Road trip souvenirs

By Puckhound
Hockey Hounds Universe editor

Last week, Colin and I took a road trip over to Sunrise, Florida, to watch the Boston Bruins play the Florida Panthers. It was a reward for Colin making the honor roll and being on his best behavior.

Like any tourist, we snagged a few souvenirs -- Colin got a Panthers T-shirt and I bought myself a Panthers cap. It wasn't until we got home, though, that I recognized we also had a few more souvenirs -- a scoresheet and one of the tickets from the game.

Last Saturday, with the Panthers in Hockey Bay to play the Tampa Bay Lightning, I put them to good use, adding to our collection. Florida's Stephen Weiss signed the scorecard. David Booth signed the ticket.

Sure beats them just sitting around gathering dust, doesn't it? We'll try to get Boston's David Krejci to finish the scoresheet, too.

Mix things up

By Puckhound
Hockey Hounds Universe editor

If you're a hound who gets only cards signed, you likely value variety in your offerings. Simply put, variety can range from manufacturers, sets, teams and a team's different jerseys. That's the approach we use anytime an NHL team comes calling to Hockey Bay.

Case in point, these cards signed by Boston Bruins players during their recent visit to Hockey Bay. Among those adding to our collection:

Top row: David Krejci, Adam McQuade and Michael Ryder; and
Bottom row: Dennis Seidenberg, Marco Sturm and Blake Wheeler.

Even the direction of the card, such as these horizontal examples, can be a factor:

Top row: Milan Lucic and Jordan Caron; and
Bottom row: Mark Recchi and Daniel Paille.

Newfound Enjoyment (Part 1)

By Moody
Hockey Hounds Universe senior correspondent

I have found that over the past season as well as during the current season that hounding has become a bit of a chore. It is becoming more difficult to come up with fresh items for today's NHL stars. Sure, I could use the "Go To" items like trading cards and team sheets, but it still is the same players over and over.

Yes, I've mixed it up a bit with my quest to get photos of players in non-NHL jerseys and that has sparked a bit of attention as a standout.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the friends who I've met during my hounding and always look forward to that, it's the repetition of the same players filtering through town that make it seem like I am just going through the motions.

This was laid to rest last week when I went to East Coast Hockey League game between the Florida Everblades and Toledo Walleye and decided to take a shot at getting autographs from them. Not only are there fresh faces that I haven't hounded in the past, but for the hockey purist (there are still a few around), there are some great college and junior players there.

Ross Carlson is a former NCAA champion with the University of Wisconsin Badgers.

Mike Egener is a second-round pick for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Mitch Fadden was a great scorer in the Western Hockey League and a fourth-round pick for the Lightning.

David Fischer is a former first-rounder for the Montreal Canadiens.

Bobby Goepfert was a NCAA standout and sixth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Want to join the team?

Now that Hockey Hounds Universe is on firm footing, meaning we have a good, solid month under our feet, it's time to see how many of you have what it takes to join the lineup.

Hockey Hounds Universe is looking to add correspondents in NHL and AHL locales. So far, we're covered in New England, Miami, Nashville, San Jose, Toronto and, of course, the hotbed of hockey hounding, Hockey Bay.

Here are some of our correspondents' efforts:

~ Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin;
~ catching up with former NHLer Theo Fleury;
~ former NHL defenseman Nolan Pratt's day with Lord Stanley's Cup;
~ a brag book of autographs from the Toronto Maple Leafs; and
~ hounding American Hockey League teams.

What we're looking for are people who can string words into sentences, sentences into paragraphs and paragraphs into quick-hit, must-read monthly reports of hockey-hounding exploits in your area. We're not looking for epics, either. Instead, we want 200 to 250 words that provide useful information for hockey hounds.

It helps, too, if you're handy with a camera or scanner and can provide images of players signing autographs or in-person autographed items.

If you think you have what it takes, tell Hockey Hounds Universe, in 100 words or less, why we should add you to the team. If you make the cut, we'll let you know. Please understand that this is an unpaid position. We're in it for the hobby, not as a business.

As always, Hockey Hounds Universe appreciates your time. Thanks for stopping by.

Puckhound
Hockey Hounds Universe editor

What do you think?

Puckhound, Hockey Hound Universe's editor, weighs in with his theory on NHL players' signing habits on his main blog, Hound Central 5.0.

It joins some of his other tricks of the hockey-hounding trade:

~ How to find NHL teams
~ Recognizing players
~ Hockey-hounding etiquette

Three-day adventure

By Commonkid
Hockey Hound Universe correspondent

Last Saturday, I drove to Riverside Mass., to take train into Boston as its a lot easier than driving all the way. They were working on a bridge, so it turned out to be train to a bus back to the train.

