Change Needed for Blue and White
For Toronto autograph collectors, a shakeup in Leafsland may not be a bad thing. After all, the signing habits of the current crop of players could not get any worse.
Mats Sundin has been a visible star since 1994 and the team’s uncontested leader since 2002. But (assuming he does not return) he will also go down in history as one of the least popular superstars ever to wear the Leafs uniform. Sundin just never caught the fancy of the fans. He never did autograph shows, and rarely attended public appearances of any kind. He seldom made himself available for private autograph sessions, and the price was astronomical when he did. Did it really make sense for us to pay Sundin more than we pay any of Jagr, Sakic or Brodeur? A superstar in a hockey-crazed market really should embrace his fans much more than Sundin has.
Doug Gilmour owned this city like no other player since the 1960’s. His popularity from 1992-96 was like nothing else I have witnessed in my lifetime. Even more amazing is the fact this was accomplished during the Blue Jays World Series years (ahhh – the good old days).
I was involved in a public autograph session with him in 1993, where fans could obtain his autograph in exchange for a $2 donation to a local children’s charity. Yes - $2. Over 2,000 were in line by the time “Killer” arrived, even though we told everyone after number 500 they would not be receiving a signature. I have still never seen anything like it. Gilmour continues to do autograph sessions and be fan-accessible to this day.
Curtis Joseph was almost the second coming of Gilmour. He was far and away the most popular athlete of his era (1998-2002). He was also extremely fan-friendly and very personable. He did several public appearances on behalf of the Leafs, and been a regular on the autograph circuit since his Leafs days came to an end.
We sold mass quantities of Gilmour and CuJo signed items back in their heyday. We sold it faster than they signed it, and there was rarely enough product to go around. Their autograph fees were very reasonable as well. Unfortunately, they were the last of their breed.
Tie Domi was somewhat popular, but he would not do public appearances and his private autograph prices were ridiculously high. Today, we could not give away his signatures if we tried.
Last year was extremely difficult for autograph dealers in Leafsland. There just was not anyone that customers asked for. Darcy Tucker will be missed though. He was a nice guy, and very frequent guest on the autograph circuit. He was moderately popular, but never enjoyed the fan-favourite status of a Felix Potvin or a Wendel Clark. The only problem with Darcy is that he was overpriced. My last conversation with him was “Hersh – my phone hasn’t been ringing.” “Darcy – you’re still too expensive.” Kudos to him for being able to get his fee, but proportionately, there were much better bargains to choose from.
We conducted an autograph session with Kyle Wellwood during his 2005-06 rookie season. The crowd was huge and the fee was extremely reasonable. But Welly showed that he just did not have the personality to play in the fishbowl of Toronto hockey circles. He was just a little too introverted and not nearly fan-friendly enough for my liking. But I do wish him only the best of luck in Vancouver. He has a world of talent and hopefully the Canucks can get him to showcase it in a way the Leafs could not.
Alex Ponikarovsky and Nik Antropov have no problem doing autograph appearances. The only problem is, they have done so many of them that the marketplace is glutted with their signatures. That and the fact that there isn’t much demand for them in the first place.
Matt Stajan could be a player to watch for the future, but his statistics just do not measure up at the present. Alex Steen may turn into a star, but he does not like to do autograph sessions. Tomas Kaberle is well-like, but not nearly as popular as a 3-time All-Star should be, and Bryan McCabe has not done any appearances since he signed his lucrative contract. He also bears the brunt of Leafs fan frustration these days.
The only 2007-08 Leaf that showed any kind of popularity was goaltender Vesa Toskala. Of course, Toskala refused to do an autograph session throughout the entire season. Hopefully he comes around this year, since Leafs fans really need someone to cheer for, and we really need a player to sell.
Could Luke Schenn be the answer? He is a great kid with tons of personality, but it’s not easy for a defensive defenseman to become a fan-favourite, unless he drops the gloves a lot. I wouldn’t count on obtaining a new leader via free agency either, since no high-demand player is going to want to come to a team that is at least 3-4 years away from competing. Signing an aging veteran is also not the route the Leafs want to go, unless such a player is being acquired in order to possibly trade at the deadline for some draft picks and youth.
Whatever the case, this really is a city craving a hero. Let’s hope someone steps up to the plate.
(Hersh knows nothing about blogging. All writings are for entertainment purposes only. No one should take offense to anything that is written, and no one should confuse opinions with points of absolute fact. Hersh’s views are not necessarily the views of Frozen Pond Inc. (but probably are).