Ice time

While someone pulled an extremely early shift at the newspaper this morning, the youngest Goofy Dude in the house got to partake in an on-ice kids clinic with a couple of members of the Tampa Bay Lightning organization at a not-as-local rink here in Hockey Bay.

Assistant coach Wes Walz, right, and former Bolt-turned-TV-analyst Chris Dingman shared their expertise, ran a few drills, chased the youngsters around the rink a time or two and, of course, signed autographs.

It also seems, too, that Colin and Thunderbug, the Lightning's mascot, continued their long-running feud during the clinic. Thunderbug has a tendency -- as any good mascot should -- to "hassle" Colin any time he wears the opponent's jersey or hat. Well, let's just say the fleet-footed Colin got a little payback today.

No injuries, I'm relieved to say, were reported.