Rob Pearson

Sent: 11/12/11
Received: 6/11/12
Time: 212 Days
Address: Home
Item Sent: 1991-92 Score Canadian, 1991-92 Score Canadian "Dynamic Duo"
Item Received: 1991-92 Score Canadian, 1991-92 Score Canadian "Dynamic Duo."  Both signed in black Sharpie.

Notes:
Rob Pearson was Eric Lindros' sidekick for the Oshawa Generals junior hockey team in 1990-91.  Lindros led the OHL that year with 149 points and Pearson added 118.  The "134" written in pucks on the photo is representative of their combined goal totals for the year -- 71 for Lindros and 63 for Pearson.  Rob was a first round pick by the Toronto Maple Leafs and had a stellar sophomore season in 1992-93 with 23 goals and 211 penalty minutes.  That would be his NHL peak, though, as he scored just 19 more goals over parts of the next four seasons.

Rick Vaive

Sent: 4/5/12
Received: 4/21/12
Time: 16 Days
Address: Home
Item Sent: 1984-85 Topps, 1991-92 Score Canadian
Item Received: 1984-85 Topps, 1991-92 Score Canadian.  Both signed in blue Sharpie.

Notes:
It's hard to believe, but the Toronto Maple Leafs - founded in 1917 - did not have a 50-goal scorer until 1981-82.  Rick Vaive lit the lamp 54 times that season.  He scored 51 the following year and 52 more the year after that.  Vaive wrapped up his outstanding career in 1992 with a final tally of 441 goals in 876 games, making him one of the more underrated snipers of his era.

Jason Blake

Sent: 11/19/11
Received: 4/2/12
Time: 135 Days
Address: c/o Anaheim Ducks
Item Sent: 2008-09 O-Pee-Chee Retro, 2010-11 Upper Deck 20th Anniversary
Item Received: 2008-09 O-Pee-Chee Retro, 2010-11 Upper Deck 20th Anniversary.  Both signed in black Sharpie.

Notes:
Ducks wing Jason Blake has overcome an awful lot over the course of a brilliant career.  The Moorhead, Minnesota native has been an NCAA Champion, NHL All-Star, a 40 goal scorer, and a US Olympian.  He was the recipient of the Bill Masterton Award in 2008 after continuing to play while undergoing treatment for leukemia.  He entered this past season with 473 career points, appearing to be a cinch to surpass the 500 point milestone for his career.  Unfortunately, he suffered a severe cut from a skate above his wrist in October.  By the time his tendon had healed, he missed about three months of the season.  His strong play over the regular season's final weeks bodes well for a return to form next season, even as he approaches age 40.

Luke Richardson

Sent: 2/8/12
Received: 2/29/12
Time: 21 Days
Address: c/o Ottawa Senators
Item Sent: 1990-91 Upper Deck, 1991-92 Score Canadian Series 1, 1991-92 Score Canadian Series 2, 1991-92 Score Rookie & Traded
Item Received: 1990-91 Upper Deck, 1991-92 Score Canadian Series 1, 1991-92 Score Canadian Series 2, 1991-92 Score Rookie & Traded.  All signed in blue Sharpie.

Notes:
Richardson was drafted seventh overall by the Maple leafs in 1987 and was expected to be an impact, all-around defenseman.  His offense never developed at the pro level.  Therefore, he's best remembered in hockey-mad Toronto for being a draft bust and for getting his ass kicked by Dino Ciccarelli's stick.  (Dino spent a night in jail after giving Richardson a few whacks upside the head.)  It's a shame that's the case.  Richardson lasted 21 years in the NHL and turned into a very solid stay-at-home defender.  He is currently an assistant coach for the upstart Ottawa Senators.

Curtis Joseph

Sent: 11/14/11
Received: 2/24/12
Time: 148 Days
Address: c/o Agent
Item Sent: 1991-92 Score Canadian, 2008-09 O-Pee-Chee Retro, 2008-09 O-Pee-Chee Update Retro
Item Received: 1991-92 Score Canadian, 2008-09 O-Pee-Chee Retro, 2008-09 O-Pee-Chee Update Retro.  All signed in blue Sharpie.

