Feb 29--Leap year baby

This ends the month and the final tally is 24/29 or 82%. Strange that some days with 23 players birthdates and I have nothing. Leap year occurs every four years.
There have been 8 players who celebrate their birthdays as a leap year baby. And I have autographs of three of them.



Lets go with.....

Dan Daoust

Dan Daoust was considered too small by most NHL scouts and was not selected by any NHL team coming out of junior, this despite the fact he had three successful years playing with the Cornwall Royals, where he scored over 40 goals in two seasons while recording 103 points in his final season in 1979-80.

The Montreal Canadiens opted to take a chance on Daoust who listed his height and weight as 5'10" and 160 pounds, though he was somewhat smaller. They signed him as a free agent in 1980.

In 1982-83, Daoust was called up to the Montreal Canadiens where he played four games, tallying a lone assist. Soon thereafter, Daoust was off to join the Toronto Maple Leafs, where the bulk of his NHL career would be defined. In 48 games with the Leafs that year, Daoust contributed 18 goals and 33 assists for 51 points. He had high expectations for himself the following year, and he came through as promised. In 78 games, Daoust averaged almost a point per game, scoring 18 times while assisting on 56 others for 74 points. In 1984-85 he played in 79 games, but his production dropped a bit to 54 points. It turned out to be a sign for things to come. In 1985-86, he managed just 20 points in 80 games.

Daoust played a total of eight years in Toronto, becoming a fan favourite along the way. Despite his lack of size, he was always willing to stick his nose into a scrum. The final numbers for Daoust read 522 games played, 87 goals, 167 assists, 254 points, and 544 minutes in penalties.

Received these autos IP. IT would appear it was three different times as I have a blue ink, black sharpie and blue sharpie sig. Most likely at NHL SloPitch tourney in different years.

Blue ink signed The Hockey News. One good thing getting these signed is you get one huge autograph.

Feb 28--Hockey Night in Brantford

Nothing for the 23 players who have today as their birthdate.

So I'm thinking ahead to Hockey Night in Brantford on Aug 15 2012 to raise funds for the United Way.

http://www.hockeynightinbrantford.ca/sponsorship.htm

Maybe ROY??? Adam Henrique will be there. I got last years Calder winner Jeff Skinner at the Memorial Cup. 

=========================================================

Today is Trade Deadline Day. This has somehow become must see TV, internet, radio and just about every media platform. Each station seems to have a zillion experts who will try to break any trade story and then dissect it to death. And yes. I'll be keeping up to date to see what my Leafs will do. A number one goalie? A top six forward?  A tumble from the top eight playoff teams (a 1-7-1 record), several players in slumps, a pending roster shakeup and the usual fan and media pressure has unsettled the dressing room.
=======================================================

Saturday’s pre-game ceremony against the Capitals celebrated the 50th anniversary of the 1962 Stanley Cup champions, the first of 3 in a row. I was a mere lad of 10 and thought this would go on forever. Maybe we should sign some of these guys up for this years stretch run.

=========================================================

Back in the day, I used to take my youngest daughter to card shows and stores. She used to have good luck picking up some inserts and some of the better cards. We were out Sunday and went to a dollar store for some things. They had some packs of 11/12 Score so I had her pick me out a pack.

So I got a base card of Trevor Gillies and the Gold Rush parallel. Well, odds of 1:36. Too bad it wasn't somebody else but still....
=======================================================



Labeled an outcast by his brainy family, a bouncer overcomes long odds to lead a team of under performing misfits to semi-pro hockey glory, beating the crap out of everything that stands in his way.

Slapshot, Youngblood, Happy Gilmore.......

Violence in hockey?  Probably won't pay to see this at  the theatre but maybe rent when it comes out on video.


Half the game is mental; the other half is being mental. ~Jim McKenny

And how is your day going?

Feb 27--Mike Kaszycki

Mike Kaszycki

Selected by New York Islanders round 2 #32 overall 1976 NHL Amateur Draft
Selected by New England Whalers round 4 #38 overall 1976 WHA Amateur Draft.

