Carl Hagelin, the best brother
Chapter 8
I say a quick “Hail Mary” before I skate off the ice. It was one of the best practices ever. My phone goes off; a text from A.J. Carl told me practice is over. How was it? I smile. Fun! I managed to get the puck away from Step when he was on a breakaway. I walk into the locker room. Michael Del Zotto, or MDZ, as we call him, looked up from his locker. “Haven’t seen you in a while! Where have you been”, he asks, his eyes locking into mine. “Around. Did Step tell you about practice today”, I reply, biting my lip to keep from cracking a smile. “No. What happened, Step”, MDZ asks, turning to his teammate’s locker. Step looks up and sighs. “She got the puck away from me. I was on a breakaway, and I was about to shoot. Then, this little speedster comes and slides across the ice and poke-checks the puck away”, he replies. MDZ slaps high-fives with me. “That’s the first time anyone has gotten the puck away from Step during practice in two weeks, with the exception of Hags”, he says. My brother glares playfully at him out of the corner of his eye. “Maybe you should learn to skate a little faster than”, he says, putting on his Swedish accent a little thicker then usual. MDZ comes over and throws a punch at his teammate’s head, Carl ducking out of the way, laughing the whole time. Step watches them and shakes his head. “Will you two ever learn to grow-up”, he asks. Carl and MDZ both give him looks. “Says the person who stuck his tongue out at me during practice”, I say, smirking at Step from my locker. I get a glare in return. I love this team.
I’m up in my room, texting Jackie. She is still upset about what had happened the day before. I don’t blame her. I’d be upset if A.J broke up with me I tell her. Tears fill my eyes as I remember the look on her face yesterday. At that moment, Carl comes into my room. He sits on the edge of my bed. “You alright”, he asks. I tell him what happened to Jackie. “She is so heartbroken. She’s been through a lot. Her sister was paralyzed in an accident a year ago. Her brother had cancer two years ago. She told me that, even though she has been though a lot, she has kept up a positive attitude. She thought she had found someone who would always be there for her, someone who would care for her no matter what happened. I mean, she has got her friends and family, but, you know. And now, she is going through another heartbreaker”, I say, crying at this point. Carl wraps me up in a hug. I can feel him rubbing my tense shoulders.
As we (Mom, Bobbie, A.J and I) make up way to our seats, I feel a thrill of excitement. I grab my boyfriend’s hand and give it a squeeze. We sit in our seats and I turn to look my boyfriend in the eye. “Did you ever imagine that one of your former teammates would be playing in a place in this”, I ask him, my eyes dancing. “No. It is the oldest arena in the NHL”, he replies. Bobbie nudges me. “This place is amazing”, he says. I smile. “I know. I remember the first time that I was here. It gave me chills… and it still does”, I reply. I say some prayers under my breath. Suddenly, mom reaches over and taps my knee. “They’re coming out”, she says, pointing at the ice. Bobbie picks me up. When Carl comes out, we give a loud cheer. I smile as I watch my brother skate around the ice. He slows down as he comes near our seats. I yell at him in Swedish. He looks up. I wave at him and point at his jersey. “Number one”, I say. Carl and mom lock eyes. “Try not to get hurt”, she says. Carl nods. His eyes wander over to Bobbie. Carl bites his lip to keep from smiling. Bobbie’s eyes lock with Carl’s. Some kind of understanding passed between them, and Carl’s face softens. Next, his eyes move to A.J, whose trying not to laugh. “What”, Carl asks. “I’m not used to seeing you in that jersey”, A.J replies. “Why don’t you get a jersey and we can be on the same team”, Carl counters. “Why don’t you turn younger and come back to Michigan”, A.J challenges. I turn to mom. “Boys”, I mouth with a shake of the head. She smiles.
It’s opening face-off time. Richie wins it and Carl gets the puck. I watch as my brother sprints up the ice and spots Gabby on the other side. The puck is passed, and with one quick flick of the wrist Gabby scores. The home crowd goes crazy. “Oh, that was a beautiful play”, mom says as she slaps me a high-five. I couldn’t agree more. “I was always surprised by Carl’s speed. He’s got more of it now”, A.J says. I turn to look at my boyfriend. “No, his speed is the same. Do you know the only family member to beat Carl”, I ask. Bobbie glares at me and lightly shoves my shoulder. “You, judging from the way Bobbie is acting”, A.J replies. “Yes”.
