Hounding 2007-08: Season in review

Going into the 2007-08 season, I said I wanted to slow down a bit and become more selective in my puck-hounding efforts. So much for slowing down, though quality wasn't sacrificed for quantity.

After snagging 258 pucks in my first full season down here in Humidity Bay, I added another 263 during the 2007-08 campaign. Going into the season, my goal was to add only 225 pucks, rounding out at a cool 1,500. Instead, The Vault now holds 1,538 pucks.

In the interest of full disclosure, the total includes seven pucks signed outside the NHL's regular season and playoffs. To me, a hounding season begins at training camp. Anything within the next 365 days is within the season.

The Vault would have been more stuffed, too, had I not been sidelined for Minnesota and Vancouver. Thankfully, the Wild comes back in 2008-09.

All in all, though, it was another solid season.

It wasn't just about the pucks, either. My biggest accomplishment was helping Colin build his collection. We've become very fond of our team sheets; they're easy to make and get signed. Now, we've got to work on his patience. The apple, I'm afraid, didn't fall too far.

Three new projects -- an American-born goalie stick, a Slovakian team jersey and a 1999 NHL All Star Game helmet -- can claim respectable, if not somewhat remarkable, beginnings. You'll also notice a handful of summertime forays into the American pastime.

Here are the highlights, culled from my 446 posts since Aug. 14, 2007, of the 2007-08 hounding season:

~ Putting in a long day to create a Tampa Bay Rays team ball.

~ Having former Lightning captain Dave Andreychuk provide some good advice on skating to Colin.

~ Adding baseball Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry to the collection.

~ Goin' racing at the St. Petersburg Grand Prix.

~ Finishing the regular season with a strong performance by the playoffs-challenged Tampa Bay Lightning.

~ Adding value to a pair of gloves from Tampa Bay defenseman Paul Ranger's rookie NHL season.

~ Having Atlanta's Kari Lehtonen sign the Thrashers team helmet.

~ Meeting a season milestone when Atlanta's Todd White signed the 250th puck of the 2007-08 campaign.

~ Choosing hounding over sleeping so I could get the 2008 NHL All Star Game's MVP to sign a puck.

~ Correcting a mistake on a 2004 Stanley Cup Game 7 puck.

~ Snagging pucks from Tampa Bay's short-lived Big Three 2.0.

~ Getting little thrill out of Boston's Phil Kessel signing a Team USA jersey and a wallpaper image.

~ Watching Colin fill up a Boston Bruins wallpaper image.

~ Having Boston's Tim Thomas sign a 2008 NHL All Star Game puck for the 1,500th of the collection.

~ Ending the debate between blue and black Sharpies.

~ Knowing that Florida's Jay Bouwmeester is a top-shelf player.

~ Getting back three players in a week from my TTM project.

~ Being pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to get an autograph from Edmonton's Ales Hemsky.

~ Catching a Rocky Mountain High from the Colorado Avalanche.

~ Showing my appreciation after Colorado's Joey Sakic, one of my favorite players, signed five items.

~ Being more than happy to add Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin to the puck collection.

~ Having very low expectations for Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby.

~ Watching Colin experience the luck of the Irish.

~ Scoring 50 autographs from the Montreal Canadiens in a single hounding session, including four from rookie goalie Carey Price

~ Being in absolute shock when Carolina goalie coach Tom Barrasso, one of hockey's toughest autographs, stop to sign.

~ Catching up to Toronto's Alexander Steen to complete a pretty neat wallpaper image.

~ Loading up on the Calgary Flames, a day after hearing most of the team was in a grumpy mood.

~ Playing a hunch with Calgary's Jarome Iginla.

~ Getting a hat trick of pucks from Calgary's Miikka Kiprusoff.

~ Marking the Tampa Bay Lightning's 15th year in the NHL by having Vinny Lecavalier sign a puck commemorating the milestone.

~ Snagging pucks from Ottawa's Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza and Andrej Meszaros.

~ Appreciating the eagerness of Ottawa rookie Nick Foligno in signing autographs.

~ Having Boston's Tuukka Rask reinforce my belief in homemade cheap-skate cards.

~ Improving upon a jersey swatch card of Carolina's Eric Staal.

~ Knocking out a team helmet from the Atlanta Thrashers in an afternoon.

~ Getting a pair of pucks signed by Hall of Famer Denis Potvin.

~ Showing that I learned a lesson after watching Hall of Famer Phil Esposito walk by.

~ Sending get-well wishes to Boston's Patrice Bergeron.

~ Not complaining when only two of 42 autographs from the Buffalo Sabres were on pucks.

~ Getting pumped up after Marian Hossa signed a pair of pucks.

~ Realizing New Jersey's Martin Brodeur is a much better playing goalie than he is at spelling Colin's name.

~ Experiencing a peak and a valley with Tampa Bay's Marty St. Louis.

~ Wondering who had the biggest grin at this meeting during the Lightning's training camp.

~ Hearing Tampa Bay's Vinny Lecavalier's sentiments toward dealers.

~ Snagging autographs from Tampa Bay's Big Three in one day.

~ Reacquainting myself with the Lightning during my first trip to the 2007-08 training camp.

There you have it. All of the 2007-08 hockey hounding season, with a little baseball tucked in for good measure, in a single post.

Want more? Here you go: Hounding 2006-07: Season in review

As always, folks, thanks for stopping by.