Finding the motivation

At season's end, the motivation for hounding the hometown team often isn't at the same level as it was way back during training camp. The faces are familiar to both sides. Fresh items have dried up. Mostly, it's a time to clear out card books and log the last few autographs of the campaign.

And, that, my friends, is what we have here. Two cards from Tampa Bay's Victor Hedman and Antero Niittymaki. In each case, there was some urgency to get these cards signed. For Hedman, it was snagging a card from his rookie season. For Niittymaki, it was to get a card of him playing for the Bolts.

These two other cards for former Lightning players Dave Andreychuk and Chris Dingman came from a promotional radio show visit to a credit union in Tampa. All season long, these two players, who each have their name inscribed on the Stanley Cup, were among the easiest autographs to obtain --provided you caught their radio show.

Attending these radio shows is more than simply getting an autograph. To me, it's like attending a comedy show. Even without prompts from the crowd, Andreychuk and Dingman take gentle jabs at each other.

Andreychuk, known more for his goal-scoring prowess, wasn't the fleetest of foot. and let's be honest, as these two guys are, neither was Dingman. Dingman, well, is just Dingman. He played in the NHL.