Big Three 2.0

Now that Tampa Bay has dealt with the underachieving Brad Richards to Dallas, one could argue that the Lightning no longer has its Big Three. Excuse me, but I beg to differ.

Subtracting Richards from what had become known as the Fantastic Four leaves the club with its Big Three 2.0: Dan Boyle, Vinny Lecavalier and Marty St. Louis.

Don't believe me? Those three signed pucks, shown above, after last Friday's morning skate.

Silver (pen) lining

Part of the allure of the NHL trade deadline, at least from a hound's perspective, are the new faces that come to a team involved in any deal. Sending Brad Richards and Johan Holmqvist to Dallas might have ruffled some feathers here in Tampa Bay, but I truly wasn't disappointed with the return. It allowed me to snag these three pucks from the newly acquired Jeff Halpern.

Thanks, Brad

You know, it would have been real nice if Dallas' Brad Richards had five assists in a game for the Lightning. I wonder whether there's any seller's regret going on at 400 Channelside Drive.

What do you think?

To Vancouver: Brad Richards, Dan Boyle and Marc Denis

To Tampa: Roberto Luongo, Ryan Kesler and Aaron Miller

Good question

When Colin saw this picture that Tampa Bay's Brad Richards signed for him yesterday, he had one question.

"Why did he sign 19 when his jerseys shows 39?" he asked.

I explained that the picture showed Richards playing for Team Canada during the Olympics and not the Lightning.

"Oh," he said. "Okay."

Both sides of the story

It should come as no surprise that NHL players, especially those who are established and pulling in multimillion dollar contracts, drive pretty nice and pricey cars. And, as a hound, part of the drill is recognizing those cars as well as the players inside.

The point was driven home yesterday while I was hounding the Tampa Bay Lightning following the team's morning skate at the St. Pete Times Forum.

As a player headed home from the skate, behind the wheel of a black luxury car, for some reason I believed it was Tampa Bay's Andreas Karlsson. I waved and nodded as the driver looked toward me, telling him there was no need to stop. Boy, was that a mistake.

It turns out that the driver wasn't Karlsson, but one of Tampa Bay's Big Three -- Brad Richards. It wasn't until he rolled past, and I took a closer look, did I realize my error. Needless to say, I was pretty embarrassed at my oversight.

For all of the bragging I do when I score autographs from top-shelf players, the objective journalist in me dictates that I also share my mistakes. Going forward, I'll take a little more time and be certain who's behind the wheel.

The Big Three

It’s not all that often when Tampa Bay’s Vinny Lecavalier, Brad Richards and Martin St. Louis all stop to sign autographs on the same day. I’ll tell you what, though, it’s pretty neat when it happens.

It took a little hustle, but it was worth it to score these items Friday after the team's informal skate:

Lecavalier was pretty darn jovial when he signed the 8x10, out of a Lightning team plaque, for Colin. He even chuckled at my suggestion of 55-60 goals this season.

St. Louis, who gave Colin an autograph not too long ago, signed this Team Canada puck. If anyone has a Saint John Flames puck they’re willing to part with, drop me a line.

Richards, the easiest of the three as he stopped on the way to his vehicle, added to this working Lightning mini helmet.

Autographs from Captain Dave, Dan Boyle, GM Jay Feaster and, eventually, Nikolai Khabibulin will complete it.

The hockey bug bites

Among my many faults, a lack of patience is among the worst. It comes, I’m sure, from my deadline-oriented life. It’s at its worst, though, about this time of year. I know hockey is coming. It's just not soon enough.

I had full intentions of waiting for the Lightning’s training camp to open next week. Once I read that most of the team was skating at the team’s practice facility, I couldn’t resist the temptation. So, on Friday, I drove to Brandon.

After adding 26 autographs to the collection, including 11 pucks, my only complaint was I waited as long as I did to make the trip. Besides snagging one each from The Big Three, I concentrated on catching up with the Lightning’s new players – Chris Gratton, Jan Hlavac, Brad Lukowich, Michel Ouellet – and last season’s acquisition, Shane O’Brien.

Pucks, shown above, are:
Top row: Portland Pirates game-used, Kingston Frontenacs and Toronto St. Michael's Majors: Shane O'Brien
Bottom row: Florida Panthers: Filip Kuba; Tampa Bay Lightning: Brad Lukowich; and Quebec Citadelles: Jason Ward

Cards, shown below, are: Chris Gratton, from left, Jan Hlavac and Michel Ouellet.