Monday, October 27, 2014

Jeff Beukeboom Autograph Card

As the Edmonton Oilers have beaten the Montréal Canadiens tonight, I thought I could revisit my Oilers Numbers Project for a post about #6, Jeff Beukeboom, the first of two about him this Fall.

A member of three Oilers Stanley Cup-winning teams (1987, 1988 and 1990), he was the team's first-round pick in 1983, 19th overall. At 6'5'' and 230 pounds, he was a force to be reckoned with on defense.

He was part of the transaction that sent Mark Messier to the New York Rangers, and both helped the ''New York Oilers'' win the 1994 Cup. His time in the Big Apple made him famous, as he was paired with superstar Brian Leetch on the blue line, and wore the alternate captain's ''A'' for most of his tenure in NYC.

Playing a bruising, hard-hitting game, Beukeboom went the Eric Lindros/Chris Pronger route, though, suffering multiple concussions that ended his career, with the ironic last few coming off hits he himself had initiated.

Still, he has left an indelible mark on two organizations, and today I pay tribute to his time in Edmonton with this card from Upper Deck's 2013-14 Edmonton Oilers Collections (card #FI-JB of the Franchise Ink sub-set), showing him in the team's classic white (then-home) uniform:
It sports a blue-sharpied on-sticker autograph with a scrambled scribble.

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