My 2010-11 NHL awards picks

Hart Memorial Trophy (MVP): Marty St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning
Vezina Trophy (best goalie): Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins
James Norris Memorial Trophy (best defenseman): Shea Weber, Nashville Predators
Calder Memorial Trophy (top rookie): Jeff Skinner, Carolina Hurricanes
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (gentlemanly conduct): Marty St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning
Frank J. Selke Trophy (top defensive forward): Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks
Jack Adams Award (top coach): Guy Boucher, Tampa Bay Lightning (yes, I know he's not a finalist)
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy (dedication, perseverance and sportsmanship): Ray Emery, Anaheim Ducks (pretty weak field, too)
Ted Lindsay Award (players' MVP): Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks

Team report: Carolina Hurricanes III

Even without a calendar, it's easy to tell when the end of an NHL regular season approaches: division foes come calling to Hockey Bay in an increasing frequency. Though it's a time to add to the collection, you can find yourself running out of items.

That's the reason why I loaded up on cards, rather than this single puck signed by Jeff Skinner, during the Carolina Hurricanes' third and final visit to Hockey Bay recently. All told, 18 of the 20 autographs I scored that day came on cardboard.

For the second straight trip, too, I missed on Hurricanes captain Eric Staal. This time, it was because he said he'd sign after the morning skate. Too bad, I suppose, that I had to be at work by then. The 2011 All-Star Game and Team Canada pucks will have to wait. Maybe he'll be back for the playoffs.

Signing cards, shown above, were:

Top row: Bryan Allen, Drayson Bowman and Erik Cole;
Middle row: Patrick Dwyer, Tim Gleason and Jussi Jokinen; and
Bottom row: Justin Peters, Tuomo Ruuttu and Cory Stillman.

Other highlights from a morning of hounding:

~ Having Cam Ward find enough room on a mini jersey; and
~ Jiri Tlusty signing four cards -- finally.

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.

Finding some room

He sure didn't have a lot of room to sign this mini-jersey, but Carolina Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward did the best he could. It's tucked in, right next to his number 30.

After having Ward sign many pucks, cards, photos, goalie masks, a Lowell Lock Monsters jersey and a couple of sticks, there isn't much left for him to sign for us.

Team report: Carolina Hurricanes II

Though stay-at-home defensemen seldom score big goals or make headlines, every team has as least one. It's their job to hang back and make sure no one gets behind them.

In a way, that's my approach when it comes to hockey hounding. I prefer, for the most part, to hang back and be one one the last people to get an autograph. That way, if another player comes out, especially one I need to sign a specific item, I don't get caught up in a crowd.

Well, when the Caroline Hurricanes came to Hockey Bay a couple of weekends ago, I got caught pinching in. With a larger-than-expected crowd, I let myself get sucked in close to the hotel, keeping the back-door entrance wide open for Hurricanes captain Eric Staal.

Sure, we got some autographs, but my getting caught out of position meant it was the first time in years that I hadn't gotten at least one autograph from Staal when hounding Carolina. Oh, well, we all can't be perfect.

Snagging another 28 autographs, including this 2020 NHL Draft puck signed by Jeff Skinner eased the pain. Signing the cards were:

Top row: Zach Boychuk, Troy Bodie, Ryan Carter, Tim Gleason; and
Bottom row: Chad LaRose, Jamie McBain, Sergei Samsonov and Brandon Sutter.

Other highlights:

~ Goalie Cam Ward adding an 8x10 and two pucks to the collection;
~ Colin scoring 15 autographs on a wallpaper team sheet; and
~ yet another cheap skate card coming in handy.

I'll know better next time

By Colin
Hound Central 5.0 junior correspondent

On Feb. 12, we hounded the Carolina Hurricanes. We ended up 27 getting autographs, including 15 on my team sheet.

Unfortunately, I didn't get Eric Staal on my team sheet. The reason is because he had already walked into the St. Pete Times Forum before I could get him. If I didn't try to get my big picture of him out, I could have made it.

I should have gotten him to sign the team sheet when I could have. So, I learned a lesson, but I had fun.

Editor's note: Among those who did sign were Tim Gleason, Chad LaRose, Jamie McBain, Sergei Samsonov, Jeff Skinner and Brandon Sutter. he also got an 8x10 signed by goalie Cam Ward.

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: 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.

In honor of Olympic gold

Thanks to Al, Hound Central 5.0's senior correspondent in Toronto, we have a new hockey-hounding project to keep us busy over the next few seasons. And thanks to Carolina's Eric Staal, the captain of the Hurricanes, we were able to break the ice, so to speak, with the project.

Not too long ago, Al asked if we were interested in this set of nine members of Canada's 2010 Olympic gold-medal winning squad. Of course, we were, I told him.

Though we live down here in Hockey Bay, where palm trees ( not maple leafs) are part of the hockey landscape, I certainly can appreciate what that special moment in Vancouver meant in the cradle of hockey.

