Luc Bourdon: 1987-2008

Please join me in sending your good thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of Luc Bourdon, who was killed yesterday in an accident in his native New Brunswick. Bourdin, 21, was a highly touted defenseman for the Vancouver Canucks.

Tricks of the Trade: Etc.

When I started this feature, Tricks of the Trade, my goal was to share the ease of getting autographs from professional hockey players. With a little bit of time, a decent amount of effort and a budget of your own determination, anyone can build a nice collection of autographed items.

Sure, some folks have other uses for hounding. They make good money at it, too. I'm jealous, I suppose. Still, though, it's a hobby.

As the 2007-08 NHL season winds down (Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final is tomorrow (Detroit leads Pittsburgh, 2 games to 1), here are my final bits of free advice.

Put them to good use, won't you?

~ Don't expect much in late-season hounding: After a long season, and especially for clubs out of the playoff race, the players, by and large, view signing as a chore. They'll still stop, but expect even longer stares. If anything, it's a good time to finish off team items or snag a player you let pass earlier in the season.

~ Staying put: Given the economics of travel today, visiting teams seldom travel home between playoff games. Even on off-days, they'll still practice, head out for walks and grab cabs to a restaurant. Best times are late morning to early afternoon and around supper time.

~ Be charitable: As teams are eliminated from the playoffs, pay special attention to players taking part in hometown and home-team fundraisers, such as golf tournaments, softball games and community events. Sure, it may cost money to get into the event. That's the point. The money goes to a good cause. Adding to your collection makes it a win-win situation.

Signing bonus

With the hockey season long over down here in Humidity Bay, we've turned our attention to the surprising Tampa Bay Rays, taking in last night's 11-4 drubbing of the Baltimore Orioles.

Before the game, we were pleasantly surprised to find Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry, well known for his alleged application of foreign substances to baseballs, signing autographs for free.

That's right. A Hall of Famer for free. Can't beat that, can you?

Not this time, Pittsburgh

Beyond the tired storyline of youth vs. experience, the Stanley Cup matchup of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings offers some interesting storylines:

~ Will Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg outscore Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin?
~ Is it fair to compare the Penguins' Sergei Gonchar to the Wings' Nicklas Lidstrom?
~ Will the Penguins use Hal Gill to neutralize the Red Wings' Tomas Holmstrom?
~ Who'd would you rather have as a backup? Detroit's Dominik Hasek or Pittsburgh's Ty Conklin?

And while I believe the Penguins are destined to enjoy a long successful run as the NHL's elite club, they're going to have to wait another season. This season, the Red Wings are simply too good, too experienced and too deep to not win any seven-game series.

Pittsburgh's young squad will learn -- the hard way, unfortunately -- what it takes to be a Stanley Cup champion. I like to think, too, that this lesson will serve them well in the years ahead.

My pick: Wings in five

I should have known better

Deep down inside, I knew this was going to happen. I knew Detroit would beat Dallas. I just couldn't help myself. Against all logic, and relying solely on emotion, I picked Dallas to win in seven.

The mighty Red Wings, however, had different plans, easily dispatching the Stars to win the Western Conference crown in six.

With a convincing 4-1 victory Monday night deep in the Lone Star State, Detroit now meets Pittsburgh for the right to claim hockey's most hallowed hardware, Lord Stanley's Cup. Game 1, at the Joe, is 8 p.m. (EST) Saturday.

Throughout the season, the Wings have proven to be the league's elite team. The Pens, coming into the finals playing two fewer games, are capable of being a handful, too. Can Pittsburgh do it? Or is Detroit simply too good?

Give me some time to think about it. I'd hate to repeat a mistake.

His time to shine?

Maybe now, with the Penguins reaching their first Stanley Cup finals since 1992, goalie Marc-Andre Fleury will get the exposure (and perhaps a few more Conn Smythe votes) that he deserves.

Playing in the shadows, so to speak, of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal, it's easy to understand why Fleury may not be a name in many hockey households. Penguins fans, however, have known about this kid for some time.

