Panini Score

I recently broke open some packs of Panini hockey score- a product that came out a few weeks ago. I was extermely impressed by the quality of the cards, and how many different sets you could collect out of just one product. There are autographs, glossy cards, snow globes, net cam cards, etc. I simply think that it is worth the money, considering that you can pull autographs out of packs.

If I were to rate this product I would rate it an 8 and a half out of 10.

Thanks for reading! And happy holidays!
I will probably have another writeup in the next few days.

Writing Update, Some New Personal Collections! :)

Well, it has been a long time since I last posted. Time just flies by.
No TTM autographs for a while. The last one that came is still the Jeff Deslauriers.
But I have still been getting some mail. Last month, I decided to collect In The Game, Between he Pipes goalie equipment. The cards have been starting to accumilate, and I now have four. I think BTP is a really cool set, and I think ITG has some really good quality cards, no matter how cheap or expensive they can get. No matter what type of of budget you are on, you will almost always be able to afford a box of an ITG product. Hoereos and Prospects as well as Between the Pipes have been popular, their boxes are well priced, and the cards are good quality.
Just my opinion.

I have also started a player collection of Colorado Avalanche rookie, Brandon Yip. I just think he is a very solid and good player, as well as a nice player off the ice hence the reason I chose him. So far I only have one card of him, haha. Only have a Victory rookie of him...well at least I have one card lol. I will have 2 cards of him in the next week or so...just expecting a Score base card, nothing much.

Happy collecting, and Thanks for reading!

No Mail, But Hansen Signs!

I'v haven't gotten anything in the mail recently. Well, hopefully I will get one package in the mail tomorrow.

But some good news came from the Vancouver Canucks today, and that is that they signed foward, Jannik Hansen! Hansen had 1 goal, and 2 assists in 12 playoff games. Pretty good in my opinion. He has been moving back and forth from the Manitoba Moose and the Vancouver Canucks. Last season he played 47 games with the Canucks. He tallied 9 goals and 6 assists. Thats about a point every 3 games. He is definitely no superstar, but he is definitely not the worst player on the team. Nice move that the Canucks made.

Mail Pickups, And Some New Players to the Vancouver Canucks!

I have gotten quite a few packages in the mail from trades that I have made on sportscardforum.com including cards for my Matt Duchene and UD game jersey 2009-10 series 1 PCs. And some very kind members that were kind enough to send me some free cards.

In the mailbox recently, a few cards that I have recieved have been: Jason Pominville UD game jersey 2009-10 series 1, Matt Duchene Victory Gold rookie (a special thank you to Geschrocks33 for sending it to me for free), and a bunch of Matt Duchene/Mason Raymond/Ryan Kesler cards (another very special thank you to mr.ozzie for sending me some PC pickups...for free!).

Other than that, I have been just waiting for the new hockey season to begin.

The Vancouver Canucks look like a very good tea next year. I love the look of their defence. Ballard, Hamhuis to name a few new names. With a new forward by the name of Manny Malhotra. Boy, am I looking forward to watching the Canucks next season.

Thanks for reading!

Jeff Deslauriers TTM autograph, and 2 PC pickups In the Mail Yesterday

Yesterday (June 28) I received a couple packages in the mail. A few members on sportscardforum.com may know a little bit of what I received as I posted a show and tell thread about this. I picked up:

Paul Stastny 2009-10 Upper Deck Series 1 Game Jersey
Saku Koivu 2009-10 Upper Deck Series 1 Game Jersey

These 2 cards go right into the 2009-10 Upper Deck Series 1 Game Jersey PC (Personal Colllection)

And a pretty big additon to my TTM autograph collection is a Jeff Deslauriers TTM autograph. He signed and personalzied 1 index card. The personalization says: To Andrew, All the best! :) (along with a smiley face), Jeff Deslauriers

I just love his autograph. I wasn't sure if he would return it, but I am sooooooo happy that he did. Thanks Jeff!

I still have a few TTM autograph requests still out there. Including Dustin Penner, Steve Mason, Doug Gilmour and Darryl Sittler just to name a few.

Hopefully those willbe in my mailbox in the next few weeks!
Thanks for reading!

Writing Update

I haven't been writing in here lately simply because there hasn't been anything to write about.
And I don't even know what to write about, but thought that I would write about sportscardforum.com again.

In the past few days, I have become kind of bored, and have made a few deals. I have started to collect Upper Deck Game Jerseys Series 1. Nothing fancy or anything. I have been lucky enough to have about 5 or 6 cards UD game jerseys incoming. I have also decided to collect Roberto Luongo autographs. This guy has been one of the elite goaltenders around the NHL the past few years, and we are very fortunate to have him in Vancouver. Sure, he hasn't been at his very BEST this year, but he always seems to do well under presure. I wouldn't be surprised if Vancouver wins the Stanley Cup in the near future. With the Sedins up front, Ehrhoff on defence, and Luongo in net, this team is another team that is a threat to win the Cup.

Cory Schneider TTM Autograph Success

The other day, I got 3 TTM autographs from Vancouver Canuck up and coming goaltender...Cory Schneider! He sent me 3 personalzied index cards on lined index cards. This success took about 2 months. I mailed it c/o the Manitoba Moose.

Sent: April 5 2010
Returned: June 8 2010

Super happy with this success.

My Mail Week so Far...

I haven't written for a few days, because I have been pretty busy. Since Monday (May 31), I ahve gotten 3 packages of hockey cards and a TTM (through the mail) autograph back. I will start with the 3 packages first.

On Monday, thanks to ravens_creed on Sportscardforum.com, I received a Matt Duchene SPXcitement /999, and a Matt Duchene Victory rookie. I have just started collecting Matt Duchene, so these are some wonderful pickups for my personal collection (also known as pc). I also received, thanks to kidkanada on Sportscardforum...I received a 2007-08 Hot prospects Hot materials Marc Svard card, a Simon Gagne 2008-09 SP game-used Dual Authentic Fabric gold /50, and a 2006-07 Jeff Carter Hot prospects hot materials card. I was and still am very happy tp pick up those nice additions.
Today, I received thanks to Dev_48 on Sportscardforum.com, a young guns checklist featuring the top 3 picks during last years draft (Matt Duchene, John Tavares, and Victor Hedmen). I am very happy about this as it is a card for my Duchene pc.
I received a TTM today from Montreal Canadian star, Brian Gionta. I tihnk near the beginning of the year, I posted that my goal this year would be to get a TTM autograph back from Brian Gionta, well...I received that today. I sent him a few index cards to autograph, but he sent back a signed postcard. My letter was mailed to c/o the Montreal Canadians. I mailed the letter on March 6/10 and received it back today, June 2/10.
Thanks Brain!

Winter Classic: Pittsburgh Penguins vs Wasington Capitals

With the Stanley Cup final on tomorrow, some people have shifted their attention over to the Winter Classic, being played between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals. In my opinion, I didn't think the choice of the 2 teams were really fair. Pittsburgh played in a Winter Classic game only a few years ago. A little more than 20 other teams have NEVER played in a Winter Classic before, and this is Pittsburgh's second time in the last 5-6 years. It is like Dallas hosting another All-star game, even though they did that 3 years ago. It is pretty obvious that this is an idea for the NHL to get more viewers. I mean, if it were Atlanta vs Tampa Bay...there would be no interest at all. Maybe only the die hard fans would be interested in that. But because 2 of the NHL's best teams are playing, you can bet that there will be a ton of interest. I hope Vancouver gets to play in the next Winter Classic. That would be a game to watch!

TTM Success From Kevin Bieksa!

