Page 94 of The Call-Up
“Not in the least,” I say as I stare right at him. “Now let’s fucking go!”
I drop my gaze and look at the ice. All I see is the dot, mine and Connor’s skates, and then our sticks’ blades as the puck drops between them. Swift, I chip it out, knowing full well it went right where I intended. To Brandon waiting on my right wing.
“Head on swivel!” I hear Danton yell behind me.
There’s no question what he means here or who it’s aimed at. Gavin is headed right towards Brandon. He attempts to pass the puck.
Slam!
“Welcome to the league, kid!” Gavin says, as the puck escapes Brandon’s stick. I’m able to intercept it. And I quickly chip it over to O’Shea before Gavin gets a chance to knock me on my ass as well.
“You alive?” I yell over my shoulder to Brandon as I skate off to give O’Shea support in the Blizzards’ offensive zone.
“I’m good,” Brandon wheezes out, trying to catch his breath.
“Then hurry up and get back with us!” I say as O’Shea passes the puck back to me.
Already this game is off to the races. I need to slow it down so my team can settle. Instead of taking a shot, I pass the puck to Danton, who then walks it along the blue line behind us to Clemmers on the right side. Brandon enters the zone behind him and skates to the right circle while Clemmers passes the puck back to me.
There are two things everyone watching this game is sitting on the edge of their seat for. The first already happened when Gavin trucked Brandon, welcoming him to the league. The second, which is about to happen, is the first time Brandon takes a shot on his brother in an NHL game. It doesn’t even matter if it goes in. The Bouchard brothers going head-to-head is one of the biggest Stanley Cup Finals stories to happen in ages.
He’s right where I want him. Lined up and ready to take the perfect one-timer. When I pass him the puck, he already has his stick back. He swings and slaps the blade down. It collides with the puck and lifts it, sending the puck flying at breakneck speed towards Ander.
Ander gets his stick on it, but just barely, and deflects the puck over the net where Gavin is close by, ready to get it to Connor.
Connor grabs it, and with his speed, he’s way ahead of the rest of us as we chase after him. Somehow, it’s Gavin who catches up with him first. Even if any of us is able to catch Connor, Gavin is there to make sure none of us can touch him. Connor fakes right on Ivanov, then shoots left. The puck lands right in Ivanov’s glove, bringing play to a stop.
Brandon
“Good first shift, boys!” Coach Chris yells across the ice at us. “Line two! Be ready to switch out as soon as this face off is over.”
The implication of that hinges on Ryan winning this next face off. A task I know he canachieve.
The ref drops the puck and I sprint back to the bench as soon as I see Danton take possession of it after Ryan slipped it out behind him through his legs. He moves it to the neutral zone while the rest of us make our line change. He and Clemmers likely won’t get their break until the next stoppage of play.
I make it to our bench first and I’m over the boards in one direction as Gauthier shoots over them onto the ice. Ryan and O’Shea aren’t far behind me and soon all three of us are together sipping water and catching our breaths.
“You alright?” Ryan asks me between sips of water.
I grin at him. “I’m good.”
“That was quite the hit you took,” Coach says behind me. “You’re gonna have a hell of a battle wound to show for it.”
“I’ll be sure to get pictures,” I say.
“We’ll hang one in our living room,” Ryan says.
Coach laughs and pats me on the shoulder. “Keep it up, kid. You’re gonna go far.”
I nod my head and swallow, and everything slows down. I’ve made it. I’m here and finally, I believe I’m going to stay.
Ryan presses his thigh against mine. I return the pressure and take a look around. The stadium is packed. The ice has been repainted to commemorate that this is the Stanley Cup Finals. My team is holding their own. And I’m playing against my brother until one of us wins this thing. Our parents are here watching, not just me and Ander, but Ryan too. Finally, he gets to know what it feels like to have family in the stands cheering him on. If anyone had told me eight years ago that this is where I’d be today, I never would have believed them. I never would have thought any of this was possible.
Ryan
The Blizzards are living up to their name and reputation. They fly around us, near impossible to track. We’re halfway throughthe second period and while the game has remained scoreless, there is no doubt whose favor the ice is tipping in.
We can’t catch a break. Everything around us is moving quick, and where normally when playing the Blizzards we could have counted on using our power play to score while Marshal sits in the box, we’re no longer getting that opportunity. Now, with Connor on his team, he’s cleaned up his act. He’s still brutal. He’s still plowing over all of us. Clemmers somehow managed to lose another tooth after a massive hit that sent him crashing sideways into the boards.
