Not that picky

Not every addition to our Threads collection has to be a big-name NHL player. The only standard we apply is that the card must have a jersey swatch. This double-swatch card of Colorado's Kevin Porter, shown from his days with the Phoenix Coyotes, is a good example.

The Hockey Life: Week 7

It's no secret to my fellow hockey parents within the Pinellas Police Athletic League Stars family that I don't hold a certain Tampa Bay youth hockey program leadership in very high esteem. Chances are, too, that feeling is mutual. Bottom line, I don't like how they run things down there.

Over the past two recreation league seasons, I've watched their players, some as young as 7 years old, take serious runs and lay out Stars players, including Colin, in what's supposed to be a nonchecking league. While I understand that hockey is a contact sport and gaining body position is a part of the game, it's the common denominator of this aversion to the rules that's troubling.

In every case, these hits (which, to me, reflect dirty play) come only when one of the program's Squirt/PeeWee teams is losing to the Stars. It seems that rather than buckle down and play harder, their approach is to turn to the rough stuff.

Just a few games ago, I watched one of people closely associated with the program (I refer to them as the puppet masters) call a player over to the boards between periods and say something to him. Before the next period ended, this player, the biggest on the team, served a boarding penalty for running a Stars player. His intent was clear, and it wasn't about gaining body position to get the puck.

Were the two incidents connected? I can't prove that. Trust me, I wish I could. To me, it was a criminal act. Not by the child, mind you, as he may have been doing only what he was told to do. No, the criminal act, if in fact the dots could be connected, was committed by an adult.

As a parent, I couldn't and wouldn't allow my child to play within a program, no matter where it's based, that would condone such behavior and actions.

Part of playing hockey, especially at this age group, is learning life lessons. You practice to get better. Solid effort is rewarded with ice time. Clean, hard hockey leads to wins. And, if you're behind, you suck it up and do your best to get back in the game. Along the way, you learn sportsmanship.

Sadly, that's a lesson those youngsters are missing out on.

Another one's off the list

You'd think living down here in Hockey Bay we'd have a a dearth of ice surfaces to skate upon. Thankfully, that isn't the case. In all, we have five rinks to choose from, all within a 45-minute ride, and Colin's been on every one.

Last night, after hounding the Colorado Avalanche, Colin added another rink to the list, this one in downtown Tampa. No, it wasn't the St. Pete Times Forum, though he's skated there. This one is an outdoor, temporary rink, but made of ice and covered by a tent, in place at Curtis Hixon Park.

Granted, it may be small and the surface gets awfully snowy, but it's still ice in a pretty neat setting. A word of caution, though, it does get a bit crowded. But, still, skating in an outdoor rink in downtown Tampa? I never thought I'd see the day.

Quote of the week

"Is he Canadian?"
Bill, a visitor from Ontario, watching Colin as he skated last week

"Nope, born in Massachusetts."
Puckhound, answering Bill's question

"Well, he skates like he's from Canada."
Bill

A birthday present

When Colin asked me last week what I wanted for my birthday, I told him that a new Porsche sports car would be nice.

It would fit in nicely with all of the other hoity-toity "look at me, I'm so pretty" cars (which, oddly, never have working turn signals) that we see on a fairly regular basis down here in image-conscious Hockey Bay.

Even better, it would give us a cool ride to Westfield Countryside mall for our Wednesday afternoon skating sessions.

Well, Colin took my request to heart. Tucked among the bag of birthday goodies, packed to the gills with basic Dad gifts (socks, underwear, handkerchiefs and a gray T-shirt -- everything else I asked for) was this Hot Wheels car.

And, yes, it's a Porsche. A Porsche 911 GT2, to be exact.

Of course, Colin wanted me to open the blister pack, probably so he could play with the car. Instead, I'll hold on to it. It's not too often a son buys his father a Porsche.

It's "Hammer Time"

I giggle every time I watch this of Colin cutting loose during a timeout at last Friday's scrimmage between his Pinellas P.A.L. Stars and the Tampa Bay Titans at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa.

