I haven't heard this one in awhile. Plus it is fun to revisit about once a year as new rookies come in the league and different players sign for hockey products.

So the question is two parts:

What players have the best and worst signatures? I am looking for the best combos of style and legibility. Is it aesthetically pleasing and can you decipher it?

I'll break it down even more so the debate can be a bit more even.

Tell me who you think has the best and worst signatures for CURRENT players and RETIRED players?

Here are some of my choices:

BEST ACTIVE:

Nikolai Khabibulin
Ryan Miller
Anze Kopitar
Mike Modano
Nick Lidstrom
Jack Johnson
Daniel Alfredsson
Steve Mason
Teemu Selanne

WORST ACTIVE:

Georges Laraque
Alexander Ovechkin
Corey Perry
Drew Doughty
Jonathan Cheechoo
Derek Armstrong
Chris Pronger
POS (not Piece Of S........ well, kind of......Patrick O'Sullivan)

BEST RETIRED:

Jean Beliveau
Maurice Richard
Boob Boom Geoffrion
Gilbert Perreault
Dave Taylor
Ray Bourque
Gordie Howe
Marcel Dionne
Brian Leetch
(ok, this list could get REAL long, real fast.......you get the idea)

WORST RETIRED:
This is tough because the worst retired is usually better than the best active!

Pavel Bure

The best one I've seen is Kopitar. I think it's wild.

I love the kopitar,naslund ,toews and lidstrom auto's.
Aaron broten has the worst auto Ive ever seen hands down it looks like a child scribbled ABE with the wrong hand lol It was hard to find bad auto's from my HOF collection most of the retired players actually took their time to write it out decent, but I suppose back in the day they didn't have stacks of cards and stickers to sign for upper deck.

I remember a year or so ago seeing Joe Thornton's auto and thinking it looked mighty sweet. I'm also a big fan of Crosby's auto, it just looks really nice. Worst ever is a toss-up between Sergei Samsonov and Jonathan Cheechoo.

Amongst retired players, there is simply nobody who can come close to Jean Beliveau. It is a flawless signature every time out.

Erik Johnson's autos are pretty bad now

I have to agree with Anze Kopitar and J. Johnson have someof the best autos. I also have to add a vote for Ryan Getzlaf in having a sweet auto.

As for worst, I have to stick with Erik Johnson. Carey Price should get n honourable mention with his declining a lot in the past year. He didn't have the best signature, but it certainly got worse.



On another note...

Worst ever is a toss-up between Sergei Samsonov and Jonathan Cheechoo.

My card dealer told me a story about an annual gold tourny that Cheechoo and his Dad play in each year. Over the weekend in the past both Cheechoo and his Dad have come into the card shop to look at cards. Last year the dealer set a Cheechoo card aside and low and behold, Cheechoo and his father walked in the store and before they could even say hello, the dealer held up the card and said, "Hey Jonathan, what's up with this?" He said all Cheechoo did was shrug his shoulders. Overall the conversation was in a joking manner but he did explain what it's like to pull a sloppy signature versus become attached to a nice auto.

i LOVE brian boyle's auto. but jmfj has the best auto ever. worst auto goes to luongo and o'sulli (who isnt a POS)

Add Marian Hossa to the "Bad Auto" list. It looks like chicken scratches for crying out loud! Also, Carey Price used to have a really nice auto(just check his old ITG cards), but now it's not so great.

As for autos of current players that I like, it'll have to be Crosby, Jack Johnson, and Nick Lidstrom.

Jean Beliveau gets my vote for the best auto of all-time! When I went to the Bonsor show last October, I saw first-hand the time and effort he takes into each and every autograph. The line went slow, but it gave everyone a great chance to spend some time with Mr. Beliveau and have a nice chat!

