Liveblog 04.30

In the past two times I've attempted live blogging, it's been a spur-of-the-moment thing. Chores were done. Colin was asleep. And I had time on my hands.

This session, though, is a little different. It's been planned. It's been promoted. Depending upon the response -- namely, yours -- we'll keep the lines of communications -- comments to this post (preferred) or e-mails (my address is available at my profile) open for an hour to 90 minutes.

Joining us tonight is Moody, Hound Central 4.0's roving Southeast correspondent. A hound from way back, meaning Michigan, he's collected hockey autographs from Alaska to South Florida. Lately, he's been hounding in the Atlanta area.

Within reason and good taste, we're open to answering your questions about hockey hounding.

Okay, folks, let the live blogging begin:

To get the puck rolling, so to speak, I asked Moody, Hound Central 4.0's roving Southeast correspondent, the first question of the evening.

Puckhound: Miss hockey hounding yet?

Moody: Why yes I am missing Hockey. Hockey is my beer / wine to help wind down after a long day of work. Several months of detox doesn’t excite me. Can’t wait to get drunk again in September.

Puckhound: That's a different way of looking at it. I'm not missing it yet. I'm catching up on sleep. And yardwork. Besides, I still have cards and pucks to put away.

Moody: When you do through the mail, is there a method to choosing who you do or do not send to? I like to send to former players for the most part. Trying to complete my 1979 O Pee Chee set as well
As many fan favorites from the 80’s. I find better success from the former players of the 70’s and 80’s than players from the 90’s and 00’s.

Puckhound: We've scaled back quite a bit from TTM hounding. In fact, I don't believe we sent a request this season. (Tsk, tsk, tsk.) When I did send out TTM requests, most were made for one of two reasons: 1.) Favorite players or teams. 2.) Whatever visiting team cards I didn't get signed in person.

Puckhound: We have our first visitor. It's Hound Central 4.0 regular Brett (Thanks, man). He's left a comment about the Canucks-Hawks series. Join the conversation, won't you?

10:16 p.m.: Henrik Sedin scores. Vancouver 2, Blackhawks 0

Puckhound: So, Moody, what's the lowest temperature you've ever hounded in? I imagine it got pretty chilly in Anchorage.

10:36 p.m.: Ryan Kesler scores. Canucks 3, Blackhawks 0. I don't believe Luongo will give yup three goals this game.

Moody: Aces vs. Steelheads in the ECHL in Anchorage. It was negative-45 degrees and I only hung around long enough to get one photo signed of Vlad Novak. The next day I was going to hound North Dakota when they played Alaska-Fairbanks but thought twice. I learned the hotel the teams stayed at later and decided to work the lobby a little.

Puckhound: Dang, that's cold. It never got that cold -- wind chill included -- along Avery Street in Boston. Two tall buildings, including the new Ritz-Carlton, create a canyon of steel that funnels the winter winds. At worst, it was maybe 10-15 below zero.

Hey, Brett, it must get pretty cold up there during the winter.

Moody: When do we get the fish pooh story? That has caught my interest since you first mentioned it.

Puckhound: Ah, the fish poop story. It's one of my favorites.

One spring day in New England, we were riding along the New Hampshire coast at low tide. Predictably, an odor -- none too pleasant, mind you -- was present.

My sister-in-law asked why low tide stunk so bad.

My response was pure reason:

Fish poop.
Poop smells.
Fish poop smells.

I know there's a phrase for short written arguments like this, but it escapes me (Pretty sad for journalist, don't you think?). Anyone know what it is?

Moody: I have had several of the -10 / 15 days in Detroit as well. Mostly due to the wind. Luckily, I used to be able to hound the Detroit Vipers (IHL) inside the arena. The Plymouth Whalers (OHL) had to be hounded outside for opposing teams and that got cold and windy. The Wings are right off the water so that always added to the chill.

Puckhound: Hounding in Florida during the winter has its advantages, doesn't it?

Puckhound: You know, folks, I expected a few more of you to ask some questions. We'll keep lines open until 11:30 p.m. EST, so, if you have any, ask them now.

10:35 p.m.: Patrick Kane scores. Canucks, 3, Blackhawks 1.

Moody: Wind burn or Sunburn. Both prices we pay for the hobby we enjoy.

11:20 p.m.: Kane scores again. Canucks 3, Blackhawks 2.

Moody: Hounding question for the crowd. What cities do each of you hound in? CHL, NHL, AHL, ECHL?

Moody: Hey, Puckhound, when can we see the Hockey Bay Hounding awards and can we get a sneak peek of the nominees?

11:28 p.m.: Dave Bolland scores. Canucks 3, Blackhawks 3.

Puckhound: Yes, the Hockey Bay Hounding Awards. I'd expect something more about those in the weeks ahead. Nominees? I'm not so sure. Details are still being finalized.

11:36 p.m.: Sami Salo scores. Canucks 4, Blackhawks 3.

11:40 p.m.: Canucks get an empty-netter. Game over. Vancouver 5, Blackhawks 3.

Puckhound: Thanks, all, for checking this out. Special thanks to Moody and Brett for their contributions. We had fun. Good night.

Be first in line

With only hours to go before Hound Central 4.0's latest and most organized attempt at live blogging, why not get your questions or comments in early? They can be submitted via a comment (preferred) or an e-mail, available at my profile. It'll help us out, if you do, as we'd like to hit the ground running at 10 p.m. EST.

I've heard from Moody, so he's on board, offering insight on hounding from Alaska to Michigan to Georgia and many points in between. Given the hoops of communication that will have to be jumped through, it would be better if questions for Hound Central 4.0's roving Southeast correspondent arrive earlier, rather than later.

