Status: Abandon
Got A Secret?
The NHL?
"So what can you tell us about the guys on your team?"
"Is that a trick question?" I ask with a laugh, glancing at the journalist, "No really, I don't want to get beat up if you're trying to be sneaky and ask me questions about them".
"They'd beat you up?" she asks shocked, making me roll my eyes. I didn't want them to treat me any differently then the other guys, and I was working every day to earn their respect. If I had to get in a scuffle for it, so be it.
"Sure why not? I'm just another team-mate, if they said bad shit about me I'd beat them up.."
“You have to step up your game, use your womanly ways”.
“You make it sound like I’m trying to seduce him, I just want a proper conversation” I groan flopping down onto my bed. The covers fluff up around me and I snuggle deeper holding the phone to my ear. "I just want the respect they give each other. Sure I'm on the team but it's only for the season I have to earn my place, I have to work three times as hard as they do just to prove I can play in this league. Do you know the kind of attention the Pens are getting because of me? More so then usual and for once it's not focused on Crosby".
"Yeah.. when you talk hockey I kind of tune you out. Anyways, as I was saying. You have skills, you're a women. Flirt a little, guys respond to that, don't sleep with them or go out with them just get their attention enough so that when you're on the ice, they actually see you".
I groan, and in return I hear a scoff at the end of the line, “You’re going to die alone, I see a dark lonely future ahead of you. Don’t be afraid of him just because he has a penis Rachel Keller”.
“I am no- This conversation is getting out of hand, shut up”
“You work in the same place, it can’t be that hard”
“I really do have to go. I have practice in the morning” I tell her with a slight grumble in my voice, I just wanted to drop this discussion. She sigh’s on the other line before saying goodbye. I missed her she was my best friend but sometimes she just didn't really seem to understand. Well she did, but I was grumpy and wanted to do this on my own.
____________________________________________________________________________
"Keller, articles in. There's a copy in your locker"
I nod and continue my way into the dressing room, decked out in yoga pants, an over-sized Pittsburgh Penguin's hoodie and my glasses. That was as ready as I was going to get for the morning skate.
The room was empty which I wasn't too surprised about, I had left a little earlier then usual in anticipation knowing that the article was going to be ready.
I sit down across from the Pittsburgh Penguins Captain, Sidney Crosby first to ask him for his take on his new team mate.
“Keller? Well she’s… a girl. She’s not different from any other girl out there really. She’s pretty normal”. He laughs at this before correcting himself, “Actually she’s pretty weird, and we've all had to adjust to there being a girl on the team. I mean she's doesn't have her own change room or anything and keeps herself covered but we're all a little more conscious in the room now. I think it was after our first practise of the 2011-12 season and Fleury [Marc-Andre, goal tender] walked out of the shower, already changed. She looked up from her phone, raised an eyebrow and said: 'Really? No towel? You guys all this self-conscious or do you think I'm going to jump you if I see skin?'. We lightened up a bit after that". Crosby pauses for a moment to gather his thoughts before laughing, "Ah, she sings a lot. But it's always the kind of Pop music that your little sister listens too and none of us like it much. She doesn't care though and will put in her ear phones if we ask her to. She's easy going, and she's working hard which we all admire. I think we'll see great things from her this season, if she plays anything like she did in the 2010 Olympics, I think everyone is in for a treat".
After sitting down with Crosby, I talked to some of the other team-mates getting other amusing and informative information.
"She eats Nutella like its going out of style. I walked into the kitchen one afternoon to see her sitting there on the counter with the biggest spoon I have ever seen" Staal holds his hands apart in a demonstration, "She was just sitting there with a glass of milk and a spoon full of Nutella going to town. I think that's where she gets her energy, that stuff got to have a lot of sugar in it or something, she's like a firecracker after she's eaten that."
Maxime Talbot chuckles when asked about his new team-mate, "One of her first practices I tried to impress her by speaking French. I kept complimenting and taunting her during the day in French and she would just look at me. Later in the locker room I said something..." he laughs and shakes his head, "inappropriate, and she turns around to me and in French says. 'I grew up 30 minutes from Quebec and took French all through High School and for a year in University. I know what you're saying dumbass'. She got a few points from me for that one".
When asking Russian forward, Evgeni Malkin about his new occasional linemate he grinned at me before happily replying. "She’s good player. Skates hard and can get into places we can’t because she is small. We good friends now she ask me to teach her words in Russian so she can yell at her brother. She sing song about me when I in bad mood, make me happy". When interviewing Crosby, I asked him about Malkin's last comment, making him laugh.
"Ah the Russian lessons, well I know for a fact nothing Rachel has been saying to her younger brother over the phone for the last few weeks has been polite. Which is probably well deserved, I heard he did some irreversible damage to her car which she was storing at home. I've seen pictures, it's a nice car, I'd probably swear at him in Russian too. It's amusing, because she's German and tends to swear at us in that but since her brother would know what she is saying she's changed languages".
I believe Keller will be a great addition to this team and its easy to see her team mates are adjusting to her well. [Rachel Keller: They're great guys and great players. At times their skills amaze me and I just stand there watching in awe. I just hope that they enjoy playing with me as much as I enjoy playing with them, I can already tell this year is going to be amazing and I can only hope that it leads to the NHL opening more spots for women.]
"Good article?"
I jump and look up seeing my team Captain walking over to his stall. I smile and nod tucking the rest away for later. I hadn't been aware that I was already accepted so fully. Their comments made me smile, because slowly I really was becoming a part of this team.
