Page 64 of Suck My Puck

“Braden, how do you feel about your performance tonight?” a reporter asks me.

“Pretty good overall.”

“Just pretty good?” The reporter smiles. “You managed more than thirty saves the whole game. I think that’s more than just pretty good.”

I crack a smile. “Fair point, thanks.”

“The one shot you that got through was on your glove side,” another reporter says. “Do you plan to focus on that more in your training?”

“Yeah, I could always improve my glove handling. Most goalies wish they were better with their glove.”

“Braden, your performance in the net has been nothing short of phenomenal, especially considering the way you started earlier this season,” a different reporter says. “What’s made the difference?”

I try not to grin when I think about Bella. I’m sure every reporter in this room is expecting me to say that I’m playing better because I overhauled my training or recovery regimen or diet.

I’d bet anything they’re not expecting me to say that the sole reason I’m playing so well is because I’m hooking up with my neighbor.

No way am I going to tell them that. So I give them the answer they expected.

“I’ve been working extra hard with Bashers goaliecoach, Ron Sadler,” I say. “He’s helping me target my weaknesses and play up my strengths.”

That part’s true. But it’s not why I’m playing so well. Things didn’t start turning around for me until I met Bella.

I think about when I went over to her place last night. When we took Maizie to the vet last week, we found out she wasn’t chipped, which meant that she was likely abandoned. We put up notices at the vet and online with Maizie’s photo just to make sure we tried our best to find her owner. But in the meantime, we agreed to take care of her.

Each day, we trade off who takes care of her. Yesterday was Bella’s day, so after practice, I stopped over at her apartment.

After playing with Maizie for a while, she fell asleep. Bella took me to her bedroom, and we spent the rest of the night testing out the structural integrity of her new headboard.

I clear my throat and refocus on the question I’m answering. “So yeah, I’m just doing a lot of well-rounded training.”

“What do you think about what your dad had to say on the Tim Rhodes podcast the other day?” a different reporter asks.

I frown. “What are you talking about?”

“He didn’t mince words when Tim asked him what he thought about the turnaround in your performance so far this season.” The reporter scans the notes on his phone. “Your dad said that fans shouldn’t get their hopes up. That yeah, you’re playing well now, but all good things come to an end. What are your thoughts about that?”

Anger punctures a hole through the high I’ve been riding tonight. I do my best to school my expression so Ihopefully don’t look as pissed as I feel. It’s bad enough that I’m finding out in front of a room full of reporters that my dad is shit-talking me on the most popular sports podcast in the country. I don’t want to give them any more gossip fodder than they already have on me and my dad.

He probably decided to trash-talk me because I refuse to speak to him anymore. Whatever. I’m not going to give him the satisfaction of a reaction.

“I don’t have any opinions about what my dad said,” I say.

The reporter frowns. “Seriously? You don’t think it’s pretty harsh for a dad to talk about his son like that?”

I grit my teeth before forcing myself to relax my jaw. I shake my head. “He can have whatever opinion he wants.”

Another report tries to ask about my dad, but I tell him I’m done answering questions.

Post-game press ends, and I head back to the locker room to get cleaned up and gather my things. I’m still tense and pissed about what my dad said about me.

I’m the last one in the locker room. As I gather my things, I eye my phone. I know I shouldn’t do it. All it will do is make me feel worse.

“Fuck it,” I mutter. I sit down in front of my locker and pull up the podcast interview on my phone.

I skim the show notes and find the timestamp for when my dad starts talking about me. I tap it and listen.

“Ivan, I gotta ask about your son Braden, who’s the goalie for the Denver Bashers,” Tim Rhodes says. “How do you feel about his performance recently? He’s one of the top goalies in the league.”

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