Rest in peace, Reg

The recent passing of former NHL player Reg "The Ruffian" Fleming struck a chord with Moody, Hound Central 4.0's roving Southeast correspondent.

Here's Moody's recollection:

"I had the chance to meet him during an old timers charity game at a local rink back in Michigan. I had just graduated from high school, so I wasn’t very good at recognizing players. I had a few cards and one of them was a Tall Boy Reprint of Fleming.

"Armed with a Bic pen (Most of my early sigs were with ink pens), I snagged the players as they came off the ice. Mr. Fleming came off and, as I asked who he was in order to rifle through a stack of cards to find his, he patiently waited and happily signed the card for me.

"He may have played well before my time, but his signature is one of the first that has launched my interest in vintage autographs. As tattered as the card may be, it still sits on the top of my most memorable successes."

Little Gray Box: Jeff Carter

These days, Philadelphia's Jeff Carter is best known as a goal-scoring sniper. He signed this cheapskate card during the 2004-05 season, when today's young NHL stars were forced by the NHL lockout to play in the American Hockey League.

Flashbacks 05.20

Let's try something new with this edition of Flashbacks, shall we? How about team reports from Hound Centrals 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0?

Hopefully, you'll find something of interest here:

Jan. 23, 2008: Edmonton Oilers
Oct. 25, 2007: Philadelphia Flyers
April 3, 2007: Carolina Hurricanes
Feb. 13, 2007: Phoenix Coyotes
Sept. 10, 2005: Boston Bruins rookie camp

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

Plenty of ingredients

If I had to characterize Friday's hounding session with Philadelphia Flyers, right in the middle of Super Bowl XLIII festivities, I'd have to call it a stew -- a little bit of this, a dash of that and a sprinkle of nostalgia to whip up a fairly decent dish.

More than anything else I got signed last week, I'm most proud of this Super Bowl XLIII mini helmet and the three Flyers -- Jeff Carter, Mike Knuble and Luca Sbisa -- who assured me it was the first time they'd ever signed a football-related item.

Why a mini football helmet? Well, after getting legendary football announcer and former NFL kicker Pat Summerall to sign it earlier in the day, I was looking at the scarcity created by having NHL players signing a Super Bowl item. As far as I'm concerned, the Flyers' game against the Lightning was, indeed, a Super Bowl-related event. And I wasn't getting too many others on the helmet, either.

For good measure, though, I did bring along some hockey-related items, such as this Milwaukee Admirals puck, signed by Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen.

All told, too, the concoction of items, from the helmet to a mini mask to cards and a puck, netted a cool baker's dozen from 10 players or coaches.

Defenseman Randy Jones, left, and winger Scottie Upshall signed cards.

Other highlights:

~ Goalie Martin Biron and coach Reggie Lemelin on a Flyers mini mask;
~ Hall of Famer Joey Mullen signing a card; and
~ Defenseman Matt Carle signing a memorabilia card.

Back in circulation

It's amazing what I find when pawing through the multitude of boxes that are filling up The Vault, the ever-growing receptacle that holds the fruits of our hounding labors.

For example, take this Philadelphia Flyers mini mask, a work in progress from my days hounding in Boston. Deep down inside the darkest recesses of my memory, I should have remembered that I had the piece. But it wasn't until I was looking for another item, did I realize it could come in handy when the Flyers flew to Hockey Bay to play the Lightning.

Philly's goalie coach Reggie Lemelin was one of two Flyers to add to the working piece, signing just below an existing autograph from Antero Niittymaki, then with the AHL Phantoms.

Who else has signed it? They did:

Flyers goalie Martin Biron, who signed it after walking back from the team's morning skate; and

Robert Esche, now with SKA Saint Petersburg in the Kontinental Hockey League, was the first Flyers goalie to sign the mini mask about five years ago inside Copley Place in Boston.

I'll consider the mini mask complete once Flyers legends Bernie Parent and Ron Hextall sign it. Any others?

Our pal, Joey

You know what they say in Hell's Kitchen, don't you? It's a good day when you get an autograph from a Hall of Famer. Even better, too, if he's from there.

Joey Mullen, an assistant coach with the Flyers, satisfied both requirements Friday.

In case you didn't know, Mullen was the first American-born NHL player to reach 500 goals and 1,000 points.

