The envelopes, please

After careful tabulations, double-blind accounting and pacts of secrecy authenticated by verification experts at the highest levels, the inaugural edition of the Hockey Bay Hounding Awards have finally arrived on the shores of Tampa Bay.

In the moments ahead, you'll find yourselves nodding in agreement, shrinking away in horror and, occasionally, shaking your head in disagreement. That's exactly what we're hoping for, at least.

Before we get to the winners, though, Hound Central 4.0 would like to thank everyone who has visited this chronicle of the 2008-09 hockey-hounding campaign. Using an incalculable payment of your free time, your presence and attention is the greatest reward we could ever receive. Again, thank you.

Now, let's see who's winning nothing more than a mention here at Hound Central 4.0:

Hound of the Year: Awarded to the hound who consistently racks up quality autographs on a diverse platform of memorabilia. Winner: 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. Winner: Ryan, for his team-signed picture, shown above, of Louie, the St. Louis Blues mascot.

Rookie of the Year: Awarded to a hound who excels in his/her first full Hockey Bay season. Winner: Ryan

Lifetime Achievement Award: Honors a veteran Hockey Bay hound for their dedication, knowledge and product of their efforts. Winner: Ron (Thanks, folks)

Best Supporting Hound: Awarded to the hound(s) who assists in the collection of autographs. Winner: Three-way tie -- Andy, Scott and Colin

Meatball of the Year: Awarded to a hound who displays a clear lack of thought and consideration toward his peers. Winner: Meatball

Best Original Score: Awarded to the hound obtaining an autograph(s) on a rare or peculiar piece of memorabilia. Winner: Jamie, for getting game-used sticks signed twice by each player. Don't ask me why, ask him.

NHL awards

Nicest NHL player: San Jose's Jeremy Roenick

Snottiest NHL player: Toronto's Curtis Joseph

Best-signing team: Dallas Stars

Worst-signing team: Washington Capitals

Best-dressed player: Atlanta's Garnet Exelby, for his fedora alone

Update: 10 Big Sigs

Before the 2008-09 hockey hounding season down here in Hockey Bay, I predicted that these items would be added to the collection.

Let's see how I did:

No. 10: Montreal's Saku Koivu on the Canadiens' legends jersey - Did not obtain

No. 9: Dallas' Brad Richards on a Stars puck

No. 8: San Jose's Dan Boyle on a Sharks puck

No. 7: A team-signed Boston Bruins jersey

No. 6: New Jersey's Martin Brodeur on a replica jersey

No. 5: Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby on Colin's #87 Penguins jersey - Did not obtain.

No. 4: Columbus' Rick Nash on Blue Jackets and Team Canada pucks

No. 3: Pucks from Chicago's Patrick Kane (Blackhawks, London Knights and Team USA) and Jonathan Toews (Blackhawks, Team Canada and University of North Dakota)

No. 2: Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk, Nicklas Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski and Henrik Zetterberg on Red Wings pucks

No. 1: Chicago's Nikolai Khabibulin (provided he stays), Columbus' Fredrik Modin (provided he stays healthy) and Toronto's Pavel Kubina on our Tampa Bay Lightning 2004 Stanley Cup Champions items. - Not a single item.

Looking back, it wasn't a great season, but it wasn't bad. Though Crosby signed during his visits to Hockey Bay, I missed getting him to sign. Perhaps, too, I overshot on the goals for the Red Wings. And Koivu signed a Canadiens team helmet instead.

The biggest disappointment, though, was not adding to the Tampa Bay Lightning 2004 Stanley Cup Champions items. One would think that the No. 1 item on the 10 Big Sigs campaign would take precedence, but a combination of players not traveling to Hockey Bay (Khabibulin and Modin) and simply forgetting (Kubina) worked against me.

Still, I'm happy to have added what we did. I'm sure, too, that this project will return for the 2009-10 hockey hounding campaign. This time, though, I'll have to keep my eyes on the prize, won't I?

