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Hello everyone! Up today is the very next of my game-worn pieces of history. Today's player: Yutaka Fukufuji.

Where do I begin to tell you how big these pieces are and why this player is one to remember, even if you don't right now?

Most hockey players come from the nations in which hockey is a huge sport as winters are often and make it necessary for an outdoor sport sans a soccer ball. Canada, Russia and its former nations, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden, USA, are all big countries for hockey.

Now imagine Japan, a country more known for its electronics and amazing culture than its history of ice hockey. Here the story begins. Yutaka Fukufuji was drafted 238th overall in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by the Los Angeles Kings, only the second Japanese ever to be drafted into the league. Yutaka played largely in the ECHL until the 2006-07 season when shoddy goaltending and injuries galore prompted his call-up to the big team. On January 13, 2007, Fukufuji made an NHL first. It marked the first time that a Japanese player had ever been on an NHL roster, and the first time that a Japanese had ever played in an NHL game. He replaced Barry Brust and allowed one goal in six shots that day. The next game, January 16, 2007 against the Thrashers, he made NHL history yet again when he became the first ever Japanese player to start in goal in an NHL game. He lasted just over one period before being pulled after letting in three goals on a mere nine shots.

In his NHL career, he appeared in four total games, recording a less than stellar 0-3-0 record with a 4.38 GAA, and a 0.837% save average. The glove and blocker that I am showing today was used in all four of those landmark games of NHL history. Notice how many photomatches are on the blocker!

He may not have been the greatest goaltender in history, but you have to hand it to him that he defied all of the odds to make it to the big time. He may have come and gone faster than the success of the 80s band, ABC, but he will forever be in the record books for what he accomplished and these two pieces of his game-worn memorabilia are eternally a part of what he did.

Glove:









Blocker:







And the photomatch with every match that I noticed circled in green:

Wow, just amazing.

Also, one of the great goalie names ever.

man, those things took a beating.

Thanks for the comments guys!

FUKUFUJI!!!

I'm totally jealous!

Jesus those things got beat to hell haha

Another amazing story and great adds!

Thanks for the comments everyone! I have one new addition that should be incoming in the next couple of weeks.

wow that is pretty sweet

that collection is drop sweet

I love the Fukufuji

congrats

I wondered about the title before clicking. Thanks for the summary plus pics. Very interesting and a wicked pair of collectibles (in the truest sense).