Page 44 of Mind Pucked

Oliver shoots the puck in the general direction of the other team’s goal and I quickly skate up and grab it with my stick. I glance over to make sure Vaughn and Benjamin are in their places as I lock eyes with Felix.

He has full control of our goal as I head toward the other team’s.

As I make a move to pass the puck, I catch Amelia watching me from the stands. My heart does something I’m not sure I like as I fake the pass, dodging a player from the other team and an elbow to the nose, but just barely. I shoot the puck and it’s intercepted by Oliver who has seemingly come out of nowhere. He banks the shot and makes the goal as the puck zooms past their keeper.

“Score!” Felix cheers from our goal.

One of the asshats from the other team spits profanities our way as they set up to start again.

The play begins again as we set up a similar action. Vaughn fakes left, intercepting a pass from Benjamin who’s playing defense. I glance over in time to see ol’ Benny boy take one to the face. He spins around and grabs the jersey of the player on the other team.

A brawl breaks out when both players go skidding into the glass partition on the other side of the rink. Oliver sinks the goal and cheers erupt, but a penalty is being called.

“Come on, man,” I say as I go to play my part as enforcer. “Get off him!” I yell, grabbing Ben’s jersey and pulling him back a good two feet.

The other player doesn’t want to take a hint as their enforcer comes to assist. It takes him and another guy to make sure their guy doesn’t piledrive Benjamin again. Ben backs up and allows me to pull him to his feet.

“Don’t need you getting the shit kicked out of ya,” I say, as I pat him on the shoulder and head.

The player from the other team is put in the box for a time-out as Ben smiles a bloody, toothy grin at the man who’s now fuming like a caged tiger.

“Just wait until I get out of here—I’m coming for you,” the player says as we set up.

“Oh, I’m shaking in my skates,” Benjamin says as he lines up to get things started again.

“Ben,” I scold him, but mostly it’s playful.

“What?” Benjamin smiles. “If mama bear over there wants to fight because I poked her cubs, then let’s see what the sow can do,” he finishes, making sure the player in the box can hear him.

The next play starts, and Luca, who’s been acting aggressively up to this point, decides to essentially steal the puck from Oliver. Oliver frowns at him, wondering what the hell he’s doing.

Luca looks at me as he passes, the other team’s players hot on his heels. It’s been fairly quiet, and other than showing up late, he hasn’t been his usual self. One of the other players sticks his stick out, tripping Luca as he makes his way to their goal.

Luca goes flying, and before I can get to him, he throws a punch the lands directly in the opponent’s face. Both players crashed to the ground, but of course it’s Luca who will get the penalty forthis. While the other player initiated it, Luca was the first to start the brawl.

“Stop, man—you know we can’t afford a damn penalty!” I yell at him, wishing like hell he had a more level head. I grab his arm to help him up, realizing that he’s bleeding from his nose.

“Get off me, man.” He shrugs my hand off his arm and scrambles to his feet.

I watch as Luca enters the box and throws his helmet to the ground. He nurses his gushing nose, resulting in a medic coming to assist.

I try not to pay too much attention to the blood draining from his nose that might be broken. I wince when the medic pops it back into place, and my eyes begin to water at the thought of it.

After Luca gets let back in, the game continues to be really intense. We take turns slamming opponents into barriers, shit-talking, and just round about playing a normal game of hockey.

As we get closer to playoffs, the teams are all fighting hard to make sure they get a spot. My adrenaline kicks into overdrive as we approach halftime.

So far, we’re winning, but the second half could bring on any amount of changes. The whistle blows, marking the end of the first half, and my stomach lurches. I don’t know if it’s post-traumatic stress or what, but even though it’s been a few years, this part of the game gets me every time.

As we skate off the ice to enter the locker room once again, all I can think about is the day that officer came to tell me my wife had been in an accident. So many games have been played since then, so many years have passed, but still it’s the only thing I canthink of until the hype of the locker room replaces the thoughts in my mind.

We walk in cheering, throwing our skates off to the side so we can have a break. Eventually the morbid thoughts are replaced with the beautiful face of my daughter and Amelia as they walk into the room.

“Looks like your job as enforcer has come in handy tonight.” Amelia smiles.

“More than a few times,” I say with an eye roll in Luca’s general direction.

His nose is taped with a ridiculous amount of white medical tape. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought he was one of those nerds on the beach with a glob of sunscreen on his nose. I don’t stare too long, looking back to Amelia and my daughter.

---