Fan Pack attack II

Though I didn't enjoy much success in my fan pack efforts, it's nice to know that Moody, Hound Central 4.0's roving Southeast correspondent, had a great season getting professional hockey teams to send him a ton of free goodies.

Next season, I'm taking a different approach. Rather than sending our requests in bulk e-mails (appearing, I hate to admit, as a spammer), I'll send out a couple a day to select teams. Cherry-picking, I suppose, but that's my prerogative.

In the meantime, these items, received by Moody over the past few months, cap the fan pack reports for the 2008-09 hockey hounding:

Team: Dallas Stars
League: National Hockey League
Items: Player cards for Mike Modano and Marty Turco, oversized player cards for Trevor Daley, Brenden Morrow, Steve Ott and Tobias Stephen, a sticker set and a Stars mini pennant.

Team: Frolunda HC
League: Elitserien, or the Swedish Elite League
Items: Autographed player sheet of goalie Johan Holmqvist, a former member of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Team: SC Bern
League: Swiss National League A
Items: Autographed player sheet of Martin Gelinas, a former NHL player.

Among the other teams to send items not previously profiled:

~ the New York Islanders sent out a team poster; and
~ the Rockford Ice Hogs of the American Hockey League sent a program and player photos of Evan Brophey, Mike Brennan and Bryan Bickell.

Flashbacks 04.22

Like reading about or looking at hockey autographs? Me, too.

Check out these installments from past hockey-hounding campaigns:

Jan. 16, 2008: Colorado's Joey Sakic
Nov. 4, 2007: Hall of Famer Phil Esposito
April 16, 2007: Cup winner Glenn "Chico" Resch
Sept. 24, 2006: Dallas' Mike Modano
Nov. 26, 2005: Los Angeles' Yutaka Fukufuji

Got lots of time? Find hundreds of more adventures at Hound Central 3.0, Hound Central 2.0 and, most certainly, Hound Central 1.0.

As always, thanks for stopping by.

Update: Hounding in Georgia

Though he may be loathe to admit it, Moody, Hound Central 4.0's roving Southeast correspondent, likely lamented his move to the Greater Atlanta area from the comfort of his home near Hockey Bay.

Not only would it mean an uprooting of his family -- a far more serious consideration than anything else -- but it presented a new set of hounding challenges.

With this update, though, Hound Central 4.0 is pleased to report that Moody has got back into his groove, as these items, collected during a recent hounding adventure to the team's practice facility in Duluth, Ga., serve as undeniable proof.

Here, we have pucks signed by tough guy Eric Boulton, top, on an ECHL playoff puck, and left winger Slava Kozlov, who signed a Red Wings 1998 Stanley Cup champions puck.

On a side note, Moody reports that Atlanta's novice collectors are among the more intelligent ones in the area, with the veterans, so to speak, offering only unreliable information. Again, this shows that digging your own intel is the best way to go.

Still, after adding more than 30 autographs ("Thou Sharpie runneth over," was how Moody put it), there's little to complain about.

Those signing cards, top photo, were:

Top row: Chris Thorburn, Rich Peverley and Ron Hainsey, one of the Thrashers' most-engaging signers; and
Bottom row: Zach Bogosian, Garnet Exelby and Tobias "One-per" Enstrom

Thanks, Dallas

Moody, a lover of all things free, was delighted when Atlanta's Johan Hedberg signed this fan pack card from the goalie's days deep in the heart of Texas.

Many multiples

It doesn't matter where you hound, it's always a pleasant outing when players and/or coaches are willing to sign more than a single card:

Center Bryan Little, one of the Thrashers' rising stars, had no trouble signing these six cards;

Goalie Kari Lehtonen, a proverbial signing machine, asked Moody whether he had anything else after signing these six cards for him;

Randy Cunneyworth, an assistant coach with Atlanta, signed these Buffalo and Hartford cards; and

Center Jim Slater was good for these four cards.

Seeing Stars

It should come as no surprise that Hound Central 4.0 gets a little ramped up any time a Western Conference team crosses the Mississippi and makes its way down here to Hockey Bay. Take the Dallas Stars, for instance.

