Troy Loney

Troy Loney was one of my favorite guys on the 1991 and 1992 Stanley Cup Champion Penguins.  He was a hard-nosed, battle-tested winger that wasn't afraid to get dirty when he had to.  Loney was the kind of guy you wanted down low, busting pucks out of the corners and wreaking havoc in front of the net.

Loney spent from 1982 through 1992 in the Penguins organization after being drafted 52nd overall.  A lot of his early career was spent splitting time between Pittsburgh and their AHL affiliate, the Baltimore Skipjacks.  But by 1987-88, he was a permanent fixture in the NHL.  

When the expansion draft was held in 1993, the Pens lost Troy to Anaheim, who claimed him and named him their first team captain in history.  After scoring 13 goals and helping them to 71 wins that year, he went on to split the lockout season between both the Isles and Rangers before retiring.

Troy used to be active in the Pittsburgh community when I was growing up there.  You would always see him involved in various charities, attending fund raisers, and especially helping with youth hockey.  My youth team I played on at the Rostraver Ice Arena had many a visit from Penguin players and Troy was one of the regulars.  Last I knew, he still lives in Pittsburgh working as an executive for a pharmacy benefits management company.

This card is another in-person auto that was obtained by a dealer that I have done business with many times.  It's his 1990-91 O-Pee-Chee card and is signed in blue Sharpie.