A new preseason game?

I keep hearing reports about a Hurricane headed toward the Tampa Bay area. The last I knew, the Hurricanes aren't supposed to arrive until Oct. 11, the Lightning's home opener.

And who is this Fay character? I don't remember Carolina signing anyone named Fay, do you? Maybe it's some Finnish free agent who flew under the NHL radar.

Addendum (Aug. 19): Fay's only a tropical storm, not a Hurricane.

Love conquers money

I'm not sure who I believe more. Those who said, in Hound Central 3.0's latest poll, that the love of the game would motivate them to play in the NHL or those who would play simply for the money.

One approach is altruistic. The other is not. One preserves the game's basic integrity. The other preserves a bank account. There are plenty of reasons to choose one answer over another. And, in the interest of full disclosure, I voted for the love of the game.

The best answer, I believe, is twofold.

For the love of the game, a person will bust their tail just to make it to the NHL. Once there, though, I wouldn't blame them for grabbing as much money as they could. Life's too short and all it takes is one bad second for a career to evaporate.

In the end, ideals trumped income. Overwhelmingly, too.

Question: What would be your motivation to play in the NHL?

Love of the game: 19 out of 24 votes cast (79.2 percent)
Love of money: 5 out of 24 votes (20.8 percent)

Internal accounting

Because of a dissolution of a friendship, the following items -- gifts that the unnamed sender believed were unreciprocated -- have been removed from Hound Central 3.0's collection and, with other items, will be returned to the source this week:

~ two Bobby Orr autographed pucks;

~ an autographed Wayne Gretzky Team Canada jersey;

~ an autographed Bruins helmet from Boston's Patrice Bergeron (a birthday gift to a 7 year old); and

~ a Boston Red Sox batting helmet autographed by David Ortiz (another birthday gift to a 7 year old).

Blog postings related to these items have also been deleted.

Granted, these are pretty significant items. Still, the relief that comes with this move far outweighs the burdens associated with retaining them.

I still believe, though, that we possess a respectable autographed sports memorabilia collection. Please know, too, that the autographed puck collection now stands at 1,538.

Addendum (July 28): The items have been sent. The image shows the postal service receipts. The smudges on the receipts are there to protect identities.

The Puck

Someone, 7, misses hockey.

He's not alone.

On Patrice, Vinny and online shopping

Three hockey-related thoughts before I head off this afternoon to inform and enlighten readers of the St. Petersburg Times up north in Hernando County:

~ It's great reading that Boston's Patrice Bergeron, a favorite of Hound Central 3.0, joined the Bruins' youngsters last week at the team's development camp north of Boston.

Bergeron, who sustained a nasty concussion early last season after a questionable hit from Philly's Randy Jones, said he's looking forward to playing again.

"I want to make sure I'm ready," he told NHL.com correspondent John Bishop. “That’s why I came down here this week, to skate and work out and make sure I’m in the best shape I can be.”

Down here in Humidity Bay, we can't wait to see Bergie play again. Like most Bruins fans, we missed him last season.

~ Great, but expected, move by the Lightning's new ownership to lock up Vinny Lecavalier, signing the team's superstar to an 11-year, $85 million contract. Since he was drafted first overall by the Lightning in 1998, Vinny's been the face of the organization.

This deal, expected to be a hot topic Tuesday at a meet-and-greet autograph session (a future posting, perhaps?) for season-ticket holders, is expected to keep Lecavalier a member of the Lightning for life. I certainly hope so.

~ Why is it whenever I believe I've found a good online deal on a piece of hockey equipment for Colin, be it gloves, shin guards or pants, the supplier never has it in his correct size?

Sure, I understand the concept behind closeouts (supplies are limited and no exchanges are allowed), but offering only a handful of products in useless sizes rivals conduct that would earn a chippy player an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

Low prices may lure people to Web sites, but if they can't find products at those advertised prices, a move that may steer some (but not me) to pay for more expensive gear, then they run the risk of alienating customers.

I, for one, took our business ($125, this order: helmet with faceshield, pants, gloves and shin guards) elsewhere.