Thanks to a work schedule, a school holiday and leftover 2008 holiday time, the central command here at Hound Central 4.0 headquarters helped to welcome the Stars to town yesterday. We got up early, loaded the car with cards, pucks, sticks, jerseys as well as our game tickets and, by putting in the time and effort, added 65 autographs, including 31 cards, to the collection.

Sure beats work, doesn't it?

It was fun, too, snagging signatures from the Stars' big names -- Mike Modano, Jere Lehtinen, Marty Turco, Loui Eriksson, among others. Other than Brian Sutherby, who signed at game time, every Stars player signed on his way over to morning skate.

We missed former Bolt Brad Richards (I'm glad I got him before camps opened) and Brett Hull, one of the Stars' two GMs. Though both signed for a few folks Sunday night, we never saw them Monday. Yes, it would have been nice, but the rest of the team more than made up for it.

Signing pucks, shown above, were:

Top row: Fabian Brunnstrom, Jere Lehtinen and Matt Niskanen
Bottom row: Mike Ribeiro, Darryl Sydor and Marty Turco

Among those signing cards were:

Top row: Stu Barnes, Trevor Daley and Loui Eriksson
Middle row: Jere Lehtinen, Joel Lundqvist and James Neal
Bottom row: Matt Niskanen, Steve Ott and Stephane Robidas

And, no, we didn't forget to have Turco sign the Team Canada jersey. All told, the goalie signed seven items for us yesterday.

We also added these to the collection:

~ Future Hall of Famer Mike Modano on a Stars puck and a Team USA jersey;
~ Four autographed cards each from Marty Turco, Mike Ribeiro and Mark Parrish;
~ Twenty-four players and coaches, including Modano, Turco and Lehtinen, on Colin's team sheet
~ a game-used stick signed by Doug Janik; and
~ the 1,000th autograph of the season from James Neal.

Thanks, Mikey Mo!

Any hounding adventure with the Dallas Stars would be seen as woefully incomplete if it didn't include an autograph (or two) from Mike Modano.

After getting the future Hall of Famer to sign the Team USA team jersey, as well as this Dallas Stars puck, I'm comfortable with the fruits of our labor. He also signed Colin's team sheet, meaning, at day's end, we had another three signatures.

Veteran hounds should notice a difference in his autograph, too. Rather than the nearly letter-perfect signature that we've come to expect, these were the likely result of drawing an expected large crowd.

A word of caution, though. Be prepared to walk -- backwards, even -- to get Modano's autograph. He drew a moving crowd before the Stars morning skate.

Still, though, don't you believe a player of Modano's stature is certainly deserving of a little extra effort? We do.

Solid dozen

Not to sound smug, but I figured that Dallas' Mark Parrish would sign four cards for us yesterday. He's personable and has, for as long as I can remember, been a willing signer.

What was a bit surprising, though, was when Dallas' Mike Ribeiro and Marty Turco signed four card each yesterday before the Stars game against Tampa Bay. Though recent reports said Dallas was a decent signing, I'm cut from the cloth that needs to see it to believe it.

I'd dare say that assessment is correct. Just this dozen cards alone would have been a decent day.

They're on board

How popular are Colin's team sheets with visiting team players? Judging by the number of positive comments he received yesterday from Dallas Stars players and coaches, including Dave Tippett and Marty Turco, it only reaffirms our belief that they all get quite a kick out of seeing them.

Colin even explained to Turco how he drew the star, with the goalie smiling and taking it all in.

"That's a pretty good job there, buddy," Turco told Colin.

Here's who signed Colin team sheet yesterday morning: Krystofer Barch, Stu Barnes, Fabian Brunnstrom (top-left corner), Chris Conner, Trevor Daley, Loui Eriksson, Nicklas Grossman, Andrew Hutchinson, Mark Lamb, Jere Lehtinen (bottom-right corner), Joel Lundqvist, Mike Modano (on the star), James Neal, Matt Niskanen, Steve Ott, Mark Parrish, Toby Petersen, Mike Ribeiro (top left of star), Stephane Robidas, Tobias Stephan, Darryl Sydor, Tippett, Turco (top right of star) and Rick Wilson.