It’s the start of the third period, and I have a feeling that this game is about to get interesting. I tap A.J’s shoulder. “This period is going to be all scoring”, I say, before saying the “Hail Mary” and “Our Father”. “What makes you say that”, Bobbie asks. I raise and lower one shoulder. “Just a feeling”, I reply. I look to see whose line is on the ice. “Step’s line”, I say. The face-off is won. Step and one of his line mates skate down to the goal. They pass it between themselves, confusing their defenders. Step gets the puck as his defender gets in front of him. He makes a fancy move around the defenseman and shoots the puck. SCORES!! A.J and I hug each other. “I told you”, I hiss into his ear. “It’s not over yet”, he retorts. Mom, Bobbie and I hug. Forty-five seconds after Step’s goal, the Flyers score. Carl’s line comes out onto the ice. “Think they should get more? They’ve already scored once today”, mom asks. I smile. “Of course”, I declare. Carl gets the puck and starts down the ice. He shoots and… SCORES!! “Yes! Way to go, Carl”, I yell as I hug my boyfriend. A.J squeezes my hand. “Did you know he was going to score in this game”, he asks. “No. I had a feeling he would”, I reply. Bobbie slaps me a high-five, and mom and I thumbs-up each other. I watch as Carl skates over to our seats. I yell his name. He looks up and sees me pointing at my jersey. He taps his number, then holds up one finger. “Number one”, I say. He smiles at that. He turns to mom and locks eyes with her. She does the 1-2-3 with her fingers. “Hat trick time”, Bobbie and I yell. Carl shakes his head, but I can see his smile. His attention turns to Bobbie. Their eyes lock. Slowly, Bobbie makes a fist, taps his chest twice, and holds up one finger. Carl does the same. His eyes wander to A.J. My boyfriend holds up one finger on both hands, then he holds up another finger on his right hand. Next, he puts both of his hands together. If you are wondering about this crazy move, I’ll tell you the story behind it, and a flashback: After the NCCA championship game, and the rest of the team had left, Carl, A.J and I were in the locker room. Carl had tears in his eyes. “My last game. I will never play another as a Wolverine”, he says, his head down. A.J looks at his friend from his locker. “I’m glad to have played with you, Carl. You’re a great teammate”, he says. My brother looks over at the young forward. “Thanks, Awesome Jay” , he says, using the nickname he’d made for A.J. I can feel the tears in my eyes and my own heart breaking. I hated seeing them like this: crying and sad. My boyfriend looks over, a tiny smile on his face. “You’re welcome, Swedelin”, he replies. A.J gets up and starts walking to the door. “A.J”, Carl says. The young forward turns and looks at Carl. I bite my lip because A.J’s eyes are red and he has tears coming down his cheeks. Carl gets up and hugs his friend. Finally, he lets him go. “I was just thinking, Carl. Me and you, we should make up a hand move. For when we go to each other’s games. When we score, that move…” A.J’s voice trails off, but Carl knows what he is thinking. The two make the move up. Carl puts his hand on A.J’s shoulder. My boyfriend locks eyes with my brother. “You’ve been a great teammate, Awesome Jay. I’m not surprised Lizzy got attracted to you. Not only a great teammate, but a friend. Thank you”, Carl says. A.J looks down, and it looks like he’s about to break down. Carl squeezes his friend’s shoulder.
