This sums it up nicely

In case you missed it in today's edition of the St. Petersburg Times, check out these lists of critical games during the Lightning's season, the tough roster decisions that await and the statistical symbiosis between Vinny Lecavalier and Marty St. Louis.

Drawing a parallel

After watching Tampa Bay claw its way back into the opening playoff game last night against New Jersey, riding the backs of stars Vinny Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis, I really wasn't surprised that the Lightning, and goalie Johan Holmqvist, collapsed in the third period, giving the Devils a 1-0 led in the best-of-seven quarterfinals series.

One would think that three goals against a world-class Martin Brodeur would be enough to, at the least, force sudden-death overtime. Tampa Bay's collapse, however, proved otherwise.

To me, the game's third period mirrored the Lightning's fade down the stretch -- draw close but, ultimately, fail to deliver. And, in the process, it wasted solid performances by Lecavalier and St. Louis.

Maybe, the Lightning will put in a full 60-minute effort against the Devils on Saturday. If not, they'll head back to Tampa down 2-0.

Sunday morning homily XX

Now that the Easter Bunny has stopped by the house, I'm learning that we weren't his only intended destination. It seems to me, at least, that he left one big stinky egg in the Tampa Bay Lightning's season -- the Florida Panthers.

Had the Bolts been able to capture the season series from their South Florida cousins, Tampa Bay just might have a better view going into the playoffs. Unfortunately, the Lightning didn't do that. As it stands, they'll meet Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils in the first round.

Granted, the Lightning took the season series from the Devils, 3-1. Still, though, there's something about the playoffs that prompts New Jersey to play that much stronger. And given the recent coaching change, where Lou Lamoriello axed Claude Julien with three games remaining and contending for the Presidents' Trophy, I'm certain the Devils are focused on the tasks at hand.

It's been the Panthers (who finished the season at a respectable 35-31-16), though, who are mostly responsible for the Lightning's failure to capture the Southeast Division crown. Three times since March 3rd, and by an average 6-2 score, the Panthers spanked the Lightning. I guess when your season appears over in March, you adopt the role of a spoiler.

Unless the Lightning goes deep into the second season, it'll be a shame to see career seasons by Vinny Lecavalier (107 points, including the first Lightning ever to score 50 goals), Marty St. Louis (101 points) and Dan Boyle (20 goals and 63 points) be spoiled by an early round exit.

Assigning blame, Part II

To blame the Bolts' slippage entirely on the Panthers would be short-sighted, though. Losing your home finale (the sixth in as many seasons) and falling short in a season-ending game against a division rival is not the strongest way to enter the playoffs. Limping is more like it.

I hate to say it, but I'm sensing a one-and-done for the Lightning.

Given the Lightning's collapse in the season's final weeks (from leading the Southeast to stumbling to seventh), I wonder how long it'll take before a chorus to fire general manager Jay Feaster and coach John Tortorella becomes a crescendo. I doubt it'll happen in the offseason, though a poor start next season will certainly grease the skids.

Maybe that's why Scotty Bowman has been hanging around the team -- taking notes and evaluating talent should he be given the reins. Pure conjecture on my part, I know, but an interesting thought nonetheless.

To hail to the President

With the Buffalo Sabres winning the Presidents' Trophy, count me among the many hoping that the team remembers that it's just for its regular-season performance.

Though everyone begins the playoffs with a clean sheet of ice, so to speak, I see no reason why the Sabres can't continue their dominating offensive assault right through to June.

I still wish, though, that Buffalo had Martin Biron to back up Ryan Miller. Even though he's a UNH guy, Ty Conklin brings me little relief.

Anyone but BC, please

Going into the semifinals of the NCAA Frozen Four, I was rooting for Maine and North Dakota. Both lost. Going into the finals, I certainly couldn't bring myself to support Boston College. By default, I'm glad Michigan State won.

Must've been in a hurry

Count me among the surprised today that none of Tampa Bay’s Big Three stopped to sign for a sizable group of fans, hounds and dealers. Vinny Lecavalier, Brad Richards and Marty St. Louis drive right on by.
Really, it’s no surprise that Tim Taylor, the Lightning’s captain, almost never stops. Given the pressure he must be feeling, goalie Marc Denis offered only a wave. Even Doug Janik drove by.

