Team report: Phoenix Coyotes

Surprise! No, I didn't make a mistake. This is, in fact, a team report for the Phoenix Coyotes' recent visit to Hockey Bay. Don't be fooled by these three New York Rangers pucks, though. They were all signed by members of the Coyotes organization: Don Maloney, Michal Rozsival and Ulf Samuelsson.

I must admit, however, that I was getting a bit concerned. You see, these were the first three pucks I got signed, out of seven for the day, and I started wondering whether I'd have any that showed the Coyotes logo. Well, I did get at least one Phoenix puck signed:

From left, Mikkel Boedker, Shane Doan and Tyson Nash.

Thankfully, there were no shortage of Coyotes cards, as well as a few other teams, that got signed:

Top row: Eric Belanger, Paul Bissonette, Ilya Bryzgalov and Oliver Ekman-Larsson; and
Bottom row: Martin Hanzal, Lauri Korpikoski, Jason LaBarbera and Derek Morris.

All told, we scored 68 autographs, including 33 cards, in one day from Phoenix. The trip also marked the 25th hounding adventure of the 2010-11 campaign.

It gets better, too. The New Jersey Devils were staying at the same hotel on the same day. Though we were unprepared, we managed to snag a few. Expect those reports next week.

Other highlights, and one downer, from the Coyotes:

~ talking Colin out of drawing a lizard for his team sheet;
~ bragging about getting 20 autographs from five players;
~ making the call to move to silver Sharpies;
~ adding a couple of cards to the Threads project; and
~ using a cheap skate card for David Schlemko.

Team report: New York Rangers

It's all the Florida Gators football team's fault. Had the Gators, in Hockey Bay to play Penn State in the Outback Bowl, not been staying at the same hotel as the New York Rangers on New Year's Day, I'm certain we would have had much better luck than we did.

Though we hustled enough to add two dozen autographs, including half a dozen pucks, to the collection, we fell victim to a never-ending stream of buses shuttling the Gators and their boosters from the hotel.

Rather than walk past as earlier teammates had, the late risers took a right, rather than a left, and I didn't want to run across an active driveway, especially with Colin and a couple of his teammates with me.

Sometimes, it's just better to play it safe and be happy with what you can get. There's always another season.

Signing the pucks were:

Top row: Martin Biron (Rangers and Islanders) and Michael Del Zotto; and
Bottom row: Ruslan Fedotenko (Rangers and Lightning 2004 Stanley Cup Champions - he scored the Cup-winning goal) and Alexander Frolov.

One of the morning's biggest surprises, as well as the biggest score, came when Rangers captain Chris Drury signed all four cards I offered. I told him I'd be happy with any one.

Rounding out our hockey adventure were:

~ getting a little help from Colin's teammates; and
~ Colin helping the Rangers celebrate their 85th anniversary.

A good choice

Given the good luck Colin had using a wallpaper image as a team sheet for the Montreal Canadiens, it made perfect sense to try it out a second time. Enter the New York Rangers, another Eastern Conference team we've consistently hounded over the years.

With it being the New York Rangers' 85th anniversary, wallpaper images conveying that distinction certainly seemed appropriate. After Colin scored 14 autographs on New Year's Day, it's looking like a solid call.

Among those signing were captain Chris Drury, Ryan Callahan, Daniel Girardi, Marc Staal, Martin Biron, Ruslan Fedotenko and, yes, Sean Avery.

Thanks, guys

Ask any hound, and they'll tell you the same thing. The New York Rangers' Martin Biron is one of the most pleasant players they've ever met in the NHL.

It's beyond the fact that he'll sign more than a single item. Biron, who came up in the Buffalo Sabres organization, is personable, too, taking the time to chat. He's the kind of player who makes this hobby enjoyable. No attitude, just autographs -- the way it should be.

That hasn't helped me, though, get this jersey swatch signed over the past few years as he played his way across the Eastern Seaboard. It always seemed like I had something else or, to be honest, would let him pass so I could get an autograph from another player.

That all I changed New Year's Day. As you can see, the card finally got signed, becoming the latest addition to the Threads collection. I didn't get it, though. Nope, I have someone else to thank for that.

Over the holidays, we took a couple of Colin's hockey teammates -- twin brothers -- out hounding, showing them the ropes. The Rangers were the last of three teams they hounded with us over the break.

