Consider it a promise kept: Hound Central 4.0 is now officially open for your review.
As always, folks, I appreciate all of the time that you've spent here. I hope Hound Central 4.0, even in its infancy, proves useful and entertaining.
In fact, Puckhound has already scored the first six pucks of his 2008-09 hockey-hounding campaign. Who signed? Click the link above.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
Breaking news
Faithful readers of Hound Central 3.0 should take note that the wait for Hound Central 4.0's official launch can now be measured in hours, rather than days.
Look for the journal that will chronicle the 2008-09 hockey hounding season to open for business, so to speak, sometime Saturday night.
In the meantime, see how your hounding bag stacks up against mine.
As always, thanks for stopping by. I appreciate your patience. Hopefully, it will be rewarded.
Look for the journal that will chronicle the 2008-09 hockey hounding season to open for business, so to speak, sometime Saturday night.
In the meantime, see how your hounding bag stacks up against mine.
As always, thanks for stopping by. I appreciate your patience. Hopefully, it will be rewarded.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Getting closer
Though we're still a few days away from its official launch, you'll find Puckhound's review of 2008-09 Victory Hockey at Hound Central 4.0.
Monday, August 18, 2008
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.
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.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Consider it done
Given that more than 58 percent of Hound Central 3.0 readers want to see a Hound Central 4.0, who am I to disagree. That's why, even before the poll ended, the new blog for the 2008-09 season has, indeed, found its way into the hockey blogosphere.
Though Hound Central 4.0 is up and running, we're still a few days away from its official launch, when preseason features, such as fearless prognostications and my annual thoughts on the best young players in the game, will fill in the days until my first trip to the Lightning's training camp.
In the meantime, Hound Central 3.0 will continue to run its course. I hope you don't mind.
Question: Hound Central 3.0 or Hound Central 4.0?
Launch Hound Central 4.0: 10 out of 17 votes cast (58.8 percent)
Keep Hound Central 3.0: 4 out of 17 votes (23.5 percent)
Don't care: 2 out of 17 (11.8 percent)
Shut it down (Sorry, Johnny Boy): 1 vote (6 percent)
Though Hound Central 4.0 is up and running, we're still a few days away from its official launch, when preseason features, such as fearless prognostications and my annual thoughts on the best young players in the game, will fill in the days until my first trip to the Lightning's training camp.
In the meantime, Hound Central 3.0 will continue to run its course. I hope you don't mind.
Question: Hound Central 3.0 or Hound Central 4.0?
Launch Hound Central 4.0: 10 out of 17 votes cast (58.8 percent)
Keep Hound Central 3.0: 4 out of 17 votes (23.5 percent)
Don't care: 2 out of 17 (11.8 percent)
Shut it down (Sorry, Johnny Boy): 1 vote (6 percent)
Friday, August 15, 2008
How can they resist?
Other than death and taxes, it's a popular belief that there are no sure things in life. I believe that adage goes far beyond that, namely a kid with a baseball at a minor league park stands a darn good chance to get some autographs.
Take Wednesday night at Bright House Networks Field in Clearwater, Fla., for example.Staked out near the Clearwater Threshers dugout, Colin scored 14 autographs on a ball he retrieved from batting practice (drawing scorn from a grumpy old usher for running into a closed section) as well as his hand-drawn shark poster before the game's first pitch.
Among those signing were Michael Taylor (shown above), who crushed two home runs in the Threshers' 8-1 drubbing of the Lakeland Flying Tigers in Class-A Florida State League action.
Also signing the ball were Phillies prospects Quintin Berry, Gus Milner, Joe Savery and John Urick.
Granted, very few of these players will make it to the big leagues, but it didn't matter to Colin. For him, and me, it was another instance of quality time spent together during our summer break.
All about the sharks
All summer long, Colin's fascination with sharks has grown. We traveled to a marine research facility in Sarasota to check out their specimens. He just a got a book with 1,000 facts about sharks. Heck, he even has a pair of shark sunglasses.But, I get the sense that his summer wasn't complete until he got a bunch of Clearwater Threshers players -- Single-A prospects for the Philadelphia Phillies -- to sign his hand-drawn poster before a game earlier this week.
As usual, the players got a kick out of the poster, nearly every one asking whether he had drawn it.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Act now, save a bunch
I normally wouldn't pass along store specials, but if you're expecting to use any paint pens during the upcoming NHL season, you might want to stop by your local Michael's arts and craft stores.
