Page 5 of You Had Me at Hockey

“Josh Heller. He plays defense for the Bears.”

I don’t know defense from…what? Offense? Whatever. I know who the Bears are, obviously. You can’t live in New York and not know that. I even went to a game once. But as I may have mentioned, I don’t have a lot of free time. “Okay, what the hell. I’ll talk to him.”

“Perfect! I’ll get that set up too. Who are you talking to this afternoon?”

“KayJay. He’s an up-and-coming rapper.”

She nods.

I set this one up myself because I like his music.

“What other ideas do you have?”

We do some brainstorming over lunch and talk about other projects and ideas and the latest partnership my agent, Janet, has set up with Sephora, which is huge!

But you know, I’m cool about it. Sometimes it’s hard to believe what my life has turned into since I started making videos in college, but it’s real and I’m loving it.

Chapter 3

Josh

After my first game in New York, my new teammates take off for the all-star break and I fly back to Dallas to pack up my stuff and get it and my car shipped to New York. I cancel my trip to Aruba, which is a huge bummer, but I just can’t see how else I can get things done. Cora is pissed at me and I guess I don’t blame her. The only thing that makes any sense is hockey.

I meet with my new coach.

“We’ve got a pretty good hockey team here,” Coach Meknikov says. “I’m not about to shake things up and make a lot of changes, since this is temporary until we have a new head coach.”

I nod.

“It’s a young team,” he continues. “We like your experience and we need a solid presence on the blue line. That said, development is a big thing for us.” He pauses. “You heard about what happened here with the change of coaching staff.”

“Yeah.”

His face is sober. “We’re taking that very seriously. And I want you, and everyone, to know you can come to me with any concerns you have. We need to change the culture here.” He holds my gaze steadily and I sense his sincerity.

“That’s good to know.”

He knows the team and the systems, and we go over a lot of stuff. “The one-three-one power play formation has become the go-to power play system,” he says. “It gives us the ability to spread players out inside the zone, keep a player in front of the net at all times, and place shooters in key positions so they can shoot off the pass.”

“Yeah, we used that in Dallas too,” I say.

“Good, good.”

I get photos and video done for PR materials, get my security badge, and meet some of the office staff. Rick Blackmore, the communications dude, meets with me and talks about me getting involved in the community. I know that’s part of the gig, so I’m up for that, although I’m a little confused about this podcast thing he’s set up with some “influencer” chick. I’m not exactly thrilled about being interviewed but he tells me it’ll be fine.

The only thing that’s a problem for me is a visit to a children’s hospital in February. I spent way too much time in the hospital, and I don’t ever want to go back to one. I try to tell Rick that without coming right out and saying that I might puke and/or pass out if I go there, but he doesn’t get it and I think I’ll have to go. Fuck.

I’ll deal with that when it happens, I guess.

I want to explore the area around the hotel and the arena. The first thing I need to make sure of is how to get to the arena. Not knowing things bugs me. It’s only a couple of blocks, so once I have that figured out and my route planned for next time I have to get there, I wander around a bit. Sixth Avenue is wide and packed with unending, noisy traffic. I venture down narrower side streets. It’s weird, but the age and style of the buildings remind me of downtown Winnipeg. It makes me feel a bit more at home.

I find a Five Guys, very useful; a branch of my bank; and a dry cleaner. Soon I’m freezing. January in New York is not like Dallas.

I use Google Maps on my phone, then walk a few blocks to Macy’s. There, I wander the menswear aisles and pick up some sweaters, a couple of hats, and a more casual jacket.

Apparently Easton’s still in town, because Mike messages me the next day that he’s gotten in touch with him so I can go see his apartment and check out the building. I’m sure Easton’s really happy about that.

I haven’t had to use the subway, since I’ve been walking everywhere. It’s been kind of lonely wandering around New York by myself, but I’ve been glad of the chance to get my bearings before the schedule starts up again. So I have to figure out how to take the subway to Easton’s place.

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