Those Will Be The Best Memories

“C’mon Matthew, don’t do this to me right now,” Madeline said softly as Matthew kept crying.

Large tears were rolling down his red, chubby face as his wails got louder and louder. People were beginning to look at Madeline as she pulled the one suitcase behind her and held Matthew on her left hip, cuddling him close to her body.

She had gotten a call yesterday from the Blackhawks’ front office telling her that there were two tickets being mailed to her for a flight leaving the next morning at O’Hare to Philadelphia International for game six in the Stanley Cup finals.

The woman also told her not to call Ben as Rock Wirtz would be bringing in everyone’s family as a nice surprise for the team that seemed to be giving him everything; it was the least he could do.

So there Maddy was, her son being uncooperative as the time ticking down as she tried to get to the right gate.

“Oh honey, give him here,” a female voice said to the left of her.

Madeline turned to see Kelly Sopel holding her arms out as her own children walked next to her. Madeline gave a sigh of relief as she moved Matthew over to Kelly and pulled her luggage to rest in front of her.

“Having a rough day?” Kelly asked, shushing Matthew as she rubbed her back.

All he wanted was someone to pay complete attention to him, and at that moment, Madeline had more than one thing to worry about. Kelly continued to rub his back as they slowly walked to the proper gate, all four of her own children following directly behind.

“Gosh, Kelly; you have no idea,” Madeline replied, finally being able to sit on one of the plastic, blue chairs.

After pulled her luggage directly in front of her, and Kelly had sat down, she reached her arms out for her son, “Here Kel, I’ll take him again.”

Nodding, Kelly carefully handed Matthew over to Maddy. Madeline leaned back in the chair, bringing Matthew’s head to the crook of her neck and placing her hand on the back of his head; something his father liked as well. He slowly calmed down as she ran her fingers through his thick, curly hair until his breathing had completely slowed down.

“Are you alright buddy?” Maddy asked her son, moving him to sit in her lap so she could see his face.

Matthew nodded, his cheeks and eyes bright red from all of the screaming and crying he had been doing, “Just wanted attention, I know; just like your father.”

Kelly gave a small laugh as her own daughter cuddled into her side. The intercom then rang out with instructions to board their plane.

Madeline stood up, still with Matthew in her arms, pulled her luggage and they were off.

---

In the dying seconds of the third period, Maddy’s heart was racing. They were so close to clinching the top spot as Stanley Cup Champions, when in the last two minutes, Philadelphia had scored a goal; Scott Hartnell to be exact.

All of the families of the Blackhawks had gasped as their Finnish saviour, Antti Niemi, had somehow let that goal slip past him. The game was now going into overtime, and even though it was only game six, they all felt it better to win the Stanley Cup now than leave it to chance for game seven.

The team skated off the ice as all of the families of the guys sat down in their seats either shaking their legs or biting their nails. She had sat next to Kelly and Carly, with Matthew sitting on her lap for most of the game, and they had all been extremely focused on every part of the game that they hadn’t gotten the chance to talk much.

The crowd was alive and happy as their Philadelphia Flyers were given another chance to move on, but anyone wearing a Blackhawks jersey was tense and worried. They did not want this to go on to seven games; in Chicago or not.

The time went by awfully slow but at last the teams skated back onto the ice, Madeline clapping a little more than usual when her boyfriend skated out on the ice. Matthew carefully stood up on her lap, Maddy holding onto his tiny waist, and he clapped and cheered for his dad as other wives and families looked on smiling at the young boy.

Maddy eventually pulled him down when he started to sing for his father, pulling him into her chest and laughing at his excited expression.

“Daddy win?” He asked, his light eyebrows rising into his hairline.

“Almost buddy, one more goal and they win,” Madeline explained as play started.

Matthew gave out a loud giggled, “Then Stanley?”

This time Carli reached over and ruffled Matthew’s hair, “Then Stanley. You must be excited to spend the day with Stanley.”

Matthew nodded clapping his hands a few times, “Yah! Daddy said we eat cereal with Stanley!”

Carli laughed as she nodded, “So did Colin.”

The game continued, coming up to the five minute mark when an excited Patrick Kane took a shot at the net and seemingly miss. Instead of gathering up the puck, he began to skate down the ice while throwing off his gear, wrapping Antti Niemi into a huge hug.

Wide eyed, Maddy stared at the ice, “Did he… did he score?”

The Blackhawks families were quiet as no one breathed. The team slowly skated off the bench, each one jumping into the big crowd around the net. The referee eventually went over and broke them up, yelling at a few of them,

“Uh, sorry, but uhm, he scored? They won the, Stanley Cup?” Jonna Niemi asked, tapping her back softly as she looked confusedly at the ice as the celebrating was broken up, but only for a second as it was finally shown on the screen that the puck did indeed pass the goal line and go straight into the goal.

Madeline sniffed and nodded as a few tears came to her eyes, “Yeah, he scored.”

Madeline stood up and bounced Matthew as anyone related to, or simply there for, the Blackhawks were yelling and cheering, jumping and fist pumping. Her eyes followed number fifty-five as he crossed the ice, pulling his teammates and coaches into hugs. Kelly turned to her with her arms open and Madeline gave out a loud, happy sob as she walked into her arms and hugged her back with one arms.

“Maddy, they won!” Kelly yelled the smile never leaving her face.

“I know, I can’t believe it! Daddy won, Matthew! Cereal with Stanley!” Madeline told her son.

Matthew raised his small arms in the air as a smile overtook his cute, chubby face and began to chant, “Cereal with Stanley!”

The next ten minutes passed by in a blur as they were all led downstairs and to ice level, Madeline tightly holding onto her son and purse. The doors were eventually opened and all of the friends and family of the players were let onto the ice. Carefully stepping out, not wanting to fall embarrassingly, she steadied herself on the wall and looked around for her boyfriend.

She walked out a little bit as Matthew asked continuously in her ear, “Where’s Daddy?”

Maddy finally found her boyfriend hugging captain Jonathan Toews with a huge smile spread across his face. His beard seemed even fuller with constant smile and his blues eyes seemed to shine underneath the Stanley Cup Champions hat.

Madeline walked a little quicker until she was standing directly behind him. She reached her hand out to tap his back when Matthew squealed, finally realizing that they were standing behind his father.

Ben immediately turned around and, if possible, his smile became bigger. He threw his arms around Madeline and his son, pulling them tightly into his chest.

“God, Maddy, we did it!” Ben yelled out, pulling back slightly to see her face.

Madeline grinned and leaned forward, kissing his lips quickly as Matthew began to call for his father’s attention. Ben quickly took Matthew and held him in his arms, kissing his chubby cheeks, before lifting him over his head and placing him on his shoulders.

“Daddy! Cereal with Stanley!”

Ben let out a gruff laugh as he nodded, “Of course buddy; as soon as we get the cup.”

Reaching over, Ben grasped Maddy’s hand and slowly pulled her over to where John Madden was taking a picture with his two kids, his wife, and the cup.

“I’m so proud of you,” Madeline told him, as they waited for a chance to take pictures with the Stanley Cup.

Ben leaned down and pressed a firm kiss to her lips, keeping one hand on Matthew’s leg to keep him steadied. With their eyes closed, they could see camera flashes going off in the background but all that did was make Ben smile into the kiss.

They did it.