Hounding 2007: Year in review

In all honesty, this was supposed to be a slow year. Really. And, in a sense, it has been. I've made a point of being more patient, more observant and, whenever the opportunity presents itself, practicing some serious and shameless cherry-picking.

While past years were more intent on amassing a collection, this past year focused on enhancing the quality. For the most part, it's been a fun year. The biggest lesson? Taking breaks are a good thing. The most fun? Watching Colin with the players. He loves being first.

Looking back, these events made for a memorable year:

~ For the calendar year, another 307 pucks, according to preliminary calculations, were added to the collection. As of today, the total stands at 1,450 pucks.

~ I finally got my act together and showed off the Team Canada goalie mask. Now, I'm working on an American-born goalie stick.

~ Once again, we meet an old friend on the Boston Bruins.

~ The first of three milestones of the year, Florida's Olli Jokinen signed puck No. 1,200.

~ Getting one from The Great One. Enough said.

~ Martin St. Louis, the soul of the Tampa Bay Lightning, helped provide a nice reward for a good kid.

~ I finally get around to displaying a signed set of New Jersey's Martin Brodeur replica goalie gloves.

~ In a momentary diversion from hockey, Colin gets to meet one of his baseball heroes, former Red Sox star Trot Nixon, when the Cleveland Indians come to St. Petersburg.

~ Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin provided the best pull in a somewhat disappointing year of hockey card releases.

~ Ending, for once and for all, the debate between card prep work: An eraser is better than baby powder.

~ One humble hockey hound's opinion of which NHL players are worthy of an autographed puck.

~ Training camp makes for a fun family day with the Lightning.

~ Sometimes, though, these stars can get grumpy.

~ To some, getting Tampa Bay's Kyle Wanvig to sign the 1,300th puck of the collection was a lapse in judgment. I beg to differ.

~ Given his propensity to make and find messes, we're a bit reluctant to let Colin wear this to too many Lightning games. Chocolate milk, I've learned, is a difficult stain.

~ When it comes to dealers and collectors, Vinny Lecavalier, the heart of the Tampa Bay Lightning, knows the difference.

~ Every so often, the planets align over Tampa Bay.

~ Like I didn't already have enough hounding to do, Hound Central 3.0 begins a monthly TTM project.

~ Buffalo's Ryan Miller lives up to his reputation as a willing signer, even in the presence of big crowd.

~ New Jersey's Martin Brodeur slaps down a letter-perfect (for Brodeur, that is) autograph on a jersey. Too bad, though, he can't spell Colin's name.

~ It took less than an hour to complete an Atlanta Thrashers team helmet. Granted, it still needs Marian Hossa and Kari Lehtonen on it, but it does have some other recognizable names.

~ Like everyone else, we prayed for Boston's Patrice Bergeron.

~ I'm surprised that there isn't a line of people waiting for Hall of Famer Phil Esposito after every Lightning home game.

~ When it comes to hounding Ottawa, there's no shortage of stars to pick. Some days, though, are better than others.

~ A long way from Orono, Maine, I find a couple of Black Bears.

~ Carolina's Andrew Ladd signs puck No. 1,400. It's the third milestone puck of the year.

~ Simple math: 5x4=20.

~ The Calgary Flames, who took the Lightning to seven games for the 2004 Stanley Cup, provided one of the best days ever of across-the-board hounding.

~ Becoming infatuated with wallpapers

~ Witnessing a change in attitude by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Sabres fans can rest assured, however, that the Loafs are still my least favorite team.

~ Watching Carolina goalie coach Tom Barrasso sign an autograph left me not just in shock, but in complete awe as well.

~ In the last NHL hounding trip of the year, I scored a nifty 50 out of the Montreal Canadiens.

Now, if you've read this far, please accept my most sincere appreciation. There's more than 30 entries. For every one that is here, there are another two that didn't make it.