It seems that DecoColor Liquid Silver opaque paint markers (paint pens for short) as well as other color are only $1.99 each, rather than the normal $3.49. I spent a little over $10 to get five, saving $7.50 (or about three pucks) in the process.
It seems that DecoColor Liquid Silver opaque paint markers (paint pens for short) as well as other color are only $1.99 each, rather than the normal $3.49. I spent a little over $10 to get five, saving $7.50 (or about three pucks) in the process.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Hard at work
For those of you who may believe I've been talking to lawyers over the past few weeks, I now have proof that I've been busy creating the ninth and 10th titles to my suite of hockey collecting blogs:
Sweet Swatches: Fourteen of the sweetest memorabilia cards (primarily swatches of jerseys and patches) in our collection.
Young Guns: A look at our top-shelf Upper Deck Young Guns, the gold standard of hockey rookie cards.
Taken together, I believe all 10 offer one of the most comprehensive arrays of hockey hounding/collecting blogs on the Internet.
Check them out, won't you?
Also, keen observers may notice that Hound Central 4.0 has had its "soft" launch. The official launch is still a few days away, but the 2008-09 hockey hounding journal is up and running.
Sweet Swatches: Fourteen of the sweetest memorabilia cards (primarily swatches of jerseys and patches) in our collection.
Young Guns: A look at our top-shelf Upper Deck Young Guns, the gold standard of hockey rookie cards.
Taken together, I believe all 10 offer one of the most comprehensive arrays of hockey hounding/collecting blogs on the Internet.
Check them out, won't you?
Also, keen observers may notice that Hound Central 4.0 has had its "soft" launch. The official launch is still a few days away, but the 2008-09 hockey hounding journal is up and running.
Design a mask
So, you think you're an artist, eh? And you love hockey. The Vancouver Canucks are offering a contest just for you, with the opportunity to design backup goalie Curtis Sanford's mask.
Personally, I'd rather design Roberto Luongo's mask. He's a much better goalie (a mild understatement) and, as the Canucks' starter, the design would get much more exposure.
With that in mind, perhaps the Canucks should let fans design Sanford's hat, seeing he'll be more likely to wear that from the comfort of the bench than his mask this season.
Personally, I'd rather design Roberto Luongo's mask. He's a much better goalie (a mild understatement) and, as the Canucks' starter, the design would get much more exposure.
With that in mind, perhaps the Canucks should let fans design Sanford's hat, seeing he'll be more likely to wear that from the comfort of the bench than his mask this season.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
It's been awhile, hasn't it?
Here you go, a handful of items to occupy idle moments.
Don't forget to vote in the latest Hound Central 3.0 poll, too.
Have fun.
Name this logo
From what I remember, the chance to identify this little quizzical visual usually drew some interest.
Heck, even my wife likes this one.
Let's see how many educated guesses we get with this logo.
Remember, too, that complete answers get full credit.
Hockey Word Association
New third jerseys =
Ted Nolan =
Detroit Red Wings =
Jaromir Jagr =
Best young defenseman =
Hockey Scrambled
Injo Kapentin =
Ancdnu Ethik =
Virast Jaacz =
Tigrebl Luber =
Striku Rofets =
Hockey math
Tony Toesave gave up 169 goals on 1,980 shots faced in 66 games. What is Tony's goals-against average and save percentage?
A.) 2.89 GAA, .905 SP
B.) 2.37 GAA, .921 SP
C.) 2.73 GAA, .911 SP
D.) 2.56 GAA, .915 SP
Don't forget to vote in the latest Hound Central 3.0 poll, too.
Have fun.
Name this logo
From what I remember, the chance to identify this little quizzical visual usually drew some interest.Heck, even my wife likes this one.
Let's see how many educated guesses we get with this logo.
Remember, too, that complete answers get full credit.
Hockey Word Association
New third jerseys =
Ted Nolan =
Detroit Red Wings =
Jaromir Jagr =
Best young defenseman =
Hockey Scrambled
Injo Kapentin =
Ancdnu Ethik =
Virast Jaacz =
Tigrebl Luber =
Striku Rofets =
Hockey math
Tony Toesave gave up 169 goals on 1,980 shots faced in 66 games. What is Tony's goals-against average and save percentage?
