Blackhawks Practice Hounding

My boy Niklas Hjalmarsson!
Antti Niemi and John Madden
Went hounding a Chicago Blackhawks practice a while ago but I'm really bored so I decided to post my results now. The Hawks have changed their practice location and now its really hard to get autographs during practice. They pretty much shut it down to anyone trying to get some 'graphs. The only way to get autographs is to wait outside the parking area and hope that the players stop. Only a few do. The Hawks have become incredibly hard to get in the last two years since they have become so good. It's a shame but yeah things happen. Here's all I was able to get. John Madden is a super classy guy, he parked his car inside then walked outside to us, in the rain to sign. There were only 4 hounds waiting as well. Huet and Niemi were both in the car but I was only able to get Niemi. A rain drop fell on my card and smudged the card a little but nothing too bad. Niklas Hjalmarsson was also super nice. I got my puck signed when the players were going into practice, and as he was leaving he gave all the hounds a look to see if anyone needed anything else signed. I wish I had brought something else, Hjalmarsson is such a stud!

Rostislav Olesz

Mailed on 11/2/09 and received 2/3 back on 11/28/09. Another nice return from a current NHL guy. I'm not sure why but he did keep my 06-07 Upper Deck card of himself. I doubt he needed it for his own collection at this point, he must be a 2 per kind of guy. Thats OK I really appreciate him taking the time. Rostislav is one of many talented young stars on an up and coming Panthers team. Keep an eye out for them in the next few years. Very happy with both of these. Cards were mailed to the Panthers.

Jim Slater

Mailed on 11/9/09 and received 2/2 back on 11/28/09. Very quick return from a current NHL guy. Mr. Slater is a hard-nosed player and plays his role very well on a talent Thrashers squad. He is also a very reliable signer TTM and its nice of him to take the time for his fans. The thin blue sharpie matches perfectly with the blue on the card. Very nice autograph, both of the cards look awesome! Cards were mailed to the Thrashers.

Pat Verbeek

Mailed on 7/9/09 and received 6/6 back on 11/28/09. Sweet return from a long time underrated NHL star. Pat Verbeek put up awesome stats and never really got the recognition he deserved as an elite NHL scorer. I really liked him as a kid and I'm so happy to add him to my collection. It was nice of him to sign all 6 of the cards that I sent, this was a case where I couldn't decide what card to cut out to get to my normal 5 cards so I sent all of them. Class-act no doubt from Mr. Verbeek. Cards were mailed to Mr. Verbeek's farm.

Brian Noonan

Mailed on 6/22/09 and received 3/3 back on 11/28/09. I really love this return! The Brian Noonan card in the bottom left was one of the first hockey cards I ever got. I remember carrying it around with me everywhere I went so it means a lot to me. I didn't really want to send it out TTM risking even seeing it again but I'm happy I did. Its always great to add another Hawk to my collection. Mr. Noonan signed the cards in Red which is certainly unique but kind of hard to see on these cards. Still very happy! Cards were mailed to Mr. Noonan's home.

Paul Janish

Mailed on 5/5/08 and received 2/2 back on 11/28/09. Wow quite a wait for this one! I saw Paul Janish play in the minor leagues a few years ago and I was never able to get him in person so I mailed him these cards. Since, Paul has been in the major leagues playing some shortstop for the Reds. The USA jersey card really looks sweet. Very happy with these cards! Cards were mailed to his minor league team at the time.

Carey Price

Mailed on 10/18/09 and received 2/2 back on 11/27/09. Did expect this one back so quickly, I saw a lot of long returns coming back from Mr. Price recently so I sent him one. Glad to see Carey taking time for his fans. Mr. Price has been a little inconsistent at times but he is still very young and has a long time to become one of the most talented goalies in the league. He has the still to do it. Both of these cards look awesome, clean black signatures on both cards look amazing. Top notch return! Cards were mailed to the Canadiens.

Kris Versteeg

Mailed on 10/18/09 and received 1/1 back on 11/25/09. Kris is one of the best young players in the whole league. He doesn't get the credit that Toews and Kane do but he is just as exciting on the ice. Hopefully the Hawks can retain him after spending loads of money on all of their other talented players. Kris is going to be a productive star for a long time in the NHL and I look forward to watching him here in Chicago!!! Card was mailed to the Blackhawks.

Andrew Ebbett

Mailed on 10/26/09 and received 1/1 back on 11/25/09. Andrew Ebbett was a Hawk for 10 games this season. He played pretty well, didn't get many breaks and was put on waivers by the Hawks the other day. He got picked up by Minnesota and I wish him all the best with his new team. Its classy of him to take his mail with him even after getting let go. I really appreciate that as a fan. The thin blue sharpie is a bit hard to see but I'm not going to complain about an autograph. Card was mailed to the Blackhawks.

Sergei Gonchar

Mailed on 11/9/09 and received 2/2 back on 11/20/09. Great return from one of the best defensemen in all of the NHL. This is the second time that I've mailed to Mr. Gonchar but the first return. I saw other people getting returns so I gave it another shot and it worked out very well. Very nice of him to sign for his fans like this. I'm sure he gets lots of mail so its probably not an easy task to sign for everyone. Great addition to my collection. Cards were mailed to his home.