Team report: Florida Panthers

When you hound a team like the Florida Panthers, one of the Tampa Bay Lightning's division rivals, it's easy to run out of different items to get signed. That when cards, a hockey-hounding staple, come in handy.

When that happens, like this past Saturday when the Panthers traveled to Hockey Bay, it's not unusual to have some players sign all four cards we offered. It also adds up to a successful adventure, when we snagged more than 40 autographs in less than a hour.

Panthers players signing four cards each were:

Wingers Steve Bernier (top row) and Michael Frolik;

winger Rostislav Olesz (top row) and center Steven Reinprecht; and

winger Michael Repik.

Of course, not every player, for a variety of reasons, signed four cards:

Top row: David Booth, Scott Clemmensen and Keaton Ellerby; and
Bottom row: Shawn Matthias, Tomas Vokoun and Stephen Weiss.

Other highlights from Saturday's quick trip:

~ Vokoun adding to the Threads collection; and
~ Booth and Weiss signing a couple of road trip souvenirs.

Thanks, eBay!

Earlier this year, when I actually had some spare cash on hand, I snagged a couple of jersey swatch lots off of eBay. While a few of the cards were viewed as collectibles, most were simply adding to the stock of items we'll use in our future hockey hounding adventures.

This card of Florida goalie Tomas Vokoun, who's one of the best signing players in the NHL, was part of one of those hauls.

On Saturday, the card, which features a nice, bright yellow swatch with some stitch marks as well as Vokoun's distinctive signature, became the latest addition to our Threads collection.

The Hockey Life: Week 6

In a sense, Boston's Tyler Seguin was correct. I was sending Colin over to get autographs. Where the Boston rookie was wrong, though, was who the autographs were for. They weren't for me, they were for someone else -- a youth hockey team up in Wisconsin that's holding a fundraiser to help offset player registration costs.

Still, that didn't keep Seguin from upsetting Colin, not by declining his request to add to the Bruins logo banner, but in how he did it, insulting his father (that's me, you know) by saying that he was the "kid whose father sends him over to get autographs for him."

In a sense, he accused me of "pimping out" Colin just to get signatures. Sorry, rookie, but that's hardly the case. I help Colin get his own autographs, telling him who players are and finding their cards within the card book. I'm a big boy, and I get my own autographs when I'm out hounding by myself. If Colin's with me, it's his hounding adventure, not mine.

From my point of view, there's little wrong with a father bringing out his son(s) for autographs. For the most part, it's a bonding moment. Every other NHL team or player we've hounded hasn't had a problem with our approach. If they have, they've kept their yaps shut or simply said "no."

Needless to say, Seguin set off a bit of a firestorm, as Hockey Bay hounds jumped all over him, pointing out his less-than-stellar start of the season left little room for his attitude. Incensed, I questioned the young man's intelligence, suggesting that if he could read (I believe he can), he might want to check out this blog.

I'll even admit to asking the Hockey Gods to teach the young man a few lessons, too, in the form of an extended slump and, adding in a dose of much-needed humility, a couple of long, haul-your-own-gear-bag bus rides down in Providence.

Seguin's young and, apparently, has plenty to learn about being a professional. Let's hope he puts this unfortunate incident to good use. We'll find out in December, when the Bruins come back to Hockey Bay. Depending on Seguin's attitude, maybe I'll have another chat with the Hockey Gods.

Boys' night out

Last week, as a reward for all of his hard work at school, Colin and I headed south, even heading across the famous Alligator Alley, to watch his beloved Bruins play the Florida Panthers.

It wasn't all about the Bruins, even though we stayed at the team's hotel, wishing the players well after checking out. It wasn't about the hounding, either, as we completed our goal days before in Hockey Bay.

No, it was about hanging out and watching hockey. Visiting someplace new with a sense of adventure. Bottom line, it was another instance of father-son bonding.

