*This off season is depressing. Luke Richardson...gone. Rusty Fedetenko...gone. Brian Boucher...gone. Oh they better move up Bruno St.Jacques. The next carnival is gonna suck. Now I gotta see if I'm goign to the next flyers softball game. Unfortunantly it's not in the sticks anymore, it's actually in a nice place..that's too big to get as close as we were last time. Give me to good old days of this season back.*

“AHHHHHHH” AJ yells as he runs around the outside of the Flyers practice rink in Voorhees.

Kevin stares at him from a seat on one of the bleachers and shakes his head before he breaks into a smile.

“You know it’s those guys who are our future too,” Tocchet says as he takes a seat next to Kevin.

“Frightening huh?” Kevin says to him as AJ jumps on Boucher’s back and the two fall to the ground as Marty and Fedetenko stare at them, “Toc you think we can pull this out?”

Tocchet nods, “I wish I was playing with you guys.”

“You’re one of the greats though,” Kevin says, “I grew up watching you.”

Tocchet shakes his head, “That old huh?”

“Ah one day I’ll be in your shoes though,” Kevin says, “I already feel like I am. Justin is what twenty? Gags is twenty-one. Fedoruk is twenty-three. AJ is twenty-four. And here I am thirty.”

“You’re in your prime,” Tocchet says to Kevin.

“Why does my prime feel like hell in my knees then?” Kevin sighs.

Tocchet shrugs, “We all have pains. I’m worried about that one though, Tocchet says pointing to AJ.

“AJ? Why?” Kevin asks.

“I’ve seen it before. He finds strength in his numbers. This is a perfect team for him. He’s known all of them for a while now. They all aren’t gonna be here next year Kev. You know that.”

Kevin nods.

“Look what he did when McAmmond was traded. Think about how much is gonna happen during free agency and the draft.”

“Think about it during the off season Toc,” Kevin says, “For now…lets savor the moment. We’re going to the semis. We have a chance for it. We have a chance for that damned Cup.”

“You’d have everything then huh?” Toc asks, “Gold medal, East Coast champs, District Champs, NHL All Star…yeah and more.”

“Never got to go on a Honeymoon though,” Kevin says, “I missed so much in my kids lives too. Did I tell you my son is part of a hockey team already. He is gonna play his first game in a week.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah…if we make it to the finals I miss it. If we don’t I make it.”

“They’re gonna be there for the games though right?” Toc asks.

“Oh yeah…whole family is. Brian is getting more pumped then I am,” Kevin smiles.

“Defending Stanley Cup champions,” Toc says.

“They’re not what I’m worried about. We had them last time we played them. It’s that wall they have for a goalkeeper is what I’m worried about.”

Tocchet nods, “Well we have Boosh and Brian.”

Kevin looks over at the ice as Boosh and Brian start wrestling each other with their full gear on and he shakes his head, “Please don’t remind me.”

Game One:

“Hallelujah, Hallelujah. Hallelujah, Hallelujah. There was a time you let me know what’s real and going on below, but now you never show it to me do you? And remember when I moved in and you the holy dark was moving too and every breath we drew was hallelujah. Hallelujah, Hallelujah. Hallelujah, Hallelujah,” AJ sings sitting on his stool as he wraps his ankles.

Kevin pulls on his jersey and sighs before looking around the locker room at the rest of his team. Brian was looking down at his goalie helmet before putting it under his arm to carry out. Boucher was putting his helmet on his head and pulling it down over his face ready to walk out. Nick was wrapping some bandages around his right lower arm.

“Maybe there's a God above and all I ever learned from love was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you. It's not a cry you can hear at night. It's not somebody who's seen the light. It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah. Hallelujah, Hallelujah. Hallelujah, Hallelujah,” AJ continues to sing softly as he finishes his ankles and stands up making sure they are tight enough.

Nick looks over at Justin and the two shake each other’s hands before getting ready to set out on the ice as Brian and Boucher knock their glove hands together and stretch out their shoulders.

“Hallelujah, Hallelujah. Hallelujah, Hallelujah,” AJ sings.

“C’mon Kev,” Boucher yells from the front of the line.

