Dwayne Roloson Autograph Card

Dwayne Roloson accomplished many things in his NHL career: he was a top-ten finalist for the Vezina Trophy twice, almost single-handedly (with the help of a very strong Chris Pronger) brought the Edmonton Oilers to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2005-06 where he would have been a likely candidate for the Conn Smythe had his team won - or had he not gotten injured in the first game.

He retired three years ago at over 42 years old, and has since signed on with the Anaheim Ducks as their goaltending consultant, and he backed up Jason LaBarbera last month in an emergency situation, where I was kind of rooting for him to play at least a minute in so he could stand as the third-oldest NHL goalie to suit up in a game, after Johnny Bower and Maurice Roberts. As it stands, he was already the last player to retire that had been born in the 1960s.

He led the league in save percentage in 2003-04 while playing with the Minnesota Wild, stopping 93.3% of pucks - a year after finishing second with a .926 save percentage, which is why it's fitting to feature him with the Wild's white (then-home) uniform:

It's card #DR of Upper Deck's 2005-06 Be A Player set (the Signatures sub-set), signed on a sticker in thin black sharpie.

Despite playing on some sub-par teams (late-90s Calgary Flames, turn-of-the-millennium Buffalo Sabres, 2009-10 New York Islanders, 2010-11 Tampa Bay Lightning), Roloson finished his career with decent statistics: a 227-257-82 record in 606 games, 29 shutouts and a 2.72 GAA and .908 save percentage - and over 15,000 total saves. His playoff statistics are even better, with a 2.54 GAA and .918 save percentage.

Suiting up for Team Canada, he has a trifecta of World Championship medals: gold (2007), silver (2009), and bronze (1995).

Dwayne Roloson Jersey Card

Here's a card depicting Dwayne Roloson in what I believe to be his finest hour in the NHL - as a member of the Edmonton Oilers. Sure, when he played with the Minnesota Wild, he had two seasons where he stopped over 92% of shots against, but the system they were playing likely helped, and there were no playoffs in which to judge him.

However, when he was traded to the Oilers at the end of the 2005-06 season, his impact was immediate, as he led the team to the Stanley Cup Finals against the Carolina Hurricanes - and the Oilers probably would have won had Roloson not gotten injured in Game 1.

This card (#AF-DR) is from Upper Deck's 2006-07 SP Game Used edition, the Authentic Fabrics Jersey sub-set, and is special for sporting two colours, red and blue. Keep in mind that I have no clue whatsoever as to where there might be red on a recent Oilers jersey...