Notes:
Cujo is the best goalie of his generation (and maybe the best ever) to never win either a Stanley Cup or a Vezina Trophy.  He won 454 regular season games and 63 playoff games over his 19 year career.  He reached the 30 win plateau seven times, was a three-time NHL All-Star, a three-time Vezina finalist (and two-time runner-up), and an Olympic gold medalist for Team Canada.  He was also one of my very favorite goalies to watch.  Awesome return!

Nikolai Kulemin

Sent: 3/24/11
Received: 2/15/12
Time: 328 Days
Address: c/o Toronto Maple Leafs
Item Sent: 2008-09 O-Pee-Chee Retro, 2010-11 Upper Deck 20th Anniversary
Item Received: 2008-09 O-Pee-Chee Retro, 2010-11 Upper Deck 20th Anniversary.  Both signed in black Sharpie.

Notes:
Last season, Nikolai Kulemin broke through as one of the rising stars on a very talented young Maple Leafs team as he hit the 30 goal plateau, which nearly doubled his previous career high.  Though the Leafs are playing better this season, Kulemin has had a hard time finding the back of the net.  He has only five goals through the season's first 57 games.

Craig Berube

Sent: 11/19/11
Received: 12/2/11
Time: 13 Days
Address: c/o Flyers SkateZone
Item Sent: 1984-85 O-Pee-Chee, 1990-91 O-Pee-Chee, 1990-91 Upper Deck, 1991-92 Score Canadian, 1991-92 Score Rookies & Traded
Item Received: 1984-85 O-Pee-Chee, 1990-91 O-Pee-Chee, 1990-91 Upper Deck, 1991-92 Score Canadian, 1991-92 Score Rookies & Traded.  All signed in black Sharpie.

Notes:
Craig Berube played in 1,054 NHL games and scored 159 points.  Clearly he must have possessed some special gift to last in the league for 17 seasons with those paltry statistics.  Oh, here it is... 3,149 career penalty minutes.  Yes, Berube was an enforcer of the highest order.  He was best known from his two stints with the Flyers, where he did his best to carry on the "Broad Street Bullies" legacy.  He is now an assistant coach for the Flyers.

Gary Leeman

Sent: 10/12/11
Received: 12/2/11
Time: 51 Days
Address: Home
Item Sent: 1984-85 O-Pee-Chee, 1990-91 Pro Set, 1990-91 Score, 1991-92 Score Canadian, 1991-92 Topps
Item Received: 1984-85 O-Pee-Chee, 1990-91 Pro Set, 1990-91 Score, 1991-92 Score Canadian, 1991-92 Topps.  All signed in blue Sharpie.

Notes:
Gary Leeman came up as a defenseman on some dreadful early '80s Maple Leafs teams.  A couple years into his career, he was converted into a wing.  He responded with back-to-back 30 goal seasons in 1987-88 and 1988-89.  In 1989-90 he exploded with an incredible 51 goal/95 point season (for another dreadful Maple Leafs squad).  A couple of trades and a couple of years later, Leeman was a role player on the 1993 Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens.  He retired in 1997, just one goal short of 200 for his career.

Ken Baumgartner

Sent: 11/7/11
Received: 11/15/11
Time: 8 Days
Address: Home
Item Sent: 1991-92 Score Canadian, 1992-93 Ultra
Item Received: 1991-92 Score Canadian, 1992-93 Ultra.  Both signed in blue Sharpie.

Notes:
Appropriately nicknamed, "Bomber" was an enforcer through and through.  Over 12 NHL seasons he totaled over 2,200 penalty minutes and only 54 points.  Like a lot of other hockey tough guys, he's actually a very smart guy: following his playing career he obtained an MBA from Harvard.

Mark Osborne

Sent: 3/2/11
Received: 10/6/11
Time: 218 Days
Address: Home
Item Sent: 1982-83 O-Pee-Chee, 1984-85 Topps, 1990-91 Topps, 1991-92 Score Canadian
Item Received: 1982-83 O-Pee-Chee, 1984-85 Topps, 1990-91 Topps, 1991-92 Score Canadian.  All signed in thin black Sharpie.

Notes:
A solid two-way forward and an outstanding checker, Mark Osborne had fine seasons early in his career for the Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers, but he found his greatest success in two stints with the Toronto Maple Leafs.  This included career highs in assists (50) and points (73) during the 1989-90 season.  After a sabbatical of just over a year in Winnipeg, he returned to the Leafs and was a key player on the back-to-back conference finalists in 1993 and 1994.