And it wasn't any Florida-based pro shop; their prices ($44 for an off-brand pair of youth gloves, for instance, while I paid $25 for Mission Fuel 60s) are even higher.

Proof positive

Imagine my surprise just a few minutes ago when checking out the Tampa Bay Lightning's Web site I stumbled across this photo gallery image of Steven Stamkos signing Colin's jersey earlier today during a meet-and-greet with season-ticket holders.

To see the gallery, click on the link inside this story. Colin's is the fourth of seven photographs.

Sunday morning homily XXX

Now that I've dried off and got the water out of one of my ears following a mid-morning battle with super soakers (my Father's Day present) with Colin (that's him, on the right, with me at a Bolts game), it'll be much easier to share with you why, from my point of view, that Father's Day is, indeed, the best holiday of the year:

~ Fathers get to revel in the joy that they have helped to create. From skating backwards to fishing to sharing a recliner, spending time with your children is the best thing a father can do. Granted, most fathers I know, myself included, want to spend more time with their children and families. At least, though, we all have today.

~ Fathers get to pass along their experience, their love and their beliefs. From working hard at everything you do to remembering to look both ways when entering an intersection after the traffic light has turned green, it's our job, as a child's most important role model, to pass along the wisdom we've gained over the years.

~ If you're lucky (like I am), you'll get one of your better meals of the year today. For me, it'll be grilled steak, marinating for the past three days; twice-baked potatoes, including real bits of bacon and sour cream; and one of my favorite foods -- canned carrots. A slice of cake (or two or three) will top it off.

And though it was nice to open cards and unwrap presents on this day, the best gift I'll ever get is the one I receive every day from Colin -- a hug, a kiss and my favorite words: "I love you, Daddy."

To me, it just doesn't get any better than that.

Stoked, and stocked, for Stamkos

Maybe I'm jumping the gun a bit here, but I can't wait for this Friday, when the 2008 NHL Entry Draft kicks off in Kanata, Ontario. If perception becomes reality, that is when the Tampa Bay Lightning, picking first overall, will draft Sarnia's Steven Stamkos, a talented center who many believe is NHL-ready.

Really, it's not that I'm the biggest Lightning fan down here in Humidity Bay. Sure, they're my most recent "hometown team," and I'll root for them to do well every season, but they reside a couple notches down the list.

No, what I'm waiting for is Stamkos' first public visit to Tampa. I'm certain the Lightning, given their "Seen Stamkos" campaign, will be more than happy to show off their latest star. Work schedule permitting, I plan on attending as many introductory events as I can.

Why? Another no-brainer. I have quite a few items -- three pucks, a couple of magazines, a few cards and a Team Canada jersey waiting to be signed. And that, my friends, is just the beginning.

Thanks, again and again and again

As I bring the final Sunday morning homily of the season to a close, I want to thank everyone who has taken time to stop by Hound Central 3.0. I know this blog is an acquired taste, focusing much more on autographs than hockey in general.

And while the summer always represents a slowdown in the hockey autograph cycle, I'm hoping that there's enough news -- within hockey and my hounding activities -- to offer, at the least, a weekly posting until training camps open in September.

As always, folks, I appreciate your support.

Tim Russert: 1950-2008

As a journalist and as a native Western New Yorker, I felt a profound sadness upon learning that Tim Russert, the moderator for NBC's Meet the Press for the past 16 years, had passed away on Friday.

Mr. Russert, a native of Buffalo and a big fan of the NFL's Bills, was a journalist's journalist. He was all about getting the truth, even if it meant throwing a few high-and-tights at an unwilling subject, and protecting the integrity of objectivity.

Sunday mornings and politics, I'm afraid, will never be the same.

Good advice

After getting Dave Andreychuk, the former Tampa Bay Lightning captain, to sign a few items earlier tonight, I'm not sure what I was more excited about.

From a hounding standpoint, I'm thrilled that I finally got him to sign, at left, my Lightning Andreychuk jersey.

