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Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Dominik Hasek Signed Puck

The Dominator. After his contract with the Wings expired, Hašek announced his intention to play for a Stanley Cup contender, and specifically named the Ottawa Senators as a possibility.  On July 6, 2004, after trading Patrick Lalime to the St. Louis Blues, the Senators signed Hašek to a one-year deal.

During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Hašek toured with the Primus Worldstars. Similar to the tour Wayne Gretzky and IMG formed during the 1994–95 NHL lockout, the Primus Worldstars Tour ran December 7–23, playing in seven different countries (Riga, Latvia; Moscow and St Petersburg, Russia; Bratislava, Slovakia; Bern, Switzerland; Karlstad, Jonkoping and Linkoping, Sweden; Oslo, Norway; Katowice, Poland) in ten scheduled games. The tour competed against all-star teams or club teams of each country.

Hašek played increasingly well for the Senators up until the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. During the season, he reached 300 career wins, and his GAA and save percentage were the second-best in the league. Upon departure to Turin, Hašek's equipment was accidentally left behind in Ottawa. This caused Hašek to miss a number of practices with the Czech National team. At the Winter Olympics, he injured his right adductor muscle while making a save in the first qualifying match against Germany, forcing him to leave the game after only 9 minutes and 25 seconds.  Hašek's injury caused him to miss the rest of the regular season and post-season, despite several rumours that he would return in time for the playoffs. He said that if he were to be re-signed, he would play for a base salary of $500,000 with bonuses.  After the Senators were eliminated in the second round, they opted not to re-sign Hašek, despite Hašek's willingness to take a pay cut.

Newly acquired Dominik Hasek Ottawa Senators Autographed puck

Friday, July 5, 2013

Format Changes

I'm back, and I have a fresh new idea for the site.  I'm going to chronicle my vast collection o hockey memorabilia.  That includes, jerseys, puck, cards, and other items I have accumulated over the past three decades.

I have a bunch of cool Ottawa Senators stuff, lots of classic hockey cards from the 70s and 80s, and of course my ever expanding Alexandre Daigle collection.

Stay tuned.

Friday, January 18, 2013

Jordan Eberle Edmonton Oilers Jersey

The next Joe Sakic?  To say that Jordan Eberle is a clutch performer would be an understatement.  But can he reach the status of a Joe Sakic, Trevor Linden, or even a Steve Yzerman in the years to come?  Well he does have the potential.  And being on a great rebuilding team like the Oilers surrounded by a boat load of young talent (like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Taylor Hall, Nail Yakupov, Justin Schultz, and Devan Dubnyk) along with some seasoned veterans (like Ryan Smyth, Shawn Horcoff, and Ales Hemsky) can't hurt his chances for success.

He was selected in the first round, 22nd overall, in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.   During his four-year junior career with the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League (WHL), he won the CHL Player of the Year Award in 2010, the Doc Seaman Trophy as the scholastic player of the year in 2008 and was a two-time First Team East All-Star in 2008 and 2010. In his second season in the NHL, Eberle was named to the All-Star Game and led the Oilers in goal- and point-scoring.

Internationally, he has competed for Canada in two World Junior Championships, winning gold and silver in 2009 and 2010, respectively. He was named Tournament MVP and Best Forward at the 2010 World Junior Championships and is Canada's second all-time leading scorer at the tournament with 26 points, 5 behind Eric Lindros.  Let the numbers speak for themselves.

 
Jordan Eberle
Center
Born May 15 1990  -- Regina, SASK 
Height 5.10 -- Weight 174 -- Shoots R


Selected by Edmonton Oilers round 1 #22 overall 2008 NHL Entry Draft

                                            --- Regular Season ---
Season   Team                        Lge    GP    G    A  Pts  PIM
------------------------------------------------------------------
2006-07  Regina Pats                 WHL    66   28   27   55   32
2007-08  Regina Pats                 WHL    70   42   33   75   20
2008-09  Regina Pats                 WHL    61   35   39   74   20
2008-09  Springfield Falcons         AHL     9    3    6    9    4
2009-10  Regina Pats                 WHL    57   50   56  106   32
2009-10  Springfield Falcons         AHL    11    6    8   14    0
2010-11  Edmonton Oilers             NHL    69   18   25   43   22
2011-12  Edmonton Oilers             NHL    78   34   42   76   10
2012-13  Oklahoma City Barons*       AHL    34   25   26   51   10
------------------------------------------------------------------
         NHL Totals                        147   52   67  119   32
 
 
Jordan Eberle Edmonton Oilers Jersey


Bonus Video
Who can ever forget the greatest goal scored in World Junior History, maybe the most exciting goal in Canadian history.  I rank it ahead of "Crosby's Golden Goal" and Paul Henderson's "Goal Heard 'Round The World" just because of the pure excitement of it.

 

Friday, November 4, 2011

Joe Sakic Quebec Nordiques Alternate Jersey

This is a very rare item. The Nordiques had planned to change their logo, colors, and uniforms for the 1995–96 season had they been able to stay in Quebec, and the new design had already appeared in the press. These jerseys were not made available for sale so all of them that are out there are reproductions, but still a very cool piece to have in any jersey collection.

Joe Sakic Quebec Nordiques Alternate Jersey


Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Bobby Baun Oakland Seals Jersey

Baun was one of the hardest and cleanest hitters of his time. He was not considered an offensive threat as a defenceman, never scoring more than 20 points in a season in the NHL. His highest single-season goal total was eight in 1959–60. However, Baun is remembered for his performance in game six of the 1963–64 NHL season Stanley Cup finals against the Detroit Red Wings. On April 23, 1964, having broken his leg earlier in the game, he returned in overtime and scored the game winning goal. The Leafs won the next game 4–0 to win the best of seven series, and secure their third consecutive Stanley Cup championship.

