‹ Prequel: Chances Risked
Sequel: Life's Chances

The Three C's

Chapter Nineteen

-Maggie-
It was the day of the first game for Team USA and I was nervous, my parents and brother were excited. I managed to catch the first period of the Finland/Austria game and I saw that Finland was up by three, both Olli and Jussi had scored a goal for their country and I was happy for them.

The boys and I had our team lunch, got other countries to wish us lucky before we all headed off to head to the rink. When I walked outside we were all laughing and I was pouting because someone told the staff about me not being about to ride a bike, and they went out and got me a three wheel bike.

“Well, at least everyone will know that it’s mine,” I said and looked towards my teammates.

“All that’s missing is a little basket and a bell,” Ryan Kessler teased and I flipped him off.

When we got to the rink, everyone walked to the locker room and stepped through the doors, I pulled out my phone and took a picture of what it looked like before anyone touched their gear, it was amazing and I couldn’t believe that I was here. I was with the boys representing our country.

“Guys, remember,” Praise started as we headed for our stalls, “We’re up against Slovakia, they’ve got Chara, so everyone be alert.”

Everyone took their time slipping on their USA gear, remembering the moment of their first game in the 2014 Olympics. Coach came in, gave a speech and then told us to head out for warm ups. Everything was pretty much quiet, it wasn’t like normal warm ups, everyone stuck to themselves and did what they needed to do to mentally prepare themselves. I on the other hand, somehow always found myself singing to a song, even if the song wasn’t in English and I didn’t know the words, I just made my own up.

I heard my name and looked up to see Pat looking at me, he pointed to something behind me and I turned around and smiled to see my parents and brother all decked out in red, white and blue and holding a giant American flag. I giggled and shook my head, waving towards them and then continued with my warm up until it was time to head back into the locker room.

Coach came back in and gave us some tips on how to handle the Slovakians, some were useful, some we figured out on our own. I was in the middle of tapping up my sticks, deciding to tap a little with red tape, a little with white and a little with blue, some of the guys chuckled at my childishness, but I didn’t care.

Coach announced that Zach Praise, David Backes, and Ryan Callahan were going to start with Kevin Shattenkirk and Ryan McDonagh as their defense. I was second string with Phil Kessel and James Van Riemsdyk, Paul and Brooks our defense. We had a few minutes until it was time for us to hit the ice; I threw the headphones in my ears and tried to get myself to calm down from my nervousness.

-Kane-
I was just leaning back against my stall waiting, that’s what some of us were doing, the only thing that seemed to catch our attention was Maggie’s voice.

“Feel it comin’ in the air, and the screams from everywhere, I’m addicted to the thrill, it’s a dangerous love affair, can’t be scared when it goes down, got a problem tell me now, only thing that’s on my mind, is who’s gunna run this town tonight…”

I smirked, it was an appropriate song for this moment, some of the guys were just looking at her, she had her head down, leaning over, her elbows on her knees, fingers laced together and she was in her own little world. I noticed, even during the All Star games, she did this, she listened to music before the game and during the two intermissions, I figured it was her way to prepare herself.

“Life’s a game, but it’s not fair, I break the rules, so I don’t care, so I keep doin’ my own thing, walkin’ tall against the rain, victory’s within the mile, almost there, don’t give up now, only thing that’s on my mind, is who’s gunna run this town tonight…”

When it was time to head out onto the ice, we all just looked at each other, there was a moment of silence before we left the locker room and made our way to the ice. Cheers were heard from every direction and country colors blended together in the stands. We all did circles around our side of the ice before we skated to the blue line, waiting for everyone to be there.

Each team stared at each other, we slammed our sticks against the ice to show respect to the other team before all but the starting line leaving the ice for the bench. Maggie was sitting on the bench between her two line mates and I sat next to mine, Kesler and Pacioretty. Before we even knew it, the game started and this was it, this was the real thing, we were in the Olympics.

Fourteen minutes and twenty-seven seconds into the game, that’s where things got started, thing heated up. Maggie was doing her thing, shocking the world with everything she was able to do; she scored the first goal of the game with Kessel and Van Riensdyk assisting.