"Is that a trick question?" I ask with a laugh, glancing at the journalist, "No really, I don't want to get beat up if you're trying to be sneaky and ask me questions about them".
"They'd beat you up?" she asks shocked, making me roll my eyes. I didn't want them to treat me any differently then the other guys, and I was working every day to earn their respect. If I had to get in a scuffle for it, so be it.
"Sure why not? I'm just another team-mate, if they said bad shit about me I'd beat them up.."
“You have to step up your game, use your womanly ways”.
“You make it sound like I’m trying to seduce him, I just want a proper conversation” I groan flopping down onto my bed. The covers fluff up around me and I snuggle deeper holding the phone to my ear. "I just want the respect they give each other. Sure I'm on the team but it's only for the season I have to earn my place, I have to work three times as hard as they do just to prove I can play in this league. Do you know the kind of attention the Pens are getting because of me? More so then usual and for once it's not focused on Crosby".
"Yeah.. when you talk hockey I kind of tune you out. Anyways, as I was saying. You have skills, you're a women. Flirt a little, guys respond to that, don't sleep with them or go out with them just get their attention enough so that when you're on the ice, they actually see you".
I groan, and in return I hear a scoff at the end of the line, “You’re going to die alone, I see a dark lonely future ahead of you. Don’t be afraid of him just because he has a penis Rachel Keller”.
“I am no- This conversation is getting out of hand, shut up”
“You work in the same place, it can’t be that hard”
“I really do have to go. I have practice in the morning” I tell her with a slight grumble in my voice, I just wanted to drop this discussion. She sigh’s on the other line before saying goodbye. I missed her she was my best friend but sometimes she just didn't really seem to understand. Well she did, but I was grumpy and wanted to do this on my own.
____________________________________________________________________________
"Keller, articles in. There's a copy in your locker"
I nod and continue my way into the dressing room, decked out in yoga pants, an over-sized Pittsburgh Penguin's hoodie and my glasses. That was as ready as I was going to get for the morning skate.
The room was empty which I wasn't too surprised about, I had left a little earlier then usual in anticipation knowing that the article was going to be ready.
I sit down across from the Pittsburgh Penguins Captain, Sidney Crosby first to ask him for his take on his new team mate.
“Keller? Well she’s… a girl. She’s not different from any other girl out there really. She’s pretty normal”. He laughs at this before correcting himself, “Actually she’s pretty weird, and we've all had to adjust to there being a girl on the team. I mean she's doesn't have her own change room or anything and keeps herself covered but we're all a little more conscious in the room now. I think it was after our first practise of the 2011-12 season and Fleury [Marc-Andre, goal tender] walked out of the shower, already changed. She looked up from her phone, raised an eyebrow and said: 'Really? No towel? You guys all this self-conscious or do you think I'm going to jump you if I see skin?'. We lightened up a bit after that". Crosby pauses for a moment to gather his thoughts before laughing, "Ah, she sings a lot. But it's always the kind of Pop music that your little sister listens too and none of us like it much. She doesn't care though and will put in her ear phones if we ask her to. She's easy going, and she's working hard which we all admire. I think we'll see great things from her this season, if she plays anything like she did in the 2010 Olympics, I think everyone is in for a treat".
After sitting down with Crosby, I talked to some of the other team-mates getting other amusing and informative information.
"She eats Nutella like its going out of style. I walked into the kitchen one afternoon to see her sitting there on the counter with the biggest spoon I have ever seen" Staal holds his hands apart in a demonstration, "She was just sitting there with a glass of milk and a spoon full of Nutella going to town. I think that's where she gets her energy, that stuff got to have a lot of sugar in it or something, she's like a firecracker after she's eaten that."
Maxime Talbot chuckles when asked about his new team-mate, "One of her first practices I tried to impress her by speaking French. I kept complimenting and taunting her during the day in French and she would just look at me. Later in the locker room I said something..." he laughs and shakes his head, "inappropriate, and she turns around to me and in French says. 'I grew up 30 minutes from Quebec and took French all through High School and for a year in University. I know what you're saying dumbass'. She got a few points from me for that one".
When asking Russian forward, Evgeni Malkin about his new occasional linemate he grinned at me before happily replying. "She’s good player. Skates hard and can get into places we can’t because she is small. We good friends now she ask me to teach her words in Russian so she can yell at her brother. She sing song about me when I in bad mood, make me happy". When interviewing Crosby, I asked him about Malkin's last comment, making him laugh.
"Ah the Russian lessons, well I know for a fact nothing Rachel has been saying to her younger brother over the phone for the last few weeks has been polite. Which is probably well deserved, I heard he did some irreversible damage to her car which she was storing at home. I've seen pictures, it's a nice car, I'd probably swear at him in Russian too. It's amusing, because she's German and tends to swear at us in that but since her brother would know what she is saying she's changed languages".
I believe Keller will be a great addition to this team and its easy to see her team mates are adjusting to her well. [Rachel Keller: They're great guys and great players. At times their skills amaze me and I just stand there watching in awe. I just hope that they enjoy playing with me as much as I enjoy playing with them, I can already tell this year is going to be amazing and I can only hope that it leads to the NHL opening more spots for women.]
"Good article?"
I jump and look up seeing my team Captain walking over to his stall. I smile and nod tucking the rest away for later. I hadn't been aware that I was already accepted so fully. Their comments made me smile, because slowly I really was becoming a part of this team.