Waldman - He Shoots, He Saves

About the Author

Winnipegs Jon Waldman has written about hockey and sports memorabilia for publications ranging from Beckett Hockey to The Hockey News. Follow him on Twitter @jonwaldman.

HE SHOOTS, HE SAVES

THE STORY OF HOCKEY'S COLLECTIBLE TREASURES

JON WALDMAN

ecw press

This book is dedicated, first, to my wife, Elana Waldman, who has fallen in love with the sport unlike anyone else I know. Her ability to absorb my hockey ramblings is amazing.

I also dedicate this book to my late uncle, Brian Fleishman, who introduced me to the world of hockey, taking me to countless Winnipeg Jets games as a kid; and to Elanas late grandfather, Sam Meyrowitz, who knew more about how the game is played than anyone Ive ever met. Without them and their inspiration, this book would not have been possible.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thank you to my wife, Elana, who has continued to show an insane amount of interest in my rambling about hockey and graciously given up most of our basement for my collection/museum; the fine folks at ECW Press, who continue to have faith in my book ideas; my always supportive family, my best word-of-mouth marketers; my friends who either collected with me or talked puck endlessly; my editors and co-writers from the last decade-plus writing about shinny, who at least humoured me when it came to my suggestion of hockey memorabilia articles; all of the industry officials who were open (and frank) with me over the years; and the NHL stars, past, present, and future, who graciously shared memories of their childhoods and their love of collecting.

FOREWORD

COLLECTING HOCKEY!

By Philip Pritchard,

Vice-President, curator,

Hockey Hall of Fame

Arguably, there is no better collection of hockey souvenirs, memorabilia, artifacts, and research material in the world than at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. With more than 70,000 square feet of display area, the Hall of Fame has it all. Built with the mission to collect, preserve, and honour the greats of the game and to promote the 3 Es Education, Excellence, and Entertainment the Hall of Fame appeals to all hockey fans, from the most serious devotee to the newcomer. Visitors to the Hall of Fame are thrilled and in awe of the sights and sounds of this great game.

However, like a lot of places, expansion is almost inevitable. In September 2009, the Hockey Hall of Fame opened the D.K. (Doc) Seaman Resource Centre in Toronto to house its archives. Located in the heart of a four-plex arena facility at the bottom of Kipling Avenue, the MasterCard Centre for Hockey Excellence is a dream for hockey fans everywhere. The Toronto Maple Leafs practise there, the Toronto Marlies operate the facilities, Hockey Canada has office space, and there is also as an international-sized rink. The Ontario Junior Hockey League, the Canadian Womens Hockey League, and the Toronto High School Hockey league all play regular season games there. It is such a hockey institution that the National Hockey League (NHL) Alumni Association moved its offices there too. But tucked behind all of that active hockey, in the back corner of the building, is all that history of the game too.

HOCKEY HALL OF FAME

All of the collections and libraries, negatives, photos, film reels, and so on that were not on display at the Hall of Fame were moved to the resource centre, along with the curatorial staff. The space is perfect and the conditions are perfect, helping to ensure that this vast collection comprising millions of pieces of hockey history ranging from photos and scrapbooks to pennants and jerseys and everything in between will not only be preserved for generations to come but will also grow. Today, hockey is played in more than 70 countries around the world, and hockey history is happening every day. From a first goal for a minor player to a gold medal at a World Championships, the Hockey Hall of Fame tries to be there.

It is always amazing to me to see how the game is preserved: an almost limitless array of hockey cards, jerseys, magazines, and souvenirs are being collected by diehard fans of this great game.

Hockey cards have been a staple in the collecting world since the early days of the game. Sure, the style, size, and look of hockey cards have changed a bit over the years, but the original cigarette cards circa 1910 are a great example of how hockey has influenced its surroundings. Today, the colour of the cards and the limited-edition game word cards have kept up with the interest and demand of the market.

HOCKEY HALL OF FAME

While tickets, programs, and magazines are still very similar in design from the early days, they supply what is needed for the fans, the players family and friends, and scouts: the lineups, the back stories, statistics, and some great creative advertisements. However, in todays economy, some teams provide only a yearly program, while others rely heavily on ads and sponsors to fund them. Each way is unique but provides fans with what is needed.

The game-worn jersey market has grown significantly over the last couple of decades, with many of todays jerseys documented by the team or a third-party company as certification for serious collectors. And there are plenty of great-looking jerseys out there for fans who just love the colours, logos, and designs of all those teams around the world.

Equipment has evolved considerably over the years too, providing more protection while becoming more lightweight and durable. For collectors, each tweak to a piece of equipment is a dream come true, as the modification can be as unusual as some of the styles themselves. The goalie mask, however, seems to be the most popular item within this market. The style and of course the artwork of each goalies mask is as unique as the goaltender himself.

HOCKEY HALL OF FAME

Coins, stamps, pennants, magnets, and all the rest are becoming more and more popular forms of memorabilia around the hockey globe and all have a deserving place in the world of hockey collectibles, presenting unique tributes to the sports teams, players, and leagues.

Most of all, collecting is fun! It connects the fan with the player, team, and league. Visit the Hockey Hall of Fame to see how its done. We are here for the game, yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

INTRODUCTION

WHAT IS MEMORABILIA?

Its part of our game; its a way of life for people around the game. Martin Brodeur understands the memorabilia world. As one of the pre-eminent stars of his generation, the New Jersey Devils goaltender has been in demand for autographs, endorsements, and memorabilia contracts. Hes far from alone. Whether on a local, regional, national, or international level, hockey players recognize that their time isnt always their own. Theyre expected to pose for a photo or sign a trading card at a moments notice; and while this might seem intrusive, the hockey hero knows how much meaning it carries.