Robert Mayer Autograph Card

Possibly my favourite goalie not currently playing in the NHL, Robert Mayer could probably have done as good a job picking up the slack for injured Carey Price as Mike Condon, save perhaps the spectacular 27-save performance at the Winter Classic in his hometown of Boston.

Mayer's presently one of the best goalies in the Swiss league, having played 31 games so far for Genève-Servette Hockey Club, with a 2.50 GAA and .921 save percentage with fellow Montréal Canadiens alumnus Matt D'Agostini and Montrealer Matthew Lombardi.

The team's currently fourth in the league with a 22-11 record, and stands third for goals against (96), behind powerhouses Zurich Lions (89) and Zug EV (90).

My Mayer player collection is pretty huge, and here's another card I added via trade over a year ago, showing him with the Habs' classic bleu-blanc-rouge uniform:

It's card #176 from Panini's 2012-13 Certified collection, the signed insert version of the Freshman Signatures subset which was numbered 841/999 and was signed in blue sharpie on a sticker. I like the silver foil that gives a black-and-white feel to the background which, granted, is hard to see in the scan. It's a terrific card of a terrific guy, whom I wish the best to.

Jordan Leopold Jersey Card

Jordan Leopold is at home and currently unsigned by any NHL team following last year's heartwarming tale about his daughter writing the Minnesota Wild to acquire him so he could be close to home, which they did.

One team who could use his dependable if slower-than-they-used-to-be defensive-zone skills is the Calgary Flames, whom he played for in two separate stints already (2002-06 and the tail end of the 2008-09 campaign). He looks good in their uniform, too:

That's card #FI-JL of Upper Deck's 2005-06 Ice collection (and Fresh Ice sub-set), which features a game-worn red jersey swatch incorporated into a see-through thick plastic card.

The 44th pick of the 1999 draft and Team USA alumnus is a veteran of 695 regular-season NHL games (with 67 goals, 147 assists and 214 points to show for it), and 80 more in the playoffs (with 17 postseason assists), including the Flames' spectacular Stanley Cup Final run of 2003-04 where they led by a goal in the third period of Game 6, blew that lead, and eventually lost Game 7 to the Tampa Bay Lightning in a thrilling series.

Perhaps if he doesn't sign anywhere and calls it a career, he could pull a page from the Robyn Regehr book of beautiful endings and retire as a Flame.

Steven Finn: Two Autographed Cards

There are still lots of rumblings pertaining to the next NHL expansion, what with the leaking that the league's governors will once again assemble to discuss the possibility of adding new teams and with Las Vegas and Québec City having gone through the application process already.

It's my opinion that the league will decide to put off adding Québec and may do so with Vegas as well, though they might want the expansion fees to round out their fiscal year. They could also stall in the hopes that a Seattle bid come through and offer Vegas a better deal than the half-billion currently estimated to buy in with Seattle paying the full fee - leaving Québec open for a relocation as a cheaper consolation prize, possibly in the form of the current Carolina Hurricanes. That should put Québec at around $400M ($300M to buy the team, plus another 100M as relocation fees), the 100M in savings a boon for those who are afraid the fall of the Canadian dollar might impact the city's ability to maintain a team.

(For the record, I think prospective buyer Vidéotron has enough money to "overpay" the difference in currencies, and their owner, Pierre-Karl Péladeau, is adamant enough in his want of a team to be willing to take it as it is).

I don't know if they'd keep their former uniform designs or not, but I loved the Québec Nordiques' garbs, particularly the blue (away) ones:

That's Steven Finn, right there. Born on Montréal's North Shore (in Laval, more specifically), Finn was raised in Montréal Canadiens territory, like former Nordiques enforcer Gord Donnelly (who hails from NDG, as do I).

Finn was selected 57th overall by the Nordiques in 1984, ahead of Michal Pivonka (59th), Ray Sheppard (60th), Jeff Norton (62nd), baseball Hall Of Famer Tom Glavine (69th), Paul Ysebaert (74th), Kris King (80th), current New York Islanders head coach Jack Capuano (88th), Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins head coach Clark Donatelli, Brent Severyn (99th), All-Star Kirk McLean (107th), Hall of Famer Brett Hull (117th), All-Star Kjell Samuelsson (119th), Cliff Ronning (134th), Jiri Hrdina (159th), Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney (166th), deceased enforcer Todd Ewen (168th), Los Angeles Kings great and Hall Of Famer Luc Robitaille (171st), Team USA alumnus and one of the dirtiest players of the 1980s and 1990s Gary Suter (180th), All-Star defenseman Paul Cavallini (205th), David Volek (208th), and Sidney's dad Troy Crosby (240th).