Yesterday, I got a TTM autograph from Canuck defencemen, Kevin Bieksa! It has been a little hard keeping up with the sudden reply of all of these autographs, since I am not used to getting successes 2-3 times a week. I usually get 2-3 TTM successes every month. Kevin signed 1 victory card for me. I have gotten back 4 TTM successes from the Canucks, so far this month. This was the third ever TTM autograph that I ever mailed out. I mailed the letter out to Bieksa on September 5 2009, and received the card on May 20 2010.
Thanks Kevin!

TTM autographs back from Rick Rypien and Mikael Samuelsson

On May 14/10, I received 5 TTM autographs back from Rick Rypien, tough guy on the Vancouver Canucks. I mailed the letter to him on September 17/09 and received the autographs back on May 14/10.
Rypien apparently gave Richard Clune an injury to his left arm in a fight in game 5 against the LA Kings during this years playoffs. I never like seeing players injured but did not feel sorry for Clune at all. From what I saw, Clune was following Rypien around asking Rypien to fight. After jawing at each other, Rypien decided to fight. Clune was a thorn in the Canuck player sides all game, chirping at them. Well...Rypien decided to step up.

I also received a Mikael Samuelsson TTM autograph, which I received today. I got 4 signed index cards from him. At first, I had no idea whose autograph that was. I thought that it may have been Christian Ehrhoff or Brad Lukowich, but when I looked up their autographs, they did not match the autograph on the index cards. Samuelsson's autograph matched up. I was really happy and am still happy to have gotten these autographs back. Thanks Mikael!

Some Nice Stuff In the Mailbox Today...

Today, I got a couple things in the mail. I got a TTM autograph, and some cards from a member on Sportscardforum.com.
I'll start with the cards first. I ended up getting a Tobias Stephan Future Stars, Between the Pipes, In the Game autograph. It will make very nice tradebait. The autograph looks really good, I guess it is because it is hard-signed. He also added in a few goalie, In the game base cards which look pretty good. So, I am happy with that.

It was cool opening up a TTM autograph that I mailed last September. I was thinking earlier this afternoon how cool it would be, to get an autograph from a Canuck player that I had mailed a letter to, in September. Well...when I looked in my mailbox, my wish came true. I got 3 Darcy Hordichuk autographed cards. I sent him 3 lined index cards. But he was generous to send me 3 hockey cards of himself.

I mailed the letter to Hordichuk, on September 6/09
I received the autographs back from him on May 13/10

Really nice success.

Thanks for reading, and hopefully I will have some more mail in the next couple of weeks!

Canucks Lose Against Blackhawks

The Canucks have lost game 4 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals to the Chicago Blackhawks, by a score of 7-4. It was pretty disapointing, and I have doubts that they will win the next 3 games. Kyle Wellwood, Daniel Sedin, Alex Edler, and Henrik Sedin scored for the Canucks. Brent Seabrook, Jonathon Toews (who scored 3 of the 7 Chicago goals, and had 2 assists), Patrik Sharp, David Bolland, and Tomas Kopecky scored for the Blackhawks. "I don't want to get too confident," Toews explained. "They came back hard in the first period. Everyone knows that in a series, the fourth win is the toughest win to get."
"I think right now he's the second best goaltender on the ice, Alain Vineault said about Luongo.

The Canucks will have to put up a fight if they want to win the next game.

A few Nice Autographs that I have Received In the Mail In the Past Few Weeks

A couple days ago, I received a package in the mail. Inside was a 2009-10 Rich Peverley Gemography autograph from one of the members on Sportscardforum.com. I decided to collect Gemography autographs, and this is the first one that I have gotten. I have a Michal Handzus 2008-09 Gemography autograph incoming.

A couple weeks ago, I recevied a Brendan Shanahan signed photo in the mailbox. I had mailed out a TTM autograph request out to Brendan Shanhan a couple months earlier, to the NHL office in New York. They responded and sent me a nice signed photo with a letter explaining that Shanahan is a very respected player, and that he gets tons of fanmail and that he doesn't have time to respond to his fans. It was a very nice letter, and I am very happy to get an autographed photo from one of the best players to ever play the game.

I also received a signed card from Yvan Cournoyer, retired player that used to play for the Montreal Canadians. I sent him a couple index cards with a self, addressed, stmaped, envelope and a letter to him. He sent me a very sweet looking, autographed card. Thanks Yvan!

I am trying to keep up with all of my TTM autograph successes. I also received something from Emile Bouchard. Also a retired player that used to play for the Montreal Canadians. I sent him a couple of index cards, a self, addressed, stamped, envelope, and I also sent him a nice letter. He responded and sent me a hockey card. The same type of card that Yvan Counoyer sent me. I am very happy with that success, and hope to get a few more successes back, in the next couple of months.

Thanks for reading!

2 Awesome TTM Successes

Sorry that I haven't been writing in my blog. I have just been really busy.
The Canucks/Hawks series has been really exciting, even though the Canucks are down 2-1 in the series. Luongo has kept the Canucks in every game. That is what they need to keep winning.

I have received a bunch of TTM autographs back lately. I will just talk about 2 that I received back the other day. I got 2 signed and personalzied index cards from Brian Rolston of the New Jersey Devils. That was really sweet, and a fast return from a current player in the NHL. I mailed the letter on Apeil 16/10 and received it back on May 3/10. The letter was mailed to his home in New Jersey. The Devils, as many of you know...have been eliminated from the playoffs, which was really shocking and surprising, since I thought that they be a team that would have made a serious run for the cup this year.

I also got another TTM autograph return back, on May 3/10. It was from Ted Lindsay! Former Red wing superstar. I got 2 signed index cards with an inscription on it. I also got a signed biography, which he was nice of to add in. The letter was mailed on Febuary 28/10.

I was super happy with these 2 successes. And will talk about the other successes that I have gotten back, tomorrow, or in the next few days.

Thanks for Reading!

Canucks/Kings Game 4 Preview

Only a few hours until the Vancouver Canucks play the LA Kings. I hope I don't jinx anything, but I think that the Canucks will win 4-3. The Canucks need to win this game badly. The Canucks won the first game 3-2 in OT, but the Kings won the next 2 games. The Kings won game 2, 3-2 in OT(, just like the Canucks did in game 1), and won the 3rd game by a score of 5-3. Aaron Rome of the Canucks is injured with a day-to-day undisclosed injury, which he suffered near the end of game 3. Mikael Samuelsson is fortunatly on a hot streak with 4 goals in 3 games, while Drew Doughty, and Jack Johnson have combined and have a goal and 8 assists in 3 games. Hopefully Ehroff can score one of these games with all of those shots that he takes from the blueline! He is a very good player that the Canucks cannot afford to lose. The LA Kings powerplay is very strong, and has 7 goals in 3 games. All the Canucks have to do, is to stay out of the box, and I am sure that they will do just fine against LA.

Go Canucks Go!

Canucks/Kings will Each Try to Take a 2-1 lead in the Playoff Series

Yet another game to look forward, tomorrow night, as the Canucks play the LA Kings. The Kings and the Canucks series is currently tied up 1-1. The first game of the series was won by the Canucks 3-2 in overtime, but the 2nd game was won by the Kings who won that game by 3-2 in overtime also. Mikael Samuelsson is on a hot streak with 3 goals so far in the series. Fredik Modin has 2 power-play goals in 2 games.
Other then the game tomorrow, there isn't anything else to talk about. Well...I just mailed a TTM autograph request out to Brian Rolston the other day. I heard the Devils are a really good signing team, so I thought I might as well send something out.

