Sorry, Mr. Al

As Buffalo's Ryan Miller walked up the sidewalk, a flash of guilt struck my conscious. Given the item in my hand, I knew it would be the only item -- a base for McFarlane figure -- that I'd get signed. The only question was whether I'd keep it.

Al, Hound Central 5.0's senior correspondent in Toronto, is one of the very few people we'll get autographs for down here in Hockey Bay. Between all of the the work he's done for this blog and Hockey Hounds Universe, as well as his inspiring, but unsuccessful, attempt to covert Colin to the long-suffering existence of Leafs Nation, it's easy to say "yes" when he sends down the occasional item he'd like for us to get signed.

In one of his recent parcels, Al sent a McFarlane base for Miller. Later, he sent a Miller McFarlane for us, too. So, going into he Sabres recent visit, I faced the prospect of carrying both. That, to me, posed a little bit of a problem.

It's my belief that anytime you offer two same items to a player, you immediately come off as a dealer. After spending as much time as we have cultivating a collection, that's the last thing I wanted to do. And when it comes to the Sabres, I must remain true to my allegiances. Even if it means appearing greedy.

Besides, should both team make the playoffs and ultimately meet in the early rounds, I'll have another chance to get Al's signed. If not, there's always next year.

Check this out

Hockey Hounds Universe kicked off a new feature -- Brag Book -- earlier today. In Brag Book, hockey hounds can show off their bounty from hounding adventures. In this case, it's Al, Hound Central 5.0's senior Toronto correspondent, who gets things rolling with an impressive array of items signed by Toronto Maple Leafs players.

Best of days

Hounding in Toronto is like hounding in most any NHL city. You have your good days, bleeding a blue Sharpie dry. Conversely, you have your bad days, when uncapping a paint pen is a waste of time. If you're lucky, you'll have far more good days than bad.

For Al, Hound Central 5.0's man in Toronto, the month of March had a few good days of hounding. Besides loading up on the Toronto Marlies, the Maple Leafs' top farm club, he snagged a nice array of items from some of the Leafs' new arrivals and their teammates:

Al made sure, as any good hound would do, to make acquaintances with new Leafs defenseman Dion Phaneuf, snagging the pair of 8x10s and a McFarlane base shown above.

Other rewards of Al's efforts:

Blue Sharpie always looks good on a Team Sweden jersey. At least it does on this photo of Jonas Gustavsson, who will soon have his own McFarlane;

It looks pretty good, too, on these 8x10s from Jonas Gustavsson, top, and Jean-Sebastien Giguere;

All Star Game photos, like this one for Jean-Sebestian Giguere, are seldom turned down. An all-expense-paid trip to an NHL city for a weekend of showing off and wide-open hockey? Who wouldn't be happy to remember that?

And, not to be overlooked, 8x10s from Mikhail Grabovski, top, and Francis Beauchemin, shown celebrating the 2007 Stanley Cup championship with the Anaheim Ducks.

There for the asking

Leave it to Al, Hound Central 5.0's man in Toronto, to make quick work out of a Toronto Marlies poster given away before the start of a recent game. Catching up with the AHL Baby Buds at the Loafs' training facility, Al easily got most of the team to knock out the freebie.

Nice job, I'd say.

Given the relative ease of access to most AHL teams, it's a good play to follow home schedules. The rosters are stocked with the parent club's top developing prospects and, through call-ups and injuries, a rotation of goalies. It's easy enough, as Al has shown above, to find team items for a successful hockey hounding adventure.

Other bounty of Al's day trip for the Marlies:

Goalie Joey MacDonald, on one Colin's buddies, on a hounding hat trick: 8x10, puck and a card.

Bay Buds teammates Ben Ondrus and MacDonald. Ondrus also signed an NHL practice puck.

Serving a purpose

When it comes to creating Hound Central 5.0 polls, I have to admit there have been times when the well has nearly run dry. There are only so many questions that can be asked without running the risk of duplication.

Enter Al, Hound Central 5.0's man in Toronto, for lending yet another helping hand. In an e-mail, he suggested that HC5.0 asks its faithful about paid, private signings, instances where fans send in an item, as well as a check or money order, to have a NHL player sign. Once done, the session's promoter returns the item.

For many people, these signing sessions are the only way to score an autograph from a favorite player or finish off a prized team item. For others, though, they're less than ideal. Not only do you have to pay for the autograph, you have to trust that the player actually does the signing.

For this specific poll, the results can be viewed two ways. Taking each of the three answers separately, it's readily apparent that the majority of HC5.0's faithful are a faithful lot, as more than 46 percent found paid private signings as useful. However, if you combine the remaining answers, more than 53 percent of those taking part feel that our faith, as well as our dollars, are best placed somewhere else.

