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.

Team report: Nashville Predators

It's not very often that two NHL teams visit Hockey Bay at the same time, but that's exactly what happened last Sunday when the Nashville Predators and the Pittsburgh Penguins were in town. Even better, from a hound's point of view, was both teams stayed at the same hotel.

Sure, it meant for a busy day, as we ping-ponged between the two clubs, but our hard work was certainly rewarded, as we snagged 43 autographs, including nine pucks, from the Smashville boys. As for the Penguins, this post, over at Hockey Hounds Universe, will have to tide you over for a few days.

Among those signing pucks (shown above):

Top row: Patric Hornqvist and Pekka Rinne; and
Bottom row: Steve Sullivan and Joel Ward

Those signing cards were:

Top row: J.P. Dumont, Cody Franson and Hornqvist;
Middle row: Andrei Kostitsyn, Rinne and Sullivan; and
Bottom row: Alexander Sulzer, Jordin Tootoo and Colin Wilson

Given his rookie status, this cheap skate card came in quite handy for goalie Anders Lindback.

The other highlights of our busy day:

~ Captain Shea Weber on a 2010 Olympics gold medal champions puck;
~ Two Colins making acquaintances;
~ Adding Patric Hornqvist to the Threads collection; and
~ Colin getting a compliment on his team sheet.

Dang it!

Of the thousands of pucks we've gotten signed over the years, you'd think paint pen issues would be a thing of the past. Despite shaking and priming the DecoColor Liquid Gold paint pen, I was less than satisfied with how it worked when Nashville's Shea Weber signed this puck.

Granted, Weber's signature is legible, but it's not as thick as I'd hoped.

Colin, Colin. Colin, Colin.

Seeing that there's not too many NHL players with the first name of Colin, it's always cool when my Colin gets to meet one. In this case, it was Nashville's Colin Wilson.

"Hey, Colin, can you guess my first name," Colin asked?

"Ah, let me guess," Wilson responded. "Colin?"

"Yep," Colin said.

After the exchange, Wilson, the seventh-overall pick in the 2008 draft, was nice enough to sign these two pucks for us.

Only time tells

When I got this UD Rookie Materials jersey swatch card of Nashville's Patric Hornqvist, I wasn't all that thrilled. First, the jersey swatch came from a photo shoot, not an NHL game. Secondly, Hornqvist hadn't shown his goal-scoring prowess.

A lot has changed since then. I'm happy, too, to add this to the Threads collection. Still, though I still wish the jersey was worn during a game.

Team report: New York Islanders

On NHL teams, there are two types of players -- those who won't are reluctant to sign and those who willingly oblige requests. Thankfully, Doug Weight, the captain of the New York Islanders, is one of the latter, as these three pucks are proof-positive that he has no problem signing multiple items.

I'll be honest here, too, that was the primary reason for heading out to hound the Islanders last week. Though I'm trying to scale back on my hockey-hounding efforts this season (yeah, right), I couldn't pass up this opportunity to add to the collection.

Let me be clear, though, that these weren't the only items signed. All told, Colin and I racked up 36 autographs, including 13 pucks, from the Islanders. Others signing pucks were Trevor Gillies, Michael Grabner, Zenon Konopka and Mike Mottau.

Among those signing cards included, from left, Josh Bailey, Blake Comeau, Trent Hunter and Dwayne Roloson.

Other highlights:

~ John Tavares signing a Team Canada puck and Nino Niederreiter, taken fifth overall at the 2010 draft, signing three pucks;
~ Isles' color commentator Butch Goring on two pucks; and
~ Colin adding 15 Islanders to a team sheet.

Don't forget them

I'll admit that I haven't paid much attention to scoring autographs from team-related personnel, as in assistant coaches or broadcasters, over the past few hockey-hounding campaigns.

Going forward, though, I'll be placing a greater emphasis on these former NHL players as a way to turn decent days into good days. In this case, it was color commentator Butch Goring, who won four Stanley Cups in four years with the New York Islanders, who caught my attention.

