2013 Top Autos: No 5

With a lineup already deep with such names as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, it was a trade deadline coup for the Pittsburgh Penguins to snag a player of Jarome Iginla's talents. As luck would have it, too, the Penguins would be in Tampa shortly after Iginla joined the team in early April.

I chose to have Iginla sign this puck, the team's third logo and the one he wore in his Pittsburgh debut. Sure, it would have been just as cool to have him sign a regular Penguins or Calgary Flames puck, but I'll go with scarcity every time.

Up next: No. 4

Team report: Pittsburgh Penguins

Over the past few NHL seasons, I haven't made much of an effort to hound the Pittsburgh Penguins. Sure, their lineup is stacked with NHL superstars. Sidney Crosby. Evgeni Malkin. Kris Letang. And, to some degree, Marc-Andre Fleury.

The only problem, for me at least, was that the team brought out bigger crowds, which usually means fewer autographs. So, after taking a break over the past few seasons, it was time for me to deal with any crowd and hound the Pens when they visited Hockey Bay in early April.

Honestly, the hounding crew wasn't as big as I'd feared. Surprisingly, it was downright manageable. I imagine, too, that Crosby's absence, brought about by a broken jaw, had something to do with the relatively low turnout. It made me wonder what I'd been missing.

And though the numbers weren't spectacular, adding 21 autographs to the collection, it certainly lowered any mental barriers I had over the team. The adventure started out nice when Brenden Morrow sign the pair of pucks shown above.

Also signing pucks were, from left, Fleury and Letang.

Signing cards that day were:

Top row: Matt Cooke, Pascal Dupuis and Tanner Glass;

Middle row: Jussi Jokinen, Tyler Kennedy and Douglas Murray; and

Bottom row: Brandon Sutter, Joe Vitale and Tomas Vokoun.

Also adding to the haul were Jarome Iginla and, much to my chagrin, Chris Kunitz.

 Next up: Team-signed (almost) Leafs jersey

Slam-dunk decision

Though I sometimes may questionable decisions when it comes to hounding, every so often I like to think, in borrowing a phrase from baseball, that I hit one out of the park. For instance, consider this puck signed by Pittsburgh's Jaroma Iginla.

Likely the biggest name that generated a headline at the NHL's trade deadline, Iginla joined a star-studded lineup in the Steel City. And, as far as hockey hounding is concerned, he only added to a target-rich environment any time the Penguins visit Hockey Bay.

When it came to choosing a puck for Iginla to sign, though, there was never a question about which one I wanted. The fact that he wore the team's third jersey in his Penguins debut was the determining factor and, if memory serves, was possibly the only one like it he signed that day.

So, in a way, it makes up for missing Evgeni Malkin. Kind of.

Next up: Penguins team report

Living with decisions

One would think that I would've learned by now. Greed, in any way, shape or form, seldom, if ever, pays off. Yet, once again, I failed to take heed of a pretty simple lesson within hockey hounding: given the choice, always go with the bigger name.

This latest incident, occurring in early April with the Pittsburgh Penguins in town, involved one of the team's big-name stars. No, it wasn't Sidney Crosby. He didn't make the trip, as his jaw was broken only days before. The player was Evgeni Malkin. And, unfortunately, it was a major whiff.

As Penguins players headed back to the team's hotel after a morning skate, Malkin was in a group of four walking down the sidewalk. As expected, he drew a crowd of hounds. As I made my way toward him, I recognized teammate Chris Kunitz. And, having a few cards for him, I switched gears, so to speak, and stopped him.

My assumption that I'd have plenty of time to snag these cards from Kunitz and offer up a puck to Malkin. Needless to say, I was surprised when I looked up to see Malkin, in a full-blown trot, moving past me. In hockey vernacular, I was caught flat-footed. I never had a chance.

Oh, well, there's always next season. Maybe, too, Crosby won't be hurt and will make the trip.

Up next:  Pittsburgh's Jarome Iginla