Perfect sense, I hope

Here's a bit of advice. If a team's television analyst is a Hall of Famer, like Denis Potvin is for the Florida Panthers, it's always a good idea to carry some items for him. The legendary Islanders defenseman signed these cards for Colin before last Saturday's game against Tampa Bay.

Busy afternoon

In a perfect hounding world, I'd attend every morning session, especially those on Saturday mornings Time and time again, this window of opportunity consistently provides the best chance to snag autographs.

That's not to say, though, that game-time hounding sessions should always be avoided. While mob scenes do happen, especially when the NHL's bigger-name teams come to Hockey Bay, most Southeast Division foes draw fewer than 12-15 hounds/fans as the teams head to games. No, these sessions are well worth attending.

Take the Florida Panthers, for example. I had to work last Saturday morning, meaning we'd be limited to just a game-time session. Thankfully, that wasn't a problem. With a little help and some hustle, we socked away another 45 autographs, including 30 cards, in about an hour before the Panthers' 6-4 loss to the Lightning.

Here are some highlights:

~ Getting a pair of autographs from Hall of Famer Denis Potvin;
~ expanding the breadth and depth of the puck collection;
~ scoring a hat trick of pucks from Cory Stillman;
~ having Keith Ballard and David Booth sign the Team USA jersey; and
~ marveling at Tomas Vokoun's willingness to sign autographs.

Who signed the cards shown above?

Top row: Jay Bouwmeester, Radek Dvorak and Nathan Horton
Bottom row: Kamil Kreps, Tomas Vokoun and Stephen Weiss

Also signing cards were, from left, Nick Boynton, Bryan McCabe, Noah Welch and Richard Zednik.

Different looks

We're all familiar with the Florida Panthers logo, aren't we? Not the one with a palm tree and hockey stick crossed over a blazing sun. No, the one with the leaping cat, its teeth and claws bared. Yeah, that one.

Well, now that we've made that point allow me to make mine. Tapping into a diverse pool of pucks, like the ones shown above, are an excellent way to add breadth and depth to a collection.

These four pucks, among the 10 scored from the Florida Panthers last Saturday, illustrate my point:

Team USA: Keith Ballard (also signed a Panthers puck)
Rochester Americans: David Booth
Rimouski Oceanic: Michael Frolik (also signed a Panthers puck)
Milwaukee Admirals: Karlis Skrastins (also signed a Panthers puck)

So do the three from Cory Stillman.

Thanks, Stiller

It's always nice whenever we score a hat trick of pucks from an NHL player. This time, it was Florida's Cory Stillman who signed the trio. Pretty sweet, don't you think?

Waving the flag

Every so often, the luck of a schedule launches a run on a particular item. After adding four players from the Avalanche earlier this month, Florida's Keith Ballard and David Booth signed our Team USA jersey before Saturday's game against Tampa Bay.

Booth's signature, shown above, rests between autographs from Avalanche defensemen Jordan Leopold and John-Michael Liles. That scribble above is from Boston's Phil Kessel. Ballard's signature is below.


Next trip, I'm bringing the Team Canada jersey for Jay Bouwmeester.

Can't say that I have

I'm curious. Have you ever seen Florida's Tomas Vokoun ever turn down a request for an autograph? I haven't. Ever. He is, by far, one of the most prolific signers in the NHL.

This card, one of four he signed Saturday before taking a 6-4 loss against the Bolts, comes from the 2004-05 UD Hockey All-World Edition.

For NHL Network viewers only

Are you as tired of the NHL Network's Take Me Out to the Ballgame commercial for tomorrow's Winter Classic as I am? I used to like the song, but after hearing it hundreds of times over the past few weeks, I'm already dreading seventh-inning stretches at Rays games next season.

Stop back later

Nope, I haven't forgotten about this blog.

The Goofy Dude and I went fishing with some buddies near Dunedin Causeway earlier today. Yes, we caught fish -- mostly sheepshead and grunts on live shrimp -- but no keepers. Fed two pelicans, too.

Gimme a few hours and you'll have a bunch of postings to help count down the hours until 2009.

And, please, don't drink and drive. That's stupid.

For Lightning fans only

Though we haven't attended every Tampa Bay Lightning game where these mini-bobblehead refrigerator magnets were given away, I'm thinking the one that looks most like the player is Mike Smith (middle), as it's covering his face.

I don't want to sound ungrateful, but the other two, in my estimation, do not look anything like Marty St. Louis or Steven Stamkos.

What do you think, Hockey Bay?

Sunday morning homily XV

For some people, having a birthday around the holidays can be a bad thing. It can be easy to forget amid the excitement of Santa's arrival. The need to return ill-fitting sweaters and duplicate DVDs can sometimes overshadow the person's big day. And, for some reason, birthday cake tastes better during the summer.

Thankfully, though, I've yet to forget my wife's birthday.

Each year, there are always a couple extra presents under the tree, as well as a few other niceties, just for her. I suppose we could wait until the actual day for those, but it's hard not to get caught up in the spirit of gift-giving.

That's why, rather than daring the Kitchen Gods to whip up some scrambled eggs, bacon and bagels, we'll be going out for breakfast this morning. In less than an hour, we'll head out to stop at Lenny's, a culinary institution known for their big plates, great service and free baskets of danishes.

