My 2010-11 NHL awards picks

Hart Memorial Trophy (MVP): Marty St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning
Vezina Trophy (best goalie): Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins
James Norris Memorial Trophy (best defenseman): Shea Weber, Nashville Predators
Calder Memorial Trophy (top rookie): Jeff Skinner, Carolina Hurricanes
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (gentlemanly conduct): Marty St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning
Frank J. Selke Trophy (top defensive forward): Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks
Jack Adams Award (top coach): Guy Boucher, Tampa Bay Lightning (yes, I know he's not a finalist)
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy (dedication, perseverance and sportsmanship): Ray Emery, Anaheim Ducks (pretty weak field, too)
Ted Lindsay Award (players' MVP): Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks

The thrill of victory

At practices Monday and Wednesday, Colin wore his Bruins Patrice Bergeron jersey, taking some ribbing from his teammates who, suddenly, were Vancouver Canucks fans. Well, after Boston's 4-0 victory Wednesday night, it looks like the Hockey Gods have once again smiled upon Colin.

At game's end, Colin donned his Bergeron jersey again and lofted a Stanley Cup in celebration. "I have a lifelong right for bragging now," Colin told me.

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.

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!

The Hockey Life: Week 26

Just when I think the 2010-11 hockey-hounding campaign is coming to an end, the Tampa Bay Lightning shakes off the goal-scoring cobwebs Saturday and lights up the Pittsburgh Penguins to force a Game 6 back here in Hockey Bay.

At the least, it means another opportunity, schedule permitting, to have Gilles Meloche sign a pair of pucks. I missed him by five minutes last Wednesday morning.

Getting caught up in the spirit of the playoffs, I couldn't help myself from commenting on Saturday's game on Facebook. Among them:

~ Shhhh! Listen. It's Pittsburgh.

~ Scoring a power play goal is the best way to deter dumb penalties. Except, of course, if you're Kris Letang. Bolts 8-2.

~ Uh-oh. The Pens care coming back. The multitalented Michael Rupp scores from his butt. You gotta like players who don't give up.

~ I love the grumpy look on the blonde's face behind the Penguins bench. I've yet to see her smile all game long. She must be thinking "I paid how much for this?"

~ Lightning 5, Penguins 0. Steven Stamkos wakes up with his second goal. The rout is on. Let's go Bolts!

~ The Consol Center's lacking a little energy right now, isn't it?

Now, I don't have anything against Pittsburgh folks. I work with a few people from there. There's even a soft spot in my heart for the Pirates. It was just good to see the Lightning, a team that we've followed over our five-plus years here, respond to a challenge.

The next big test comes Monday, when we'll see if the Lightning can maintain the momentum and force a Game 7 back in Pittsburgh. If not, I'll man up and take any heat that comes my way.

What would you do?

Colin turns 10 Thursday, making it his first double-digit birthday, which, for that reason alone, makes it a pretty big deal. Though he'll get to open his birthday presents and head out to Cody's Roadhouse for his meal, we're waiting a week or so for his party.

The problem, however, is that he has a practice that night with the Pinellas P.A.L. Stars, his recreational league team. The Stars don't have any games left, but the rink owes them one more hour of ice time -- hence, the practice.

Compounding the situation, he has a two-hour travel-team practice Monday, a 90-minute skating session with me Wednesday before another hourlong travel-team practice at another rink and two travel-team games on Saturday. That's a pretty busy week, if you ask me, even without the birthday factored in.

I'm thinking, given everything else that's going on, there's no need for him to take part in the P.A.L. practice. He says he wants to attend the practice, as it's likely the last time he'll be a part of that team, one that he's served as an alternate captain this season. That appeals to the hockey dad in me. As a parent, though, I'm not so sure.

Quote of the week

"Hey, when's the last time the Sabres won a Stanley Cup?"
Colin, to me, after giving him some ribbing about the Boston Bruins falling behind early in their series against the Montreal Canadiens.

Team report: Washington Capitals II

Every time the Washington Capitals visit Hockey Bay, I don't expect to get an autograph from Alex Ovechkin. There was a time when I'd carry a puck or two, but that was always nothing more than wishful thinking. I soon lowered my expectations, switching to cards so I could put those pucks to far better uses. Those, too, came up empty.

