Taking it easy

Pound for pound, and player for player, the Florida Panthers are one of the best-signing teams in the National Hockey League. Granted, the team may struggle to be competitive, but I certainly didn't let that stop me yesterday from adding 26 signatures from players, coaches and others on a team helmet.

Though I had a full book of cards and a few pucks, I focused on the helmet. It's nice, I believe, to treat one's self to a relative easy day of hounding. It's simple, too, working a team helmet, as it eliminates the need -- for most people, that is -- from prep work and putting names to faces. Rest assured, though, that wasn't my case.


Coaches and players signing the left side of the helmet (from left to right): Peter DeBoer (head coach), Mike Kitchen (assistant coach), Anthony Stewart, Jim Hulton (assistant coach), Jay Bouwmeester, Jamie Pringle (video coach) and Michael Frolik.

Players signing the right side of the helmet (from left to right): Jassen Cullimore, Bill Lindsay (player-turned analyst), Gregory Campbell, Rostislav Olesz, Stephen Weiss, Radek Dvorak, Bryan McCabe and Nick Boynton.

Players signing the front of the helmet (from left to right): Richard Zednik, Noah Welch, Jacques Martin (Florida's GM), Wade Belak, Ville Peltonen and Tomas Vokoun.

Players signing the middle of the helmet (top to bottom): Keith Ballard, Karlis Skrastins, Kamil Kreps, Nathan Horton and Craig Anderson.

With the Panthers coming back to Humidity Bay on Dec. 27 and Jan. 17, I'm hoping to complete the helmet with these players: Bryan Allen, David Booth, Brett McLean, Cory Murphy, Cory Stillman and Pierre Groulx (assistant coach/goaltending).

With any luck, Hall of Famer Denis Potvin, the Panthers' TV color guy, will find the time and room to sign, too.