The Opportunity Has Just Begun
First Game Jitters
A week of working out, a week of on ice drills, endless training, preparation and trying to get accustomed to what was expected of me to be a part of the NHL and I was done. I was so exhausted and didn’t know just how I was going to make it.
“Cam you ready?” Dan spoke up as I walked into the locker room.
“Um yeah,” I frowned as I walked over to my spot and dumped my bag in my stall.
“Good because I was thinking about starting you with Geno and Nealsy,” he stood over me as I sat down reaching for my water bottle.
“What?” I almost choked, “but we have only played together twice in practice.”
“Look,” he chuckled at my worry as he knelt down putting his hand on my shoulder, “it’s not about how long you have been playing, it’s about how you play, alright?”
“Ok.”
“Good, now if you need me I will be in my office.”
I took his words and let them sink in. He was right though, just because I was new didn’t mean I had to let people treat me like I was nothing. I knew I could play and obviously he could see that in me too.
Dan wasn’t really the comforting kind of person but he was a wise man. Throughout every practice where I was about to say I couldn’t do it anymore he was there telling me every reason as to how and why I could. In the short time I had known him he was definitely setting himself up to be the best coach I had ever had.
I grabbed my iPod and headed into the gym to warm up. I was feeling sick and I knew it was nerves but I needed to just get myself under control.
Geno appeared in front of my vision huge smile on his face and a soccer ball in hand as I peddled on the bike trying to distract myself from the stirring feeling in my stomach but for some reason his presence only made it worse.
“Hi” I pulled one of my ear buds out so I could hear him not wanting to fish out my iPod to pause it.
“Soccer?” he held the ball up.
“Ah no thanks I am good,” I shook my head, “I always ride the bike to warm up.”
“You crazy just like Sid, rules, rules, rules,” he turned and began to walk away.
“There not rules, it’s a routine!” I shouted after him.
“Still crazy,” he waved me off and left.
“And you’re still an asshole!”
Was it wrong that every time he was around I wanted to punch him in the face? His stupid smug look that he always had and his constant teasing was annoying. If I could smack it out of him I would but then again I didn’t want to be questioned by everyone about why I was attacking one of the star players.
I got back into my groove, enjoying the music blasting through my earphones. I could do it just like the others could, there was no need to worry.
I kept my earphones in as I got ready. It was helping to keep the stirring feeling down in my stomach. Enough to last until everyone was getting ready to hit the ice.
“Nerves huh?” Matt Cooke looked passed Sid with a big grin on his face, “you not what helps me when I feel sick?”
“What?” I was stupid enough to go for it right now because I was going to do anything not to chuck.
“No Cookie that’s ok she will be fine,” Sid put his hand on my back.
“The sooner you get it over and done with the better you will be,” Kunitz spoke up from next to me as he slipped his jersey on.
“That is so not helping,” I hunched over the bin before my pregame snack that Sid forced me to eat came back up.
“This is so embarrassing,” I fell back into my stall feeling like an idiot as Geno stared at me from a few stalls down looking a little concerned.
“Go wash your face you will be ok,” Chris ushered me to my feet.
I finally got myself in check and put on the rest of my gear before Sid was ushering me out the door, he was always so bossy.
I watched as he and Geno did some weird little handshake before Evgeni taped my leg with his stick and Sid slapped my thigh signaling me to go.
I knew hockey, it was my whole life. I could skate from the moment I could walk. I was on the ice with my dad and brother every day and when I started school it was all wanted to do.
Teachers would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up and I always responded with “I want to be the first female in the NHL.”
They all said I needed to stop living in my head and get in the real world because it was a stupid dream according to them but to me and my dad it was everything. My brother played in the AHL and sometimes he wasn’t really looking for much else. He had his girlfriend and they were madly in love and that was all he wanted.
“Good job out there,” Chris looked over me through exhausted eyes.
“Yeah it was ok,” I sunk into my stall feeling completely numb.
I don’t think I had been hit that much such my first year in high school playing on the guy’s team.
“Well you stood your ground so just keep it up,” he slapped my knee before getting to work on his gear.
“Thanks,” I sighed letting myself relax.
