Status: NEW

Bow Down

Intro: One Step at a Time

‘Prust wins the faceoff, tips the puck back to Hammer. Hammer passes the puck to Mitchell. Mitchell sends it back to Prust. Prust tosses the puck down to Rupp. Rup winds up and puts the biscuit in the basket for the second time tonight!

Less than 6 minutes left to go in regulation in the 2012 NHL Bridgestone Winter Classic, the score is tied 2-2. Callahan working down low passes the puck over to Dubinsky. Dubinsky sends the puck back to Hammer at the blue line. Hammer centers and sends a clapper to towards Bobrovsky. Did it go in? It did! Hammer scores! The New York Rangers now have the lead here late in the third. Did Hammer get the goal? Somehow, it just happened to slip through all the traffic and under the left pad of Bobrovsky.


A pair of icy blue eyes watched as the camera angle changes to show the defenseman jump as soon as she saw the puck slide under the goalie’s pad and thrust her fist in the air, excitedly at the thrill of scoring in the Winter Classic. Shortly after the goal horn sounds her teammates are swarming around her, pushing her back into the boards as they piled around her.

*Brittany LeMond’s POV *

My curly, light red hair bounced around my face as I shake my head and grinded my teeth together as the final minutes of the game ticked away and several fights erupted between the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers. But I’m not paying attention to what’s going on anymore. I’m too busy trying to understand how some random girl can come up from some college gets to play at the NHL level. It baffled me to no end that Bettman would do something like that. Not that I agreed with all of his decisions, I just felt like this was one of his worst. Surely, there was someone else who was more qualified to play at that level, wasn’t there? Sure, there were probably tons who were more qualified than Mickayla Hammer.

“Oh Mon Dieu, B, it’s just a fucking game.” My line mate and best friend Meghan Agosta’s voice chides after as I get up from my place on her couch and leave the living room. Turning back on my heel to face her, I fold my arms over my chest, doing so wrinkles the red Stars de Montréal shirt that I was wearing.

“This isn’t about the game, Meg.” I, then continue my way into her kitchen.

Frowning, she gets up and walks over the island in her kitchen that I’m leaning against, “Then what is the problem? Is it Mickayla Hammer? That’s it, isn’t it? You’re jealous of her. She’s living your dream of playing in the NHL.”

Sighing, I run my hand through my ginger hair and nod before admitting,
“Of course, I’m jealous. Why wouldn’t I be? I’ve done everything I can to prove myself worthy of playing in the NHL yet I get nothing. While this little twat waltzes in gets placed on the Rangers roster. Tell me, what did she do to earn that spot. How does she qualify to play in the NHL?!”

“Well, she won a Memorial Cup with the Vancouver Giants and two NCAA Div. 1 Men’s Ice Hockey Championships with Boston College.” Meghan stated information that I was already painfully aware but nonetheless still not impressed with.

“So? I am a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist. I am a two-time Clarkson Cup champion. I am an Angela James Bowl recipient. I have won World Gold. I have also won a Memorial Cup and I attended Shattuck- St. Mary’s Prep School. What else do I need?” I list off my own achievements on my fingers as my frustration becomes more and more apparent in my voice.

“Maybe you should call Pat and have him look into it. If there’s anyone who can get you those answers, he can.” Meghan suggested as she turned away from me and walked over to wine rack to give me a glass to calm me down. But I was already on my way towards her office to call my agent, Pat Brisson.

“Allo?” Pat’s tired voice asked through the speaker of my iPhone.

“Pat, it’s Brittany LeMond, I know it’s late and you’re probably busy with all the Sidney stuff. But I have a few questions as far what is the next move I should make in my career.” I inform him, hoping to ease him slowly into the idea of me wanting to play in the NHL.

“Brittany, I always have time for you. Now, you are looking a making a big decision or a small one.” He inquired back to me.

Smiling, I know that this man lives for the business of helping hockey players’ make career decisions and sign big contracts. He’s one of the best agents available for NHL players and I am so glad that he decided to take me under his wing.

“It’s a pretty big one, actually.” I admit to him, as I begin to pace around the office.

“I see,” He began, plainly but then I could partially hear the enthusiasm in his voice as he began to fire off questions, “Are we taking about a multi figure, multi year contract extension with the Stars? Do you want a trade because I think that would be worse for your career in the long run.”

We both know that both the team and the city have been good for me over the past four years. We also know that there is no other team in the WCHL that I would want to play for. Personally, I think it’s hilarious that he even brought up a trade. But that’s exactly what I want in a way.