I'm still waiting to hear, too, from Al, our Toronto-based correspondent. Even if he can't take part, we can look forward to his Toronto Blue Jays hounding report next week at Baseball Mondays. Baseball in hockey-mad Toronto? Hard to believe, isn't it, the Jays have playing since 1977.

And, yes, I'll be bummed if I can't share my "fish poop" argument.

Remember, the live blogging starts at 10 p.m. EST tomorrow. We'll start answering your questions then. Send some good ones, okay?

Revisiting my picks

Having suffered through a 0-for-Western-Conference sweep in my first -- and rather poor -- upset-heavy attempt at this NHL playoff's picks, I feel obligated to take a realistic approach to the conference semifinals.

Eastern Conference

Boston Bruins (1) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (4)
Bruins in six games

Washington Capitals (2) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (3)
Penguins in seven games

Western Conference

Detroit Red Wings (1) vs. Anaheim Ducks (4)
Ducks in seven games

Vancouver Canucks (2) vs Chicago Blackhawks (3)
Blackhawks in six games

Hockey card

To those who know, it should come as no surprise that Colin made out like a bandit yesterday, celebrating his eighth birthday. Among his presents were a Nintendo DS lite, a bunch of games, Pixos and a baseball book Stumptown Kid.

The biggest surprise? This birthday card signed by Tampa Bay's Evgeny Artyukhin. Gee, I wonder how Arty found out about that?

Flashbacks 04.29

You know, I rather enjoy compiling this weekly offseason feature. Each posting is a stroll down memory lane. Hopefully, you'll enjoy them as well:

Feb. 23, 2008: Boston Bruins team sheet
Dec. 14, 2007: Calgary's Jarome Iginla
Feb. 13, 2007: Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky
Nov. 26, 2006: Ottawa's Jason Spezza
Nov. 2, 2005: Then-Florida's Roberto Luongo

Baseball bonus: Tampa Bay's Akinori Iwamura

Feel free to check out Hound Central's 3.0, 2.0 and 1.0.

Denial of responses

Even if it is a tad presumptuous of myself to entertain the thought that Hound Central 4.0 readers -- even for a fleeting moment -- would be interested, these responses to a friend's e-mail is what I do when I'm on vacation and don't want to rake oak leaves:

Threes About Me

Three names I have been called:
1. Ronnie
2. You *@#$%* *@#$%@#$%*!!!
3. Sardo

Three jobs I have had in my life:
1. Father
2. Husband
3. Journalist

Three places I have lived:
1. St. Petersburg, Fla.
2. Bangor, Maine
3. Machias, N.Y.

Three TV shows that I watch:
1. NHL Network's On the Fly
2. BayNews 9
3. Diners, Drive-ins and Dives

Three places I have been:
1. The Dark Side of the Moon
2. The middle of a two-Pulitzer-Prize-winning newsroom
3. Wiggly Bridge, Barrells Mill Pond, York Harbor, Maine

People who e-mail me regularly:
1. Kathy
2. My way-older-then-me cousin Debbie
3. Moody

Three of my favorite foods:
1. Anything made by my wife
2. A slice of Buffalo chicken pizza from Fortunato's in downtown St. Pete
3. A Cuban sandwich from D&D Delights or Brocato's in Tampa

Three people I believe will respond:
1. My way-older-than-me cousin Debbie (see response #2 to top question)
2. Moody
3. Kris

Three things I am looking forward to:
1. Watching Colin grow up
2. Self-employment
3. Catching a grouper

Now, if you so choose, feel free to share in the fun by leaving your responses in a comment.

Mark your calendar

If you're not doing anything this Thursday night, why don't you stop by the old Hound shack, where I'll be taking questions, offering opinions and, if asked, will share my seven-word "fish poop" argument.

Yes, there's a story behind that. You'll have to wait, though.

Either way, the festivities (I'll crack open a cold one -- I'm on vacation until May 11) begin about 10 p.m. EST.

Unlike the my past two attempts at live blogging, when I thought to myself "Gee, this would be a great time for a little impromptu live blogging," this advance notice/warning gives you remarkably intelligent humanitarians a couple days' notice.

That should be plenty of time, I hope, for a question or two to bubble to the surface. Remember, Thursday, April 30 @ 10 p.m. EST

Take a break from hockey ...

... and visit the resurrected Baseball Mondays blog, which chronicles Hockey Bay's Goofiest Dudes' offseason hobby of watching and hounding professional baseball games, from the MLB's Tampa Bay Rays right down to the three Florida State League teams within easy driving distance.

As always, thanks for stopping by.

Liveblog 04.24

As much as I'd like to give people more advance notice, these live chat sessions are the result of realizing that -- at the moment for the next 90 minutes or so -- I have some time on my hands.

And, yes, I know the Ducks-Sharks game is on Versus. I'm watching it.

If you have any hockey-hounding questions, leave them in a comment or send me an e-mail (link on my profile). Comments don't require signing up, either; leave them as anonymous, but feel free to add your name.

Also, have any questions for Moody and Al, Hound Central 4.0's far-flung correspondents? We may not get answers tonight, but I'll pass any along and pester them until they answer.

10:48 p.m.: San Jose 1, Anaheim 0, end of the first. Joey Thornton finally scored.

10:53 p.m.: Sean Avery and John Tortorella? Related?

11:05 p.m.: Anaheim wins draw to start the second period.

11:36 p.m: Nice toe-drag by Devin Setoguchi. Sharks 2, Ducks 0. Thornton picks up an assist, his second point in the game. Now he needs to get into a fight. Gordie, God bless him, would be proud.