A.) 2.89 GAA, .905 SP
B.) 2.37 GAA, .921 SP
C.) 2.73 GAA, .911 SP
D.) 2.56 GAA, .915 SP
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Easy pickings
In hounding, there must be a law of averages. For every tough autograph you get, there seems to be another that comes pretty darn easy.Take this one from Tampa Bay's Akinori Iwamura. Rather than wait outside in the sweltering heat and humidity, all we had to do was enter a contest inside air-conditioned Tropicana Field before today's thrilling 10-7 walk-off victory over Cleveland.
Though autographed cards from some of the Rays' bigger names were picked clean, we certainly had no complaints about adding this one to the collection.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
But, wait, there's more
McFarlane's Sports Picks also promises a release this month. The lineup of its NHL Hockey Series 19, combining heroes past and present, features Don Cherry 2, Tony Esposito, Grant Fuhr (in Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs uniforms), Alex Kovalev, Bernie Parent (shown above) and Ryan Smyth 2.Looking ahead, McFarlane's promises these releases deeper into the season:
NHL Legends Series 7 (release date of October 2008): Doug Gilmour (who, like Fuhr, will be available in Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs uniforms), Gordie Howe 2, Mark Messier (in Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers uniforms), Stan Mikita and Maurice Richard (shown at left)
NHL Hockey Series 20 (release date of November 2008): Daniel Briere, Jonathan Cheechoo (shown at left), Jarome Iginla 3, Nicklas Lidstrom 2, Dion Phaneuf, Daniel Sedin 2 and Vesa Toskala.
Feeding the habit
As we all go through our various stages of hockey withdrawal, here's one instance of hope to hold onto until NHL clubs open training camps for the 2008-09 season.
Despite conflicting release dates (July 9 or Aug. 5?), we should soon expect to see Upper Deck offering Victory Hockey, the first cards for the upcoming season, featuring 200-card base and 50-card rookie sets.
Looking past its low-end reputation, meaning it'll likely be ignored by "elitist" collectors, I believe Victory provides autograph stock for quite a few big-name prospects:
~ Boston's Milan Lucic;
~ Chicago's Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews;
~ Edmonton's Andrew Cogliano and Sam Gagner;
~ Los Angeles' Jack Johnson;
~ Montreal's Carey Price and Andrei Kostitsyn;
~ the Rangers' Marc Staal;
~ Phoenix's Martin Hanzal;
~ St. Lous' Erik Johnson; and
~ Washington's Nicklas Backstrom
Key rookies, primarily late-season call-ups who enjoyed a couple of sips from their NHL cups of coffee last season, include Dallas' Mark Fistric, Los Angeles' Erik Ersberg, the Islanders' Kyle Okposo and Ottawa's Brian Lee.
A quick check of the Fleer hockey page, a subsidiary of Upper Deck, shows no future release dates. Disappointing, if you ask me.
Despite conflicting release dates (July 9 or Aug. 5?), we should soon expect to see Upper Deck offering Victory Hockey, the first cards for the upcoming season, featuring 200-card base and 50-card rookie sets.
Looking past its low-end reputation, meaning it'll likely be ignored by "elitist" collectors, I believe Victory provides autograph stock for quite a few big-name prospects:
~ Boston's Milan Lucic;
~ Chicago's Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews;
~ Edmonton's Andrew Cogliano and Sam Gagner;
~ Los Angeles' Jack Johnson;
~ Montreal's Carey Price and Andrei Kostitsyn;
~ the Rangers' Marc Staal;
~ Phoenix's Martin Hanzal;
~ St. Lous' Erik Johnson; and
~ Washington's Nicklas Backstrom
Key rookies, primarily late-season call-ups who enjoyed a couple of sips from their NHL cups of coffee last season, include Dallas' Mark Fistric, Los Angeles' Erik Ersberg, the Islanders' Kyle Okposo and Ottawa's Brian Lee.
A quick check of the Fleer hockey page, a subsidiary of Upper Deck, shows no future release dates. Disappointing, if you ask me.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
The next step
As you can see, I'm seeking input, through the latest Hound Central 3.0 poll, on the future of my hockey-hounding blog. Do I continue writing this version, covering my hounding efforts of the 2008-09 NHL season? Or do I start anew, launching Hound Central 4.0?
Unlike others I know, I'll be honest. Keeping Hound Central 3.0 alive through the upcoming season would be taking the easy way out. No starting from scratch, just picking up where I left off. And that, my friends, has great appeal.
