I loved the crap out of the smell and burnt that thing like crazy. The company that sent it also included some Canadian candy and a few 80's OPC hockey cards. Enclosed was a Charlie Simmer OPC card with him in a Penguins uniform. Simmer is known for being 1/3 of the "Triple Crown Line" with Marcel Dionne and Dave Taylor. He is also almost a point per game player (712 games, 711 points). Now when he played here in Pittsburgh, I was 5. I remember him being here a little bit, but I can't remember seeing a goal he scored or pass he dished. Usually my memory is stellar, but I may be slipping as I climb my 40's. It is true though; Charlie Simmer spent his last 50 NHL games wearing a Pittsburgh Penguins sweater. From looking at his numbers, he wasn't that bad either. He had 28 points in 50 games (11 goals, 17 assists) and was a +6!

How was he acquired? On July 5, 1988, Charlie Simmer signed a 1-year contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins (this contract is also currently on eBay - I may buy this one day). 

1988/89 OPC Charlie Simmer #250

When I was younger, my cousin worked as an editor for the Flyers semi-weekly magazine that would be sent out to subscribers. I loved reading about all the players (even if they were the Penguins most hated rival). My cousin would even venture out to visit us when the Flyers came into town and would shower my brother and I with hockey cards, signed memorabilia, sticks, pucks, you name it. No one we knew thought it was cool until the Flyers obtained Eric Lindros. I had friends come out of the woodwork to ask me to get stuff signed for them. I didn't do it though. One time, my cousin even took us to a Penguins vs. Flyers game and afterwards I got to talk to quite a few of them, but Lindros was never around. For my 13th birthday, my cousin sent me an autographed Lindros card. Yeah, it was cool, but I wanted to meet the guy. Well, my cousin eventually moved on from the editor job for the Flyers magazine and me meeting Eric Lindros was never going to happen. The last time I saw her was at one of my churches functions where I was serving spaghetti to patrons and she came to eat, and I got to take a break to sit with her. We talked a little about hockey, but I had to go back to work once my spaghetti plate was clear. That night, I went on a deep dive on Eric Lindros. I think my cousin and I had talked a little bit about some of the Flyers players and of course his name was one that came up and I bought a few Lindros cards. One of the cards I bought that night was a card from when he played for the Dallas Stars. I remember him being there very little, so having this card was a cool reminder. He actually played his last NHL game as a member of the Dallas Stars and retired in November 2007. However, Lindros will always be a Flyer to me and probably most of the people out there. 

How was he acquired? On July 17, 2006, the Dallas Stars signed Eric Lindros to a 1-year deal.

2006/07 SPx Eric Lindros #29

I hate Dale Hunter. Plain and simple. I'm still bitter from his cheap shot on Pierre Turgeon after Turgeon buried a breakaway goal in the 1993 Patrick Division Semifinals against Hunter's Washington Capitals. Hunter buried Turgeon into the boards after he scored and raised his arms in celebration, separating Turgeon's shoulder in the process. Hunter would serve a 21-game suspension for that act of cowardice. Although I hate the guy, he was a good player. He has over 1,000 points and over 3,500 Penalty Minutes in his career, which is a fantastic career. A lot of people would remember him as a Nordique from early in his career or with the Washington Capitals, but Hunter finished his career in 1999 with the Colorado Avalanche. 

How was he acquired? On March 23, 1999, the Washington Capitals traded Dale Hunter and a 2000 3rd Round Draft Pick to the Colorado Avalanche for a 1999 2nd Round Draft Pick.

1999/00 Pacific Dale Hunter #107

This player is a 3-time Stanley Cup winning goaltender who played for 4 teams in his career. Edmonton, Boston, Dallas, and Montreal. It's Andy Moog. I came across this card in a 25-cent bin sometime in 2014 and I had to do a double take. Why couldn't I remember Moog as a Canadien? It's not like he barely played there; he suited up in 42 games. Moog was a fantastic netminder, amassing 372 wins in his 18-year NHL career. His 372 wins would place him at 20th all-time! In Moog's lone season in Montreal, he would have 18 wins, 17 losses and 5 ties with a GAA of 2.49 and a Save % of .905. It's wild to me that those numbers are actually pretty solid by today's standards. After that 1997/98 season in Montreal, Moog would retire and eventually take a stab at being a goalie coach with Dallas before trying out assistant coaching with them before moving on later in his lifetime to become the goalie coach for the Portland Winterhawks in the WHL.

How was he acquired? On July 17, 1997, the Montreal Canadiens signed Andy Moog to a 1-year contract.

