Hockey snapshot No. 2

Seconds into a travel hockey game last Saturday, between two of the Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning's three Pee Wee A-level teams, I couldn't help but smile watching Colin -- crossing over in only his second or third stride -- take off after the puck following the opening faceoff. All season long, his hustle factor has improved with each game.

The Hockey Life: Catching up

A number of dispatches, mostly to bring everyone up to speed and, perhaps, explain the lack of posts over the past few weeks:

~ The meeting with the Event Development Institute, affiliated with the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, to bring an international youth hockey tournament to the Tampa Bay area in the next year to 18 months went as well as could be expected -- they let me in the building and didn't call security when I sat down at the table.

Seriously, though, it was a thrill to share this idea with people in place to potentially make it happen. They asked great questions and, hopefully, my answers were good enough. With some luck, we'll move forward with this project. An answer should arrive in the next week or so.

Either way, I'll share the news.

~  A few years ago, I made a deal with Colin. Any time he logged a hat trick, I'd buy him a hat. Earlier today, I kept that promise for the second such time. Eight days ago, in a rec league game for the Pinellas P.A.L. Stars, he scored three times, including the game-tying goal, in a 4-4 game.

What did he get? A knit tuque with headphones built into the ear flaps. Oh, yeah, he also earned his second Player of the Week hard hat from the Stars.

~ On the travel hockey front, Colin scored his first goal of the 2013-14 season. Took him 12 games, mind you, but it wasn't for the lack of trying. At first, he had to get some opportunities at this level. Then, he started hitting goal posts and crossbars. But, on Saturday, he finally lit the lamp, so to speak, with a wrister that eluded the goalie.

It's nice to see his hard work and persistence pay off.

~ The biggest reason I have written much lately? I'm heading into the home stretch of working 23 out of 26 days. Counting up my freelance work and some OT shifts, this is my last of three straight 63-hour weeks. Money's nice and I need to sleep, so something had to give.

Still, it's what this hockey dad has to do.

~ Yes, I also have to catch up with hounding reports. I've been out for the Los Angeles Kings (not so great), Minnesota Wild (the best, so far) and Boston Bruins (not so bad). This week alone, Colin and I will put in some hounding adventures with the N.Y. Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers and, quite possibly, the Pittsburgh Penguins.

You can look forward, too, to the return of Colin's hand-drawn team sheets.

~ For any of you keeping track, you may have noticed that I completed my Long Walk Home earlier this week. More than a year ago, when I started walking on a consistent basis as a way to shed tonnage, I set a goal of walking the 1,254.10 miles from our home in Hockey Bay to my hometown of Machias, N.Y.

With that goal reached, I've set my sights on Machias, Maine, the hometown of my hometown's original settlers, a trek of nearly 800 miles. On Thursday, Colin and I will participate in another father-son adventure, the Tampa Bay Times Turkey Trot's 5K Fun Run.

We'll walk, not run. That, alone, will knock out another 3 miles.

Thank you, folks

Over the past months, we've posted auctions on eBay, using game-used pink tape from Colin's hockey sticks, to raise money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. All told, these auctions raised more than $100. Today, we donated $107. 50 from my PayPal account to the group.

As always, we appreciate your support.

Nov 16, 2013 12:41:11 PST Transaction ID: 8HG36399FM6187031 Hello Ronald V. Saar, You sent a payment of $107.50 USD to Donation via PayPal Giving Fund (care@paypalgivingfund.org) It may take a few moments for this transaction to appear in your account. Merchant Donation via PayPal Giving Fund care@paypalgivingfund.org 866-353-3474 Instructions to merchant You haven't entered any instructions. Description Unit price Qty Amount Donation via PayPal Giving Fund for The Breast Cancer Research Foundation $107.50 USD 1 $107.50 USD Subtotal $107.50 USD Total $107.50 USD Payment $107.50 USD Payment sent to care@paypalgivingfund.org

Fundraising auction No. 5

With this fifth fundraising auction at eBay, featuring this hockey stick blade tape wrap, we're wrapping up Colin's efforts to raise money for breast cancer research. So far, we've raised more than $76 with the past four items.

The fourth auction, which came down to the final hour, ended successfully, when Jim, a Pioneer Central High classmate, stepped up. He joins Brett, AJ and Jerry in helping to support Colin's efforts, both on and off the ice.