11:50 p.m.: Ten more minutes. Then it's nighty-night.

12:01 a.m.: Ryan Carter scores for Anaheim. Sharks 2, Ducks 1, early in the third.

12:02 a.m.: Okay, folks, good night. I can barely keep my eyes open. I was hoping for at least one question from the nine people who stopped by over the past 90-plus minutes.

Well, that's what I get for no advance warning/notice, right? Especially on a night during the playoffs. Or, simply, no one was interested.

Next time, though, I'll let you know sooner.

Rotten tomatoes not included

The Tampa Bay Lightning brass -- owner Oren Koules, general manager Brian Lawton and coach Rick Tocchet, will make themselves available for questions early next month. The team says it has a "plan in place" to make the Lightning winners again. I wonder how Vinny Lecavalier fits into those plans.

One shy of two dozen

What started out as a blank slate, so to speak, quickly became one of my favorite pieces from the 2008-09 hockey-hounding campaign. All told, 23 NHL players took part in the Team Canada jersey project.

The qualifications are simple. Any Canadian-born winner of a Stanley Cup, Olympic or World Championship gold medal, No. 1 draft pick or a Hound Central 4.0 favorite is eligible. A fluid situation, at the least.

Yes, I would have been nice to add one, or even a few more, ending the campaign with two dozen or 25-plus autographs. But that's the beauty of an ongoing project. Each season brings new opportunities to fill in the blanks with players who've already signed pucks and cards for us.

Among the inaugural Class of 2008-09: New Jersey's Martin Brodeur, Hall of Famers Ron Francis, Cam Neely and Denis Potvin and Triple Gold winner Brendan Shanahan.

Dallas' Brad Richards was the first to sign it, back in late August, after a pre-training camp workout with former Tampa Bay Lightning teammates.

Others to sign were Patrice Bergeron, Jay Bouwmeester, Brad Boyes, Rod Brind'Amour, Jeff Carter, Simon Gagne, Barret Jackman, Vinny Lecavalier, Milan Lucic, Brad Richards, Mike Richards, Marty St. Louis, Marc Savard, Eric Staal, Steven Stamkos, Marty Turco and Cam Ward.

Flashbacks 04.22

Like reading about or looking at hockey autographs? Me, too.

Check out these installments from past hockey-hounding campaigns:

Jan. 16, 2008: Colorado's Joey Sakic
Nov. 4, 2007: Hall of Famer Phil Esposito
April 16, 2007: Cup winner Glenn "Chico" Resch
Sept. 24, 2006: Dallas' Mike Modano
Nov. 26, 2005: Los Angeles' Yutaka Fukufuji

Got lots of time? Find hundreds of more adventures at Hound Central 3.0, Hound Central 2.0 and, most certainly, Hound Central 1.0.

As always, thanks for stopping by.

Surreal, man, surreal

If you look hard enough, it's easy to find art within the sport of speed, steel and vulcanized rubber. Even if you're sitting in a recliner taking pictures off your TV screen during an NHL playoffs game:

I swear that no special effects were used in the taking of this otherworldly photo of Anaheim's Todd Marchant. Turned out pretty cool, if you ask me.

A grizzled old vet, such as San Jose's Claude Lemieux, is always a welcome addition during the playoffs.

Even this promotional spot produced an interesting image.

What do you think?

A tie-breaker?

What Hound Central 4.0 readers couldn't decide, the first round of the NHL playoffs will. For the time time ever, we had a tie among the winners of the last poll, which asked who would win the 2008-09 season's Jack Adams Award, awarded to the NHL's top coach.

Of the four choices, two rose to the top -- Boston's Claude Julien and Columbus' Ken Hitchcock. Each collected 13 of the 36 votes cast.

Though the voting took place at the close of the regular season, it's still a pretty close call. Julien led a somewhat surprising squad to the top of the Eastern Conference standings. Hitchcock guided the Blue Jackets to their playoff appearance.

Given that Boston and Columbus find themselves on opposite ends of the first-round sweep spectrum, perhaps that gives the nod to Julien. Simply getting there, I'm afraid, isn't good enough.

Question: Jack Adams Award winner?

Boston's Claude Julien: 13 out of 36 votes cast (36.1 percent)
Columbus' Ken Hitchcock: 13 out of 36 votes (36.1 percent)
San Jose's Todd McLellan: 6 outs of 36 votes (16.7 percent)
St. Louis' Andy Murray: 4 out of 36 votes (11.1 percent)

If you haven't already, take part in the current Hound Central 4.0 poll: Will the Lightning trade Vinny Lecavalier? Cast your vote at the top of the sidebar. Don't be shy, either, about checking out past polls.

Don't forget, too, to test your knowledge at Hockey Quiz No. 9.

This was great news

We had a major announcement yesterday afternoon at my employer, the St. Petersburg Times. Thankfully, we wouldn't be hearing of the challenges facing our industry and, closer to home, my profession.

No, not yesterday.

What we heard yesterday was great news. Fantastic. Inspiring, even. It was something, I believe, we all needed to hear.

The news arrived just after 3 p.m.: The Times' Politifact effort and feature writer Lane DeGregory had won Pulitzer Prizes, the highest honor in journalism. The newsroom erupted. Two Pulitzers in one year is pretty remarkable. Only the New York Times won more (5) yesterday.

Though my involvement is nearly nonexistent (I've copy-edited two, maybe three Politifact items, at best), it's quite an honor to be a part of a newsroom when not one, but two, Pulitzer Prizes are awarded.

It was, by far, the best day in my 24-plus-year career.