“Alright boys lets go,” Kevin yells.

**************

“You fall and you crawl and you break and you take what you get…”AJ sings bouncing his head along to an imaginary beat in his head as he skates around in the pregame skate.

“Here we go. Here we go. Here we go,” Nick says to himself as he skates around stretching his muscles as the coaches begin to wave their teams over to the bench as the final seconds before the game tick down.

“Let’s go boys,” Kevin says skating over towards the bench with the rest of them.

“WAIT!” AJ yells as everyone turns around to look at him, “Wait,” he says as he skates over to their goal and puts down a small figure along the crease.

“AJ what is that?” Kevin asks as AJ backs away and he sees the tiny figure of Boucher placed on the ice in the net, “AJ…”

“Wait,” AJ says before placing a small figure of Roy down on the ice as well as he takes his stick and fires the figure across the ice over to the Flyers bench.

Boucher stares at him and smiles widely, “You done yet?”

“Oh no…you see I’m practicing for the real game,” AJ smiles brightly.

“You are so lucky the first game of the season is at home,” Kevin says.

“Hey, maybe he can hear you now JR,” AJ yells at Jeremy Roenick.

“I take Roy. You take Kasperitis,” JR says to AJ.

“Oh trust me…that man is mine,” AJ says bending over and picking up the micro-Boosh, “Micro Boosh goes everywhere we go now,” AJ says as the team skates back to the bench, “…hey how come I don’t have a micro player…Wait a minute someone explain this to me…hey…hey now some talk to me.”

“I told you all to have someone on Sakic at all times!” Kevin yells down the ice at his team as they fall back into formation after the first goal of the game is scored on Boosh at eleven minutes into the first period. Brian looks at his cousin from the bench and shakes his head before looking down the ice at Roy. The man was a wall. Every person in the league knew it too. You had to wish that the games against the Avalanche were one-goal games. Anything more than two goals against Roy was a dream…a fantasy. Roy averaged maybe one or two mistakes a game and those were what the teams had to play on. Two chances and you needed to capitalize on those two chances. That and your goaltender needed to be a god for those games. Brian knew fully that Boucher was in his rhythm now. He could pull out this game just as long as his defense and offense helped him.

Justin Williams was sitting to his left and they exchanged glances and a shrug of the shoulders. Brian turns his attention to the ice quickly as the balance of power shifts to the Flyers and AJ heads down the ice with JR and Gagne fresh off a line change. Instead of coming out and Justin going in AJ decided that he was going to stay on extra minute and try to capitalize. AJ heads down the ice as the sound of skates flying across the ice echo. He shifts past the first defender on his own and prepares to dodge a check by the second. Brian leans over the edge of the bench and watches as AJ gets around the second defender as cheers get louder for him. Brian hears Justin mutter, “too many tricks…too many tricks…just shoot…OH SHIT!” he yells as Roy comes flying out of his net sliding across the ice and knocking AJ over onto the ice as he takes the puck. Brian watches as AJ gets up quickly and stares down at Roy with wide eyes.

“He’s a frickin madman,” Justin says.

“All of the great ones are,” Brian says simply before shaking his head, “The great ones always are.”

The game would end 2 to 0 in favor of the Avalanche with Drury scoring a second goal for the Avalanche in the third on a breakaway. Avalanche leads the series 1-0 over the Flyers. Flyers out shot the Avalanche forty shots to thirty shots.

Game Two:

“Wait for him to commit,” Kevin says to his team as they gather around the Flyers bench, “It’s our only chance. We got one maybe two goals on him if we’re lucky. These are gonna be close as hell games if we hop to win. If you see a chance go for it. Don’t worry about being fancy or passing. Just go for it. We can pull this out guys.”

“I hate Colorado…” AJ mutters to Recchi as they skate out for the opening of the game two.

Brian looks up and down the ice as Boucher takes his position in net and Roy does the same. Here went another circus.