Mike Foligno

Sent: 9/15/11
Received: 9/24/11
Time: 9 Days
Address: c/o Anaheim Ducks
Item Sent: 1984-85 Topps, 1990-91 Score, 1990-91 Upper Deck, 1991-92 Score Canadian
Item Received: 1984-85 Topps, 1990-91 Score, 1990-91 Upper Deck, 1991-92 Score Canadian.  All signed in black Sharpie.

Notes:
Mike Foligno was one of the most popular players in Buffalo Sabres history.  A team captain, he averaged approximately 25 goals and over 150 penalty minutes per year during his decade in Buffalo before finishing his career as a checking specialist for the Toronto Maple Leafs.  He peaked at 41 goals and 39 assists (both career highs) in 1985-86.  He is now an assistant coach for the Anaheim Ducks and has two sons playing pro hockey - Nick for the Ottawa Senators and Marcus in the Sabres organization.

Wendel Clark

Sent: 8/9/11
Received: 9/16/11
Time: 38 Days
Address: c/o Wendel Clark's Classic Sports Bar & Grill
Item Sent: 1991-92 Pro Set, 1991-92 Score Canadian
Item Received: 1991-92 Pro Set, 1991-92 Score Canadian.  Both signed in black Sharpie.

Notes:
Wendel Clark is revered by Maple Leafs fans from the last couple of generations, many of whom refer to him as "the greatest Leaf ever."  He was a fearless all-around player (of only five feet and ten inches) who would lay out body checks and drop the gloves with anyone, then bust out his rocket shot to score a game winner.  Perhaps because of his extreme physical play, injuries were a constant throughout his career (he would appear in 80 games only once in his fifteen seasons).  Still, one could make a compelling case that he was, pound for pound, the toughest hockey player of his era.

Lou Franceschetti

Sent: 8/9/11
Received: 9/10/11
Time: 32 Days
Address: Home
Item Sent: 1990-91 Pro Set, 1990-91 Upper Deck, 1991-92 Score Canadian
Item Received: 1990-91 Pro Set, 1990-91 Upper Deck, 1991-92 Score Canadian.  All signed in blue Sharpie.

Notes:
Physical winger Lou Franceschetti was one of the NHL's more notorious agitators during his late '80s stints with Washington.  His one full season in Toronto (1989-90) was easily the finest of his NHL career, as he notched career highs in games played (80), goals (21), and assists (15).  The next season, split between the Leafs and Sabres, was the last of his NHL career.

Dave Hannan

Sent: 5/21/11
Received: 6/30/11
Time: 40 Days
Address: Home
Item Sent: 1990-91 Pro Set, 1991-92 Score Canadian, 1991-92 Upper Deck
Item Received: 1990-91 Pro Set, 1991-92 Score Canadian, 1991-92 Upper Deck.  All signed in black marker.

Notes:
Dave Hannan was a grinder who logged 16 NHL seasons.  He is best known as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins (where he enjoyed his finest individual success), but also had long stints with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres.  Strangely, his two Stanley Cup titles each came as a late-season rent-a-player, for the 1988 Edmonton Oilers and 1996 Colorado Avalanche.  I am grateful to Mr. Hannan for these autographs, but I strongly encourage someone to send him a new Sharpie!

Keith Acton

Sent: 10/25/10
Received: 5/16/11
Time: 203 Days
Address: c/o Toronto Maple Leafs
Item Sent: 1984-85 O-Pee-Chee, 1985-86 Topps, 1991-92 Score Canadian
Item Received: 1984-85 O-Pee-Chee, 1985-86 Topps, 1991-92 Score Canadian.  All signed in blue Sharpie.

Notes:
Keith Acton had the misfortune of coming to Minnesota in the Bobby Smith trade.  As beloved as Bobby was to North Stars fans, the trade was hard to swallow.  Eventually Acton was able to win over the Met Center faithful with his hard-nosed, pesky ways.  A tenacious defender, he was the man called on to get under the opponent's skin.  He was traded to Edmonton midway through the 1987-88 season and won the Stanley Cup with the Oilers that season.  He is now an assistant coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Rob Zettler

Sent: 10/15/10
Received: 4/9/11
Time: 176 Days
Address: c/o Toronto Maple Leafs
Item Sent: 1990-91 Topps, 1991-92 Score Canadian, 1991-92 Score Rookie & Traded
Item Received: 1990-91 Topps, 1991-92 Score Canadian, 1991-92 Score Rookie & Traded.  All signed in blue Sharpie.

