Back in black

When I first saw these cards of Carolina's Eric Staal and Cam Ward in the Hurricanes' third jerseys, they nearly didn't make it into the hounding rotation. Dark uniforms usually lead to hard-to-see autographs.

But after Colin got his two buddies, who he first met during the 2004-05 lockout as they played for the AHL's Lowell (Mass.) Lock Monsters, to sign them, perhaps I should change my way of thinking.

Even with a black Sharpie, the signatures stand out. It helps, too, that the black parts of the uniform have been toned down, allowing for ink to be seen over the image.