Maggie scored the only goal in the first period, but in the second, twenty four seconds into the period, the opposing team scored. However, we quickly made up for it with Kesler’s goal and my assist a minute after theirs, and then to top it off, a minute after ours, Paul Stastny made our third goal of the night with Pacioretty and Oshie assisting.

-Maggie-
It was late in the second period, the score was six to one and I didn’t see Slovakia coming back from this, though I couldn’t say it out loud because there was always the third period. With less than five minutes left in the second, Dustin Brown, Pat and I were on the ice, the Slovakians changed their goalies after the fifth goal had hit the back of the net. Dustin scored the seventh goal for Team USA with Pat and I assisting him.

The second period finished and quickly went into the third, that flew by and when the horn sounded at the end of the game, we knew that we had dominated the ice and had shown great teamwork, the final score being seven to one. We were all on the ice and hugging one another for winning our first game with a land slide and then moved into a line to shake hands with the opposing team.

When we were back in the locker room, I was so happy that we had won the game and I had a goal and assist under my belt. Pierre McGuire had already interviewed me during the first intermission and as soon as I sat at my stall, I was instantly attacked with cameras, voice recorders and microphones. Questions were being shot out in all directions and in all languages and I was doing my best to keep up.

I thank Coach when he chased the reporters all away when they were staying longer than they were welcomed. I changed out of my gear and headed into the showers only to freeze and turn back around, the locker rooms weren’t set up like the arena’s back at home, it was all open and I had just been flashed by a lot of players.

I just shook my head and sat at my stall waiting for them all to be finished so that I could go in and take my shower. I heard my name and looked up to see Coach, he had walked out of his office and gave me a confused look, “Open showers, not doing it.”

Coach just chuckled and walked over towards me and took a seat next to me, “You played well out there today,” he said and I looked at him, “I’m proud of you Maggie.”

“Thanks for fighting for me, Coach,” I said and Coach patted my shoulder.

“You’re one of my best and I’m gunna hate to see you leave the ‘burgh,” he said and I giggled.

“I’ll visit,” I said and he let out a laugh.

“Have you heard anything about the petition?” he asked and I shook my head.

“Pat says that not all of the teams had handed theirs in yet,” I said and Coach nodded his head.

“Listen, the top two teams that we need to worry about here are Russia and-“

“Canada,” I said and he sighed and nodded his head, “I’m ready for them,” I said and Coach smiled.

“I know you are,” he said and pulled out his clipboard, “I saw Babcock in the stands during the first period. He saw your goal, he knows how impressive you are- The whole Canadian team knows. There’s no surprising them- But with the Russians-“

“Only Geno, Ovechkin and Datsyuk know about my talents,” I said and Coach nodded his head.

“Because we’re in Russia, the home team is going to be pushing harder at our game and Canada’s game,” he said and I nodded my head, knowing this, “We need to strike intimidation and win the game against Russia- A lot of people think we’re going to lose-“

“We won’t lose,” I said and Coach nodded his head.

-Kane-
We had practice the next morning and then Maggie went off to spend some time with her family while the others and I just relaxed or found something to do. The night most of us were going to go to the Canada and Austria game, we wanted to see what was to be expected of one of our top rivals.

When it came time for the game, we all crowded in the one suite; Maggie was squished at the front, leaning against the bar in-between Praise and I. We stayed for the whole game and took mental notes on what to expect on when the two North Americans meet.

“Holy shit,” Maggie breathed with less than four minutes left in the second when Ryan Getzlaf scored the sixth goal for Canada, three of those goals belonging to Jeff Carter. The score was six to zero and I didn’t see Austria winning this game, which they didn’t.

“We need to keep an eye on their lines,” Praise said and Maggie nodded her head.

“They might have won, but it looks like Price was holding the team- They’re playing sloppy,” Maggie said and I looked at her, “Like they’re still working the kinks in the lines.”

“We can use that to our advantage,” Quick said and Maggie nodded her head.

I always found it interesting how Maggie was always so quick to come up with strategies or notice things about a player. When it came to the sport, she was always very observant and I pictured her future, after she retired from the NHL, started our family, I pictured her Coaching our son or daughter’s hockey team.