Today at 4pm, the NHL All Star Game will be held in RBC Center, home to the Carolina Hurricanes. This year, my favorite hockey team, the New Jersey Devils, will be represented by the franchises all time points leader, Patrik Elias. At the half way point in the season, Elias has been one of New Jersey's bright spots in an otherwise dismal season. Elias has scored 13 goals with 24 assists, good for 37 points. He leads the team in total points, assists and game winning goals with 4.
Elias was drafted in the second round (51st overrall) by the Devils in the 1994 NHL Draft. He was called up to the Devils during the 96-97 season and finished that season with 2 goals and 3 assists in 17 games played. He went back down for 3 games in Albany before being called back to New Jersey for good. During his career, he's been a part of top scoring lines like the A Line of Elias, Jason Arnott and Petr Sykora and the EGG Line of Elias, Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta. He holds the NHL record for most overtime goals in a season with 4 and holds just about every Devils scoring record you can think of. He has also won 2 Stanley Cups, assisting on the Cup winning goal in 2000
The above card is from my personal collection. Its a 97-98 Be A Player Autograph from his rookie year. I have a small Elias collection with a few other autographs, a couple game used cards and a game used stick I picked up from the Devils Draft Party a couple years back. He is always a player I have considered collecting as he is not expenisve. He has always been a good player for the Devils and I hope he decides to retire as a Devil. I have no doubt his number will hang from the rafters of the Purdential Center after he retires.
Sick card!
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