This week's item saw plenty of action: one recreational hockey league game and three practices. Tthe tape comes from the Reebok RibCor 23K stick that Colin used to score one of two goals in his rec league game.

The starting bid remains at $2.49 as does the $3 shipping fee. Remember, we're not doing this to make money for ourselves. We're even donating the shipping fees. All proceeds from these auctions will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

As always, we appreciate your support.

Click here to check out the current auction

Hockey snapshot No. 1

It's just a moment within a rec league game, but this photo, taken by The Missus last Saturday during Colin's Pinellas P.A.L. Stars game, has become one of my favorites. Why? Because it shows Colin doing what he does best, getting ready to swoop in on an unsuspecting opponent, gain body position and take away the puck.

All along, we've said we were raising a complete hockey player, not just some one-dimensional goal scorer. Granted, I'd like it, and so would he, if he scored a little more in his travel-hockey games. But, it's doing the little things like this that tell me he's headed down the right path.

Where will it take him? Who knows? I'm just along for the ride, no matter how long or how far it lasts.

The Hockey Life: Taking the next step

It all started a couple of months ago with reading a story in the newspaper. The Event Development Institute, a group in Tampa that helps people and organizations transform ideas into realities, was accepting applications for events. Why not, I figured, submit my idea. So, I did, offering a bare-bones description in the online form.

Since then, mostly during my walks, the idea or, more accurately, the concept formulated in my mind. It was more than planning. Sponsorships, logistics, marketing and execution are all a part of the plan. And, yes, I figured it would a long shot. Who was I, some guy working out of a small desk tucked into the corner of a toy room/office, to think it was even worthy of consideration.

Well, guess what?

It seems the idea passed its first test. Last Tuesday, an email arrived sharing the news. I'll be meeting with the institute's advisory committee within the next two weeks to further discuss the concept. By no means does the meeting signify a green light, but it's a step in the right direction.

So, what's the idea? Let me give you three guesses, and the first two don't count.

My pitch is to bring an international level hockey tournament to the Tampa Bay area. Not just one that draws teams from Florida and, maybe, the Southeast. No, the idea is to draw teams from throughout the United States, Canada and, with a little bit of luck, from Europe and Scandinavia. If you're going to dream, you might as well dream big, right?

Think Quebec's pee wee tournament and national gatherings sponsored by big-name hockey gear companies. Rather than appealing to just local teams, the idea is to bring some of the best youth hockey teams from all over the world to the warm, sunny locale during the late fall to winter months. I'm thinking a week or weekend away from knee-deep snow and teeth-chattering cold holds great appeal.

This wouldn't be the run-of-the-mill local tournament, where teams show up, play a minimum of four games and, if the kids are lucky, get a bag tag for their efforts. The idea is to have seminars for league officials, organizations and coaches. Holding clinics or product demonstration sessions for players are a part of the plan, too. And, if the schedules mesh, toss in a Tampa Bay Lightning home game.

In a way, the tournament would be a festival for youth hockey here in Hockey Bay. It would tell the world that our sport of speed is, indeed, played well below the Florida-Georgia line. Hopefully, it would bring people, from as far away as Russia or Sweden, to Tampa Bay's sandy shores. So, yes, there's the aspect that it would continue to build region's brand as a top-shelf tourism destination.

The tournament would also provide solid measuring sticks, so to speak, for local youth hockey organizations and the hundreds of players who hit the local rinks. They'd get an idea of just how far they've come or, perhaps more likely, how much more work they need to do. To me, teaching moments would be plentiful.

Pulling this off would be a monumental task. It's going to take a lot of hard work by myself and many others. The next two weeks will be all about making the necessary contacts and gaining valuable advice. I have to reach out to, and hopefully hear from, associations, companies and people at the national, state and local levels. The better prepared I am going into that meeting, the better chance the idea had of gaining critical support.

It's time, then, for me to get to work.

P.S.:  Here's another shameless plug asking you to help support Colin's fundraising efforts for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. For as little as $5.49, shipping included, you can do your part to help him do his part. As always, we appreciate your support.

Fundraising auction No. 4

With an old friend and hockey teammate stepping up, it's time to begin another fundraising auction at eBay, featuring this hockey stick blade tape wrap, to raise money for breast cancer research.

So far, we've raised more than $53 with the past three items. We're very appreciative of Brett, AJ and Jerry helping to support Colin's efforts, both on and off the ice.