Way to go, Patrice

I can't let an opportunity pass to tip Hound Central 4.0's roughed-up Copper SK600 Boston's Patrice Bergeron for teaching Montreal's Josh Gorges a lesson during last night's opening-round game. It's not so much the fight, a rarity for him, but the continuation of his recent physical style of play.

Granted, there are others on the Bruins -- Shawn Thornton and Shane Hnidy, come to mind -- better suited for fisticuffs. We also share in the concern for Patrice's health. To me, though, it was another test that he has passed since coming back from a second serious concussion.

Looking ahead, let's hope that Patrice's contributions light the lamp, not some Canadiens player's nose.

In the crease

I'm not sure who was more nervous. Colin or me. Accepting an invitation to participate in a Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning mites practice, he made his first foray onto the ice as a goalie earlier today.

Yes, the puck is harder than a street hockey ball. Yes, the pads are heavier. You'll appreciate the padding, though. Will it hurt? Sorry, buddy, but yes, but only until the pain goes away.

After a couple months of stopping shots out on the back patio and the living room doorway (yes, Momma lets us play hockey in the house), it was time for him to get a taste of playing in skates on ice.

Understandably, he was a little awkward in the beginning. That equipment is bulky. A skate strap from a goalie pad bedeviled his balance. And, yes, quite a few pucks got past him.

Every so often, though, his instincts -- the ones we've seen at home -- would take over. He'd make a save. Nice ones, too. His best? He's pretty proud of his first-ever glove save. So am I.

I'm sure he'll get more chances, especially over the summer break, to head back into the net. Next week, he practices again with the Jr. Lightning. This time, though, he'll be a skater.

Mr. Efficiency

In the interest of saving time next season, I've reprogrammed my new cell phone's Quick Text responses to the messages I inevitably receive:

1. Thanks.
2. On my way.
3. Tell him it's Gretzky
4. They're @ Embassy Suites.
5. They're @ the Westin.
6. They're @ the Marriott Waterside.
7. Where are you? (first of two originals)
8. Reporting for duty.
9. Food?
10. Call me (second of two originals)
11. Talk to you later.
12. Can't. Have to work.
13. Just left the house.
14. Hounding the Bolts?
15. Drive safely.
16. Call the hotels.

Hockey Quiz No. 9

Well, at least I know that Hound Central 4.0's Hockey Quizzes have at least two faithful and entirely correct readers -- Drew, an old Beantown hounding buddy, and longtime reader Brett. So, for them, I present the latest installment in this feature.

Join them, won't you, in testing your hockey knowledge. Your answers, should you choose, can be left in a comment.

Name this logo

If you ask me, this should be fairly recognizable. Remember, too, that spelling counts. Official team name and league, please.

Hockey Word Association

Jacques Lemaire =
John Tavares =
Steve Mason =
Victor Hedman =
Puckhound =

Hockey, Scrambled

Nket Nushkis =
Yton Soposite =
Strikani Shilusue =
Anst Katimi =
Alnide Locralic =

Hockey math

I know that not everyone enjoys math. So, we'll make this one easy. How's that?

In the first round of the NHL playoffs, there were 18 periods, 33 minutes and 17 seconds of sudden-death play. How many seconds of overtime was played? Show the math, too.

A.) 23,487 seconds
B.) 23,597 seconds
C.) 23,517 seconds
D.) 24,017 seconds

Answers to Hockey Quiz No. 8:

Name this logo: Lake Erie Monsters of the American Hockey League
Hockey, Scrambled: Kyle McLaren, Martins Karsums, Andy Wozniewski, Matthew Lombardi and James Wisniewski
Hockey math: D. The Metropolis MoneyBags saved $6.425 million with their salary dump. Math: $2.175 million + $3.75 million + $1.375 million minus $875,000.

Playoffs picks

For as long as I can remember, rooting for the underdogs in any playoff series carries great appeal. Still, though, one should be realistic, calling upon intellect, insight and, more importantly, gut instincts.

With that in mind, here are one hockey hound's best guesses at how the 2008-09 NHL playoffs, which begin tonight, will shake out right on through to early June. As you can see, I'm predicting a few upsets:

Opening rounds

Eastern Conference

Boston Bruins (1) vs. Montreal Canadiens (8)
Bruins in five games (Bruins win 4-0)

Washington Capitals (2) vs. New York Rangers (7)
Capitals in six games (Capitals win 4-3)

New Jersey Devils (3) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (6)
Devils in seven games (Hurricanes win 4-3)

Pittsburgh Penguins (4) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (5)
Penguins in six games (Penguins win 4-2)

Western Conference

San Jose Sharks (1) vs. Anaheim Ducks (8)
Sharks in seven games (Ducks win 4-3)

Detroit Red Wings (2) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (7)
Blue Jackets in seven games (Wings win 4-0) (Oops!)

Vancouver Canucks (3) vs. St. Louis Blues (6)
Blues in six games (Canucks win 4-0) (Oh, well)

Chicago Blackhawks (4) vs. Calgary Flames (5)
Flames in five games (Blackhawks win 4-3)

Conference semifinals

Eastern Conference

Boston Bruins (1) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (4)
Bruins in seven games

Washington Capitals (2) vs. New Jersey Devils (3)
Devils in five games

Western Conference

San Jose Sharks (1) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (4)
Sharks in four games

Calgary Flames (2) vs. St. Louis Blues (3)
Flames in six games

Conference finals

Eastern Conference

Boston Bruins (1) vs. New Jersey Devils (2)
Devils in seven games

Western Conference

San Jose Sharks (1) vs. Calgary Flames (2)
Sharks in five games

Stanley Cup

San Jose Sharks vs. New Jersey Devils
Devils in six games

Conn Smythe winner: Zach Parise

Flashbacks 04.14

Now, I know most of you come here looking for tales of our hockey-hounding adventures. But, did you know there are hundreds of hounding reports from seasons past available at Hound Central 3.0, Hound Central 2.0 and the one that started it all, Hound Central 1.0?