Besides Staal, who else is in the set? Here's who: New Jersey's Martin Brodeur, Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby, San Jose's Dany Heatley, Calgary's Jarome Iginla, Vancouver's Roberto Luongo, Columbus' Rick Nash, San Jose's Joe Thornton and Chicago's Jonathan Toews.

Conditions exist for us to have Brodeur, Crosby, Nash and Toews sign their bases, like Staal did, this season. The others, however, will have to wait until at least the 2011-12 hockey-hounding campaign.

Either way, it'll be no easy feat. Still, though, once we complete the set, the effort will certainly be worth it.

He's good for four

Though he's not the first NHL player to sign four cards at one time for us, and we're hoping he's not the last, there are at least two Hockey Bay hounds who certainly appreciate Carolina's Joni Pitkanen. These were among the 23 cards that Colin got signed earlier this week when the 'Canes played the Tampa Bay Lightning.

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 9

It's not just that Christmas is less than a week away, but these next two weeks are my favorite time of the year. Sure, it's fun watching Colin open presents (no hockey equipment this year, but another rec league season) early Christmas morning. What's more important, though, is that we get to spend more time together.

With no school until Jan. 3, we'll have more time to hang out, work on his hockey and, more importantly, get in a little hounding. Well, after he scored 47 autographs to my five from the Atlanta Thrashers last Wednesday, it's more accurate to say a lot of hounding.

Beginning tomorrow, we'll try our luck with the Carolina Hurricanes, carrying mostly cards as well as a handful of Albany River Rats pucks and a 2010 Olympic gold medalist McFarlane base for Eric Staal. After a little break, the Boston Bruins, Colin's favorite team, and the Montreal Canadiens head into Hockey Bay.

That's not to say it's all about hounding. The Missus and Colin will get to take in a couple games, too, watching the Bolts play the Hurricanes and the Bruins. We considered getting tickets for the Canadiens game, but I picked up a little OT that day at the paper.

Bottom line, we get to spend quality time together. And in this holiday season, that's the best present a Dad can ask for.

Better act fast

If you're a hockey fan, and you wouldn't be if you're stopping by here, chances are you're involved in a fantasy hockey league or some sort of poll. Every so often, though, you stumble across a contest that's simply fun to enter.

Take Drop The Gloves, a blog that focuses mostly on hockey cards. In honor of its one-year anniversary and its 100th post, it's running a contest that's based on fact after relying on randomness.

Confusing? Not really. Stop by and enter. You'll see what I mean. I did, choosing #23 for no other reason than I once wore the number in my illustrious (and penalty-filled) street hockey career and it was available.

If you'd like to enter, though, you better hurry. Entries end in just a few hours, at 5 p.m. EST today.

Quote of the week

"That's a Dennis the Menace thing to do."
Coach Mike, after Colin tried to extinguish flames on a marshmallow by wildly shaking his marshmallow roasting stick by the bonfire at last night's holiday party.

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.

Good for two

For as long as I've been hounding Carolina's Eric Staal, the 'Canes captain has always been good for signing two autographs. He hasn't changed one bit since his days in Lowell, Mass., during the 2004-05 NHL lockout.

Need proof? Check out this pair of pucks, which Staal signed Tuesday's before the Hurricanes' morning skate.

Returning the favor

When the Carolina Hurricanes visited Hockey Bay in March, I gave goalie Manny Legace one of his newest cards, which showed him in a Hurricanes uniform.

"Thanks, man, I don't have one of these yet," Legace told me.

Well, Manny, after signing these two pucks Tuesday, let's just say we completed a fair deal.

Cheap shot: Ray Whitney

It never ceases to amaze me when NHL players, especially a veteran like Carolina's Ray Whitney, turn into petulant crybabies every time a hound asks for an autograph. Take Tuesday morning, for instance. Whitney was approached by four (yes, that's all) hounds as he made his way toward the St. Pete Times Forum.

"These are our biggest fans," he said, snidely, to anyone willing to listen before signing for us.

Granted, I've been called far worse things by much better people than Whitney. But I subscribe to the theory that if you don't want to sign, all you have to do is say "no." Then again, I'm more used to dealing with mature NHL players.

Here's some advice, Ray: Follow your captain's lead. You'll be a better, and bigger, man for it.

Sunday morning homily XXVII

With the Tampa Bay Lightning missing the NHL playoffs for the third straight season, this week brings about the closure of another hockey-hounding campaign down here in Hockey Bay. I'm not the least bit disappointed. It might mean the Dolts snag another top draft pick.

My stance goes beyond draft picks, too. Since late August, when players took part in informal skates, it's been a long stretch of prepping, homework, hounding and blogging. Now, toss in family, Colin's hockey and two jobs. I hope you can see why I'm ready for a break.

