1,000 Point NHL Player Autographs - #35 Jean Ratelle

At the time of his retirement, Jean Ratelle was the NHL's sixth all-time leading scorer. But the hobby has seem to forgotten him for the most part.

After a slow beginning to his career and undergoing major spinal cord surgery when he suffered a serious back injury at age 23, Ratelle's longevity in the league was in doubts. However, once healed and healthy, he became one of the most consistently great players the NHL has ever seen.

With 1,267 points (491 goals, 776 assists) in 1,281 games, Ratelle now ranks 35th on the all-time NHL scoring list. Although he never won a Stanley Cup, he was a key contributor to the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and Russia and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1985.

My Jean Ratelle collection consists of a 2004-05 In The Game Heroes and Prospects sticker autograph as well as a 2004-05 In The Game NHL Franchises hard-signed autograph. Considering his stature as one of the NHL's greats, there aren't a lot of options for Ratelle autographs on the market. Due to this, prices for his autographed cards are higher than some other players on the list. However, it would be appreciated if the companies could show him more respect on cardboard in the future.