Thanks, too, to Brett, a fellow Hockey Bay hound, for getting the old-school Los Angeles Kings puck signed for me. I was too pooped to chase Goring three blocks to get it signed. As a token of my appreciation, I gave Brett an unsigned puck to use for Goring when the Islanders return in March 2011.

Why stop now?

For the past two-plus seasons, Colin has employed his hand-drawn team sheets to load up on autographs from NHL players. This season is no different. Take this one for the New York Islanders, for instance.

In less than 45 minutes, Colin added 15 autographs from Islanders players, including captain Doug Weight, Rick DiPietro, Nino Niederreitter, Matt Moulson, James Wisniewski, Blake Comeau and Frans Nielsen.

Take a guess

I'll give you three guesses on which two big-name Pittsburgh Penguins players signed autographs for Colin on Sunday? The first two don't count, either. Find out at Hockey Hounds Universe.

Something's wrong here

Not that I'm one to look a gift horse in the mouth, but does anyone else notice what's wrong with this Vinny Lecavalier glow-in-the-dark T-shirt that the Tampa Bay Lightning gave out before Sunday's 4-3 disappointing loss to the Nashville Predators?

The Hockey Life

After the past couple of years of dysfunctional ownership, rumors of trading away Vinny Lecavalier and general discontent among a dwindling fan base, the Tampa Bay Lightning are bending over backwards to sell the sport of hockey to the next generation of fans.

Reaching out to the Hockey Bay youth hockey community, the team's charitable foundation is offering Lightning Made Hockey Clinics over the course of the 2010-11 season. Last Wednesday, Colin, shown front and center in the photo above, took part in the first clinic of the season, spending an hour on an NHL rink at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa.

Led by former Lightning star Brian Bradley, these clinics are much more than gentle twirls around the ice. It's fast, hard laps around a big rink. It's one-on-one drills that combine speed, skill and determination. It's passing to, and getting passes from, Lightning great Dave Andreychuk.

Bottom line, it's a big deal for these kids, who all received jerseys from the team, to take part in one of these clinics. If the Lightning are selling the game, it's safe to say we're buying.

A proud moment

I know it's rec hockey and Colin's my son, but you would've had a hard time finding prouder parents last night at the Clearwater Ice Arena than yours truly and The Missus.

In the second game of Colin's hockey doubleheader with the Pinellas Police Athletic League Stars, our pest-in-training scored on his first-ever penalty shot. Thankfully, The Missus had the camera taping the historic event in Colin's young hockey career.

Reaching out

One Hockey Bay Hound tweeted the New York Islanders' Matt Moulson just after arriving at the team's hotel Wednesday night, asking him if he would come down and sign some autographs.

Much to the hound's surprise, Moulson tweeted back, saying he'd be down in a few minutes. Sure enough, Moulson showed up. And, yes, he signed.

Line of the week

"You want me to sign on my face?"
Dallas Stars' Matt Niskanen, when presented with a MVP 2 on 2 Jerseys card featuring four NHL defensemen.

Team report: Dallas Stars

All summer long, hockey hounds wait for the first visiting NHL team of the season. In my case, down here in Hockey Bay, it was the Dallas Stars. Thankfully, the team didn't disappoint as I added 19 autographs, including 10 pucks, in a quick hockey-hounding trip.

Players signing pucks, shown above, included:

Top row: Trevor Daley, Loui Eriksson and Kari Lehtonen; and
Bottom row: Brenden Morrow, Steve Ott and Karlis Skrastins.

Players signing cards included, from left, Mark Fistric, Matt Niskanen, Mike Ribeiro and Jeff Woywitka.

Other highlights:

~ Morrow signing a 2010 Olympics gold medal champions puck;
~ Ribeiro and Niskanen adding to the Threads collection; and
~ Assistant coach Stu Barnes signing the first two autographs of the 2010-11 hockey-hounding campaign.

Fabric samples

One of the primary projects of our 2010-11 hockey-hounding campaign will be adding to the Threads collection. Given my luck at winning some decent-sized lots -- 22 and 14 cards in two deals -- on eBay over the summer, there will be ample opportunity to do so.

