The Hockey Life
Game Day
PART EIGHT: GAME DAY
The next day at the UC was almost like a free day. We all got to choose something that we wanted to work on or learn more about and we could get more individual help and attention. For Dylan and I, it was all about prepping for the game. It was a professional, NHL hockey game that would be airing on TV after all. We didn’t have time for mistakes.
By the time I got home, I didn’t have a whole lot of time to waste. I basically just sat around with Tess for a couple hours and then I had to head back to the UC for the game. On my way back, I realized I was nervous. I had been to a game before, but I hadn’t been a part of it then. Now the pressure was on.
Dylan and I had to be at the UC early just like the employees and the players arrived shortly after us. All of us interns said hello to them since we had gotten to know them a little bit, in a way. We wished them good luck and I caught Patrick looking at me. I realized that I would be super distracted during the game if he kept that up.
We seemed to be there for a while just waiting for the game to start, but it didn’t take long for the people to start filing in. soon the building was filled with hockey fans and noise. That was exactly how I liked it when I was there.
When the Hawks came out to warm up before the game, Dylan and I headed to the bench.
“Are you nervous?” he asked.
“A little,” I admitted.
“Me too.” He took my hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. It calmed me down, in a way. That and his sweet smile made me feel like everything was going to be just fine and we would get through the night together.
When the game finally started, I felt really intimidated. With all the players, coaches, and even equipment managers and trainers around me, I felt so small and meaningless. However, a few minutes into the game, Dylan nudged me. He pointed to the jumbotron, where our faces were. I couldn’t help but smile and then I realized how many people must have been looking at us. I was suddenly embarrassed and I was glad when player stats for the visiting team (The Vancouver Canucks) took our place on the screen.
The game actually was pretty exciting. Somehow, Dylan and I managed to stay relatively busy. Nothing too tragic happened, just a few broken sticks and such. Nobody scored in the first period, but the Hawks had some decent chances and there had been a lot of action out on the ice.
The second period was a little more eventful. The Hawks scored, so the Canucks got a lot more aggressive. There was a ton of checking and a few penalties too. I was really annoyed with the Canucks already, but the malicious shove of Patrick Kane into the boards was what really set me off. I mean, it wasn’t just a normal check, it was really hard and it hit him in just the right spot apparently, because he was slow to get up. As he came back to the bench slowly and with a lack of coordination, it was clear that the whole team was really fed up with their opponents.
“Are you okay? That was a nasty hit,” I said, handing him a fresh, ice cold water. At that point, I didn’t even have time to think about my nerves that I always had around him. All I could do was worry that he might not be alright.
“Yeah, I’m okay. Thanks,” he answered. He seemed to be holding something back, but I wasn’t sure what. He smiled at me anyways. Even though I sensed that something was wrong in his voice, his smile was genuine. For me it was always obvious if someone was faking it, but there was nothing inauthentic about the look he gave me.
When he got back on the ice a little later, Dylan brought him up.
“Do you think he’s actually alright? He seems a little off,” he asked.
“I don’t know. It seems like he’s hurting and he’s just trying to hide it, but he might be alright by now. He’s skating pretty normally,” I answered.
The period ended shortly after that and the team headed to the locker room for the second intermission. By then Patrick seemed to be acting more normally again. The rest of the team was fine injury wise too, but they were still raging at Vancouver. When they got back out on the ice for the third period, they felt ready to defeat them.
The Hawks got their wish. The Canucks came in hot and got two goals in a short amount of time, but the Hawks scored a total of three goals within the period which eventually gave them a 4-2 win. I was so excited for them. After the Canucks had been such jerks on the ice, the Hawks definitely deserved a chance to put them in their place and crush them.
Brad had encouraged Dylan and I to stay a few minutes after the game was over so he could talk with us, so we did just that. However, a few minutes turned into a longer amount of time than we expected. He was actually pretty busy with the team and the media and everything else. I couldn’t believe how chaotic it was behind the scenes after the game. Luckily, Dylan and I found ways to entertain ourselves. We took some snapshots of the UC and we got someone to take pictures of us together so we could document our amazing experience.
