Long Live

“Dad, who’s this babe?” Jordan asked his father pointing to the picture frame sitting on the other side of his desk. Sidney Crosby looked up from the stat sheet to find his son looking at one of the many pictures he collected over the years.

“Where?” Sidney asked standing up to go look at the picture. For years Sidney somehow avoided answering this question. His children never took interest in their father’s career most of the time they were irritated that they would constantly be compared to their father. Sidney didn’t know how he was going to explain this to his son now.

“Why is it that we’ve never seen her before? Does mom know you keep this picture? What’s her name?” Jordan asked firing questions to his father. In the picture was Sidney standing shirtless in front of a lake with this girl in her bikini. Both of them weren’t looking at the camera but at each laughing over something. Looking closer Jordan saw that this girl’s face appeared in over a dozen of his father’s pictures.

“Your mother knows don’t worry. Her name is Emma Hill.” Sidney said grabbing another picture he would find himself gazing at when he needed to think. “She was something else.” Sidney whispered. After all these years of saying her name it would still leave him in awe. Jordan watched his father look down at the photo and smile.

“What happened?” Jordan asked his father looking at the pictures. As the more recent they became her face disappeared. It was soon replaced with the face of Jordan’s mother even on Sidney’s wedding day Emma’s face didn’t grace the photos. It was almost as if Emma had disappeared from Sidney’s life all together.

“Fate stepped in, but she wanted me to tell you that she wishes you the best of luck in life.” Sidney solemnly said leaving his son to wonder more about this girl. Jordan came to his father for answers not to be confused more. Not really knowing what to do he went after his father who was grabbing his jacket. “We’re gonna go on a trip, tell your siblings.” Jordan nodded his head and went in search for his brother and sister.

Sidney sat on the edge of the master bed debating if this was the smartest thing to do. Should he really open up to his kids about the past he had? Sure his past wasn’t anything shameful but did he want them to know it all? Did he want them to know the struggles that he had gone through? Looking in the mirror Sidney knew he could do this, he’s Sidney Crosby, he can do anything.

Slowly but surely the Crosby clan made their way into their father’s Range Rover. Over the years Sidney and his wife had 5 wonderful kids. It went from Jordan, Lauren, Emma, and Mario, each kid was named after someone special in Sidney or his wife’s life. Jordan and Lauren were named by his wife while Emma and Mario were named by Sidney himself. His wife was currently on a get away with all of the wives who needed a spa day to themselves.

On the way to Mario’s house Sidney had called all of the remaining guys to met him at Mario’s house. Most of the same guys Sidney played with when he was a rookie retired in Pittsburgh. He pulled up into the house that he used to live in. It was always a little weird when Sidney would come back here after years later. He saw all the cars of Max Talbot, Marc-Andre Fleury, Jordan Staal, and Geno.

“So what’s your father planning to do?” Max asked as he saw the Crosby clan disperse in the living room finding different places to sit. Soon Sidney walked in the room with a box of things he left at the Lemieux’s house. When the box came into sight the guys knew what was going to happen, they were going to watch their captain open up the cuts again.

“He’s going to tell them the story of Emma Hill.” Sidney spoke for his kids sitting the box in the middle and opening it. Pulling open the top of the box felt like pulling off a piece of duck tape, you knew the pain was coming but there was no other way.