Slater Koekkoek TTM Success

Mailed:  10/30/2013
Received:  12/18/2013
Days:  49
c/o: Windsor Spitfires

Slater is a 1st round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning.  He has 25 points in 32 games so far this year for the Spitfires in the OHL.  Those are some great numbers for a defenceman on a sub par team in the OHL.  He should have a spot in Tampa in the next couple of seasons.

Kris Russell TTM Success

Mailed:  11/20/2013
Received:  12/03/2013
Days:  13
c/o: Calgary Flames

Kris is enjoying a career year this season with the Flames.  He has 13 points in 26 games so far.  He has always been a defence first player, and even on bad Blue Jackets' teams, he had a plus rating.  He has also represented Canada at 2 World Championships, getting 7 points in 11 games.  If Team Canada were looking for someone with great defensive sense, they would probably have a harder look at him for the Olympic team.  However, we seem to be pretty deep on D-men this year, so I doubt that he will get a look.  

Troy Bourke TTM Success

Mailed:  11/04/2013
Received:  12/03/2013
Days:  29
c/o: Prince George Cougars

Troy was a 3rd round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in the 2012 draft.  He is enjoying a good final season of Jr. hockey with 29 points in 29 games so far for the Cougars.

Luca Ciampini TTM Success

Mailed:  11/07/2013
Received:  11/25/2013
Days:  18
c/o: Halifax Mooseheads

Luca was part of the Memorial cup winning Halifax Mooseheads last season.  He had 71 regular season points for them, but he has went undrafted as far as the NHL is concerned.  He will probably be able to get on with an AHL or ECHL team after this season in the QMJHL is done.  He is having a bit of an off year with only 17 points in 29 games so far.

Updating statistics

I love to play around with numbers and since I have been keeping track of sending everything out since 2009, I have kept pretty crazy stats on the successes and failure rates.  I mostly send to Canadian NHL, AHL, and CHL teams with some retired players homes thrown in and the odd US team if I get my hands on some US stamps.  So, here is the stats to date below.

2009, total sent 55, total received 39, percent 70.91%  Top team...Calgary Flames 6/6
2010, total sent 62, total received 44, percent 70.97%  Top team...Vancouver Canucks 4/4
2011, total sent 49, total received 36, percent 73.47%  Top team...Calgary Flames/Ottawa Senators 4/4
2012, total sent 33, total received 23, percent 69.70%  Top team...St. John's Ice Caps 4/4
2013, sent so far 50, received 22, percent 44%  Top team...Hamilton Bulldogs 3/4

I have had really good luck with all of the Canadian AHL teams, so I suggest mailing to those teams for some great prospects.
As for the NHL, it is a bit of a mix.  Calgary and Ottawa are really good.  Vancouver is close behind.  The Leafs, Oilers and Habs are middle of the road, and the Jets are absolutely terrible.

Eddie Pasquale TTM Success

Mailed:  10/23/2013
Received:  11/13/2013
Days:  21
c/o: St. John's Ice Caps

Eddie played some of his Jr. hockey near my hometown.  He has spent this entire season with the Jets' farm affiliate and has a 7-6-1 record with a 2.35 GAA.  He should be up with the Jets at some point in the near future as his numbers are above average to say the least.

Brandon Prust TTM Success

Mailed:  1/24/2013
Received:  10/29/2013
Days:  278
c/o: Montreal Canadiens

Brandon plays a tough style of hockey which made him an instant fan favourite for the Habs.  It is also some of the reason why he is missing games here and there with injuries.  He is out right now with a shoulder injury, but is due back in another week or so.

Ryan Strome TTM Success

Mailed:  3/15/2013
Received:  10/21/2013
Days:  220
c/o: Niagara Ice Dogs

Ryan was a 1st round pick for the Islanders in the 2011 draft.  He is currently playing with the Isles' AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.  He has 6 points in 5 games, so look for him to get a call up as soon as they need someone.  He was awesome for Canada at the last 2 World Jr. Championships, scoring 15 points in 12 games in the 2 years.

Bank of America 500, Charlotte, NC

My dad and I flew down to Charlotte, NC this past weekend to attend the Bank of America 500.  The race sucked pretty bad until a mysterious caution late in the race stacked up the field and changed the outcome.  It did produce the best racing of the night between Kasey Kahne and Brad Keselowski battling it out for first, with BK2 coming up with the win.  We got there early, to take in the carnival type atmosphere which was a lot of fun.
     Danica Patrick was running a special car paint scheme for this race to raise awareness for breast cancer charities.  They had a deal on at her hauler, if you bought one of her special items, you could come back and get it signed.  They only gave out 100 bracelets to allow you to get an autograph.  So, I bought this die cast car to get signed.  You couldn't really get a picture with her as she was pretty rushed.

She was very nice.  I thanked her for doing the charity work and told her that my mom is a breast cancer survivor.  She told me that was good to hear and thanked me for supporting her cause.  Here, she just finished signing my car.  My dad was a little late on the trigger.

