Chapter 7: Old Friends

Dave and John both ate large breakfasts. The team was talking excitedly about the coming game. Dave was pleased and surprised how confident the team had grown in just two days. The come-from-behind tie against the Central team had created a whole new atmosphere. Dave just hoped that the coach would not destroy that by pulling him and John from the lineup for entertaining the Asian girls in their hotel room.

The coach and his two assistant coaches were the first to finish eating and they quietly left the table without even looking at Dave or John. The players asked Dave and John what they were doing for the morning and Dave replied, "Don't know yet. Probably hanging around our room and relaxing. I don't want to get too hyped-up before we get to the rink." Dave threw his napkin on his plate and said, "I'm finished. I'll see you guys on the bus."

As Dave and John were walking down the hall to the coaches' room Dave looked at John with a serious face, "John, do you mind if I do most of the talking?" John approved by nodding, so Dave continued, "If I can, I'm going to present a case to the coach instead of letting him go on the attack. If it comes down to it, I'm going to take the hit for the girls. I'm just the call-up - so I'm not really part of the team. I think the coach will go easier on me than you."

John tried to protest but Dave cut him off, "Listen, John, you know my future plans are for golf. I won't let hockey interfere with those plans; but I know you like hockey more than golf, so, if someone is going to get a reputation for breaking the rules, it should be me."

John stared open-mouthed at his friend. He knew they were close but he was surprised his best friend would take the blame for both of them, but then again, he considered, he would do the same for Dave.

Dave knocked on the coaches' door; he heard feet moving across the carpet then the click of the door handle. Dave led John inside the room. The team manager and the three coaches were sitting waiting for them. With nowhere to sit, the two teens remained standing. The head coach looked at them and asked, "What do you have to say for yourselves?" He was not actually expecting an answer before he began his own speech.

Dave, however, replied in an even voice, "I'll start in the beginning. Last fall, when John and I were at the National Junior golf championships in BC, we meet three college girls - we, the five of us, became very good friends. When I found out we made the National Midget Championships, I phoned them and asked them if they could meet us here. John knew nothing about this until they arrived on Thursday. I specifically asked them to stay away during the first part of the week so they wouldn't interfere with our concentration. After we lost our third straight game, I felt they would not be a disruption so I called them and invited them to arrive on Thursday. As you know we had not won a game and were way behind in Thursday's game.

"The girls arrived just after Central went up five-nothing. The sight of them re-energized John and me - you know what the result was. The only mistake we made was to not tell them initially to be super-discrete. A few of the players saw them behind the bench on Thursday and, unbeknownst to me, Ken Jackson had been told by one of my fellow golfers in BC about the girls John and I had met. Word and speculation spread quickly through the team. Since then the girls have been very discrete. John and I both denied having any knowledge of them. I haven't heard any comments since yesterday at breakfast; so I hope the other players don't know anything more. I realize we broke several team rules and for that I am very sorry. As I said, John knew nothing of this; so I hope you don't blame him as much as you blame me."

The four men looked surprised by the frank and detailed confession. The coach finally stood and said, "Thank you for telling us the truth. We probably know all we need to for now; all of us need a little time to decide what to do. You have put us in a very difficult position, Dave. Please return to your room and we will call you when we are ready to conclude this discussion."

John and Dave both nodded understandingly and left the room. Once outside, John said, "Thanks, Dave. What do you think they will do to us?"

Dave just shrugged and the two friends walked back to their room; the impending decision options ranged from the extremes of the coaches doing nothing; all the way to the two being sent home immediately with everyone knowing what they had done. As soon as they entered the room, the girls asked what happened. John explained everything Dave had said. Dave stretched out on his bed and listened to John relay the story. When the girls turned to look at Dave, he smiled and said, "Whatever happens, happens. I'm not really worried about it." Lynn and Tina cuddled beside him on the bed while John and Kim settled on his bed.

Dave was resting comfortably when the phone rang. He answered it and heard the coach say, "We're ready to see you and John, again."

Dave nodded to John and, without saying a word, the two friends walked out of the room. The coach was waiting by himself at his door and let them in. The coach then sat down and began, "Dave, you say this was mostly your idea but that does not excuse John for breaking the rules, too. You have put us in a very bad spot. We discussed three options: suspend both you and John for the rest of the tournament, suspend just you for the rest of the tournament, or allow you both to play the rest of the tournament. I'll be frank with you. We realize that both of you are the main reason we made the Nationals and also the reason we made the crossover game. If we pull either one of you from the game, we would likely be conceding a loss to Central.

