Patience, please

In checking this blog's visitor stats recently, I could only chuckle when I discovered that someone found Hound Central 3.0 by searching for "Hound Central 4.0 best young defensemen" on Google. A few days later, another person went so far as to see whether Ottawa blueline prospect Brian Lee was on the defensemen list.

Now, faithful readers of the Hound Central hockey-hounding franchise know that these features, based solely on my perceptions of the NHL's young talent at forward, defense and goalie, have become an annual installment. The only problem, though, is that they aren't produced until early September.

Mainly, I wait until The Hockey News produces its annual preseason magazine, most often devoted to hockey pool junkies. It's there that I begin my research, culling the top players at these basic positions before settling on the best five at each position.

Until then, folks, we'll all have to be patient. As much as I'd like to have the season starting, it's still a number of weeks away. Let's enjoy the summer, shall we?

I think I'll wait

I was going to order three 2008 NHL Draft pucks today from Sensations, the Ottawa Senators' team store at Scotiabank Place in Kanata, until I learned that the shipping to Florida would be $30.

It's bad enough the puck was $7. I get mine for less than $2.75. I'd pay $5 for shipping. Maybe even $8. But $30? I don't think so.

Hopefully, my patience will be rewarded. It's my guess Steven Stamkos, projected as Tampa Bay's first overall pick Friday night, will be around Humidity Bay for quite a while.

The Habs have it

It seems that fans of the Montreal Canadiens have discovered this little old blog of mine. How do I know? That's easy. As the latest Hound Central 3.0 poll wound down, there was a last-minute push in picking the Canadiens to win the Stanley Cup.

That's not to say, though, that it was a landslide. It seems, too, that other visitors felt that another team, one not made available within the poll's choices, would end the season skating laps with hockey's hallowed hardware lifted to the heavens.

I was a bit surprised, too, that the Detroit Red Wings, who finished the 2007-08 regular season with the league's best record, didn't fare better in the poll. Then again, winning the Presidents' Trophy, which the Red Wings did for the sixth time, does not automatically guarantee success deep into June. Just ask the Buffalo Sabres.

Who's going to win the Cup? It's hard telling. Montreal does appear to be pretty stout, especially with rookie goalie Carey Price doing his best imitation of another rookie goalie who once led the Habs to the promised land. Still, though, I'm sure folks in other corners of the hockey universe, especially those in Pittsburgh, might beg to differ.

Question: Who will win the Stanley Cup?

Montreal Canadiens: 23 out of 49 votes cast (46.9 percent)
Another team: 17 out of 49 (34.7 percent)
San Jose Sharks: 4 out of 49 (8.1 percent)
Ottawa Senators: 3 out of 49 (6.1 percent)
Detroit Red Wings: 2 out of 49 (4 percent)

Sunday morning homily XVII

For those of you who have followed my hounding adventures this season, it's safe to say that recent weeks have proved rather productive. Fifty autographs in one day from the Montreal Canadiens. Four pucks signed by Colorado's Joe Sakic. Three pucks from Calgary's Miikka Kiprusoff. Heck, even the Maple Leafs, a team I associated with grumpiness, proved to be willing signers.

Not too long before that, though, I was experiencing the flip side of hounding, running into virtual brick walls and repeatedly testing my mantra that one autograph is better than none.

From time to time, readers comment about the luck I seem to have when it comes to hounding. With all due respect, though, luck has very little to do with it. Preparation and perseverance are my keys.

I won't apologize for my preparation efforts. Because my work schedule provides idle hours early in the day, I put that time to good use by compiling exhaustive puck lists and stacks of team sets that number more than 75 cards. I memorize players faces, making little flash cards of those I don't initially recognize.

Perseverance comes easily, too. If I'm going to make the effort to be prepared for teams, then putting myself in the right position at the right time is the easy part. In my book, anything less than that is a waste of time and effort.

Over the past 10-plus years of hounding -- from the early days of asking "Who's that?" in Greensboro, N.C., to too many freezing February mornings in downtown Boston -- I've had my fair share of more good days than bad. And, for that, I'm thankful.

