The Three C's

Preseason came and went, we played the Blue Jackets, Red Wings, Blackhawks twice, winning three of the games, but also losing three. During the break between preseason and regular season, most guys either took a rest or trained, I trained. I needed Coach to see that I wanted this Olympic spot on the men’s team, I was going to train and train and train until I couldn’t train any longer.

The regular season started in a week and Pat’s first game was two days before my first game. I wasn’t going to be able to visit him like I wanted; I was too busy pushing my body to the extent. After five days of going to the rink, Coach actually ordered me to stop and rest because I was going to burn myself out and when I tried to protest, he shut me up by saying he was still trying to get a spot for me, Slovakia had peer pressured over and signed the paper that it was all right for me to be on the team, we were now waiting for Germany and apparently now Russia.

It was two days before the first game; everyone got an email saying that we were all going out to a team dinner at the local steakhouse. Beau, Olli and I drove in my Escalade and ended up parking next to Marc, Vero and baby Estelle.

“Uh oh,” Marc laughed as I saw Estelle and instantly wanted to hold her.

“When are you going to settle down and have one of your own, Maggie?” Vero asked as I smiled, holding the baby girl.

“Not for a very, very, very long time,” I said and she looked at me, “This body has at least four more seasons in it before I retire and settle down-“

“With Pat?” Vero giggled and I blushed and shrugged my shoulders.

“Maybe,” I giggled and we headed into the restaurant and found that some of my teammates were already there. I claimed the seat next to James and saw him in a conversation with Matt. I smirked, stole his hat and threw it on my head. He instantly looked towards me and smirked, “What’s up, home slice!” I tried to be gangster, but it was a major fail.

“Oh, you’re too pimpin’ for me, Mags,” James chuckled and stole his hat back and threw it on his head backwards.

“Damn right, I’m too cool for you bro,” I said and we both started to laugh and Matt was just shaking his head. I looked in front of me to see Kunitz and Pascal just shaking their heads as well, “Don’t be hatin’ son!”

“What the hell did you smoke before you came here?” Pascal asked and Beau was crackin’ up laughing.

“We watched the Boondock Saints,” he said and I just shrugged my shoulders and the guys were laughing.

“Fo’ shizzle my nizzle,” I said and just threw back my head and laughed.

“And listened to Snoop Dog,” Beau laughed and I just shook my head.

“You’re too much, Maggie,” James said and then swung his arm around my shoulder.

“We can have a Boondock Saints marathon?” I said and James chuckled and shook his head.

“We could wat-“

“We’re not watching Miracle, Beau Bennett! We watched it four times in one day the other day!” I snapped and the guys laughed.

“What?! It’s a beautiful story!”

“Yes, it is, and you fuckin’ make me watch it and I cry all the time-“

“She freakin’ cries at Miracle and Free Willy! But not the Notebook!” Beau yelled and the guys laughed.

“Free Willy is a beautiful and emotional story of a boy fighting to save the killer whale!” I defend and playfully pushed him and he laughed.

“You made them watch the Notebook?” Paul asked and I smiled brightly.

“Yes, I Notebooke’d their asses!”

“And not a tear was shed, while blubber boy over here was hogging the tissues,” Beau said and nudged his head towards Olli.

“Oh don’t pick on him! I saw you wiping your face on poor Bella!” I barked and the laughter in the room only grew at the hearing of Beau crying on my dog.

“All right, all right, settle down!” we heard and saw Coach walk into the room, “What trouble are you causing now, Marshall?”

“Why do you always assume it’s me?!” I laughed and the guys snickered, “Honestly, that’s a hate crime!”

“What are you talkin’ about?” he asked confused.

“It’s cuz I’m-“

“Don’t say it!” Beau slammed his hand over my mouth, “We’re never watchin’ Boondock Saints ever again!” the guys were laughing and I just shook my head.

