Back in May I was the fortunate recipient of a fantastic act of kindness by fellow blog brother Casey over at House Of Oglethorpe. He knew about my HHOF Auto quest (he in fact had amassed a pretty impressive collection of autos himself) and decided to send a few signatures my way. Thanks again Casey for the great additions to my project!
Some of the cards he sent were upgrades to ones I already had in my collection (unbeknownst to him). So now I have some extras. And I knew what I wanted to do with the extras the moment I opened that bubble mailer all those months ago.
So today, I'm announcing - CONTEST!!!!!
Before I get into what needs to be done to win.....let's see what goodies are up for grabs.
Joe Nieuwendyk auto. Maybe I'll do a spelling contest?
These Lord Stanley's Mug signatures look really nice and I have no doubt would be a fun set to build.
Glenn Anderson auto. Maybe a Movember moustache contest?
These cards scan horribly....but look much nicer in person.
Bill Gadsby auto. Maybe a hockey history quiz?
Love these autos from earlier HOFers. Especially hard signed.
Alex Delvecchio auto. Ooooooh...a penmanship contest?
Another great hard signed signature set for those looking to start a new project.
Luc Robitaille auto. Maybe a "Six Degrees of Wayne Gretzky" contest? I don't even know what that means.
Who else likes there Luc places the 20 in his signature? Fun.
So that's FIVE hard signed autographs of Hall Of Famers. And all of them will go to one lucky winner.
So what do you have to do to enter?
Well, earlier today I read a great article by 4-time Canadian Olympic medalist Adam van Koeverden, a 15-year member of the Canadian national kayak team. He responded (very passionately and eloquently) to an article about A-Rod and drugs in sport.
It was yet another strong example of positive, ethical......good athletes in our sports. Good people that we can look up to and take inspiration from. Good guys.
The article reminded of a blog post I made years ago about Olympic speed skater Johann Olav Koss and his quest post-racing career. Or Patrice Bergeron who has been a strong prescience in the NHL to a number of people.....I know of one for sure.
So for this contest, all you have to do to enter is post a comment on an athlete you feel is a "good guy" (or gal) and why. I don't need a long book, just a short paragraph. I want know about other positive athletes in our world.......and not THAT kind of positive.
So post your comment, make sure you don't post as "anonymous" as your comment name will be your ticket to entry. Obviously only one entry per person and I will keep this contest open until puck drop of next Saturday's Toronto/Buffalo game (so Nov. 15 @ 5pm MDT).
At that point, I will take all the names, put them into a randomizer (random.org) and randomize 5 times (for the 5 cards up for grabs). The name at the top of the list after the 5th randomize will receive all 5 cards.
I like saying 5 and randomize.
So good luck to all, I'm looking forward to reading your comments and thank you very much once again Casey for your kind generosity. You're one of the good guys.
I think Nathan MacKinnon. I met him at the World Under-17 tournament after his team had just lost a game 7-3. I didn't plan on meeting any players, so I had nothing to get signed but a few pocket schedules the arena had, as well as a pen I borrowed from one of the booths. He was very friendly, chatty with fans, and signed for everyone. I had 2 pocket schedules in my hand when I met him, asked him to sign 1, then he asked me if I wanted him to sign the other one too. Class act from one the best upcoming young stars.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the contest!
I've got to go with my guy, Ron Santo. Besides just loving the game of baseball, in fact living for it he was the kind of guy who loved the fans. I doubt if he ever turned down an autograph request and they never look rushed. More importantly he spent his time supporting the fight against juvenile diabetes, the disease that ultimately took his life.
ReplyDeleteBeing a Blackhawks fan, I would have to say Bryan Bickell. He and his wife have a charity for pit bulls that helps build awareness and acceptance, as well as help in adopting, pit bulls. They've done a lot of work for several Chicago-area pit bull and dog rescue charities. (BickellFoundation.org)
ReplyDeleteClayton Kershaw is one the nicest guys you'll ever meet. Extremely fan-friendly and engaging, and he also runs a fantastic charity to assist the underprivileged in Zambia and stateside.
ReplyDeletestill on the Olympic theme---Marnie McBean--three time Olympic champ (rowing--Canada)---having only daughters to coach, it's good to have a female role model for them--her The Power of More (how small steps can help you achieve your goals)--she has definetly done a lot in her life (you can look it up so I don't have to put it all down here) http://marniemcbean.ca/
ReplyDeleteDustin Brown. Saw him at Kings' Hockey Fest shortly after my son's 4th birthday. He was terrific with my son; had him sit on his lap, and posed for many pictures; wished him a happy birthday, etc. Okay, no big deal right? Except that he remembered my son each of the next 3 Hockey Fests we went to and wished him a happy birthday as they posed for pictures and autographs each year.
ReplyDeleteMy vote goes for Jordan Eberle, I have met him a few times and every time he is always happy to stop and talk to fans, he will sign autographs and let people take pictures. Even when he is eating or out with family. it may seem like a small thing but if you see the smile a 7 year old boy gets from having Eberle sign his Oilers hat you will understand how great it is that he is willing to interrupt his day to make a young fans day.
ReplyDeleteHow about the surfer Bethany Hamilton? Shark attack survivors are top-notch in my books.
ReplyDeleteJ.J. Watt. I'm not the biggest football fan, but ever since he joined my Houston Texans, he has made an effort to reach out to children all over the community. One instance in particular had him befriending a family of three orphaned kids, after a car accident claimed their parents' lives and left two of those kids in a wheelchair. Try keeping a dry eye while watching this video...
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSfkq7cXlj0
Im going with a future young star and fan favorite Nick Bjugstad. With serious size and skills, he is also by far one of the nicest PEOPLE I have ever met. Definitely a bright future on and off the ice, he even finished up his college degree during the season last year. Always doing community stuff as well.
ReplyDeleteDavid Clarkson! He is my vote for his kindness and generosity. His organization is Clarky's Kids.
ReplyDeleteHere is a link to his work:
http://www.nhlpa.com/news/clarkys-kids-are-smiling
I want to tell you about my nephew, figure skater Jordan Moeller. When growing up, he wanted to play hockey with the rest of his friends. His parents directed him toward figure skating instead. Since then, my 19-year old nephew has won the junior nationals, and now skates in the men's division. Each year he hosts fund-raisers for a children's cancer program near Colorado Springs. He is a great athlete, with a great, attitude and competes for all the rightreasons. Keep an ear outhor him. Duff - Hockey Card Geek
ReplyDeleteBobby Orr. One of the all time greats on and off of the ice. He is always gracious and does a lot of charity work in the region
ReplyDeleteHow in the H-E-Double hockey sticks did I miss this?????
ReplyDeletewow. Am I late to the party or what? Even though it's over, I still wanna play.
Don Cherry.
Here's a guy who has the world by the tail but doesn't get too high on himself. He donates his time and name to numerous charities, as well as standing on a permanent soap box in honouring our armed forces, police, and firemen.
He's spent the last few Christmas' overseas visiting the troops, shoring up morale. When other celebrities are home relaxing by the fire, he's out there, making sure those that aren't at home realize that they're not being forgotten.
I'm gonna give this a
Delete"Beauty!" x2
Way to go. I guess I should mention these things in person from now on???