Heart of Man

~Anna Trovato~

“I was reading the latest copy of Eeva, Teemu, and guess what I found.” I nudged the older man next to me, as we waited to take our warm-up shots on Niklas. He grinned, wondering what else the periodical had written about the ‘Finnish Flash’.

“Enlighten me, young ‘in.” He looked over to me, Koivu stopping in front of us, already covered in sweat.

I pulled my hand out of my glove, shoving it between my arm and body, before shoving a few stray stands of hair back into my helmet. “You’ve been named one of ‘Finland’s Sexiest Men Alive’. Aren’t you proud?”

Saku burst out laughing, doubling over as Teemu’s face turned read. “I don’t think Sirpa minds at all.”

“I’m sure she doesn’t, Mr. Flash. Twenty four years later, and you’re still hanging around. How’s the bedroom update? I’d like to know how you hold up in bed.”

I couldn’t keep the laughter in, as I kept quoting the article about the mentioned right winger. We were obnoxious, as I leaned on Saku for support, who looked around ready to pass out from lack of oxygen.

“You shouldn’t concern yourself with such trivial matters, Trovato.” I straightened up immediately, as the serious tone began to cover Selanne’s words.

“Oh, really? Do you have angry-I-just-lost-the-fucking-game-sex? Or mind-blowing I-just-won-the-mother-fucking-stanley-cup-awesome-sex?”

“Koivu, you support this?! She’s 23 for God’s sake, and you’re letting her talk like that? To her Alternate Captain, no less?” Teemu was speechless as Val skated over, tapping my leg with his stick.

“Good to go? Stop harassing the man. It’s bad enough that you made me read that article too. Don’t make it worse, by repeating that devil-woman’s words to him.” He grinned, contrasting with his tanned skin.

I nodded, punching Teemu in the arm teasingly. “I’ll send you a copy.”

~

“Sure you can handle this? Jagr’s going to be an ass, and you know it, so be careful. Parise said your leg was doing better, so I’m going to trust you both on this. If this fucker tries something, don’t be afraid to go nazi on him. No one will be upset. And besides, “ He gave me a look, as we passed the puck back and forth slowly, warming up our hands. “We haven’t had a fight in the Winter Games so far, that I know of, so let’s start now.”

“Sure, go out with a bang.” We both cringed. I didn’t want it to be over so soon.

“Don’t think like that. We are going to win. We have better percentages than them. So they have a few damn good players. We have a great fucking team. Coach says that he’s going to put me on Hagman’s line, so we can help the defense on that line, since Pitkanen is scratched. He’s going to put you on Saku and Teemu’s line, Left Wing, against Jagr’s line.”

My jaw dropped, as I looked from the ice, to Val’s face. It looked solemn, as if he hadn’t slept in the past day or so. I had normally always played with Val. I had a bout of confidence about me, because I knew I wouldn’t fail him. I loved Saku and Teemu, obviously, but I didn’t feel as if I was even good enough to be in the front with them.

“This is some of that bullshit.”

~

“Get ready for the drop.” Saku skated past me to take the face-off, Teemu lagging behind him, next to me.

“Hey, Anna, I have a proposition for you. Get into a fight with Jagr, and I’ll let you drive my Enzo.” I looked at him out of the corner of my eyes, blinking the already-forming sweat out of them.

“You’re on, Teukka Salama.” I joked, referencing to his ‘incognito’ nickname he had developed over the past few years on the Finnish raceways.

~

“Son of a bitch, knock it the hell off!” I threw my shoulder into Jagr’s side, knocking him off of me, and into the glass. “Back off!”

“Stay out of my way, then, pussy!” He grabbed his stick in both hands, shoving it into me, causing my skates to slide back, and for my body to hit the ice. The Czechoslovakian male skated off, obviously a little too high on his pedestal. Koivu came closer, looking over me, before going back to his position, waiting to help out as soon as possible, when the defense line passed it up. I clinched my teeth, my leg starting to throb with the overflow of blood to the area. The game seemed more like wrestling, than hockey, if you asked my honest opinion. The refs were calling penalties out the wazoo, though they were mostly on our opponents.

Sami pushed the puck up, which Jagr flew past Koivu, who was hot on his heels, stuck his skate out, Jagr’s face meeting the ice. “Tripping, #11 Koivu, 2 minutes.” The overhead announcer boomed, as I skated into the circle to take the now-powerplay face-off in our defense zone, against David Krejci.

God dammit, Saku. There are times when I love you, and times when I don’t, and this is one of them.

“Relax. You are tense.” I snapped my gaze to David Krejci, who stood in front of me, while we waited for the ref to skate to us. I shrugged my shoulder, averting my face. I hadn’t become fond of taking face-offs, with people I didn’t know in this tournament. Nick was one thing; I didn’t want others knowing as well, just yet. They didn’t even know tension.

“Thanks, but I’m good. Your friend over here,” I nodded my head towards Jagr, whose line had just shifted off. “Won’t back off, and it’s been pissing me off.” He nodded in understanding. I looked over to both sides. Tomas Fleischmann and Martin Erat were on Krejci’s line. Maybe it would actually play out fair.

“Good luck, Anna Trovato.” I looked up at him, feeling a smile spread on my face. It was temporarily, however, as the ref prepared the puck, both of us getting into position.

