Wednesday, November 24, 2010

BEHIND THE MASKS - Mike Smith Mask History & A Special Bonus

A very special mailday post this time around. I added a great 'oddball' item to my goalie mask collection, but first and foremost - a fantastic gift from someone who I am a big fan of.

I have been following the autograph collectiong adventures of 'Puckhound' over at Hound Central 5.0 for a number of years now. For those of you who have not yet checked it out - do so. It's a great blog that really showcases a true collector and his fantastic collection.

The blog has been a constant source of entertainment, information and inspiration for me. I look forward to the adventures he and his son have with great anticipation.

One of my favorite topics on the blog has been the acquisition of signatures on the infamous 'team sheet'. The blog's primary author has a son named Colin who is a HUGE Patrice Bergeron fan and braves the ice with his teammates for the P.A.L. Stars. Colin has had numerous successes with his team sheets when 'hounding' for autographs.

The team sheet is a simple sheet of white cardstock paper (letter size) that is prepped for autographs with nothing more than a hand drawn team logo.

For anyone who says the hobby is 'too expensive' or the hobby is 'too boring', just look at the inventiveness of some of the team sheets - and the amazing results.

Well, along with the Mike Smith card (which I will get to in a moment), I was thrilled to find in the envelope for me, a team sheet signed by Colin and his whole hockey team. In a nutshell, I was awestruck and thrilled!


It's such a simple idea (and as we all know, the best ones are). The teamsheet looks fantastic in person and I am honored that Colin would take the time to design it (great job on the star by the way) as well as obtain autographs from everyone.

It's just a real kind gesture and one that I greatly appreciate. Thank you very much Colin!!!

The Mike Smith cards also in the envelope were a kind gesture from Puckhound himself (thanks so much!)


A recent post of his showed off this sheet and my curiosity was immediately tweaked.

I had never seen this sheet before. What a great idea. A look at all the goalie masks that a goalie has worn. I wish more goalies would have one of these. Imagine...Sean Burke, Grant Fuhr, Ron Hextall. A very cool concept.

My favorite Smith mask would be his most recent one. It displays lightning-weilding X-Men character Storm. The bolts flying across the mask are really well done. In the end though, the whole collection is a very solid one.

A very generous gesture again from Puckhound for sending off a sheet for me. Thank you!

Now, to tear the perforations or not? That is the question.

2 comments:

  1. Now that I awakened from my turkey-induced stupor, as well as returning from our boys' night out near Miami, Colin has asked me to thank you for the kind words.

    We're both very happy that you like the items.

    As for the perforations, Colin votes to keep the card intact. I say it's your call.

    I ended up taping the back of the sheet to keep them from splitting on their own.

    We'll keep an eye out if the team does anything like this for Dan Ellis.

    Again, Brett, thanks for being a loyal reader. Know, too, the inspiration goes both ways.

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  2. Cheers! I hope the turkey dinner was good.

    All the best!

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