Rick Meagher played for the St. Louis Blues, Montreal Canadiens, Hartford Whalers, and the New Jersey Devils. He is known for being one of the best defencive forwards of his time and a winner of the Frank J. Selke trophy in 89-90. He has hosted a tournament in Belleville, Ontario for a number of years, benefiting local handicapped children. Its a great cause and he always has a great number of NHL superstars, past and present, show up. This year was the first year I decided to actually go out and hound for autos. It was a resounding success. All of the celebrities were extremely courteous and happy to sign anything we had for them. Here is what I got:
Shawn Mattias: young star for the Florida Panthers. This kid is going to be a star in the NHL in the next few years. I got him to sign a Panthers puck.
Matt Cooke: Stanley Cup winner with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He hails from Stirling, Ontario which is a short 20 minute drive north of Belleville. Great to see him out there with the fans after winning the holy grail. I got him on a Penguins puck.
Dennis Hull: Maybe a lesser known Hull, next to Brett and Bobby. Dennis had quite a career of his own. A 90 point season in 72-73 with the Blackhawks is a highlight of a career, not matched by many. He spent all but 1 season with the Hawks, the lone season at the end of his career with the Red Wings. He was all too kind to sign a puck for me.
The following I got on cards:
Jim Pappin: A stallwart with the Blackhawks who also played for the Leafs, Golden Seals and Barons.
Rick Meagher, as mentioned above, he was so pleasant as we got him right on the tee off on the 10th hole. He is a true class act.
Guy Lapointe: I got him on a 76-77 Topps card. Good thing I had that one with me, as he stated that he would not sign anything that was new. I didn't ask why, but I did think it was odd. So, to those that send to him in the mail, keep that in mind.
Yvon Cournoyer: Always a treat to get the Roadrunner. I got him on a McFarlane base at the all-star game, so I got a card this time.
Billy Smith: I have gotten him in the past after Legend's Classics games in Kingston. He is usually a bit abrupt and seems annoyed with the fans. This time, however, he was very personable and was even chatting it up with us about how busy the Legends tour is this year. This was very nice to see as my buddy is a huge Smith/Islanders fan.
Bernie Parent: Possibly one of the best goalies to ever wear a Flyers' uniform. He was extremely polite, posed for pictures, and smoked one of the biggest cigars I have ever seen. We searched Kingston to Belleville for his McFarlane, but couldn't find one. A card was all I had.
Reggie Leach: I got him at a Legends game a few years back, and he was absolutely a treat. This time was no different. The guy is a true class act. He jokes around with the fans and seems to genuinely love the interaction.
Shawn Antoski: A local tough guy that played for the Canucks, Flyers, Penguins and Mighty Ducks.
