Graphing the Ducks 2014-2015

I've made a few trips out this year to graph the Anaheim Ducks. They're a solid team pushing the pace for best in the NHL this season and have their usual standouts being stronger than ever. Team captain Ryan Getzlaf is playing like a beast right now and on pace to be leading the conversation for league MVP at the end of the season.

Each season I've worked on graphing the Ducks I've liked to get a team set of cards done. I made some progress on last year's Score set getting a few guys that I've missed and started this years O-Pee-Chee team set.

I added a few other nicer items getting a few pucks and some photos done to go along with the cards I got signed by the Ducks.

Ryan Getzlaf autographed puck.

Scott Niedermayer autographed puck.

Cam Fowler 2014 Olympics autographed 8x10 of him scoring the go ahead goal to beat Russia.

Ryan Kesler autographed 8x10 photograph from his time with Vancouver.

Scott Niedermayer autographed 8x10 photograph from when the Ducks won the 2007 Stanley Cup.

Cam Fowler 2014 Olympics autographed 8x10 of him scoring the go ahead goal to beat Russia inscribed "Go USA"

Ryan Kesler autographed 8x10 since joining the Ducks.

Ryan Getzlaf autographed 8x10 photo.

Corey Perry autographed 8x10 photo with the Ducks.

I got Sami Vatanen, Ryan Getzlaf, Cam Fowler, Frederik Andersen, Ben Lovejoy, Devante Smith-Pelly, Bryan Allen, Patrick Maroon, and Kyle Palmieri started off my O-Pee-Chee set and finished off some of the active Score cards I needed.

 Kyle Palmieri, Patrick Maroon, Hampus Lindholm, Ilya Bryzgalov, Andrew Cogliano, Francois Beauchemin, Jakob Silfverberg, Corey Perry signed some of the inserts and team cards I needed for the team set.

 Matt Beleskey, Patrick Maroon, Cam Fowler, Kyle Palmieri, Ryan Getzlaf, Sami Vatanen, Frederik Andersen, Eric Brewer, and Ben Lovejoy all signed their team card for me.

The Ducks are a great team and the couple of days I've spent graphing them has really had me come away with some great signed pucks, photos and cards.

RBI (215) George Springer...

Everyone's looking at the upswing the Astro's are on and a big part of it is from the big bat of George Springer. He's taking the game by storm with his power and helping the typically struggling Astro's stay loose and swing free. With top prospects looking like they're going to start paying off the Astro's are finally at the cusp of not being perennial sellers and may start being buyers in a few seasons.

I've already gotten him on a baseball so I made sure to join in the fray after it came out and got this George Springer autographed Sports Illustrated done. It's a nice cover shot in the vintage Astro's uniform and I was really happy to get it signed with a reasonable Springer autograph. With a ball and SI signed now I don't have anything else for Springer unless I decide to knock out a photograph so it'll be nice to refocus on getting my 2014 Heritage set done when the Astros are in town.

RPS (10) Graphing the Anaheim Ducks 10/19/13

With baseball in Southern California finished for the season I went with some friends to try graphing the Anaheim Ducks for the first time. I had heard of some good successes and big numbers by other experienced hockey autograph collectors so I figured it was worth a Saturday morning to give it a shot.

I wasn't sure what to bring along with me for my first attempt so I settled on a buying a 2013-14 Score team set of cards and printing an 8x10 photograph. When I got to the Honda Center to meet up with my friends I learned the Ducks weren't there due to a concert so we went to their back up practice facility.

I had heard hockey players were some of the nicest pros out there to collect and I always wondered if it was just an exaggeration. It's not. The Ducks are one of the nicest groups of professionals I've ever encountered and they had no hesitation to sign for us when we asked. The only guys who didn't sign for us on their way in were the players who didn't park by where we were standing to see them arrive. Everyone had a nice thing to say as they signed and were extremely polite to us graphers. I kid you not. Today I became a Ducks fan and decided collecting hockey autographs isn't too bad.

In no particular order here's how I did today.
Cam Fowler autographed Score card.

Kyle Palmieri autographed Score card.

Lucas Sbisa autographed Score card.

Corey Perry autographed Score card.

Daniel Winnik autographed Score card.

Nick Bonino autographed Score card.

Andrew Cogliano autographed Score card.

All-Star Saku Koivu autographed Score card.

All-Star Jonas Hiller autographed Score card.

Captain, Stanley Cup Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist Ryan Getzlaf autographed Score card.

If you're an autograph collector reading this post then you're probably used to seeing the cars athletes drive around in. Let me say this. Ryan Getzlaf has the sickest car I've ever seen a pro driving. A blacked out matte black luxury ride. While he was signing for us we couldn't even pretend to not be drooling over his car and I told him "You have the sickest car I've ever seen a pro drive. You win the Anaheim car game. Your car is cooler than Albert Pujols'." To which he hid a grin and said thanks while finishing my Ducks Team Leaders card also autographed by Corey Perry and Viktor Fasth.

After the Ducks came in we followed them into the practice facility and watched their practice. Something you can never do anywhere else, so one more reason I'll be a Ducks fan from now on. They worked hard and then finished up practice so we went back outside to wait for the man of the hour. Future NHL Hall of Famer Teemu Selanne came out and was nice enough to knock out autographs for everyone who waited and asked. First I got this Teemu Selanne autographed 8x10 photograph.

After he signed the photo I had Teemu to sign a puck I picked up from the team store during practice. He signed quickly but gave the nice items people had good signatures, signing in good spots and inscribed when asked. Definitely a class act from a hockey legend so I'm very happy to knocked out getting the "Finnish Flash" autograph before he retires, hopefully with another run at a Stanley Cup championship.

Basically I knocked out almost the entire Ducks team in one day. At some point I'm going to go back to try for more Teemu Selanne autographs and to finish my Score team set. It was a cool day spent with Rob, Al, Benson and Matt and I'm glad I went out to collect the Ducks and start collecting NHL autographs.