Now that the hockey-hounding season has ended down here in Hockey Bay, I'll do my best to provide you with some must-reads from previous campaigns to tide you over.

Here's the first random sampling:

~ Jan. 10, 2008: Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin
~ Sept. 16, 2007: Hall of Famer Bill Barber
~ March 27, 2007: Florida Panthers' Martin Gelinas
~ Dec. 9, 2006: Anaheim's Teemu Selanne
~ Dec. 28, 2005: Hall of Famer Ray Bourque

Fan Pack: New York Rangers

I imagine this might come across as being extremely ungrateful, especially within the Big Apple, but what is an organization like the New York Rangers doing sending out fan packs, including schedules for the 2008-09 season, in the final weeks of the season?

Being an Original Six franchise, one would expect the organization would have its fan marketing house in order. The recent arrivals, however, cast that assumption into the wind.

The envelopes (yes, they sent one each to the three occupants of the Hound Central 4.0 household) carried a March 31 postmark. The original request, which asked for just one fan pack, was sent, via-email, on Aug. 15, 2008.

It's not that the Rangers' effort isn't appreciated. It is. It just seems like it's a little late in the game, so to speak, for them to arrive.

Still, though, one can't complain too much. While some teams send out entire team postcard sets, the Rangers opted for one of King Henrik. Colin got a big kick, too, out of the sticker set.

The schedule, though? That one has me scratching my head.

Here's my report:

Team: New York Rangers
Date sent: Aug. 15, 2008
Date received: April 2, 2009
Elapsed time: 230 days
Items received: Henrik Lundqvist postcard, team sticker set and a 2008-09 season schedule

Sunday morning homily XXX

Well, folks, I don't know what to tell you. With the Tampa Bay Lightning missing the playoffs for the second straight year, our 2008-09 hockey-hounding season is in the books. Beyond a handful of posts, primarily updating seasonlong projects, I'm running out of things to write about.

Sure, I've got a bunch of pucks, cards and jerseys to square away during the offseason. I'll likely revisit the display cases, figuring out ways to cram a few more items in them. And, like I've said before, I'll start working on a book proposal chronicling four seasons of hockey-hounding adventures.

After nearly eight months of hounding, though, it's hard to shut it down. While some people can stop at the flip of a switch, or embrace the new baseball season, I find myself already going through withdrawals. No more puck orders. No more prepping cards. No more priming paint pens.

So, what will I do with this hounding-free time?

Most likely, it'll be yard work and then escaping the impending heat and humidity that define Hockey Bay's summers. I'm sure, too, that we'll get in some skating and fishing. Given that Pinellas County is a peninsula, there are no shortage of nearby fishing spots. And, yes, we'll take in a few Tampa Bay Rays and Florida State League games.

For the most part, though, it's time to recover and rest up for the 2009-10 hockey-hounding season. To stay in shape, so to speak, I'll keep the blog active, but with far fewer posts, over the summer. That's why they call it the offseason, right?

A big hit

In what was one of the highlights of the hockey-hounding season, attending the Washington Capitals' morning skate before Thursday's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the memories far outgain any autographs we collected.

It was a real hoot watching the kids, Colin included, exchange high-fives with the Capitals players. Here, Viktor Kozlov (#25) and Keith Aucoin reach out, so to speak, for some fan interaction.

Hound Central 4.0 wants to thank Moody, our roving Southeast correspondent, for making it happen. I'm sure Colin will remember the day for a long, long time. I know I will.

Hello, Tony O

Though Colin may have gotten more than 300 autographs on his hand-drawn team sheets over the course of the 2008-09 hockey-hounding season, none were bigger, in my opinion, than this card signed by Hall of Famer goalie Tony Esposito.

I'd heard that Esposito was a frequent visitor to Lightning games and would sign single items as he walked across the plaza at the St. Pete Times Forum.

On Thursday, after hounding the visiting Washington Capitals, we finally put the information to good use. Our patience, I believe, was rewarded.

Next time, though, I'll carry Blackhawks and Canadiens pucks.

Easy to take

As much as I'd love to crow about snagging an autograph or two from Washington's Alex Ovechkin during the Capitals' visit Thursday, one simple fact forbids me. For the second hockey-hounding campaign in a row, I didn't get a single one.

Want to know something? I'm not that disappointed. Not after the day enjoyed by Hockey Bay's Goofy Dudes of Hounding had, Ovie's autograph or not. It helped, too, that other Capitals, including such toughies as Sergei Fedorov, Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green and Jose Theodore, were more than willing to sign, especially at gametime.

Besides the pucks shown above -- signed by, from left, Mike Green, Michael Nylander and Simeon Varlamov as Washington's morning skate (yeah, we got in) wound down -- we closed out the visiting team campaign with another 38 autographs from the Capitals.

Signing cards were:

Top row: Matt Bradley, Mike Green and Viktor Kozlov
Bottom row: Brooks Laich, Brian Pothier and Simeon Varlamov.