Though there were some questions about Fleury coming into this season, his play this season, and especially the playoffs, should answer his critics. In 14 games, he has a 12-2 record, a 1.70 goals-against average and a .942 save percentage.

If he keeps those numbers up, maybe Pittsburgh does have a chance. Against Detroit, that is.

Wishful thinking, perhaps?

As convincing as the Detroit Red Wings have been throughout the 2007-08 NHL playoffs so far, there is a healthy amount of skepticism (or is it distaste?) that the Presidents' Trophy winner will be the last team standing.

By more than a 2-to-1 margin, participants in Hound Central 3.0's latest poll, which asked if Detroit would take home Lord Stanley's Cup, showed little faith that the Red Wings would, indeed, deliver the goods.

I guess we'll soon find out, won't we? Though I was one of the majority voters, I'm sensing that the Red Wings will, in fact, enjoy victory laps with the Cup held high.

Question: Will Detroit win the Cup?

No: 21 out of 31 votes cast (67.7 percent)
Yes: 10 out of 31 (32.3 percent)

Pen on paper

Though it would have been better to pull, say, an autographed Future Watch card of Chicago's Patrick Kane or Jonathan Toews (really, who wouldn't?) from a box of 2007-08 SP Authentic, I must commend Upper Deck for letting the players sign the actual cards, not a bunch of Band-Aid stickers.

I had to settle for, from left, Minnesota's Petr Kalus, St. Louis' David Perron and Toronto's Anton Stralman.

Decent pull

It's not that I'm a big fan of the Phoenix Coyotes or Peter Mueller, but I thought this was a pretty cool Future Watch auto/patch card to pull out of a box of 2007-08 SP Authentic.

If you look closely, the swatch, from a shoulder patch, has three colors. Too bad, though, the "memorabilia" was used only in a photo shoot, not an NHL game.

One more time

Are you getting bored counting down the minutes before tonight's Penguins-Flyers game? Maybe these will help pass the time.

If enough interest is shown -- and that means leaving answers in comments -- this could even become a regular occurrence.

Hockey Word Association

Joel Quenneville =
Upset City =
Steven Stamkos =
Detroit Red Wings =
Sean Avery =

Who am I?

Ahnjo Zrefann =
Nyad Ranbious =
Drab Schradri =
Bastio Semtorn =
Raneto Mintikytia =

Math quiz

If Gary Goodglove gave up 189 goals in 65 games, while facing 1,904 shots, what would be his goals-against average and save percentage?

A.) 2.68 GAA, .923 SP
B.) 3.02 GAA, .894 SP
C.) 2.91 GAA. .901 SP

Sunday morning homily XXIX

Eleven years from now, when a father's dreams come true, the first person Colin should thank after being taken in the first round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft better be his Mama.

Should this dream come true, it will be because of, more than anyone else, her. She's the one who gets him to skating lessons. She's the one who sits through public skates. She's the one who tightens the laces of his skates. She's his hockey mom.

I must admit, too, to being a bit jealous. My work schedule has meant that I've missed most of the skating lessons. She's missed just one week since December. Only when I've used a vacation or personal day have I been able to pitch in. Still, though, in this economy, I won't complain. Too much, that is.

Colin's skating instructor tells us he's ready to move ahead to Hockey 101 lessons. There, in the weeks ahead, he'll learn more skating related specifically to the game -- backwards, crossovers and quick cuts, while working, of course, on his developing one-timer from the right faceoff circle.

And while I can teach him the nuances of the game -- snapshots over slapshots, clearing a crease and delivering devastating hip checks -- it's going to be his Mama who will nurture his growth. That's what Mamas do best.

Hockeytown? I don't think so

For a city that professes itself as Hockeytown, I'll add my considerable weight to the growing question of just what the heck is up with the hometown fans. Empty seats at a Western Conference championship game in Joe Louis Arena? That's sacrilegious.

