Page 150 of His Big Bad Stick

The thing is, the game feels bigger now for some reason.

Not playing… shit, I missed it.

Yes, I missed the fighting too.

But this feeling.

Less than a minute left. We’re up. The other team is scrambling. The fans are on our side.

We’re back from the timeout and get set up on the ice.

Pierre is across from me.

“I’m going to beat you down to the ice,” he says to me. “I won’t stop either. Fuck it. You’re a piece of shit, Colver.”

The puck drops and I bolt toward Pierre.

I get him with a clean shoulder check and send him right down to his ass.

The fans love that.

Rhett and Ben take the puck down the ice.

Atlanta plays hard.

Ben takes a shot on the empty net but missed by an inch.

Atlanta has momentum.

Pierre comes after me. I see him but act like I don’t.

I brace myself for the crosscheck and take it.

It feels like someone has dug into my back to rip out my lungs.

Doesn’t matter though.

A whistle blows and Pierre is headed to the penalty box and that basically ends the game.

We win.

I end up with one assist and not much else.

But just to be present on the ice and in the game… it feels great.

I tell that to the reporters waiting for me.

They grill me about Pierre and why I didn’t fight.

They think I’m a changed man now after the suspension.

I don’t really care what anyone thinks right now. I just want to get the hell out of the arena.

Interviews are done.

I grab a shower.

Coach Patty has a meeting with us.

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