Andrei Markov Swatch Card

Andrei Markov had a tremendous start to his season, but he's taken a bit of heat from Montréal Canadiens fans for sub-par play more or less since the new year, with a few boos being heard in the Bell Centre and some internet chatter requesting GM Marc Bergevin trade him for draft picks in a tanking effort.

Regular readers know I won't be one of those. Markov's play this past decade warrants him retiring with the team, and he will not be overpaid next year with his $5.75M cap hit in his (hopefully) final season for the sole reason that he's played at around the same salary for the past five years and played better than anyone else making that much in the NHL, so one season below value balances out four that he played well over.

He was the best player on the team for the better part of his tenure, equaled here and there for short stints by the likes of Jaroslav Halak, Michael Cammalleri, and Saku Koivu which, you'll agree, is relatively sad for a legendary franchise.

So, should his minutes be cut down to plateau around 20 minutes per game? Probably. And, hey, 20 minutes per game is still top-two minutes, which he likely still is. Retiring at that level (assuming he retires when his contract ends in 2016-17) would put him close to the Nicklas Lidstrom category, therefore above that of a Zdeno Chara, which is also where I see his legacy falling into.

That is to say, I was probably the best person to fall on this two-colour swatch card of his from Panini's 2012-13 Titanium set (and Game-Worn Gear sub-set):

It's card #GG-AN in the series and is numbered 39/50, and shows him in the Habs' white (away) uniform, with the alternate captain's "A" that defined his career.

Don Beaupre Autographed Card

Going into the All-Star break, the Washington Capitals are leading the NHL with 73 points ahead of defending Stanley Cup champions Chicago Blackhawks, offensive powerhouse Dallas Stars, regular-season juggernaut St. Louis Blues, the perfectly-balanced Los Angeles Kings and the rising Florida Panthers, with games in hand on everybody, ranging from 2 (Kings) to 7 (Hawks!).

They are currently on pace for 130 points, which would not only shatter their team record of 121 (reached in 2009-10, though they were ousted in the first round that year by Jaroslav Halak and the Montréal Canadiens), but they're also on pace to break the Detroit Red Wings' 124 points from 2005-06, which marks the highest total since the season-long 2004-05 lockout.

Alex Ovechkin remains a scoring machine, Nicklas Backstrom remains an elite set-up man, Braden Holtby is the early favourite to win the Vezina Trophy (ahead, in my opinion, of Corey Crawford and Roberto Luongo), and head coach Barry Trotz looks like he's in full control of the situation.

Speaking of All-Stars and goalies, here's a card I uncovered recently when going through old stuff, actually looking for old textbooks full of songs as I was preparing for my first-ever all-French show on January 15th:

That's Don Beaupre, of course, the two-time All-Star, who was wearing Cooper equipment instead of the Vaughn gear he'd wear a few years later. It's card #307 from Pro Set's inaugural 1990-91 Series 1 collection, which he signed in thick blue sharpie, which pinpoints this to probably just before I stopped paying attention to hockey for a few years, so probably November 18th, 1995, as his Ottawa Senators lost to Patrick Roy and the Habs, two weeks before the infamous trade that burried the Canadiens for over a decade and was the final nail in the coffin of my rooting for them, following the trades of Guy Carbonneau, Chris Nilan, Éric Desjardins, John LeClair, and Donald Brashear, and the naming of Vincent Damphousse as captain (terrific player, not a guy you want to have as a leader).

But I digress. Beaupre was a fine goaltender, often found in the top-5 in many categories, notably goals-against average and shutouts, in which he led the league (with 5) in 1990-91, while with the Caps. He played parts of six seasons in Washington D.C., for 269 regular-season games and 36 more in the playoffs, but spent eight and a half seasons with the Minnesota North Stars (316 regular-season games and 34 in the postseason), so he was a big part of two different teams.

Grant Fuhr Jersey Card

Ben Scrivens isn't doing so well manning the net for the Montréal Canadiens... perhaps they should consider giving another former member of the Edmonton Oilers a call in the person of Grant Fuhr, a Vezina Trophy winner in 1988 after two nominations (and five top-10s in his first six seasons in the NHL). It was his only one, but he was by and large recognized as the best Canadian goalie of the first half of the 1980s (say, pre-Patrick Roy), while Americans John Vanbiesbrouck and Tom Barrasso and Swede Pelle Lindbergh gave him a bit of a run for his money.