As much as I hate to admit it, I don't see a team that can beat the Red Wings. I'm already rethinking my Stars-in-seven pick. Pittsburgh, while hugely talented, would only earn a lesson from Detroit. Sorry, but it'll be Titletown, once again, along the banks of the Detroit River.

So, for Detroit fans to not sell out the Joe during the Red Wings' run can mean only one of two things:

~ The economy is so bad in Detroit (and, by all accounts, the city's hemorrhaging auto industry is pretty darn ugly) that no one has any disposable income left; or
~ Red Wings fans have become complacent, even though it's been six years since Detroit last won the Cup.

Penguins in six

Up until Thursday, when I learned that Philadelphia defenseman Kimmo Timonen would miss the Eastern Conference finals against Pittsburgh, I was holding out faint hope that the blue-collar Flyers would solve the high-flying Penguins. Now, I'm not so sure.

For most, it's been Danny Briere and Martin Biron who have made the most visible difference for Philadelphia. Briere was won back the Flyers' fickle fans. Biron's play, in two words, is simply remarkable.

In my book, though, Timonen has been the key. He brought an increased level of offensive talent, as well as a quiet confidence, to the Flyers' blueline. Unfortunately, a blood clot in his left foot has him on the sidelines.

Not to take anything away from the Penguins' star power -- with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marian Hossa, Sergei Gonchar and Marc-Andre Fleury -- but Timonen's absence will be enough of a difference.

Pittsburgh wins in six.

Stars in seven

In what will likely be viewed as picking with my heart rather than with my head -- or a Herculean case of wishful thinking -- I'm throwing my support behind the Dallas Stars as they do battle with the NHL's eight-legged monster, the Detroit Red Wings.

My reasoning? With all due respect to the Nashville Predators, Detroit really hasn't been tested in any of its series so far this playoffs. Dallas, on the other hand, has had to fight tooth-and-nail, knocking out higher-seeded teams along the way.

It won't come easy, but I'm saying it'll be the Stars in seven games. Furthermore, Mike Ribeiro will get the clinching goal for Dallas.

Mixed feelings

I don't know about you, but this is the time of the hockey season that I start to dread. On one hand, the intensity and physicality of conference championships promise some of the most exciting hockey of the season. Conversely, though, they also mean that the season is nearly over. What do you think?

Captain Clutch

Every team, from Little League Baseball to the National Hockey League, needs a player who typifies its heart and soul. Someone who leads by example, shouldering an increasingly heavier load as the season wears on. Someone who can will a team to win. Simply, someone who isn't afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve.

In Dallas, that player is Brenden Morrow.

It should come as no surprise, then, that Morrow sent Dallas onto the Western Conference finals early (very early) this morning when he scored with 9:03 left in the game's fourth overtime, lifting the Stars to a 2-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks. Morrow's goal, his seventh of the playoffs and second OT winner in the series, ended the eighth-longest NHL playoff game.

The goal, too, also goes a long way to cementing that the Stars, who open the championship series Thursday in Detroit, have truly become Morrow's team. For the longest time, it was Mike Modano who drove Dallas' bus. Like Mark Messier was to the New York Rangers, Morrow is not only buckled in, but he's got a death grip on the Stars' steering wheel.

And though his naming as the Stars' captain may have ruffled some feathers within Big D a couple of seasons ago, Morrow's leadership, and not just against the Sharks, shows that, indeed, the pick was on the mark.

The I-76 Series

Before the season started, I had Minnesota beating the Philadelphia for the Stanley Cup. Goodness, was I wrong with the Wild. The Flyers, however, are keeping my hopes for a .500 season, so to speak, on life support. It certainly doesn't look any easier against Pittsburgh, who just dispatched the Rangers.

If memory serves me correctly, a lot of people, especially those whose job it is to know such things, picked the Rangers to win it all. I guess I shouldn't feel so bad.

Either way, this Eastern Conference championship oughta be one whale of a series. The Flyers have knocked off some big teams in the Capitals and, most recently, the Canadiens. The Penguins, conversely, haven't really been tested. Plus, they hate each other.