Sure, we could go to a fancier place, where we'd have to get all gussied up and talk in whispers, but that's not our style. We're a hockey family.

Hopefully, it'll be Colin who supplies the biggest gift of the day. After breakfast, we'll head to the rink for Colin's hockey game. Playing with his first one-piece stick -- a Bauer One50 Marty St. Louis model -- maybe he can give his Momma an extra-special present: the puck from his first-ever goal.

If not, though, there's no need to worry. Being able to spend some time together, enjoying each other's company as we always do, is what this family is all about.

Break up the Bolts

A couple of weeks ago, I spent considerable time and verbiage chastising the Tampa Bay Lightning for their poor play so far this season.

After last night's 6-4 victory over the Florida Panthers, though, the Lightning has its longest winning streak of the season -- three games.

Now, I'm not suggesting the team has solved its problems this season, but it's encouraging to see the team become competitive and play much harder than before.

5 Big Sigs

With another week of holiday vacation, Colin's hounding adventures will continue this week, with the Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes headed to Hockey Bay. Here's what we're hoping to add:

~ at least 20 players and coaches on a Canadiens team helmet;
~ Montreal's Saku Koivu on the Canadiens legends jersey;
~ Montreal's Carey Price on the Team Canada goalie mask;
~ Carolina's Rod Brind'Amour on a Notre Dame Hounds puck; and
~ a full team sheet from the Hurricanes.

In any language ...

... from the Hound Central 4.0 family to yours:

~ Merry Christmas!

~ Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok (Czech)

~ Hyvaa joulua (Finnish)

~ Joyeux Noel (French)

~ Froehliche Weihnachten (German)

~ Prieci'gus Ziemsve'tkus un Laimi'gu Jauno Gadu! (Latvian)

~ Gledelig Jul (Norwegian)

~ Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom (Russian)

~ Sretan Bozic (Slovakian)

~ Feliz Navidad (Spanish)

~ (Och) Ett Gott Nytt År (Swedish)

Source: World of Christmas

Christmas Eve homily

Christmastime down here in Hockey Bay is a whole different bird than, say, Up North. For one, it doesn't snow. Correspondingly, Jack Frost seldom nips at your nose. And only the most brittle of souls, I strongly believe, gets dressed up like Eskimos.

Beyond the basic meteorological differences, however, are more subtle observations.

Folks in Florida unabashedly decorate their homes long before Thanksgiving. It's hard to drive down a street here in St. Pete and not see at least two or three inflatables in half a dozen yards. Heck, even one particular inflatable has Santa, decked out in shorts and tropical shirt, resting in a hammock strung between two leaning palms.

Want a visual? Think Christmas in Margaritaville. Wild parrots included.

Now, let's step back about 35-40 years. Growing up in Western New York, Christmastime most always meant snow, snow and more snow. Noses, most certainly, got cold. Only fools, I was told, didn't prepare for the cold. But, you know something? That's what Christmastime meant.

We built snowman and made snow angels. We plunked each other with snowballs, even if Santa was watching. I believe, too, we invented snowboarding -- standing as we rode our red plastic sleds down pretty steep hills out around my hometown of Machias.

Now, despite these differences, in both memories and miles, there's one thing that remains the same: Christmastime was spent with family.

Though I'm an only child, I come from a pretty big family, with three generations of cousins now who are like sisters, nephews and nieces. It's not unheard of for family gatherings, moreso in the past five years or so, to draw 35 to 50 family members. Once everyone's friends arrive for after-hours festivities, triple-digits aren't out of the question.

For the past few years, though, it's been different. Like most every other family, we've felt the pinch of the economic downturn. My wife and I work in industries (tourism and newspapers) amid transformations. And this little "hobby" of mine, though highly enjoyable, ain't exactly cheap. As a result, we don't travel that much or that far. Besides, we live in where others come for vacation.

Still, I'm not complaining.

Thankfully, and only by the grace of my work schedule, I'm able to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at home with my wife and son this year. Next year, we'll have Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. Working for newspapers, I'm afraid, means deadlines 365 days a year. Getting the week off isn't easy, either.

That's why I'm looking forward to the next few hours. I'll grill a few steak burgers and some of the plumpest hot dogs I've ever seen. Once finished, we'll take a ride around town to check out holiday light displays. Maybe we'll even dip a toe in the Gulf of Mexico.

My favorite part, though, comes when we get back home. We'll watch The Polar Express. We'll set out Santa's milk and cookies. We'll spread reindeer food on the front lawn. Colin gets to open the First Present of Christmas. And, if we're lucky, we'll get more than six hours of sleep.

Bottom line, it doesn't matter where you're at. As long as you're with family, it's a great Christmas.

May yours be as merry.

Finally, some entries

You know, I thought the opportunity for a puck signed by Minnesota's Mikko Koivu would draw quite a few entries into Hound Central 4.0's Win this auto contest for December. It wasn't until today, though, that we had our first two contestants.

I'm not going to beg, but all it takes is a short story related to Minnesota hockey. Of course, it's better if the tale relates to hockey hounding. Were they just as good in your NHL city as they were in Tampa? If so, that works. Who was good? Who wasn't? Did you get Gabby?