He accordingly suited up for Team Canada on a number of occasions, notably the 1984 (as a backup) and 1987 Canada Cups (as the starter), as well as on the silver medal-winning team from the 1989 World Championships. That's in addition to his five Stanley Cups with the Oilers.

He entered the Hockey Hall Of Fame in 2003 and still holds the NHL record for most assists in a single season (14) as well as most games by a goalie (79, achieved with the St. Louis Blues in 1995-96, the year Wayne Gretzky joined him at the trade deadline, 76 of them consecutively, which is also a record), finishing sixth in Hart voting in the process. He also played 75 with the Oilers in 1987-88, finishing second in Hart voting behind Gretzky.

He finished his career with 403 wins, 226 of them in Edmonton. His record's even better in the playoffs, standing at 92-50 in 150 games, with 6 shutouts - a terrific number, considering he only had 9 in 868 regular-season games.

He was one of the first goalies to wear coloured (i.e. "not brown") equipment, as can be attested from card #GJ-GF from Upper Deck's 2013-14 Series 2 set and UD Game Jersey sub-set:

It shows him wearing the team's classic blue (away) uniform, though it includes a white game-worn jersey swatch. That was a funky mask, as well.

He co-wrote his autobiography, which doesn't skip over his (past) cocaine use nor the racism he experienced in the U.S. when the Toronto Maple Leafs traded him to the Buffalo Sabres in 1992-93, as he was refused entry into a club because of the colour of his skin. He would share a Jennings Trophy win with Dominik Hasek in Buffalo the following year, ironically.

Roman Cervenka Autograph Card

He is 30 years old and has played for the Czech Team at the Olympics; he won gold (2010 World Championships) and bronze (2005 World Juniors and 2011 World Championships) medals, and though he went undrafted, he was signed by the Calgary Flames in 2012.

He did okay in his rookie season, with 9 goals, 8 assists and 17 points in 39 games in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, but failed to stick with the team and instead went back to the KHL, where he had already been an All-Star (including in 2010-11 when he got the most fan votes ahead of even Jaromir Jagr).

Last year, he was on a line with this year's best NHL rookie, Artemi Panarin, on the famed St. Petersburg SKA team, with whom he won two straight Gagarin Cups with the likes of Ilya Kovalchuk, Patrick Thoresen, Viktor Tikhonov, Dmitri Kalinin, and Anton Belov.

He thought he could stick on an NHL roster this season, but when that failed, he signed on with the Chomutov Pirari (Pirates) of the Czech league, leading his team in every single category save for games played (where his 36 are two behind the team leaders), with 17 goals (6 more than Michal Vondrka), 29 assists (16 more than Vondrka and Phoenix Coyotes draft pick Vladimir Ruzicka), 46 points (22 ahead of Vondrka), 76 penalty minutes (42 more than Marek Tomica) and a +16 rating, +4 better than defenseman Brett Skinner.

I think he looked good in the Flames' red (home) uniform:

It's the signed insert version (numbered 245-699) of card #170 from Upper Deck's 2013-14 Trilogy collection (and Level 1 Premieres sub-set), which also acts as a rookie card. His blue-sharpied signature is apposed on a sticker that was added on the card. Though the scan makes the card look like it's made of blue foil, it's actually silver to the naked eye. #thedress

Reggie Leach Autograph Card

Known as The Rifleton Rifle and/or The Chief (because he is from the Ojibwe Aboriginal nation), Reggie Leach is best remembered as a member of the Philadelphia Flyers' LCB line (along with Bobby Clarke and Bill Barber), which enabled the Broad Street Bullies to get their hands on the 1975 Stanley Cup. He'd also played with Clarke in Juniors, for the Flin Flon Bombers, but had to wait until 1974 to be reunited with him, as Leach was drafted by the Boston Bruins (third overall in 1970), who traded him to the California Golden Seals, initially.