Main thing, we arrived on time as on the day was able to get most of the Ottawa Senators to sign something, except for Alex Kovalev, who claimed he signed for everyone the night before, and Brian Elliot. But, overall, most of us there were pleased with the results.

Did the quick walk over to the TD Banknorth Garden and did the Boston Bruins there. The only ones who didn't stop were Shawn Thornton and Brad Marchand. Tim Thomas only signed for the kids that day. But I was happy to get Tyler Seguin.

On Sunday, we shot over to Mansfield, Mass., for a show. Reason being, Bruins legend Terry O'Reilly did a signing. Then, down to Providence for the Abbotsford Heat, the Calgary Flames' AHL team. Again, a very good signing team, as all the players and coaches signed. One of the Heat's goalies, Leland Irving, was great as he signed everything we had.

Well, back to Boston on Monday for the New Jersey Devils. Due to traffic, we thought we might be late, but arrived about three minutes before the players boarded the bus for a optional skate. One of which was Martin Brodeur, who signed the 8x10 shown above.

Then, we went over to the Garden where I was able to get most of the players I missed Saturday. Missed Patrice Bergeron each time, as he walks out a different entrance. Next time, though, I'll stake out that area. After lunch, we went back to the Devils' hotel and was able to get a few more players, including another Brodeur and Ilya Kovalchuk.

Some of the other items I got signed:

An 8x10 from Boston's Tyler Seguin, the No. 2 overall pick at the 2010 draft; and

An 8x10 from Boston's Tim Thomas, taken after the 2010 Winter Classic at Fenway Park.

How many is too many?

It's not uncommon to see a hound offering a hockey player a sheet of nine cards for signing. Yes, that's right. Nine cards. That's why, across the land, these sheets are called nineboards. Here in Hockey Bay, it's an occasional topic of discussion, one that lacks a specific prevailing view. Some hounds practice this approach, with varying degrees of success. Others, though, view the use of nineboards with something just shy of disdain.

Apparently, though, it's not an issue among Hockey Hounds Universe readers, where a majority said that offering nine cards to a player at one time wasn't nearly enough. Wishful thinking? Perhaps. But it would be cool, in a way, to score 10 or more autographs from a player.

More than anything else, it takes a certain commitment to offer that many cards at one time. Just think of how long it takes to get that many cards ready for one player. Now, multiple that by at least 12 to 15, as most players have been around enough to accumulate that many different cards. You'd hope that kind of effort would be rewarded.

Another aspect to consider is what do players think about it? Do they view nineboards as a sure sign of a dealer, especially if half of the cards are the same? If not, do they view it as being greedy. Those answers come easy. If a player signs all nine cards, he doesn't have a problem. If he signs just one, well, then, that answer is pretty clear.

Bottom line, it depends on the hound. If you have that many cards and that kind of time, why not. The worst thing that can happen, besides not getting any at all, is getting only one or two cards signed. The best-case scenario, though, means going home with 2-inch thick stack of signed cards.

Question: Nineboards?

Not nearly enough: 10 votes out of 23 cast (43.5 percent)
Too many at one time: 7 votes (30.4 percent)
Just the right amount: 6 votes (26.1 percent)

Filling it up

Mike, one of Hockey Hounds Universe's two Toronto correspondents, might be running out of room soon on this McFarlane base for Maple Leaf alums.

This past weekend, Mike added signatures from Darryl Sittler and Rick Vaive.

In all, Mike's scored 17 autographs on the piece. Among the others who've signed are Dave Andreychuk, Johnny Bower, Wendel Clark, Mike Gartner, Doug Gilmore, Mike Palmateer and Darcy Tucker.

Brag Book: Toronto Maple Leafs II

Hound: Mike, Hockey Hounds Universe Toronto correspondent
Hounding opportunities: Ontario Hockey League games, personal appearances and the MasterCard Centre of Hockey Excellence
Where: Various locales in Ontario
When: September and October 2010

Let the bragging begin:

Leafs legend Doug Gilmour on a couple of Tall Boy cards;

Wendel Clark, another Leafs legend, on a handout card;

An 8x10 signed by Doug Gilmour, left, and Wendel Clark;

An 8x10 from Phil Kessel;

Pucks signed by Francois Beauchemin and Jean-Sebastien Giguere;

Wendel Clark on a McFarlane base; and

Goalies Jonas Gustavsson, top, and Jean-Sebastien Giguere on McFarlane bases.