Of course, we had a great time. Colin had a rinkside view of warmups. He got lots of compliments and smiles on his game-night get-up. He even got to meet the diminutive Mini, one of the two Panther's mascots. Even better, in Colin's eyes, the Bruins won, earning a 1-1 split in their two-game road trip to the Sunshine State.

I think we'll do it again.

On the big ice

Though Colin has skated a couple of times on the ice at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, he'd never played a game on the Tampa Bay Lightning's home rink. That changed Friday when his Pinellas P.A.L. Stars took on the Tampa Bay Titans.

Colin, who was named as an alternate captain of his squirts-peewee squad, even had the honor of taking the opening faceoff for the Stars. And, yes, some of the kids he played against were bantams and midgets.

From what I hear, he did his best at being a pest, getting under the skin of a couple of bantam players for his dogged defense. He even drew a penalty. Even though the Stars lost, he said he had a blast.

Quote of the week

"Is that Mini?"
Colin, his tongue planted firmly-in-cheek, as he pointed out Florida's Bryan Allen, who stands 6-foot-4, yesterday morning outside the Panthers' team hotel.

Yeah, I know . . .

Again I took on the challenge of adding a few officials to the old collection. I can't say enough good things about these guys. I would ask one thing of them however . . .

Come up with a new line. "We are not players" is getting a bit old.

Every time I hear that, and I let them know that I understand they aren't players, I get a chuckle about the fact that someone recognizes them for who they really are.

When I presented these photos to Dan O'Halloran and Francois St. Laurent, they both set down their bags and came right over. They genuinely appreciated that someone wanted their autographs.

O'Halloran signed this photo of him and King Henrik. Lundqvist completed it this week.

St. Laurent signed this group photo after letting me know that he recognized me from last year. He said that was the last time someone waited until after a game for his signature and told me to say hello to the two little kids who were with me.

Helping out

Not too long ago, a friend of the family asked a favor. Her brother, a youth hockey coach in Wisconsin, needed items for a fundraiser. She wanted to know if we could get this Boston Bruins logo banner signed for it.

I'll be clear here. I deny, for a multitude of reasons, about 97 percent of the multiple requests I get from people asking us to get autographs for them. If we honored every request, we'd never get autographs for our own collection.

Besides, I subscribe to the theory that anything worth having is worth going out and getting it yourself. Always have. Always will. In fact, I get uncomfortable asking others to get something signed for us. When they do, we reciprocate.

There are exceptions, though, to shooting down requests for getting items signed for others. Helping out a fellow youth hockey team, especially one coached by a good friend's brother, is among them. We know how much it costs to play hockey, and if we can help hockey parents save a couple bucks, it's our pleasure.

That's why we devoted the better portion of the Bruins' first trip to Hockey Bay this season loading up this banner with signatures from Bruins players. In all, Colin, not me, scored 27 autographs on it. Those who signed, among others, included Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, David Krejci, Tuukka Rask, Mark Recchi, Marc Savard and Tim Thomas.

The only two players we missed? Boston's Tyler Seguin, the No. 2 overall pick at the 2010 NHL Draft, and Brad Marchand. It wasn't for the lack of asking, though. We asked. They denied. Seguin, in particular, was pretty rude about it.

Imagine that? An overhyped rookie, presently providing a great disservice to the No. 19 once worn by Joey Thornton, and his buddy rejecting a request from a kid to help fill out an item for a youth hockey fundraiser. And, yes, both were told what the banner would be used for.

Well, that's another story for another day. Sunday, to be exact.

Our annual tradition

Ever since Boston's Patrice Bergeron became Colin's best NHL buddy, we've made a point of getting a picture of the two. We got the 2010-11 edition out of the way Monday before the Bruins morning skate.

As always, "Petey" was a class act.

Where's Colin?

This photo may be from last season, but it shows that Colin's always up against the glass during warm-ups anytime the Boston Bruins, his favorite NHL team, visit Hockey Bay.