Before morning skate, Biron signed a pair of pucks, as we made the push to 2,200 for the collection. As a result, as well as I had to go into work early that day, it looked like the card would have to wait again. That's when one of the twins, who'd be sticking around with their dad until the team came back, offered to get some cards signed for us.

They did a good job, if you ask me.

The Hockey Life: Week 11

After hounding NHL players in person for nearly 15 years, it's easy to become jaded or lazy. Thankfully, I've had decent luck, building a substantial collection of autographed pucks, cards and assorted memorabilia that I hope someday will be passed on to future generations of my family.

Part of the process has been introducing Colin to the hobby. From his hand-drawn team sheets to cards and the occasional puck, he's quickly come up to speed. I'm proud to admit, too, that he outhounds his old man on a fairly consistent basis. After all, it's his collection, not mine.

More than any autograph, even one from Wayne Gretzky, spending quality time with Colin and gaining stories that will last a lifetime are my rewards. If nothing else, hockey and hounding bind this father and son.

Another reward is introducing others to the hobby, particularly in-person hounding where meeting and interacting NHL players is just as much fun, maybe even moreso, as getting their autographs.

For the past week, we've helped introduce two of Colin's youth hockey teammates to the world of in-person hockey hounding. They've learned how to find teams at hotels, the best times to see the players and that nonglossy cards are easier to use than glossy cards. More importantly, they've learned that 45 minutes of patience often yields five minutes of hockey-hounding bliss.

Their reward? In three trips for the Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers, one-half of the NHL's Original Six, the boys added a significant number of autographs to their growing collections. Along the way, they scored autographs from some of the NHL's biggest names -- Boston's Tim Thomas and Marc Savard. Montreal's Mike Cammalleri and Carey Price. New York's Marian Gaborik and Henrik Lundqvist.

We could be better hosts

It's not that I'm against tourists here in Florida. They're the economic lifeblood for many businesses and residents. It's even better, too, when they're hockey fans, helping to fill up the St. Pete Times Forum.

Over the past few seasons, we've had the pleasure of meeting Canadian families down here in Hockey Bay. Like us, they were hanging out near their favorite team's hotel in bids to score autographs from their hockey heroes. Because they're on holiday, they're getting some souvenirs.

Depending upon their attitudes, which quite often are far more gracious than any visitors from U.S. locales, we've been more than happy to help out by identifying players, tell them the best times to see their team as well as offer insight on other attractions.

Every so often, though, we detect an air of hockey superiority. After all, hockey is, indeed, Canada's sport. The game, too, has been played north of the border far longer than down here in Hockey Bay. Still, some fans' expectations that Canada-based teams will win long before the puck is dropped is a bit humorous.

It's poetic justice, I suppose, that the Lightning find a way to humble these fans, as well as their hometown teams, just like the Bolts did last Thursday against the Canadiens.

Awfully quiet

Speaking of the Lightning's 4-1 victory over the Canadiens last week, what did you think of Steven Stamkos' spin-o-rama penalty shot goal? Pretty sweet, wasn't it?

What I couldn't help thinking, though, and I'm not alone in this opinion, was how the goal, as well as Lightning's response, could be viewed as hypocritical. It wasn't all that long ago that the Lightning and a portion of its fan base were criticizing Edmonton rookie Linus Omark's spin-o-rama during a shootout.

In Omark's case, his nifty move was far enough away from the net that it shouldn't have bothered Tampa Bay's Dan Ellis. It did, though, and the Oilers won that game. Stamkos' move, however, came on Montreal goalie Carey Price's doorstop. Rather than being panned as a "hot dog" move, heaps of praise, and deservedly so, were showered upon Stamkos.

Like I said back then, there's nothing wrong with injecting some entertainment and derring-do in the game. In fact, it's too bad we don't see more action like that. Sitting deep in your seat, rather than on its edge, gets boring.

Going forward, though, let's hope the Lightning players and fans keep their mouths shut should it happen again to them.

No laughing matter

Two times last week, an anonmymous reader felt the need to comment, in harassing and potentially threatening manners, on Colin's hockey abilities. Sorry, young man, but I take things like that seriously. That's one of reasons why I use a website stat-tracking program. This isn't the first time it's proved useful, but I'm hoping it's the last.

As a result, I've filed complaints with the Ontario Provincial Police, the home base for Rogers Cable, the Internet service provider linked to the easily tracked user (99.251.197.122), as well as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Fredericton, New Brunswick, the origin of the IP address.