“Lizzy”. I hear someone calling me and I’m jolted back to reality. A.J is looking at me, concerned. “You okay”, he asks. “I’m fine. I just had a flashback, that’s all”, I say. “What happened in the game”, I ask. “After Carl’s goal, our goalie made a great save”, mom says. “You were only gone for two minutes”, Bobbie adds, giving me a knowing smile. I make a face at him and turn my attention back to the game. I say a “Hail Mary” under my breath. Just then, the Flyers score, tying the score 2 to 2. I shake my head. “What happened”, I ask A.J. “The puck was in their zone. Step had the puck and tried to pass it, but the Flyers got it instead. Cally and Dubi were in front of them, but one of their forwards made a move around Cally and scored”, he says. The rest of the period was the same. Whenever one team scored, the other team retaliated. “I love this type of game”, I whisper in Bobbie’s ear. It’s tied 6 to 6, and overtime is needed. Overtime made me nervous and excited all at once. “We are going to win tonight”, I say. Mom looks at me. “How do you know”, she asks. I raise an eyebrow at her. “A little bird told me”, I reply as I try to hide my smile. Mom rolls her eyes. “Whose going to score”, A.J whispers into my ear. “Someone from Carl’s line”, I reply. Bobbie nudges me. “Not Carl himself”, he asks. “Not saying”, I reply with a little toss of my head. Carl’s line is the first line on the ice. The Flyers get the puck, but the Rangers know what to do. Step intercepts a pass, and finding Carl open, passes the puck. Carl heads up the ice, Richie trailing. He makes a move around a defender, and back-passes it to Richie, who shoots. I let out a yell as the puck crosses the goal line. A.J and I give each other a big hug. “How did you know that it would be someone from Carl’s line”, he asks, looking at me sideways. “I had a feeling”, I reply. A.J rolls his eyes. “You and your feelings”, he says, shoving my shoulder. I smirk at him and hug Bobbie and mom. “So, who was the little bird that told you”, mom asks. “A blue jay. They are talkative you know”, I say, winking her. She makes a face at me before turning back towards the ice.
I race towards the locker room door. I know it is about time that the players are dressed. I open the door and have no trouble spotting my brother. I run and throw myself into his lap. “That was a great game, Carl! Two goals, two assists, and fifteen shots on goal”, I whisper into his ear. Carl smiles. “One of my best games so far”, he says. Step comes over. “You got your goal. Can you make me something tomorrow”, he asks. I say a “Hail Mary” before responding. “Yes, I will”, I say, a little smartness in my voice. Step glares at me. “What with the attitude”, he asks, raising his eyebrows. “I don’t know. What’s with the glare”, I counter, trying to keep a straight face. Step shakes his head. “If I didn’t know you better, I’d say you’re being smart”, he says. I give him a mischievous grin over my shoulder as I walk to Richie’s locker. Richie wraps me in a hug. “What was going on over there”, he asks. Here is something you should know: sometimes, after Step and I tease each other, I pretend like Step hurt my feelings. It’s all in good fun, and everyone in this locker room knows it. Step knows that he didn’t hurt my feelings, and that I’m only giving him a hard time and he loves it. “Step was making fun of me”, I pout. “What was it this time”, Richie asks. Carl and I lock eyes, and we try to hold back our smiles. “He thought that I was being smart to him, and he scolded me for it”, I say. Richie rolls his eyes. “Why are you being so mean to her, Step”, he asks. Finally, I can’t hold it in any longer. I burst out laughing, and Step, Richie and Carl follow suit.
“I’ll call you tomorrow, okay”, I say to A.J. My boyfriend nods. “Okay. That was an interesting game tonight”, he says, winking at me. I make a face at him. “Thanks for that, A.J”, I reply. A.J hugs me, waves good-bye to the rest of my family, and walks away. Bobbie squeezes my arm. “Ready to go home”, he asks. “Yep”, I say. Mom climbs into the driver’s seat. “What are you doing”, Carl asks. “Driving us home”, mom replies. “Nope. You are my guest. I’m driving home”, Carl says. Mom sighs and gets out of the seat. “At least let me have shot-gun”, she says. Bobbie, Carl and I can’t help but laugh. “That’s good, mom. You still refer the passenger’s seat as shot-gun. You can sit there, I don’t mind”, Bobbie declares. Mom shoots Bobbie a playful glare over her shoulder as she climbs into the seat.
