Summer break

Even wearing black, as well as a little gold, taking part in a Mites hockey clinic is an easy way to escape highs in the mid-90s.

Then again, that's a fact of life every summer here in Humidity Bay.

That's not to say, though, that Colin didn't work up a little sweat. Going through a number of skating, puckhandling and shooting drills can have that effect on a person.

Pencil these in

After a long day of watching hockey, ordering a Wendy's single with everything but onions and watching Colin collect three foul balls, I've finally had enough time over the past few minutes to scribble a list of top 10 teams we'll hound during the 2009-10 campaign:

No. 10. New Jersey Devils, Oct. 8: It's always nice to see Marty.

No. 9. Montreal Canadiens, Dec. 30: Respect the Le Bleu-Blanc-et-Rouge.

No. 8. Vancouver Canucks, Feb. 9, 2010: A chance for redemption after missing them on their last trip to Hockey Bay.

No. 7. San Jose Sharks, Oct. 22: So many big names, so little time.

No. 6. Buffalo Sabres, March 18, 2010: Later, I'll attend the game with relatives from Western New York.

No. 5. Anaheim Ducks, Jan. 29, 2010: This team rewards effort.

No. 4. Phoenix Coyotes, March 16, 2010: But only if Wayne Gretzky is part of the organization. If not, the Coyotes trade places with the Canucks.

No. 3. Los Angeles Kings, Nov. 14: I'm burning a vacation day for this team. Lots of new faces certainly worthy of a bunch of pucks.

No. 2. Calgary Flames, Feb. 6, 2010: It's not just the Stanley Cup Finals history between the Flames and Lightning. It's an opportunity to snag a couple more pucks from Jarome Iginla and Jay Bouwmeester.

No. 1. Boston Bruins, Dec. 28: Three days after Christmas? Colin will be on vacation. I have the day off, too. Need I say anything more?

So, tell me. What are your top 10 hounding trips?

Way to go, Patrice

I can't let an opportunity pass to tip Hound Central 4.0's roughed-up Copper SK600 Boston's Patrice Bergeron for teaching Montreal's Josh Gorges a lesson during last night's opening-round game. It's not so much the fight, a rarity for him, but the continuation of his recent physical style of play.

Granted, there are others on the Bruins -- Shawn Thornton and Shane Hnidy, come to mind -- better suited for fisticuffs. We also share in the concern for Patrice's health. To me, though, it was another test that he has passed since coming back from a second serious concussion.

Looking ahead, let's hope that Patrice's contributions light the lamp, not some Canadiens player's nose.

That's my boy

Sure, it might have happened in practice and a goalie was absent, but Hound Central 4.0 won't let irrelevant facts like those dampen a young hockey player's joy from scoring a goal yesterday.

Thanks to his Momma's handiness with a camera, here are a few pictures of the Goofy Dude, decked out in his full Boston Bruins regalia, playing (above) and looking the part during on-ice drills.

And, yes, that's his new Patrice Bergeron jersey.

As always, thanks

One of these days, we'll run out of item for Boston's Patrice Bergeron. After signing this 8x10 photo (above) of the back of Colin's new Bruins third jersey, a Reebok Bergeron model stick (below) and the Team Canada jersey, we're that much closer. It always seems, though, that Colin can always find something for his buddy to sign.

Another three

Hall of Famer Cam Neely wasn't the only Bruins player to sign the work-in-progress Team Canada jersey yesterday. Boston's Marc Savard (left), Patrice Bergeron (top) and Milan Lucic (bottom right) all added to it.

The other signature? New Jersey's Brendan Shanahan, who signed it this past Thursday. To date, 18 players have signed the jersey.

Gallery: Boston Bruins

Of the handful of these galleries I've produced this season, this one for the Bruins is my favorite. I'm sure most of you know why. For the rest of you, just look below.

The reason we made the trip to Tampa yesterday: Colin's picture with Boston's Patrice Bergeron. Colin's wearing his new Bruins third jersey, a Bergeron replica model fresh from the team's pro shop.

It's always a good day when Cam Neely, a Hall of Famer, stops to sign.

Center Marc Savard will sign autographs, but limits it to one per person. I can live with that.

Center Milan Lucic was one of the better signing Bruins during the team's stop in Tampa Bay.

Though he's recovering from broken orbital bones, winger Michael Ryder took the time to sign before Sunday's game against Tampa Bay.

Sunday morning homily XXIII

Two buddies will renew acquaintances later today when Colin sees Boston's Patrice Bergeron before this afternoon's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. I'll have to tell you something, though. I wouldn't mind if it were their last.