Furthermore, young man, if you feel the need to disparage a 9-year-old to make yourself feel better, it's my advice, coming only as a father, that you seek professional help. If it's true that you're a AAA midget player who's ranked for the Ontario Hockey League draft, as you claim to be, let's hope the teams, for their own sake, place as much value on character as they do skill.

And, if you don't like what I'm writing, don't bother stopping by. We'll do just fine without you.

Adding up

Though hockey hounds often use nineboards when getting cards signed, we're happy, for a number of reasons, with offering only four cards at a time. It has nothing to do with not wanting to be greedy because, yes, we like getting as many autographs as we can.

Instead, I like using a compact card book, one that fits easily into a pocket. Even moreso, I don't want to take the time involved in not just putting together nineboards, but actually working that many cards for players.

Another reason, especially this season, is the cardbook is easier for Colin to handle. After last week's visit by the Atlanta Thrashers, he has a significant number of reasons why he's finding cardbooks useful.

All told, he scored 47 autographs from Thrashers players, including these five who signed all four cards he offered:

Forwards Nik Antropov and Evander Kane;

forward Bryan Little and goalie Chris Mason; and

defenseman Brent Sopel.

Editor's note: This is the 500th post of Hound Central 5.0. Special thanks to those who've helped out and to our faithful readers.

Yeah, I know . . .

Again I took on the challenge of adding a few officials to the old collection. I can't say enough good things about these guys. I would ask one thing of them however . . .

Come up with a new line. "We are not players" is getting a bit old.

Every time I hear that, and I let them know that I understand they aren't players, I get a chuckle about the fact that someone recognizes them for who they really are.

When I presented these photos to Dan O'Halloran and Francois St. Laurent, they both set down their bags and came right over. They genuinely appreciated that someone wanted their autographs.

O'Halloran signed this photo of him and King Henrik. Lundqvist completed it this week.

St. Laurent signed this group photo after letting me know that he recognized me from last year. He said that was the last time someone waited until after a game for his signature and told me to say hello to the two little kids who were with me.

What offseason?

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Chili's restaurant have got together to promote each other this offseason with a weekly radio show at different locations around the Hockey bay area. That means the ticket reps will be out in full force trying to heard the masses for next year. It also means an opportunity to snag a few 'graphs.

Last week's event brought out a few former players, a Hall of Famer and someone we thought would be a new inductee.

Dave Andreychuk took the time to sign the commemorative magazine from his Stanley Cup year. I am still trying to figure out why he isn't on the list of Hall of Fame inductees this year, but that may give us something to celebrate next summer.

Hall of Famer Phil Esposito was kind enough to sign this quartet of cards. (Thanks, Colin, for the help on this one.)

Brian Bradley, a true class act, signed my work-in-progress program from the first-ever Lightning home game. Roman Hamrlik's signature is also seen on the cover. Espo's autograph can also be found inside.

As a note, Chris Dingman was also in attendance and was more than willing to sign for fans. Unfortunately, I had nothing for him.

Colin also made his way onto a video clip from the street hockey action before the radio show. See if you can spot him, working his way past a defender to score an open-net goal.

No worries, Phil

You never know when hockey hounding is going to create a lasting memory. Take last night, for instance.

After Moody's, Hound Central 5.0's senior correspondent and resident TTM guru, tipped us off that Hall of Famer Phil Esposito would be at a Chili's in Tampa, we decided to take that in, rather than attend a minor league baseball game up the road.

Really, it wasn't that difficult of a decision. Any time you have the chance to get an autograph from a Hall of Famer, it's certainly a worthy reason for changing plans.

Esposito, the special guest during a Lightning radio show, didn't disappoint, signing a bunch of autographs. In our case, it was this book. Worn out from playing street hockey for nearly an hour in the late-afternoon humidity, I sent Colin up to get Esposito's book signed.

"You're not going to let him read this, are you?" Esposito asked from across the restaurant, knowing full well the book contains salty language and, ahem, adult exploits.

"No, not anytime soon," I replied. "Maybe in five years or so."

Mop-up duty

At this point of the season, with only a handful of games left to go, a hound's time is better spent mopping up stray items for a team rather than kicking off projects. That's the approach we took last Friday, when Colin and I hounded the New York Rangers.

