It’s taking a lot for me to get the motivation to write a blog entry; weeks of 85-90 degree weather with 90%+ humidity really takes it out of a guy. I’m a trooper though and need to stay consistent. I mean, can I really let down the four people who read this on a somewhat regular basis? There is no special reason for profiling Al MacInnis today. I picked the card on the left at random and decided Al was it.

Al MacInnis was drafted by the Calgary Flames 15th overall in the 1981 draft. He would have cups of Tim Horton’s coffee with the Flames during his first two seasons playing in two and fourteen games respectively. When he wasn’t skating with the big club, MacInnis was skating with the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL and tearing it up. He put up 159 points (63 goals, 96 assists) in just 110 games, so the Flames definitely had an offensive talent on their hands.

MacInnis would stick with the team the following season and establish himself as one of the better defensemen in the NHL. In 51 games, MacInnis put up 45 points. During the following two seasons MacInnis brought his game to the next level, tallying 66 points in 67 games and 68 points in 77 games. The latter would earn him a spot in his first All Star game. As good as MacInniss was during those two seasons, he would again raise his level of play. Over the next eight seasons, MacInnis was one of the premier blueliners in the NHL and enjoyed some of his finest seasons as a pro. During that span, MacInnis tallied 639 points in 592 games, averaging nearly 80 points, 22 goals, and 58 assists a season. He would score a career high 103 points (28 goals, 75 assists) during the ’90-’91 season. He would also play in five All-Star games and be named to five NHL All-Star Teams (two 1st Teams and three 2nd Teams). MacInnis’ greatest accomplished came during the ’88′-’89 season when he helped lead the Flames to their first Stanley Cup. He was an absolute beast during their run to the Cup, putting up 31 points in 22 games; this was good enough to win the Conn Smythe Trophy.

This stretch of dominance ended when MacInnis was traded to the St. Louis Blues at the end of the ’93-’94 season. MacInnis would spend the remained of his career (10 seasons) with the Blues and continue to be a top-tier defenseman. Although his numbers would never match his Flames days, he would continue to put up solid numbers. He was a leader on and off the ice and one of the NHL’s toughest guys. He would win his only Norris Trophy at the age of 35 for his ’98-’99 season. He would play in six more All-Star games and be named to two NHL All-Star 1st Teams.

A lot of people know MacInnis as one of the hardest shooters in the league. He would win the hardest shot contest seven times. Oh, and he didn’t use those fancypants composite sticks; Al rocked nothing but straight up wood for this stick.

MacInnis hung up the skates at the age of 40 after just three games into the ’03-’04 season due to a reaggravated eye injury. He would end up with 340 goals (3rd among defensemen), 934 assists (14th all-time, 3rd among defensemen), and 1274 total points (3rd among defenseman). He was rightfully  inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007.

The card above is from the ’02-’03 Topps Heritage set. It’s obviously a tribute to the ’66-’67 set. I have no doubt MacInnis would have fit right in during those days. The signature is nice, if not completely legible.  The two cards below are his rookie and his 2nd year O-Pee-Chee cards. At around $25-$30, his rookie is a bargain. OPC probably could have used a better picture of Al, but we have to remember that hockey photography was still pretty bad in the ’80s. His second year card comes from one of my favourite sets, design and colour wise. Man, I didn’t realize that he was 6’2″ and weighed only 193 pounds. Lanky!

1985-86 O-Pee-Chee #237 Al MacInnis

1986-87 O-Pee-Chee #173 Al MacInnis