Spencer Machacek Lettermen

Yesterday, I got a package in the mail from a member on Sportscardforum.com. I was really happy that the package had arrived because I was a little worried that the mailman had delivered it to the wrong house (I received someone elses mail the other day). I ended up receiving a Spencer Machacek Rookie lettermen #ed 399/499. The lettermen letter is a letter A. I traded a Tyler Kennedy Champs autograph, Phil Myre autograph (There is another post in which I wrote about receiving the Myre autograph in the mail), and a Nikolai Zherdev Ice Glacial Graphs autograph. I am very happy with this trade, because Machacek was one of my favourite players, when he used to play for the Vancouver Giants.

Calgary Flames Houding Adventure, April 10 2010

So, last week, I went to GM Place before the Flames/Canucks game on April 10, to try to get some autographs. I had brought 2 blank pucks that I had gotten had gotten at Sportschek the day before, for 99 cents each. I also brought an Iginla stick blade. I got there at about 4:30. All of the players were driving in, such as Alex Edler, Christan Ehroff, Roberto Luongo (who ended up waving at us), Jannik Hansen, Kyle Wellwood. None of the Canuck players stopped to sign, which was a little disapointing. Andrew Raycroft came in a taxi (I think), and entered into gate 9. Unfortunatly I missed getting an autograph from him. Evan Oberg (Manitoba Moose call-up player) signed autographs. I would have been next in line to get an autograph, but he decided to leave. The Flames bus still hadn't arrived, and it close to 5:00. All of the Canuck players had already driven in, and I didn't see any point of waiting out there, because I was almost certain that none of the players would sign, since they were all late. The Flames bus finally pulls up next to gate 9. All of the players get off of the bus such as Bouwmeester, Giordano, Bourque, etc. Iginla was the last one to get out. He ended up signing on the opposite side of me, and then started signing on my side. When he got to me, I gave him my silver sharpie and he signed my puck :) The autograph looks really good, and I am happy :D that I ended up going hounding.

Philippe Paradis TTM autographs

Today, I got a TTM autograph back from a hockey player named Philippe Paradis. He was drafted 29th overall by the Carolina Hurricanes during the 2009 Entry Draft. He currently plays for the Shawinigan Cataracts of the QMJHL. During his 2nd season in Shawinigan, he scored 19 goals and 31 assists in 66 games.
I asked him if he could sign 3 index cards. He signed all 3 index cards, and personalized 2.

Thanks Philippe!

Avalanche get Winning goal with Less than 1 Minute Left!

It seemed like the Avalanche/Sharks game was headed to overtime, with the score tied 1-1 with less than a minute left. Ends up, that the Avs scored a late goal to win the game, 2-1. Chris Stewart of the Avs took a shot from the right corner, going off the skate blade of Sharks captain, Rob Blake, and into the net. This happened with 49.3 seconds left in the game. Ryan Clowe scored a goal and added an assist. Craig Anderson stopped 25 shots (who faced 26 shots), with a 0.962 save percentage.
The Colorado Avalanche lead the series 1-0.

The poll that I set up asking readers, if they thought the Avalanche would make it past the 1st round, got 3 votes. 2 readers thought that the Avs would have a slim chance making it past the first round, as another said that the Avs wouldn't have a chance.

First Round is Going to be Tough

Another 2 days until the Canucks playoff round! Can't wait! I predict that the Canucks will win in 7. I just think that the Kings are going to be a really tough team to play against. They have Team Canada player, Drew Doughty at defence, Team USA backup, Jonathon Quick, Team USA player Dustin Brown, and Anze Kopitar. This is going to be a good hard-fought playoff round. The Canucks also have a great team. With Roberto Luongo in goal, Andrew Raycroft as back-up, the Sedin twins and Alex Burrows up front, and the speed of Ryan Kesler and Mason Raymond. I better buy my Canucks playoff flag at Sportschek!

Go Canucks Go!

Henrik Sedin has won the Art Ross!

With 2 days left to vote for the poll (Do you think that Colorado will get past the 1st Round of the Playoffs), it is pretty obvious that Colorado will not get past the first round of the playoffs, now that Matt Duchene is injured.

It is safe to say now, that Henrik Sedin has won the 2010 Art Ross Trophy! He deserves it. His brother in my opinion, deserves some credit also, but it was because of his injury this season which made him get behind Henrik in points.
The Canucks will be playing the LA Kings in the first round of the playoffs. The last game against the Kings was a loss, as the Canucks lost 8-3.

Canucks vs Sharks

With all of the Western Conference playoff spots confirmed, this game tonight between the Sharks, and the Canucks doesn't mean a whole lot. Well...maybe to the Sharks, since they are fighting with Chicago to secure the Presidents Trophy. I guess this game will prepare the Canucks for what lies ahead in the playoffs.

Bobby Clarke TTM autograph

My second TTM autograph in 2 days! This time, it is from Bobby Clarke, who used to play for the Flyers. He signed 2 index cards, but gave back my letter. Thats okay with me :) At least I have 2 autographs from a 2 time Stanley Cup Champion! That is pretty awesome.

Cards were mailed to the Flyers.
I still have a bunch of TTM aitograph requests out there, and will keep you guys updated, for when I receive some more!

Travis Zajac TTM autograph

Well...I received my first TTM in the last month, today. It is from New Jersey Devil star, Travis Zajac. I sent 2-3 index cards. He sent me 1 signed and personalized index card, and also added in an OPC autographed card. That was very nice of him to do that. The personalized index card said: To Andrew Best wishes, Travis Zajac, Go Devils! A very unique peonalization. Something that I like players to do. This is my second personalized TTM autograph, and also my second signed TTM hockey card.

Cards were sent to his home.
I sent to him on March 22/10.
I received autographs back on Appril 6/10.

Canucks/Wild game last Night

Wow what an exciting game last night. Alex Edler scored an empty net goal to make it 3-1 with 55 seconds left in the game. It ends up that the Wild scored 2 goals after that to make it 3-3 and to take the game into overtime. Luckily Sami Salo scored the winner, to win the game for the Canucks. Kinda scary, because the Canucks are so close to playoff time, and to let 2 goals in with less than a minute to play is a concern.

There next game will be tomorrow, against Matt Duchene and the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche are currently fighting with the Calgary Flames for the last playoff spot in the West.

Canucks Can Clinch the Northwest Division Title Tonight

YAH!!! Canucks made the playoffs with their last victory against the Ducks, and hope to clinch the Northwest Division title with a win tonight.
Michael Grabner got a hatrick last game, and can hopefully continue on a streak, tonight.
Not much to say today.
It is going to be a good game for sure!

Game-used sticks

So I was thinking about what game-used stick or practice used stick I should get. I am not really sure. If I got a game-used stick, it would be very nice, because I wold be able to pick from pretty much any player in the NHL(, but not any big stars like Crosby, or Iginla of course). If I got a practice used stick, then I would have more money left over for other stuff such as autographed pucks.
I would get the game used stick from the NHL auctions. I would have to pay for shipping and all of that, so I don't know what to get.
Any help would be appreciated. If you are reading this, and you are a member on Sportscardforum.com, please PM me.

