It's best to oblige

Here's a funny story, forwarded to me by Al, Hound Central 5.0's man in Toronto, regarding a young Brendan Shanahan, one-time Sabres player Rick Vaive and a less-than-polite denial of an autograph request.

Look what we found

In running a few errands before hounding the Edmonton Oilers earlier today, Colin and I stopped by our local Target. While there, we picked up a retail blaster box of 2009-10 Upper Deck Hockey Series I and three fat packs.

As you can plainly see, we had some decent luck, pulling Young Guns cards for the Islanders' John Tavares from the box and Colorado's Matt Duchene from one of the fat packs.

Too bad, though, we didn't pull one for Tampa Bay's Victor Hedman. Now, that would have been sweet.

Guess who?

Can you guess what son of a former NHL player signed two pucks this morning, adding the 1,975th and 1,976th to the collection? Here's another hint: one was on a London Knights puck.

All told, 17 players signed 44 items, including 41 cards, this morning.

Another hounding adventure is set to take place this afternoon. Colin has a game-used Oilers puck and his team sheet. I have a couple of AHL jerseys (Manchester Monarchs and Portland Pirates) that could use a signature, too.

Darn good reason

I failed to mention in my earlier post the reason why, with all the Tampa Bay Lightning players so willing to stop, the girls were only able to get slightly more than a half-dozen players.

Simple. They were going for the big score. They asked many guys for a stick.

Much to our surprise, too, several were willing.

Some players gave the regular answers "We're not allowed" or "This is my only one" as he stood with two sticks in his hands.

By no means am I putting them down. It is their right and I respect every answer given.

Still, though, Steven Stamkos left behind this Bauer Supreme gem, which I quickly picked up and added to our collection.

As usual with Lightning goalies, neither wanted to be outdone.

Mike Smith (above) and Antero Niittymaki (at left) offered up these specimens. When asked, both acted as if it were an honor to give up their tools of trade and smiled while doing so.

The best one of all, though, came from Lightning rookie James Wright. Most of us here at Hound Central 5.0 have heard that he is Mikayla's favorite player. As her Daddy, I can neither confirm nor deny that she may or may not have a small crush on him.

(Editor's note: I can, but don't dare say.)

As Wright came off of the ice, he walked right over to her and started up a conversation. Mikayla gave him a few letters that she wrote to him and a friendship was born. He stayed and talked to her for about 15 minutes or so and let her know how much he appreciated the letters.

Post-shutout blowout

It may not have been a pretty game Monday night when the Tampa Bay Lightning got skunked 3-0 by the Washington Capitals, but the Bolts' practice Tuesday morning made it up to the Moody family.

I decided Tuesday it would be a good day for the wife and kids to play hooky from their normal days and partake in a little bit of Lightning hockey. It may have only been an off-day practice, but it was still a good time to spend together (Editor's note: It was Moody's birthday, too).

Being the only four people inside the St. Pete Times Forum gave us a good chance at a few sigs as well.

The players were awesome and all took the time to say "hi" to the girls. Most even tossed out a high five as they came off the ice.

Being in a good mood, I decided to step back and let the little ones have all the fun as the players finished up their hour-long skate.

The first few guys flew off the ice after a tough practice, leaving me to think it was going to be tough for the girls to get any autographs.

Marty St. Louis, above, changed it all for them. He stopped and chatted with the girls, asking them if they enjoyed coming out to the rink to watch practice.

I give Marty, or MSL26, credit for one thing, he is great with the kids.

When Vinny Lecavalier, or V4, came off, he walked right over to Mikayla and asked if she needed an autograph.

Quick to respond, she handed over this photo of them taken last season, and a marker. To our surprise, he said he didn't like the marker and told us he would be right back. He went in the back and returned with a new marker to sign for her. Later, he told me that he didn't like the thin-writing Sharpies.

Class act to help her out that way, in my opinion.

After that, every Lightning player who left the ice stopped and asked the girls if they would like an autograph. They added a few extras.

As usual, I couldn't risk a shutout. So, while Marty was chatting with the kids, I finished off my All Star Game photo of him taking a shot on Minnesota's Niklas Backstrom. He let me know that he missed the goal be a mere inch.

Other Lightning players who signed Tuesday were Alex Tanguay, Mike Smith, Stephane Veilleux and James Wright.

Just one question

Seeing that so many of you want me to push past 2,000 pucks, as evidenced by the results in the latest Hound Central 5.0 poll, I'm wondering just how many are also willing to finance the effort?

If you'd like to make donations, send me an e-mail. I'll be more than happy to put your money to good use. ;-)

Now, if only Moody would stop voting.

It was bound to happen

Soner or later, the Hounds of Hockey Bay would have a bad day. The lucky days of 50-plus signatures in a single outing ended Monday in a flurry of "No's" and misty rain.

The Washington Capitals' morning skate turned out to be a rough one for those hoping to keep their good fortunes rolling.

