Page 89 of Playmaker

There was that.

Playoffs were always intense. I remembered that from my dad’s playing days, my youth days, and major juniors, not to mention my first season with the WHPL (not that Seattle had made it past the first round). But it always seemed new. Everytime, it was like I’d never experienced this chaos and pressure before, even though it was as familiar as my gear.

We’d narrowly held on in the first round. We’d gone 3-1 against Detroit, but we managed to rally, force a game seven, and win in double overtime. Compared to that uphill comeback, the second round was a breeze—we’d swept Toronto, absolutely stomping them in two of the games. Even with my dad in the crowd for some of the games—especiallywith him there?—I’d played my heart out, and the Bearcats were killing it.

Since we’d only had to go to game four, we had a nice little break until the third round started. We were still practicing daily, but at least we could have some downtime and sleep in our own beds. I’d enjoy that while it lasted, because we were about to go up against Hartford, who everyone wasbettingon to win not only the Eastern Conference Championship, but the Cup.

No pressure, or anything.

“I still can’t believe we made it this far,” I mused softly. “Not just into the playoffs, but… all of this. Having our own pro league. The works.”

“Yeah. It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?”

“It really is.” I shifted a little, trying to get comfortable without jostling her leg. “They interviewed Calgary’s goalie before their game last night. She talked about how much her family had to sacrifice to get her there.”

“I think that’s true for a lot of us,” Lila said softly. “More of us than I realized, that’s for sure.”

I nodded. “I don’t know how some of the families do it.”

“Especially the ones with goalies.”

“Right?” Hockey was expensive under the best of circumstances; goalie gear rocketed right past expensive intoabsurd.

How many exceptional players out there had incredible potential, but were held back by the financial burden? Lilaherself could’ve missed out on reaching this level because of that, and she had parents who’d been willing and able to sacrifice enough to keep her on the ice. Even that hadn’t been enough, and she’d had to work in between hockey and school. How many other kids could be on a pro hockey trajectory if money wasn’t a barrier?

I absently played with the hem of Lila’s shirt. “You know what we should do?”

“Hmm?”

I shifted a little so I could look at her. “We should start an organization. One that helps girls get their hands on hockey gear.” I paused. “Maybe low-income kids in general, since boys have a hard time with it too, but with a lot of outreach to girls, you know?”

Lila’s eyes widened. “So like… providing gear to young players who want to give the sport a try?”

I nodded. “I mean, you told me what you were up against coming up, and I remember so many kids from my youth days who had to give it up because their families just couldn’t afford the gear.” There was also travel, registration, lessons—but gear seemed like a good place to start.

“That would be an awesome idea,” she said softly. “Maybe we should see if some players from the men’s league want to get involved.”

I tilted my head. “Go on.”

“Well, I mean, we’re all getting paid a lot more than we were a few years ago, but none of us are raking in millions like the men. They’ve got all the big endorsements and the huge salaries. And the big platforms—we can’t deny their support was a major reason why our league got off the ground.”

“That’s true.” I thought about it. “You know, we could probably talk to my brother. He’d be all over something like this, and I bet his wife would want to get involved.”

“Yeah?”

I nodded. “Imani is an absolute boss when it comes to running charitable organizations. She’s been doing them for as long as she and Mark have been married, and I swear she’s got a magic touch with them.”

“Well, hell,” Lila said. “I don’t know the first thing about that stuff, so if she’s game…” She waved her hand.

“Same,” I said with a laugh. “Sometimes I think the reason I fought so hard to play hockey is I know damn well I’d fall on my face in any other job.”

Lila smirked. “To be fair, you sometimes fall on your face in this one.”

Rolling my eyes, I gave her a playful shove. “Shut up.”

She giggled and reeled me in close.

Sighing happily, I draped my arm over her and cuddled close. “You know, I can’t tell you how amazing it is to finally be with someone who encourages me to play hockey.”

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