Islanders Mini Camp 7/10/15

Recently, the Islanders held their annual Rookie Mini Camp at a local ice rink a few miles from my house. I didn't have to work on one day that the practice would be open to the public, so I figured I'd head out to the rink and see what I could get.

The Islanders prospects were divided into two groups of teams, and the first team was supposed to be on the ice at about noon. I got there a few minutes before the first team headed onto the ice. Here is a photo of the first group on the ice.

There wasn't much security, so people were free to roam around wherever they wanted. The whole atmosphere was very relaxed. Eventually, I saw Islanders assistant coach Doug Weight sitting in the stands watching the skate. I went up to him and got him to sign my yearbook from two season ago. I got Bridgeport head coach Brent Thompson and many other Islanders to sign that yearbook in the past year or two, so I figured I'd try and add some more autographs to it.  Weight also signed the blank Islanders logo sheet Bob Nystrom recently signed for me. You can see photos of all these autographs later in he entry. 

Another person that I easily found was current Islanders coach Jack Capuano. He was standing near Weight watching the practice. He also signed the yearbook for me and then I took a photo with him. If you look closely, you can see that Capuano is missing a toe on one of his feet. I really wish I knew how that happened. If you know why Jack Capuano is missing a toe, let me know in the comments. Here is the signed coaches part of the Islanders 2013-14 yearbook.

Another former player that I recognized was Ken Morrow. He was the first player ever to win Olympic Gold and the Stanley Cup in the same year. I've gotten autographs from him before. Click HERE to read about that. I approached him and asked him to sign the Islanders logo sheet and a blank puck, both of which he signed. He inscribed '1980 Gold' on the puck to commemorate the famous Miracle on Ice. I also took another photo with him. 

That was it for the former players, but it was a pretty good day to get the future Islanders as well. Nobody that was invited to the mini camp had played for the Islanders yet, so I was excited to see a lot of the new guys. While one squad was on the ice, the other team was just hanging out in the stands watching their teammates practice.

One player who I immediately recognized was one of the top prospects in the Islanders organization, Ryan Pulock. He is a defenseman who took a shot that was registered at 105 miles per hour at the Islanders scrimmage a couple days prior. He signed a puck and a roster sheet for me, then started signing for everybody that was there. I took a photo with him later. You can see the photos of the autographs later in this entry. I'm pretty sure that is Ryan Pilon photobombing in the background.

Pulock was the only person that I recognized that wasn't on the ice during the first practice session. Eventually, I saw a crowd form near one of the tunnels onto the ice. It was for one of the Islanders late round picks, Andong Song. He was the first Chinese born player ever selected in the NHL Draft. There was a Chinese camera crew following him around everywhere and the Islanders PR person wanted him to go back inside, but he signed my roster sheet before heading inside. I may have been on TV in China, I don't know. He signed his autograph in Chinese, and you can see that later in this entry.


After that, I figured out that the players would be leaving the rink through the lobby where I had originally entered, so me and a lot of the other people went out to the lobby while the other group was on the ice. As soon as I was in the lobby, I noticed someone signing for the people. I was told it was recent first round pick Anthony Beauvillier. He signed a team logo sheet and the roster sheet for me before taking a photo with me. He was friendly with everyone.





I have crazy luck when it comes to getting autographs. I had to go to the bathroom in the lobby, but I kept on telling myself that as soon as I left, the Islanders top prospect would walk out the door. Eventually, I couldn't hold off nature's call any longer. As I walked back into the lobby, I saw top prospect Josh Ho-Sang walking toward the crowd of people. I couldn't believe what was actually happening, so I rushed over to make sure I met him. He sat down on a couch and signed everything for everybody. I got him on the roster sheet and logo photo. He also signed the puck that Pulock previously signed for me. Here is that puck. Pulock's signature is on the top.

After that, I went back into the rink and watched the other group practice. After their practice, a bunch of people went into the tunnel that the players were leaving from. While there, Michael Dal Colle signed my logo photo, roster, and a puck for me. He was a nice guy, but I have to admit that his signature is absolutely awful. Take a look at the puck on the right for yourself.




While in the tunnel, young goalies Stephon Williams and Eamon McAdam signed the 2013-14 yearbook for me. They were the only players that signed the yearbook for me on that day.

Here is the logo photo sheet that I got signed by Ho-Sang, Beauvillier, and Dal Colle. 

Here is the roster sheet that I got signed by Ho-Sang, Pulock, Dal Colle, Beauvillier, Song, as well as Sebastian Collberg and Japanese star Yuri Terao. 

