Page 5
Everything else is just white noise.
I’m in a different city now, but the focus is still the same as it was in Vancouver.
And I have the added benefit of now being on a team that stands a better chance of lifting that cup.
That’s the ultimate goal. It’s what every hockey player wants. It’s the endgame.
Still, I can’t help but wonder what comes after that?
Will the pressure to be the best lessen once I’ve touched that cup?
I shake my head, forcing the thoughts from my head.
They’re not important now. We need to win it first.
While I might have been traded to a team that’s sitting at the top of the division, it doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. Especially since my arrival.
No one wants me here.
Of course, no one has said it to my face. They’re all too polite for that. Well, polite or stubborn.
I grit my teeth as I think about the one member of the team who would happily live the rest of his life without ever seeing me again, let alone being forced to play with me.
Well, the feeling is entirely mutual.
It never used to be that way.
Kodie Rivers used to be my best friend.
But that was a very, very long time ago.
While I don’t expect us to be close again, we'll have to find a way to share the same barn. The same ice.
I wrap more tape, making sure it’s one hundred percent parallel to the previous pass.
“Fuck,” I grunt when my hand flinches and messes it up.
It has to be perfect, Nash. There is no other option.
I ball up the tape I unwrapped before taking a calming breath and starting again.
I’m sure at least someone is watching me right now, but I don’t lift my head to see.
I don’t give a fuck what anyone thinks. I just have to do this right.
As we hit the ice for warm-ups, I still don’t look up.
I’m aware that many of my teammates do the very opposite. They’ve got loved ones out there waiting to see them. Girlfriends, wives, kids, parents.
That’s great for them.
But that’s their lives. Not mine.
Mine isn’t about who isn’t in the stands. It’s about doing what I need to do.
Skate faster.
Push harder.