Luck, I'm afraid, had nothing to do with it. We all make our own opportunities. Effort is usually rewarded. Laziness, I'm afraid, is not.

Something to think about

Down here in Florida, we've started to notice that players who not only sign for us, but also interact in a positive fashion, seem to enjoy a bit of good luck in their games against the Lightning.

The most recent example was Colorado defenseman Jeff Finger. Though he's not exactly a household name, one of my hounding buddies, Gary the Swedish Big Dog, made a point of sharing their mutual connections to Michigan's Upper Peninsula before last Tuesday's game. Finger's recognition that someone knew his hometown brought a giant smile to his face.

Later, during warm-ups, Finger noticed a sign of encouragement (Yooper Power!) that Gary had made for him. We weren't surprised then, when Finger scored Colorado's first goal against the Lightning. It was just his third of the season.

Now, I'm not suggesting that autograph hounds serve as conduits of good fortune for NHL players. Still, though, I guess it shows that good things happen to nice people.

5 Big Sigs

With Western Conference teams continuing to make stops in Tampa, one might think that I'd focus my efforts entirely on the Edmonton Oilers this week. While I will devote a considerable amount of attention to the Oilers, I can't forget that Ottawa is coming to town, too.

With a little hustle and good timing, here's what I hope we add to the collection this week:

~ Edmonton general manager Kevin Lowe on Oilers (old school) and Rangers pucks;
~ Winger Ales Hemsky on an Oilers official game puck and a wallpaper image;
~ Defenseman Denis Grebeshkov on one of his game-used sticks from his days with the AHL's Manchester Monarchs;
~ Goalie Dwayne Roloson on Oilers, Sabres and University of Massachusetts-Lowell pucks; and
~ Ottawa's Jason Spezza on the Young Guns stick.

Winging it

When it comes right down to it, it was hardly a surprise. Given its talented lineup, rabid fan base and place in hockey history, it's no wonder that Hound Central 3.0 readers picked the Detroit Red Wings as the NHL's best team this season.

By receiving more than 45 percent of the 33 votes cast (a Hound Central 3.0 poll record), the Wings easily outdistanced Ottawa. The Senators made a bit of a run, getting within one vote of tying Detroit, but their support dropped quickly upon news of injuries to Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza.

For the record, here are the results:

Question: Who's the best team in the NHL?

Detroit Red Wings: 15 out of 33 votes cast (45.4 percent)
Ottawa Senators: 10 out of 33 (30.3 percent)
Montreal Canadiens: 3 out of 33 (9 percent)
Vancouver Canucks: 3 out of 33 (9 percent)
Dallas Stars: 1 out of 33 (3 percent)
San Jose Sharks: 1 out of 33 (3 percent)

Well worth the effort

Every time I hound the Ottawa Senators, the team moves up a notch among the best-signing teams in the NHL. Most of the team, even big names like Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza, are willing signers. Others, like Ray Emery and Chris Neil, aren't. As a whole, though, the team is pretty handy with a Sharpie.

Tuesday morning, as most of the team walked to its morning skate at the St. Pete Times Forum, I snagged another 20 autographs, including these pucks from (left to right) Mike Fisher, Chris Phillips and Wade Redden.

The card collection grew, too, as these four, signed by (left to right) Dean McAmmond, Brian McGrattan (a Binghamton Senators card, no less), Andrej Meszaros and Antoine Vermette, were among 15.

Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson, who seems to be getting tougher with each season, was a strict one-per at game time, my sources tell me. My chance came Monday, and I missed. Oh, well, they'll be back.

Despite the miss, I can't complain. Two trips, over two days, netted another 34 autographs.

Apparently, I was fortunate to get an autograph from Emery on Monday. He didn't sign at morning skate or game time on Tuesday. Maybe he doesn't sign on game day.

Do you blame me?

One would think that I'd be happy with getting Ottawa's Dany Heatley to sign a new-look Senators puck. Well, I am.

