Page 92 of Playoff
With seconds counting down, Crash found Deek in front of the net. Their goalie blocked the shot, but Cooper was at the side of the net to get the rebound. He shot the puck to me just as one of their defenseman crashed into him. I slipped the puck in and the red light lit up. I’d raised my stick in one hand to celebrate when the whistle blew.
Cooper had hit the boards behind the net and was lying on the ice. The crowd’s celebration quickly hushed as everyone waited for Cooper to move. The trainers skated out, but Crash, Deek, Oppy and I saw him blink open his eyes.
“Fuck,” he muttered.
“What is it?”
“Broken bone. Left leg.”
We skated back to give the trainer space to check.
Cooper pushed to his feet with their help and the crowd cheered. He managed to return to the bench on his one good foot, but it was game over for him. Season over.
We didn’t have time to dwell on that, and what the repercussions would be. We still had more than a minute to play, and a one-goal lead. Coach put our shut down line on, and for the last minute and a half I watched Montreal try to score. Our guys were sharp on D, but after the injury to Cooper, Montreal had lost their momentum. Injuries to a player of Cooper’s caliber were rare. Our team was determined not to lose the lead he’d paid for, and when the final buzzer went, we’d won. The Blaze were in the playoffs.
But without our top two defensemen. The hockey gods weren’t with us this season.
I got first star as the player of the game, and skated out for a short acknowledgement, but the mood in the arena was quiet, even though we’d clinched our playoff spot. I returned quickly to the locker room. No one had started changing. We waited till Coach came in to hear about our captain.
He looked around at all of us, sweaty, tired and grim. “Good game, men. But costly. It’s a clean break, but he’s out for weeks.”
More than one guy muttered Fuck. Our chances hadn’t been good after the team’s poor start, but we’d come back strong from Ducky’s injury. With the loss of JJ, we were definitely the underdogs. Without Cooper? No chance at all.
We were a somber group as we cooled down and changed. The team had brought out champagne to celebrate making the playoffs, but no one felt like partying.
JJ stopped by the locker room not long after Coach left. “Anyone still coming to the Top Shelf?”
Most of the guys agreed. We did have something to celebrate. We’d clinched our spot, despite long odds. Cooper didn’t need us, and would have his girlfriend nearby to keep him company as they dealt with his leg. We might as well enjoy this victory, since it would be our last celebration for this season. As the lowest-seeded team in our division, we’d be playing the top-seeded team next week.
I wasn’t sure about joining though. JJ had apologized, but if he was back, Jess was probably here too. She didn’t always join the team after games, but she might if her girl group was there. I wasn’t ready to face her.
“Not sure I should be there,” I muttered to Fitch. We’d driven over to the arena together. “I can call a ride—you go.”
Fitch frowned, but it was someone else who spoke over my shoulder. “Please come.”
I turned, surprised JJ had spoken. And to me.
“You sure?” In case he’d meant to ask Fitch to show up, not me.
He nodded. “I would take it as a personal favor, Alek, if you let me buy you a drink.”
I tipped my chin to indicate his hand. “You don’t owe me. You came out the worst on that one.”
He frowned at his cast. “Yeah. But I’d like to.”
That must mean Jess wasn’t around. Maybe she wasn’t back yet. I ignored the disappointment. “Okay. I’m riding with Fitch, so I’ll see you there.”
As Fitch and I walked out, he asked quietly. “What was that about?”
I held up my hands. “No idea.” Maybe JJ was feeling extra bad about missing the playoffs, especially now that Cooper was out as well.
The Top Shelf was full when we arrived to cheers and applause. Our fans appreciated that game. It had been a difficult year, but it wasn’t over yet. Their hopes shouldn’t be too high, but hope was a resistant thing. It kept springing up, despite reality. Case in point, how I looked for Jess.
JJ crossed over to meet us. “Thanks for coming.”
A fan nodded at JJ, said he hoped the hand healed quickly. Then he glared at me, as if I might slug JJ right now to even things up.
JJ grimaced at the fan. “I’m sorry I did something so stupid.” He held out a glass to me.
