Cory Stillman Autograph Card

A few years ago, I got a really good deal on a bunch of packs of Pinnacle's 1997-98 Be A Player cards, at least the equivalent of a couple of boxes, and each one contained at least one autographed card. As was my luck, I pulled a Cory Stillman card, showing him wearing the Calgary Flames' red (away) mid-1990s uniform (as opposed to this card, which showed the era's white - home - uniform):

As for most cards in this set, this one (#24 in the collection) shows an on-card signature from a thin black sharpie.

So far, he is still a part of the Carolina Hurricanes' player development staff, though with the staff shake-up this summer (Ron Francis replacing Jim Rutherford as general manager, Bill Peters being named head coach earlier today), that could still change. However, now that Rutherford has landed in Pittsburgh, should Stillman lose his job, I have a feeling he may not be without one for too long.

The 1025-game NHLer, four-time point-per-game pacer and two-time 27-goal man with the Flames could even return to Calgary.

Cory Stillman Autograph Card

I last featured Cory Stillman months before he retired to become a member of the Carolina Hurricanes' player development staff, in 2011. He still holds that position to this day.

This card, though, featuring him wearing the St. John Flames' red (away) uniform - at the time the Calgary Flames' AHL affiliate - is from Classic's 1993-94 4 Sport set, signed in thin blue sharpie, and is numbered #322/3000:

The fact that it's a side-angle picture and shows no reference to the team he plays for is, indeed, a deliberate attempt to trick collectors into thinking this is an NHL card, but the back clearly shows it only has AHL clearance. Which is fine by me. The re-pack box I got it from just specified I was guaranteed an autograph, not what level the player was from; I'm glad I got an actual pro, and getting a guy who played 1025 regular-season NHL games, scored 278 goals for 727 points, and went 19-32-51 in 82 playoff games to go with his two Stanley Cups was a definite win in my books.

His two best seasons were, in fact, his two Cup seasons, as he scored 25 goals and gathered 80 points in 81 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2003-04 and, following the season-long lock-out, got 76 points in 72 for the Hurricanes. He also scored 27 goals twice for the Flames, and was a consistent 50-point producer.

Cory Stillman Autograph Card

Ah, yes - the much-maligned 1995-96 Be A Player set from Upper Deck, with all the team logos missing. This is card #S132 in the set, from which I have already featured cards by Keith Tkachuk, Petr Nedved, Pierre Turgeon, and Brian Savage.

This time, it's former Calgary Flames winger Cory Stillman. Stillman was a first-round pick in the 1992 NHL draft (6th overall) and spent many seasons on the Flames' first line before being traded to the St. Louis Blues.

His main achievement may have been the consecutive Southern Stanley Cups, in 2004 with the Tampa Bay Lightning and 2006 with the Carolina Hurricanes - both times against Albertan teams, the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers, respectively, both in 7-games series.

After time spent with the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers, he is back in Carolina with the 'Canes.