Charlie Huddy Autograph Card

If the Edmonton Oilers win tonight against the Anaheim Ducks, they will pass them in the standings and be two points out of the final playoff spot in the Pacific Division; if the Winnipeg Jets beat the Arizona Coyotes tonight, they will catch up with the Colorado Avalanche in the Central Division standings.

What those two teams have in common is former star defenseman Charlie Huddy, who was part of all five of the Oilers' Stanley Cup-winning teams, as he is currently an assistant coach with the Jets. He also reached the Cup Final with the Oilers as well as the 1992-93 Los Angeles Kings, alongside fellow former Oilers Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri and Marty McSorley.

He finished sixth in Norris Trophy voting in both 1982-83 and 1983-84, and finished his career with 453 points (99 goals and 354 assists) in 1017 regular-season NHL games, and another 85 points (19 goals and 66 assists) in 182 playoff games. Not bad for a guy who didn't get drafted.

His big, black mustache screamed "1980s", and so did his play, where his go-to defensive-zone play was to bring opposing forwards closer to the boards to get bad-angle shots, but he had a decent shot, good skating skills and tremendous passing abilities.

Here he is wearing Edmonton's white (then-home) white 1980s uniform, from Upper Deck's 2013-14 Edmonton Oilers collection (card #FI-CH of the Franchise Ink sub-set), with a blue-sharpied autograph that was too large for the sticker they provided him with:

He's wearing a full beard here, so it's probably from the playoffs, either 1988 or 1990. I like that almost all of the 80s' Oilers wore those Jofa helmets.

Jacob Markstrom Autographed Card

About a year and a half ago, I wrote that I believed Jacob Markstrom would become a very good #1 goalie in the NHL; this season, he is by far the best to have manned the Vancouver Canucks' crease, 13 goals-against average points and 8 save percentage points better than former Vezina Trophy winner Ryan Miller:

from HockeyDB.com

He has had 38- and 42-save nights against the Los Angeles Kings and Columbus Blue Jackets, respectively, and looked very solid in most games, save for one outing against the Boston Bruins on December 5th, a 4-0 loss where the whole team looked flat.

The Canucks therefore seem set in nets for when Miller's contract comes to an end, following next season. In the meantime, they'll probably have to resort to a timeshare situation, because he's just too good to leave on the bench.

I had mentioned back in April that I'd sent him four cards and he had returned the three featuring him with the Florida Panthers but not the one showing him with the Rochester Americans; that was rectified earlier last summer when I gathered extra mail from my old apartment, which had this card from In The Game's 2011-12 Heroes And Prospects set (it's card #168 in the collection, with the mention that he is a ''Rookie''):

It's signed in blue sharpie and looks really nice. I really like the fact that his mask sticks out of the frame - it's simple but effective, design-wise.

Ironically, Miller's also an Americans alumnus, as they have a long-standing relationship with the Buffalo Sabres, with whom he spent twelve years.

Brett Hull Jersey Card

I mentioned a trade last week involving Benchwarmer cards for hockey cards... well, here's the final card that made it my way:

Yes, that's Hall Of Famer Brett Hull, from card #GJ-BH of Upper Deck's 2014-15 Series 2 set (part of the UD Game Jersey sub-set with a white game-worn swatch enclosed), showing him in the St. Louis Blues' mid-1990s white (then-home) uniform, when they decided to incorporate red into more their design, as it had only served as a delimiting element previously; it's not the worst uniform they've ever had - I leave that title to the Reebok practice-style piping-heavy jerseys from the mid-00s) - but I prefer when they stay true to their classic colour palette of blue and yellow. I'd featured the away version of this one in this Tony Twist post last October.

The son of Hall Of Famer Bobby Hull and nephew of Dennis Hull, Brett is the epitome is a scoring right winger, his generation's Alex Ovechkin if you will. He is the second-fastest to reach 700 career goals (to a certain Wayne Gretzky) and had the deadliest combo of accuracy and speed in a slap shot the 1980s and the 1990s have known. He ranks third all-time with 741 tallies in 1269 games, with another 103 in 202 playoff games.

Not initially known for anything else than his shot, he did manage to amass more assists than goals in his final years, and during his time with the Dallas Stars even stopped being a defensive liability, often back-checking far into the defensive zone; he won a Stanley Cup in Dallas in 1998-98, and another one with the Detroit Red Wings in 2001-02.

