Hartford Wolfpack @ Albany Devils 3/22/15

I'm really falling behind on these entries, I'm sorry. School and life have been pretty busy, but I'm starting to catch up.

About a month ago, I attended the Albany Devils game on a Sunday afternoon when they hosted the Hartford Wolfpack. The Wolfpack were one of the first teams I ever got autographs from in Albany, so I figured I'd try my luck with them again.

The game was also scheduled as the last autograph signing for the Devils, which was good because I was looking to get a few photos signed from some players.

The game itself was a pretty good one, as the Devils scored four goals in the third period to come back and beat the Wolfpack. I got a few of them on video, as you could see HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Directly after the game, I went to my usual spot outside the Times Union Center and waited for the Wolfpack to come outside.

It was pretty cold, so I don't have any photos of the Wolfpack outside, but here's the quick story of what happened. Defenseman Michael Kostka came out and I instantly recognized him because of his long blonde hair. He quickly signed the photo on the right for me before boarding the team bus. Longtime AHLer Chris Mueller also came out and signed a photo for me. I rarely print out photos of people in AHL jerseys, but I liked this one so I got him to sign it.

Eventually, someone I actually recognized walked out the door. Dylan McIlrath signed a program for a kid, and I instantly recognized his signature from the last time I met him. He signed a nice photo for me. One of the last guys to walk out the door was Joey Crabb, and a fellow collector pointed him out for me so I could get him to sign the photo on the right.

I had printed out a Hartford Wolfpack team logo 4x6 photo to get a few random people to sign. I got a couple of players to sign it, but I'll get to them in a second. Assistant coach and 1994 Stanley Cup Champion Jeff Beukeboom walked out the door carrying some food, and when a couple collectors asked him to sign, he went on the bus and said he would be right back. A lot of people say that, but few live up to their word. But thankfully, Beukeboom but his stuff down on the bus and came back. He signed a cool 1994 Stanley Cup Championship puck that I had, as well as the Wolfpack logo sheet. Here are both items with the other people who signed the logo sheet.

Beukeboom signed it on the top right corner.
74-Nick Tarnasky 29-Danny Kristo
2-Mat Bodie 48-Carl Klingberg

After that, I went back inside for the Devils autograph signing. The first table I got in line for was that of the day's winning goalie, Scott Clemmensen. I met Clemmensen the first time he got sent down back in November, but he wasn't coming out the usual back door since then. I took a photo with him that first time, and I printed it out and tried to get it signed. When I handed him the photo, he said that we look like a couple of handsome men. Then, he said he liked the photo of him playing on the Cats, aka the Florida Panthers. Here are the two photos he signed for me.









The other Albany Devils' player who I had an individual item of was Joe Whitney. I printed out a photo from his first NHL goal in Detroit earlier this season.  I told him that I've never seen anyone look so happy in a hockey photo, and he said he remembers how happy he was after putting the puck in the net. Judge how happy he is for yourself, the photo is on the right.

The giveaway at the game was a team poster. They gave posters out last year, and I was there for that game too. This year's poster was significantly smaller, which made it easier to carry around. After the game, I got everybody that was there to sign the poster. I don't have a specific list of names, but here are a few photos I took at the signing.

And below is the team signed poster. I put pucks on the corners to hold it down. Click on the photo for a closer look.

That's all for this entry, I'll have another one coming up soon. Thanks for reading! 

Chicago Wolves @ Adirondack Flames 11/18/14

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to go up to Glens Falls for the morning skates of the Adirondack Flames, AHL affiliate of the Calgary Flames, and the Chicago Wolves, AHL affiliate of the St. Louis Blues. The Flames are brand new, having moved to Glens Falls, N.Y. from British Columbia in Canada. Last season, the Adirondack Phantoms played in Glens Falls as the Flyers AHL affiliate, but they moved to Lehigh Valley, P.A. prior to this season, which left the Flames to come to New York.



After showing up bright and early for the morning skate, I just went up to the tunnel where the Flames would be leaving the ice after their skate. During the skate, one of the Flames goalies made a save, sending the puck over the glass and into the stands. With pretty much nobody else there, I walked over and picked up the puck. It is just a blank puck, no logos on it or anything like that. I'll probably end up getting it signed one day in the near future.


Eventually, the Flames started coming off the ice one at a time. I had a team sheet for them and a few 4x6 photos of some of the players. One of the first guys off was Joni Ortio, the starting goalie for that night's game. He was nice and signed. The backup goalie that night was Brad Thiessen, former Pittsburgh Penguin. He also was nice and signed as soon as he came off the ice. That's him signing on the left.

One of the main reasons I wanted to go to Glens Falls was to see former New York Islander Trevor Gillies. Many fans know him for being in this brawl against Pittsburgh in 2011. Earlier this season, he was suspended for an illegal hit against the Rochester Americans. He was back from his suspension by the time I was in Glens Falls.

