Luke Schenn and Johnny Bower-Leafs Day!

I just received these in the mail from Frozen Pond this week. I sent the Schenn jersey in for the signing there earlier and the Bower #1 was from Bowers signing in March. This was the signing where Mr. Bower confirmed the send in jersey from johnnybower.net was authentic. Just to make sure though, I told them to get a #1 signed for me and if the other jersey was not real, I could just trade the #1 over. Luckily, both Bower jerseys are real and that makes the Bower jersey count; 4. The Schenn jersey count; 4 also.

Jarret Stoll Golf Tournament 2011-WoW

Boston Pizza did not sponsor this event this year so the crew headed down to the Riverlanding Area in Saskatoon for the yearly autograph session for Jarret Stoll's fundraiser for the Royal University Hospital children's ward. We showed up early, sticking with my "Let's be 10th in line instead of 100th". We could have been easily 1st. But that's not cool with 100 kids running around. They set the tables and chairs up and we stood in line, about 15th, good enough. I was pleasantly surprised they set up about 20 chairs. Which means, most of the players would attend the autograph session. The players all arrived and met the local boy, Colby Armstrong who probably came from his house instead of the hotel. We planned out our attack so things did not get messed up. Colby was first so I got out my #9 for another Leafs jersey. He knows who I am by now so we had some small talk and I asked him to sign my #9 with the 'Twitter King' reference. Paul Bissonnette was two down from Colby and I would tell him to do the same. Colby loved the idea and signed. Ethan Morueau was next signing a Blue Jackets puck for me. Wow, is he a large man, hate to get hit on the ice by him. Biz Nasty 2.o was next, and yes he dropped an 'F' bomb, and yup lots of kids heard. He signed the #1 and added Twitter King also. The Twitter thing got down the line and all the guys got a laugh from it. Very cool...The next two players I would have loved to get but just never thought they'd show for it, Steve Ott and Mike Weber. Oh well just a hearty hand shake. Sheldon Brookbank was next and he's signed for me before so I never bothered with anything for him either. Scott Hartnell was next and he signed a #1 for me personalizing it. I had a large bag with stuff and it always seems the guys think I'm a dealer. That's why I think I almost always have it personalized. My wife was behind me getting some other stuff signed, she takes pics of the guys signing, again players often think she's selling the item. They never comment but dealers really kill the hobby IMO. Nick Schultz was next and he signed a Wild puck, chatted about Cory Sarich's golf tourney in Davidson for a bit. The man was next, Jarret Stoll. He signed my Kings jersey for me and I donated some cash for his charity. He always says, "Thanks for helping out." I kept going and a lady taped me on the shoulder and handed me a signed Stoll card with puck in a case for the donation, cool. Luke Schenn was sitting with Kieth Aulie. I handed Luke a Schenn jersey to sign and explained it was for a class field trip fundraiser to Europe. He said cool and handed it to Aulie. Aulie signed it too and Schenn tried to stop him because it was an auction item. He signed it and I just said, "At least he's a Leaf.." Oh well....My wife got a Schenn Team Canada jersey signed, turnout so nice...Carter Ashton signed a black #1 for me, said I thought hed stick with the team. Drew Doughty was towards the end and I just shook his hand, no jersey or puck to sign. I have three of both. :D I asked for a pic with Drew and he told me to come around, great guy. We came to Brayden Schenn, who was traded an hour before the autograph session. I felt bad for him, he looked shocked and upset. He signed a white on black #1 for me and I just said it was great watching play around here and I wished him the best. Now I'm not sure if this turns into a Flyers jersey or Canadians...Great Kid.....Brad Richardson was second to last and then Darcy Hordichuk was the last player. I grew up about an hour from him and played with Tyler Wright (Columbus Blue Jackets) from Kamsack, his hometown. We chatted for quite awhile and I asked about Kamsack. We just have too many great guys from Saskatchewan! We walked away and I notice more guys at the end of the last table. Clark MacArthur and Tyler Bozak showed up. We stood back in line but that was fine, I got pics with the guys I wanted while waiting. When we got to the Leafs, Clark had some small 5x7s and asked if I wanted one. Cool....
I was surprised to see what my awesome wife got signed after me. She got lots of pucks signed and another Stoll jersey, great gal this one! She asked Scott Hartnell for an 8x10 he was handing out to kids. Remember the rule sometimes for getting extras? Use the cute wife..Works every time. Here's the loot......

Man I Love This Province!

If you have ever read the opening of my blog or any post in June, you will not see this as any surprise. The Jarret Stoll golf tourney is coming up, lots of players to attend, plus the Saskatchewan Children's Hospital is having a WHL fundraiser in early June. Now, think about who has come out of the WHL in the last 7 years and is from Saskatchewan or played here. So announced today, Jordan Eberle, Luke Schenn, Colby Armstrong among other players will be riding their bikes from Prince Albert, Sk to Saskatoon Sk to help raise money for the hospital. They claim numerous NHL'ers, former NHL'ers, and current WHL'ers will be around for activities.

Colby Armstrong Team Canada Jersey

Look on the right side, Henderson jersey pics added today!