He was a spectacular junior scoring star. After helping the Toronto Marlies win the Memorial Cup in 1975, Kaszycki joined the Soo Greyhounds and rewrote the OHA record book by scoring an amazing 170 points - 51 goals and 119 assists. Despite his scoring prowess, Kaszycki never really caught on with the Islanders, who were soon to begin their Stanley Cup dynasty with 4 consecutive championships. But he would be traded to Washington in December 1979.Kaszycki could never keep a roster spot in either Washington or Toronto soon after that. This despite lighting up the American Hockey League with seasons of 118 and 110 points. He won the league scoring title, MVP and sportsmanship trophies, as well as first all star team designation.
Despite his forgotten career, Kaszycki does go down in history for a unique incident. Back on June 1st, 1979 the NHL grandfathered in a clause that made helmets mandatory for all new players in the league. Established players, like Kaszycki, were told they would be allowed to continue to play without a helmet, so long as they signed a waiver. Kaszycki never did sign his, and it was brought to the referees attention in the middle of a game in 1981. Kaszycki was forced to leave the game as he was declared ineligible to play, and he was forced to play the rest of his career with a helmet. 

CAREER NHL STATISTICS Years Teams GP G A TP PIM 1977-1983 NYI, Washington, Toronto 226 42 80 122 108

CAREER NHL PLAYOFF STATISTICS Years Teams GP G A TP PIM 1978-1980 N.Y. Islanders, Toronto 19 2 6 8 10

Received this blue ink signed card IP at the NHL SloPitch tourney.

Feb 26--Larry Bolonchuk

Larry Bolonchuk

Selected by Vancouver Canucks round 5 #67 overall 1972 NHL Amateur Draft.

He gained the respect of those on his team and other opponents as a strong defensive player who took care of business in his own zone. 

   He did dress for 15 games with the Canucks that fall of '72 but the majority of his season was spent in the minors with the Seattle Totems.

In the summer of 1974 Bolonchuk was claimed by the Washington Capitals in the Expansion Draft. But in his first three years in the Capitals' organization he was called up for only ten games. He finally had a breakthrough season in 1977-78 when he suited up for 49 games with Washington but still seemed to be a fringe player at best. Given the fact the Capitals were still one of the worst teams in the NHL at the time, it was clear if Bolonchuk couldn't make it in Washington he was not going to be picked up by any other team.

Bolonchuk played another two years in the minors but was never called back to the NHL. He retired after the 1979-80 season at the age of 28.

As of 2010, Bolonchuk was employed as a Senior Fire Prevention Officer with the Winnipeg Fire Department.

CAREER NHL STATISTICS
Years	Teams	GP	G	A	TP	PIM
1972-1978	Vancouver, Washington	74	3	9	12	97

Received these blue ink signed cards TTM.

Return envelope postmarked 1986.

Feb 25--King Clancy

King Clancy

King," a nickname inherited from his equally outstanding athletic father (a football star), joined the Ottawa Senators at the young age of 18, and soon became a regular. He quickly established himself as one of the NHL's elite. Playing along sign George Boucher, Clancy helped the Sens win Stanley Cups in 1924 and 1927.

Clancy was an outstanding rushing defenseman, totaling 136 goals and 143 assists before retiring early in the 1936-37 season.

Following his retirement as a player, he then became a referee for 11 years. He returned to coach the Leafs from 1953 to 1956, then moved up to become assistant manager, although he did return for a stint as interim coach in 1971-72.
King Clancy eagerly accepted the Maple Leafs position as a good- will ambassador almost until his death in 1986.

Got these blue ink signed The Hockey News IP. This was during a taping of Don Cherry's Grapevine TV show during the 80's.

Feb 24--Time Tunnel--Sept 27 1986

Since I have no autographed items for any of the 19 players with today as their birthdate, lets take a trip back to Saturday Sept 27 1986.

Souvenir program with $1.00 price tag.

The host and presenters welcome messages to fans.

Boston Bruins lineup.

Washington Capitals lineup.

Now, I don't remember actually going to this game and I don't remember where I got the program.I don't remember doing any autograph hounding. I don't remember what I had for lunch yesterday. Most things I have I can put a story to but this eludes me. While trying to find information on this, I saw the exact same program on Kijiji for $40.00.

Now we jump into the Delorean to Feb 2007.

Attention Messier Fans - Free Limited Edition Mark Messier commemorative cards available across Canada at more than 1,100 Rexall family of pharmacies locations

EDMONTON, Feb. 21 /CNW/ - On Tuesday, February 27 2007 a historic event in
hockey will take place - Mark Messier's No.11 banner will rise to the top of
Rexall Place in Edmonton joining the retired numbers of Oilers teammates such
as Wayne Gretzky. Two Edmonton-based companies, Rexall and COLD-fX, are not
only partnering to present additional events in honour of the hockey legend in
Edmonton on February 26 and 27. Rexall and COLD-fX are also offering free Mark
Messier commemorative cards from coast to coast, exclusively at Rexall family
of pharmacies beginning February 24.
    The glossy commemorative homecoming cards depict a collage of favourite Mark Messier Oilers moments and the back of the card lists career highlights
and statistics spanning from 1976 to 2004.
    Visit www.rexall.ca for your nearest Rexall family of pharmacies location
- Rexall, Pharma Plus, Medicine Shoppe, Guardian and I.D.A. Quantities are
limited.

