It never gets old

I don't what it is, but I get a kick any time an NHL player signs four cards for me. Montreal's Tomas Plekanic was the latest to sign, stopping yesterday after the Canadiens' morning skate.

Golden Goose

When asking most players for an autograph, I usually include their first names in my request. With Buffalo's Paul Gaustad, I slipped up a bit, addressing him by his nickname, "Goose." It didn't matter. After shrugging off my apology, he signed these four cards.

"You can call me Goose, Paul or whatever," he said.

Another win-win situation

I can't say for certain, but I believe showing Buffalo's Jaroslav Spacek cards from four different teams went a long way toward him signing the quartet yesterday before Buffalo's game against Tampa Bay.

When doing your prep work, dig deep through your card collection. Not only does it build your overall collection, but it also adds to individual team collections.

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.

Can't say that I have

I'm curious. Have you ever seen Florida's Tomas Vokoun ever turn down a request for an autograph? I haven't. Ever. He is, by far, one of the most prolific signers in the NHL.

This card, one of four he signed Saturday before taking a 6-4 loss against the Bolts, comes from the 2004-05 UD Hockey All-World Edition.

Go 4 for 4

If you're having trouble finding cards for second- and third-year NHL players, you might want to peruse the card offerings at the American Hockey League's Web site.

Aside from the Upper Deck 2007-08 Rookie Class card, the rest of these cards Atlanta's Brett Sterling signed before Tuesday's morning skate are from the AHL's all-star or top prospects sets.

The prices might be a tad high, but you'll get a lot of hounding bang for your hard-earned bucks. I'd dare say that 75 percent, at least, of the players featured make it to the NHL.

As for the Rookie Class, it's the best $20 you'll ever spend on an Upper Deck product.

Bottom line, if you subscribe to quality and quantity, it's these kinds of cards that turn a good day into a great day.