Vancouver Canucks info

6 games left until the end of the season. I guess the possitive thing about it is, that there will be tons and tons of sticks up for grabs, at team stores, and on the NHL auctions, and possibly Ebay I guess. The bad thing about it is that if I want to send more TTM autographs out to current NHL players, I will either have to send it to their summer homes, in hopes of getting a response during the Summer, or just wait until next season. The other negative thing about the season ending is that there will, obviously no hockey until September/October. Kinda hard to believe that everything was happening 2 months ago, with the Olympics coming into town, the Canucks on their long road trip, and now in about 2 months from now, after the NHL playoffs are over, there is going to be no more excitment. But if the Canucks make it to the finals...the town is going to be buzzing with joy :)

The Canucks won an important game against the Pheonix Coyotes, 4-1 last night. Mason Raymond (yahh!!), Alez Burrows, Henrik Sedin, and Daniel Sedin scored for the Nucks, as they move 2 points closer to making the playoffs. All-star goalie, Roberto Luongo made 32 saves for the win, and Henrik Sedin has 104 points, for the league lead. Unfortunatly, Ryan Kesler was tossed from the game when he hit Derek Morris from behind, into the boards.

The Canucks can clinch a playoff spot if they win against the Los Angeles Kings tomorrow (April 1) The Canucks are currently, 7 points ahead of the Colorado Avalanche. LA got a shutout win against the Nashville Predators. This broke the 4 game losing streak the Kings have been riding on, for the past few games.
Erik Ersberg has a day-to-day back injury, Pavol Demitra has missed 4 games with personal reasons, Mikael Samuelsson is injured with an upper body injury, Steve Bernier is injured because of a groin injury, Alex Bolduc has a shoulder injury, and Willie Mitchell is still out with a concussion. Shane O'Brien has been suspended by the team (probably for being late for practice)

Kevin Bieksa Player Profile
Kevin Bieksa, currently a Vancouver Canuck defencemen, was born in Grimsby, Ontario. He was selected in the 5th round, 151st overall in the 2001 Entry Draft. He has 2 assists in his last 5 games

My Hockey Autograph Projects

Sorry once again that I haven't updated my blog in the past week. Actually, I don't even know if anyone is reading this, but in case any of you are I thought I should keep updating it a few times a week.
Now with all of the excitment gone from the Olympics, I thought that I would keep on working on a few autograph projects.
Some projects that I am working on are:
1. My Canucks t-shirt. I have 4 autographs from Trevor Linden, Ryan Kesler, Mason Raymond, and Alex Burrows (I got the autograph from Burrows, last week at a Best Buy signing).
2. My goal of 100 TTM autographs by the end of the year. I currently have around 25. I have just mailed like 5 out in the past week. And the autographs can come from the same player. I am not looking to get 100 autos from 100 different players.
3. My Ryan Kesler and Mason Raymond pc (personal collection) hasn't had any new cards in lately. The last cards came in, in January.
4. My stick collection. Well...I have 1 practice used Taylor Pyatt stick in my collection. I am trying to add another stick to my pc in the next few months. Don't know which player, because I can choose from any player in the NHL, but I have thought about it, and thought, maybe a Drew Miller, Ryan Criag, Craig Conroy, or Mason Raymond.

The Canucks unfortunatly lost to a powerful San Jose team the other night. Patrick Marleau was a threat all night, scoring 1 goal, and adding 3 assists. Henrik Sedin got 2 assists, and Joe Pavelski got a goal. Alex Burrows got the games first goal in a losing cause. The Canucks are currently winning 4-1 against Pheonix, and that game is in the 3rd period. Hopefully they can win this game.

Thanks for Reading!

Canucks are 5 Points Ahead of Avs for Northwest Division Lead

Vancouver won a game against the Anaheim Ducks last night, 4-1. Christian Ehroff, Daniel Sedin, Alex Burrows, and Ryan Kesler scored for the Canucks, while Saku Koivu scored the only goal for Anaheim, breaking the any hopes of Andrew Raycroft getting the shutout. Henrik Sedin also got 99 points. One more point than Capitals star, Alex Ovechkin.
The next Canucks game will be on Saturday against the San Jose Sharks.

The LA Kings came back to tie up a game against the Colorado Avalanche, before the Avs won in a shootout 4-3. The Avalanche were once leading 3-1. Anze Kopitar had a goal and an assist, to help the Kings to come from behind. When Paul Stastny scored, after he banked a shot off of Drew Doughty, Terry Murray replaced Jonathon Quick with Erik Ersberg. Quick had only faced 16 shots.
Luckily, the Canucks beat the Ducks, or the Avalanche would be only 3 points behind the Canucks.

Almost Playoff Time...

Wow. The Paralympics just flew by. And I heardly watched any of it.

Anyways...10 games to go until the playoffs for the Canucks. They just lost a heart-breking game to the Detroit Redwings. The Canucks had a comfortable 2-0 lead, until the Redwings scored 5 seconds apart to make it 2-2. Then in overtime, the Redwings end up scoring woth 0.2 seconds left in the game. OMG! I couldn't believe that. The next game is tomorrow against the struggling Oilers.Well, I guess they aren't struggling now, since they are on a 2 game winning streak. But thats after a 5 game losing streak.

I can't wait until tomorrows game.

I just sent 2 more TTMs out.
One to Dustin Penner on Friday, and 1 to Travis Zajac today. :)

Vancouver Canucks News

Yah! Ryan Kesler just signed a new deal today. Kesler, and Mike Gillis agreed to a 6 year contract. This will lead him all of the way intil the 2015-2016 season. He currently has 21 goals and 45 assists in 71 games this season.
-Ryan Kesler was drafted 23rd overall in the 2003 NHL entry draft.

The Vancouver Canucks have won yet again. This time, by beating the San Jose Sharks, 3-2. They lost their last game against the Islanders, 5-2, and needed a win to have a comfortable lead on the Northwest Division. Ryan Johnson got a goal. His last goal was on January 28 2009.

http://canucks.nhl.com/club/recap.htm?id=2009021051
Here is the link to the full recap.

The next Canucks game is tomorrow against the Detroit Redwings.

Cory Schneider heard his name a lot before the trade deadline. Schneider, who just turned 24 yesterday said that he won't worry about being traded until the time comes.

http://canucks.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=521572&intcmpid=van-news-schneider
Full story here.

2 TTM autographs from Bower and Hull

Today was a very good day. When I opened up my mailbox, there were 2 envelopes waiting for me. One was from Brett Hull and the other one was from Johnny Bower.
WOW! My first time I have gotten 2 TTM autograph requests back in 1 day! Johnny Bower was nice enough to sihn 5 index cards for me, while Brett Hull was also very generous signing 3 of my hockey cards. I guess he kept my 1-2 other index cards that I sent him. I have mailed a few more out, sending 1 to Matt Duchene of the Colorado Avalanche, one to Jaroslav Halak (but unfortunatly forgot to put the stamp on the sase. Long story) one to Brian Gionta and a few more.

The paralympic opening ceremonies are tonight, but will be on TV tomorrow afternoon I believe. I wonder what its going to be like...

The Canucks will be playing tomorrow, against the Ottawa Senators. Steve Bernier is out because of a sports hernia, and Kevin Bieksa is out because of his left ankle tendons, which was injured when a skate cut his leg in December.
Chris Kelly has a lower body injury and can possibly play tomorrow. Nick Foligno has a broken right fibula is out and Filip Kuba has a lower body injury. Foligno and Kuba might be at practice on Monday.
Anton Volchenkov blocked his 1000th shot on Thrusday, something that he started during the 2005-06 season.

Vancouver currently has 41 wins, while the Senators have 37.

Sorry for not Updating my Blog...

Sorry everyone that I haven't been blogging. I have just been busy and haven't really found anything to write about.
If you still want Paraympic tickets, they are still available. There is still some stuff left in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic store on Vancouver 2010.com, but more than half of it is sold out. Yesterday, March 10 2010, the Sedin twins donated 1.5 million dollars to the Childrens Hospital, whcih was very nice of them. Speaking of the Sedin twins...Henrik got a goal while Daniel got an assist in yesterdays shootout loss to the Pheonix Coyotes.

