The Opportunity Has Just Begun
Showing Them How It Is Done
With Sid’s wise words I was ready to really take this whole thing seriously, get myself out there and show them what was going to happen. They guys weren’t going to dictate who I was, they weren’t going to get in my way, they weren’t going to take advantage of me. I was going to do what I wanted as I pleased, most of the time.
“Come on Cam!” one of them yelled as I flew down the ice with the puck on my stick.
“Go! Go! Go!” Dan yelled.
The first period against New Jersey had been hard, it was full on and neither of us had been rewarded with a goal. I knew I needed to do something soon if I was going to make my name. 8 games and I hadn’t done anything worth the recognition so when the puck didn’t go in and I was being slammed into the boards I turned around to the culprit and swung.
“I am not going to fight a girl,” Henrique backed off.
“You just hit me so why not?” I moved forward.
“Ok but don’t go crying to your coach,” he stepped forward dropping his gloves and pulling off his helmet.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I did the same and grabbed his jersey.
I don’t remember much of the fight there was too much adrenaline pumping through my body but I knew it was over when he tumbled to the ice and I fell on top of him.
“Good fight,” he smiled taping my leg as the linesman came over to pull us apart, “you don’t punch like a girl that’s for sure,” I could see the blood on his forehead trickling down the side of his face and couldn’t believe I had actually done that to him.
“Don’t go crying to your coach now,” I teased turning away and heading for the bench.
I could see all the guys smiling and cheering me on, Sid beaming like a proud father as I stepped off the ice. All except one, Geno and his dumb worried face almost ruining my high.
“Here,” Chris handed me a towel, “let’s go get that stitched up huh?”
I hadn’t really registered the blood in my mouth that was trickling down my jaw, my lip was split for sure.
Chris ushered me back to see the team doctor who was shaking his head at my antics.
“He did a good job,” he shook his head, “I am just glad I am not their team doctor,” he laughed because everyone knew Henrique was worse off.
My lip was numb so I couldn’t even feel the stitches but I knew it was enough to make myself known and something that would get the team going.
“Looks good,” James smiled as I walked into the locker room after being fixed up.
“You’re a monster,” Pascal head locked me making a big fuss over me.
“That was some Arnold Schwarzenegger shit,” Matt Cooke spoke up.
A few guys looked at each other like they all had the same idea before all cheering “Arney!”
I had been called Arney a few times during college but people seemed to stick with Cam rather than messing with my last name. But it looked like this one was going to be staying.
“That’s what we like to see out there,” Dan clapped as he walked in.
“You,” he pointed to me with a huge smile on his face, “I knew you wouldn’t let anything get in your way.”
“Now guys Cam has started this one and I expect everyone else to pitch in and lift your game. We can’t let them win after that.”
I sat in my stall with an ice pack on my lip hoping it wouldn’t swell up too much knowing I would be biting it all the time if it did while we waited to hit the ice again.
“You ok?” Geno appeared with a huge frown on his face.
“I am fine,” I began to walk away.
“Cam,” he grabbed my wrist.
“What?” I snapped my head back at him not wanting to deal with whatever it was he wanted to say after he had to be pathetic and start telling Sid things that weren’t true.
“Be careful.”
“I can look after myself,” I pulled my wrist from his grasp and grabbed the rest of my gear to head out.
I don’t know why he was playing this behind the scenes caring thing, it was rather annoying. All the other guys had been up for establishing a proper friendship with me where he seemed to be pulling himself away. He talked to me and teased me when the guys were around but when they weren’t he was frowning and disapprovingly of me with his eyes. We worked well together on the ice and we stood up for each other but he seemed to take it to where he felt like he needed to protect me off the ice too.
I just wanted to know what his deal was so I could concentrate on myself. But he wasn’t going to tell me and I was just going to have to get on with the task at hand until I could face him about it.
“Come on Cam!” one of them yelled as I flew down the ice with the puck on my stick.
“Go! Go! Go!” Dan yelled.
The first period against New Jersey had been hard, it was full on and neither of us had been rewarded with a goal. I knew I needed to do something soon if I was going to make my name. 8 games and I hadn’t done anything worth the recognition so when the puck didn’t go in and I was being slammed into the boards I turned around to the culprit and swung.
“I am not going to fight a girl,” Henrique backed off.
“You just hit me so why not?” I moved forward.
“Ok but don’t go crying to your coach,” he stepped forward dropping his gloves and pulling off his helmet.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I did the same and grabbed his jersey.
I don’t remember much of the fight there was too much adrenaline pumping through my body but I knew it was over when he tumbled to the ice and I fell on top of him.
“Good fight,” he smiled taping my leg as the linesman came over to pull us apart, “you don’t punch like a girl that’s for sure,” I could see the blood on his forehead trickling down the side of his face and couldn’t believe I had actually done that to him.
“Don’t go crying to your coach now,” I teased turning away and heading for the bench.
I could see all the guys smiling and cheering me on, Sid beaming like a proud father as I stepped off the ice. All except one, Geno and his dumb worried face almost ruining my high.
“Here,” Chris handed me a towel, “let’s go get that stitched up huh?”
I hadn’t really registered the blood in my mouth that was trickling down my jaw, my lip was split for sure.
Chris ushered me back to see the team doctor who was shaking his head at my antics.
“He did a good job,” he shook his head, “I am just glad I am not their team doctor,” he laughed because everyone knew Henrique was worse off.
My lip was numb so I couldn’t even feel the stitches but I knew it was enough to make myself known and something that would get the team going.
“Looks good,” James smiled as I walked into the locker room after being fixed up.
“You’re a monster,” Pascal head locked me making a big fuss over me.
“That was some Arnold Schwarzenegger shit,” Matt Cooke spoke up.
A few guys looked at each other like they all had the same idea before all cheering “Arney!”
I had been called Arney a few times during college but people seemed to stick with Cam rather than messing with my last name. But it looked like this one was going to be staying.
“That’s what we like to see out there,” Dan clapped as he walked in.
“You,” he pointed to me with a huge smile on his face, “I knew you wouldn’t let anything get in your way.”
“Now guys Cam has started this one and I expect everyone else to pitch in and lift your game. We can’t let them win after that.”
I sat in my stall with an ice pack on my lip hoping it wouldn’t swell up too much knowing I would be biting it all the time if it did while we waited to hit the ice again.
“You ok?” Geno appeared with a huge frown on his face.
“I am fine,” I began to walk away.
“Cam,” he grabbed my wrist.
“What?” I snapped my head back at him not wanting to deal with whatever it was he wanted to say after he had to be pathetic and start telling Sid things that weren’t true.
“Be careful.”
“I can look after myself,” I pulled my wrist from his grasp and grabbed the rest of my gear to head out.
I don’t know why he was playing this behind the scenes caring thing, it was rather annoying. All the other guys had been up for establishing a proper friendship with me where he seemed to be pulling himself away. He talked to me and teased me when the guys were around but when they weren’t he was frowning and disapprovingly of me with his eyes. We worked well together on the ice and we stood up for each other but he seemed to take it to where he felt like he needed to protect me off the ice too.
I just wanted to know what his deal was so I could concentrate on myself. But he wasn’t going to tell me and I was just going to have to get on with the task at hand until I could face him about it.