2026 National Free Signer - Reid Simpson

The free signers from the 2026 National are drawing to a close soon, with just a few to go. Tonight, I share another hockey player, Reid Simpson. I didn't have anything for Simpson, but the same vendor who had the other signers hooked me up with a few Simpsons. I also took some of his to get signed, which helped me get a few cards for free of Simpson and Geovany Soto.

Simpson (b. 1969) played from 1991 to 1993 and 1994 to 2004, missing the 1993-1994 season. He played for the Flyers, North Stars, Devils, Blackhawks, Lightning, Blues, Canadiens, Predators and Penguins. He had 18 goals and 18 assists, for 36 points.

Simpson was pretty cool. I didn't know much about him, but he jad some nice cards, and it was nice to add them to the autograph album.

2023 National Free Signer - Murray Bannerman

There was only one hockey player that ingot at the National, and it was former Blackhawks goalie, Murray Bannerman.  He was pretty serious about his masks, so I chose the above card to get signed.

Bannerman (b. 1957) played from 1977 to 1987 for the Canucks and Blackhawks.  He had a 116-125 record as a goalie in his career with an 88% save percentage on shots on goal.  

I thought the above card would look cool in my album, so that's the one I picked up from the vendor who was selling the cards of the free signers.

TTM Success - Rogie Vachon

I believe this is the last of the vintage hockey card TTMs that I sent out back in August.  I was able to get Rogie Vachon on two cards that Max gave me back at the National.

I haven't tried to look up the other two guys on this card, but I might when I get some time.

Vachon (b. 1945) played professionally from 1966 to 1982 for the Montreal Canadiens, LA Kings, some hockey team from Detroit that I have never heard of, ever... and the Boston Bruins.  As a goalie, he had a record of 353 wins and 293 losses.  He won the Stanley Cup in 67-68 and 68-69 with the Canadiens.  He was a two-time All Star and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2016.

I mailed to Vachon on August 22 and got the cards back on November 8, for a 78-day TAT.

TTM Success - Larry Jeffrey

Here is another of the vintage hockey cards that I was able to get signed TTM.  This is a 1970-1971 Topps card of former Red Wing, Larry Jeffrey.

The card turned out pretty sharp.  I especially liked it because it was a Red Wing.  I may or may not have heard of the hockey team from Detroit once or twice.

Jeffrey (b. 1940) played from 1961 to 1969 for the Red Wings, Maple Leafs and Rangers.  He had 39 goals, 62 assists and 101 points.  He won the Stanley Cup in 1967 with the Rangers.

I mailed to Jeffrey on September 17 and got the card back on October 3, 2019, for a 16-day TAT.

I had ordered a book of Canada-to-US stamps online, and bought some US-to-Canada stamps at my local post office.  Those have helped me expand my TTM requests a bit.  I hope the 5 people who read this blog have enjoyed the small change of pace.

TTM Success - Gary Sabourin

Another of the hockey cards that Max gave me came back signed recently; this one being from Gary Sabourin.  This is a 1970-1971 Topps, and looks pretty sharp.  Sabourin has a really nice signature.

Sabourin (b. 1943) played from 1967 to 1977 for the St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs, California Golden Seals and the Cleveland Barons.  He had 169 goals, 188 assists and 357 points. 

I mailed to Sabourin on August 22 and got the card back signed on October 3, for a 42-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jude Drouin

I have gotten almost all of the hockey guys back that I initially sent off when I got my box of vintage hockey from my buddy, Max.  I think I have one more out pending.  I really liked this success from Jude Drouin, because he was kind enough to send the above photo.  I always like it when players include their own stuff in a TTM request.

I also got these hockey cards done.  They were from left to right: 1972-1973 Topps, 1971-1972 Topps and a 1974-1975 Topps that someone wrote on signifying that Drouin had moved on to the Islanders.

Drouin (b. 1948) played from 1968 to 1981 for the Montreal Canadiens, Minnesota North Stars, New York Islanders and the Winnipeg Jets.  He had 151 goals, 305 assists for 456 points. 

I mailed to Drouin on August 22 and got the cards back on September 23, for a 32-day TAT.