Giggling, I twirl a standard of my hair around my index finger before telling him, “Actually, I was thinking of something a little bigger.”

It takes a moment for the man to answer me, “How much bigger?”

“Oh, only NHL sized.” I tell him, nonchalantly, knowing that he will catch my drift and he doesn’t take that long to give me a stern answer,

“Brittany, you know you’re better off in Montreal. The city loves you and the fans adore you. You can’t leave in the middle of the season.”

Slightly frustrated, I know that Pat isn’t going to give me what I want unless I work for it and explain to him why I suddenly want to play in the NHL, “So what? NHL players leave their teams in the middle of the season all the time and Montreal has talent to spare. Besides, wouldn’t you like to say that you’re the agent of the second woman to play in the NHL regular season? This could be revolutionary, don’t you think?”

I know it’s going to take a little more than some persuasion to get a man like Pat to see things from my perspective. So I chose to word my plea in a way that a man of numbers and dollars signs like him might understand. But when he responds, I realize just how hard I’m going to have to work for it.

“You know it’s more complicated than that. First, you have to declare yourself, then go to the combine, then be scouted, and be drafted to a team. This is a huge commitment. It’s six months, Brittany, are you sure you want to give up the rest of your season with the Stars to do it?”

Here, he goes thinking about it in the most complicated way possible. Declaring myself as a prospect? Ha, that’s a laugh. I haven’t been considered a prospect for years now and he wants me to go through the process of being drafted. But I get where he’s coming from. He wants to say that he is the agent of the first woman to be drafted into the NHL and there’s nothing wrong with that. He wants to have a little more glory than just the second woman to play in the NHL. I have no doubt that I would actually get drafted but I don’t want to take that chance. My way is so much easier.

“I was thinking of something much easier, actually. I’m not a prospect. Think of me as a free agent and advertise me as such. I’m sure that there are some teams just chomping at the bit to have someone like me play for them. Especially, someone better than Mickayla Hammer.”

By now, I think I’ve got him coming around to the idea. I just need to entice him a little more.

“Alright, I’ll start making a few calls just to see who would be interested. But don’t get your hopes up, it’s late in the season and Mickayla Hammer hasn’t proved herself just yet. Some teams are still wary of the idea and they might not want to take that chance.” Pat, finally, agreed but he also wanted me to understand that this process may be a lot more difficult than what I had made it out to be but I was already well aware of that. I was ready for the challenge.

“Who knows, maybe they want a proven, season-tested player such as myself. I’ve got the pedigree. Make them want to take that chance.” I continue to push Pat to see thing my way and I know it’s working because he, suddenly, informs me,

“I think I know a few teams who might want to take a chance on you.”

“Thank you, Pat. You’re the best.” I tell him, sweetly, as I try not to squeal with sheer delight.

My heart is pounding with excitement and I feel like I have just climbed Mount Everest. I might need to go run a mile so that I can sleep or else I will be up all night pacing a hole into my bedroom floor.

“It’s no problem. Just try not to get too worked up about it.” He sighed, “I’ll get back to you as soon as I hear of a team that wants to meet with you.”

He and I both know it’s already far too late for me to not get worked up about this. I had been waiting for years to broach this topic with him and now, I had finally done so. He was my liaison to the world of the NHL and he had just agreed to help get me there.

“Alright, then I will let you go do what you do best. Hope to hear back from you soon.” I cheerily bid him a farewell and hang up after he does the same.

Setting down my phone on Meghan’s desk, I clutch my chest as I feel a breathless relief and try to gain my breath. Part of me couldn’t believe that Pat had agreed to help me find a spot on an NHL team. But all of me was elated that my dream could be very close to being realized.

Unfortunately, something like that wouldn’t just happen over night. It could take weeks, possibly months of interviews and scouting sessions with many different teams for one of them to decide to take a chance on me. But I knew it would be worth it if the right team did come along and wanted me to be a part of their team. I knew it was going to happen. It had to. There was no other option. But only my skills and reputation as a player could persuade them to see that I was as capable as anyone else. In this situation, however, I was powerless to do nothing expect sit and wait.
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This is my rival story to Courageous. I am writing it in hopes to add more drama. Also please, go back to chapter 15 part 2. I've made some changes to incorporate this change.

Anyways, thanks for reading! It means a lot to me! Hope everyone enjoys it. Please, comment, rec, and subscribe!