Dallas' Mike Ribeiro and Matt Niskanen added to the collection. Hat's off, too, to Ribeiro for adding his Montreal number -- 71. That MVP 2 on 2 Jerseys card that Niskanen signed, which features swatches from four NHL defensemen, is a work in progress. Besides Atlanta's Tobias Enstrom, I'll need Vancouver's Kevin Bieksa to complete it.

Breaking the ice

So, who signed the first autographs of our 2010-11 hockey-hounding campaign? Well, it was Stu Barnes, an assistant coach with the Dallas Stars.

I suppose one could argue that the campaign began back in August, even before training camps opened. I prefer, though, to kick off a campaign with the first visiting team of the season.

Color of choice

You can always pick out veteran hockey hounds by the color of Sharpie marker they use. Though black and silver Sharpies can serve useful purposes, it's the old reliable -- the blue Sharpie fine point marker -- that gets the lion's share of the work.

And, in this case, blue Sharpies gained the lion's share of the votes, as Hound Central 5.0 readers overwhelmingly picked that color as the one most often handed to hockey players to sign photos and cards.

Question: Favorite Sharpie color?

Blue: 15 votes out of 20 cast (75 percent)
Black: 3 votes (15 percent)
Silver: 2 votes (10 percent)

Bonus material

As part of 2010-11 ticket package for the Tampa Bay Lightning, our rep gave us tickets to last Saturday's preseason game between the Florida Panthers and the Bolts. For once, we got to sit in the lower bowl, about 12 rows behind the Panthers bench.

One of the funniest moments came in the second period when Tampa Bay's Steve Downie questioned the collective manhood of the Florida Panthers' bench as he skated past it at the end of a shift. Even funnier was the wave, so to speak, of Panthers' players turning their helmeted heads to hear him.

Here's who else we're seeing this season, in our seats well above where we sat for the Panthers:

Oct. 9: Atlanta Thrashers (Lighting's season opener)
Oct. 24: Nashville Predators
Nov. 22: Boston Bruins
Dec. 28: Boston Bruins
Feb. 6, 2011: St. Louis Blues
Feb. 17: Detroit Red Wings
Feb. 23: Phoenix Coyotes
March 9: Chicago Blackhawks

When worlds collide

Here we are, the 2010-11 NHL season hasn't even started, and I'm reporting, at least from a hockey hound's perspective, a troubling stat: I'm 0-for-2 in card books. Thinking I'd given myself a head start by getting card books ready for the Florida Panthers and Atlanta Thrashers, I won't be able to use either just now.

Last week, the Florida Panthers arrived only hours before a preseason game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, taking a bus to the St. Pete Times Forum after landing at Tampa International Airport. No overnight stay meant no hounding opportunities.

Instead, we looked ahead to this Saturday, when the Atlanta Thrashers travel to Hockey Bay for the Bolts' season opener. With any luck, we would've reached the team's hotel with enough time to break the ice. Well, that's not going to happen know.

Funny thing, though, I'm not complaining. Colin has a hockey doubleheader with his Pinellas P.A.L. Stars squad this Saturday. I'll miss the first game, as I have to work. I'll make it for his second game.

When it comes down to it, the decision is a no-brainer. Watching Colin put a summer's worth of skating to work during his hockey games tops everything else.

Besides, both Southeastern Division rivals will be back. I'll kick off my hockey-hounding season Oct. 18, when the Dallas Stars fly over the Gulf of Mexico.

Serving our purpose, too

Maybe it's because hockey-free summers can drag on, but an overwhelming majority (7-to-1 ratio) of Hound Central 5.0 readers believe that NHL training camps are opportunities to add to autograph collections. It's easy to understand, too.

For some of us, especially those whose 2009-10 hockey-hounding campaigns ended when the playoffs began, the nearly five-month-long wait is too long to twiddle our thumbs. We've had plenty of time to put away items. We've set up card books for the first five visiting teams. Our Sharpies offer thin, crisp lines.

Training camps fulfill the need. They're good for catching a team's prospects and new faces. It's a time to get our fill of the hometown team. It's our time, so to speak, to get back into hounding shape.

