Some Olympic stories from our recent autograph signing with Bruins star Patrice Bergeron. 

Bergie’s roommates in Vancouver were Sidney Crosby and Shea Weber, his 2005 World Junior teammates.  Each Canadian player was given up to 6 tickets per game, but requests had to be made by mid-January.  The players had to buy their own souvenirs.  Luckily there was a store set up in the Athletes’ Village, so the players did not have to spend four hours in line like most consumers.  While their daytime itineraries were pretty full with practices, meetings, and video sessions, the players were able to spend a lot of time with friends and family, usually after games.  Since Team Canada games started at 5:00 p.m. local time, games were finished before 8:00 which allowed for plenty of down time. 

 

After the gold medal game, Bergie said most players partied at Molson Canadian Hockey House for a while, before dispersing to do their own things.  He was up all night and got no sleep before he boarded a plane the next morning. 

Jonas Gustavsson told me that he received so much swag (t-shirts, caps, etc.) as a member of the Swedish Olympic team; he couldn’t carry it all home.  So he left a duffle bag full of goodies in his room when he checked out of the village.  AAARRRGGGHHH!!!  I lectured him that if a similar situation should ever arrive, to call me and I will send a personal valet to help him carry his items.  I love that kind of stuff, and can’t believe it went to waste.  How cool would it be to have an actual Team Sweden Olympic track suit or the like?

 

I told Patrik Elias this story, and he told me he did the exact same thing.  Elias bought so many souvenirs for people that he had to leave a pile of his Team Czech Republic goodies behind due to lack of space in his luggage.  I’m thinking whoever was responsible for cleaning out those rooms made out like bandits.

 

I learned that as a bowler, the aforementioned Gustavsson is a pretty good hockey goalie.  I was privileged to watch The Monster take on teammate Fredrik Sjostrom in a friendly post-season bowling match while they were stranded in Toronto awaiting the volcanic dust to clear over Europe.  Sjostrom beat Gustavsson by the menial score of 89-83.  Jonas told me he was just warming up, and I commented that was a good thing, since I didn’t think he could score any worse.

The 2010 Boston Marathon was won by Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot in a course record time of 2:05.52, breaking the previous record of 2:07.14 set by Kenya’s Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot in 2006.  Believe it or not, the two men are not related.  Wouldn’t that be akin to Wayne Gretzky’s scoring records being broken by another man from Brantford named Wayne Gretzky?

An oldie but a goodie – Clark, the Canadian Hockey Goalie.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdf4GeT4ELA

Hopefully everyone has received Frozen Pond’s spring mailing over the past few weeks.  We are offering the largest selection of 2010 Team Canada Olympic signed items available anywhere, and these items are HOT!!!  For those yet to receive a hard copy, a digital version is available at http://www.frozenpond.com/download/fp_spring2010.pdf.

A hearty “Mazel Tov” to our friend Vinnie Lecavalier on the birth of his first child.  Victoria Lecavalier was born May 3 and checked in at 6 pounds, 12 ounces.  She will be eligible for the NHL Draft in 2028.

Speaking of Vinnie, please enjoy this story about Frozen Pond friend Hayden Allison’s recent encounter with his favorite player.

A Bobby Orr rookie game-worn jersey recent sold at auction for the astounding price of $191,200 U.S. How long until a Sidney Crosby jersey surpasses this amount?

There are a lot of rumors circulating about the short term viability of Upper Deck.  The company that once dominated the sports card industry is now fighting for its survival.  They lost their license from Major League Baseball in 2009, but continued to produce cards regardless.  This resulted in a lawsuit that cost UD over $2.4 million in settlement fees.

 

This came on the heels of another settlement with Konami, where UD admitted they stole intellectual property by fraudulently manufacturing and distributing Yu-Gi-Oh cards without a license.  That settlement was also rumoured to be well into seven-figures.