Donnie Allison was doing a free signing at the Sprint Unlimited Fan Experience, so we jumped in for that.  Donnie won 10 races over his career, but was better known for his on track fight with Cale Yarborough where he took his helmet off and started beating Donnie with it.  I left most of my cards at home, so I took the free postcard that they were giving out.

On the Sunday after the race, we went to the Nascar Hall of Fame and then to this cool little museum up in Mooresville, NC.  It is called the Memory Lane Museum.  They have lots of Nascar stuff there and some other cool old cars and sprints.  http://www.memorylaneautomuseum.com/
If you are ever down that way, go and check it out.  What drew us in to going up there was we had heard about a driver signing there that day.  It was well worth the trip.
Bobby Allison (brother of Donnie) was signing there.  Again, I didn't have anything so I took the free postcard they were offering.  Bobby officially won 84 races over his career and another 2 races that are still being contested.  He seemed like a cool guy in our brief conversation.

One of the other guys that was there was Donald Johnson.  He was the crew chief for Rex White in the 50s and 60s.

Geoffrey Bodine was also signing.  He was one of the first drivers I followed in Nascar back in the early 90s.  He was driving the Exide car which was the same sponsor on the car of Rowdy Burns in Days of Thunder.  He had 18 wins over his career.

Ottawa Senators In Person

I had tickets for the Canadiens vs Senators in Ottawa on Wednesday.  The Habs only had a few regulars in the lineup while the Sens had about half of their regulars dressed.  They reversed lineups in the game the next night in Montreal.  Ottawa won 5-2, but it was still fun seeing some of the Habs prospects that I haven't seen play before.  Bobby Ryan looked really good for the Senators, and I think he will have a huge year playing with Spezza and Michalek.

The Sens have basically kept 2 lineups through all of the exhibition so, there are a lot of prospects up that I don't recognize.  I brought along a picture with just a simple Senators logo on it to get signed.  I was really surprised with how many sigs I got on this thing by the end of the day.

Here is who signed it:  Eric Gryba #62, Corey Cowick #54, David Dziurynski #59, Colin Greening #14, Chris Neil #25, Cody Ceci, Matt Kassian #28, Jean-Gabriel Pageau #44, Patrick Wiercioch #46, Erik Condra #22, Andrew Hammond #30, Mike Hoffman #68, Mark Borowiecki #74, Ben Blood #70 and Zack Smith #15.

Jason Spezza stopped for us, so I got an 8x10 of him signed.

Erik Karlsson stopped for us and signed my 8x10.

Chris Phillips signed 8x10.

Craig Anderson signed jersey card.

Bryan Murray signed card.

Kyle Turris signed card.

Stephane Da Costa signed jersey card.

Clarke MacArthur signed card.

Jared Cowen signed card.

Erik Condra signed card.

Colin Greening signed card.

Ladislav Smid TTM Success

Mailed:  2/6/2013
Received:  07/11/2013
Days:  155
c/o: Edmonton Oilers

Ladislav has signed a 4 year extension with the Oilers.  He is more of a stay-at-home defenceman, which the Oilers need more of.  

Clarke MacArthur TTM Success

Mailed:  2/2/2011
Received:  06/26/2013
Days:  875
c/o: Toronto Maple Leafs

Almost 3 years since I mailed this one.  You would think, that with the lockout and 2 off seasons, that he would have time to get to his mail.  Anyway, better late than never I guess.  Clarke had 20 points this year for the Leafs and he has been the subject of trade rumors.

Erik Condra TTM Success

Mailed:  3/5/2013
Received:  05/31/2013
Days:  87
c/o: Ottawa Senators

We actually met Erik Condra at his hotel when he was called up for his first ever NHL game against the Islanders back on 2011.  He got an assist in that game.  We had no idea who he was in the hotel until we asked.  He had a pretty good run in the playoffs with the Sens this year with 7 points in 10 games.

Carter Ashton TTM Success

Mailed:  2/13/2013
Received:  05/29/2013
Days:  105
c/o: Toronto Marlies

Carter is the son of former NHL journeyman, Brent Ashton.  He was a 1st round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning.  He has played 15 games for the Toronto  Maple Leafs, registering 0 points.  He played this entire season for the Marlies, and had 19 points in 53 games to show for it.  He added another 5 points in 9 playoff games.

Ottawa Senators In Person

I was fortunate enough to get huge discounted tickets for the Habs vs Sens playoff game in Ottawa last night.  I won't get into the results of the game as I could go on a wild tangent on how terrible the officiating was in that game.  Anyways, I am a HUGE Habs fan, but the Senators have always been a number 2 team for me.  Their games are more attainable that the Canadiens, and I can afford to go there.  I also have tons of family in Ottawa and it is only a 2 hour drive from my hometown to get there.  I just can't cheer for them against the Canadiens.  I can give some credit to their system and their work ethic over the course of the series, but last night, was all the officiating, both on and off the ice.  Anyway, we always attempt to get autographs when we go to games, so this is what we were able to get.

Mika Zibanejad signed card.  He scored the first goal for the Senators.  He kicked it in, and somehow they allowed it.  (CRAP)

Chris Phillips.

Erik Condra.

