Why not ... again?

Sometimes when I've visited NHL practices over the past couple of seasons, I'd pick up a puck or two that make it over the glass. Most of the time, I give them to the kids who are running around. Sometimes, if there are no kids, these items go into the "What if" pocket in my hounding bag.

You know ... What if Stevie Y unexpectedly comes to town to scout for the Canadian national team? What if anyone worthwhile, who isn't associated with the two competing teams, walks by and I don't have anything else to get signed? That when these pucks come in handy.

During the last week of the 2009-10 season, I went with the "Why not?" approach and added two of these pucks to the signature side of my collection.

This puck was signed by Randy Sexton, one of the founders of the Ottawa Senators. He's now the guy responsible for making a hockey team in South Florida. I can only hope the best for him.

This puck was signed by (at the time) Atlanta Thrashers G.M. Don Waddell. After all, he did play in one NHL game with the Los Angeles Kings. His name's on the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings.

More importantly, he is a fellow Michigander ... Michiganite ... Michiganian ... . Whatever, he's from Michigan.

Sore loser

At least one hockey fan in the house is happy that the Boston Bruins knocked out the Buffalo Sabres last night. Too bad he doesn't know -- yet -- that he's grounded for a week.

10 Questions: Ken Belanger

Ken Belanger started his career in 1994 with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He also spent time with the Los Angeles Kings, Boston Bruins and New York Islanders.

These days, Belanger is an alumni field representative for the NHL and the founder of GHL (Global Hockey Loop) real estate and relocation services.

In 10 Questions, Hound Central 5.0 asks NHL players -- past and present -- a few questions about their views on autographs. Former NHLer Ian Moran was the first to respond, giving us a few minutes of his time. Since then, there have been quite a few former NHL players who've responded.

We truly appreciate the opportunity provided by Belanger.

Hound Central 5.0: Did you collect cards/autographs as a kid? If so, who's your favorite autograph?
Ken Belanger: As a kid I use to collect hockey cards

Hound Central 5.0: Is signing autographs fun or a chore?
Ken Belanger: Signing is not a chore or fun. It's a part of being a pro hockey player. But when you see a kid with a big smile from a signature, that's what it's all about.

Hound Central 5.0: What's the weirdest thing you've ever signed?
Ken Belanger: An old dirty jersey with ketchup and mustard stains everywhere

Hound Central 5.0: Best/worst cities for autograph hound/dealers?
Ken Belanger: Depends where in the U.S. No, sometimes in the Canadian cities

Hound Central 5.0: Can you tell the difference between autograph dealers and collectors?
Ken Belanger: Yeah, it's the same guy asking year after year or he's wearing three jerseys and asks to have them all signed

Hound Central 5.0: Does it really matter to you if someone is selling your autographs?
Ken Belanger: To me, no.

Hound Central 5.0: Would/do you sign blank pieces of photo paper?
Ken Belanger: Yes, for sure

Hound Central 5.0: Any items you won't sign?
Ken Belanger: Too many concussions

Hound Central 5.0: Most famous person to ask for your autograph? Most famous person you've asked for an autograph?
Ken Belanger: Wayne Gretzky

Hound Central 5.0: Black or blue Sharpies?
Ken Belanger: Black

Hound Central 5.0 and its correspondents thank Belanger for his time in answering these questions. We appreciate his efforts, on and off the ice.

Time to vote

I've made my picks for the 2010 Hockey Bay Hounding Awards. So has Moody. It's your turn, please. Thanks.

Thanks, Easter Bunny

So, what did Colin do with the Stephen Weiss jersey that the Easter Bunny left for him earlier this month. Really, now, do you have to ask? Of course, he had his favorite Florida Panthers player sign it for him.

Since then, Colin's worn it to practice, drawing admiration and questions from his teammates. Hopefully, the signature will withstand washings.

Weiss, one of the nicest players in the league, also signed an 8x10 of he and Colin, taken during an earlier visit to Hockey Bay.