And I certainly wasn't going to let it keep me from trying to get another autograph or two? Wouldn't you?

Heatley signed this as he walked to the team's morning skate Tuesday.

From what I hear, I likely could have added a third for the trip as he signed at game time. Say, maybe, one of our three Heatley mini jerseys.

Far from jaded

I couldn't help but laugh watching Ottawa rookie Nick Foligno sign autographs before Tuesday's morning skate in Tampa.

He was signing anything, including these cheap skate and H&P cards, and everything, especially pictures of his aerial salute to father, Mike, after scoring his first NHL goal.

Maybe I'll get an 8x10 of that signed next trip.

He seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself, too. I'll tell you what, that doesn't happen too often.

Perfect positioning

If you ever doubt the rewards of preparation and homework, you should have been in Tampa earlier today when, for about an hour, I was the only one hounding the Ottawa Senators before they headed off to a mid-afternoon practice.

A combination of the day off, knowledge of the team's schedule and an already packed hounding bag led to another 14 autographs, including five pucks, joining the collection.

And though I'll chide myself for missing Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson, thanks to his freshly shorn head and too much distance for me to cover, I'm quite pleased with my effort. Besides adding pucks from Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza, Andrej Meszaros and Nick Foligno, I also snagged the cards shown above from Ray Emery, Martin Gerber and Chris Kelly.

I also learned that Florida weather (sunny and in the low 80s) was much nicer than in Canada's capital, where it was in the low 30s (or, north of the border, about 0 degrees Celsius) with about 8 inches of snow when the team left for Florida. Today, it was snowing and got as cold as -11 degrees Celsius, about 13 degrees here in the states.

Even better, I'll head out tomorrow morning and see whether I can knock out the rest of the items. I also get to be one Senators fan's personal photographer.

Here's a hat trick

I may not have gotten a ton of autographs from the Ottawa Senators earlier today, but I can easily call it a great day with these pucks signed by, from left, Dany Heatley, Andrej Meszaros and Jason Spezza. Pretty sweet, eh?

You gotta like rookies

When it comes to hounding, you'll hardly ever go wrong with a rookie. For every player like Washington's Nicklas Backstrom, who's quickly gaining a reputation for not being fan-friendly, there is a player like Ottawa's Nick Foligno, son of former NHL player Mike Foligno, who was more than happy to sign these two pucks.

Sunday morning homily X

As much as I like watching the Boston Bruins play, especially when the team is down here in Tampa Bay, I didn't enjoy last night's game as much as I thought I would. Sadly, it had nothing to do with Bruins' 4-1 loss to the Lightning.

No, what really tempered my enthusiasm was the fact that Boston's Patrice Bergeron -- a favorite of the Hound Central 3.0 household -- understandably didn't make the trip as he recovers from the serious concussion he sustained earlier this season.

For the past three years, Patrice and Colin, our 6-year-old son, have become buddies. From training camps in Wilmington, Mass., to catching up outside the team's hotel here in Tampa, we've watched as the two bonded.

Over the years, Patrice has been gracious enough to sign many items for Colin. As a result, his room is full of Bergeron items -- cards, photos, a jersey and one very special stick. Our most valuable items, measured in something far greater than money, are the memories from their visits:

~ How Colin called him a heart-warming "Ka-trice," rather than Patrice, in their earliest visits;
~ The one rainy day in Wilmington, just after Christmas, when Colin stopped Patrice, on a dime, with a request to sign the game-used stick that Santaopolous brought him only days before;
~ The instant recognition and mile-wide smiles, as well as the looks on others' faces, when Patrice greeted Colin, by name, during a signing session at a Bruins Wives Carnival; and
~ The near-tear-inducing hug that Colin gave Patrice last October, the first time we saw the Bruins down here in Florida. For Colin, Patrice brought a sense of familiarity to a place that is, in more ways than anyone could imagine, so, so far away from New England.

