Lemieux, a Hockey Hall of Famer who retired for the second and last time in 2006, is not a regular at these events. Organizers billed it as his first show in Canada and something he’d done only once before, in Chicago, years ago.

Lemieux, who was said to be too tight for time to talk to a reporter after about two hours of signing, was paid by the autograph. While some with knowledge of how this business works said he might fetch six figures for the appearance, Andrew Goldfarb of A.J. Sportsworld in Vaughan, who sells memorabilia and cards in addition to arranging up to 70 such appearances a year, refused to talk numbers.

But he also wouldn’t apologize for his prices, which included $179 for an autograph on each regular item such as a photograph, or $299 on a premium item such as a jersey.

From Lemieux, to the host, to the customers who paid these price, I think they are all douche bags.  Major league douche bags, at that.

So Lemieux is so greedy that he wants over $100,000 in greenbacks to sign jerseys for two hours?  Kiss my ass you turd. 

I remember the first game I ever saw Lemieux play live (early 90’s at Maple Leaf Garden), and as a young lad I hated the way he loafed around the ice.  While Lemieux’s teammates would skate hard every shift, he would loaf and get lazy until it suited him, and I could never get around that image when thinking of him since.  I know he is one of the greats, but something has always rubbed me the wrong way with Lemieux.  I always thought of him as a huge douche bag, and this latest article reinforces my belief.

Way to give back to hockey fans, Mario.  Fans like these were the ones that started buying tickets to Pens games so he wouldn’t lose your shirt as a part-owner.  Now he’s asking for the shirts off their backs for a mere signature and face time.

For $999 do I get to bitchslap you?  It may be worth it to me then.

If you are considering going to these ridiculous autograph factories, and being charged a premium for the “privilege” you are also a douche bag.  Save your annual autograph budget for your kids’ college fund.  There is no telling how expensive that will be if/when they ever make college.

Posted by VooX from Behind the Bar in the Hasek Club Car on 11/16/09 at 09:41 AM ET

I hear ya Voox, but I would be completely shocked if Mario’s proceeds did not completely go towards the Mario Lemieux Foundation (http://www.mariolemieux.org/)....

I’d like to know that as well… I’ll try to email the author to confirm….

Posted by Tony from Virginia Beach, VA on 11/16/09 at 09:50 AM ET

For $999 do I get to bitchslap you?  It may be worth it to me then.

+19

Posted by IwoCPO from Sunny San Diego, bitches on 11/16/09 at 09:52 AM ET

And Tony, if that’s the case and Girard didn’t see fit to mention it? He’s a douche bag too.

Posted by IwoCPO from Sunny San Diego, bitches on 11/16/09 at 09:54 AM ET

Agreed… He doesn’t list his email in the column, so I left a comment/question…

Posted by Tony from Virginia Beach, VA on 11/16/09 at 10:02 AM ET

Paul had his email, just shot one to him….

Posted by Tony from Virginia Beach, VA on 11/16/09 at 10:11 AM ET

Got a response from Daniel Girard….

“Sorry, I cannot confirm or deny.  I was unable to talk to Mario Lemieux at the event to ask him.”

I’ve also emailed the Foundation for a response….

Posted by Tony from Virginia Beach, VA on 11/16/09 at 10:50 AM ET

Got a response from Daniel Girard….

“Sorry, I cannot confirm or deny.  I was unable to talk to Mario Lemieux at the event to ask him.”

He should have paid $999 for face time.  Amateur. 

Posted by VooX from Behind the Bar in the Hasek Club Car on 11/16/09 at 10:51 AM ET

I hope that’s the case. I’m sure after the questions that are being asked someone will quickly conjure up something stating that a portion of the funds will be going to The Foundation.

Otherwise I think it would have been used in the promotion. You can get an awful lot of publicity when you are doing good works.

Lets Go Red Wings!!!!!

Posted by Kate from Pa.-made in Detroit on 11/16/09 at 12:18 PM ET

Yzerman a douche, too?

Hmm, Voox, Chief - seems your beloved Stevie Y is willing to sell his soul for a little cash, too, no?

