Nick walks into the trainer’s room and stops dead in his tracks when he sees Kevin sitting Indian style on one of the trainers tables with his eyes closed sitting perfectly still. Nick stares at him and finally notices the music playing in the back round. The sound of a slow melody accompanied with a Japanese sound plays from a small boom box sitting on another table next to him.
AJ walks up behind Nick and stand on his toes to look over his shoulder at Kevin. He smiles slightly and pushes past Nick into the room. He hops onto another table and looks over at Kevin. He brings his legs up and sits like Kevin then closes his eyes as the song “Aqueous Transmission” by Incubus continues in the back round.
Nick shakes his head and walks out of the room shutting the door behind himself. He makes his way past the rest of the team over to his locker and sits down on his stool.
“What’s wrong with you?” Brian asks looking at him as he walks over taking a seat next to him.
“Kevin is sitting in there with his eyes closed listening to Incubus…”
“Ohhhh that he’s meditating,” Brian says smiling.
“Uh huh may I ask why?” Nick says.
“He does it before every game actually,” Brian says, “You never noticed that the trainer’s door is always shut after he goes in?”
“I thought he was getting his knee taped or something.”
“Nope,” he meditates for like ten minutes before each game to that Incubus song and another one called Mexico. He switched to those two recently from his like Pure Moods CD. Personally I’m very glad he made the switched.”
“Well why is AJ in there then?”
“AJ is in there?” Brian says looking generally surprised, “Hmm I have no idea. Maybe he’s having some sort of spiritual awakening or something. Ha one time two years ago when I was a rookie John LeCalire walked in there when Kevin was meditating and disturbed him. Kevin threw a bottle of pain killers at his head, so just don’t disturb him or anything.”
“Ok.”
“You gonna be sitting in a box watching us or something?”
“Yeah I’ll be in a box.”
“That’s good just don’t piss anyone off or anything you might get traded or something,” Brian says smiling starting to pull on his pads over his head.
“Who’s playing in goal tonight?”
“Boosh who else,” Brian says sighing, “He got a shut out last night and now he’s got two in a row. The guy was the first NHL player to get player of the week this season too. He’s got the best averages of all the goalies in the league and now he holds the record with two shutouts in a row. I don’t think I have a very good chance to be starter this season.”
“You could surprise yourself Brian.”
“Right,” Brian smiles slightly, “I may surprise myself, but Boosh has to slip up majorly for me to get the role.”
“What do I need to do?” Brian says walking up dressed in all his gear with his mask perched up above his head.
“Why are you dressed already?” Nick says.
“I have nooo idea. I’m ready for tonight though. Let the Tampa Bay Lightening bring it,” Boosh says moving from skate to skate jumping around as his mask slides down the rest of his face, “Ow, I’m ok nobody worry about the goalie,” he says walking back to his locker.
Brian starts laughing and pulls on his Jersey over his head, “You gotta hand it to him he’s almost as bad as AJ.”
“Yeah key word almost,” Nick laughs.
AJ walks out of the trainer’s room followed by Kevin. Nick looks over at them and shakes his head.
“Does meditation help any?” he asks AJ as he sits down next to him on his stool and starts to get changed.
“Actually yeah it does,” AJ smiles, “Very calming. I usually end up getting anxiety attacks before I play most of the time. It really does help me. You should try it guys.”
“Uh uh not for me,” Brian says, “I can’t sit still that long.”
“Well then you should try it Nick,” AJ says.
“I dunno,” Nick says.
“Please don’t become another Kevin we can only take one of him,” Brian says.
“Me? A Kevin? Not a chance in hell,” AJ smirks.
Nick watches as a Tampa Bay Lightening player heads down the ice towards Boosh and gets knocked to the ice by Kevin head on. Nick even had to make a face at that hit. It even looked like it hurt and the guy actually flew in the air a few seconds before falling to the ice probably because it happened in open ice. Well he knew who was going to get Toyota’s great check of the game this game.
It was the third period and the score was two to zero in favor of the Flyers. It looked like Boosh was going to get his third shut out of the season. Nick didn’t exactly enjoy people screaming in his ear for the other team in their house, so he was sitting there with his headphones listening to Puddle of Mud’s “Blurry”.
AJ had scored early in the game and the other belonged to Recchi. AJ was goofing off on the ice with Fedoruk and Fedetenko who were on his line and Nick was amazed that that line had only gotten into three fights so far and not more. AJ usually played with Roenick and Murray, but since they were up 2-0 Barber had probably agreed to let AJ play on the line he wanted to.
Nick watches as another Lightening player heads down the ice towards Boosh and lets off a shot high in the air heading towards the ice. It almost seemed if it got redirected by Luke Richardson’s skate, but Nick wasn’t sure. All he saw was Boosh reach up with his glove hand to make an easy save for him and somehow the puck ends up in the net. Nick didn’t even think amongst all the Lightening fans he stands up and yells, “What the hell?!” as a shocked Boosh looks behind him at the puck in the net. AJ skates up to Boosh who is looking down at his glove and starts laughing. Nick looks at the replay showing a shot from behind Boosh and his mouth drops open. Boosh had made a clean save the only thing wrong was the puck had gone clean through the mesh of his glove and into the goal.