As a hound with pretty good access to NHL players, I have little use for paid private signings. I get my autographs in person, spending money only on the items being signed and the gasoline required to drive back and forth to Tampa or Brandon. For others, though, I can certainly appreciate the usefulness of these sessions.

To me, Al's question is more of a case of beauty being in the eye of the beholder. There were no right or wrong answers. It's what works best for each person. And there's nothing wrong with that, is there?

Question: Paid private signings?

Useful: 21 votes out of 45 cast (46.7 percent)
Pay for an autograph?: 16 votes (35.5 percent)
Avoid them: 8 votes (17.8 percent)

Full accounting

In the interest of full disclosure, and in lieu of a Hallmark card thanking him, please allow me this opportunity to show some of the items that Al, Hound Central 5.0's man in Toronto, was kind enough to send to us down here in Hockey Bay.

Among the items, and there were many, was a puck (shown above) signed by Hall of Famer and Montreal Canadiens legend Guy Lafleur, obtained by one of Al's buddies at a New Year's Eve party.

Al's goodwill package also had Team Canada pucks signed by Calvin de Haan, left, taken 12th overall in 2009 by the New York Islanders, and Boone Jenner, both of the Ontario Hockey League's Oshawa Generals.

Coping skills

You've got to hand it to Al, Hound Central 5.0's affable Toronto-based correspondent. No matter how poorly the hometown Toronto Maple Leafs are playing, he's able to maintain his sense of humor.

His latest gem? A definition of the term "Leafland," another name, I suppose, for Leafs Nation.

"It's the only place in the world," Al says, "where subpar hockey players putting on subpar performances night after night are treated like gods."

Still, though, when you're able to mingle with some of the "gods" and add these items to your collection, it's like that proverbial spoonful of sugar helping a particularly bitter medicine go down:

McFarlanes

A pair from former Leaf Doug Gilmour, who's coaching the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League;

Goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere; and

Defenseman Luke Schenn.

Pucks

Retro Leafs logo pucks, from left, signed by Mike Komisarek, Nikolai Kulemin and Alexei Ponikarovsky; and

Maple Leafs big logo pucks, from left, signed by Tomas Kaberle, Luke Schenn and Mikhail Grabovski.

Assorted items

Top row: Former Leaf Jason Blake on a McFarlane base and a Team Canada puck signed by Luke Schenn;
Bottom row: Pucks signed by Alexei Ponikarovsky and former Leafs goalie Vesa Toskala;

An 8x10 signed by goalie Jonas Gustavsson;

A Leafs mini helmet signed by Alexei Ponikarovsky, Mikhail Grabovski, Francois Beauchemin, Jeff Finger, Garnet Exelby, Ian White, Tyler Bozak, Matt Stajan, Vesa Toskala, Tomas Kaberle, Wayne Primeau, Nikolai Kulemin, Niklas Hagman and Tyler Bozak; and

The old standby, cards:
Top row: Matt Stajan, John Mitchell, Jamal Mayers and Stajan; and
Bottom row: Niklas Hagman, Lee Stempniak, Alexei Ponikarovsky, Mikhail Grabovski; and

Top row: Jeff Finger, Vesa Toskala, Nikolai Kulemin and Colton Orr; and
Bottom row: Tomas Kaberle, Francois Beauchemin and Luke Schenn.

Intel

The Leafs players seemed to enjoy signing team items like the helmet, as opposed to the photos, pucks and cards that other hounds and dealers throw in front of them ... Phil Kessel is a waste of time, too, signing only a couple of items for one or two people, mostly young women, before taking off.

Sunday morning homily XIX

Had an interesting conversation take place last week regarding the practice of "double-dipping."

Al, Hound Central 5.0's man in Toronto, wrote that after new Leafs goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere said he would be signing only one-per for everyone, Al looped around, got in line again and scored a second 8x10 from the goalie.

Not long after the post went up, a reader from New Jersey filed an anonymous comment asking why, if Giguere said only one-per, did Al get a second autograph, possibly ruining it for others. A fair question, I believed. I must admit, too, that I wondered whether that specific passage would draw a comment.

Al's response makes perfect sense. One, he's not a dealer, so it's not like he made an extra $5 or so on his return trip. Two, if Giguere most likely recognized Al and truly had a problem with it, he could have said "no." One would think that the ability to focus on a blazing blip of rubber correlates to the ability remember the same face in a manner of seconds or, say, a minute, especially given Al's mug (Sorry, sir).