The first period was held scoreless for both teams and by the second both teams decided to go all putting everything they had into the games. Darius Kasperitis and AJ decided to kick it off with an exchange of words as the two circled each other on the ice. Both were sizing up the other before the officials broke up the fight before it happened sending them both to the penalty box. As soon as the time expired though Justin Williams hit an open AJ as he headed out of the penalty box and down the open ice toward Roy. AJ shifts the puck from one side of the stick to the other as Roy once again comes out of his net. This time though it was expected and AJ shifts to the right side of the ice as Roy goes down. Roy throws out his stick toward AJ across the ice in a lastage effort before AJ fires the puck into the open net.

“Hate to say I told you so. Do believe I told you so…” AJ sings skating around Kasperitis as he makes his way over to the Flyers bench and looking at him over his shoulder.

“Yeah ham it up!” Justin yells at AJ across the ice as he smiles brightly.

“Oh trust me I will,” AJ yells back at him.

Flyers would go on to win the game 2-1 with a second goal on Roy from Jeremy Roenick in the third.

Flyers and Avalanche were tied in the series 1-1.

AJ McLean’s online journal:

Yeah…yeah…yeah yell at me. I’m a horrible person for not updating this thing I know, but hey what can a guy do. It’s been a pretty tight series this far though. Boucher has been playing great…even though we are down 2-1…but hey it’s not his fault or mine, of course. It’s that Czech Roy. I think I’m gonna just start calling him like it’s spelled. Maybe that will tick him off or something. I know…I know I’m a pill, but hey I’m damn proud of it. So anyway back to the series. I can’t even believe we made it this far. I honestly never saw it coming. We had so much shit happen to us this season and so many downs, but I guess it all comes down to how we play it though huh? Maybe they’ll give me my own day down in Kissimmee if I win it all. You know the whole “home boy does good” thing? I’m dreaming I know. But I better get some kind of figure from all this though. I mean come on. Boucher has got micro-Boosh. JR has a bobble head. Kevin…ok so maybe Kevin should get something before me. He has been here since the creation of the game anyway. Damned Canadians they’re taking over the world now. Oh yeah Frenchie, a.k.a. Justin Williams for those of you who don’t know I call him that, has gotten a spot for himself on the Canadians men’s team representing Canada after the season is over. Twenty years old and the kid has gotten a spot for himself of the Canada official team…McGillis also got a bid for them too. I think Kevin isn’t playing only because he wants some R&R. The man is already planning out this summer’s training camp in some notebook though I bet you…I bet you all my salary he is. Ok well maybe not all my salary.

This series is going to seven though. I can feel it. We’re in it for the long hall now. Not really looking forward to it though. I’d rather it be over quicker. Maybe go home and relax. Hang out with the guys and go bowling or something. Maybe help Justin to understand not only is he white, but Canadian as well and help him understand that a person does not go around blaring rap music in a Lexus. Oh the joys of my Flyers’ family…wouldn’t have it any other way.

Game Four:

“Boogie nights. Boogie nights…” the stereo system echoes as Fedoruk and JR dance around as the colored disco ball flashes colors around the Flyers locker room.

“God. Help. Me,” AJ says to himself as he leans his head against the wall.

“And you think that your singing is any better?” Nick asks him.

AJ stares at him, “I happen to be a decorated award winning singer.”

Nick stares at him and starts laughing.

“Shut up man,” AJ smiles.

“Sometimes I wish I was brave. I wish was stronger. I wish I could feel no pain. I wish I was young. I wish I was honest. I wish I was shy. I wish I was you not I…”Justin sings as he walks by over the echoes of the disco music.

AJ looks at him and shakes his head, “Let’s go kid,” he says patting Nick on the back.

Brian watches the ice from his perch on the bench that he was so used to by now. It was the end of the second and the Flyers were down 1-0 with Roy on top of his game. Kevin was yelling orders form both the ice and the bench at players. The team was having an off day. Miscommunication had been a running problem for them and they didn’t need it now. They needed to be sharp tonight…of course they weren’t. Justin Williams takes a seat next to Brian on the bench fresh off a line change and takes a mouth full of water from his water bottle. He swallows it quickly and sighs before looking at Brian. He shrugs slightly and shakes his head before looking at the ice again. To Brian this meant a few different things coming from Justin. Brian figured Justin had just made up his own language somehow. It meant I’m tired, I don’t know why this is happening and hopefully something will help change the course of the game. Yeah that was Justin.

