Nothing good comes easy

On a day when Christmas came early to a couple of kids and two fairly big-name players each signed a pair of pucks, it's hard not to be ecstatic over Wednesday's hounding trip for the Philadelphia Flyers. So much so, that rather than get some much-needed shut-eye before the unwrapping of presents begins, I couldn't wait to share the news.

Honestly, the hounding was, at best, a little rough. Thankfully, though, we used our inside access -- for likely the last time ever, though -- to significantly add to the quality and, to a lesser degree, the quantity of the collection.

Despite a large crowd of hounds, dealers and fans (nearly 40 people), an unfortunate incident and a team not happy with its performance, we were fortunate to add another 32 autographs, including eight pucks, to the collection:

Among those signing pucks were, from left, Daniel Carcillo, Scott Hartnell and James van Riemsdyk; and

Matt Carle, from left, Braydon Coburn and Ryan Parent, added these three of the 10 cards we got signed.

The highlights from a holiday vacation day of hounding:

~ Colin getting signed sticks from Jeff Carter and James van Riemsdyk;
~ Top Shelf items from Simon Gagne and Chris Pronger;
~ A dozen Flyers honoring Colin's requests to sign his team sheet; and
~ a photo gallery from the youngest hound in the stable.