Face it, virtually every athelete sells a bit of their soul for cash at some point.  Some do it more than others, some make more than others.  I’m sure Lemieux’s price tag was higher thanks to the personal appearance and the fact he was the better hockey player.  It’s all about the free market, correct?

Frankly, I don’t condemn either man for doing this type of thing.  Some fans clamor for this type of access, whether it’s a personal greeting session, or simply an autographed card or shirt.  It’s not my cup of tea, but for the obsessed collectors, it is.  So the players give them what they want.  Could the players do this for free?  Sure, but why should they?  Especially when the promotors would charge the fee anyway and keep any profit for themselves . . .

Posted by Blue Meanie from Pittsburgh on 11/16/09 at 12:38 PM ET

Upper Deck landed a somewhat elusive NHL name to its autograph lineup when the company signed Hall of Famer Steve Yzerman to a contract that will put autograph cards in its 2009-10 hockey card products...

Steve Yzerman Upper Deck Black Diamond Upper Deck says Yzerman has not signed licensed NHL trading cards for a number of years so the new deal should increase a small supply of his autographs in the market.

Blue Weenie, if you had some critical reading skills you would note the fundamental difference between Yzerman and Lemieux’s card signings.

In Yzerman’s case, he is being contracted by the card manufacturer to sign a series of trading cards, that will be randomly put into Upper Deck’s hockey card products.  That means that some kid who spent $5 on a package of hockey cards may open it up to find an autographed card from The Captain himself.  And the kid didn’t have to spend $999 to get it.

That’s the difference.  It’s a shame you didn’t comprehend what you read before you posted it.

Posted by VooX from Behind the Bar in the Hasek Club Car on 11/16/09 at 12:48 PM ET

Voox,

Sorry, but you’re being naive.  You don’t think most of those cards aren’t going to end up in the hands of a) obsessed fans who spend hundreds of dollars to buy boxes and boxes of Upper Deck cards in hopes of landing one of those or b) collectors/dealers who do the same, only they do so to eventually shop those cards on eBay or at their own shows?  Do you really think it’s going to be the kid from Detroit who buys one pack of cards and “luckily” ends up with an Yzerman autograph?  Really?

Besides, the fundamental transactions are the same.  Both players sold their time/signature/good will for cash.  Only, in Lemieux’s case, the customer ends up with guaranteed face time, so the price is higher. 

Oh, and I like the fact you highlighted that Yzerman hasn’t done such a thing in years.  Perhaps you missed the same line in the Lemieux article:

Lemieux, a Hockey Hall of Famer who retired for the second and last time in 2006, is not a regular at these events. Organizers billed it as his first show in Canada and something he’d done only once before, in Chicago, years ago.

Posted by Blue Meanie from Pittsburgh on 11/16/09 at 01:11 PM ET

I will also say that I consider Sports Trading Card/Autograph stores and Magic Shops to be among the lowest form of business imaginable.  Just above running puppy mills, counterfeiting airline parts and baby pharmaceuticals, and running child porn sites.

Trading Card stores exploit the anecdotal stories of some guy retiring after selling a Honus Wagner “T206” baseball card.  And that in the past kids didn’t take the cards so seriously and used them to make their bikes sound like motorcycles instead of placing them behind ten layers of plastic (don’t touch them or your fingerprints will devalue the card…puke).

So some balding, fat, obnoxious proprietor of a Trading Card store convinces a middle-aged sap that the cards are a good “investment”.  That sap berates his kid for not taking the card’s investment value seriously, and rather than having a fun hobby the kid becomes a speculative investor.  And their bike sounds nothing like a motorcycle.

Let’s face facts, once these douche bags made the market for such collectibles and people caught on, there is no chance in hell anyone will retire on a modern sports trading card’s value.  There are simply too many in circulation.  All behind protective plastic, too.

Magic Shops draw my scorn as well for their outright hypocrisy.  Magic is supposed to be a big “secret” and to tell someone how a trick is done is considered horrific.  Penn and Teller were kicked out of the Magic Castle for their clear Cups & Balls routine, despite making the trick their own variation and making it better than before, as they had violated the magician’s “Code”.