Rather than work a team helmet, jersey or stick, we used items on hand and ready to go to add another 43 autographs, including these pucks from Ryan Callahan, left, on the U.S.A. souvenir puck, and Marian Gaborik, who signed the Wild puck

Among those signing cards were:

Top row: Artem Anisimov, Michael Del Zotto and Brandon Dubinsky;
Middle row: Anders Eriksson, Daniel Girardi and Brandon Prust; and
Bottom row: Wade Redden, Jody Shelley and Marc Staal.

I missed getting Michael Del Zotto to sign this cheap skate card on the Rangers' first trip to Hockey Bay this season. This trip, though, was different.

Other highlights from a half-day of hounding:

~ Colin loading up another team sheet;
~ Calling an audible for goalie Henrik Lundqvist; and
~ Adding another pair of cards to the Threads project.

Money in the bank

Really, what more can I say about Colin's team sheets? He loves them. The players like them. And they're true 1/1s. Looking back, having Colin use these hand-drawn sheets is one of the best calls we've ever made when it comes to hockey hounding.

This one, which Colin worked last Friday with the New York Rangers in town, shows just how useful they are, as he snagged autographs, including signatures from such notable Rangers players as Henrik Lundqvist, Marian Gaborik, Marc Staal, Olli Jokinen, Ryan Callahan and some guy named Sean Avery.

About the only player he missed was Chris Drury.

Basic requirement

When it comes to adding to Threads, a 2009-10 hockey-hounding campaign featuring jersey swatch cards, the only thing that matters is getting the card signed.

In these two cases, in which the New York Rangers' Olli Jokinen, above, and Erik Christensen added to the project, it makes no difference if the cards show both playing for different teams.

Sure, it would be nice if the cards showed them decked out in their Rangers duds, but they don't. I'm more than happy that we got them signed, no matter what jersey they're wearing.

Sunday morning homily XXVI

As Colin started playing youth hockey, I thought I understood most every aspect of the game. I've played the game, more street than ice. Won. Lost. Tied. Reffed a few games, too. I've even driven a Zamboni.

We also knew it would be costly. Ice time, gear, skate sharpenings and G2s add up. It's worth every penny, though. There's also the investment of time, back and forth to practices and skating sessions and road trips to Ellenton across the $1-a-ride Sunshine Skyway Bridge.

What we didn't expect, however, is the emotional attachment felt by parents, ourselves included. We've had great moments, watching the Stars win on road ice and Colin scoring his first goal in organized play. There's been some bummers, too, but there's no need to digress.

Bottom line, it's all about everyone having fun.

Later today, Colin wraps up his second season of rec hockey for the Pinellas Police Athletic League Stars. Two games, down in Ellenton, with a chance to top last season's victories. Win or lose, we all get a well-deserved break.

I'll be honest. It'll be nice to get back to a less-hectic hockey pace. After a little time off, he'll have a pair of practices a week -- great opportunities to take in-game experiences into training so he'll recognize good decisions in future games. After that, he'll get into some 4-on-4 games. And, if the money's there, a week at hockey camp.

Believe it or not, that's a step back from the usual pace.

Come this fall, though, the hockey game bug will be back. New gear. Long Sundays. More predawn rides across the Skyway. I can't wait.

No great loss

Depending upon your perspective, Buffalo's 7-1 drubbing of the Tampa Bay Lightning last night was one of two things: 1.) sheer, unadulterated enjoyment; 2.) the final nail in the Lightning's season. Given my allegiances, I rather enjoyed the game. Goalie Patrick Lalime needed it. Now, let's see if the Sabres can make some noise.

For the Lightning, it marks the third straight season of missing the playoffs. For the fans, it'll be time to forget another frustrating season. Flashes of brilliance, namely Steven Stamkos and Marty St. Louis, dulled by inconsistency, especially captain Vinny Lecavalier.

For Hockey Bay's hounds, it means another season of shutting it down until late summer. Good thing, too. Had the Lightning made the playoffs, they would have played the Capitals. No matter where you're from, we all know the inevitable outcome. Oh, yeah, the Capitals would have swept the Bolts.

5 Big Sigs

With the Lightning still on a road trip, this week's hounding opportunities are limited to the New York Rangers. With decent luck last trip, I'm hoping that's a continuing trend and we add these items:

~ a McFarlane base signed by goalie Henrik Lundqvist;
~ Marian Gaborik on Minnesota Wild and 2007 NHL All Star Game pucks;
~ rookie defensemen Matt Gilroy on Rangers and Boston University pucks;
~ Erik Christensen and Olli Jokinen adding to the Threads collection; and
~ a nice, full team sheet from the Rangers.

