Drayson Bowman and Jamie McBain

Acquired in person September 18, 2010.

These two guys have played a few games for the Hurricanes over the last couple of seasons but haven't really had much of a chance to develop into good players, yet.  Like all but one of the other Hurricanes autographs, I got this at the Caniac Carnival yesterday.  I don't know how these players will work out, although McBain did have three goals and seven assists along with a plus-six in 14 games for the Hurricanes last season.  Not bad for a rookie defenseman.

Jussi Jokinen

Acquired in person September 18, 2010.

Jussi has just come off his first 30-goal season of his career and showed that he can be more than just a shootout specialist.  He also had several key goals in the 2009 playoffs for the Hurricanes.  I also got this (along with two other autographs) at the Caniac Carnival autograph signing session.

Cam Ward

First acquired through ebay.  Second in person on September 18, 2010.

The photo of Cam Ward's save against Fernando Pisani in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final was bought just after their Stanley Cup win in 2006 and it was pretty cool getting him to sign it in person at the Caniac Carnival in Raleigh, North Carolina.  Cam smiled the moment that he saw the photo and recognized what it was; kinda wonder if he had seen the photo much before or since then.  Maybe not since he obviously made the save.  He is by far my favorite hockey player and even though he is far behind any wins record holders, he probably has the most upside of any goalie under 30 years of age right now.  I know I'm biased, but his stats in the 2008-09 season prove in my mind that he can be a good number one goalie in the NHL; I just hope that he does well for the rest of his career and doesn't have any more injury-riddled seasons.

Martin Brodeur

Acquired through NHL Auctions.

Brodeur is currently the NHL leader in career wins with 602 and shutouts with 110.  He also has the record for the most 40-win seasons (eight), the all-time minutes leader and the record-holder for the most consecutive openers with the same team.  In the playoffs, he is tied with Patrick Roy for the most career shutouts (23) but is 52 wins behind Roy in playoff wins.

Nicklas Lidstrom

Acquired through NHL Auctions.

Nicklas Lidstrom is considered by some to be one of the best (if not the best) defenseman to ever play in the NHL, and has won the Norris Trophy six times along with the Conn Smythe Trophy with Detroit in 2002.  He has 1,046 career points and is a plus-431 for his NHL career.  He was also the first European to captain a team to the Stanley Cup, back in 2008 when he was with the Detroit Red Wings.

Joe Sakic

Acquired through NHL Auctions.
Joe Sakic retired in 2009 after 20 seasons with the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche franchise.  He scored 625 goals and 1,016 assists and won two Stanley Cups in Colorado in 1996 and 2001, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy in '96 after a phenomenal playoff year with 18 goals and 16 assists in 22 playoff games.  He also won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, Lester B. Pearson Award, and Hart Memorial Trophy as NHL MVP in 2001.  Sakic was also a 12-time NHL All-Star.

Eric Staal

Acquired in person September 18, 2010.

I got this poster from the 2005-06 season autographed at the Carolina Hurricanes "Caniac Carnival" yesterday.  Eric Staal is currently the captain of the Hurricanes, with whom he has had a 45- and 40-goal season along with two 30-goal campaigns.  The Hurricanes record improved dramatically once Staal was elected the new captain of the franchise in the 2009-10 season.

Maurice "Rocket" Richard

I feel extremely lucky to have gotten this autograph from NHL Auctions a couple of year's back. The Rocket Richard Trophy is awarded to the NHL's top goal scorer year after year and there is no better goal scorer to honor than Maurice Richard, who was the first player in league history to score 50 goals in 50 games and also score 500 goals in one's career. He is now deceased and there is no way to get one other than buy it from some reputable autograph seller who got it signed while he was alive.