I'm not looking for Chaucier, Hemingway or even P.J. O'Rourke, either. Keep it to 100 words, more or less, please.

By the way, November's winner of the autographed Steven Stamkos Lightning promo card hasn't touched base yet. It looks like I'll have to revisit those entries.

If you're rmillerfan, though, send me an e-mail through my profile.

Double-duty, not dipping

To some folks, it's nothing more than double-dipping. To us, though, it's putting our time and efforts to good use. What am I talking about? I'm talking about hounding two teams in one day, something that's pretty easy to do whenever the Tampa Bay Lightning have a home game.

After hounding the visiting team before its morning skate, it's only a short walk to catch Lightning players and coaches as they leave the St. Pete Times Forum after their game-day workout.

That's what we did last Thursday, when we added an astounding total of 103 autographs to the collection after a few hounding adventures with the Colorado Avalanche and the Lightning.

After a rather successful morning with the Avs, Colin and I turned our attention, as well as our Sharpies, toward the Lightning.

Needless to say, we weren't disappointed, snagging a cool 20 autographs, including a sweet puck from Vinny Lecavalier, a magazine cover from Steven Stamkos and Colin's No. 37 Little League jersey from Olaf Kolzig.

The successes, thankfully, didn't stop there. Claude Loiselle, the team's assistant general manager, signed the Quebec Nordiques puck shown above. Interim coach Rick Tocchet signed Lightning and Coyotes pucks.

Among those signing cards, shown above from left, were Ryan Craig, Steve Eminger and Mark Recchi.

Given the good luck we've had with the Lightning as of late, as well as a need to restock, we'll likely give the Lightning a bit of a break. We'll see, though. It's hard to walk away from any opportunity.

Release the Hounds

A few weeks ago, Tampa Bay's Vinny Lecavalier was nice enough to sign a replica Notre Dame Hounds jersey for one of his younger fans down here in Horrible Hockey Bay.

Last Thursday, before a 2-1 shootout loss to Colorado, Lecavalier signed this puck from his prep school hockey days.

In case you're interested, you can buy either item, as well as others suitable for signing, at the Wilcox, Sask., school's online store.

No need to worry

After Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos signed this 2008 NHL Draft preview magazine last Thursday, I lamented that we had "officially" run out of items for the Lightning's top draft pick to sign.

A few hours later, as we made our way to our nosebleeds at the St. Pete Times Forum, my concerns were unfounded. The young center graced the cover of that night's free Lightning Ice Time game program.

Now, if you find yourself in the same situation -- lacking something for Stamkos to sign -- I know of a "generous" Ontario-based collector who is willing to trade his unsigned Stamkos cards for signed items.

Hopefully, though, you'll do what I did -- politely refuse the offer. Somehow, it just didn't seem like a good deal.

They all wear No. 37

No, I swear, these aren't chicken scratches on the back of Colin's Little League baseball jersey. Instead, it's an autograph from Tampa Bay's Olaf Kolzig, obtained last Thursday following the team's morning skate at the St. Pete Times Forum.

Earlier in the season, Colin noticed that Olie the Goalie shared the same number -- 37 -- as his favorite player, Boston's Patrice Bergeron. As a result, Kolzig quickly became Colin's favorite NHL goalie.

Puck No. 1,700

Over the past four-plus years, I've received a number of autographs from Colorado's Andrew Raycroft.

The first came from his days with the Bruins, where he won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year. Then, I added a few more when he was with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

But it was last Thursday when Raycroft provided another milestone for Hound Central 4.0 -- the 1,700 autographed puck of the collection.

With more than half of the 2008-09 season remaining, I'd say it's a safe bet that we'll reach 1,800 pucks before April.

The kitchen sink

When you score 83 autographs from a single team, it's a tad difficult to know where to begin. Do we play up the 33 cards that Colin and I were able to get? How about the dozen pucks? Then again, we can't forget about the Colorado team jersey or the most recent additions to the Slovakian and Team USA jerseys, can we?

No, I don't think so. What I am certain about, though, is that we had one of our best-ever hounding days -- in terms of quality and quantity, I'd say -- last Thursday when the Colorado Avalanche came to town.

And that, my friends, doesn't include the 20 autographs from the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Oh, it's easy getting ramped up for Western Conference teams. We don't get to see them that often down here in Horrible Hockey Bay. That's why most everyone and their brother carried armfuls for the Avalanche. In our case, though, we had the proverbial "kitchen sink" for Colorado.

All in all, though, it was Colin's efforts with Avalanche cards, as well as the Colorado jersey, that set the foundation for a memorable day. All told, he got 60 autographs just from the Avalanche.

Those who signed cards were:

Top row, from left: Peter Budaj, Scott Hannah and Milan Hejduk
Middle row: T.J. Hensick, Jordan Leopold and John-Michael Liles
Bottom row: Ryan Smyth, Paul Stastny and Wojtek Wolski

Before you think that we didn't get any pucks signed, let's let this quartet signed by T.J. Hensick, Ruslan Salei, Chris Stewart and former Bolt and Loaf Darcy Tucker serve as Exhibit A that, indeed, pucks were part of the haul. And, we can't forget about the pucks signed by Adam Foote, Andrew Raycroft (who signed the 1,700th of the collection), Ryan Smyth and Paul Stastny.