Moody's Olympics Gold: Team Slovakia

Team Slovakia has never won a gold medal and finished fifth at the last Olympiad held in Torino, Italy. In Vancouver, Slovakia just knocked Team Sweden out of competition.

Cards signed by some of Team Slovakia's players:

Top row: Spartak's Branko Radivojevic, Boston's Miroslav Satan, Barys Astana's Josef Stumpel and Los Angeles' Lubomir Visnovsky; and
Bottom row: Locomotiv's Richard Zednik, New York Rangers' Marian Gaborik, Los Angeles' Michal Handzus and Chicago's Marian Hossa.

More cards signed by Team Slovakia players:

Top row: Spartak's Martin Cibak and Colorado's Peter Budaj; and
Bottom row: Tampa Bay's Andrej Meszaros, Chicago's Tomas Kopecky, Boston's Zdeno Chara and HK 36's Ziggy Palffy.

Montreal's Jaroslav Halak

Buffalo's Andrej Sekara

Tampa Bay's Andrej Meszaros on a Ottawa Senators wallpaper.

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

Moody's Olympics Gold: Team Finland

Team Finland has never won gold but finished second for silver at the last Olympiad held in Torino, Italy. Of the 23-man roster, I've managed to get 18 players from the NHL-rich squad.

I am not completely sure why, but I have been watching this group a bit more than I thought I would. Maybe because many of the players have been fan-friendly over the past few years. That always stands out for me.

Cards signed by some of Team Finland's players:

Top row: Calgary's Niklas Hagman, New York's Olli Jokinen, Annaheim's Saku Koivu and Avangard's Lasse Kukkonen; and
Bottom row: Phoenix's Sami Lepisto, Bufalo's Toni Lydman, Dallas' Jere Lehtinen and Minnesota's Niklas Backstrom.

More cards signed by Team Finland's players:

Top row: Tampa's Antero Nittymaki, Anaheim's Teemu Selanne, Vancouver's Sami Salo and Philadelphia's Kimmo Timonen; and
Bottom row: Carolina's Joni Pitkanen and Tuomo Ruutu, Ottawa's Jarkko Ruutu and Detroit's Valtteri Filppula.

The New York Rangers' Olli Jokinen with Mikayla taken on a trip to Tampa.

Minnesota's Mikko Koivu

Dynamo's Ville Peltonen.

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

We still have photos of players like Lydman, Timonen, Nittymaki, and Pitkanen that were taken with Mikayla that we hope to finish (Finnish) off this season. She is also hoping to take care of a game stick from Nitty in the near future.

Moody's Olympics Gold: Team U.S.A.

Team USA won its last gold medal in 1980 (Miracle On Ice), but failed to medal in the last Olympiad, earning only a eighth-place finish. Of the 23-man roster, I've managed to get only 16 players from the NHL-rich squad.

Cards signed by some of Team U.S.A.'s players:

Top row: St. Louis' David Backes, Carolina's Tim Gleason, Los Angeles's Jack Johnson, Tampa's Ryan Malone; and
Bottom row: Los Angeles' Jonathan Quick, San Jose's Joe Pavelski, Boston's Tim Thomas and Colorado's Paul Stastny.

More cards signed by Team USA players:

Top row: Toronto's Phil Kessel, Nashville's Ryan Suter, New York's Ryan Callahan and Anaheim's Bobby Ryan; and
Bottom row: New Jersey's Zach Parise, Anaheim's Ryan Whitney, LA's Dustin Brown and Buffalo's Ryan Miller

Most of these cards have been signed in the past two seasons, either in Hockey Bay or South Florida. Puckhound helped with the acquisition of the Stastny card.

Anyone else?

It's been some time since I've extolled the virtues of using homemade cards to add to your autograph collection, mainly because I've either had plenty of items for visiting players or little time to make any. Either way, though, as these cheap skates samples show, they are pretty useful.

I like to take a simplistic approach, reusing a template from seasons past. In less than 10 minutes, I'm able to update logos, photos and colors. Could I add more detail, even creating my own cards? Certainly. But if something isn't broke, why would you fix it? Until then, I'll be happy to use these.

What am I interested in, though, are examples of other's handiwork making cards. Drop me a line if you'd like to share your creations.

