Page 8 of Lucky Sucker

The Saturday before the first week of classes we were altogether at the arena with our coaches and the staff that worked there. Some people were new, others we already knew, like Tom Rodriguez, our equipment manager, and he had some pretty stern words for us because we’d rifled through his tape supply the other day.

It was also the first day we were getting to meet the new blood coming into the team. Five freshmen who had been big fish in small ponds, aka their high school teams, all the way to being little fish in our lake.

Coach gave the room for me to speak as we were in the locker room.

I’d been thinking about my speech all summer; how could I best motivate the entire team? My mind had drawn a blank on it every single time the question was posed. I didn’t know if it was too little to just tell them to play like every game was the play-offs.

“We are due a victory,” my first words to the group. “We are the Orcas, we are the killer whales on ice, we hunt in packs, we are a strong group of players when we come together. Not one player is better than the other, we all have our skills, we all have our areas and talents, and together, we are winners. There isn’t another team out there hungry like us, and trust me, we are starving for a win. On three, I need everyone to stomp their feet and let’s go. Let’s get laced up and on the ice.” They hung onto my every word. I was doing it. I was being a captain. “One, two, three!” I called out, their feet were slow to grow into a loud stampede and on three. “Go Orcas!” We shouted our voices had to have traveled far, but we were ready now.

Nothing could compare to the electricity of a team where each individual member was on fire with excitement, and I was reading to go into this season with everyone on the same page. We were going to the play-offs, and with it being my senior year and captaincy, you’d best believe this was going to help get my name secured to a trophy and several plaques for the cabinet.

Most of the session was team building as the freshmen were introduced and some of them had nicknames from their high school teams. Specifically, right winger, Mason Kim who seemed to fucking zoom by on skates as if he was the Flash, ready to break the sound barrier. Naturally, he carried the nickname, Speed.

We all got reacquainted with the coaching staff, most of them were returning, but others were new, and it was fun to have new people. They brought an excitement with them, everyone did, a giant ball of readiness I would need them all to keep so we could feed off it. This was nothing compared to when the full production of a game came around, the lights, the music, the screaming fans, that was the real energy booster.

And a new face that I’d seen before. Twice already now. I didn’t want to sound so conceited as to say I was being stalked or followed by it, but outside the rink, talking to Coach was that same student with his notepad and a little stuffed toy poking through his light jacket.

Letting the team keep playing their games on the ice, I skated over to Coach.

“Lucky,” he said. “I’m just talking to someone from the college paper, and I think it’s a great idea for him to have a sit down with you where you can tell him all your plans for the upcoming year.”

He looked down, as if my eyes were attached at my ankles.

“I’m Luke, Lucky,” I said, pulling off a glove. I extended my hand in front of his face, pulling his focus to move his head and give me a once over. “Team Captain.”

“Hi,” he said, his voice so soft. He took my hand. It was warm and just as soft as his voice had been. “You’re cold.”

Coach laughed. “It’s gonna get colder,” he said. “You’re gonna need to begin wearing more layers if you’re gonna be following the team around while we play the season.”

I would’ve preferred someone a little more outgoing, someone who looked like they supported us. “Well, it was good meeting you,” I said, seeing the stuffed teddy against his chest, it was an orca. Maybe he did support us, but usually a scarf or beanie in the rink showed that.

“You too,” he mumbled back.

“Coach, can I speak to you?” I asked, skating a little further on the inside of the rink.

Coach walked over, huffing and sighing at me. “Come on, Luke,” he said. “Give the kid a chance. He’s just a little shy. You didn’t even ask him for his name. You know, lead by example and all that. He’s a fan of the team.”

“But he—” I looked over at him, his big blue eyes just staring at the team as they played games on the ice. “He’s just not someone I’d see and think they were a fan. You know, usually we get one of the journalism majors who pay attention.”

“Listen, Wren is a good kid,” he said. “That’s his name, even though you didn’t ask. He’s the only person whose been around from the paper, granted, it’s before classes start, but you’ve got to give it to him, he’s showing initiative.”

“Hey, Wren,” I called out to him. He perked up, nearly falling over himself to look in my direction. “Come over.”

“You better be nice, Lucky,” Coach said.

I was nice. I just had an idea of what this season was going to be for me. It was my make it or break it season, and a lot of that lined up with how much we got press about. We needed to amp up our socials, and we needed someone who looked like they could write about the team in a way that got people excited. I just didn’t think Wren was that person.

He walked over; his eyes firmly fixed on his feet as he walked. I could’ve understood if he were in skates, but he wasn’t, they were just his regular feet. “I haven’t been assigned to report on the Orcas yet,” he said. “I really want to be, I’m sorry if I let you believe I was already.”

“It doesn’t matter that you haven’t,” Coach said. “You seem knowledgeable on the game, and the team. If you don’t get assigned, I still hope you’ll show up to the games.”

“Of course, I will,” he said.

I felt a bit bad now, I was, once again, jumping to conclusions and I knew better than to do that. “If there’s anything you need to know about the team, you can talk to me and we can set something up,” I said, much to the coach’s surprises. I’d never seen his eyes open that wide, almost like he had a face lift.

“You sure, Lucky?”

“Of course,” I said. “But only if you can answer this question. Who do you think is the best player out there on the ice right now?”

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