 

Upper Deck also lost their basketball and football trading card licenses, as well as their exclusivity to produce NHL hockey cards.  This has left the company with only a fraction of their previous revenue streams.  Players are complaining about not getting paid for autographs signed, and the MLBPA went so far as to “strongly advise” players not to return any signed cards to UD until payments were brought up to date.  The union also recommended against signing any new agreements with the company.

 

The above happenings coupled with the fact that UD laid off a good percentage of their staff makes you wonder how long they can continue to operate.  Established in 1989, Upper Deck helped revolutionize the trading card industry and became the most powerful player in the history of the sports collectibles hobby.  But some bad decision making and rumors of inappropriate business dealings has haunted them in recent years.  Look for Panini America to take over as the new company of choice for hobbyists.

Panani did make a brilliant move by hiring Al Muir as their hockey brand manager.  The former editor of Beckett Hockey Magazine has kept a low profile since being unceremoniously let go almost two years ago.  Muir has been in the industry as long as anyone and is extremely knowledgeable of the marketplace.  I’m expecting great things from this company.

 

The NHL Alumni took all the sticks from an end-of-season Leafs game and auctioned them off to raise money for their internal charities.  I love examining results such as these, because they are a near-exemplary “apples to apples” comparison of player popularity.  Here are the results:

 

Beauchemin - $300
Bozak - $151

Caputi - $110

Exelby - $132

Giguere - $215

Grabovski - $211

Gunnarsson - $142

Gustavsson - $721

Hanson - $142

Kaberle - $210

Kessel - $253

Komisarek - $142 (game-issued)

Kulemin - $170

Mitchell - $110

Orr - $120

Phaneuf - $1050 (plus helmet)

Schenn - $170

Stalberg - $130

Wallin - $100

 

Not counting Phaneuf, whose selling price was skewed due to the inclusion of a helmet, is it surprising that Jonas “The Monster” Gustavsson’s stick sold for almost 2.5X as much as the next popular Leaf?  Not to me.

This one is rated PG13, but had to be included here since it involves two of my favorite things – Hank Azaria and baseball.  It is also unbelievably hilarious.

http://www.funnyordie.com/hank_azaria

It’s nothing to do with anything, but I really like this song - Fireflies, by Owl City.  Not a huge fan of the video though. (I think this blog has set an all-time record for number of included links.)

 

I’m not trying to open a can of worms or anything, but did anyone else notice Canada had an unfair advantage at the Vancouver Olympics?  It seems that Scott Niedermayer was playing with a tree…

Here is another photo that I’ll bet you haven’t seen.  Do you think that the Prime Minister’s office will license it for distribution?  What is a Sidney Crosby/Stephen Harper signed combo photo worth?

While on the topic of the Olympics, here is a breakdown of the auction prices realized for the Team Canada’s jerseys worn for the game versus Switzerland:

 

Bergeron - $4,550

Boyle - $4,050

Brodeur - $5,100

Crosby - $35,100

Doughty - $3,750

Fleury – Game-Issued (not worn) - $2,609

Getzlaf - $3,302

Heatley - $2,850

Iginla - $5,655

Keith - $2,550

Luongo - $4,700

Marleau - $2,550

Morrow - $3,050

Nash - $2,950

Niedermayer - $4,401

Perry - $2,275

Pronger - $2,550

Richards - $3,800

Seabrooke - $3,550

Staal - $4,350

Thornton - $2,850

Toews - $8,839

Weber - $4,150

 

Not too shabby for jerseys that were only worn one game.  It’s interesting to do a comparative amongst the players.  Is Jonathan Toews really 2X-3X as popular as most of his teammates?  Should Patrice Bergeron be as valuable as Roberto Luongo?  Is Dan Boyle 50% more popular than any of his Sharks brethren?

