Page 62 of Puck Me Secretly

“And?” Dad pushed.

Anxiety rolled through me. “The media will only focus on his past and his fight with Joseph Flanynk. Max needs to win the hearts of our fans. Unless he can do that, he is bad for our brand because the media will only focus on the negative.”

Dad gave a sharp nod. “I agree.”

I sagged in relief, but I wasn’t sure if it was because of Dad’s approval or if it was because it meant I had bought Max some more time out of the limelight.

He continued, “We sell tickets because the fans love hockey andthey love this team. Max needs to win over the love of these fans, or else….”

“Or else what?”

Dad shrugged but didn’t answer me. “How do you feel about these upcoming away games?”

“I’m fine.”

Immediately after the game, we were taking a bus to the airport to catch a red-eye.

“Ottawa first?”

“Ottawa, Boston, Buffalo, Minnesota and then Detroit.”

“Tell Max to watch his back in Minnesota. In fact, the entire team needs to be vigilant. Their hatred there for Max runs deep, and that translates into angry fans and dirty plays.”

I shook my head, feeling sad for Max. “Everyone seems to hate him.”

“They used to love him. He was a star there.”

“And then he beat up Joseph.”

“They lost the Stanley Cup and turned on him. The entire city turned on him.”

“How?”

He cleared his throat but didn’t speak.

“Dad, tell me.”

“I heard that he got death threats.”

I worked to cover my gasp. “Serious death threats?”

“Enough that it involved the police. He needed police security until he left the city.”

This shocked me. “Do you think he’ll be in danger there?”

Dad sounded thoughtful. “It might be a good idea if you sit this trip out.”

“Why?”

“It will get rough in Minnesota.”

“Forget it,” I argued, surprising myself. An hour ago, I had been dreading this trip. Now I was pushing to go?

“It doesn’t hurt if you don’t go.”

“I’m not a coward. This is my job. Let me support the team.”

Dad stood there for a long moment before nodding. “Be careful.”

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