No, Colin didn't have the "pleasure" of meeting Brett Hull. We never saw him. His loss, right?

Sticking with Janik

He may not be the best player in the NHL, or even the Stars, for that matter, but Hound Central 4.0 keeps an eye out for Dallas' Doug Janik.

Maybe, it's because he played for the University of Maine. Then again, it could be that he played for Buffalo Sabres organization. We can't forget, either, that he played for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Yes, it could be any one of those reasons.

I'm thinking, though, that after signing this stick yesterday for Colin, it's simply because he's one of the more personable players we've ever met.

No. 1,000 for the season

Not that I checked with Big Four accounting auditors Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Ernst & Young, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers, but Hound Central 4.0 passed a significant milestone yesterday while hounding the Dallas Stars.

Dallas' James Neal signed this card, from In the Game's 2005-06 Heroes and Prospects, for the 1,000th autograph we've collected this season.

Want to know what's scary? We still have another 14 teams, give or take a couple, before season's end.

Sunday morning homily XVIII

Over the past few years, I've heard about the Tampa Bay Lightning's so-called "gearage sales." It's billed as an opportunity for Johnny Lightning Fan to get his hands on some game-used gear. After visting my first sale yesterday, held before the Lighting's disappointing 4-3 loss to the Panthers, I was a bit overwhelmed.

There was a lot of equipment available. Tables and tables of gloves, many still in their bags. Shiny helmets stacked three deep across tables. Twenty feet of sticks, a colorful collection from players past and present. Racks of rookie camp and practice jerseys.

It was like being a kid in a candy store.

The only problem, though, was that the prices were way too high. Those gloves? How about $60? Same for the helmets. Those sticks, while tempting, were $100. A rookie camp jersey of some no-name? Only $250. Practice jerseys, with no names or numbers, commanded $80.

For the hard-core collector, a pair of Johan Holmqvist goalie pads, showing considerable wear, were available for $750. Nice? Yes, but too rich for most people.

Because of the prices, I did nothing but window-shop. Want to know why? I paid only $25 each for the two Lightning practice jerseys I've bought during Lightning games. And I still have a couple of Marty St. Louis model sticks, picked up at the Lightning Foundation fund-raising table during training camp, that cost only $12.50 each.

Funny thing, too. I didn't see too many people buying stuff in the 20 minutes I hung around. Maybe next time the Lightning will take more of a garage sale approach, where it's dimes on the dollar, not 50-cent pieces.

Shameless self-promotion


If you check out page 138 in the February issue of Beckett Sports Card Monthly, you might recognize some of the autographed items shown on the page shown above. Here's a couple of hints:

~ they were obtained around Thanksgiving when the New York Rangers played the Tampa Bay Lightning; and
~ I wrote the article, my first for a Beckett publication in a few years.

Unless plans change (theirs, not mine), I'll have another piece in the February issue of Beckett Hockey.

For a better view of the article, click on the top image.

Hockey tongue twister

There's a good reason I write for a living. I don't believe I could quickly say these names three times in a row:

Kimmo Timonen
Ville Peltonen
Jere Lehtinen
Matt Niskanen
Teppo Numminen

5 Big Sigs

It'll be a big week down here in Hockey Bay with the Dallas Stars and the Buffalo Sabres coming to town. I'm going to raise the bar a little this week, seeing whether we can add these to the collection:

~ Dallas' Mike Modano on the Team USA jersey and puck;
~ Dallas' Marty Turco on the Team Canada jersey and goalie mask;
~ Dallas' Brad Richards on a Notre Dame College Hounds puck;
~ Dallas' Brett Hull on Stars and Red Wings pucks (sorry Sabres fan, but I have to try); and
~ Buffalo's Ryan Miller on the Team USA jersey.

Interesting choice

Perhaps I appeared a tad greedy when I approached Nashville's Jason Arnott with four "career road-map" pucks -- Nashville, Dallas, New Jersey and Edmonton -- this morning.

