Pop quiz

Alright, let's see a show of hands. How many of you have either 1.) heard of Ottawa's Erik Condra before February; or 2.) had something, other than a blank puck or hijacked photo, for him to sign?

Be honest, now. Not too many of you, right?

Same here. That's why the night before the Senators came to Hockey Bay recently, I was up late creating this cheap skate card. In time, I imagine he'll have cards within Upper Deck or Panini brands. Until then, this works.

Team report: New Jersey Devils II

All along, I figured it would be only one trip for the New Jersey's Devils' second visit to Hockey Bay during the regular season. Thanks to a quirk within travel schedules, we ended up making two trips for New Jersey.

Colin and I were hounding the Phoenix Coyotes when we heard, on scene at the Westin Harbour Island hotel, that the Devils would be arriving there that same day. Not knowing that (my bad, I'll say), we were caught lacking any specific items for New Jersey's lineup.

Funny thing, we did better, numbers-wise, on the first adventure (14) than on the second, better-prepared trip (10). Beyond the two pucks, shown above, signed by Henrik Tallinder, these were among the autographs we got over the course of the two trips:

Dainius Zubrus and Brian Rolston signed a handful (four) of cards; and

rookie Mark Fayne, a kid from our old stomping grounds of New Hampshire, signed this cheap skate card.

Among the other highlights:

~ Getting Martin Brodeur on a Team Canada puck;
~ Scoring a hat trick from Johan Hedberg; and
~ some quick thinking by Colin.

He's still learning

Proving a point that you don't have to let NHL rookies pass by, here's an instance where I wasn't caught shorthanded for New Jersey's Nick Palmieri. Not only did I have a card from the 2010-11 Score hockey set, but yet another cheap skate card.

I had to ask Palmieri to sign the cheap skate card after signing the Score card during a second trip for the Devils during their recent visit to Hockey Bay.

Most times, NHL rookies, aside from the handful with inflated egos, willingly sign anything you put in front of them. Now, I'm not saying Palmieri is one of those rookies, but, still, it caught me by surprise.

Old reliables

Here we are, yet again, espousing the virtues of using homemade cheap skate cards to add true 1-of-1 autographs to your collection. Granted, they'll seldom top any collector's wish list, but they do provide an affordable platform for NHL rookies and role players like Phoenix's David Schlemko.

That's why I make them

The day before Carolina was scheduled to play the Tampa Bay Lightning, Brett Sutter got called up from the Hurricanes' American Hockey League affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. Because I don't have any cards for him, it proved to be another case of where my cheap skate cards come in handy.

Sure, I could've ask him to sign a Reed Deer Rebels puck, seeing the family ties to the Western Hockey League junior club. Maybe next trip, provided he's on the roster.

By the way, Brent, an alternate captain for the Hurricanes, is his cousin, not his brother. And, yes, they were walking together to the morning skate.

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.

I can live with these

One of the last things I do in preparing for a visiting NHL team, after I've gathered pucks, erased cards and checked the American Hockey League transactions, I create as many of these cheap skate cards I need.

In the case of the Columbus Blue Jackets, who visited Hockey Bay last week, I needed to make four of the cards. As you can see, three proved very useful in what turned out to be a very productive, as well as a long, day of hockey hounding.

Though I couldn't find hockey cards for neither Grant Clitsome nor Derek MacKenzie, I had only one card for Jan Hejda. Each was more than willing to sign.

The only Blue Jackets player who didn't sign one? That would be Matt Calvert. It wasn't that he wouldn't, I just never recognized him. Oh, my bad. Maybe next time, I'll have some cards for him.

Filling gaps

Laugh if you must, as I sometimes chuckle do when using these cheap skate cards, but these homemade cards truly do come in handy.

Lacking any legitimate hockey cards for Washington's Matt Hendricks and DJ King, all it took was five minutes of seat time in front of my computer and about 45 seconds of combined hounding time to add these to the collection.

There's a bit of a bonus, too. If memory serves me correct, and that's always a legitimate question at my ever-advancing age, these could be the first autographs I've received from either Capitals player.

Granted, neither is a household name, but in the interest in building a diverse collection, it's another two names crossed off of the so-called want list.

Team report: Montreal Canadiens

With Colin off on his Christmas break last week, it made perfect sense that we try to hound as many teams as we could during his two weeks off from school. It didn't hurt, either, that all three were Original Six teams. I guess that's what motivated me the most.

If you can't get up for an Original Six team like the Montreal Canadiens, no matter how many times you've hounded them, you have no business carrying a blue Sharpie. Last Thursday, I nearly burned through mine.

Much to my surprise, though, the Habs were a bit out of character. Normally a team that takes some effort, every player, including noted toughies Mike Cammalleri, Scott Gomez and Carey Price, worked the sizable line that formed outside the team's hotel. Once it was over, I was stunned at how easy it was.