“These are definitely Instagram worthy,” I said as I looked through the pictures we had taken.
“You have an Instagram too?” Dylan asked.
“Yeah, I love it. I’ll follow you, what’s your username?” I wondered, opening the app.
“How about I get your number and I’ll text it to you?” he suggested. Was he trying to hit on me? It sure seemed like he was… I guess I made some sort of face when he made that comment though, because he instantly tried to play it cool. “Well, we might need each other’s numbers for the internship. I mean, who knows what other events we might get to go to? We might win another competition and maybe having each other’s numbers will be handy for meeting up somewhere or something,” he rambled, a hint of embarrassment in his tone.
“Yeah, sure,” was all I could say. We exchanged numbers and got each other’s Instagram info. By the time we were done with all that nonsense, Brad finally met up with us and diffused the awkwardness in the air.
“Hey guys, sorry it took so long for me to get over to you. As you can tell, it’s pretty hectic after games,” he explained, a little out of breath from running around trying to get a million different things done.
“It’s alright, there’s a lot going on,” Dylan said.
“Well, now that I am here, how did you guys like working a game?” he wondered.
“I loved it. I think this was the coolest experience ever,” I spilled.
“Agreed. Being that up close and personal with the action was phenomenal,” Dylan added.
“That’s great to hear. I’m really happy that you guys enjoyed yourselves, because I definitely think you were great. Things went better tonight then they did at practice,” Brad decided. “Well, I just wanted to hear what you had to say. You guys can hang around if you’d like, but it’s going to be kind of crazy for a while. Post game is all about the media. If you don’t absolutely want to be here for all that, then by all means, get home and get some sleep. It’s been a big day.”
It would have been awesome to get the full experience and see all the post game stuff in person, but Dylan and I were tired, and we unanimously decided to leave. When I drove home, all I could think about was how great it would feel to change into comfortable pajamas and get in bed. Unfortunately, I completely forgot about Tess until I got into the apartment.
“I saw you on TV!” was the loud, unexpected greeting that I received as I walked through the door.
“Really? You did?” I asked, heading straight to my bedroom to change.
“Yeah, I saw you and that Dylan kid on the bench! He’s a cutie.”
“Well if you think he’s cute then you should probably be jealous of me. I got his number tonight,” I explained as I stripped off the outfit I was wearing and put on pajama pants and a tank top.
“Get out!” Tess yelled. She was way too hyper.
“I’m serious. It was funny. He pretty much hit on me to get my number and then he realized I was thrown off by it so he tried to make up an excuse for us to have each other’s numbers. It was kind of cute, actually. But like I said, I’m not dating him, so don’t even comment.”
“But he’s obviously into you, Lean. You’re the same age, you’re both hockey fans and players, you’re both attractive…it’s like it’s meant to be!” she nagged as I went into the bathroom and began taking off my makeup.
“I’m not looking for a relationship. At least not until this internship is over. Maybe then we can make something happen, but for right now, I need to stay focused,” I explained.
“Oh please. You’re not focused on anything at the United Center except for Kane,” she said.
“That’s not completely true. But if it makes a difference, it’s not always my fault that I get distracted by him. Sometimes he makes an effort to be around me, you know. Like at our game yesterday, for example.”
“Yeah, but still. You say you’re not looking for love and yet every day you drool over Kane and flirt with your fellow intern.”
“He flirts, I don’t flirt back!” I corrected her.
“He probably thinks you are flirting back though, let’s be honest. Guys don’t understand girls, they always think we’re into them.” Okay, maybe that was a little bit truthful.
“Well, whatever. Right now I really don’t care about any hockey players, I just want to get some sleep. We can talk more about the game tomorrow. Goodnight,” I announced as I went into my room. I shut the door behind me and heard Tess mumble a goodnight through the door. I fell asleep instantly after I set my alarm, and I had no trouble sleeping soundly through the night.
