Ryan Murray Autograph Card

As I mentioned last week on this Guillaume Latendresse card, I believe Scratching The Surface is the best-looking autograph sub-set in hockey, and while the Latendresse card featured the 2010-11 version, they kept most of the design intact with just a few tweaks for this 2013-14 Crown Royale set by Panini, represented by this Ryan Murray card:

They just added silver borders (which look like dark grey on the scan) and congratulated themselves on a job well done, I guess. Sure, we don't see much of the Columbus Blue Jackets' crest or the white (away) uniform in the picture, but it appears twice on the signature/ice surface, and that's enough.

When the Jackets made Murray the second-overall pick in 2012, the consensus was that he may not be the player with the most ''upside'' (i.e. room for improvement, particularly on offense), but was the most ''NHL-ready'' of the crop; it's too bad, then, that the lock-out and an untimely injury forced him out of pretty much the entire 2012-13 campaign. He still managed to accumulate 17 points in 23 games with his WHL team - the Everett Silvertips - and resumed the captaincy he'd gained the previous year, but it was a bit of a letdown.

For the record, eight players chosen after him now have more NHL experience than he does, and one of them - Tanner Pearson, chosen 30th - even has a Stanley Cup with the Los Angeles Kings. But Murray got ''adult'' international hardware before they did, having won the bronze with Team Canada at the 2012 World Championships a month before even being drafted, becoming the second-youngest of all time to dress for Canada at the event, behind Paul Kariya.

The Jackets view him as a potential future captain, but perhaps they'll give it to Brandon Dubinsky first, until Murray has the time to age and mature. He got 4 goals and 21 points in 66 games as a rookie this past year, which bodes well for the future.

Guillaume Latendresse Autograph Card

Of course, I have a certain fondness for Guillaume Latendresse. He's a nice enough guy, although that perma-smile can get under the skin of a few people, as does his love of he limelight: he dates singers, accompanies them to red carpet events and, awaiting his official retirement, has become a hockey analyst for RDS, whose parent company (Bell) owns 15 % of the Montréal Canadiens, and half the Toronto Maple Leafs. He loves cameras, and good for him.

I don't think he's good enough for the Habs anymore (they're way too balanced and quick), but he could certainly play on the Leafs' second line tomorrow morning. He was never the fastest guy on the ice, but a shot like his doesn't just go away, despite the concussions and the half-season in Switzerland last year. With Phil Kessel facing the best players the opposition has to offer (and scoring 35-40 goals in the process), Latendresse could easily net 25-35 facing lesser defensive-minded forwards, and with second-unit powerplay time.

As it stands, however, he will be coaching a Midget AAA team next winter in-between commentating gigs; at least he's keeping his skates on the ice.

Here's a card I have been holding on to for a few years, from Panini's 2010-11 Crown Royale set, card #35 of the Scratching The Surface sub-set (numbered #24/100), showing him wearing the Minnesota Wild's white (away) uniform:

What a beautiful sub-set! Possibly the finest hockey autograph sub-set I've seen, and just a notch below the signed-helmet cards from the Sweet Spot football series (which I am just now realizing I have never featured here, despite having a good half-dozen of them).

I love the rink-shaped signing area, the blue-sharpied signature, the team's logo, the fact that they still managed to put a clear picture of his face and a bit of the team's crest... the whole thing!

Oh, and here's something weird: this page has him listed with the Arizona Coyotes...