Prior to the skate, Matt Bradley and John Erskine were kind enough to stop for the six hounds at the hotel. A good start ... or so we thought.

Shortly after the bus pulled up, it was off to the races. Most players walked straight to the bus with nothing more than a "No" being expressed. Nicklas Backstrom signed for two people (Yes, I was one of them). Nick Schultz and Dave Steckel also signed.

Tomas Fleischmann , who signed a wallpaper from his days with the AHL Hershey Bears, and Eric Fehr were the next few to oblige the few with an autograph. They walked very quickly to the bus, but I believe they signed for everyone.

Jose Theodore came out and knocked out about four autographs, including this wallpaper image from his time with Djurgardens of the Swedish Elite League during the 2004-05 NHL lockout. That is probably only because he was trying to figure out which of the three buses out front was the Capitals.

For me, my day was not completely shot, as I got to hear Alexander Ovechkin say something other than "No." As he darted by the hounds to the bus, he muttered "Sorry." Is this a sign of remorse for all the rejections he has given us over the past few years?

Only time will tell.

Okay, it's trivia time. Can you tell me who this Spokane Flyer of the old WHL is?

That's right, folks, it is the one and only O.K., Oren Koules, a co-owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning. He's probably the most accessible owner in the NHL, too.

He was very surprised to see this photo, As you can see, he even tossed the famous "OK" sig on it for me.

I hope that the trend that the Capitals set last year, when they surprised the Hockey Bay Hounds at the end of the season with "Yes" (Still a "no" from Ovie) holds true for this year as well.

Until we find out, let's hope the Edmonton Oilers coming in this week brings a return to our previous success.

Sunday morning homily X

Just in case you missed it, buried within a post on Hound Central 5.0 polls, I'm opening the blog to readers to share their favorite hounding stories. After four-plus seasons of writing about my hockey-hounding exploits, the well, shall we say, is starting to run dry.

What I'm looking for are stories from you. They can be about getting your first-ever autograph. They can be about meeting your favorite player. Funny moments work, too.

The goal for Hound Central 5.0 is to share the fun in collecting autographs. We're not dealers who have to get autographs to make an honest living. We're the ones who go out because we want to. And, I'm certain, that every one of you must have a memorable moment from hockey hounding.

Think of it as your platform. Tell me, in 100 words or so, your best hockey-hounding story. Though I'd rather have your stories sent to me through e-mail, feel free to leave them as a comment. Every so often, provided I get any at all, I'll publish them.

In a sense, folks, I've been sharing stories with you -- more than 1,800 of them since September 2005. I don't believe that asking you to share one is an unreasonable request.

Johnny (Tavares) come lately

On-the-scene reports out of Hockey Bay late Saturday relate the John Tavares, one of the most sought-after hockey autographs this season, signed for hounds and dealers before the Islanders agme against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

It seems that Tavares missed the gametime team bus to the St. Pete Times Forum and, like the rookie that he is, wasn't quite sure what to do next. From what I hear, those fortunate enough to be at the right place at Tavares' wrong time scored an autograph.

I also heard that Tavares, again showing that he is a rookie, signed multiple team-signed photos for dealers, but limited hounds to a single autograph.

Me? I missed out. I was just south of Ocala, Fla., driving more than 500 miles back from South Carolina, about the time Tavares missed the bus.

5 Big Sigs

In all honesty, cards, not pucks, will rule the single day of hounding this week. Though the Washington Capitals will be in town, my work schedule and assorted other chores limit me to only the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday:

~ Sam Gagner on a London Knights puck and a 2008 Rookie Class card;
~ Sheldon Souray on a 2004-05 UD Hockey All-World Edition card;
~ Dustin Penner on a 2005-06 Portland Pirates team set card;
~ Andrew Cogliano on a 2008 Rookie Class card; and
~ Ladislav Smid on a 2007 Rookie Class card

Loading up

It's not just because the Colorado Avalanche are my favorite Western Conference team that I get jacked up any time they come to Hockey Bay. There's a lot more to it than that. It's because the Avs are one of the best-signing teams.

Last season, Colorado provided the front half of the biggest haul of the 2009-09 campaign. This season's no different, as the Avs tied the Los Angeles Kings as the most productive team. And though Colorado lacks Joe Sakic this season, it's no reason not to load up on autographs.

All told, we added 79 autographs, including a dozen pucks, from Avs players between the morning skate walk and the gametime bus.

Among those signing pucks, shown above, were:

Top row: Matt Duchene, Adam Foote and Milan Hejduk; and
Bottom row: Marek Svatos and Darcy Tucker.

Even members of the coaching staff got into the act, including, from left: Adam Deadmarsh, Steve Konowalchuk and Joe Sacco.

It should come as no surprise, either, that cards (36, altogether) made up for nearly half of the day's haul:

Top row: Craig Anderson, Peter Budaj, T.J.Galiardi and Scott Hannan
Bottom row: Matt Hendricks, John-Michael Liles, Cody McLeod and Darcy Tucker.

