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.
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31 comments:
Hi there,
I'm here!!!
Looking forward to the liveblog.
Anyone watching the Canucks/Hawks game? Thoughts?
This is going to be a good series.looks like the Bulin wall has found his way back to world class form. Luongo is his typical "give me your best shot" form. This is one of the series I am watching closely
I'm going to watch the goaltenders. Luongo is simply one of the best. Khabibulin knows what it takes to win. Good drama.
Bottom line, though, I see Chicago's speed and skill being a bit too much for Vancouver's big defense.
And the Sedin twins come through for the Canyucks
Moody
Canyucks? Typo or don't like 'em?
Not to big on the team. Like some of the player, but never been a fan of the lot.
Moody
Chicago looked really good against Calgary and I'm curious if the 10 day rest will hinder the Nucks.
I think Vancouver will take it in 6 - with Luongo stealing at least 2 of the games.
It's kinda hard to follow them over here on the East Coast.
So, Brett, what's your take on the Canucks-Hawks series?
So, what's the mood in Calgary? Can we expect some fresh faces next season?
I read your mind! (ha ha)
My first hounding question...
With the playoffs going on right now, I'm betting that it would be much tougher to get player signatures. When is the best time of year to get sigs? Is there a typical "hot period" during the season?
Definitely some fresh faces. I think some of the younger guys are finally going to get their shot. With Sutter getting into cap trouble and a few guys locked up long term. We may see the likes of a few fresh faces. Gone will be Bertuzzi, Cammalleri, Aucoin, maybe Jokinen. Not sure if Keenan will stick around either. I think they will go after Brent Sutter if he takes the Vancouver 2010 Olympic coaching job. I know he'd like to work closer to home (Viking, Alberta)
I always find the beginning of the season my most successful. The players seem to wear out signing in the last 8-10 weeks.
This year they seemed to do well all year.
I think it may also tie into how well the team is doing at any given time.
All in all it is always hit or miss.
Moody
Playoffs are not my favorite time of the season to get autographs.
There's just something about seeing the same team up to four times over the course of 10 days. I'd end up hating them, too.
Besides, the players have better things to think about.
Still, though, it doesn't mean I wouldn't make at least one trip per round.
As for the best time, I subscribe to the "sooner-the-better" theory. Load up on the home team before and during training camp, so you can concentrate on visiting teams during the season.
Come February and March, players are usually pretty tired of signing. Number usually go down, though St. Louis and Columbus, who visited late in the season, were pretty decent.
Not sure, but it would make a darn good haiku (5-7-5) with a little modification.
Nice.
Fish poop smells.
Cold - YES!
We had a pretty decent late fall (gorgeous on Halloween...that's what I base it all on), but late December and into the new year it was just a ton of snow. Cold+snow=BAD!
Glad to see some green grass and hear some birds chirping.
My next question is less about hounding and more about blogging (if you don't mind me asking).
What is the most challenging part about maintaining and contributing to your blog (which ny the way I am a BIG fan of).
Reason I ask is that I am contemplating starting up a blog in the fall that would focus on my love of hockey cards, Trevor Linden and custom hockey cards.
Curious to know what some of the hurdles might be.
We get those Alberta Clippers down here every so often. Everyone runs around in the down-filled coats.
Kane Scores!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ooooooh. Kane wants to make things interesting.
Got him in the hockey pool - so woo-hoo!
What's Colin got up his sleeve for next season's hounding? The team sheets seemed to be a huge hit and I really liked the goalie equipment sheet.
What's next?
Looking forward to it regardless.
The biggest challenge, I believe, is finding the time and having enough content.
During the season, 18-hour days are the norm. Once you factor in the prep work -- for hounding and blogging -- it's like a second job.
When it comes to content, it's all a matter of effort. I know I go overboard at times, but I don't ever want to be accused of writing too little.
My best advice: Stick with something you know and like.
Trevor Linden is a great role model. That alone is interesting enough.
I've seen your custom cards, too. I can see a lot of interest in that.
Let me know if there's anything I can do to help.
Late in the season, Colin was pestering me to do bigger items -- sticks, in particular.
He'll probably do some team sheets, but he's starting to grow out of a few jerseys.
Aside from specific players, he'll most likely work team-based item again.
Kane Scores!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Last question from me.
You looked like you focused on some projects other than pucks or cards (eg. jerseys, helmets, sticks, etc.)
What is the one multi-signature project that you would like to start (at some point)? What's the dream project?
ps. Kane gets another. OK, that's enough.
Mikayla tried the team sheets and was too critical of her own work. That is why we came up with the idea of the custom stick blades that we painted a solid color and used a fan pack sticker of the team. She ended up with a dozen custom blades this year.
Moody
Bolland Scores!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and yes Luongo gave up 3
Wow. Chicago just won't go away.
This was lots of fun. I was glad to be a part of it.
I'm looking forward to more of these in the future.
Have a good night everyone and enjoy the rest of the game.
Brett
To be honest, I was hoping to get away from doing a bunch of pucks last season.
Even with the projects, though, we added another 330 to the collection.
My dream project, I suppose, would be an original Buffalo Sabres team jersey signed by the players of my childhood -- Danny Gare, Gil Perreault, Rene Robert, Rick Martin, Jerry Korab, Jim Schoenfeld and Donny Edwards, just to name a few.
I've never done a 500-goal-scorer stick or a Hall of Fame jersey. Those are nice pieces, and I wish I'd started mine about 10 years ago.
To me, too many others are working them, so the novelty starts to wear off. I like to work eclectic pieces, such as the Team Canada goalie mask, the American-born goalie stick or the Slovakian team jersey.
Brett: Thanks for joining us. Those were some great questions. And, as always, I appreciate your time and dedication.
Moody: Thanks, man, for playing.
All: Though I wish more people would've asked questions, I hope this gives you some insight into our hobby and a couple of its characters.
Thanks for reading.
Good night, folks.
Jamie loves meatballs!!!!!
Yes, I've heard that.
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