Still, though, the idea of building Hound Central 4.0 offers its own set of rewards. It's satisfying to watch something grow from the first page view. It's a hoot, too, trying out new ideas and, hopefully, fresh approaches. It'll give me another set of 999 posts.
That's where you folks come in. Provide some guidance, please. So far, eight readers have shared their opinions.
Do the right thing. Take part in the poll, won't you?
Unlike others I know, I'll be honest. Keeping Hound Central 3.0 alive through the upcoming season would be taking the easy way out. No starting from scratch, just picking up where I left off. And that, my friends, has great appeal.
Still, though, the idea of building Hound Central 4.0 offers its own set of rewards. It's satisfying to watch something grow from the first page view. It's a hoot, too, trying out new ideas and, hopefully, fresh approaches. It'll give me another set of 999 posts.
That's where you folks come in. Provide some guidance, please. So far, eight readers have shared their opinions.
Do the right thing. Take part in the poll, won't you?
Friday, August 1, 2008
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)
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)
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Quick work
Want to know when happens when you get a tip that Evan Longoria, the Tampa Bay Rays' star rookie third baseman, is visiting a nearby establishment? That's easy.
You enlist one of Longoria's biggest 7-year-old fans, quickly put together a few items (the Tampa Bay Devil Rays bat, shown above, and Rays mini helmet, at left), make sure you have the proper signing instruments and, after getting out of our pajamas, head over to the establishment.As you can see, we got there in plenty of time. In fact, the entire trip took about 30 minutes.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
The full run
Though I shared my top five hounding trips for the 2008-09 NHL season down here in Humidity Bay, here's a complete listing of the planned campaign:
Preseason
TBD: Lightning training camp
Monday, Sept. 22: Pittsburgh Penguins (Will Sidney sign?) %
Tuesday, Sept. 23: New York Rangers %
Regular season
Saturday, Oct. 11: Carolina Hurricanes (Lightning's home opener) *
Thursday, Oct. 16: New York Islanders
Saturday, Oct. 18: Minnesota Wild (Redemption, please) *#
Tuesday, Oct. 21: Atlanta Thrashers
Saturday, Oct. 25: San Jose Sharks (Welcome back, Dan Boyle) *
Saturday, Nov. 1: Ottawa Senators (Working a team helmet)
Thursday, Nov. 13: Detroit Red Wings *#
Tuesday, Nov. 18: Florida Panthers (Working a team helmet)
Friday, Nov. 21: Nashville Predators *
Wednesday, Nov. 26: New York Rangers
Thursday, Dec. 4: Boston Bruins (Welcome back, Patrice) *#
Saturday, Dec. 6: Buffalo Sabres %
Thursday, Dec. 18: Colorado Avalanche (Another five from Joey?) *
Tuesday, Dec. 30: Montreal Canadiens (Considering a team helmet)
Thursday, Jan. 15: Philadelphia Flyers
Monday, Jan. 19: Dallas Stars (Welcome back, Brad Richards) *#
Wednesday, Jan. 21: Buffalo Sabres
Tuesday, Jan. 27: Montreal Canadiens
Thursday, Feb. 12: Toronto Maple Leafs %
Tuesday, Feb. 17: Chicago Blackhawks (Hello, Mssrs. Kane and Toews) *#
Thursday, Feb. 19: New Jersey Devils
Sunday, Feb. 22: Boston Bruins *
Tuesday, March 3: Pittsburgh Penguins
Friday, March 6: St. Louis Blues *
Thursday, March 19: Washington Capitals %
Tuesday, March 24: Columbus Blue Jackets *
Tuesday, April 7: Pittsburgh Penguins %
Thursday, April 9: Washington Capitals (Lightning's home closer)
* = One of the 12-plus games we'll attend this season
# = Part of Top Five trips
% = Optional trip
Preseason
TBD: Lightning training camp
Monday, Sept. 22: Pittsburgh Penguins (Will Sidney sign?) %
Tuesday, Sept. 23: New York Rangers %
Regular season
Saturday, Oct. 11: Carolina Hurricanes (Lightning's home opener) *
Thursday, Oct. 16: New York Islanders
Saturday, Oct. 18: Minnesota Wild (Redemption, please) *#
Tuesday, Oct. 21: Atlanta Thrashers
Saturday, Oct. 25: San Jose Sharks (Welcome back, Dan Boyle) *
Saturday, Nov. 1: Ottawa Senators (Working a team helmet)