Ahead of Finn were Hall Of Famers Mario Lemieux (1st) and Patrick Roy (51st), All-Stars Kirk Muller (2nd), Ed Olczyk (3rd), Al Iafrate (4th), Petr Svodoba (5th), Shayne Corson (8th), Gary Roberts (12th), Kevin Hatcher (17th), Craig Billington (23rd), Scott Mellanby (27th), and Stéphane Richer (29th), Stanley Cup winner Jean-Jacques Daigneault (10th), as well as NHL regulars Shawn Burr (7th), Sylvain Côté (11th), Todd Gill (25th), Brian Benning (26th), Doug Houda (28th), Tony Hrkac (38th), Jeff Brown (36th), Jeff Chychrun (37th), Paul Ranheim (38th), Trent Yawney (45th), Ken Hodge, Jr. (46th), and Robert Dirk (53rd).

Finn was a defensive defenseman who sacrificed himself for the team, be it through physical play (he surpassed the 200-PIM mark three times and was over 190 twice more) or by blocking shots. He was widely viewed as a leader, which led to his carrying the alternate captain's "A" for most of his career and sharing captain duties with up-and-comer (and future Hall Of Famer) Joe Sakic during the 1990-91 season.

He is now a hockey analyst at TVA Sports (owned by Vidéotron) and can also be hired as a speaker, in both French and English, as he has always been perfectly bilingual.

Let's have a look at the two cards he signed in black sharpie outside of TVA's headquarters, first with the then-home white uniform, with the NHL's 75th Anniversary patch:

It's card #7 from O-Pee-Chee's 1992-93 O-Pee-Chee set.

And finally, from Pro Set's 1992-93 Parkhurst set (card #379 in the collection), here he is wearing the beautiful blue (away) uniform, with the NHL's 1993 playoffs patch:

Jofa helmet and gloves, Titan stick, CCM Supra pants. Those were the days!

All told, Finn played 725 regular-season NHL games (and 23 more in the playoffs), playing with the Nordiques until 1994-95, then playing half a season with the Tampa Bay Lightning, a year and a half with the Kings, and finishing off by suiting up with the IHL's Long Beach Ice Dogs for the 1997-98 season.

He also helps me check off #29 in my Nordiques Numbers Project.

Sean Couturier Jersey Card

In my opinion, one of the reasons why Vincent Lecavalier was never a proper fit with the Philadelphia Flyers was the fact that not only did they not have the depth for their fourth line to have skaters who can shoot the puck to better complement him, but also that they were set on their other lines at center with Claude Giroux, Brayden Schenn and Sean Couturier, who started out filling a checking role but was always seen as their eventual second-line center, a fact that GM Ron Hextall acknowledged when he signed him long-term last summer.

With 6 points in his last 5 games, including a goal and an assist earlier this afternoon as the Flyers blanked the New York Islanders 4-0, and with 20 points in 34 games so far, Couturier's now taking his rightful place on the team's depth chart. His +8 differential on a playoff bubble team is also impressive, and it stands 70th in the league - and first on Philadelphia.

Others selected after the sixth pick of the 2011 draft are also just now making their mark or are on the verge of doing so, such as Dougie Hamilton (9th), Jonas Brodin (10th), Ryan Murphy (12th), Sven Baertschi (13th), Nathan Beaulieu (17th), Oscar Klefbom (19th), Matt Puempel (24th), Phillip Danault (26th), Vladislav Namestnikov (27th), Rickard Rakell (30th), Tomas Jurco (35th), Boone Jenner (37th), Xavier Ouellet (48th), Vincent Trochek (64th), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (96th), Andrew Shaw (139th), Frank Corrado (150th), Anton Forsberg (188th), and Ondrej Palat (208th).

Some are already stars, such as John Gibson (39th), Brandon Saad (43rd), and Johnny Gaudreau (104th).

That's what I like about today's NHL, the systems used are so technically brilliant that any kid who has a feeling for the game can get integrated into it and have at least a statistical chance of making an impact and being successful by following the game plan and then applying their talent when there are openings. Sure, it means last year's Art Ross Trophy winner, Jamie Benn, barely reached the point-per-game mark at 87 points, but it also means third-liners have a legitimate shot at posting 40 themselves. And statistical anomalies will arise even more, such as players with shooting percentages above the 25% mark (Anthony Duclair is at 27.3% right now, Paul Byron is at 25.9%, with 3 of his 7 goals coming on shorthanded breakaways), or 11-game winning streaks (hello, Roberto Luongo-led Florida Panthers).