Now I didn't know of this giveaway. I had to go to Pharma Plus to pick up a prescription. While I was waiting I walked around and saw these cards for the taking. I saw. I took. Free is always good. You never know when something will pop up so I'm always on the look out. Not a Messier fan but anything HOCKEY rules. Now some memories are floating back.

I had Portuguese chicken for lunch yesterday.

Feb 23--Jim Thompson

Jim Thomson




The Winnipeg native was a junior standout in Toronto with the St. Michael's Majors for two years. He spent most of his first pro season in 1945-46 with the AHL's Pittsburgh Hornets before joining the Maple Leafs on a full time basis the next year.

In all, "Jeems" supplied toughness and leadership on the Toronto defense for eleven seasons. He was regarded as one of the league's toughest foes and placed on the NHL Second All-Star team in 1951 and 1952. He also participated in seven All-Star Games and was an integral part of Stanley Cup wins in 1947, 1948, 1949 and 1951. During the 1956-57 season he spent time as the Leaf's captain. Prior to the 1957-58 schedule, Thomson was traded to the Chicago Black Hawks for cash. The deal was a result of Thomson's involvement with Ted Lindsay's attempt to found a player's association. He suited up for 70 games in the Windy City and helped solidify the team's blueline before retiring at the end of the regular season. 

Received this blue ink signed card TTM.

Feb 22--Pat Lafontaine

Pat Lafontaine



Selected by New York Islanders round 1 #3 overall 1983 NHL Entry Draft.

Joined N.Y. Islanders for balance of 1983-84 season after competing in 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo.

Lafontaine was the next generation of Islanders greats. He was the guy expected to take the torch from Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier and company. He was the top player in the post-championship era on Long Island.

But it wasn't until a 1991 trade to Buffalo in exchange for Pierre Turgeon that Lafontaine blossomed into one of the greatest players in the league. Finding a unique chemistry with Alexander Mogilny. Lafontaine erupted with 46 goals and 93 points in just 57 games in 1991-92. In his second season, 1992-93, he challenged Mario Lemieux for the NHL scoring title when he tallied 53 goals and 148 points. Mogilny shared the league lead in goal scoring with an amazing 76!

Reconstructive knee surgery caused Lafontaine to miss much of the 1993-94 and half of the 1994-95 season. When he did return, he was honored as the Bill Masterton trophy winner for his dedication and perseverance to the game.  But in 1996-97 tragedy struck again. Pat only played in 13 contests as he was sidelined with post-concussion syndrome. Lafontaine wanted to play despite not having clearance from the Sabres doctors. Lafontaine demanded to be traded to a team who had doctors that would clear him to play. On September 29, 1997 he was traded to the New York Rangers.
Lafontaine made his return, but was always one hit away from having to retire for his own good. After 67 games which saw Lafontaine score 23 goals and 62 points, Lafontaine collided with one of his old teammates, and suffered his 5th serious concussion.

In June of 2003, LaFontaine was selected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Received these at two different IP signings. The RC in thin black marker was at the NHL SloPitch tourney while the two blue sharpie ones obtained at Don Koharski's business during the 90's.

Feb 21--Larry Melnyk

Larry Melnyk

Selected by Boston Bruins round 4 #78 overall 1979 NHL Entry Draft.

Larry Melnyk was a rugged stay-at-home defenceman on four different clubs in the 1980s and '90s. He played his position well in his own zone and moved the puck up to his forwards with a minimum of difficulty. Melnyk split the 1980-81 season between the NHL and the AHL's Springfield Indians. The next year, he played 48 games and helped the team reach the seventh game of the Adams Division finals. In March 1984, he was sent to the Edmonton Oilers for another defenceman, John Blum. He was strictly a role player for the star-studded club but did see action in twelve playoff games when they won the Stanley cup in 1985.

The New York Rangers acquired Melnyk in December 1985 to add more grit to their blueline. He spent nearly two years there before he was sent to the Vancouver Canucks for Michel Petit. Melynk was his usual steady self on the West Coast and was on hand in 1989 when the club came within an overtime goal of upsetting the Calgary Flames in the first round of the playoffs. He retired after playing 67 games for Vancouver in 1989-90.