The Flyers were getting plenty of shots though. They just weren’t good ones. Kevin kept yelling at them to try, keyword try, and hit the large netted thing with the man standing in front of it and not fire five feet off at the glass. Brian figured the way the team was shooting tonight they all had to be deaf. Brian also realized that he had been spending far too much time trying to figure things out while he sat on the bench. Yeah…it was a sad sad thing. Brian looks over at Boucher and net and shakes his head silently as Justin yells, “Loot out!” at the top of his lungs. Brian had no idea what the kid was yelling about until he felt the pressure of a stick being rammed into his face. AJ had just gotten body checked into the boards in front of bench by Kasperitis and in the process AJ’s stick had come up and been pushed over the edges of the Flyers bench hitting Brian. Brian’s head flies backwards as it scraps from his nose to his chin and Justin falls over the back of the bench as his feet end up sticking straight in the air as he dodges the blow.

“Brian? Brian?” Justin says looking at Brian when Brian opens his eyes, “You ok?”

Brian touches his face and feels the small amount of blood on his face, “I am now officially pathetic.”

Justin stares at him oddly.

“I am now the only goalie in history who has ever gotten hurt while on THE BENCH.”

Just stares, “I’m sure you’re not the only one.”

“Justin.”

“Yeah.”

“Please just shut up.”

“Brian, c’mon they’re gonna take you to get looked at,” Kevin says to him from down the bench where he is standing up.

“Sorry Brian,” AJ says from where he stands on the ice, “I really didn’t mean it.”

Brian looks at him, “Don’t worry about it,” he says waving it off, “I know,” he says as he makes his way down the bench toward the tunnel area holding a towel on his face.

Flyers would go on to loose the game 2-0.

Avalanche lead the series 3-1.

Game Five:

“Don’t touch it,” Brian says as the trainer goes to put a butterfly bandage on his chin.

“It’s a deep cut, Brian, you need it,” the trainer says as he puts it on Brian’s chin.

“I really am sorry Brian,” AJ says to him as he gets his ankle tapped up.

“I know AJ,” Brian smirks, “For the fiftieth time I know.”

“Ok,” AJ says, “Just to let you know I’m sorry.”

Brian sits on the bench again chewing his gum as Nick sits next to him. It was do or die time again. The Flyers were one game away from elimination and the one thing that stood between them and the Cup was a man by the name of Roy. Barber had once again switched the lines around putting Fedoruk and Primeau with AJ so they could try and give him some skating room. After AJ had scored on Roy the first time the Avalanche had a man on him at all times. Nothin came of it though. It was Rusty Fedetenko who got the first one in the game past Roy though with a shot from the point on a power play in the second. The Avalanche with a goal of their own from Sakic seven minutes later. The third was held scoreless for both teams and they went in to overtime with a score of 1-1.

Overtime had become the specialty of the Flyers especially AJ and the Avalanche knew it keeping AJ marked the whole time and often leaving another player wide open. It was Kevin’s idea to use it to their advantage though and the only person that could get off a hard enough shot from the point to score on Roy was Kevin himself. In an unusual move from Barber, even though there were many more before, Kevin was moved up to the front line with AJ and Fedoruk. AJ’s job was to look busy, Fedoruk’s to keep the man occupied and Kevin’s to get off a shot. The Avs never saw it coming especially not Roy. They figured Kevin was there to give AJ more room. Kevin got a clear hard shot off at the point and let it fly past Roy into the upper left hand corner.

Flyers win the game in over time 2-1.

Avalanche lead the series 3-2 over the Flyers.

Flyers would go on to win Game Six with a score of 2-1 and would tie the Avalanche in the series 3 games to 3 games. It was on to a deciding game seven.

Game Seven:

“I think I gotta pee again,” AJ says to Nick on the bench.

“You don’t have to pee,” Nick says, “That’s what you thought the last three times. I think it’s a psychological thing.”

“Thank you captain obvious,” AJ says to him.

Nick stares at him and shakes his head.

“I think I really gotta go this time.”