"I have been around a lot of hockey teams over the years and, frankly, what you have done is relatively common at the junior level - but it is not acceptable at this level and at your age. I'd like to pretend that that winning isn't important and sit you out; but the truth is, the team looks up to you both - and especially you, Dave. If I pull you out of the lineup, the turmoil would destroy the team's chances of winning - and I don't like to lose. We have therefore decided to allow both of you to play today. However, when we get home, we will be setting up appointments with your parents to explain what has happened. We will give you time to explain the situation to them yourselves, but if you don't explain it before the appointment then we will tell them for you."

Dave and John were relieved but both maintained their emotions and appeared suitably chastised as they listened to the coach finish. "You are correct when you said you have been discrete. I don't believe the players know about the girls beyond the initial sighting at the rink. The only way we knew was because of the original gossip. After hearing it, we asked the front-desk clerk to keep an eye out for us and he reported that three Asian girls, all dressed alike, left the hotel just after the bus departed and returned before the bus arrived. I will trust you to remain discrete. I'd like to tell you to send the girls home but that is not my decision. You are at least old enough to decide that. It's now ten-thirty. We will be leaving at noon so be ready in the lobby. UNDERSTOOD?"

Dave and John both nodded and replied together, "Thanks, Coach."

The walk back to their room was brisk. When they entered, they finally released their pent-up emotions and whooped in excitement. The girls were likewise relieved and hugged them tightly. The rest of the morning was spent relaxing and getting focused on the game. Dave debated whether to ask the girls to leave but he was convinced they were his lucky charms. He had golfed the best golf of his life in BC, when they were there to support and distract him and, since they had arrived in Calgary, the hockey team was unbeaten. They had to stay.

Dave and John left for the lobby ten minutes early; they wanted to be the first players there.

Game preparation was the same as usual but, as the start time neared, Dave noticed a lot of nervous faces. He kept telling the players to stay focused on their responsibilities and the game would go well. John was really nervous and Dave talked quietly to him to relax his nerves. Dave himself was feeling more nervous then he had all week but he was focused and ready.

The coach strolled into the dressing room fifteen minutes before game time and went through the team plan. The checking line would start against Central's top line. The coach reminded them not to get caught with more than two men deep in the other team's zone. The checking line was not expected to score but was responsible for keeping the top Central line from scoring. The coach then looked at John, "John, your line is going on second. We need you three to step up the intensity. We need goals from you three." John, Dave, and Rudy nodded understandingly. The coach continued, "The third line needs to contain Central's third line but, if a good scoring chance presents itself, make the best of it. I don't want the defense pinching on the opposing blue-line unless you are one hundred percent positive you can make the play. I don't want any odd-man rushes. Play hard and play physical. Craig, we need a big performance from you, as usual. Stay focused."

Dave thought how strange hockey talk was. He thought how a person unfamiliar with hockey would not likely have a clue what pinching was or an odd-man rush. He knew all the players understood that pinching is when the defenseman stays on the opposing team's blue-line instead of dropping back in a defensive position. The defenseman hopes he can stop the breakout and keep the puck inside the opposing zone. An unsuccessful pinch often leads to two or even three opposing players skating past that defenseman and creating an odd-man rush where those two or three players rush down the ice against just the one remaining and outnumbered defenseman. Odd-man rushes (two-on-ones or three-on-ones) lead to the majority of goals in tight checking games.

The horn sounded to indicate game time had arrived. The players started to yell in unison to get psyched for the game. Craig led the team onto the ice.

This was the first game that Dave's line hadn't started and he found it hard to watch the first shift from the bench. Central came out strong and generated several early scoring chances but Craig played well and held the team in. When John and Dave finally got on the ice they created a great scoring chance but Dave's shot rattled off the post and bounced right to a Central defenseman who iced the puck immediately. After the linesman blew down the play, the puck was dropped to the left of the Central goalie. John won the face-off back to Ken who took a hard slap shot from the point. The goalie kicked the puck out and Rudy got his stick on the rebound but just missed the corner of the net. A central player cleared the puck to centre ice so John's line went to the bench for a shift change.