Despite a chance meeting last night with Patrice's Uncle Vern (an usher at the St. Pete Times Forum), who wanted to meet the little boy wearing a Bruins #37 jersey and carrying a "Patrice: Get Well Soon! Your buddy, Colin" sign, it just didn't feel the same.

Godspeed, Patrice. Take your time and get healthy. We hope to see you again. But, if that doesn't happen, and you rightfully place your well-being and future above the game, we want to thank you for everything. Especially the memories.

We won't boo this guy -- anymore

Over the years, Colin has been the recipient of many pucks from players, either at practices or pre-game warm-ups. Last night, he added to his collection. But rather than getting a puck from a player, the latest addition came from someone other than a player.

As we waited outside the St. Pete Times Forum after the game, the officiating crew started to walk past. One of them stopped, though, dropping his shoulder bag to the ground. He fished around the bag, and a few seconds later, produced this official, and slightly frozen, Tampa Bay Lightning game puck.

"Here you go, buddy," said Stephane Auger, an NHL referee, as he handed the puck to Colin.

Pretty nice gesture, if you ask me.

5 Big Sigs

With three teams coming to Tampa this week -- the Ottawa Senators, Carolina Hurricanes and New York Islanders -- I'm hoping that quality far exceeds quantity as we add these to the collection:

~ Ottawa's Daniel Alfredsson, Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza on new-look Senators pucks;
~ Carolina's Rod Brind'Amour on a Philadelphia Flyers puck;
~ The Isles' Rick DiPietro on the American-born goalie stick;
~ The Isles' Billy Guerin on Islanders and Dallas Stars pucks; and
~ getting former Lightning player Ruslan Fedotenko, now playing for the Islanders, to re-sign a 2004 Stanley Cup Game 7 puck, this time with a blue paint pen. Fedotenko, you might recall, scored Tampa Bay's Cup-winning goal.

Just like Dad

You don't have to be an Ottawa Senators fan to gain a mile-wide grin after watching rookie Nick Foligno, son of former NHL player and former Buffalo Sabre Mike Foligno, score his first NHL goal.

After scoring in red-hot Ottawa's 4-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens last night, Nick celebrated with a dead-on imitation of his father's well-known exultation.

I'm sure other hockey dads, even those who haven't played in the NHL, got a little teary-eyed with the son's tribute to his old man.

Worth a look, I suppose

For those of us, for whatever reason, who were unable to attend the Ottawa Senators' new RBK Edge jersey unveiling last week, the defending Eastern Conference champion has been kind enough to provide a photo slideshow tour of the team's new look at its Web site.

No matter what they do, though, the new jerseys aren't worth the prices.

More new looks

The Ottawa Senators unveiled their new jerseys and logos yesterday, opting for a sharper, more determined look for the Roman soldier. With the announcement, Ottawa becomes the fifth team (Boston, Columbus, Ottawa, San Jose and Washington) to launch a new logo, in conjunction with the new RBK Edge uniform system, for the upcoming 2007-08 season.

The new jerseys will also feature a nod to the team's past. The shoulder patches will have a retro “O” symbol on a striped background, a tribute to the original Ottawa Senators.

Senators fans will get their first on-ice look at the jerseys when the team plays host to the Washington Capitals on Sept. 20.

Looking ahead, the Tampa Bay Lightning will unveil their new logo and jerseys this Saturday during the team's IceFest. In Vancouver, the Canucks will show off their new jerseys Aug. 29.

Down here in Florida, the Panthers unveiled their new jerseys during their alumni game on July 28. That's Nathan Horton, left, modeling the road jersey and Stephen Weiss showing off the home jersey.

While these new looks may tempt some fans into dropping some of their hard-earned money for a jersey, I believe a better value can be found in scooping up last season's looks. Chances are you'll be able to get them at a discount.

Not too long ago, I bought Colorado Avalanche and Montreal Canadiens replica home jerseys for just $85. You'll spend considerably more, say about $150, for a new RBK Edge replica jersey. Bottom line, though, it's your call.