1997/98 SPx Finite Andy Moog Radiance /4750 #44

I debated on whether or not to put this next guy on this list. Would people know who he is like I do? Well, maybe, or maybe not. John Tonelli was part of that famous New York Islanders team that won 4 straight Stanley Cup Championships. He even has his #27 jersey number retired by the Islanders. He was noted to be ferocious player. Gretzky would note in his autobiography in 1990, "I wouldn't bench John Tonelli if he'd just stolen my car." If that gives you an idea on how ferocious he really was. After his Islanders career, Tonelli would play for the Flames, Kings, and Blackhawks before retiring after the 1991/92 season with the now defunct Quebec Nordiques. Tonelli's time in Quebec was the shortest of his career. John suited up for the Nords for a total of 19 games, potting 2 goals and 3 assists. It sounds like Tonelli knew it was time to hang up the skates.

How as he acquired? On February 18, 1992, the Chicago Blackhawks traded John Tonelli to the Quebec Nordiques for future considerations. (Honestly, I can't find out what the Blackhawks got for Tonelli. I looked everywhere!)

1992/93 Topps John Tonelli #119

Let's add another Hall of Famer to this list, eh? I clearly remember this guy playing for the St. Louis Blues because I followed that team so closely, but some people might not remember his 42-game stop in St. Louis. Guy Carbonneau was a 3-time Stanley Cup champ, 3-time Selke Trophy winner and probably one of the greatest 2-way players to play in the NHL. A lot of people don't agree with him being in the Hall of Fame because his point total is so low, but if you watched the guy play and shut down the oppositions best line night after night, you might change your tune. Maybe his game is a little boring to some, but players like Carbonneau are a big part of why the teams he played for were winners. When he played for the Blues, I never really expected the guy to score. I expected him to play solid defensively, shut down the scorers for the other team and grind out wins. In the 42 games he played for the Blues, he only contributed 16 points (5 goals, 11 assists) and the Blues lost that year in the playoffs to the Vancouver Canucks. Ugh, I remember it well. Besides being a Hall of Fame NHL player, Carbonneau also was the head coach for the Canadiens for 3 seasons before being fired in 2009. 

How was he acquired? On August 19, 1994, the Montreal Canadiens traded Guy Carbonneau to the St. Louis Blues for Jim Montgomery.

1995/96 Score Black Ice Guy Carbonneau #280

From one Guy to another Guy. This Guy is one that everyone should know. Guy Lafleur was the #1 overall Draft Pick in the 1971 NHL Draft after having one of the greatest all-time seasons in the QMJHL for the Quebec Ramparts (he scored 130 goals that season along with 79 assists for 209 points!) After his arrival in Montreal, then the Stanley Cups started coming. 5 Stanley Cups to be exact! Lafleur "the Flower" as he was called is an NHL legend, Hockey Hall of Famer, 3-time Art Ross Trophy winner, 2-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner, 3-time Lester B. Pearson Award winner, 6-time All-Star and also has a Conn Smythe Trophy to his name (1977). Lafleur retired as a Canadien in 1985. However, 3 years later, he was coaxed out of retirement by the New York Rangers in 1988. He would play just 67 games that season and put up 18 goals and 27 assists for 45 points before then signing with the Quebec Nordiques (following the fired Rangers coach and close friend Michael Bergeron). After 2 more seasons with the Nords, Lafleur retired for good. That didn't stop the Minnesota North Stars from trying to gain his services in the 1991 season when they selected Guy with their last selection in the 1991 Expansion Draft. However, Lafleur already had a deal in place for an off-ice job with the Nordiques. Sadly, Lafleur passed away April 22, 2022, due to lung cancer. RIP Flower.

How was he acquired? On August 19, 1988, the New York Rangers signed Guy Lafleur out of retirement for a 1-year contract.

1989/90 Topps Guy Lafleur #189

We will end with a recent Hockey Hall of Famer. Zdeno Chara or "Big Z" as he is called played 24 seasons in the NHL. After starting his career for the New York Islanders, he then went on to play for the Ottawa Senators, and then Boston Bruins where he would become one of their most recognizable players due to his play, but also his tall stature (6'9") and being the tallest player in NHL history. Chara s a 6-time All-Star, Norris Trophy winner (2009) and Stanley Cup Champion. He is also known for his hard shot (clocked at 108.8) at the NHL All-Star Skills Competition in 2012. Did you know that in the 2020/21 NHL season that Chara was a member of the Washington Capitals? I vaguely remember him being there. The Bruins decided to move on that season with a younger group of players and asked Chara to find a new team or accept a reduced role with the Bruins. That's how Chara ended up with the Caps. He skated 55 games for that team scoring 2 goals and 8 assists. The next season, he ended his career where it began when he played 72 games in 2021/22 for the New York Islanders. Chara was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2025. 

