A full accounting

Now that we're getting closer to 2,000 autographed pucks, Moody, Hound Central 5.0's roving Southeast correspondent, has tackled the endeavour of verifying, through a spreadsheet program, the totals of the collection.

As a result, he found that the count stands at 1,985 pucks (and this may change as the "audit" progresses), not 1,988, as initially reported earlier today after we added eight pucks from members of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Still, it looks like we'll hit the next milestone with the Boston Bruins. A solid effort on Saturday, when the Atlanta Thrashers play the Lightning, will help.

And, yes, Hound Central 5.0 hopes that the Bruins' Patrice Bergeron provides No. 2,000.

One of life's harsh lessons

There's a little lesson in life that, much to my amazement, escapes a number of people. Understandably, it's one of life's bitter lessons, but, nonetheless, it applies to everyone. It doesn't matter your age, race, education or income bracket.

What lesson am I talking about? A harsh one, apparently: No means no.

Now that I'm approaching the mid-century point of my time here on Earth, I'd dare say that I've heard the word "no" tens, if not hundreds of thousands of times. Most likely, the first time came as a child when I was about to do something wrong or something where someone could end up getting hurt. Since then, hardly a day has passed that I haven't heard "no." How about you?

And, really, now, isn't "no" a basic fact of life?

Unfortunately, there are others, long past their childhood, who've failed to realize this basic premise. To them, hearing "no" is a personal affront. Hearing "no" just opens the door to a more plaintive wail. More than one, too. Hearing "no" justifies pouting.

Honestly, though, isn't that just being selfish?

Chances are, sadly, it starts at home. Some children are doomed by parents who can't or won't teach their children at a young age that, unfortunately, disappointment, defined by the use of an occasional "no," is part of the maturation process. Every silver-spooned brat, no matter his age or private-school upbringing, needs to learn and, even moreso, understand this simple concept.

If he doesn't, how many of you believe that said brat is in for a rude awakening when facing the inevitable reality of adulthood? If you don't like hearing "no" now, wait until you enter the real world, right?

Please know, too, that I don't live in a glass house. Those who are close to us know that Colin, our only child, has heard "no" more often than most and, yet, we're still accused of spoiling him. While that may be true, I take solace in knowing that he understands this most basic premise of life.

Sure, Colin may pout a bit. No, actually, make that a lot. But when offered a less-palatable choice, he quickly understands that hearing "no" is the lesser of two perceived evils. Remember, now, that he's only 8.

Unfortunately, this lack of a lesson learned by a petulant Hockey Bay hound has affected others. An insider's opportunity, which allowed a rotating handful of hand-picked hounds and children rinkside access to visiting teams after morning skates, has now been revoked. All because one selfish brat, who admitted sneaking (by law, it's called trespassing) into practice because he wasn't invited, couldn't handle hearing "no."

Really, I shouldn't be surprised. It's my perception that he operates under the selfish principle that if he can't get what he wants, well, then, no one else will either. Not a redeeming quality, I'd say.

Am I pouting? Maybe, but it's not for myself. Some of it is for the tight-knit group that works together for a common goal -- adding to our collections. We freely share information. We follow the unwritten rules. We wait our turns. Yes, we've learned some important lessons in life.

Mostly, though, my lament is for Colin. As the result of someone else's selfish actions, Colin now won't be able to watch Boston's Patrice Bergeron, his best NHL buddy and favorite NHL player, take part in Monday's morning skate. And, for an 8-year-old child, that's a pretty big letdown. Especially when the guilty party, who refuses any culpability for his actions, was someone he looked up to.

I hope he's proud of himself.

Pirates bounty

Given the sometime revolving door of affiliation of American Hockey League teams, one would think this Portland Pirates practice jersey would be loaded with signatures by now. Since 2004-05, when I began following the team during the NHL lockout, the Washington Capitals Anaheim Ducks and, these days, the Buffalo Sabres have sent their top prospects to Maine for seasoning.

Unfortunately, it's remained something of an afterthought, though it's been getting a bit more attention this season. Through early December it's gained another five signatures to it, matching the entire output of the 2008-09 campaign.

To date, the former Portland Pirates to sign, from left, are: Edmonton's Ladislav Smid (during the 2009-10 campaign), Tampa Bay's Zenon Konopka (2009-10), Colorado's Brian Willsie (2009-10), Edmonton's Dustin Penner (2009-10), Tampa Bay's Jeff Halpern (2008-09), Washington's Alex Semin (2008-09), then-Tampa Bay's Matt Pettinger (2008-09), Washington's Tomas Fleischmann (2008-09), then-Columbus' Aaron Rome (2008-09) and San Jose's Kent Huskins (2009-10).