Question: Are training camps a good time to score autographs?

Yes: 14 out of 16 votes cast (87.5 percent)
No: 2 votes (12.5 percent)

That's my boy

I was proud as punch Tuesday night when I learned that Colin got told to "slow down" during an open skate at the Tampa Bay Lightning's Ice Fest at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa. Even better, I believe, was Colin's response: "Never!"

Keep them in mind

There are very few people whose lives haven't been touched by cancer. My grandfather, Roy, who sacrificed his retirement to raise a grandson, died of lung cancer. I'm sure you know someone, too.

That's why I'm asking you to do what you can for Goalies Against Cancer 2010. It's a certainly worthy venture. At the least, take a look at the cool masks that Leblanc Designs made for the Maestas brothers. Words of encouragement would be nice, too. Thanks.

Check this out

Hockey Hounds Universe kicked off a new feature -- Brag Book -- earlier today. In Brag Book, hockey hounds can show off their bounty from hounding adventures. In this case, it's Al, Hound Central 5.0's senior Toronto correspondent, who gets things rolling with an impressive array of items signed by Toronto Maple Leafs players.

Warmup act

In a way, NHL training camps are a hound's training camp. It's our time to get back into the game, check the schedule and think about another hockey-hounding campaign.

What's even better, though, is taking advantage of opportunities, especially knocking out a quick project. When Tampa Bay's Vinny Lecavalier signed this 8x10 last Sunday at the Lightning's training camp, it made fairly short work of a really sweet piece.

Dallas' Brad Richards, a former Bolt, and Tampa Bay's Marty St. Louis signed it only weeks ago. It helped catching Richards, who won the Conn Smythe during the Lightning's Stanley Cup season, as he was skating with some of his old teammates in late August.

Always a reason

Any hockey-hounding opportunity, from Canadians juniors right on up to NHL teams, always has a gem or two just waiting for any enterprising hound.

Just ask Mike, Hound Central 5.0's resident Ontario Hockey League expert, who snagged this 8x10 and puck from Windsor's Jack Campbell at a recent Windsor Spitfires practice.

Campbell, the 11th-overall pick by Dallas in the 2010 NHL Draft, backstopped Team USA to a gold medal at the 2010 World Junior Championships.

Threads: Vincent Lecavalier

It wasn't all that long ago that I'd read jersey swatch cards featuring uniforms from the Tampa Bay Lightning weren't all that common. The team, it seems, wasn't keen on sharing the goods with hockey card manufacturers.

Granted, it may have been found on eBay, rather than being pulled from a pack, but this jersey card from the Bolts' Vinny Lecavalier is a good start to dispelling that myth.

Vinny signed this card for Colin last Sunday during the Lightning's training camp. Even though he'd signed one card (shown below) for Colin, Vinny honored the kid's request to add to our Threads collection.

Victor Hedman and Dustin Tokarski were among the others who signed cards for Colin on Sunday.

Handy items

When it comes to training camps, there's no limit to the items that hockey hounds can get signed. Beyond 8x10s and cards, as well as a handful of pucks, jersey swatch cards are one of the first items to make the wish list.

Over the past week, Tampa Bay's Adam Hall, Mike Lundin and Marc-Antoine Pouliot added to our growing Threads collection, one of Hound Central 5.0's primary projects for the 2010-11 hockey-hounding campaign.

While Hall and Pouliot signed individual cards, Lundin kicked off a work-in-progress project featuring NHL defensemen. Only after Atlanta's Tobias Enstrom, Dallas' Matt Niskanen and Vancouver's Kevin Bieska sign it will the 2 on 2 Jerseys card, part of the 2008-09 NHL MVP set, be complete.

Enstrom and Niskanen are scheduled to visit Hockey Bay this season. Bieska, a reported toughie on hounds, will have to wait until the Canucks return to Florida.

Making his debut

Check out Colin's first-ever blog post at Hockey Hounds Universe. Though I may not be the most objective source, I think he did a fine job. He'll be writing for Hound Central 5.0 soon enough.