How was he acquired? On December 30, 2020, the Washington Capitals signed Zdeno Chara to a 1-year contract.

2020/21 Upper Deck French Zdeno Chara #644

I hope everyone enjoys their weekend, and as usual...Thanks for reading!

He played there? Hockey Edition: Part 1

Is everyone ready for this one? I know I am! I went through Baseball, which I completed in 4 parts. For the NHL, I think I could probably do this in 4 parts too, but we'll see. The first player I stumbled upon accidentally. When I placed a COMC order, I had added a Violet Pixels parallel of Drake Batherson. This also happened to be a Rookie for Drake, so it did cost me a little over $3, but the card I received was not Drake Batherson. This fumble by COMC only gave me my store credit back, and I got to keep the card I didn't order which was of... Marian Gaborik. Gaborik was a sensational player. I loved watching him play. He would put the Minnesota Wild on his back and was a point per game player every season he played there. However, he caught the injury bug. Then there were the contract issues with Minnesota. He then signed a huge 5-year deal with the Rangers then was traded 4 years later and then was traded a few times after that landing with Columbus, Los Angeles and then to Ottawa. Marian would only suit up for 16 games with the Senators and due to a herniated disk in his back, those 16 games would be his last in the NHL. In 1,035 NHL Games, Gaborik amassed 407 goals, 408 assists for 815 points and had a stellar career that included 3 All-Star Game appearances, an All-Star Game MVP trophy and a Stanley Cup Championship with the Los Angeles Kings in 2014 where he played a huge role in their Stanley Cup win by contributing 22 points in 26 games! Looking back, I vaguely remember Gaborik in Ottawa and maybe that is because he was a shell of himself due to his back injury. There aren't very many cards of him depicted in a Sens uni, and with a 16-game stint, rightfully so. 

How was he acquired? On February 13, 2018, the Los Angeles Kings traded Marian Gaborik and Nick Shore to the Ottawa Senators for Dion Phaneuf and Nate Thompson.

2018/19 OPC Platinum Marian Gaborik Violet Pixels #69

Blaine Stoughton probably isn't a name that anyone who reads my blog would know. Selected 7th overall back in the 1973 NHL Draft by my hometown Pittsburgh Penguins. Stoughton would play a half a season with the Pens before he was traded (along with a 1st round pick) in 1977 to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Rick Kehoe! After 2 years with Toronto, he then signed to play in the WHA for the Cincinnati Stingers. In his first full WHA season, Stoughton put up 52 goals and 52 assists! After the WHA had folded, Stoughton moved on to play for the Hartford Whalers where he became a goal scoring threat. In the 1979/80 season, he put up 56 goals (leading the NHL), then 43 a year later. His goal scoring continued in 1981/82 where he scored over 50 goals again by potting 52 goals. The next season, he missed 8 games, or he maybe would have put up 50 goals again. He scored 45 goals in '82/83. In a head scratching move, Stoughton was traded from the Whalers to the New York Rangers. Stoughton's Rangers career was less than stellar as he played with them for 14 games and only putting up 5 goals and 2 assists. This would be the last year of Stoughton's NHL career. The Rangers exposed Stoughton in the 1984 NHL Waiver Draft where he would go unclaimed. 

How was he acquired? On February 27, 1984, the Hartford Whalers traded Blaine Stoughton to the New York Rangers for Defenseman Scot Kleinendorst. 

1984/85 OPC Blaine Stoughton #154

Everyone loves a good airbrush card, and the next one is just that. I acquired this card in 2013 at a card show for 10 cents. Why? Well, 1, because it's an awesome airbrush job and 2, because it's freaking Guy Chouinard. It's in pretty darn good shape to boot! When I was young, I bought Chouinard's rookie card at a card show for $1. I really didn't know much about him, but it was an old hockey card and I was intrigued. Little did I know that he was an Atlanta/Calgary Flames legend. "Gramps" as he was called was the first Flames player to score 50 goals! After 8 seasons in Atlanta/Calgary, Chouinard was traded to the Blues. With St. Louis, Chouinard wasn't terrible, but he wasn't exactly the player he had been previously. After the 1981/82 season, Guy's production had dipped and in his final year in the NHL in '83/84, he only posted 46 points in 64 games. 

How was he acquired? On September 6, 1983, the Calgary Flames traded Guy Chouinard to the St. Louis Blues for future considerations. I have scoured the internet to find out what the future considerations were, but no site really had anything to add. 