~

“Penalty on Finland. Delay of Game, #57 Trovato, 5 minutes, with 4:19 remaining in the Second Period.”

“Are you fucking kidding me, ref?!” I shouted, as Vokoun and the other ref got the goal net back into the grooves.

“It was done on purpose.” Brad Watson, the head referee, got into my face.

“It was an accident! Why would I do that on purpose? My skate hit a groove in the ice, I fell over Vokoun, my stick split down the middle. It was an accident.” I huffed in frustration, skating back to the bench to grab my back-up stick, as Watson disposed of my broken one, before returning to the penalty box for the rest of the period.

I don’t know what it was about this place, but I have never spent so much time in the penalty box before.

~

Glancing back and forth, I dribbled the puck around Jagr, waiting for the opening to Selanne. Time felt to go slow at this point, as I tried to tell myself to breath in. I looked around for Val, unable to find him.

“Val?” My voice came out as nothing more than a murmur, as I caught wind of Selanne taping the ice with his stick. I tipped it over to him, about 10 feet in front of the goal, when his wrist shot slapped it in.

“Finland scores, with 4 minutes left in the third period! Scored by #8, Selanne, and assisted by #57, Trovato!”

“Line change!” I slipped into the nearby bench, thankful the game was not going into overtime at this point. Val’s hand rested on my shoulder, his eyes clouded with worry.

“I’m fine. Just unexpect-..”

“Trovato, Selanne, Koivu, get back out there, now!” I growled in response. I was tired, frustrated, angry, and confused. “They pulled Vokoun, and Jagr’s on another shift.”

I slammed my stick down, before my teammates pulled back into the bench. The three of us threw our legs over the ice, beginning again un-new. I skated over to my side, countering Jagr as our defense wrestled for the puck.

“Back again for more? Maybe you should go back to your little private school, where they still play pond hockey. Wait, do they even have ice hockey in Italy?” I inhaled, before wrenching my hands out of my gloves, and throwing them aside, along with my stick.

Turning my attention to the taller man, I shoved him back. “Be a man, and say it all to my face. Stop waiting for me to turn my back.” The ref’s whistles blew around us. It was more than just driving Teemu’s beautiful Ferrari. I was tired of this man’s bullshit. “This entire game, you’ve been shoving me around, and I’m sick of your ass acting superior. Bring it on, you fucking pussy.”

“Hit him, Jagr. Fight it out.” Watson egged on, allowing us to solve our problems. Jagr nodded in response, throwing his mittens off, and grabbed my jersey, knocking the side of my helmet. I heard skates come up around us, as I returned the favour into the side of Jagr’s helmet, knocking it completely off, and blood slipping from his ear.

It went on for a few minutes, before they sent Jagr to the penalty box, allowing Teemu to skate up to me, grabbing me in a bear hug, pulling me off the ice.

“Kultseni, I am so proud of you!” I smiled, hugging him tightly back.

~

Czech still had their net minder out of the goal, as Saku and I began to push forward through the line of defense. “Teemu!” I shouted, tapping my stick against the ice, indicating I was open. He, instead, slipped the back through Krejci’s legs to Saku, who looked over to me.

Remember time slowing? This was another one of those moments, as I observed Koivu’s stick pass me the rubber. I caught it with my stick, before turning to Vokoun. I faked left, before sliding it in under his right leg padding.

“Finland scores again! #57 Trovato, assisted by #11, Koivu and #8, Salenne, with 2:35 left on the clock.”

I smiled like crazy, as our line skated past the bench, high-fiving the guys sitting down. Val nodded at me, smiling as well. We had this in the bag.

~

“Hey Anna, come here for a second.” I looked up to see Saku and Coach whispering amoungst each other. I followed them silently into the medical room.

“Look at your leg.” I did was I was instructed, to see the blood coming through again.

“Mother of damn.” I rubbed my head with my fingers, the headache already forming.

“Saku told me what happened, and I spoke with both our doctor, and Sweden’s doctor. I want you to sit out the USA game. You are making progress, obviously, but I want you to be ready for whatever game is after that, be it the Bronze Medal game, or the Gold Medal game. We need you then.”

“What if we don’t make it? If we don’t beat USA, we lose both Gold and Silver. I won’t be held responsible for that!” I looked to Koivu, who only shook his head.

“We’d spend the entire game worrying about you. I want you healed as well. We want you to be safe.”

~

I continued the next rep of push-ups, as Zach flopped on my bed, flipping through the television stations.

“Krejci knows, I take it?” I stood up from my position on the plush red carpet, to face the male who had proceeded to mess up my bed.

“Yeah. Dunno how, but it’s probably from Worlds or something. I don’t really care. He doesn’t seem like the type to blab, so it doesn’t bother me. This close to the end, anyways, it doesn’t mean anything.” I shrugged, before wrenching out one of the drawers under the television, and pulling out clean clothes.

“True. Why didn’t you just let them change your Olympic to Anna, instead of A?” Zach turned down the tv, voicing his question.

I walked over to the bathroom, which was personally too luxurious for my taste. “Iunno. I really didn’t want the publicity. We are having a hard enough time, shooting for Gold. I love my team, and I don’t want them to worry.”

“Don’t you think it’s hard for them to cover you every time, and make sure they don’t use ‘she’ or ‘her’?” I rested my hand on the bathroom doorknob, allowing my thoughts to soak in the problem Zach was mentioning.