Boosh skates over to the bench and gets his new white glove from someone and hands in his ripped one. Boosh skates back to his net and Nick watches the teleprompter as one of the assistants to the team starts to repair the glove’s rip. They were fixing it with a shoelace.
“That’s real craftsmanship there,” Nick mumbles to himself sitting back down in his seat next to Rick Tocchet who can only look over at him and shrug.
“That one is really gonna piss Boosh off,” Rick smiles before turning his attention back to the game.
The Flyers go on to win the game 2-1 even though according to AJ the real score was 2-0 and Boosh had secured another shutout. Boosh only looked at him and shook his head. Boosh seemed to be the most ironic goaltender in the league according to AJ two pucks being jammed in his masks rookie year and now this. Boosh’s only reply, “Shut up AJ.”
Kevin stares out the window of the bus as they make their way down to another stadium to play the Florida Panthers the next night. AJ was sitting across the aisle looking out his window singing a song quietly to himself. Kevin thought he would never see the day that he would see AJ McLean singing Jewel’s “Hands”. Brian was sitting next to Kevin with his head resting on Kevin’s shoulder fast asleep. Nick was sitting next to AJ hunched over his sketchpad drawing something that Kevin couldn’t make out from the angle he was sitting at.
“We are never broken. We are neverrr brokennn,” AJ sings softly, “we are God’s eyes. God’s hands. God’s heart. We are God’s eyes. God’s hands. God’s heart…”
Fedoruk and Boosh were sitting in front of AJ and Nick snapping their fingers and singing Destiny’s child along with Marty Murray and Fedetenko who were in front of Kevin and Brian. You think you see it all until you see a two hundred forty five pound center iceman named Fedoruk singing Destiny’s Child “Emotions” along with other ice hockey players. Kevin could barely make out William’s shoes that were hanging off a seat in front of him two seats to the left where he was curled up a sleep probably. LeClaire, Roenick, Recchi, Richardson and Primeau were at a back table playing cards while most of the other guys were in their own seats talking to each other, reading or sleeping.
Kevin looks over as AJ starts to sing the same song along with the other snapping his fingers as Nick looks up at him quickly and laughs quietly to himself. At least most of them had good voices and by far AJ’s was the best, so the others didn’t mind when he started to sing the lead part louder then them.
“And where are you know? Now that I need you. Tears on my pillow. Wherever you go. Cry me a river. That leads to your ocean. You’ll never see me fall apart.”
Kevin had to give it to them though they didn’t sound bad, but he could feel his own eyelids start to fall shut. The song was the type of song that would put you to sleep after a hard days work.
“ In the words of a broken it’s just emotions taking me over. Caught up in sorrow lost in the sorrow, but if you don’t come back. Come home to me darling.”
The guys on this bus were the closet thing he had to family on the road and he was glad that he was still on the Flyers after so many years. He loved the fact that he got to play with such a great bunch of guys on a daily basis even if one of them was AJ.
“ Nobody left in this world to hold me tight. Nobody left in this world to kiss goodnight. Good night. Good nighttttt.”
“Ohhh my God Becky look at her butt it is so big,” AJ says in the locker room in a valley girl expression.
“She looks like one of those rap guys girlfriends,” Williams says from his locker across the room, “but who understands those rap guys.”
“They only talk to her because she looks like a total prostitute,” Boosh says, “Ok I mean her butt it’s just so big.”
“It’s just so round it’s like out there,” Fedoruk says walking up dressed in his pants and skates, “I mean gross. Look. She’s just so blah…”
And with that the frenzy ensued that the other guys couldn’t help but laugh it or join in as four of them started to sing “Baby Got Back.”
“I like big butts and I can not lie. You other brothers can’t deny that when a girl walks in with an itty-bitty waist and a round thing in face you get sprung. Wanna pull up truck because you noticed that butt was stuffed. Deep in the jeans she’s wearing. I’m hooked and can’t stop staring. Oh baby I wanna get with ya and take your picture. My homeboys tried to warn me, but that butt you got make me so horney. Oh rump and smooth skin you say you wanna get in my Benz. Well use me use me cause you ain’t that average groupie. I seen her dancing to hell with romancing. She’s sweat wet got it going like a turbo vet. I’m tired of magazines saying flat butts are the things. Take the average black man and ask him that she gotta pack much butt. So fellas. Yeah. Fellas. Yeah. Does your girlfriend have the butt? Hell Yeah. Tell me. Shake it. Shake it. Shake that healthy butt.”