But if some socially awkward egomaniac opens a Magic Shop, and SELLS the same secrets, there is nothing wrong with it.  The self-righteous proprietor will ham-hand the performance of tricks in his shop and then will insist you buy the trick to learn how it works.  Because telling a curious and bewildered customer would “violate the code”.  Charging them for the secret only violates their wallet.

Posted by VooX from Behind the Bar in the Hasek Club Car on 11/16/09 at 01:25 PM ET

Posted by Blue Meanie from Pittsburgh on 11/16/09 at 01:11 PM ET

Once again your critical reading skills fail you, Weenie.

In fact, I quoted that passage you highlighted in my initial post.  What it says is that Lemieux has not done many Autograph Factory (to use my term) sessions in the past.  Yzerman was not paid to do an Autograph Factory where people were charged hundreds of dollars (if not $999) to get an autograph.  Yzerman is being paid so that his autograph will randomly appear in collector card packs.  Lemieux is being paid to fuel the obscene autograph collectors’ marketplace.

And while a kid in Detroit may not necessarily get an autographed Yzerman card, some RANDOM customer somewhere will.  And that is the difference.  I would think it rather exciting as a card collector to buy a $5 package of cards and pull out an autographed copy.  It would be a thrill to the people that enjoy the hobby.

Autograph Factories are pure commerce.  They are exploiting a market of eager fans that are willing to overpay for a scribble on some piece of merchandise.  It is these same collectors and vendors that have corrupted the once-innocent action of signing an autograph.

Steve Yzerman wouldn’t sign hockey cards because usually the people shoving them in his face weren’t fans, but rather people greedy to make a buck by instantly selling the autograph.  The market became corrupted and many players, musicians, and celebrities refuse to sign autographs today.

To me that is far different than a random card collector opening up a random package of trading cards to find a gem.  That is the rush that these collectors live for.

Posted by VooX from Behind the Bar in the Hasek Club Car on 11/16/09 at 01:39 PM ET

VooX,

I agree with everything you just said regarding Sports Trading Card stores.

But, let’s not forget who ultimately causes the market economics to become skewed in the first place.  It’s not the card shop, it’s the millionare who’s got nothing better to do with his money than blow it on a baseball card.  So he goes out to some auction and lays a cool $125,000 on a Honus Wagner, as you say.  As soon as that story hits the papers, every sad sack with a box of baseball cards up in his attic is off to the card dealer to see what he can get for them.  Now there’s market demand for “rare” cards, and everyone in the food chain is in line to make a buck.

And the athletes are in a no-win situation.  Granted, most are millionares several times over, so I have no pity for the vast majority of them.  However, everyone and their brother are making a mint off of their names, whether it’s the guy selling knock-off t-shirts, or the card dealer, or the league for which they used to play.  But the minute they ask for their share, they’re branded as “greedy athletes.”

Sure, these guys were paid well when they played.  But their legacy is worth even more.  If everyone else is going to rape their legacy for cash, they might as well exert control over what they can.

Posted by Blue Meanie from Pittsburgh on 11/16/09 at 01:42 PM ET

VooX, Would your opinion of Lemieux’s appearance differ if it’s determined that all of the proceeds went towards cancer research ??

Posted by Tony from Virginia Beach, VA on 11/16/09 at 01:43 PM ET

And while a kid in Detroit may not necessarily get an autographed Yzerman card, some RANDOM customer somewhere will.  And that is the difference.  I would think it rather exciting as a card collector to buy a $5 package of cards and pull out an autographed copy.  It would be a thrill to the people that enjoy the hobby.

Autograph Factories are pure commerce.  They are exploiting a market of eager fans that are willing to overpay for a scribble on some piece of merchandise.  It is these same collectors and vendors that have corrupted the once-innocent action of signing an autograph.

But, really, the only difference here is Lemiex’s price tag is higher.  And why is it higher?  Because you have 100% chance of success.

Sure, some (most, maybe) of the people who will go are there to get something signed and turn around and sell it.  But for some rabid fans, it’s worth the price to get their hero’s autograph, and not just hope they get a 1 in a million shot in a pack of cards.