 

For a similar comparable, Frozen Pond auctioned off a number of autographed Olympic pucks in the days after the Closing Ceremony.  Here are the results:

 

Brodeur - $170-$330

Datsyuk - $95

Doughty - $75-$151

Fleury - $57-$129

Gustavsson - $60-$77

Heatley - $67

Iginla - $127

Kessel - $49-$62

Langenbrunner - $264

Luongo - $89-$184

Malkin - $112-$153

Ovechkin - $200

D. Sedin - $45

H. Sedin - $74

Zetterberg - $51

 

All of which proves one thing – that Jamie Langenbrunner is the most popular player in hockey, by far.  J  Either that or two people really wanted the only signed puck of the U.S. captain that was available on NHL.com at the time.

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Did anyone else find it coincidental that Sidney Crosby’s missing stick and glove were both “found” on the same day?  Basic instinct told me there was more to this story than what was being let on, and a little investigating confirmed my suspicions.  Apparently the stick was on its way to a wealthy and influential Russian hockey stick collector named Sergei Afanasiev.  The Globe and Mail even reported on the incident, although for some reason, it was not widely distributed.

 

So a Team Canada equipment person (or someone closely affiliated with the club) “accidentally” puts Crosby’s stick into a bag bound for the “IIHF Hockey Hall of Fame in Russia”, even though no such entity exists. What do you suppose this “person” was paid for his transgressions, and why has this not turned into an international incident?  Why did Hockey Canada lie about it, since even Afanasiev admits the stick was given to him for his own collection?

 

Or was the entire episode nothing more than a series of innocent mistakes?  Since I may have to work with some of these people in the future, I will leave the conclusions to the reader.    

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I went grocery shopping at Sobey’s the other day, and the cashier would not give me a penny off on my $80 bill in order to prevent me from breaking a twenty.  So I asked for my cash back, and put the entire purchase on my Visa, thereby burdening the supermarket with a credit card expense of about $1.50.  I will also no longer shop at that location.  Kind of a high price to pay for a penny, don’t you think?

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So Vesa Toskala is traded to Anaheim, cannot get a Visa to work in the U.S., and then is traded back to a Canadian team (Calgary).  Why is a player who lived and played in the U.S. for a number of years suddenly being denied a work Visa?  Again – is this purely innocent, or is there more to the story?  Was Calgary just looking to clear cap space at the end of the season, or am I in a conspiracy theorist mood today?

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We recently had an Alex Ovechkin autographed puck up for auction and someone decided to send us a query under the “Ask Seller a Question” link.  The email read “Alex – did you really sign the puck?” 

Wow – the fun we could have had replying to that one.  “Dear Sir – Yes, my $120+ million contract (not to mention endorsements) barely covers the cost of my vodka and caviar bill, so I have now taken to signing pucks and selling them myself via internet auctions. You can be assured that the signature is real as it includes a COA from a third-party authentication service.  Sincerely, Alex.  P.S. – I have to go score lots of goals now.”

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I am a Pierre Maguire fan, but there are those that say he talks too much and says far too little.  This great quote came while talking about Drew Doughty during the Canada vs. Switzerland Olympic game – “He tries to be strong but he doesn’t be strong.”  I couldn’t have said it better myself.

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This email was sent to us a couple of months ago.  Talk about a bargain, and just look at that quality signature…

Thank goodness for their lifetime guarantees and third party autograph authentication, otherwise I would have been really concerned about the legitimacy of this piece.     I see Muhammad Ali and Mickey Mantle autographs being offered all the time for $99 each and wonder what kind of ignorance it takes to purchase something at five-to-ten cents on the dollar and assume you are acquiring a legitimate signature.  That is assuming that any of these items are actually being sold.

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Tim Tebow – an exceptional college quarterback with marginal professional prospects who may end up in the CFL – recently had his first-ever public autograph appearance at a mall in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.  The former Heisman and national championship-winning quarterback is admired by the masses in Gator country for his accomplishments on the field and his clean-cut nature and religious devotion off it.