With little more than 300 miles -- a five-hour ride and $17.25 in tolls -- separating these two more-grit-than-glitter cities, let me be among the first to call it the I-76, or Pennsylvania Turnpike, Series.

Sunday morning homily XXVIII

In the end, perhaps, it was unfair to compare Montreal's rookie netminder Carey Price to Canadiens legends Ken Dryden and Patrick Roy.

Sure, Price showed glimpses of greatness, leading many of us to think that hockey magic, once again, had been captured in a bottle. Early on, his play and poise started the whispers of his following in those famous footsteps. As the playoffs wore on, however, it became apparent that those comparisons were off-base.

More than anything else, I suppose, it was a weak glove hand that did in the young goalie. A noticeably horrendous effort in Game 3 against Philadelphia was easily exposed and exploited. I found it interesting, too, that Price used a newer catching glove, to no avail, in the series-ending loss last night.

Please know that I'm not piling onto Price at this point. Personally, I believe the kid is going to have a solid career in the NHL. I'm sure, too, that he'll take the Canadiens back to the playoffs many, many times. He is, in my humble estimation, that good.

The lesson I'll take away from his playoff run was the pressure of potential, especially when the spotlight shines on one of hockey's grandest stages. It's not just the comparison to two of hockey's greatest goalies, but to play for and in Montreal, where the game is religion, could easily test the most seasoned of goalies.

Let the kid learn from this experience. He'll have all summer to replay each and every shot that eluded him. It's all part of the learning process. Someday, maybe his name will be mentioned, positively, in the same sentence as Dryden and Roy.

Some things, Montreal fans need to believe, are worth waiting for.

I can hardly wait

Yes, I know I have months to wait before I can resume my hockey-hounding adventures. That didn't keep me, however, from getting ready for next year.

Even though I've yet to file away last year's bounty, I've already added to the stockpile for the 2008-09 season, snagging some AHL team pucks (Norfolk Admirals, Rochester Americans and Springfield Falcons) and prospects card sets.

Other than that, though, I'm going to try to work down my existing inventory. And, yes, get some stuff put away.

Not so fast

It's normal, I suppose, to vote with your heart more often than with your head. Visions of glory silence voices of reason. Idealism trumps realism. Poop, I'm afraid, happens.

Take Montreal's rookie netminder Carey Price, for instance.

When the latest Hound Central 3.0 poll, launched before the second round of the NHL playoffs, asked which player would take home the Conn Smythe Trophy for their efforts as the quest for Lord Stanley's Cup pushes toward summer, Price took an early lead, one that he never relinquished. Of the 39 votes cast, the goalie garnered 15, or 38.5 percent.

Now that his Canadiens are facing elimination at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers, a position that can be blamed on an apparent weak glove, those hopeful votes cast in his support appear to be in vain. Funny thing, too: The poll allows visitors to change their votes.

As expected, Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby and Washington's Alex Ovechkin, finished tied among voters, each receiving six votes. It further proves, I believe, the lifelong comparison that will follow these two players.

I was a bit surprised that Someone Else, who also received six votes, didn't do better. Given playoff performances by Philly's Martin Biron, Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin, Detroit's Johan Franzen and Chris Osgood, there are plenty of players worthy of consideration.

Question: Which player will win the Conn Smythe Trophy?

Montreal's Carey Price: 15 out of 39 votes cast (38.5 percent)
Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby: 6 out of 39 (15.4 percent)
Washington's Alex Ovechkin: 6 out of 39 (15.4 percent)
Someone else: 6 out of 39 (15.4 percent)
Philadelphia's Danny Briere: 3 out of 39 (7.7 percent)
Pittsburgh's Marc-Andre Fleury: 2 out of 39 (5.1 percent)
San Jose's Evgeni Nabokov: 1 out of 39 (2.5 percent)
Minnesota's Marian Gaborik: No votes