Others signing cards were, from left, Tyler Arnason, Brett Clark, Ben Guite and Cody McCormick.

Signing this Colorado Avalanche logo magnet were, from left, David Jones, Daniel Tarnqvist and Chris Stewart.

Calling an audible

I'll admit, my intentions were to have Philadelphia's Matt Carle sign this University of Denver puck while he was a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

However, after the Hobey Baker winner's less-than-impressive stint with the Bolts, I figured there had to be a better use for the puck.

I'm thinking, too, that getting Colorado's Paul Stastny to sign it instead was a pretty smart move.

First timer

In doing my prep work for visiting teams, I take extra time to focus on the players that I've never gotten an autograph from. In the case of the Colorado Avalanche, one of those players was Adam Foote.

After a day of hounding the Avalanche last Thursday, I can say we now have a decent selection from Foote. Besides these pucks and card, he signed Colin's Avalanche jersey as well as a Colorado mini helmet.

I can only wonder

It's not that I'm complaining that Colorado's Ryan Smyth signed only one of the two pucks presented to him last Thursday, but I wonder why he picked this one.

Usually, when I approach a player for the first time I carry pucks from most every team that he has ever played for.

In Smyth's case, though, I took a more humble approach -- holding only Colorado and Team Canada pucks.

Though I know he's revered in Canada for his contributions in international play, I was a bit surprised that he didn't sign the Avalanche puck instead.

Then again, and this isn't intended as a shot toward Smyth, maybe he's more proud of his accomplishments wearing that uniform.

Next time, though, I'll make sure I have an Edmonton Oilers puck. I'll be curious to see what puck he'll sign then.

Happy with five

You know, there are some times, as well as teams, where working a regulation-sized helmet doesn't make much sense.

In the case of the Avalanche, it was more that we had different items -- from pucks to cards to three jerseys -- that we opted for a mini helmet and the opportunity to cherry-pick some of Colorado's top-name stars.

And while some may view that adding only five autographs as a lackluster effort, I was satisfied that Colorado's Adam Foote, Tony Granato, Milan Hejduk, Ryan Smyth and Wojtek Wolski all took the time last Thursday to sign it for us.

I'm thinking, too, that there's still room for a few more players -- Joe Sakic (if he is still playing whenever the Avalanche returns), Ian Laperriere (one of my NHL favorites), Paul Stastny and Marek Svatos.

Avalanche of autographs

To be honest, snagging Colin's Colorado Avalanche jersey was an afterthought, something for him to wear as we attended the game time signing session. But after 24 players and coaches signed it Thursday, it might be one of the better decisions I've made this season.

After spending the morning loading up on cards, Colin stationed himself just outside the team's bus at game time, making sure players and coaches stopped to sign. Who was among them? I'm so glad you asked. How about Paul Stastny, Ryan Smyth, Adam Foote and Wojtek Wolski.

In fact, the only players he didn't get were Ian Laperriere, who left before we arrived, and Marek Svatos, who we didn't see at game time. And, of course, he didn't get Joe Sakic, who was back home in Colorado recovering from his unfortunate incident with a snowblower.

Still, though, we're thinking the jersey looks pretty good.

Waving the red, white and blue

For the past couple of seasons, this Team USA jersey has been collecting dust in the vault. Aside from Boston's Phil Kessel, who put his tiny scribble on it last season, it has nearly become a forgotten item.

That should change now, especially after the Colorado Avalanche came to town this week. Four players -- T.J. Hensick (from left), Tyler Arnason, John-Michael Liles and Jordan Leopold -- were more than willing to sign the jersey.

Double figures

Slowly, but surely, the Slovakian team jersey is beginning to fill up. Colorado's Peter Budaj (far left) and Marek Svatos (below bottom right corner of emblem) become the ninth and 10th players to join the jersey's lineup.

Next up, I believe, is Montreal goalie Jaroslav Halak, when the Canadiens come to town on Dec. 30.

Why we go to games

Is it just me, or does Dave Mishkin, the Tampa Bay Lightning's radio play-by-play guy, sound like a wounded animal whenever the Bolts manage to score? I must admit, it's kinda scary.

Can Burke help the Buds?

There's nothing like the Toronto Maple Leafs to ignites passion in all hockey fans. For lovers of the Buds, Toronto is the center of the hockey universe. For Leaf haters, such as myself, it's easy to root against the chronic underachievers. And even for the ambivalent, the mere mention of the Leafs elicits more than a shrug of one's shoulders.

Still, though, the Leafs are hoping they took a step toward mediocrity recently when they handed the reins to hockey man Brian Burke. Will he be able to turn around this moribund franchise? Well, that depends upon who is asked.

Nearly 48 percent of Hound Central 4.0 readers taking part in the most recent poll believed that Burke would, indeed, restore order to Loafs Nation. Even those who don't care weighed in, representing nearly 40 percent of the votes.

Here's some telling analysis: Combining the Who cares? with the No votes produces a majority (52.2 percent) that does not want or care if the Loafs have any success. It must stink being a Loafs fan.

Question: Will Brian Burke make a difference in Toronto?