CAREER NHL STATISTICS Years Teams GP G A TP PIM 1980-1990 BOS, EDM, NYR, VAN 432 11 63 74 686

CAREER NHL PLAYOFF STATISTICS Years Teams GP G A TP PIM 1982-1989 BOS, EDM, NYR, VAN 66 2 9 11 127

 

Signed my CIC in blue ink TTM.

 

Also signed this newspaper clipping I sent in blue ink.

Feb 20--21 Players

Nothing today for the 21 players with today as their birthdate.

I feel shame.

On the other hand, it gives me an opportunity to share another item from my vault.

Now Kevin over at  Kev...Kaberle...Cards, a new blog, http://mostlyhockeysportscards.wordpress.com/

shared a weird find from his Tomas Kaberle collection. I was going to write about this set anyway, so I guess this is a good a time as any.

 Toronto Maple Leafs 2002/03 Medallion Collection

In conjunction with The Toronto Sun newspaper, this promotion started on Sunday Feb 9. In that issue, you could get a free Toronto Maple Leafs Medallion Album.

Starting Feb 10 and running to March 5, you could collect 24 medallions. This would cost you $2.59 plus taxes and coupon from the paper. Paper in Toronto was $0.50. This was also limited to while supplies last.

Album front cover

Inside back page where you could insert medallion.

Now each days coupon had an image of the medallion of the day. They weren't in any order that I could discern.  So my scans will be in alphabetical order.

Nik Antopov  Wade Belak  Ed Belfour

Aki Berg  Shayne Corson  Tie Domi

Tom Fitzgerald Travis Green Paul Healey

Jonas Hoglund  Rik Jackman  Tomas Kaberle

Trevor Kidd  Jyrkki Lumme Bryan McCabe

Alyn McCauley  Alex Mogilny  Robert Reichel

Mikael Renberg  Gary Roberts  Mats Sundin

Robert Svelha   Darcy Tucker  TML Heritage Logo

As you can tell from the header card, there are 24 medallions to collect.

But wait. There is now a special offer coupon to collect FOUR (4) addional players that were acquired later in the season.



Doug Gilmour  Phil Housley

Owen Nolan Glen Wesley

There we have all 28 medallions and album now for your viewing pleasure.  Check back later for more promotions like this that were run in other years.

Looking at these and I didn't remember that some of these guys were Leafs.

Feb 19--Randy Gregg

Randy Gregg

Gregg attended the University of Alberta to work toward a medical degree, and playing hockey was a secondary priority. He received a contract offer from the New York Rangers but rejected it to spend the year with the Canadian national team, and captained Canada's entry at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid.

Following the 1980 Olympics, Gregg took the unusual step of signing in Japan as a player-coach, and spent two full seasons playing there. He was at last convinced to accept an NHL offer by his hometown Edmonton Oilers, and joined the team for the 1982 playoffs, appearing in 4 games.

Gregg appeared in 474 NHL games, recording 41 goals and 152 assists for 193 points along with 333 penalty minutes. He also appeared in 137 playoff games, totaling 13 goals and 40 assists for 53 points.

Following his retirement, Gregg completed his residency training program at the University of Alberta. He is presently a family physician, operating a successful sports medicine practice in Edmonton.

Received these blue ink signed cards TTM.

He included this blue ink signed paper photo.

Return envelope with enclosed note.

Feb 18--Dick Duff

Dick Duff

During his third and final year of junior with St. Mike's Majors, Dick led the team in scoring once again with 53 points, but also made his NHL debut, joining the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 10, 1955 for the first of three games with the parent club. Later that season, the Majors beat the Regina Pats to collect the Memorial Cup for 1955. Dick led the Majors in scoring that season.

In 1955-56, the 19-year-old Duff landed a full time spot with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Duff played with Toronto, Montreal, Los Angeles, Buffalo and the New York Rangers during an 18-year career that ended in 1972. He won a total of six Stanley Cups with the Maple Leafs and the Canadiens, was a seven-time All-Star and finished his career with 283 goals and 572 points in 1,030 games. Through 114 playoff contests, Dick scored 30 goals and 49 assists

On November 13, 2006 he was inducted into Hockey Hall of Fame.

Received these items signed IP, gold paint pen card abd blue sharpie postcard. Obtained as a Mr.Sub grand opening. I thought I would get there before the 11:00 appearance but that was not necessary. I was the only one there. I got my items signed, talked to him and had free sub samples. After about 1/2 hour, someone else came in so I left. This was in 1996 so a good ten years before he was named to the HHOF.