These days, I carry a single card of Ovechkin, part of a Russian set. It's no surprise, I suppose, that it didn't get signed during the Caps' visit earlier this month. This time, though, I can't say Ovechkin said no. The Great One did sign during the trip, after Washington's morning skate.

The only problem, however, was I was at work. Because I like the life we have, and need the cash to afford it, I won't complain. Besides, I did walk away with a baker's dozen, including 10 cards, from Ovie's teammates that morning.

Signing cards, shown above, were:

Top row: Jason Arnott, Jason Chimera and Eric Fehr; and
Bottom row: Mike Knuble, Tom Poti and Dennis Wideman.

Signing pucks were, from left, John Carlson and Braden Holtby.

Though I can't call it a highlight, Arnott also added to a quad jersey card project.

The Hockey Life: Week 21

As much as we try to live a well-rounded life, we also spend a considerable amount of time, energy and money devoted to hockey. I'm not complaining, mind you, it's our choice. And, to be honest, I wouldn't change much. There are stretches, though, where we go a bit overboard.

How much? Well, here's a glimpse at our most recent run of ice time. Over the past 10 days:

~ A two-hour skating session on March 2;
~ a Pinellas P.A.L. practice on March 4;
~ two P.A.L. games (the Stars won 5-0, but then lost 3-2) on March 5;
~ another two hours of public skating last Sunday;
~ Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning tryouts on Tuesday;
~ watched the Tampa Bay Lightning beat them, 4-3, in a shootout on Wednesday;
~ another P.A.L. practice on Thursday, and;
~ watched the Ottawa Senators beat the Lightning, 2-1, on Friday.

And that doesn't including hounding trips for the Washington Capitals (Monday morning), Blackhawks (all day Wednesday) and Senators (Friday morning) or the time spent working on Hound Central 5.0 and Hockey Hounds Universe.

Again, I'm not complaining. I am looking forward, though, to the end of the NHL season, even if it extends, by some stroke of luck here in Hockey Bay, all the way to June.

Until then, though, it's time to suck it up and enjoy our favorite sport.

In extremely poor taste

I was a bit surprised by a recent commercial on NHL Network featuring Boston's Zdeno Chara, who's caught some well-deserved flak for his nasty hit on Montreal's Max Pacioretty last week.

The spot shows the Bruins' freak of nature standing still, looking ominously into the camera. In the background, a speaker says "That was a head-crunching hit."

Given the seriousness of Pacioretty's injuries, as well as the freshness of the gruesome image, one would think that the NHL Network, operated by the league itself, would show better judgment.

Quote of the week

"There goes his profit margin for the week."
One Hockey Bay hound, who shall remain nameless, about another Hockey Bay hound/dealer, who also shall remain nameless, after Chicago's Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews wouldn't sign his 16x20 team photo.

The Hockey Life: Week 11

After hounding NHL players in person for nearly 15 years, it's easy to become jaded or lazy. Thankfully, I've had decent luck, building a substantial collection of autographed pucks, cards and assorted memorabilia that I hope someday will be passed on to future generations of my family.

Part of the process has been introducing Colin to the hobby. From his hand-drawn team sheets to cards and the occasional puck, he's quickly come up to speed. I'm proud to admit, too, that he outhounds his old man on a fairly consistent basis. After all, it's his collection, not mine.

More than any autograph, even one from Wayne Gretzky, spending quality time with Colin and gaining stories that will last a lifetime are my rewards. If nothing else, hockey and hounding bind this father and son.

Another reward is introducing others to the hobby, particularly in-person hounding where meeting and interacting NHL players is just as much fun, maybe even moreso, as getting their autographs.

For the past week, we've helped introduce two of Colin's youth hockey teammates to the world of in-person hockey hounding. They've learned how to find teams at hotels, the best times to see the players and that nonglossy cards are easier to use than glossy cards. More importantly, they've learned that 45 minutes of patience often yields five minutes of hockey-hounding bliss.

Their reward? In three trips for the Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers, one-half of the NHL's Original Six, the boys added a significant number of autographs to their growing collections. Along the way, they scored autographs from some of the NHL's biggest names -- Boston's Tim Thomas and Marc Savard. Montreal's Mike Cammalleri and Carey Price. New York's Marian Gaborik and Henrik Lundqvist.

We could be better hosts

It's not that I'm against tourists here in Florida. They're the economic lifeblood for many businesses and residents. It's even better, too, when they're hockey fans, helping to fill up the St. Pete Times Forum.