Waste not, want not

Though it may appear that Hound Central 5.0 might be shifting its platform of choice from pucks to 8x10 photographs, that isn't the case. Pucks always have been, and always will be, the object of choice for our hockey-hounding efforts.

Having said that, though, I know a good deal when I see one, especially when the cost is nothing. Yes, that's right, free. Zip. Nada. On the house, one might say.

It seems that Moody's photo supplier was trying out some color configurations on a printer and rather than throwing the test photos away he gave them to Hound Central 5.0's senior correspondent. Moody, in turn, passed them along to us.

To me, it's a classic case of never looking a gift horse in the mouth. Free, as Moody likes to say, is the best price. And these members of the Florida Panthers organization were more than willing to sign them for us during the last weekend of the NHL season:

Defenseman Keith Ballard, who has played for Team USA at the 2004, 2007 and 2008 World Championships;

Goalie Scott Clemmensen, who represented the United States at the 2009 World Championships;

Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov, the Panthers No. 1 pick (14th overall) at the 2009 NHL Draft; and

Center Steven Reinprecht, playing for HC Mulhouse in in the National 1 French league during the 2004-05 NHL lockout.

They all work

It's not so much that the most recent Hound Central 5.0 poll was looking for a definitive answer in asking where is the best place to hound. No, it was more about sharing information.

Really, when it comes to in-person hounding, there are very few places associated with the task that don't prove useful in accumulating autographs. To me, all of the options made available to HC5.0 voters work.

One could quibble, I suppose, that public appearances by players, which received the most votes, aren't exactly hounding. In a way, that's true. Public appearances take very little homework and, for the most part, require little more than copious amounts of patience.

While the other choices fulfill a traditional view of hounding, there's nothing wrong than using public appearances to add to your collection. Just think of it as lazy man's hounding.

Question: Best place to hound?

Public appearances: 17 votes out of 45 cast (37.8 percent)
Team hotel: 10 votes (22.2 percent)
Practice rink: 10 votes (22.2 percent)
Player parking lot: 8 votes (17.8)

ECHL Spring Break

I loaded up the Moody Crew last week and we went up to Atlanta for a little rest and relaxation for the kids' spring break. While there, we decided to take a shot at hounding the local Holiday Inn over in Gwinnett to try our luck at the South Carolina Stingrays.

It was Mikayla's first time hounding without any help from dear old dad, other than I got to be the taxi driver. She looked like a veteran out there. She even thought enough to talk to the bus driver to find out the best place to be to get autographs.

The Stingrays, similar to their parent club -- the Washington Capitals -- like to throw their fans a bit of a curve ball. The team gets bused over in two separate trips. We ended up getting there in time for the second trip. The little one added 10 signatures to her team sheet, including the likes of Johann Kroll, Rob Ricci, Jake Hausworth and Shane Connelly.

After a quick bite to eat, we took in the game between the Gwinnett Gladiators and the Stingrays, for the final game of the ECHL season. It was a decent game and for the dollar it was well worth it. For less than $20 a ticket, we sat on the glass right behind the bench where the Glads entered from the locker room.


After time ran out in the second period and the players headed to the locker room, Gwinnett goalie David Brown came over to Mikayla and handed her this game puck. Needless to say, she was ecstatic. It sure made the day that much more fun.

10 Questions: Marc Busenburg

Marc Busenburg played throughout pro hockey's minor league levels, including the American, United and East Coast hockey leagues as well as one year in the Swedish Elite League.

These days, Busenburg's an account representative at Euro-American Air Freight Forwarding.

In 10 Questions, Hound Central 5.0 asks NHL players -- past and present -- a few questions about their views on autographs. Former NHLer Ian Moran was the first to respond, giving us a few minutes of his time. Since then, there have been quite a few former NHL players who've responded. We truly appreciate the opportunity provided by Busenburg.

Hound Central 5.0: Did you collect cards/autographs as a kid? If so, who's your favorite autograph?
Marc Busenburg: Yes, I collected baseball cards. No. I didn't have too many autographs. ... Adam Oates.

