The Hockey Life: Remembering Boston

Though Colin was born nearly 12 years ago in nearby Weymouth, Mass., we've always considered Boston as his hometown and one of the special places we've lived near. To us, it's not the Hub of the Universe, as some people like to call it. Instead, it's the Hub of Hockey, the home of his favorite NHL player, Boston's Patrice Bergeron, and his favorite NHL team, the Bruins.

That's why we all had profound sadness last Monday upon hearing of the terrorist attacks during the Boston Marathon. To think that people -- cowards, actually -- killed innocent people, including a child, for reasons we've yet to hear, is beyond comprehension. And, to do it in a city already scarred by the horrific events of Sept. 11, 2001, is maddening.

I was not surprised, though, by the outpouring of support for Boston shown across the nation. It's one of the things that makes me very proud to be an American. You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us. And payback, we learned later in the week, is a you-know-what, too.

After hearing what happened Monday, Colin wanted to show his support for his hometown, wearing his Boston Bruins Winter Classic jersey at Monday's practice with his Pinellas P.A.L. Stars squad. It was cool, too, seeing a teammate wearing a Bruins jersey.

Two days later, at an invite-only clinic (top photo) in Tampa with former NHL defenseman and Stanely Cup winner Stan Neckar, he wore his Bruins Bergeron third jersey.

Later today, as he wraps up his rec league's regular season with an eye on maintaining the league's No. 1 seed, Colin will follow Phoenix Coyotes player and Boston native Keith Yandle's lead and share messages of support (shown above) for Boston on his skates.

Just goes to show that you can take the boy out of Boston, but you can't take the Boston out of the boy. Yes, Colin is Boston Proud.

Scholarship winner

In my latest Bragging Daddy Alert moment, I'm pleased as punch to share that Colin was awarded a scholarship to attend a Summer Science Splash Camp at Eckerd College this summer. He was one of four students in Bay Point Middle's magnet school program to win the $250 award to spend six days and five nights studying electrons at the overnight camp at the college in St. Petersburg.

For his application, he had to write an essay about how he would benefit from attending the camp and how it would help him with school and later in life. His essay spoke of how studying electrons would help his design of a naval ship that would use waste-to-energy, solar and wind power as well as designing a skate blade that was lighter, stronger and would maximize the energy of each skater's stride.

Pretty heady stuff for an 11-year-old, if you ask me.

We know that his education will take him further in life than hockey, but we're doing all we can as parents to fuel each dream. What's rewarding, though, is that it was his own hard work that led to his first-ever scholarship. We hope, too, that it won't be his last.

And, finally ...

We received an email late last week, likely part of a mass marketing campaign, inviting Colin to travel to Georgia and try out for a team that would represent the Southeast at a Hockey Night in Boston tournament this summer in Haverhill, Mass.

Though we declined, as he is a year too young and, quite honestly, would be the longest of all long shots, we're using it to show him the potential opportunities that may present themselves if he continues to work hard and improve his game.