Over the past few seasons, we've had the pleasure of meeting Canadian families down here in Hockey Bay. Like us, they were hanging out near their favorite team's hotel in bids to score autographs from their hockey heroes. Because they're on holiday, they're getting some souvenirs.

Depending upon their attitudes, which quite often are far more gracious than any visitors from U.S. locales, we've been more than happy to help out by identifying players, tell them the best times to see their team as well as offer insight on other attractions.

Every so often, though, we detect an air of hockey superiority. After all, hockey is, indeed, Canada's sport. The game, too, has been played north of the border far longer than down here in Hockey Bay. Still, some fans' expectations that Canada-based teams will win long before the puck is dropped is a bit humorous.

It's poetic justice, I suppose, that the Lightning find a way to humble these fans, as well as their hometown teams, just like the Bolts did last Thursday against the Canadiens.

Awfully quiet

Speaking of the Lightning's 4-1 victory over the Canadiens last week, what did you think of Steven Stamkos' spin-o-rama penalty shot goal? Pretty sweet, wasn't it?

What I couldn't help thinking, though, and I'm not alone in this opinion, was how the goal, as well as Lightning's response, could be viewed as hypocritical. It wasn't all that long ago that the Lightning and a portion of its fan base were criticizing Edmonton rookie Linus Omark's spin-o-rama during a shootout.

In Omark's case, his nifty move was far enough away from the net that it shouldn't have bothered Tampa Bay's Dan Ellis. It did, though, and the Oilers won that game. Stamkos' move, however, came on Montreal goalie Carey Price's doorstop. Rather than being panned as a "hot dog" move, heaps of praise, and deservedly so, were showered upon Stamkos.

Like I said back then, there's nothing wrong with injecting some entertainment and derring-do in the game. In fact, it's too bad we don't see more action like that. Sitting deep in your seat, rather than on its edge, gets boring.

Going forward, though, let's hope the Lightning players and fans keep their mouths shut should it happen again to them.

No laughing matter

Two times last week, an anonmymous reader felt the need to comment, in harassing and potentially threatening manners, on Colin's hockey abilities. Sorry, young man, but I take things like that seriously. That's one of reasons why I use a website stat-tracking program. This isn't the first time it's proved useful, but I'm hoping it's the last.

As a result, I've filed complaints with the Ontario Provincial Police, the home base for Rogers Cable, the Internet service provider linked to the easily tracked user (99.251.197.122), as well as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Fredericton, New Brunswick, the origin of the IP address.

Furthermore, young man, if you feel the need to disparage a 9-year-old to make yourself feel better, it's my advice, coming only as a father, that you seek professional help. If it's true that you're a AAA midget player who's ranked for the Ontario Hockey League draft, as you claim to be, let's hope the teams, for their own sake, place as much value on character as they do skill.

And, if you don't like what I'm writing, don't bother stopping by. We'll do just fine without you.

Team report: Boston Bruins II

For most Eastern Conference teams, we're happy with only hounding adventure. When the Boston Bruins come to Hockey Bay, though, it's a different story. They could make four trips in a year and, yes, we'd have to make four trips out to see them.

It's not so much that they're a great signing team, because they're not. In fact, the Bruins have become increasingly rougher over the past few seasons as Hockey Bay gains a well-deserved reputation of large crowds of hounds.

Nope, we'd have to make as many trips because of Colin's allegiance to the Black and Gold. You know what, I don't have a problem with that. They're his team and, as a father, I'll do what I can so he can enjoy seeing his favorite team. It's even better, too, when he's able to get autographs from most of the players.

All told, we scored 29 autographs earlier this week from the Bruins, with Colin again outhounding his old man by a more than 5-to-1 margin. Among the two dozen cards he got signed (shown above):

Top row: Johnny Boychuk, Zdeno Chara and David Krejci;
Middle row: Milan Lucic, Adam McQuade and Michael Ryder; and
Bottom row: Marc Savard, Tim Thomas and Blake Wheeler.

Signing four cards each for Colin were Andrew Ference, top row, and Brad Marchand.

Regular readers of The Hockey Life column might recall a dust-up that Boston's Tyler Seguin had with some Hockey Bay Hounds, yours truly included, over his refusal to sign an item for a Wisconsin youth hockey team's fundraiser.

This trip, however, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 Draft, was a bit nicer, taking the time to sign this card for Colin and even tossing in a "Here you go, buddy."