1983/84 OPC Guy Chouinard #78

When I think of Dave Andreychuk, I think: Hall of Famer (2017), 2nd most Power Play Goals in NHL history with 274 and Stanley Cup Champion (2004 with the Lightning). I also think of him playing for the Sabres, Leafs, Devils or Lightning. However, he also suited up for 3/4 of a season with the Bruins and then spent the last 14 games of that season (1999/00) with the Colorado Avalanche. Now, I vaguely remember him getting traded, but when I dug deeper, I realized that he was part of the trade that brought Ray Bourque to the Avalanche! I also remember that was my senior year of High School and I was working a lot, was in a pop punk band and also had a girlfriend in college who I would go visit a lot at Pitt (before breaking up with her before my graduation - sorry Miranda). I wasn't watching too much hockey that season because I was trying to have the time of my life. So, the fact Andreychuk played for the Avs was really a blur to me. One night when I was packing up some eBay sales, I was adding in some base cards to a package, and I looked through the hockey cards I was putting in a team bag as "extra packing material" and I noticed an Andreychuk Topps card I almost sent away. I sat down in my computer chair and thought, "Holy crap! This would be a good one to put on the blog!" That Andreychuk card never made it in as packing material. It ended up in my blogging box that I keep. Dave wasn't exactly stellar for the Colorado Avalanche. In his 14-game stint, he only added 1 goal and 2 assists. He also wasn't very effective in the playoffs as he only contributed 5 points in 17 games, but he definitely played for them and below is proof in photo form.

How was he acquired? On March 6, 2000, the Boston Bruins traded Ray Bourque and Dave Andreychuk to the Colorado Avalanche for Martin Grenier, Samuel Pahlsson, Brian Rolston and a 2000 1st Round Draft Pick.

2000/01 Topps Dave Andreychuk #157

On to another Hall of Famer. While I do remember Jari Kurri as a New York Ranger (even though he had his shortest stint of his career with 14 games played). I remember him as an Anaheim Mighty Duck a little less. In the lockout shortened season in 1994/95, Kurri played in the Finnish Elite League (SM-liiga) for Jokerit. While playing on this team, he was on a line with Teemu Selanne. After the lockout ended, Kurri was traded from the Los Angeles Kings to the New York Rangers. After that short stop, he signed with the Ducks. Hoping to play on a line with Selanne and Paul Kariya, but he was shifted to the 2nd Line instead. After that lone season in 1996/97, Kurri bolted from the Ducks to sign with the Avalanche where he would finish his NHL career in 1997/98. 

How was he acquired? On August 14, 1996, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks signed Jari Kurri.

1996/97 Fleer Ultra Gold Medallion Jari Kurri #G-3

If you know hockey, you definitely know who Jacques Plante is. Plante is a goaltending legend. A Hall of Famer, 6-time Stanley Cup Champion, 8-time All-Star, 7-time Vezina Trophy Winner and also a rare feat of winning a Hart Trophy as a goalie. You probably remember him as a Montreal Canadien, like we all do. However, he played for the New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs and....Boston Bruins? Yep, you heard that correctly. Plante played the last half of his last NHL season (1972/73) with the Bruins. He would suit up for 8 games with the Bruins going 7-1 with a 2.00 GAA and a .927 Save %. However, his time in the playoffs that season for them was pretty brutal. He only got into 2 games but was 0-2 with a 5.00 GAA and a Save % of .841. After that season, Jacques accepted a $1 million, 10-year contract to become the coach and GM of the Quebec Nordiques (who at the time in 1973 were in the WHA). After Plante became upset with his team, he resigned at the end of that season and signed with the Edmonton Oilers in the WHA and played 31 games for them. In training camp the next season, he would retire after his youngest son had passed away. 

How was he acquired? On March 3, 1973, the Toronto Maple Leafs traded Jacques Plante to the Boston Bruins for a 1st Round Pick in 1973 (used on Ian Turnbull) and future considerations (Eddie Johnston). 

2023/24 Upper Deck Boston Bruins Centennial Jacques Plante #71

This next one is a personal favorite of mine and also an airbrush job on the card. Wilf Paiement is the player. Paiement is usually most noted for his lengthy suspension back in 1978 when Dennis Polonich was talking trash to Wilf and Paiement struck Polonich across the face with his stick. This resulted in severe facial lacerations, smashed nose and reconstructive surgery and a concussion. Paiement was suspended for 15 games for the incident and also had to pay Polonich $850,000 due to an injury settlement after he sued Paiement. However, Paiement was actually a pretty decent player. Drafted by the Kansas City Scouts 2nd overall in 1974, Paiement had a 14-year NHL career of 946 games and 814 points. He also amassed 1,757 PIM's. I remember him when he played for the Penguins his last season in the NHL. He fought someone that year (for the life of me I don't remember who it was, but I remember my dad and his buddies being impressed). From then on, I always knew who Wilf Paiement was. Sadly, his last year in the NHL and his second shortest stint with a team was with my hometown Penguins in 1987/88 where he would play in 23 games (he played 9 games with the Rangers in '85/86 and I couldn't locate a card from him with the Rags). After his retirement, he was the last active player who had played for the Kansas City Scouts. 