“Point taken. But whatever happens on March 1st, isn’t my concern. As long as we make it to February 28th without any problems, then we’re good. Besides, once I go to the KHL, they aren’t going to pay attention, and this is all going to blow over.” I opened the door, and threw my clothes on the counter, before stepping in and starting to get the sweat-soaked clothes off.

“And on February 1st, 2011, you’re just going to, what? Play your first NHL game, completely coming out from under the radar again?” I pulled my socks off, before sticking my head out to face Parise.

“Maaaaaaaaybe.”

~

I tapped my foot inpatiently, as I waited for the door to open to the alternate captain’s room.

“Anna?” I smiled, turning my attention to the Canadian in front of me.

“Sidney. Good to see you again.” A smile graced his features, as he nodded in return. His hair was wet, as was half his shirt. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your shower.”

“Same here, and it’s alright. I was actually done, just getting changed. What can I do for you?” I relaxed my arms, sliding my hands into my back jean pockets.

“Could I borrow the Miracle DVD? I’ll make sure to return it, and I can give you my room number in case you need it sooner.” I kept my gaze averted, as Crosby had his ‘thinking’ look on his face.

“Of course! Have you ever seen it? Come in, and I’ll find out where I stashed it.” He turned into his room, allowed me to enter the man cave him and Marc-Andre Fleury called home for the month. “Sorry it’s so dirty. It’s been kind of hectic.”

“No problem. Our room is just as bad, honestly. I kind of gave up cleaning it.” I smiled again, as he dug through a half-empty suitcase in the corner.

“Here it is.” He stood up, as I grabbed the pen and pad of paper that every hotel keeps in every room, off of the TV stand, and scribbled my room number down. I ripped it off, holding it out for him to take, as we traded objects.

“Many thanks, Sidney. I’m afraid I have never seen it, and a friend of mine blew a gasket when I mentioned it.” He looked dumbstruck, when I mentioned the fact that I had never seen the legendary movie of the ice.

“Are you serious?” I nodded, before turning and making my way to the door.

I had the door halfway opened, when Sidney interrupted the process. “How is Trovato? He’s the one you are here to support, right?”

I froze in place, mulling over my responses in my head. “How’d you find that out?”

He chuckled, coming closer, as I opened the door further. “I saw you wearing Filppula’s jersey, so I assumed you knew Trovato as well, and since you don’t look Finnish, and Trovato doesn’t play like the Finns very much.. I’m sorry if I spoke out of turn.”

I couldn’t hold in my laughter, as he began to stumble over his words. “Sidney,” I held up my hand to silence him. “I am here to support my friends, and help them in any way possible, to get Gold. However that happens, happens. Trovato is fine, and has been improving.”

Crosby flushed, before exhaling an apparent withheld breath. “How is his injury?”

I felt my joyous mood drop fairly quickly, as I fidgeted around the plastic DVD case. “He will be sitting out during the USA vs. Finland game, to rest for the Medal game. Both Koivu and the Coach suggested it. Why play a no-danger game, and risk not playing in for the Gold, possibly? Messed up logic, but eh.”

“Give him my wishes, will you? No matter who I am playing against, I want him healed, more than anything. It sucks being stuck out of play. I hope he heals and gets back on the ice soon.”

I nodded. “Thanks, Sidney.”

~Sidney Crosby~

I waited for the woman in front of me to move out of the way, so I could approach the hotel’s front desk. “Excuse me.”

The man looked up at me, obviously recognizing who I was immediately. Great.

“Yes, Mr. Crosby, what can I do for you?” He seemed a little bit too energetic, but maybe I could figure out what I needed to know.

“I need to find out what room this is, and who occupies it.” I handed him the paper, and he immediately began typing it into the computer.

“I am afraid the only information on the computer shows me, is that it is one of the Athletes’ room. It’s in the Finnish hall, under a one Trovato and Filppula. Does that help any at all, Mr. Crosby?” He blabbered quickly, though keeping his voice low to keep the media from looking our way. They were crawling over the lower floor.

“Trovato and Filppula, eh? I guess that does help. Thanks.”

I walked away from the desk, as he man shook his head furiously. Geno knows Trovato..

I pulled out my blackberry, and dialed the familiar number of my teammate, only to receive no answer.

I opened up the messages tab, and began typing furiously.



After the entire elevator ride and walk to mine and Flower’s room, I had received no response.

“Guess that answers that.”

~Anna Trovato~

“I’m not wearing your jersey, Patrick!” I laughed, avoiding the eggs Kane was throwing at me.

“You lost the bet!” He argued playfully, leaning over Jon to scoop his eggs up, and them at me.

“Get off, Kaner!” Jon pushed Patrick off of him, while trying to pull his plate of the young man’s reach.

“Aaaannnnnnaaaa!” I crossed my arms, as my phone vibrated again. I clicked the ignore button, before turning it off completely.

“Everything alright?” Jon offered, as Patrick slumped in his eat, ignoring the both of us.

“Yeah. I just needed some time away, and people really won’t give me that.” I slid the device in my back pocket, before throwing a piece of ham at Kane. “I’ll wear your jersey, okay? Just for the first period. Which means you better score a goal.”

