Craig Biggio Autographed Card

Here's an in-person card I've had for quite a long time. In the early '90s, when I was living in Houston, my dad took me every year to this big card show in Houston. It wasn't quite as large-scale as "The National," but it was pretty close. A massive convention hall was filled with dealers, and there were plenty of autograph guests, and there I was at 12 or 13, with a very limited budget. 

I did have a local card shop that my dad would drive me to every now and then, so I didn't want to spend it all on packs. What I did decide to throw down some money one, however, was an autograph. I was pretty young at the time & didn't really understand too many of the nuances of the game, but there was one player from the Astros there, who I understood to be a good player: Craig Biggio.

While I know that I did get the card signed in person, and I do remember specifically purchasing this 1992 Topps Gold card specifically for this purpose, I don't remember a single thing about my interaction with Biggio. I'm sure me, being a shy, awkward pre-teen walked up to the table and said "Hello," asked him to please sign my card, and then thanked him before walking off. I'm sure he was extremely nice and had a big smile on his face, because that's who he is, and that's what he does. I just can't remember it for sure.

I also ended up purchasing a small plaque to hold the card. Even back then, I wanted to proudly display my unique piece of athlete interaction. I guess there are some things that don't even change 20 years down the line.

Matt Cullen Autographed Card and Bobblehead

In the Fargo-Moorhead area, we don't have a whole lot of professional athletes to come out of the region, but we do have a few. The most famous, of course, is Roger Maris, who broke Babe Ruth's single-season home run record in 1961.We also have Matt Cullen of the Nashville Predators, who was raised in Moorhead, MN. While he may not carry the legendary credentials of Maris, Cullen has put together an impressive NHL career, he has scored 212 goals and 389 assists over his 16 years in the league, along with a Stanley Cup victory in 2006, with the Carolina Hurricanes.

He tends to stay out of the spotlight when at home during the off-season, but there are occasional autograph opportunities that I have been able to take advantage of in years past. My first encounter was at a celebrity golf tournament in the late 90s. I knew he would be there, and at the time, being the only hockey player attending, he was really the only one I went after. We were living in Texas at the time, and I didn't bring anything up with me, but I was able to get my hands on a team set of hockey cards, which would give me a card of Cullen's.

The second occurrence actually took place at a baseball game. Back in 2007, again, when we were visiting family up here, the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks of the Northern Baseball League had a themed "Hockey Night." Cullen was there to throw out the first pitch, which he did by shooting it into a net with a hockey stick, a goal horn was sounded for every Redhawks run, and all sorts of fans came to the game wearing hockey sweaters. After the pre-game ceremonies, which had Cullen and his wife talk to the fans about Cully's Kids, their charity which provides financial resources to children's health care organizations, primarily those dealing with cancer, Cullen made himself available to sign autographs in the concession area. Like before, I hadn't brought any Matt Cullen items with me on my trip, but luckily, they were giving out bobbleheads at the gate, which gave me a great item for him to sign. The bobblehead features Cullen in his Moorhead Spuds hockey gear, where he played high school hockey.

Cullen still resides in Moorhead during the off-season, so I'm sure there will be plenty more opportunities in the future. I just need to get my hands on a Cullen Minnesota Wild jersey, so that I will finally be prepared for when another opportunity comes my way.

Clyde Drexler Autographed Basketball

A couple years ago, when my wife & I were living in the Houston-area, a brand new Circuit City was opening up, and they brought in Basketball Hall-of-Famer and Houston basketball legend Clyde Drexler to sign autographs and help promote the store's grand opening. Now, I had no idea of this, but luckily my wife heard an advertisement on the radio, and knowing how much of a collector I am, informed me of this great opportunity. So, we went to our local Academy sporting goods store and picked up two basketballs: one for me, and one for her brother, who played basketball throughout high school.

We got there in time for the signing, but there was already a pretty long line formed. We came too late for the gift cards they were giving out to the first 100 people, but we did get a Circuit City umbrella as a giveaway. Anyway, we wait through the line, which moved pretty quickly, and got to the front, and weer hit with a bit of a surprise. Apparently, Drexler was doing this as a fundraiser for a charity he was involved with, and was charging $25 a piece for the signature, which included a white-paneled basketball for him to sign. Unfortunately, we didn't bring any cash or our checkbook with, so we were pretty stuck. Luckily for us, though, he was willing to sign our basketballs, allowing us to walk away happy.

I don't have a whole lot of basketball signatures, but the ones I do have are pretty spectacular. This is certain to be one I will proudly display for quite a long time. Now I just need to get it a decent display case and take it out of that cardboard.

Thomas Vanek Autographed Puck

I made what has become an annual pilgrimage to St. Paul, Minnesota Tuesday, to see my Pittsburgh Penguins take on the home team Minnesota Wild.

Last year, the game took place with just a few weeks left in the season. It was a disappointment, to say the least, with the Wild winning 4-0. It was a pretty bad blowout, and what it came down to, was that you had one team (Wild) playing like a team fighting for a playoff spot, and the other team (Penguins) playing like a team who was already in.

This year would be different, though, as it was early enough in the year that both teams would be fighting to prove their worth. Not only that, but both teams came in as two of the hottest teams in the league, which should give us quite a competitive game.

It was another decisive victory, but this time with the Penguins coming out on top with a 4-1 victory. Goals were scored by Nick Spaling, Brandon Sutter, Chris Kunitz, and Patric Hornqvist, as well as the Wild's lone goal being scored by Nino Niederreiter. Once again, Pittsburgh went with their backup goaltender when visiting the "State of Hockey," but Thomas Griess was spectacular, stopping 33 of 34 shots.