Beggars can't be choosers

By Puckhound
Hockey Hounds Universe editor

It must be rough being Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin, getting hounded every place you go. That must be why this is what passes for his autograph these days.

It's not that I'm complaining. I'm more than happy to add it to our collection. It's a shame, though, that such a good player has a scribble of an autograph.

Praise for the Panthers

By Scott B.
Hockey Hounds Universe correspondent

As usual, the Florida Panthers showed why they are the best-signing team in the NHL. At rookie and training camps, the only players who wouldn't do more than three cards were Cory Stillman and Bryan McCabe.

The Tampa Bay Lightning were the first team to visit down here in South Florida. They used to be great signers. But now only Steven Stamkos, Marty St. Louis, Pavel Kubina, Mattias Ritola and Dominic Moore would sign.

More teams start rolling in in the next few weeks and I'll have updates. If anyone needs anything signed by the Panthers, please e-mail me and maybe you can help me with your local teams.

Thanks, Mr. Crisp

By Colin
Hockey Hounds Universe correspondent

While hounding the Nashville Predators not too long ago, I got a compliment about my team sheet from Terry Crisp, a former NHL coach and now a color commentator for the Predators:

"Did you draw that," Mr Crisp asked me.

"Yes," I said.

"Good job," Mr. Crisp said.

All told, I got 16 autographs on the sheet. Players who signed included Shea Weber, Patric Hornqvist, Martin Erat, Jordin Tootoo, David Legwand, Pekka Rinne and my new buddy, Colin Wilson. He's got a cool first name, if you ask me.

Crossed off the list

By Puckhound
Hockey Hounds Universe editor

There comes a point in every veteran hockey hound's career when opportunities for big-number autograph days begin to dwindle. You've either hounded the team umpteen dozen times, have run out of items or simply don't want to add the 28th signed card from a second-line center.

That's why the Hockey Gods bless us every season with rookies and top-line second-year players. Even if you focus on just them, it's well worth the trip.

In the case of the New York Islanders, once you get past a few big-name veterans -- Doug Weight and Rick Dipietro come to mind -- the most sought-after autographs this season would likely come from John Tavares and Nino Niederreiter, the Isles' top pick and fifth overall in 2010.

After snagging these four pucks (the top three are from Niederreiter and the Team Canada pucks is from Tavares) during the Islanders' recent visit to Hockey Bay, I'm thinking a second trip for the team this season might have only one purpose -- getting a photo of a couple of kids from Quincy, Mass., signed.

Heard of these guys?

By Colin
Hockey Hounds Universe correspondent

Last Sunday, it was a hockey day. We hounded the Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins before going to the Tampa Bay Lightning game.

Finally, after three times, I got Sid the Kid to sign for me. Thanks the Lord. I got him on the McFarlane base (shown above) showing him in the 2008 Winter Classic.

Me and another kid were the only ones to get him when we saw him, though Daddy tells me that he signed for others earlier in the day. In total, we got 34 autographs from the Penguins.

I also got Evgeni Malkin on this Russian hockey card. Like Sidney, me and another kid were the only ones to get Geno as he headed out for lunch.

I didn't do a team sheet for the Penguins, just cards.

It was hectic with the Pens. Boy, am I glad it's over with.

The Stars have aligned

By Moody
Hockey Hounds Universe senior correspondent

Prior to the undefeated Dallas Stars suffering their first loss of the season, I ventured out for my first hounding adventure of the season. In what has become typical West Coast form, the Stars were a pretty good signing team.

Signing cards were:

Top row: Charlie Huddy, Trevor Daley, Stu Barnes, Karlis Skrastins, Brandon Segal; and
Middle row: Kari Lehtonen, Staphane Robidas, Matt Niskanen, Steve Ott, Mike Ribeiro; and
Bottom row: Jamie Benn, Loui Eriksson, Mark Fistric, Brian Sutherby, Brandon Morrow.

Once again, taking advantage of the freebies provided by fan packs, I was also able to add a Trevor Daley and Stu Barnes postcard.

Loui Eriksson was also kind enough to sign a Team Sweden photo.

Recent Stanley Cup winner Adam Burish signed a Cup celebration photo.

Collector's item

Given that he got into quite a bit of trouble over the obscene gesture he made to the Rangers' Sean Avery, one might think that Islanders' defenseman James Wisniewski might want to put the incident behind him.

After watching him sign this puck for a Hockey Bay hound earlier this week, that may not be the case. In fact, it's nice to know that Wisniewski has a sense of humor about it. His inscription: "I love Sean Avery."

