Page 11 of Behind the Bench

I’m not very familiar with the Green Bay area, so I spent about an hour driving around, familiarizing myself with all the roads and local businesses. There’s a pancake house I can guarantee will become my favorite local spot.

As I drove around the city, willing myself to calm down, the events from the bar began to play on loop in my mind.

I am by no means a fan of Ellie Montgomery, but no woman should ever be talked to the way Grayson spoke to her. I’m not sure what the hell is wrong with half the men in this country, and why they are so threatened by badass women, but they need to learn to keep their mouths shut.

Watching Ellie stick up for herself was quite the experience. She proved to the entire coaching staff, myself included, that she’s not afraid to go toe-to-toe with anyone. It was pretty damn impressive, actually. It’s clear she can fight her ownbattles, and it’s a trait I’m glad to have in one of the coaches on my team.

The whole Grayson thing is a problem, though. Even after I spoke to him in my office, he went and made another completely unacceptable comment to Ellie. He played it off as if he was joking, but we all know he wasn’t. These two are my assistant coaches and the fate of this team is in our hands. This team deserves a cohesive coaching unit who is ready to go to battle with them. We can’t show up to practices and games with one coach belittling the other. And as much as Ellie infuriates me sometimes, I have to figure out how we’re going to make this work. There is no other option.

I’d like to say the drive calmed me down enough to get a good night’s sleep, but I’ve never been a good liar. I tossed and turned all night. If it wasn’t thoughts of beating the shit out of Grayson, it was those pretty blue eyes haunting my dreams.

Why were they all I could see?

Around five in the morning, I give up on getting back to sleep and head to the gym. If there’s one thing that can clear my head, it’s a good workout.

I may not be able to squat 350 pounds anymore since my knee injury, but I can still do an upper body workout with the best of them. So, that’s what I do for the next hour and a half.

My arms feel like Jell-o but my head is finally clear. Time to get to work.

I’m freshly showered and ready to take on the day. It’s only 7:15, so no one else should be at the rink for another forty-five minutes at least. I’m hoping I can get in a little video time before our first meeting at 8:30. As a player, analyzing video of myself was one of the best ways to improve my game. Whether it was after a playon the bench, or after a game in the video room, seeing it with my own eyes helped me understand a play or mistake so much better than when my coach would try to draw it on the whiteboard.

That’s why even now, as a coach, I utilize video as much as I can. It’s also why I suggested Jerry hire Hunter as the team’s video coach. He’s one of the smartest guys I’ve ever played with on the ice, and he’s even smarter behind the scenes. He might not know it yet, but he’s going to make one hell of a coach someday.

I make my way down the hallway lined with Bobcat memorabilia and photos of past championships won. I can’t help but linger on the last photo. Stanley Cup Champions 2001. It’s been twenty-four years since the Bobcats last won the Stanley Cup. Hell, it’s been five years since they last made it to the playoffs. After last year’s hazing scandal, the owners finally woke the fuck up and cleaned house.

I can’t wait to get these boys back into the playoffs.

I’m about to open the door to the video room when I hear laughing.

Who the hell is here so early? I put my ear to the door and hear Hunter’s voice. I’m about to open the door to join him when I hear another voice. Ellie.

For whatever reason, the thought of joining them makes my skin crawl. While I’m happy they are getting along and working well together, I need a minute to wrap my head around the fact that my best friend is hanging out with Ellie. The two of them bonding is great for the team. But for me? Not so much.

I need to get my shit together.

Ellie Montgomery is my rival turned coworker. She’s here to do a job and so am I. I take my hand off the door handle and beeline it straight to my office. I can watch game tape later.

For now, I’ll try to focus on other things.

Except when I get to my office, another unpleasant surprise is waiting for me.

“Grayson, what can I do for you?”

He jumps out of the chair in front of my desk and drops his phone on the ground. I don’t know why he’s acting so surprised to see me. He’s the one sitting inmyoffice.

“Oh, hey, Lincoln. I didn’t hear you come in.”

I walk around my desk, which is now the proud home of three succulents. It’s not much for my office yet, but it’s a start. My thumb is the furthest thing from green, but my cousin, Katie, said I should be able to keep these alive. Katie has been by my side for as long as I can remember. I was pretty isolated as a kid, trying to hide my horror of a home life, but Katie was always there. When I moved in with her and her parents at sixteen, she became more like a sister. I guess you can say I have a soft spot for her. So if she tells me I can keep these plants alive, I have no other choice but to believe her.

Taking a seat in my chair, I flip open my laptop then turn to look at Grayson.

“Would you like to tell me what you’re doing in my office before eight a.m.?”

He takes a seat back in the chair across from me. “Oh, right. Of course. I was hoping to go over some line adjustments I think would benefit the team. I know we’ve barely gotten the ball rolling, but I have some thoughts I’d like to run by you before we set things in motion.”

It’s too damn early for this. Rubbing at my temples, I do my best not to snap. “Grayson. We haven’t even had our first players’ meetings yet and the rest of the coaching staff isn’t here to weigh in.”

He scoffs. This dude actually scoffs at me.

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