Thursday, September 29, 2011

Maksim Mayorov



Autograph received in person at the Blue Jackets Fanfest on September 9, 2011


What I like about the CBJ the most these days are the pleasant surprises that are our prospects (Calvert, Clitsome, Kubalik). Maksim Mayorov fits nicely under this category due to his performance in training camp. I really hope he makes the team. Mr. Mayorov signed my 8x10 in blue sharpie.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Kris Russell





Autograph received in person at the Blue Jackets Fanfest on September 9, 2011


Kris Russell has now played over 4 seasons in the NHL. He has had ups and downs career-wise, but he does shows flashes of brilliance and was named CHL Defenseman of the year in 2007. He signed my card in blue sharpie.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Jared Boll



Autograph received in person at the Blue Jackets Fanfest on September 9, 2011


I have always enjoyed Jared Boll on the Jackets. He's a good bruiser and a fan favorite. Mr. Boll signed my card in black sharpie.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Derick Brassard


Autograph received in person at the Blue Jackets Fanfest on September 9, 2011


Derick Brassard is one of the few CBJ 1st round picks that either hasn't been an utter failure (Zherdev, Picard, Brule) or hasn't been traded (Vorachek). Brass has been improving with every season and I can see him being an excellent 50-55 point 2nd line center for most of his career. I sent some cards to him last season but I never got them back so this was a nice autograph to get.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Mark Dekanich


Autograph received in person at the Blue Jackets Fanfest on September 9, 2011


I did not know much about Dekanich until this offseason when Columbus acquired him from Milwaukee. He's put up good numbers in the AHL so I hope he makes a good backup for Columbus. Dekanich signed my card in blue sharpie. 

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Ray Whitney



Card Sent: 8/4/11
Received: 8/20/11 (2/2)


Geez I got these back WWAYY quicker than I thought I would! I've been a fan of Whitney's ever since he came to Columbus back in the inaugural  season. He's a great playmaker and played 151 games in Columbus and scored 140 points. Whitney might not put up huge numbers but he has been one of the most consistent players for over a decade. I hope he can hit 1000 career points before he retires (close at 926!). Mr. Whitney signed both of my cards in blue sharpie and his signature is pretty sweet. I love this return.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Marc Methot



Autograph received in person at the Blue Jackets Fanfest on September 9, 2011


I really like Marc Methot. He is a traditional stay at home D-man with a hardworking attitude. Also, he was awesome with the fans at Fanfest this year. You could tell he was having a good time and showed a lot of personality. Mr. Methot signed my 8x10 with a nice personalization, which I like a lot. 

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Fedor Tyutin



Autograph received in person at the Blue Jackets Fanfest on September 9, 2011


I had been meaning to get Tyutin for a while for I never got around to it. While I was waiting in line for his autograph, his signing time was up so I got him as he was walking off ice after an activity for the kids there. Nice guy.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Vinny Prospal


Autograph received in person at the Blue Jackets Fanfest on September 9, 2011


Out of all the trades and free agents Columbus got this summer, Prospal was the proverbial icing on the cake. If he stays healthy, I can see him putting up respectable numbers and being a good veteran presence on the team. Mr. Prospal was nice enough to sign a card of him during his tenure with Tampa.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Jeff Carter


Autograph received in person at the Blue Jackets Fanfest on September 9, 2011

Boy oh boy oh Boy! I am so glad I got an opportunity to get Jeff Carter before the season started. From what I've heard, he is sort of hard to get autograph-wise so this was a great success. The best part was that he seemed pretty happy at the signing and I think he will come to like playing in Columbus. A GREAT success.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Evander Kane


Card Sent: 2/4/11
Received: 6/1/11 (1/1)


Kane is one of those players I have enjoyed since their first game in the NHL. He will no doubt be a franchise player for Winnipeg and I can only see his production going up at this point. Kane was nice enough to sign my card in black sharpie.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Derek MacKenzie


Autograph received in person on June 24th 2011 at the Blue Jackets Draft Party.


Yet another custom card I made for the draft party. DMac had a great year with Columbus last year with 23 points. He is a solid 4 line player and I'm glad he has a more permanent place in the lineup.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Antoine Vermette


Sent: 2/16/11
Received: 4/27/11 (1/1)


I was glad to get this one back in April. Vermette is a reliable 50 point player and is very useful in faceoffs. He's no star but he is a versatile and likable player. The letter was sent to the Blue Jackets.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Grant Clitsome


Card sent: 1/29/11
Received: 3/12/11


Clitsome was drafted by Columbus in 2004 and has spent most of his time in the minors. However, during the 2010-11 season, he was called up by Columbus to play 31 games (and scoring 19 points) and is now in the starting lineup. Like Matt Calvert, Clitsome was a nice surprise during a very disappointing season. I was actually able to witness Clitsome's first NHL goal in 2010 gainst the Islanders. Mr. Clitsome signed my card in black sharpie ink and wrote me a letter thanking me for the fan letter.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Rod Brind'Amour






Cards Sent: 7/24/11
Received: 8/10/11 (3/2)


The beauty (and sometimes, the curse) of TTM is that you never know what to expect. I thought this letter would take much longer to get back but not only did it only take a little over two weeks, Mr. Brin'Amour enclosed a letter with a St. Louis card saying "Here's an extra if you don't already have it". Thanks Rod!

Friday, September 2, 2011

Rick Nash custom card



A couple of months ago, Upperdeck held a contest for its facebook fans to design a custom hockey card and display it on their facebook page. Here was my entry with none other than Rick Nash. I did not win (winner was drawn at random) but it was still a fun little exercise. All of the work was done in Photoshop and Illustrator.

Ryan Johansen




Autograph received in person on June 24th 2011 at the Blue Jackets Draft Party.


Here is another custom card I made for the draft party. Johansen had a stellar year in the WHL last season with Portland and is looking to be one of the best Columbus prospects since Rick Nash. Hopefully, he can make an impact in the NHL this season.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Joe Pavelski


Card Sent: 1/26/11
Received: 4/19/11

Joe Pavelski is often overlooked by a lot of NHL fans. He is a solid center who is clutch in faceoffs and has excellent leadership skills. I would not be surprised if he was captain of the Sharks someday. Mr. Pavelski really came through and signed my card with a fine black sharpie. The signature looks great on the card. A very nice return.