The Hockey Life: Week 30

Last Wednesday morning, I stumbled upon two face-value tickets for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Wanting to put Colin in a position to watch his favorite team -- the Boston Bruins -- make the Stanley Cup Finals, it was a no-brainer to pull the trigger on the tickets.

After picking him up from school and putting him through a quick skating session, we headed over to Tampa. As always, we followed our pregame routine, venturing down to the glass so Colin would watch the team during warmups.

Only a few minutes in, a Bruins player skated up to Colin and tapped the glass in front of him. In his hand, he held a puck. Seconds later, he tossed it over to Colin. While this hasn't been that rare of an occurrence this season, the player who did it was a bit of a surprise.

Instead of Boston's Patrice Bergeron, Colin's best NHL buddy, it was, instead, Bruins rookie Tyler Seguin. Stunned by the gesture, Colin and I looked at each other with wide-eyed amazement.

For regular readers of Hound Central 5.0, it's common knowledge that Seguin didn't rank near the top of Colin's favorite NHL players, even despite playing for his hometown Bruins. A little incident earlier this season saw to that.

After Wednesday night's warmups, though, Colin now considers the matter closed.

"Apology accepted," he said.

The thumbs-down, too, was for the Lightning, not Seguin. I just hope that doesn't come back to haunt him.

He'll take it

Brett, owner of the top-shelf My Hockey Card Obsession blog, is one of Hound Central 5.0's most faithful readers. As a result, he's very familiar with Colin's passion for the Bruins. Brett, however, is a Canucks fan. And with the two clubs squaring off for Lord Stanley's Cup, he proposed a friendly wager.

If Boston wins, Brett will create a custom Stanley Cup Patrice Bergeron card for Colin to get signed. If the Bruins lose, though, Colin will create a Vancouver Canucks Stanley Cup Champions team sheet to get signed.

After consulting with Colin, he's accepted the wager and is looking forward to his new card. It'll look good, he said, with the other Bergeron card Brett created for him a few seasons ago.

Not too smart, folks

If you ask me, it was pretty freaking stupid for Lightning and Bruins fans to throw those plastic thunder drums onto the ice at the end of Game 6. Players from both teams got hit as did a few unsuspecting fans.

I mean, what were people thinking? That this was cool? Hardly. All it showed was that a few numskulls, likely fueled by a few too many overpriced alcoholic beverages, fell far short of acceptable behavior. I wonder, too, how many kids followed the leads shown by their parents?

It's one thing to cheer for your team or, within reason and boundaries of good taste, give an opponent a hard time. Tossing projectiles, however, crosses the line.

As for the Lightning, let's hope there was a lesson learned. As vigilant as they were about fans entering a game (bags checked, pockets emptied and a body scan with a metal detector), the organization showed a lack of foresight in handing out these items.

Big night tonight

When Colin first tried out for the Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning a couple of months ago, we heard that the spring season would serve as a warmup for the real deal -- the fall season. Well, after making the spring squad, Colin takes the next step in his journey tonight, when he tries out for the Jr. Lightning's fall squad.

So far, in six games with the Jr. Lightning, he has a goal and two assists and has earned a reputation for a tireless backchecker. To me, he's doing what he supposed to -- being a role player.

Last Sunday, he played his 20th game of 2011. Wearing the jerseys of the Jr. Lightning and the Pinellas P.A.L. Stars, in travel-team and rec league games, he has scored 11 goals and has 12 assists. At more than a point per game, I'd say he's doing pretty good.

The Hockey Life: Week 29

It's not too often that I've been able to try my hand at hounding during an Eastern Conference final. That changed last week, when the Boston Bruins came to town to play the Tampa Bay Lightning. And now that I think back, this is the first time.

After two trips in less than 24 hours, however, I'd call it a waste of time. Though the coaches and lesser-known players will likely sign, it's apparent that most of a visiting team's bigger-name players are in shutdown mode.

To wit, according to several Hockey Bay hounds who put in more time than me:

~ "I'm not signing this trip." Boston's Zdeno Chara

~ "C'mon, it's game day." Boston's Tomas Kaberle

~ "(Bleep) you, you fat (bleep)." Boston's Tyler Seguin, during a testy exchange with a Hockey Bay hound (not me, though)

Granted, it's easy to understand that the players are focused on the game, not signing autographs. At this stage of the season, players need to think about the task at hand. But to sneak out a hotel's back door to catch a ride, rather than walk out the front and politely decline requests, is, in a word, weak.

Checking in

Because the Bruins were in town, Colin joined me for both of our hounding adventures. It wasn't so much to score autographs, but the trips represented opportunities for Colin to see his favorite NHL buddy, Patrice Bergeron.

Unfortunately, Bergeron was one of the Boston players who ducked out the back, meaning Colin didn't get his face-to-face with the reason why he wears No. 37. We had made a quick trip Friday to the hotel's Starbucks, hoping to see him there, like we did Milan Lucic, Nathan Horton, Johnny Boychuck, Shawn Thornton and Tomas Kaberle, among others.

To Bergeron's credit, though, he nodded at Colin as he stood along the glass during Game 3 warmups. Not exactly what we were hoping for, but Colin certainly appreciated the gesture.

The Hockey Life: Week 28

Because I've been a gypsy journalist, working at papers large and small along the Eastern Seaboard, I've had the opportunity to follow a number of NHL teams -- the Carolina Hurricanes (the first two seasons after relocating from Hartford, when they were practically giving away tickets), Boston Bruins and, now, the Tampa Bay Lightning. It doesn't mean, though, they're my favorite team.

