Page 6 of Misconduct Zone

“Damn, kid.” I good-naturedly punch his arm. “It’s good to meet you. With your smarts, I’m glad we play on opposite sides, so you’re not trying to take my job.” My intent was to lighten the mood since new blood can cause a stir with veteran players, but the wariness in his eyes gets deeper.

“Just here to play great hockey.” He offers a weak smile. I’m making him uncomfortable. The opposite of my goal.

Ace depends on me as the unofficial welcome committee to the team, and I failed epically.

“Welcome.” I slap his back again. “We’re excited to have you. I’ve seen your tape, and we need depth since we plan to win The Cup this year.” His posture softens, and because I can’t quit while I’m ahead, I don’t shut up. “Hope we’ll be great friends.”

Someone should punch me in the face right now. I’m acting like an idiot. This isn’t grade school where we have to be friends; it’s the goddamn NHL. But there’s something about him that makes me think heneedsa friend. Like Lars did. It took me longer than it should have to notice Lars had teammates yet no friends. I wore him down a day at a time and made him my best friend.

I gotta slow my roll and figure out if King is an introvert and needs to warm up or if he could use a friend to take him under their wing.

“Hope our dance-a-thon didn’t scare you.” I walk away without waiting for a response.

I’m the first on the ice and inhale deeply. The cold air tickles my lungs, and I get that feeling of destiny waiting for us. As the guys skate onto the ice, I stand at the door, fist-bumping them, and say, “Give it all you got. Trust the process.”

Coach gives us one second to reflect before we’re doing fast-paced drills, and I’m amped up for the season. I’m impressed with King. The rookies had to win a spot on the roster, but a couple are struggling to keep up. Jamal sails through the drills effortlessly.

In a year or two, he’ll be challenging Ace for his starting position.

I’m flying. All my hard work over the summer has given me an edge over my teammates, who are sucking wind. It’s as if I have wings on my back.

“Looking good.” Lars nods in approval, which means more coming from him than anyone else. Since he spent most of his summer working out with me, he’s more dangerous than ever. His shots are rockets, making Liska and Benz contort themselves to stop them.

We scrimmage with last year’s offensive starting lineup since we all returned. Lars takes the face-off as the center. I’m the right winger and Ace the left winger. Lars and I have telepathy when we’re in the rink. We don’t need set plays or hand motions. His eyes tell me where the puck’s going, and I get there. Austin wasour leading scorer last year in my absence, so Lars and I pass back and forth to distract the defense until he’s in a position to fire it in.

Of course, Coach needs to test the line chemistry, so I play with King and our backup center, Richardson. Jamal and I don’t have the same innate play together, but we gel. Neither of us can connect with Richardson. Coach throws in our third-line center, and our play is elevated.

When I’m subbed out, I watch Mason Griffin take my place. We joke that there’s something in the water in Vermont where he and Caleb Benz played. Griffin lived with Benz while they went to college together since Griff is Canadian. Then they got drafted to the same NHL team at the start of their rookie seasons. The chance of that happening is so astronomically low that they’re media darlings.

And they’re inseparable, a package deal to all events. Which is funny since many times the D-linesman and goalies keep to themselves. They don’t care.

The team is still in fighting shape after our success last year. With last year’s rookie starters now veterans, our chance of winning is even greater.

I fucking love these guys and want to help them bring The Cup home. Liska will probably retire in the next couple of years. He doesn’t talk about it, but last year’s concussion changed him.

Lars skates up to King and says something to brighten King’s face. Suddenly my gut twists, and I have the urge to rip Lars’s gloved hand from Jamal’s as they fist-bump. It startles a laugh out of me. Random physical contact is out of character for Lars, so my reaction is pure surprise. I watch them play together, and for the first time since joining the team, I’m envious of a teammate playing with Lars.

My reaction has to be leftover anxiety from being on IR last year because King isn’t a threat to my position.

If I were to guess about our line configuration for the season, Coach will keep line one the same. He’ll move our third-line center up to line two to play with King and Griff. Our defensive pairs for one and two will stay the same, and Coach will work the rookies into the others.

Liska will keep the starting job, but Benz is ready to step in.

Our team’s set up for success.

After practice, I’m sweaty, exhausted, and ready to kick back and relax. The atmosphere is more subdued, so I crank the tunes and get the party started. We should be hyped and thankful we’re beginning the season with all our starters healthy and in a good headspace.

In the showers, I stand under the spray next to Lars and hold out my hand for a bare-knuckle fist bump. His gaze focuses on the tile in front of him, but he doesn’t leave me hanging. I’ve never been shy in the team showers. Being naked with dudes has been as much a part of my life as eating bread. It’s a normal, almost daily occurrence. Not everyone feels the same, and I notice Jamal uses a private shower.

I’ll talk to Ace and Lars about making him feel welcome. At this level, the difference between winning The Cup or not could hinge on the trust of teammates.

Liska invites all the guys who live in the city to his place for dinner. Most of the rookies prefer the city, while the vets and their families live in Perrytown near the practice rink.

Besides being an All-Star goalie, he’s like some genius investor, so his place is insane. His boyfriend, Trevor, moved in and transformed his minimalistic, soulless place into a great condo for entertaining.

The young guys, including King, accept his offer. Lars shoots me a worried glance when I decline. I’m usually the first to suggest team bonding, but tonight I’m in the mood to chill with Lars. Take advantage of his calm demeanor and the quiet time before we’re nonstop surrounded by everyone else while traveling.

Chapter 5

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