Thankfully, Mark Recchi, one of the nicest guys in the NHL, took the time to sign it for Colin.

Good example

For every overhyped rookie in the NHL, there's a hard-working player who's worthy of respect and being viewed as a role model. In this case, it's Tampa Bay's Adam Hall, another of Colin's NHL buddies.

He became the latest player to add to our Threads collection, when he signed it for Colin after Monday's morning skate.

Funny thing, too, we got this card out of a box of 2010-11 UD NHL Series 1 we busted last Thursday. Talk about making quick work out of something, right?

The Hockey Life: Week 5

Going into the school year, I made a deal with Colin. If he was on his best behavior and got good grades through the Thanksgiving break, we'd sign him up for the Tampa Bay Lightning's holiday hockey camp. A couple of weeks ago, knowing that he'd kept his end of the bargain, I offered an alternative reward.

Rather than the hockey camp, I asked if would he'd be interested in joining me in a quick road trip down to Sunrise, Fla., to watch the Boston Bruins, his favorite team, play the Florida Panthers. Well, let's just say that Plan B was a big hit.

So, after reconnecting with his best NHL buddy Patrice Bergeron later today and taking in the Bruins-Lightning game tomorrow night in Tampa, we'll hit the road Wednesday morning for a four-hour ride across the Sunshine State. Our lower-bowl tickets await us at the arena. We're even staying at the same hotel as the Bruins, too.

Think of it, if you will, as a boys' night out.

I left it up to Colin if he's going to tell Patrice about the trip. If not, I can't wait to see the looks on their faces.

Hockey happens

We had plans to hound the Minnesota Wild last Sunday. Really, we did. Had nearly a dozen pucks and a full book of cards for them.

It was all for naught, though, when another hockey coach from Colin's home arena asked him to suit up for his team. Of course, we obliged, as the coach could become Colin's coach next spring should we make the leap to travel-team hockey.

Though the team lost, Colin scored the game's first goal. Please know, too, that it was Colin's third game of the day and fourth within 19 hours.

As you can imagine, he slept like a rock later that night.

Quote(s) of the week

"What's he doing wearing that sissy jersey?"
A skater -- a man in his 40s -- at TBSA Countryside ice rink to me, kiddingly, as Colin walked past him wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey.

"He's a damn good skater, that kid. He can wear any jersey he wants."
That same skater, about 15 minutes later, as he stood near me, catching his breath after trying to keep up with Colin.

Signing curves

When it comes to getting autographs from NHL players, it's important to keep in mind the stage of the player's career. Doing so, I believe, is a critical factor.

For the most part, the average NHL player will take the time to stop and sign for most reasonable requests. Pucks, cards, jerseys and photos are no problem. Blank sheets of photo paper? Well, that's up to each player. Most, but not all, know the difference between collectors, fans and dealers.

The trickiest dribble within hockey hounding comes when dealing with two classes of players -- superstars and top draft picks. Both sit atop any hound's wish list. I mean, who doesn't want an autograph from Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby or Edmonton's Taylor Hall? These type of players truly understand what it means to be hounded, facing crowds wherever they go.

My advice? It never hurts to ask, but be prepared to have them say no. That way, if they do agree to sign, it's a bonus. Of the two classes, I've had better luck over the years with the top draft picks rather than the game's biggest names.

Think of it this way. As players are starting out, signing autographs may be somewhat of a novelty. It's fun to be recognized. After some time, though, and this can be measured in weeks or months, that novelty begins to wear off. Any time players step out in public, from heading out to morning skates or grabbing dinner the night before a game, chances are hockey hounds will be waiting with Sharpies and paint pens in hand.

The same holds true for the NHL's superstars. Only the team bus or hotel room offers sanctuary from hockey hounds. No place, it seems, is off-limits. To me, however, that comes with the territory. It's part of being the best in the game. I suppose that's what makes it easy for them to say no. They're good and they know it.