Washington wingers Alexander Semin, left, and Tomas Fleishmann added to the Portland Pirates practice jersey:


Other highlights of the Capitals adventure:

~ Saying "Ovie who?" after Colin scored a stick from Alexander Semin just after the Capitals' morning skate;
~ Getting Nicklas Backstrom to sign the 330th, and perhaps final, puck of the 2008-09 hockey-hounding campaign;
~ Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau, winner of the 2008 Jack Adams Award as the NHL's top coach, signing an ECHL Mississippi Sea Wolves puck; and
~ Last, but not least, Colin running out of room on his team sheet.

And, let's not forget the Capitals photo gallery.

Right places, right times

Colin and I had just finished a great breakfast (try the Belgian waffles and chocolate chip pancakes) at First Watch in Tampa when I felt my cell phone buzzing.

"How quick can you guys get over to the Forum?"

"I don't know. About 10 minutes. Why?"

"Want to get into the Capitals' morning skate?"

"We're on our way."

Sure enough, Moody, Hound Central 4.0's roving Southeast correspondent, worked his magic and got us inside. The Lightning were just finishing. Minutes later, the Zamboni fired up.

It wasn't too long, then, before Capitals players headed to the ice. Most high-fived the kids, including Colin, near the rink door. In minutes, the team, directed by assistant coaches, was on the ice.

At the end of the session, Colin, who positioned himself next to the door, asked a few players for their sticks. All but one passed right on by. It was Alexander Semin, part of the Capitals young cadre of stars, who handed him a stick -- a sweet Warrior Dolomite.

Later, after deciding we'd rather add to Colin's good fortune than brave the Lightning's red-carpet masses, Semin honored our request that he sign the stick.

Last puck of the season

It wasn't until a moment ago, as I was importing this picture, did I realize that one of these two pucks signed by Washington's Nicklas Backstrom was the last one of the 2008-09 hockey-hounding campaign.

For the record, it's the new-look Capitals logo puck, on the left, that's the 330th of the season and 1,867th of the collection.

Backstrom, not to be confused with Minnesota's Nicklas Backstrom, signed it Thursday before boarding the team bus at gametime. He signed the other during Washington's morning skate.

Former Lightning players Olaf Kolzig, traded to Toronto, and Mark Recchi, in the playoffs with Boston, signed the first pucks of the campaign back in late August.

Did you know this?

If I have a calling card when it comes to hounding, it's my penchant for pulling out obscure pucks for players and coaches to sign. Not only does it often lead to getting more than one puck signed at a time, but it also adds depth and an element of scarcity to the collection.

Following this philosophy, Washington coach Bruce Boudreau added one of the few East Coast Hockey League pucks to The Vault during Thursday's morning skate. Boudreau, who won the 2008 Jack Adams Award as the NHL's best coach, led the Mississippi Sea Wolves to the 1999 Turner Cup championship.

While I know he guided the Hershey Bears to the 2006 Calder Cup title in the American Hockey League, I was somewhat surprised to learn that he's ranked 14th all-time in AHL scoring, including a 116-point season with the 1987-88 Springfield (Mass.) Indians.

Not much room left

Want to see what happens when you cram 22 autographs from 20 players (yes, two players signed twice) on one of Colin's team sheets? Well, take a look at this one, signed by most every Washington Capitals player.

I'll give you three guesses -- and the first two don't count -- at which one didn't sign it. Though he signed later in the day for two other boys, he refused Colin's requests before morning skate, at the morning skate and at gametime.

Still, though, when you can snag autographs from Alex Ovechkin's teammates Sergei Fedorov, Alexander Semin, Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green and Jose Theodore, it more than makes up for it. All in all, it's a nice way for Colin to close a seasonlong project.

Gallery: Washington Capitals

After hearing of the hassles during one of the Capitals earlier trips to Hockey Bay, I didn't hold out much hope for a decent season-closing hounding adventure. Boy, was I ever wrong.

Most every Capitals players, including Alex Ovechkin, stopped to sign. Granted, Ovie signed for two kids (sorry, but Colin wasn't one of them), even allowing himself to be called off of the team bus at game time by a well-meaning mom.

Most Hockey Bay hounds, myself included, were stunned by the Capitals' willingness to sign. These players were among those who stopped Thursday afternoon before heading off to the St. Pete Times Forum to play the Tampa Bay Lightning:

Center Sergei Fedorov, a notable toughie, must be trying to rehabilitate his hounding image. He signed quite a few autographs.

Defenseman Mike Green doesn't look too happy, does he? I'm not sure, either, if that's a bad case of "bedhead" or that's simply how Green has his hair cut.

Center Nicklas Backstrom was quick to grab a pen and sign for anyone who asked. It was the most I've ever seen him sign.

Left winger Alexander Semin, known for his deft moves on the ice, was equally adept with Sharpies.

Goalie Jose Theodore, who told a Hockey Bay hound (not me, though) he wouldn't sign a Colorado Avalanche jersey because it was "the wrong team." Guess what? He signed it as well as other items.

Right winger Viktor Kozlov didn't mind being part of a hockey-hounding lesson. When one hound, but not the one shown, kept asking who he was, I replied "Wayne Gretzky." Kozlov just smiled.

How many people can recall that center Brooks Laich was obtained by the Capitals for Petr Bondra? I can.

In a way, we've watched defenseman Milan Jurcina grow up into a solid NHL player. It wasn't all that long ago we watched him participate in a Bruins rookie camp during our time in New England.

My apologies

That Atlanta hounding report, online earlier in raw form for a few hours, posted a bit early. It will be back, once the proper time and effort can be devoted to it.

Also, there will be no reports or gallery from the Lightning's red carpet session before Thursday's home closer. A change in hounding plans, which will be explained later, required our presence elsewhere.

The Capitals reports will start publishing Saturday afternoon.