“Nice job on that assist there Cam,” Brandon flashed me a very warm smile that made Geno frown when I smiled back.
“Cam you ready?” Dan spoke up as I walked into the locker room.
“Um yeah,” I frowned as I walked over to my spot and dumped my bag in my stall.
“Good because I was thinking about starting you with Geno and Nealsy,” he stood over me as I sat down reaching for my water bottle.
“What?” I almost choked, “but we have only played together twice in practice.”
“Look,” he chuckled at my worry as he knelt down putting his hand on my shoulder, “it’s not about how long you have been playing, it’s about how you play, alright?”
“Ok.”
“Good, now if you need me I will be in my office.”
I took his words and let them sink in. He was right though, just because I was new didn’t mean I had to let people treat me like I was nothing. I knew I could play and obviously he could see that in me too.
Dan wasn’t really the comforting kind of person but he was a wise man. Throughout every practice where I was about to say I couldn’t do it anymore he was there telling me every reason as to how and why I could. In the short time I had known him he was definitely setting himself up to be the best coach I had ever had.
I grabbed my iPod and headed into the gym to warm up. I was feeling sick and I knew it was nerves but I needed to just get myself under control.
Geno appeared in front of my vision huge smile on his face and a soccer ball in hand as I peddled on the bike trying to distract myself from the stirring feeling in my stomach but for some reason his presence only made it worse.
“Hi” I pulled one of my ear buds out so I could hear him not wanting to fish out my iPod to pause it.
“Soccer?” he held the ball up.
“Ah no thanks I am good,” I shook my head, “I always ride the bike to warm up.”
“You crazy just like Sid, rules, rules, rules,” he turned and began to walk away.
“There not rules, it’s a routine!” I shouted after him.
“Still crazy,” he waved me off and left.
“And you’re still an asshole!”
Was it wrong that every time he was around I wanted to punch him in the face? His stupid smug look that he always had and his constant teasing was annoying. If I could smack it out of him I would but then again I didn’t want to be questioned by everyone about why I was attacking one of the star players.
I got back into my groove, enjoying the music blasting through my earphones. I could do it just like the others could, there was no need to worry.
I kept my earphones in as I got ready. It was helping to keep the stirring feeling down in my stomach. Enough to last until everyone was getting ready to hit the ice.
“Nerves huh?” Matt Cooke looked passed Sid with a big grin on his face, “you not what helps me when I feel sick?”
“What?” I was stupid enough to go for it right now because I was going to do anything not to chuck.
“No Cookie that’s ok she will be fine,” Sid put his hand on my back.
“The sooner you get it over and done with the better you will be,” Kunitz spoke up from next to me as he slipped his jersey on.
“That is so not helping,” I hunched over the bin before my pregame snack that Sid forced me to eat came back up.
“This is so embarrassing,” I fell back into my stall feeling like an idiot as Geno stared at me from a few stalls down looking a little concerned.
“Go wash your face you will be ok,” Chris ushered me to my feet.
I finally got myself in check and put on the rest of my gear before Sid was ushering me out the door, he was always so bossy.
I watched as he and Geno did some weird little handshake before Evgeni taped my leg with his stick and Sid slapped my thigh signaling me to go.
I knew hockey, it was my whole life. I could skate from the moment I could walk. I was on the ice with my dad and brother every day and when I started school it was all wanted to do.
Teachers would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up and I always responded with “I want to be the first female in the NHL.”
They all said I needed to stop living in my head and get in the real world because it was a stupid dream according to them but to me and my dad it was everything. My brother played in the AHL and sometimes he wasn’t really looking for much else. He had his girlfriend and they were madly in love and that was all he wanted.
“Good job out there,” Chris looked over me through exhausted eyes.
“Yeah it was ok,” I sunk into my stall feeling completely numb.
I don’t think I had been hit that much such my first year in high school playing on the guy’s team.
“Well you stood your ground so just keep it up,” he slapped my knee before getting to work on his gear.
“Thanks,” I sighed letting myself relax.
“Nice job on that assist there Cam,” Brandon flashed me a very warm smile that made Geno frown when I smiled back.