When talking about players' signing curves, I like to reference a bell curve. For those unfamiliar with the term, think of a camel's hump. The animal's back starts off straight, quickly heads north in a rounded fashion and then slopes down to another straight line.

To me, that best represents an NHL player's signing habits:

~ In the beginning (representing a flat line), most players will sign just about anything. Attention is heaped upon them, as crowds clamor for their scribble on all forms of sports memorabilia. It must be quite a rush.

~ As these players get better (representing the upward slope of the bell curve), and their egos kick in, they become more difficult. It's easy to identify a player in this stage as he'll either limit the number of items he signs or the frequency of his refusals increases.

~ Once these players' skills begin to erode (representing the downward slope), they understand they won't be in the NHL forever. A humbling realization, most players return to early signing habits, even taking the time to chat with fans. In doing this, players become the proverbial fan favorites.

~ The curve is completed (representing another flat line) upon retirement. Most players, except those stars who make the Hockey Hall of Fame, fall out of the hounding public's eye, becoming nearly forgotten, save for the occasional trivia question. To me, this is the best time to approach these players, especially those who take front office, coaching or scouting positions, as it's natural for them to want to be remembered in a positive way.

Now, this observation is based on nearly 15 straight years of hockey hounding, not any scientific data. And it certainly can't be applied to each and every NHL player. Hopefully, though, it might explain why players sign or don't sign.

Feel free to discuss and share your observations.

The Hockey Life: Week 4

It's not too often that you get to see an NHL team step outside of a rink during practice. It's even more odd when you see hockey players tossing around a football on a paved parking lot outside the St. Pete Times Forum.

But that's what happened last Tuesday as Tampa Bay Lightning players headed outside to play something that looked like rugby. Squaring off into two teams -- shirts vs. skins -- the Bolts spent about 20 minutes yukking it up at something that was far beyond their element.

All the time, the Bolts drew "What the heck is going on?" stares from Toronto Maple Leafs players, on their way to the morning skate, and Hockey Bay hounds. The nontraditional practice must have worked, though, as the Bolts blanked the Leafs later that night.

My observation from the spectacle: The Bolts, to a man, threw the football like hockey players. Perhaps Josh Freeman, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' quarterback, can stop by next time and offer some pointers.

Just making sure

It was real easy to tell that Moody, Hound Central 5.0's senior correspondent, just got back from a vacation. Just ask Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson, who twice told him Tuesday that neither the cards nor the 8x10 photo Moody asked him to sign weren't of him, even though they were of a Ron Wilson.

I can't say that I hadn't nearly made the same mistake myself. What makes this funny, though, is that after being told that the cards weren't his, Wilson also passed on the 8x10 that Moody offered up as Plan B. Wilson, to his credit, still signed something for Moody -- the binder he used as a platform.

Thankfully, Moody took it all in fun. And I think we all learned that there are two Ron Wilsons who played in the NHL.

Line of the Week

"I don't sign team items. Do you have anything that's just of me?"
Toronto's Phil Kessel to a Hockey Bay Hound, who asked the Leafs' forward why he wouldn't sign his 16x20 team photo. Kessel also wouldn't sign a McFarlane base.

Team report: Toronto Maple Leafs

Part of my goals for the 2010-11 hockey-hounding campaign was to scale back my efforts. Between work and family obligations, I needed to cut back on other endeavors. Limiting my time spent hounding was one way to do that.

I'm finding, however, that it's easier said than done. Rather than pack up and leave after Toronto's Kris Versteeg was the last player to head out Tuesday for the Maple Leafs' morning skate, I stuck around near the St. Pete Times Forum instead.

My reason for staying wasn't just adding more autographs. Seldom does the reward match the effort, I've learned. No, it was more about hanging out with friends, busting each other's chops and talking hockey. To me, that's the best part of the hobby. Adding another 28 autographs doesn't hurt, either.