I sent a number into AJ Sports before Xmas and finally got around to getting it sent back. I have met Colby numerous times but thought a Colby Team Canada jersey would be, you know, kinda cool. Anyway, this was signed 2007 WC, thought that was a nice touch.

Paul Henderson's Team Canada 1972 Jersey

The Paul Henderson's Team Canada 1972 Jersey Tour was in Saskatoon today. The tour is funded by Smart Centres owned by Mitchell Goldhar and is traveling across Canada to share the jersey with Canadians. I was there a few minutes after it opened to be welcomed at the door by a Tour Worker. He was welcoming and held the door open for me. The first area was a small room which had a few Team Canada items. The first was a framed Team Canada 1972 Card set. This is where is got very cool, very quick. The whole card set was signed by Team Canada 1972 Team. This was owned by Mr. Henderson and on loan to the Tour. I was impressed by the entrance and the lady offered me a 1972 Goal Scarf and button. Hmmm, very cool.

I went through the curtain to see the Holy Grail of sports collectibles and sports memorabilia.
I honestly was at a loss for words at first. We are all collectors and here was perhaps the top piece of sports memorabilia in Canada. I took pictures of the displays, it was hard to believe the entire display area was on the back of a semi truck. There was lots of room to walk and even sit down. I overheard one of the workers tell a patron Mr. Henderson would not sign autographs. They were afraid people would be lined up around the block in each city and loose the appeal of the jersey. Eeek, that sucks. That would have made my top 3 for sure but oh well....
They announced that Mr. Henderson would be showing up at 1:00pm and we could just hang out and wait. So, I sat at the bench in front of his jersey and took pictures, yes for 20 mins, I took close to 50 pictures of the same thing. But, well worth it.
I had my back turned to the jersey and heard Mr. Henderson's voice. He showed up just after 1:00 laughing that his 6 concussions was the reason why he was late. He told stories and took questions from the audience. I asked him if, they were ever scared if they had any success while playing in Moscow. He said they were not scared but nervous. They were locked down at night and had to hand their keys in to the desk at night. He also mentioned that he thought the whole area Team Canada was in was bugged so they never offered anything but some, as Mr. Henderson said, "They'd think I was a great lover!"
I will post a few more stories and post all of the picture tomorrow. And no autographs, but answer me this; should I be mad? I don't feel disappointed at all. Would you be?
A picture with Paul Henderson with his jersey while you're wearing a Team Canada jersey.

Wow, A Very Cool Night...A Guy Name Bower....

We attended the Oldtimer Game tonight and wow, a very cool night. The pregame public skate brought out Gary Leeman and Bernie Nicholls. They skated with people, signed autographs and chatted with everyone. I asked Bernie for a pic and to sign and puck and he was more than happy to oblige. I chatted with Bernie and asked him a few questions about what he has been up to. He mentioned he was at Gretzky's Fantasy Camp three weeks ago and he is a ready to go moose hunting soon. He is a down to earth guy, very cool to chat with.

We headed up to grab our seats and were pleasantly surprised with someone we ran into.

Theo signed and took pics with about 15 people. He looks very happy with his life now. I grew up in the town next to Theo and was buddy's with his brother growing up. I mentioned this to Theo and he said that Teddy was upstairs. I went up to find him and we chatted for about 15 mins. I bought the Theo Team Canada photo for $20.
Good deal.
I was not prepared to buy a $120 Oldtimer jersey again, so I made sure I got all the things signed that I brought.

Top R-L Igor Kravchuk, Bryan Trottier, Val Bure Theo Fleury, Bernie Nicholls, Val Bure Trottier Card
Hey, I am being a jerk now...Here's the good stuff.....

This was really cool to have Mr. Bower in attendance. He signed for a charge though, a little step but I finally got my own Bower jersey signed in person. I have 4 signed Bower jerseys now, only 1 signed in person. I mentioned I met him in Spiritwood and he smiled and said how much fun that was. So, $40 to get a signed Johnny Bower jersey when he's sitting right in front of you, would you do it? Yah, I didn't even blink....


Signed Theo Fleury Team Canada Jersey (no nameplate yet though)

Luke Schenn Black Diamond Game Night Ticket

I really like this one...

Ladies and Gentlemen, It's Authentic! Bower...

I spoke with Frozenpond again today and was treated with a pleasant surprise. The website that I sent the jersey to was legit. They asked Mr. Bower if he knew of that site and he did, saying he has worked with them a lot in the past. He was shown this picture and authenticated it for me, saying, "Yah, that looks good, that's my signature." The rep from Frozenpond continued to say when they were watching Mr. Bower sign, some of his "J's" look like this. Good thing I waited for this, I was about to rip the #1 off. Oh yah, I got them to get Mr. Bower to sign a #1 just in case, for $25, yah that will make 3 Bower Jerseys....