It's not that I'm complaining, either, that he signed just one puck. No, it's like I always say: one puck is better than none.

What I find interesting was that Arnott, the Predators' captain, signed the Stars puck rather than the Predators puck.

Twin terrors

Now that Halloween costumes, decorations and the all important candy is 75 percent off, this might be a good time to start thinking about next year's costumes. Superman? Maybe. SpongeBob SquarePants? Hardly. Little Bo Peep? Doubt it.

Here's an idea. How about being a hockey player?

Readers taking part in Hound Central 4.0's lastest poll even picked two players as good Halloween costumes -- Dallas' Sean Avery, known for his yapping, ability to get under one's skin and a summer intern stint at Vogue, and Boston's Zdeno Chara, who, at 6 foot 9, is one of the league's most physically imposing and intimidating players.

Question: What NHL player would be a good Halloween costume?

Dallas' Sean Avery: 7 votes out of 18 cast (38.9 percent)
Boston's Zdeno Chara: 7 votes out of 18 (38.9 percent)
Minnesota's Derek Boogaard: 3 votes out of 18 (16.7 percent)
Toronto's Ryan Hollweg: 1 vote out of 18 (5.5 percent)

Who are the top rookies?

So, who will be the top rookie of the 2008-09 NHL campaign? It'll be one of these five players. How do I know that? It's easy.

They're among the annual bumper crop of first-year players who bring either excitement or dread, depending upon where you stand as a fan of NHL teams.

Though none is likely to supplant any of today's young stars this season, these five players will get to take the first steps of what their employers hope will be long and productive careers

No. 5: Kyle Okposo (pronounced OH-po-sew), right wing
New York Islanders
20 years old (4.16.88) / Drafted seventh overall in 2006
The skinny: The Islanders are beginning yet another youth movement, and Okposo is carrying the banner. With five points in a nine-game call-up last year, as well as 28 in 35 games in AHL Bridgeport, Okposo should make a seamless transition.

No. 4: Fabian Brunnstrom, left wing
Dallas Stars
23 years old (2.6.85) / Signed as a free agent in 2008
The skinny: Everyone seems to think he'll be this season's best player from Europe. My question, however, is will Brunnstrom be more like Peter Forberg or Andreas Karlsson? The Stars' brass and fans are hoping he's more like Foppa than Floppa. At 23, he'll be one of the NHL's oldest rookies.

No. 3: Drew Doughty, defense
Los Angeles Kings
18 years old (12.8.89) / Drafted second overall in 2008
The skinny: Given all the young talent that the Kings have stockpiled over the past few seasons, it makes sense that a resurgence is in the works. Doughty and teammate Jack Johnson should have a good handle on Los Angeles' blueline for quite a few years.

No. 2: Kyle Turris, center
Pheonix Coyotes
19 years old (8.14.89) / Drafted third overall in 2007
The skinny: Turris' expected appearance in the Coyotes' lineup should take some offensive pressure off of Peter Mueller and, perhaps, Shane Doan. Here's to hoping for two things: he handles the pressure and absorbs every bit of wisdom imparted by his coach, Wayne Gretzky.

No. 1: Steven Stamkos, center
Tampa Bay Lightning
18 years old (2.7.90) / Drafted first overall in 2008
The skinny: To some, it's nearly cheating to say the top pick of the most recent NHL draft will be the following season's top rookie. Stamkos, however, seems to be the complete package. I'm looking forward to watching him play.

Who's the best young goalie?

Even though my skating skills are suspect at best, manning the pipes is, by far, the last position I'd ever want to play in hockey. Why? There's too much pressure. Slapshots, despite copious amounts of padding, still hurt. And I'm afraid walking would be impossible after my first split save.

Thankfully, my fears, no matter how unfounded and unrealized, are quickly dismissed by the NHL's elite goalies. Pressure? Sounds like breakfast. Stinging shots? They only hurt until the pain goes away. Split saves? That's why you stretch.