After watching Patrice sustain his second concussion in as many seasons, our concern is not about autographs, but for Patrice's health and well-being. Another concussion, no matter how serious, could come easily. And each one will only have more complicated consequences.

Concussions, I'm afraid, have a cumulative effect. Just ask former NHLers Jeff Buekeboom, Pat LaFontaine and Eric Lindros.

To us, Patrice has nothing more to prove. He made the NHL as a rookie out of training camp. He's won championships. He's shown tremendous athletic ability. He made an inspirational comeback from a fairly serious injury. Most importantly, though, is he's served as a perfect role model for one of his younger fans.

Colin, however, was greatly concerned when Patrice was hurt this season against Carolina. With his own hockey career in its fledgling stages, he was worried about getting hurt like Patrice.

As a father, more than a hockey dad, I told Colin that it could happen to him, too. I also told him that it's okay to walk away as a result, that his health is more important than any goal, assist or blocked shot.

If asked, I'd offer that same fatherly advice to Patrice.

Whirlwind tour

Today's trip for the Bruins caps a very busy 16 days down here in Hockey Bay. Seven teams have traveled here, and we've hounded five of them (not counting the Bruins), making it the busiest homestand of the 2008-09 campaign.

Who were the biggest names we added so far? How about these teams and players:

~ New Jersey's Martin Brodeur, Zach Parise and Brendan Shanahan;
~ Chicago's Brian Campbell, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews;
~ Toronto's Jason Blake and Luke Schenn;
~ Atlanta's Zach Bogosian, Ilya Kovalchuk and Kari Lehtonen; and
~ the Islanders' Josh Bailey, Bill Guerin, Kyle Okposo and Doug Weight.

That also doesn't include a quick trip for the Lightning, that yielded autographs from Vinny Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos.

Going fishing

It seems that there's a standing joke among Chicago Blackhawks players any time Patrick Kane or Jonathan Toews get swarmed by hounds before the team's morning skate last Tuesday.

Teammate Adam Burish spoke a bit too loudly last Tuesday with this observation when Kane and Toews stepped outside the team's hotel: "It's time to feed the fish."

Burish chuckled as he said it three times. Oddly, the smile vanished, though, as I asked him to sign at gametime: "Hey, Adam, it's time to feed the fish." Know what? He didn't sign. No great loss, I'd say.

5 Big Sigs

With only the Boston Bruins in town today and the Lightning hitting the road tomorrow, we'll be one-and-done with these items:

~ the Bruins' Patrice Bergeron on a Reebok Bergeron model stick;
~ Zdeno Chara, Phil Kessel and Blake Wheeler on the Bruins jersey;
~ Bergeron, Milan Lucic and Marc Savard on the Team Canada jersey;
~ Goalie Manny Fernandez on Wild and Stars pucks; and
~ General manager Peter Chiarelli on a Harvard University puck.

They all wear No. 37

No, I swear, these aren't chicken scratches on the back of Colin's Little League baseball jersey. Instead, it's an autograph from Tampa Bay's Olaf Kolzig, obtained last Thursday following the team's morning skate at the St. Pete Times Forum.

Earlier in the season, Colin noticed that Olie the Goalie shared the same number -- 37 -- as his favorite player, Boston's Patrice Bergeron. As a result, Kolzig quickly became Colin's favorite NHL goalie.

My God wears skates

If I needed proof there's a special connection between Boston's Patrice Bergeron and my son, Colin, it came when I pulled this card out of a hobby box of Upper Deck's 2008-09 NHL MVP earlier today.

Beyond the fact it's a pretty sweet four-swatch card, that it features Bergeron, whom we just saw last week for the first time since the Bruins forward's nasty injury early last season, leads me to believe the hockey gods smiled upon the reunion.

Sure, it could be pure luck, nothing more than a circumstance of collation rates. Still, though, I picked this box from three. That, I believe, introduces fate.

Bottom line, it's a cool card.

One last thing

I'd be remiss if I didn't show one final item that Boston's Patrice Bergeron signed for his biggest fan in Florida -- the brim of an Acadie-Bathurst Titan cap that Colin wears from time to time.

And though Patrice would likely sign a bubble-gum wrapper for Colin, he did take note of the cap as he signed it before Thursday night's game in Hockey Bay.

"Hey, buddy," Patrice said, "what do we have here?"

"An Ackathy Bath hurts hat," Colin replied, showing that he needs to do a little homework on the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team that Patrice played for before making the Bruins as a rookie.

"Pretty nice hat you have there," Patrice said.

"It's even nicer now," Colin said. "Thanks."

