Hounding 2006-07: Season in review

Like any other sports season, my hounding efforts during the 2006-07 NHL season were full of peaks and valleys.

Sure, it was nice to add another 258 pucks to the collection, including a couple from some legends. It was educational, too, realizing that it's best to conduct the bulk of my hounding earlier in the season. And, at times, namely when the circus that's known as the Pittsburgh Penguins came to town, it was frustrating.

All in all, though, it was far from a disappointing season. Looking back, these are some of the more memorable moments, listed in reverse chronological order, of the 2006-07 season:

~ Ending the debate, for once and for all, that erasing is better than dusting.

~ Completing a set of goalie gloves (blocker and catching, for the uninitiated) signed by New Jersey's Martin Brodeur.

~ Pulling a pretty sweet auto jersey patch card of Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin.

~ Having more than 40 drivers sign a license plate the the St. Petersburg Grand Prix.

~ Reaching 1,250 pucks when Tampa Bay's Shane O'Brien signed this pair of pucks.

~ Being stunned that Florida's Eddie Belfour would refuse an autograph request from a child.

~ Realizing that there is art within collecting hockey autographs.

~ By snagging four pucks, witnessing Boston's Zdeno Chara live up to his reputation as a willing signer.

~ Having Florida's Olli Jokinen sign the 1,200th puck of the collection.

~ Simply put, getting one from the Great One.

~ Being thankful that Tampa Bay's Marty St. Louis made a day for a little boy and his daddy.

~ Logging some major brownie points with my wife, Lisa, for getting an autograph from one of her favorite players, Nelson Emerson, on a day when the Los Angeles Kings' young players, including Anze Kopitar, stepped up for hockey hounds.

~ Helping create a little buzz for the RBK Edge system.

~ Forgetting for a morning that, as a Buffalo Sabres fan, I can't stand the Toronto Maple Leafs.

~ Putting a Pacific Exhibit oversized card of Montreal's Saku Koivu to good use on the same day that Canadiens coach Guy Carbonneau signed a hat trick of pucks.

~ Having Anaheim's Teemu Selanne sign four pucks in one day.

~ Loading up on 20 autographed pucks from the hard-to-find Buffalo Sabres

~ Erasing a pretty crappy autograph from Washington's Alexander Ovechkin.

~ Having Tampa Bay teammates Marty St. Louis and Eric Perrin sign University of Vermont pucks.

~ Scoring Ottawa's Wade Redden for the 1,072nd puck of the collection.

~ Watching Ottawa's Jason Spezza make a kid's day.

~ Suggesting that Ottawa's Dany Heatley should spring for a new shirt.

~ Putting another Pacific Exhibit oversized card of Atlanta's Ilya Kovalchuk to good use.

~ Getting a chuckle out of the driving abilities of Tampa Bay defenseman Doug Janik.

~ Not only holding Mark Bell, then a member of the San Jose Sharks, to his word, but also being surprised that Tampa-area hounds actually identified rookie defenseman and Hobey Baker Award winner Matt Carle.

~ Believing I made the correct call between Philadelphia's Bob Clarke and Peter Forsberg.

~ Having Carolina's Cam Ward make a little boy's day.

~ Capping a busy day of hounding by bumping into former Lightning captain Dave Andreychuk.

~ Renewing acquaintances, again, with Boston's Patrice Bergeron and some of his teammates.

~ Being the only people to catch the Dallas Stars and Mike Modano at the team's hotel before a preseason game.

~ Getting Tampa Bay's Vincent Lecavalier and Marty St. Louis to sign 2004 Stanley Cup champions pucks.

~ Future Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille taking time out of his retirement to sign a jersey.

What will the 2007-08 season hold? It's coming soon enough. And Hound Central 3.0 will chronicle even more additions to the collection.