Sunday morning homily I

Hockey's training camps and preseason, just like baseball's spring training, are times for hope and renewal. Everyone starts with a clean slate and as much opportunity as they can create.

In hounding, it's no different. Each season allows for a new approach. And now, with the start of Tampa's hockey hounding season less than four days away, I'm setting these three goals with the hopes that they resonate with you:

~ Improve the quality of the collection by remembering the veteran players. I used the NHL's 2004-05 lockout to load up on today's younger stars (Boston's Patrice Bergeron, Carolina's Cam Ward and Ottawa's Jason Spezza come to mind), who spent that season at AHL farm clubs and traveled to Manchester, N.H., for their all-star weekend. This should allow for more cherry-picking, as in getting Colorado's Joe Sakic and Milan Hejduk over, say, Marek Svatos and Jordan Leopold. And, no, I won't apologize for that.

~ Remember why I got into this hobby 10 years ago -- to have fun while building an awesome collection. Now that I've been around the block a time or two (or three), I'll use that experience to not just diversify the collection (adding more sticks, jerseys and helmets), but make it more enjoyable, too. There were many times last season when getting autographs felt like a job. I'll take more time to enjoy it this season.

~ Continue to pass along my love for the game to my son, Colin. Every veteran parent tells me that as he gets older, he'll want to spend less time with me. I understand that. Every child needs to grow into an independent person. All I want is for hockey to be a bond, just like love and trust, that keeps us close.

Way to go, kid

On a cold night in Lewiston, Maine, I had the pleasure of meeting one of my hockey heroes. The Quebec Remparts, owned and coached by Patrick Roy, were in town. Even with stars Angelo Esposito and Alexander Radulov away at worlds, The Colisee was nearly full.

In goal for the hometown Maineiacs was Jonathan Bernier, then a highly regarded and draft-eligible prospect. A few months later, Los Angeles, picking 11th overall in the 2006 draft, nabbed Bernier.

Last night, in London, Bernier paid quick dividends, leading the Kings to a 4-1 victory in the NHL's season opener. Not bad for someone making his first NHL start?

Granted, he'll likely spend the winter in Manchester, but I believe Saturday's win over defending Stanley Cup champ Anaheim will prove to be far more than beginner's luck.

5 Big Sigs

With two hounding opportunities in the week ahead (New Jersey on Oct. 4 and Atlanta on Oct. 6), I'm hoping to add these items:

1.) New Jersey's Martin Brodeur on Colin's Brodeur replica jersey
2.) New Jersey assistant coaches Jacques Laperriere (he's pretty tough, surprisingly) and Larry Robinson on a Montreal Canadiens replica jersey
3.) New Jersey GM Lou Lamoriello on a Providence College puck
4.) Atlanta's Marian Hossa on a Portland Winter Hawks puck
5.) Atlanta's Bobby Holik and Alexei Zhitnik as the first two players to sign the 1999 NHL All Star Game helmet