Yes: 11 out of 23 votes cast (47.8 percent)
Who cares? 9 out of 23 votes (39.1 percent)
No: 3 out of 23 votes (13.1 percent)

New roost

A recent house-hunting trip to Georgia's biggest city allowed Moody, Hound Central 4.0's roving Southeast correspondent, an opportunity to get in some hounding of the hometown Atlanta Thrashers.

In essence, it was a reconnaissance trip, locating the Thrashers official practice facility and finding out the best place to snag some autographs. For Moody, the mission was more than accomplished.

Need proof? These pictures, I believe, show that Moody's trip, though quick, proved fruitful.

Moody reports that the Ice Forum, the Thrashers practice facility in Duluth, is very hound-friendly. As the players walk off the ice, they take the time to stop for fans. Though he admits to cherry-picking, here's who stopped: Slava Kozlov, Bryan Little (who signed six cards), Nathan Oystrick and Ron Hainsey.

Hainsey also gave, and signed, a stick for Moody's daughter. Two other players gave her sticks, but Moody extended the goodwill by passing them along to another pair of children at the rink.

On a side note, the Gwinnett Gladiators of the East Coast Hockey League also use the facility for practices.

Sunday morning homily XIV

From the on-paper talent, a quick-witted coach to the promise of the No. 1 overall pick, this season down here in Hockey Bay had all the makings of something special.

Lightning fans could look forward to Mike Smith, a sure-fire, puck-handling goalie who would eliminate the nightmares of Marc Denis. The signings of a couple future Hall of Famers -- Olaf Kolzig and Mark Recchi -- meant stability and leadership. Free agents like Ryan Malone and Radim Vrbata were going to fill the net with pucks. And the Dan Boyle trade brought a couple of peachfuzz faces to an already youthful, but beleaguered, blue line.

Yes, the Lightning had the script down pat. But, like most every fantasy, the bubble of hockey nirvana has popped. We quickly learned that talent on paper doesn't equate to wins on the ice. Sadly, too, it's created something of a horror show that not even Oren Koules, one of the brains behind the grisly Saw movies, could have envisioned.

Barry Melrose, that new coach who was fired after 16 games, hopes the Lightning never wins again this season. Despite a couple good games, Steven Stamkos, the 2008 draft's top pick, is still finding his way. Malone, unfortunately, has been nagged by injuries. Smith, I'd bet, sees pucks in his dreams.

Had enough? There's more. Vrbata simply quit, packing up and heading home to the Czech Republic. And we're still waiting, Andrej Meszaros, for your first goal with the Lightning.

Thankfully, Recchi and Kolzig have met or exceeded expectations. And Steve Eminger, exchanged for Boyle-wannabe Matt Carle, has been the Lightning's most solid player since coming over from Philly.

Where do we go from here? That's up to the Lightning. If they keep playing the way they have so far, it'll mean smaller crowds likely dominated by the opposition's fans. How's that for a home-rink advantage?

It could also mean another shot at next June's top draft pick. Are plans under way for a Seen Tavares campaign? Or does Stamkos, whom I still have great faith in, leave the team gun-shy about forwards?

Sadly, neither choice comes with a ton of respect.

It's going to take more than Vinny Lecavalier and Marty St. Louis rediscovering their scoring touch. It's going to take more than Zenon Konopka punching someone in the kisser. Beyond Konopka, this team, to a man, needs to get tougher. Mostly, it's going to take everyone on the Lightning to show up every night, make the opponent more miserable with each shift and leave the early season nonsense behind.

Easier said than done? Oh, yeah. Until this happens, though, it'll be more Dolts than Bolts.

Expanding my reach

Granted, it will likely start with a small article in the next Beckett Sports Card Monthly, revisiting the day when Colin snagged 51 autographs from the New York Rangers and Lightning, but I could become a regular contributor to Beckett Hockey in the months ahead.

Though I've written for the publication before, this is an opportunity to share insights and successes with another hobby-specific audience. All the more better, too, if it brings more readers to Hound Central 4.0.

I'll let you know more as it happens.

5 Big Sigs

Thankfully, we have an NHL team, as in the Colorado Avalanche, coming to town this week. With that in mind, and with a little help from the youngest hound, here's what we're hoping to add to the collection:

~ Ryan Smyth and Adam Foote on Avalanche and Team Canada pucks;
~ Paul Stastny on a Denver University puck;
~ Milan Hejduk, Wojtek Wolski, Marek Svatos, Foote, Smyth and Stastny on an Avalanche mini helmet;
~ Peter Budaj and Svatos on the Slovakian team jersey; and
~ Tyler Arnason, T.J. Hensick, Jordan Leopold and John-Michael Liles on the USA team jersey.

Review: Upper Deck NHL MVP

When it comes to Upper Deck's affordable 2008-09 NHL MVP product, two things are guaranteed: You'll get a decent amount of rookie offerings and a silver foil signature adorns most every card.

This year's MVP Rookie crop -- an astounding 92 cards that I liken to poor man's Young Guns -- is the biggest draw of this product. You'll find this year's top three picks: Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos, Los Angeles' Drew Doughty and Atlanta's Zach Bogosian. Columbus' Steve Mason, Toronto's Luke Schenn and Phoenix's Kyle Turris are in the mix, too.