How was he acquired? September 10, 1987, the Pittsburgh Penguins claimed Wilf Paiement off waivers from the Buffalo Sabres.

1987/88 OPC Wilf Paiement #180

The next player up is another Hall of Famer. This player never won a Stanley Cup, never sniffed the Cup Finals, never won an NHL Award. Even with all of that, he still scored 708 goals during his career. Give up? It's Mike Gartner. I always liked Mike Gartner and felt it was always hard to root against a guy who was such a great player and smooth skater. Does anyone remember what teams he played for? Capitals, yes, Rangers, yes, Leafs, yes, Coyotes, yes, Minnesota North Stars....uhhh....yes. When I was thinking about guys to put on this blog, to be honest, Gartner was not one of them. When I stumbled across this card in a repack, I got from the Dollar Tree, I knew I had to add this. I couldn't remember Gartner's time with the North Stars. If you would have put a gun to my head with multiple choice answers, I would have gotten this wrong. Gartner played the last half of the '88/89 season with the North Stars and 3/4 of the '89/90 season with them for a total of 80 games. 

How was he acquired? On March 7, 1989, the Washington Capitals traded Larry Murphy and Mike Gartner to the Minnesota North Stars for Dino Ciccarelli and Bob Rouse.

1990/91 Bowman Hat Tricks Mike Gartner #8

Selected in the 9th Round in 1994, this next player was selected 2 picks after the Quebec Nordiques drafted Tim Thomas - yes, that Tim Thomas. Give up? Evgeni Nabokov. Nabokov was a terrific netminder who won 40 + games 3 years in a row for the San Jose Sharks. He even won the Calder Memorial Trophy for Rookie of the Year back in 2001. He finished his career with 353 Wins which is good for 24th all-time in the NHL. Not bad for a 9th rounder. Most will remember Nabokov for his time with the Sharks and also his 3 seasons with the New York Islanders. Did you know, Nabokov finished his career with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2014/15? I sort of remember this, but it's vague. He wasn't exactly himself while suiting up with the Lightning. In his last 11 games in the NHL in Tampa Bay, he had a record of 3-6-2 with a GAA of 3.15 and a Save % below .900 of .882. Looks like Evgeni knew when to hang them up. He is currently the goaltending coach for the San Jose Sharks. Good for Mr. Nabokov!

How was he acquired? On July 1, 2014, the Tampa Bay Lightning signed Evgeni Nabokov to a 1 year deal worth $1.55 million.

2014/15 Upper Deck Evgeni Nabokov #420

Steve Thomas never reached 1,000 points. He almost got there during his 20-year NHL career. With 1,235 career games under his belt, he potted 933 points (421 goals, 512 assists). Thomas ended his career with a 44-game season with the Detroit Red Wings in 2003/04. In those 20 years he played, Thomas wore 6 NHL sweaters. Leafs, Blackhawks, Islanders, Devils, Red Wings and Mighty Ducks. Yup, Thomas was a Mighty Duck back in 2002/03. He played 12 games for them and was a point-per-game player with 13 points! This card depicting Thomas in his Mighty Ducks sweater was found in the same re-pack as the Gartner above. 

How was he acquired? On March 11, 2003, the Chicago Blackhawks traded Steve Thomas to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks for a 2003 5th Round Draft Pick. 

2003/04 Pacific Steve Thomas #11

Wendel Clark was tough as nails. Drafted 1st overall in the 1985 NHL Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs, he was beloved in every city he played in. Just like Steve Thomas, Clark played for 6 different teams during his career. Injuries however, played a part in Clark's retirement and overall play during the final seasons of his career. He had 2 stints with teams for less than 15 games in the final 2 years of his NHL career. I heard an interview on a podcast several years ago from a former Islanders player saying after games Clark would have bags of ice on every joint on his body. He was clearly taking a beating and just showing up night after night and giving it his all. That's why everyone loves him. He was a competitor. You can't really say anything bad about him. One day I went down a rabbit hole and did a deep dive on Wendel Clark's career and had no idea he even played for the Chicago Blackhawks or the Detroit Red Wings. I saw he played 1 more game for the Blackhawks (13), so I decided to make Wendel's "He played there" for the Detroit Red Wings because, I clearly don't even remember this. He had 1 or 2 Red Wings cards made that year and one was an autograph, so I found a cheaper option to show you Clark in a Wings uniform. I was talking to my friend Nick on X one night and asked if he had a Wendel Clark card in a Red Wings uniform he said, "No, but I know a guy who sells on Sportlots, here's his username, look to see if he has one and let me know." Sure enough the guy had one. Fast forward to the huge card show I just went to in August, and I got the Wendel Clark card from Nick's friend for free. Thank you, Clint. I appreciate the card. I know you'll probably never read this, but if you do, here is another huge thanks from me.