It's time to chill out. Kick back. Read the Sunday paper. Put away some pucks. And, yes, figure out what will happen to Hound Central 5.0. As for the future? Well, that's too far ahead. I've been kicking around some ideas with Moody, so we'll see what happens.

More than anything else, I want to take a step away from hard-core hounding. It's not like I'll quit cold turkey, so to speak. Certain teams, especially those from the Western Conference, will draw my appearance. For nothing else, I need the NHL to reload with new players. There are very few in the league who haven't signed something -- be it a puck, card, jersey or photo -- for us since 1997.

These days, I'm getting autographs for the sake of providing "fresh" content to HC5.0. To me, that's awfully darn close to hounding being a job. When a hobby begins to feel like that, it's time to walk away. That's why I'm glad this season is nearing an end.

Colin's hockey is also a major factor. As he progresses, it'll take a greater investment of time and money. Like most everyone else, we've felt the economic pinch. If I have $100 to spend, and that doesn't happen all that often, it's going to his hockey, not hounding.

Really, though, I shouldn't complain. It's been a good season, as we've racked up more than 1,500 autographs. We'll easily top 200 pucks for the campaign, which included a special milestone. Got to spend lots of quality time, too, with Colin. And that, my friends, is what it's all about.

As for baseball

Along the same vein, Baseball Mondays won't be reactivated over the summer. Doing so, I'm afraid, will dilute last year's Summer of Baseball campaign, where we took in more than 300 innings and loaded up on Florida State League team balls.

Now, that doesn't mean we won't take in a few games over the summer. Don't worry, we will -- Rays and FSL. The goal this summer is about 100 innings, and perhaps only a couple of team balls.

5 Big Sigs

Busy week here in Hockey Bay, as three teams help close another painful chapter in Tampa Bay Lightning history.

~ Carolina's Eric Staal on a Canada souvenir puck;
~ Carolina's Manny Legace on Carolina, Detroit and St. Louis pucks;
~ Ottawa's Jason Spezza on a Canada souvenir puck and a MacFarlane base;
~ Ottawa's Alex Kovalev on a McFarlane base (for Al); and
~ Florida's Stephen Weiss on an 8x10 with Colin.

Taking full advantage

To some, late-season hockey hounding is the equivalent of mop-up duty. You have mostly conference or division teams making trips, so it offers a decent opportunity to tie up loose ends of the annual campaign.

That's the approach I took Tuesday when the Carolina Hurricanes, a Southeast Division foe of the Tampa Bay Lightning, made the second of three trips to Hockey Bay this season, snagging an assortment of items, including this 8x10 photo signed by 'Canes keeper Cam Ward, for the collection.

Though I will likely hound the Hurricanes on their third trip, tying remaining loose ends into a season-ending knot, I considered it a good day after adding 21 autographs, mostly on specific cherry-picked items.

As is the case lately, an assortment of cards, more than pucks, made up the bulk of the day's bounty:

Top row: Zach Boychuk, Jussi Jokine and Chad Larose;
Middle row: Justin Peters, Joni Pitkanen and Tuomo Ruutu; and
Bottom row: Sergei Samsonov, Brandon Sutter and (the ever-grumpy) Ray Whitney.

Signing pucks were, from left, Zach Boychuk, on a Lethbridge Hurricanes puck, and Brandon Sutter, on a Red Deer Rebels puck (Yes, my troubling trend with silver paint pens briefly resurfaced).

These cards were signed by, from left, Zach Boychuk, Justin Peters, Joni Pitkanen and Manny Legace.

Other highlights from hounding the Hurricanes:

~ Having Rod Brind'Amour and Jussi Jokinen complete the 2009-10 MVP Two on Two quad memorabilia card;
~ Erik Cole and Eric Staal adding to the Threads project; and
~ Snagging the fifth card of the Jumbos project.

Don't knock retail

We all know that hobby boxes of hockey cards, no matter the maker, produce the best premiums -- memorabilia cards, autograph cards, rookie cards and, if you're lucky, the very rare 1/1. That's not to say, though, that retail blaster packs, found at such stores as Target and Walmart, don't yield gems.

In the case of 2008-09 O-Pee-Chee Hockey, it was jumbo cards of the base set. These cards, including this one signed Tuesday by Carolina's Eric Staal, work just fine. In fact, they've become another season-long hounding project -- Jumbos.

Crossed off the list

Now that the 2009-10 hockey-hounding campaign is drawing to a close, I've ramped up my cherry-picking efforts for a few select items. This 2009-10 MVP Two on Two quad memorabilia card is one of them.

On Tuesday, Carolina's Rod Brind'Amour and Jussi Jokinen sealed the deal, so to speak, when they signed the card, joining Florida's Cory Stillman and Nathan Horton, who kicked off the card in mid-January.

Like I wrote back then, this card is the centerpiece of theThreads project, meaning its completion sat high atop the must-get-done list over the campaign's final weeks.

Not too bad, I'd say, for a card pulled from a retail blaster box.