Kyle Turris.  He scored the game winner in OT, after the tying goal was scored by crashing into Price and injuring him. (CRAP)

Sergei Gonchar.

Matt Kassian.

Colin Greening.

Marc Methot.

Zack Smith.

Jared Cowen signed jersey card.

I also got Eric Gryba and Patrick Wiercioch to sign my Senators mini helmet.

Zack Kassian TTM Success

Mailed:  2/1/2013
Received:  04/26/2013
Days:  84
c/o: Vancouver Canucks

Zack had 11 points in 39 games this year with the Canucks as they gave him his first shot at a full time roll in the NHL.  He had 3 points for Canada at the 2011 World Jrs. where they won Silver.  He is a big physical force out there and makes the game fun to watch.

Tomas Kubalik TTM Success

Mailed:  4/8/2013
Received:  04/19/2013
Days:  11
c/o: St. John's Ice Caps

Tomas was acquired by the Winnipeg Jets at the trade deadline, and they assigned him to St. John's of the AHL.  He has 2 points in 8 games with the Ice Caps, so far.  He has represented the Czech Republic at 2 World Jr. Championships, getting 11 points in 12 games.

Nick Schultz TTM Success

Mailed:  3/14/2013
Received:  04/19/2013
Days:  36
c/o: Edmonton Oilers

Nick is more of a stay-at-home defenceman, but has 7 points for the Oilers so far in this shortened season.  He has also played for Team Canada at 3 World Championships, winning gold twice, and should be a candidate to play for them again this year.

Peter Budaj TTM Success

Mailed:  3/1/2013
Received:  04/18/2013
Days:  48
c/o: Montreal Canadiens

It is no easy job being the backup goalie behind the best goalie in the world.  However, Budaj has done an amazing job this season.  He is 7-1-1 this year and has been able to give Carey Price the odd night off.  The Habs have been so impressed by Budaj, that they re-signed him for another 2 seasons.

Gabriel Dumont TTM Success

Mailed:  2/26/2013
Received:  04/17/2013
Days:  50
c/o: Hamilton Bulldogs

Gabriel has 31 points in 55 games with the Bulldogs this season.  He has had a few small call ups to the Canadiens this year, and is currently listed with them.  He has 2 points in 8 games with the Habs.  He is a hard working smaller player, so you may see him in action in the playoffs.

Jim Slater TTM Success

Mailed:  1/31/2013
Received:  04/15/2013
Days:  74
c/o: Winnipeg Jets

So, I mailed him 2 cards, and neither of them are the card that I got back.  I actually like the OPC card better anyway, so a bonus for me.  Athletics are in the bloodlines for Jim Slater, his dad Bill, played for the New England Patriots in the NFL.  Jim has 2 points in 26 games with the Jets this season.  He is more of a defensive forward.

Mike Palmateer WTF????

Mailed:  5/6/2010
Received:  04/03/2013
Days:  1063
c/o: Home

I am not really sure whether to call this a success or not.  I sent him 2 cards, almost a full 3 years ago.  The response I get was, a form letter directing me to his website for autograph requests.  If you go to the website http://mikepalmateer.ca/contacts you will notice that he charges $25 per card, and $50 for a jersey.  What a douche bag.  So, he did include a website ad  that he signed or autopened with my returned cards, so I sort of got an autograph.  $25 to sign a card through the mail in insane.  I have sent $5 to some of the older guys, which I believe is the most any card is worth.  Anyways, here is the postcard I got.

Matt Frattin TTM Success

Mailed:  2/5/2013
Received:  03/20/2013
Days:  43
c/o: Toronto Maple Leafs

Matt should have really been on the Leafs from the start of the season.  He was the last player sent back to the Marlies after training camp.  He had 17 points in 21 games with the Marlies, which earned him a callup as soon as they had a spot.  He did get injured after 10 points in 10 games with the Leafs, but is back now and has 1 point in his last 4 games.

Scott Laughton TTM Success

Mailed:  2/20/2013
Received:  03/20/2013
Days:  28
c/o: Oshawa Generals

Scott made the Philadelphia Flyers out of the shortened training camp, however, they elected to send him back to the OHL before his rookie contract kicked in at the 6 game mark.  He had 0 points in 5 games.  He did have 23 goals and 56 points in 49 games with the Generals who are heading into the OHL playoffs against the Niagara Ice Dogs.

Carl Klingberg TTM Success

Mailed:  12/21/2012
Received:  03/18/2013
Days:  87
c/o: St. John's IceCaps

Klingberg was drafted 34th overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in 2009.  He got one game in with the Thrashers and another 6 games with the Jets last season.  He has yet to register a point in the NHL though.  He has 21 points with the IceCaps this season.

Dennis Wideman TTM Success

Mailed:  1/22/2013
Received:  03/13/2013
Days:  50
c/o: Calgary Flames

I saw Dennis play a couple of times when he was with the Knights in the OHL.  He was a standout player to say the least.  He had 65 points in his last season there, for a defenceman, that is pretty good.  He has 12 points in 24 games, so far for the Calgary Flames, which have had a dismal year so far.