Only one more

For all of the times I've crossed paths with Dave Andreychuk, the captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning's 2004 Stanley Cup-winning team, you'd think I'd have completed my career collection for him, having him sign a puck from every NHL team he played for in his career.

After this one, which he signed last week during a Lightning Radio show, we're down to just the Toronto Maple Leafs. I'm sure, too, we'll see him soon enough.

About time

If you knew how long I've been waiting to get Carolina's Jiri Tlusty to sign these cards, you'd share in my relief. I'd dare say I've carried these for at least five trips, between his days with the Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs.

For a variety of reasons (he didn't make the trip, simply missed or he was running late), it took until Carolina's most recent trip to Hockey Bay to get them signed. Thankfully, he signed all four.

Team report: Toronto Maple Leafs II

For a hockey hound, the three worst words you can here are: optional morning skate. But that's what happened last Tuesday, when the pickings were slim for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Like any good hound, where adding to the collection is the motivation, you do the best you can. If getting nine autographs is the reward for a morning's worth of effort, well that's nine more than we had before I headed out that morning.

The biggest score came from assistant coach Keith Acton, who signed the pucks shown above. It's always a good day, I believe, when we add a couple of old logo pucks to the collection.

Beyond that, though, the rest was standard fare:

Cards signed by, from left, Francois Beauchemin, Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin; and

a cheap skate card signed by rookie goalie James Reimer.

Two cards, three autos

Most times, we're just happy to add a single card to the work-in-progress Threads project. But when the Carolina Hurricanes came to town earlier this week, we were fortunate enough to add a couple to the collection.

Not only did Erik Cole sign his card, but recently acquired defenseman Ian White completed this double-swatch card previously signed by former Toronto Maple Leafs teammate, Bryan McCabe, now the captain of the Florida Panthers.

The Hockey Life: Week 4

It's not too often that you get to see an NHL team step outside of a rink during practice. It's even more odd when you see hockey players tossing around a football on a paved parking lot outside the St. Pete Times Forum.

But that's what happened last Tuesday as Tampa Bay Lightning players headed outside to play something that looked like rugby. Squaring off into two teams -- shirts vs. skins -- the Bolts spent about 20 minutes yukking it up at something that was far beyond their element.

All the time, the Bolts drew "What the heck is going on?" stares from Toronto Maple Leafs players, on their way to the morning skate, and Hockey Bay hounds. The nontraditional practice must have worked, though, as the Bolts blanked the Leafs later that night.

My observation from the spectacle: The Bolts, to a man, threw the football like hockey players. Perhaps Josh Freeman, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' quarterback, can stop by next time and offer some pointers.

Just making sure

It was real easy to tell that Moody, Hound Central 5.0's senior correspondent, just got back from a vacation. Just ask Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson, who twice told him Tuesday that neither the cards nor the 8x10 photo Moody asked him to sign weren't of him, even though they were of a Ron Wilson.

I can't say that I hadn't nearly made the same mistake myself. What makes this funny, though, is that after being told that the cards weren't his, Wilson also passed on the 8x10 that Moody offered up as Plan B. Wilson, to his credit, still signed something for Moody -- the binder he used as a platform.

Thankfully, Moody took it all in fun. And I think we all learned that there are two Ron Wilsons who played in the NHL.

Line of the Week

"I don't sign team items. Do you have anything that's just of me?"
Toronto's Phil Kessel to a Hockey Bay Hound, who asked the Leafs' forward why he wouldn't sign his 16x20 team photo. Kessel also wouldn't sign a McFarlane base.

Team report: Toronto Maple Leafs

Part of my goals for the 2010-11 hockey-hounding campaign was to scale back my efforts. Between work and family obligations, I needed to cut back on other endeavors. Limiting my time spent hounding was one way to do that.

I'm finding, however, that it's easier said than done. Rather than pack up and leave after Toronto's Kris Versteeg was the last player to head out Tuesday for the Maple Leafs' morning skate, I stuck around near the St. Pete Times Forum instead.