It’s a rarity when not a single one of the trio will stop. Most often, it’s St. Louis. Vinny is hit-or-miss. Planets must be aligned whenever Richards stops. All three in one day? I haven’t been here that long, but that’s seldom happened.

All things considered, today’s outing, following the morning skate at the St. Pete Times Forum, was pretty fun. Colin scored 14 players, including Dan Boyle, Ryan Craig, Andre Roy and Bobby "The Chief" Taylor, on his team sheet.

Among the 13 autographs I added to the collection was the 1,250th puck.

Sunday morning homily XVIII

Looking back, the Lightning's training camp last September seems like years ago. It's been a long season. Players are grumpy. Hounds are grumpy. And, unfortunately, hotels are getting grumpy.

I wonder whether the NHL would consider taking a week off in early March to allow every team to rest, get healthy and just plain chill out.

Though NHL teams can't do that, I can. Colin's on his spring break from kindergarten, so we're looking forward to our first here in Florida.

We'll be hanging out, going fishing, hitting the beach and doing what tourists do when they're here. No Disney World, though. Nope, Colin wants to go to Dinosaur World. It's closer and much cheaper, too.

We'll get in a couple hounding sessions, too. Even the Lightning, so Colin can thank Marty St. Louis for this. Yeah, I know everyone is grumpy. Doesn't matter. The season wears on.

In sight

Some time this week, between the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning and the Washington Capitals, I should score the 1,250th autographed puck of the collection. Who do you think it will be? With four pucks for Florida's Martin Gelinas, in Tampa on Tuesday, he'd be a good guess. If not him, it'll likely be a Lightning player.

Unbelievable?

Isn't it hard to believe that Tampa Bay's Vinny Lecavalier became the first Lightning player to ever reach 100 points in a season? He still needs one goal for 50. Maybe he'll get it Tuesday against the Panthers.

How do you spell collapse?

Down here in Tampa Bay, given the way the Bolts have been playing of late, it's spelled L-I-G-H-T-N-I-N-G.

Less than a month ago, the Lightning was leading the Southeast Division. Now, they're watching Atlanta pull away. They oughta start looking over their shoulders, too. At this point, there's no guarantee that Tampa Bay will make the playoffs.

Even being a casual Lightning fan, I'd hate to see career years by Vinny Lecavalier, Marty St. Louis and Dan Boyle wasted.

Now that John Grahame is with the Hurricanes, I wonder who Lightning coach John Tortorella will throw under the bus this year? Ruslan Fedotenko? Vinny Prospal? Filip Kuba? Marc Denis? Johan Holmqvist?

Hey, here's an idea. How about Brad "Dime-on-a-dollar" Richards?

Tag! You're it!

As long as your wasting your employer's money or your spouse's/significant other's/child's time, stop by the Kukla's Korner blog and participate in this Talking Hockey exercise.

And, if you're really bored, here are my answers:

Team: Machias (N.Y.) Norsemen
Uniform Number: 18
Position: Defense
Nickname: The Howitzer
Dream Linemates: Danny Gare, Patrice Bergeron and Marty St. Louis
Rounding out the power play: Jim Schoenfeld
Job: Clearing out the front of the net
Signature Move: Two-handed slash to the gap between the top of the skates and the bottom of the shin guards.
Strengths: Mile-wide mean streak and a wicked snap shot
Weaknesses: Hated to wear a cup
Injury Problems: You name it, it hurts
Equipment: All packed and ready to go
Nemesis: Started skating at 15
Scandal Involvement: Knowing the difference between farther and further
Who I’d face in the Stanley Cup Finals: Philly
What I’d do wth the Stanley Cup after our victory: Take it fishing at the Lime Lake Sportsmens Club
Would the media love me or hate me? Because I’ve worked at newspapers for 22-plus years, I’d hope the media would remain objective.

For my boy

The best part of being a Daddy, I believe, is spoiling your son. That's why, after Colin rebounded from a rough couple of weeks at school, I asked Tampa Bay's Marty St. Louis, his favorite player on the Lightning, to sign the blade of a Bauer Vapor St. Louis-model stick for him.

Thankfully, Marty obliged.