Here's the wish list for the rest of the 2009-10 campaign: Anaheim's Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan, Buffalo's Nathan Gerbe, Calgary's Curtis Glencross, Montreal's (not Philadelphia's) Glen Metropolit, the Islanders Brendan Witt, the Rangers' PA Parenteau, Ottawa's Ryan Shannon, Vancouver's Shane O'Brien (our favorite Pirates player) and Washington's Brooks Laich.

Down to 20

In the push to reach 2,000 pucks, and to do it when the Boston Bruins come to Hockey Bay next Monday, we couldn't help but capitalize on an easy opportunity to add this trio of pucks. All told, the collection stands at 1,980 pucks.

Dave Andreychuk, captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning's Stanley Cup champions, and Brian Bradley, another former Bolts star, appeared at a store for a promotional gig at our local mall.

Because I had to work, I drafted The Missus and Colin into helping chip away at the goal, snagging this trio of pucks from the pair. While it was an easy call to have Captain Dave sign the different Lightning pucks, it took 15 seconds of research to learn that Bradley started and began his NHL career with the Calgary Flames.

For the record, because those things might be important some day, Andreychuk signed the 100th puck (the striped puck on the left) of the 2009-10 hockey-hounding campaign. All three, too, are part of the Colin's Pucks project.

And, just for good measure, Andreychuk and Bradley signed these promotional cards.

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.

Your Turn I

As promised, here is the first installment of Your Turn, Hound Central 5.0's platform for other hockey hounds -- young and old -- to share stories of their autograph adventures.

If you'd like to take part in future installments, and I hope you consider doing this, please send your stories to Hound Central 5.0.

In this offering, Hound Central 5.0 is pleased to introduce stories from these four hockey hounds:

Jordan

At 14 years old, Jordan is the youngest contributor, and does so with his parents' permission.

"After going to the American Hockey League's Manitoba Moose's first-ever skills competition, I had a feeling in my head of rookie hounding that simply I had to get the job done.

"How, though? Well, in advance, I asked my dad to take me there. He had no problem with it. It may have been busy, but my patience was rewarded by getting (center) Marty Murray, a former Carolina Hurricanes and Calgary Flames player on my second-ever signed hockey puck.

"I also got guys like (defenseman) Mike Funk and (goalie) Daren Machesney to sign what I presented to them. I had a good time and I will go hockey hounding in the near future.

"Thanks for reading!"

BEV

Bev shares his story of enjoying inside-the-hotel access during the recent Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2009's induction ceremonies:

"I was at the Westin Harbour Castle hotel in Toronto during the Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Celebration. On the eve of the induction ceremony (November 9), there was only about seven people in the lobby getting autographs (compared to a mob of about 30 local hounds/dealers out on the street).

"The hotel was packed with people. This year, hotel security staff did let registered guests get autographs from players in the lobby, but they were still discouraging it. Registered guests were allowed to call a player over to sign something, but security did not want anyone running up to players or forming crowds around them.

"In the past, if the security staff saw you getting autographs in the lobby, they would give you a warning and threaten to throw you out of the hotel ... even if you were a registered guest.

"People I saw signing included Lanny McDonald, Dale Hawerchuk, Borje Salming, Bryan Trottier, Steve Shutt, Billy Smith, Peter Stastny, Michel Goulet, Johnny Bower, Larry Murphy, Ted Lindsay, Chris Chelios and Rod Gilbert. Bobby Hull was an outstanding signer.

"There were many other Hall of Famers signing, but I did not know their names. I heard that Viacheslav Fetisov turned down many autograph requests, but did not witness it. Steve Yzerman, Luc Robitaille and Brian Leetch signed a few on their way to their limos.

"Brett Hull signed a few and used some very vulgar language indicating that he just wanted to be left alone. He then went to a secluded corner of the lobby bar, so he could visit with friends without being disturbed before he caught his limo ride.

"Yes, I did cherry-pick some selected autographs for my personal collection. Each year, this night is a great opportunity to load up on Hall of Famers if you are a registered hotel guest and if security leaves you alone. Some years, you can easily get 15 to 30 Hall of Fame signatures. On a year when security is grumpy, you may only get one or two."

Scott B.

Scott, out of South Florida, sent in many reports from his adventures hounding NHL teams at hotels. Here are a handful of his reports, with others to follow in future installments:

New Jersey Devils: "The Devils' PR guy is the worst in the league by far. Over the past few years, we have only been able to get Colin White and Martin Brodeur before he has the hotel throw us off of the property. This year was just a little better. We were able to get Zach Parise (2 of 4 cards), Brian Rolston (3 of 3), Bryce Salvador (1 of 1) and Rob Niedermayer (3 of 12). Then the PR guy had us all thrown off the property. After getting kicked out, some of the other (hounds) waited in their cars and were able to run up to the bus to get Brodeur. New Jersey is the only team that stays at this hotel that gives us a problem, thanks to the PR guy."