I fill my family in on my conversation with A.J the other day. “I’m happy for Erica”, Carl says before taking a sip of his beer. “I know. A.J showed me a picture of her. She’s cute”, I reply. My phone goes off. I check it before breaking into a wide grin. “As luck would’ve had it, A.J just sent me a picture of Clementine”, I say. I give my phone to Carl. “She does have Erica’s eyes”, he states. Mom takes the phone. “She is so cute”, she squeals. Bobbie looks at the picture. “She’s a cutie all right”, he agrees. Soon enough, I’m yawning like crazy. “You’re tired. And, you have a big game tomorrow. It’s at six-thirty, right”, Carl asks. I nod in agreement. I give my family hugs, then go to my room. I say my prayers, change into my PJ’s, brush my teeth, and then climb into my bed. I smile as I think about everything that happened today. Then, I turn in my bed and fall fast asleep.
I’m up in my room, texting Jackie. She is still upset about what had happened the day before. I don’t blame her. I’d be upset if A.J broke up with me I tell her. Tears fill my eyes as I remember the look on her face yesterday. At that moment, Carl comes into my room. He sits on the edge of my bed. “You alright”, he asks. I tell him what happened to Jackie. “She is so heartbroken. She’s been through a lot. Her sister was paralyzed in an accident a year ago. Her brother had cancer two years ago. She told me that, even though she has been though a lot, she has kept up a positive attitude. She thought she had found someone who would always be there for her, someone who would care for her no matter what happened. I mean, she has got her friends and family, but, you know. And now, she is going through another heartbreaker”, I say, crying at this point. Carl wraps me up in a hug. I can feel him rubbing my tense shoulders.
As we (Mom, Bobbie, A.J and I) make up way to our seats, I feel a thrill of excitement. I grab my boyfriend’s hand and give it a squeeze. We sit in our seats and I turn to look my boyfriend in the eye. “Did you ever imagine that one of your former teammates would be playing in a place in this”, I ask him, my eyes dancing. “No. It is the oldest arena in the NHL”, he replies. Bobbie nudges me. “This place is amazing”, he says. I smile. “I know. I remember the first time that I was here. It gave me chills… and it still does”, I reply. I say some prayers under my breath. Suddenly, mom reaches over and taps my knee. “They’re coming out”, she says, pointing at the ice. Bobbie picks me up. When Carl comes out, we give a loud cheer. I smile as I watch my brother skate around the ice. He slows down as he comes near our seats. I yell at him in Swedish. He looks up. I wave at him and point at his jersey. “Number one”, I say. Carl and mom lock eyes. “Try not to get hurt”, she says. Carl nods. His eyes wander over to Bobbie. Carl bites his lip to keep from smiling. Bobbie’s eyes lock with Carl’s. Some kind of understanding passed between them, and Carl’s face softens. Next, his eyes move to A.J, whose trying not to laugh. “What”, Carl asks. “I’m not used to seeing you in that jersey”, A.J replies. “Why don’t you get a jersey and we can be on the same team”, Carl counters. “Why don’t you turn younger and come back to Michigan”, A.J challenges. I turn to mom. “Boys”, I mouth with a shake of the head. She smiles.
It’s opening face-off time. Richie wins it and Carl gets the puck. I watch as my brother sprints up the ice and spots Gabby on the other side. The puck is passed, and with one quick flick of the wrist Gabby scores. The home crowd goes crazy. “Oh, that was a beautiful play”, mom says as she slaps me a high-five. I couldn’t agree more. “I was always surprised by Carl’s speed. He’s got more of it now”, A.J says. I turn to look at my boyfriend. “No, his speed is the same. Do you know the only family member to beat Carl”, I ask. Bobbie glares at me and lightly shoves my shoulder. “You, judging from the way Bobbie is acting”, A.J replies. “Yes”.
