Gene Desnoia has a card for nearly every Wildcat hockey player ever
MARQUETTE -- On Friday, many fans came to Marquette for the NMU hockey reunion to meet a few alumni, but only one brought every alum.
Gene Desonia of Marquette has collected at least one professional or junior hockey card for every single player to ever step foot on the ice for Northern hockey except three. The players missing in action? They are Mike Gibbons, Matt Butcher and Kevin Halsey.
The collection began about twenty years ago. "It's something my son, Dan, and I have been doing for awhile," said Desonia. "They aren't really worth a lot of money, but there's a lot of sentimental value."
The large scale scavenger hunt hasn't been easy, particularly one card from across the pond. "This Eric Le Marque card was a five person trade," Desonia says. "This is a French National card; I actually contacted someone in Germany for it. There was about five different countries involved where we each exchanged something for me to get the one that I wanted."
The search continues....