Los Angeles Kings: "We have not seen the Kings for several years, so we didn't know what to expect. But they were the best signing team by far this season. We got Dustin Brown (4 of 4), Alexander Frolov (2 of 6), Raitis Ivanans (1 Parkhurst card), Teddy Purcell (1 of 1), Brad Richardson (3 of 3), Wayne Simmonds (1 of 1), Jarret Stoll (3 of 3), Justin Williams (2 of 2), Drew Doughty (2 of 2), Jack Johnson (4 of 4), Randy Jones (1 of 1) and Jonathan Quick (1 Parkhurst card). A big key was that we were allowed to call over players, something that has been hit-or-miss at this particular hotel."

Pittsburgh Penguins: "The Penguins are not a good signing team. Usually they stay at a hotel on the beach, but this time they stayed at the same hotel used by the Los Angeles Kings. But the Penguins players walk around like gods because they won the Stanley Cup. And most of them even look bothered if you ask them for an autograph. Our friends told us that the only ones to sign were Pascal Dupuis, Ben Lovejoy and Nathan Guenin.I also heard that the hotel's manager didn't allow hounds to call over players."

Keith

Keith and his wife, who live in Memphis, Tenn., are devout Nashville Predators fans with a partial season ticket package. Their hounding adventures are just that; Both leave work early (usually around noon or so) to make it to the east side of the Sommet Center by 3 p.m. on game days to catch the earliest of the players.

"I have several stories tied to our hounding, but my most rewarding experiences are when I was just going for very few players or even just a single. The most recent was when the Edmonton Oilers came into Nashville earlier this season.

I've been a huge fan of Nikolai Khabibulin since the mid 1990s and I probably consider him my favorite player of all time. In college, I would play the arcade game 'NHL Open Ice' in the campus' arcade to make the Phoenix Coyotes a playoff team and to hear the announcer mispronounce his name ("Save from COBBY-BOO-LINN").

Anyway, I had never been able to catch him on previous visits, despite him playing in division rival Chicago for several years. My work schedule, his injuries, traffic, etc., had pretty much convinced me that I wouldn't ever pull it off.

"This season, I bought my ticket package in July, picking out the lone Oilers-Predators game in the first half of the season for the sole purpose of getting Habby's sig before the game.

"We showed up in plenty of time and spotted the team's bus parked at the Hilton Hotel, just across the side street from the arena, meaning that the majority of the players would simply walk across and enter through the player's entrance. Only one other hound was present and she easily added to her collection, scoring Shawn Horcoff, Sam Gagner, Jeff Deslauriers and others.

We chatted with her about really only targeting Habby, and she assured us that he was really friendly and would sign as long as he was walking over, rather than riding the bus. Strangely enough, some actually do ride the bus over rather than walk the 200 feet.

"After about 45 minutes, it seemed the entire team had walked over and the progression of players ended with no Habby. Determined (and with nothing better to do), we waited. Finally admitting defeat, we were retreating from our spot when I saw the familiar face exit the door of the hotel.

"I hate to admit that I can turn into 'fan boy' when encountering the players I watched as a kid, but I do. I simply stayed put and tried to play it cool, simply addressing him as 'Habby,' and asking him to sign an old Coyotes puck for me.

"My wife extended a McFarlane base to him and he signed after confirming with her that the same paint pen would suffice. He shook my hand and took his time signing and chatted a bit.

"The entire trip resulted in just a couple of autos from a single player, but it's been by far my most memorable hounding experience thus far."

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.

Appreciate the support

Okay, now I see how it is. Most of you, according to the latest Hound Central 5.0 poll, want Hound Central 5.0 to push past 2,000 pucks -- a feat that could happen before month's end -- but you don't want to help me do it. What a bunch of greedy you-know-whats. ;-)

Sorry, folks, but you should know by now that it's just a joke. Not only can we handle the purchasing of pucks (thanks to a narrowing of need brought about by five years of puck-centric efforts), we wouldn't accept any "donations" anyways.

Besides, your continued willingness to stop by Hound Central 5.0 is "payment" alone. And, for that, Hound Central 5.0 is most appreciative.

At this point, we're just 23 pucks away from reaching 2,000. And with four teams coming to Hockey Bay between now and Dec. 30, I'm hoping to reach the latest goal by then.