He still holds the Flyers' single-season goals record (with 61), a feat he achieved as he posted 91 points in 1975-76, the year he also won the Conn Smythe Trophy in a losing cause against the Montréal Canadiens. He stands as the only non-goalie to win it while playing for the losing team, a feat also achieved by Flyers goalie Ron Hextall in 1987, as well as Roger Crozier (St. Louis Blues, 1965-66), Glenn Hall (Chicago Blackhawks, 1967-68), and Jean-Sébastien Giguère (Anaheim Mighty Ducks, 2003-03). Of note that Crozier and Hall also won it against the Habs.

His son, Jamie Leach, also won the Cup in 1991 and 1992 - with the Flyers' arch nemeses and state rivals Pittsburgh Penguins. Reggie was also a member of the 1976 edition of Team Canada at the Canada Cup, while Jamie donned the maple leaf at the 1989 World Juniors.

Reggie had other tremendous seasons, with a 50-goal season in 1979-80 as the Flyers played in 35 consecutive games without suffering a loss, followed by 36- and 24-goal seasons before a final curtain call season with the lowly Detroit Red Wings in 1982-83 in which he scored 15, to finish his career with 381 tallies and 666 points in 934 NHL regular-season games, and another 47 goals and 69 points in 94 playoff games.

Here he is wearing the team's classic uniform, in glorious black and white, on card #US-RL from Upper Deck's 2011-12 Ultimate Collection set (and Ultimate Signatures sub-set):

It's signed on-card in blue sharpie, with a nice bust picture of the bruising forward.

Michael Leighton Swatch Card

You might recall my deep respect for journeyman goaltender Michael Leighton from my post in 2012, but I was also moved last October when ESPN ran this story showcasing what a player of his ilk goes through with his family, particularly in cases where there are health concerns as there were with his son back then.

Drafted 165th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in 1999, he came back into the organization last year as the Rockford IceHogs' #1 goalie, and the 2008 Baz Bastien winner as the AHL's best goalie did have the statistics to contend for that honor once more, going 22-13-4 with a 2.26 GAA, .920 save percentage, 5 shutouts and 2 assists after an equally stunning season with the KHL's Donbass HC (20-15-6, 1.74 GAA and .933 save percentage with 6 shutouts in 42 games).

He's at it again this year, with an astonishing 20-4-4 record, 2.19 GAA, .928 save percentage, and 2 shutouts in 29 games. As I mentioned in 2012, he's too good for the AHL. We are, after all, talking about a guy who stopped 98 shots in a single, five-period game in 2008.

Here he is featured as a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets, from Panini's 2013-14 Titanium set (card #GG-LEI of the Game-Worn Gear sub-set), featuring a white game-worn jersey swatch:

The irony of it is that while he did spend a quarter of a season with the Jackets, he did not see a single minute of ice time, serving as Sergei Bobrovsky's backup, a task he had also accomplished in his time with the Philadelphia Fyers. Funnier still, this wasn't the first time he was on an NHL roster yet didn't play with the team holding his rights, as the Montréal Canadiens had once claimed him on waivers during an injury to Cristobal Huet, but Jaroslav Halak and David Aebischer were the ones who saw ice time instead.

Will Acton Autographed Card

A nice little return in the mail today from Will Acton, currently playing with the Schwenniger Wild Wings of the German League (with 12 goals, 42 points and 57 penalty minutes in just 32 games so far), which checks off #41 off my Oilers Numbers Project:

It's card #91 from Upper Deck's 2013-14 Overtime set, a rookie-heavy collection made exclusively for dealers who go through certain card distributors - GTS Distribution (U.S.A.) and Universal Distribution (Canada). He signed it in blue sharpie, and it shows him wearing the Edmonton Oilers' current/retro white (now-away) uniform.

I've only seen Acton play once, a 4-3 Oilers win against my hometown Montréal Canadiens in October of 2013, but he was a non-factor, playing under 6 minutes; he is the son of former Hab and Oiler Keith Acton.