Regardless, many felt the asking price of $160 for an autograph and $75 for a photo with Tebow was a tad bit excessive.  Apparently this wasn’t the case for the 900 people that showed up and kept Tebow at the appearance for over 4 hours.  Wow – they either really love their college football in Florida or this guy is beyond larger than life.  That price is astronomical and possibly the worst autograph investment I have ever heard.  But alas, I have preached many a time that sports collectibles should be purchased due to love of the game and not for ROI purposes, so congratulations to those that waited up to 7 hours and received a thrill by meeting their hero.  I wonder if any of these folks are Leafs fans?    

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Jersey collectors better be prepared to shell out some big bucks come Fall, as eleven NHL teams will be wearing new sweaters next season.

 

The above Sabres jersey has by no means been finalized and may only be worn for the team’s 40^th Anniversary season in 2010-11.  Anaheim, Calgary, Columbus, Dallas, Nashville, NYI, NYR, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Toronto will all be altering either their home/road or third jerseys in some way.

 

For the Penguins, the baby blue third jersey will be replaced, while the Leafs are keeping their thirds intact but updating the striping and patches on their home and road uniforms.  Nashville’s third jersey will become their home sweater and their alternate jersey will be scrapped.  Several other jerseys will not be a surprise, such as the Flyers Winter Classic and the Flames retro jerseys becoming standard attire.  Expect a number of press releases over the summer months to officially debut the new designs.

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It was disheartening this past December when Paul Henderson informed me that he was in the early stages of leukemia. He had not gone public with the news and I respected his privacy in the matter. Now that he has announced his illness, I think some of Henderson’s story should be told.

Paul Henderson is a remarkable man and I have never seen anyone handle such a tragic situation as well as he has. He is the first member of the Henderson family to live past the age of 60 (he is 67) and is thankful every morning he wakes up. He is in the best shape of his life and credits his faith for helping in this time of need. He has an email list of 500 friends and supporters that pray for him every day.

 

It is too early in his illness to diagnose a strategy, so he is actually not taking any medications and his lifestyle has not changed. He has read about some radical treatments taking place in Germany, but says it is far too early to start considering them.  He is banking the knowledge though, should he need it at a later time.  He is in no pain.

 

Henderson is a national treasure in Canada and we wish him the best on his road to recovery.

 

The Pittsburgh Penguins recently held a charity event where each player served as a celebrity team captain for a competing bowling team.  The shirts worn by the players were then autographed and auctioned off on NHL.com.  So whose jersey do you think garnered the highest bid?  Nope – think again.  Nope – not him either.  And no, this isn’t yet another Marc-Andre Fleury plug either.

 

I was thrilled that McFarlane Toys finally decided to do a Marc-Andre Fleury figure, as I have been bugging them for years to do so.  But it would have been nice if they actually took the time to spell his name correctly.

There are actually several variations of the base of his figure, some with a patchwork fix-it job and some that look natural and are spelled correctly.  Regardless, this type of thing should not be happening.

 

 

 

We have noticed a recent influx in knock-off NHL jerseys, the ones that are being illegally manufactured and imported from China.  While the average fan may not notice a difference, the quality of these jerseys is horrendous.  The names and numbers are made from the wrong material and are often sewn in the wrong font.  The jerseys themselves are lightweight and extremely prone to ripping.

When the cost of oil shot up in 2008, UPS started adding a surcharge to all shipments.  Even though fuel costs are now reasonable again, UPS still charges the added fee.  Last year, they added a $1.00 surcharge for deliveries to residential addresses.  That fee has since gone up to $1.50, and now $1.85.  If you spell one letter of a street name wrong, or list the zip code incorrectly, there is an $8 charge.  That amount is up from $5 only two years ago. 

 

 

This jersey was seen at a recent autograph signing:

 

How would you like to be the promoter who booked New Jersey Devils players Niclas Bergfors and Johnny Oduya for an autograph session in New York on March 21?  Both players were shipped to Atlanta in the Ilya Kovalchuk deal.  Talk about bad luck.

