The Hockey Life

PART SEVENTY-FOUR: CHANGE
Lena’s P.O.V.
Tess and I were fall and winter girls - we always had been - but that didn’t mean we couldn’t still enjoy our summers. Despite the fact that there was no Stanley Cup win worthy of celebration from us, we still enjoyed ourselves. Not just Tess and I, but everyone, it seemed. I went to the beach with friends a lot and I went swimming multiple times as well. Patrick and I visited his family back in Buffalo and we also went back to my old home to be with Brian and my parents. I even hung out with Brian at his apartment and he visited Patrick and I at ours. Brian and I hadn’t spent too much time together before summer, but since neither of us were working, that changed. I hung out with Melanie and Travis a lot more too, since there was a good chance we’d be working together in the future. Unfortunately, Dylan was really busy with hockey, so we didn’t get together all that much. I wished he would take more of a break from his job, but at the same time, he took his job very seriously. He wanted to move up as soon as he could, and he knew he’d have to train hard to do that. I gave him kudos for his dedication.
Other than hanging out with people, the wedding plans continued. Save the dates were sent out, (and invitations too, eventually), and Patrick and I also picked out and purchased our wedding bands. We booked our honeymoon as well, which was super exciting. Honestly, I had been thinking about my wedding day for years, but I had never even given the honeymoon a single thought. I really wasn’t sure where I wanted to go. Many people traveled out of the country for honeymoons, but honestly, I was okay with saving those types of trips for later. Most of the places I had always wanted to travel to weren’t ideal for a honeymoon in my eyes, especially not in January. In the end, Patrick and I chose Hawaii as the location. I had never been there, but I had always wanted to go. I knew it would be beautiful there and I was sure there would be plenty of entertainment as well.
Summer was great, but like any other season, it came and went. Before Patrick and I knew it, it was September, and we had to get back to work. It was nice to have free time, but sometimes it was almost boring. Even though a lot of exciting plans were made, things seemed slow, and I was completely ready for the fast-paced, busy lifestyle I had during hockey season. A lot of amazing news came with the new month and the return of hockey as well. For one thing, Melanie was hired as a photographer for the Blackhawks, which honestly didn’t surprise me. Travis was invited to the Ice Hogs, which was absolutely ideal for him. But Dylan had the biggest, most exciting news by far.
He delivered the news to me on a random Saturday afternoon. Since we hadn’t been around each other much, I was surprised when he texted me, but I happily answered.
>Hey Lena. Guess what

>Ok, just ask me then!

>I’m not on the Ice Hogs anymore

>It is happy news! Normally I’d be upset about something like this, but it’s not like they just kicked me off the team. I guess you could say I got promoted

>Yeah, as in, I’m in the NHL now. I play for the Chicago Blackhawks.
I couldn’t even believe it. It was his dream to play for the Hawks. He was so young and he was already in the NHL! I think I was about as excited for him about this as I was for myself when I found out I was going to be a part of the Hawks internship. I immediately called him, because texting wasn’t going to do it justice.
“Holy shit, congratulations!” I yelled into the phone as soon as he answered it.
“Holy shit, thank you!” Dylan answered, and I laughed at his response.
“This is your dream, and it’s coming true. I can barely even believe it!” I rambled.
“Yeah, you’re telling me. I thought someone was pranking me when I got the news, but apparently it’s legit. I’m a backup goalie. Honestly, I’m not sure if they’ll play me all that much just because I’m so new to the big leagues, but I’ll still be a part of my favorite hockey team of all time, which is insane!”
“Yeah it is. Wow. I’m seriously so happy for you, Dylan. I wish I was with you right now. You deserve a giant ass hug right now,” I assured him.
“I do love giant ass hugs. You’ll have to give me one the next time I see you, which will be soon, I’d imagine. We’ll both be working in the same place in few weeks.”
“You’re right, I guess we will,” I realized.
“Well, I’m not trying to be rude or anything, but I better go. I still have to tell my family about all this,” Dylan told me.
“You mean you told me first?” I was shocked.
“Yeah, I usually tell friends first, so go ahead and feel special.”
“I will! And I’ll let you go so you can share your fantastic news with everyone. Congratulations again and good luck with your first big practice, in case I don’t see you before then,” I said.
“Thanks, Lena. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Alright, later.”
“Who was that?” Patrick wondered when I hung up the phone. Apparently my yelling had brought his attention to me from the other room.
“You have a new teammate,” I said matter-of-factly, as if he was supposed to know exactly who I was referencing.
“That’s specific,” he complained.
“Dylan Zuniga was moved up from the Ice Hogs,” I clarified.
“Really?” Patrick wondered. I nodded, smiling as I did so.
“Wow, that’s pretty cool for him, then. He must be good.”
“He’s great! I saw his talent at his championship game for his college team, plus I’ve seen a little bit of his work for the Ice Hogs. I’m sure once he gets adjusted to things, he’ll do well as a Blackhawk,” I admitted.
“Lets hope so. A Stanley Cup would be really nice this year.”
Summers could be so stressful for some hockey players. There was the NHL draft and there were trades and many players sat through them in fear that they wouldn’t get what they wanted. For people like Brandon Bollig, it was very unfortunate and surprising to get traded from a team that has become your family. But for people like Dylan, it was extremely excited to be invited to a team you’ve always wanted to be a part of. Change was always the biggest challenge of the summer for players and fans, but I guess life would be really boring without it.

Notes