Brag Book: San Jose Sharks

By J.R.
Hockey Hounds Universe correspondent

During the days of October 13-14, I made my long-anticipated hockey-hounding season debut (if a debut can last two days) at Sharks Ice, the practice facility for the San Jose Sharks. One of the few items I purchased during the off-season was a photograph showing the four Sharks who won Olympic gold for Team Canada.

Last season, my first hounding in my new home of San Jose, Joe Thornton ignored me every time I attempted to get him to sign an item. I am not obnoxious in my quest of obtaining autographs and, despite the fact that I might appear to be a degenerate, I am certainly not a dealer.

Last week, however, "Jumbo Joe" could not have been nicer. He willingly signed the Olympic photo (shown above) the first day and a puck on the second, making small talk in the process. Truth be told, I thought he was going to be the toughest one to complete the item. Judging by past performances, I suppose I can't be blamed for believing that, but he was the first to do so. Dany Heatley, Patrick Marleau and Danny Boyle kindly finished off the photo.

Antti Niemi, Frazer McLaren and former Shark Mike Ricci also signed pucks.

All in all, it was a good couple of days. I look forward to more hounding opportunities as the season progresses.

The rest of the haul:

An 8x10 signed by Marleau;

An 8x10 from Joe Pavelski; and

An 8x10 signed by Ryane Clowe; and

Cards from Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Torrey Mitchell (who said, "I almost made it out of here" before grabbing my Sharpie), Jamal Mayers, Devin Setoguchi and Heatley.

Crazy Cup Shot!

By Moody
Hockey Hounds Universe senior correspondent

Ok, first of all get your mind out of the gutter. This is a family show and not some silly Johnny Knoxville show. I found this photo in 2005 and have carried it around ever since. I think it is a great shot and would look great on my wall.

Former NHL player Nolan Pratt was kind enough to put paint pen to photo while training last month at the Tampa Bay Lightning's practice facility. He and his brother, Harlan, were kind enough to talk with us for a bit and tell us about hockey in Europe.

Looks like neither of them have landed on a team as of yet. From what they say they are looking for a package deal.

Playing for pride

By Puckhound
Hockey Hounds Universe editor

Some folks might believe Dallas captain Brenden Morrow placed more emphasis on helping Canada win the 2010 Winter Olympics gold medal than his play for the Stars last season. Only Morrow can answer that question for himself. To me, representing one's country would certainly be a motivating factor.

To his credit, Morrow certainly had no issues signing this puck earlier this week when Dallas visited Hockey Bay to take on the Lightning.

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.

Off to a good start

By Commonkid
Hockey Hound Universe correspondent

Well another American Hockey League season has gotten under way. The usual group of hockey hounds gathered in Springfield, Mass., for the start of our 2010-11 hockey-hounding campaign.

After catching up with what we'd all done over the summer, we talked about what we thought of the new affiliation (The Springfield Falcons are now a farm team for the Columbus Blue Jackets, not the Edmonton Oilers). Everyone agreed the Falcons should better than last year.

The new team means all new faces to learn, for both players and coaches. As the rosters were not exactly set yet, it's been sort of a hit-and-run start. We'll do better as the season goes.

So far, though, we've hounded the Charlotte Checkers (Carolina Hurricanes), Hartford Wolf Pack (New York Rangers), Providence Bruins (Boston Bruins) and, of course, the Falcons. Among the players who've signed for us include Charlotte's Zach Boychuk (shown above), Hartford's Wade Redden (who limited everyone to two autographs and didn't seem too happy to be there) and Providence's Joe Colborne.

Hopefully, the season will be fruitful for us all. And to us TTMers, we're hoping for full mailboxes.

Back on the ice

Just because a player isn't in the National Hockey League anymore doesn't mean it's not worth your time to get an autograph. Mike, one of Hockey Hound Universe's two Toronto-based correspondents, snagged this puck from former NHL star Theo Fleury recently.

Fleury, it seems, was at the MasterCard Centre for Hockey Excellence in Toronto, participating in the made-for-TV skating competition, Battle of the Blades. In this season, Fleury's partner is Jamie Sale, a three-time Canadian national champion pairs figure skater and 2002 Olympic gold medalist.

Besides Fleury, other NHL players taking part this season include Valeri Bure, PJ Stock and Patrice Brisebois.