Undrafted, the younger Acton scored his first NHL goal against Braden Holtby, which likely isn't a sentence you'll read so much in the coming years. I wish him the best of luck in Europe, and perhaps a return to the NHL if/when expansion takes place.

Randy St. Claire Autographed Card

With the Montréal Canadiens in full turmoil and rumours swirling concerning Jonathan Drouin and other players, mixed with the fact that we're in the thick of winter, I decided to set my focus on baseball today, most notably my Expos Numbers Project, with this entry for #51, Randy St. Claire:

It's card #463 from Leaf's 1986 Donruss set, which he signed in blue sharpie around the end of the Montréal Expos' tenure in Canada's Sin City, when he was the team's pitching instructor. The son of major league catcher Ebba St. Claire, Randy was never drafted but signed as a free agent with the Expos in 1978, playing parts of five seasons with the club before moving on to the Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Twins, Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays, for a season each, except for a two-year stint in Atlanta.

His win-loss record with the Expos was 10-6, and he finished 12-6 for his career; he was exclusively a relief pitcher, having never started an MLB game.

As a kid, I was a bit young to have purchased packs of this set, so I likely came across this card in 1990 or 1991, buying common singles at a card store at 5 cents apiece and looking for all Expos, "promising" prospects not named Todd Van Poppel, and players whose names I recognized from being regulars. As a player, I mostly remember him with the Braves.

Joe Thornton Swatch Card

The San Jose Sharks are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games, so does that mean they're back on track? Or is this just another lull in a potentially awful season?

Who knows, really?

They're still the team run by GM Doug Wilson, who dresses three players who have been the team's captain (current one Joe Pavelski, as well as Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton) on a nightly basis, and whose #1 goalie is Martin Jones, the 26-year-old unproven commodity who came over from the Los Angeles Kings by way of the Boston Bruins last summer.

The one thing the Sharks seem to change more often than captains and goalies (at least since Evgeni Nabokov) is their uniforms. Their initial one was okay, but their best one was this one, save for the jersey numbers on the front, which make it too busy, though the amount of black, orange and white is perfect in contrast to the teal:

It's card #GG-JO from Panini's 2012-13 Titanium set (and Game-Worn Gear sub-set), which I got as a "hit" in a pack of various repackaged in 2014 or 2015. It features none other than the much-maligned Thornton, who was recently voted onto San Jose's 25th Anniversary Team (other notable centers in Sharks history include Mike Ricci, Vincent Damphousse and Jeff Friesen, so it was a no-brainer to vote former the Art Ross winner onto it).

Regular readers know I never trust the Sharks to win, or even make the right moves; they are the Western Conference's Toronto Maple Leafs without the continuous embarrassment of finishing in the bottom-5 but with the added weight of always choking in the playoffs when viewed as contenders. Oh, and no Stanley Cups. Ever.

Artem Anisimov: Two Autographed Cards

There was a chance that Artem Anisimov wasn't going to suit up for the Chicago Blackhawks against the Montréal Canadiens on Thursday, but not only did he dress, he played over 16 minutes in a 2-1 hard-fought Hawks win with a shot, a hit and a blocked shot.

Sure, the star of the game was Corey Crawford - he of the 39 saves on 40 Habs' shots - but it was nice to see the Hawks' middle-six center go for it; prior to last season, he'd always been healthy in his NHL career, and he's the type of guy who's good at both ends of the ice, so he's very important to his teams.

In his career so far, he's been part of trades involving Rick Nash and Brandon Saad - two first-liners. Though he now wears #15 with Chicago, he wore #42 with both of his previous NHL teams. Here he is carrying the puck up-ice with the New York Rangers' blue (home) uniform, from Panini's 2010-11 Score collection (card #327 in the series):

And here he is following the play while with the Columbus Blue Jackets, from Panini's 2013-14 Score collection (card #139):

I must admit it's a little weird seeing him play in red and black this year, it's like it's not even him out there with the Hawks. However, he's looking good, on pace for a career year with 15 goals and 29 points in 45 games, his highest output so far being 22 goals (with the Jackets in 2013-14) and 44 points (with the Blueshirts in 2010-11), the years both this cards were printed.

He signed them in blue sharpie with his #42 tacked on at the end.