Song's signature is in the middle on the left side. Terao's is the one on the top right side. 

That's all for this entry. Thank you for reading and good luck graphing!

Signature Stars: Ken Morrow

Morrow (#3) defends the net.
Photo Credit: Sports Illustrated

From the moment Ken Morrow started playing hockey, he was a champion. In 1976, he was drafted by the New York Islanders. Before he could play his first NHL game, he got a chance to try out for the United States Olympic team. After a rigorous tryout under legendary coach Herb Brooks, Morrow had made the team. That team would go on to upset the heavily favored Soviet Union in a game later known as the Miracle on Ice. That was voted to be the greatest moment in American sports history. The US would later go on to win the gold medal against Finland a few days later. Morrow was a solid defenseman for the United States throughout those 1980 Olympics, stopping the opposition in it's tracks and making big hits when he needed to. He was even on the ice for the final shift of the Soviet Union game. You could see that shift HERE, if you didn't click on the words 'Miracle on Ice' above.

Shortly after leaving Lake Placid, Morrow was thrown into the Islanders lineup. Even though Morrow was never known to be a goal scorer, he scored THIS goal to win a key game in the first round en route to the Islanders first Stanley Cup win. That made Morrow the first player ever to win Olympic Gold and the Stanley Cup in the same season. Morrow went on to play on all four Islanders Stanley Cup teams, scoring THIS goal to finish off the Oilers in the last game of the fourth Stanley Cup win. Morrow eventually retired due to injuries in 1989. In recent years, he has been one of the head scouts for the Islanders. 

Back in 2009, when I was first getting into autographs in the mail, I sent Ken four cards, he sent them back signed in a few weeks, and he personalized one like I asked. He wrote something very unique on the card that he personalized. Believe in miracles. I hadn't asked for those specific words, but they came out great. If you are wondering, I have thousands of cards from all four sports, spanning over many years and decades, all throughout my house. All I have to do is look, and I'll find cards of just about any athlete that I'm looking for. 

Now fast forward to December 2011, the Islanders were set to induct Morrow to their Hall of Fame on New Years Eve. A couple days prior, the Islanders were hosting the Calgary Flames. I had tickets for that game as it was during my winter vacation from school. Prior to the game, the Islanders said that Morrow would be doing at singing at that game. I was thrilled, as I had a special puck that I wanted him to sign. The signing was going to take place during the second intermission of the game. I arrived about halfway through the second period, as I didn't want to wait on line for too long. If you are going to a signing, be sure to show up early for whatever you are going to. To my surprise, Morrow was already there signing away. While waiting on line, I took a video of Ken signing which you can see HERE. Shortly after I stopped filming, I approach Ken, and he signed the puck with the inscription that I asked for. I shook his hand, thanked him, then left and went back to my seat as the line grew several hundred people deep. 

That would be the last time I saw Morrow for a while. Then, this past December 8, I was at an Albany Devils game with my friend. The Devils were playing the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the Isles AHL affiliate. As we were walking around the concourse during the intermission, the door to the bathroom opened. The person that walked out was, you guessed it, Ken Morrow. I said, "Ken?" He looked at me, confirming that it was in fact who I thought it was. My friend and I approached him, and I asked if I could take a picture with him. He said sure, and you can see the picture we took HERE. After taking the picture, my friend asked Morrow to sign his ticket, and Morrow obliged. He signed a page in my autograph book as well, and then I asked him a question I had thought about for a while. "Who would win in a game; your 1980 Olympic team USA that won the Gold, or your 1980 Islanders that won the Stanley Cup?" To paraphrase, Morrow said that the Islanders would probably win because they had more talent. He also added that neither legendary coach, Herb Brooks or Al Arbour, would be out-coached. My friend and I thanked him for his time, and we went our separate ways. Morrow was there scouting for the Islanders during the lockout. There were no NHL games, so Morrow was in Albany to look at many of the Islanders prospects.

Lastly, a few weeks ago, I sent Morrow the picture he took with me in Albany as well as a picture from his Islanders playing days to the same address I sent the cards to years earlier. A few weeks later, I looked in the mailbox and got both back signed. He personalized the picture with the same inscription he made on one of my cards back in 2009. The signed picture of him playing can be seen in the second paragraph of this entry.

Ken Morrow is a legend in the world of hockey, and he is a legend in fan interaction. He is a great person, and it was a pleasure to meet him. Ken is a mail legend, as well as a great person to meet live. That makes him a signature star.