He developed a reputation for understanding the business side of playing in the NHL in the years before there was a players' union. Eventually, other players sought Baun's advice about their contracts and salaries, which eroded his relationship with Leafs' general manager Punch Imlach. That relationship deteriorated even further when Baun was a holdout for the 1965–66 season. Baun eventually got a raise, but Imlach never forgot it. A series of injuries further dimmed Imlach's enthusiasm for Baun. In 1966–67, Baun suffered a broken toe. Imlach replaced him with Larry Hillman and Baun saw little ice time after that. He was mostly an observer from the bench for the Leafs' 1967 Cup victory, and refused to participate in the celebrations.

Before the next season, Baun was left unprotected in the 1967 expansion draft, and was selected by the Oakland Seals. Baun was one of four members of the Memorial Cup-winning Marlboros teams from the mid-1950s to play for the Seals, but the team struggled badly on the ice, particularly on offence, finishing the year with the worst record in the league. Baun asked to be traded back to an Original Six team, and Oakland accommodated his request, dealing him to the Detroit Red Wings in May 1968. Baun played in Detroit for two years but early into the 1970–71 season he found himself at odds with coach Ned Harkness and was placed on waivers. From there, he was claimed by the Buffalo Sabres, managed by Imlach, who immediately traded him to the St. Louis Blues. Baun refused to report to St. Louis and nine days later was traded back to the Maple Leafs for Brit Selby. The Leafs benefitted from Baun's defensive play, helping Jacques Plante to record a 1.88 goals against average in 1970–71. Baun was just as effective the next season. In the fifth game of the 1972–73 season, he suffered a neck injury that ended his NHL career at the age of 36.

Bobby Baun Oakland Seals Jersey

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Guy Lafleur Quebec Nordiques Jersey

After being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, Lafleur returned to the NHL briefly from 1988–89 through 1990–91 with the New York Rangers and the Quebec Nordiques. Lafleur remained one of the few players that did not wear protective helmets due to a grandfather clause. Against the Edmonton Oilers in a 1988 exhibition game, Lafleur had six shots on goal which was the most in that game, and that performance earned praise from the Oilers' Mark Messier, as well as convincing Rangers manager Phil Esposito to sign Lafleur to a one year contract. During his first game back in the Montreal Forum, he scored twice against Patrick Roy during the Rangers' 7–5 loss to the Canadiens. As in his heydey with the Habs, the Forum crowd chanted "Guy! Guy! Guy!" every time he touched the puck, and he received huge ovations for each goal, and when he was introduced as the game's first star.

Although his high-scoring days were well behind him, his stint with the Rangers was moderately successful and he helped the team to first place in the Patrick Division until being knocked out by a knee injury. Lafleur then followed dismissed Rangers head coach and close friend Michel Bergeron to the Nordiques for his final seasons. Intending to finish his hockey career in Quebec where he had started, he reportedly turned down a $1 million offer from the Los Angeles Kings. He managed 24 goals in 98 games with the Nordiques over two seasons, the 38-year-old was still among the team's best players while receiving diminished ice time.


Guy Lafleur Quebec Nordiques Jersey

Monday, September 19, 2011

Eric Lindros Philadelphia Flyers Jersey

With his imposing physical strength and playmaking ability, Lindros established himself as the top player on a Flyers team that had perennially been in contention but always fell short. His time in Philadelphia would see him score points at a phenomenal rate (for much of his first 5 seasons in the NHL, Lindros hovered around 4th all-time in points per game) and become one of the most feared players in the NHL. In September 1994, Lindros succeeded Kevin Dineen as Flyers captain. Along with John LeClair and Mikael Renberg, he played on the dreaded "Legion of Doom" line. He scored over 40 goals in each of his first two seasons and won the Hart Trophy as MVP in the lockout-shortened season of 1995 by scoring 29 goals and 41 assists in 46 games and leading the Flyers to their first playoff appearance in 6 years.

Lindros led the Flyers to the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals, handily defeating Pittsburgh, Buffalo and the New York Rangers in 5 games apiece. But in the Finals the Flyers were swept in four games by the Detroit Red Wings; Lindros' only goal came with 14 seconds left in the 3rd period of Game 4. Lindros as a franchise player was expected to carry the team, but he had not lived up to expectations nor had he shown leadership during the Finals series. In 1998, Lindros, only 25 years old, was ranked number 54 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players of all time. The only player of comparable age was No. 37-ranked Jaromir Jagr, who was 26 at the time.

The 1999–2000 season would be Lindros' last as a Flyer. Having suffered his 2nd concussion of the season (4th overall) in March, Lindros criticized the team's trainers for failing to diagnose a concussion as he played with symptoms following a hit he suffered in a game against Boston 2 weeks prior. Clarke then stripped Lindros of the captaincy for his actions. Lindros sat out the remainder of the regular season and suffered another concussion while rehabilitating for a return to the lineup. Lindros ultimately returned for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against New Jersey, Lindros scored the lone goal in a 2-1 Flyers loss, and in Game 7 Lindros suffered yet another concussion after a hit by New Jersey defenseman Scott Stevens. The Flyers lost Game 7, 2-1 and the series despite leading 3 games to 1, and Lindros became a restricted free agent during the off-season. He refused to accept a 2-way qualifying offer with a minor league provision from the Flyers, who still owned his rights. After Lindros was cleared to play in December, the Flyers refused to deal his rights to the Toronto Maple Leafs, as he preferred, and Lindros sat out the entire 2000–01 season.

Eric Lindros Philadelphia Flyers Jersey