Whitey's Daughter

My dad starts his speech on the first day of training camp, starting the prospects off immediately with an awe of him and his intensity instilled in them.

He gets the boys into a weights set then sends the other trainers out to keep an eye on them while he comes to talk to me. “Keep it up, Malcolm!” he barks before he gives me his attention. “What’s up?” he asks, his demeanor softening.

“I just wanted to sit in on a session for the day. I only had my food prep class this morning, so I thought I’d come by,” I say, readjusting my backpack on my shoulder. He nods, “Join in whenever you want.”

I drop my bag by the door, then walk towards the front of the room where the chairs for the rookies are set up. A couple of the guys give me weird looks, probably only thinking of me as a girl who loves wearing athletic shorts just because. But I ignore them, fully prepared to prove them wrong later as I stretch out. My dad calls their eyes back to him, however, once most of them finish their first set. “Listen up, boys,” he says, making sure he has their full attention. I groan, knowing exactly where he's going with this, “This is my daughter, Aspen.” I wave, giving a smile to Malcolm- the one prospect I can recognize. “No funny business, you got it? No smirks, no flirting, none of that. But if you happen to and I catch you, I’m dying for a punishment,” he finishes, a wicked smile on his face. “Now get outside. We’ll be doing a shuttle run next up. First of many.”

I walk out with the guys, bumping Malcolm’s shoulder when I know my dad can’t see us so he doesn’t get in trouble. He introduces the guy next to him as Matty (Matt Grzelcyk) and he tells me that he goes to Boston University like me, and plays on the hockey team there. I recognize his name, remembering he was named next year's captain. “Good to meet you, Matt.”

My dad must hear me because he turns around from his spot in the group walking out with a suspicious look. I shake my head and he somehow lets it go after that, turning back around and talking to one of the other trainers. Before we start, Dad has a bargain for us, “I tell you what, if Aspen can place in the top five, we’ll play a round of capture the flag.” My face burns a bit when I accept and all eyes fall on me, but I brush it off and busy myself with warming up.

Dad puts me in the fourth heat of the shuttle run with Matt and two other guys he names off as Fitzgerald and Cehlarik. I line up on the far right lane on the track, and jump off the line once the whistle is blown. Dad yells at all of the three guys in my heat at least once to touch the line, but I’m careful in making sure I do, already very familiar in running this drill, having completed it successfully countless of times. I finish fifth overall in the shuttle run, beating the sixth place finisher by three tenths of a second. A bunch of the guys rush over to me, high fiving me and thanking me for a break. Dad names the top two finishers, David Pastrnak and Matt, respectively, the team captains.

David names Linus Arnesson his first pick and then it’s Matt’s turn. He debates for a second before calling on me. I smile and walk over to him, high fiving him before standing next to him and waiting for his next pick. Once the teams are decided, we all walk over to where the trainers set up the field for the game, our team, including Fitzgerald and Malcolm as well as eight others I’m still not familiar with, taking the far end. Malcolm runs me through the names quickly while the rules of capture the flag are explained to the rookies new to the game. After, a quick strategy is established, Matt sending Malcolm, Fitzgerald and me as the runners to get the flag- really a Bruins towel tied around a branch low of a tree.

The whistle blows and the three of us all go in different directions towards the flag. A couple of the guys on Pastrnak’s team head for each of us, Fitzgerald and Malcolm zig zagging back and forth between each other trying to lose them. The two chasing me can’t reach me before I tag up on the base made out of a pylon from the shuttle run. They both decide I’m not as big of a threat as the two boys still running around in a circle avoiding Pastrnak’s teammates, despite my dad barking at them to do something else more productive.

However, as soon as they leave, I run straight for them, distracting the few going after Fitzgerald so he can go for the flag. Malcolm and I make it back to the base and catch our breath while Fitzy does the same, safe as long as he doesn’t leave the crease set up around the flag. Pastrnak and Arnesson stay close to the base in case one of us tries to make a break for Fitzy and help him out. Malcolm and I quietly try to solve out who’s the faster of the two and whether that person should distract the defenders or make a break for Fitzy.

I glance over at our side of the field and see no one in the crease around the flag, but also notice two guys on base with Matt and a guy I recognize as Donato on guard. “I’ll go for Fitzy,” I whisper. “You get these guys towards the line on this side and then head back here and I should be fine if Fitz is gonna follow.”

Malcolm nods, then sprints off, both defenders running after him with barely a glance set towards me. I run towards Fitzy and he notices me coming and distracts his defenders long enough for me to get into the crease and get the towel from him, racing right back out with him trailing behind me. It takes the defenders a second to realize we’re gone and by the time they chase after us, I’m already halfway to the line.

Matt notices, leaving his partner to guard the now one opposing player on the base. He runs towards the line just as I cross it, and I jump into Matt’s arms, and throw the flag into the air. He lets me down almost instantly and Fitzgerald runs into us, pushing us all into a pile on the ground, the rest of the team all joining.

The guys all get up off of us, and I’m left on top of Matt. He smiles at me then must remember about my dad’s threat because he nervously tries to get me off of him without directly shoving me off. I pull myself up from the ground, putting on a smile when the trainers come up to congratulate us.

Dad high fives me, then calls everyone in for a talk. I zone out once I realize it’s focused on the schedule for the on ice session, then follow everyone back inside.

I fall towards the back unintentionally and end up behind Matt and Fitzy. Fitz sees me and glances back, giving an awkward smile before turning back around quickly.

-

I go to leave once the guys go into the locker room to get ready for the on ice training, but Matt stops me, coming out of the room half dressed in his gear, pulling his red no contact jesey over his head because of his shoulder surgery from his injury last season at BU. "Aspen, wait up!" he calls. I turn to face him as I put my backpack on my shoulders. "Listen, I'm sorry about earlier," he says. "Your dad's just really intense and while I can respect it, he kind of scares me."

I laugh, "That would be my dad."

He grins, too, "I remember last year, I overheard him talking with a bunch of the trainers about you. I just remember how highly he thought of you. I've seen you on campus a couple times too and when you came in today, Malcolm may or may not have introduced us because I wouldn't shut up about you." I smile sheepishly, a bit surprised at his comment. "When Ryan landed on us it kind of shocked me and I thought, like, 'this is my chance,' but then I remembered that your dad is my trainer so I kind of freaked."

I glance around the weight room, seeing we're alone. I take a chance at being caught and tug at his jersey, pulling him in and kissing his cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow, Matt."