Nick stares over at Brian who was sitting in the trainer’s office on an examining table with his equipment pants on and skates. The trainer was taping wires to his shoulder and then connecting the wires to a battery as it sends a jolt into Brian’s shoulder.
“I’ll have mine well done, Rok,” Boosh smiles in the room as he walks by.
Nick shudders as another jolt goes into Brian’s shoulder and Brian jumps a little. The previous night a puck had managed to hit Brian on his shoulder between an area where the pads stopped. After the trainer is done he wraps Brian’s shoulder up with ice on it.
That was the thing about playing ice hockey, injuries were always happening. Nick figured half the team had them by now. Brian with his shoulder, Kevin with his knee, LeClair’s head, Primeau’s knee was acting up and he had caught AJ standing in front of his locker just rotating his right wrist while holding a stick out. He was lucky the most he had was a few bruises.
“Mother fucker!” AJ yells walking into the room and all heads turn toward him.
“What?” Nick asks.
“Trades.”
“What?” Kevin asks looking up at him from a trainer’s table where he is laying with ice on his knee.
“They traded Langkow,” AJ says, “And he is cutting more people, since we are getting three new guys from New York for Lindros.”
The other guys look around the room scanning the area.
Traded.
The word every player feared. To be traded from a club that was doing as well as the Flyers were doing now would be the ultimate let down. Judging by Bobby Clarke’s habits for trading people left and right this was not a surprise, but him trading Langkow was. Langkow wasn’t a bad player; hell he was one of the better players. This only meant that no one was safe aside from the leading scorers on the team.
Kevin was staring at AJ with wide eyes before resting his head back on the table. He was thirty and had a knee injury; this was not a good thing.
“You’re safe man,” Nick says looking over at him.
“Huh?” Kevin looks over at him.
“You’re the captain. He won’t trade you.”
“I hope not,” Kevin sighs, “Lindros was the captain once to though,” he mumbles to himself.
“Shit, they gave Lindros to New York,” Fedoruk says.
“Yeah,” AJ sighs, “He’ll be playing against us.”
This was only answered by two groans coming from Brian and Boosh.
“They say he is going to make the cuts after today’s practice,” AJ says.
“Whose they?” Boosh asks.
“The news, reporters, hell everyone,” AJ sighs sitting down on a chair.
“He’s gonna judge by practice?” Brian asks.
“Brian you and Boosh are safe. We need at least two goalies,” AJ says, “He is trading for draft picks now, since our roster is full.”
“Who are the three new guys?” Kevin asks.
“I could give two shits less right now.”
“Fuck,” Stock mutters, “Damn if he traded Langkow no one is safe. Especially not me I hardly score anything.”
“Same here,” Fedoruk says.
“Just shut up guys ok,” AJ says and gets up walks over to his locker, “Is everyone here?”
“Yeah, I think,” Nick says.
“Where’s Delmore?” That’s when all heads started to look around the locker room and finally at Delmore’s locker. It was empty.
“One more to trade left,” Fedoruk says.
“FUCK!” AJ yells kicking his stool over.
That days practice wasn’t a good one by any means. It was spent with each player trying to outdo each other and for the injured players it was spent watching everyone hoping they didn’t out do them while they were hurt. AJ kept quiet during the whole practice missing some passes and getting caught with his head down a few times resulting with him getting smashed into the boards.
“McLean!” coach Barber yells, “What is wrong with you?”
“I’m having a bad day,” AJ says simply.
“I suggest you do better we have a game tomorrow.”
“If you’re that pissed off about this ONE incident then trade me why don’t you. You’re doing enough of it,” AJ says back to him as the others stare at him and Fedoruk pulls him away from the fight over to McAmmond is standing staring at him.
“Calm down man,” McAmmond says, “Don’t go getting yourself traded.”
“Dean, I’m fed up with everyone being moved around. I just get here and people leave and those two were good. They weren’t bad.”
“Calm down Mac. We went through this all in the minors and it’s no different here. Right Fedoruk?”
“Dean’s right,” Fedoruk nods.
AJ stares at them then back at Barber. AJ hated when players were traded around him. You would just get to know someone and poof they were gone. He had grown up playing in the minors with Fedoruk, McAmmond, Boosh and Stock on the Phantoms. Dean was right though trading was a part of playing ice hockey, that and the concussions you got. AJ looks down the ice as a puck gets by Boosh and he looks up as a smiling Nick skates around the net.
“The sun was in my eyes,” Boosh says as Nick cracks up and goes back to his position.
The team was your family and no matter how many years he played AJ would never get used to the fact you would trade family. Hell it was the only family AJ had besides his mom. He looks up and nods in acknowledgment to Kevin who was sitting in the seats watching practice and Kevin waves back to him.
“McLean, will be joining practice anytime soon?” Barber asks as AJ gives him a look, but skates off alongside Fedetenko back to his position.