Thanks for reading.

Paralympics

Just a reminder...Tickets for the Paralympics are still on sale. Some of the tickets are 15 dollars, and prices can go up to about 150 dollars. There is still about 5 days until the opening ceremonies. Sledge hockey and the skiing I think will be the most exciting!

Just a short post today.

Paralympics...1 week to go!

A few days ago I got a Deborah Compagnoni signed postcard...mailed to me all of the way from Italy. She is a former Italian alpine skiier, and won gold medals at the 1992, 1994, and the 1998 Olympic Winter games. I sent her an email asking for the autograph.

It took only a few weeks to get the postcard.

Another week until the paralympics which is pretty hard to believe, because its felt like forever since the Olympics ended.
There is going to be 5 sports:

Alpine Skiing
Biathlon
Cross Country Skiing
Ice Sledge Hockey
WheelChair Curling

The paralympic torch is I believe, somewhere near the east. On day 1, it was in Ottawa, day 2 was in Quebec, and day 3 was in Toronto.

Note: Rick Mercer represented British Columbia in Ottawa as the first torch bearer in the Torch Relay Lighting Ceremony.

Paralympics

The paralympics are coming up, so I thought I would go to a few events.
You should try going to a few events because tickets are very cheap, compared to the Olympics that just ended. https://frontline-tickets.vancouver2010.com/buy/TicketSales?agency=OLMP_MYTIXX&roomid=5
The sledge hockey will be pretty cool to watch, but that sport is popular, from what I hear, so I think it will be hard to get tickets for that.
http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-news/n/news/whistler-medals-plaza_297882cc.html
Here is some news from the 2010 paralympic Winter Games. I think the games coming up will still be exciting, even though a lot of tourists have gone home, leaving the streets of VanCity dead.
Some events to be at for the paralympic games:
BC Hydro Powersmart Village
Canada's Northern House
CentrePlace Manitoba
GE Plaza (Robson Square)
LiveCity Downtown
Olympic Cauldron (very nice)

Hopefully Vancouver will be still fun, even though the Olympics are over, with the Canucks looking to make a deep playoff run. There is still Stanley Park to walk, rollerblade, or to have fun on the beach, and the fireworks that happen every Summer, which is always fun and entertaining.

The Canucks won last night against Columbus...in overtime. It seems that the NHL players, now that the Olympics are over...aren't as fast or skilled as the Canadain team.
The Canucks got Andrew Alberts (one of my favourite players, when he was with the Giants), Yan Stastny, and PC Labrie through the trade deadline.

Looking Ahead...Sochi 2014 Winter games

Since the Vancouver 2010 Olympics are over (except for the paralympics of course), and in my opinion, I think I missed all the excitment leading up to the games (I didn't miss the excitment during the games though, but missed the excitment leading up to the games), I thought I would pay more attention to the 2014 Sochi Olympics, coming up in 4 years.
I am going to try to collect pins, and to possibly learn a little bit of russian.

Paralympics

Sadly, the Olympics are over :( But not the Paralympics :). The Olympics were pretty exciting. Canada, as many know, won 14 gold medals!

Pin trading is prety exciting because it sort of brings people together to trade. If you didn't pin trade during the Vancouver Olympics, you can always collect pins during the 2014 Sochi Olympics, or even the 2012 London Summer Olympics. There is still time left, with the paralympics coming to town next week.

GOAL!

GOAL by Sidney Crosby!!!!!! That game was pretty intense. Going to be a party downtown today, and tonight!

Olympics, Day 17

Zach Parise scores with a little more than 20 seconds left!!!!! We will see who wins, as the game is currently going into overtime.

The closing ceremonies are tonight unfortunatly, but fortunatly the parolympics are still to come. Looks like Joannie Rochette is going to be the final flag bearer.

Olympics

With the Gold Medal game tomorrow, the streets of downtown Vancouver are going to be packed and flooded with people.

A few years ago, I thought it would be cool to collect something. Back then, I didn't collect autographs or hockey cards. So as I was walking in Gas Town, I saw a huge collection of pins in the window. So I thought that I should collect pins. I have a collection right now, of a whole container of pins, from Disneyland, and different events. I was going to collect Olympic pins a few years ago, but got distracted by NHL hockey and the Canucks. I have some Olympic pins in my collection right now. Its pretty cool walking in downtown Vancouver, and the different people that have little tables set up, and that are willing to trade. I got a Drew Doughty jersey pin today. They have other pins such as mascots, sport events, etc.
Overall, pin trading and buying pins is pretty neat! You can order pins online, on Vancouver2010.com. Just go to the online store.

Team Canada goes to the Gold Medal game!

Team Canada Mens team is going to the gold medal game!!!!! With like a few seconds to go, anyone see that Pavol Demitra shot? Must be a sickening feeling to have. Team Canada will now play Team USA on Sunday for the gold medal. Anyways, each team will come away with a medal, win or lose.

TTM autograph Request Update
I just mailed my Brett Hull request out.
Will mail to:
Brian Gionta
Jonathon Cheechoo
Kris Russel
Jason Spezza
Martin Havlat
Scotty Bowman
Peter Stastny
Rick Nash
Ted Lindsay
Doug Gilmour
Yvan Yournoyer
Eric Staal
Brian Lee
Brian Elliot
Mason Raymond
Semyon Varlemov

Have already sent to:
Willie Mitchell
Steve Bernier
Kevin Bieksa
Darcy Hordichuk
Brad Lukowich
Mikael Samuelsson
Rick Rypien
Andrew Raycroft
Johnny Bower
David Moss
Tanner Glass
Darryl Sittler
Brett Hull

I have received:
Mike Eruzione
Kari Lehtonen
Alex Burrows
Don Cherry
Shane O'Brien
Henri Richard

Gold Medal...Team Canada!

The Team Canada women have just won the gold medal! Pretty Amazing. Team USA won silver, while Team Finland won bronze. Its cool, on how I got to go to a Team Finland game, against Russia, since I live in Vancouver. The experience is even more special, now that they have won bronze. Really looking forward to the mens hockey game tomorrow. As usual, I don't want to jinx anything here, but I think Canada will win 4-2. I think Dany Heatley will score one of the goals.

TTM update
Haven't received any back since the Lehtonen one. I thought it would be pretty cool if I mailed like tons of them out, and then one month later, I get one back nearly everyday! I still have my Johnny Bower TTM request still out there, Darryl Sittler, and a bunch of Canuck ones. Not expecting any back for the next few weeks. But unfortunatly, I'm always to busy to mail my other TTM requests out. I am still hoping to mail something to:
Eric Staal
Brett Hull
Doug Gilmour
and possibly Mason Raymond

Kari Lehtonen TTM autograph!

Just got a TTM autograph back today. It is from Kari Lehtonen! I thought that it may have been lost in the mail in the trade to Dallas, but I guess he checked all of his mail before he left. Very happy to have this one back. He signed 2 index cards, and 1 Fleer card. On to Eric Staal next I think. I have a ton of TTM requests that I would like to mail.

Mail!

Just mailed my Darryl Sittler TTM on Saturday. Will try to mail my Doug Gilmour/Mason Raymond one tomorrow. I know it may get a little boring listning talk about NHL stats, and events happening around the Olympics, so I will do my best to talk about other things.

I got one package in the mail today. It was from a member on Sportscardforum. I recieved a Marian Hossa Hot Prospects card. Pretty sweet looking card.

