Over the course of the past season, I took time to reflect upon the dedication required to pursue this hockey-hounding hobby of mine. The time. The money. The toll on your body.
Thankfully, though, I'm not alone.
Down here in Hockey Bay, there's a sizable group of hounds -- collectors, dealers and the usual clutch of fans -- that show up for most every NHL visiting team. Nearly all put in the time. Many do their homework. A helping hand is never far away. As a result, mutual respect grows as the season wears on.
Seeing that Hound Central 4.0 chronicles hockey-hounding activities here in Hockey Bay, it's my duty to honor those members of our fraternity. With that in mind, allow me to introduce to the Hockey Bay community this inaugural edition of the Hockey Bay Hounding Awards.
To make this work, though, I need your help. Please, feel free to submit, via comments at this post, your thought-out and well-reasoned votes (though none for yourself, please) for the following categories:
Hound of the Year: Awarded to the hound who consistently racks up quality autographs on a diverse platform of memorabilia. Please, don't vote for yourself.
Autograph of the Year: Awarded to the hound who scores an autograph from one of hockey's best players -- past or present -- during the course of a season.
Rookie of the Year: Awarded to a hound who excels in his/her first full Hockey Bay season.
Lifetime Achievement Award: Honors a veteran Hockey Bay hound for their dedication, knowledge and product of their efforts.
Best Supporting Hound: Awarded to the hound(s) who assists in the collection of autographs.
Meatball of the Year: Awarded to a hound who displays a clear lack of thought and consideration toward his peers.
Best Original Score: Awarded to the hound obtaining an autograph(s) on a rare or peculiar piece of memorabilia.
But, wait, there's more
Hound Central 4.0 readers and hounds outside Hockey Bay can also participate in this annual gesture of appreciation:
Nicest NHL player: Not only signs multiples, but is pleasant, too.
Snottiest NHL player: Is not just a toughie, but is downright rude.
Best-signing team: The team that bleeds Sharpies dry.
Worst-signing team: This is great intel, too.
Best-dressed player: Each team has one. Really, they do.
Nominations close June 1. Winners, who will receive nothing more than a mention here at Hound Central 4.0, will be announced in late June.
If no nominations are received from the Hockey Bay hounding community, Hound Central 4.0 will select an honoree in each Hockey Bay category.
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Hound of the Year: Awarded to the hound who consistently racks up quality autographs on a diverse platform of memorabilia. Please, don't vote for yourself.
Tie: Mikayla Moody and Colin Saar both for their ability to pull in multi signed custom items that draws the attention from all players big and small
Autograph of the Year: Awarded to the hound who scores an autograph from one of hockey's best players -- past or present -- during the course of a season.
Colin Saar for pulling in a game used stick from A. Semin and managing a signature on it the same day.
Rookie of the Year: Awarded to a hound who excels in his/her first full Hockey Bay season.
Natalie Moody for beginning a long career in custom team sheets and Game used stick signatures.
Lifetime Achievement Award: Honors a veteran Hockey Bay hound for their dedication, knowledge and product of their efforts.
Ron Saar for his dedication to the hobby, breaking the 1000 sig mark for a single season, and maintaining his adventures in the form of this Blog
Best Supporting Hound: Awarded to the hound(s) who assist in the collection of autographs.
Tie: Mikayla Moody and Colin Saar for drawing the attention of the teams with their custom items and their all around cuteness.
Meatball of the Year: Awarded to a hound who displays a clear lack of thought and consideration toward his peers.
Tie: The guy you told “Its Gretzky” too. (I don’t know his name) and another individual that has been rather rude in tampa area that I prefer to keep nameless
Best Original Score: Awarded to the hound obtaining an autograph(s) on a rare or peculiar piece of memorabilia.
Tie: to me the rarest thing you can get in any sport is an item used in the sport. My choices are Mikayla and Natalie Moody, and Colin Saar for their uncanny ability to score game sticks and pucks and always manage a sig on them sooner or later.
But, wait, there's more
Hound Central 4.0 readers and hounds outside Hockey Bay can also participate in this annual.