This week's item saw plenty of use: two travel hockey games, one recreational hockey league game and two practices. Even better, the tape comes from the Reebok RibCor 23K stick that Colin used to score two goals in his rec league game.

The starting bid remains at $2.49 as does the $3 shipping fee. Remember, we're not doing this to make money for ourselves. We're even donating the shipping fees. All proceeds from these auctions will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

As always, we appreciate your support.

Click here to check out the current auction

The Hockey Life: Moments of a season

There are moments in any hockey season, whether watching or playing, that can last a lifetime for the parties involved. For skaters, it's a first goal or point. For goalies, it's the first win or shutout. And, for a team, it's a first win. Each is a special moment.

On Saturday, during Colin's rec hockey game with his Pinellas P.A.L. Stars squad, we had the privilege of watching three young players -- all in their first year of organized hockey, I believe -- register some important milestones in their respective journeys. Two players scored their first goals and the team's goalie notched his first shutout.

It was great seeing the smiles on faces, from the players to the coaches to the parents, with each moment. So was watching the hard work these kids have been putting in over the past month or so be rewarded. In games like this, especially at this level and in this particular season, the highs can only temper the lows as kids learn how to play this humbling game.

Take a look at the photo, please, shot by The Missus at the conclusion of the Stars' 6-0 win over the Leafs. (Technically, the score was 8-0, but the scorekeeper stopped keeping track after 6-0.) Yes, a team is celebrating. It's celebrating more than a win, though. It's celebrating milestones.


I'm hoping, too, that each of the boys has a puck to commemorate their achievements. Years from now, those black rubber disks will serve as tangible reminders of a single game they played on an October afternoon on a rink in Florida.

We should know. One such puck sits in a plastic case on a baker's rack in our dining room. Dated March 14, 2010, it's Colin's first goal while playing for the Stars. For him, it's a milestone. For me, it's reason to smile.

Fundraising auction No. 3

 

Here we are, nearing the end of October, and we have yet another fundraising auction at eBay, featuring this hockey stick blade tape wrap, to raise money for breast cancer research.

So far, we've raised more than $30 with the past two items. We're very appreciative of Brett and AJ helping to support Colin's efforts, both on and off the ice.

This week's item saw plenty of use: one recreational hockey league game and four practices.Even better, the tape comes from the Reebok RibCor 23K stick that Colin used to log an assist in his rec league game.

The starting bid remains at $2.49 as does the $3 shipping fee. Remember, we're not doing this to make money for ourselves. All proceeds from these auctions will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

As always, we appreciate your support.

Click here to check out the current auction

The Hockey Life: Great save, Patrice

Save for two years out of the past nine, the annual highlight of our hockey-hounding season has been getting  a photo of Colin with his favorite NHL player, Boston's Patrice Bergeron. Sure, the autographs we get are nice and, as always, are welcome additions to the collection. What we're really after, though, is what you see above.

It's a chance, as it has always been, for a young hockey player who, like many others, dreams of playing in the NHL to meet his idol. Even if only for a few moments, the memories created last a lifetime. For Colin, Patrice, whom he calls Petey, is the reason why he wears No. 37.

As hockey parents, it's our job to do whatever we can to support our child's dreams. Yes, we stress the value of education and remind him often that good grades and a college degree in a growing field will most likely take him further in life than most anything else. Within that, one of the lessons we preach -- in life as well as in hockey -- is being in the right place at the right time.

That's why we found ourselves in Tampa early Saturday morning, waiting and watching for the Bruins. Seeing Patrice, or so we thought, would be a good way to start a hockey-filled day and provide some motivation, through an invitation to Patrice to come watch Colin play for the Pinellas P.A.L. Stars later that day. After an hour of waiting, however, we weren't so sure.

Though Colin stood near the hotel's entrance and called out to Patrice as he headed to the team's bus for the morning skate, Patrice walked past without acknowledging his little buddy. Colin called out again, but Patrice didn't even look back before climbing aboard the bus and settling into a seat near a window close to where we were standing. Even waving at him drew no response. Needless to say, Colin was bummed.

"I was heartbroken," he told me later.

A quick stop at the Krispy Kreme on Kennedy Boulevard, as we headed to Oldsmar for Colin's game,  helped eased some of the disappointment, but I could still tell it was bothering him. To him, Patrice is his buddy. Actually, to Colin, he's more than that. He's someone else to look up to.