Filling the gaps

If you want to make a full day of hounding in Tampa, you really have to stop by the St. Pete Times Forum to snag a couple autographs from the Lightning. There's a window of opportunity between the visiting team's ride to the morning skate and its return to the hotel.

As you can see, I followed my own advice on Tuesday, getting Lightning defenseman Paul Ranger to sign this program. Vinny Prospal signed one, too. Cory Sarich signed a couple of cards and goalie Johan Holmqvist, who has wrestled away the starting gig from Marc Denis, signed a puck.

And, yes, Marty St. Louis signed a stick for Colin before I cut short the session to head back to the Kings' hotel.

Like I've said before, though, don't expect everyone to stop. Vinny Lecavalier and Brad "Dime on a Dollar" Richards are really hit-and-miss. Tim Taylor, nearing the end of his NHL run, and Nikita Alexeev seldom take time to sign. Most everyone else, though, shows their appreciation toward fans.

Hounding 2006: Year in Review

Considering all that has happened in the past year, 2006 turned out, from a hounding point of view, to be a pretty decent year. Despite making a move to the Tampa Bay area from New England, brought about by accepting a job at Florida’s best newspaper, my hockey-hounding hobby continued.

Looking back, here are some of the highlights:

~ For the calendar year, another 241 autographed pucks were added to the collection. As of today, the total stands at 1,143.

~ As of today, Puckhound's five blogs have received more than 7,800 page views since Aug. 15.

~ Ottawa’s Wade Redden signed the 1,072nd puck of the collection, equaling the total number of points scored (regular season and playoffs) by Wayne Gretzky in his professional (World Hockey Association and National Hockey League) career.

~ Anaheim’s Teemu Selanne signed four pucks in a day during one of the best hounding days of the year. Colin even scored his first puck.

~ Learning there are other things to do in Florida than add to a hockey autograph collection.

~ Colin, who developed an interest in collecting autographs, renewed acquaintances with his buddies, Boston’s Patrice Bergeron and Carolina’s Cam Ward.

~ Moving to Florida opened up better access to such Southeast Division teams as the Atlanta Thrashers, Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals, and such stars as Rod Brind’Amour, Ilya Kovalchuk and Alexander Ovechkin. I suppose, too, I shouldn’t forget about our new hometown team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, and its Big Three -– Vinny Lecavalier, Brad Richards and Marty St. Louis.

~ Being the only three people to find the Dallas Stars before a preseason game and getting Mike Modano to sign a few items.

~ While making our way to Florida, we arrived in Hershey, Pa., in time to watch a very thrilling and exhausting Game 7 between the Portland Pirates and Hershey Bears.

~ Making it home for Colin’s birthday and finding time to take in an American Hockey League playoff game in one of our favorite cities -– Portland, Maine.

~ Knowing that Colin got a close-up look at NHL warmups when he served as a "bench assistant" during a Bruins game.

~ Getting Atlanta's Marian Hossa to sign the 1,000th puck of the collection.

~ The New York Islanders’ Brendan Witt, then playing for the Washington Capitals, signed our first puck in Florida.

~ Adding autographed pucks from Boston's Patrice Bergeron, Ray Bourque and Cam Neely to the collection all on the same day.

~ Having one of my hockey heroes, Patrick Roy, sign a goalie stick for Colin.

Christmas came early . . .

At 5:02 a.m., to be exact. Ninety minutes later, after all the presents had been opened, there had been a few hockey-related presents under the tree:

~ five club-level tickets for the Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Tampa Bay Lightning game on Jan. 9, 2007, for Colin, Nana, Babop, Mama and Daddy;

~ a Sidney Crosby Pittsburgh Penguins jersey for Colin;

~ a Marty St. Louis photo plaque for Colin, too;

~ a Hockey Bay hoodie for Mama;

~ a Tampa Bay Lightning T-shirt for Mama, too;

~ an ESPN SportsCentury video of Wayne Gretzky for Daddy; and

~ a framed Vinny Lecavalier photo plaque.

It was a very Merry Christmas indeed.

From our house to yours, we wish you happy holidays.

Hockey housekeeping

Forgive me if it sounds like I'm whining, but I need to improve my logistical skills. Because I ran out of puck squares to display and/or store autographed pucks, they started to pile up around the desk, display cases and any other flat surface within arm's reach.

