AJ sits in the locker room dressed in his uniform that has McLean and the number 9 on it. He sits bouncing his right knee up and down chewing on his thumbnail staring at nothing in particular.
“You ok?” Brian says walking up and taking up the room that two AJ’s would take up with his gear on.
“Nervous that’s all,” AJ says looking down at his hands that are shaking,” Damnit I’ve done this hundreds of times and I never got like this. Even at the all star break I was never like this.”
“That’s because when you go out there and you suck they tear you apart,” Brian says smiling and taking a sip of his water bottle,” I really shouldn’t be drinking cause if I have to pee Kevin will kill me.”
“How much does all that stuff weigh anyway?”
“I dunno,” Brian shrugs,” Where’s Nick?”
“Here,” Nick says walking up strapping his helmet on with the number 15 jersey on.
“You kept the shield on?” AJ looks up at him.
“Yeah, I don’t wanna lose an eye.”
“Told ya,” Brian says.
“Oh both of you be quiet,” AJ says standing up and pacing around the room.
“Do my eyes deceive me or do I see an actual nervous AJ McLean,” Fedoruk says walking up to AJ.
“I think I’m gonna puke,” AJ says holding his stomach.
“C’mon A. What song will it be before today’s game, huh?”
“ I don’t care you decide.”
“ Ok. He come on flattop. He come grooving up slowly. He got juju eyeballs. He wants Holy Roller. He has hair down to his knee. Got to be a joker he just do what he please. He wear no shoeshine. He got toe jam football. He got monkey fingers. He shots coka cola. He says I know you, you know me. One thing I can tell you is you got to be free. Come together right now over me.”
“Ok everyone ready, we're going out now,” Kevin says,” Brian come lead us out.”
“All righty then,” Brian smiles and walks over to the door.
“Hey where’s AJ?” Nick asks.
“Hey guys AJ is throwing up in the bathroom,” Williams says walking up.
Nick looks over at AJ as the two of them sit side by side on the Flyers bench.
“You ok?”
“Dandy,” AJ says,” I just wanna play now. C’MON WILLIAMS,” AJ yells as Williams takes off down the ice on a break away coming of the penalty box. “YEAH, SUCK THAT SUCK THAT!” AJ yells as Williams scores the first shot of the game.
“Do you think you can be any less embarrassing?” Nick asks.
“No, I actually didn’t want him to get it. That would be cool if I could get the fist goal of the season.”
“Try for the second.”
“Yeah. Oh hell yeah we’re on baby. C’mon Nicky show them what you’re made of,” AJ says hoping out over the bench and onto the ice.
AJ goes to his position as left wing as Nick takes right wing and Fedoruk takes center. Fedoruk gets the puck and takes it down the ice passing it to Nick who as soon as he gets the puck is knocked down by Kasperitis sending him crashing into the boards and down to the ice. AJ skates over and starts pushing Kasperitis who takes a swing at AJ and within seconds the two are caught up in a fistfight.
“Damn I just lost twenty bucks,” Kevin says to Brian while they are at the other end of the ice watching.
“Huh,” Brian says putting up his mask and taking a sip of his water.
“I said he would make at least three minutes without a fight.”
“Serves you right for betting,” Brian says putting his mask back down and taking his position between the pipes as AJ and Kaspertitis are taken over to their separate penalty boxes.
“Oh God here he goes,” Kevin says staring at AJ in the penalty box as he stands up on the bench and raising his arms getting a cheer from the crowd.
“It’s gonna be a good game,” Brian says as the game starts again.
By half time though he was singing a whole different tune as he walks into the locker room and throws his stick into the locker forcefully.
“ I was screened both times,” he says sitting down on his stool.
“Calm down, Brian we have two more quarters to go and that means a whole half for things to turn around,” Howie says.
“Ok guys time for the talking to begin,” Kevin says walking in and sitting on a stool in the middle of the room,” What happened, Bri?”
“I got screened both times. I couldn’t see a thing and they were both one after the other.”
“Hey it was Lemuiex both times though if that makes you feel any better,” AJ says dabbing a cut on his forehead that he got from another fight with Kasperitis with a wet cloth,” You think I could get his autograph?”