Trying to Get Brian Gionta's autograph

So, I thought I'd make it a goal to get an autograph back from Montreal right winger, Brian Gionta, through the mail, no matter how many tries it will take. Gionta had 2 goals and an assist on Febuary 6, against Pittsburgh. This is his second NHL team that he has ever played for. The last team he played on was with the New Jersey Devils. I obviously kind of admired that team, because they had Brodeur in net, Parise up front, along with Gomez and Gionta. I still like that team, even though Gomez and Gionta are traded. They have Lagenbrunner, plus all of those other all-stars.

Todays USA/Canada Game

Sorry that I haven't been updating every my blog every single day. Its because I haven't found anything to write about!
As for the Canada/USA game today, I think that Team Canada (as usual, I don't want to jinx anything) will win 3-2. But not in overtime. I think that Dany Heatley, Patrice Bergeron, and Jarome Iginla or Rick Nash will score. I am just pretty amazed at Team Canada's passing. They just sort of know where each other is. Sort of like the Sedins. Team Canada also has size with 14 of Canada's 20 players 6-foot-2 or higher. It should be a good game.

Different Olympic Events Happening Around Vancity Today!

A lot of events were going on today at the Olympics in Vancouver. The Team Canada women defeated Sweden by a score of 13-1! Should have watched that game, but didn't even know that it was on. To make up for that, I watched a little bit of short track speed skating. I'm not a huge fan of that, but if I get a chance to watch that, it is definetly exciting. I'm not a 100 percent sure if I have the countries correct, but during one of the races, a member from Great Britain, and a member from France, crashed into each other leaving Korea and the US racing against each other. I'm just looking at the stats, and guess what????? China beat Canada by 9 milliseconds in the other race after the Korea/USA race. Canada had a time of 6:43.610 while China had a time of 6:43.601. Close race. Like I said, I'm not really a big fan of speed skating so correct me if I'm wrong with the times and all of that.

In other news, American downhill skier, Lindsey Vonn won the gold medal today. Vonn unfortunatly was battling injuries in Turin, 4 years ago, so it definetly is an accomplishment for her. Julia Mancuso also from the US, won the silver medal, while Elisabeth Goergl won the bronze.

Like I said above, the Team Canada women beat Sweden 13-1. Marie-Philip Poulin scored the first goal. Cherie Piper scored the second, while Meghan Agosta scored 2 goals to lift Team Canada to the big win!

Team Canada

With the mens hockey finally starting up, I will have to say that Canada will beat Norway 9-1. I mean Norway doesn't have any NHL star power. Actually, just from reading an article on NHL, it says that Norway doesn't have any players from the NHL. Obviously, their chances are not very good, as they go up against the best players in the NHL and probably the world. Roberto Luongo will start in goal (WOOT!!!!). I heard yesterday on the TV (I think) that putting Luongo in goal is a smart idea. He is on his home ice, which makes it a comfortable place to play. And I think Brodeur may play most the games anyways. I hope not though. Against a team like Norway though???? It will be good practice for Loungo, say if Brodeur did get injured.
Game starts at 4:30 PST.
Also, I hope to get Iginla's autograph on a Team Canada tee, when he visits Vancouver again in April, against the Canucks. I really hope I can meet him.

Craig Conroy Player Profile

After playing hockey for 20 seasons (not all in the NHL), Craig Congroy finds himself as a leader. Even though he is a centre, he has scored 2 goals and 10 assists this season. Still pretty good for a 20 year veteran. During his career he has 179 goals and 358 assists in the NHL, AHL, ECAC, etc.
He kind of reminds me of Trevor Linden. He may not score that many goals, but he is assistant captain, just like Linden was a few seasons ago, before he retired. I think that Conroy is full of energy. If any of you have seen him talk, he is always happy, and is always smiling, and talks sort of fast lol.

Card Collecting

I know that some people might find it strange that people collect cards for no real reason, and the whole point to card colecting is just looking at them. Some people spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year on cards. But I guess the whole point to it, is that it is all about having fun, and if you can make money off of it, thats great! But really, it is all about fun and not really about making money. Its fun buying cards from players like Matt Duchene, then 5-6 years later, he becomes this big NHL superstar. Your cards will be worth a lot more. But of course, if he becomes an average NHL, his value will drop. But really, it is all about trying to build a big collection and you sorta feel connected to a player if you get his autograph or game-used jersey.

Sportscardfroum.com

After finding out about Sportscardforum.com, I have completed 17 trades so far. It has been a really useful website with a lot of nice and kind members. I have gotten autographs such as a Ryan Kesler autograph, Mason Raymond autograph, Ryan Suter autograph, Phil Myres, and more. I have been able to build a collection, and now have about probably 400 cards. About 100 of those cards have come from members on the boards. My favourite card would probably be the Ryan Kesler autograph because it is hard-signed, and the blue ink looks really good on the card.

TTM autograph send list

I was on the computer all day yesterday looking for players to send TTM (through the mail) autographs to. I found a bunch.

Here is a list of the players I will send to in the next month.
-Brett Hull
-Brian Lee
-Brian Elliot
-Mason Raymond (I have met him twice and he seemed really nice. But since I collect him and he is my favourite player, I thought, well, it doesn't hurt to add another autograph to my collection, and maybe I can update and tell him about my collection)
-Semyon Varlemov
-Eric Staal
-Darryl Sittler
-Yvan Cournoyer
-Doug Gilmour
-Ted Lindsay
-Jarome Iginla (he might send pre-signed postcard though)
-Rick Nash
-Peter Stastny
-Scotty Bowman
-Martin Havlat

I have heard that the Canadians legends are good at signing fan mail also. Might send Sittler and Gilmour a picture or something like that.

Will update you guys on how I do.

Canada beats Slovakia...18-0

The Canadian woman have beaten Team Slovakia 18-0 in Vancity. Hayley Wickenheiser had 3 assists and was a plus 6. "We're happy with it," she said. "We came out and played just like we would play anyone else, knowing the score would be high. We did a good job with that. It was a tough game to play no matter what side you are on. Now we have this out of the way and can move forward." Danijela Rundqvist made it 1-0 during the first period, while Tina Enstrom made it 2-0 shortly after that. Tina Enstrom, is the sister of Tobias Enstrom, Atlanta Thrashers defensemen.

Items to get Autographed

There are different items to get autographed such as:

a shirt
baseball hat
book
magazine
(game used) equipment
pucks, basketballs, baseballs, etc.
8x10 photos
index cards
sportscards
jerseys

or anything that has the team logo, or players name on it.

For me, I think my least favourite would be 8x10 photos. I would still like autographs on 8x10 photos, but out of that list, 8x10 photos would be my 2nd least favourite. I just don't like how they can get bent easily, they flop around whenever you carry them, and then it doesn't seem right not to frame it. So it is almost as you are forced to frame it. Just my opinion. I know a lot of people like 8x10 photos. But for me I like getting items signed, not just a picture. I like getting pucks, hats (but that may not be a good idea just in case it starts raining, then I think, not 100 persent sure if this is true, but the autographs might smudge. Just don't wear it in the rain, just to be sure) shirts, magazines, and books signed. I don't really think I'd like a signed jersey because it is big and would be worth like $400 if it was signed, so you don't really want to wear it. I use index cards for TTM autographs, but for some reason, I actually do like getting them signed. Don't like getting cards signed. Only like the certified cards. Don't know why though....just don't (this is my opinion again. I know a lot of people that like cards signed). I think cards would be my least favourite item to get signed. I would still like getting cards signed but not as much as pucks, shirts, etc. I also think it would be cool if you got some kind of equipment signed, like a signed goalie glove, or blocker. Even a stick blade, I think would be a great piece. You can get game-used equipment at team yard sales, or auctions. That would be another item that would be awesome to add to your collection.