Feb 17--Luc Robitaille

Luc Robitaille





Selected by Los Angeles Kings round 9 #171 overall 1984 NHL Entry Draft.


The Kings got a bit "lucky" when "Lucky Luc" Robitaille's career blossomed following his draft year. Doubts of his skating ability still plagued him but he managed to shake that reputation in 1987 as he won the Calder trophy as the National Hockey League's best rookie. Robitaille made up for any skating deficiencies with one of the most accurate shots in NHL history. He was a regular leader in shooting percentage, thanks to a number of reasons. He worked himself into high percentage scoring areas, often down low and in tight. Though a defender might have been draped all over him, he always kept his stick unchecked. He would release his shot in the blink of an eye, usually just burying passes and rebounds with no backswing at all.
He reached the 500-goal milestone in a game against the Buffalo Sabres on January 9, 1999. Only the sixth left winger in league history to reach the plateau, Robitaille scored the goal in his 928th NHL game, making him the 12th fastest ever to accomplish the feat.
With 557 of his 668 career NHL goals coming in a Los Angeles uniform he retired as the Kings all time leading goal scorer. He later became the fifth King to have his jersey #20 retired, joining Gretzky, Rogie Vachon, Marcel Dionne and Dave Taylor.

CAREER NHL STATISTICS Years Teams GP G A TP PIM 1986-2005 LA, PIT, NYR, DET 1,380 658 720 1,378 1,133

CAREER NHL PLAYOFF STATISTICS Years Teams GP G A TP PIM 1987-2003 LA, PIT, NYR, DET 159 58 69 127 174

Received these black sharpie autos IP. Don't remember where but I believe at the NHL SloPitch tourney.

Feb 16--Darcy Rota

Darcy Rota

Selected by Chicago Blackhawks round 1 #13 overall 1973 NHL Amateur Draft
Selected by Houston Aeros round 1 #9 overall 1973 WHA Amateur Draft.

In the early years with the Hawks, he was tossed onto a line with Stan Mikita and Cliff Koroll. In such company, Rota became a steady scorer from day one. Several seasons later, he jumped to a line with Dale Tallon and Chico Maki where he continued to be a consistent performer.

In 1979, however, the Hawks couldn't resist the opportunity to get their hands on Tom Lysiak of the Atlanta Flames. The two clubs cooked up a blockbuster trade that swept Rota down to Georgia along with Phil Russell and Ivan Boldriev.

Rota's career with the Flames lasted little more than a season before he was traded to the Vancouver Cancuks in 1980. On the West Coast, he turned his offensive game up to his personal-best level, netting 81 points during the 1982-83 campaign. The following season, however, he suffered a serious spinal injury that raised talk of wheelchairs and retirement. But after neck surgery, the wheelchair was ruled out while retirement was ushered in.

 

CAREER NHL STATISTICS Years Teams GP G A TP PIM 1973-1984 Chicago, Atlanta, Vancouver 794 256 239 495 973

CAREER NHL PLAYOFF STATISTICS Years Teams GP G A TP PIM 1974-1984 Chicago, Atlanta, Vancouver 60 14 7 21 147

Received these blue ink signed cards TTM.

Feb 15--Marty Dallman

Marty Dallman




Selected by Los Angeles Kings round 4 #81 overall 1981 NHL Entry Draft.

Dallman spent two seasons with the Kings farm club in New Haven then signed a free agent contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1986. The 1986-97 was also spent entirely in the minors but the following year Dallman got quick cup of coffee in the NHL.
The Leafs summoned Dallman for two games and he responded with an assist. Though much of the next season was spent in the minors yet again, Dallman did return to the Leafs roster for four more games but he was unable to register a point.
With his Leaf contract up Dallman headed to Austria to continue his career and played five seasons there. While in Austria he became a citizen and represented the country in both the World Championships and the 1994 Olympic Games.
After playing a handful of games in Switzerland during the 1994-95 season Dallman returned to North American and played with the East Coast Hockey League's South Carolina Stingrays. Dallman returned to Austria the next season then moved on to Britain's Superleague to play for the Nottingham Panthers.
For Dallman's final season as a player he returned to North America and signed a deal with the Albilene Aviators of the Western Professional League. Dallman had an outstanding season scoring 30 goals and 67 points in 59 games. Dallman left the ice but remained with the Aviators becoming the team's head coach following his retirement as a player.

CAREER NHL STATISTICS
Years	Teams	GP	G	A	TP	PIM
1988	Toronto	6	0	1	1	0

Signed my CIC in blue ink TTM.

Included this colour postcard unsigned.