We all had dinner and then after some headed over towards Marc to mess around in his now sound proof game room basement. Olli was amazed more with Marc’s basement than my own, but I understood, it was pretty cool.

“All right, let me set up the controllers-“

“I call one!” I yelled and ran passed the guys, jumped over the couch and plopped waiting for Marc to toss me one, “What are we playin’, Flower?”

“Probably Mario Kart,” Sidney said as Geno came over and took a seat next to me.

I propped my legs up on the big guy’s lap and looked at him, he just looked at me and smirked, shaking his head. I smiled brightly at him, wiggled my eyebrows and nudged my head towards him, “How you doin’?” I tried to sound like Joey from F-R-I-E-N-D-S, don't think it worked.

“You crazy,” Geno chuckled.

“Hey I just met you, and this crazy, but here’s my number, so call me maybe!” I sang and the just shook their heads and Olli just looked at me like I was crazy, “Don’t mind me, they’re used to my weird random-ish behavior.”

“No we’re not,” James muttered loudly to him and I shout him a glare.

“I know where you sleep at night, Neal!” I said and he snorted, “Don’t make me call your mom!”

“Ooooooooooooh,” the guys laughed and I just giggled.

“Oh no she didn’t!” Beau teased and James just came at me and did a dive bomb and I laughed as he started to tickle me.

“I hold her! I hold her!” Geno laughed and I felt him holding my arms while someone else, probably Sidney was holding my legs.

I honestly loved my teammates and I was going to miss them when I was going to be traded to Chicago at the end of the season. Most of them knew that this was my last season as a Penguin, it wasn’t released to the public or anything, just my teammates knew this little piece of information.

-Kane-
After having a pretty good preseason, only losing two games, both against Pittsburgh, a game that Maggie was still not letting me live down, we were playing really well. We were currently two weeks into the regular season and just finishing our away game against the Hurricanes, winning in a shootout. We’ve played so far the Capitals, Lightning, Blues, Islanders, Sabres, and now Hurricanes, winning four of the six of them.

Once we got back to the hotel room, most of the guys were in Jon and my room when I turned the NHL Network on to see the highlights of tonight’s game. Maggie had a home game against the Oilers and the Penguins, of course, won that.

“They’re having an unbelievable season,” Sharp said and I nodded my head, the Penguins also had six games and only lost one of them. Not only were the Penguins playing well, but Maggie was on fire. In six games she got eleven points, seven goals and four assists, “Sparky’s on fire too.”

“Yeah, she’s determined to get on the Olympic team so she’s kind of pushing herself,” I said and the guys nodded their heads.

“Just tell her not to overdo it,” Jon said and I sighed.

“That’s what I’ve been telling her- Apparently her Coach too,” I said and Jon snorted.

“It’s Maggie, do you expect anything less- She’s gunna do everything she can to get what she wants,” he said and I smirked and nodded my head, that was the personality of my girlfriend.

“Yup, and I wouldn’t change her for the world,” I said and the guys laughed, “What?”

“You’re so fuckin’ whipped, it’s pathetic!” Andrew Shaw said and I rolled my eyes.

“Nothing wrong with that,” Sharp said and I looked at him, “I like Sparky, just make sure she’s got a Hawk logo on her chest next year and no one else’s.”

“That’s deal’s as good as made, Stan’s just waiting for it to get closer to the end of her contract before he offers anything, but he’s aware that she wants to come here,” I said, talking about Stan Bowman, our General Manager.

“You know, Maggie’s cousin- Dana?” Jon looked at me and I nodded my head, “The NHL has their eye on her, pretty sure Stan was lookin’ at her when she signs up for the 2014 Draft.”

“How cool would it be to have two Marshalls?!” Corey said and I chuckled and nodded my head, “A wife and an in-law, Kaner!”

“Not quite yet,” I said and the guys laughed, “What now?!”

“The fact that you’re thinking about it proves my point!” Shaw yelled, “You’re whipped! The great Patrick Kane is whipped!”