Also signing cards, especially in the specialty variety, were:

Top row: Milan Hejduk, Ryan O'Reilly and Paul Stastny; and
Bottom row: Chris Stewart, Marek Svatos and Wojtek Wolski.

Other highlights:

~ Colin filling up a team sheet with 26 signatures; and
~ Adam Foote signing an appropriate patch on an Avalanche jersey.

Not much room left

For the players sake, I'm glad Colin drew a small secondary logo for his Colorado Avalanche team sheet. That way, he could get 26 autographs on it. Granted, not everyone is a player, as there are signatures from the assistant general Manager, three-fourths of the coaching staff and, down in the bottom left corner, an unidentified equipment or training staff member.

Really, though, does it matter? To Colin, all that matters is that the sheet if chock-full of signatures at the end of the day. In this case, I believe he nailed it.

Though he didn't get Milan Hejduk, who was scratched from the lineup, nor Paul Stastny, who doesn't appear to be a big fan of signing, Colin managed to add signatures from:

Craig Anderson (underneath Sylvain Lefebvre's loopy signature along left side and southwest of logo), who's not as friendly as he used to be, Matt Duchene (vertical, along right edge), Adam Foote (left of the of the Bigfoot logo), Marek Svatos (second from left along bottom) and Wojtek Wolski (second scribble up from the bottom left corner).

Colin didn't stop at just his team sheet, getting Ryan O'Reilly, left, and Matt Duchene to sign this mini pennant. They may be hard to see, but, trust me, they're on it.

Predictable? Perhaps

Part of the beauty of cherry-picking autographs is looking for specific players to sign specific items. In some cases, I'm able to take it a step further. I did just that Monday, getting Colorado captain Adam Foote to sign the Bigfoot shoulder patch on my Avalanche jersey. I've seen other hounds/fans have Foote sign there and thought it was a heckuva idea.

Foote joins Avalanche legend Joey Sakic, who signed the jersey two seasons ago.

Yes, Oatsie, it was

From a hockey hound's point of view, neither Alex Tanguay nor Antero Niittymaki were the Tampa Bay Lightning's best offseason acquisition.

Nope, sorry. That honor goes to assistant coach Adam Oates, brought on primarily to help the Bolts' power play and to work with the team's forwards.

It's my guess, and it's just that -- a guess, that Oates will someday be in hockey's hallowed hall. In a sense, it's a shame he's not already enshrined. During his playing days, the guy was an assist machine, logging more than 1,075 in just under 1,350 games with seven NHL teams.

One of those teams was, in fact, the Detroit Red Wings, the club that Oates signed with an an undrafted free agent in 1985.

"Man, that was a long time ago," Oates told me while signing this puck after practice Monday.

Band of brothers

For every hockey hound, there's a reason. It could be your favorite player. Maybe it's your favorite team. Then again, it's putting those 17,364 cards you've collected over the past umpteen years to good use.

For most of us, however, it's the thrill of getting an autograph. For whatever reason, it never wears off. The lucky ones, though, look beyond ink on cardboard, photo paper, plastic, wood or vulcanized rubber.

It's the total package that brings us out time after time, team after team, season after season.

At least that's what the clear majority of Hound Central 5.0 readers relayed in the most recent poll. When it comes to hounding, there's nothing better than getting an autograph, building a collection and getting to hang out with your buddies.

From a hockey hound's standpoint, it doesn't get much better than that. Does it?

Question: Best part of hounding?

All of the (now below): 29 votes out of 47 cast (61.7 percent)
Getting autographs: 12 votes (25.5 percent)
Building a collection: 6 votes (12.8 percent)
Camaraderie: 0 votes

Now, I have an idea. Actually, it's not a new idea, but it's an idea nonetheless. After four-plus seasons of sharing my stories, I'd like to open the floor, so to speak, to other hockey hounds across the world.

I'd like to read, as I'm sure so would Hound Central 5.0's faithful, about other's reasons why they got into the hobby. Was it because you met your favorite player? Did you get a team-signed stick or jersey? You can even share a story about getting a particular autograph.

Here's the deal: Though I'd rather get them in e-mails (my address is on the profile page), as I'd like to turn responses into a regular feature, feel free to leave them as a comment on this post. Scans of the autographs are welcome, too.

I'll leave it up to you. If you think this is a good idea and want to share your story/successes with others, Hound Central 5.0 will be more than happy to provide the platform.

So, who's up first?

Gallery: Black Friday

While everyone and their mother, brother, cousin twice-removed and next-door neighbor was out hunting down holiday bargains last Friday, we headed over to the St. Pete Times Forum to take in open morning skates for the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers.

Though a free donut and cup of coffee occupied most of my free time, the Missus kept herself busy taking these pictures of the guys who were actually working that day:

Tampa Bay's Antero Niittymaki, left, and Stephane Veilleux share a moment during the Lightning's morning skate.