Helping us rack up 75 autographs, which matches our season-high tag-team effort, were these players who signed the cards shown above:

Top row: Mike Cammalleri, Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez;
Middle row: Josh Gorges, Roman Hamrlik and Maxim Lapierre; and
Bottom row: Travis Moen, Tomas Plekanic and Jaroslav Spacek.

Also signing cards were:

Top row: Alex Auld, Hall Gill and Andrei Kostitsyn; and
Bottom row: Kirk Muller, Max Pacorietty and Benoit Pouliot.

Here's another instance, too, where cheap skates, what I lovingly call my homemade cards, come in handy.

Most every NHL teams, and the Canadiens were no exception, carry players who rarely have more than a handful of cards. In my case, I've run out of cards for Montreal's Mathieu Darche and Alexandre Picard.

Rather than let them pass by, though, I had them sign these two cards.

To me, it doesn't matter if a card is produced by a major card manufacturer. As long as it has room for a signature, and these cards do, there's little reason not to make them part of the collection.

Other highlights from a fruitful day of hockey hounding:

~ getting Habs goalie Carey Price to sign a McFarlane base;
~ using a different type of wallpaper image for Colin's team sheet; and
~ reinforcing a belief that it's best to catch a player early in his NHL career.

Team report: Carolina Hurricanes

For as long as I can remember, going back to our days of watching the Carolina Hurricanes play at the Greensboro (N.C.) Coliseum, we've always had pretty decent luck with them during our hounding adventures. After this week's visit, there's no reason to change that perception.

Granted, coaches Ron Francis (after 4 p.m. only) and Tom Barrasso (expect a flat-out refusal) continue to be difficult, but the Hurricanes, save for rookie Jeff Skinner (a former figure skating champion), don't shy away from Sharpies and paint pens.

Some players may sign only one, but one's better than none. All told, Colin, enjoying his first day of his Christmas vacation, and I added another 29 autographs to the collection.

Among those signing cards, shown above, were:

Top row: Zach Boychuk, Erik Cole, Tim Gleason (one-per) and Jussi Jokinen; and
Bottom row: Chad Larose, Tuomo Ruutu (one-per), Sergei Samsonov (one-per) and Cam Ward.

Before moving to Charlotte, N.C., this season, the Albany River Rats had been the Hurricanes' American Hockey League affiliate for the past few seasons. Former River Rats players, from left, Zach Boychuk, Justin Peters and Brandon Sutter paid homage to their days in the Empire State's capitol.

Given the thin signatures, I'm thinking of having Boychuk and Sutter resign these during Carolina's next trip to Hockey Bay.

Even Patrick Dwyer got in on the action, signing this cheap skate card. No, that isn't a big zit or a scab on his chin, it's a splotch from the printing process. Sorry, Patrick.

Rounding out a day of Hockey Bay hounding:

~ Eric Staal kicking off another hounding project;
~ Joni Pitkanen becoming the latest NHL player to sign four cards for us;
~ Erik Cole and Ian White adding to the Threads project; and
~ Colin catching up with some of his Tampa Bay Lightning buddies.

Team report: Pittsburgh Penguins

Last season, I refused to take part in the circus that was known as the Pittsburgh Penguins. It wasn't just because of the team's big names. No, it had to do more with them being the then-reigning Stanley Cup champions and the big crowds that flock to the team.

This season, though, we'll make two trips out for the Penguins. The first came in October when the Penguins arrived a few days early for a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. While that may not seem out of the ordinary, strange circumstances turned the day into a bit of a circus.

You see, it wasn't just the Penguins who were staying at the Westin Harbour Island hotel. The Nashville Predators, also in town to play the Lightning, were staying at the same hotel. Thanks to some shared intel, we had items for both teams that Sunday.

All told, we added 75 autographs, including 32 from Pittsburgh, in our best day, so far, of the 2010-11 hockey-hounding campaign. For the record, I added another two before the Penguins' game-day morning skate. By then, the team had been pounded and hounded for three days and ignored most requests.

Signing pucks, shown above, were:

Top row: Mike Comrie, Alex Goligoski and Chris Kunitz; and
Bottom row: Paul Martin, Zbynek Michalek and Eric Tangradi.

Players signing cards, shown above, were:

Top row: Comrie, Eric Godard, Goligoski and Brent Johnson; and
Bottom row: Tyler Kennedy, Kunitz, Kristopher Letang and Evgeni Malkin

Also adding to the stack of cards were, from left, Michalek, Brooks Orpik, Jordan Staal and Maxime Talbot.

We also put a cheap skate card to good use for Tangradi.

Other highlights from hounding the Penguins:

~ Colin scoring autographs from Sidney Crosby and Malkin;
~ Getting a scribble from Malkin; and
~ Doubling up, so to speak, on Gilles Meloche and Tony Granato.