The honor, for better or worse, goes to the Buffalo Sabres. From the days of the French Connection to Donny Edwards to Ryan Miller, I've always bled blue, yellow and white.

That doesn't mean, though, that I can't, or won't root, for other teams, especially when living or working in a particular city, save for when the Sabres come to town. To me, it's a right of being a hockey fan.

This issue has come to the surface recently, at home and on Facebook, over my stated hopes that the Lightning beat the Bruins in the Eastern Conference final. It seems I'm the only one in the house, besides the cats, who isn't rooting for the Bruins. And after a couple of pointed posts at Facebook, it's apparent I've stepped on a few toes.

My response requires only two words: tough beans.

For one, once the Sabres were knocked out, I wasn't going to sit idly on the sidelines. I'm too much of a hockey fan to not have a dog in the fight. So, for a couple of reasons, I'm sticking with the Bolts.

In two tours of duty, so to speak, I've lived in the Tampa Bay area for nearly as long as I have in western New York. I may have been a kid in Machias, N.Y., but I grew up down here in Hockey Bay. It's where my favorite Bruins fan learned to skate and plays his hockey, too. And given that the Lightning has enjoyed a truly remarkable turnaround this season, it's not hard to appreciate the team's fortunes.

As for Boston, well, that's a different story.

I really love the city itself. It's steeped in history; you can walk on the very same streets as America's first patriots. It's great for people-watching, as its international appeal and many top-rate universities make the Hub of the Universe moniker deserving. And the Public Garden is one of the coolest places I've ever visited (I even know of one spot where you can sit, in summer's full bloom, and not see a single bit of the city).

The fact that Colin was born near Beantown and grew up watching the Bruins, including his favorite NHL buddy Patrice Bergeron, practice and play, from Wilmington, Mass., to Boston and from Brandon, Fla., to Tampa, made it easy to cheer for the Bruins, but only when they weren't playing the Sabres and, now, the Lightning.

My biggest reason for abandoning the Bruins in this series raised its ugly head last night. With the Lightning holding a commanding lead in the third period, I was appalled by the spacious gaps of empty gold seats at the TD Banknorth Garden. Rather than stay to the end and boo their team, as any loyal hockey fan worth his or her salt would do, the "fans" left. Unfortunately, a few knuckleheads stayed behind, throwing debris (playoff towels, perhaps?) at the Lightning players at game's end.

And then you have the cheap-shot sucker punches thrown by Nathan Horton and Milan Lucic. Sure, it stinks getting embarrassed on your home ice. Rather than man up, admit that they weren't prepared and dedicate themselves to Game 2, all these two clowns did was disgrace themselves, their team and fans with their selfish actions.

In both cases, it only solidified my decision to root for the Lightning. I made sure, as a father and a hockey dad, that Colin knew the fans' and players' actions, were teaching moments on how NOT to act.

For that, I'm appreciative. Go Bolts!

Moms rock

In lieu of another Hockey Life offering, I have but one simple wish: That all moms are shown love and respect not just today, but every day.

To all of the hockey moms, thanks for all of the sacrifices you make. Behind every hockey player is a mom who cares not only about her child, but the sport as well.

Let's go Bolts!

Never had the chance to witness a series-clinching game. Here's hoping it happens tonight at the St. Pete Times Forum. If it does, the joint will be rocking.

Couldn't bring myself to drive over to Tampa this morning and hound the Washington Capitals. Facing elimination, I can't imagine them being in anything other than a surly mood.

Doesn't mean, though, we won't see if some Lightning players aren't staying at a hotel. Got a lot of stuff for them we'd like to get signed.

The Hockey Life: Week 27

As a hockey dad, there's little more fun than watching your child play the game. Win or lose, as long as he's having fun, that's all that really matters.

For the child, though, hockey is all about moments. The first time they step on the ice. The first time they make a team. The first time they play a game. And, yes, the first time they score a goal. Each one is a memory.

Last night, in his home rink in Clearwater, Colin scored his first goal for the Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning travel team. Once again, hard work, dedication and doggedness paid off. Even better, it came in an 11-6 victory for the Jr. Lightning.

Though he's scored goals in the past, quite a few for his first team, the Pinellas P.A.L. Stars, this one is pretty special.

After admitting that he felt a bit intimidated in his first two games a couple weeks ago, I told him that hockey hasn't changed. It doesn't matter if the kids are a little bigger, skate a little faster or are any better than him. All he has to do is skate hard, play his best and good things will happen.

That goal last night drove home the point. And now that he got the first one out of the way, let's see what happens.

It's been awhile

In the five-plus years we've lived down here in Hockey Bay, the Tampa Bay Lightning, up until this season, had made the NHL playoffs only once. And, that, if memory serves me correctly, didn't go all that well as the New Jersey Devils easily dispatched the Bolts in the first round.

This season, though, the Bolts are back in the playoffs and, possibly, making some noise. After knocking off the Pittsburgh Penguins, coming back from a 3-1 deficit, the Lightning surprised the Washington Capitals in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinals.

Though we passed on a first-round game, we have tickets (not very good ones, mind you) for Wednesday's game against the Washington Capitals. Still, to take in the excitement of an NHL playoff game, even if it's in the nosebleeds, it'll be worth every penny.