Page 4 of Off the Stick
I glance around the office, getting a sense for who Trevor is based on the collection of photos and plaques on the walls.One of them is from last season and includes the entire team, coaching staff, and back-office support personnel.My gaze immediately zooms in on the brilliant smile of #25.
He’s hard to miss.He’s six-feet tall with light sandy-blond hair cut a bit shorter around the ears and longer on the top.The front of his hair flops dramatically over to one side, and he wears a boyishly adorable grin that emphasizes the dimple in the cleft of his chin.
My heart flips inside my chest, and I mentally chastise myself for being so easily distracted by those handsome features.
Trevor’s voice goes quiet for a moment, so I turn back and see him plop into his desk chair.“Mm-hmm… okay… got it.Last year’s SAT report.You bet.We’ll be right down.”
I watch with increasing interest as Trevor hurriedly types on his keyboard, after which the printer next to his desk comes to life with a few beeps and hisses, and several pages spit out into a tray.
He stands up and reaches for the printouts, shuffling through each with a perfunctory glance before peering up at me.
“Okay, MacAlister.Change of plans.You’re coming with me,” he states matter-of-factly, using the papers in his hand to gesture for me to stand up.“We’re heading down to drop these off with Coach Thomas for his team meeting.”
Another thrill of excitement whooshes through me as the reality of all this truly hits.I’m about to meet Head Coach Conner Thomas in the flesh.I’m sure my brothers will pester me for all the details and pepper me with questions when I talk to them tonight.To say that we are a hockey family is like calling the Trudeau’s Canadian political royalty.
My brothers, Zack and Drew eat, sleep, and breathe hockey.There hasn’t been a moment in their lives when they weren’t immersed in the sport.My dad had been passionate about the game since childhood, played in high school and college, and got both boys into playing as soon as they could.I gave it a try as a kid but never enjoyed the ice, so I stuck to other sports.
Although I stopped playing it early in my life, I still loved to watch hockey and root my brothers on.
I was sixteen when my mom succumbed to a short battle with cancer, and the rest of my high school career was spent chauffeuring the boys, just like my mom had once done, around my own extracurricular activities.Hockey was the glue that held us all together after my mom died.
If the boys weren’t playing the sport, they were watching it, obsessing over every aspect they could—which is why I’m so knowledgeable on the players and stats of each team.It was the way I connected with my brothers and my dad.It also helps that I’m a stats nerd and love talking numbers.
Hockey was what lead me to sports analytics and is the reason I chose a career in this field.The only applications I sent in were for open positions with all levels of professional hockey teams.
And when, after three rounds of intensive interviews, I accepted this position, the encouragement my dad and brothers gave me was amazing.It lessened the fear I felt from leaving everything behind in Calgary and starting a new career and life as working single mom in Vancouver.
And it assuaged the guilt I felt for taking my daughter Lennon away from the only family she’d ever known.
I ignore the stabbing sensation in my heart and push to my feet to follow Trevor out the door.He easily navigates the maze of desks and cubicles and then down a long corridor while I follow behind like a lost puppy.When he pushes the elevator button for Up, I realize we’re not going to Coach Thomas’s office.
From the final in-person interview I had when he briefly showed me around the office, I know the coaching staff and leadership team offices are all on this floor, just further down the hallway and in a more privately secure area.
As we wait for the lift to arrive, I remain quiet and stare at each of the framed promo posters that line the walls on both sides of us.There’s one of the Vikings’ captain, Cale Costa, D-man Tanner Rossco, forward Nils Lundren, and our starting goalie, Soren “The Wolf” Wolfenspiel.
The elevator doors open on a whoosh and I glance down at my feet before stepping in to make sure I don’t get my heel stuck in the crevasse.When I look back up, I come face-to-face with a blast from my past.
Or at least, the framed image of number twenty-five, Dane “Ax” Axelrod.Larger than life, as is the divot in the middle of his chin.
The same one Lenni has on her cherub face.
I practically stumble onto the lift, and Trevor catches me by my arm to steady me.“Whoa there, MacAlister.Watch your step.”He lets go but looks to be at the ready in the event I keel over, nodding his chin down to my feet with a smile.“Maybe tomorrow leave the heels at home.No need for them here.”
I gather my balance and chuckle.“Yeah, I’m much better in my running shoes.Heels are a killer.”
He nods in understanding, and the doors close in front of us.
“My wife, Lizzie, would agree with you.But my nineteen-year-old daughter lives for those ankle-breakers,” he adds with a laugh.Then his voice turns from humor to compassionate.“Which reminds me, did you get your daughter enrolled in the on-site daycare program?”
My head snaps up to my new boss, who looks down upon me with such a tender expression that I could easily burst out in tears of emotion.
Had it not been for Trevor, who let me know in my second interview about the generous benefit offered to Vikings employees, players, and staff, I wouldn’t have even considered accepting this job.In fact, I was going to decline any further interviews for fear I was in way over my head and wouldn’t have any options for Lenni.
But the Little Vikings on-site daycare program meant that Lenni would be right here in the facility with me during work hours, and it’s affordable for all employees.That one benefit alone is a career-making opportunity, offering me the incentive I needed to spread my wings and leave the nest, so to speak.I no longer had to put any more burden on my dad to help care for my daughter.
Being a working single mom is tough enough, but it’s nearly impossible without family nearby or the child’s father to help.One last look behind me at the picture of Dane has my heart squeezing inside my chest as I think about all the single moms who break their backs daily to raise their kids alone.
I nod appreciatively at Trevor.“Yes.Thank you so much.Lennon is so excited to start at Little Vikings on Monday.Until then, my dad is here to help us get settled.”