With the arrival of cases, my big chore today was to catalogue and case 73 pucks obtained since Nov. 11. Highlights included pucks No. 1,072 (Ottawa's Wade Redden) and 1,100 (Buffalo's Andrew Peters), University of Vermont pucks signed by Tampa Bay's Eric Perrin and Marty St. Louis and four signed by Anaheim's Teemu Selanne.

For the record, the collection has grown by 113 autographed pucks since the start of the regular season.

Granted, archiving pucks isn't the most physical work I've done (washing dishes, doing laundry and taking out the trash today alone topped that), but after stringing up more than 1,500 Christmas lights yesterday, my upper body creaks at the slightest amount of effort today.

Please, no pity parties. Besides, the only remaining task on today's to-do list is to watch the Penguins-Capitals game tonight. That, other than staying awake, will require little effort.

As for hockey housekeeping, all that's left to put away are the 400 autographed cards we've collected since training camp opened. Maybe, just maybe, I'll do that tomorrow.

Be true to your school

It’s no secret that Tampa Bay’s Eric Perrin and Marty St. Louis were teammates at the University of Vermont. That’s why it was a no-brainer to have them sign these pucks.

With a little luck, I’ll add to the Catamount collection later this season, when the Boston Bruins and goalie Tim Thomas return to Tampa.

Hold your applause, please

One of the unwritten rules in sports journalism, I learned many moons ago, is that there is no cheering in the pressbox. The same holds true, more or less (depending upon, I've experienced, who's doing the cheering), for newsrooms.

Last night, pulling a guest gig in sports for our wicked-hip sister publication, that standard was severely tested during the Tampa Bay Lightning-Buffalo Sabres contest.

Having lived here in Lightning Land for the past 10 months, it's been easy to develop an interest in the new hometown team. Same thing happened in Boston, too. But as a kid raised in Buffalo and western New York, my deepest loyalties as a hockey fan run with the Sabres.

Last night's game was one of those instances where I had little trouble picking a team to root for -- albeit in forced silence. I cringed just a little when Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis scored the game's first goal. I even remember thinking to myself, as I looked at the nearby muted television, that this could be a long night.

Thankfully, I was pretty busy, putting together an off-the-cuff, snarky-twinged feature package. When I did get a chance to look up, though, the Sabres had taken a 2-1 lead. Twenty minutes later, though, I broke that unwritten rule.

Rather than celebrating loudly, an audible, and somewhat incredulous, "Damn!" passed over my lips, causing my colleagues of the night to spin around in their chairs and look at the screen. The Sabres had scored another five goals, for a total of seven on 13 shots in the second period, giving the Blue and Gold a very comfortable 7-1 lead.

After St. Louis added another goal to bookend the Sabres' surge, I maintained my sense of objectivity as a read back on another editor's deft touch with the headline and story. It wasn't until I was in my trusty Taurus, pulling away from a parking spot across the street from the paper, that I, shall we say, rejoiced at being a Sabres fan.

As a fan, and as a journalist, this season, as young as it may be, has been very enjoyable. Moreso, I reckon, than some other places.

Quality over quantity

I swear this isn't a case of spin, but I'd have to count today's trip to the Lightning's training camp as one of the best ever hounding adventures.

Not only did I add signed sticks from Ruslan Fedotenko (Stanley Cup winning goal scorer) and Vaclav Prospal to the collection, but the Bolts' Big Three all stopped to sign.

Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis signed Stanley Cup Champions pucks (shown above). Brad Richards, who blew by a small group of hounds yesterday, stopped without asking and signed for all eight of us.

Now that Richards signed my mini Stanley Cup, I need only coach John Tortorella, new team captain Timmy Taylor and defenseman Dan Boyle to complete it. Because there's not enough room for everyone, and I'll soon start working a full-sized team helmet, I'm cherry-picking this piece.

I also got a chance to talk to other hounds. More than half, like me, were collectors. Nice people, very friendly and, most of all, true hockey fans. Unlike the three scumbag dealers (including a potty-mouthed husband and his wife) who took the bait for some verbal jousting, we work too hard to put a price tag on our efforts.

Like I said before, this is going to be a fun season. For me, that is.