~

The second period of the USA vs. Finland game had just ended, as I pulled Val’s blue jersey, that I had kidnapped before the game, mind you, over my head. The USA wore their dark blue, forcing Finland to wear white. I kept Patrick’s jersey on under Val’s, as the players began filing into the locker rooms.

We were down 6 to none. Patrick had indeed scored. Twice. Erika Harper scored and had an assist. Zach scored, Erik Johnson scored, and Paul Stastny scored, before Finland decided to shut them down. They had called two penalties on us, and two on the USA. It looked like the Czech/Finland game, only we were playing the role of Czech. Interferences, roughing, misconducts. This wasn’t the Team Finland I knew.

They began filing onto the ice, as I slid further into my seat. If only I had been more careful on the ice, maybe we would be playing better. Maybe we wouldn’t have allowed six damn goals AGAINST us. Why did I have to be so weak? I should have tried harder.

The third period began, and we weren’t even thirty minutes into the period, before we had another penalty.

“Finland, #8 Selanne, Interference, 5 minutes :22 on the clock.” I clenched my fists.

“What the hell was that, Teemu?!” I was furious, as I began to shout out against the play. This was not a good day for me. I hadn’t spoken a word to Geno, Ilya, Ovechkin, Nick or Semin for three days now, and while it allowed me to breathe, it didn’t help my conscious. The anger was keeping my mind from drifting.

They called a penalty on the USA for high-sticking, minutes later. I tuned out the announcers, watching my teammates skate on the ice, and their reactions to the USA. It looked to me, as if they were scared shitless.

Erika Harper was a whole other ballgame. The girl was good. Damn good. She skated with an aggressive finesse and grace that I had missed seeing in the Winter Games. She knew her stuff, there was no doubt.

“Penalty on Finland, #37 Ruuto, high-sticking.” I groaned again, lightly slapping my forehead. He definitely did that one on purpose.

“Finland is on the Power Play.” The announcer shouted again minutes later, throughout the stadium, for the umpteenth time during the game. There was no way we were going to win with 6 minutes left.

“Goal, Finland! #20, Miettinin, with 14:46 left on the clock!”

~

I waited for the game to inch closer to the end, within seconds. “They did good.” Our team doctor mumbled to me, as we waited next to the walls in the tunnel. The buzzer rang through the center, signaling the loss. We would face Slovakia in the Bronze Medal Game. We lost against the USA, 6 to 1. It was a disgraceful loss, that was completely my fault.If only I had been more careful..

I pulled the boards back, before stepping on the ice where the USA was celebrating, and my teammates were standing there awkwardly.

I spotted Teemu and Saku near each other, talking softly, before making my way over to them.

“Anna!” Teemu shouted, as the pair skated over to where I was walking to meet them. He immediately engulfed me into a hug. I felt the warm tears fall down my cheeks, as he held me tight. “Do not blame yourself. It’s not your fault. We are still in.”

I shook my head into his chest. “I failed you. I failed Saku. I failed Val. I failed Finland. If I had been more careful, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

Saku placed his hand on my shoulder, causing me to look over at him. “Hmm?”

“Is the media sees you..” I silenced him.

“ I don’t care.”

~Sidney Crosby~

I watched Erika celebrate the win against Finland. I had considered going down there, but I continued to then watch the jumbotron.

“Trovato did not play today, Mike. Do you think that little factor affected Finland’s performance against the States?”

“You know, James, I can’t answer that. Maybe, maybe not. I’m more concerned about whether he was even here to support his team. Was he sent home, or what?”

“We’ll known soon enough, I guess. It seems the family members of Finland have joined them on the ice.”

I observed the video shown now, of the captain and alternative captain of Finland surrounding a girl. “Anna?”

The video showed her face, confirming my question. “Then Trovato is still here.” I began looking around fruitlessly along the glass and teammates of Finland, for anyone I didn’t recognize. I saw her speaking with Koivu softly, and I could see the tears on her cheek. “Maybe not..”

~Anna Trovato~

“Alright, everyone. Now, we all know what’s at stake. We may not walk away with Gold, but we will walk away with Bronze. This game is also going to memorable for some of us. For some, this will be the last Olympic Games they will be able to play in. For some of us, this will be the first of many Medal games. Whatever the case, this is our time. The USA game doesn’t mean anything.”

I looked from my captain, to Teemu. His stall was next to mine, so the feat was easy enough. I rested my hand on his arm, catching his gaze. He smiled sadly at me. Never again, would we play at the same team. This was the last time we would have this roster, and we’d be damned if this was going to end badly. For Teemu, and the rest of the team.

“Anna, you’ll be on defense for the first and second period, on Lasse’s line. Keep them pushed back, and we’ll take care of the rest. Val, you’ll be on line with Teemu and I.” Saku directed, making dots on the whiteboard that rested on the wall.

I nodded, squeezing Teemu’s arm slightly. We had talked for the better part of the night, and it had been very emotional. Val left about an hour into our talk, and slept in Teemu’s normal room with Lasse.

“They have a lot of physical players, so use it against them.” We had practice that morning, and worked on nothing but finesse, and using their own strength against them. You’d think we were going to war. It felt like it though. There was so much on the line.

~

“Penalty, #57 Trovato, Holding on #81 Hossa. 2 minutes.” I held in my laughter. Marian kept prodding me, and we began wrestling playfully, while the puck was at the other end, and I happened to have a hold of him when we got the puck. So shoot me. I was trying to relax from the tension. We all felt it.