Getting closer

Now that we're in the final week of the 2008-09 hockey-hounding season down here in Hockey Bay, we're turning our attention to certain work-in-progress projects. In this case, it's the Lightning team jersey.

Given the team's imperfect season, one might reason the need for such an item. Beyond the new Big Three -- Vinny Lecavalier, Marty St. Louis and Steven Stamkos -- there are few household names in the Lightning lineup. Maybe that's why the Lightning will miss the playoffs for the second straight year.

No, the reward here will be the depth of the project. Nearly 50 players, including 21 defenseman have donned a Lightning sweater this season. That, to me, makes it a project. To date, we've added 32 signatures, including these two Tuesday:

The jersey wouldn't be complete, no matter the number of signatures, without one from Stamkos. Don't have to worry about that anymore.

Defenseman Matt Lashoff, acquired from Boston with Martins Karsums for Mark Recchi in a trade-deadline deal.

Also signing Tuesday around the team's morning skate were Adam Hall and Cory Murphy (again, my mistake), call-ups Brandon Bochenski, Karsums, Zenon Konopka and Vladimir Mihalik.

Sorry, Marty

It's hard to believe, isn't it, that it takes until the 2008-09 season's final week for Tampa Bay's Marty St. Louis to get his first headline post here on Hound Central 4.0?

Please, accept my apologies. I swear, I have nothing against him.

It's that I've had him sign Big Three, Team Canada and Lightning team pieces, more than individual items this season. In fact, these two cards, signed after Tuesday's morning skate, might be the first non-project items of the campaign.

Take note, too, how he remembers his number (62, rather than 26) on the All-World Edition card.

Nice tandem

The Choice Rookies subset within the 2008-09 Collectors Choice set is a perfect complement to the 2008-09 Rookie Class so-called box set. Or, at least it worked here for Tampa Bay defenseman Vladimir Mihalik.

Given Collector's Choice low-end nature, I'm not too concerned about burning a rookie card. Should you be worried? That's your call.

The black ink? I had him sign the work-in-progress 2008-09 Lightning team jersey first and didn't bother asking him to switch to a blue Sharpie.

Eagle-eyed readers will notice, too, that my prep work got a little sloppy on one of the cards.

Remember: Top to bottom, side to side. Top to bottom, side to side.

A real clunker

It'll have to go down as a pretty sad day in Hound Central history. When the biggest highlight of hounding the Pittsburgh Penguins Tuesday is this Tampa Bay Lightning coin card of Ruslan Fedotenko, well, you see where I'm headed.

Even this puck, signed by Jordan Staal, a player with a growing reputation for being a toughie, hardly makes up for the disappointment of, once again, missing out on Sidney Crosby.

Though he signed for a few folks, I was too far back in the crowd to get close enough for him to sign Colin's replica Crosby jersey.

Yes, it's disappointing. It would've been nice to have him sign it for Colin. Thankfully, he'll be around for awhile and my luck will turn.

The same situation took place with Marc-Andre Fleury. Again, I was too deep in the crowd, a residual effect of Crosby's appearance, to get within Fleury's range. Yes, it's been a long season.

Evgeni Malkin? Never saw him leave for morning skate. And I don't remember seeing off coming back off the team's bus.

Oh, well, can't win them all, can we?

Well, we did get backup goalie Mathieu Garon to sign the Manchester Monarchs practice jersey. All told, the effort for the Penguins produced seven autographs. Yes, seven autographs.

Now that I'm done feeling sorry for myself, I must say the day wasn't a total bust. These alone made the trip well worth the time:

~ Right winger Bill Guerin, acquired in a trade-deadline deal, signing the sixth puck in less than 13 months; and
~ Appreciating defenseman Philippe Boucher's placement of an autograph. Yes, it was that bad.

Though I was too busy missing out on Crosby and Fleury to get pictures of them signing for a handful of hounds. I put together a second gallery of the season for the Penguins.

Firsthand knowledge

Looking back over the past 13 months, I've got to give Bill Guerin, a trade-day acquisition by the Pittsburgh Penguins, a long round of applause.

This Penguins puck, signed before Tuesday's morning skate, was the sixth he's added to The Vault, Hound Central's puck repository, in little over a year:

03.11.08: New Jersey Devils and St. Louis Blues
10.16.08: New York Islanders and San Jose Sharks
02.07.09: Edmonton Oilers

Years ago, I'd heard that Guerin was a decent signer. It's the truth.

Big difference

Chances are, Pittsburgh defenseman Philippe Boucher isn't at the top of too many hounds' wish lists. In a sense, that's a shame. The guy has had a decent career.

What makes him noteworthy, though, is his demeanor with hounds. Though he's not the most talkative of players, he seems to realize the appreciation of a good signature. He's also willing to sign multiples.

Unlike most players, who usually sign on the darkest part of the image, Boucher, a former No. 1 pick (13th overall in 1991) of the Buffalo Sabres, signed this card, one of three before Tuesday's morning skate, in a spot where his autograph is visible.

It may not seem like much, really. It's just that it doesn't happen all that often. That's what makes this noteworthy.

Gallery: Pittsburgh Penguins II

Want to see pictures of Pittsburgh's Big Three -- Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Marc-Andre Fleury? Me, too.

For the second time this season, not only did I not get an autograph from these guys, but I missed on opportunity to take photos of them signing. Oh, well, there's always next season. And the season after that. And the season after that.

For Crosby and Fleury, it's my own darn fault. Had both of them within the eyesight, but was more interested in trying to get their autographs. Next time, I promise, I'll try harder. I never saw Malkin.

I hope these will suffice. If not, here's the first Penguins gallery.

