Today I took the day off because the weather was beautiful and I really wanted more autographs from the Russian players before the end of the tournament! I also thought I'd have a better chance at getting my Washington Capitals puck signed by Alexander Ovechkin on a week day, when there was bound to be less people waiting for autographs after the game.
I went to the back of the Colisée before the game and saw Russian and Swiss players playing soccer in the parking lot (in 2 separate groups), but as usual, none of the Russians would sign before the game. I saw Vladislav Tretiak though and he autographed the 8X10 photo I bought this weekend!
Then, since I had my day off and there wasn't much I could get autograph-wise during the game, I bought a ticket for the game from a scalper and went to the game. During the game, they showed Alexander Yakushev on the JumboTron! I wasn't aware he was in Quebec City, so I'll definitely have to find something of him to get signed this week!
After the game, I went back outside to wait for autographs. Way before most of the players came out, 2 Russian players and a Russian goalie came out with all their equiment on, got in a van and left. When one of the players turned his back before getting in the van, I noticed the number 95 on his helmet, so I knew this was Aleksey Morozov. He didn't play in the game because he was injured, so I figured those 3 players must have left for the practice facility to keep in shape since they hadn't played in the game... The rest of the Russian players and the Swiss players eventually came out and here's what I got:
Evgeni Nabokov was one of the nicest players I've seen in this tournament so far and he looked really laid-back. He even took the time to ask me if I wanted him to write #35 on the 2002-03 Topps Heritage card, since that was the number he was wearing back then. Alexander Ovechkin signed stuff for a lot of people, but once again, he skipped over my puck. :o( I think I'm just gonna get it signed by Mike Green (when Team Canada comes back to Quebec City for the semifinals) or Nicklas Backstrom instead...
After the players had left, I decided to wait a bit and see if Aleksey Morozov wouldn't come back from practice. Sure enough, a couple of minutes later, I saw the small van come back with the 3 Russian players inside, so I got this card autographed by Aleksey Morozov:
Also, John Tavares was at the game. Some people got his autograph outside the Colisée after the game, but I didn't have anything for him to sign, so I decided to keep the spot I had and wait for the Russian players to come out...
.jpg)
