Different looks

Beyond signaling that the 2009-10 NHL season is right around the corner, the recent release of 2009-10 Victory also carries cards of players in their team's third jerseys. This sampling came from a couple 36-card packs we found at Target.

Tthis 200-card set boasts second-year cards for last season's rookies, creating autograph stock for such players as Columbus Steve Mason, the Calder Cup winner. You'll also find cards for Boston's Blake Wheeler, Chicago's Kris Versteeg and Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos.

Its low price point is easy on the wallet, too.

These three points earn 2009-10 Victory a buy rating.

It's been such a long time

It's always a good day when our postal carrier drops off some autographs in our mailbox. In this case, they came from Edmonton's Patrick O'Sullivan, who, much to his credit, signed the four cards we sent.

The remarkable aspect of this arrival, however, is the time between request and return. These cards were mailed to O'Sullivan, in care of the Los Angeles Kings, on Dec. 31, 2007. If my math is correct, and that's open for debate, it took an astonishing 560 days for the cards to return.

And while one might grouse about the lengthy delay, we're just happy the cards, part of Hound Central 3.0's TTM project, finally made their way back home.

Thank goodness, too, that we used one of those Forever stamps.

Doubling up

Want to know what happens when all get into the same autograph line for Tampa Bay's prospects? Actually, that's an easy question. Not only can you get seven particular players, fresh from participating in Saturday's night scrimmage at the Lightning's Young Guns camp, to sign a team postcard, but you can also snag all on a puck.

Prospect card, from left: Luke Witkowski, Carter Ashton, Juraj Simek, Jordan Mayer, Matt Read, Dustin Tokarski and Kyle DeCoste.

Prospect puck, from left: Juraj Simek, Carter Ashton, Dustin Tokarski, Kyle DeCoste, Jordan Mayer, Matt Read and Luke Witkowski.

In an instant

Though I carried cards and pucks during his brief appearances on Tampa Bay's blueline last season, I somehow managed to miss getting a single autograph from defenseman Ty Wishart.

That all changed Thursday, at the end of a long, cold-worsening day of baseball, hockey and hounding, when Wishart not only signed the two pucks, shown above, but these cards as well.

Wishart, part of the trade that sent Dan Boyle to San Jose, is taking part in the Lightning's Young Guns camp this week.

Handy to have

With the Tampa Bay Lightning holding its Young Guns camp this week, it was a good time to put some 2008-09 Norfolk Admirals team set cards to work. Among those to sign, and we still have a few cards to go, were Riku Helenius, Scott Jackson, Vladimir Mihalik and Juraj Simek.

Update: 85 Young Guns

After stopping by our local card shop -- the House of Cards in Pinellas Park -- I learned those 85 Young Guns I pulled from a hobby box of 2008-09 Upper Deck Hockey Series 2 were likely part of a nuclear-hot case.

It seems that other hockey card collectors who bought boxes at The House of Cards also reported insane amounts of Young Guns as they ripped open packs. In one case, Young Guns filled entire packs.

Honestly, I can't imagine Upper Deck making a conscious decision to do that. To me, it sounds more like someone putting stacks of Young Guns, rather than base cards, into the collator.

Still, though, no complaints.

A very good deed, indeed

There are times in the course of a hounding career where success is not measured in how many autographs you get in a single outing. Sometimes, it's what you do with them.

Moody, Hound Central 4.0's roving Southeast correspondent, shares a story from his last hounding trip for the Thrashers, to the team's practice facility in Duluth:

"I got Ilya Kovalchuk (to sign a card) inside, but decided to give it up after he drove past a nice little lady who was outside waiting for him to sign. She was telling me how she was there for her husband who was terminally ill and, obviously, lost his job. She was just trying to make her husband happy by gathering his favorite team's signatures on a piece of loose leaf paper.

"I decided to donate the cards I had left and help her get them signed to make the outing more meaningful for her and her family. Since Kovie didn’t stop, I felt it was only right to help.

"I must say that this outing was -- by far -- the best outing of the year because I felt like I walked away with something more than a signed piece of rubber or cardboard.

