THE

MEET JOSEPH: “Hey, my name is Joe. I’m 35 years old and I live in Old Bridge, New Jersey. I currently work in sales. I’m a Rangers season ticket holder, section 224 WHOOP WHOOP! I’ve been a diehard Rangers fan since 1991.”

GETTING STARTED: “I started collecting hockey cards in 1991. I had just moved to New Jersey from New York and I would always see these older neighborhood kids playing hockey outside, so I did what any kid would do…I went outside and asked if I could play. From then on, I was hooked on the sport. Once we became better friends and started spending more time together, I noticed they all traded cards when going to each other’s houses. I immediately went home and asked my mom to take me to the store so I could get some hockey cards. My first purchase was a box of the timeless 1991-92 Pro Set Platinum.”

THE COLLECTION: “Although I collect memorabilia and cards from all sports, the stuff that means the most to me is my Mike Richter collection. I collect Richter-signed memorabilia, game-used items, and cards. My card collection is mainly focused around multi-colored patches, swatches, and stick pieces. When it comes to memorabilia, I tend to focus on fun inscriptions. It’s one thing to have an autograph, but inscriptions can take a collection to a whole new level. Some of my favorites that I own are

‘94 SC Champs, The Puck Stops Here, 301 Wins, and 94 All-Star MVP.’ I also have a game-used goalie stick that is accompanied by letters from the Rangers and MeiGray Group, but that is not the coolest part. The stick is also photo-matched to an actual hockey card – the 2002-03 Between the Pipes Goalie Nightmares card featuring Richter and Jarome Iginla.”

WHY RICHTER?: “He was my favorite player on the Rangers while I was growing up. Hearing Sam Rosen’s ‘SAVE BY RICHTER!’ calls and John Davidson’s ‘OOooOOOhhHHH Baby, what a save!’ used to give me the chills as a