And I certainly won't complain that he also signed, above, Tampa Bay Lightning 2004 Stanley Cup champions and Oshawa Generals pucks.

From a Daddy standpoint, though, I'm downright ecstatic about the advice he had for Colin, fresh off a hockey skating lesson just down the road from where Andreychuk was part of a remote radio broadcast.

"So, you're hockey skating?" Andreychuk asked.

"Yep," Colin replied, "just got done with my lessons."

"How'd you do? Did you fall?" Andreychuk asked.

"All the time," Colin said.

"That's OK. Did you ever see me fall? I fell all the time, too," Andreychuk said.

"You fell?" Colin asked.

"All the time. But you know what I did every time I fell?" Andreychuk said.

"What?" Colin replied.

"I always got right back up," Andreychuk said. "That's what you have to do."

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?

Ayuh, I've been to Maine

With Team USA and Sweden opening training camps in and around Portland, Maine, later this week (April 24-30) for the upcoming World Championships, I'm going through a rather severe case of hockey homesickness. And it's not just because of the missed hounding opportunities.

No, I'm a big fan of Portland. It's a cool city. Old, brick and granite buildings. Lots of 'em. Commercial Street separates a working waterfront and a bustling downtown. Expect trendy gift shops and the requisite prices. The restaurants could be better, but there are some brew pubs, namely Three Dollar Deweys, worth visiting, too.

My favorite thing to do in Portland, and this should come as no great surprise, was hockey hounding. Many a winter's night, after making the 45-minute, mostly back-road ride to Portland to take in the game, I stood outside the Cumberland County Civic Center, snagging autographs from then-AHL stars Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Jason Spezza and Eric Staal.

Portland is, by far, the easiest place I've ever collected autographs. The players' entrance fronts Spring Street. At game time, most walk down from the hotel or parking garage. Post-game, the bus parks right outside the doors.

Who's worth hounding? How about these players?

Team USA: Buffalo's Jason Pominville and Drew Stafford, Carolina's Tim Gleason, Chicago's Patrick Kane, Edmonton's Tom Gilbert, Los Angeles' Dustin Brown and Patrick O'Sullivan, New Jersey's Zach Parise and Phoenix's Peter Mueller and Keith Ballard.

Team Sweden: Ex-Islander Kenny Jonsson, Los Angeles' Erik Ersberg and Vancouver's Alexander Edler. It's too bad such players as Vancouver's Markus Naslund and the Sedin twins, Daniel and Henrik declined their invitations.

Even though I can't be there, here's hoping that someone takes advantage of this opportunity. I'll bet that some of Boston's hounding crew will be there. If not, they'll miss out.

Sunday morning homily XXVII

There's just something about waking up early on a Sunday morning.

To sit on the back porch, a freshly brewed cup of coffee in hand, and watch the sun's rays peek through the branches of black walnut and oak trees. To watch worker honeybees flit from flower to flower, performing their missions. It's relatively quiet, too, with only the songs from birds filling the backyard.

With Florida's warm weather gaining steam, I know the months ahead will limit these opportunities. It's just too darn hot most days to enjoy the best of what the balmy Sunshine State has to offer.

Still, though, we're likely getting our last reprieve of cool, dry air over the next few days. Now that we've been down here a few years, I'm thankful I know enough to enjoy it.

Even if it means waking up early.

Football, in an arena?

As much as I'd like to take in our first Tampa Bay Rays game of the season, we're heading over to Tampa later today to check out the Tampa Bay Storm in our first-ever Arena Football League game.

From what I hear, the game's pretty exciting and the talent level improves each year. Sure, it's not the NFL, but the sports does produce lots of scoring and, as a result, excitement.

Given the lack of both during Lightning home games this season, I'm hoping that holds true.

Crowned

Hound Central 3.0 extends its congratulations to Boston College for winning the NCAA men's hockey championship last night. For the Eagles, who beat Notre Dame, 4-1, to claim the title, it is their third national championship.

Sunday morning homily XXVI

Now that the hockey season has mercifully concluded down here in Tampa Bay, one might think that the withdrawal symptoms would be kicking into overdrive by now. Thankfully, that isn't the case.