Sunday morning homily XIII

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then I'll let this photograph of Colin with Boston's Patrice Bergeron, his best NHL buddy, say it all. Just look at the smiles upon their faces.

Nearly two years in the making, Colin has fresh memories from the Bruins' trip to Hockey Bay last week. It was a time for buddies to reconnect. It was a time to make new friends. Mostly, though, it was a time for a father and son to bond through hockey.

And, really, that's what this is all about.

Taking a pass

As much as I wanted to hound the Buffalo Sabres (my favorite NHL team) yesterday, adding some balance to to our Bruins (Colin's favorite NHL team) hounding efforts, another obligation prevented another ride over to Tampa.

You see, we had reservations aboard the North Pole Express where one young hockey fan got in another meet-and-greet with the Jolly Old Elf.

Thankfully, Hound Central 4.0 correspondent Moody stepped up and hounded the Sabres. Here is his report.

5 Big Sigs

With the woeful Lightning heading out on the road, our next Hockey Bay hounding opportunity comes Dec. 18 when the Colorado Avalanche, with or without the injured Joe Sakic, come to town.

Now, if I could travel with the team on the road trip, these would be some of the items I'd pursue:

~ Monday, Dec. 8: Some of the Bruins' big names on an old FleetCenter Entrance sign;
~ Wednesday, Dec. 10: Buffalo's Ryan Miller, Jason Pominville, Lindy Ruff and Thomas Vanek on a Sabres mini helmet;
~ Buffalo's Patrick Lalime on Sabres, Blackhawks and Senators pucks;
~ Thursday, Dec. 11: Montreal's Carey Price on the Team Canada goalie mask; and
~ Saturday, Dec. 13: Ottawa's Daniel Alfredsson and Dany Heatley on the Senators team helmet.

On display

The bottom shelf of one of our display cases, an area dedicated to Colin's favorite team and his favorite player, was looking pretty sparse. As a result, we felt that this team-signed Boston Bruins jersey would look nice in it.

Funny thing, too, was that 23 members of the Bruins organization, including Patrice Bergeron and Cam Neely (on logo, at left), agreed with us.

Who else signed? How about P.J. Axelsson, Johnny Boychuk, John Bucyk, Peter Chiarelli, Manny Fernandez, Shane Hnidy, Matt Hunwick, Claude Julien, Chuck Kobasew, David Krejci, Milan Lucic, Petteri Nokelainen, Craig Ramsey, Michael Ryder, Mark Savard, Mark Stuart, Tim Thomas, Shawn Thornton, Geoff Ward, Dennis Wideman and Stephane Yelle.

Hopefully, we'll add Zdeno Chara, Phil Kessel, Matt Lashoff, Marco Sturm and Aaron Ward when the Bruins come back in February.

First things first

You know the hockey gods are smiling upon you when the Bruins team bus pulls up five minutes after getting set up outside the team's hotel. As each player trots down the stairs, the faces familiarize, some more than others. There's Milan Lucic. Tim Thomas. Marco Sturm.

Then, after most of the team's brass, staff and players have collected their carry-ons, garment bags or team-issue duffels, out pops Boston's Patrice Bergeron. For Colin, the sight of his Bruins buddy was too exciting.

"Patrice! Patrice!" He could hardly contain himself.

Thirty feet away, Bergeron looks, smiles and nods. He waves to Colin and tells him to come over. Colin runs toward Patrice and gives him a big hug. Greetings abounded. Bergeron said he was feeling good. He and Colin talked about school and grades. They talked about hockey.

Given the severity of the injuries sustained early last season from that brutal hit from behind by Philly's Randy Jones, there was a chance that Bergeron wouldn't return to his NHL form. For a young boy, taking the first strides of his own hockey career, to see his hockey hero felled was a hard, but important, lesson: Take nothing for granted.

It was good to see Patrice. Damn good.

Of course, Colin had a few things -- like the replica Bergeron helmet shown above, the old-school Bruins puck and a wicked-cool card -- waiting for Patrice, who, as always, signed them for him.

He was impressed

When Boston's Patrice Bergeron got a close look Wednesday at our favorite 1/1 card, created by longtime Hound Central 4.0 reader Brett, it was easy to tell he was impressed.

"This card is pretty neat," he said. "It's real nice."

We think it looks even better now, after the Bruins star fulfilled the "Authentic Autograph" tag before checking into the team's hotel.

Thanks again, Brett.

Way to go, Patrice

If there was one bright spot in the Bruins' 4-2 loss to the Maple Leafs last night, it was that Boston's Patrice Bergeron scored his first goal of the season and the first since being seriously injured by a cheap shot from behind by Philly's Randy Jones.