“AJ,” Kevin stares at him.
“Sorry.”
“Back to our topic at hand we need to give Brian more room. He’s not as big as Snow, so he doesn’t take up as much room. Fedoruk, Stock you know what to do. It’s time to clean the garage. Williams nice goal. Think you can do it again?”
“Just give me room,” Williams says.
“Nick you ok? You took a pretty hard hit there.”
“Yeah, fine,” Nick says nodding.
“No more peace for us,” Gagne says walking up and sitting next to AJ.
“Peace?” AJ says,”Peace? I hate the word as I hate hell and all Montague,” AJ says standing up,” We Capulet and they are Montague. The war lives on.”
“They both die in the end and the Montague were cooler,” Nick says.
“Fine,” AJ says,” We’re Montague and they are Capulet. Because of that outburst I am now Romeo and you can be Mercutio.”
“But he dies.”
“And I don’t?”
“Guys,” Kevin says,” You both die, but Nick dies first cursing our house.”
“Yeah, I curse your house,” Nick says.
“Shut up, Nick,” AJ says,” You just know how to suck all the fun out.”
“Not uh.”
At the end of the half they all head back out to the bench and Brian heads out taking his place in the net hitting his stick on each pipe for good luck. During the first shift Stock heads out and clears a path for Kevin who skates up and takes a blind slap shot hitting a pipe and bouncing back behind Snow for a tying goal. The rest of the third period is spent with pucks bouncing everywhere and both Littrell and Snow being walls in front of the net with AJ ending up in the penalty box for telling off an official on a call.
Into the third period though Carter, McLean and Fedoruk take to the ice with Carter heading off in down the ice with AJ close behind him.
“Nick!” AJ yells,” Nick your pants are falling down!”
Nick looks down at his pants and holds them up with one hand while the other passes the puck back to AJ with his free hand. AJ heads down the ice passing Kasperitis and taking a shot on net sending it through the five whole and scoring.
“OW. THIRD GOAL OF THE SEASON AIN’T TOO DAMN BAD!” AJ yells to a stadium full of applause skating around the rink to the bench and sitting down next to Nick.
“Must be a rookie thing,” Fedoruk says looking at Nick,” Williams pants were falling down in a game last season too. It was just as classic too. You would of gotten that goal too I bet.”
“Oh well,” Nick says as he face starts getting red.
Three minutes until the half is over and the Carter McLean and Fedoruk line takes to the ice.
“Spaniard,” Fedoruk says to AJ as he waits for a drop puck,” I shall cheer for you.”
“And I you Spaniard,” AJ says back to him as the ref drops the puck and AJ hits it back to him who relays it to Nick.
“Don’t lose your pants boy,” Branaby says to Nick.
“Don’t worry I won’t,” Nick says skating around him and taking a shot over Snow’s stick side getting the fourth goal for the Flyers.
The game ended 4-2 in favor of the Flyers and a deafening applause echoing in the First Union Spectrum.
“I could get used to this,” AJ says looking around the spectrum at the crowd.
“You better, boy because we aren’t gonna do nothing but win in our house,” Kevin says skating up and messing up his hair.
“Hey next time we win we dye Kevin’s hair like mine,” AJ yells as the team skates off the ice and into the hallway that leads to the locker room with AJ throwing his stick up into the crowd to some very anxious fans.
The team marches into the locker room where AJ stands up on Kevin’s stool holding up an open water bottle in a toasting manner.
“To the best damn season the Flyers ever had. To our fearless leader our Captain my captain Kevin Richardson. Carpi Diem, boys. To our wall between the pipes, Mr. Littrell. To our rookies who pray they won’t lose their pants next game, Nick. To our amazing offensive and defensive players especially myself. Also to my hair that it looks just as good after all the fights I get in next game,” AJ says holding the water bottle up.
“Here here,” is the response as the others lift up their water bottles and drink.
The first game of the season started off with a tone that they hoped would stay throughout the whole season up until the cup finals of course no one knew what was going to occur over the next few months on the road to the Stanley Cup finals.
