Page 15 of Drop the Gloves
“You are asshole,” Vassy said as he offered Barczyk a hand and pulled him up.“Complete shithead.”
“Don’t I know it,” Barczyk said, fistbumping him.“Thanks for having my back, guys.”He looked to Evan as he said this, offering one of his wide smiles like he was telling a great joke and Evan was in on it.
Evan felt like hewasthe joke.
* * *
“He’s just so…so…” Evan huffed into his phone later, completely at a loss how to describe Riley Barczyk to his mom.
“Heartless?”his mom offered.“Reckless?Cold-blooded?”
Evan growled, suddenly wanting to defend Barczyk.He wasn’t heartless or cold-blooded—not the way he celebrated each and every player on the Riveters.If someone made a good play, delivered a clean check, scored, did anything even remotely positive during a game or practice, Barczyk was the first and loudest among those cheering.He was a great hype man, and it came from his genuine enthusiasm for his teammates’ success.
But he couldn’t defend everything about Barczyk.Despite his redeemable qualities, he was a rough guy to play against.
“Reckless,” he decided.“He’s really reckless, and I hate watching it up close, because the things he’s doing to other players, he did tomelast season.And it doesn’t even faze him!It doesn’t register with him that he’s hurting people.”
“Well, sweetie,” his mom said.“Lots of players either have to or like to play rough.Barczyk’s a bit of both.He’s good, but he’s small.He’s not as fast as you, so I guess he learned early on that if he was physical, it would make up for it.”
“Oh myGod, Mom.Areyoudefending him?After calling him heartless?”
His mom laughed.“I’m just explaining.I didn’t say I agree with it, but I’ve seen it before in hundreds of other players.You hear me telling you to play like that?”
“No.”
“I know he’s a pest, but I never minded it until he hit you,” she said.“I have a list a mile long of players I’ve got a grudge against because they checked you or hooked you or tripped you, starting with that jerk in your first game.You remember that kid?”
“Mom, that was like…almost two decades ago.”
“And I haven’t forgotten the little shit who tripped my baby boy and sent him headfirst into the net.Obviously, he was also a small child, and I would’ve taken out my anger on his parents and not him, but still.Haven’t forgotten it.”A pause.“Where was I going with this?”
“Barczyk.”
“Oh, right.So I didn’t mind when he was doing it to other people around the league, because it honestly makes for some great highlights when he does it.The problem was he did it to you, and now he’s on top of my list of players I hold a grudge against.”
Evan laughed.“Thanks?I think?”
She laughed with him.“You feel better now that you’ve gotten that off your chest?”
“Yeah, actually.Sorry for ranting, but thanks for listening.”
“Always, sweetie pie.But I should let you go.You’re flying out early tomorrow, aren’t you?”
“Not that early, but yeah.”The Riveters had an 11 a.m.flight to Carolina.He wasn’t looking forward to it, but it was one of the easier flights on their schedule.“Night, Mom.I’ll call you after we play the Reapers.”
“Good luck.I’ll be cheering you on.”
“I know you will.Night.”
“Night, sweetie.Love you.”
9
A week and a half later,they hosted the Florida Pythons, which sucked.The Pythons were a killer team, and the Riveters were coming off their first back-to-back of the season.They were all tired, exhausted from their loss yesterday (an overtime loss at that, even worse).As soon as the puck dropped at center ice, with Turner squaring off for the opening face-off against the Pythons’ lead scorer, the Riveters were sloppy.A few minutes into the game, Evan got his first shift, and yep, he was no exception.
His line couldn’t get any momentum, and he left the ice after his first few shifts feeling insanely frustrated.The real issue: he was getting manhandled left and right.Any time he got anywhere within five feet of the puck, he’d have at least one Python player on him, bodying him off track and clogging up all the passing lanes.He couldn’t remember having so little space and time in a game, and it was driving him crazy.
When the second period rolled around, Evan didn’t know what came over him.This one defender, Smith, kept pushing him around.He’d wait until the refs’ backs were turned and then slashed or cross-checked Evan, and once tripped him by hooking his stick behind Evan’s knee.Maybe it was all the talk about using his body, maybe it was Barczyk’s influence, but in the waning minutes of the second period, Evan had reached his limits.