After he got off the ice, he was going to sign, then realized he was really sweaty and needed a towel. He said he would come back in a couple minutes. A few minutes later, Gillies showed up without his jersey and with a towel. I told him I was from Long Island, and he extended his right hand and said, "Trevor, nice to meet you." I shook it and handed him a sharpie. He signed the two 4x6 photos I had of him and personalized one of them. He said he liked the photo he ended up personalizing, and I didn't even ask for it. He just did it once I told him my name. I then took a picture with him, wished him luck, and he went back into the locker room. The photo is on the right. You can see the autographs further down in this entry.

Since I spent a solid two minutes talking to Gillies, I missed a couple of players coming off the ice, but it was worth it to get to hang out with a player who has some sentimental value to me.

I got a few 4x6 photos signed by the Flames, and here they are in no particular order.

Trevor Gillies

Brad Thiessen

Trevor Gillies

Corey Potter

And below is the Adirondack Flames team sheet I got signed by as many people as I could, as well as the number they signed with. One player apologized for writing the wrong number with his signature. 

6-Dustin Steven 5-Tyler Wotherspoon 46-Bill Arnold 16-Matthew Tousignant 

7-Ryan Culkin 44-Corey Potter 28-Ben Hanowski 48-Bryce Van Brabant 

14-Mark Cundari 7-John Ramage 39-Brad Thiessen 31-Joni Ortio

14-Trevor Gillies 32-Patrick Sieloff 38-Nolan Yonkman

Assistant coach Todd Gill signed in the top left corner under Steven's signature. 

After the Flames left the ice, the zamboni went on the ice and I went over to the other side of the rink to watch the Wolves skate. I took the panorama below while the Wolves were on the ice. 

Eventually, the Wolves started coming off the ice. I got autographs from pretty much everyone that was on the ice for them, including a few Stanley Cup winners. As the Wolves were doing their skate, I was told that former goaltender Ty Conklin was on the ice as one of the coaches in the Blues organization. In the photo on the left, Conklin is the one in the Blues apparel mentoring young goalie Matt Clime. Conklin signed a puck for me once he came off. Clime is the goaltender in the photo the left who signed. He was quite sweaty, so some of his sweat dripped onto people's items. 

Here is the team sheet I got signed by the Wolves and names and numbers of everyone that signed it. 

49-Gergo Nagy 9-Shane Harper 28-Brett Regner 38-Sebastian Wannstrom 42-Jake Chelios  5-Mathieu Brodeur 33-Matt Clime 24-Colin Fraser 21-Ben Ferriero  

12-Pat Cannone 6-Jani Hakanpaa 4-Petteri Lindbohm 

7-David Shields 15-Jeremy Welsh. 37-Terry Broadhurst

Ty Rattie, Jordan Binnington, and Yannick Vielleux signed without numbers. 

Coaches Mark Hardy (bottom left) and Brad Tapper (top center) signed without numbers. 

Brent Sopel

I got other items signed by some of the Wolves. Here they are.

Colin Fraser

Colin Fraser

Ty Conklin

Mark Hardy (Index Card)

Ty Rattie

That's it for this entry. It was quite a successful day in Glens Falls. I have a few more entries to catch up on, and I will have those up as soon as possible. Thanks for reading, good luck graphing, and have a great day.

Springfield Falcons @ Albany Devils 4/19/14

For their last game of the regular season, the Albany Devils hosted the Springfield Falcons. I had already met many of the Falcons back in December. After the game, I was at my usual spot by the back door near the bus. 

I only had some stuff for a few of the Falcons, and they started coming out quickly after the game. There were a bunch of people outside in the back, and it made me wonder where those people were back in December when it was freezing out. 

The first Falcon out that I had something for was Tim Erixon, a former New York Ranger who was a part of the Rick Nash trade in 2012. He was very nice, signing everything for everybody. He signed the 4x6 photo I had. I'm pretty sure he signed six or seven cards for one of the other people that was there. I got a good photo of him signing for one of the other people that wanted his autograph.

The next person whose autograph I wanted was goalie Mike McKenna, a former Albany Devil. He came out, and signed for people who asked. He even stood and talked to the fans outside for a good 15 minutes. One person was wearing a McKenna jersey, and he seemed very happy to see someone was wearing his jersey. He signed that fan's jersey and signed everything for anyone else that wanted, including my photo. I also took a good picture of McKenna, in the backwards blue cap, signing for another person.

The last Falcon autograph I got was Dana Tyrell. As soon as he left the building, he walked far away from everyone to make a phone call. When he walked back to the bus, he signed very quickly. He only signed one item per person, good thing I only had one photo. It seemed like he made an effort to sign some cards for people as sloppily as he could. I thanked him for the autograph, and then he boarded the bus, which soon drove away.

