Sunday morning homily X

As much as I like watching the Boston Bruins play, especially when the team is down here in Tampa Bay, I didn't enjoy last night's game as much as I thought I would. Sadly, it had nothing to do with Bruins' 4-1 loss to the Lightning.

No, what really tempered my enthusiasm was the fact that Boston's Patrice Bergeron -- a favorite of the Hound Central 3.0 household -- understandably didn't make the trip as he recovers from the serious concussion he sustained earlier this season.

For the past three years, Patrice and Colin, our 6-year-old son, have become buddies. From training camps in Wilmington, Mass., to catching up outside the team's hotel here in Tampa, we've watched as the two bonded.

Over the years, Patrice has been gracious enough to sign many items for Colin. As a result, his room is full of Bergeron items -- cards, photos, a jersey and one very special stick. Our most valuable items, measured in something far greater than money, are the memories from their visits:

~ How Colin called him a heart-warming "Ka-trice," rather than Patrice, in their earliest visits;
~ The one rainy day in Wilmington, just after Christmas, when Colin stopped Patrice, on a dime, with a request to sign the game-used stick that Santaopolous brought him only days before;
~ The instant recognition and mile-wide smiles, as well as the looks on others' faces, when Patrice greeted Colin, by name, during a signing session at a Bruins Wives Carnival; and
~ The near-tear-inducing hug that Colin gave Patrice last October, the first time we saw the Bruins down here in Florida. For Colin, Patrice brought a sense of familiarity to a place that is, in more ways than anyone could imagine, so, so far away from New England.

Despite a chance meeting last night with Patrice's Uncle Vern (an usher at the St. Pete Times Forum), who wanted to meet the little boy wearing a Bruins #37 jersey and carrying a "Patrice: Get Well Soon! Your buddy, Colin" sign, it just didn't feel the same.

Godspeed, Patrice. Take your time and get healthy. We hope to see you again. But, if that doesn't happen, and you rightfully place your well-being and future above the game, we want to thank you for everything. Especially the memories.

We won't boo this guy -- anymore

Over the years, Colin has been the recipient of many pucks from players, either at practices or pre-game warm-ups. Last night, he added to his collection. But rather than getting a puck from a player, the latest addition came from someone other than a player.

As we waited outside the St. Pete Times Forum after the game, the officiating crew started to walk past. One of them stopped, though, dropping his shoulder bag to the ground. He fished around the bag, and a few seconds later, produced this official, and slightly frozen, Tampa Bay Lightning game puck.

"Here you go, buddy," said Stephane Auger, an NHL referee, as he handed the puck to Colin.

Pretty nice gesture, if you ask me.

5 Big Sigs

With three teams coming to Tampa this week -- the Ottawa Senators, Carolina Hurricanes and New York Islanders -- I'm hoping that quality far exceeds quantity as we add these to the collection:

~ Ottawa's Daniel Alfredsson, Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza on new-look Senators pucks;
~ Carolina's Rod Brind'Amour on a Philadelphia Flyers puck;
~ The Isles' Rick DiPietro on the American-born goalie stick;
~ The Isles' Billy Guerin on Islanders and Dallas Stars pucks; and
~ getting former Lightning player Ruslan Fedotenko, now playing for the Islanders, to re-sign a 2004 Stanley Cup Game 7 puck, this time with a blue paint pen. Fedotenko, you might recall, scored Tampa Bay's Cup-winning goal.