Expect a crowd

By Keith
Hockey Hounds Universe correspondent

Growing up a Chicago Blackhawks fan, I make just about every effort to see them in action when they play my Nashville Predators. And while I’m always decked out in Preds gear and rooting for a Preds win, I still consider myself a Hawks fan and am always trying to add to my ever-growing collection of autographs.

This year was no different, but with them being the defending Stanley Cup Champions, my wife, myself and a good friend left Memphis super early to secure a place before the team made its walk over to the arena for the morning skate.

Upon arrival, we knew our hunches of a crowd had proven true. Coupled with their Stanley Cup victory was the added complication of this being a weekend game. In short, a LOT of people had shown up, including numerous dealers with boxes (BOXES!!) of blank souvenir sticks, 16x20s and pucks in hand.

I’m told by others that Nashville is one of the most hound-friendly situations in the league, and I think the word is getting around, as there are an increasing number of dealers actually traveling into town for these opportunities with the hotter teams in the league. The crowd was large enough for hotel staff to take numerous trips out to reinforce rules that are usually overlooked.

This trip also brought about an aspect to hounding I had yet to encounter—team-employed security personnel. The team began trickling out a few at a time, with most of the players being escorted by a gruff-looking gentleman in a nice suit with a Blackhawks logo pin on his lapel. Every player stopped and signed on their walk over to morning skate, but the quantity of signatures varied greatly by player.

Very few players signed for anyone on the return walk from the arena (security personnel made it very easy for the players to avoid the hounds). And because most players rode the bus from the hotel to the arena at game time, the afternoon was even less fruitful for hounds.

Luckily, this season is more of a cherry-picking endeavor for us, so we’re not necessarily shooting for every player or even every superstar. We were able to get signatures on pucks from Marty Turco, Corey Crawford, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Tomas Kopecky, coach Joel Quenneville, and former player/current radio color man, Troy Murray.

The primary goal of the day was accomplished, with my wife getting team captain Jonathan Toews to sign a replica of his Team Canada jersey with one of the nicest signatures I’ve seen from him. Duncan Keith continued to serve as my white whale, as I was once again unable to secure him on a Team Canada puck.

Of course, that just gives me a goal for their next visits in January and February.

Change in plans pays off

By Keith
Hockey Hounds Universe correspondent

Being three hours away from an NHL city (Nashville), my wife and I have to plan well in advance as to which teams we will be able to hound.

The first home game of the season was against the Anaheim Ducks who have, in the past, stayed in a hotel that was incredibly unfriendly toward fans and auto seekers. Because of that, we elected to sleep in and drive up just before game time and give only a half-hearted effort to our hounding—despite my wanting to snag a few Teemu Selanne signatures during what is most likely his last season.

But after a good friend (a Nashville local) texted the news that the Ducks were staying at a much friendlier hotel, we hit Interstate 40 within minutes. Getting positioned outside the hotel around 3:30, our efforts were rewarded.

We were able to get Selanne to sign two Jets pucks and a single Ducks puck, Ryan Getzlaf on a Ducks puck, Bobby Ryan and rookie Cam Fowler on USA pucks, Jonas Hiller on a Ducks puck and George Parros on a blank puck. This was purely a cherry-picking pursuit, but other players, including Saku Koivu, Troy Bodie, Aaron Voros and Randy Carlyle were gracious to sign for other fans.

The only failed attempt was with Corey Perry, who replied with "I got you guys this morning." Not one to quibble, I thanked him anyway. In his defense, my wife and I were the only new faces who weren’t there earlier in the day, so I can understand how he could assume. However, there were only five of us there, total, that afternoon. No big deal. I figure I’ll get him on a Team Canada puck on the next visit.

Top row: Cam Fowler, George Parros and Bobby Ryan.
Middle row: Jonas Hiller, Teemu Selanne and Ryan Getzlaf.
Bottom: Teemu Selanne.