I can say with certainty that it won't happen with either the Philadelphia Flyers (Dec. 23) or Atlanta Thrashers (Dec. 26), though decent success should considerably narrow the gap. My best guess? We'll reach 2,000 pucks when either the Boston Bruins (Dec. 28) or Montreal Canadiens (Dec. 30) hit Hockey Bay.

All I can say is stay tuned and, as always, thanks for stopping by.

Question: Stop at 2,000 pucks?

No: 42 votes out of 46 cast (91.3 percent)
Yes: 4 votes (8.7 percent)

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?

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

Sunday morning homily XI

As long as you're a kid at heart, Christmas has to be a favorite time of the year. It's a time for family. It's a time for friends. It's a time to be together. Sure, sure, sure. Giving and getting presents is fun, too. So is eating too much food that's not really good for you. And, really, who doesn't like Christmas carols?

My favorite part is putting up Christmas decorations. Lately, though, my efforts have been relegated to outdoors decorations. I put up the lights, get the inflatables in place and make sure the Santa flag stays unfurled on windy days.

The Missus and Colin, however, tackle the indoor duties, setting up the Victorian village and arrays of snowmen. Last night, they decorated the tree. Each year, at least one of the ornaments -- from Santa Clauses to trains to a cat hanging from a string of lights -- is dedicated to hockey. This year, it's none other than the Great One -- Wayne Gretzky.

As much as we pride ourselves on being a hockey family, it was Colin who put it into perspective:

"Daddy, who's the Great One," he asked?

"Well, buddy, it's Wayne Gretzky," I replied.

"Oh," Colin said, "I thought it was Santa Claus."

You know, he's right.

Lumps of coal

My request for financial assistance with pucks as Hound Central 5.0 readers want us to push past 2,000 for the collection might have been a joke (unless, of course, someone really wants to), but my request for hockey-hounding stories from readers wasn't.

In fact, I'm a bit disappointed by the tepid response. I'm not asking you to write War and Peace, folks, I'm just interested in sharing your stories with like-minded individuals.

Chances are, if you've been reading the blog this season, as well as the previous four, you've gotten at least one autograph -- either in-person or through the mail. In either case, there has to be a story behind it. How did it happen? Why did you pick the player? What did you do with it? See

See? It's pretty simple, isn't it?

From where I sit, I don't believe that's too much to ask.

Humor me, will ya?

5 Big Sigs

With another week and a half before the Philadelphia Flyers come to town, there's little chance of getting any autographs. Instead, let's try something different. Sticking with the Christmas theme, how about five hockey-related presents we hope to find under our tree:

~ a new hockey gear bag for Colin;
~ entry to the Boston Bruins' morning skate on Dec. 28;
~ a certificate good for another season of P.A.L. Stars hockey for Colin;
~ tickets to the Bruins-Tampa Bay Lightning game on Feb. 11 here in Hockey Bay; and
~ another year of pleasant hockey memories, from Colin's rec league games on up to the NHL.

Just two more

Really, all it would have taken was a little extra effort on my part. Perhaps I could've shown Sam Gagner four cards, rather than only two. I could've asked Zach Stortini if he minded signing another pair of cards. Then again, Jeff Deslauriers could've signed before the game.

Unfortunately (in the most liberal sense of the word), none of that happened. As a result, we missed setting a season high Wednesday with the Edmonton Oilers. All told, Colin and I came home with 79 autographs after two hounding adventures -- I netted 44 before the morning skate and we tag-teamed Edmonton for 35 before the game.

Still, though, only two more autographs and we would've topped the 80 we received hounding the Los Angeles Kings and Colorado Avalanche. Each team signed 79 autographs for us, but we managed to snag one additional signature those days from Hall of Famer Tony Esposito and Lightning assistant coach Adam Oates, respectively, to hit 80.

For most of the ride home Wednesday night, save for a foggy stretch along the Gandy Bridge over Tampa Bay, we wondered whether we'd set a record. It wasn't until we got home and conducted a careful count, did we learn that we came oh-so-close. Honestly, though, we're pretty stoked about the day's efforts.

Next time we get close, however, I won't be as shy about asking.

Among the 50 cards we got signed, shown above:

Top row, from left: Gilbert Brule, assistant coach Kelly Buchberger and Tom Gilbert;
Middle row: Shawn Horcoff, Ethan Moreau and Sheldon Souray; and
Bottom row: Steve Staios, Zach Stortini and Lubomir Visnovsky

There were quite a few specialty cards within the day's haul, too:

Top row, from left: Andrew Cogliano, Jeff Deslauriers and Devan Dubnyk;
Middle row: Sam Gagner, Denis Grebeshkov and Robert Nilsson; and
Bottom row: Patrick O'Sullivan, Dustin Penner and Ladisalv Smid.