How was he acquired? On March 23, 1999, the Tampa Bay Lightning traded Wendel Clark and a 1999 6th Round Draft Pick to the Detroit Red Wings for Goaltender Kevin Hodson and a 1999 2nd Round Draft Pick (Sheldon Keefe).

1999/00 Pacific Wendel Clark #136

We will end with another goalie. "The Beezer" John Vanbiesbrouck. Yes, he made a racial slur against Trevor Daley and is pretty much a jerk, but he is an NHL legend. He won 374 games in his career which puts him at 19th on the NHL All-Time Goalie Wins Leaders. Beezer was known mostly for his time with the New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers and Florida Panthers (Rat Pack years). He also suited up shortly for the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils. I really wanted to show you a Beezer card on this blog from his time with the Devils, but I couldn't find one that was affordable (COMC has one for $10, but I'm not made of money - sorry), so for this blog, you will have to settle for a John Vanbiesbrouck card from his time with the Islanders.

How was he acquired? June 25, 2000 the Philadelphia Flyers trade John Vanbiesbrouck to the New York Islanders for a 2001 4th Round Pick (Jordin Tootoo).

2000/01 Topps Stars John Vanbiesbrouck #94

As always, thanks for reading.

Last of the TTM Requests...for now

Well, I finally ran out of stamps. With my last 8 stamps, I decided to send out these 4 requests:

1978 Topps Floyd Bannister RC
1974 Topps Ed Bane RC
1973 Topps Walt Patulski RC
1974 Topps Greg Pruitt RC

So, I did the same thing as my previous requests, and I asked each one to answer a set of questions. This batch of requests was sent out more recently in May. I erased my white board in my office, and I didn't write any dates down like I did previously, so this is all from my memory, but I believe I sent all of these requests out on 5/14/2025. Within 5 days I received a response! I noticed that the return stamp was from Cleveland, so I knew it was from Greg Pruitt. The Pruitt card was one of my dad's cards from when he was a teenager. I was pumped to see that Greg answered the questions I asked! Thanks Greg! For the next return, I had to wait a little while. 2 months to be exact. It came from Ed Bane! I remember pulling this card out of a 50-cent box and seeing his awesome glasses and I was sold! So pumped to get this card signed by him. If you would have told me back then that I would have this card autographed I would have laughed at you. Bane also answered the questions I asked him which was super cool! Thanks Ed! As for the Bannister and Patulski, nothing as of yet. I am holding out hope that they come back though. We will see. 

For my job, sometimes I send out paper marketing materials out to companies to put in their break rooms, offices, storefronts, etc. You never know who may need mental health help these days in FL, PA and OH. One day when I was mailing out some of these, I decided to do a separate order, and I bought 6 stamps. I figured I'd try to send out 3 more TTM requests. For these requests, I tried out sending to a hockey player. Here's the card/player I sent to, and this was on 7/18/2025 (these are still up on my whiteboard):

1977 Topps Richard Todd RC
1989 Donruss Rated Rookie Cameron Drew RC
1995/96 Pinnacle Zenith Jason Bonsignore

On the 31st of July, Jason Bonsignore sent me a return! However, he did not answer the questions I sent him which I was really looking forward to reading. Bummer, but I'm happy with the return. Thanks Jason! The next return was a few days later on 8/4/2025 and the envelope looked pretty beat up. I was really worried when I opened the envelope. When I finally dug the card out, it had shifted out of the Card Saver, I sent it in, but it was autographed. This return I am told is a tough one to get. It came from Cameron Drew. Drew did not respond to my questions either though, so I was a bit bummed out by that. However, to get a response from a tough TTM request, is pretty cool. He must have liked my kind words. I did butter him up pretty darn good in my letter. I still have hope that Richard Todd will sign that card I sent him. Please Mr. Todd, sign my card! Ok, anyways, let's get to the meat and potatoes here. The autographs!

Greg Pruitt:

Pruitt's Letter:

Pruitt noted that his favorite game time meal consisted of oatmeal, over-medium eggs and bacon. That sounds good right about now! His favorite teammate was his backup RB Cleo Miller. Pruitt says he hated to play again Tom Jackson. Pretty cool!

Ed Bane:

Those glasses...awesome!

Ed Bane's Letter:

Unfortunately, Ed never answered what his favorite game time meal was or who his first strikeout victim was. Upsetting. 