Of our dozen, our best were Columbus' Derick Brassard, the Isles Kyle Okposo, and St. Louis' T.J. Oshie and Alex Pietrangelo. The rest of them? Well, I was a bit disappointed. I've had better draws.

Beyond the big names, and there are a few there, most of these rookies (including the rest of ours) make for good hounding stock. Sure, it's always a gamble to "deface" a rookie card, but this is an easy call.

When it comes to hounding, I tend to shy away from MVP's base set, and its familiar checklist, mostly because of the silver foil "autograph." It's a nice touch, I suppose, but I've seen player double-clutch before signing, and trot out the "I've already signed it" line.

This season's signatures appear to be larger and, in some cases, extremely thicker than in years past.

Puckhound's snapshot

Product: Upper Deck's 2008-09 NHL MVP
Vital stats: 300-card base set, with a Gold Script (#'d to 100) and Super Script (#'d to 25) parallels.
Hobby boxes: 24 packs (6 cards per pack), Two-on-Two Jerseys (double-sided, double swatch) memorabilia card (1:24), MVP Rookies (1:2), with Gold Script and Super Script parallels, and insert subsets (shown below): Alexander the Gr8 (1:12), First Line Phenoms (1:6), Magnificent Sevens (1:12) and Marked by Valor (1:6).

Something good: We pulled a sweet Two-on-Two jersey card and the product's affordability (hobby boxes about $45-$50; a retail 300-card box set, including a jersey card, for under $30).
Something bad: Just in case you missed it, there's this recurring issue. Not the best draw of MVP Rookies. Harsh ratio (1/288) for One-on-One Autographs -- dual-sided, two-player cards.
Something weird: Two Jason Blake cards in the base set.
Puckhound's score: 2 of 5 pucks

Littered

Can someone from Upper Deck please tell me why a early-December release like NHL MVP shows players now with different teams? It's not too much to expect a card of Doug Weight with the Islanders, Jarret Stoll with the Kings and Chris Mason with the Blues? Is it?

This card of St. Louis' Alex Pietrangelo, taken fourth overall at this summer's draft, shows that Upper Deck had time enough to get this season's top rookies into production.

Why not take it a step further? Hold back 50 or so other spots for players switching teams.

Fans always appreciate extra effort.

My God wears skates

If I needed proof there's a special connection between Boston's Patrice Bergeron and my son, Colin, it came when I pulled this card out of a hobby box of Upper Deck's 2008-09 NHL MVP earlier today.

Beyond the fact it's a pretty sweet four-swatch card, that it features Bergeron, whom we just saw last week for the first time since the Bruins forward's nasty injury early last season, leads me to believe the hockey gods smiled upon the reunion.

Sure, it could be pure luck, nothing more than a circumstance of collation rates. Still, though, I picked this box from three. That, I believe, introduces fate.

Bottom line, it's a cool card.

One too many?

Someone at Upper Deck must be a big fan of Toronto's Jason Blake. That is the only reasonable explanation why Upper Deck's 2008-09 NHL MVP 300-card base set carries two offerings of the veteran Leafs forward. Kudos, though, for using different pictures.

Commercial breaks

It's not that I pay a whole bunch of attention to television commercials. Like most others, I'll use that 90- to 120-second window of opportunity to grab a snack. Sometimes, I'll snag a stack of cards that need prepping or flash-card faces that need memorizing.

Most times, though, I simply ignore them.

Over the past few months, I must admit, an appreciation has grown for the NHL Network's commercial lineup. Yes, that's right. Commercials. On the NHL Network.

Rather than subscribe to the NHL Centre Ice package this season, we used that money to help subsidize our Lightning ticket packages. As part of the trade-off, we also subscribed to the more affordable, though much more limited, NHL Network from our local cable TV provider.

And while the CBC's Hockey Night in Canada, complete with the irascible Don Cherry's Coach's Corner, and the upcoming World Junior Championships broadcasts are main draws, the network's commercials and practices have led to these three observations:

~ Though these have been around for awhile, I can't get enough of the NHL Network's spots on the old-school coach's pep talks. It's not just the fedora he sometimes wears. I love how he rolls his eyes after he tries to make a point. It's almost like he's saying to himself, "Can you believe this load of hooey?"

My favorite is the 110 percent commercial. You know, the one where he implores 100 percent of his team to give 110 percent effort for 100 percent of the time. Not only is it funny, but he uses logic to make perfect sense.

~ I also get a kick out of the NHL.com spot featuring a hockey family opening presents on Christmas morning. Though three are Rangers fans, delighting at the Blueshirts-related items that Santa left for them, the fourth member is a Flyers fan. His gifts -- from dress socks to a spatula to a snow shovel -- reflect his fall from favor.

My favorite line? Nope, it's not the poor kid's "Dress socks? What the ...?" No, instead I like the mom's "Nice shovel."

~ My only complaint, and I'm certain this is solely because of my late-night viewing habits, is the rotation of these ads. Some 30-second commercials run twice within a two-minute window. And too much of anything -- even if it's good -- is grating.

Instead, perhaps NHL Networks can introduce some of the NHL teams' promotional spots into the late-night rotation.

See what I get for thinking?