Wasn't expecting this

Last Thursday, on the day before the Tampa Bay Lightning open its training camp for the 2010-11 season, the usual, albeit small, cast of Hockey Bay's hounding characters found its way over the Ice Sports Forum in Brandon.

After exchanging "How was your summer?" pleasantries, we got down to the task at hand, scoring autographs from Lightning players. My late arrival, I'd been told, meant I'd missed Lightning star Steven Stamkos before the start of the informal skate. Though I was disappointed to not have been in the right place at the right time, I was thankful that I missed getting the unusual scribble that Stamkos had doled out.

That all changed, thankfully, about two hours later when Stamkos, tooling around in his convertible, slowed down and asked a handful of us gathered in the parking lot if he'd missed any of us earlier in the day. Immediately, I spoke up, snagged this photo and walked up to Stamkos.

As you can see, he was more than happy to oblige my request that he personalize the photo to Colin. The signature, too, was much better than what I'd seen earlier in the day.

Something to read

The last thing I wanted to do after introducing Hockey Hounds Universe was to send any visitors to a nearly blank page. That problem's been solved, I believe, with the blog's first hockey-hounding-related post.

Looking ahead

I can say, with the utmost degree of certainty, that there won't be a Hound Central 6.0 for the 2010-11 hockey -hounding season. Instead, we're trotting out a new concept, called Hockey Hounds Universe, that will serve as a repository of hockey-hounding information, insider knowledge and an opportunity for other hounds to show off their efforts.

Once the season gets rolling, you'll find occasional posts from some familiar Hound Central 5.0 names -- Moody, our senior correspondent; Al, our man in Toronto; Mike, our Ontario Hockey League expert; and yours truly, Puckhound. Colin, my hound-in-training, will even become a contributor.

We'll also be making a bigger splash in social media. We already have a Facebook page up and running. So, please, friend us. Through Twitter, we hope to file live tweets from hounding sessions. That dusty, old YouTube account might get a workout, too.

In the days ahead, I'll be reaching out to hockey hounds who contributed to last year's "Your Turn" project, gauging their interest in providing 100- to 150-words posts, as well as a couple pictures of signed items, on a monthly basis.

If you're interested in becoming one of our correspondents, and we are actively seeking those in most pro hockey cities, feel free to drop me an e-mail. Be prepared, though. I'll want a writing sample. Understand, too, I'm a big fan of deadlines and won't have time to track down people for posts. If you're serious, I'm definitely listening.

As for HC5.0, it will live on. I'll still file occasional posts, though I'll be making far fewer hounding adventures this season and focusing only on specific projects. One of those may include a book that culls the best from the past five hockey-hounding campaigns.

As always, I appreciate the time that people spend here. That's why I can't walk away. Thanks, folks.

Certainly worthy

It's always nice to get fan mail or, in Hound Central 5.0's case, comments. Here's one I'd like to share with everyone:

"Hello, I've been an avid reader of your blog for a while and I thought you might like to check out a fundraiser me and my brother are doing involving hockey against breast cancer.

"I would email you, but I'm not exactly sure how I go about doing that on here (it's probably something really obvious...lol).

"Anyway, just thought you might want to give it a look and perhaps stick it at the end of one of your posts sometime? Either way, thanks and I hope you do 6.0 next season!"

Well, guys, I hope this is a little better than that.

At first, I was a bit skeptical. Now, after waiting a few weeks, I realize I'd made a mistake. This effort, called Goalies Against Cancer 2010, is the real deal. USA Hockey is involved. So is Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller, through his Steadfast Foundation. So, too, is the Susan G. Komen Passionately Pink for the Cure organization.

Two hockey-playing, Colorado-based brothers, Joey and Brandon Maestas, are the goalies behind the scenes, working hard to help bring hope to the fight against breast cancer. If you can, help them out with one of their fundraisers. I've elected to donate $25. Thanks.

As for Hound Central 6.0, we'll have to see. Something else might be in the works. You'll know when we know, but it's coming soon.