I do agree for some, the thrill of the chase is more exciting.  For them, buying random packs of cards is the way to go.  But for those who really just want their hero’s name on a picture or jersey so they can hang it up behind the bar in their gameroom, paying $175 isn’t a bad deal (considering, as the author states, that’s just the price of two tickets to a Leafs’ game).

Posted by Blue Meanie from Pittsburgh on 11/16/09 at 01:50 PM ET

VooX, Would your opinion of Lemieux’s appearance differ if it’s determined that all of the proceeds went towards cancer research ??

No Tony, my opinion would not change. 

I despise the Autograph Factory and the autograph sellers as a whole.  And as much as I hate sports trading cards and autographs in general, at least Yzerman’s signing has some of the spirit of trading card collection intact… the thrill of the chase for a few dollars a pack.

I would hope any celebrity or athlete already being paid a fair wage for their work would donate their autograph fees to charity.  Alas, that is not guaranteed either.

Posted by VooX from Behind the Bar in the Hasek Club Car on 11/16/09 at 01:59 PM ET

VooX, Would your opinion of Lemieux’s appearance differ if it’s determined that all of the proceeds went towards cancer research ??

Can’t speak for Voox, who - by the way - is insanely right about everything he’s said so far. But for me, I doubt that all of the proceeds went to cancer research simply because people don’t seem to know one way or another. It would be incredibly foolish marketing for someone who cares about a foundation and wants to encourage its growth to hold an event where he expected to make $100,000 to further the progress of cancer research… and then not tell anyone. It seems like Mario would at least have the slobbering troll gathering everyone’s precious dubloons (this is how it plays out in my head) wear a T-Shirt or a sandwich board or something that said “All proceeds go to the Lemieux Foundation for Cancer Research. Go to http://www.whateverthehell.com for more information or to learn how you can help in a way full of non-douche.” The fact that Girard told you that he cannot confirm nor deny your guess seems to indicate that no such signs existed. Don’t you think that for people laying down that kind of cheddar they’d like to know that its actually being used to fund cancer research?

My guess - Mario needs the extra change because Thidney keeps pissing the bed and he DEMANDS new 5,000 thread count sheets and a new duvet every time. Hey, kids are expensive.

Posted by CaptNorris5 from The Winged Wheel, stuck in Chicago on 11/16/09 at 02:02 PM ET

I think all us lowly Pens fans get the message, 19.

Yzerman > everybody.  Got it.

I don’t get why you’re bashing him for making a few extra bucks, though, if that’s what he’s doing.  I mean, the 19 know better than all of us that the man owns a team that is backed by legions and legions of fans that could jump of the bandwagon at the mere sniff of an unsuccessful, losing hockey team.  I mean, he’s probably just doing this just in case the Pens miss the playoffs or something this year and have to file for bankruptcy or something, you know?

In all seriousness, though, Le Magnifique holds a celebrity golf tournament every year to raise money for his foundation and cancer research—though I find it a little disappointing that the tournament isn’t open to the public anymore…that was pretty cool to go to.  Mario brightened the day of some young fan that had been fighting cancer himself by inviting him to the Mellon to shoot around with him, feed him one-timers and teach him a couple things about shooting the puck (I mean, who better to teach a kid that than, quite possibly, the greatest goal scorer of all time?).

And I don’t even have to mention what he’s done for the city and people of Pittsburgh and the Penguins franchise.

So, what’s it matter whether the all the proceeds, some of the proceeds or non of the proceeds went to a charitable cause?  This one thing shouldn’t overshadow the larger body of charitable work he’s done over the years.  That’s just ridiculous.

Posted by Flashtastick56 from Milford, CT on 11/16/09 at 10:56 PM ET

Hey Voox, you are such a *#$%@&. Sorry Tony and Paul, but this moron has the balls to call Mario Lemieux, who is most likely sending all the money towards the Mario Lemieux Foundation to benefit cancer research, a turd. He called Lemieux a turd because oh, he’s charging people money for things. As if he hasn’t earned the right to do that. Give me a *#$%@& break. Sour grapes. That’s all this is. You are such a pathetic, jealous douchebag, still butthurt over getting killed in Game 7, losing the Cup on home ice and getting outplayed in 5 of the games in the Stanley Cup Finals. You’re a pathetic weasel, Voox. That’s what needs to be said to this guy, sorry.

