Sunday morning homily XXIV

In less than a week, I get to enjoy yet another spring break here in Florida. With Colin off from school and an early vacation request approved at work, we're looking forward to some fun in the sun.

We're planning on getting in a little hounding, watching some hockey, going camping (in the backyard, though), exploring Florida's wildlife, practicing our skating and, basically, hanging out. And, we might even check out the St. Petersburg Grand Prix.

More than anything else, our vacation together will provide yet another opportunity to strengthen a bond between father and son. As Colin grows older, I know these instances may prove more difficult to arrange. Schedules, from work to school to play, will likely see to that.

That's why hockey will play a big part of our time off together. Not just in the weeks ahead, but hopefully through our shared lifetimes. Now that Colin asks pretty good questions about the game, wanting to know about penalties, arenas and certain players on other teams, I know the seed has taken sprout.

Now, it's time to watch it grow.

What do you think?

Now that the hockey world, or at least our little speck of it, knows the Tampa Bay Lightning won't be making the NHL playoffs, I'm wondering why the team isn't shutting down stars Vincent Lecavalier and Marty St. Louis for the season.

With a season as frustrating as this, and nagging bumps and bruises starting to chip away at productivity, I believe it makes more sense to start their summers early, giving them a chance to heal -- physically, mentally and emotionally.

I doubt it will happen, though. No one wants to be accused of tanking a season, even if it means a No. 1 overall pick.

5 Big Sigs

In what will be the final full week of hockey hounding for the 2007-08 season in Tampa Bay, I can begin to close out the campaign by adding these cherry-picked items to the collection:

~ Florida's Tomas Vokoun on Panthers cards;
~ Washington's Olaf Kolzig on new and old school Capitals pucks;
~ Washington's Sergei Fedorov on anything;
~ Carolina's Eric Staal on a 2008 NHL All-Star Game puck; and
~ Carolina's Tuomo Ruutu and Sergei Samsonov on Hurricanes pucks.

It's LOO-cheech, SAINT-loo-EE

If you want to learn how to pronounce any NHL player's name, from Boston's Milan Lucic to Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis, check out the player profiles at team Web sites. Logos on NHL.com link to teams.

Some cards provide a pronunciation guide on the back.

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.

Mixing it up with Marty

It never fails to amaze me that whenever I find it within myself to praise a player for their signing habits, something happens that casts that perception in a somewhat different light. This case in point: Tampa Bay's Marty St. Louis.

Here's our exchange, which took place Monday following the Lightning's morning skate:

Marty: Whatcha got there? A store? (I will admit that I had quite the arrangement -- Team Canada goalie mask, a Lightning mini team helmet, a Lightning mini goalie mask, a dozen pucks and a book of cards.)

Me: Sorry, Marty, but nothing's for sale.

Marty (while signing the Lightning mini team helmet, shown above): Is that so?

Me: Yeah, Marty, it is. In fact, why don't you stop over to the house the next time you're in St. Pete. You can help me count out the 1,300 pucks, if you'd like. Maybe we'll look for the eight you've signed.

Marty: Jesus, 1,300 pucks?

Me: Yeah, 1,300 pucks.

Though I understand that some hockey players believe that every middle-age man seeking autographs is a dealer, I don't back down when accused of being one. Rather than being snotty, though, I try to "educate" these players that their broad-based perception is incorrect.

Simply amazing

Given his skill level, intensity and hockey hardware (Stanley Cup and Hart Trophy), one might think that Tampa Bay's Marty St. Louis might be a difficult autograph to obtain.

Lately, though, that's been the furthest from the truth. For a guy who hounds should forgive for the occasional denial, St. Louis is becoming just as quick with a Sharpie or paint pen as he is on skates. He signed this puck for us before Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Washington Capitals.

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.

Breaking the ice

Colin, my 6-year-old son, scored the first autograph of the season earlier today when he got Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis to sign this 8x10 photo during the Lightning's Ice Fest at the St. Pete Times Forum.

The photo, part of a plaque honoring St. Louis' MVP season, now hangs on a wall in Colin's bedroom, right next to something else Marty signed for him last season.