No, I don't believe Tampa Bay's Marty St. Louis was asleep on his feet. Sure looks that way, though, doesn't it? Then again, maybe he had too much turkey the day before.

Here's another one of Antero Niittymaki, apparently taking a break during the morning skate, that was simply too good to pass up.

Gee, I wonder why the Missus took so many pictures of Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist? This one, among the half-dozen or so, was the best.

Jim Schoenfeld, center, the Rangers' assistant general manager and interim assistant coach, leads players, from left, Marc Staal, Bobby Sanguinetti (I believe), Ales Kotalik and Michal Rozsival through a drill.

Steve Valiquette, the Rangers' backup goalie, towers over the net, doesn't he?

Degree of difficulty

It's like I said in my most recent Sunday morning homily: only through effort comes reward. That's why I was proud of Colin for attempting to draw the New York Rangers' Liberty head logo for his team sheet.

Granted, it would have been far easier for him to draw the Rangers' traditional crested logo. But, no, he wanted to try his hand at the more difficult logo. And, after snagging autographs from 16 players and coaches on his team sheet, it's safe to say, at least from where I'm sitting, that he was rewarded.

So, who signed for the young man before and after the team's morning skate last Friday? How about these guys, fom left: Henrik Lundqvist, Marian Gaborik, Steve Valiquette, Donald Brashear, Matt Gilroy, Jim Schoenfeld, Enver Lisin, John Tortorella, Brian Boyle, PA Parenteau, Bobby Sanguinetti, Wade Redden, Michal Rozsival, Vinny Prospal, Ales Kotalik and Artem Anisimov.

Those also signing cards, among the 40 autographs that day, were:


Top row: Brian Boyle, Marian Gaborik and Ales Kotalik;
Middle row: Enver Lisin, Henrik Lundqvist and Vinny Prospal; and
Bottom row: Wade Redden, Michal Rozsival and Steve Valiquette

Other highlights:

~ Also snagging two pucks and a jumbo card from Henrik Lundqvist; and
~ Having Marian Gaborik sign a pair of pucks, though silver paint pen issues resurfaced.

Top Shelf: Henrik Lundqvist

I may have had a run of bad luck with New York's Marian Gaborik last Friday, but I certainly have no complaints with our efforts for Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist.

Not only did King Henrik sign these two pucks, including the Sweden souvenir puck, but he also signed this 2006-07 Bee Hive jumbo card (which, to me, is highly suitable for framing), another card as well as Colin's team sheet.

After going for years without snagging an autograph, it's kinda cool to get five from him in a single outing. That calls for a Top Shelf rating.

Any ideas?

For some reason, I've been having the darnedest of times with silver paint pens. These two pucks, signed by New York's Marian Gaborik, are the latest example of my futile efforts.

Beyond priming them before each use (shaking them, as suggested, as well as making sure the paint is flowing) I've tried switching brands, using new and old, and even keeping them capped after priming. Nothing, however, seems to lead to a decent autograph.

It's particularly frustrating, too, that these came from a player of Gaborik's quality and star power. Because the Rangers head back to Hockey Bay in April, I'm seriously considering wiping them clean and trying again. This time, though, I'll use a blue paint pen.

Kid stuff

Before the Tampa Bay Lightning games we attend, Colin likes to stand next to the glass and watch the players go through the pregame warm-ups. It was there, before the Bolts' game against the Los Angeles Kings, that Tampa Bay's feisty Zenon Konopka shared a moment with a young fan, smacking the glass with his elbow and shooting Colin a wicked smile.

Konopka, who we've watched play many times in Portland, Maine, as a member of the Anaheim Ducks' then-AHL affiliate Portland Pirates, took it one step further last Friday, signing this photo for Colin.

Thanksgiving travels

Rather than joining the masses traveling great distances for the Thanksgiving holiday, we opted to stay close to home. No jammed airports. No clogged highways. No dysfunctional family gatherings, thank you very much.

Sure, having to work on Turkey Day (at holiday and overtime pay, mind you) played a major role in our close-to-home holiday activities. What we did do, though, was put one of Colin's days off from school from extremely good use by hounding the team that Sabres fans, such as myself, love to loathe -- the Toronto Maple Loafs (Sorry, Al, I can't help myself).

After tending to some car repairs (two new tires for the Houndmobile) and ignoring early morning showers, we found ourselves inside the St. Pete Times Forum on Wednesday watching the Loafs take part in their pregame morning skate.

It wasn't long, though, before Colin took over, snagging, in total, 37 autographs, including these two pucks from rookie goalie Jonas "The Monster" Gustavsson, for the collection. My contribution? Identifying players. After all, it was my only day off of the week.

Among those signing cards:

Top row: Francois Beauchemin, Jason Blake and Garnet Exelby;
Middle row: Jeff Finger, Mikhail Grabovski and Phil Kessel; and
Bottom row: Nikolai Kulemin, Jamal Mayers and Colton Orr

Other highlights of the trip:

~ Colin getting a used goalie stick from Joey MacDonald;
~ Seeing that Luke Schenn's autograph hasn't improved that much; and
~ getting an autograph from the man credited with inventing the butterfly-style of goaltending.