Let’s see, $999 to meet the most talented hockey player of ALL TIME, get an autographed jersey, an autographed photo of him raising the Cup, take a picture with him and spend a few minutes with the only player-owner and one of the most dominant players in North American sports history. Pretty good deal if you ask me.

But this is just a Wings fan stooping to a new low. They just can’t stop. Yeah, sorry for the language, I guess I’m doing the same thing by replying to him like this, but this is how I feel about some of these retards.

Steve Yzerman is a legend, but he doesn’t even approach Mario’s status. 66 > 19. 87 > 40. 71 > 13. Geno and Sid have already accomplished just as much as D and Z and they’re what, 7 and 8 years younger? No wonder you’re so jealous.

What Lemieux does for the community in Pittsburgh and for cancer research shows what a solid human being he is. He meets with fans who get cancer all the time and spends time with them . He goes to hospitals and spends time with sick kids. All in all, no player means more to any franchise than to any city in ANY sport than big #66. He means the world to all the fans in Pittsburgh.

But it doesn’t surprise me. After all, The Joke @ A2Y is really doing a disservice to the classy Red Wings franchise by spewing all the jealousy and hatred that he spews on that joke of a blog.

Oh and don’t give me any of this crap about this being you just hating the autograph industry. Are you a communist? This is a free country, pal. If people are willing to pay Mario or anyone some money to spend a couple minutes with him and get some stuff signed, then that means it’s worth it to them. Meeting Lemieux at least is something you can cherish for the rest of your life. Getting a stupid trading card is a lot more vane than getting a jersey, picture and other stuff signed by the player in person. For the rest of your life, you will remember the day you met Super Mario. Who the hell are you to tell these people that they are getting ripped off? And who are you to tell Mario that he’s a sellout? Even if it isn’t for cancer research, that’s his business, and it’s worth it to people. And by the way, moron, a thousand bucks is not that much. Believe it or not there are a lot of people who make 6 figure salaries, and a grand isn’t going to make a big difference to them. You’re such a *#$%@& douchebag.

Tony you’re way too nice to these guys. You gotta be kidding me. “I hear ya Voox” after he called Mario a turd? Come on dude. It’s one thing to be polite and not engage the trolls (like I have LOL), and it’s another thing to let them call Mario Lemieux a turd on your blog.

Posted by LGP8771 on 11/17/09 at 12:52 AM ET

Oh and while I’m at it, 68 > 91. Forgot that one.

Posted by LGP8771 on 11/17/09 at 12:54 AM ET

BTW, here’s one of the comments in the story:

Proof of Mario’s class and proof Voox is a jealous nerd:

Mario is Class

If anybody thinks Mario is doing this for money or anything else…they are very wrong. True story, last year I took the Minor Atom team I coach to a tournament in Cleveland on March Break. It is 8AM and who is in the dressing room next us waiting to go on? Mario Lemieux and the team he coaches…the Junior Penguins. I approached him and mentioned we were from Canada and would he mind coming in to talk to the kids. He agreed but reminded me that his team is on next so he has to be short. Long story short….Mario came in and talked with the 9 year old boys for 10 minutes…signed each jersey and each stick. He did not have to do that and in light of the actions of many pro atheletes these days, it was great to see. I have the same team this year and all the boys comment on their experience they had meeting Mario Lemieiux. He left a lasting impression on these young men. Thank you Mario. As for the Star glorifying his appearance at a show for what they “perceive” as a cash grab by Mario….shame on y

As I said, you hear about Mario doing this sort of thing all the time. But of course, Voox only reads stories if it has something to do with the Dead Wings.

Posted by LGP8771 on 11/17/09 at 12:58 AM ET

And there it is… the token ignorant Pens fan who comes to the comment section to run his mouth about game 7… “Dead Wings this, Sidney Crosby that”

This article is about Mario Lemieux.

Get a life dude…

Posted by Ron on 11/17/09 at 03:08 PM ET

No Ron, the posters above are right.  Voox is an ignorant, whiny cry baby.  He knows more than everyone else about everything, just ask him.  He spends his days writing treatises on the circle jerk that is A2Y, and gets his panties in a bunch the moment someone calls him on his ill-informed diatribes.