Your Turn II

Given that the Tampa Bay Lightning isn't always at home, there are gaps within the schedule where fresh content, culled from our own hockey-hounding adventures, is, in a word, impossible. But that's where you come in.

After years of sharing these stories with you, I've asked my fellow hounds to pass along their tales of hounding -- good or bad. So, here we are again, turning over the platform afforded by Hound Central 5.0 to hockey hounds to share stories of their autograph adventures.

If you'd like to take part in future installments, and I humbly repeat my request to lend your voice to this effort, please send your stories to Hound Central 5.0.

In this second offering, Hound Central 5.0 offers stories from a trio of hockey hounds:

Cory D.

Cory, out of Kansas, shares his appreciation for minor league players:

"I live in Topeka, Kansas, which isn't exactly a hockey hotbed, but we've been lucky to have four different teams in the past 10 years, so I've gotten to see a lot of players at two different levels go through this town.

"I remember when we first got a team in 1998, the CHL Topeka Scarecrows, this team was pretty darn good and one of my favorite things to do was get to the games early with my family (I was 10 years old at the time) and look for pucks. I found quite a few and started building a collection of autographs. It was always so awesome to see the guys take the time to sign autographs. I especially remember when they came to my elementary school and signed for everybody and played scooter hockey for the kids.

"Another one of my favorite stories comes from the 2000-2001, my family had went to a Scarecrows practice over Christmas break and when one of the goalies (Scott Hay, current goaltending coach for the Bakersfield Condors) was coming off the ice, he handed me his stick and told me to keep it. It just made my day because he was one of my favorite players."

J.R.

J.R., who filed this report from San Jose, shares his recent successes of attending a Sharks practice. Sounds like it was well worth the time:

"After reading the reports on this site since the beginning of the season, I finally decided to attend my first Sharks practice. I just moved to San Jose from New York about three months ago and have been considering going to a practice since I’ve been here. Despite having the best intentions, I truly believe this site kicked my enthusiasm into high gear.

"Since I’m new to the area, I carefully mapped my route to the practice facility and made it there unscathed. Of course, however, I did manage to go to the wrong rink once I got inside. Once I realized my error, I did find the correct rink thanks to a member of the Sharks Ice staff.

"Practice was already under way when I made it to the south rink and I must say I was rather disappointed to find only eight Sharks on the ice (Devon Setoguchi, <strong>Torrey Mitchell, Brad Staubitz, Jody Shelley, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Jay Leach, Kent Huskins and Thomas Greiss). Perhaps because of the small on-ice turnout, practice only lasted approximately 30 minutes.

"Shelley was the first Shark to leave the ice and after he signed for a couple of fans, he was kind enough to sign a puck for me. I mentioned that I enjoyed the fight he had last night with Cam Janssen of the St. Louis Blues, not so much for the action, but the duration, and he chuckled.

"Setoguchi was the next player to depart and he went immediately into the locker room, despite being asked for autographs from two or three fans. I brought one of his hockey cards with me in case signed, but wasn’t disappointed that he kept walking.

"I managed to snag autographs from Staubitz and Huskins as they left the ice surface. Both players signed for anyone who asked (and there weren’t many autograph hounds in the small crowd) and appeared to be quite fan-friendly.

"I promised myself that if I received one or two autographs in my first venture to practice, I would be thrilled. Well, I exceeded my hopes, acquiring three signed pucks for my collection.

"However, much to my surprise, the collecting was not over. As it turned out, the Shark Olympians, and there are eight of them, were at the facility to conduct interviews with the local NBC affiliate. I was fortunate to also get autographs from Joe Pavelski, Patrick Marleau and Evgeni Nabokov when each concluded their interviews, well after the practice had concluded. Marleau also took the time to pose for photographs with a couple of young female fans.

"Douglas Murray also signed for two fans after he spoke with the reporter, but since I only brought six pucks with me, I was not able to get his autograph. Oh well, maybe next time.

"All told, I walked away with six autographed pucks. A very successful day, in both quantity and quality, in my book. I am very much looking forward to attending my next practice.

"Good luck to all the hounds out there."

Scott B.

Scott, who hounds in South Florida, has provided numerous reports from his NHL hounding adventures at less-than-friendly hotels. Here are a few more:

New York Rangers: "The Rangers usually stay at a certain beach hotel, but this time they stayed elsewhere on the beach. They are usually not a good signing team, but this year they were better. If we don't have a card for a player, we use the 2005-06 Parkhurst team logo cards. We were able to get Artem Anisimov (1 Parkhurst card), Donald Brashear (1 of 1), Chris Drury (2 jersey cards), Marian Gaborik (2 of 4), Chris Higgins (6 of 6), Michal Rozsival (1 of 3), Henrik Lundqvist (1 of 3) and John Tortorella (1 Parkhurst card)."

