I'm Addicted to the Thrill

Anna waited for the reporters to all walk past us. They were each talking about different aspects of the interviews. Some were discussing certain things that players and the coaching staff had said. Others were talking to their cameramen asking them about the things that were filmed and the quality of such video. She held up a finger telling me to wait a moment while she went on ahead of me. I leaned against the wall and waited for her to call me over. They, or maybe just Anna, were speaking in hushed tones. The acoustics of the hallway made me able to hear but not understand. That was worrying me. Was she telling them to be nice to me or give me hell? The idea of the latter sent shivers down my spine. Anna came back around to where she left me as I thought of the negative possibilities.

“Follow me. They want to meet you,” she smiled. Anna walked confidently as I followed behind nervously. These were players I had said sucked whenever I had seen them at Nashville Predators games.

Four men were standing there. All of them were instantly recognizable. Coach Joel Quenneville gave my hand a polite shake before excusing himself from the hallway. Anna stood there whispering something to a player that I knew to be Patrick Sharp. He, with the other two in my company, stared me up and down. Finally Anna took a step back from the three players.

“Patrick, Pat, Jonny, this is Dani,” she told them. I gave a short little wave as my greeting. Meeting new people had never really been a strong suit of mine, and my confidence level dropped significantly when the people I was meeting were as well known as Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, and Jonathan Toews. As we all stood around, Anna stole a glance at her watch and excused herself with: “Guys, would you mind showing her around. I have a meeting that I’m supposed to be in right now.”

“Sure, we can do that for you, Anna,” grinned Patrick Kane. After getting her answer, my supervisor left me alone with three people I didn’t even know. Patrick Sharp left shortly after citing that he had a lunch meeting that he needed to be on time for.

“You don’t have to show me around. Just tell me where I can get my ID badge made, and we’ll be all good,” I said. My lack of confidence threaded the words I spoke prompting Jonathan and Patrick to both laugh at me.

“You’ll need help, but I have somewhere that I have to be, too. Kaner will show you around unless he decides to abandon you,” replied Jonathan. He nodded his goodbye then walked past us telling me that he would try and learn more about the newest member of the Blackhawks family later. Jonny gave Patrick a tap on the shoulder then headed out the same way that Patrick Sharp and Anna had gone only moments before.

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other and stared at the ground. What felt like hours had passed when it was probably only a minute or so before Patrick or I instigated any type of conversation. He reached out and touched me on the shoulder to get my attention. The feeling of someone touching me made me jump since I wasn’t expecting it at all.

“Do you wanna go grab lunch? I’m starving, and you don’t seem comfortable,” commented Patrick. “Oh, and Dani, loosen up. You’ll get less nervous the longer you’re around us.”

I looked at him and genuinely smiled. I knew his stats yet even for only being half a foot taller than me without my heels on, I couldn’t understand why people referred to him as being short. He just smiled back at me. I wondered if he was trying to be nice or if he was actually trying to charm me. Either way, it was making me like him even more. Patrick held his arm out as if telling me to lead the way, and I raised an eyebrow. It seemed as though he forgot that I was new and had no idea where I was going or what I was supposed to do.

“Having me lead you through this maze might get us into a bit of trouble. I don’t even know my way around the city yet, so don’t expect me to know my way around this place,” I grinned.

“True. Well, let’s take my car to lunch, and then I’ll bring you back here so you can get your ID badge and leave. Or we could do all that and I’ll give you a tour around the city,” he offered. He met my smile and winked. Somehow, this was just what I expected from him. His smile and his demeanor were better in person then anything I had seen on television or online. Something in me this was just normal for him, but I wasn’t used to the attention he was giving me. That was hopefully one thing that I would find a way to change even if it was by becoming more outgoing.

He led me through the United Center’s underbelly pointing out rooms and hallways that would be good to know. Patrick told me the names of workers as we passed them and waved to the ones he seemed to know more about or had more than just a brief encounter with. I made a mental map praying that I wouldn’t ever get stuck in this maze without someone I knew could figure this whole place out. Anna and the players were probably going to end up being my best bets. And soon, we arrived at his car. He went around to the passenger’s side to open the door for me. That wasn’t a gesture I had expected out of the infamous Pat Kane. But I got in, and he shut the door behind me before going to get in the car on the driver’s side.