Page 41 of Hooking the Captain
10
COOP
The mid-morning sunstreamed through the windows of my penthouse apartment as I stood in my living room in a Bruins T-shirt and sweatpants drinking a protein shake and looking out at the vast city below. The anticipation of the first practice of the season coursed through my veins and I couldn’t wait to play with my team again.
Since I’d gotten back to Boston a few weeks ago, I had spent each day in the workout room conditioning my body for the upcoming season, while the rookies and others had training on the ice.
As a team, we hadn’t practiced together, nor had we all been together as a group yet, but today was the official start of team practices, when we would work on plays and get familiar with each other to see how we all clicked.
My phone buzzed on the coffee table and I turned from the window to grab it. It was a text from Hayden.
Hey! I’m free tomorrow night. Want to do dinner with Tyler and your man? My place at 6?
A grin spread across my face when I saw my friend refer to Ford as ‘my man’. I liked it. A lot. Hayden and I had been trying to arrange time to get together since I’d returned to Boston, but our schedules never seemed to work out.
After putting my cup in the dishwasher, I fired off a response:
Yeah. Let me ask “my man” and I’ll get back to you
After sending the text, I glanced at the time and realized I needed to head out before I was late. As the captain, being late would look bad, so instead of texting Ford about dinner, I grabbed my duffle and left for practice.
By the time I pulled up to the rink where we practiced, thoughts of dinner with Hayden and Tyler had been replaced with thoughts of hockey, and I was pumped.
The icebeneath my skates felt like home as I glided onto it.
“All right, boys, let’s hit it hard. Pre-season’s knocking on our door, and I want us sharp as hell,” I bellowed, rallying the team.
The familiar faces of my teammates nodded in agreement, as well as a few new ones who had been traded to the Bruins during the off-season. One of them was our new goalie, Baylor Kingston. It was always tough having a new teammate between the pipes. The good thing was, he wasn’t a rookie. But like all of us, we had to play well together, and I hoped he was as good in front of the net for us as I’d heard and seen over the last few years when he played for Tampa.
Kingston skated to the net and declared as he tapped his stick on both sides of the net, “Ready for whatever you hit at me, Coop.”
“That’s what I like to hear. We’re going to see how good you are in the crease.” I winked and skated to the center of the ice and said to the other guys, “Let’s make him work.”
The puck dropped, and the drills began. We worked on passing, quick transitions, and focused on defensive plays. I could feel the collective determination as we executed each move. Butcher unleashed his powerful shots, Nyström was swift with his stick work, Orlov anchored the defense, and Kingston faced shots from all angles, making save after save, proving why he was a valuable addition.
“Nice stop, Kingston! You’re looking like a brick wall,” I called out after an impressive glove save that had him doing the splits.
He acknowledged me with a nod, and the team continued the relentless pace. Each player brought their A-game, and Kingston was adapting fast, the puck finding its way into the net less and less as practice went on.
As we wrapped up, panting and exhilarated, I brought the team together. “Solid practice, boys. I know we’re going to kick ass this season.”
Even though Ihad been conditioning my body to get back into hockey shape, my entire body was sore when I slid my key into my apartment door a few hours later.
I dropped my duffle bag in the entryway and headed to the kitchen to grab a quick snack, my mind busy replaying the day’s drills and plays. Just as I was munching on a protein bar, my phone buzzed with a message from Ford.
Hey, baby. Rough day at work. Are you home?
Concern gripped me instantly and I quickly replied:
Yeah. Come over
Just down the street. Will be there soon
Less than ten minutes later, a knock sounded on the door. I quickly went to it and when I pulled it open, Ford managed a tired smile as he greeted me.
“Hey.”
“Hey, baby.” I pulled him against my body. “What happened?”
