Hard at work

For those of you who may believe I've been talking to lawyers over the past few weeks, I now have proof that I've been busy creating the ninth and 10th titles to my suite of hockey collecting blogs:

Sweet Swatches: Fourteen of the sweetest memorabilia cards (primarily swatches of jerseys and patches) in our collection.

Young Guns: A look at our top-shelf Upper Deck Young Guns, the gold standard of hockey rookie cards.

Taken together, I believe all 10 offer one of the most comprehensive arrays of hockey hounding/collecting blogs on the Internet.

Check them out, won't you?

Also, keen observers may notice that Hound Central 4.0 has had its "soft" launch. The official launch is still a few days away, but the 2008-09 hockey hounding journal is up and running.

Internal accounting

Because of a dissolution of a friendship, the following items -- gifts that the unnamed sender believed were unreciprocated -- have been removed from Hound Central 3.0's collection and, with other items, will be returned to the source this week:

~ two Bobby Orr autographed pucks;

~ an autographed Wayne Gretzky Team Canada jersey;

~ an autographed Bruins helmet from Boston's Patrice Bergeron (a birthday gift to a 7 year old); and

~ a Boston Red Sox batting helmet autographed by David Ortiz (another birthday gift to a 7 year old).

Blog postings related to these items have also been deleted.

Granted, these are pretty significant items. Still, the relief that comes with this move far outweighs the burdens associated with retaining them.

I still believe, though, that we possess a respectable autographed sports memorabilia collection. Please know, too, that the autographed puck collection now stands at 1,538.

Addendum (July 28): The items have been sent. The image shows the postal service receipts. The smudges on the receipts are there to protect identities.

I'm confused

I'm not 100 percent certain, but I believe I pulled an Sweet Stitches "oopsie" from a tin of 2007-08 Upper Deck Sweet Shot.

Though I'd hardly complain about a three-swatch card, I don't believe Los Angeles' Anze Kopitar ever wore the purple-and-yellow throwback sweater for the Kings in an NHL game.

Kopitar didn't play in the NHL when the Kings last wore the throwbacks, Dec. 2 and Dec. 16, 2004. In fact, Kopitar, who scored two goals in his NHL debut on Oct. 6, 2006, was playing for Sodertalje in the Elitserien in 2004-05.

Now, if you read Upper Deck's certification language, it doesn't specifically state that it was Kopitar who wore the sweater.

However, calling it an "Anze Kopitar Game-Used trading card" certainly leads a reasonable person to expect that the jersey swatches did, indeed, come from a sweater worn by Kopitar.

I've seen other variations of this card showing black and white swatches, but I can't find anything else like this one.

Is it an error card? If not, what would you call it?

I suppose I'll have to ask Upper Deck. Maybe, it'll be able to tell me.

Decent pull

It's not that I'm a big fan of the Phoenix Coyotes or Peter Mueller, but I thought this was a pretty cool Future Watch auto/patch card to pull out of a box of 2007-08 SP Authentic.

If you look closely, the swatch, from a shoulder patch, has three colors. Too bad, though, the "memorabilia" was used only in a photo shoot, not an NHL game.

Adding value

Amid pictures of baseball clinics, patio hockey and the aftereffects of blue cotton candy, our latest packet of photos from the corner drugstore also included this of Tampa Bay defenseman Paul Ranger's autographed rookie-season, game-used gloves.

I received the gloves as a birthday present from the Mrs. in early December. But it wasn't until a month ago that I got around to having Ranger sign them for me.

Given Ranger's potential to become a top-level NHL defender, I'd like to believe that these will become a top-shelf collectible.

Go Irish!

A quick shout-out to the Notre Dame men's hockey team making it to the 2008 Frozen Four from April 9-12 in Denver. Given the competition (Michigan, North Dakota and Boston College), it won't be easy, but it'll certainly be rewarding. It wasn't all that long ago that we got to meet the team.

Kid gloves

One of the many ways that the Tampa Bay Lightning get people to part with their hard-earned cash is to offer for sale an assortment of game-used sticks, equipment and practice jerseys.

From time to time, especially when finances support it, I try to stop by and check out the latest offerings. A couple months ago, I stumbled across a pair of gloves worn by Tampa Bay's Paul Ranger during his rookie season with the club.

To his credit, Ranger recognized his old equipment, even wanting to know where I picked up the gloves. After telling him where (the jersey-lettering area near the pro shop inside the St. Pete Times Forum), he signed each on the thumb plate.