To be in a position of deciding any game, where a flick of a glove is the difference between winning and losing, has got to be flat-out funky. Imagine, though, if you were just a kid, relatively speaking, squaring yourself as Washington's Alex Ovechkin tore down the ice.

In a second, you'd face these questions: Will he unleash a bullet? Or, will he dangle? Who's on the off-wing and, really, will Ovie pass? Am I wearing my cup?

Sounds like a job description that only very few people can handle. Sure, all are in the NHL. But these five young goalies, 25 years old or under as of Oct. 4, are the best ones to ask:

No. 5: Kari Lehtonen
Atlanta Thrashers
24 years old (11.16.83)
Drafted 2nd overall in 2002
The skinny: Though whispers on his abilities and conditioning are approaching chatter level, Lehtonen's still among the league's most exciting goalies. He faces a ton of shots (1,560) and puts up solid numbers: four shutouts within a injury-marred 12-win campaign, a 2.90 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage. Most teams would love a goalie with his abilities and, um, potential.
Last season's ranking: No. 4

No. 4: Carey Price
Montreal Canadiens
21 years old (8.16.87)
Drafted 5th overall in 2005
The skinny: His performance in the playoffs, exposing a somewhat weak glove, should not be your lasting impression of this could. He played so well that even the most grizzled hockey veteran dared mention his name in the same sentence as Patrick Roy and Ken Dryden. Monster stats, too: Three shutouts within 24 wins, a 2.56 GAA and a .920 SP. I'm thinking, too, that Price, whom I suspect will only climb up this list in the seasons ahead, spent the summer working on his glove hand.
Last season's ranking: first appearance

No. 3: Pascal Leclaire
Columbus Blue Jackets
25 years old (11.7.82)
Drafted 8th overall in 2001
The skinny: After years of waiting for Leclaire to step up and get noticed, the 2007-08 campaign was his coming-out party. Nine shutouts within 24 wins, a 2.25 GAA and a .919 SP validated what many have said about him -- he's a top-shelf goalie. Can he lead the Blue Jackets to the playoffs? If he repeats last season's performance, there's no reason why Columbus won't play past early April.
Last season's ranking: first appearance

No. 2: Cam Ward
Carolina Hurricanes
24 years old (2.29.84)
Drafted 25th overall in 2002
The skinny: To some, last season might be viewed as a disappointment. Still, though, six shutouts in 37 wins is pretty darn good. A 2.90 GAA and a .916 SP are respectable, too. I still have faith in Ward. To me, he's a money goaltender. Hurricanes fans, I hope, will agree. If they don't, I'm sure quite a few NHL teams would welcome his 1,870 saves.
Last season's ranking: No. 5

No. 1: Marc-Andre Fleury
Pittsburgh Penguins
22 years old (11.28.84)
Drafted 1st overall in 2003
The skinny: In a team loaded with superstars, Fleury is likely the most unheralded. Last year's playoffs, though, should support his rising through these rankings. A 1.97 GAA and a .933 SP should have been good enough to win the Cup. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh ran into the Red Wings. Barring injury or burnout, this kid is the best goalie, age notwithstanding, in the NHL.
Last season's ranking: No. 3

Ones to watch

These five young keepers, listed in alphabetical order, should soon become the next wave of elite goaltenders:

Jonathan Bernier, Los Angeles Kings
20 years old (8.7.88) / 11th overall in 2006 Draft
The skinny: Yes, he could use some AHL seasoning. But, the Kings will give him a chance this season. Given the revolving door in the Kings crease last year, he should have the chance to earn a starting gig. The smart money, however, has him starting in a couple years.

Jaroslav Halak, Montreal Canadiens
23 years old (5.13.85) / 271st overall in 2003 Draft
The skinny: As much as I hate to admit it, the Canadiens look stacked in net for years to come. Halak performed admirably in a handful of games last season. The big question, though, is where does he play: Montreal, watching mostly from the bench, or Hamilton, where he'll get playing time?