It certainly was a step in the right direction to winning back one of the Bruins' biggest fans here in Hockey Bay.

Please know, too, that Seguin continued a reported habit of personalizing 8x10 photographs. For collectors like us, that isn't a concern. Maybe next season, or later this one should the teams make and meet in the playoffs, he'll sign one for Colin.

Other noteworthy events during our Bruins adventure:

~ Patrice Bergeron signing a personal picture for Colin;
~ the pesky problem of balky DecoColor paint pens posing a problem;
~ David Krjeci completing a road trip souvenir; and
~ Tuukka Rask and Shawn Thornton reportedly developing a case of the potty-mouths during their visit.

Paint pen issues

I don't know what it is, but I'm being plagued again by balky DecoColor paint pens. Over the years, these have been a reliable resource in building our 2,100-plus autographed puck collection. But these three pucks, snagged earlier this week when the Boston Bruins came to town, are the latest examples that have me looking for something new.

I swear, I take the time to prime each pen -- shaking it and depressing the tip to get the paint flowing -- before getting a puck signed. Still, though, the results are less than impressive. Though it's been chilly down here lately in Hockey Bay (by Florida standards, that is), I'm not convinced that the culprit.

While two of the pucks -- the 2010 Olympic champions puck from Patrice Bergeron and big Bruins logo from Milan Lucic -- are passable, the Providence Bruins puck "signed" by Tuukka Rask is a candidate for a do-over.

Thirty-four days later

Last month, just before Thanksgiving, Colin and I took a quick road trip to Florida's east coast for a Boston-Florida game. A boys night out, if you will.

While at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, we picked up a free game program. Tucked inside was this card. Not exactly top-shelf stuff, but certainly something worth getting signed as a souvenir.

It didn't take long for Florida's Stephen Weiss, another of Colin's NHL "buddies," to sign his side (left) of the picture.

Boston's David Krejci, in town to play the Tampa Bay Lightning, completed the road trip souvenir earlier this week.

Top of his list

Really, is anyone who knows us or follows Hound Central 5.0 surprised that Colin got Boston's Patrice Bergeron, his best NHL buddy, to sign this photo taken of them in November? I'm not. Of all the items we had for the Bruins on Tuesday, this was, hands down, the most important.

Yes, we may have a ton of autographs from "Petey" over the years, but this is only the latest installment of what is Colin's favorite part of our collection. Even though he may have other "buddies" throughout the league, our little #37 is extremely loyal to the Bruins' #37.

The Hockey Life: Week 9

It's not just that Christmas is less than a week away, but these next two weeks are my favorite time of the year. Sure, it's fun watching Colin open presents (no hockey equipment this year, but another rec league season) early Christmas morning. What's more important, though, is that we get to spend more time together.

With no school until Jan. 3, we'll have more time to hang out, work on his hockey and, more importantly, get in a little hounding. Well, after he scored 47 autographs to my five from the Atlanta Thrashers last Wednesday, it's more accurate to say a lot of hounding.

Beginning tomorrow, we'll try our luck with the Carolina Hurricanes, carrying mostly cards as well as a handful of Albany River Rats pucks and a 2010 Olympic gold medalist McFarlane base for Eric Staal. After a little break, the Boston Bruins, Colin's favorite team, and the Montreal Canadiens head into Hockey Bay.

That's not to say it's all about hounding. The Missus and Colin will get to take in a couple games, too, watching the Bolts play the Hurricanes and the Bruins. We considered getting tickets for the Canadiens game, but I picked up a little OT that day at the paper.

Bottom line, we get to spend quality time together. And in this holiday season, that's the best present a Dad can ask for.

Better act fast

If you're a hockey fan, and you wouldn't be if you're stopping by here, chances are you're involved in a fantasy hockey league or some sort of poll. Every so often, though, you stumble across a contest that's simply fun to enter.

Take Drop The Gloves, a blog that focuses mostly on hockey cards. In honor of its one-year anniversary and its 100th post, it's running a contest that's based on fact after relying on randomness.

Confusing? Not really. Stop by and enter. You'll see what I mean. I did, choosing #23 for no other reason than I once wore the number in my illustrious (and penalty-filled) street hockey career and it was available.

If you'd like to enter, though, you better hurry. Entries end in just a few hours, at 5 p.m. EST today.