Kevin stares at AJ as he reluctantly skates back to his position and resumes practice. Barber and AJ didn’t seem to get along very well and according to Boosh they never did. Barber was his coach in the minors and he was to say the least a hard coach always expecting the best from the players. A man can only take so much before he snaps though and AJ snapped every once and a while.
Three new players, great and to top it all off they would be playing against Lindros in the games now. Yeah, he had concussions and shit, but he was good and no one can deny that fact. His first game back he scored three goals, but two were at the buzzer. Kevin found out later talking to the trainer Barber had already maid up his mind on who he was trading. He just had to tell him after practice and Kevin had basically pleaded until the trainer told him.
Kevin shakes his head and sighs looking down at Boosh, Stock, AJ, McAmmond, Fedetenko and Fedoruk who were talking and joking around. One less Phantoms alumni on the team and Kevin was preparing himself to calm AJ down when they announced who it was. Oh if he only knew.
Nick stretches his back out as he takes off his shoulder and chest pads after practice. He looks over at AJ who was staring intently at his helmet checking for any dings. Nick opens his mouth to say something, but stops before any words come out of his mouth. He didn’t want to piss AJ off anymore.
Brian already had ice on his shoulder and he was just sitting on his stool biting his thumbnail waiting for the inevitable announcement of who was traded. Nick had seen Kevin walk into the trainer’s room as soon as the team had gotten into the locker room not talking to anyone. It was a somber mood in the locker room and no jokes were being told, no playful shoving or arguments.
Nick looks up as McAmmond comes storming into the locker room throwing his helmet at the wall along with his stick and tearing off his practice jersey. They knew who got traded now. McAmmond goes over to his locker and starts pulling off his equipment shoving it into his bag along with everything else in his locker as the rest of the team stares in complete silence.
Nick stares at him intently catching a glimpse of s few stray tears as McAmmond moves his two hundred pound body around pulling on a pair of shorts, a t-shirt and sandals. He picks up his bag and storms out of the locker room.
That’s when AJ got up, picked up his stool and threw it against the wall with enough force that it shattered into pieces.
Nick stares at AJ the next night as they sit on the bench waiting to go in the game they were playing against the Ottawa Senators. AJ hadn’t said much since McAmmond was traded and Nick wasn’t going to force him to talk. AJ was staring off across the ice now intently as Boosh tried to follow his gaze.
“What are you looking at?” Boosh asks.
“My father is over there.”
“Uh?”
“My father. I hadn’t seen him in years and then he came back as soon as I started to make it in the minors. He came back full force now that I’m a pro too. Well fuck him.”
Boosh looks behind AJ at Nick and Nick shrugs as a line change occurs and AJ heads onto the ice with him and Fedetenko. To say the least they weren’t having a good game. It was almost the end of the game and the score was 4-3 in favor of the Senators because they had scored minutes earlier in the beginning of the third. They had enough time for one more play and that was it.
Nick heads down the ice with the puck and passes it across ice to AJ who starts skating towards the net. AJ knew in the back of his mind that he had just enough time to get off a shot before the clock ran out and that was when he felt the stick on his ankle and he trip skidding across the ice and crashing into the net as time runs out.
A penalty shot is called.
AJ was set up on the ice against the goalie for the senators and the weight of the game was on him now. It was a scene out of Mighty fucking Ducks and he was fucking Charlie now. He could hear the faint roar of the crowd behind him and the faint blow of the whistle as he was signaled to start. He could feel his stick touch the puck like an extension of his own body. He could feel the ice beneath his skate. He could see the goalie shift from side to side. He could feel his arm wind up for a shot and follow through with it. Then he heard the clang as the puck hit the bar. He could hear the hush that fell over the crowd. The feel of the ice under him as he fell to his knees in shock. The cheer from the Senator players as they celebrated. The feel of hands patting him on his back from his teammates. The feel of his teammates pulling him to his feet and taking him back to the locker room. Then the feel as the first tears slid down his face.
Nick stares at AJ when they get back into the locker room as he sits on his stool his face buried in his hands. Brian was staring at AJ with sad eyes not even caring for once that he lost.
“AJ, man it’s ok,” Kevin says waling up, “You had two other goals in the game. It’s only one loss…”
“No,” AJ says, “I should have gotten that goal. I quarter of an inch. A fucking quarter of an inch!”
“We can make it up later,” Brian says touching AJ’s shoulders and AJ pulls away.
“No, we can’t. I fucking failed again,” he says and gets up storming out of the room into the trainers room locking himself inside.
“What is that about?” Kevin asks looking at Boosh and Fedoruk.
“His dad was there,” Boosh says, “ I think he wanted to prove something and he thinks he failed.”
“Just give him some time,” Fedoruk says.
“Yeah,” Boosh says.
The question though was how much time was AJ going to need.