Only in Canada

I had a plan about my Johnny Bower jersey. I called Frozen Pond yesterday and asked if I could get a #1 signed by Bower and out it on my 'fake' Bower jersey. I explained my situation and asked of they knew of the www.johnnybower.net site. They looked it up and it was not on the internet anymore. I knew that and assumed that helped with my question about the authenticity of the jersey (see below). The worker looked at the jersey from this blog and said it did look funny. He did say though, Bower signs almost every weekend so why would someone fake it when its actually an easy graph to get. Plus, the person sent a $150 jersey back for $35...Anyway, he took a copy of my jersey from this blog and said he will ask Bower if he knew of the site and if he can tell if that was his signature. Cool...I did not care about the $35 but really wanted to know if it was legit, this should help and for $30, I can replace if not.

Two of the Nicest Leafs, But I Need Some Help

Signed Colby Armstrong Leafs Puck

This is the jersey that I tried to get signed at the Pink Warrior classic last August with no luck. Johnny's website has a send in program, where you just pay for the item ($35 for a jersey)and shipping and they get him to sign it and return to you. Most players from that generation have that, Howe, Orr and at one time, Hull. But I need your help with this one. Once I looked at it, it did not look like Mr. Bower's signature. I have lots of items from him, a jersey from Frozen Pond, cards from UD and the items from the past summer. The Bower looks good but the 'J' doesn't. Please give me feedback, a real Bower signature or not?

Leeman, Polonich, Steen, Valiquette, Fluery and Probert, yes Probert

Tonight was the annual Battle of the Badges in town. Every year NHL'ers show up to raise money for the Saskatoon Crisis Nursery. It is not a upper level event if you catch my drift so the merchandise is usually lower end. The players usually vary, last year was the putz Ronning, Igor Kravchuk and Billy Smith. This year's group brought us one of my favorites Gary Leeman, local favorite Dennis Polonich, Winnipeg Jet Alumni Thomas Steen and Leaf Alumni, Jack Valiquette. I picked up my pucks to get signed but was a little ticked, I wanted Leeman on a Leafs jersey but I could not get the number kit in time. So the plan was a few pucks and some odds and ends from the merchandise booth. I always spend a few bucks there. I knew 1964-65 Stanley Cup Champion Gary Peters would be around so I had a Habs puck waiting. I caught him in the hallway and he showed my his new Cup ring for the Habs Alumni from the early Cup years. We chatted for a bit and he allowed me to wear his ring, cool. My finger did burn awhile after, get it? He was really nice and explained the parts of the ring. I spent some money at the booth and got some new and cool items. Look what I found, a signed Bob Probert mini stick with Theo Fluery, I had to have it! RIP BOBBY.....But who is the middle signature? Anyone? I have no idea....

I waited until he end of the first period to catch the guys and saw Polonich talking on his cell phone. I motioned with my hand for an autograph and he nodded yes, and pointed for me to go in the dressing room. I said I wanted him and said I would wait til he was done. When he was finished on the phone, the took me into the room. This was different, this was my 5th or 6th time there and the players always dressed with the other guys. This year all the NHL'ers were in one room. I walked in to see Steen and Leeman on one side and Polonich and Valiquette and the other. I mentioned that I felt like a kid with these guys and they just smiled. Steen signed an Oldtimer puck and signed it JETS, cool. Polonich signed my Wings puck and I walked over to Leeman and asked if he remembered skating with me last March with Probert. He smiled and asked if I had a Oldtimers jersey on. I knew he was honest when he said he did. I told him how said it was to hear of Bob passing away, Leeman was almost in tears and I apologized for bringing it up. He said it was fine, they were talking about it that morning too. He did attend Bob's funeral and told me about it, its no secret what the funeral was like but out if respect for Bob, I won't repeat what Leeman told me, sorry. I did tell Leeman about me telling people of Bob making sure every kid on the ice that day had an autograph, scanning the ice with a check list in his head. He smiled and patted my shoulder and said, "Thank you for doing that for Bob." I felt bad for bringing it up but wanted him to know what I thought of Bob, a great person, no question. Jack introduced himself to me and I responded with my name and he asked if I had played with Gary. I laughed and said no, we just met while skating before the Oldtimer game in February, to hear Gary overhear the conversation and explained how he 'knew' me, the skate the the kids and big kids. We chuckled about that one. I thanked the guys and headed out. Man, I could sit and yap with Leeman for hours, great guys. Polonich actually gave me a program to get signed but I said I had some pucks. Great guy too.

Johnny Bower and Gordie

I promised a few more of the Bower stories so here's one more. Bower made no bones about being friends with Gordie Howe. He told this interesting story about playing Detroit. When Bower had to move behind the net to play the puck, Gordie would never touch him. So this played to Bower's advantage a little. When Gordie was heading behind the net, Bower knew he had a few more seconds without getting his head taken off. He stressed, Gordie would put the puck in the net 1000 times before he'd hit Bower. As well, he said he'd seen Gordie before the event in Aug and he was not doing very well. Anyway, "Terrible Ted" Lindsay would take his head off every chance he would get, no question...

Colby Armstrong Game Used Pens Stick

Had to get this one, just had to. Bought from the Pens with LOA. Cracked yes, but I firmly believe I can get it signed later for my collection. Pics this weekend!

Bower and Schenn?