It's been a couple weeks

Well, a so-called soft launch of Hound Central 5.0 is about two weeks old. Thankfully, we've had NHL players and prospects filling rink...

Check it out

As promised, here's the big news: Hound Central 5.0 is up and running. A trip to Brandon earlier today marked the first hounding trip o...

Refresher courses

With more players taking to local rinks in preparation of NHL training camps, it's a good idea to brush up on your hockey-hounding skill...

All about baseball

Seeing that today is the last day of summer vacation, we're getting an early start on a full day of activities. We were pretty busy last...

Pleasant surprise

Like most every other hockey hound I know, the upcoming NHL season can't arrive soon enough. Allan, Hound Central 4.0's corresponden...

Long live the Aud

Though Hound Central 4.0 does not condone acts of trespassing, I believe old-school Buffalo Sabres fans might enjoy one last look at the in...

Different looks

Beyond signaling that the 2009-10 NHL season is right around the corner, the recent release of 2009-10 Victory also carries cards of player...

Batting .917

Over the course of the summer, Colin has put together a remarkable collection of Florida State League team-signed balls. Recently, with the ...

We're keeping these

It doesn't seem all that long ago that Colin was trying on this pair of skates. Really, though, it's been more than two years, and t...

NHL players reporting to rinks

From what I hear, NHL players are taking to rinks getting ready for the upcoming training camps. I read on Facebook yesterday that Buffalo...

Take a look, won't you?

Just to prove that Baseball Mondays isn't just about collecting autographs during our Summer of Baseball, I've created a photo gall...

Flashbacks 08.10

Here's another player's-only stroll down hockey-hounding memory lane: March 9, 2009: St. Louis' T.J. Oshie Jan. 31, 2009: Hall...

Little Gray Box: Ryan Miller

In all honesty, I can't remember if Buffalo's Ryan Miller signed this cheapskate card in 2002 or 2003. I am positive, though, we go...

Yeah, me, too

I know we're dab smack in the dog days of summer, when thoughts of baseball, beaches and back-to-school bargains fill our minds, but I s...

Thank God for shade

Want to know how hot it got last week during Florida State League game with a first-pitch time of noon? Let's just say triple-digits . Y...

A long look back

Really, it's not that I didn't want to put together this review of our efforts of the 2008-09 hockey-hounding season. No, that wasn...

Summer break

Even wearing black, as well as a little gold, taking part in a Mites hockey clinic is an easy way to escape highs in the mid-90s. Then agai...

Here's an idea

With the Tampa Bay Lightning in an all-out season-ticket marketing blitz -- including a multimedia tool that incorporates the fan and repea...

A good excuse

I know that I owe Hound Central 4.0's faithful readers a review of our 2009-09 hockey-hounding efforts. It's just that our Summer o...

It's been such a long time

It's always a good day when our postal carrier drops off some autographs in our mailbox. In this case, they came from Edmonton's Pat...

Rest in peace, Reg

The recent passing of former NHL player Reg "The Ruffian" Fleming struck a chord with Moody, Hound Central 4.0's roving Sout...

Flashbacks 07.21

It's been a long time since we tried one of these, hasn't it? More than five weeks, if you're keeping track. Long overdue, if yo...

Mondays mean baseball

All it took was a proven method and a willingness to dodge a few raindrops to add these Florida State League-based items to our Summer of Ba...

The secret to success

Now that we're in the dog days of summer -- the NHL Draft and the opening of free agency behind us -- we have plenty of time to play gen...

Gallery: Lightning Young Guns camp

Just like the sign says: Welcome to the 2009 Tampa Bay Lightning Young Guns prospect camp held over the past week at the St. Pete Times Foru...

Sticking with it

Besides getting three autographed pucks from Victor Hedman , Tampa Bay's top 2009 pick, the biggest project for the Lightning's Youn...

Doubling up

Want to know what happens when all get into the same autograph line for Tampa Bay's prospects? Actually, that's an easy question. No...

Pencil these in

After a long day of watching hockey, ordering a Wendy's single with everything but onions and watching Colin collect three foul balls, I...

Big leagues, too

Just to prove that Baseball Mondays isn't all about minor league baseball, you might want to check out these postings: ~ Four members o...

Sorry to make you wait

In hindsight, I would've been better off not having Victor Hedman , Tampa Bay's top pick at the 2009 NHL Draft, sign these three puc...

See Stamkos?

It was easy to see just how much Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos has matured in the past year. A year ago, he was the hugely hyped No. 1 ove...

I don't know about this

It's not that I'm complaining or anything, but I'm having a hard time getting a Carter Ashton out of these autographs. I mean, ...