It's good to be a kid

As the last few Toronto players were coming off the ice from Wednesday's morning skate, Colin made his move. Maple Leafs goalie Joey MacDonald, called up the day before after Vesa Toskala went on the injured reserve list, was headed his way.

"Can I have a stick?" Colin asked as MacDonald stepped off the ice.

MacDonald stopped, looked at the two sticks he was carrying and pulled one out.

"Sure, buddy," he said. "Here you go."

Sensing another opportunity, I asked MacDonald if he wouldn't mind signing it.

"No, not at all," he said.

Later, as we were having lunch, Colin drew a nice picture of MacDonald making a save on none other than Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby. On it, an announcer says "No goal! No goal! What a save by Joey MacDonald!" We left the drawing in an envelope for MacDonald at the hotel's front desk.

One good deed, we believe, deserves another.

A closer look at the autograph. Eagle eyes might notice that MacDonald double-clutched on his number, first writing a "30" but switching to "29." Still, no complaints, right?

Just to prove that indeed it is MacDonald's stick.

A little better

Last season, I took exception to Toronto rookie defenseman Luke Schenn 's inflated opinion of himself, notably in terms of the scribble that was his autograph. As you can see, it's improved a bit -- but not that much -- during his sophomore season with the Loafs.

Schenn should, however, be commended for signing more than on following the team's morning skate last Wednesday.

In the interest of full disclosure, the Team Canada Under-18 card, right, came from Moody, Hound Central 5.0's roving Southeast correspondent.

Certainly worthy

I've heard the man's name for years, spoken in reverence in all things goaltending. Who is he? He's Francois Allaire, a goaltending consultant working with the Toronto Maple Leafs these days, guiding Jonas "The Monster" Gustavsson through his first NHL season.

For those unfamiliar with him, he earned his stripes with the Montreal Canadiens, serving as the Original Six club's first goaltending coach, in the 1980s. He's credited, too, with inventing the butterfly-style of goaltending.

Perhaps,you've heard of some of his students -- Patrick Roy and Jean-Sebastien Giguere.

That's why Colin added him to this puck. As a future goalie, or so Colin hopes, perhaps the two will cross paths one day. If not, this puck will suffice from their first meeting.

Stragglers off the ice

Though the majority of autographs last Wednesday came from the Toronto Maple Leafs, Colin was able to snag a few cards from members of the Tampa Bay Lightning, namely the last couple of guys coming off the ice.

It was Todd Fedoruk, though, who provided a chuckle, telling Colin that those cards came from the same set. Well, not exactly. There's a slight difference, Todd, and it's the thick black stripe running down the right side of the 2007-08 O-Pee-Chee.

Still, take a closer look at the cards. Both show Fedoruk in one team's jersey, but playing for a different team. So goes the life, and career, of a fourth-liner, I suppose.

The Mike Smith card was one of three that he signed for Colin.

Sunday morning homily IX

It never ceases to amaze me, really, when the Hockey Gods cast their gaze upon us. Sometimes, it's a sequence of events that lead to an unexpected outcome -- good or bad. Mostly, though, it's how our hockey fortunes provide lessons in life.

Take these two instances from last week, when we found ourselves watching morning skates for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning:

~ Colin, on a week of Thanksgiving vacation, would join me in hounding the Loafs. But a nearly flat tire (resulting in a trip to a tire dealership and a bill) and a steady morning rain threatened to wash us out. Thankfully, though, the day turned out much better. Not only were we able to get in and watch the Loafs skate, but Colin scored an autographed goalie stick from Joey MacDonald.

The lesson: Don't let adversity -- real, meteorological or imagined -- keep you from trying. Only through effort comes reward.

~ Two days later, while most of the world is snapping up holiday shopping bargains, we find ourselves back inside the St. Pete Times Forum, watching the Lightning during an open morning skate. Moody's there with his two daughters, one of whom is Lightning rookie James Wright's biggest fan. At the close of practice, Wright, ever the charmer, skates over and tosses pucks to each girl. Colin, on the other hand, doesn't get one and starts to pout.

The lesson: Let others revel in their wonderful hockey moments and, more importantly, remember other's generosity toward you.

Making change

Here's a story from Chris, Hound Central 5.0's Big Apple correspondent, who was in Hockey Bay on Friday hounding his favorite team, the New York Rangers:

"A dealer walks up to New York's Sean Avery and asks for an autograph. Avery tells him, "I'm not going to help you make money." The dealer says "I'm a huge fan and collector." Avery responds "OK, I will sign for $30 Mr. Big Fan."

"So, the dealer asks, "You got change for a $50?" as he jokingly pulls out a $50 bill. Avery pulls out a $20 bill, rips the $50 bill out of the dealer's hand, signs, gives him the change and walks off."

