Ty Conklin Autographed Card

The Edmonton Oilers may not have won the first overall pick in the NHL's lottery last night, but that won't stop me from checking off #1 from my Oilers Numbers Project with this card of Ty Conklin's:

It's card #284 from In The Game's 2002-03 First Edition set, showing him in the team's turn-of-the-millennium white (home) jersey, with the "oil driller" shoulder patches. He signed it in blue sharpie in January 2012 in his second stint with the Detroit Red Wings.

Though he was undrafted, he was a star goalie for the University Of New Hampshire Wildcats from 1998 until 2001, prompting the Oilers to sign him as a free agent. He was a huge part of their future in nets until he went unprepared in Game 1 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Final after an injury to Dwayne Roloson, making a huge mistake letting in the game-winning goal in an empty net, essentially giving the puck to Carolina Hurricanes captain Rod Brind'Amour.

He never again suited up for the Oilers.

He did have two pretty good seasons in his NHL career, notably in 2007-08 with the Pittsburgh Penguins, going 18-8-5 with a .923 save percentage and 2.51 GAA, playing in the Winter Classic against the Buffalo Sabres, earning the Second Star.

He also had a decent 2009-10 season as Chris Mason's backup with the St. Louis Blues, playing in 26 games, going 10-10-2 with a .921 save percentage and 2.48 GAA.

Essentially, however, he'll be remembered as a goalie who had six seasons with a save percentage under the .900 barrier, suiting up for six different NHL teams interspersed with stints in the AHL and in Germany.