My reason for staying wasn't just adding more autographs. Seldom does the reward match the effort, I've learned. No, it was more about hanging out with friends, busting each other's chops and talking hockey. To me, that's the best part of the hobby. Adding another 28 autographs doesn't hurt, either.

Signing some of the 11 pucks, shown above, were:

Top row: Tyler Bozak, Luca Caputi and Mike Komisarek; and
Bottom row: Clarke MacArthur, John Mitchell and Colton Orr.

Among those signing cards were, from left, Francois Beauchemin, Jonas Gustavsson and Tomas Kaberle.

Other highlights from a morning of hounding:

~ Pucks signed by Toronto's Big Four; and
~ a shout-out to Mikhail Grabovski and Fredrik Sjostrom.

These will do

Every NHL team, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, has what you'd call the Big Four. This Tuesday, it consisted of Toronto's Jean-Sebastien Giguere, (clockwise, from top left) Phil Kessel, Luke Schenn and Kris Versteeg.

Had Leafs' captain Dion Phaneuf made the trip, as well as signed one of the two pucks I had for him, it would've been a hard decision picking who to leave out. My guess? Versteeg. I don't think he's yet to meet the mighty expectations of Leafs Nation.

A thank-you note

I have this rule when it comes to hockey-hounding. If an NHL player is nice enough to sign all four cards that I offer, he gets a shout-out here at Hound Central 5.0. Think of it as a token of my appreciation.

In this case, it's Toronto's Mikhail Grabovski (top row) and Fredrik Sjostrom, who signed eight of the 15 cards I got Tuesday morning before and after the Maple Leafs' morning skate.

Thanks, guys.

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.

Boys will be boys, but men are still boys

Editor's note: Just making sure that Hound Central readers know this post is by Moody, not Puckhound. I'm thinking Moody may have gone a little batty waiting for the season to begin. Still, though, the man makes a point:

My wife tells me this all the time, and, as a man, it frustrates me to no end. I work hard, I provide for my family and always try to do the right thing.

Well, after looking over some photos of the Stanley Cup, I realized just how juvenile a grown man can be. I can now agree with the missus everytime she says those words.

Take a look at Hall of Famer Frank Selke's title as it's printed on the Stanley Cup. (Editor's note: Even better, how about Arc Campbell's? Figures, too, that it's the Loafs.)

Yes, I realize it's a bit childish to giggle at this, but I did and I still am as I write this post. I also chuckled a bit when I noticed that even the team's mascot even got his name on the Cup.

I apologize now for this immature post, but man, oh, man.

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.

10 Questions: David Harlock

David Harlock started his National Hockey League career with the Toronto Maple Leafs and spent time with the Washington Capitals, New York Islanders and Atlanta Thrashers as well. He was a member of Team Canada during several tournaments, including the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. Harlock played college hockey for the University of Michigan Wolverines.

More recently, he is a client services representative with the Hylant Group, an insurance company.

Moody, Hound Central 5.0's senior correspondent, had the honor of meeting Harlock when he played for the Thrashers. He was kind enough to sign this card for him.

In 10 Questions, Hound Central 5.0 asks NHL players -- past and present -- a few questions about their views on autographs. Former NHLer Ian Moran was the first to respond, giving us a few minutes of his time. Same with the likes of Brian Propp and Kevin Miller. We truly appreciate the opportunity provided by Harlock.

Hound Central 5.0: Did you collect cards/autographs as a kid?
David Harlock: No

Hound Central 5.0: Is signing autographs fun or a chore?
David Harlock: Fun

Hound Central 5.0: What's the weirdest thing you've ever signed?
David Harlock: Nothing stands out

Hound Central 5.0: Do people still recognize you in public?
David Harlock: Not often

Hound Central 5.0: Can you tell the difference between autograph dealers and collectors?
David Harlock: Not really

Hound Central 5.0: Does it really matter if someone is a dealer?
David Harlock: Yes. I would prefer that people do not make money off of my autograph.