It’s the start of the third period, and I have a feeling that this game is about to get interesting. I tap A.J’s shoulder. “This period is going to be all scoring”, I say, before saying the “Hail Mary” and “Our Father”. “What makes you say that”, Bobbie asks. I raise and lower one shoulder. “Just a feeling”, I reply. I look to see whose line is on the ice. “Step’s line”, I say. The face-off is won. Step and one of his line mates skate down to the goal. They pass it between themselves, confusing their defenders. Step gets the puck as his defender gets in front of him. He makes a fancy move around the defenseman and shoots the puck. SCORES!! A.J and I hug each other. “I told you”, I hiss into his ear. “It’s not over yet”, he retorts. Mom, Bobbie and I hug. Forty-five seconds after Step’s goal, the Flyers score. Carl’s line comes out onto the ice. “Think they should get more? They’ve already scored once today”, mom asks. I smile. “Of course”, I declare. Carl gets the puck and starts down the ice. He shoots and… SCORES!! “Yes! Way to go, Carl”, I yell as I hug my boyfriend. A.J squeezes my hand. “Did you know he was going to score in this game”, he asks. “No. I had a feeling he would”, I reply. Bobbie slaps me a high-five, and mom and I thumbs-up each other. I watch as Carl skates over to our seats. I yell his name. He looks up and sees me pointing at my jersey. He taps his number, then holds up one finger. “Number one”, I say. He smiles at that. He turns to mom and locks eyes with her. She does the 1-2-3 with her fingers. “Hat trick time”, Bobbie and I yell. Carl shakes his head, but I can see his smile. His attention turns to Bobbie. Their eyes lock. Slowly, Bobbie makes a fist, taps his chest twice, and holds up one finger. Carl does the same. His eyes wander to A.J. My boyfriend holds up one finger on both hands, then he holds up another finger on his right hand. Next, he puts both of his hands together. If you are wondering about this crazy move, I’ll tell you the story behind it, and a flashback: After the NCCA championship game, and the rest of the team had left, Carl, A.J and I were in the locker room. Carl had tears in his eyes. “My last game. I will never play another as a Wolverine”, he says, his head down. A.J looks at his friend from his locker. “I’m glad to have played with you, Carl. You’re a great teammate”, he says. My brother looks over at the young forward. “Thanks, Awesome Jay” , he says, using the nickname he’d made for A.J. I can feel the tears in my eyes and my own heart breaking. I hated seeing them like this: crying and sad. My boyfriend looks over, a tiny smile on his face. “You’re welcome, Swedelin”, he replies. A.J gets up and starts walking to the door. “A.J”, Carl says. The young forward turns and looks at Carl. I bite my lip because A.J’s eyes are red and he has tears coming down his cheeks. Carl gets up and hugs his friend. Finally, he lets him go. “I was just thinking, Carl. Me and you, we should make up a hand move. For when we go to each other’s games. When we score, that move…” A.J’s voice trails off, but Carl knows what he is thinking. The two make the move up. Carl puts his hand on A.J’s shoulder. My boyfriend locks eyes with my brother. “You’ve been a great teammate, Awesome Jay. I’m not surprised Lizzy got attracted to you. Not only a great teammate, but a friend. Thank you”, Carl says. A.J looks down, and it looks like he’s about to break down. Carl squeezes his friend’s shoulder.
“Lizzy”. I hear someone calling me and I’m jolted back to reality. A.J is looking at me, concerned. “You okay”, he asks. “I’m fine. I just had a flashback, that’s all”, I say. “What happened in the game”, I ask. “After Carl’s goal, our goalie made a great save”, mom says. “You were only gone for two minutes”, Bobbie adds, giving me a knowing smile. I make a face at him and turn my attention back to the game. I say a “Hail Mary” under my breath. Just then, the Flyers score, tying the score 2 to 2. I shake my head. “What happened”, I ask A.J. “The puck was in their zone. Step had the puck and tried to pass it, but the Flyers got it instead. Cally and Dubi were in front of them, but one of their forwards made a move around Cally and scored”, he says. The rest of the period was the same. Whenever one team scored, the other team retaliated. “I love this type of game”, I whisper in Bobbie’s ear. It’s tied 6 to 6, and overtime is needed. Overtime made me nervous and excited all at once. “We are going to win tonight”, I say. Mom looks at me. “How do you know”, she asks. I raise an eyebrow at her. “A little bird told me”, I reply as I try to hide my smile. Mom rolls her eyes. “Whose going to score”, A.J whispers into my ear. “Someone from Carl’s line”, I reply. Bobbie nudges me. “Not Carl himself”, he asks. “Not saying”, I reply with a little toss of my head. Carl’s line is the first line on the ice. The Flyers get the puck, but the Rangers know what to do. Step intercepts a pass, and finding Carl open, passes the puck. Carl heads up the ice, Richie trailing. He makes a move around a defender, and back-passes it to Richie, who shoots. I let out a yell as the puck crosses the goal line. A.J and I give each other a big hug. “How did you know that it would be someone from Carl’s line”, he asks, looking at me sideways. “I had a feeling”, I reply. A.J rolls his eyes. “You and your feelings”, he says, shoving my shoulder. I smirk at him and hug Bobbie and mom. “So, who was the little bird that told you”, mom asks. “A blue jay. They are talkative you know”, I say, winking her. She makes a face at me before turning back towards the ice.