Philadelphia Flyers: "The Flyers had almost a week here in South Florida before their game, so they stayed at a hotel on the beach in Fort Lauderdale. They have always been a good-signing team and this time was no exception. We got Aaron Asham (2 Parkhurst cards), Danny Briere (2 of 3), Dan Carcillo (1 of 1), Riley Cote (2 of 2), Simon Gagne (2 of 3), Claude Giroux (1 of 1), Scott Hartnell (1 of 3), Ian Laperriere (3 of 3), Darroll Powe (2 of 2), Mike Richards (1 of 1), James van Riemsdyk (2 Parkhurst cards), Braydon Coburn (1 of 1), Kimmo Timonen (1 of 1) and Brian Boucher (3 of 3). We also got a Chris Pronger "Waving the Flag" card signed that I have been trying to get him to sign for a few years."

Washington Capitals: "By far, the worst signing team in the NHL. Since Alexander Ovechkin's rookie year when he signed, he and most of the Caps completely ignore the fans. The hotel where the Caps stay is a lot tougher on us, making us stand across the street from the team bus. One of the managers there actually was telling players not to come and sign for us. Luckily, Brendan Morrison was there this year. He is from the old school of treating the fans with class. He signed all four of his cards. And he told Eric Fehr (1 of 1) and Alexander Semin (2 of 3) to walk over and sign for us."

If you can't hound 'em ...

Not all hounds live in a hockey-rich environment where the teams have a history, alumni or a few Hall of Famers. Here in Florida, we are rather restricted to the players from visiting teams and the old-timers who may work with a team.

Granted, the old-timers who still work with the teams are usually worthwhile pursuits. Yes, the Tampa Bay Lightning do have some great old-timers hanging around -- such as Dave Andreychuk and Brian Bradley -- but ... "When you work at McDonald's, you eventually get tired of Chicken McNuggets."

I am a big fan for the vintage players from the 1960s and '70s, but in recent years have had to do my hounding through the mail for these guys. When I was living in Detroit, there was always a charity game, a card show or player appearances. Heck, I was even within driving distance of Toronto and the Hall of Fame.

These days, though, all it takes is a couple stamps and some patience:

Ed Staniowski, a former St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets player, not only signed my two cards, but also sent an alumni photo and a note of appreciation.

Mike Gartner was kind enough to ink these three cards for me. The Hockey Hall of Fame card was part of a fan pack (Note that my love for freebies paid off again) that I got last year all for the cost of an e-mail.

Former Boston Bruins player Rick Smith also was part of my success this week. He signed these two cards nicely, even taking the time to avoid the darker areas of the card with his black Sharpie.

Not every player has to be retired. I took advantage of the Internet to find out that a few players that I need to finish off these two Ohio State dual-player cards. Ian Keserich completed a card, left, previously signed by Johann Kroll. Kyle Hood lent his signature to a card, right, shared with Tom Fritsche.

If you can't hound 'em, write 'em

Gallery: Black Friday

While everyone and their mother, brother, cousin twice-removed and next-door neighbor was out hunting down holiday bargains last Friday, we headed over to the St. Pete Times Forum to take in open morning skates for the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers.

Though a free donut and cup of coffee occupied most of my free time, the Missus kept herself busy taking these pictures of the guys who were actually working that day:

Tampa Bay's Antero Niittymaki, left, and Stephane Veilleux share a moment during the Lightning's morning skate.

No, I don't believe Tampa Bay's Marty St. Louis was asleep on his feet. Sure looks that way, though, doesn't it? Then again, maybe he had too much turkey the day before.

Here's another one of Antero Niittymaki, apparently taking a break during the morning skate, that was simply too good to pass up.

Gee, I wonder why the Missus took so many pictures of Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist? This one, among the half-dozen or so, was the best.

Jim Schoenfeld, center, the Rangers' assistant general manager and interim assistant coach, leads players, from left, Marc Staal, Bobby Sanguinetti (I believe), Ales Kotalik and Michal Rozsival through a drill.

Steve Valiquette, the Rangers' backup goalie, towers over the net, doesn't he?