Nice save

Rather than squirrel this away in the longshot hopes it might become valuable years from now, I believe Philadelphia's Matt Carle put this memorabilia card to good use after Friday's morning skate.

That teal swatch of an "authentic jersey," described on the card's back as a "piece of hockey history," is from a photo shoot.

Let's play nice, shall we?

Can it be true? Chicago-based hounds taking their "turf" -- and the Blackhawks -- a little too seriously? At least that's what I'm hearing on the hockey-hounding grapevine.

C'mon now? What do you think? I imagine I'd be grumpy if I had to hound in subzero temperatures. I was miserable in Boston's cruel winters, and they aren't nearly as bad.

Still, though, there's little need to block others from getting an autograph. Right? Thought so.

Besides, nonsense like that happens only in Philly.

Wishful thinking

Here's a rumor that was floating around Hockey Bay hounds yesterday: The NFL has to find hotel rooms for the Philadelphia Flyers, in town to play the Lightning on Friday, after booking up entire hotels near the St. Pete Times Forum in downtown Tampa for Sunday's Super Bowl XLIII.

If so, I'm voting for the historic Renaissance Vinoy in St. Petersburg. It's closer to home and the ride is much nicer.

Right back at it

It's always nice climbing back in the saddle after taking an extended break from hounding, thanks to the Tampa Bay Lightning being on a road trip. What makes it even nicer, though, is capping off a good night of hounding by filling in some blanks the next morning.

In this case, the Philadelphia Flyers get all of the credit.

After snagging 28 autographs after the team checked into its Hockey Bay hotel last night, I filled in a few blanks with another 12 this morning. All told, we added another 40 autographs, including a dozen pucks, to the collection.

For the record, I must state that Philly's Big Three -- Jeff Carter, Simon Gagne and Mike Richards -- stopped to sign most of the time. Gagne signed multiples; Carter and Richards stuck to one-per.

Beyond that, most everyone else (Antero Niittymaki and Scottie Upshall seemed a little skittish) made sure the Flyers lived up to their reputation as a decent signing team.

The only disappointment? Hall of Famer Bob Clarke didn't make the trip.

Those signing cards were, from left, Aaron Asham, Riley Cote, Paul Holmgren and Antero Niittymaki.

Signing pucks, shown at top, were, from left, Andrew Alberts, Joffrey Lupul and Luca Sbisa.

Among the other highlights:

~ Sixteen players and coaches who signed Colin's team sheet:
~ a pair of pucks each from NHL Network commercial "tough guy" Braydon Coburn and Gagne;
~ Carter, Gagne and Richards on the Team Canada jersey;
~ Martin Biron on the 200th puck of the 2008-09 hounding campaign; and
~ an inquisitive Matt Carle on three pucks.

Another notch

During the course of a season, there are certain milestones that help define the success of a hounding campaign.

As the wearer of many hats here at Hound Central 4.0, methinks we hit one today.

Philadelphia's Martin Biron inked the 200th puck of the 2008-09 season. He signed after I called him over as most of the Flyers paraded off the bus after morning skate.

It's odd, though. No one remembers seeing him leave this morning. My guess, like most others this morning, was that he took an alternate exit (How's that for not saying he snuck out the back door?).

What's an hour?

It wasn't until I got a tip about the team's arrival time earlier today that I decided to take the Goofy Dude over to Tampa for an after-school hounding trip for the Philadelphia Flyers. And though the Flyers arrived about an hour late, we were both glad we made the trip.

Not only did it end a 10-day run without us hounding any hockey teams, but we also added another 28 autographs, including 16 on Colin's team sheet. Not bad, I'd say, for an impromptu trip.

In the two times we've hounded teams right after their arrivals, we've had pretty decent luck. Now, I'm not ready to declare this window of opportunity as the best time to score autographs, but it is quickly gaining favor here at Hound Central 4.0.

So, who signed Colin's team sheet? Craig Berube, Matt Carle, Jeff Carter, Braydon Coburn, Riley Cote, Simon Gagne, Claude Giroux, Scott Hartnell, Mike Knuble, Lasse Kukkonen, Joffrey Lupul, Joe Mullen, Mike Richards, Kimmo Timonen, Scottie Upshall and Ossi Vaananen.

How about you?

I have to be honest with you, I wasn't happy that Philadelphia's Big Three -- Mike Richards (above, left), Jeff Carter (above, right) and Simon Gagne (below) -- signed the work-in-progress Team Canada jersey earlier tonight.