I swear, I hadn’t been back out of the box and on the bench for 5 minutes, when they called a penalty against Ville Peltonen, for hooking. It was a bullshit call, but he kept the penalty box for the next person. “Line change!”

Lasse and I swung our legs over the boards again, waiting for our teammates to clear the line before pushing out, taking our positions.

~

“Val!” I shouted, waiting for the winger to become open. Looping around the net, I was trying to shake Marian, who had been tailing me the entire game. I can’t get it to him, instead shifting it over to Lasse, only to have the ref call a holding penalty on Palffy, who had been hounding Lasse the entire time as well.

The penalty gave us the power play goal, however, as Sami shot it in moments later. I heard laughter, as Lasse and I were dancing together in celebration. We both turned to see Chara standing there, a smile on his face. Mine fell instantly..

This might be his last Olympic game, too.

~

I bent in half, holding my head between my legs, inhaling, as we waiting for the face-off. They had me in the penalty box again during the second period for cross-checking, and we were losing, 3 to 2. Saku had two penalties taken against him, plus my penalty. Slovakia had four, all minor. They had two power-play goals when Lasse and I were off-shift, and while we were in the middle of a Line Change, Demitra slipped past Backstrom and scored Slovakia’s final goal.

Shortly after the third period had started, we had gotten on the power play, after two penalties against Slovakia for holding and high-sticking. Niklas Hagman scored, with Timonen assisting. Lasse and I, who were on the bench, had tried dancing in the compact space. It didn’t work.

Soon enough, we found ourselves back on the ice. I was lined up with Saku on my left, and Val on my further left. We had about 16 minutes left in the third period, to score 3 goals. Unlikely? Yes. Probable? You tell me.

“Anna! Open up!” I faked back, and then pushed back up through Slovakia’s line, ignoring the fact that Saku used my first name. He slammed the puck my direction, sending it rolling across the ice, as we reached the bold, blue line in the ice. I pulled my stick back, angling it slightly, before hitting the puck into the upper corner of the next, as the buzzer filled the center.

“Goal Finland! #57 Trovato, Assisted by #11, Finland’s Captain, Koivu, 13:19 left in the third period.” I shouted in excitement, looking for Koivu, before skating over to the older man and jumping on him.

“Hell yes, Saku! That’s what I’m talking about!” We were joined by our teammates, notably Teemu who pried me off of Saku, to squeeze the living daylights out of me himself.

~

“Penalty, #91, Hossa. Tripping.” I silently cheered, as Saku went up to take the power play. The Slovakian who I stood next to me kept bumping my hip, as the ref prepared for the face-off.

Saku won, slapping it over to Teemu. The netminder, Halak, was a force to be reckoned with, as he blocked the entirety of Teemu’s shots. It rebounded off of Halak’s skate, before I snap shot it into the bottom of the netting.

“Goal Finland! #57 Trovato, Assisted by #8, Selanne!. 11:49 left in the third period.”

We were speechless. I was kinda itching for a hat trick now. Our shift ended, as we pulled back into the benches, celebrating with each other.

However, as Lasse was attacking me, halfway dancing on Saku and I, Coach came over to us. “How’s the leg?”

I looked down, to see nothing out of the ordinary. It hadn’t been bothering me as much, either. Shrugging my shoulders, he nodded. “It feels fine, I guess. Why?”

“I’m putting you and Val in, during the last thirty or so seconds. I want them to think that we have accepted the fact that it’s going to go to overtime or a shoot out, and relax. Then you two are going to hammer them. Shoot that piece of rubber into that goal so fast, that they won’t see it coming.” Val stood next to him, grinning from ear to ear.

“I think we can make it happen.”

~

Turning to Teemu, he grasped me in a tight hug, followed by Val and Saku. “You guys have done great, and it’s been such a pleasure working with the future of hockey. I couldn’t imagine going out any different.”

We heard Slovakia skate near our end of the ice, only to change directions. There was about a minute left in the period, before we would either receive the news of the win or loss, or go into overtime.

“Trovato, Filppula, get ready!”

Val nodded, being the first to let go. It was hard, being on the National Team. You didn’t have 82 games with each other. You had 7 or 8, at the max. It was definitely going to be hard. I felt tears brim and threaten to fall, as the hug fell.

“Go.”

“Line Change!”

~

I pushed my legs faster than I had trained, as I scaled up the right side of the ice, trying to sneak past the defensemen. Val rested across from me, as the timer ticked down to twenty seconds. All we had to do, was wait for Lasse to rebound it off of the side to Val, who would score.

It should have worked out that way.

One of the forwards from Slovakia slammed him against the boards, knocking the puck away. I watched Val rush for it, barely reaching it, shouting for me to get into center. They had pulled Halak at the 18 second mark, leaving it wide open. Why? They didn’t think we could do it.

“Anna!” I watched Val shoot the puck against the boards, having it rebound slightly ahead of me. I propelled forward, reaching it before Chara, who had taken to tailing me, reached the blue line, before the buzzer filled the Canada Hockey Place.

“Goal Finland, #57 Trovato, Assisted by #51 Filppula, with :11 left in the third period, and his first Olympic Hat Trick.”