Hotlanta's hopping

I was able to make a quick trip by the Duluth, Ga., training facility to check in on the Atlanta Thrashers. Really glad that I did. Pretty much the whole team, as well as a few prospects, were there getting in some skating before camp opens.

We showed up a bit early for the Thrashers and saw a goalie out on the ice. It turns out to be Dave Caruso, a current New Jersey Devils prospect and former Ohio State Buckeye. He was kind enough to stop and talk with us for a couple of minutes before heading out to catch a flight to New Jersey.

The Thrashers then entered the ice for a little scrimmage. It's my opinion that these guys shouldn't be taken lightly this year.

As the players exited the ice (almost all at once), it got a bit crazy stopping them. I decided I would ask them as I was able to get to their page in my binder. The ones I missed, well, I'd just have to wait for another day.

Those who stopped to sign:

Akim Aliu on an 8x10;

Ben Eager on an 8x10;

Evander Kane on an 8x10, expressing dissatisfaction with Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke;

Arturs Kulda on an 8x10;

Rich Peverly on an 8x10;

Chris Mason on a practice puck; and

Head coach Craig Ramsay on a card.

Craig Ramsay being at the rink was a bit of a surprise, because I thought the coaching staff wasn't allowed to meet with the players until the start of camp. The entire coaching staff, as well as new general manager Rick Dudley, once a Buffalo Sabres teammate of Ramsay's, was on hand in the locker rooms, but not on ice.

Hmmmmmm!

More than autographs

As much as I enjoy being a hound, I've learned along the way that there's more to it that simply loading up on signatures. Sometimes, such as this past Saturday, it's just as fun to take in a baseball game from a different perspective.

If you haven't checked out Baseball Mondays, a baseball hounding blog that occupies my time during the hockey offseason, now is as good of a time as any. Soon enough, hockey season will be back.

As always, thanks for stopping by.

Well, well, well

It was more than a hunch that our last day of Colin's summer vacation yesterday might include getting some autographs from NHL players. What I didn't know, though, was that it would involve Dallas' Brad Richards and Tampa Bay's Marty St. Louis.

But that's exactly what happened, as we took in the final minutes of an informal workout by a handful of NHL players at the Ice Sports Forum in Brandon. Richards, a former Bolts player, and St. Louis were among those skating. Other confirmed sightings were Tampa Bay defensemen Brett Clark and Mattias Ohlund.

Colin hustled to have Richards and St. Louis sign the pucks shown above. St. Louis, who was in a downright jovial mood, signed the new 2004 Stanley Cup champions puck in the top left corner. Richards signed the others.

I didn't get shut out, either, as Richards and St. Louis signed this photo, showing Tampa Bay's old Big Three celebrating Canada's championship in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. Now, all we need is for Vinny Lecavalier to complete this photo.

Each and every one

Not that I'm any sort of technological genius like my good friend Moody, but I couldn't figure out why the old Vault wouldn't list our complete collection of autographed pucks.

Hopefully, that's all been taken care of now.

The Vault, Part I: Pucks A - L
The Vault, Part II: Pucks M - Z

Card show

Once Colin completed his Florida State League team ball project and loaded up his Dunedin Blue Jays batting helmet, we're down to getting cards signed as we start to close out our 2010 Summer of Baseball over at Baseball Mondays.

Minors accomplishment

As our 2010 Summer of Baseball winds down, we're putting the finishing touches on some of our summer projects. In this case, it's a game-used Dunedin Blue Jays batting helmet signed by 31 members of the Florida State League squad.

You can read about the helmet, as well as another summer project, at Baseball Mondays, our hockey offseason hounding blog.

Boys will be boys, but men are still boys

Editor's note: Just making sure that Hound Central readers know this post is by Moody, not Puckhound. I'm thinking Moody may have gone a little batty waiting for the season to begin. Still, though, the man makes a point:

My wife tells me this all the time, and, as a man, it frustrates me to no end. I work hard, I provide for my family and always try to do the right thing.

Well, after looking over some photos of the Stanley Cup, I realized just how juvenile a grown man can be. I can now agree with the missus everytime she says those words.