It was with the Blues, however, that he made a name for himself, one that got him in the Hall, with eight 40-goal seasons in 9 years - the one exception being the 29 goals in 48 games he scored during the 1994-95 lockout, third-most in the league behind Jaromir Jagr (32) and Alexei Zhamnov (30). But more than just 40 goals, his three-season run from 1989-90 until 1991-92 were nothing short of astonishing, with goals totals that read: 72, 86 and 70, part of a run of four straight 100-point seasons, followed by one where he posted 97.

Because the Blues (and later the Stars) made the playoffs every year, he didn't get to play for Team USA too often, but when he did, it certainly counted, with a second-place finish at the 1991 Canada Cup, the title at the 1996 World Cup, and Olympic silver in 2002.

Craig Johnson Autographed Card

This year, I treated myself to many things I wanted for Christmas, as an excuse to treat myself to things I wanted. One of these was this magnificent ''Burger King'' card of Craig Johnson's, from trusted collector BG:

It's card #80 from Upper Deck's 1996-97 Series 1 set, an otherwise pretty, foil-rich collection.

Perhaps the worst jersey in NHL history, this Los Angeles Kings abomination was part of the NHL's inaugural ''Third Jersey Program'' in 1995-96. Coming out of the (first) lock-out, the league wanted a way to ''reconnect'' with the fans - and take back some of the money they'd lost by not playing any games from October to December - by bringing in ''state-of-the-art'' jerseys to be used on special occasions.

And, just like they did with Reebok coming out of the year-long 2004 lockout, they let the manufacturer design the uniforms (CCM for these) with zero input from the teams that were selected (other victims of this program were the Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks, Pittsburgh Penguins and Anaheim Mighty Ducks). CCM desperately wanted to showcase that their new manufacturing equipment could print gradients - they just forgot that they still had to design something that was nice to look at.

At this point, the Kings were still wearing their beautiful Wayne Gretzky-era white-black-silver uniforms, coming off their purple-and-gold Marcel Dionne-era uniforms; unlike what they did for other teams (the Bs got a yellow uniform with a grizzly bear as a logo, the Pens and Canucks more of less just got some red inserted on theirs, and the Ducks got a cartoon goalie flying off its jersey), the Kings were treated to a mash-up of their colour palette heritage with these white (as they were primarily to be worn at home) jerseys, with the Gretzky-era grey-to-silver, to which they decided to add a purple collar, purple-and-gold numbering and lettering and, of course, the purple-haired ''King'' with the golden crown logo, worn on the heart rather than middle of the chest, soccer-style.

What you want to do when designing a logo is follow two simple rules: as little text as possible, because fonts can get dated very quickly - and text is boring; you also want to avoid human-like drawings, particularly of faces, as the renderings are often too cartoon-y for a major-league organization, and look downright unprofessional. Here, we have proof of how #2 fails miserably. It looks like something an ECHL team would wear once, not something The Great One should ever be forced to put on.

And it got its nickname because it closely resembled the fast food chain's mascot:

So, yeah, totally minor-league-worthy. At least the team scrapped these after the one season, whereas the Bruins and Pens kept theirs for years - Pittsburgh even made them their road jerseys for a few years, though they were the best of the five. The Ducks also retired them after one season, while the Canucks' experiment lasted two seasons.

As for Craig Johnson, born in the American hockey hotbed of Minnesota, he was the St. Louis Blues' first draft pick of 1990, chosen 33rd overall in the second round; they had traded their own first-rounder to the Montréal Canadiens, who picked Turner Stevenson 12th overall.

Johnson suited up for Team USA at the 1994 Olympics (then reserved for amateur players) as well as many World Championships, and made a good enough impression to become the key player going the Kings' way when they sent Gretzky to St. Louis; he made his way West with Roman Vopat and Patrice Tardif and played in L.A. for seven full seasons after the trade.

2003-04 was a difficult year for him, playing for the Ducks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals, and he exiled himself to Europe where he posted decent - albeit fading in time - numbers in Germany, Finland, the Czech Republic, Sweden, and Denmark.

Cam Talbot: Two Autographed Cards

Another great return from the Edmonton Oilers yesterday (December 26th, 2015), as goaltender Cameron Talbot sent back these two cards that I'd sent out on November 4th, 2015, so a 52-day return for two cards, signed in black sharpie:

Talbot didn't start the season out so well, and there was chatter that he'd lost the #1 job to Anders Nilsson - but he has bounced back of late, with a 2-1-2 streak in his last five games where he twice stopped more than 40 shots.

He's making the case that he deserves some time in front of the crease at least in tandem with Nilsson; unlike the former New York Islanders draft pick, though, Talbot is an unrestricted free agent at season's end, so he's not just playing for ice time, but possibly for his very future in the NHL.

At 28 years of age, he needs to show that his finishing 7th in Vezina voting last year filling in for an injured Henrik Lundqvist was not just a product of playing behind the New York Rangers' stingy defense but also of his own doing.

Over two seasons in Manhattan, he posted a 2.00 GAA and .931 save percentage with 8 shutouts in 57 games - 53 of them starts, 33 of them wins, for 17 regulation losses and just 5 more in overtime.

Since the 2015-16 season started, he's 5-9-2 with the Oilers (who've had a poor start, regardless of his play, and didn't help in any statistical department), with a .905 save percentage and 2.93 GAA in 17 games.

But things are improving. He's making huge saves in bulk, and his losses at least come with points, helping Edmonton stay in contention for a payoff spot. And all the while, he and his wife bring smiles to the tundra as they give their time to the community.

Here are the cards he signed, first wearing the Rangers' blue (home) uniform, on card #535 of Panini's 2011-12 Score set and Hot Rookies sub-set, sporting his rookie number (81):

Then, in a picture that seems identical from that from my post four years ago, card #232 from Upper Deck's 2011-12 Victory set and Rookie sub-set, here he is wearing the white (away) uniform:

So two rookie cards signed, because I didn't have one of his with the Oilers. I think he can be a good fit with them, and I'm glad it's going much better now.

Ryan Pulock Autograph Card

Ryan Pulock is one of the New York Islanders' strong prospects on defense that enabled the team to deal Griffin Reinhart to the Edmonton Oilers for two draft picks last summer.

The right-shooting defender, who was chosen in the first round (15th overall) at the 2013 draft - ahead of Nikita Zadorov (16th), Curtis Lazar (17th), Mirco Mueller (18th), Kerby Rychel (19th), Anthony Mantha (20th), André Burakovsky (23rd), Hunter Shinkaruk (24th), Michael McCarron (25th), Shea Theodore (26th), Marko Dano (27th), Adam Erne (33rd), Zachary Fucale (36th), Laurent Dauphin (39th), William Carrier (57th), Eric Comrie (59th), and Anthony Duclair (80th) - is an offensively-minded defenseman in the same mold as current Isles Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk so, in comparison, he's in the same situation as Nathan Beaulieu with the Montréal Canadiens (behind P.K. Subban and Andrei Markov) or like Ville Pokka for the Chicago Blackhawks (behind Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook).

So far, he was a point-per-game producer in the OHL with the Brandon Wheat Kings, and is at half that pace with the AHL's Bridgeport Sound Tigers, which is fitting for a kid who is 21. If he were to follow a normal evolution for someone of his pedigree, he could be an NHL regular by 23 or 24, starting with second-unit powerplay time and becoming a first-unit player by 26 or 27, and getting his 30-40 points even in the NHL by then. Barring any injuries, bad luck or attitude issues.

He's won a bronze medal with Team Canada at the 2012 U-18s, but has not competed in the World Juniors, which is rare for a first-rounder.

Here he is wearing the Wheat Kings' black uniform, in card #A-RP from In The Game's 2012-13 Draft Prospect set (and Autograph sub-set, the Silver Version variant):

I reviewed that set last May.

Darnell Nurse Jersey Card

Number 25 for December 25th - good concept, no?

Here's card #SSM-14 from In The Game's 2013-14 Heroes And Prospects set (and Game-Used Jersey sub-set), featuring a huge red swatch and matching picture of Edmonton Oilers prospect Darnell Nurse suiting up for the OHL in the Subway Super Series:

Nurse, an Oilers first-round choice (7th overall in 2013), was supposed to be groomed over time and spend at least a full year in the AHL - possibly two - before being brought in with the big club to have an immediate impact; injuries and sub-par play on the main team forced the Oilers' hand, however, and he has appeared in 26 games so far, and played nearly 25:56 in his last one, a 3-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets. His impact is already being felt.