For current players, I love Kopitar and Jack Johnson. Also like my PC guy Ryan Miller and someone most do not know Cal Clutterbuck. His auto can be seen here on my patch/auto:
http://i424.photobucket.com/albums/pp321/geschrocks33/hockey/Clutterbuck%20PC/Rainville620-4.jpg

He has a really nice auto

As for the bad...I'd agree with O'Sullivan and Cheechoo, and another to add to the list is Erik Christensen. His auto is pathetic IMO.

Almost all retired old time players have nice auto's, barely any are bad

worst by fat.. Hossa and Cheechoo

best Joe thornton

worst by fat.. Hossa and Cheechoo


lol dan are you calling hossa and cheechoo fat? :sign0020:

Hossa's auto is also pathetic

Cam Ward is one of the worst i've never seen
http://i5.ebayimg.com/07/i/001/3b/75/a0bb_1.JPG

I like the look of Thornton and Lecavalier auto :

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x46/yourtickettothestars/e44e1e68.jpg

^^^ beat me to it. I like Vinny's auto. I've always liked Malkins and Zetterberg. I don't own either of the two but someday. As far as my PC goes, it'd have to be Simon Gagne and Marc Staal.

ok, how on earth does this even resemble the words "Marian Hossa"

http://cgi.ebay.com/MARIAN-HOSSA-AUTO-07-08-SP-AUTHENTIC-SOTT-RED-WINGS_W0QQitemZ120391069894QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_S M_Sports_Cards?hash=item120391069894&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A13 18|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50#ebayphotohosting

jeez thats brutal

but still... i believe Vernand Morencey, or whatever his name is, has everyone beat

Since we have a discussion thread about this semi-ongoing, I'm going to merge the threads, but it never does cease to amaze me how bad that is.

Hossa's auto is also pathetic

Amen on that as it like a few scrawls and you have no way in heck to tell who it was. SO amen on that Fat or Far worse who cares it stinks.

Another one was V.K. back in the day when it just put his initial on the first BAP Auto's done. He didn't want to sign his whole name as he obviously got tired so he started doing V.K. (that is sad).

DON

Nice auto's Steve Shutt Bobby Orr Bobby Hull Dennis Hull Brett Hull Jean Beliveau Tony Esposito Gordie Howe
Bad : Samsonov Patrick o Sullivan Ron Duguay Alex Ovechkin

Nice auto's Steve Shutt Bobby Orr Bobby Hull Dennis Hull Brett Hull Jean Beliveau Tony Esposito Gordie Howe
Bad : Samsonov Patrick o Sullivan Ron Duguay Alex Ovechkin

I could be wrong, but I think Ive seen gordie sign "gordon" on a few things

Red Kelly has a great autograph as well. I have a Anze, Lidstrom and Mike Bossy. Really good autos!

I like Hossa's. I agree it dosn't look like it shpuld but it is one of the things that got me collecting him lol

The good
Foligno
http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg132/hossa18sens/Private%20Collection/NICK%20FOLIGNO/07-08SPAuthenticFutureWatch.jpg
Cherry
http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg132/hossa18sens/Private%20Collection/08-09MPCherry.jpg
Beliveau
http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg132/hossa18sens/Private%20Collection/BeliveauAuto.jpg

The bad

Heatley
http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg132/hossa18sens/Private%20Collection/HeatleyAutoJersey.jpg
Morrow
http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg132/hossa18sens/Private%20Collection/07-08%20PUCK%20AUTOS/BrendenMorrow.jpg
O'Sullivan
http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg132/hossa18sens/Private%20Collection/07-08%20PUCK%20AUTOS/PatrickOSullivan.jpg

lol Lots more where they came from

The bad


Morrow
http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg132/hossa18sens/Private%20Collection/07-08%20PUCK%20AUTOS/BrendenMorrow.jpg


I think Morrow's auto is pretty solid personally.

All of the French Connection's autos are pretty good

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr1/senrab/Hockey%20cards/Personal%20collection/reneauto.jpg

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr1/senrab/Hockey%20cards/Personal%20collection/ricoauto.jpg

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr1/senrab/Hockey%20cards/Personal%20collection/gilltdlogos.jpg?