“AJ just sit down,” Nick says.

AJ looks at him from the bench and raises an eyebrow.

“I know ok. I know you’re already sitting,” Nick says.

AJ smiles at him and nods his head before standing up and hopping over the bench for a line change.

Nick looks at the ice and then back down at Brian Littrell as he sits on the bench watching the game as well. His face was a little cut up from the incident with the stick a few games earlier, but it was healing now. Kevin was yelling out the usual commands from his position a defense where he made it a point to mark Joe Sakic. Boucher was in net again for the Flyers as Barber was happy to settle with a hot young goaltender. The first period though was held scoreless. The shots were once again in favor of the Flyers, but Roy provided his team with the support they needed. By the second it was still scoreless and the game went into halftime that way.

“We need to shake things up,” Kevin says pacing around the locker room while his team looks at him, “We’re going to move around the lines again.”

“Trying to give AJ room?” Fedoruk asks.

Kevin shakes his head no, “Roy has figured him out. He knows his shots now. The Avalanche expect us to make him open anyway. It’s too risky.”

“Give you room?” Rusty asks looking up at him.

Kevin shakes his head no, “They already saw it. They won’t fall for it again,” he says as he looks around the locker room, “Nick.”

“Huh?” Nick looks up at him.

“You’re on a line with Fedoruk and Williams now.”

“Huh?” Nick asks.

“We need to give you room to get a shot off.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea Kev,” Nick says, “I think Justin would be better for that job.”

Kevin shakes his head no, “They’ll expect it from Justin and you have a harder. If they see him on the ice with you they’ll think you’re only on it for someone to go with AJ or JR. Willy isn’t big, but he can give you a few seconds. Fridge can handle the rest. Right Todd?” Kevin asks looking at him.

Todd nods.

“I’ll be in the back with Luke to help you out too. We’ll move up far enough to help you. Boosh can mind the net alone for a little,” he says looking at Boucher who nods at Nick.

Nick looks at Kevin and sighs, “Alright.”

Kevin nods, “Ok…let’s try this then.”

Nick looks to his right on the ice as Fedoruk knocks an Avalanche player to the ice. The line before theirs’ had consisted of AJ, Gagne, and JR. It had been covered with every move they made and now it was their job to try and find room. Roy was on top of his game going into the third, but the team knew they had that one chance. That one chance to find a slip up and get one past him. Unfortunately one found it’s way past Boucher first courtesy of Joe Sakic. Boosh didn’t take it very well and taking it out on himself seemed to be the easy way for him to go. The only problem was that when Boucher did this he lost concentration and the team didn’t need more goals scored on them.

Nick found he solution though on the face off at center ice after the goal was scored. People always said hockey was a slow game because there weren’t as many chances to score like basketball or other games. For those few seconds when you are going down the ice though with the puck everything picks up. And as Nick headed down he ice passing the puck between him and Justin Williams time sped up. Traveling down the ice trying his best to dodge around defenders Nick followed two feet behind Justin who was carrying he puck now. Justin wound up for a shot and waited for Roy to commit to a corner before passing it back to Nick for Nick to take his shot. The shot was hard and fast to the upper left hand corner. The goal scored was the tying goal for the Flyers and it was only the beginning of the third. They would have other chances.

“Oh how the mighty fall,” AJ says shaking his head as the end of the third begins to tick down and JR scores the forth Flyer goal on Roy, “Maybe we should take it easy. I don’t want him throwing that stick at anyone’s head.”

Todd and AJ look at each other and shake their heads, “Nahhhh.”

“Roy has lost it,” Kevin says skating up the bench and hopping over to sit down, “He isn’t happy.”

AJ smirks, “Bet ya JR is happy then.”

Kevin nods, “We’re going to the finals boy.”

“Hell yeah,” AJ says smiling, “Hell to the yeah. The Cup is ours.”

“One more obstacle to overcome,” Kevin says, “Hasek.”

AJ shrugs, “He’s mine.”

Flyers would go on to win game seven against the Avalanche 4-1.

They were going on to the Stanley Cup finals to face Hasek and the Detroit Red Wings.

Forty-Three

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