Page 24 of Snowed in with My Pucking Ex
“Wassolid?” My voice rises a touch as I repeat the words, and my heart starts to beat a bit frantically.What does he mean, it was?“We may’ve lost the game the other night, but it’s not because of my performance. I scored! I may be getting older in the league’s standards, but I’m still matching or beating everyone else in my position. You know I make sure to stay up with those stats.”
“I know, and it has nothing to do with your performance. The opposite, actually. I’m always fielding calls for other teams who are interested in shaking up your contract so you’ll come play for them, but we’ve kept you with the Pines because their GM and owner are so good about working with your schedule when going home and stuff, they cater to your special training and requests.”
I cut him off, “That I’ve earned. I’ve played my tail off for the Pine’s since college, and hold one of the highest scoring records for the team. Those special requests were because I’ve earned the time, and they agreed, it’s in my contract.” I state, my muscles locked up at whatever these changes could possibly mean.
“You don’t have to tell me that, buddy, I already know. Your stats have helped us negotiate each time your contract opens up; you’ve made my job easy in that department. But like I said, and please Sean, let me finish.”
I remain quiet, my fingers pinching the bridge of my nose as I close my eyes and tip my head down. I was finally in a position to hopefully start a life with Winter, and now something ischanging. It could be big; I can feel it, and the buildup has me growing anxious. Did the Pines decide to release me early, and now I’m going to be pushed into retirement whether I’m ready to go or not? I need time to come up with a plan if so, they can’t just blindside me after the years I’ve dedicated to this team. Besides, why would they willingly push off the ice when my last contract was so lucrative? They’d lose out on the multi-millions they’ve already agreed to pay me over the course of my contract.
Chapter Fifteen
Sean
“Like I said, this has nothing to do with your performance; it’s the opposite, actually. You’re a household name with proven stats, you’re well-liked amongst your teammates, have huge brand sponsorships, multiple individual awards, the works...” Someone asks him something in the background, and he quietly responds. It’s probably his assistant, he has a few, as he’s busy twenty-four-seven most days, it seems. “The change is coming from the team itself. The Pines are in serious financial trouble. I don’t have the exact details at the moment, but they’re having to put up their biggest, most expensive players for trade, in hopes they can recoup funds in contract buy-outs and not go bankrupt.”
“Wow.” My eyes spring open in surprise at the news, and I glance out at the trees surrounding the place. Being secluded like this makes it feel like I’m not on the farm at all anymore, but somewhere peaceful and untouched. The team going bankrupt and needing to sell off contracts is literally the last thing I was expecting him to say. Maybe being out here for a night is what I need to help cut out some of the noise that this scandal will surely bring. If I were in New York right now, I wouldn’t be able to leave my apartment because the media and paparazzi would be camped out front, waiting to bombard me. They’d try to force a comment out of me, no matter how ruthlessly they had to pursue it, and that’s something I don’t want to have to deal with.
“I know. The announcement is all over the media at the moment, but I’m guessing if you’re snowed in at a cabin somewhere, then you wouldn’t be watching what I am right now.”
“No, I haven’t seen anything. So, they’re trading me.” I say the words out loud, the news sitting like a lead weight in my gut.
I’ve been under contract with the Pines pretty much since I was just a reckless kid, taking more hits than was good for me.They’d signed me off the junior league that I was playing for at the time, from a few towns over. I’d started in that league when I was fifteen, and played for a couple of years while making some career-long connections and learning a lot, then came the Pines contract.
At the time, I had already been planning on playing college ice hockey as soon as I graduated, and had three years of Juniors under my belt. Several universities had reached out at that point, offering me full-ride scholarships from a young age, when the Pines call came through. They wanted me badly enough to agree to sign me on a conditional contract.
The owner of the Pines had two main conditions: the first being that after two years of my playing for the college team, I would officially leave it behind for the NHL. He believed I could gain some valuable skills in my playing time, while also having a little more time to mature before being hit with the responsibilities of the pros. The second condition was that my contract was only valid if I didn’t sustain any career-altering injuries that would ultimately affect how I performed for the team. It was a gamble, but I was young and went all in. I attended my two years in person at the university before moving to New York, as agreed. After that, in order for me to get my actual degree, I had to finish my classes online. It was tough, but I followed it through, knowing it was my mother’s wish for me to have more education under my belt.
My entire professional career has been with one team only, and it hasn’t escaped me how lucky I’ve been to have a franchise believe in my athletic ability so strongly from a young age to keep me with their team for so long. With a sigh, I ask, “What’s the next move? Where do we go from here?”
“I’m going to keep working things on my end. My phone has been ringing off the hook all day with teams wanting to take over your contract, so you’ll fall on your feet. I have no doubts.”
Relief instantly hits me, and it’s in this moment, I know I’m not ready to retire. At least not until I work through my full contract length. I’ve been fortunate to stay as healthy as I have, so that I can still think ahead to playing professional hockey in general.
On the other side of the coin, my being traded could put an end to any chance I may possibly have with Winter. I could be traded to Canada or Florida, or anywhere else across the country, and not be able to fly home so often. Depending on how well that team does, I could go months without really seeing her. The Cup is the ultimate goal in hockey, always, but will she still be waiting for me when the season is finally over? Winter isn’t like me; she isn’t meant to be away from her family for long periods of time, and she’d be miserable if she were.
“Which teams?”
“I have nine interests for you to review, and it hasn’t been a full day yet. The Pines agreed they are willing to work with the players being traded, so you all can go to whatever team you want. Of course, that condition is only valid if the other teams expressing interest have high enough offers on the board for you all. The GM is a complete wreck over this. He finally has his dream team, and now he’s having to watch you all be traded off.”
“I can imagine, Jim’s a good guy. Okay, how much time do I have before everything happens?”
“Forty-eight hours from the teams submitted offers, but I’ll get a hold of everyone who has contacted me so far. I’ll let them know you’re in the middle of a snowstorm, to see if they will extend their offer times.”
My shoulders relax a touch at hearing he already has a plan, but I should expect nothing less. He’s paid well to keep my career together, and so far, he’s done a great job at it. “Good. I want to review the terms and teams closest to home first. If I can no longer train at the Blizzards’ arena during the season, I wantto at least be able to squeeze in a few flights home whenever possible.”
“I got it. I’ll contact everyone and let them know what’s going on in case they try to reach out to you directly. I’ll have my assistant put the list together, and we’ll add to it if anyone else submits an offer. Are you open to negotiating a new contract at all?”
I release a heavy sigh. I thought I wasn’t going to have to worry about this again for a couple of years. Contract negotiations can be very stressful, especially when you want to go somewhere specific and are aware of your worth as a player in the league. “I’d prefer to keep the terms we already negotiated for.”
“I understand that, but if they want to offer an extension and more money, are you willing to hear the teams out?”
“Yes, of course. Email me the info and I’ll read through it as soon as I can.”
“This is important, Spruce. As soon as the snow lets up enough, get home to check your inbox so you don’t end up on a team you’re not happy with. The Pines need cheaper players to fill slots and cash to pay bills, so they’ll be making moves as soon as possible. I don’t think they’ll be as patient as the interested teams will be.”
“I understand. Thanks for taking care of it.”
“You bet, buddy. Stay safe, and let me know if I need to send in a helicopter to pick you up. In the meantime, try to take advantage of the snowstorm and get some rest in since you’re not playing your next game. Ice your knees and ankles. Oh, and those ribs where you took that hard hit. I’m sure the new team you end up on will want you there immediately, and will be expecting you to be game day ready.”
