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.