You'll also note that Al got different pictures signed, including one of Giguere accepting the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2003.

Furthermore, I've yet to meet any hound -- save for one prissy fellow who often brings his mother along on hounding trips -- who hasn't double-dipped on a favorite player, superstar or highly touted rookie. I know I have. I'm sure most of you have as well.

To me, it's not a big deal. In a way, hockey-hounding is like as smorgasbord. If you didn't get a full belly on your first trip through the line, you make another trip for a second plate. Part of Hound Central 5.0's mission is the sharing of information. That's why the "intel" tag appears on so many posts.

Season 2

After a two-week delay, Colin begins his second rec hockey league season today in Ellenton, Fla. We're hoping, too, that the extra skating he's done over the past month -- including marathon 2 1/2 hour sessions (of his own choosing) -- will pay off in improved play.

Sure, he's still having trouble stopping on both sides, but he's much better doing clockwise crossovers -- forward and backward. His stickhandling and passing can only get better, too. But, at 8 years old, he's taken great strides since his first skating lessons in 2007.

That's why I can't wait for today's games. Yes, I'd like to see him employ some of the defensive strategies we've practiced and remember to watch the referee's fingers, not just his hand movements, on faceoffs. More than anything, though, it's about him having more fun this season. Win or lose, that's why he plays the game.

In case you missed it ...

I should have given this post much more airtime before burying it under an avalanche of Islanders' hounding reports, but there's a line within the 2005 collective bargaining agreement between the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players' Association that should be of interest to hounds.

5 Big Sigs

Big doings this week with the Vancouver Canucks and the Boston Bruins headed down here to Hockey Bay. Seeing that it's the Bruins' second trip of the season, and I missed Vancouver's last trip to Florida, we'll concentrate our efforts on the Canucks:

~ Vancouver's Daniel and Henrik Sedin on Canucks and Sweden souvenir pucks;
~ Vancouver's Roberto Luongo on a couple of different Canucks pucks;
~ Vancouver's Shane O'Brien on the Portland Pirates practice jersey;
~ Boston's Marco Sturm on a 2010 Winter Classic and Germany souvenir pucks; and
~ Boston's Mark Recchi and Steve Begin on NHL practice pucks they flipped to Colin during warm-ups when they played the Tampa Bay Lightning in December.

Catching up with Jiggy

Al, Hound Central 5.0's Toronto-based correspondent, went out Wednesday morning with a plan of cherry-picking two of the newest Maple Leafs -- Jean-Sebastien Giguere, above, and Dion Phaneuf.

Let's just say, as Al reports, he had mixed results:

"Funny thing is they came together in Giguere's VW SUV, had the California plates on it. They must be staying in the same hotel and are now carpooling.

"When they pulled into the practice rink's parking lot, it was full, thanks to all the hounds taking the overflow spots. So, Giguere drove to the entrance for the players. The two of them got out and a security guard parked it when a spot became available.

"I got all my autos before practice, except for Giguere, who came out by himself after practice and signed the two photos for me.

"He was telling everyone he was going to be one-per. However, I looped around and got the second one done.

"Phaneuf never came out after practice. Rumor was that he got picked up by a cab in the front of the arena to go downtown to do a radio interview.

"As I told my buddies, 'There's still a lot of practices to be had and sooner or later we will get him.' "

Here are those two 8x10s that Jiggy signed for Al:

It wasn't all that long ago that he was signing photos like this down in Hockey Bay.

A sweet item, but have you ever seen a more-conflicted Conn Smythe Trophy winner?

CONGRATS! Ron and Colin on 2000!

Al and Moody, roving correspondents for Hound Central 5.0, would like to officially congratulate you on your milestone accomplishment of 2,000 pucks. Way to go! We can't wait to witness the next milestone.

Gallery: Leafs practice facility

This new arena, officially known as the MasterCard Centre for Hockey Excellence, is where the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the club's AHL affiliate Marlies, hold practices. Though it's possible to score some autographs from Leafs and Marlies players, there are a few odd rules to keep in mind, reports Al, Hound Central 5.0's correspondent in all things related to Toronto.

This is the sidewalk, near the players' parking area, where hounds have to stand. Although it's a public parking lot for the arena, hounds have to yell over to the players, as they get out of their cars, to ask them for an autograph. If the player waves a hound over, the hound can approach the player and get an autograph. In some cases, though, the players will walk over.

The first few players get the spots nearest the doors they enter, which are the furthest from this sidewalk "staging area." As the parking lot fills up, the players eventually park right in front of hounds.