Gee, I thought at least one person who be willing to share a hockey story from Minnesota in exchange for this Wild puck signed by Minnesota's Mikko Koivu.

Need some ideas? I'm more than happy to help. Hmmm. Let's see.

Okay, here are three:

~ Minnesota hockey stories could be about Mike Modano, one of the North Stars better decisions. How about Brian Lawton, who, shall we say, didn't work out too well? Easy fodder, I'd say, in either case.

~ For old-schoolers, who are just as welcome as most everyone else here at Hound Central 4.0, any entry about Gump Worsley or Cesare Maniago scores bonus points.

~ Entries could even be impassioned pleas for a future Winter Classic in the Land of 10000 (Frozen-over) Lakes. Where could it be held? Inside the Mall of America?

While I'm at it, Hound Central 4.0 has yet to hear from the Steven Stamkos contest winner. Rmillerfan has until month's end to claim his prize. If not, we'll revisit the original entries.

Hockey Quiz No. 5

I know everyone is busy and all, with the holidays fast approaching, but if you're in need of a hockey-related diversion in the weeks ahead, why not test your hockey intelligence on Hound Central 4.0's exclusive Hockey Quiz?

Last month, we had two entrants -- Rob Quick and Drew -- who combined to unlock the mysteries of the monthly quiz. Join them, won't you, in testing your knowledge?

In the interest of accuracy, too, I must admit to botching the initial spelling of one of the Hockey, Scrambled names (it was corrected). I tried a little harder this time.

Hound Central 4.0 is trying something new. Comments with answers won't be posted immediately. Maybe that will encourage more competition.

Name this Logo

I'm glad I don't keep score any more when it comes to this contest. If I did, it would be embarrassing. With all due respect to Rob, I suppose the logo showed just a little too much to make it recognizable.

Let's see if this one is just as easy. This time, though, only this visual clue.

Hockey Word Association

Sean Avery =
Boston Bruins =
Barry Melrose =
Biggest surprise =
Radim Vrbata =

Hockey, Scrambled

Tojkew Islwok =
Lemugilua Setladserne =
Tbert Lecman =
Oint Dymnal =
Vyneeg Hiknutary =

Hockey math

Last season, Larry Looselips was fined $671,454 -- the equivalent of 14 games worth of pay -- for conduct unbecoming humanity and the wonderful game of hockey. How much does Looselips earn a game and what's his annual salary?

A.) $47,954/$3,932,228
B.) $47,959/$3,932,638
C.) $47,968/$3,933,376
D.) $47,961/$3,932,802

Answers to Hockey Quiz No. 4:

Name that logo: Kingston Frontenacs, Ontario Hockey League
Hockey, Scrambled: Patrick Lalime, Valteri Filppula, Steve Eminger, Darren Haydar and Nikolai Zherdev
Hockey math: A. Slash Hookhisman's team paid $10,056.43 to keep the slow-footed defenseman in sticks over the course of a season. Math: 67 x 1.18 x 127.20

Did you hear me?

If you happened to be listening to or watching the NHL Network's NHL Live! show this afternoon, chances are you witnessed my international radio debut.

At about 1:50 p.m., I, as Ron from Florida, asked co-host Jim Dowd, a former NHLer, how long it would be before we either saw him on the Lightning roster or behind the bench as Tampa Bay's coach.

Of course, Dowd gave two smart, and politically correct, answers. First, he said that Lightning coach Rick Tocchet should get more time before any decision is made on his "interim" label. Secondly, Dowd said he's had enough coaches in his career that he ought to know how to coach.

In case you're interested, the show, which airs live on the NHL Network from noon to 2 p.m., accepts calls, toll-free, at 1-877-645-6696. Today's show replays from 5-7 p.m.

One last thing

I'd be remiss if I didn't show one final item that Boston's Patrice Bergeron signed for his biggest fan in Florida -- the brim of an Acadie-Bathurst Titan cap that Colin wears from time to time.

And though Patrice would likely sign a bubble-gum wrapper for Colin, he did take note of the cap as he signed it before Thursday night's game in Hockey Bay.

"Hey, buddy," Patrice said, "what do we have here?"

"An Ackathy Bath hurts hat," Colin replied, showing that he needs to do a little homework on the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team that Patrice played for before making the Bruins as a rookie.

"Pretty nice hat you have there," Patrice said.

"It's even nicer now," Colin said. "Thanks."

Stepping up

As hard as I tried, I simply couldn't master the logistics Saturday. Or, if I could, the window of opportunity was too small, making the risk greater than the reward. That's why I'm thankful that Moody, Hound Central 4.0's roving Southeast correspondent, hounded the Buffalo Sabres.

Though my work schedule and effort did create some time, it was reaching a previous commitment, about 45 miles south of the St. Pete Times Forum, that kept me from hounding my beloved Sabres. Because said commitment involved a train ride and meeting Santa Claus, it was an easy call to make.

From what I hear, though, the Sabres kept up their reputation as one of the league's better-signing teams. Moody tells me that most every player -- including a somewhat reclusive Maxim Afinogenov, who tried to sneak out the hotel's rear entrance -- stopped and signed nearly everything he had for the team before the Sabres' morning skate.

"We walked away with more ink than we had hoped for," Moody wrote.

