Imagine that

One of my colleagues at the paper tells me that Brett Hull, my favorite blowhard, really is a nice guy.

Following the Dallas Stars-Tampa Bay Lightning game last week, my colleague, a former NHL beat writer, was part of a group of media types, including Hull, that retired to a nearby sports bar for some frosty beverages and a huge plate of chicken wings.

Hull, who does radio work for the Stars besides working for NHL on NBC, was instantly recognized.

"He could barely get through a wing without someone coming up for a picture or an autograph," my colleague said. "He was very nice about it."

Sunday morning homily XIII

Looking back, I'm surprised at just how subdued I was when getting Wayne Gretzky to sign a Team Canada puck last week. Even with our autographed-puck collection nearing the 1,200 milestone, it did have some notable gaps, primarily one from The Great One.

Going in to Tuesday's hounding session, I was setting my sights elsewhere. I had heard the horror stories and rumors about Gretzky. He never stays with the team. He never signs for big crowds. Or, simply, he never signs. There was even a rumor floating that the Coyotes would fly in from Miami, where they had played the Panthers three nights earlier, just in time to make the game.

Because of that, I was viewing Grant Fuhr, the team's Hall of Fame goalie coach, as my key player, so to speak.

After arriving at the team's Harbour Island hotel, I nearly missed getting Fuhr as I was still setting up the 20-plus pucks and one game-used stick I brought to get signed. Thankfully, though, I was able to find the old Buffalo Sabres logo puck for Fuhr.

A few minutes later, there was sudden movement with the crowd of 30 to 35 collectors and dealers. At first, I thought it was Jeremy Roenick or Shane Doan, two of the most-willing signers in the NHL. It wasn't until I got a better look did I recognize that it was Gretzky.

"Holy s***," I said out loud, while snagging the Team Canada puck. "Gretzky's signing!"

I joined the fray, thinking that he'd sign only a few and I might have to use my bulk to even stand a chance. I soon realized, though, that Gretzky was well on his way toward signing for the house. I couldn't believe it.

Only now, when I look at that puck, tucked safely away in a display case, is it finally starting to sink in that, yes indeed, Wayne Gretzky, God's gift to hockey long before Mario Lemieux and Sidney Crosby became hockey household names, added to our collection.

Thanks, Wayne.

If it's Friday, it'll be Boston

A couple times during the season, NHL teams have to deal with a busy stretch of the season -- three games in five nights or four games in seven. And when it comes at this time of the year, when teams begin ramping up the playoff effort, you know the games are going to be intense.

As a hound down here in the Tampa Bay area, an upcoming seven-day stretch will be just as intense, with four teams and a ton of talent, presenting itself.

Beginning Tuesday, when the Panthers (Olli Jokinen and Jay Bouwmeester) come to town, the Lightning will host the Boston Bruins (Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara and Marc Savard), Pittsburgh Penguins (Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal and Marc-Andre Fleury) and Dallas Stars (Mike Modano, Jere Lehtinen and Marty Turco).

Thankfully, I had the foresight to take off some time in the days ahead. Granted, we expected (Colin, especially) some Bay State company about now, but that, uh, fell through. Either way, I'll put the time to good use and add to the collection.

What were they thinking?

Can someone tell me, please, why in God's name would NBC schedule such a premiere matchup as the Capitals-Penguins, meaning Alexander Ovechkin vs. Crosby, at nearly the same time as America's greatest race, the Daytona 500?

Granted, NASCAR and the NHL are about as far apart as sticker tires and hockey sticks. But there are some people, namely me, who might want to watch both without having to flip channels every 30 seconds.

Besides, I want to see what unconscionable act that NHL on NBC analyst Brett "The Bully" Hull will pull this week. My money's on him planting a foot in a crease.

Hockey Word Association 1.2

Sorry for the delay, but I've been busy being a Daddy today.

Here are this week's suggestions:

1.) No-touch icing =
2.) Wayne Gretzky =
3.) Bring it on =
4.) Momma's Boy =
5.) Brett Hull =

Oooh, Brett, you're a real man

I finally had a chance to listen to Brett Hull during NBC's telecast yesterday of the Lightning-Devils game. And while he really didn't add much, I was left wondering what in the hell was he thinking when he ripped those shots past some poor kid in goal.

Let's see, a future Hall of Famer with a hair-trigger release on a cannon-like shot feels the need to reinforce a perception. It would be one thing if it were a Darren Pang, Glenn Healy or Brian Hayward helping out and playing goalie. But to take those caliber of shots against a kid shows Hull wasn't thinking things through.

C'mon, what happens if Hull hits that poor kid? Padding or not, it certainly would have, at the least, caused a bruise. What if it knocked out the kid? Broke his collarbone? Smashed the mask and crushed his face? I'll bet NBC's army of lawyers had a collective panic attack.

Even NHL on NBC co-hosts Bill Clement and Ray Ferraro seemed surprised.

It's one thing to take a shot from a peer. But when the shot comes from a player of Hull's quality -- and I'm talking only about his skill -- I'm pretty certain it was a surprise, and a rather unpleasant one itself.

Brett Hull, you're a class act. A real class act.

An addendum: You might want to check out this thread at hfboards.com.

Sunday morning homily IX

Among hobbies, collecting autographs, I'm afraid, is probably nestled in the bottom 10 percent. But you know what, I don't really care. I've never been one to be trendy.