The next day at the UC was almost like a free day. We all got to choose something that we wanted to work on or learn more about and we could get more individual help and attention. For Dylan and I, it was all about prepping for the game. It was a professional, NHL hockey game that would be airing on TV after all. We didn’t have time for mistakes.
By the time I got home, I didn’t have a whole lot of time to waste. I basically just sat around with Tess for a couple hours and then I had to head back to the UC for the game. On my way back, I realized I was nervous. I had been to a game before, but I hadn’t been a part of it then. Now the pressure was on.
Dylan and I had to be at the UC early just like the employees and the players arrived shortly after us. All of us interns said hello to them since we had gotten to know them a little bit, in a way. We wished them good luck and I caught Patrick looking at me. I realized that I would be super distracted during the game if he kept that up.
We seemed to be there for a while just waiting for the game to start, but it didn’t take long for the people to start filing in. soon the building was filled with hockey fans and noise. That was exactly how I liked it when I was there.
When the Hawks came out to warm up before the game, Dylan and I headed to the bench.
“Are you nervous?” he asked.
“A little,” I admitted.
“Me too.” He took my hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. It calmed me down, in a way. That and his sweet smile made me feel like everything was going to be just fine and we would get through the night together.
When the game finally started, I felt really intimidated. With all the players, coaches, and even equipment managers and trainers around me, I felt so small and meaningless. However, a few minutes into the game, Dylan nudged me. He pointed to the jumbotron, where our faces were. I couldn’t help but smile and then I realized how many people must have been looking at us. I was suddenly embarrassed and I was glad when player stats for the visiting team (The Vancouver Canucks) took our place on the screen.
The game actually was pretty exciting. Somehow, Dylan and I managed to stay relatively busy. Nothing too tragic happened, just a few broken sticks and such. Nobody scored in the first period, but the Hawks had some decent chances and there had been a lot of action out on the ice.
The second period was a little more eventful. The Hawks scored, so the Canucks got a lot more aggressive. There was a ton of checking and a few penalties too. I was really annoyed with the Canucks already, but the malicious shove of Patrick Kane into the boards was what really set me off. I mean, it wasn’t just a normal check, it was really hard and it hit him in just the right spot apparently, because he was slow to get up. As he came back to the bench slowly and with a lack of coordination, it was clear that the whole team was really fed up with their opponents.
“Are you okay? That was a nasty hit,” I said, handing him a fresh, ice cold water. At that point, I didn’t even have time to think about my nerves that I always had around him. All I could do was worry that he might not be alright.
“Yeah, I’m okay. Thanks,” he answered. He seemed to be holding something back, but I wasn’t sure what. He smiled at me anyways. Even though I sensed that something was wrong in his voice, his smile was genuine. For me it was always obvious if someone was faking it, but there was nothing inauthentic about the look he gave me.
When he got back on the ice a little later, Dylan brought him up.
“Do you think he’s actually alright? He seems a little off,” he asked.
“I don’t know. It seems like he’s hurting and he’s just trying to hide it, but he might be alright by now. He’s skating pretty normally,” I answered.
The period ended shortly after that and the team headed to the locker room for the second intermission. By then Patrick seemed to be acting more normally again. The rest of the team was fine injury wise too, but they were still raging at Vancouver. When they got back out on the ice for the third period, they felt ready to defeat them.
The Hawks got their wish. The Canucks came in hot and got two goals in a short amount of time, but the Hawks scored a total of three goals within the period which eventually gave them a 4-2 win. I was so excited for them. After the Canucks had been such jerks on the ice, the Hawks definitely deserved a chance to put them in their place and crush them.
Brad had encouraged Dylan and I to stay a few minutes after the game was over so he could talk with us, so we did just that. However, a few minutes turned into a longer amount of time than we expected. He was actually pretty busy with the team and the media and everything else. I couldn’t believe how chaotic it was behind the scenes after the game. Luckily, Dylan and I found ways to entertain ourselves. We took some snapshots of the UC and we got someone to take pictures of us together so we could document our amazing experience.