Boston's Milan Lucic's glass-shattering hit on Toronto's Mike Van Ryn comes in a close second. I bet he's still picking pieces out of his ears.

Our favorite 1/1

Frequent visitors to the Hound Central blogs know that Boston's Patrice Bergeron enjoys favored status with the youngest member of our hockey-hounding family.

From their first meeting at a Bruins training camp, the Bruins star center has made a point of sharing a few moments, and creating lifelong memories, for Colin. Last year, unfortunately, a season-ending injury to Patrice meant a longer wait for their next visit.

Regular Hound Central reader Brett made sure that this season's visit, set for Dec. 4, will be extra special, sending this sweet card he created for Colin. We got a kick out of the card's name -- Colin's Good Guys -- and how Brett incorporated the pictures of the two on the back.

Thankfully, we don't have that long of a wait to get it signed. And because of Brett's generosity and creativity, it'll be another fond memory. Thanks again, Brett.

Welcome back, buddy

It sure is nice to see Boston's Patrice Bergeron play against Colorado tonight. Someone even got to stay up for the first period and watch his buddy get an assist (his first of two in the game) on Phil Kessel's goal.

Too bad, wasn't it, Patrice didn't score on that shorthanded breakaway? That would've been sweet. Wicked sweet.

It'll be the Habs in their 100th

When you get right down to it, any predictions for the upcoming NHL season are nothing more than wishful thinking. Yes, you can do research. You can talk with fellow fans. And, if you're lucky enough, you can even talk to some players.

Still, though, no one knows. Players get injured or traded. A team's chemistry may never materialize. A top pick can become a big flop.

Yet, year after year, we put together, on the Internet, a piece of paper or the darkest recesses of our minds, a set of projections for the season ahead. Talk about optimism, eh?

So, for the record, here are Hound Central 4.0's picks. Remember, too, that they're certainly open for your debate:

Eastern Conference

1.) Philadelphia Flyers
2.) Montreal Canadiens
3.) Washington Capitals
4.) Pittsburgh Penguins
5.) New York Rangers
6.) New Jersey Devils
7.) Boston Bruins
8.) Carolina Hurricanes

Just missing: Buffalo Sabres

Western Conference

1.) Detroit Red Wings
2.) Anaheim Ducks
3.) Chicago Blackhawks
4.) San Jose Sharks
5.) Dallas Stars
6.) Calgary Flames
7.) Nashville Predators
8.) Edmonton Oilers

Just missing: Minnesota Wild

Conference champions

Eastern: Montreal Canadiens over Philadelphia Flyers in six games
Western: Anaheim Ducks over Calgary Flames in five games

Stanley Cup Finals

Montreal Canadiens over Anaheim Ducks in six games

Conn Smythe winner: Montreal's Carey Price

Annual awards

Presidents' Trophy
Detroit Red Wings, 112 points
Hart Trophy (MVP)
Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
Pearson Award (players' MVP)
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
Art Ross Trophy (top scorer)
Sidney Crosby, 128 points
Maurice Richard Trophy (top goal scorer)
Alexander Ovechkin, 58 goals
Calder Trophy (top rookie)
Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning
Norris Trophy (top defenseman)
Dion Phaneuf, Calgary Flames
Vezina Trophy (top goalie)
Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens
Lady Byng Trophy (sportsmanlike)
Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings
Selke Trophy (top defensive forward)
Mike Richards, Philadelphia Flyers
Jennings Trophy (lowest GAA)
Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak, Montreal Canadiens, 2.13 GAA
Masterton Trophy (perseverance)
Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins
King Clancy Trophy (humanitarian)
Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins

Bonus predictions

No. 1 pick: John Tavares by the New York Islanders
First coach fired: Tony Granato, Colorado Avalanche, or Alain Vigneault, Vancouver Canucks
Biggest trade: Patrick Marleau for Simon Gagne
Biggest cut: Jeremy Roenick, San Jose Sharks
Fighting majors: Daniel Carcillo, Phoenix Coyotes, 17, with one three-game suspension
Shutout leader: Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils, eight

What a Daddy does

Though it's a shame that two grown men can't get along, that doesn't mean that a 7-year-old fan of Boston's Patrice Bergeron can't get a helmet and stick signed by the Bruins star.

Granted, we'll have to wait until December. But I know Colin won't walk away empty-handed from our reunion. And I'll be content knowing that I did the right thing.


For the record: The helmet came from the Tampa Bay Lightning's 2007-08 rookie camp and the stickers were bought online. The stick is a Bergeron model. Neither are game-used.