Breaking the ice

So, who signed the first autographs of our 2010-11 hockey-hounding campaign? Well, it was Stu Barnes, an assistant coach with the Dallas Stars.

I suppose one could argue that the campaign began back in August, even before training camps opened. I prefer, though, to kick off a campaign with the first visiting team of the season.

Hounding help

I was unable to make the trip to Clearwater as I had hoped in order to solidify my acquisition of Norm Beaudin, a member of the original World Hockey Association Winnipeg Jets.

I asked Puckhound if he would mind, since young Colin skates at the arena where Norm owns a hockey store. In turn, Ron employed the help of Mrs. Puckhound, and, as you can see from the results . . .

Norm, who scored 103 points as a rookie linemate of Bobby Hull in 1972-73, was more than happy to apply his penmanship to these two photos.

Many thanks to the Puckhound family for helping me out with this small project.

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