Here's a warning, though. If a hound approaches a player without being invited, apparently the security staff, as Al so eloquently puts it," gets its underwear in a knot" (don't they all?) and threatens to call the police. Thankfully, this didn't happen the day Al was out hounding.

Once inside, though, the facility, which has four pads of ice, allows fans to watch the Leafs practice from as close as the boards, as these photos attest:

The Leafs gather at the boards for a chalk talk from coach Ron Wilson.

Jason Blake, standing out in a red jersey, leads a group of Leafs players during the practice.

Goalie Jonas "The Monster" Gustavsson during the practice.

Alexei Ponikarovsky takes a spin around the rink.

Leafs players, from left, Luke Schenn, Phil Kessel, Jamal Mayers and Joey MacDonald. That's coach Ron Wilson in the background.

Sunday morning homily XII

Of all the weeks of the 2009-10 NHL season, the next two carry the biggest expectations. Sure, seeing that Christmas comes Friday plays a major role in my anticipation. More so, though, is that Colin, well into his hockey-hounding apprenticeship, has the next two weeks off as a holiday break.

Thanks to the NHL schedule makers, too, this vacation will afford ample opportunity for him to hone the craft. Four teams -- the Flyers, Thrashers, Bruins and Canadiens -- all travel to Hockey Bay before month's end. And, thankfully, I have most of those days off from work.

Even better, and I alluded to this last week, is we're nearing our next milestone in the collection -- 2,000 autographed pucks. With a little hard work and even more hustle -- two attributes that can make or break a hounding season -- we should top that mark sometime next week.

More than anything else, though, the next two weeks mean we'll get to spend more time together. Most weeks, our school and work schedules mean we only get to see each other for 10 or 15 minutes a day -- he's getting ready for school and I'm waking up from a another long night at the paper.

The time off will go far beyond Christmas morning and hockey-hounding. We'll have time to sit down and talk -- reinforcing his growing responsibilities at home, school and his hockey team -- as well as chill out. There will be games to play, slices of Fortunato's pizza to eat and, most importantly, strengthening the bonds between father and son.

Among the presents we'll open Christmas morning, the best I'll receive, beyond the one that Colin made for The Missus and me, will be the time spent together. It always has been and always will be.

It's my prayer, too, that all of you enjoy that as well.

Peace.

First batch

Hound Central 5.0 will publish this week its first installment of Your Turn, what we hope will become a regular feature of the blog where readers and fellow hounds share their stories of hockey hounding.

So far, four hockey hounds -- Jordan, BEV, Scott and Keith -- have taken the time to send in their stories. A tip of Hound Central 5.0's old, roughed up Cooper SK600 to them for their efforts. Now, if only a few more hounds, among the 40-plus who visit daily, would step up and follow suit.

As you can see, Hound Central 5.0 more than welcomes stories from other hounds. This season alone, Moody and Al, a pair of seasoned hockey-hounding veterans who swerve as Hound Central 5.0 correspondents, have filed many reports, each offering a different perspective.

In the remaining months of the 2009-10 campaign, I'd like to give as many hounds as I can a platform to share their stories.

If you have one, let me know.

5 Big Sigs

Like I said earlier, we'll ramp up this week, as well as get the entire family involved, when the Philadelphia Flyers and Atlanta Thrashers visit Hockey Bay during the first week of the holiday break.

Here's what we're hoping to add as we push toward 2,000 pucks:

~ Philly's James van Riemsdyk on a Flyers puck, as well as the University of New Hampshire hockey jersey;
~ Philly's Jeff Carter, Simon Gagne and Mike Richards on 2010 Winter Classic pucks;
~ Philly's Chris Pronger on St. Louis Blues and Hartford Whalers pucks;
~ Atlanta's Nikolai Antropov on Thrashers and N.Y. Rangers pucks; and
~ Atlanta's Ilya Kovalchuk on a Thrashers souvenir puck.

Put to good use

A couple of weeks ago, the Toronto Maple Leafs had a game-used equipment sale, opening up the team's locker room in exchange for fans opening their wallets.

Not only was Al, Hound Central 5.0's Toronto-based correspondent, the first in line that morning, but he also picked up a pair of nice items that he got signed this week during a visit to the Leafs' practice facility:

A game-used stick signed by Tomas Kaberle; and

the game-used stick signed by Alexei Ponikarovsky.

That's not to say, though, that Al only got the sticks signed. No, sir, Al didn't stop at those two items, adding these to the day's haul:

A pair of pucks signed by, from left, Vesa Toskala and Nikolai Kulemin;

a couple of 8x10s signed by, from left, Mike Komisarek and Jonas Gustavsson; and

a half-dozen cards signed by (top row, from left) Joey MacDonald and Mike Komisarek, and (bottom row, from left) Lee Stempniak and Jason Blake.