Team report: Nashville Predators

It's not very often that two NHL teams visit Hockey Bay at the same time, but that's exactly what happened last Sunday when the Nashville Predators and the Pittsburgh Penguins were in town. Even better, from a hound's point of view, was both teams stayed at the same hotel.

Sure, it meant for a busy day, as we ping-ponged between the two clubs, but our hard work was certainly rewarded, as we snagged 43 autographs, including nine pucks, from the Smashville boys. As for the Penguins, this post, over at Hockey Hounds Universe, will have to tide you over for a few days.

Among those signing pucks (shown above):

Top row: Patric Hornqvist and Pekka Rinne; and
Bottom row: Steve Sullivan and Joel Ward

Those signing cards were:

Top row: J.P. Dumont, Cody Franson and Hornqvist;
Middle row: Andrei Kostitsyn, Rinne and Sullivan; and
Bottom row: Alexander Sulzer, Jordin Tootoo and Colin Wilson

Given his rookie status, this cheap skate card came in quite handy for goalie Anders Lindback.

The other highlights of our busy day:

~ Captain Shea Weber on a 2010 Olympics gold medal champions puck;
~ Two Colins making acquaintances;
~ Adding Patric Hornqvist to the Threads collection; and
~ Colin getting a compliment on his team sheet.

Quick work

The best part about late-season hockey hounding? Chances are, the sessions won't take long. After a full season, there's hardly anything left to get signed.

On Tuesday, with the Carolina Hurricanes in Hockey Bay, that's exactly what happened, as I added another 18 autographs, including seven pucks, to the collection in about an hour of hounding.

Signing the pucks show above were, from left, Zach Boychuk, Jussi Jokinen and Chad Larose.

Among the handful signing cards:

Top row: Drayson Bowman, Zach Boychuk and Rod Brind'Amour; and
Bottom row: Joni Pitkanen, Sergei Samsonov and Brandon Sutter

Rookie call-up Drayson Bowman, who would score the first two goals of his NHL career against the Lightning, also added to the cheap skates project.

Two highlights and one dim bulb from Tuesday's quick adventure:

~ Captain Eric Staal maintaining consistency;
~ Goalie Manny Legace sealing a deal; and
~ Wiseguy Ray Whitney earning a cheap shot.

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.

Always a solution

The problem with rookies, when it comes to hounding, is there's very little, other than pucks or photos, for them to sign. That's why I believe these cheap skate cards are a very useful tool. Without them, I wouldn't have had much for Buffalo's Tim Kennedy and Tyler Myers last week.

No need to howl

There's just something about Western Conference teams when they visit Hockey Bay. Most, if not all, certainly aren't shy about signing. And we're certainly not hesitant to ask.

Though other obligations kept me from spending an entire day hounding the Phoenix Coyotes, and likely rivaling other big-number efforts from Western Conference this season, a solid morning of hounding Tuesday produced another 56 autographs, including a season-high 21 pucks, for the collection.

Signing pucks, shown above, were:

Top row: Ilya Bryzgalov, Martin Hanzal and Mathieu Schneider; and
Bottom row: Viktor Tikhonov and Keith Yandle.

Also adding to the mound of pucks were:

Top row: Jason LaBarbera, Petteri Nokelainen and Taylor Pyatt; and
Bottom row: Ulf Samuelsson and Jim Vandermeer

Quite a few players signed cards, too:

Top row: Vernon Fiddler, Jason LaBarbera and Sami Lepesto;
Bottom row: Matthew Lombardi, Zbynek Michalek and Derek Morris; and

Top row: Tyson Nash, Petr Prucha and Lee Stempniak; and
Bottom row: Jim Vandermeer, Radim Vrbata and Daniel Winnik

Signing specialty sets cards were, from left, Adrian Aucoin, Martin Hanzal, Lauri Korpikoski and Keith Yandle.

Cheap skates cards signed by Paul Bissonnette and Viktor Tikhonov.

Other highlights from the Coyotes:

~ Shane Doan living up to his reputation;
~ Robert Lang dispelling a notion;
~ A trio of defensemen signing multiple pucks;
~ Keith Yandle completing a "doubles" card; and
~ Daniel Winnik signing our UNH jersey.

Moody's new blog

Want to know the rewards of hard work? You get your own blog. In this case, it's Moody, Hound Central 5.0's senior correspondent.

At Moody's TTM Blog, you'll find a wealth of information and the occasional insight from a longtime practitioner, on collecting hockey autographs through North America's fine postal systems.

If at first ...

. . . you don't succeed, try, try again. At least that was my motto yesterday. After not getting these cheap skates cards signed during Toronto's visit visit to Hockey Bay this season, they came in quite handy yesterday for the Loafs' Carl Gunnarsson and Jonas Gustavsson.

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.

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.