"It truly humbles a person when you stop and listen to another person’s life and how something as little as a signed card from an athlete could make their time on earth more enjoyable.

"How hounds like myself take for granted how these encounters with athletes become routine and just another part of the day. That we do not think twice about dropping a couple of bucks for a Sharpie or pack of cards and not have to worry about whether or not we will miss a meal. "

Well said, Moody, well said.

Beyond the good deed and great story, Moody also went home with cards signed by Zach Bogosian, Eric Boulton, Tobias Enstrom, Johan Hedberg, Slava Kozlov, Rich Peverley and Boris Valabik.

Dodging raindrops

Sometimes, you just have to grin and bear it. Take Moody, for instance, during a late-season hounding trip to Duluth, Ga., to catch the visiting Ottawa Senators.

Unfortunately for Moody, Hound Central 4.0's roving Southeast correspondent, it started raining. Though most players stopped to sign, their autographs were subpar, ruined by the falling rain. After seeing that, Moody showed his years of experience and stayed dry.

After the team's bus left the arena, Moody went inside where he bumped into Ottawa's Nick Foligno. After signing two cards for Moody, Foligno asked how he did with other players. Moody told him the truth -- he was the only one.

To Moody's surprise, Foligno told him to hang out a moment. Foligno rounded up some teammates, all waiting for a cab ride to a nearby Bass Pro Shop, and brought them back to Moody.

So, who did Foligno round up? How about Shean Donovan, Chris Kelly, Brian Lee, Chris Phillips, Jason Spezza and Jesse Winchester? Even better, Spezza signed five cards.

Not bad for a rainy day, huh? The autographs came out pretty nice, too.

Boulton Believers

When it comes to the Moody household, it's not Atlanta's Ilya Kovalchuk, Slava Kozlov or Kari Lehtonen who get top billing. No, it's Thrashers' tough guy Eric Boulton.

Though Moody's intent for the late-season trip to the team's practice facility in Duluth, Ga., was for the daughters of Hound Central 4.0's roving Southeast correspondent to score some autographs, the day took a more pleasant and humorous turn for the better.

Natalie started getting a little heavy for dad to keep holding so we put the cards away and settled for giving the players “High Fives” as they came off the ice. The players all stopped and slapped hands with her.

After defenseman Nathan Oystrick gained a young fan in Little Natty after giving her not only a good high-five after walking off the ice, he gave her his hockey stick. Boulton, standing next to Oystrick, did not want to get outdone. He asked Natty who was her favorite player. She pointed at Oystrick.

Well, Boulton said he wanted to be her favorite, offering his stick in exchange for him being her new fave. The deal was done. Boulton sealed the deal when he asked Mikayla if she wanted a stick, too. The only catch, he said, was that he had to be her fave.

Needless to say, the girls are now true Boulton Believers.

By the way, Mikayla started a team-signed Thrashers mini helmet, adding coach John Anderson, Ron Hainsey, Johan Hedberg, Kovalchuk, Lehtonen, Bryan Little, Oystrick, Eric Perrin and Boris Valabik. Little Natty had cards signed by Hainsey, Kovalchuk, Kozlov, Lehtonen and Valabik.

Hockey card

To those who know, it should come as no surprise that Colin made out like a bandit yesterday, celebrating his eighth birthday. Among his presents were a Nintendo DS lite, a bunch of games, Pixos and a baseball book Stumptown Kid.

The biggest surprise? This birthday card signed by Tampa Bay's Evgeny Artyukhin. Gee, I wonder how Arty found out about that?

Hello, Tony O

Though Colin may have gotten more than 300 autographs on his hand-drawn team sheets over the course of the 2008-09 hockey-hounding season, none were bigger, in my opinion, than this card signed by Hall of Famer goalie Tony Esposito.

I'd heard that Esposito was a frequent visitor to Lightning games and would sign single items as he walked across the plaza at the St. Pete Times Forum.

On Thursday, after hounding the visiting Washington Capitals, we finally put the information to good use. Our patience, I believe, was rewarded.

Next time, though, I'll carry Blackhawks and Canadiens pucks.