So, who signed? Where's who: Jason Pominville (6 cards), Ales Kotalik (5 cards), Drew Stafford (5 cards), James Patrick (4 cards), Teppo Numminen (3 cards), Derek Roy (3 cards), Jaroslav Spacek (3 cards), Toni Lydman (3 cards, including a team postcard) Afinogenov (2 cards), Jochen Hecht (2 cards), Ryan Miller (2 cards) and Thomas Vanek (2 cards). Those signing a single card were Lindy Ruff, Patrick Lalime, Daniel Paille and Craig Rivet. That adds up to 44 items.

Moody also reports that a walk over to the Lightning players' parking lot Saturday yielded another bounty -- 26 autographs, including a card and picture from Tampa Bay's Vinny Lecavalier and a 2004 Stanley Cup champions puck from Marty St. Louis.

Seventy autographs from two teams in a day? Not bad, if you ask me.

He's a big fan of these cards

Want to know why it's a good idea to ask hockey teams for fan packs? Well, sometimes you receive a set of team-issued postcards that work well for in-person hounding.

Hound Central 4.0 correspondent Moody, who properly preaches the virtues of anything free, put these for Buffalo's Toni Lydman and Craig Rivet to good use when the Sabres visited Hockey Bay on Saturday.

Sunday morning homily XIII

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then I'll let this photograph of Colin with Boston's Patrice Bergeron, his best NHL buddy, say it all. Just look at the smiles upon their faces.

Nearly two years in the making, Colin has fresh memories from the Bruins' trip to Hockey Bay last week. It was a time for buddies to reconnect. It was a time to make new friends. Mostly, though, it was a time for a father and son to bond through hockey.

And, really, that's what this is all about.

Taking a pass

As much as I wanted to hound the Buffalo Sabres (my favorite NHL team) yesterday, adding some balance to to our Bruins (Colin's favorite NHL team) hounding efforts, another obligation prevented another ride over to Tampa.

You see, we had reservations aboard the North Pole Express where one young hockey fan got in another meet-and-greet with the Jolly Old Elf.

Thankfully, Hound Central 4.0 correspondent Moody stepped up and hounded the Sabres. Here is his report.

5 Big Sigs

With the woeful Lightning heading out on the road, our next Hockey Bay hounding opportunity comes Dec. 18 when the Colorado Avalanche, with or without the injured Joe Sakic, come to town.

Now, if I could travel with the team on the road trip, these would be some of the items I'd pursue:

~ Monday, Dec. 8: Some of the Bruins' big names on an old FleetCenter Entrance sign;
~ Wednesday, Dec. 10: Buffalo's Ryan Miller, Jason Pominville, Lindy Ruff and Thomas Vanek on a Sabres mini helmet;
~ Buffalo's Patrick Lalime on Sabres, Blackhawks and Senators pucks;
~ Thursday, Dec. 11: Montreal's Carey Price on the Team Canada goalie mask; and
~ Saturday, Dec. 13: Ottawa's Daniel Alfredsson and Dany Heatley on the Senators team helmet.

A whole bunch of Bruins

At first glance, an untrained eye, or a newbie visitor to Hound Central 4.0, might not be impressed with the quality of autographs shown in this post. But don't let these two pucks from Boston's David Krejci fool you.

Sometimes, first impressions aren't always correct.

Want to know why? It's simple, I tell you. Whenever you can add 65 autographs to the collection, including some from your son's favorite player and a couple of Hall of Famers, you've been rewarded for your two days worth of effort.

Among those signing a few cards before game time Thursday were Marc Savard, left, and Dennis Wideman.

Now, those keeping score at home should take note that I got my fanny handed to me, once again, by the youngest, and quickly becoming the best, hound in the house. Of the 65 autographs, I contributed only 19, though that meager sum included 10 pucks.

As a whole, however, the three trips made to hound the Bruins produced these gems:

~ memorable moments with Colin's best NHL buddy, Patrice Bergeron;
~ a couple of pucks from Hall of Famer Cam Neely;
~ getting blue Sharpie on John Bucyk's thumbnail;
~ a Bruins jersey signed by 23 members of the team and organization;
~ Bruins and Vancouver Giants pucks from Milan Lucic;
~ a trivia quiz, so to speak, from Matt Hunwick; and
~ a sweet jersey card from Mark Stuart.

Hopefully, we'll be able to scrounge up a few more items by February, when the Bruins come back to Hockey Bay.

Born in the USA

So, you think you know about hockey. Okay, I guess I believe you. Here's a quick quiz, though, to see just how much you know.

Can you tell me what other Boston Bruins player, besides Matt Hunwick, was a member of the gold-medal-winning USA team at the 2003 World Junior Championships?

Bonus points, too, if you can tell me what former Tampa Bay Lightning player also played on the medal-winning squad.

A cardinal sin

The last thing I wanted to do Thursday was make my mark upon Boston Bruins legend John Bucyk, or any other player.

A slip of my normally trustyworthy blue Sharpie, however, marked up the Hall of Famer's thumbnail after he signed this card before the Bruins' game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Thankfully, it wasn't a silver paint pen.

All things considered, though, it comes with the territory. Hardly a hounding session goes by when I don't get marked-up hands.