I suppose taking the past week off from work, a move that coincided with Colin's spring break vacation from school, played a major role. And while we didn't cross everything off of our to-do list, we kept ourselves busy, and out of trouble, by hanging out together.

Sure, we did the hockey thing on Monday, hounding the Atlanta Thrashers and the Tampa Bay Lightning and taking in two periods (A brewing head cold meant I couldn't tolerate the Lightning's lackluster play and the incessant scoreboard-driven cheering any longer) of Tampa Bay's final home game of the 2007-08 season.

As the lights of the St. Pete Times Forum diminished in my rear-view mirror that night, I knew the activities and lessons of the days ahead (some planned, others impromptu) would help with the transition:

~ Helping to teach the Goofy Dude that learning to tie one's shoes is the last official test of successfully making the leap to Big Boyhood;
~ Getting our Indy Car fix at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg;
~ Teaching him right from wrong, namely that one returns a purse found in an empty shopping cart outside a Wal-Mart;
~ Keeping a promise to fly a kite, even if it was a bit too windy;
~ Giving Colin a personal tour of his father's first tour of duty in Florida;
~ Going to a movie theater and watching Horton Hears a Who!;
~ And, yes, we went ice skating a couple of times.

Now, had finances allowed us to travel to visit family or attend some of Florida's big-name theme parks, I'm sure we would have created a different set of memories. Still, though, I believe we had a pretty fun week of vacation. At least that's what Colin keeps telling me.

Classy Calgary

A nice touch by the Calgary Flames to line up and shake the hand of Vancouver's Trevor Linden following last night's game. Though it hadn't been announced officially, there were few people inside the GM Place last night who didn't know that the contest would be Linden's last in the NHL.

Once the final buzzer sounded, ending the Canucks' season, there were the Flames players, including 50-goal scorer Jarome Iginla, lining up to congratulate the player who many Vancouver fans believe defines the Canucks.

I may be wrong, but I don't recall that act of respect ever happening in other sports.

Looking ahead

After a couple days of getting back to work, my plans for hockey over the next few months will focus on cataloging the past few weeks of hounding and reorganizing all things related to hounding.

I doubt I'll revisit Baseball Mondays, last summer's project that focused on baseball hounding efforts. Simply put, it's just too blasted hot from mid-April to September to stand outside and try to collect autographs.

Instead, I hope to get in more ice skating, especially with Colin, and some fishing. Hounding is only a hobby, not a business. Life is far too short to not have fun.

Sunday morning homily XXV

Just how quickly time flies by struck me hard yesterday as we hounded the Carolina Hurricanes. It seems like only a couple weeks ago that the Lightning were at training camp and a full season of hounding awaited.

I've been told that time does, indeed, pass in an instant with each year, as we're able to place it in context with the accumulation of years in our lives. If I didn't subscribe to that theory last September, any doubts were erased by March.

I know I've taken extended breaks from hounding this season, keeping a promise I made to myself before the season. I wanted to have fun this year, rather than repeat the frustrations that dotted the tail end of the 2006-07 season. I believe I kept that commitment.

I'll save an in-depth look at the 2007-08 season for another day, but I certainly can't complain about this season's efforts. Thanks to Boston's Tim Thomas, the puck collection hit 1,500. Future Hall of Famer Joey Sakic signed four pucks. Scoring 50 autographs in a single session was pretty cool, too.

That's not to say, though, that there wasn't some frustration. Health issues kept me away from two Western Conference teams, Vancouver and Minnesota, leaving me with a stockpile of those pucks. It's one thing to miss a divisional foe, but to pass on opportunities at such players as Marian Gaborik, Roberto Luongo and Markus Naslund was disappointing.

Looking at the big picture, however, I suppose it's easy to understand how the past seven months went by like seven weeks. Time flies when you're having fun.

On spring break

In my first tour of duty in Florida, back in 1979, one of my favorite times of the year was when northern colleges cut loose their students for two weeks of intoxicating fun in the sun of southern climates.