Jason Bonsignore:

Love the blue sig on the blue pants and socks. Sweetness! Thanks Jason!

Finally...Cameron Drew:

Thanks for reading.

TTM Requests - continued

Like I said in my previous post, I have a bunch of these. After my oldest son's birthday in January, I decided to gather up some more cards to send. This time, I also included a few football cards I had laying around. In this bunch I sent the following cards:

1989 Score Aundray Bruce RC
1994 Topps Finest Dave Staton 
1974 Topps Jerry Tagge RC
1980 Topps Steve Pisarkiewicz RC
1969 Topps High # Ted Sizemore/Bill Sudakis RC
1974 Topps Barry Foote/Tom Lundstedt/Charlie Moore/Sergio Robles RC
1975 Topps Steve Swisher RC

Out of all of these players, the only ones I am still waiting on (or have no hopes for) are Aundray Bruce and Dave Staton. The rest all signed stuff for me. So, this batch of cards were sent out on 1/17/2025. After 10 days, I saw a return in my mailbox. It was from Barry Foote! Mr. Foote also answered the questions I had for him. Thanks Barry! Then, a few days later, I received an envelope back stating that I had the wrong address. When I opened the envelope, I noticed that it was for Ted Sizemore. So, I did a little bit of internet research and realize that Mr. Sizemore had relocated a few years ago. Looks like the autograph book that I was using is a little bit outdated. So, I repacked another envelope and shot Ted Sizemore's request back out on 1/29/2025. On 2/10/2025, my wife came in my office and threw and envelope at me and said, "Looks like this one is yours." It was a little bit thick, so I opened it and noted that not only had Steve Pisarkiewicz signed the card I sent him, but he also wrote me a handwritten letter back! This was by far the coolest return I have received to date! The next return came from Teddy Sizemore. After I had researched his new address, he sent the thing back really fast! Sizemore's return came on 2/12/2025. However, he would not respond to any of the questions I asked him. He only signed the card I sent him...bummer. On Valentines Day, there was a bunch of junk mail, and I was about to throw it out when I felt something a little bit stiff in the mail pile. There was a return! This one was from Steve Swisher. Swisher however, only signed the card I sent. He did not answer any of my questions. It's ok though, I got over it pretty fast. The last return came from Jerry Tagge on 3/24/2025. This Jerry Tagge card was given to me for free in one of the Sportlots packages I received. It was used as filler because it had the letters "VX" written in blue pen on the back. I think I repurposed it well. Mr. Tagge also responded to the questions I asked him. All in all, a good batch of returns. Let's check them out below!

Barry Foote:

Mr. Foote has a pretty awesome signature. I may research the rest of the guys on the card to see if I can get them all to sign it. That sounds like a cool idea. I've seen people do it, but can I do it? That is the question.

Foote's Letter:

I thought it was pretty cool that Foote watched some Canadiens games when he was playing with the Expos. Also, stellar game day meal of Eggplant Parm. I like this guy. Thanks Barry!

Steve Pisarkiewicz:

His penmanship is unmatched to me. I may write to him again, we'll see.

Pisarkiewicz's handwritten note:

Pisarkiewicz played in cold weather in his days in the CFL. He also noted that dark chocolate was his favorite pre-game snack and that he flew to NYC on his draft day. His favorite teammate was WR Pat Tilley during his time with the Cardinals. Pretty neat! Thank you so much Steve!

Ted Sizemore:

Ted Sizemore has a decent signature. I'm happy with how it came out - even if it cost me an extra stamp.

Steve Swisher:

Looks like Swisher's autograph has changed a little bit since 1975, eh?

Finally...

Jerry Tagge:

Tagge's Letter:

So, a little bit about question 5: How many apartment buildings did you sell? Jerry said 6. The reason I asked this particular question is when I researched Tagge, it was noted that when he moved to St. Louis, he sold apartment buildings. This was after he had retired from football in 1979 due to a knee injury. After his career in real estate, he eventually settled down to start his own financial service in Omaha, NE. Pretty cool!

I still have 1 more post because I did buy 2 books of stamps and they needed to be used. I hope you enjoyed checking out my returns!

Thanks for reading!