Thursday, Nov. 13: Detroit Red Wings *#
Tuesday, Nov. 18: Florida Panthers (Working a team helmet)
Friday, Nov. 21: Nashville Predators *
Wednesday, Nov. 26: New York Rangers
Thursday, Dec. 4: Boston Bruins (Welcome back, Patrice) *#
Saturday, Dec. 6: Buffalo Sabres %
Thursday, Dec. 18: Colorado Avalanche (Another five from Joey?) *
Tuesday, Dec. 30: Montreal Canadiens (Considering a team helmet)
Thursday, Jan. 15: Philadelphia Flyers
Monday, Jan. 19: Dallas Stars (Welcome back, Brad Richards) *#
Wednesday, Jan. 21: Buffalo Sabres
Tuesday, Jan. 27: Montreal Canadiens
Thursday, Feb. 12: Toronto Maple Leafs %
Tuesday, Feb. 17: Chicago Blackhawks (Hello, Mssrs. Kane and Toews) *#
Thursday, Feb. 19: New Jersey Devils
Sunday, Feb. 22: Boston Bruins *
Tuesday, March 3: Pittsburgh Penguins
Friday, March 6: St. Louis Blues *
Thursday, March 19: Washington Capitals %
Tuesday, March 24: Columbus Blue Jackets *
Tuesday, April 7: Pittsburgh Penguins %
Thursday, April 9: Washington Capitals (Lightning's home closer)
* = One of the 12-plus games we'll attend this season
# = Part of Top Five trips
% = Optional trip
Monday, July 28, 2008
Hot dates
A quick run through the Tampa Bay Lightning's 2008-09 home schedule shows that I'll be making at least 25 trips over to Tampa to hound visiting teams in the months ahead.
All told, nine teams visiting from the Western Conference should help diversify the collection. Three teams -- the Blackhawks, Blue Jackets and Blues -- offer first-time hounding opportunities.
Here are my top five trips:
Saturday, Oct. 18 - Minnesota Wild: Despite having a ton of pucks, health reasons forced me to skip the Wild's visit last season. The early season appearance allows an opportunity for redemption.
Thursday, Nov. 13 - Detroit Red Wings: Though I'm expecting this team to draw a large crowd, the prospect of snagging some of the Wings' big names makes this too tempting to pass up. At the least, I need Marian Hossa to complete last season's Thrashers team helmet.
Thursday, Dec. 4 - Boston Bruins: This could be Patrice Bergeron's first visit to Humidity Bay in more than a year. His little buddy can't wait to see him.
Monday, Jan. 19, 2009 - Dallas Stars: Our Brad Richards collection wouldn't be complete without an autographed Stars puck. I'm sure, too, that I'll find something for Mike Modano.
Tuesday, Feb. 17 - Chicago Blackhawks: Hopefully, one Buffalo kid (me) will meet another Buffalo kid (Patrick Kane). If not, there's always Jonathan Toews, whose autograph would look good on a University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux puck.
All told, nine teams visiting from the Western Conference should help diversify the collection. Three teams -- the Blackhawks, Blue Jackets and Blues -- offer first-time hounding opportunities.
Here are my top five trips:
Saturday, Oct. 18 - Minnesota Wild: Despite having a ton of pucks, health reasons forced me to skip the Wild's visit last season. The early season appearance allows an opportunity for redemption.
Thursday, Nov. 13 - Detroit Red Wings: Though I'm expecting this team to draw a large crowd, the prospect of snagging some of the Wings' big names makes this too tempting to pass up. At the least, I need Marian Hossa to complete last season's Thrashers team helmet.
Thursday, Dec. 4 - Boston Bruins: This could be Patrice Bergeron's first visit to Humidity Bay in more than a year. His little buddy can't wait to see him.
Monday, Jan. 19, 2009 - Dallas Stars: Our Brad Richards collection wouldn't be complete without an autographed Stars puck. I'm sure, too, that I'll find something for Mike Modano.
Tuesday, Feb. 17 - Chicago Blackhawks: Hopefully, one Buffalo kid (me) will meet another Buffalo kid (Patrick Kane). If not, there's always Jonathan Toews, whose autograph would look good on a University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux puck.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
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.
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