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 Blues come 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.

Threads: L.A. Kings

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.

A pleasant surprise, indeed

When Al, Hound Central 5.0's correspondent in Toronto, said he had a "surprise" for Colin and me, I figured it had something to do with Toronto Maple Leafs legend and Hall of Fame goalie Johnny Bower. After all, Al had seen the living legend earlier that day at a signing show.

What I didn't know was that it would be this sweet McFarlane's SportsPick figurine, from the NHL Legends Series 6, and the goalie's letter-perfect autograph and inscription.

All Colin and I can say, Al, is thank you. Someday, too, we hope to return the favor. In the meantime, sir, please know that it has a place of honor in one of our display cases.

Two schools of thought

Really, when it comes to getting autographs, is there ever a bad time? Only one, if you ask the Hound Central 5.0 readers who took part in the most recent poll, which asked when was the best time to hound. The other four primary opportunities seem to work just fine.

When it comes to the absolute best time, though, HC5.0 readers are divided -- equal amounts say after the game and the day before the game offer the best opportunities. I guess it depends on your schedule.

Back when I was hounding American Hockey League teams in New England, especially during the 2005-05 NHL lockout, I scored most of my autographs after games. These days, though, my work schedule means I have to hound earlier, rather than later, in the day.

As a result, I find the day before, provided a team arrives that early, and the hour to 90 minutes before a visiting team's morning skate work best.

Again, it all comes down to the time that works best for you.

Question: Best time to hound?

After the game: 11 votes out of 40 cast (27.5 percent)
Day before the game: 11 votes (27.5 percent)
Before the morning skate: 8 votes (20 percent)
Before the game time bus: 7 votes (17.5 percent)
After the morning skate: 3 votes (7.5 percent)

Cardboard's lighter

In what's becoming something of a trend this season, my hounding bag for the Minnesota Wild wasn't as heavy as normal. It's not that I didn't have items for the Wild. No, that wasn't the case. It's just that I didn't have a whole lot of pucks for them.

In fact, the only two I had were for goalie Niklas Backstrom, who signed the Finland souvenir puck, and right winger and 2008-09 NHL hits leader Cal Clutterbuck, who signed the Minnesota Wild puck.

After last season's trip, when we added 20 pucks in a day from the Wild, I really didn't need to load up again. That's why, more than anything else, 50 autographed cards thoroughly dominated the 58-signature haul through two days of hounding:

Top row: Derek Boogaard, Andrew Brunette, Cal Clutterbuck and the increasingly tough and equally unpleasant Mikko Koivu; and
Bottom row: Antti Miettinen, Benoit Pouliot, Nick Schultz and Marek Zidlicky.

Also signing cards were, from left, assistant coach Dave Barr, Kyle Brodziak, Martin Havlat and Greg Zanon.

Other highlights from the Wild's visit:

~ At least four cards each from five players: Niklas Backstrom, Andrew Brunette, Brent Burns, Josh Harding and Kim Johnsson;
~ A pretty neat assortment of 8x10s from Cal Clutterbuck, Josh Harding, Martin Havlat and Owen Nolan;
~ Specialty set cards from Cal Clutterbuck, Benoit Pouliot, James Sheppard and Marek Zidlicky; and
~ a cheap-skate card from shot-blocking specialist (a nicer way of saying "defensive defenseman," don't you think?) Greg Zanon.

Twenty out of 50

It's always nice when an NHL player signs more than one autograph. Last week, with the Minnesota Wild in Hockey Bay, we encountered quite a few players willing to sign more than one items, be they pucks, photos or, in this particular instance, cards.

All told, we accumulated 50 cards for the collection, with these players significantly adding to the inch-high stack:

Goalie Niklas Backstrom, top, who fears no nineboards, and Andrew Brunette, owner of one of the NHL's most distinctive autographs, had no trouble signing four cards;

Defenseman Brent Burns, top, and goalie Josh Harding, each inked four cards; and

a quartet from defenseman Kim Johnsson.

Deepening the stack

Sure, we added quite a few cards last week -- 50, to be exact -- from members of the Minnesota Wild. Helping out, as usual, were cards from specialty sets.

In this case, we added cards from Cal Clutterbuck, Benoit Pouliot, James Sheppard (a one-per, if you can believe that) and Marek Zidlicky.

The Zidlicky cards, given to me last season by a fellow Hockey Bay Hound, came from a couple of Finnish sets.

Another example

Just because you have a card for a certain player, such as Minnesota's shot-blocking specialist Greg Zanon, it doesn't mean you can't create and use a cheap skate card to add another signature to your collection.

Pictures, perfect

There are many reasons for hockey hounds to use 8x10 photos as signing platforms. They're easy to find, can be quite affordable if bought in bulk and, when it comes to storage, don't take up as much space as pucks, cards and memorabilia.

Last week, when the Minnesota Wild traveled to Hockey Bay, I had four different reasons for getting four 8x10s signed. I'm not asking you to agree, I'm just asking you to appreciate:

Simply put, our collection, I believe, would be incomplete without a photo from the best name in hockey, Cal Clutterbuck.

Here's an instance when I thought this photo of Josh Harding was just too neat to pass up. In my book, not every photo needs to come from a big-name player.

The best part about this photo of Martin Havlat? There are very few dark areas where he could, if he so chose, hide his autograph as some players often do.

Owen Nolan, a grizzled NHL veteran if there ever was one, studied this photo for a few seconds before signing it. It's my guess he was trying to recall when he suffered this cut. I think it reinforces the notion that Nolan is really a tough old coot.