TTM Requests

I hadn't sent out any through the mail requests in a while, so last August I bought a few books of stamps and went wild. I opened up my binder and grabbed a plethora of cards out that I thought would gain some successes and also typed out some letters (because my handwriting is atrocious). Each player was given a few questions in each letter that were asked by me and my 7-year-old son because he thought it would be cool. Here are the players/cards that I sent out and the date each was sent:

Request Sent: 8/24/2024

1973 Topps Dave Roberts RC
1965 Topps Rick Reichardt/Bill Kelso RC
1972 Topps Chris Chambliss RC

The first return in the bunch was from Rick Reichardt. Rick was nice enough to send his signed card back right away! Sadly, I wasn't able to get the full card signed as Bill Kelso passed away in 2009. Reichardt signed this card, answered my questions and sent it back by 9/3/2024 for a turnaround time of 10 days! Dave Roberts followed a few weeks after that and he signed my card and also answered questions for me. His return arrived on 9/27/2024 for a turnaround time of 34 days! Also, not shabby!

Reichardt's letter

What blew me away with Reichardt's letter was his answer to Question #5, which was: When you were drafted into the NFL, how were you notified? Telephone? I have always wondered about this.

Reichardt replied with: John Unitas called

WOW! Could you even imagine?

Dave Roberts (I bought this card because of the Rookie Cup and also his uni):

Roberts' Letter:

Mr. Roberts says Don Zimmer was his favorite manager to play for and he enjoys a good steak as his favorite pre-game meal!

As for Chris Chambliss, I think it's pretty safe to say I'll never see that card again which is upsetting because it was one of my dad's from when he was a kid. Definitely not cool Chris Chambliss!

After these returns, I did a few more because well, I had the stamps, why not? 

So, on 11/16/2024 I was at it again. I dug into my vintage box once again and dug out a few goodies. Most of these cards I sent were rookie cards I purchased a while back at card shows in 50 cent boxes, so I guess I repurposed them into something cool. Let's check the next batch:

1972 Topps Toby Harrah RC

1971 Topps Dick Mills/Mike Garman RC
1973 Topps John Felske RC
1977 Topps Pete Vuckovich RC (Clu Haywood from the movie Major League)

1972 Topps Buzz Capra/Leroy Stanton/Jon Matlack RC
1983 Fleer Ken Smith RC
1971 Topps Steve Dunning RC

Surprisingly, Vuckovich (former Cy Young Award winner and actor) signed first! The crazy part of sending something to Vuckovich is I know exactly where his house is! He lives on a road on the way to my grandparents' house. When I looked at the address I had to do a double take. I thought, "Holy crap! I know that street!" Pretty wild. Vuckovich signed in 8 days but did not answer the questions in my letter. I received his response on 11/24/2024. The next day, I remember talking to my mailman and he asked if I had sent something to Toby Harrah the baseball player and I said, "Yeah. I asked him for an autograph." He laughed and handed me some envelopes and Toby Harrah actually put his return address on the envelope to me. Stupid me tossed it though. Toby signed the card I sent him and also made me laugh with a response to one of the questions I asked him. Super cool guy that Toby Harrah is! His return came 11/25/2024 with a turnaround time of 9 days. A week had gone by, and I hadn't received another letter then out of the blue came another letter on 12/3/2024. This return was from Mike Garman with a turnaround time of 17 days. However, like Vuckovich, Garman did not answer my questions. I'm guessing they didn't read the letter I wrote which sucks. On New Year's Eve, I checked my mailbox and there was 1 letter in there with familiar handwriting. Yep, that's definitely a return. This one came from Jon Matlack. Matlack did sign my card and also answered the questions I had for him. Matlack's turnaround time was 45 days. A little bit after the new year, I did receive my card back from John Felske with a note from his son stating his father had passed away. I have to admit, I felt pretty awful that I sent him something because I always made sure to check the internet to see if any of the players on the vintage cards had passed and I didn't remember seeing anything about Felske passing. So, I checked the internet again and I saw that Felske had passed away on 11/30/2024, which was 2 weeks after I sent the card to him. RIP Mr. John Felske. As for Ken Smith, dude, remember I'm the guy who wanted to play catch with you in my post: Cards that bothered me as a kid  I thought we were cool, Ken. To Steve Dunning, c'mon man. I've seen he's hard to get to sign, but I tried. I really wrote him a heartfelt letter too. The card I sent him was one of my dad's, so I was a bit upset.

Pete Vuckovich:

Toby Harrah:

Harrah's Letter:

Harrah didn't care for Ted Williams as a manager as his response to my 1st question: What team did you have the most fun playing on? "Didn't care for Washington also because of Ted Williams." YIKES!

I also asked if Jim Leyland was a nice guy and Harrah's response made me laugh: Smoked too much!

Classic.

Mike Garman:

Garman's signature is really nice!

Jon Matlack:

Personally, not a fan of the marker Matlack used her, but what can ya do?

Matlack's letter:

Not super exciting with his responses here, but at least the guy took the time. Thank you, Mr. Matlack!

I have more of these coming...literally a years' worth of them, so be on the lookout for more. As always, thanks for reading.