Take a look at Hall of Famer Frank Selke's title as it's printed on the Stanley Cup. (Editor's note: Even better, how about Arc Campbell's? Figures, too, that it's the Loafs.)

Yes, I realize it's a bit childish to giggle at this, but I did and I still am as I write this post. I also chuckled a bit when I noticed that even the team's mascot even got his name on the Cup.

I apologize now for this immature post, but man, oh, man.

What it's all about

Take a moment, please, to read a letter from Dan Goldie, one of Moody's recent TTM successes. It's a good hockey story.

Goldie's a Buffalo kid to boot, too.

Caught up

It may have taken more than five hours, but all 147 pucks that needed to be catalogued and cared for can now consider themselves done. To be honest, I expected it to take a little longer.

With only a 30-minute break for dinner, I spent most of my afternoon off sitting at the table shown above, processing the pucks that we'd collected, some as far back as last November, over the 2009-10 hockey-hounding campaign.

In a way, chronicling a collection is much like a production process. Each puck gets logged into a master file (really, it's just a piece of paper), receives an identification card (another piece of paper), like this one for a puck signed by Tampa Bay's general manager Steve Yzerman, and put into a case.

From there, most end up in a 72-case box that's put in storage. A handful, though, find their way into one of our two burgeoning display cases.

I may not be ready for the upcoming 2010-11 campaign, but I'm considerably closer. I'm sure the bag will be packed by the time Lightning players start their informal skating sessions this month.

Catching up

Every so often, I get asked what I do with or how do we display all of our autographed pucks. Lately, it hasn't been all that well. Between being a Daddy and a husband, work, freelance work and enjoying Colin's company this summer, I haven't had much time since early April to put away the fruits of our labor.

Today, though, will be different when I asked Colin what he wanted to do today, he suggested we have a "chill out" day, where we do nothing but hang out at home. To me, it was a good idea.

Now that he's busy working yet another Lego creation, I've started putting away pucks, some from as far back as last November. As you can see, I have my work cut out for me:

Pucks obtained during the Tampa Bay Lightning's Young Guns camp;

These pucks were signed during the last 10 days of the regular season;

More from our late-season hounding efforts; and

The first batch of pucks I'll put away.

With any luck, I'll complete this project tonight.

Twelve down, none to go

Thanks to the Fort Myers Miracle, Colin completed his main 2010 Summer of Baseball project -- getting team-signed baseballs from all 12 Florida State League clubs. Check it out at Baseball Mondays.

Love those zebras

It may have taken hours for me to get Stevie Y and I may have looked a tad bit foolish while doing so. That's okay in my book.

I decided to speed things up a bit in my last hounding outing. I went over to the Ice Sports Forum in Brandon because I knew that Jonny Murray, an NHL linesman, was running a power skating camp there. In less than five minutes, my patience paid off.

Jonny signed four photos for me on his way in to the forum and even took the time to ask where I got them. He even went through the work-in-progress "Officials" team sheet, below, and tried to name the others who'd signed.

There are still plenty of camps going on this summer. Take the time to research your local ice rinks and see what kind of gems you can haul in.

Welcome back, Rocco

For those of you outside the Tampa Bay area, the news that former Tampa Bay Rays player Rocco Baldelli is attempting a comeback might not be that important. For Rays fans, though, it's a big deal that he's playing with the Charlotte Stone Crabs of the Florida State League.

Over the past few weeks, we've watched Baldelli play in a couple of games, serving as the Stone Crabs' designated hitter. Of course, his presence draws a crowd, ourselves among it. Though he signs only after games, he doesn't leave fans disappointed.

Among the postings at Baseball Mondays:

~ a signed 8x10 showing Baldelli's first-ever FSL hit -- a double against the Clearwater Threshers;
~ a single-signed baseball from Baldelli;
~ the 11th team-signed ball of Colin's 12-team FSL team ball project; and
~ Colin's first FSL team sheet of our 2010 Summer of Baseball.

A little toasty

So, how warm did it get last week during a Florida State League matinee between the St. Lucie Mets and the Clearwater Threshers? Try 113.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Thankfully, it was only 90 degrees in the shade.