WAAAA MARIO MAKES MONEY,  WAAAA STEVIE Y WAS THE CAPTAIN, WAAAAA SIDNEY’S REAL NAME IS ROSBY.  Like LGP8771 said above, all it is is sour grapes.  The Pens and Mario lifting the Cup on their ice was so so so so soooooooooo painful and Voox is Exhibit A in being unable to let it go.  Instead he spends his time slandering Mario (on a PENS blog; but wait, I thought it was the Pens who were obsessed with the Wings??), who has done more to benefit those less fortunate than him than most anyone else in the NHL.  But because Mario has made money himself - how dare he! - he’s an evildoer.  DANGLE DANGLE DANGLIUM RIGHT DOWN YOUR THROAT VOOX.  Bitch.

Posted by No he's right on 11/17/09 at 06:23 PM ET

Please take it easy with the personal attacks.

Opinions are fine, really no need to call out people on a public site. 

KK members have the use of a PM feature, use it.  If not a KK member, join and then you folks can yell back and forth between each other all you want to.

Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 11/17/09 at 06:29 PM ET

Hey Paul, don’t you get it though? What he did was way worse. He called Mario Lemieux, arguably the most talented and most dominat hockey player of all time and the hero and savior of our franchise, a douchebag and a turd, because he’s charging money for a valuable service which he doesn’t think is valuable. Keep in mind all Lemieux does off the ice for cancer research and cancer patients and all the money he’s put into that cause over the years. What Voox did is a lot worse than a personal attack. He’s insulting one of the greatest legends in the history of sports, not just hockey, and one of the nicest most charitable athletes in sports. It’s basically an attack on all Pens fans as far as I’m concerned. I’ve read some of his comments before - he can’t stand the Pens ever since we won Game 7.

It’s one thing posting a comment stating your opinion on something hockey related on another team’s blog, and it’s a whole ‘nother thing doing what he did. We don’t go on A2Y slamming Yzerman or their players and insulting them and calling them turds and douchebags. If we do it, we do it on our blogs and our message boards. He’s a troll. Period.

He’s looking for it. He’s an instigator and this is what he wanted to do. Unlike Tony though, I couldn’t just ignore it. Shame on me I guess for giving a crap what some anonymous, delusional parasite thinks.

Posted by LGP8771 on 11/18/09 at 12:56 AM ET

Hey Paul, don’t you get it though? What he did was way worse.

Classic.

Posted by IwoCPO from Sunny San Diego, bitches on 11/18/09 at 04:25 AM ET

All I am asking is you keep the comments on topic.

If you want to complain, make a suggestion or anything else, email me.

Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 11/18/09 at 07:26 AM ET

@LGP, yes you’re correct, I choose to ignore the majority of comments that come from non-Pens fans, especially those that are less than constructive….

Unlike your blog, which is good in it’s own right, each and every one of my posts are read by not one but two passionate fanbases, ones that aren’t bosom buddies, shall we say….Not to mention, of course, the other KK readers that are fans of the other NHL teams….  And as a result, I usually have to wade through the comments diciphering the constructive ones with the smartass ones….

I’ve been doing this long enough to know that I have neither the time nor inclination to get into long, drawn out pissing contests with each and every Wings fan that puts a comment in my posts…. And yes, that includes posts concerning Mario… I defended him in stating I’d be surprised if his proceeds didn’t go to his Foundation, and I have three different emails awaiting responses to verify that….

If that’s not satisfactory to you, I guess I’ll just have to live with the disappointment….

Posted by Tony from Virginia Beach, VA on 11/18/09 at 08:22 AM ET

Tony, yeah I totally get it. It is absolutely satisfactory to me. As I said, I should probably not have replied either, but I was just shocked that this Voox guy would cross the line and bash Mario the way he did, on a Pens blog to boot. I do let some comments get to me sometime. But anyways I do understand if you just refuse to get into pissing contests and ignore comments like that. Keep up the good work dude!

Posted by LGP8771 on 11/18/09 at 11:48 AM ET