Puckhound's itinerary

Now that we're just days away from our 2010-11 hockey-hounding season, it's time for me to put my cards, as well as some pucks, jerseys and the occasional 8x10, down on the table. Health, weather and work schedules permitting, here's who I'm hoping to hound between now and April down here in Hockey Bay:

Monday, Oct. 18: Dallas Stars - Breaking the ice, so to speak
Thursday, Oct. 21: New York Islanders - Maybe John Tavares will spell Colin's name correctly this time.
Sunday, Oct. 24: Nashville Predators - Western Conference teams are automatics.
Wednesday, Oct. 27: Pittsburgh Penguins - Passed on them both times last campaign. Won't do that again.
Tuesday, Nov. 9: Toronto Maple Leafs - Maybe I can talk Al, HHU's senior Toronto correspondent, into flying down for a Leafs-Bolts game sometime. The next one's Jan. 25, 2011.
Sunday, Nov. 14: Minnesota Wild - This could be cards only.
Monday, Nov. 22: Boston Bruins - Colin wouldn't miss this for the world.
Wednesday, Nov. 24: New York Rangers - Sean Avery's a turkey.
Friday, Dec. 4: Colorado Avalanche - Colin has a hockey game, so this might be tricky. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, Dec. 15: Atlanta Thrashers - Time to start loading up Evander Kane cards.
Tuesday, Dec. 28: Boston Bruins - I can only do the morning skate. I can't get out of work.
Thursday, Dec. 30: Montreal Canadiens - Let's see if Mike Cammalleri is as rude this season.
Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011: Washington Capitals - I doubt Ovie stops. Doesn't matter. Already got him on two pucks back in 2006.
Friday, Jan. 14: New Jersey Devils - Ilya Kovalchuk and Martin Brodeur.
Tuesday, Jan. 18: Columbus Blue Jackets - More cards than anything else. Did real good on pucks -- two dozen, to be exact -- last trip in.
Tuesday, Feb. 1: Philadelphia Flyers - Maybe we'll luck out again this season.
Sunday, Feb. 6: St. Louis Blues - I'm looking forward to this trip.
Tuesday, Feb. 8: Buffalo Sabres - Finally!
Thursday, Feb. 17: Detroit Red Wings - We'll see if Henrik Zetterberg really is a Facebook friend.
Wednesday, Feb. 23: Phoenix Coyotes - Man, I wish Wayne Gretzky still coached this team.
Wednesday, March 4: Chicago Blackhawks - Can you say "madhouse?"
Friday, March 11: Ottawa Senators - One of my all-time favorite signing teams
Friday, March 25: Carolina Hurricanes - Hopefully, Eric Staal will add to the Threads collection.
Thursday, March 31: Pittsburgh Penguins - Who knows? Maybe Sid the Kid is mellowing out.
Friday, April 8: Florida Panthers - Unless the Lightning make the playoffs, this closes the book on the 2010-11 hockey-hounding campaign.

All or nothing, it seems

It sure looks like hockey hounds intend to keep themselves busy over the course of the 2010-11 campaign, as most taking part in Hockey Hound Universe's first-ever poll indicated they'll packing their hockey-hounding bags more than 20 times this season.

Somewhat surprising, perhaps, is that the middle ground, defined as hounding 11-20 times, received so little support. In fact, more hockey hounds said they'd hit the bricks 10 times or less.

Question: How many times will you go hockey hounding this season?

More than 20 times: 9 out of 17 votes cast (52.9 percent)
0-10: 5 votes (29.4 percent)
11-20: 3 votes (17.7 percent}

Review: Metallic Markers

By Puckhound
Hockey Hounds Universe editor

In Hockey Hounds Universe's never-ending quest to make hockey hounding more affordable, we're always looking for economical hockey-hounding supplies. Sure, a box of Sharpies is a gimme. Life's too short for thick scribbles. It's speciality items, though, like these Metallic Marker silver and gold markers, where costs can quickly add up.

These markers, found at a Michaels arts and crafts store, cost about $2 each, more than a two-pack of silver Sharpies but less than a full-price DecoColor paint pen. At the least, they serve as an introduction to another Hockey Hounds Universe feature: product reviews.

The pens, made in America, work best on photos. One problem, though, is the ink needs time to dry. We're not talking minutes, but at least 10 to 15 seconds. Any less leads to smudging. The gold and silver inks also work well on dry stick tape.

The silver marker's ink sticks on pucks, but requires significant drying time. Set aside a minimum of 15 minutes before any heavy handling. In most cases, however, that's far too long. Even after 24 hours, the gold marker's ink smeared on pucks.

Forget all hockey cards, even if they've been erased. Both colors smear, even after a minute of drying time. Same, too, for mini helmets.

HHU recommendation: These Metallic Marker pens don't work across enough autograph platforms, as in photos, cards, pucks and helmets, to become a staple in your hockey-hounding bag. At best, use them for photographs.