Jakub Kindl Autographed Card

I have instant respect for anyone who dons the Detroit Red Wings uniform, for some reason - probably because they're an Original Six team and therefore have a long and rich history. I didn't wish them the best when they faced the Colorado Avalanche in the playoffs (huge Patrick Roy and Joe Sakic fan, here), but pretty much any other time, yeah, I don't mind if they win.

And they beat the Carolina Hurricanes and the Washington Capitals in the Stanley Cup Finals, so, yeah, even better.

The Wings have a knack for developing late draft picks into superstars, and I was fortunate enough to get Henrik Zetterberg and Nicklas Lidstrom - prime examples of that - sign cards for me through the mail, but I also got Jakub Kindl in person earlier this winter, when Daniel Alfredsson made his return to Ottawa (I wanted Alfie, but he didn't sign) in December:

It's from Upper Deck's 2009-10 Victory (card #313, part of the Victory Rookie sub-set), and is signed in thin blue sharpie, which belonged to another fan. On it, he is seen wearing Detroit's red (home) jersey. Though he is pictured wearing #46, he has been wearing #4 since 2010-11.

Kindl, a defenseman, had an assist that night, and might hit the 20-point mark in this injury-plagued season - he missed a month of play in February - though he only has one goal so far. If he does reach the 20-point mark, it'll also be the 50th point of his career.

A first-round pick (19th overall) in 2005, he was part of the taxi squad/black aces when the Wings won the Cup in 2008, so while his name isn't engraved on it (he didn't play in a single game), the team was kind enough to give him a championship ring. I'm fairly confident he'll get to lift the precious salad bowl some time in the next decade, though.