Even better, Colin knocked out his 10th team ball of our 2010 Summer of Baseball. He can complete his 12-team FSL team ball project Wednesday, when we travel to Dunedin to watch the Fort Myers Miracle play the Blue Jays.

Read about these feats, as well as many more, at Baseball Mondays.

Good for laughs

Now that Moody has told his story of getting autographs from Hall of Famer Steve Yzerman, it's time to spill the beans on what happened just before the new Tampa Bay Lightning general manager made him feel like a 14-year-old girl at a Jonas Brothers concert.

Because it was hot that day during the Lightning's Young Guns player development camp, we braved the outside elements tucked inside the air-conditioned comfort of Moody's truck. It was, after all, summertime in Florida.

As we sat inside, soaking up the AC and trying to stave off an afternoon nap, we spied someone walking down a sidewalk. At first, the person's identity was obscured by bushes and we dismissed it was Yzerman because the person appeared to be wearing a touristlike fanny pack.

Boy, were we ever wrong. Not only was this person not wearing a fanny pack (it was a cell phone holster), but it was, indeed, the Red Wings' legendary captain. The alarms, so to speak, were sounded.

In what can be accurately described only as a jailbreak or a scene from the Three Stooges, the three of us (Moody, Colin and I) sprung to action. Colin nearly climbed over Moody trying to get out. In return, Moody nearly sent Colin back into his seat. Me? I was fumbling through my bag to grab the pucks shown above as well as two paint pens.

Moody was the first to leave the truck, scrambling up a small incline to the sidewalk and begin the chase. Colin, only seconds behind in his departure, ran along the incline, issuing his request.

"Yzerman," he shouted, "can you sign for my friend and Dad?" (It's nice to know where I rank, isn't it?) No "Mr. Yzerman" or "Steve." Just "Yzerman."

Thankfully, Stevie Y stopped.

After gathering the four pucks and pens, I nearly fell out of Moody's truck, getting a foot tangled up in my hounding bag, to join the chase. Despite my girth and age, I made up lost ground as quickly as I could, most likely causing seismic activity from my heavy feet.

As you can see, our reward was well worth the comedic effort. In less than five minutes of actual hounding, coming within a nearly three-hour-long wait, we knocked out one-third of our primary hounding project this season, The Yzerman Project.

For the record, Colin scored the Red Wings and Lightning pucks. Given Yzerman's and Team Canada's success at the 2010 Olympics, I had Yzerman sign the top pucks in gold.

Back into the fire

Last week, we spent quite a bit of time inside a comfortable St. Pete Times Forum, watching the Tampa Bay Lightning's Young Guns development camp. This week, however, will be a little different.

On Wednesday, we'll conduct an experiment, our second in as many years, on how hot it gets during a matinee baseball game down here in Florida. Last season's experiment, also conducted in July, found temperatures that topped 110 degrees.

You can read about our upcoming experiment and more at Baseball Mondays, our hockey offseason hounding pursuit.

No longer a tough guy

I like to think of myself as a secure man with very few insecurities. I am 6-foot-2, 240 pounds in stature and climb 300- to 400-foot cellular towers for a living.

All that went out the window last week when I saw my childhood hero, Steve Yzerman. I immediately turned into a 14-year-old girl at a Jonas Brothers concert as soon as I saw the Tampa Bay Lightning's new general manager walk by us during the club/s Young Guns development camp.

I have never been nervous or goofy around any player I have met -- and I have met a lot. This, however, was different.

Photo taken in Detroit from an advertisement for my former employer while I lived in the Motor City is now signed by the Hall of Famer.

Photo taken of the tribute on ice after Yzerman's number was retired is now added as an autographed shrine on my wall.

I chose these two photos to get signed because I wanted to make sure that no one else would present the same items to him this year. They needed to stand out in my collection and not be a mass-produced mimic of the usual.

As much as I want a Stanley Cup photo or HOF induction photo (I do plan on adding those) the "14-year-old JoBro fan" in me wanted my first time to be special.