Patrice is one of the the first NHL players that Colin, then 4 years old, really first spoke to at any length, back in September 2005 outside the Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington, Mass. Since then, they've shared a hug during Patrice's first trip to Tampa following that horrific hit he took in 2007. They've talked about school and hockey as they walked down trolley tracks while Patrice made his way to a morning skate. Heck, they're even on a hockey card together.

All of that, I suppose, has led to an expectation that they'd have their annual moment, so to speak, on Saturday morning. And, when it didn't happen, especially when we missed last year because of school, the disappointment was shared among the three of us. I told Colin he'd have another opportunity to see Patrice later in the day. Deep down inside, I knew (or, at least, hoped really hard) that it wouldn't happen again.

Thankfully, and I do mean this, Patrice more than made up for it as the Bruins left the hotel for the game against the Lightning. He apologized to Colin, decked out in his "Keep Calm and Bergeron" T-shirt, for not speaking to him earlier in the day. They also engaged in a conversation in French. He even signed Colin's team sheet and a Stanley Cup champions puck.

Even better, we got what came for, getting the traditional photo. By the smiles on their faces, I'm thinking the day turned out just fine.

Hounding report: Florida Panthers

The Hockey Hounding Gods aligned the planets for me when the Florida Panthers, one of the best-signing teams in the NHL, opened the 2013-14 hockey-hounding campaign as the opponent in the Tampa Bay Lightning home opener earlier this month.

It's no surprise, to me at least, that I had what I considered a strong start, adding 31 autographs, including a puck (shown above) signed by Florida's Aleksander Barkov, the No. 3 overall pick at the 2013 Draft.

Hockey cards proved to be the platform of the day, as the first 30 were added to the stack. For the record, Panthers defenseman Marcel Goc signed the first two autographs of the campaign.

Signing four cards each were:

Sean Bergenheim, who is seldom, if ever, shy around a Sharpie;

Tomas Fleischmann, who also is pretty consistent in signing this many.

Other Panthers players signing cards were:

Top row: Brian Campbell, Scott Clemmensen, Tom Gilbert; and

Bottom row: Matt Gilroy, Marcel Goc and long-time toughie Scott Gomez;

Top row: Erik Gudbranson, Ed Jovanovski and Tomas Kopecky;

Bottom row: Dmitry Kulikov, Jacob Markstrom and Shawn Matthias;

A trio of toughies in Scottie Upshall, Kris Versteeg and Ryan Whitney.

Up next: A disappointing trip, in more ways than one, for the Los Angeles Kings.

Fundraising auction No. 2

As promised, we've started another fundraising auction at eBay, featuring this hockey stick blade tape wrap, to raise money for breast cancer research.

Despite getting nearly 100 views, the first auction ended without a bid within a week. Thankfully, though, we received one for $25 after the auction closed. Thanks, Brett, for doing that and continuing to support Colin's efforts, both on and off the ice.

This week's item saw plenty of use: two travel hockey games, one recreational league game and three practices. Even better, the tape comes from the Reebok RibCor 23K stick that Colin used to score a goal and two assists in his rec league game.

We've also lowered the starting bid to $2.49 and shipping to $3, beginning this week, in our bid to get you to bid on the item. Remember, we're not doing this to make money for ourselves. All proceeds from these auctions will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

As always, we appreciate your support.

Here's a link to this week's auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=231074726706

The Hockey Life: Tough game

Given the score, an abysmal double-digits to 1, it would have been easy to understand any player, seeing the waning moments of the game wind down, to go through the motions. You skate, but with less of a purpose. Rather than mount a last-ditch bid to generate some offense, you're happy to simply clear the puck. Watching from the bench, it seems, isn't all that bad.

Really, all you want is the buzzer to sound.

In this game of life, and not just in hockey, there will always be stinkers of a game. It's s fact of life. Sports, too. And don't let anyone tell you any differently. As much as we all want to win, someone has to lose. That's the way it goes.

In those situations, though, an opportunity presents itself. It all boils down to one simple decision -- do you keep trying hard, no matter the score or outcome? In my book, you do. That's the way I was raised. That's the way I'm raising Colin. There's no other choice.