Quote of the week

"That's a Dennis the Menace thing to do."
Coach Mike, after Colin tried to extinguish flames on a marshmallow by wildly shaking his marshmallow roasting stick by the bonfire at last night's holiday party.

The Hockey Life: Week 6

In a sense, Boston's Tyler Seguin was correct. I was sending Colin over to get autographs. Where the Boston rookie was wrong, though, was who the autographs were for. They weren't for me, they were for someone else -- a youth hockey team up in Wisconsin that's holding a fundraiser to help offset player registration costs.

Still, that didn't keep Seguin from upsetting Colin, not by declining his request to add to the Bruins logo banner, but in how he did it, insulting his father (that's me, you know) by saying that he was the "kid whose father sends him over to get autographs for him."

In a sense, he accused me of "pimping out" Colin just to get signatures. Sorry, rookie, but that's hardly the case. I help Colin get his own autographs, telling him who players are and finding their cards within the card book. I'm a big boy, and I get my own autographs when I'm out hounding by myself. If Colin's with me, it's his hounding adventure, not mine.

From my point of view, there's little wrong with a father bringing out his son(s) for autographs. For the most part, it's a bonding moment. Every other NHL team or player we've hounded hasn't had a problem with our approach. If they have, they've kept their yaps shut or simply said "no."

Needless to say, Seguin set off a bit of a firestorm, as Hockey Bay hounds jumped all over him, pointing out his less-than-stellar start of the season left little room for his attitude. Incensed, I questioned the young man's intelligence, suggesting that if he could read (I believe he can), he might want to check out this blog.

I'll even admit to asking the Hockey Gods to teach the young man a few lessons, too, in the form of an extended slump and, adding in a dose of much-needed humility, a couple of long, haul-your-own-gear-bag bus rides down in Providence.

Seguin's young and, apparently, has plenty to learn about being a professional. Let's hope he puts this unfortunate incident to good use. We'll find out in December, when the Bruins come back to Hockey Bay. Depending on Seguin's attitude, maybe I'll have another chat with the Hockey Gods.

Boys' night out

Last week, as a reward for all of his hard work at school, Colin and I headed south, even heading across the famous Alligator Alley, to watch his beloved Bruins play the Florida Panthers.

It wasn't all about the Bruins, even though we stayed at the team's hotel, wishing the players well after checking out. It wasn't about the hounding, either, as we completed our goal days before in Hockey Bay.

No, it was about hanging out and watching hockey. Visiting someplace new with a sense of adventure. Bottom line, it was another instance of father-son bonding.

Of course, we had a great time. Colin had a rinkside view of warmups. He got lots of compliments and smiles on his game-night get-up. He even got to meet the diminutive Mini, one of the two Panther's mascots. Even better, in Colin's eyes, the Bruins won, earning a 1-1 split in their two-game road trip to the Sunshine State.

I think we'll do it again.

On the big ice

Though Colin has skated a couple of times on the ice at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, he'd never played a game on the Tampa Bay Lightning's home rink. That changed Friday when his Pinellas P.A.L. Stars took on the Tampa Bay Titans.

Colin, who was named as an alternate captain of his squirts-peewee squad, even had the honor of taking the opening faceoff for the Stars. And, yes, some of the kids he played against were bantams and midgets.

From what I hear, he did his best at being a pest, getting under the skin of a couple of bantam players for his dogged defense. He even drew a penalty. Even though the Stars lost, he said he had a blast.

Quote of the week

"Is that Mini?"
Colin, his tongue planted firmly-in-cheek, as he pointed out Florida's Bryan Allen, who stands 6-foot-4, yesterday morning outside the Panthers' team hotel.

Helping out

Not too long ago, a friend of the family asked a favor. Her brother, a youth hockey coach in Wisconsin, needed items for a fundraiser. She wanted to know if we could get this Boston Bruins logo banner signed for it.

I'll be clear here. I deny, for a multitude of reasons, about 97 percent of the multiple requests I get from people asking us to get autographs for them. If we honored every request, we'd never get autographs for our own collection.

Besides, I subscribe to the theory that anything worth having is worth going out and getting it yourself. Always have. Always will. In fact, I get uncomfortable asking others to get something signed for us. When they do, we reciprocate.

There are exceptions, though, to shooting down requests for getting items signed for others. Helping out a fellow youth hockey team, especially one coached by a good friend's brother, is among them. We know how much it costs to play hockey, and if we can help hockey parents save a couple bucks, it's our pleasure.