And so, here is the rising Sean Couturier, wearing the Broad Street Bullies' classic 1970s orange uniform, complete with full-on viking-like beard and long hair, on card #GJ-CO from Upper Deck's 2014-15 Series 1 collection and UD Game Jersey sub-set:

Currently already in his fifth NHL season, the Phoenix, AZ-born Quebecer-American has already finished 30th and 9th in Selke Trophy voting. Here's predicting he wins the first one after Pavel Datsyuk retires.

Mark Barberio Autograph Card

Slowly but surely, Mark Barberio is making a name for himself patrolling his hometown Montréal Canadiens' blue line, on the third pair with Alexei Emelin. His strong, safe play (not unlike Greg Pateryn's) has relegated both Pateryn and Jarred Tinordi to watching games from the press box, a fate that might also also be reserved to Tom Gilbert when he comes back from his injury.

It's weird to think that in Juniors, he was mostly an offensive-minded defenseman and how well-rounded his game has become. Kind of like his favourite player growing up, when you think of it... yes, like myself, Barberio was a huge Andrei Markov fan.

He's sure looking like yet another Marc Bergevin steal, what with coming over as a free agent over the summer after being let go by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

I'll be writing more about him in the coming months, for sure, so I'll leave it at that for now and just showcase him wearing the Bolts' blue (home) uniform, with a nice view of their the 20th Anniversary chest patch:

It's card #345 from Panini's 2013-14 Select collection (numbered 187/299), a beautiful if very thick card that's all-foil on the front - half silver, half gold - with an on-sticker blue-sharpied autograph and two mentions of this being his rookie card - the yellow/light gold Rookie word mark underneath the sticker, and the Dual Rookie Class shield top-left.

Tim Raines: Two Autographed Cards

Today, I thought I'd feature two cards of Tim "Rock" Raines with the Chicago White Sox' black uniform, because it's a bad, dark day for the Baseball Hall Of Fame, seeing as they have snubbed him once again, leaving him with just one more shot of making it, next year.

As I wrote a little over a year ago, his numbers should have made a case for themselves:

808 stolen bases, and a stealing percentage of 84.5% - second-best of all-time for players with at least 500 attempts - bests even Henderson. 2605 hits, 430 doubles, 170 home runs, 980 RBIs, 1330 walks for 966 strikeouts...

From the very beginning, in the strike-reduced 1981 season, Raines proved he was for real: sure, he was second for the Rookie Of The Year award, but he also garnered some MVP votes on the strength of 71 steals in just 88 games - the National League record was 75, by Benny Kauff, in a full season. His 27 steals in his first 27 attempts remains a record, though. In the American League, he set a record with 37 straight stolen bases in 1995.

The seven-time All-Star Game participant will be remembered for one of them in particular - in 1987 in Oakland - as he went 3-for-3, and produced both of his team's runs in a 2-0 victory with a two-out, 13th-inning triple against Jay Howell.

He stole 70 or more bases in each of his first seven seasons, and ranks fourth of all-time in the category, but he's also overlooked in other categories where speed was a factor: his doubles total (430) is better than Kirby Puckett's (414) and Willie Stargell's (423), and his triples totals (113) bests Puckett (57) and Stargell (55), for sure, but also the likes of Rickey Henderson (66), Dave Winfield (88), Tony Gwynn (85) and Reggie Jackson (49).

What wins a baseball game? Runs. Raines had 1571, better than Puckett (1071), Stargell (1195), Gwynn (1393) and Jackson (1551).

Freebies are fun, and walks are a sign that pitchers fear you enough to not throw you good pitches. Raines was walked 1330 times, ahead of Brock (761), Puckett (450), Stargell (937), Winfield (1216), Gwynn (790).

Chicago Cubs second basement Ryne Sandberg is in, though Raines beats him in every possible category:

Add two World Series titles with the New York Yankees and you've got yourself a memorable career.
Fix this, Cooperstown.

In the meantime, here's a closer look at the cards, first from Fleer's 1995 Fleer Ultra set (card #33), showing him attempting one of his signature surprise bunts, which he signed in black sharpie:

And here he is with his trademark smile, from Pinnacle Brands' 1996 Score set (card #449), which he signed in blue sharpie:

And here's a ballad singing his praise and talking up some of his achievements:


He remains my favourite baseball player of all time, and was the main reason why I loved the Montréal Expos so much. He likely signed those cards for me in his second stint with the team.

Jarome Iginla Jersey Card

Earlier tonight, Colorado Avalanche right winger Jarome Iginla scored his 600th career NHL goal, becoming the 19th player in history to reach that mark; he is now one goal away from former Edmonton Oilers great Jari Kurri.

