The Hockey Life: Week 2

When doing my research for any future hockey-hounding adventure, I always look for some sort of personal connection between us and NHL players.

Birth dates are one of the first connections I explore, looking for one that's shared between us and a player. Then, I'll look at hometowns, hoping to find a commonality, such as a city or state that we've lived in.

When getting ready for the New York Islanders recently, defenseman Mike Mottau's hometown of Quincy, Mass., caught my eye. We lived there for a few years during our most recent stint in New England.

Mottau's eyes lit up when I asked if he'd be willing to say hello to a fellow Quincy kid, a certain 9-year-old hockey pest in training who, despite being born at a hospital a couple towns south of Quincy, still spent the first two years of his life staring out a sliding glass door of our condo at the Quincy shipyard.

"Sure," Mottau said, "I'd be more than happy to do it."

As you can see, the Quincy boys posed for a photo. Mottau also signed this puck to commemorate the occasion. We'll ask Mottau to sign this picture for Colin when the Islanders return in March 2011.

Here you go, guys


Too many times, we've been on only the receiving end when it comes to hounding. It's something, I suppose, that comes with the territory. Leave it to Colin, though, to change it up.

While we waited for Tampa Bay's Ryan Malone and Mike Smith to arrive for a signing session Thursday at the Champs store in International Plaza in Tampa, Colin drew pictures to give the players.

For Smitty, it was a new design for his goalie equipment. For Bugsy, it was a picture of him scoring a goal. Both got quite a kick out of the drawings, thanking Colin for his efforts.

Intense rivalry

If you ever told me I'd be totally entertained at a high school hockey game, I'd likely tell you that you've flipped your wig. After attending the Palm Harbor University-East Lake game Friday night, I'd have to apologize and thank you for the tip.

Going in, I'd heard that these two teams aren't real fond of another. I was warned, too, that we might encounter some language unfit for grandparents and a certain 9-year-old. What we encountered, however, was a fast-paced, action-filled game that was truly entertaining.

Even better, there was no admission fee. Can't beat that deal, can you?

Line of the week

"Do you know who I am?"
Pittsburgh's Ben Lovejoy to a Hockey Bay Hound asking to get a photo with the young defenseman.