Double down

It might take some time, but when it happens it truly brings about a genuine sense of accomplishment. What am I talking about? Heck if I know.

No, really, I do know what I'm talking about. It's this 2006-07 O-Pee-Chee rookie Showdown card, completed earlier this week when Phoenix's Keith Yandle joined former Coyotes' teammate Keith Ballard, now with the Florida Panthers.

Honestly, though, completing cards like this, which I call "doubles," is easier said than done. In some cases, one of the players has moved to a different team, meaning at least two trips before completing the task. Other times, though, it's simply a case of priorities.

No matter the issue, though, they do look pretty sweet once completed.

A minor letdown

Two days after adding a significant milestone puck, I'm not surprised that Wednesday's effort for the Montreal Canadiens seems to lack luster. Yet, after adding 39 autographs, including 22 cards, to the collection, that's how it felt.

The biggest part, I imagine, was that not a single Canadiens player, or at least the ones I had pucks for, put silver paint on vulcanized rubber. Sure, the bar was raised -- top names (Andrei Markov) and new faces (Mike Cammalleri, Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez) filled the list -- but it was odd to walk away from hounding the Habs without adding a puck.

Oh, well, you don't always get what you want, do you? Besides, the Canadiens will be back soon enough and, perhaps, I'll have better luck next time.

Among those signing cards, shown above, were:

Top row: Matt D'Agostini, Josh Gorges and Jaroslav Halak;
Middle row: Sergei Kostitsyn, Maxim Lapierre and Kirk Muller; and
Bottom row: Max Pacioretty, Tomas Plekanic and Benoit Pouliot.

Unlike Moody, who has a knack for getting these double cards signed, Josh Gorges completed the first of the season, maybe even ever, when he signed this 2006-07 O-Pee-Chee card shared with then-San Jose teammate Matt Carle.

Carle, now with the Philadelphia Flyers, kicked off the card last week during the team's visit to Hockey Bay to play the Lightning, another of his former teams.

Other highlights of our morning with the Habs:

~ Seventeen members of the Canadiens organization signing Colin's team sheet; and
~ goalie Carey Price adding to the Threads 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

Twice as much fun

It's not really news that Hockey Bay hounds are pulling in record numbers this season. Nine-boards are turning into a common practice and the surprise of completing one has diminished.

But what do you do with those pesky dual-player cards that typically get shuffled to the bottom of the stack? Well, I take on the challenge of putting two or three signatures across them. I like them more because they aren't a "one-and-done" task. They aren't a team project that you can afford to move on without one or two players.

In other words, the job's not done until all the players have signed. These examples from various sets were typically completed within two years or less for each one.

From Hall of Famers to juniors, stars to semi-stars, you can toss in an Olympian or even (dare I say it) ... a girl. That's what I love about these cards -- the diversity. The next time you are running through you cards for the next hounding trip, think about the rarity of dual-signed cards and the challenge of getting one completed on your own.

This two-sided jersey card of former Boston Bruins teammates Sergei Samsonov and "Jumbo" Joe Thornton is one of my favorites. I got Thornton to sign his side of the card in Detroit at a sports card show in 2002. The card and my mini-project was finally completed in 2008, when Samsonov and the Carolina Hurricanes stormed through Tampa Bay.