It came off a missed pass that went through Los Angeles Kings backup Jhonas Enroth, so it wasn't a typical power forward goal where he plows through the defense to will the puck past the goalie, nor from a signature Iginla accurate wrist shot or deke move - but it was effective, and it helped the Avs win 4-1 against one of the best teams in the league.

Semyon Varlamov (31 saves on 32 shots faced) and Tyson Barrie (2 goals, 2 assists, 4 points) also factored in the win. Considering the Avs have only been in Denver since 1995, it's impressive that two other Hall Of Famers scored their 600th while with the team: Kurri, and legendary captain and current GM Joe Sakic.

For the occasion, here's a card I got off Ebay over a month ago, showing Iggy wearing the Avs' white (away) uniform, with a matching game-worn jersey swatch:

It's card #FA-JI from Upper Deck's 2015-16 Artifacts set and Frozen Artifacts sub-set.

Matt Murray Autographed Card

The Pittsburgh Penguins just sent Matt Murray back down to the AHL now that Marc-André Fleury is back from his concussion, but the 21-year-old made quite an impression, going 2-1-0 with a 1.72 GAA and .938 save percentage in 4 games with the Pens.

As a matter of fact, since turning pro at the tail end of the 2013-14 season, he has never posted a GAA over 2.00 nor a save percentage lower than .920. Last season alone, his numbers were 1.58 and .941 with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, with a 25-10-1 record in 40 games, which included the longest shutout streak in AHL history, ahead of Barry Brust and Hall Of Famer Johnny Bower, on route to being named the best goalie in the league.

The Pens' plan for the season was to let him accumulate reps in the minors instead of riding the pine in the NHL - that job going to Jeff Zatkoff. Fleury's injury changed that. His stellar play might have the Penguins facing difficult decisions a couple of years before they had planned to as to how their goaltending duties will be handled in the near future.

Here is a card he signed in back sharpie for my brother last season after a game in which he shut out the St. John's IceCaps:

It's card #83 from In The Game's 2012-13 Heroes And Prospects set, showing him wearing the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds' black (alternate) uniform.

He added his jersey number to his signature (30), which he has worn at every level.

Ryan Getzlaf Jersey Card

Of course, when I decided to buy some Upper Deck 2014-15 Series 2 cards, the first "hit" I got was a Ryan Getzlaf UD Game Jersey card:

I like that it shows him wearing the Anaheim Ducks' new white (away) uniform, which is the reverse of their home one, which used to me their alternate garbs. They're really nice; they could very well be my favourite Ducks uniform of all time. The swatch used is back, though, so it's clearly from another uniform, especially considering the fact that this uniform wasn't used until last season, when the set was technically produced.

Getzlaf and the Ducks have a sub-par season in the under-producing Pacific division; they were supposed to be Stanley Cup contenders (though, in my opinion, they're an elite defenseman away from doing that) this season and are instead fighting with the Edmonton Oilers not to finish last.

I believe they can make the playoffs and perhaps face the Los Angeles Kings in the Division Finals. They are a much better team than the San Jose Sharks, whom I see failing, and the Vancouver Canucks (who lack depth) and Calgary Flames (who are experiencing a sophomore jinx as a group after surprising last year); the Oilers round up the rest of the expected-to-win-some-games group, while the Arizona Coyotes should crumble to the bottom of the NHL standings soon enough and the Kings are at the opposite end of the spectrum, as the cream of the crop.

Two Alex Galchenyuk Autographed Cards

I just came back from watching the Winter Classic - pitting the Boston Bruins against the Montréal Canadiens - at a bar, for which I had purchased an Alex Galchenyuk jersey as a Christmas present for myself:

I must admit that I don't like the Reebok cut that gets ridiculously tight at the pectoral/underarm junction, making it uncomfortable for built men and generously plump ladies

I was doubtful at first, particularly of the logo, which looks like it was drawn by a child; over time, however, I really came to like it; I may wear it almost as much as my throwback Andrei Markov jersey:

Now, Galchenyuk, while he played well alongside Lars Eller and Daniel Carr, did not factor in to the Habs' 5-1 win statistically (a -1 with one shot and one hit in 16 minutes of ice time); instead, it was the newly-reunited first line of Brendan Gallagher (coming back from a six-week absence due to a pair of broken fingers), Tomas Plekanec and Max Pacioretty, who each had two points, as did Paul Byron.

Still, what a great time on this New Year's Day to feature two signed cards of his with the Sarnia Sting from In The Game's 2010-11 Heroes And Prospects set (which stands as his Rookie Card):

They were both signed in blue sharpie.

Ironically, I never pulled that card from packs of H&P; I never pulled a Galchenyuk in an ITG product at all, actually - I bought them individually on Ebay and got them signed in person.