That's why we devoted the better portion of the Bruins' first trip to Hockey Bay this season loading up this banner with signatures from Bruins players. In all, Colin, not me, scored 27 autographs on it. Those who signed, among others, included Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, David Krejci, Tuukka Rask, Mark Recchi, Marc Savard and Tim Thomas.

The only two players we missed? Boston's Tyler Seguin, the No. 2 overall pick at the 2010 NHL Draft, and Brad Marchand. It wasn't for the lack of asking, though. We asked. They denied. Seguin, in particular, was pretty rude about it.

Imagine that? An overhyped rookie, presently providing a great disservice to the No. 19 once worn by Joey Thornton, and his buddy rejecting a request from a kid to help fill out an item for a youth hockey fundraiser. And, yes, both were told what the banner would be used for.

Well, that's another story for another day. Sunday, to be exact.

Our annual tradition

Ever since Boston's Patrice Bergeron became Colin's best NHL buddy, we've made a point of getting a picture of the two. We got the 2010-11 edition out of the way Monday before the Bruins morning skate.

As always, "Petey" was a class act.

Where's Colin?

This photo may be from last season, but it shows that Colin's always up against the glass during warm-ups anytime the Boston Bruins, his favorite NHL team, visit Hockey Bay.

Thankfully, Mark Recchi, one of the nicest guys in the NHL, took the time to sign it for Colin.

The Hockey Life: Week 5

Going into the school year, I made a deal with Colin. If he was on his best behavior and got good grades through the Thanksgiving break, we'd sign him up for the Tampa Bay Lightning's holiday hockey camp. A couple of weeks ago, knowing that he'd kept his end of the bargain, I offered an alternative reward.

Rather than the hockey camp, I asked if would he'd be interested in joining me in a quick road trip down to Sunrise, Fla., to watch the Boston Bruins, his favorite team, play the Florida Panthers. Well, let's just say that Plan B was a big hit.

So, after reconnecting with his best NHL buddy Patrice Bergeron later today and taking in the Bruins-Lightning game tomorrow night in Tampa, we'll hit the road Wednesday morning for a four-hour ride across the Sunshine State. Our lower-bowl tickets await us at the arena. We're even staying at the same hotel as the Bruins, too.

Think of it, if you will, as a boys' night out.

I left it up to Colin if he's going to tell Patrice about the trip. If not, I can't wait to see the looks on their faces.

Hockey happens

We had plans to hound the Minnesota Wild last Sunday. Really, we did. Had nearly a dozen pucks and a full book of cards for them.

It was all for naught, though, when another hockey coach from Colin's home arena asked him to suit up for his team. Of course, we obliged, as the coach could become Colin's coach next spring should we make the leap to travel-team hockey.

Though the team lost, Colin scored the game's first goal. Please know, too, that it was Colin's third game of the day and fourth within 19 hours.

As you can imagine, he slept like a rock later that night.

Quote(s) of the week

"What's he doing wearing that sissy jersey?"
A skater -- a man in his 40s -- at TBSA Countryside ice rink to me, kiddingly, as Colin walked past him wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey.

"He's a damn good skater, that kid. He can wear any jersey he wants."
That same skater, about 15 minutes later, as he stood near me, catching his breath after trying to keep up with Colin.

What offseason?

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Chili's restaurant have got together to promote each other this offseason with a weekly radio show at different locations around the Hockey bay area. That means the ticket reps will be out in full force trying to heard the masses for next year. It also means an opportunity to snag a few 'graphs.

Last week's event brought out a few former players, a Hall of Famer and someone we thought would be a new inductee.

Dave Andreychuk took the time to sign the commemorative magazine from his Stanley Cup year. I am still trying to figure out why he isn't on the list of Hall of Fame inductees this year, but that may give us something to celebrate next summer.

Hall of Famer Phil Esposito was kind enough to sign this quartet of cards. (Thanks, Colin, for the help on this one.)

Brian Bradley, a true class act, signed my work-in-progress program from the first-ever Lightning home game. Roman Hamrlik's signature is also seen on the cover. Espo's autograph can also be found inside.

As a note, Chris Dingman was also in attendance and was more than willing to sign for fans. Unfortunately, I had nothing for him.

Colin also made his way onto a video clip from the street hockey action before the radio show. See if you can spot him, working his way past a defender to score an open-net goal.