Center Jordan Staal, developing a reputation for a tough autograph, surprised us when he came over to sign for the crowd assembled before the Penguins morning skate.

Right winger Petr Sykora has always been a decent signer.

When goalie Mathieu Garon appeared from a different entrance, a few hounds wondered whether it was a diversionary tactic, allowing other players to leave unnoticed.

Defenseman Philippe Boucher will sign more than one item.

Player-turned-announcer Phil Bourque always draws a crowd.

Just dessert

Want to know when the Hockey Gods are looking out for you? When someone trying to take advantage of you ends up with the short end of the stick.

Just ask Hound Central 4.0 reader Dave, who wins March's Win this Auto contest and this Blackhawks pucks signed by Chicago native Eddie Olczyk for sharing a slice of Chicago with this tale involving a ticket scalper and the Chicago Blackhawks:

"I was visiting Chicago in 1992 and had never seen a game at Chicago Stadium. I bought a restricted-view ticket from a scalper.

"Walked down my row and saw a huge concrete pillar getting closer but luckily my seat number happened to be right beside the obstruction. Still had a view of the ice.

"The gentleman who sold me the ticket came down the row asking me, “Is that the ticket I sold you?” I gladly showed him my ticket. “Ah (expletive deleted)!” he exclaimed, realizing he would be straddling a 2-foot-wide pillar the entire game.

"Good times."

See what happens when the Hockey Gods intervene? The scalper believed he was unloading a near-worthless ducat, pocketing some beer money in the process. Instead, he ends up with the bad seat. A fitting end, if you ask me.

Now, if Dave would send me an e-mail (found on my profile) with a mailing address, we'll get this process moving along.

Don't forget about April's Win this Auto contest. You've heard of Atlanta's Ilya Kovalchuk, right?

Sunday morning homily XXIX

For a week devoid of hockey, I'm having a hard time remembering a better one in our time down here in Hockey Bay. From chasing trains to wearing 3-D glasses for a movie to watching race cars top 200 mph, we haven't missed hockey hounding one bit.

Yes, it was Colin's spring break last week. And though we didn't stray too far to home -- our work schedules had something to do with that -- we did the best we could to make it a memorable "stay-cation." Mostly, though, it was about spending time together and, hopefully, creating some memories:

~ Watching Colin's eyes light up as he heard the rumble of an approaching CSX freight train during our visit to the Train Depot Museum (shown above) in Dade City. It had been far too long since he'd seen a train;

~ Squirting some fruit-punch Powerade into his mouth during a break in our back patio hockey practices. Earlier in the day, we stumbled upon the final pieces of his rag-tag collection of goalie equipment. And you know we just had to try it out; and

~ Becoming more jacked-up about open-wheel racing by taking in the opening days of the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Among the highlights was having a brief "He's so shy" conversation about Colin with Indy Racing League star Danica Patrick during a nighttime parade down St. Petersburg's Central Avenue.

As much as I try to make this blog about hockey hounding, it's just as much about spending time with one's family. Hockey and hounding play a big role in our lives, but it doesn't consume us. Comes close at times, I'll admit, but there's much more to life than that.

Believin' in Steven

Hound Central 4.0 offers a tip of its roughed-up Cooper SK600 to Lightning rookie Steven Stamkos for tying Tampa Bay's rookie goals record of 21 in his initial NHL season. With a few games remaining, perhaps Stamkos will catapult past Brad Richards for his own team mark.

It's hard to believe, isn't it, that a few people didn't believe that Stamkos, the No. 1 overall pick at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, wasn't ready for the rigors of a full season in the NHL. To be honest, his early play did nothing to dispel that notion.

Once he got into a training program, though, Stamkos has shown that he has the abilities to be a top-flight NHL player. I'm thinking, too, that he's only going to get better.

In a season full of disappointment, watching Stamkos make progress has been something to hold on to.

5 Big Sigs

It's the final week of the 2008-09 hockey-hounding season and two of the league's tougher teams -- the star-studded Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals -- are coming to town:

~ As always, getting Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby to sign Colin's Crosby #87 replica Penguins jersey;
~ Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin on Penguins and WJC-Russia pucks;
~ Washington's Alex Ovechkin on Colin's Ovechkin #8 replica Capitals jersey;
~ Washington's Nicklas Backstrom on a Capitals puck; and
~ Knocking out a Lightning team helmet during Thursday's red carpet festivities before the home closer.

Going racing

Just because the Lightning were up in Long Island tonight, it doesn't mean that we sat home and twiddled our thumbs. Nope, not with the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg taking place just up the street.

From taking in Indy Racing League practice laps yesterday to watching American Le Mans Series and Indy Lights races earlier today, we've spent the past two days getting our fills of speed, roaring engines and generally immersing ourselves in this particular racing scene.

It's been a hoot, too.

Lots of interactive exhibits, up-close looks at team paddocks and more than a few photo opportunities inside sleek and colorful machines.

And, of course, the weekend wouldn't be complete without snagging a few autographs from a few of the IRL's big name drivers:

Scott Dixon, defending IndyCar Series champion, won the 2008 Indy 500

Dario Franchitti, the 2007 Indy 500 winner, won the 2007 IndyCar Series

Alex Tagliani, a Montreal native, also races in NASCAR's Canadian series

Did you know that Dan Wheldon lives right here in Hockey Bay? I can't remember, though, if I've ever seen him at a Lightning game.

Check out the metallic finish on this IRL driver card from Justin Wilson.

Other IRL drivers signing over the past few days were Ryan Briscoe, Ed Carpenter, Mike Conway, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Darren Manning, Raphael Matos, Hideki Mutoh, Will Power and E.J. Visu.