Heart of Man

“Next up, we have Denis Kulyash, of Avangard Omsk.”

I stood excitedly against the boards, eager for my turn. It was the Hardest Shot part of the All-Star games. Our blue East jerseys were incredible comfortable, the ‘A’ on my chest making me giddy. I had managed to snag a starting line, with Jamimir, who was captain, and Roman Cervenka. It was a full ‘Avangard’ line, and Martin Skoula, one of our defensemen in Omsk, was backing us on defense. Needless to say, our team kind of occupied the roster quite a bit.

SKA St. Petersburg was hosting us, in St. Petersburg, Russia. It really was a beautiful part of the country, hundreds of palaces and landmarks available for everyone to see. Of course, it was extremely close to Finland, meaning there was a significant presence of Finnish people there to support the four of us. Maybe they just liked hockey. Either way, I wasn’t complaining.

Something that surprised me, as the amount of positive reception from fans of the KHL. When I was in Vancouver, you could just tell that female players weren’t well-respected until they “earned” it from the men in the league. Here, I was welcome with open arms. Maybe it was my Worlds history, or the bronze medal in my desk drawer, or the fact that one of the most prominent clubs signed me, and everyone learned to not question them. Even other players treated me equally; I never had to worry about getting smashed to a pulp, just because someone didn’t want me there.

“109.8, which is a new record for these All-Star games, and in the entire Kontinental Hockey League. Congratulations, Denis.”

“Thank you.”

“Now I present to you a piece of history already in the making.” My cheeks flushed, as I prepared to skate forward like we were instructed to, once our name was called. “Miss Anna Trovato, of Avangard Omsk.”

As the cheers and shouts for Denis sounded, similar ones did for my name being called, as I skated into the spotlight, lining up for the shot range once it was cleared from reading Denis’ speed.

“Anna, this is your first All-Star appearance. What has it been like for you?” His Russian was messily spoken, making me cringe. Maybe it was just me being a perfectionist, but after living in the country for nearly a year, it kind of sucked to hear a different region speak.

“It’s been really great. Being able to catch up with friends on other teams, outside of the arena, will always be a blast. Seeing this gorgeous city is definitely a plus. It’s hard to explain, the whole thing is completely surreal.” He laughed loudly into the microphone, as people began to settle down.

“Any words for the rumours of you playing in the NHL this year?” Of course you’d bring this up, you bastard.

“I will not be participating in the KHL Playoffs this year. I will be beginning my partial-contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL, 1 day before their seasonal deadline to join. My last game in this beautiful country will be on the 27th, against Yugra.” I heard a few mumbles from a few of the guys from Spartak Moscow, but paid them no mind. Didn’t like a one of them. “Ready to go?”

“Oh, yes, of course. Get ready. Go when you are set.” I skated away from him a bit, rolling my shoulders. Gripping the stick, I pulled back, before attacking it as hard as I could. It was a messy slap shot, but hopefully it would do the trick. “Ladies, and Gentlemen, I do not believe this! 110.3 mph! A new record! Congratulations, Anna!”

Shrugging, I offered up a smile. The flying back and forth between here and Tampa was starting to wear on me, the headache I had had for a few days finally beginning to simmer down. Even if I wanted to stay in Omsk, it wouldn’t last. My father wouldn’t be happy with the decision, and I’d end up in Tampa Bay, one way or another.