Easy to take

As much as I'd love to crow about snagging an autograph or two from Washington's Alex Ovechkin during the Capitals' visit Thursday, one simple fact forbids me. For the second hockey-hounding campaign in a row, I didn't get a single one.

Want to know something? I'm not that disappointed. Not after the day enjoyed by Hockey Bay's Goofy Dudes of Hounding had, Ovie's autograph or not. It helped, too, that other Capitals, including such toughies as Sergei Fedorov, Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green and Jose Theodore, were more than willing to sign, especially at gametime.

Besides the pucks shown above -- signed by, from left, Mike Green, Michael Nylander and Simeon Varlamov as Washington's morning skate (yeah, we got in) wound down -- we closed out the visiting team campaign with another 38 autographs from the Capitals.

Signing cards were:

Top row: Matt Bradley, Mike Green and Viktor Kozlov
Bottom row: Brooks Laich, Brian Pothier and Simeon Varlamov.

Washington wingers Alexander Semin, left, and Tomas Fleishmann added to the Portland Pirates practice jersey:


Other highlights of the Capitals adventure:

~ Saying "Ovie who?" after Colin scored a stick from Alexander Semin just after the Capitals' morning skate;
~ Getting Nicklas Backstrom to sign the 330th, and perhaps final, puck of the 2008-09 hockey-hounding campaign;
~ Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau, winner of the 2008 Jack Adams Award as the NHL's top coach, signing an ECHL Mississippi Sea Wolves puck; and
~ Last, but not least, Colin running out of room on his team sheet.

And, let's not forget the Capitals photo gallery.

Sorry, Marty

It's hard to believe, isn't it, that it takes until the 2008-09 season's final week for Tampa Bay's Marty St. Louis to get his first headline post here on Hound Central 4.0?

Please, accept my apologies. I swear, I have nothing against him.

It's that I've had him sign Big Three, Team Canada and Lightning team pieces, more than individual items this season. In fact, these two cards, signed after Tuesday's morning skate, might be the first non-project items of the campaign.

Take note, too, how he remembers his number (62, rather than 26) on the All-World Edition card.

Nice tandem

The Choice Rookies subset within the 2008-09 Collectors Choice set is a perfect complement to the 2008-09 Rookie Class so-called box set. Or, at least it worked here for Tampa Bay defenseman Vladimir Mihalik.

Given Collector's Choice low-end nature, I'm not too concerned about burning a rookie card. Should you be worried? That's your call.

The black ink? I had him sign the work-in-progress 2008-09 Lightning team jersey first and didn't bother asking him to switch to a blue Sharpie.

Eagle-eyed readers will notice, too, that my prep work got a little sloppy on one of the cards.

Remember: Top to bottom, side to side. Top to bottom, side to side.

Big difference

Chances are, Pittsburgh defenseman Philippe Boucher isn't at the top of too many hounds' wish lists. In a sense, that's a shame. The guy has had a decent career.

What makes him noteworthy, though, is his demeanor with hounds. Though he's not the most talkative of players, he seems to realize the appreciation of a good signature. He's also willing to sign multiples.

Unlike most players, who usually sign on the darkest part of the image, Boucher, a former No. 1 pick (13th overall in 1991) of the Buffalo Sabres, signed this card, one of three before Tuesday's morning skate, in a spot where his autograph is visible.

It may not seem like much, really. It's just that it doesn't happen all that often. That's what makes this noteworthy.

Going racing

Just because the Lightning were up in Long Island tonight, it doesn't mean that we sat home and twiddled our thumbs. Nope, not with the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg taking place just up the street.

From taking in Indy Racing League practice laps yesterday to watching American Le Mans Series and Indy Lights races earlier today, we've spent the past two days getting our fills of speed, roaring engines and generally immersing ourselves in this particular racing scene.

It's been a hoot, too.

Lots of interactive exhibits, up-close looks at team paddocks and more than a few photo opportunities inside sleek and colorful machines.

And, of course, the weekend wouldn't be complete without snagging a few autographs from a few of the IRL's big name drivers:

Scott Dixon, defending IndyCar Series champion, won the 2008 Indy 500

Dario Franchitti, the 2007 Indy 500 winner, won the 2007 IndyCar Series

Alex Tagliani, a Montreal native, also races in NASCAR's Canadian series

Did you know that Dan Wheldon lives right here in Hockey Bay? I can't remember, though, if I've ever seen him at a Lightning game.