Hound Central 5.0: Would/do you sign blank pieces of photo paper?
David Harlock: Yes

Hound Central 5.0: Most famous person to ask for your autograph?
David Harlock: N/A

Hound Central 5.0: Most famous person you've asked for an autograph?
David Harlock: Have never asked for an autograph. I would rather engage the person in a discussion than ask for their autograph.

Hound Central 5.0: Black or blue Sharpies?
David Harlock: Blue ... for the University of Michigan. Go Blue!

Hound Central 5.0 and its correspondents thank Harlock for his time in answering these questions. We appreciate his efforts, on and off the ice.

Going prospecting

If you want to get autographs from tomorrow's hope-to-be stars today, such as Toronto's Nazam Kadri, the Maple Leafs' 2009 No. 1 pick, there's nothing like Canadian junior teams. Just ask Mike, an Ontario-based hound who frequents the Ontario Hockey League circuit.

I'm sure you'll recognize some of these names:

Top row: London Knights team-signed photo and Nazam Kadri signed Team Canada pic; and
Bottom row: Nazam Kadri London Knights photo and Michael Hutchinson London Knights photo

Top row: Brampton Battalion 2009-10 team-signed poster; and
Bottom row: OHL pucks, from left, from Cody Hodgson, 10th overall in 2008 by Vancouver Canucks; Matt Clark, Scott Harrington and Barkley Goodhews


Eight members of the Windsor Spitfires on a team sheet: Taylor Hall, the likely No. 1 pick in June, Greg Nemisz, Calgary's top pick in 2005; Adam Henrique; Cam Fowler, the top-rated defenseman in the 2010 Entry Draft; Ryan Ellis, a 2009 first-round pick of the Nashville Predators; Craig Duininck, Stephen Johnston and Mark Cantin. Ellis also signed this Team Canada puck.

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.

Moody's Olympics Gold: Team Sweden

Team Sweden won its last gold medal in 2006 at the last Olympiad held in Torino, Italy. Of the 23-man roster, I've managed to get 16 players from the NHL-rich squad.

Cards signed by some of Team Sweden's players:

Top row: Atlanta's Tobias Enstrom, New York's Henrik Lundquist, Columbus' Fred Modin, Tampa's Mattias Ohlund; and
Bottom row: Vancouver's Henrik and Daniel Sedin, Bufalo's Henrik Tallinder and Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg.

More cards signed by Team Sweden players:

Top row: Detroit's Johan Franzen, Dallas' Loui Eriksson; and
Bottom row: Nashville's Patric Hornqvist, Detroit's Niklas Kronwall, and Washington's Nicklas Backstrom.

San Jose's Doug Murray

Ottawa's Daniel Alfredsson stadium poster

Toronto's Jonas Gustavsson.

Most of these items have been signed over the past two seasons, either in Hockey Bay or South Florida.

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?

Sunday morning homily XVII

In a sense, knowledgeable hockey fans are one, big fraternity. It doesn't matter what colors we wear, where we're from or where we sit, we all pledge our allegiance to understanding the sport of hockey. This point was never so clear last Thursday when Colin and I attended, on the spur of a moment, the Toronto Maple Leafs-Tampa Bay Lightning game down here in Hockey Bay.

It's well documented that I'm not the biggest fan of the Loafs. Growing up a Sabres fan in Western New York, (specifically, south of Buffalo, in tiny Machias), where the Loafs are as welcome as 12 feet of snow, saw to that. Nor am I able to, mainly because of my allegiance to the Sabres, completely wrap my arms around our current hometown Bolts.

It was the game, certainly not the teams, that prompted my decision to spring for a 10-ticket flex pack and, subsequently, use two to attend the Loafs-Bolts game. Simply, it was as close as we'll ever get to a game at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. I wanted us to experience the flavor of a Loafs game, no matter its location, seeing that the team's reach stretches far beyond Canada's border. There's something, I believe, to hearing "Go Leafs Go!" shouted by the faithful at least once in one's hockey life.

