The Hockey Life: Week 18

Last Thursday, I started writing a post explaining the absence of reports earlier in the week. The reason was as simple as this: the Detroit Red Wings were in town. And, as any serious hockey hound knows, the team demands your full and undivided attention. That alone meant I didn't have time to finish it.

From the future Hall of Famers on the roster -- Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk come to mind -- to the history surrounding the Original Six team, the Wings always draw a big crowd. Thursday night, a sea of red nearly filled the St. Pete Times Forum, where the Wings spanked the hometown Lightning, 6-2.

A funny thing happened, though, when it came to hounding the Wings. While most of us expected big crowds, numbering into the high 20s at the least, the most at any one time was a baker's dozen -- 13. Not that we were complaining, mind you.

With baseball spring training camps opening up nearby, most of the dealers likely turned their attention elsewhere. Baseball, I hear, sells better than hockey. It helped us, too, that we kept it a secret the Red Wings stayed in St. Petersburg, not at one of the three Tampa hotels frequented by NHL teams.

Still, no complaints. It was nice being among friendly faces. And, as you'll read in the days ahead, once we share the bounty of trips for the Carolina Hurricanes and Philadelphia Flyers, the hounding wasn't all that bad.

Stepping up

It was with more than a little bit of pride that I sewed an "A" on Colin's Pinellas P.A.L. Stars jersey Saturday morning before his first game of the winter-spring campaign. Entering the fourth season with the program, his coaches saw fit to make him an alternate captain.

Gaining the "A" carries some extra responsibilities. Though he tries to lead by example on the ice, playing hard and as best as he can, he has developed a growing voice in the locker room, keeping his teammates, even some a little older, focused on the upcoming game.

For the record, too, the Stars kicked off the campaign in fine fashion, beating one of the Ellenton teams, 8-0. Colin had a goal and an assist.

A milestone for Moody

Here's a tip of Hound Central 5.0's battered, old Cooper SK600 to Moody on the one-year anniversary of his authoritative voice on collecting autographs through the mail, Moody's TTM Blog.

Between the in-person reports here at Hound Central 5.0 and at Hockey Hounds Universe, Moody's TTM Blog rounds out our comprehensive look at the hockey-hounding hobby.

Join me, please, in wishing Moody congratulations on his efforts -- over the past year and the many days ahead.

Quote of the week

"Go home, shovel snow!"
Our response to Red Wings fans chanting "Let's go Red Wings" at Thursday's game.

Have a couple minutes?

In case you're interested, Colin filed his fourth-ever blog post over at Hockey Hounds Universe. Of course, I'm a little biased, but I certainly think it's worth a look. He hopes you do, too.

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.

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.

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.

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.