First Attempt At a Jim Stinson-Style Autograph Tale - Meeting Tretiak

[MooseDog]

In one of my past lives I owned a sports card store (1990-94) and through the shop I met a couple of guys who would go out and get autographs in person, something I had done many years before. One of the guys was Russian and really into hockey so we got along pretty well and kept in touch even after I closed the shop. Russian players at that time were just starting to be able to play in the NHL and making a huge impact (think Fedorov, Mogilny, and Bure).

One of the things we argued about was the 1972 Summit Series. He was too young to remember seeing it live but growing up in Russia he of course was biased about some of the finer points of the series. I was only 12 so I'm sure my memories are a bit idealized. One of the things we did agree on was the greatness of Red Army goalie Vladislav Tretiak.

A few years after I closed the store I get a call saying "…drop what you are doing and get over to the Redwood City Ice rink right now!". I ask him why and he tells me that Tretiak is having a youth goalie clinic there and supposedly will sign autographs after the clinic. My buddy is already at the rink, I'm about an hour away, so I grab a couple of things, including a Patrick Roy game used stick I had (signed by Roy) thinking it would be nice to have two of the greatest goalies in hockey on one stick.

Almost out the door I remember I have a Russian book that is all about Tretiak. I don't even remember where I got it. I get there and the clinic is still going on. Tretiak is on the ice with the kids, he's a huge man, the kids looked tiny by comparison. When the clinic is over, Tretiak's agent/rep sets up a table in a small area upstairs at the rink. They have a stack of a photocopied picture of Tretiak with Yvan Cournoyer and Pete Mahovlich but most of the kids are getting their jerseys and pucks signed.

We wait until all the kids are done and my friend (speaks fluently) asks him in Russian if he'll sign a few things for us, he smiles and says "Da!". He signed a couple of pucks and cards for my buddy and then it was my turn. He signed my stick - I told him it was one of Roy's and he just smiled politely. I got one of the paper pictures, a ticket stub from 1976 "Soviets" vs Buffalo game, and a puck all signed. If you check out the scans below you'll see the usual "quick" Tretiak signature.

He looked kind of puzzled by the ticket stub and it wasn't until later that I realized that the stub was from a 1976 Super Series game in which Tretiak did not play. Buffalo played another team called the Wings and beat them 12-6. But he signed it anyway.

Then I showed him my book and he got really interested in it. He said he had not seen that book in a long time and started going through the pages. One of the goalie kids stuck around, clearly star-struck by the great Russian goalie. Tretiak made a few comments in Russian to his rep, saying where and when some of the pictures were taken, then pointed to an action picture of himself and said to the kid "...see, eyes always on puck...".

When he got to a picture of Phil Esposito on the Canada bench, he said something like "Ay, Bobby Clarke" and frowned and made the "thumbs down" sign (those who remember the 1972 Series certainly know why). The funny thing is the photo is of Espo and Clarke is partially obscured, but Clarke is who he noticed right away! We all cracked up. Clarke is clearly not well liked in Russia!

There is also a nice picture of him and Bobby Hull, he offered that Hull had the hardest shot he ever faced. "Never straight…always curve…"

There are so many pictures of him in the book he actually took the time to find a suitable one - there was a full page picture of him near the front of the book and he asked he "Here?" then penned a beautiful bold signature and then thanked ME for bringing the book.

Since I was the last one he looked around and asked "All done?" We shook his huge hand and thanked him as he got up to leave.

A great encounter with a great athlete and great man.

[gregr2]

WOW that is awesome!! Great story and congrats on the autograph.

[Duluth Eskimo]

That's a great story. Hockey guys are generally hard working guys that appreciate the fans a lot more than most other sports. Not always, but a lot more than not.

[I Only Smoke 4 the Cards]

Originally Posted by Duluth Eskimo

That's a great story. Hockey guys are generally hard working guys that appreciate the fans a lot more than most other sports. Not always, but a lot more than not.

I think it has to do with the giant wall around the playing field.

[GrayGhost]

Awesome

[7nohitter]

Very cool read...I love the "Jim Stinson" style-very interesting!

[JimStinson]

Senor Stone , great story and am flattered ...even though I know nothing about hockey or the player , it TOOK me to the event , and put me there ...Nice Work !
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[MooseDog]

Thanks Jim, your travelogue pieces are some of the best things on this board. It's nice to change up the "is it real" and "so-and-so selling fakes" threads that are so prevalent here.

Thanks to everyone else with the kind words as well.

Hope others will share similar tales.