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.