Granted, photography, architecture and traveling (spending time with one's family and friends shouldn't be viewed as a hobby, thank you) are my other hobbies. But there's something about interacting with other people, the athletes, fellow hounds and, um, dealers (it is Sunday morning, mind you), that makes hounding one of my favorite pastimes.

And it sure beats the hell out of mowing the lawn (not exactly a hobby, I know, but a neighbor has started, before 8:30 a.m., his landscaping chores.).

Going forward, and especially as I work on another project that will lead to another blog, I'll add more hounding pictures, like the one above of Tampa Bay goalie Marc Denis signing a photo for a fan (there's a rumor that Brad Richards once threatened to call the cops when this fan appeared at his front door), to Hound Central 2.0.

So, how did he do?
Because I was lucky enough to be at Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo yesterday afternoon, even getting within three feet of a giraffe and, unfortunately, downwind of some fresh elephant dung, I missed Brett Hull's debut on NHL on NBC.

It's no easy leap of the imagination to realize that I'm one of those bitter Buffalo Sabres fans who believes that the blowhard cheated back in 1999. So, I'm hoping that Hull, who I am loathe to admit is just as good with his one-liners as he was with his one-timers, repeatedly stuck his feet in his mile-wide piehole.

If he did, please pass it along. I promise to scour the Internet looking for reviews and share them with the legion of us who know his daddy was 10 times better. If he didn't screw up, I'd rather not know.

Am I the only one . . .
who noticed that the Tampa Bay Lightning did away with the Hockey Bay logo at center ice at the St. Pete Times Forum?

It's way too early

You know what happens when your 5-year-old crawls into your bed, complete with his pillow, stuffed polar bear Buffy, Bruins blanket and cat, Taz? You wake up, with the false hope that everyone will be asleep in minutes. Finally, an hour later, long after your child and spouse fall back into a contented sleep, you're far from bright-eyed but somewhat bushy-tailed.

So, in an effort to put this newfound time to good use, please allow these early morning and hopefully coherent ramblings:

Just go away
One would think that when a hockey players retires from the game, we wouldn't hear from him again. Unfortunately, Brett Hull didn't get the memo.

Hull, the son of hockey legend Bobby Hull, makes his debut today as an analyst (must resist the urge to type another descriptive word) for NHL on NBC at the Rink at 30 Rock.

While I welcome the NHL getting coverage on national networks, I can't imagine learning anything from this no-class blowhard, other than, maybe, an admission that his skate was, indeed, in the crease.

Thankfully, with family in town and a trip to the Lowry Park Zoo on this afternoon's agenda, I won't have to listen to his inanities (look it up).

It's their day
If it weren't for visiting family members, I'd be spending the day in my recliner watching Hockey Day in Canada. Though I'm less than thrilled with the NHL Center Ice (very few pre- and post-game shows, no reruns and that insipid (look this up, too) Puck Heads commercial), this is one day when I believe the hockey package is worth the cost.

With coverage beginning at noon EST, CBC will broadcast an triple-header involving all six Canadian teams. The first game, starting at 2 p.m., features Montreal at Ottawa. At 7 p.m., Vancouver plays Toronto. The finale, airing at 10 p.m., will show the latest skirmish in the Battle of Alberta -- Edmonton at Calgary.

Toss in Hockey Day in Canada live coverage from Nelson, B.C., the home of former Buffalo Sabres captain Danny Gare, as well as Hockey Night in Canada's Saturday Night and After Hours shows and you have hockey heaven.

Remember Monet, Renoir?
Only the crashing of a computer at our local Target store last night has delayed a follow-up posting on the usage of painting canvases for autographs. Now that I've picked up the photographs, I'll share a picture of one of these creations.

Hull, for once, has a point

Even before he was a member of the Dallas Stars, I've never been a fan of Brett Hull. Sure, he was a decent goal scorer with an above-average shot. But, mostly, I believed he was just a bloviating loudmouth, quick with an unsolicited opinion (much like yours truly) and a tired rant toward anything that didn't suit him.

Much to my surprise, though, I found something with which I could agree with him -- how autograph dealers have ruined the hobby.

He was asked, in one of his Brett's Bites installments at the Dallas Stars' Web site, if retirement has softened his stance on signing autographs:

I remember reading that your pet peeve is autograph hounds. How do you feel about signing for autograph hounds now that you are retired?

I still feel the same. It's not just autograph hounds because there are people that just want an autograph and they'll hound you about it. I don't have a problem with that.
It's the people that collect them and sell them. I might as well give them a W-2 since I'm employing them.
They also cause a problem for the people who legitimately want an autograph for their son, their baby or a sick person in a hospital because you get so tired of these guys who come up to you with 20 different things.
When you fly into Chicago for a back-to-back game and you get into your hotel at 2 a.m., and there are people out there waiting to make a profit off your signature. It is very frustrating.
If somebody really wants a legitimate autograph, I would sign for them all day, but not for those guys who make money off it.

As I've said a hundred times before, and will keep on saying, they have made it difficult for most people -- from the average fan to the serious collector pursuing a hobby -- to get a bit of hockey history. And while I can produce, within minutes, every autograph I've ever received, I must admit to sharing in Hull's opinion.

If you'd like to ask Hull a question, here's the feature's e-mail address: hullie@dallasstars.com I've already sent in my question, asking him what NHL city has the worst dealers.

P.S. For all the knuckle-dragging, mouth-breathing and bed-wetting dealers who lack the courage to sign their comments, don't even bother.