Karri Ramo, Tampa Bay Lightning
22 years old (7.1.86) / 191st overall in 2004 Draft
The skinny: Last season's run with the Lightning showed that Ramo wasn't quite ready for the NHL's prime time. Still, his aggressiveness in net and competitive spirit bodes well for the Lightning. Like Lehtonen, he's another top young Finn goalie.

Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators
25 years old (11.3.82) / 258th overall in 2004 Draft
The skinny: Let's see, Chris Mason runs off Tomas Vokoun. Dan Ellis sends Mason packing to St. Louis. Rinne, another Finnish product, could easily send Ellis to the bench or who knows where. Stuck in the AHL for the past few seasons, this is his opportunity to show what he can do. He had five shutouts and 37 wins as Milwaukee's starter last season.

Tobias Stephan, Dallas Stars
24 years old (1.21.84) / 34th overall in 2002 Draft
The skinny: Though he won't make anyone forget about Marty Turco, this season will either spent riding the pines or starting for AHL Iowa. Six shutouts within 26 wins, even at the minor-league level, isn't anything to sneeze at. Dallas, it seems, is set in goal for the next few years.

Feel free to check out Hound Central 3.0's best young goalies.

I'll take two

I cut my first deal of the season, telling Dallas' Brad Richards if he signed two items for me, I wouldn't ask him for another autograph during these informal skates.

As you can see, he held up his end of the bargain, becoming the only player to sign for me today. As a result, I'll be true to my word.

Richards became the first player to sign the Team Canada jersey (top photo). He also joined a work-in-progress 8x10 that cherry-picks members of the Lightning's 2004 Stanley Cup Champions squad.

There were other players taking part, including Tampa Bay's Vinny Lecavalier and Paul Ranger, at the Ice Sports Forum in Brandon. My work schedule, as well as the last day for a couple of copy desk colleagues, necessitated my early departure.

Given the quality of the player who signed, though, it's hard to be disappointed with only two autographs.

In case you're wondering, others skating today were Brian Bradley, Chris Gratton, Olaf Kolzig, Nolan Pratt, Mark Recchi, Mike Smith and Jason Ward.

One down, nine to go

I'd be lying if I told you I expected to cross one item off Hound Central 4.0's 10 Big Sigs list before the start of the season.

But when Dallas' Brad Richards signed this Stars puck earlier today, I was able to do just that.

Richards was skating this morning in Brandon, joining a few members, past and present, of the Tampa Bay Lightning for an hour of informal drills.

10 Big Sigs

Going into any hockey season, it's a pretty safe assumption that we'll add at least 300 to 400 autographs to the collection. Though I focus on pucks, we get quite a few cards signed, too. Toss in the occasional photo, stick, helmet or jersey and they add up real quick.

This season, however, is no different. Beyond adding to the quantity, selective requests (another term for cherry-picking) made to players on teams that frequent Tampa Bay will certainly add to the quality of the collection.

That's not to say, though, that I don't have a short list of items that I really want to get signed this season. And while I tried to limit it to 10, keeping in the spirit of the title, I resorted to counting by instances.

I hope you can forgive me.

No. 10: Montreal's Saku Koivu on the Canadiens' legends jersey

No. 9: Dallas' Brad Richards on a Stars puck

No. 8: San Jose's Dan Boyle on a Sharks puck

No. 7: A team-signed Boston Bruins jersey

No. 6: New Jersey's Martin Brodeur on a replica jersey

No. 5: Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby on Colin's #87 Penguins jersey

No. 4: Columbus' Rick Nash on Blue Jackets and Team Canada pucks

No. 3: Pucks from Chicago's Patrick Kane (Blackhawks, London Knights and Team USA) and Jonathan Toews (Blackhawks, Team Canada and University of North Dakota)

No. 2: Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk, Nicklas Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski and Henrik Zetterberg on Red Wings pucks

No. 1: Chicago's Nikolai Khabibulin (provided he stays), Columbus' Fredrik Modin (provided he stays healthy) and Toronto's Pavel Kubina on our Tampa Bay Lightning 2004 Stanley Cup Champions items