"Later, before the game, Avery comes out of the hotel to put his bags on the team bus. He does the head shake for no autographs, of course. The crowd then erupts into a "30 bucks" chant."

"Avery looks around, smiles and goes into the bus."

Pretty funny stuff, if you ask me. I wish I could've been there to see it.

5 Big Sigs

It'll be an interesting week in the days ahead. The Goofy Dudes sandwich a couple hounding adventures between a train ride north for a few days. Here's what we're hoping to add from the Colorado Avalanche and New York Islanders:

~ Colorado's Adam Foote on Quebec Nordiques puck;
~ Colorado's Milan Hejduk and Marek Svatos on Czech Republic and Slovakia souvenir pucks, respectively;
~ Colorado's Matt Duchene on an Avalanche puck;
~ New York's John Tavares, a reputed tough sig, on Colin's team sheet; and
~ New York goalie coach Mike Dunham on a Threads project card.

Twice as much fun

It's not really news that Hockey Bay hounds are pulling in record numbers this season. Nine-boards are turning into a common practice and the surprise of completing one has diminished.

But what do you do with those pesky dual-player cards that typically get shuffled to the bottom of the stack? Well, I take on the challenge of putting two or three signatures across them. I like them more because they aren't a "one-and-done" task. They aren't a team project that you can afford to move on without one or two players.

In other words, the job's not done until all the players have signed. These examples from various sets were typically completed within two years or less for each one.

From Hall of Famers to juniors, stars to semi-stars, you can toss in an Olympian or even (dare I say it) ... a girl. That's what I love about these cards -- the diversity. The next time you are running through you cards for the next hounding trip, think about the rarity of dual-signed cards and the challenge of getting one completed on your own.

This two-sided jersey card of former Boston Bruins teammates Sergei Samsonov and "Jumbo" Joe Thornton is one of my favorites. I got Thornton to sign his side of the card in Detroit at a sports card show in 2002. The card and my mini-project was finally completed in 2008, when Samsonov and the Carolina Hurricanes stormed through Tampa Bay.

Pretty in Pink

In one of the Moody family's recent outings for the Buffalo Sabres, Mikayla and I decided to break up the day a bit and take a chance at the Lightning, putting this nice PINK puck to use that Puckhound so kindly gave to her early in the season.

The little Moodlet decided it only appropriate to get Tampa Bay's Vinny Lecavalier, her favorite player (for that day), to sign it. Being a girl, she has a true appreciation for the color pink and, as the season goes on, she will be creating more and more items.

Besides signing the puck, Vinny was also kind enough to sign a photo of the two from the end of last season.

Last season, she showed the girly side of the hobby with her Florida Everblades stick.

Top Shelf: Tony Esposito

How does a Hockey Bay hound cap off the best day, so far, of the 2008-09 campaign? By getting Hall of Fame goalie Tony Esposito to sign a Chicago Blackhawks puck. That's how.

And, please, don't even entertain the thought of asking me where, when, how or if I'd get one for you. Sorry, folks, but there are some secrets that a hockey hound needs to keep to himself.

Sunday morning homily VIII

It hit me late last night, as I was slogging through the last of 14 hounding reports for the Los Angeles Kings, that quantity doesn't always mean quality. It's nice to show off the fruits of one's hockey-hounding labors, but, really, do I need to share each and every item that we're fortunate enough to get signed?

Like I've said before, the last thing I want this blog to become is a job. But, that's exactly what's happening. Between the prep work, hounding, working of images and, finally, the actual writing, I'm spending far more time that I really should delivering the goods.

That doesn't mean, though, that Hound Central 5.0 will be coming to a premature end. Sure, I've considered the idea as, through a number of external forces, my priorities are changing. But I can assure you that, no, I'm not pulling the plug on this season's blog.

Beyond that? Well, I'm sure you can see the writing on the wall.

What I will be doing, however, is relying more on others, rather than just myself, to provide hockey-hounding content. From an ever-growing stable of correspondents, as well as a reader-centric feature that's still in the works, Hound Central 5.0 will undergo some changes over the rest of the season.

The biggest change? Fewer reports from our own hockey-hounding adventures. Rather than chronicling each and every autograph we get, we'll stick to the highlights. Rather than, ahem, 14 posts from a team, three to four will suffice. And, yes, these Sunday morning homilies, even if others help out, will remain a staple.

Bottom line, folks, is that I enjoy doing this. I hope, too, that you find my efforts worthwhile. I just need more time for other aspects of my life. After all, this is just a hobby, not a job.

Tips from a pro

One of the benefits of getting involved in youth hockey, even down here in Hockey Bay, is learning from former NHL players.

Last week, as part of the Tampa Bay Lightning's community outreach efforts, former Bolt Brian Bradley led Colin's hockey organization, the Police Athletic League, or PAL, Stars through a practice.

Afterwards, as it's easy to see, Colin got Bradley to sign this puck.