Check out the metallic finish on this IRL driver card from Justin Wilson.

Other IRL drivers signing over the past few days were Ryan Briscoe, Ed Carpenter, Mike Conway, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Darren Manning, Raphael Matos, Hideki Mutoh, Will Power and E.J. Visu.

Win this Auto: Ilya Kovalchuk

So, you didn't think former NHLer Eddie Olczyk was worthy of your time or a mere 100 words in Hound Central 4.0's Win this Auto contest for March? Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Maybe April's installment, featuring Atlanta's Ilya Kovalchuk on a 2008-09 Victory jumbo card, will provide enough motivation. If it doesn't, there's little else I can do.

Well, with greater rewards come greater demands. Tell me, in 100 words or less, why Kovie should still be mentioned in the same breath as these fellow Russians -- Washington's Alex Ovechkin and Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin. The most convincing argument wins.

As always, leave your entries in the form of a comment.

Check back, too, in a few days to see who won March's contest.

They delivered

Despite the best-laid plans, there are hounding adventures that simply don't work out. Yesterday's planned morning trip for the Ottawa Senators, in town to play the Lightning, was just one of the instances.

Between morning thunderstorms and an afternoon shift at the newspaper, I was unable to hound Ottawa. Instead, two highly capable replacements -- Colin and Momma -- were dispatched to the scene.

They came through in flying colors, adding a couple of sweet signatures, including Dany Heatley (top left) on the work-in-progress Team Canada jersey, to the collection.

In all, they scored 17, including 11 on Colin's team sheet.

Beyond Heatley, Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson was the other big name who stopped to sign. In doing my prep work, I was surprised that I've yet to get Alfredsson on any type of Senators puck.

This puck, commemorating the 2004 NHL All Star Game, is a welcome addition, nonetheless. It's relevant, too, as Alfredsson scored two goals, including the game-winner, in the midseason classic.

Given that Ottawa will travel twice to Hockey Bay next season, I'll have to remember, though, to try to get Alfredsson on some Senators pucks.

Colin also had pretty decent luck adding to his late-season project, a goalie-only mini stick.

Ottawa's Alex Auld, who's bounced around a bit over the past few seasons, became the fourth netminder to sign the stick.

Sorry, but you'll have to wait until next season for a Senators photo gallery. It's hard to take good pictures when you're sitting at a desk about 18 miles away from the action.

To the defense

Once again, a visiting team, as in the Ottawa Senators, stayed Sunday at the same hotel housing some members of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

That's how Colin was able to get Lightning defenseman Richard Petiot to sign this 8x10 of them taken last week before the Columbus-Tampa Bay game.

And, for good measure, Colin got Andrej Meszaros, one of the Lightning's injured blueliners, to sign a couple cards, including this one, during the first intermission of the Senators-Lightning contest last night.

Bonus items

Preparation paid off in spades earlier this week when the Columbus Blue Jackets traveled to Hockey Bay to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning.

No, I'm not talking about the four dozen autographs, compliments of Columbus players, that were added to the collection. Instead, I'm talking about the 10 we added Tuesday from members of the Lightning who have taken up residence at the hotel used by the Blue Jackets.

Mostly extended call-ups or players obtained in deadline-day trades, they are more than willing to stop, sign, pose for pictures and/or engage in a conversation.

Those signing cards:

Top row: Steve Downie, from left, and Karri Ramo
Bottom row: Matt Lashoff

Besides the cards, here's who signed what, including one obtained at the Blue Jackets-Lightning game:

Right winger Martins Karsums, obtained in the deal that sent Mark Recchi to Beantown, signed this Latvian team jersey.

Technically, defenseman Cory Murphy, didn't see this mini Lightning stick while we were hounding the Blue Jackets. Instead, he signed it during the first intermission of Tuesday's game.

Richard Petiot, among the 20 defenseman dispatched along the Lightning's blue line this season, signed a practice jersey from the Manchester (N.H.) Monarchs, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings.