Rod Brind'Amour

Who: Center Rod Brind'Amour

Team: St. Louis Blues

Card: 1990 Pro Set

Acquired: TTM 3/3 8/28/09

Comments: Coming...

Guy Lafleur

Who: Right Winger Guy Lafleur

Team: Quebec Nordiques

Card: 1991 Pro Set All Star

Acquired: TTM 4/4 8/12/2009 (21 days)

Comments: Alrighty, this is the last of four Guy Lafleur cards that have been signed. This ProSet card features Guy playing in his last All-Star game - which directly correlates with me started to collect hockey cards when I was a kid. I'm positive I pulled this card out of a pack way back then.

Rod Brind'Amour

Who: Center Rod Brind'Amour

Team: Philadelphia Flyers

Card: 1992 Pro Set

Acquired: TTM 3/3 8/28/09

Comments: Rod has more of a loppty-loop than a signature. Still glad I got the request back, though.

So, what is up with this Pro Set card? It has "PUCK" in the upper right-hand corner, sporting a zany design. Was this particular set or sub-set directed towards kids? Not sure exactly how I got this card, but I know that I got it out of a pack. Not sure if it was recently or in the early 90s.

Guy Lafleur

Who: Right Winger Guy Lafleur

Team: Montreal Canadiens

Card: 2008-09 Upper Deck Masterpieces

Acquired: TTM 4/4 8/12/2009 (21 days)

Comments: Coming...

Patrick Kane

Who: Right Winger Patrick Kane

Team: Chicago Blackhawks

Card: 2008-09 Victory Game Breakers

Acquired: TTM 2/2 8/15/2009 (25 days)

Comments: Second of two cards that Patrick signed for me. I'm happy to have a pair of autos in my collection - this kid is going to be a stud. Here's the other card Patrick signed, also a Victory card.

Guy Lafleur

Who: Hall of Fame Right Winger Guy Lafleur

Team: New York Rangers

Card: 2008-09 Upper Deck Masterpieces

Acquired: TTM 4/4 8/12/2009 (21 days)

Comments: Guy! Another card from Guy Lafleur. He hooked me up solid with 4 signed cards via the mail. I think that's the last time I'll send that many cards... I kinda feel bad now. But, if it's going across the boarder, I figured I might as well make it count. Big thanks to Guy for being so nice. Here's a look at the previous card from Guy that I posted.

I wouldn't buy a ton of these card, but Masterpieces is pretty sweet. The painting featured are really nice. It's a nice relief from over/under Photoshopped images that are on many of the retro sets these days. Plus, when you rip a pack, you are getting a bunch of awesome players... no scrubs. Plus, since I really don't know a ton about hockey, it's fun to learn about some of the great players of the past.

Rod Brind'Amour

Who: Center Rod Brind'Amour

Team: St. Louis Blues

Card: 1991 Topps

Acquired: TTM 3/3 8/28/09

Comments: Brindy is another one of those guys that can just keep it going. After the '08-'09 season, he has played 19 years in the NHL. That's an eternity when your getting your body beat up the way hockey players do. I'm amazed.

I'm really diggin' this card. I have a soft-spot in my heart for '91 Topps Hockey and this is a great photo of Rod. He's lookin' to be gettin' after it right about now. The lighting in the photo is a bit suspect, but that seemed to happen a lot in this set and others in the same period.

Guy Lafleur

Who: Right Winger Guy Lafleur

Team: Quebec Nordiques

Card: 1991 Topps Tribute

Acquired: TTM 4/4 8/12/2009 (21 days)

Comments: I was going to say something great about Guy Lafleur's Hall of Fame hockey career, but his disco album stopped me in my tracks. Here's a video from the CBC with more.

Off to find that album now...

Patrick Kane

Who: Right Winger Patrick Kane

Team: Chicago Blackhawks

Card: 2008-09 Victory

Acquired: TTM 2/2 8/15/2009 (25 days)

Comments: In the time between this card going out in the mail and the successful return, Patrick's world had been turned upside down. He allegedly assulted a cab driver in his hometown of Buffalo, NY over what amounted 20 cents. Details are sketchy at this point on the whole thing. He plead not guilty in court recently. I guess we'll see how it all plays out.

His recent troubles aside, Patrick is a fantastic young player for the Chicago Blackhawks, leading them to a Stanley Cup appearance this past season. He's certainly one of the brightest young stars in the league and it's neat to get a couple of cards signed by him back in the mail. I wonder how all this recent trouble played into his TTM habits. I'm not the only one to get a return from him recently.

This is the first TTM request I have sent to a current hockey player.

Jeremy Roenick

Who: Center Jeremy Roenick

Team: Chicago Blackhawks

Card: 1991 Topps

Acquired: TTM 2/2 7/30/2009 (10 days)

Comments: Coming...

Jeremy Roenick

Who: Center Jeremy Roenick

Team: Chicago Blackhawks

Card: 1991 Score

Acquired: TTM 2/2 7/30/2009 (10 days)

Comments: A really quick return from hockey great, Jeremy Roenick. I was mildly in to hockey as a kid for a few years and Roenick was one of my favorites. He was a rising star at the time and a Chicago Blackhawk - my favorite team. What I can't believe is that he's still playing at age 39. Apparently, he's been contemplating retirement during the current off-season, but has yet to make an announcement either way.

UPDATE: It's looking like Jeremy is going to announce his retirement.

Al MacInnis

Who: Hall of Fame Defenseman Al MacInnis

Team: Calgary Flames

Card: 1991 Pro Set

Acquired: TTM 3/3 5/20/2009 (37 days)

Comments: So Al has this strange facemask on in this photo. I assume that is to protect his jaw... did he get jacked in the face pretty good, maybe broke his jaw or something?