Hound Central 5.0: Is signing autographs fun or a chore?
Marc Busenburg: Fun and a chore. Fun when signing for people, a chore when signing a room full of pieces to sign.

Hound Central 5.0: What's the weirdest thing you've ever signed?
Marc Busenburg: Someone's Forehead!

Hound Central 5.0: Best/worst cities for autograph hound/dealers?
Marc Busenburg: ?

Hound Central 5.0: Can you tell the difference between autograph dealers and collectors?
Marc Busenburg: ?

Hound Central 5.0: Does it really matter to you if someone is selling your autographs?
Marc Busenburg: If it's taking up time to sign everyone's stuff that wants an autograph, I may limit the number of signatures for one person.

Hound Central 5.0: Would/do you sign blank pieces of photo paper?
Marc Busenburg: Sure

Hound Central 5.0: Any items you won't sign?
Marc Busenburg: Nope, well almost anything

Hound Central 5.0: Most famous person to ask for your autograph? Most famous person you've asked for an autograph?
Marc Busenburg: "Mankind" from WWE

Hound Central 5.0: Black or blue Sharpies?
Marc Busenburg: Blue stands out more

Hound Central 5.0 and its correspondents thank Busenburg for his time in answering these questions. We appreciate his efforts, on and off the ice.

Why not?

They are the men you love to hate and the guys that some believe are why their teams aren't in the NHL playoffs. I decided "why not" make the most of the final game of the season last week here in Tampa by adding the NHL Zebras to a work-in-progress team sheet.

I'll continue this sheet until it is full of the most hated men in hockey over the next couple of seasons.

When we stopped Derek Amell, Thor Nelson and Francois St. Laurent early last Sunday, I believe our opinions have changed. These guys were awesome. They took time to talk with Mikayla and Colin, were more than happy to sign a few autographs and even dug a game puck, from Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos' 50th-goal game, out of a bag to give to Colin. How can you not like such a group of guys?

Cast your ballots

Every season, I take an internal accounting of what's needed to put in a full season of hockey hounding. It's not just the time, money and toll on your body, like I groused about last season. No, it's the commitment to getting up early after a late night at the office, the willingness to make multiple trips across Tampa Bay and opening up a platform to hounds across the NHL.

It's not just effort, but also dedication. Thankfully, I gain motivation by knowing that others are doing the same thing.

Seeing that Hound Central 5.0 chronicles hockey-hounding activities here in Hockey Bay, it's my duty to once again honor those members of our fraternity. Following up on last season's inaugural edition, Hound Central 5.0 kicks off the second annual Hockey Bay Hounding Awards.

To make this work, though, I need your help once again. Please, feel free to submit, via comments at this post, your thought-out and well-reasoned votes (though none for yourself, please) for the following categories:

Hound of the Year: Awarded to the hound who consistently racks up quality autographs on a diverse platform of memorabilia. Please, don't vote for yourself.

Autograph of the Year: Awarded to the hound who scores an autograph from one of hockey's best players -- past or present -- during the course of a season.

Rookie of the Year: Awarded to a hound who excels in his/her first full Hockey Bay season.

Lifetime Achievement Award: Honors a veteran Hockey Bay hound for their dedication, knowledge and product of their efforts.

Best Supporting Hound: Awarded to the hound(s) who assists in the collection of autographs.

Meatball of the Year: Awarded to a hound who displays a clear lack of thought and consideration toward his peers.

Best Original Score: Awarded to the hound obtaining an autograph(s) on a rare or peculiar piece of memorabilia.

Across the land

Just like last year, Hound Central readers and hounds outside Hockey Bay can also participate in this annual gesture of appreciation:

Nicest NHL player: Not only signs multiples, but is pleasant, too.

Snottiest NHL player: Is not just a toughie, but is downright rude.

Best-signing team: The team that bleeds Sharpies dry.

Worst-signing team: This is great intel, too.