I did get a couple autographs from the Devils, but I didn't have much for most of the team. The main person I was hoping to see was Jon Merrill. I printed out a picture from his first NHL goal, which was actually an overtime winner as well. He added the inscription that I asked for. He will most likely be with New Jersey for next season, but since New Jersey didn't make the NHL playoffs, he was back in Albany. He signed for the mob of Devils fans that assembled in the warm spring weather, then ducked into the parking garage and left.




The last autograph on the day that I got was of Tim Sestito. I had taken a picture with him back in January. I printed it out, and when he came out the door. He signed for everyone, including myself. I wished him good luck in the playoffs, and he went to his car and drove away.

That's it for now. I will be going to one of the Albany Devils playoff games this weekend. Thanks for reading! Good luck graphing! 

Albany Devils Autograph Signing 1/26/14

For the past month, I have been relaxing and enjoying my winter vacation at home. Now, I'm back in Albany for the spring semester of college.

The Albany Devils held their first post game autograph signing of the season after their game this past Sunday against the Binghamton Senators. After the Senators thumped the Devils 6-3, it was time for the signing to begin.

On the program that was being given to all fans, a list of all of the players and where they would be was provided. About a half hour after the game ended, the players emerged onto the Times Union Center concourse to begin the signing.

The first table I went to featured team captain Rod Pelley, notorious fighter Cam Janssen, and Dan Kelly, who scored a goal in the game. All three signed my team photo. Pelley signed two 4x6 photos as well. Pelley had never seen a gold sharpie before, and he was pretty surprised that it actually worked over the black background.

Remember in October when I got Arron Asham and Micheal Haley to sign photos of them fighting with Janssen? Three months later, Janssen signed both photos and also signed a card I found of him. When he saw the picture of the Haley fight, he said, "That's a horrible picture." I didn't have a good response to that, so I thanked him and went to the next table.

Later in the day, I went back to the table and took a picture with Janssen for the second time. Like the first time, it didn't come out like I hoped it would. Too blurry and I'm not smiling. I guess the third time is the charm for photos with Cam Janssen. The people standing behind me in the line were saying how they were going to ask Janssen if he could make out with them. I have no idea what actually happened, but I'll assume he said no.

After Janssen, the trio of Keith Kinkaid, Chris McKelvie, and Mike Sislo were waiting for me at the next table. I've had Kinkaid sign a whole bunch of stuff already this season, so I didn't need anything from him besides my team photo. McKelvie also signed my team photo. Mike Sislo got called up to the NHL and played in seven games for New Jersey during the winter break. I had a 4x6 of him, and he was happy to sign it. He also said that he liked New Jersey when I asked him about his time in the NHL.  I later came back and took a group picture with the three of them. 

The fun continued a short walk around the concourse later when I arrived to see Artem Demkov, Tim Sestito, Scott Timmins, and David Wohlberg at a table signing away. Here is a short video that I took.

The four players signed my team photo, and Timmins signed a 4x6 photo from his Florida Panthers days.

The next table I approached had the foursome of Raman Hrabarenka, Brandon Burlon, Reece Scarlett and recently sent down Reid Boucher. Scarlett, Burlon and Hrabarenka all haven't seen NHL action yet, but Reid Boucher had. He scored his first NHL goal on December 18, 2013 and I had a two 4x6 photos of him from his NHL action. One of my photos was of Boucher holding the puck from his first NHL goal. After some confusion over what number to put with his signature, he signed both of my pictures and wrote the First Goal inscription like I wanted. All four players signed my team photo.










Just a few feet away sat the trio of goalie Scott Wedgewood, Corbin McPherson, and Stefan Matteau. (The son of this Matteau.) Matteau was a healthy scratch for the game, but he was there for the signing. After Wedgewood signed my team photo in black, I went up to Matteau. Before I could say anything he signed the team photo in silver, which he was using for almost everything. He also signed the two 4x6 photos I had in silver, and they don't look that bad. McPherson also signed the team photo and said that he liked the photo. Someone asked Matteau to film a video for his son in French, and Matteau was happy to do it.

The next table had Joe Whitney, Alexander Urbom, Mattias Tedenby, and Seth Helgeson. Whitney had just played in his NHL debut two days earlier, but was already sent back down to Albany before the Devils' outdoor game at Yankee Stadium. Urbom signed my team photo and a picture of him from when he played with the Capitals earlier this season. Tedenby signed a 4x6 photo. I would put his signature in the 'worst autograph ever' category, but that is another story. Helgeson signed my team photo, asked me where I got it. When I told him I found it on google, that satisfied him and I walked away.

The last table I went to had Harri Pesonen, Kelly Zajac, Mike Hoeffel, and Adam Larsson. Larsson scored earlier in the game on a blast from the faceoff circle. The photo on the right is one that I took of Larsson blasting the puck into the net. All four guys signed my team photo then Larsson signed a 4x6 photo.




I took one last picture with Tim Sestito on the way out, then I was on my way into the cold Albany night.


Here is my team signed photo. All the Devils doing the signing signed it.  That's all I have for this entry! Thanks for reading!