Brian starts laughing and turns around trying to stop as AJ starts chanting LA face with the Oakland booty. What made it even worse was the fact that other then AJ Williams and Fedoruk were from Canada and Boosh from Woonsocket Rhode Island. The song and dance continued for four minutes and twenty-seven seconds as they sang the whole song with AJ running around doing the running man with Fedoruk. Barber’s only comment was after they were done when he asked if they needed Ritalin.
Yeah it was going to be an interesting game against the Panthers tonight. To bad Brian wasn’t going to be playing in it.
AJ walks into a bar later that night with Nick, Boosh, Fedetenko, Murray and Fedoruk to celebrate there overtime win against the Panthers. Boosh wasn’t happy that he let in two goals, but AJ told him to calm down it was a win non the less.
“What are you drinking?” Boosh asks AJ.
“I don’t drink,” AJ says, “I sip,” he smiles.
“Righttt,” Boosh smiles before walking over to where Murray is standing.
AJ shakes his head and walks up to the bar and sits down, “Can I have a draft please?” he asks the bartender who nods and fills a mug for him and gives it to him.
“On the house,” the bartender says.
“Thanks man,” AJ says taking a sip of the beer.
“Uh can I have your...” the bartender stops short of his question.
“Sure man sure,” AJ says reaching into his pocket and pulling out a sharpie and singing a napkin handing it to the young bartender.
“Thanks man great game tonight,” he says again before walking to the other end of the bar looking down at the autograph.
AJ smiles and takes another sip from his mug.
“Excuse me?” a voice says next to him tapping him on the shoulder and AJ turns around and smiles at a girl that looked around his age with dark brown hair that almost seemed black, tan skin that looked to be a natural honey color that made her look to me biracial and big brown eyes with a wide smile.
“Can I help you?” he asks smiling still.
“Your AJ McLean right?”
“Yes,” he says while the thought oh no another groupie runs through his head.
“You played for the Phantoms right?”
“Yup.”
“And you play for the Flyers now?”
“Yes.”
She stands there for a few seconds in front of him looking like she is trying to form a thought in her head and then says plain and simple, “I think your team got screwed over majorly with the Lindros trade and Bobby Clarke needs to get his priorities straight.”
AJ stares at her as his mouth drops open, “Really now?”
“Yes,” she says simply.
“Do you watch hockey?”
“I don’t watch it I live for it.”
AJ smiles widely and folds his arms across his chest, “What’s your name?”
“Meadow.”
“Meadow I’m Alex. Sit down I’ll buy you a drink,” AJ says motioning to the open seat next to him.
She smiles at him and sits down.
Fedoruk tapes Nick’s shoulder and points over to the bar where AJ is sitting with Meadow, “Looks like our boy is doing something.”
Nick looks over and shakes his head.
“How about we go crash his party huh?” Fedoruk says and begins to walk over to the bar with Nick, “He ya AJ whose the chick,” Fedoruk asks walking up behind them
“Chick?” Meadow says before AJ can respond and instead sits there with his mouth open ready to speak, “I am not a chick.”
“Ok,” Fedoruk says, “So tell me why are you sitting with our dear friend AJ here?”
“Just talking about hockey.”
“Like what?”
“Like how your Bobby Clarke totally screwed you guys over with the Lindros trade and that Barber is never gonna accomplish anything screaming at his team treating them like minor leaguers while they can just tell Clarke and he’ll be fired. He should of stuck with Craig Ramsey at least he gave each person a chance to show their stuff and not just sit the back up goalie the whole season while his mind wasted away. I mean barber basically gave Boosh a mental break down last season right? And he needs to learn not to screw around with the lines so much and stop pulling the goaltender all the time. It has never worked for you guys and will never it only succeeds in the other team beating you by yet another goal.”
Fedoruk stares at her and then looks over at Nick then AJ, “I like her,” he smiles taking at seat next to her as AJ glares at him, “Tell me more about how Barber is an idiot.”
Nick shakes his head and laughs slightly before walking over to where Fedetenko, Boosh and Murray are standing talking to each other.
Boosh looks over at AJ who is his roommate and shakes his head, “How long are you gonna stare at the phone number and smile?”
“How long you gonna keep on that light?”
“What did Fedoruk think?”
“I think he wants to beat me.”
“But he always wants to do that.”
“True. True.”
“You like this girl?”
“If she can stand up to Fedoruk and talk hockey with me and actually know what she is talking about she is right up my ally.”
“Does she live down here?”
“Nope New York City. She goes to NYU majors in journalism too. She is originally from down here. Right around Kissimmee actually near me.”
“Whose her favorite team?”
“Who do you think?” he says and smiles.
“Whose her favorite player though?”
AJ looks at him and shakes his head, “You and don’t you say it,” he says as Boosh smiles and starts to laugh.
“Goodnight AJ,” Boosh says getting into his bed and turning off the light.
“Night Boosh,” AJ says.
“AJ."
"Yeah"
"Put the number down.”
“Damn,” AJ says and puts the number down on the small table near his bed.
