In drips and drabs

Upper Deck tells us that the 2008-09 O-Pee Chee set will be released Oct. 7. Now that the product page has been updated, offering first loo...

Sunday morning homily III

It's amazing, isn't it, how much difference one week can make? Last Sunday, we found ourselves taking in all things hockey, from sco...

Best in show

As much as I'd like to think that I had a pretty good training camp and preseason of hounding, adding 120-plus autographs over the cou...

Top Shelf: Steven Stamkos

Every so often, when we're fortunate enough to enjoy a good run of luck, I'll show off the fruits of hockey-hounding labor. Is it br...

Solid start

I swear I'm not being greedy, but these eight pucks from Tampa Bay's Olaf Kolzig , picked up over the past month at informal skates ...

Fan Pack: SCL Tigers

I was beginning to wonder if we'd ever receive another fan pack in the mail when one arrived earlier this week from the SCL Tigers of t...

Sweet charity

Imagine my surprise, when digging through a bucket of sticks Sunday at the Lightning Foundation 's fundraising table during the team...

That didn't take long

When I was coming up with the three big names that I wanted to get for the Slovakian team jersey project this season, I knew that Tampa Bay...

Well worth the effort

To be honest, I had to be talked into hounding the New York Rangers on Tuesday morning. After a week of attending the Lightning's traini...

Batting .333

Though New York's Scott Gomez and Markus Naslund topped my wish list Tuesday for the New York Rangers, I was more than happy to settle...

A little help from my friends

A quick shout-out to Hound Central 4.0 reader Chris for helping me identify some of the New York Rangers' top prospects during the team...

Good call, if I do say so myself

On a day when the goal was to load up a Lightning jersey with autographs, putting a card book for the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins in my hou...

Immediate dividends

One of our favorite events during the Lightning's training camp is the annual IceFest for fans. Like most NHL teams, it's a day desi...

We'll take these

With the Tampa Bay Lightning's training camp coming to a close, the past few days were spent trying to get the players who may or may no...

Did you see us?

If you were watching the Minnesota Twins-Tampa Bay Rays game early today, chances are you saw two of Humidity Bay's Goofiest Dudes cheer...

My best guesses

With the three-ring hockey-hounding circus known as the Pittsburgh Penguins visiting Humidity Bay on Monday, meaning that I've waited as...

Taking the day off

When I woke up this morning, looked around and saw all of the household chores I've neglected for the past week, I figured it made more ...

Taking it easy

After knocking out most of my to-do list for the Tampa Bay Lightning's new guys and prospects, I really didn't have all that much fo...

Adding value

One of the biggest hits at training camp Wednesday was the discovery that a bunch of big-name team-issued sticks were selling for $12.50 eac...

Standing alone

I suppose the last thing I want to hear out of South Florida is that hockey hounds are having a hard time getting the Florida Panthers to si...

Good suggestion

An old friend of mine once told me that the blog needed more pictures of players signing autographs. I imagine this -- Hall of Famer and Bol...

This is more like it

Seeing that I had one of the more embarrassing mornings of my hounding career Tuesday, I wanted to come back with a strong effort as the Ta...

God's honest truth

Among the Lightning brass taking in Wednesday's opening training camp session were co-owner Oren Koules and top hockey guy Brian Lawton...

Roster sheet

Want to know who was part of the Lightning's weekly radio show Wednesday night at the team's training camp hotel: Lightning legend D...

Feeling the moment

It didn't take Tampa Bay coach Barry Melrose to slip into his ESPN experience Wednesday night during a radio show at the team's trai...

Exhibit A

Here's proof, intentionally gathered from Tampa Bay's Jussi Jokinen , of why black is such a bad color for collecting autographs. Ye...

Much better

Using a fresh paint pen, rather than one a little low on ink, perhaps , Lightning defenseman Matt Smaby re-signed these four pucks. It'...

Remember the sunscreen

Chances are I'm not the only person down here in Humidity Bay with a sunburned face after a day of hounding at the Lightning's train...

Stopping by

I'm in between trips to Tampa, so I thought I'd file a quick hounding report from the first day of the Tampa Bay Lightning's 200...

Well, this is embarrassing

It seems that I'm the one in need of a little extra homework after making a trip to Tampa this morning in hopes of catching some Tampa B...

Entries, please

Though I see that some visitors are checking out the Win this Autograph feature, I've yet to receive any entries for it. Look, it's ...

Ah, sweet relief

From where I'm sitting in air-conditioned comfort on yet another balmy days here in Humidity Bay, the five people who voted "no...

Quit your whining

Down here in Humidity Bay, where the surprising Tampa Bay Rays have become the top dogs of the local sports scene ( sorry, Bucs fans ), it w...

Sunday morning homily II

While baseball fans love February and the promise it brings, hockey fans know that September is the best month of the year. The leaves may b...

New blog: Puckworthiness

Between trips to Brandon, work and getting Colin ready for Fall Ball, I've quietly added to the roster of hockey-hounding blogs: Puckwor...

Man, it was hot

On a day when quality, and even some quantity, ruled the day, all I can say is that today was one of the more brutal days of hounding I'...

Okay, maybe I'm bragging

What's better than getting Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos , the Lightning's No. 1 pick in June, to sign one puck? How about two puck...

Fast start

Rather than focus primarily on pucks this season, I've introduced a number of projects to keep myself busy. One of those projects is a T...

From good to great

It's a good hounding day any time I can get Tampa Bay's Vinny Lecavalier to sign an item for us. But, when he becomes the second pl...

Not all that long ago

When you've been hounding for as long as I have, you often watch players grow up from fresh-faced rookies in the American Hockey League ...

My bad

I guess NHL players aren't the only people in need of getting ready for the upcoming NHL season. After wasting Tampa Bay defenseman Matt...

Full rinks in Florida

With less than a week remaining before NHL training camps open, more players are taking part in informal drills and scrimmages down here in ...

Hooky for hockey

You know, I hope Mrs. Gestoso, Colin's second-grade teacher, doesn't read this blog. If she does, I know of a couple of Very Goofy D...

That didn't take long

Going into any NHL season, I have one special item(s) that, for whatever reason, I must get signed. A couple years ago, it was Mike Modano ...

One's better than none

To be honest, I can't remember how many cards we sent last season to Boston's Phil Kessel . It could have been three, but, most lik...

Hockey Quiz No. 2

Well, what do you know? I finally was able to stump Hound Central 4.0 readers with the latest Name this logo contest in the first Hockey Qui...