I race towards the locker room door. I know it is about time that the players are dressed. I open the door and have no trouble spotting my brother. I run and throw myself into his lap. “That was a great game, Carl! Two goals, two assists, and fifteen shots on goal”, I whisper into his ear. Carl smiles. “One of my best games so far”, he says. Step comes over. “You got your goal. Can you make me something tomorrow”, he asks. I say a “Hail Mary” before responding. “Yes, I will”, I say, a little smartness in my voice. Step glares at me. “What with the attitude”, he asks, raising his eyebrows. “I don’t know. What’s with the glare”, I counter, trying to keep a straight face. Step shakes his head. “If I didn’t know you better, I’d say you’re being smart”, he says. I give him a mischievous grin over my shoulder as I walk to Richie’s locker. Richie wraps me in a hug. “What was going on over there”, he asks. Here is something you should know: sometimes, after Step and I tease each other, I pretend like Step hurt my feelings. It’s all in good fun, and everyone in this locker room knows it. Step knows that he didn’t hurt my feelings, and that I’m only giving him a hard time and he loves it. “Step was making fun of me”, I pout. “What was it this time”, Richie asks. Carl and I lock eyes, and we try to hold back our smiles. “He thought that I was being smart to him, and he scolded me for it”, I say. Richie rolls his eyes. “Why are you being so mean to her, Step”, he asks. Finally, I can’t hold it in any longer. I burst out laughing, and Step, Richie and Carl follow suit.
“I’ll call you tomorrow, okay”, I say to A.J. My boyfriend nods. “Okay. That was an interesting game tonight”, he says, winking at me. I make a face at him. “Thanks for that, A.J”, I reply. A.J hugs me, waves good-bye to the rest of my family, and walks away. Bobbie squeezes my arm. “Ready to go home”, he asks. “Yep”, I say. Mom climbs into the driver’s seat. “What are you doing”, Carl asks. “Driving us home”, mom replies. “Nope. You are my guest. I’m driving home”, Carl says. Mom sighs and gets out of the seat. “At least let me have shot-gun”, she says. Bobbie, Carl and I can’t help but laugh. “That’s good, mom. You still refer the passenger’s seat as shot-gun. You can sit there, I don’t mind”, Bobbie declares. Mom shoots Bobbie a playful glare over her shoulder as she climbs into the seat.
I fill my family in on my conversation with A.J the other day. “I’m happy for Erica”, Carl says before taking a sip of his beer. “I know. A.J showed me a picture of her. She’s cute”, I reply. My phone goes off. I check it before breaking into a wide grin. “As luck would’ve had it, A.J just sent me a picture of Clementine”, I say. I give my phone to Carl. “She does have Erica’s eyes”, he states. Mom takes the phone. “She is so cute”, she squeals. Bobbie looks at the picture. “She’s a cutie all right”, he agrees. Soon enough, I’m yawning like crazy. “You’re tired. And, you have a big game tomorrow. It’s at six-thirty, right”, Carl asks. I nod in agreement. I give my family hugs, then go to my room. I say my prayers, change into my PJ’s, brush my teeth, and then climb into my bed. I smile as I think about everything that happened today. Then, I turn in my bed and fall fast asleep.