Nicest NHL player: Not only signs multiples, but is pleasant, too.
Tie: Andre Roy and Eric Boulton have to be two of the nicest off the ice we have ever met. The exact opposites of their on ice personalities.
Snottiest NHL player: Is not just a toughie, but is downright rude.
AO8 has gotten to the point where he outright ignores you and doesn’t even take the time to say NO anymore.
Best-signing team: The team that bleeds Sharpies dry.
Tie: Montreal Canadiens / Ottawa Senators. Every player this year has been outstanding
Worst-signing team: This is great intel, too.
Can’t say that I have experienced a team this year that I would like to call the WORST since I did well with each team I hounded. A few players on multiple teams were bad but usually each team has one of those
Best-dressed player: Each team has one. Really, they do.
Garnett Exelby hands down. Always dressed to the 9s and accessorizes well (I hope that does not sound to BRAVO NETWORK of me)
Rookie of the Year- Ryan, ended his first season with a great collection, established stars and up and coming players, all on some nice items, learned the tricks of the hobby quickly
Meatball of the Year- shouldn't the inaugural award go to it's namesake?
Best Original Score- Ryan, his St Louis Blues team sheet on "Louie the Mascot", was quite the conversation piece with many players
Best Supporting Hound- Andy, always willing to share info on teams/players, helping pick up an extra puck if you need one, or getting an autograph for you from a player that he doesn't need
Nicest NHL player- Marty Turco, signed multiples with a great attitude, nice signature and joked around
Snotiest NHL player- Curtis Joseph
Best Signing Team- Dallas Stars, every player signed, most very friendly and all signed multiples
Worst Signing Team- Washington Capitals, my day hounding them would've been better just sleeping in
Best Dressed Player- Mike Ribeiro
I'm not a Tampa hound, so I'll just do the second half of this.
Nicest Player:
Ruslan Fedotenko and Jussi Jokinen both are always very pleasant and they give back to the fans.
Snottiest Player:
Pascal Dupuis. He thinks he is a gift to the world.
Best Signing Team:
LA KIngs. They signed so much stuff and they were all very nice.
Worst Signing Team:
No NHL team is terrible. The worst NHL team beats half the MLB teams.
Best Dressed Player:
Carolina's Michael Leighton. While some players have "interesting" suits, he always looked nice. Garnet Exelby usually looks pretty fly too.
Hound of the Year: Awarded to the hound who consistently racks up quality autographs on a diverse platform of memorabilia. Please, don't vote for yourself.
Chris
Autograph of the Year: Awarded to the hound who scores an autograph from one of hockey's best players -- past or present -- during the course of a season.
Ryan's little sister getting the sidney crosby jersey.
Rookie of the Year: Awarded to a hound who excels in his/her first full Hockey Bay season.
Brett
Lifetime Achievement Award: Honors a veteran Hockey Bay hound for their dedication, knowledge and product of their efforts.
Ron
Best Supporting Hound: Awarded to the hound(s) who assist in the collection of autographs.
Colin
Meatball of the Year: Awarded to a hound who displays a clear lack of thought and consideration toward his peers.
JAMIE! Gary in a far second place.
Best Original Score: Awarded to the hound obtaining an autograph(s) on a rare or peculiar piece of memorabilia.
Jamie getting game used sticks signed twice by the same player
Nicest NHL player:
Nick Foligno
Snottiest NHL player:
Ovechkin
Best-signing team: The team that bleeds Sharpies dry.
Carilino Hurricanes
Worst-signing team: This is great intel, too.
Washington
Best-dressed player: Each team has one. Really, they do.
Garnett Exelby
Hound of the Year:
Chris
Autograph of the Year: Chris' wife for getting Ovechkin to touch a sharpie
Rookie of the Year:
TJ
Lifetime Achievement Award:
Ron
Best Supporting Hound:
Ron and Scott: They both helped out various times throughout the season with helpful info.