If there was one memory I could relive for the rest of my life, it would be that one. Within seconds, I was clobbered by part of my team, and 12 seconds later, the entire of my team. Bronze was ours, and there was not going to be anyone taking that away from us. It may not be gold, but we fought as if it wasn’t the end. I think that’s what counts.

~

Saku, Teemu, and Kimmo received their medals first, being the Captain and Alternate Captains. We stood there on the ice, waiting in a line next to Slovakia, to receive Bronze.

We were supposed to just go in order of whatever line we were in, but Teemu and Saku stood before Val and I, who were near the middle, and dragged us to the front of the line.

“You guys made this possible.” Teemu whispered in my ear, as the material was set around my neck, and then Val’s. We were beaming with pride and joy, as Finland was presented the Bronze Medal at the 2010 Winter Games.

It was heart-wrenching.

~

I sat on the bench next to the ice, sweat-covered and all, as the woman sat next to me, the camera on, and her speaking furiously into the recorder. Unfortunately for me, Medal winners had to offer interviews, and since Val & I were in high demand, we were each giving one interview to the Olympic News Media, and they could distribute it from there. Ask questions now, clean yourself from the sweat later. My medal sat next to me, under my watchful eye, as I untied my skates.

“Trovato, was there a particular aspect of the Games that you wish you could have experienced?”

I paused in my untying, before shortly resuming. “Uh, yeah. I really wanted to play Russia. I have a few friends on the team, so it would have been fun.”

“Do you see yourself coming back and playing for Finland in 2014?”

God, I hated this woman. “I’m not really sure. I might play for Italy, I might play for Finland. I can’t answer that.”

“Was your family here to support you on this memorable day?”

I furrowed my brow, thinking about the phone call I received before the game. “No, I didn’t have any family here.”

“No girlfriend, or anything?” That got my laughing.

“Sorry, no. I definitely do not have a girlfriend. That’s the last thing that will ever be on my mind.” It was true. I’d never date another female.

“You have quite the baby face for only being 23.”

“Yeah, I’ve already heard the ‘not having hit puberty’ comments.”

“How did you deal with such adversity?”

“I took it in stride. It doesn’t matter, I learned, what people think of you. It matters what you think of yourself, and I’m tired of hiding behind the comments, and not standing up for myself. I do my best, and if people want to bag on me, because I’m not from a hockey-centric country, then shame on them.”

I leaned back against the wall, closing my eyes, as the questions kept coming.

“There have been many talks on how you and Valtteri Filppula are the modern “Koivu-Selanne-Jeretinen” line. What do you think of this?”

“I think it’s a load of marshmallows. Those three could never and will never be replaced.” I smirked, thinking of my crazy teammates.

“What do you think about the Gold Medal Game tomorrow?”

I exhaled, truly conflicted. “I know each team will try their hardest, and as much as it pains me to see friends compete at the highest level against each other, I know they will both want Gold, and even though someone has to win, it will be memorable all the same. I’m disappointed we won’t be out there playing, but I hope Canada and the USA fight it out until the end. That’s all I, or anyone for that matter, can ask.”

“How do you feel about Finland’s performance during the Games?”

“I’m sad that we couldn’t go further, as I previously mentioned, but I am proud all the same. These guys are my friends and family, and we gave it our all.”

“Word is that you were injuring in the Finland vs. Sweden Preliminary Game. Can you tell us anything about that?”

“Uh, sure. During the collision, my stick broke and went through my leg. Luckily, it missed the nerves and didn’t cause any serious damage.”

“It made you miss the USA vs. Finland game, though?”

“Yes. Both my coach and Saku thought it best to rest on it, before the final games, just in case.”

“Do you feel responsible for the severe loss that night?”

“In a way, yes, I do. In other ways, no I don’t. We are a team, yes, but no team should rely on one player. I am not complaining. This is how it was meant to be. Who am I to argue?”

“Alright. You scored your first career hat trick tonight, and your first Olympic hat trick. How do you feel about that?”

“I feel very happy about it. I honestly wasn’t even thinking about going for the trick, I just wanted Finland to go out on a good note, and if that meant shooting at every opportunity, then that’s what it means.”

“Trovato, what does the A stand for in your name? You didn’t release it outside of Olympic documentation, and many of us have been itching to find out a future possible hall of famer’s name.”

“I wouldn’t go that far, and it’s private. My personal life is my personal life. Not anyone elses.”

“Rumours have been floating around the hockey world that you have signed a half-year contract with a KHL team?”

“Eh, yes, I have. I signed a five-month contract with Avangard Omsk, of the Kontinential Hockey League.”

“How much does that contract pay?”

“Oh, it pays 1.3, without bonuses and all that jazz.”

“When does it expire?”

“My contract is fulfilled on January 31st, 2011.”

“Why the half-contract? Where will you go next?”

“I was originally going to sign a one-year contract with a NHL team. However, Avangard called me, asking if I could fill a temporary spot for the first half of the season. I called the NHL team my agent was negotiating with, and they offered me a half contract in return, worth 2.7, effective February 1st, 2011.”

“So you are just going to jump into the NHL?”

“No, I will be flying back and forth for practices and such. I’ve spoken with a few members of the team already, here at the Winter Games, and we’ve practiced together, and they have all been very helpful, so it’s not going to be a problem.”

“Which team are you going to sign with?”