The third line got one scoring chance and gave up one scoring chance which Craig handled easily.

The remainder of the first period saw the Central team get many good scoring chances which Craig stopped while the Islanders only generated a few more scoring chances. John's line created all but two of the scoring chances in the first period. Late in the period, Dave noticed the checking line seemed to be getting tired. The constant pressure of controlling Central's top line was taking its toll.

In the dressing room between periods, the coach complimented the team's hard work. He patted Craig on the shoulder and told him to keep up the great work. He told them to catch their wind and he would be back in five minutes to talk about the second period. The players munched on thirst-quenching oranges and talked about small battles they were winning on boards.

Just before the team was ready to return to the ice, the coach came in again. He looked first at John and said, "John, you guys are starting. I'm going to put your line against Central's top line. Battle hard - watch you don't get caught out of position. The checking line will go on second followed by the third line. Keep working hard, guys. Things will go our way."

Dave was happy the coach had noticed the checking line was tiring. He was confident his line could contain the top line but he wasn't sure if they would be able to generate many scoring chances for themselves.

Soon, the second period was going as planned. John's line was skilled enough to skate with Central's top line and neither side generated any significant scoring chances. Both the checking line and third line were battling hard and containing their opposition well. John's line was on the ice with only thirty-five seconds left in the period. John made a good pass to Dave who was streaking down the wing. Dave accelerated around the Central defenseman and moved in on the goalie from a side angle. He thought he saw a small opening between the goalies pads and took a hard shot. The goalie closed up the five hole and the puck bounced straight back to Dave. He faked a shot, then circled behind the net and into the far corner. He waited for John and Rudy to drive to the net.

Dave moved to the far hash-marks beside the boards and then circled back towards the net. There was a huge crowd of bodies in front so he found the best opening available and shot a hard wrist shot on goal. The puck hit a Central defenseman and ricocheted towards the goalie. The puck hit the goalie who was on his knees in a butterfly position. The puck dropped to the ice in the crease and John shot it, hitting the goalie again. The puck bounced out and Rudy whacked it a third time. The goalie got a piece of the puck but it spun away from him and towards the goal line. The puck just trickled over the line as the goalie grabbed it and pulled it out. The red light behind the net went on; the referee was also in perfect position behind the net and he pointed at the net confirming a goal.

Rudy went crazy and charged his team's bench in celebration. The goal was kind of an ugly goal but he jumped onto the boards and all the players huddled around celebrating.

There were still ten seconds left on the clock, so John's line stayed on the ice. They killed off the last few seconds and went to the dressing room leading by a single ugly goal after two hard-fought periods.

The coach again congratulated them and re-emphasized the need to stay focused. He left the dressing room to allow the players to get some rest.

Again, just before the Zamboni was finished with the ice, he returned, "Okay, guys, that's two great periods - but this game is sixty minutes long, not forty. We need twenty more solid minutes. John's line will start. Everyone continue doing what you have been doing. Don't just try to protect the lead or we will be in big trouble. Work hard and stick to the plan. Dave and John, if Central try to put their better players on different lines, I may call on you to do some extra shifts. Are you up for it?" Both Dave and John nodded that they were.

The Islanders battled hard in the third and, with only one minute left, the score of one-nothing was still holding. Craig was playing phenomenal in nets and was controlling his rebounds wonderfully.

Central called time-out with one minute and seven seconds left on the clock and with a face-off in the Central end. The Islanders coach called his players to the bench. John's line was on the ice near the end of their shift. The coach looked at John, Dave, and Rudy, "You three catch your breath; you're staying on. I want only one man deep in the Central zone and I want him to single-handedly pressure the puck as much as possible. Who wants that job?" Dave immediately raised his hand, so the coach pointed at him and continued, "As soon as you take the draw, John, I want you and Rudy ready to drop back and help with the defense. Ken, I want you on the ice with Jack. If the Central team makes it out of their zone, I want you four to stand them up at the center-ice line. I don't want them to penetrate without feeling a body hit them first. Craig, if they dump it in, I want you to pick a safe line up the boards and clear it to centre-ice. If you don't see a clear shot, then move the puck to the safer corner and hustle back to your net. Okay, let's go."

Just before the players skated back to their positions, Dave yelled, "One more minute, guys. Let's give everything we have for one more minute. Dig deep, real deep."