STYLE OVER SUBSTANCE
Cale Makar
It certainly wouldn’t have passed muster in the days of the Original Six, but there’s definitely something interesting about this signature, with an elongated C supporting an M and a K with his number 8. It looks like he actually put some thought and effort into coming up with an auto that he could reasonably lay down thousands of times while still delivering something of real value.Well done.
John Tavares
No, it’s not legible in any conventional way, but there’s something eye-catching about his sig. It’s like a Hirschfeld cartoon with the curves and bold strokes, and offers plenty of eye appeal.
Brent Burns
The double-B signature of the fun-loving blueliner has remained virtually unchanged since his 2003-04 RC season, although now he tends to deliver it side-by-side rather than the split-level style that was his custom early on. Although not instantly legible, it’s bold and full of purpose, making for a pleasing result.
Sidney Crosby
It’s almost impossible to imagine the demand for autographs that Sid faces on a daily basis, let alone what he commits to ink professionally. That he continues to put down a signature that, while not exactly legible, is consistent and identifiable counts for something.
Pierre-Luc Dubois
Dubois has responded to what sets up as a challenging signature with a sketch that’s not so much an autograph as it is a concept for a futuristic automobile. In the end, we’d probably all prefer something that more closely approximates his name, but there’s no denying that this thing pops.
Connor Hellebuyck
As with Dubois, there’s nothing he applies to cardboard that even remotely hints at his name, but the intoxicating curves, reminiscent of early M.C. Escher, make it into a puzzle you’ll risk going mad to solve.
Tobias Bjornfot
It might not win you over immediately, but give this sig some time. It’s a last name-only special, typical of the growing European trend, and only a couple letters from it are identifiable, but it’s definitely one that grabs your attention with the bold B, f and highly-stylized t.