Also at the game, the Minnesota Wild Foundation was holding a fundraiser, where for $40, fans could get their hands on a "Mystery Puck," wrapped in gold foil to conceal the identity of the signing player, autographed by one of the Wild players. Last year, 10 players signed pucks, and I got Mikael Granlund, Jason Pominville, and Jared Spurgeon. This year, that number was increased to 12, with autographs from Jonas Brodin, Matt Cooke, Charlie Coyle, Mikael Granlund, Erik Haula, Mikko Koivu, Nino Niederreiter, Darcy Kuemper, Zach Parise, Jason Pominville, Ryan Suter and Thomas Vanek. Now last year, I got Pominville and Granlund, and this past summer, I got a puck signed by Cooke, so I had a 25% chance of getting someone that I already have.

Well, the odds were in my favor, as I got a new player, and a pretty good one, too, in Thomas Vanek.

The puck is one specially designed for this promotion, which is raising money for the Minnesota Wild Foundation. The organization raised money to support various pediatric medical causes throughout the state, so even if you didn't get your favorite player, you knew your money was going to a good place. I actually don't mind the design, as it gives a good window for the player to sign, making the signature more visible. Last year's pucks were just a team logo in the middle, with the player signing wherever they decided to scribble. The other nice thing, is that it specifies the season, so that way, if I pull a Vanek again next year, at least there's a slight difference in the two.

Autographed Pucks from Jason Pominville, Mikael Granlund, and Jared Spurgeon

Last April, I attended my first NHL game in 10 years, as I traveled to Minneapolis to see the Minnesota Wild host my Pittsburgh Penguins. 

Unfortunately, the game didn't carry with it too much excitement for me as a Penguins fan. The Penguins were shutout 4-0. Malkin & Letang were out, and Fleury was on the bench, but I did get to see Crosby, and that's the important thing. The tickets were a birthday gift from my parents, and they were nice enough to get me seats on the 10th row, which gave me a great up-close view of the game. Plus, we set the Xcel Energy Center for attendance at a Wild game with 19,409 people.

They also had this really cool fundraiser for the Minnesota Wild Foundation, which raises money to support various pediatric medical causes throughout the state. For $40, you could purchase one "mystery puck," which was autographed by a Minnesota Wild player. The great thing here was, they actually pulled the top 10 players from the team to do this, instead of just going the easy route with the 3rd & 4th liners. The 10 players featured were Charlie Coyle, Jonas Brodin, Ilya Bryzagalov, Mikael Granlund, Mikko Koivu, Darcy Kuemper, Matt Moulson, Nino Niederreiter, Zach Parise, Jason Pominville, Jared Spurgeon and Ryan Suter, so no matter what, you got a pretty legit player.

I ended up picking up one each time I went on a beer run, giving me a total of three.

I did pretty well, too, picking up Jason Pominville, Mikael Granlund, and Jared Spurgeon. 

Pominville

Granlund

Spurgeon

At first, I assumed they just did this at every game, but as it turns out, they only do this a few times each year, so I just got lucky. Still, I was very happy to add these pucks to my collection. My autographed puck collection was getting pretty USHL-heavy, so it was nice to give it a stronger NHL presence.

Kyle Wanvig Autographed Puck

This wasn't quite my first in-person autograph of a hockey player, but it was my first autographed puck. This hockey puck is an unused official game puck of the Houston Aeros autographed by Kyle Wanvig. I got the puck at a Houston Aeros game about 15 years ago, when Wanvig was signing autographs after the game's conclusion.

Wanvig spent parts of four seasons in the NHL with the Minnesota Wild and Tampa Bay Lightning, with his most significant season coming in 2005-06, where he spent the entire season with the Minnesota Wild, scoring four goals and eight assists in 51 games. His last game in the NHL came during the 2007-08 season, and he spent the next few years bouncing around the AHL and a couple European leagues, before announcing his retirement in 2011.

Fargo Force Autographed Pucks

While NHL fans have to wait until October 8 for the season to begin, the USHL is kicking things off a bit earlier. My local team, the Fargo Force will have their home opener tonight against the Madison Capitols. To mark the beginning of the new season, I am showing off the autographed pucks I got last year, along with one game-used item I got my hands on the year before that.

The game-used item is a puck that arrived in my hands after flying over the glass. The puck came my way during a March 2, 2013 game against the Lincoln Stars. About halfway through the third period, it flew off of the ice, banged off of the vacant seat next to me, and fell right between my feet. It is actually my second puck caught at a hockey game, but I'll write on the other one at a later date.

At each Fargo Force game, one player is featured as the game's "Player Spotlight." It is primarily a way to get to know the players, and each spotlight is accompanied by a cover on the game's program, a "getting to know..." video during one of the intermissions, and an autograph signing at the end of the game. Of course, I attend every one of these when I am at a game, and by the end of the season, I had six autographed pucks.

Here's a quick look at my pucks, with a short bit of information on where they are playing this season.

Name: Cam Johnson

Position: Goaltender

Current Team: University of North Dakota (NCAA)

Name: Chris Buchanan

Position: Defense

Current Team: Bentley University (NCAA)

Name: Teemu Kivihalme

Position: Defense

Current Team: Colorado College (NCAA)

Name: Tanner Jago

Position: Defense

Current Team: Portage Terriers (MJHL)

Name: Alex Jackstadt

Position: Forward

Current Team: Powell River Kings (BCHL)

Name: J.M. Piotrowski

Position: Forward

Current Team: Bismarck Bobcats (NAHL)

That's it for last season, and with the 2014-15 season starting tonight, I hope to be showing off a lot more in the future.