TTM Success - Bert Marshall

 I got some more vintage hockey cards signed in this TTM success from Bert Marshall.  The cards came from my friend, Max, in a box I got off of him at the National for $10.00.  I'm really glad I got it, because otherwise, I wouldn't have had these cards, and I probably wouldn't have picked up singles on my own.  The above card is a 73-74 Topps.

This card is a 71-72 Topps, and it also shows off the uniform and logo of the now-defunct California Golden Seals.  The Seals were part of the NHL expansion in 1967, but never really performed all that well.  They ended up moving to Cleveland in 1976.  They competed as the Cleveland Barons until 1978, and then folded.

Marshall (b. 1943) played in the NHL from 1965 to 1979 for the Red Wings, Golden Seals, Rangers and Islanders.  He appeared in 392 games, scoring 8 goals and 87 assists.

I mailed to Marshall on August 22 and got the cards back on September 3, for a 12-day TAT.

2019 National Free Signer - Marcel Dionne

I gave away my VIP vouchers for Marcel Dionne pretty quickly.  I was going to focus only on baseball players, and had searched for cards for all of those guys.  Since I had no hockey, football or basketball cards, I sold or traded away all of those players with vouchers.  Then, on the day Dionne was signing, Max came to the show with a box of vintage baseball and hockey that he picked up, and sold to me for $10.00.  He (and I) figured that I could use the vintage cards for TTMs.  As I looked through them, I found these two Dionne cards.  I told Max "Ah crap, he's out there signing right now!".

I happened to have two wild cards on me, and luckily, they were taking them for Dionne because he signed so fast.  So, I got both of the cards done, and I was able to get rid of some wild cards.

Dionne (b. 1951) played in the NHL 1971 to 1989 for the Detroit Red Wings (never heard of them), LA Kings and New York Rangers.  In his career, he had 731 goals, 1,040 assists, and amassed 1,771 points.  He was a 4-time All Star.  His awards include the "Lady Byng Memorial Trophy" which is awarded to the player who "exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability" in the 74/75 and 76/77 seasons.

He was the winner of the Lester B. Pearson Award (now known as the Ted Lindsay Award) which goes to the most outstanding player, as selected by the NHLPA in the 78/79 and 79/80 seasons.  He also won the Art Ross Trophy, which is awarded to the top poinl-scorer for the season, in 1979/80.

His 731 goals rank 5th all-time; his 1,040 assists rank 11th all-time; and his 1,771 points rank 6th all-time.  He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992.

Are the Red Wings any good?

Blog on Location Day 2 - NHL Red Carpet

We spent a good portion of today hanging out in the hotel room because everyone was worn out from last night's festivities. Because Fan Fair was in Downtown Raleigh and our hotel was right beside the RBC Center, we elected to skip the drive today because we all were needing to save some cash, and everyone really got everything they needed yesterday. The Red Carpet player intros were at 4PM today, and the place was packed. We were able to get a good spot close enough to the railing where we got some good autos. I also gave a pen and a puck to a lady in front of me who was playing blocker so her kid could get autos. I had purchased 2 silver sharpies yesterday in hopes to getting some pucks signed... I will be taking them back and will be asking for a refund because they failed epically.
The one time my marker didn't fail, though, was when I was able to get a signature from Carolina Hurricane Eric Staal. I'm glad the signature that worked out was a very good player.

The sharpie kind of worked for Cam Ward, another Carolina Hurricane. I've heard of both he and Staal, so I was happy to get these guys. I wanted to get 18-year old phenom Jeff Skinner, too, but was unable to. Oh well. I'm happy with my score.

I asked the lady in front of me if she would hold out one of my pucks, and she did so without fail. I was really happy with all the signatures she loaded on here for me.

Here is the other side of the puck, which looks pretty sweet. I repaid her by giving her son an official 2011 All Star game puck, which she was very appreciative.

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I also helped out a really nice kid from Raleigh. We talked some baseball while we were waiting for the players to come out, and when they did, I got his jersey signed for him since there wasn't any room for me to sneak out of the pile and let him in. He was a nice enough guy and I know he was really happy that I got that jersey out there and had it signed by some big named players. I should have taken a picture of it, but I wasn't thinking about that at the time. Oh well.
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Check back later on for my next post - NHL Skills competition. I took a few pictures from there that I will share.