I like what I've seen from him so far, and I'm excited to see where it will lead.

Jake Allen Jersey Card

I mentioned a trade last night in this Mikael Backlund post, it also involved two jersey cards coming back my way and ten Benchwarmer autographed cards I had doubles of going the other way. One of the jersey cards is this one of Jake Allen, from Upper Deck's 2014-15 Series 2 set (card #GJ-JA of the UD Game Jersey sub-set):

It shows him wearing the St. Louis Blues' blue (home) current/late-1990s throwback jersey, but the enclosed game-worn jersey swatch is white.

Allen was named one of the stars of the week in early November and hasn't cooled down since, as he is currently leading the NHL in shutouts (5) and is fourth in wins (16), also ranking in the top-10 for goals-against average (2.06) and save percentage (.928).

The knock on him so far has been that he's been pretty good in the regular season but hasn't stolen a game in the playoffs; well, he's stepping up this year and not only bringing consistency in his play, but also raising his game to elite levels; unfortunately, he plays for the Blues, who have a habit of falling short in the postseason. Maybe he's what they need to get over that hump, but playing in the same conference as the Dallas Stars, Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings means it won't be easy making it to the Conference Finals, let alone the Stanley Cup Final.

Let's see how it goes.

Mikael Backlund Autograph Card

With three points and a +4 showing in his last 4 games, Mikael Backlund is on a hot streak that coincides with that of the Calgary Flames as a whole, with an 8-2-0 showing in their last 10 games. He's getting some ice time with Johnny Gaudreau and is usually playing in the final minute when the other team takes their goalie out of their net, which shows coach Bob Hartley's trust in his defensive game.

Now having to contend with minutes in the middle with the likes of Sean Monahan and Sam Bennett, the play-making genius from Vasteras, Sweden has seemingly found a way to maximize his ice time and contribute on a regular basis, though perhaps not at the level that people such as myself once envisioned - I thought he would hover between 45 and 60 points per season, but his best year so far saw him post 18 goals and 21 assists for 39 points in 76 games in 2013-14.

Then again, it's a different NHL, where the Art Ross winner didn't get 90 points last year, Alex Ovechkin is the only player who is able to score 50 goals, and first-liners and elite players such as Jonathan Toews reached the 70-point mark just once, let alone the point-per-game average. These are unique times in pro hockey in general, with the KHL also being really tough to score in (and where goalies usually have a GAA below 2.00).

That being said, I still traded for this card showing him in the Flames' red uniform, though I'm now looking for one of his with the throwback jersey:

It's card #I-MBA from Panini's 2013-14 Contenders collection (and more specifically, the NHL Ink sub-set). It's signed on-card in thin blue sharpie.

Phillip Danault Autographed Card

Following an off-season hip surgery, Phillip Danault was recalled by the Chicago Blackhawks last weekend and earned his first NHL point (an assist on an Andrew Shaw goal) against the San Jose Sharks on December 20th.

Chosen 26th overall by the Hawks at the 2011 draft, Danault is projected to become a two-way playmaking centre who will play on the second (at best, on a mid-level team) or third line - in the mold of captain Jonathan Toews, with less offensive upside. He's seen as Marcus Kruger's eventual replacement, and it was Kruger's injury that prompted the Hawks to choose him as their call-up despite having only played in 6 AHL games this season.

The Toews comparison is particularly striking because Danault captained his hometown Victoriaville Tigres in the LHJMQ for three seasons before getting traded to the Moncton Wildcats, who were attempting a Memorial Cup run in 2012-13 (the Halifax Mooseheads instead got out of the ''Q'' and ultimately won the championship).

He had a very god season with the Rockford IceHogs last year, finishing fourth in points with 38 and leading the team in goals in the post-season (with 3); he was also a +20 during the season an a team-leading +8 in the playoffs. He didn't win the Guy Carbonneau Award in the LHJMQ without reason...

Here he is wearing the Tigres' white (home) uniform, with the captain's ''C'' visible on his jersey:

It's card #113 from In The Game's 2012-13 Heroes And Prospects set, which he signed in blue sharpie in 2014 after a game against the Hamilton Bulldogs.