Al has a pretty sweet signature, doesn't he?

Al MacInnis

Who: Hall of Fame Defenseman Al MacInnis

Team: Calgary Flames

Card: 1991 Topps All Star

Acquired: TTM 3/3 5/20/2009 (37 days)

Comments: This is the second of three cards that Al MacInnis was kind enough to sign for me. Another 1991 Topps from my collection... which consists mostly of 1991 Topps and some Pro Set. Good times, mega good times.

Al MacInnis

Who: Hall of Fame Defenseman Al MacInnis

Team: Calgary Flames

Card: 1991 Pro Set All Star

Acquired: TTM 3/3 5/20/2009 (37 days)

Comments: This is all I know about hockey: I like it. Other than that, I don't have much of a clue.

Being in a non-NHL city, I really didn't grow up around hockey. We've had minor league hockey in varing degrees since I was in junior high, but that's been it. I've been to two NHL games, one in Columbus and the other in Toronto. Both were awesome. I've been to a load of Cincinnati Cyclones games (ECHL). Always a good time as well. So, when it comes to Hockey TTM... it's fun to look up guys on the cards I picked up when I was a kid. It's amazing to see how TTM-friendly they are, even Hall of Famers like Al MacInnis. He signed 3 cards for me, the one above being a Pro Set card, with the copy on the back in French. Sweet! The only place I ever got French Pro Set cards was from a baseball card vending machine at the Rogers Centre (formerly Skydome) in Toronto. I was up there for the 2009 WBC and went a little nuts putting Loonies in the machines. So, this piece of card board has had a heck of a journey before landing in my autograph binder.

The thing I really dig about these Pro Set All Star cards is that actually feature photography from the All Star Game. Seems simple, but it could have been an easy corner to cut.

Brett Hull

Who: Right Winger Brett Hull

Team: St. Louis Blues

Card: 1991 Topps

Acquired: TTM 3/3 3/30/2009 (61 days)

Comments: The thrid in a series of three cards that Brett Hull wrote all over for me. Aside the bleeding on the right end of the autograph, we are lookin' pretty good here. Overall, a pretty nice set of signatures - all on 1991 Topps - from a hockey great.

Brett Hull

Who: Right Winger Brett Hull

Team: St. Louis Blues

Card: 1991 Topps

Acquired: TTM 3/3 3/30/2009 (61 days)

Comments: Coming...

Lauri Korpikoski

Who: Winger Lauri Korpikoski

Team: New York Rangers

Card: 2009 Upper Deck SPX

Acquired: Upper Deck NPN

Comments: Yeah! I won this card from Upper Deck. Pretty sweet, huh? Always nice to get a little surprise in the mail. I have no clue who Lauri Korpikoski is, but I'm a fan now.

As far as the card itself goes, I really like SPX. Slick modern design, combined with a dual jersey, sticker autograph and numberde 225/999. It's got a lot going for it. I have no clue if this card has much value... but I really don't care much. It's a little prize for the collection.

Brett Hull

Who: Right Winger Brett Hull

Team: St. Louis Blues

Card: 1991 Topps All Star

Acquired: TTM 3/3 3/30/2009 (61 days)

Comments: Sweet, more Hockey! Brett is my second hockey TTM return after good ol' Michel Goulet. Brett hooked me up with 3 autographs - all on 1991 Topps. A nice little trifecta for ya, so you better come back to see the rest.

Like I said before, I had one winter as a kid where I went nuts about hockey cards. This card, as well as the others I've gotten signed all came from that binge. Brett became a favorite too, and for good reason. He absolutely tore up the NHL during the 90-91 season, leading the lead in goals, getting an All Star nod and becoming only one of a handful of players to score 50 goals in 50 games or less. Not bad at all, Mr. Hull, not bad at all.

Michel Goulet

Who: Left Winger Michel Goulet

Team: Chicago Blackhawks

Card: 1991 Topps

Acquired: TTM 3/3 1/13/2009 (10 days)

Comments: Goulet!!!

Michel Goulet

Who: Left Winger Michel Goulet

Team: Chicago Blackhawks

Card: 1991 Pro Set

Acquired: TTM 3/3 1/13/2009 (10 days)

Comments: How about these Pro Set cards? It's the cheapest stock you'll find a sports card made on, but I love them. The simple design just does it for me. The brightness in this photo could have used a tweak, but that's okay. I guess NHL arenas back in the day were a little dark??

So, yeah. Another signed card from NHL Hall of Famer Michel Goulet. Goulet!!!

Btw, the Blackhawks jerseys may be my favorite design across all sports. They just hit it right on all angles. Colors - bold red and black. Fantastic logo. The "C" with crossed tomahawks is totally killer. It's all just money.

Michel Goulet

Who: Left Winger Michel Goulet

Team: Chicago Blackhawks

Card: 1991 Score 1000 Point Club

Acquired: TTM 3/3 1/13/2009 (10 days)

Comments: My first hockey autograph! Sweet! From none other than NHL Hall of Famer and former Chicago Blackhawk Michel Goulet. Not a bad way to start a hockey collection huh?

So, I'm a baseball/football guy, but love seeing some hockey games every winter. When I was a dorky little guy in 1991, I became a slightly obsessed with collecting hockey cards. I really knew nothing about hockey, but it fascinated me. I loved the cards, the team names, the logos, the jerseys, all of it. It was whole new world to me. Since I had some relatives in Chicago, I decided that the Blackhawks were my team. So, to this day I'll casually root for them - or the Blue Jackets, now that they are in the league.

So, my first TTM requests from any hockey players were to former Blackhawks, and Goulet came back first - in just 10 days. Amazing. From a Hall of Famer too.

Two more from him to come...