It was the second annual Hockey Day in Canada held at the Richmond Oval on February 9th. Of course I had to go. I took my friend, Leslie-Anne. We parked at the WorkSafe BC parking lot cause it was free and a short walk to the venue.
Passtime Sports were handing out free packs of hockey cards to each person. You also got a pack in the bag they were giving out to each person as they walked in. So you basically got two. There were a lot of merchants there selling their hockey memorbilia such as cards, photos, jerseys and everything in a collector's dream. Leslie-Anne and I walked around and looked at the Canucks store merchandise. She ended up buying a Canucks Skate decal for her son's truck. I on the other hand, didn't purchase anything. As we walked along, I was intrigued with the hockey cards on display and wondered about their values. Saw some Gordie Howe vintage cards going for $300. There was a table with free cards on it so I took one I liked. It was a Roberto Luongo card. Probably not worth much but it was a nice Upper Deck card.
Roberto Luongo Upper Deck 2011-12 SPX Hockey Card
After looking through some more vintage cards, I gave up. I saw tons of nice looking Kassian Rookie cards. Was so tempted to pick one up. Saw Jordan Staals' Rookie card too. Brought back memories for me when he got drafted. I was an NHL Draft Guide when it held here in Vancouver in 2006. The entire Staal family were sitting in the row behind the area we were sitting, waiting patiently for our turn to go out and guide one of the draft picks. My two draftees were David Fisher in the 1st round. He's been playing in the AHL since he got drafted but is now playing for a second tier German league in Europe. My 3rd round draftee was Ryan White of the Montreal Canadiens. As far as I know, he is still playing with the team. Both were Montreal draft picks and had the same agent, who was very nice. Both of my draftees were young and very sweet. I wish them both the best of luck.
Anyways, as we walked over to the end of the gym, the Odds were there, playing some sweet songs. Next to them was the area where Guy LaFleur was supposed to be signing autographs for free!!! I obviously took advantage of this. I found a booth that was selling his card for $2 and grabbed Leslie-Anne and went to stand in line. It was 12:30 pm when we went into the lineup which wasn't too bad. By the time we got thru the line, about an hour had passed. It went by a lot quicker than I thought it would. I got to have my picture taken by a professional photographer with LaFleur as he signed my card. Nice guy. I should have that pic in my possession by the 18th.
Upper Deck Hall of Fame Show Case Legends 2004-2005 Classic Card
This was LaFleur at the signing. Nice guy. So glad I got to meet him. After that, there wasn't much to do as the Alumni Canucks vs Sockeyes game wasn't until 4pm and it was only 2:30pm. We ended up leaving at 3 and going to Quiznos for something to eat before I dropped LA off at Skytrain. It was a fun day and I got to meet a hockey legend. I'm pretty stoked. Until next year, Hockey Day in Canada.
The picture of myself with Guy LaFleur is finally up!!! Here I am with the legend!