Put to good use

For the past few years or so, this Toronto Maple Leafs jersey, a gift from a misguided hockey fan who knows little about hometown allegiances, has collected dust in the darkest recesses of a closet.

Last Friday, with the Leafs in town to play the Lightning, I finally put this to good use, getting several of Toronto's bigger-named players to sign the team's emblem.

From left to right, those who signed were Nik Antropov, Tomas Kaberle, Darcy Tucker and Mats Sundin.

Little Thrill

Knowing what Boston's Phil Kessel has endured at such a young age, I'm more than willing to cut him as much slack as he needs. Though I have to plead guilty to contributing to it, he had a pack of hounds, dealers and fans following him for at least four city blocks before Saturday's morning skate.

I suppose some players, like Kessel, believe that by signing while walking, and not stopping for a few minutes, might deter people. It didn't yesterday. Some even hot-footed it across a parking lot, playing a better angle, to catch up to him.

Thankfully, effort was rewarded. That scribble below the USA logo, top photo, is Kessel's, the beginning of another project piece. The wallpaper, below, is from the Bruins Web site.

We all need projects

When Florida's Richard Zednik and Branislav Mezei signed his Slovakian team jersey before Saturday's game against Tampa Bay, it launched yet another Hound Central autograph project.

My decision to buy this jersey (for $40, mind you) for the project was rather simple. Given the fact that I can add such players as Atlanta's Marian Hossa, Boston's Zdeno Chara, Minnesota's Marian Gaborik, Pavol Demitra and Branko Radivojevic, Montreal's Jan Halak, the Isles' Miroslav Satan and the Rangers' Marcel Hossa just this season alone, made it a no-brainer.

Looking ahead to next season, I'll likely switch my scaled-back hounding efforts away from pucks. Instead, I'll focus more on project pieces. This jersey, which looks pretty cool, will be one of those.

Other notable Slovakians, including some members of the 2002 IIHF World Championship winning squad, are Colorado's Peter Budaj and Marek Svatos, Florida's Jozef Stumpel, Los Angeles' Michal Handzus, Ladislav Nagy and Lubomir Visnovsky, Ottawa's Andrej Meszaros and Washington's Milan Jurcina.

Of course, too, I'd leap at any opportunity to add Stan Mikita, Peter Bondra, Ziggy Palffy and any, or all, of the Stastny brothers, Peter, Anton and Marian. Wouldn't you?

Thanks, Joey

In a way, I feel awfully damn greedy about getting five autographed items from Colorado's Joe Sakic. One would think that I'd be happy to get a single signed item.

But when the player is Sakic, and he repeatedly tells me it's no problem signing more than one item or asking more than once, any guilt quickly evaporates.

Needless to say, I was pretty stoked that Sakic, who underwent hernia surgery less than a month ago, traveled with the Avalanche.

On Monday, Sakic signed the Avalanche, Nordiques and Swift Current pucks. On Tuesday, he signed the 2004 NHL All Star Game puck in the morning and my Avalanche jersey in the afternoon.

Let me tell you, folks, Sakic is a class act. Very pleasant, personable and patient, it's no wonder he's a role model for players and fans.

Luck of the Irish

It all started, innocently enough, with my desire to get fitted for a pair of skates. It ended up, though, turning into a great hockey day.

As Colin and I drove to the Lightning's practice facility in Brandon on Monday, I figured we'd be able to watch the team practice and, if we were lucky, snag some autographs before they flew north to Toronto.

Well, we did watch the Lightning practice. Colin was excited to see his favorite Lightning players -- Vinny Lecavalier and Marty St. Louis -- skate through fast-paced drills. He even got three errant practice pucks, too.

The big thrill, though, came from the Notre Dame hockey team. We stumbled upon the Irish, in Florida for an extra day following a third-place finish in a holiday tournament, as they waited for their turn on the ice.

One of the players, Ryan Thang, felt that one of his sticks wouldn't last the practice and tossed it into a garbage can. Colin, sensing an opportunity and summoning the courage, asked if he could have it. How could they say no? Soon enough, he was the proud owner of a game-used Easton Synergy stick.

Though Colin was stoked to get the stick, the adventure went far beyond that. When I told Irish coach Jeff Jackson that he had a tryout, he asked why Colin wasn't suited up. The Irish, he said, needed someone to play the slot on the power play. All Colin could do was look up at me, asking where was his equipment.

Jackson, I believe, laughed the loudest at Colin's question.