Living near Clearwater Beach back then, it was easy to get a front-row seat to the festivities. As I joined buddies parked along Mandalay Avenue, our cover (which seldom worked, by the way) was that we were students at either Florida or Syracuse. Our tans, however, gave us away.

Twenty-plus years later, I'm looking forward to this spring break. Colin has a week off from school and, through the good graces of my boss and a colleague, we're going to spend it together.

Now, I promise to steer clear of Clearwater Beach over the next week. Instead, we'll be skating, camping out and watching Horton Hears A Who! And, yes, we'll hound the Thrashers and Lightning tomorrow.

5 Big Sigs

In what will be this season's final installment of this weekly feature, we're hoping to add these to the collection:

~ Atlanta goalie Kari Lehtonen on the Thrashers team helmet;
~ Tampa Bay's Vinny Lecavalier on a 2008 NHL All Star Game puck;
~ Tampa Bay's Junior Lessard, winner of the 2004 Hobey Baker Award, on a Lightning puck;
~ Tampa Bay rookie defenseman Matt Smaby on a University of North Dakota puck; and
~ New Lightning goalie Mike Smith on Tampa Bay and Dallas pucks.

Sleep wins

I guess my best intentions simply aren't good enough. Despite gentle awakenings from my better half and Colin, I stayed home and got some apparently much-needed rest this morning.

As for the Washington Capitals, as members of the NHL Southeast Division, they'll be back many, many times to play the Lightning.

On the fly

Unlike Tuesday, when the lure of an extra two hours of sleep proved too tempting, I have every intention, at this late hour, of hounding the Washington Capitals tomorrow morning.

With new faces and plenty of unsigned pucks, I'd be a fool (neither the first nor last time, I'm afraid) not to try to snag a few late-season autographs. Then again, I may sleep in. I'm trying to take better care of myself these days.

Hang in there. The Hurricanes and Thrashers are still coming to town. Thankfully, my schedule is clear.

As always, I appreciate your patience.

Unintentional, I swear

It's not that I didn't want to drive over to Tampa a couple of hours ago so I could hound the New York Rangers. That's where I was headed. Unfortunately, I was involved in a very, very minor, low-speed, less-than-$200-in-damage fender bender on my way.

So, rather than likely getting shot down by the likes of Jaromir Jagr, Henrik Lundqvist and Brendan Shanahan, I had to wait until a police report was finished because, yes, I bumped the other car.

The hockey gods weren't looking out for me today. As a result, there won't be any Rangers hounding reports.

That was fun

Not wanting to dip in the babysitting well too often, Colin had to join me at work today. Not only did he help me design a page for the newspaper, picking the photos for the feature on a state park, but he was remarkably well behaved over the course of the shift.

As a reward, we took a ride to a mall, where we tried out our new skates at the rink. He's still working on his sea legs, so to speak. I'm just starting to shake off nearly 15 years of rust. At the least, we broke in our skates a little.

I swear, too, that my car steered itself into the Toys R Us parking lot. Once there, I figured what the heck. Might as well look around. As usual, Daddy didn't get a thing. Besides, a birthday's coming.

Still, though, after a day like today, when two of the world's goofiest dudes got to hang out, I can't help but say just how much fun it is to be a father. Now, I know that there will be days 180 degrees from today. That's life. Until then, I'm going to savor today.

Remember, too, to set your clocks ahead an hour before hitting the hay tonight. I really don't like giving up that hour of sleep. Do you?

They'll be back

Once again, a threat of rain, the need for sleep and a nagging backache, re-aggravated in Friday's hounding trip, kept me from hounding the Pittsburgh Penguins this morning in Tampa.

Sure, it's hard passing on one of the NHL's most talented teams, especially after getting prepared for the trip, but there are more important things in life, like taking care of yourself.

Running late

Just got back from a back yard camping trip and have a bunch of errands to run before working some OT at the paper. Yeah, it's an excuse, but it's mine and I'm sticking with it.

Patience, I've come to learn, is often rewarded.