Yes, it stinks getting shellacked. It isn't fun, in the least little bit, watching the other team run up the score. But, if the team is that good and you're not doing much to stop them, what can you do? Quit? Blame others? Whine about the talent level of the other team? No. No. And no.

So, what can you do? You dig a little harder. You skate a little faster. You look your teammates, as well as the opponents, square in the eye. You don't give up. Instead, you chalk it up as a learning experience and use it as motivation to make sure it never happens again. You grow.

Really, that's all you can do. And, thankfully, that's what Colin did.

Raising awareness and money

Each October, CMS 37 wraps his hockey stick blades in pink tape to help raise awareness for breast cancer research. Last year, he gave away the wrappings to people who have defeated breast cancer or felt the loss of having someone they love die from the disease.

This year, CMS 37 is again participating in his project, but we're adding a different element. Each week, through Saturday, Nov. 2, we'll change the tape on his two sticks, making one available to someone we know and putting the other up for auction on eBay.

If the item sells, and we hope it does, you have our word that all proceeds from this week's auction will be donated, through eBay's Giving Works program, to the Breast Cancer Research Fund.

The auctions, which will be listed every Monday afternoon, will last seven days, with the final one ending Monday. Nov. 11. The opening bid for this week's pink hockey stick tape wrap, shown above, is $2.49 with a Buy It Now price of $9.99. Shipping and handling is a flat rate of $3.

Remember, we're not making a penny on this. All proceeds will go to charity. This week's auction, if successful, will benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Here's a link to this week's auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=231069455689

As always, we appreciate your consideration of participating in this event. Thank you.

The Hockey Life: Someday, soon

From all of the roles within a hockey game, from playing to watching, there's really only one left that truly captivates my attention -- coaching. Not sure why, but a voice inside my head keeps turning up the volume. At first, it was a whisper. Over the years, and especially over the past few, the voice has gotten louder.

And, now, it's at a point where it's too hard to ignore anymore.

More than anything else, the curiosity to see whether I'd be good at it is the motivating factor. I've played the game long enough to know. I've watched games, at most every level. And, for the past six-plus years, I've worked with Colin on different aspects of the game.

For good or bad, though, I want to find a way, and more importantly the time, to become certified, even if I don't work with any other players but my own son. It's more about gaining insight into the teaching, the dynamics and the behind-the-scenes mechanics of building a team from scratch.

The biggest obstacle, I believe, is my work schedule, primarily nights and weekends. Unfortunately, I've yet to win a ginormous Powerball jackpot, meaning that I'll have to continue within journalism, as I have for the past 28-plus years now, and remain far from being one-dimensional. But, still, if this can be done online, and I believe it can, there's no reason to not try.

Trust me, I have no delusions of grandeur. I'd be happy as the proverbial clam, if you will, to work with a rec-league team, serving as a substitute or, perhaps, starting out as an assistant. Just like anything else I've done, I've worked my way up learning the ropes. Sure, I may understand the game, but there's a lot to learn about coaching. In a way, it'd be like serving an apprenticeship.

As a coach, it's more important to create hockey players, people who are willing to adopt the team concept. Sure, each team needs its superstars, so to speak. But a team still needs players who hustle, make smart plays and never put themselves above their teammates. Those are lessons, I believe, that can last a lifetime.

Here in Florida, I've witnessed both ends of the coaching spectrum. There are solid coaches who command the respect of their players and parents, even outside of their organization. Good coaches, too, who are in it for the teaching. Unfortunately, there are others who do it only so their child can make a team or, far worse, fail to maintain a safe environment for their players.

Thankfully, each one provides a teaching moment. That's why it's time to start learning.

The Hockey Life: Breathing easier

There was a moment Saturday afternoon, in between Colin's two games with his Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning Pee Wee A White teammates, when I simply sat back, smiled and enjoyed the scene. It had been a long, long time.

Here was a youth hockey team, fresh off its best victory -- so far -- of the young season, taking up one side of the Courtside Grille. Most of the kids were gathered at one table, playing games on their smartphones or sharing an order of calamari. Yes, calamari. At other tables, including ours, families enjoyed their meals, making small talk, above the din of the kids, between bites.

In a word, it was nice.

It was nice to see that teammates can get along. It was nice to see that teammates can respect each other. It was nice to see all of the teammates having fun. And, after last season's debacle with another organization, it was nice to see that it was even possible.