TTM Update and a quick Stars/Flames Preview

These are the TTM (through the mail) autograph requests that I amiled out a few weeks ago.

Johnny Bower
Kari Lehtonen
Tanner Glass (Hopefully he can answer my fan mail during the Olympic Break)

Those still out there that I mailed in September are:
Willie Mitchell
Steve Bernier
Kevin Bieksa
Darcy Hordichuk
Brad Lukowich
Mikael Samuelsson
Rick Rypien
Andrew Raycroft
David Moss (mailed on December 19)

The Dallas Stars and Calgary Flames will do battle tonight. Tius will be the last meeting between the 2 teams for the season. The Stars have won the last 2 of the 3 games this season. Kari Lehtonen was picked up from the Thrashers, and is still injured because of this back probalem (I really hope my fan letter isn't lost). The Stars have won 26 games compared to the Flames who have won 3 more, with 29.

Should be a good game between 2 Western conference opponents.

Burrows chat and a quick Canucks/Panthers preview

Today, I didn't get to chat with Burrows :(. Really, really disapointed. First of all, I was trying to get my ipod to find one of the pages on the internet, for the link to the chat. I spent my entire lunch break trying to figure that out. And to make it even worse, there were autographs being given away. The 3 prizes given away were an autographed Burrows hat, autographed puck, and autographed photo. From reading all of the questions, Burrows seems like a great guy to meet. There was actually a picture of him on the computer in his hotel room reading everyones question lol. Hopefully I can get into the next chat.

Roberto Luongo will face his former team tomorrow night. The Vancouver Canucks will play the Florida Panthers. The Canucks won the last game against them on December 14 2008 (was that when Canuck Nation Invasion came to Florida?) The Canucks currently have 35 wins, while the Panthers have 24. The Canucks have a game in hand, playing 58 compared to the Panthers with 59 games played. Florida goalie, Thomas Vokoun is tied with Martin Brodeur for shutouts this season with 7, both leading the NHL.

Tuesday Night Hockey Talk

I'm pretty excited for tomorrow when I will be able to chat with Alex Burrows online. Since I really want his autograph, I think I will ask him if he has anymore autograph signings in March, and I will thank him for respnding to my letter that I had sent him (post is in a previous post). I signed up for the Canucks Fan Club is why I have this oppurtunity.

The difference between hard-signed autographs and non-hard signed autographs are that hard-signed autographs are autographs that the player signed directly on the card. A non-hard-signed autograph is when the player signed on a sticker (also known a sticker autograph). Hard-signed autos are more attractive and there are chances that those are more authentic. A sticker autograph is cheaper though. But if you want to buy an autograph (on a card), a hard-signed is definetly the way to go.

Corey Perry scored a goal and 2 assists as the Ducks beat the LA Kings on Febuary 8/10 (last night) Teemu Selanne, Ryan Getzlaf, and Saku Koivu scored the other goals. Koivu currently has 11 goals, 21 assists, and 31 points in 50 games this season.

Getzlaf injured

With the Olympics days away, Anaheim Ducks superstar centre has been injured with a sprained left ankle."Hopefully he won't be out too long", Scott Niedermayer said. "I don't have to say what he means to this team and what he does for us, so hopefully its not bad".
I don't think that he will stay out for the Olympics. Just because , I heard that this could possibly be the last time NHL players will play in the Winter Olympics. And I don't think a sprained ankle will keep him out. As long as it isn't bad, I believe that he will be fine.

Monday Night Hockey Talk

With 4 games in the next 6 games, the Canucks will have a tough week, thats for sure. I know that a few people are complaining about the Sedins, and they haven't been really producing, but give them a break. They are the reason why the Canucks have won most of their games. If the Canucks didn't have the Sedin twins, who would do the scoring? Maybe Burrows? But Burrows doesn't produce as well with other players. But maybe with Kesler? I think the line of Burrows/Kesler/Raymond would be a good line (if the Sedins weren't here). The Burrows/Sedin/Sedin line is probably the best line in hockey right now. I think it is the Sedin line competing against the Thornton line for the best line in the NHL.

With the game tomorrow, the Tampa Bay Lightning are looking for the 4th straight win....for the first time in seasons! The last time the Lightning were on a 4 game streak, was a five game streak in November 2007. Both teams have played 57 games. The Canucks have won 35 games while the Lightning have won 25 games. The Lightning have 11 overtime losses. 9 more than the Canucks who have 2. "We want to make sure that we are better than .500...on this road trip" captain and Canucks all-star goalie, Roberto Luongo explained.

The game between the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins last night was a battle between 2 great superstars. Alex Ovechkin got 3 goals and 4 assists, and superstar, Sidney Crosby got 2 goals, with 7 shots on goal.

Christian Ehroff Player Profile

With about a week until the Olympics begin, Christian Ehroff looks to be the best defensemen the Canucks have at the moment. And I think he is one of the best players on the Canucks. He will suit up for Team Germany at the Olympics. He currently has 11 goals in 57 games. More than his 2006-07 season with the Sharks when he had 10 goals in 82 games. He has been a solid defensemen for the Canucks, and the Canucks were lucky to get him from the Sharks.

-Christian Ehroff has 17 assists this season, and is ranked 172 in the NHL in assists.
-In 2003-04 he played 41 games with the San Jose Sharks scoring a goal and getting 11 assists.

Canucks/Bruins Post-game

The Boston Bruins have lost 3-2 to the Vancouver Canucks. When I saw that the Bruins were leading 2-1, I didn't think there was any hope. The Canucks looked bad in the first period, and I am not saying that just because they were down 2-0 in that period. They looked sloppy on the power-play compared to the Bruins, and I thought the Bruins were the faster team. The Bruins I thought got by Canuck players so easily. Well, that was how I saw it. Mason Raymond (my favourite player) scored in the second period and Pavol Demitra scored with about 5 minutes left in the third period to tie the game. No scoring was done in overtime, but Roberto Luongo made a glove save with about a second left in OT. Luongo is the main reason why the Canucks won, stopping 41 shots!!!!! Pavol Demitra scored the only goal in the shootout as Luongo stopped all 3 shooters.

Henri Richard

Yesterday I recieved a few autographs back from Henri Richard, Maurice Richard's brother! I had actually forgotten that I had sent it out. He signed my index cards, and also added in 2 signed hockey cards and a postcard. Very happy with this success.

Ottawa/Canucks Preview

The Vancouver Canucks will play the red-hot Ottawa Senators, tonight. The Sens have a winning streak going with 10 straight wins. The Canucks would have had eight straight, if they had won against Montreal on Tuesday. The bad news is that Willie Mitchell is still injured, when he suffered a concussion on January 16/10. Henrik Sedin who is on a role and now has 7 points in his last 5 games. He currently leads the NHL with 78 points.
I think that if the Sedin line can do the scoring with the second line also helping out, the Canucks will have a chance to win. Also, if guys like Rick Rypien, Tanner Glass, and Darcy Hordichuk can play physical, it will wear a tired Ottawa team down, because the Sens just played Buffalo last night recording a 4-2 win.

Nice Phil Myre autograph

This past Tuesday, I recieved a Phil Myres autographed 1972 this year in Hockey card, in the mailbox. Very good looking card, with a hard-signed autograph on it. I recieved it from a member on Sportscardforum.com.

-In the 1966 Amateur Draft, the Canadians selected Phil Myres. It took until 1969/1972 until he first played his first game. He went 4-3-2 with a 2.27 GAA.

