Finding some time

Trips to the Tampa Bay Lightning's practice facility as well as downtown Tampa over my extended weekend yielded more than a handful of notable autographs.

The Bolts' practice rink, in Brandon, sells game-used sticks. I picked up a couple of goalie sticks, from Sean Burke and former Bruin John Grahame and a wooden game from Fredrik Modin. The bill? A measly $51.

After the practice, only Burke signed his stick. Grahame and Modin were in Italy, representing their nations at the Winter Games.

Don't believe, though, that Burke was the only player to sign. Though Darryl Sydor and Timmy Taylor drove past, a handful of players, most notably Cup-winning goal-scorer Ruslan Fedetenko, who signed Lightning and Philadelphia Flyers pucks as well as a miniature replica of Lord Stanley's hallowed Cup.

Craig Ramsay, a former Buffalo Sabres forward and now an assistant coach with the Lightning, signed a Bolts puck (shown above) for the 950th of my collection.

The best part of the day, though, was having Lisa and Colin with me. They flew down to do a little househunting (we're leaning toward St. Petersburg or Bradenton) and we made some time to watch the team practice and get some autographs, specifically on Colin's new Lightning jersey.

On Monday, only a few hours after putting my wife and son on a Boston-bound plane, I was the only hound waiting for the Florida Panthers to check in. Notable signers included Joe Nieuwendyk, who signed Calgary and Dallas pucks, and Hall of Famer Denis Potvin, who signed a couple of cards.

With any luck, I'll be able to score a few from the Montreal Canadiens and the Ottawa Senators this weekend. It seems that teams from north of the border (defined as any place where snow stands on the ground and the daily highs are measured in the teens) like to stay after the games, especially when their next games usually take them to Miami.

In the meantime, though, keep an eye out for Colin as he serves as a bench assistant for the Bruins during pregame warmups this Thursday against Atlanta.