I was surprised to learn that 25,000 Olympic volunteers had to PAY for their uniforms, which consist of a top and pants.  The cost – only $700.  I wish I could find some volunteers that will pay for the privilege of working.

 

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jean Beliveau.  Good health, my friend.

Signed Olympic jerseys may be tougher to come by this year, as it seems Nike seriously underestimated demand for their product. There are no jerseys to be had at the wholesale level right now, and apparently no more are being produced. I had a request to provide 30 Team Russia jerseys for the wives of the players to wear in the stands, but coming up with the jerseys was an impossibility. We are doing an autograph session with Phil Kessel this week, but have no access to Team USA jerseys.  We have a handful of Canada jerseys in stock, but are debating whether or not to save them for possible higher-dollar sales down the road.

 

I am sure that Nike had vast amounts of unsold product after the disastrous 2006 Olympic hockey results, and played it extra cautious this time around.  Hopefully there will be enough jerseys available to at least come close to meeting customer demand.

 

 

 

Sports Collectors Digest (SCD) has been the sports collectibles industry publication dating back to the 1970’s. It was a must read, and I remember eagerly anticipating each week’s issue and reading it cover to cover. In its heyday, some issues were over 400 pages thick.

 

The economic downturn has obviously hit the company hard. It was not unusual for issues in 2009 to peak at 36 pages, while they rarely exceeded 50.  SCD took to accepting ads from less than reputable companies in an effort to stay afloat. This never would have happened in the old days, when all advertisers were screened and the publication diligently followed up on customer service issues.

 

I let it go the first time, but there’s no way it’s going unmentioned again. The Toronto Marlies, the Maple Leafs AHL affiliate that is also owned by the parent club, sent out an email blast in November promoting their upcoming bobble head nights. I had to send the Leafs an email, making note that 3 of the 5 players listed had their names spelled wrong.

 

Vesa Toskula (Toskala)

Terry Sawchuck (Sawchuk)

Jonus (Jonas) Gustavsson

 

Remember all the Fabian Brunnstrom hype last year? Dallas won the sweepstakes for the free agent Swedish star, and he looked like an amazing find after scoring a hat trick in his first NHL game (only the 3^rd player ever to accomplish the feat).  This year, he has one goal and eight points and has spent time in the minors.

 

We can actually play this game with a lot of players.  Last season I called Kyle Turris a “Jonathan Toews clone” and picked him to win the Calder Trophy. After a disappointing 20-point year, Turris has spent the entire 2009-10 season playing in the AHL.  Viktor Tikhonov and Mikkel Boedker also spent the majority of last season on the Coyotes roster and had huge expectations thrust upon them. Right now, both are struggling to score for the San Antonio Rampage.

 

Other players having disappointing seasons include:

 

Shawn Horcoff – 19 points in 45 games and making $5.5 million a year

Chris Drury – 19 points in 47 games

Sergei Samsonov – 15 points in 40 games (so much for his re-birth)

Dennis Wideman - -8 for Boston after finishing with a +32 last season

Chris Higgins – 13 points in 51 games for the Rangers

Jonathan Cheechoo – 13 points in 51 games for the Senators – did he really win the Rocket Richard Trophy in 2006?

Rod Brind’Amour – 12 points in 49 games

Andrew Cogliano – 12 points in 50 games

Ethan Moreau – 8 points in 49 games

Ville Leino – 7 points in 42 games; Justin Abdelkader – 6 points in 48 games – see my comments on them in “The Pond Chronicle”

 

McFarlane Toys recently released a promotional photo of Jonas “The Monster” Gustavsson signing bases that are to be randomly included in packaging for their NHL 24 series being shipped in April.

My favorite part of the image is the framed autographed photo of Patrick Roy in the background.  That was actually my Christmas gift to Jonas.  He idolized Roy as a youth, and the photo is inscribed “To Jonas, Best of luck in your NHL career, Your friend, Patrick Roy”. Thanks for your help Patrick.