As fate would have it, we ended up sitting next to a family of Loafs fans. Nice people, too. Colin and the youngest son hit it off well, talking hockey and even sharing a $4 giant peanut-butter cookie. The parents were more than pleasant, sharing their experiences of attending games at the ACC (one ticket there was more expensive than the five they bought in Tampa, they said) and that, unlike here in Hockey Bay, home games are shown on a premium cable TV channel.

Even though the Bolts won an increasingly exciting game with less than 10 seconds in overtime, I found myself somewhat disappointed. It was one of the most enjoyable nights I've ever had at a hockey game down here in Hockey Bay, finally getting the chance to talk with knowledgeable fans who truly understand the game while taking in one of the NHL's most storied Original Six franchises. I didn't want it to end.

Really, it didn't matter who we were rooting for. All that mattered was that it was a hockey game with real hockey fans, those who don't need a bubblehead emcee, dance teams, mascots and scoreboard prompts to "Make Some Noise" to make it an entertaining night out.

And that, my friends, is what being a member of the hockey fraternity is all about. It's the game, not the nonsense, that drives us. Sadly, not everyone, nor every team, gets this point.

Final (grumpy) request

After two installments for Your Turn, contributions have dropped off. Really, I can't understand the reason behind this. For four-plus seasons, I've shared many, many hounding adventures with readers. All I'm asking, and it's a reasonable request, is for you to now return the favor.

If I don't get any, this will be yet another feature -- just like Name that Logo, Hockey Quiz and What's This? -- that has run its course because of limited submissions or the lack of participation.

Responses to these requests go a long way toward deciding to continue with this blog. Lord knows there are better uses of my time. As it stands, Hound Central 5.0 will be my last hockey-hounding blog. Simply put, the returns fall far short the efforts put in by myself and others.

5 Big Sigs

It'll be an interesting week down here in Hockey Bay, with the Montreal Canadiens making their second and final trip of the season and the Anaheim Ducks swinging through the Sunshine State. We didn't have the best of luck with the Habs less than a month ago and, from what I've heard, the Ducks can be a tad tough.

Still, here's what we're hoping to add:

~ Montreal's Mike Cammalleri on a Canadiens puck and the Manchester Monarchs practice jersey;
~ Montreal's Andrei Markov on Russia souvenir and Quebec Citadelles pucks;
~ Anaheim's Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Bobby Ryan and Steve Eminger on the Portland Pirates practice jersey;
~ Anaheim's Saku Koivu on a Ducks puck; and
~ Anaheim's Dan Sexton on a Wichita Falls Wildcats (North American Hockey League) puck.

Gallery: Leafs photos

For the past few weeks or so, Moody, Hound Central 5.0's primary correspondent, has been telling me I need to start working photos. Given that I'm starting to run out of NHL players to put on pucks, he has a good point.

They're much lighter, easier to handle and aren't as expensive. So, yes, I see the benefits.

Still, though, I'll be sticking primarily with cards, pucks, and, yes, the occasional photo, for the rest of the 2009-10 hockey-hounding campaign. Moody, on the other hand, is a photo machine, racking up at least a half dozen 8x10s every time he hounds a team.

Here's a look at our combined efforts on Thursday, when the Toronto Maple Leafs traveled to Hockey Bay:

Defenseman Garnet Exelby, on a wallpaper image from his days down in Dixie;

Goalie Jonas Gustavsson, in a pretty neat image;

Winger Niklas Hagman, on the lone photo I got signed;

Defenseman Tomas Kaberle, which Colin got signed at the gametime bus;

Defenseman Jay Rosehill, shown with the AHL's Springfield Falcons during his time in the Tampa Bay Lightning organization;

Defenseman Luke Schenn, on a wallpaper image celebrating his draft status;

Winger Lee Stempniak, from his days in St. Louis;

Goalie Vesa Toskala; and

Coach Ron Wilson, left, shown with Toronto GM Brian Burke, in happier days.