Best-dressed player: Each team has one. Really, they do.

Nominations close June 1. Winners, who will receive nothing more than a mention here at Hound Central 5.0, will be announced in late June.

If no nominations are received from the Hockey Bay hounding community, Hound Central 5.0 will select an honoree in each Hockey Bay category.

Unsolicited praise

Colin was working through his skating drills earlier today when an older man walked up to me: "There's a lot of people wearing skates out there, but your son's the only one skating."

All I could do was smile.

Cleaning up

With the Ottawa Senators being the second-to-last NHL team to visit Hockey Bay during the 2009-10 campaign, it was time to pull out all the stops, so to speak, as Colin and I used a multitude of items -- pucks, cards, photos, a team sheet and even a McFarlane base.

Our efforts, which took us to two hotels (bad intel and laziness on my part) and an upscale mall (our first mall-based hounding in Florida), were rewarded, as we added another 46 autographs, including nine pucks, over two days of hounding the Senators.

Cards, too, made up a sizable component of the haul. Of the 17 we snagged:

Top row: Matt Cullen, Pascal Leclaire and Milan Michalek; and
Bottom row: Chris Neil, Chris Phillips and Jarkko Ruutu.

Among the other items we gathered over the two days of hounding:

Pucks signed by, from left, Brian Elliott, Erik Karlsson and Jason Spezza;

Proof that cards showing players in black jerseys can be used for hounding, as these examples from Mike Fisher, from left, Nick Foligno and Jesse Winchester can attest; and

For good measure, Jason Spezza also signed this McFarlane base.

Other highlights from two days of hounding:

~ Captain Daniel Alfredsson, two days after reaching the 1,000-game mark of his career, signing a pair of Senators pucks;
~ Colin getting in some mall hounding as he worked his team sheet;
~ Jason Spezza and Nick Foligno making a kid's day; and
~ Putting some discounted American Hockey League pucks to good use.

Moot point

I'd likely be convicted of some high hockey-hounding treason if our autographed puck collection didn't contain Ottawa Senators pucks signed by team captain Daniel Alfredsson. Let's just say that after last Thursday, when Alfredsson signed this pair of pucks, it's no longer a concern.

For the record, Alfredsson, who played the 1,001st game of his career against the Tampa Bay Lightning, has signed these three pucks in the past: 2004 NHL All-Star Game, Sweden souvenir and 2004 World Cup of Hockey.

Banking on bargains

It wasn't all that long ago that the American Hockey League had one heck of a sale at its online store. Among the many discounted items were AHL team pucks. Even better, if you spent $75, the shipping was free.

Ever the bargain hunter, I snapped up more than two dozen pucks, easily reaching the $75 threshhold to add to the dwindling puck supply. I put these four to good use last week when the Ottawa Senators visited Hockey Bay:

Top row: Brian Elliott and Chris Kelly; and
Bottom row: Ryan Shannon, who signed a pair of pucks.

Two-day project

It may have taken him a couple of days, but Colin got himself a keeper last week with his Ottawa Senators team sheet. The real story, though, was how and where he got most of the 16 signatures.

After missing the Senators before a practice, we managed to catch up with a few, including Jason Spezza and Nick Foligno, before the team headed to the International Plaza mall for some shopping and post-practice stretching of legs. Funny thing, though, was that's where we were headed.

We planned to make the trip to snag autographs from Tampa Bay's Vinny Lecavalier, who was signing at a Champs store at the upscale mall. It was sheer luck, and a small amount of wishful thinking, that Ottawa players were also there.

After walking the mall and recognizing several Senators players, we got into the Lecavalier line outside the store. As Ottawa players walked past or nearby, I'd point them out to Colin and he'd ask them to sign his team sheet. Thankfully, not a single one, including captain Daniel Alfredsson, Mike Fisher and Brian Elliott, shot him down.

Thanks for the idea

For the past few hockey-hounding campaigns, people have suggested that I take more pictures of Colin with the various NHL players he gets to meet over the course of the season. We tried that during the Ottawa Senators' visit to Hockey Bay last week.