He's having fun

If there's one person who's thoroughly enjoying himself at the Tampa Bay Lightning's Young Guns camp these days it has to be goa...

In an instant

Though I carried cards and pucks during his brief appearances on Tampa Bay's blueline last season, I somehow managed to miss getting a s...

Handy to have

With the Tampa Bay Lightning holding its Young Guns camp this week, it was a good time to put some 2008-09 Norfolk Admirals team set cards t...

If only for a moment

Over the next few days, we're hoping to get in a little hockey-hounding as the Tampa Bay Lightning holds its Young Guns camp at the St....

Not too much to ask, is it?

Had a busy morning over at Baseball Mondays . Now, if only you'd spend a few minutes reading about: ~ A team ball from the St. Lucie Me...

Update: 2009-10 Western Conference visitors

Back on April 3, I predicted that the following teams would be visiting Hockey Bay for the 2009-10 season: Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, C...

Update: Lots for the Lightning

Given all of the movements made by the Tampa Bay Lightning's new ownership last season, with the team drafting Steven Stamkos first ov...

Oh, really?

Earlier this year, we heard from a Clearwater Threshers players that collecting an assortment of autographed Florida State League team balls...

Less than convincing

Now that we find ourselves mere hours away from the first overall pick being made in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft in Montreal, Hound Central 4.0...

Back in the day

I thought you might get a kick out of this: Hockey Sock Rock by Phil Esposito and the Ranger Rockers, released in 1979, and featured, besid...

Little Gray Box: Mike Green

Little did I know, during the 2005-06 season, that Washington's Mike Green would become a Norris Trophy finalist, a NHL First Team All ...

You're on the clock

With only a handful of days before the 2009 NHL Entry Draft in Montreal, it's time we all put on our general manager/player personnel h...

Three-Sharpie day?

When it comes to my own hounding productivity, it's a great day any time I score at least 50 autographs. One hundred autographs? Only on...

No surprise here

Eyebrows didn't even flinch this time. Going in, I knew, without even a hint of doubt, that Hound Central 4.0's readers would show o...

The envelopes, please

After careful tabulations, double-blind accounting and pacts of secrecy authenticated by verification experts at the highest levels, the ina...

Like looking at pictures?

Good. Check out these five galleries from the 2008-09 hockey-hounding season down here in Hockey Bay: April 8, 2009: Pittsburgh Penguins Ma...

Teeming with sharks

After adding 40 autographs last week from the Florida State League's Jupiter Hammerheads and Clearwater Threshers during Shark Week , it...

Little Gray Box: Jeff Carter

These days, Philadelphia's Jeff Carter is best known as a goal-scoring sniper. He signed this cheapskate card during the 2004-05 season...

Flashbacks 06.10

It's been nearly three weeks since the last installment of this summer space filler. How about a mixture of team and player reports from...

Know the Bible?

Did you know that Doug Waechter , a St. Petersburg, Fla., native and pitcher for the Kansas City Royals, incorporates a Bible verse in his ...

He could relate

Seeing that May's Win this Auto contest featured an NHL official practice puck signed by Colin, it was only right, Hound Central 4.0 de...

Top Shelf: 2009 NHL draft prospects

Want to know who was the first Hockey Bay hound to get an autograph earlier today from John Tavares , the likely No. 1 overall pick at the 2...

No shame in these

With the John Tavares , Victor Hedman and Matt Duchene -- the top 2009 NHL Entry Draft prospects -- in Tampa earlier today for a meet-and-...

Not a Crab among them

Can you guess what Florida State League team nearly filled up a team ball for Colin during two games last week? Here's a hint: It's...

Little Gray Box: Ryan Getzlaf

There was a time when I had little other than pucks for Anaheim's Ryan Getzlaf to sign. Namely, a quick demotion to the Portland Pirat...

Could've been Joey

With only one of 25 votes picking the Boston Bruins over the San Jose Sharks as the biggest choke in the 2008-09 NHL playoffs, one could sur...

Joining the 21st century

I finally got around to joining Facebook . Now, I'm pondering whether Twitter is nothing more than a passing fad for narcissistic egoist...

Update: 10 Big Sigs

Before the 2008-09 hockey hounding season down here in Hockey Bay, I predicted that these items would be added to the collection. Let's...

Fan Pack attack II

Though I didn't enjoy much success in my fan pack efforts, it's nice to know that Moody, Hound Central 4.0's roving Southeast co...

Three things to do

Now, I know I'm not the only person who has to work on Memorial Day. So, if you're lucky enough to have the day off and family cooko...