I’m not an autograph hound. When I was younger, I went through a short period when I was collecting some hockey autographs, and I once went to a card show when Dino Ciccarelli was signing stuff, but I was definitely not one of those people in a crowd reaching over others with a piece of crap for someone to sign. If anything, I’d prefer a photo with someone, as I did with Gheorghe MureÅŸan and Manute Bol (may he rest in peace). Didn’t even bother to get them to sign something for me.
It’s not uncommon to see former Capitals all-star Peter Bondra around town. I’ve seen him several times in the press box, we’ve interviewed him for Capitals Outsider a couple of times, and he’s frequently at the Gardens Ice House. He’s been retired for a while now but he’s actually been in the news a bit in the last month because he played in the Caps-Pens alumni game and yesterday, the Bruins’ Zdeno Chara celebrated a hat-trick with Bondra’s signature celebration.
So I knew Bondra was going to be in Laurel tonight, so I grabbed one of my cards and made sure I was there when he got off the ice while coaching his son’s team. I suppose I could’ve asked for a photo but I’ll get another chance. For some reason, I wanted his autograph. And I can honestly say that he’s one of the few players on the Caps – former or current – who I would even bother asking.