Ray Whitney Autograph Card

Just like the Roman Hamrlik card from a few days ago, this Ray Whitney card is from Pinnacle Brands' 1997-98 Be A Player set (card #105, signed on-card in black sharpie), and was purchased off Ebay for $1.99. He is shown wearing the Florida Panthers' red (away) uniform.

I learned a lot about Whitney when he got an assist on March 31st for his 1000th career NHL point, a remarkable feat for a guy who has been waived a lot in the past few seasons. This year again, he amassed 77 points in 82 games - the exact same statistics as three seasons ago.

I remember he captained the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2002-03, following in Lyle Odelein's path. A clear sign that the Jackets don't know which direction to take their team in, they've had just about as many ''offensive star'' captains (Whitney, Rick Nash) as ''defensive team players'' (Odelein, Adam Foote, Luke Richardson)...

Whitney's better off with the Phoenix Coyotes, that's for sure. Although his season seems like it's nearing its end...