After talking with some of the team staff during the practice, we figured it would be easy to get Thang to sign the stick. What we didn't expect, however, was that the Irish, to a man, would also follow suit. In fact, the players couldn't get off the ice unless they signed Colin's stick.

As I stood back, taking in the moment, I had a hard time figuring out who was enjoying the moment the most -- Colin or the players. Smiles came easy, hair was tousled and memories were made.

Looking back, it would have been easy enough to head home after the Lightning practice. I'm glad we didn't. Once again, hockey provided the backdrop for another father-son bonding moment. And the Irish, one of the nation's top-ranked college teams, gained a couple of fans.

It was, indeed, a great hockey day.

Top shelf

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that having Montreal's Bob Gainey, Guy Carbonneau and Doug Jarvis sign this Canadiens jersey certainly adds to the quality of the collection.

An added touch

Every once in awhile, I pull a game-used jersey card, especially those with a white swatch, that leaves me wanting more. That's why I asked Carolina's Eric Staal to sign this card. It looks much better now, if you ask me.

Find the time

As I've said countless times before, any hockey hound worth his or her salt needs to make an effort to hound the Florida Panthers. Doing so will only add to your collection.

Between the team's stars -- Olli Jokinen, Jay Bouwmeester, Tomas Vokoun and Stephen Weiss -- and its role players -- most notably Jozef Stumpel, Mike Van Ryn and Richard Zednik -- the Panthers are one of the NHL's most approachable teams.

And let's not forget about Hall of Famer Denis Potvin, who provides color commentary during Panthers' TV broadcasts.

Weiss, who signed the Young Guns stick (above), and Vokoun have quickly become my favorite Panthers players. Weiss is always pleasant, refreshingly candid and always willing to strike up a conversation (We discussed the source of two bandages on his left eyebrow - "I don't know who did it," he told me. "It might have been one of my teammates.").

Quite simply, Vokoun, the Panthers' biggest splash in the free-agent market this summer, is a signing machine. I nearly apologized for having only two pucks for him to sign.

A word of caution, though, on Nathan Horton. Apparently, the Panthers young forward will go to great lengths to avoid even the smallest pack of hounds. Yesterday, he ducked out a back door of the hotel on his way to the morning skate. Only one person, who was late in arriving, crossed his path and received an autograph. Still, though, Horton is the exception to the rule.

And though I missed Jokinen (I only had cards for him), opting instead for a puck from Zednik, I was pretty pleased with adding another 22 autographs to the collection.

Besides a pair of pucks from Potvin, others signing (top photo) were, clockwise from top left: Gregory Campbell, Florida Panthers; Richard Zednik, Florida Panthers; Tomas Vokoun, Milwaukee Admirals; and Vokoun, Montreal Canadiens.

Cards shown (above):
Top row - Jay Bouwmeester, Brett McLean and Branislav Mezei;
Bottom row - Ruslan Salei, Jozef Stumpel and Mike Van Ryn.

A not-so-hard hat

It's not like I haven't worked team helmets before, but I was pleasantly surprised at the ease of getting 22 members of the Atlanta Thrashers to sign this effort before last Saturday's game.

I don't want to sound like I'm bragging, and I certainly don't want to jinx this little bit of luck bestowed upon me by the hockey gods, but it was like the players were lining up to sign.

Granted, the players came out in small bunches, but most were willing to wait a few seconds to sign the item.

When I've worked Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning team helmets, it's taken me a couple of trips to amass the total number of signatures (22) that fill the Thrashers helmet.

Now, I do need three key autographs to complete the Atlanta helmet -- Marian Hossa, Kari Lehtonen and Johan Hedberg. Defenseman Steve McCarthy is missing, too. My concern, however, is whether there's any room left for them to sign.

Here's the lineup, in alphabetical order, of who signed:

Players: Eric Boulton, Pascal Dupuis, Tobias Enstrom, Garnet Exelby, Darren Haydar, Niclas Havelid, Bobby Holik, Ken Klee, Ilya Kovalchuk, Slava Kozlov, Brad Larsen, Bryan Little, Ondrej Pavelec, Eric Perrin, Mark Popovic, Jim Slater, Chris Thorburn, Todd White and Alexei Zhitnik; Team staff: Jeff Odgers, Don Waddell, Steve Weekes.

The well wasn't dry

When you're hounding a team for a third team within a month, chances are you're not going to have the best of days. By then, the players start to recognize you. And, if you've had good luck during the first two trips, you'll likely have very little left for them to sign.