Pure dedication

We all owe Al, Hound Central 5.0's man in Toronto, a round of applause. It's well-deserved, trust me. When the Toronto Maple Leafs had a game-used gear sale recently, Al was first in line, awakening around 5 a.m. and making the 45-minute drive into Toronto for the event.

Here's Al's report:

"When the doors opened precisely at 10 a.m., we were led into the Leafs dressing room where the sale was held. There were skates, pants, gloves for sale, but mostly just sticks.

"I was looking to get a helmet, which I could have taken to a practice and have the entire team sign. Unfortunately, the team is not allowed to sell the helmets because the helmets would have been taken out of service because they were broken.

"A lot of the people who go to these sales use the equipment for their own hockey careers ... and if the helmet was broken, they would risk serious head injuries (as if being a Leaf fan isn't enough -- Al wrote that, not me).

"I saw Vesa Toskala's catching mitts going for $200. They had stitching on them stating whether they were practice mitts or game mitts. By the time I left, most of the stuff had been picked through. Most of the remaining stuff was from players who are no longer on the team.

"But I did note that as I was walking out, there were at least 100 people still standing in line. I spoke with a father there with his two kids. He told me that he was not there for the sale, just to take his kids into the dressing room. I didn't even think of that. What a thrill for the kids to go into the dressing room."

Don't worry, though, as Al didn't go home empty-handed. Not after getting up at 5 a.m. Here's what he added to his autograph stock:

Here's a real nice game-used stick of Tomas Kaberle; and

a game-used stick of Alexei Ponikarovsky.

Here are a few more shots from the sale:

Al was right. I imagine it was quite a thrill for Leafs fans to get an up-close look at the Leafs' locker room.

Leafs fans had their pick of game-used sticks, didn't they?

Goalie Joey MacDonald, one of Colin's buddies on the Leafs, had plenty of sticks available. Those on the right look like they're from his days with the New York Islanders.

Good deal

Living in Ontario and attending Ontario Hockey League games affords hockey fans the ability to watch tomorrow's NHL stars today, says Al, Hound Central 5.0's correspondent in Toronto.

It also makes it quite easy to snag autographs from tomorrow's stars through player appearances. Aside from the occasional John Tavares, who likely has been hounded since the second week he strapped on skates, most of the junior players are more than willing to sign autographs.

Most times, especially if you're a speculative collector, you keep these items. There are times, though, when you work out a trade, just like Al did before the season with a like-minded collector:

Al got these items, pucks signed by Windsor Spitfires left winger Taylor Hall, center, in photo above, and defenseman Cam Fowler, right, both top prospects in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, as well as right winger Richard Panik, a Tampa Bay Lightning draftee, for ...

... these items signed by Oshawa Generals defenseman Calvin de Haan, top, taken 12th overall in 2009 by the New York Islanders, and center Boone Jenner, the Generals' first-round pick in 2009.

Pretty fair trade, don't you think?

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.

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.

A legendary Leaf

Hockey is so ingrained in the culture of Toronto, as it is in the other Original Six cities, that I'm envious of hockey fans lucky enough to live there. Not only do they have a team steeped in history, but hockey's hallowed hall, which inducts a fantastic class this weekend, also calls the city home.

And while the Loafs may not have enjoyed much success this season, it certainly hasn't kept the team's fans, some of the NHL's most rabid (and I use that in a positive vein), from honoring heroes from hockey's past.

Al, Hound Central 5.0's Toronto-based correspondent, did just that recently, taking in a signing show with Maple Leafs legend Johnny Bower, who led Toronto to three straight Stanley Cups from 1962-64 and winning the Vezina Trophy in 1961 and 1965 while wearing the Maple Leaf.

Here's Al's report:

"Just as I expected, Johnny was in fine form. Smiling from ear to ear the whole time I saw him, thanking people for coming out and taking his time to talk to everyone.

"He signed this mini mask, explaining that it was a very good replica of the original. He also said that he only wore it for about 16 games.

"Then, he told me that the night before, the Toronto Marlies (the Leafs AHL farm club) honored him and gave out bobbleheads in his image. He said he spent the night signing those for people during the game. He also said the bobblehead's bases were so small that he went blind."

Now, I don't know about you, but I'd dare say his eyesight was restored. That's one of the nicest autographs, inscriptions and all, that I've seen in a long, long time. Then again, from what Al reports, it sounds like Mr. Bower is a pretty classy guy.