“These are definitely Instagram worthy,” I said as I looked through the pictures we had taken.
“You have an Instagram too?” Dylan asked.
“Yeah, I love it. I’ll follow you, what’s your username?” I wondered, opening the app.
“How about I get your number and I’ll text it to you?” he suggested. Was he trying to hit on me? It sure seemed like he was… I guess I made some sort of face when he made that comment though, because he instantly tried to play it cool. “Well, we might need each other’s numbers for the internship. I mean, who knows what other events we might get to go to? We might win another competition and maybe having each other’s numbers will be handy for meeting up somewhere or something,” he rambled, a hint of embarrassment in his tone.
“Yeah, sure,” was all I could say. We exchanged numbers and got each other’s Instagram info. By the time we were done with all that nonsense, Brad finally met up with us and diffused the awkwardness in the air.
“Hey guys, sorry it took so long for me to get over to you. As you can tell, it’s pretty hectic after games,” he explained, a little out of breath from running around trying to get a million different things done.
“It’s alright, there’s a lot going on,” Dylan said.
“Well, now that I am here, how did you guys like working a game?” he wondered.
“I loved it. I think this was the coolest experience ever,” I spilled.
“Agreed. Being that up close and personal with the action was phenomenal,” Dylan added.
“That’s great to hear. I’m really happy that you guys enjoyed yourselves, because I definitely think you were great. Things went better tonight then they did at practice,” Brad decided. “Well, I just wanted to hear what you had to say. You guys can hang around if you’d like, but it’s going to be kind of crazy for a while. Post game is all about the media. If you don’t absolutely want to be here for all that, then by all means, get home and get some sleep. It’s been a big day.”
It would have been awesome to get the full experience and see all the post game stuff in person, but Dylan and I were tired, and we unanimously decided to leave. When I drove home, all I could think about was how great it would feel to change into comfortable pajamas and get in bed. Unfortunately, I completely forgot about Tess until I got into the apartment.
“I saw you on TV!” was the loud, unexpected greeting that I received as I walked through the door.
“Really? You did?” I asked, heading straight to my bedroom to change.
“Yeah, I saw you and that Dylan kid on the bench! He’s a cutie.”
“Well if you think he’s cute then you should probably be jealous of me. I got his number tonight,” I explained as I stripped off the outfit I was wearing and put on pajama pants and a tank top.
“Get out!” Tess yelled. She was way too hyper.
“I’m serious. It was funny. He pretty much hit on me to get my number and then he realized I was thrown off by it so he tried to make up an excuse for us to have each other’s numbers. It was kind of cute, actually. But like I said, I’m not dating him, so don’t even comment.”
“But he’s obviously into you, Lean. You’re the same age, you’re both hockey fans and players, you’re both attractive…it’s like it’s meant to be!” she nagged as I went into the bathroom and began taking off my makeup.
“I’m not looking for a relationship. At least not until this internship is over. Maybe then we can make something happen, but for right now, I need to stay focused,” I explained.
“Oh please. You’re not focused on anything at the United Center except for Kane,” she said.
“That’s not completely true. But if it makes a difference, it’s not always my fault that I get distracted by him. Sometimes he makes an effort to be around me, you know. Like at our game yesterday, for example.”
“Yeah, but still. You say you’re not looking for love and yet every day you drool over Kane and flirt with your fellow intern.”
“He flirts, I don’t flirt back!” I corrected her.
“He probably thinks you are flirting back though, let’s be honest. Guys don’t understand girls, they always think we’re into them.” Okay, maybe that was a little bit truthful.
“Well, whatever. Right now I really don’t care about any hockey players, I just want to get some sleep. We can talk more about the game tomorrow. Goodnight,” I announced as I went into my room. I shut the door behind me and heard Tess mumble a goodnight through the door. I fell asleep instantly after I set my alarm, and I had no trouble sleeping soundly through the night.
@hockeygirl07
Thank you so much! :)
11/1/14