Even better, though, one of the local cable TV sports outlets, SunSports, was out on the ice, taping the practice for a future segment on its Inside the Lightning show. We don't know if Colin will appear within the segment, but like any proud parents, we hope he does.

From what we've heard, the segment is set to air Monday, Dec. 21 on SunSports. The Lightning visit the New York Islanders that night, so we imagine it'll be part of the pregame show.

5 Big Sigs

Though Moody, Hound Central 5.0's roving Southeast correspondent, did an awesome job filling in with a stellar guest Sunday morning homily last week (thanks, again, buddy), even including his own 5 Big Sigs, I felt I needed to tender my own hopes and wishes for the two hounding adventures set for this week:

~ Loafs goalie Jonas "The Monster" Gustavsson on Toronto and Sweden pucks;
~ Loafs defenseman Tomas Kaberle on a 2004-05 Upper Deck World Cup of Hockey World's Best insert and 2002-03 Topps Total Toronto St. Pats cards;
~ Full team sheets from the Loafs and Rangers;
~ the Rangers' Marian Gaborik on a Slovakia souvenir puck; and
~ the Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist on a Sweden souvenir puck.

Crowning achievement

When it came to the Los Angeles Kings, I truly didn't know what to expect. You see, here in Hockey Bay, we don't get to see the Kings all that often. After last Saturday's visit, though, I hope they come back time and time again.

Want to know why? Let me tell you. We had our best day of the young 2009-10 hockey-hounding campaign, adding another 79 autographs, including eight pucks, from the Kings.

As part of his puck project, Colin got the pucks shown above from:

Top row: Drew Doughty, Alexander Frolov and GM Ron Hextall; and
Bottom row: Jack Johnson, Wayne Simmonds and Ryan Smyth.

It just wasn't the numbers, either, that made it a memorable day. It was the diversity, too, as we got such items as an AHL Manchester Monarchs practice-used jersey and mini stick were among the haul.

Among those signing the 34 cards we added were:

Top row: Davis Drewiske and Michal Handzus; and
Bottom row: Raitis Ivanans and Anze Kopitar.

Don't be fooled, though, that the cards shown here were the only ones we scored that day.

No, that certainly wasn't the case on this wonderful day down here in Hockey Bay as we also added:

~ a 2007 Rookie Class jumbo card from Anze Kopitar;
~ two additions to the Threads project by Dustin Brown and Alexander Frolov; and
~ four cards each from six Kings players;

Also signing cards were, from left, Matt Greene, Randy Jones and Rob Scuderi.

The remaining highlights from a full day of hounding:

~ Ryan "Captain Canada" Smyth on the Team Canada jersey;
~ Drew Doughty on the 2008 NHL Entry Draft program;
~ a grand total of 18 players, including two goalies, on three team sheets
~ Dustin Brown and Jack Johnson on USA hockey pucks;
~ Dustin Brown, again, on the USA Hockey jersey;
~ a trio of 8x10s from Dustin Brown, Alexander Frolov and Jack Johnson;
~ Alexander Frolov and Peter Harrold on speciality set cards; and
~ cheap-skate cards from three Kings, including goalie Jonathan Quick.

Top Shelf: Anze Kopitar

With the offensive prowess he's shown so far this season, Los Angeles' Anze Kopitar was one of the most sought-after Kings players last weekend here in Tampa Bay. As a result, it was an easy call to grant this 2007 Rookie Class jumbo card our coveted Top Shelf status.

One down, one to go

Thanks to Los Angeles defenseman Drew Doughty, we need only St. Louis' Alex Pietrangelo to complete this 2008 NHL Draft program. Hopefully, we'll complete this task next season, should the Blue comes to Hockey Bay.

Not only did Doughty, picked second overall in 2008, sign this program, but he also inked four cards, one of Colin's team sheets and a puck for us last Saturday before the Kings' 2-1 shootout victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Funny thing, too, was that we heard he could be tough. Granted, the autograph may be a bit abbreviated, but he seemed more than willing to sign.

Double-digits

Of all the items we've been getting signed this hockey-hounding campaign, I get the most excited any time we add to the Threads project. I guess it's because Colin gets excited abou them any time we pull one from pack.

In this case, or shall we say instances, Los Angeles' Dustin Brown, top, and Alexander Frolov added the ninth and 10th cards to the season-long project last weekend before the Kings' game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

U.S.A.! U.S.A.!

Thanks to my puck supplier, Anderson Enterprises KPT, I now have two styles of USA hockey pucks to choose from for American-born NHL players. Los Angeles' Dustin Brown, left, and Jack Johnson, in town for the team's tilt against the Tampa Bay Lightning a week ago, show the two styles available.

Please know, too, that each are part of the Colin's Pucks project.

Oughta be in pictures

It's not that we're changing directions here at Hound Central 5.0, treading 8x10 photographs for pucks. It was just that we didn't have as many pucks for players this trip. And, like I always say, it's not smart to go out empty-handed.

