Signature Sundays - Ron Francis

I've recently started a fun side project of accumulating some autographs from the 1989-90 Topps/O-Pee-Chee hockey releases.  This was the first set I ever collected as a kid, so it's always been extra sentimental to me.  So far I've picked up Al MacInnis and Brett Hull autographs, and tonight I present my third HOFer:

Being a Whalers fan, Ron Francis is a card I'm very happy to have scored for this project.  As a 7-year-old who was learning the game myself, and getting my first taste of live NHL action at the time (at the Hartford Civic Center!), Francis was larger than life.  Even though the team was usually mediocre at best, Ron was a special player and a model of consistency.

Francis was the team's captain, and the player the fans adored most.  I can still remember meeting Ron and many of his teammates and getting autographs on "Junior Whalers Day", and I vividly recall the absolute shock and horror among the fan base when he was dealt to Pittsburgh.

Well, that's a wrap for tonight.  I've got other Ron Francis autos in my collection, but this one provides the most nostalgia value by far.  Three down and many, many cards to go as far as this project is concerned.  I'm really in no rush though, knowing I'll never "finish" a set of these makes it easy to just enjoy them as they come.