There's a neat little story about this puck, part of the Colin's Pucks project, that was signed by Oilers goalie Devan Dubnyk.

Colin got it during a recent morning skate for the Toronto Maple Leafs here in Hockey Bay. He got it from Colton Orr's billets from the tough guy's days in the Western Hockey League.

Why it's an Oilers puck, I have no clue. But it is an official game puck and, as you can see, it shows some pretty significant wear.

Colin asked Dubnyk to leave room for Jeff Deslauriers, the Oilers' other goalie, to sign it, but Deslauriers did a disappearing act after putting his bags on the team's gametime bus. I guess he's not a big fan of signing in the hours before a start.

Other highlights from a near-record day:

~ Getting 22 autographs, including captain Ethan Moreau, Dustin Penner, head coach Pat Quinn and Sheldon Souray, on Colin's team sheet; and
~ Having Sam Gagner sign a pair of pucks.

Something's gotta give

After getting 22 signatures on his team sheet from Edmonton Oilers players and coaches Wednesday, one of two things will need to happen over the rest of the 2009-10 hockey-hounding campaign: 1.) We'll have to start using a bigger sheet of paper; or 2.) Players and coaches will have to start writing smaller.

Really, though, it's only a minor complaint. Colin loves making them. Players like signing them. It's a win-win situation for everyone.

Here are a few of the Oilers who took the time to sign Colin's 12th team sheet of the season: Andrew Cogliano (biggest one on sheet), Sam Gagner (left of "Edmonton"), Shawn Horcoff (third from top along right side), captain Ethan Moreau (slightly to the left and under "Oilers"), Dustin Penner (top right corner), a cordial Pat Quinn (top left corner) and Sheldon Souray (left of "Oilers").

A sure sign

You can always tell when Hound Central 5.0 is having a good day any time I sneak in a Guess who? post, like I did for the first time this season Wednesday. After a strong start before the Edmonton Oilers' morning skate, in which I snagged 44 autographs, I could hardly contain my enthusiasm.

Hence, the post asking readers to guess who signed these two pucks.

A tip of Hound Central 5.0's old, roughed-up Cooper SK600 goes to Jordan, who correctly guess that is was, indeed, Edmonton's Sam Gagner, who signed both pucks. Sam's the son of former NHLer Dave Gagner, who now serves as the Vancouver Canucks' director of player development.

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.

Look what we found

In running a few errands before hounding the Edmonton Oilers earlier today, Colin and I stopped by our local Target. While there, we picked up a retail blaster box of 2009-10 Upper Deck Hockey Series I and three fat packs.

As you can plainly see, we had some decent luck, pulling Young Guns cards for the Islanders' John Tavares from the box and Colorado's Matt Duchene from one of the fat packs.

Too bad, though, we didn't pull one for Tampa Bay's Victor Hedman. Now, that would have been sweet.

Guess who?

Can you guess what son of a former NHL player signed two pucks this morning, adding the 1,975th and 1,976th to the collection? Here's another hint: one was on a London Knights puck.

All told, 17 players signed 44 items, including 41 cards, this morning.

Another hounding adventure is set to take place this afternoon. Colin has a game-used Oilers puck and his team sheet. I have a couple of AHL jerseys (Manchester Monarchs and Portland Pirates) that could use a signature, too.

Darn good reason

I failed to mention in my earlier post the reason why, with all the Tampa Bay Lightning players so willing to stop, the girls were only able to get slightly more than a half-dozen players.

Simple. They were going for the big score. They asked many guys for a stick.

Much to our surprise, too, several were willing.

Some players gave the regular answers "We're not allowed" or "This is my only one" as he stood with two sticks in his hands.

By no means am I putting them down. It is their right and I respect every answer given.

Still, though, Steven Stamkos left behind this Bauer Supreme gem, which I quickly picked up and added to our collection.

As usual with Lightning goalies, neither wanted to be outdone.

Mike Smith (above) and Antero Niittymaki (at left) offered up these specimens. When asked, both acted as if it were an honor to give up their tools of trade and smiled while doing so.

The best one of all, though, came from Lightning rookie James Wright. Most of us here at Hound Central 5.0 have heard that he is Mikayla's favorite player. As her Daddy, I can neither confirm nor deny that she may or may not have a small crush on him.

(Editor's note: I can, but don't dare say.)

As Wright came off of the ice, he walked right over to her and started up a conversation. Mikayla gave him a few letters that she wrote to him and a friendship was born. He stayed and talked to her for about 15 minutes or so and let her know how much he appreciated the letters.