On Saturday, before the Atlanta Thrashers scored an impressive 6-4 comeback victory over the reeling Tampa Bay Lightning, we beat those odds to add another 35 autographs to the collection.

The biggest haul came on a team helmet, where 22 players, coaches or team personnel signed. Notable names include Ilya Kovalchuk, Slava Kozlov, Bobby Holik and Alexei Zhitnik. Really, the only big names I missed were Marian Hossa and Johan Hedberg, neither of whom signed at game time.

Among the 12 cards signed (shown above, clockwise, from top left): Niclas Havelid, Darren Haydar, Alexei Zhitnik and Bobby Holik.

In something of a surprise, Kovalchuk signed before boarding the bus. In Atlanta's last trip to Tampa, Kovie ignored multiple requests to sign before the game. Besides the team helmet (a future post will have photos, I promise), he signed his Thrashers mini jersey (top photo and, in detail, at left) for Colin.

Thankfully, it'll be another four months before the Thrashers come back to Tampa. By that time. I'm sure we'll have restocked the Thrashers pantry. Perhaps, too, I'll have better luck getting Hedberg, Hossa and Kari Lehtonen, who didn't make the trip because of an injury, to complete the helmet.

Hometown heroes

On a day when quality took precedence over quantity and diversity was an objective, it was a tad surprising to learn that Saturday’s pregame hounding of my hometown Buffalo Sabres produced another 42 autographs for the collection. Wanna know something funny, too? Of that total, only two came on pucks.

For the record, here was our haul:

~ Sabres Street sign: 18 players, including Maxim Afinogenov, Brian Campbell, Tim Connolly, Ryan Miller, Jason Pominville and Drew Stafford;
~ Cards: 15, including four from Ales Kotalik;
~ Pucks: 2, one each for Jochen Hecht and Adam Mair;
~ Team Canada goalie mask: Jocelyn Thibault;
~ 1999 NHL All Star Game helmet: Lindy Ruff;
~ American-born goalies stick: Ryan Miller; and
~ Young Guns stick: Ales Kotalik, Drew Stafford and Thomas Vanek.

Would have I liked to knock out more pucks and cards? You bet. And, yes, it would have been nice to see Rip Simonick. But, it’s hard to argue with the caliber and variety of items signed before Sabres’ 4-3 overtime victory.

Cards, shown above, are:
Top row, from left: Maxim Afinogenov, Jochen Hecht and Ales Kotalik;
Bottom row, from left: Adam Mair, Ryan Miller and Andrew Peters.

Here’s Thomas Vanek, left, and Ales Kotalik on the Young Guns stick.

Enjoying Miller Time

It’s always a good day when you add a couple of autographs from Buffalo’s Ryan Miller. The Sabres’ top-shelf goaltender has always been pleasant to fans and hounds, taking the time to sign multiples for anyone who asked.

Not only did I get him on our American-born goalies stick (both at left) and a Sabres mini goalie mask, but he also signed a Sabres Street sign (above, on the Sabres’ logo) for Colin and a couple of cards for Lisa.

It’s understandable that some NHL stars, especially goalies within hours of a start, might avoid a crowd. Miller is proving to be the exception – he seems to like it.

A long way from Durham, N.H.

To most hockey fans, Atlanta's Darren Haydar would be a relative unknown. To fans of University of New Hampshire hockey, though, Haydar is a huge deal.

The former Hockey East player of the year (2002) was called up by the Thrashers recently and is making a concerted bid to stick around, scoring his first NHL goal last week against none other than New Jersey's Martin Brodeur.

Before Saturday's 6-2 loss to Tampa Bay, Haydar, the 248th pick of the 1998 NHL Draft (by Nashville) and a former Hobey Baker Award finalist, seemed a bit surprised when I called out his name. When we showed him the UNH jersey (top photo), he figured out that we were fans. Dropping the right names, such as Durham, N.H., the Lively Snively Arena and the Rusty Hammer in downtown Portsmouth, N.H., helped, too.

Though I was happy that Haydar signed the Milwaukee Admirals and UNH pucks (shown above), I was also a tad embarrassed, though, that I didn't have a Chicago Wolves puck for him to sign.

As a member of the Wolves, he was named the American Hockey League's MVP last season, after leading the league with 122 points (41 goals, 81 assists) in 73 games and posted an AHL record 39-game point streak (24 goals, 56 assists).