there’s still time to win this. Let’s get ourselves the win and try to forget the first two periods.”
They didn’t forget the first two periods, losing the game 5-1. The locker room was quiet as the players showered and donned their suits. Originally, they’d planned on staying the night in Toronto, but now Coach had them boarding the plane for Montreal. Their coach said there was one good thing about the game - that it wasn’t at home where their fans could see them shit the bed.
Josh settled into his seat on the plane next to a glum Carter, but his mind wasn’t on the game. That had been the problem all night. His mind had been invaded by a certain girl he hadn’t heard from all week. He called, but she didn’t answer. The last thing he heard from her was the text saying she was OK after she’d run out into the rain.
He’d screwed up tonight. He knew that. It was probably his worst game since his rookie year, and he hated it. It just reinforced his view on distractions. There was nothing he could do about it now, though. He’d just have to figure out a way to have her in his life that wouldn’t interfere with his game. He knew he had to be careful with her after everything she’d been through and for now, he just wanted her to let him be her friend. He got the impression she could use one of those.
He sighed and closed his eyes, letting himself succumb to the post game exhaustion he was so familiar with.
###
The rest of their road trip was just as rough, and they’d started the season with three straight losses. No one was happy and no one was playing well. It wasn’t anything new to them. Last season the Jackets started off on a losing streak. It took months for them to play themselves back into the playoff race.
It was late when the team got through customs at the Columbus airport and everyone was anxious to get home to their own beds. Luckily they had the next few games at home before heading out on the road again.
The coaches gathered the team around them.
“Push the last week from your minds, Gentlemen,” Coach Peterson said. “Get home and get rested. You have tomorrow off, and then it’s back to work. We’ve got three days until our next game, and we’ve got plenty we need to work on. Practice is at nine on Tuesday. Tuesday night, we’re doing the annual coaches’ dinner. Coach Scott is hosting this year. We’ll have a team meeting there at four, and then we’ll eat. I expect you all there on time. Now, get out of here and go see your families.”
Dinner at the Scott house. Josh wondered if Taylor would be there. Coach rarely mentioned her to the team. His youngest, Evie, had been around the locker room a few times during training camp. The guys on the team adored her, but he wasn’t sure many of his teammates even knew Coach Scott had another daughter - one who was beautiful, with a heartbreaking smile, sad eyes, and the softest lips.
He shifted his bag higher on his shoulder and pulled his phone out of his pocket. The screen lit up and he scrolled through names until finding hers. His thumb hovered above it in hesitation then pressed down lightly. There was only one ring before her voice-mail came on. He hung up and climbed into Mack’s truck.
“So,” Mack started before stifling a yawn. “What are we doing with our day off?”
“I have a training session with Carter.” Josh shrugged.
“What training session?”
“Boxing.” It wasn’t just boxing. Josh started working on his fighting over the summer. It was a training program specifically for hockey fights. Fighting would always be part of the game and Josh wanted to be whatever kind of player his team needed. As a grinder, it was his job to provide energy. Big hits and fights did just that. He didn’t particularly like getting punched, but he’d do anything to stay in this league.
“Come on, Josher,” Mack faked a whine. “Blow it off and let’s have some fun.”
“Stop it, Mack,” he snapped.
They didn’t forget the first two periods, losing the game 5-1. The locker room was quiet as the players showered and donned their suits. Originally, they’d planned on staying the night in Toronto, but now Coach had them boarding the plane for Montreal. Their coach said there was one good thing about the game - that it wasn’t at home where their fans could see them shit the bed.
Josh settled into his seat on the plane next to a glum Carter, but his mind wasn’t on the game. That had been the problem all night. His mind had been invaded by a certain girl he hadn’t heard from all week. He called, but she didn’t answer. The last thing he heard from her was the text saying she was OK after she’d run out into the rain.
He’d screwed up tonight. He knew that. It was probably his worst game since his rookie year, and he hated it. It just reinforced his view on distractions. There was nothing he could do about it now, though. He’d just have to figure out a way to have her in his life that wouldn’t interfere with his game. He knew he had to be careful with her after everything she’d been through and for now, he just wanted her to let him be her friend. He got the impression she could use one of those.
He sighed and closed his eyes, letting himself succumb to the post game exhaustion he was so familiar with.
###
The rest of their road trip was just as rough, and they’d started the season with three straight losses. No one was happy and no one was playing well. It wasn’t anything new to them. Last season the Jackets started off on a losing streak. It took months for them to play themselves back into the playoff race.
It was late when the team got through customs at the Columbus airport and everyone was anxious to get home to their own beds. Luckily they had the next few games at home before heading out on the road again.
The coaches gathered the team around them.
“Push the last week from your minds, Gentlemen,” Coach Peterson said. “Get home and get rested. You have tomorrow off, and then it’s back to work. We’ve got three days until our next game, and we’ve got plenty we need to work on. Practice is at nine on Tuesday. Tuesday night, we’re doing the annual coaches’ dinner. Coach Scott is hosting this year. We’ll have a team meeting there at four, and then we’ll eat. I expect you all there on time. Now, get out of here and go see your families.”
Dinner at the Scott house. Josh wondered if Taylor would be there. Coach rarely mentioned her to the team. His youngest, Evie, had been around the locker room a few times during training camp. The guys on the team adored her, but he wasn’t sure many of his teammates even knew Coach Scott had another daughter - one who was beautiful, with a heartbreaking smile, sad eyes, and the softest lips.
He shifted his bag higher on his shoulder and pulled his phone out of his pocket. The screen lit up and he scrolled through names until finding hers. His thumb hovered above it in hesitation then pressed down lightly. There was only one ring before her voice-mail came on. He hung up and climbed into Mack’s truck.
“So,” Mack started before stifling a yawn. “What are we doing with our day off?”
“I have a training session with Carter.” Josh shrugged.
“What training session?”
“Boxing.” It wasn’t just boxing. Josh started working on his fighting over the summer. It was a training program specifically for hockey fights. Fighting would always be part of the game and Josh wanted to be whatever kind of player his team needed. As a grinder, it was his job to provide energy. Big hits and fights did just that. He didn’t particularly like getting punched, but he’d do anything to stay in this league.
“Come on, Josher,” Mack faked a whine. “Blow it off and let’s have some fun.”
“Stop it, Mack,” he snapped.
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