Signing some of the 11 pucks, shown above, were:

Top row: Tyler Bozak, Luca Caputi and Mike Komisarek; and
Bottom row: Clarke MacArthur, John Mitchell and Colton Orr.

Among those signing cards were, from left, Francois Beauchemin, Jonas Gustavsson and Tomas Kaberle.

Other highlights from a morning of hounding:

~ Pucks signed by Toronto's Big Four; and
~ a shout-out to Mikhail Grabovski and Fredrik Sjostrom.

These will do

Every NHL team, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, has what you'd call the Big Four. This Tuesday, it consisted of Toronto's Jean-Sebastien Giguere, (clockwise, from top left) Phil Kessel, Luke Schenn and Kris Versteeg.

Had Leafs' captain Dion Phaneuf made the trip, as well as signed one of the two pucks I had for him, it would've been a hard decision picking who to leave out. My guess? Versteeg. I don't think he's yet to meet the mighty expectations of Leafs Nation.

A thank-you note

I have this rule when it comes to hockey-hounding. If an NHL player is nice enough to sign all four cards that I offer, he gets a shout-out here at Hound Central 5.0. Think of it as a token of my appreciation.

In this case, it's Toronto's Mikhail Grabovski (top row) and Fredrik Sjostrom, who signed eight of the 15 cards I got Tuesday morning before and after the Maple Leafs' morning skate.

Thanks, guys.

Looking for bargains

Over the years, one of the most common questions I get from readers is where do I buy my pucks and how much do they cost. My answer? It's always the same. I buy them wherever I can.

Most are bought online, through a sports memorabilia distributor. Others, however, are bought at arenas, card stores, flea markets and the ilk. Though I often pay no more than $2.75 a puck, I've spent as much as $5 a puck.

It all depends on the situation. If I see a puck I can't find elsewhere, or if I'm caught empty-handed, then I'll begrudgingly pay a higher price. But if I can save a few bucks, well, then, I'd be an idiot if I didn't.

Overall, 65 percent of Hound Central 5.0 readers pay less than $5 for each of their pucks. To me, that's a decent deal. One reader, though, gets pucks for free. Knowing Moody, Hound Central 5.0's thrifty senior correspondent, I think he's the one.

Question: How much do you pay for each of your pucks?

$3 to $4.99: 8 votes out of 20 cast (40 percent)
More than $5: 6 votes (30 percent)
0.01 to $2.99: 5 votes (25 percent)
Free: 1 vote (5 percent)

On a side note, if you buy any pucks from the distributor, please tell them that Hound Central 5.0 sent you. Thanks.

The Hockey Life: Week 3

Given that the Tampa Bay Lightning have been on a West Coast road trip over the past week, hockey-hounding has been in a holding pattern. That doesn't mean, though, we didn't lead our hockey lives.

Rather than collecting autographs, we focused more on Colin's hockey, in anticipation of intrasquad scrimmages (that's him, #37, shown above) finally turning to games against teams from other rinks here in the Hockey Bay area.

In what's becoming something of a weekly tradition, Colin and I worked on his shooting and passing skills Wednesday. We take advantage of a street hockey rink in Largo, where Colin practices his in-close one-timers and rebound shots as well as getting a better handle on passing.

From there, we headed farther north to a small ice skating rink inside a shopping mall in the Countryside area, where Colin got put through the paces, as he has for the past year, working on his skating, building up his endurance and thanking people for compliments on his skating.

Oh, yeah, we even broke down and bought some hockey cards, including Panini's 2010-11 Score offering. A low-end product, it does offer a deep checklist. I even ordered and received three dozens pucks for our hounding adventures this month.

Even without hounding, we had a pretty busy hockey week, I'd say.

Scary dudes

So, how was your Halloween? As usual, we had a fun time, as I had the night off from work. Colin was a Clone Trooper and I reprised my role as Anton Kantstopapuck, an old, fat Russian goalie.