“I guess you’ll just have to find out February 1st.”

“No hints?”

I opened my eyes, before standing up and smiling at the woman, making my way to the tunnel.

“Nope.”

I looked up to see Val leaning against the wall, waiting for me to finish the godforsaken interview.

He held his hands out, allowing me to slip my arms around his neck, and let everything out.

“..is he crying?”

~

“Congratulations, Anna. It was a commendable performance.” I smiled at Ilya’s kind words, before we were interrupted by the woman we were trying to ignore. No offense to her or anything, I just had a headache.

“May I see your phone?” I grinned, having something planned to make our last night count.

He shrugged, before handing it over, allowing me to send out a mass text to the near-entirety of the Russian Team, plus Nick.

“I told you, Erika is my small American sister.”

“I’m sorry I kept all this from you Ovie. You know I have trust issues and…”

“Its in past. But I don’t like Crosby hanging around… he will only hurt you. I don’t want that for girl.”

Apparently Ovechkin was with her, since Ilya and I both knew he favoured the young American girl. “I’m sorry about the volume. We can go somewhere else in the restaurant..”

I shook my head. “You already asked me to dinner, before we go our separate ways. You selected the table. It is fine. I will manage.”

He nodded slowly, as I began to sip at the wine.

“Cheating on me with a Russian now?” I was not going to stand for this. I’ve had enough.

I began to rub my temples, as Ilya rubbed his hand on my lower back, obviously getting a migraine as well.

“Leave. No one wants you here

“How the fuck did you know where I was staying?”

“It’s not hard. You’re where all the hockey players are.” Oh, this shit was not going to fly. Some stalker bitch is sneaking around the hockey floors? I don’t think so. I could tell Ilya was about ready to step in, when the unknown man continued.

“Do you remember four years ago when I got you those Sabres tickets? Remember how happy you were? That was the night you said you loved me.”

“Remember the day two years ago when I got back to my dorm, after a final I might add, and found Evelyn sitting in a ball on her bed, her eyes puffy and red as tears fell from them? Remember how her shirt was scrunched up, and her fists were balled in anger? Remember how you verbally harassed her for sex before actually trying to get her to do it? Remember how you tried to blame the whole thing on her? Because that’s all I remember about you.” Oh, testy, aren’t we, Miss Harper? I don’t blame you.

“Remember how after that game, we went back to my room and you gave up your virginity? Because I told you I loved you.” What kind of douche bag is this?

I heard a slam against wood, before a string of curses in Russian escaped Ovechkin’s mouth, making Ilya and I crack up horrendously, drawing a crowd of our own.

“Bastard!”

“What the hell man?” Flesh met flesh. They were fighting.

“You insult baby sister Erika and expect me to sit quiet? I get whole Russian team on you, you гребаный Дик!” He’ll get more than just the Russian Team. I don’t even know the girl, and I’d defend her. The fight continued, and the pair of us peeked over the wood separator that divided our tables.

Ovie, let’s go. We’re going to get kicked out.”

“Huh?”

“People are noticing. You’re beating him up loudly. Let me just pay and we can—“

“No. I pay.”

“Hurry it up, will you?”

“I really don’t want media attention
“I’ll tell everyone about this.”

“No one will believe you. Who has so far? Your ass has been kicked twice.”

No response. “Exactly.”

I looked over to my companion, before breaking out into laughter, as we slid out of the booth, and approached the injured man.

“Who the fuck are you, bitch?” He sat at my feet, missing horribly, as Ilya shook his head. I kneeled down in front of the aggressive man.

“Anna Trovato, and if you mess with that girl again, you’ll have Finland down your ass also. I don’t care if I have to fly back from Europe for you so much as thinking about her. I catch wind of you fucking with her, and you are a dead man.”

I punched him in his face, and I’m pretty sure he had a nice dream.

~

“No, Varly! Banana! Банан!” I groaned, slumping against the confused man.

“Bahana. Bahana?” I sighed in frustration, as the door opened, and Ovechkin walked in to the majourity of Team Russia in his and Geno’s room. Most of them were taking turns playing on the playstation, and helping Nick and I teach Varly English.

“Ovechkin, help us out here. Connect to the man!” I threw my hands up in the air, as Geno collapsed in the bed next to us.

He grinned his toothless smile, before walking over and muttering something inappropriate in Semyon’s ear.

I mumbled under my breath, before sliding off the bed, and into the bathroom where the many containers of various drinks were stored, and a disgruntled Alex Semin sat on the counter.

“Hey.” He mumbled, as I pulled off the liquid to a random bottle of vodka.

“Hi.” I returned, searching for a glass that hadn’t been mixed with twenty other things.

“Here. I just washed it, after I used it.” I nodded in thanks, before pouring the drink.

“Thanks.” I leaned against the counter, sipping the tangy liquid that burned my mouth. It had been about a week or so since I’d had anything this strong, and my tongue was very unhappy.

“Where are you from, if I may ask?” I looked over to Semin, who hadn’t moved from his original position.

“I was born in Italy.”

“Like Trovato?” He had done a little digging, I guess. He wasn’t the first.

“Sure, Semin.” I smirked, taking another gulp. He looked over at me slyly.

“Where did you learn Russian?”

“Trovato and I took it as kids, and it just stuck with us.” It was so hard to talk about myself as two people, but I just wasn’t ready.. We had another day to go.