Colorado Wins, while Vancouver loses

Colorado won and the Canucks lost. The Avalanche are currently 2 points behind the Canucks. T.J. Galiardi had 4 assists as he led his talented Avalanche team. Brandon Yip also had 4 points with 2 goals and 2 assists. Ryan O'Reilly, just like Yip had 2 goals and 2 assists. The young players for the Avs came through and led the young team to an easy 5-1 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Meanwhile, the Canucks and the Canadians were battling hard out in Montreal. Ryan Kesler scored a goal and added an assist while Sergei Kostitsyn, just like Kesler, had a goal and an assist. Jaroslav Halak made 45 saves for the win, as Montreal snapped Vancouver's 7 game winning streak.

-Mikael Samuelsson scored the other Vancouver goal.
-Roberto Luongo stopped 25 shots.

Blue Jackets/Avalanche

This game between the Avalanche and the Blue Jackets may be crucial for the Canucks for the Northwest division title. The Blue Jackets are probably out of it, and will not be a big threat even if they do make the playoffs unless the Blue Jackets can make a few deals, and if Steve Mason can get over his slump (I guess thats what you call it). The Avalanche compared to the Blue Jackets are a threat in the western conference, and it looks like it will be a race to the finish for both the Avs and the Canucks, with less than 30 games left. The Canucks currently sit atop the Northwest divsion with a 4 point lead on the Avalanche. The Avs sit in 6th place in the Western conference.

-With a rookie like Matt Duchene, the Avalanche look like a strong team.
-But with the Sedin line doing all of the scoring and Roberto Luongo in net, the Canucks look just as strong, maybe even stronger.

Alex Burrows TTM autograph

After mailing a bunch of letters to Canuck players in September, I finally recieved some back. Shane O'Brien was the first one I ever recieved back. I also recieved an autograph from Alex Burrows. Burrows had a great season last year...and an even better one this year. I think I was pretty lucky to get this one back because right after that, was when Burrows all of a sudden started to get hot, and be on all of these streaks such as scoring hatricks, short-handed goals, game-winning, game-changing goals, etc. I am very happy to have gotten this one back because his autographs mean a lot more to people than when he wasn't on a big point streak.

Don Cherry TTM autograph

The Don Cherry TTM success was very quick. It took about a month, which I believe is pretty quick. I wanted him to sign 3-4 index cards...but instead he enclosed 4 signed and personalized photos of himself. This was a great success and I am happy to add those autographs to my collection.

Canucks/Canadians Preview

After the Canucks won easily 7-1 early in October, the Canucks will battle the Montreal Canadians tomorrow. It will be an exciting game, because I'm curious to hear (I'm going to listen to the game on the radio because the game is on Pay-Per-View) if the Canadians will play harder against the Canucks than last time. The Canucks are the better team on paper, winning 34 games compared to the Canadians who have just won 25. The Canucks won a rewarding 5-3 win against the Maple Leafs on Saturday. The Canucks had come back in that game. The Leafs at one point were leading a commanding 3-0, before they blew it as Burrows scored a short-handed goal. The Sedin, Sedin, Burrows line had controlled that game. If you want to read more about thatr game please see my previous post. Mason Raymond (my favourite player) has gotten 5 points in his last 3 games.

-The Canucks are atop the Northwest division with a 4 pont lead.
-The Canucks have 70 points. The Canadians have 56.

Mail week in Review

This week, I got a few items in the mail. On Monday I got a Teddy Percell young guns card, then on Tuesday, I got the Mike Erizione signed photo, and on Wednesday I got a Nick Foligno BAP autograph. I got the cards off a great trading site called Sportscardforum.com. I just basically made deals with a couple of members, sent the money and then a couple weeks later, the cards arrived.

Canucks Start this Road Trip With a Big Win

Well...a great game for Canuck fans. The Vancouver Canucks have won yet another game as the top line for the Canucks (Henrik Sedin, Alex Burrows, and Daniel Sedin) controlled the game contributing for all Canuck goals, as the Canucks won 5-3 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. I didn't expect the canucks to win (obviously) as the Canucks were down 3-0, until Alex Burrows scored a short-handed goal lifting hopes of Canuck players, to make it 3-1. The Canucks then scored 4 straight goals after that to finish the game with a big win. Roberto Luongo was pulled after the 1st period, and Andrew Raycroft was put in goal in front of his former team. But didn't let in a single goal! He had a lot of pressure on his shoulders but didn't let the team down. The next game is against the Montreal Canadians on Tuesday then against Ottawa on Thursday.

I actually want to meet a few players on the Ottawa Senators on March 13 , when the Canucks get back from their road trip. I really want to meet Spezza, and hopefully I can get his autograph.

My first TTM Success, Shane O'Brien

My first TTM success came in December, when I recieved 5 index cards from Vancouver Canuck defencemen, Shane O'Brien. It took about 3 months to recieve this back. I sent it c/o Vancouver Canucks.

Sending TTM (through the mail) Autograph requests

For people who get bills, or non-exciting stuff in the mail every single day, and have nothing to look forward to when they get home, how about writing to sports players, actors, etc. in hopes of getting a response back through the mail. At first I wasn't to thrilled about that, but then I thought, well...it is a free autograph, and you won't lose anything if they don't respond, unless you send pucks or jerseys then of course you are taking a big risk. I like sending the 3 x 5 index cards. Just the plain, lined ones. I know not a lot of people like the lined one but I couldn't find any plain ones with no lines. But the lined ones work fine with me. You could also send cheap cards, such as base cards. I guess any cheap card would be okay. If you really want a response, send a SASE (self, addressed, stamped, envelope), that way the player or whoever you are sending the autograph request to doesn't need to look for envelopes and stamps, etc. and doesn't need to pay for postage. Your chances are higher in getting something back. If you really want to do this, you should do some research first, like finding out who signs through the mail, finding out addresses, who uses autopen to forge their autograph for them, and pieces of information like that. Really, only the big stars such as Wayne Gretzky uses an autopen. Also, sending through the players/stars home address will probably be faster than sending it through their team.

Hope this helps!

Hockey Day In Canada!

There is going to be 3 games on CBC starting at 11 am pacific time. The Senators/Canadians play first, then the Canucks/Leafs game, then finally the Oilers/Flames game. The Oilers and Flames are both playing very poorly right now. I am also excited for the Canucks/Leafs game. It may not be as dramatic as last year when Mats Sundin scored the shootout winner but it will still be an important game for Canuck and Leaf fans. This will be the first game for the Canucks on their brutal 14 game road trip. Hopefully Raymond can keep up the goal streak with 20 goals on the season. He had 2 goals and 1 assist , last game against the St. Louis Blues. I was of course really happy as I am a BIG Raymond fan. The Oilers however, have just lost yet ANOTHER game. This time, to the St. Louis Blues. They are like on a 12 game losing and if they had lost the game against Toronto on December 20/09 they would be on something like a 20 game losing streak! (:-O)

Mike Eruzione, captain of the 1980 USA Miracle on Ice Team

Well, a few days ago I recieved a signed photo from Mike Eruzione! He was the captain for the 1980 Miracle on Ice team. I was really happy to get that because I had sent him an email 2-3 weeks ago, he didn't respond, so I thought he had accidently skipped my email or something. But like I said, I really happy to add that to my collection. Afew TTM autograph requests still out there are players such as Andrew Raycroft, Kevin Bieksa, David Moss, Rick Rypien (enforcer on the Canucks), and about 10 others. So far I have gotten some back from Mike Eruzione, Don Cherry, Alex Burrows, and Shane O'Brien. Hope to get some more back soon.