Notes:
At only 23 years old and with parts of three NHL seasons already under his belt, Zettler was arguably the Minnesota North Stars' biggest loss to the Sharks in the 1991 dispersal draft.  He was viewed as a solid prospect for the Stars' aging blue line.  While he didn't put up mind-blowing numbers during his career, he did hang around for 14 NHL seasons, retiring from the Washington Capitals in 2002.  He has worked as a coach and television analyst since and currently serves as an assistant for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Dave Poulin

Sent: 3/2/11
Received: 3/21/11
Time: 19 Days
Address: c/o Toronto Maple Leafs
Item Sent: 1984-85 Topps, 1989-90 Topps, 1991-92 Score Canadian
Item Received: 1984-85 Topps, 1989-90 Topps, 1991-92 Score Canadian.  All signed in black Sharpie.

Notes:
Dave Poulin looked like he was going to become a Flyers legend when he broke in to the NHL.  Over his first four seasons, the fine two-way center averaged over 72 points per season, ascended to captain, and took home the Selke Trophy as best defensive forward in 1987.  His scoring totals started to plummet from there, though, and a couple of years later he was traded to Philly's arch-rival Boston Bruins.  He remained a fine checking forward for a few more years with Boston and Washington, but never again regained the scoring touch he displayed at the beginning of his career.  He is now the Vice President of Hockey Operations for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Jeff Reese

Sent: 3/4/11
Received: 3/12/11
Time: 8 Days
Address: c/o Philadelphia Flyers SkateZone
Item Sent: 1991-92 Score Canadian
Item Received: 1991-92 Score Canadian, signed in black Sharpie.

Notes:
Jeff Reese was a well-traveled backup goalie throughout the nineties.  He played for six different NHL teams over his 11 years, never appearing in more than 30 games in any one season.  His best year came with Calgary in 1992-93 when he went 14-4-1 as Mike Vernon's backup.  He has found great success as a goaltending coach, though.  He won the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004 and is now in his second year with the Philadelphia Flyers.  Last year he was able to help Michael Leighton temporarily transform from AHL journeyman to Stanley Cup Playoffs world-beater.  (If that's not evidence of great coaching... )  This year, his tandem of rookie Sergei Bobrovsky and fossil Brian Boucher has been good enough to keep the Flyers in the hunt for the top seed in the East.

Tom Kurvers

Sent: 1/3/11
Received: 1/15/11
Time: 12 Days
Address: c/o Tampa Bay Lightning
Item Sent: 1990-91 Upper Deck, 1991-92 Score Canadian Series 1, 1991-92 Score Canadian Series 2, 1991-92 Score Rookie & Traded
Item Received: 1990-91 Upper Deck, 1991-92 Score Canadian Series 1, 1991-92 Score Canadian Series 2, 1991-92 Score Rookie & Traded.  All signed in black Sharpie.

Notes:
Minneapolis native Tom Kurvers won the 1984 Hobey Baker award as a senior at Minnesota-Duluth (the second Minnesotan to win the award, following Neal Broten) and followed that with a solid 11-year pro career.  He was an excellent offensive defenseman, with 421 points in 659 NHL games, but couldn't defend worth a lick.  He is currently Steve Yzerman's assistant general manager in Tampa Bay.

Joel Quenneville

Sent: 11/19/10
Received: 12/8/10
Time: 19 Days
Address: c/o Chicago Blackhawks
Item Sent: 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee, 1984-85 Topps
Item Received: 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee, 1984-85 Topps.  Both signed in black Sharpie.

Notes:
I assume Joel Quenneville's money is no good in Chicago after leading the Blackhawks to their first Stanley Cup in 49 years last spring.  It was a crowning achievement for one of the most successful and recognizable NHL coaches of the last 15 years.  Quenneville and his magnificent mustache enjoyed several prosperous years in St. Louis and Colorado before getting the Blackhawks gig.  While NHL coaching tenures are always volatile, he should be able to stay in Chicago for as long as he wants.