Hounding report: Nashville Predators

Cards dominated the day when the Nashville Predators stopped in Tampa, as 31 out of the 34 autographs I scored came after a blue Sharpie found cardboard before the squad's morning skate that mid-December day. Quite a few, too, signed for the first time for me.

In fact, it was only this puck, signed by David Legwand, the sole remaining member of the Predators inaugural squad, that differentiated from the rest of the haul.

I should also note, too, that Nashville's stay at a downtown hotel, not any of the three closer to the Tampa Bay Times Forum, came during the Father's Trip. Players, including some of the so-called toughies, are usually much more accommodating when a parent is present.

But, really, as you'll soon see, the day was about getting cards signed, including those shown above:

Top row: Rich Clune*, Matt Cullen and Mike Fisher; and
Bottom row: Matt Hendricks, Roman Josi* and Craig Smith*.

Quite a few players signed four cards each, too:

Gabriel Bourque*;

Kevin Klein;

Nick Spaling*;  and

Colin Wilson.

Among the other items:

Shea Weber, adding his scribble to the Threads collection;

Carter Hutton* and Seth Jones*, taken fourth overall

at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, signing my cheapskate cards; and

Hutton, adding to the fledgling All Goalies collection. 

And, no, I'm not trying to get the entire set signed.

* = players who signed for the first time for us.