Tomas Fleischmann & Milan Hejduk Dual Jersey Card

Today's card comes from Upper Deck's 2005-06 Rookie Update set (card #237 of the Rookie Inspirations sub-set), a Dual Jersey Card featuring a rookie and a veteran that I got as an add-on in a trade roughly a year ago:

I guess Tomas Fleischmann and Milan Hejduk were paired on this card because they're both Czechs... because there was no way for UD to know they would eventually both suit up for the Colorado Avalanche in 2010-11, with Fleischmann posting 21 points in 22 games to revive his career before moving onto the Florida Panthers.

He had three other seasons where his point production averaged nearly one per game, in 2009-10 with the Washington Capitals (23 goals, 28 assists, 51 points in 69 games) and in consecutive years with the Panthers, in 2011-12 (27 goals, 34 assists, 61 points in 82 games) and 2012-13 (12 goals, 23 assists, 35 points in 48 games).

Paired with David Desharnais on an unusually strong third line with the Montréal Canadiens this season, he currently stands at 10 points (4 goals, 6 assists) in 13 games having signed a one-year deal after attending training camp on a PTO. He had three points against the Winnipeg Jets last night in a 5-1 win.

Still, those numbers are far from Hejduk's, who won the Maurice ''Rocket'' Richard Trophy as the NHL's best goal-scorer (with 50) in 2002-03 and finished his All-Star career with 805 points (375 goals, 430 assists) in 1020 games (plus another 34-42-76 in 112 playoff games, culminating with the 2001 Stanley Cup). He surpassed the 70-point mark on five separate occasions, with a high of 98 in 2002-03.

Internationally, Fleischmann has a bronze medal from the 2002 U-18s, while Hejduk has Olympic gold (1998) and bronze (2006), as well as a bronze medal from the 1998 World Championships and a third-place finish at the 2004 World Cup. With Jaromir Jagr and Dominik Hasek, he was the Czech Team at the turn of the millennium.

Mark Barberio Autograph Card

It looks like Montrealer Mark Barberio will draw out of the lineup for the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight against the New York Rangers, as Matt Carle is expected to return to action.

Barberio, despite finishing with a -1 and having made a mistake on a Rick Nash goal (which makes him the 387th to do so, considering Nash's regular-season and playoff totals), was by no means responsible for that goal (Cédric Paquette was in position to repair the error), and certainly not for the Bolts losing that game, which the Rangers won 5-1.

An offensive defenseman in the same vein as Nathan Beaulieu, Barberio dominated in the LHJMQ with the Moncton Wildcats, and did the same at the AHL level, winning the Eddie Shore Award as the league's best defenseman one year, making the end-of-season Second All-Star Team the next, both times reaching the Calder Cup Finals (and winning it the first time).

Like Beaulieu, he just needs to translate that play to the NHL, which is hard to do without top-4 minutes. He's done everything that was asked of him, and I'd say he's improved his defensive play by at least 200% in the past two years, and in that regard he might benefit from the teachings of a Victor Hedman.

Even the analytics ''support'' his case:

Just 5.90% of Tampa Bay's shots at 5v5 became goals when Barberio was on the ice, even though the team shot over 9% on the year, an enormous difference. Barberio's presence on the ice didn't come with a significant dip in scoring chances, either; the team had 30.45 chances per 60 minutes with Barberio on, about the same amount as with both Steven Stamkos and (Hedman). So Barberio helped move things in the right direction, helped get the team in position to score, and yet, for some reason, score they did not.

Couple that fact with below average goaltending behind him (Tampa Bay goalies stopped 91.74% of 5v5 shots with Barberio on compared to 91.98% overall) and you have a recipe for Mark Barberio's season; quietly effective but seemingly invisible due to lack of scoring, and scapegoated at times due to the play in net behind him. Every guy on Tampa Bay's blue line makes mistakes with the puck; Barberio's just ended up in the net more often than not through no fault of his own.

Although, honestly, a lot of that is a crock of bull. If you're going as far as to analyze how many shots per second occur when one player's on the ice, ''puck luck'' should not factor in, and numbers like ''Tampa has a worse shooting percentage when he's on the ice'' should be looked into more closely to see if that's because the rest of the players are fourth-liners or if he really does factor in the number.

He should be developed as if he were a first-unit defender, to at least be shaped into a second-unit defenseman (and, let's be honest, Hedman's on the left side of Tampa's defense for another decade as the #1 guy). But second-unit time requires he play with first- or second-liners in front of him, not checkers and ''role players'' who can't finish his plays.

He's proven all he needed to at the AHL level, and he's good enough to be on any team's regular six-man unit, save perhaps the Rangers'. The question is just whether it'll be on Tampa's.

And so, here he is rocking the Lightning's blue (home) jersey, from Panini's 2013-14 Rookie Update set, and Prizm sub-set:

It's card #389, with a blue-sharpied on-sticker autograph, part of the Dual Rookie Class and of the ''Cracked Ice'' variety that Panini inserted in Rookie Update boxes that encompassed the ''missing'' cards from all of its other lower-end and mid-range products (Prizm being particularly devoid of rookies), in addition to a stand-alone base set. Boxes of 50 cards sold (and still sell) for roughly $75, which is a decent deal.

Daniel Brière Autographed Card

I had meant to write Daniel Brière last season, when he was a member of the Montréal Canadiens, but as early as New Year's Day the trade rumours began due to the limited ice time he was getting from head coach Michel Therrien, and I didn't want the mail to get lost in the shuffle should he indeed have to change teams again. Also, I had already knocked off #48 from my Habs Numbers Project with Jean-Jacques Daigneault and James 'J.T.' Wyman, so I felt I could wait a bit.

The trade came this summer, and I wrote about my feelings toward it here. We'll see how he fares with the Colorado Avalanche, but for now head coach Patrick Roy is trying to give him top-9 minutes by slotting him on the right wing, although he'll be counted on for leadership more than his total points; chances are he'll see more ice time in the playoffs in Denver than he did in Montréal, though.

The Avs were in Montréal last weekend, and I had the chance to tell Brière my appreciation of his patience while he was in town; I didn't have anything for him to sign, but he did remember having signed for me back in his days with the Philadelphia Flyers, so I thought I could feature that card here:

I didn't have a card of his with the Flyers at the time (it must have been in his first year with the team in 2007-08), so instead I brought this 2002-03 Rookie Update card by Upper Deck (#15 in the set), showing him in his first season with the Buffalo Sabres, wearing the team's white (home) turn-of-the-century uniform. He signed it in blue sharpie.

A first-round draft pick (24th overall) of the Phoenix Coyotes in 1996, Brière had been a star player in Juniors with the Drummondville Voltigeurs, racking up seasons of 123 points (including 51 goals, in 72 games) in 1994-95, 163 points (on 67 goals, in 67 games) in 1995-96, and 130 points (thanks to 52 goals, in just 59 games) in 1996-97.

He spent the 1997-98 season with the AHL's Springfield Falcons, scoring 36 goals and adding 56 assists for 92 points in 68 games, then spent the following three seasons hovering between the AHL and the NHL, finally settling with the Coyotes in 2001-02 (with 60 points in 78 games), but the team dealt him to Buffalo at the tail end of the following season.

He had tremendous success with the Sabres, with 230 points in 225 games in the Dead Puck Era despite his diminutive stature (5'10'', 180 pounds), sharing the team's captaincy with Chris Drury from 2004 until 2007.

Both left in the summer of 2007, being the highest-coveted free agents that summer; Drury signed with the New York Rangers, while Brière went to Philadelphia. With 283 points in 364 games with the Flyers and an 'A' on his jersey, Brière was definitely an impact player in the City of Brotherly Love; he was even more of a monster come playoff time, with 72 points in 68 post-season games with the team, including a league-leading 30 in their 2009-10 Stanley Cup bid, which was also a team record.

He also has four gold medals in four tries with Team Canada. That's winner and clutch, right there. I wish him the best with the Avs, and here's hoping he's found enough stability for me to write to him this year...

Greg Pateryn Autograph Card

I mentioned (twice) last week that Greg Pateryn was in the mix for the Montréal Canadiens' 6th and 7th defenseman spots... well the Habs sent him to their AHL affiliate Hamilton Bulldogs yesterday. Whereas last year, the team lacked right-handed shots on defense, it's the polar opposite this season, what with P.K. Subban, Tom Gilbert and Mike Weaver nearly guaranteed spots on the right side to begin the year.

With his steady play in both the AHL the past few years and every time he was called up, as well as in this current pre-season, Pateryn has all but been assured he will be the first blue-liner to get a call back up should the need arise.

I intended to write him last year but didn't; surely I will this season. He barely turned 24, he should be able to stick in the NHL for a decade or so of good, quiet, steady play. At 6'3'' and 220 pounds, he's strong and physical, and positions himself well. On an off night, though, because he plays a low-key game and stays on the back end, he can look pretty bad - luckily those don't occur very often.

And so, the former Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick (128th overall in 2008) and University Of Michigan Wolverines alternate captain takes his rightful place, wearing #64 in my Habs Numbers Project, with this 2013-14 Prizm card, #359 of the set by Panini, his Rookie Card (part of last year's Dual Rookie Class):

It's a beautiful, black-foil card, with a blue-sharpied on-sticker autograph; the picture is overly photoshopped, but the silver lining on the contours and the seams of the jersey look terrific.

Taylor Fedun Autograph Card

I was a tad disappointed when the Edmonton Oilers didn't tend Taylor Fedun a qualifying offer this summer, sending him off to free agency, as I'm a fan of players playing for their hometown teams - they help the team's staff instill what the franchise is about to newcomers from a fan's perspective, and generally hate not making the playoffs and having to face questions as to why all summer long.

Ultimately, Fedun didn't last long on the market, as the San Jose Sharks signed him on the second day of free agency.