Nope, I'm not happy at all. Not in the least little bit.

I think ecstatic is the word I'm looking for. Yeah, that's it. Ecstatic. Wouldn't you be if you'd been able to get all three to sign your jersey?

Practicing what I preach

When you encounter NHL players who've only been with one team, such as Philadelphia's Simon Gagne, that's the perfect time to dip into your supply of speciality pucks to easily build depth to your collection.

Though he has signed Flyers and Team Canada pucks for us in the past, he added another pair earlier tonight, signing these 2004 World Cup of Hockey-Team Canada and Quebec Remparts pucks.

He didn't stop at those, either, signing the Team Canada jersey and Colin's team sheet.

Tough guy, in a good way

After watching the NHL Network commercial featuring Philadelphia's Braydon Coburn, in which he details the litany of nasty injuries he's come back from, it's safe to say he's one tough hombre.

He's also one of the more approachable, with these two pucks, signed earlier tonight outside the team's hotel here in Hockey Bay, as fresh evidence of his willingness to sign.

Rock solid

When it comes to quality individuals within the NHL, there are few who match up with Philadelphia's Mike Knuble. Since his days with the Bruins, I've never seen him refuse a request for an autograph or shy away from a conversation with a fan. Earlier tonight, he signed the Team USA jersey for me.

They traded Boyle, didn't they?

He might not have enjoyed his brief stay here in Hockey Bay, but it doesn't mean that Philadelphia's Matt Carle isn't interested in the Vinny Lecavalier trade rumors.

"So, are they going to trade Vinny?" Carle asked me as he signed these three pucks earlier tonight.

With these rumors running so rampant, most Bolts fans here in Hockey Bay wish they had that answer. I wouldn't mind, either.

In my opinion, it would be a huge mistake for the Lightning to trade Lecavalier, one on par with Boston's trading away of Joe Thornton.

Sunday morning homily XVII

Technically, this posting should be called a Sunday afternoon homily. As you can see, I didn't get started until after noon, spending the morning napping in my recliner and, whenever I awoke, trying to figure out how to put together pieces of Colin's Lego Castle Tower Raid toy.

Ah, the joys of being a daddy.

My work schedule has been all over the place lately, beginning shifts at either 7 a.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m. or 6 p.m. Still, though, I'm happy to have a job in the newspaper industry. It's just that it makes it hard to keep a set sleeping routine.

I suppose, too, that the layoff in hounding down here in Hockey Bay has contributed to my general state of laziness. This weekend marked the first in many when we didn't have a team to hound or tickets to a game. And now that we've reached the midway point of the season -- the NHL All Star Game be damned -- it couldn't have come at a better time.

The Lightning's remaining schedule is chock full of home dates between now and the end of March -- 21 games and likely just as many hounding adventures. In other words, I'll soon be stepping and fetching with teams like Dallas, Buffalo Chicago, Boston, Pittsburgh and Columbus all making winter trips to this corner of the Sunshine State.

It sounds like it's time, then, for another nap.

What's with all the mustaches?

Watching the Leafs-Flyers game last night, I wondered who was the Loafs' Mini-Me version of Anaheim's George Parros. It turned out to be thug-wannabe Ryan Hollweg, with his long hair and bushy mustache. Then, I noticed Loafs defenseman Ian White and his mustache.

All I can say is, what gives? Are these players channeling Lanny McDonald and his famous facial hair?

Are they supposed to make these guys look tougher? Really, all these mustaches look like to me are really bushy caterpillars that have taken up residence on a couple upper lips.

And given the Leafs sub-par play this season, don't you think the team's players should be focusing on something else? Then again, as a Sabres fan, I love nothing more than watching the Leafs stumble.

On second thought, let's have the Loafs keep working on the mustaches.

5 Big Sigs

With the Philadelphia Flyers and the Florida Panthers coming to town this week, we should have ample opportunity to add the following to the collection:

~ Philadelphia's Simon Gagne on a Quebec Remparts puck and the Team Canada jersey;
~ Philadelphia's Jeff Carter and Mike Richards on the Team Canada jersey;
~ Philadelphia's Mike Knuble on the Team USA jersey;
~ Philadelphia's rookie defenseman Lucas Sbisa on a Flyers puck; and
~ Florida's Jay Bouwmeester on the Team Canada jersey.

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.