Shrewd moves?

Back in their days, New Jersey's Brendan Shanahan and Vancouver's Mats Sundin were holy terrors on the ice. Big, tough and talented, they demanded an opponent's undivided attention. These days, though, that isn't the case.

Both missed the start of the 2008-09 campaign, sitting on the sidelines until, one, they decided they wanted to play, and, two, both found teams that were willing to offer them pro-rated contracts.

Well, it's safe to say that neither has set the NHL, or their teams, afire with their return. That's to be expected, however, given their last starts to the campaign. Any potential rewards, it seems, will come down the road, when experience, as much as skill, earns valuable ice time at critical junctures in a game.

Maybe that's what Hound Central 4.0 readers were thinking when they overwhelmingly deemed Shanahan, the winner of three Stanley Cups, a world championship and Olympic Gold, as a better signing than Sundin.

Question: Best signing?

New Jersey's Brendan Shanahan: 23 out of 37 votes cast (62.2 percent)
Vancouver's Mats Sundin: 14 out of 37 votes (37.8 percent)

Bonus poll

Sunday's impromptu poll, inspired by Super Bowl XLIII, produced a dead-even heat between the four readers, including Colin, who stumbled upon the hours-only question.

Question: Who wins Super Bowl XLIII?

Pittsburgh Steelers: 2 out of 4 votes cast (50 percent)
Arizona Cardinals: 2 out of 4 votes (50 percent)

Now, we all know the Steelers took a thrilling 27-23 victory over the Cardinals. But, did you know that I correctly picked the champions and the final score in Sunday's homily? I missed my MVP pick of Ben Roethlisberger, though. I'll take two out of three any day.