Vachon Still Popular in Montreal

He had a big mustache and a knack for stopping pucks headed for the net behind him.

Rogatien "Rogie" Vachon was a flamboyant goalie from the late 1960s to the early 80s, earning his keep in Montreal after playing minor league hockey in Houston. At age 64, the Quebec native remains one of the more popular players to autograph seekers and hockey collectors.

He settled in Los Angeles after his playing days ended, but promoters of a card show in Montreal managed to get him to fly across the continent and appear for a few hours on Sunday.

Vachon also ran into one of his biggest fans at the event, Dave Stubbs of the Montreal Gazette, whose column on Vachon's visit recalls a time when players wrote back to fans--and sometimes did more than just sign their name.