Page 83 of His Jersey

Remove a few letters from his last name,Badaszekand you get his nickname back when he played defense. The guy does not mess around. Unlike Remy, I respect this man and if I don’t, he’ll knock me into next Tuesday. I’ve already had a close call on a Tuesday. Not interested in revisiting that brush with death.

“Sir, I want to prove to you that I’m a team player, committed, and loyal.”

“Keep your eyes on the ice, your fingers on your stick, and your heart in the game.” It sounds more like a threat than encouragement, but he had a point about legacy.

“Come on, I’ll introduce you to the guys.” He claps me on the shoulder, leading me through a metal door.

In short order, I meet our captain, frontline, defense, and Beaumont Hammer—the stoic goalie. The guy merely grunts in acknowledgment. I’ve also learned that Badaszek only calls people by their last names, including his daughters—one of which is married to Pierre Arsenault, also on the team.

“It’s the crowned prince of hockey,” says Liam, legitimately hailing from hockey royalty given his father’s hall of fame status and his brother Hendrix repeatedly lighting the lamp for the Toronto Titans.

I anticipate a bit of antagonism, but his smile is warm.

“I prefer king, but if you must, I’ll wear the crown with pride.” I mimic straightening it on my head.

They chuckle and the bro banter begins.

Ted, a grizzly defenseman, quizzes me on my burrito order preferences. Pierre, also on D, asks to borrow my tape, inspects it, and hands it back. Hudson is the other goalie and I can’t figure out whether he’s missing a tooth or had licorice for lunch.

Someone starts clapping and the others join as a guy I recognize from the last game I played with the Carolina Storm.

Tatum says, “The man of the hour. ’Bama!”

“How was the trip home?” Micah asks.

The guys clap him on the back.

“Do you have a save the date yet?” Hayden asks.

He shakes his head. “She said no.”

The room falls quiet. I gather that there was a failed marriage proposal.

Redd plops down next to him on the bench and points up at me. “We have new blood. You can take it out on him when we get on the ice.”

He snorts and extends his hand. “Nice to meet you, sir.”

Teddy rolls his eyes. “Jack has to earn that superlative.” He mutters about ’Bama’s good ’ole Southern boy manners.

But it’s all in jest and there’s no antagonism or one-ups-manship among them. They seem genuinely concerned about the left forward’s heart being broken.

The others filter in and seem rather unphased by my presence as if I’ve been here all along, but once we’re on the ice, they put me through my paces with fast passes, dekes, and more than one rooster tail of ice chips to the face.

I take this as an initiation. But it’s all in good fun and no one postures for top position in the pecking order. I think I like it here and I’ll definitely enjoy the view from the ice with Ella in my new jersey.

@THEPUCKPOST

Our associates at the Hockey Town Tribune, Cobbiton Nebraska’s unofficial publication, suggest increased movement for the Knights. Not only did they recently whoop the Pittsburg Generals, but they’re in the top third of the bracket for finals.

Starting this week, we’ll see if Badaszek made the right move trading @KHaberssen for @JackBouchelleOfficial. Speaking of royalty, @TheRealLiamEllis is out of what we feared was a permanent penalty box. Is he back and better than ever? That remains to be seen after the Knights defenseman supposedly was told to walk after laughing at his coach.

Fans and players alike, you’re on watch: If you didn’t already learn the lesson that the goon, turned Hall of Famer, turned coach, Tom Badaszek @KnightsNation is not someone to mess with, now is your chance. Nobody scored on him then and nobody laughs at him now. End of story.

Above the whir of the Zamboni, we’ve also heard chatter that the Knights coach will be swapping in @Robo39 as goalie should they make it to the playoffs. When asked for a comment, Badaszek replied, “Of course we’re going.” Respectfully, we were asking about the alternate netminder. However, we refrained from a follow up question (see above).

Are these changes good for the Knights? That remains to be seen, but we’re confident the coach would say, “Of course.” Seems to us the guy knows what he’s doing. Nobody question him.

To those with fantasy hockey teams, it’s time to watch your players carefully, because we didn’t see these changes coming. We want to hear from you! Comment below.

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