Going into this season, our primary goal was to have fun. To be able to enjoy ourselves. To be able to enjoy the company we keep. To look forward to games and, honestly, practices. A month into the season, our expectations have been exceeded. Even better, we've yet to see, hear or learn of anything to the contrary.

We'll do our part, too, to make sure that keeps happening.
 
What we're learning is that it's more than wins and losses, goals and assists, and who gets to choose the locker room music. It's all about these kids playing a game, getting better every time they touch the ice and becoming a tight-knit group.

It's no secret -- in and outside of the organization -- that this team was put together only after the Pee Wee team, the one that suffered through a pretty tough campaign last season, was hand-picked from the fairly large group of kids who tried out. I don't have a problem with that. If that's what they need, who am I, or anyone else for that matter, to tell them differently. Besides, it makes for a good rivalry within the family.

Honestly, it was easy to see, even before official practices began, that the kids on the White team, especially Colin, had some work to do. And while some may see that as a disadvantage, I think it will ultimately be a strength of this team. To me, the kids will grow tighter -- like a band of brothers, if you will -- with each step of improvement that takes place in the days ahead this season.

For Colin, this is his season to really focus on his skills. He's understands what it means to go hard. He skates just as hard on the last shift of his second game of the day as he did during his first shift of his first game. Earlier today, during a scrimmage with his rec team, he drove hard to the net, crashing into players in a bid to score. Not once, but twice. To me, he took a huge stride.

Sure, Colin and his teammates will have some hard games. In this game of inches, there will be missed opportunities. Teaching moments, rather than mistakes, will happen, too. They'll learn, like most of us do, that nothing good comes easy. To me, that's how a team comes together.

It'll be fun watching it happen.

Among the highlights

So, if getting to serve as a Lightning Dream Kid before the Florida Panthers-Tampa Bay Lightning game wasn't enough Saturday night, Colin and his buddy Max also got to meet Annilie and Jordana, the Fox Sports Florida girls, and quite possibly end up in one of their promos for Lightning games.

We don't know for sure if and when it'll happen, but the two young ladies were kind enough to take a picture with them and post it on their Twitter feed:

@flahockeydad Thanks for filming the @TBLightning promos with us last night boys!!! #gobolts -Jordana pic.twitter.com/A6MljAvlMX
— Annilie and Jordana (@FSFloridaGirls) September 22, 2013

The Hockey Life: Lightning Dream Kid III

Some day, a long way down the road, Colin will look back on his days playing hockey as a child and smile. From his first time in skates to hundreds of games of travel and rec hockey league play, he will have a mountain of memories to draw from. That alone, folks, will be worth every last penny.

I'm thinking, though, that certain experiences will stand out. Scoring his first-ever goal in a game that counted. Getting a game-winner with less than a minute to play. Making lifelong friends. And, more than likely, his three turns taking part in official National Hockey League games.

Last night, Colin got to serve as a Lightning Dream Kid before the Florida Panthers-Tampa Bay Lightning preseason game at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. It was his third time in as many seasons, and twice in about the past 10 months, that he has had that privilege.

Pretty heady stuff, isn't it, skating in front of more than 13,000 people? Not sure I could do that.

Basically, a Lightning Dream Kid gets to perform three tasks at the start of an NHL game. First, as shown above (in a subpar video effort by yours truly), he skates, in time, to a portion of AC/DC's Thunderstruck. After that, he gets to greet Lightning players as they make their way to the ice. The best part, I believe, is then joining Lightning players on the blue line for the national anthem.

Really, how cool is that?

So, yes, some day, God willing, he will be able to tell his kids about it. And, that in and of itself, will make for another wonderful memory. To us, that's what hockey, and our hockey life, is all about.

A dream hat trick

Photo by DIRK SHADD   |   Tampa Bay Times

For the third time in as many seasons, Colin has been chosen to serve as the Lightning Dream Kid before a Tampa Bay Lightning game. Earlier today, he was invited to skate before this Saturday's game against the Florida Panthers.

Here are links to the past two times he served:

Feb. 1, 2013: Winnipeg Jets vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Jan. 17, 2012: Boston Bruins vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

Now, all I have to do is get the night off. I watched the first two, so I don't want to miss this one.

It's official

He was told about it last Wednesday and the Pinellas P.A.L. Stars were told as a team before Saturday's game, Colin will serve as captain of the squirt-peewee squad for the 2013-14 season.