Page 19 of Suck My Puck

He sprints across the ice toward me, and I tense up. He shoots toward the right side of the net and I dive with my stick to block it. I manage to deflect the puck, but at that same moment, Sam crashes into me. My shoulder slams into the side of the net.

Pain blasts through my shoulder.

“Fuck!” I yell as I crumple face-first into the ice

The refs blow the whistle, halting play.

There’s a scuffle on top of me. Probably some of my teammates roughing up Sam. He’s actually friends with most of the guys on the Bashers. Del is the closest with Sam since they played in college together. Whenever we’re in the same city, Sam hangs out with us.

But hockey is hockey, and when someone from the opposing team hurts your teammate, you fight on their behalf.

A couple of seconds pass before the linesmen break it up. Del crouches down to help me stand up.

“Shit. Sorry, man,” Sam says to me. His helmet is askew and he’s breathing hard from the scuffle. “I lost my footing. I didn’t mean to run into you like that.”

I wince. “It’s alright.”

“Do you need the trainers to come out and get you?” Del asks.

“Nah, I can make it.”

The home crowd is quiet as I skate off. Del stays by my side, ready to help in case I need it. When I make it to the bench, I tell him thanks. I sit down and yank off my helmet.

Ritchie takes over for me right as one of the trainers comes over to examine me.

Lyle touches my shoulder. I start to cry out but grit my teeth.

He winces. “You gotta go see the team doc.”

I sigh, pissed off and frustrated. I walk off to the back through the tunnel to the exam room where the team doctor is.

When I walk in, Sophie greets me. “Hey.”

“Hey, Doc.” I pull off as many of my pads as I can without aggravating my shoulder. She helps me up onto the table and starts her examination.

The whole time, I hold my breath, hoping it’s not a serious injury. That’s the last thing I need right now.

For a few minutes, she prods at my shoulder and has me do some movements.

When she’s done, she rests her hands on her hips and looks at me.

Her blue eyes are bright, and she offers a small smile. “Good news. Nothing is broken or torn. It looks like it’s just a mild sprain.”

I let out a breath, relieved. “Really?”

She nods. “You’re out for the rest of tonight’s game. I’llhave you ice your shoulder and rest it for the next couple of days, but after that, you should be fine to play.”

She hands me an ice pack, and I hold it against my shoulder. “I’ve had sprains before. They didn’t hurt this bad. Am I just getting old?” I joke.

Sophie smiles and rolls her eyes. “You’re twenty-eight. Not even close to old, even for pro hockey. It’s probably the impact of hitting the metal part of the net. And the impact of a guy like Sam slamming into you.”

Sam is my height at almost six-foot-three and is built like a brick shithouse.

“Good point. Thanks for fixing me up, Doc.”

She offers a bright smile and tightens the ponytail holding back her strawberry blonde hair. “Anytime.”

I huff out a breath, relieved that I’m not seriously injured.

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