Get ’em while you can

If I ever get around to posting my collection of autographed pucks, observers will notice that No. 1 draft picks make up a fairly significant component.

Good (Sidney Crosby, Eric Staal, Joe Thornton, etc.) or bad (Alexandre Daigle, 1st overall by Ottawa in 1993; Tom Fitzgerald, 17th overall by the Islanders in 1986; and Vaclav Nedorost, 14th overall by Colorado in 2000; etc.), there’s a certain allure that comes from being a team’s top pick in the NHL’s annual crapshoot. And it certainly makes them puck-worthy.

A game in Portland earlier this week, featuring the surprising Pirates playing host to the Manchester Monarchs, offered hounds a chance to snag four No. 1 draft picks:

• Ryan Getzlaf, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, 19th overall in 2003
• Corey Perry, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, 28th overall in 2003
• Jeff Tambellini, Los Angeles Kings, 27th overall in 2003
• Lauri Tukonen, Los Angeles Kings, 11th overall in 2004

In a night when I added 21 pucks to my collection, taking it up to 845, these top picks signed a total of 11 -- Getzlaf: Mighty Ducks, Mighty Ducks-Portland Pirates and Calgary Hitmen; Perry: Mighty Ducks, MightyDucks-Portland Pirates and London Knights; Tambellini, Los Angeles Kings, Manchester Monarchs fifth anniversary and University of Michigan; and Tukonen: Los Angeles Kings and Manchester Monarchs fifth anniversary.

Pucks shown above (clockwise from top left):

Mighty Ducks of Anaheim: Ryan Getzlaf
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim: Corey Perry
Los Angeles Kings: Lauri Tukonen
Los Angeles Kings: Jeff Tambellini