Meatball of the Year:
The person this award is named for
Best Original Score:
Jamie's blank canvas'
Nicest NHL player:
Luca Sbisa or Jeremy Roenick
Snottiest NHL player:
Chris Neil
Best-signing team:
New York Islanders or Atlanta Thrashers
Worst-signing team:
Penguins. Would have been the Caps based on their first trip, buy the second they all signed but Ovie
Best-dressed player: Garnet Exelby
Hound of the Year: Meatball hands down
Autograph of the Year: I cant pick one we all got some great ones this year but may favs were from the Esposito brothers
Rookie of the Year: Id have to say Ryan here
Lifetime Achievement Award: The Swede for nearly crapping himself after finally getting Crosby to sign his Holmqvist pic...im pretty sure that will at least go down as his Lifetime Achievement
Best Supporting Hound: The goons on the rollerskates... without brett and tj i think things wouldve been a little less interesting out there
Meatball of the Year: jamielovesmeatballsdotcom gotta love those 1 of 1's
Best Original Score: Toss up between Ryans STL mascot pic and meatball getting "Gammers" signed twice...but because the meater pulled this on multiple occasions (Horton, Weiss, Kubina just to name a few) i gotta give him the edge.
Nicest NHL player: Hands Down Jeremy Roenick
Snottiest NHL player: Cujo and Jason Blake I think its a Toronto thing ;P
Best-signing team: Carolina and Dallas
Worst-signing team: Washington and Boston
Best-dressed player: XLB
Hound of the Year:
Chris, the guy puts in countless hours in to the hobby, on spot info and knows how to help you come down after the league best player snubs you because his cell phone began to ring, plus he got that the ever so rude Jose Theodore to sign my jersey for me.
Rookie of the Year: Tuff choice here I want to vote for my self here so I will do the second best thing, My vote is for my sister, if you haven’t seen my signed Sidney Crosby jersey then you should the thing is beautiful!
Lifetime Achievement Award: Ron the guy is spot on info, another person who has dedicated countless hours and money to the hobby.
Best Supporting Hound: Scottie Two Bags I mean hell he got me into the hobby.
Meatball of the Year: Well I think this is a hard choice because yeah there are a few meatballs out there but it’s the first year of the award so give it meatball him self. I mean you are a real jackass when dealers from Detroit tell tales about you around the country in the graphing community, I mean after all he does have the same bday as some douche on the Capitals.
Best Original Score: Once again I have to say my St Louis project was a real score along with the comments I received from players but I will give it to meatball for that Ruslan Fedotenko 1/1 that he was trying to get signed by Ruslan on the Pens first trip to Hockey Bay.
Nicest NHL player: MMMOOOO MOONNNEEYYY Commodore of the blue jackets
Snottiest NHL player: Cujo as if we could actually still sell something graphed by you, ass.
Best-signing team: Dallas then
Chicago
Worst-signing team: Washington and Boston I agree with Chris on this.
Best-dressed player: Pavel Kubina, those gym shorts, wife beater and flip flops that we wore on his walk for the morning practice, pretty sure I heard meatball offering some favors to him for a stick.
Hound of the Year: Chris. Hands down, the most consistent hound all season long.
Autograph of the Year: Chris getting Phil Esposito on his Team Canada throwback jersey
Rookie of the Year: Ryan. It didn't take him long to reach veteran status.
Lifetime Achievement Award: A.J. The guy's been doingthis for a lot longer than me and his roots run deep in the Hockey Bay hounding community.
Best Supporting Hound: Andy. And it has nothing to do with Belgian waffles. Really.
Meatball of the Year: well, you know, Meatball. Everyone knows why, too.
Best Original Score: Ryan for his St. Louis Blues team photo project. I still laugh just thinking about it.
Nicest NHL player: Boston's Patrice Bergeron. He'll always get our vote.
Snottiest NHL player: Cujo. I don't like the guy, so I'm sure that plays a big role.
Best-signing team: Colorado Avalanche.
Worst-signing team: Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Best-dressed player: Atlanta's Garnet Exelby. The fedora is pretty cool.
So when are the results reviled?
Reviled? Never.
Revealed? Soon.
Patience is a virtue.
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