I thought Ottawa's Jason Spezza, one of the more approachable stars in the NHL, would be happy to help in our test run. As you can see, he was more than happy to make his new buddy's day.

So, too, was Nick Foligno. I wish, though, I'd asked him to personalize it to Colin.

Thanks, Phil!!! Finally ...

After two previous requests for Hall of Famer Phil Esposito to complete this mini project in progress, it is now done. My first request was shot down with a simple "No!" The second was much more colorful as he dropped an F-bomb in with the "No!"

This past Saturday, Esposito, after showing a slight hesitation, finally signed the card previously inked by fellow Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke.

Thanks, Phil, and sorry for inconveniencing you at your place of business.

10 Questions: Todd Ewen

Todd Ewen played for the St Louis Blues, Montreal Canadiens, Anaheim Mighty Ducks and the San Jose Sharks. He got his name on the Stanley Cup in 1993 while with the Canadiens.

These days, he's a marketing and sales executive at Remax Properties West.

In 10 Questions, Hound Central 5.0 asks NHL players -- past and present -- a few questions about their views on autographs. Former NHLer Ian Moran was the first to respond, giving us a few minutes of his time. Same with the likes of Brian Propp, Kevin Miller, David Harlock and Jeff Shevalier. We truly appreciate the opportunity provided by Ewen.

Hound Central 5.0: Did you collect cards/autographs as a kid? If so, who's your favorite autograph?
Todd Ewen: Todd McFarlane with Spawn comics ( Vancouver born)

Hound Central 5.0: Is signing autographs fun or a chore?
Todd Ewen: Always a pleasure!

Hound Central 5.0: What's the weirdest thing you've ever signed?
Todd Ewen: Never really had a weird situation in signing.

Hound Central 5.0: Best/worst cities for autograph hound/dealers?
Todd Ewen: L.A .. East Coast usually have the most dealers in the crowd, but it was growing when I retired.

Hound Central 5.0: Can you tell the difference between autograph dealers and collectors?
Todd Ewen: After over a decade in the NHL, you see the same faces, doesn’t take long to figure them out.

Hound Central 5.0: Does it really matter to you if someone is selling your autographs?
Todd Ewen: Yes and no. You want to give back to the game and make sure that you sign for the fans. Without them, there is no following.

Hound Central 5.0: Would/do you sign blank pieces of photo paper?
Todd Ewen: No!

Hound Central 5.0: Any items you won't sign?
Todd Ewen: No.

Hound Central 5.0: Most famous person to ask for your autograph? Most famous person you've asked for an autograph?
Todd Ewen: The most famous person I asked for an autograph was former President Gerald R. Ford in Anaheim.

Hound Central 5.0: Black or blue Sharpies?
Todd Ewen: Whatever is available, I will sign with a crayon if they want.

Hound Central 5.0 and its correspondents thank Ewen for his time in answering these questions. We appreciate his efforts, on and off the ice.

Top Shelf: Vinny Lecavalier

Provided you arrive early enough -- as in 90 minutes, at the least -- a promotional signing is a hockey fan's best friend. It's one-on-one access in an autograph-happy environment. Like little else in life, it's a sure thing.

But when one of these signing sessions involves one of the game's big names, well, as a hockey hound, you take full advantage of the situation. That's exactly what Colin and I did Wednesday afternoon for Tampa Bay's Vinny Lecavalier.

The Lightning captain, at a Champs store at International Plaza with teammate Alex Tanguay, was throwing down some pretty nice signatures, as these items, including a well-worn Lecavalier Bolts third jersey personalized at Colin's request, will attest:

Just a couple days ago, I stumbled upon this card tin for Vinny at a local Target. Different enough, I believe, to get signed. Did you notice, like Colin did, that the hockey pants are dark blue, instead of the normal black?

And, for good measure, he also signed these two cards.

Four nice signatures in less than a minute? Certainly worth our wait.