Chapter 29: Back On the Ice

As Dave stood in his kitchen thinking about playing in the Bell Canadian Open with Mike Weir, he was shaken from his reverie by a honking horn. He grabbed the backpack he had prepared earlier and ran to meet John. As he climbed into the car with his best friend he immediately said, "You'll never guess what just happened."

As John backed out of the driveway he asked, "What?"

Dave explained, "I got a call from the RCGA and they want me to play in the Canadian Open next week. I'm going to be playing with Mike Weir! Can you believe it?"

John cheered, "That's sweet. You're going to play against the pros?"

Dave smiled, "I can't believe it either!"

John suddenly looked serious, "What are the Missiles going to say?"

Dave shrugged, "I don't know; but I can't pass up this opportunity. It would be like you getting a call from an NHL team and being asked to play a game with them. Would you turn that down?"

John thought about Dave's analogy, "No, I guess I wouldn't; but I hope they don't cut you for not being devoted enough to the team."

Dave just looked at his best friend, "I hope they don't either; but I can't worry about that - this is a rare chance to play against the best golfers in the world."

John pulled into a parking space at the Civic Centre and the two friends walked into the rink. The Missiles had converted an empty room across from their dressing room into a fitness training room. Dave and John entered the fitness room and one of the assistant coaches, Dave 'Tucker' Flanagan, was getting ready to start the training program. Dave remembered Tucker from the previous day and asked him if Coach Vigneault was in. Tucker said he would not be in for another hour.

Dave worked out with the team and was very tired when the hour and half was completed. He left the training room and walked to the coach's office. The door was closed so he knocked and awaited a reply. After a short pause he heard, "Entree!"

Dave cracked the door open and asked, "Can I speak to you, coach?" After the coach pointed to an empty chair, Dave sat down and explained, "Coach, I got a call today from the RCGA. They have invited me to play in the Canadian Open golf tournament next week. As I have told you, my dream is to eventually play professional golf. This is an opportunity that I can't turn down. I hope you will still give me a chance to earn a spot on this team - but I need to take ten days off starting on Friday."

Coach Vigneault did not look happy as Dave explained his plan to take ten days off. After a short reflection he replied, "Dave, you are a very good hockey player. I would like to have you on our team but all my players must make this team their number one priority. What happens if next month you get an opportunity to play in another tournament? This team can not be disrupted like that. I am also concerned by the fact you tell me you are going to a US college next year - that means I only have you for one year. I have thought about that a lot since we spoke on Saturday and I have decided that if you cannot help my team this year then I will not keep you on the team. I would rather invest a year of development into another sixteen or seventeen year old then spend a year developing you. However, as I said, if you can help me this year I will consider keeping you. The other players on the bubble for this team have the next two weeks to prove themselves. You now have until Friday - you better make the next four days count. And I will want assurance from you that, after this special tournament next week, you will remain with my team until the end of the playoffs. Without that assurance you will be cut. Understood?"

Dave thanked the coach before he left his office. Dave was disappointed that the coach was ready to cut him so quickly, but he understood the logic the coach clearly laid out for him.

John was waiting outside and Dave briefly explained what the coach said. John replied, "I figured he would not like it. You will have to play really well both Tuesday and Thursday."

Dave nodded as he followed his friend out of the rink. They went to Dave's home and found something to eat for dinner. The meal was quiet as Dave thought about his future with the Missiles. He thought about Coach Vigneault position and he came to appreciate what the coach was thinking. He then thought about his lack of golf practice since returning from Hartford and he knew that would have to change.

After eating he called Jennifer. She was glad to hear his voice and agreed to pick him up after his practice. He told her about the Canadian Open and she was excited for him. He further explained that he would need to practice a lot more this week. Jennifer understood although she silently wondered when he would have time for her with both hockey and golf. Dave promised to give her all his time Friday night and Saturday afternoon and evening. He said he would see her after practice and hung up.

John and Dave talked for a while before they left for the rink. The practice was hard and most of the team had somehow heard about Dave leaving for ten days - they didn't seem pleased with his lack of commitment. During the last half hour of practice, Coach Vigneault ran them through their systems. Dave and John were on the same line, each on a wing with a veteran center, Pierre-Andre Bureau. Dave took a little time to adjust to the system and the opposing players seemed to be hitting him at every opportunity. He had noticed that there had been little or no hitting during this part of the practice on Saturday and even now he seemed to be the lone target. He immediately realized that the players were trying to send him a message. After getting hit hard the third time he got the message loud and clear. He would have to take his game to a higher level or they would chase him off the team.

Dave was still feeling rusty but he dug deep and turned his intensity up a notch. A veteran forward took a run at him and Dave smoothly side stepped the hit and put a perfect pass on John's stick. He then accelerated down his wing and cut toward open ice in the middle. He called for the puck and John hit him with a perfect return pass. Dave carved around the defenseman and deeked the goalie out solid before lifting the puck into the empty net. He didn't celebrate; he simply moved back to his starting position near the boards and waited for Coach Vigneault to start again.