First Ever 'Blog on Location' - NHL All Star Fan Fair

Hello to everyone. I'm in wonderful Raleigh, NC, site of the 2011 NHL All Star game. Today, the pre All Star festivities include the NHL Fan Fair.

There are a bunch of vendor booths, photo-ops, souvenirs, etc. We made the rounds, taking in all of the sites and sounds of the event. I am not a hockey fan, however, my wife, being from Detroit, is a HUGE Red Wings fan, so this is her Birthday/Christmas present. I took a picture of my wife with what appeared to me to be a giant Muppet. I was informed that this is the Montreal Canadiens' mascot... Interesting looking fellow.

Here is our good friend Babe-O-Licious with Blades, the Boston Bruins mascot. Babe is the person who arranged the whole trip. She is the queen of sports themed trips and is always the one who I call when I need to get somewhere.

I liked the 'Guardian Project' poster they had up, so I took a picture of the Red Wing guy for my wife because I knew she'd love it.

Here is the poster itself. Pretty cool. I may try to find one for Chris' bedroom.

You can't erase the smile from my wife's face. I'm glad I was able to get her tickets to the Skills competition (we couldn't get cheap enough All Star game tickets, but we went in 2008 when they were in Atlanta). To me, the skills competition is more fun anyway.

Here is my feeble attempt at a slap-shot. Notice my handling of the hockey stick. You can tell I had never swung a stick in my life. I think they clocked my puck (one I connected with it) at a whopping 28 miles per hour. Oh well, it was fun anyway. Look mom, I'm wearing the custom jersey you got us for Christmas!!

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Check back tomorrow evening when we get back from the Skills Competition. I'm hoping for a good time, and I'm sure it will be. Have a good night, I'm going to hang with the crew and have a couple beverages!

Thoughts on Upper Deck Champs Hockey

I, as you all know, don't really care for hockey. I went to the 2008 All Star Game when it was in Atlanta and had a blast. My wife loves hockey and the Detroit Red Wings, so I have some exposure to it, and I follow how her team is doing.

When someone bought the 2010 Upper Deck Champs Hockey from the shop the other day, I was curious as to what it was all about, since there is a big dinosaur on the packaging.

It seems that the set has historical figures, artifacts, dinosaurs, and oh yeah, some hockey players. I picked up 2 packs. Here is an example of one of the dinosaur cards. Pretty cool. Fits right in with my major, haha.

I also got this Steve Yzerman (one of my wife's favorite players). She was happy when I brought this home... Too bad it will end up with my cards anyway.

I am seriously considering building this set... or at least busting a box to see what I get. I love the design. I wish they would do something baseball like this. We'll see, I guess.

Vintage Card Picku...wait a second, a HOCKEY CARD??

That's right boys and girls. Me, Mr. I'mnotreallyahockeyfan... I spent money on a 'Vintage' hockey card. Riddle me this Batman, why in the blue hell would I spend money on this particular hockey card, and this particular player?


Ted Irvine, from what I understand, he was a pretty decent player. By no means a hall of famer, but a decent player.


Would anyone care to venture a guess as to why I would get this card? Oh, it is a rookie card, but that's not why I bought it...

Look closely at his face. Look familiar?

Finally my Upper Deck Redemption Replacement came...

When i got home tonight from the card shop, I had a nice little package awaiting me... it was my replacement card for the Daniel Alfredsson Hockey redemption I sent off for however long ago I sent it off.. I didnt even care too much about it, but when i opened the package, I was pleasantly surprised... I got a sweet Red Wing card for my wife. Check it out... and she was annoyed when I turned the bedroom light on and showed her 'the cool card Upper Deck sent me.' She was very happy when she realized the card was for her...

Upper Deck Redemption

During a 'pack opening party' with Babe-O-Licious, I pulled a redemption card: DANIEL ALFREDSSON05/06 NHL SP GAME USED AUTHENTIC FABRICS AUTO// CD# AAF-DA # TO 75... When I went to redeem it, it said that the card was not produced, please call for a replacement. So, I am, currently on hold. Maybe they will let me swap it out for a sweet baseball card instead since I only included the Hockey cards because Mallory (my wife) is a hockey fan... I'll let you guys know what they let me swap out.