That was the primary reason for snapping up autographed photos from a trio of Los Angeles Kings players during last week's visit to Hockey Bay:

It's too bad, I must say, that the blue paint pen didn't provide a better autograph from team captain Dustin Brown. Still, we can't complain, given all of the other items that he signed for us.

Winger Alexander Frolov signed this overhead shot, a style that is quickly gaining favor here at Hound Central 5.0. His autograph? That's a different story.

Defenseman Jack Johnson was nice enough to sign off to the side, rather than within the dark part of his USA Hockey jersey, on this photo. You have to respect a player who respects hounds.

Not one, but two

What do you do when you draw two team sheets for the Los Angeles Kings? Well, that's an easy question. You get both signed. And that's exactly what Colin did when the Kings came calling on Hockey Bay last week.

Signing the first sheet were, from left, Anze Kopitar, Scott Parse, Ryan Smyth, Matt Greene, Dustin Brown, Davis Drewiske, Jarret Stoll and Raitis Ivanans.

Signing this team sheet were, from left, Teddy Purcell, Terry Murray, Peter Harrold, Michal Handzus (barely visible, in silver), Drew Doughty, Rob Scuderi, Wayne Simmonds and Alexander Frolov.

Don't forget, too, the Manchester Monarchs goalie equipment sheet that Colin drew for Kings goalies Erik Ersberg and Jonathan Quick. All told, Colin racked up 18 signatures on the three sheets.

Looking ahead

Not content with working a couple of Los Angeles Kings team sheets last week, Colin created this Manchester Monarchs goalie equipment sheet for Erik Ersberg, left, and Jonathan Quick, both of whom tended the net for the American Hockey League club.

After one look, Quick wondered whether Colin would be creating a pair of goalie pads for him some day. Sure, that would be nice, but like I told Quick, our goal is to have Colin score on a breakaway against him.

Prime spot

Sure, it would've been nice to get, say, Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux to sign the top of the Canada crest of our Team Canada jersey.

Instead, I had Los Angeles' Ryan Smyth, known as "Captain Canada," sign in the spot of honor before the Kings' game against the Tampa Bay Lightning last week. he joins New Jersey's Martin Brodeur, left, and Boston Bruins' legend and Hall of Famer Cam Neely.

There's still room, too, for a few notable players, don't you think? who knows, maybe Steve Yzerman, who's leading Canada's 2010 Olympic efforts, will be in town over the next week or so.

Earlier, Nick Schultz, a defenseman for the Minnesota Wild, signed the work-in-progress jersey. Being a part of two gold-medal-winning World Championship squads certainly made him worthy of inclusion.

He'll be there

With USA Hockey working toward building a competitive team for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, I think it's a safe bet that Los Angeles' Dustin Brown, who signed the Team USA jersey last week when the Kings were in town, will be part of the roster. That's his signature to the left of Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller's autograph.

Two dozen out of six

We've been on a bit of a lucky streak over the past few weeks, getting multiple players to sign at least four cards at a time for us. Last week, we had five members of the Minnesota Wild complete the trick.

This past week, six members of the Los Angeles Kings did one better:

Defenseman Drew Doughty (who, we heard, could be rough), top, and goalie Erik Ersberg;

Defenseman Jack Johnson, top, and right winger Teddy Purcell; and

and winger Wayne Simmonds, top, and center Jarret Stoll.

Can't stop raving

You might be getting tired of me preaching the virtues of speciality cards sets and the fantastic role they play in our hockey-hounding efforts, but I'm not. Especially when we add these cards, including a 2004-05 UD All-World edition, from Los Angeles' Alexander Frolov and Peter Harrold.

Nothing minor about these

Having lived in New England, a hotbed for American Hockey League teams, it was easy to get my hands on Monarchs memorabilia. Because we lived in New Hampshire, the Verizon Wireless Arena, home to the Los Angeles Kings' AHL affiliate Manchester Monarchs, was a regular stop.

It was during one of these stops that I scored, for a mere $25, a team-issued and practice-used goalie jersey. As a result, it entered the hounding inventory. Last week, with the Kings in town to play the Tampa Bay Lightning, it went back into circulation.

Joining Mathieu Garon (far left, off the logo) and Richard Petiot (middle of silver part of logo), who both signed it last season, were right winger Dustin Brown (on the black of the left side of the logo), goalie Erik Ersberg (top on silver part of logo) and goalie Jonathan Quick (below Petiot's signature).

Signing this Monarchs mini stick last week were, from left, Jonathan Quick, Dustin Brown and Erik Ersberg.

Triple cheap

What's better, in my own self-centered opinion, than getting one of my cheap skate cards signed? Well, how about getting three of them signed.

With the Los Angeles Kings making their one and only trip to Hockey Bay his season, and the first trip in a hockey-hounding campaigns, I wanted to have at least one item for every member of the squad.

As you can see, I put these cheap skate cards to good use with, from from top, defenseman Davis Drewiske, forward Peter Harrold and goaltender Jonathan Quick.