The coach ran the play again. The puck moved to Dave again and he was again charged by a different veteran player. He narrowly missed the heavy check and passed to John again. Pierre-Andre moved up ice with them and received a pass from John. Dave stayed on his wing and waited for the Pierre-Andre to cross the blue-line before Dave accelerated around the opposing defenseman in front of him. As he moved past the defenseman, Pierre-Andre passed him the puck and he skated in on the goalie. The other defenseman came over to cover and Dave faked a shot before he slid a perfect pass back to Bureau, now at the far side of the net. The goalie was frozen by the fake shot and Bureau easily redirected the pass into the net.

Pierre-Andre skated over to Dave and tapped him on the shin pads, "Great moves, Dave." Dave nodded after he heard the words spoken with a very heavy French accent. Coach Vigneault blew his whistle and changed the lines. John sat beside Dave on the bench and quietly whispered, "Good job of sticking it down their throats. We'll have a good game in Charlestown and show them what we can do together. Don't worry; I've got your back."

Dave nodded as he sucked for air. The much faster pace was definitely going to take some time to get used to. A quick burst of speed here and there had drained him completely. Dave's line got on the ice for a few more practice shifts and Dave, John, and Pierre-Andre seemed to be getting a good feel for each other.

As practice broke up the coach told them to meet at the rink the next day at eleven o'clock. Dave hit the showers where he continued to get some sour looks from the veterans. He shrugged it off and changed quickly. Jennifer met him in the hallway and they left immediately for North Beach. Dave spent three hours practicing at Hawk's Hallow before he returned to the trailer. He ate a large meal for supper while the conversation centered around his upcoming golf tournament.

Dave suddenly remembered something he had been told and looked at his father, "Dad, I need a caddy for the tournament."

Roger immediately answered, "We can hire one when we get to Hamilton."

Dave shook his head, "I don't want a stranger carrying my bag. I want someone who knows my game and who I trust to help me with sound decisions. I want someone I look up to - I want you to caddy for me."

Roger's eyes were misty with tears as he replied, "I'd be honored to caddy for you, son."

Dave nodded, "Thanks, Dad. We'll be an unbeatable team."

After the meal Dave and Jennifer went for a walk. He told her he had a ten o'clock curfew so he couldn't sneak onto the golf course with her. She smiled and said she wanted to save up for Friday. He kissed her tenderly. She told Dave that she was driving over to Charlestown with Dave's father, mother and two uncles - even Robert was going. She also said Katherine was invited and was checking with her parents.

After the walk Dave and Jennifer went for a swim in the pool. The evenings were getting cooler as August drew to a close and the heated pool felt good. They pulled on sweat suits to keep warm as they walked back to the trailers. Jennifer was sitting with Dave watching television when the phone rang. Dave answered the phone; it was a curfew check and he told Tucker he was in for the night and would see him in the morning.

Dave walked Jennifer home around eleven before he went to sleep. He dreamed about the Canadian Open as he slept soundly all night.

He woke at seven o'clock and went to the golf course to practice. He hit balls for three hours before returning to the trailer and eating a large meal. Jennifer drove him to meet the bus.

The drive to Charlestown passed quickly and the afternoon skate was relaxing. Dave started to get nervous during the team meal and by game time he was very nervous. He knew he had only two games to prove to Coach Vigneault that he would be an asset to the team this year. The team went on the ice for the pre-game warm-up. Dave was psyched and ready. He skated hard and got well-stretched.

The team returned to the dressing room and the coaches went over the game plan. Dave, John, and Pierre-Andre's line would be the third line. The team left the dressing room pumped up and ready for a battle. The Charlestown team was big and was expected to be one of the top teams in the Atlantic Division. The Missiles were not expected to be a top team in the division but were expected to do well enough to make the playoffs.

The first shift was very physical as the large Charlestown players tried to intimidate the Missile players. The second shift was very physical as well. Dave was a little surprised that each line only stayed on the ice for about thirty seconds before changing; in midget hockey shifts tended to be closer to a minute long. Dave's corresponding winger from the second line came to the bench and Dave jumped on as the team changed while play continued. Dave skated to his position and received a pass immediately. He turned to look up ice and was pounded into the boards by a large Charlestown winger. Dave got to his feet as he thought, "Welcome to Major Junior Hockey."

He got back in the play and returned the big hit to the same player. The puck bounced loose and Dave quickly scooped it up and passed it to Pierre-Andre. Pierre-Andre accelerated through center ice before he passed to John on the far wing. Dave skated hard up his wing and found a seam between the opposing winger and the defense. John spotted him skating hard to the net and made a perfect cross-ice pass. Dave moved in on the net and fired a quick wrist shot into the top corner of the net. The red light went on behind the glass as Dave threw his hands in the air in celebration. John and Pierre-Andre quickly skated to him, joined by their defensemen and the five players celebrated the first goal of the game.

Coach Vigneault and the rest of the team congratulated them as they reached the bench. The rest of the first period went well but Dave found the pace of play very tiring. Even though his skating legs were slowly improving he found even the short shifts drained him quickly. He had set John up for a nice goal and the team went to the dressing room with a three to one lead. Coach Vigneault spoke to the players in French before he left them to eat some oranges and rest.