~



I had just checked my text messages, and finished the furious task of responded to the many congratulating ones. 47 text messages can kill a person, you know?

“FUCK me!” I watched as Sidney checked Erika Harper into the boards, before mumbling a few choice words to her. She immediately got up for the line change, where she began conversing with another player in anger.

~

The Medal ceremony was solemn for one half, and miraculous for the other half of the ice. You could tell that the netminders on Team USA were hurting, mentally. Erika Harper had approximately 18 shots, which many of us knew she was capable of making, yet none of them went in.

Sidney scored the game winning goal on Ryan Miller, the USA’s netminder. I watched Harper nearly run off the ice, probably to escape the media and the shit they had to say. I didn’t blame her.

~

“Hurry your ass up and pack, Anna. The flight leaves in a few hours, and we aren’t going to make it at this rate!” Lasse banged on my hotel door, before going back into his room to finish packing.

We had to catch a flight to Italy, where I was meeting with my mother and father, getting my equipment and stuff, and then getting onto a flight to St. Petersburg, where we would drive to Omsk. He had to finish out his contract, and the coach, who would be my future coach, suggested I spend the last half of the season getting used to the ice, and playing style of my teammates. I think Lasse just wanted company.

Nevertheless, I soon found myself in front of Geno’s room, waiting for the door to be opened. I had already said good-bye to Nick, which left the Russian Hall, USA Hall, and dropping Sidney’s DVD off.¬¬

“Anna?” Geno stood in front of me, Ilya, Semyon, and Ovechkin behind him, with confused looks on their faces. Most athletes weren’t leaving until the morning.

“My, eh, flight leaves soon. I wanted to say good-bye.” The short sentence was followed by hugs and well-wishes, before they packed back into the small room. Most of them would be back in Russia during the break, so we’d see each other then.

I had other plans.

I wrapped my arms around Ilya’s neck tightly, as he pulled me against him. “Keep them all in check for me.” He nodded against my neck, releasing me slowly. Semin appeared next to him, and looked at me expectantly.

I only held my hand out, which he took and shook slowly.

~

I had promised to visit Patrick in Chicago soon, which meant no time for the weary. Jon was pretty calm, but he promised he would text.

Leaving two people whom knew nothing about how I was, and treated me as a real person, actually hurt. Go figure?

Making my way down the Canadian floor, I heard pounding on what I found out to be Sidney’s room, with a very upset Erika Harper hammering on the door, tears running down her soft features, a small box in her hand.

Sidney soon opened the door, immediately beginning to worry when he found Erika in front of him, who quickly thrust the box towards him. “I don’t need your pity, Sidney! You think giving me the fucking gold medal was going to win my heart, huh? You think I’d fall on my knees for you because you were ‘considerate’ enough to give me the gold medal? Well I don’t fucking want it! I don’t want your sympathy! So take this fucking thing back, because I don’t want to see it, or you, anymore!”

She was very angry.

~

I waited for the crowd in the hall to clear, before approaching the young Canadian. “Sidney?”

He sniffed, obviously trying to cry. I smiled, before extending my arms. He accepted my hug, as I walked him backwards into his room. I pushed him down onto his bed, and set the DVD on top of the television.

“That was the stupidest thing you could have ever done, giving her your gold medal. Obviously you’ve done something to upset her, and doing that probably furthered it.”

He looked at me strangely. “I take it you speak from experience? Trovato do something stupid?”

I laughed shortly. “No, I’m a girl, and I have feelings. And there is no Trovato, Sidney Crosby. Well, there is, but not in the sense you see him.”

I walked towards the door, opening it before he could say anything.

“Congratulations, by the way. I hope that it was worth it.”

~

I gripped Teemu’s shirt tightly, the tears running freely down my face at the point. I wasn’t going to see these guys for well over a year, and it was going to kill me.

“Hey now, Anna Banana. It will be okay. We still have next year, when you come back.”

I nodded slowly, as he pressed his lips to my forehead. “Besides, I still owe you a drive in my car.”

I choked back my laughter, as he released me into Val’s arms, where I began to full on sob. He was spending part of his summer with Hiedi, in the States.

~

“Lasse, don’t judge. I can’t help it you don’t have friends.” I teased, when I came back from the plane’s bathroom, where I changed into Semin’s jersey, and a pair of shorts.

“I didn’t know you were friends with Alexander Semin.” He gave me a pointed look.

“I’m not. But this jersey is damn soft, and if I am going to be on a plane for forever, then dammit, I am going to be comfortable.”

In the midst of my rambling, Lasse took a picture and sent it to Val. “Val’s going to call you as soon as we land, and demand an explanation.” He stuck is tongue out, before shutting his phone back off.

“That picture is going to crash this plane.”

~Alexander Semin~

“Илья, почему не выходя со своим парнем?” (Ilya, why is the not leaving with her boyfriend?) I questioned the older man frequently, as Ovechkin and Geno played another round of Call of Duty.

“Вы либо разобраться самостоятельно, или ждать, и вы можете узнать в год или около того.” (You'll either figure it out yourself, or wait and you can find out in a year or so.)

I slumped into the pillow behind me, irritated as hell. She doesn’t mean anything to me, anyways. I picked up my cell off the nightstand, and scrolled down to Trovato’s name, erasing it completely.