He had impressed the Oilers enough to invite him to their rookie camp as an undrafted prospect in 2011, and he played his way onto an entry-level contract in pre-season games. However, he was tripped by the Minnesota Wild's Eric Nystrom as both were racing for an icing and broke his femur, leading directly to the rule change still effective today, but made him miss the entirety of the 2011-12 season.

He then spent most of the next two seasons with the Oilers' AHL affiliate Oklahoma City Barons, with seasons of 27 and 37 points from the point. He did play 4 games with Edmonton, scoring two goals; he scored his first one in his first game, on home ice.

I didn't see him play in the AHL, so I don't know if his injury impeded his movements, slowed him down, or if he's healed; however, you'd think the Sharks, who just got rid of Dan Boyle and Brad Stuart, were confident he could step up to at least a #4-6 roster spot to sign him that early on.

I don't know what number Fedun will wear in San Jose, but this card of him wearing #91 fits really well in my Oilers Numbers Project; it's from Panini's beautiful-once-you-get-used-to-it 2013-14 Prizm set, and is card #347 in the collection, part of its Dual Rookie Class:

Yes, it's completely made up of crazy foil, and I love the effect of the signature/sticker area, giving it a stained glass effect. In person, the blue-sharpied autograph is much darker, and the stained glass effect less obvious.

Nicklas Lidstrom: 4 Autographed Cards

When Nicklas Lidstrom retired a couple of weeks ago, the Time For Debates was raging again: where would he rank among the best of all time?

While many view Bobby Orr as either the best defenseman - or even the best player - of all time, their arguments usually center around the fact that ''he revolutionized the game'', as he could take the puck from behind his own net, skate with it the length of the ice and score by himself.

Well, guess what? So did Doug Harvey, who did so from 1947 until 1969. Many claim that his ''mere'' 7 Norris trophies show he didn't dominate his position during his era, but those folk ignore the fact that the Norris simply didn't exist for the first decade he was in action... he would likely have received close to 5 more, easily.

Another Montréal native is often cited as a Great, Ray Bourque. But Bourque was overshadowed at times by Chris Chelios, or even Denis Potvin.

In comparison, Lidstrom played at the same time as Chelios and Bourque, and Al MacInnis, Chris Pronger, Rob Blake, Brian Leetch and Scott Niedermayer. And during the last few seasons, Zdeno Chara, Drew Doughty, Shea Weber and Duncan Keith.

Simply put, Lidstrom has played against the strongest competition, and yet has always been considered the cream of that crop. He didn't have Bourque's accuracy, nor MacInnis' power, nor Chara's size or even Weber's grit. But he had Wayne Gretzky's vision and knack for getting out of the way, Andrei Markov's wizard-like passing skills, and while his hits never broke any boards, they did what they set out to do: separate a forward from the puck and get him out of the play.

The first European-born captain to win a Stanley Cup and be named playoff MVP, the seven-time Norris champion is also an Olympic gold medalist to go with his 4 Stanley Cups and trio of World Championship medals (gold in 1991, silver in 2004, bronze in 1994).

He has finished with a +40 or better record 4 times in the dead puck era. He barely has more career penalty minutes (514) than his +/- record (+450); he has collected 1142 points, as a defenseman, in the 1990s and 2000s - numbers worth belonging in the high-scoring 1980s.

Like the Markov cards two months ago, I never thought I'd be seeing these again. I figured the best defenseman in 50 years would have better things to do than to write me back, but I see his generosity extends even outside the Detroit area. A classy guy, for sure. I had sent him these 4 cards on March 30th, 2011 and got them back 15 months later, on June 22nd, 2012, signed in black sharpie, with his soon-to-be-retired jersey number at the end (5).

Here are the cards I chose:

The card on the left is from Upper Deck's 2005-06 Rookie Update set (card #37); there was a time when these sets only included rookies and players who had been traded during the season, but that is no longer the case, as manufacturers found that limited their ''star power''. On that card, he is seen sporting the assistant captain's ''A'' - Steve Yzerman was still playing and wearing the ''C'' - and he's wearing the team's then-away red jersey. The card on the right, from Upper Deck's 2007-08 Victory set (Stars On Ice sub-set, card #S15), sees him wearing the captain's ''C'' on the team's home (white uniform).

And these two:

By looking at these two cards, you notice they're part of a different era: firstly, as the ''C'' is on the right part of his chest, these are the RBK Edge jerseys, which has the team logo slightly higher than its predecessor, thus forcing the Detroit Red Wings' players to have their letters on the opposite side. You'll also notice Lidstrom wearing a visor - that's the result of a 2008-09 pre-season game against my hometown Montréal Canadiens, where he broke his nose off a Christopher Higgins shot.

The card on the left, with the white uniform now being the 'away' colours, is from UD's 2010-11 Victory collection (card #69), while on the right, in the team's home (red) uniform, we have a card from Panini's 2010-11 Score set (card #196) that sees him checking a player from the Nashville Predators, Patric Hornqvist.

I haven't been having the best time ever of late, but receiving these last week sure brought some light in my darkness.