The second period started like the first - very physical. The whistle blew thirty-five seconds into the period and the second line for the Missiles took the ice. John was sitting beside Dave and he whispered, "Here we go!"

Dave asked, "What do you mean?"

John replied, "See McIntyre lined up beside Jimmy? They're going to fight."

Dave looked at Jimmy Bonneau, the Missiles' resident tough guy. Dave had heard that Jimmy was considered one of the toughest guys in the league. Dave watched as Jimmy and McIntyre chirped at each other. As soon as the referee dropped the puck, Jimmy and McIntyre moved away from each other and threw down their gloves and sticks. All the other players moved away as the referee blew his whistle and the two linesmen took positions close to the combatants in case they needed to jump in.

Dave watched as the two players circled each other. They came together and each threw a punch. Jimmy grabbed McIntyre by the shoulder with his left hand and as he held him, he worked at the chin strap of his helmet with the same left hand. A split second later McIntyre's helmet fell off and Jimmy moved back to arm's length from his opponent and began throwing hard, heavy punches at McIntyre's now unprotected face. McIntyre took four or five hard punches before he managed to get Bonneau's helmet off and then took two more before he could land one decent punch. Jimmy threw three more punches before McIntyre simply held on and wrestled Jimmy to the ice.

The two linesmen then jumped in and separated the fighters. The two fighters went to the penalty boxes to serve their five minute penalties. The crowd was booing Jimmy but Dave and the rest of the team were screaming their approval of his sound thumping of the Charlestown player.

The game returned to play and Dave set Pierre-Andre up for a nice goal half way through the second period. The team went to the dressing room with a five-two lead. Vigneault told the team to be ready for a really tough third period. As the team went back on the ice, John warned Dave, "Keep an eye out for Saunders, the big defenseman, he's the team tough guy and he can be really dirty. If we score another goal before they do - Saunders will likely start some trouble to break up our focus." Dave nodded.

The Missiles' number one line started the third period. The line was made up of Michael Lambert, Cory Irquart, and David Laliberte and they scored on the first shift. The game did get a lot rougher and, when Dave's line took the ice, Dave noticed Saunders pointing at John. As soon as the puck dropped John dropped his gloves and moved towards Saunders. Saunders also dropped his gloves and they started to swing at each other. John was game but the bigger Saunders landed more punches. When the linesmen finally separated them John had a stream of blood rolling down the side of his face. He went to the dressing room instead of the penalty box. The Charlestown fans were going crazy.

Coach Vigneault sent out another winger to replace John and the two teams lined up again. This time the winger opposite Dave started calling him a pussy and finally Dave asked, "Do you want to go?" As soon as the linesman's hand made a motion towards the ice, Dave moved away from his opponent and threw his gloves to the side. The Charlestown player did the same before they skated towards each other.

They circled each other once before Dave moved in. He grabbed the player's shoulder pad and threw a hard punch which landed right in the middle of the players face shield. Dave felt pain shoot up his hand as he pulled his fist back and aimed a little lower. This time he landed a punch which just grazed the bottom of the visor before landing on the players chin. Dave felt a punch land on his visor before he pulled the opposing player close. He had to get the damn helmet off before he broke his hand on the visor. Dave worked at the helmet and suddenly it popped off, he immediately moved back and threw three straight hard punches. As soon as the third one landed the player dropped his face forward and grabbed onto to Dave with all his strength. Dave wrestled with him until they fell to the ice together.

The linesman separated them and escorted them to the penalty box. The Charlestown player was quiet and there was a welt under his left eye. When Dave got to the box Saunders was chirping at him but Dave just smiled at him and nodded. A few minutes into Dave's penalty, John returned from the dressing room. He sat beside Dave and laughed, "You had to get into it too, eh?"

Dave just nodded, "Yeah but I fared a little better than you."

John chuckled, "The girls love stitches and it only hurt when they pushed the needle through. A little freezing would have been nice but I couldn't finish the game if they froze it. I'll live."

Dave just shook his head as he imagined John getting stitches in the dressing room without first being frozen.

Because there was only one second between their penalties, John and Dave got out of the penalty box at the same time. Saunders was still chirping at Dave but Dave ignored him. The game ended with a seven-three score and the Missiles celebrated their victory. Coach Vigneault told the players they had played well and he was very happy with the effort.

The drive home passed quickly and, as the bus pulled into the Civic Centre, Dave spotted Jennifer's car waiting for him. The bus was unloaded and the players had to put their gear in the dressing room before they could leave. When he exited the rink, Dave ran to the car and was surprised to see Katherine sitting in the front seat. He got in back and both girls began talking excitedly about the great game he played. He thanked them and told them it was fun.

Jennifer drove to Katherine's house and Dave again walked her to the door. As they reached the door Katherine said, "I love watching you play hockey. I was scared to death when you fought that guy but I knew you could look after yourself. I've really missed you this summer and I hope we can get back together permanently after you return from Ontario."

Dave was about to speak when she kissed him on the lips. Her tongue slid into his mouth as she put her arms around him and pulled him close. Her aroma filled his lungs and he held her close as his tongue dueled with hers. After a minute long kiss, Katherine pulled back and giggled as she ran into her house.