Too bad, though, that Halloween came on a Sunday. We didn't have as many trick-or-treaters as normal, meaning we had plenty of leftover candy. Adding to it, Colin brought home a bulging bag of treats.

If you'd like some, we have plenty. No Reese's peanut butter cups, though. They're mine and, sorry, I'm not sharing.

Farewell, Houndmobile

For the past seven years, there had been one constant companion in all of my hockey-hounding adventures -- a 1998 light blue metallic Ford Taurus.

When in New England, it made the rounds from Portland, Maine, to Providence, R.I., to Manchester, N.H., and Boston. After arriving down here in Hockey Bay, it made so many trips over to the St. Pete Times Forum that I was convinced the Houndmobile knew the way on its own.

Along the way, it drove through snow and ice, driving rain and strong winds, over bridges and through tunnels. It wasn't the prettiest of cars, but that isn't the point.

Bottom line, the Houndmobile did its job, getting me from Point A to Point B and back about 99 percent of the time. I'm thankful for that.

Sadly, though, all good things must come to an end. It lacked a working air conditioner. It needed some catalytic converter work. And the odometer stopped working two summers ago, stuck on 235, 454 miles. Lord knows the car had many more miles on it.

Because of that, I took it off the road in May. It sat at the top of our driveway, waiting for me to decide what to do with it. A couple of weeks ago, a decision was made. After buying it for $3,200 back in 2003, I sold it for $200, nothing more than a parts car. I like to think I got my money's worth.

About a year ago, I bought a car from some cousins in South Carolina. I'll tell you what, I won't do that again. What was supposed to be a solution was nothing more than another set of problems. But, it runs. Since May, it's made a number of hounding trips, for our Summer of Baseball as well as the current hockey-hounding campaign.

With some luck, it'll last long enough until we can buy something better. Until then, the spirit of the Houndmobile remains alive.

Team report: Pittsburgh Penguins

Last season, I refused to take part in the circus that was known as the Pittsburgh Penguins. It wasn't just because of the team's big names. No, it had to do more with them being the then-reigning Stanley Cup champions and the big crowds that flock to the team.

This season, though, we'll make two trips out for the Penguins. The first came in October when the Penguins arrived a few days early for a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. While that may not seem out of the ordinary, strange circumstances turned the day into a bit of a circus.

You see, it wasn't just the Penguins who were staying at the Westin Harbour Island hotel. The Nashville Predators, also in town to play the Lightning, were staying at the same hotel. Thanks to some shared intel, we had items for both teams that Sunday.

All told, we added 75 autographs, including 32 from Pittsburgh, in our best day, so far, of the 2010-11 hockey-hounding campaign. For the record, I added another two before the Penguins' game-day morning skate. By then, the team had been pounded and hounded for three days and ignored most requests.

Signing pucks, shown above, were:

Top row: Mike Comrie, Alex Goligoski and Chris Kunitz; and
Bottom row: Paul Martin, Zbynek Michalek and Eric Tangradi.

Players signing cards, shown above, were:

Top row: Comrie, Eric Godard, Goligoski and Brent Johnson; and
Bottom row: Tyler Kennedy, Kunitz, Kristopher Letang and Evgeni Malkin

Also adding to the stack of cards were, from left, Michalek, Brooks Orpik, Jordan Staal and Maxime Talbot.

We also put a cheap skate card to good use for Tangradi.

Other highlights from hounding the Penguins:

~ Colin scoring autographs from Sidney Crosby and Malkin;
~ Getting a scribble from Malkin; and
~ Doubling up, so to speak, on Gilles Meloche and Tony Granato.

Doubling up

In part of our bid this season to add former NHL players to the autographed puck collection, Colin was quick to add Gilles Meloche, top, and Tony Granato, part of the Pittsburgh Penguins' coaching staff, during the team's extended stay here in Hockey Bay recently.

Next trip, we'll try to get Meloche on California Golden Seals and Cleveland Barons pucks and Granato on Colorado Avalanche, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks pucks.

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)