I like Clarke MacArthur's too:

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr1/senrab/Hockey%20cards/Personal%20collection/cmacauto.jpg

Thomas Vanek's isn't so hot:

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr1/senrab/Hockey%20cards/Personal%20collection/vanekbap.jpg

I'm not a fan of Vanek's auto either. The French Connection's auto's are great. I love all three of them.

I still love my PC guy, Clutterbuck's auto. It's great

The Bad:

Marcel Hossa.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j158/dergula/Hockey%20Cards/Autographs/auto009.jpg

Dion Phanuef

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j158/dergula/Hockey%20Cards/Autographs/hockey002.jpg

Just a few random examples from my PC...

Good:

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk103/TheCaperCollector/Autograph%20PC/07-08%20Puck%20Signings/HasekPuckSignings.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk103/TheCaperCollector/Autograph%20PC/07-08%20Puck%20Signings/EspositoPuckSignings.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk103/TheCaperCollector/Autograph%20PC/07-08%20Puck%20Signings/KanePuckSignings.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk103/TheCaperCollector/Autograph%20PC/07-08%20Puck%20Signings/GetzlafPuckSignings.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk103/TheCaperCollector/Autograph%20PC/07-08%20Puck%20Signings/PerreaultPuckSignings.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk103/TheCaperCollector/Autograph%20PC/07-08%20Puck%20Signings/ShuttPuckSignings.jpg

Bad:

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk103/TheCaperCollector/Autograph%20PC/07-08%20Puck%20Signings/BernierPuckSignings.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk103/TheCaperCollector/Autograph%20PC/07-08%20Puck%20Signings/OSullivanPuckSignings.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk103/TheCaperCollector/Autograph%20PC/07-08%20Puck%20Signings/CammalleriPuckSignings.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk103/TheCaperCollector/Autograph%20PC/07-08%20Puck%20Signings/CheechooPuckSignings.jpg

LOL O'Sullivan's is the worst

LOL O'Sullivan's is the worst

yea, his and cheechoo's are really bad

The Bad:

Marcel Hossa.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j158/dergula/Hockey%20Cards/Autographs/auto009.jpg


him and marian both have that weird symbol...maybe its some slovakian thing??

Pulling from autos I have:

I like;

http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh294/quiet-things-cards/Other%20PC%20possibly%20FT/getzlafice.jpg

http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh294/quiet-things-cards/Autos/IMG_0004.jpg

It's gone downhill... but Gagner's wasn't/isn't so bad
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh294/quiet-things-cards/Sam%20Gagner%20PC/itg-gfgauto.jpg


Bad;

http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh294/quiet-things-cards/Autos/stastnytril.jpg

I wonder if anyone's answers have changed since a month ago? Lemme go check the other thread to look! :sign0020:

i still stand by the man, the myth, the legend JMFJ. also love kopi's

Prime: Can't see whats wrong whit the Pavel Bure signature??
/Jimmy Särås

I got a couple Johnson autos and was amazed at how nice it is. I have a Brassard that looks real good too. Hossa? PSSHhaw. Yzerman is great as well, if he could only find his way to my jersey....

I have to agree with Anze Kopitar and J. Johnson have someof the best autos. I also have to add a vote for Ryan Getzlaf in having a sweet auto.

As for worst, I have to stick with Erik Johnson. Carey Price should get n honourable mention with his declining a lot in the past year. He didn't have the best signature, but it certainly got worse.



.

I can't believe no one has mentioned him yet, but Nicklas Backstrom has got to be up there for the worst...
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u316/jmdorsey/Autographs/scan10016.jpg

also while I was getting that from my bucket, I just noticed how bad Darcy Tucker's is...
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u316/jmdorsey/Autographs/scan0021.jpg

and as far as the good go, I have to give Matt Carle some credit....
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u316/jmdorsey/Autographs/scan0020.jpg