Page 9 of Goalie Interference

Remy

I was up early in the morning, like a kid on the first day of school. I showered and managed to get the beard trimmed, but my hair was still a disaster. There were no sounds coming from the workshop downstairs, but I made sure I was out of the building by eight thirty so she could work.

I called an Uber to get to the practice arena for the Austin Aces. I hadn’t been there before, since when we played the Aces we practiced at their game arena. This building wasn’t as sleek but the parking was better. I’d need to rent a vehicle while I was here, since my truck was back in long-term parking at the Winnipeg airport.

I was early, wearing my workout clothes, but had no idea how to get into the building. There weren’t many cars in the lot. I dropped my bag and leaned against the wall beside the door while I waited for someone to show up—preferably someone I knew. I’d been part of the league for ten years now, so I was familiar with most of the regular players.

An SUV pulled in, and as I watched, Ethan Harrison stepped out. He was also a veteran player, and we’d run into each other enough that he should recognize me.

Once he was close enough, he cocked his head. “Remy? You playing here?”

I shrugged. “Last minute. Can you let me in?”

“Sure—I can show you where things are. How long have you been in town?”

“Arrived yesterday.”

His brows lifted. “Last minute is right.” He tapped his card on the scanner by the door and I followed him inside.

Like all practice facilities, the smell of sweat and dirty feet was detectable below the pungent notes of the products the staff used to keep the place clean. Ethan led me around a couple of corners till we reached the locker room. There were a few guys there, but we were among the first.

“Thanks.”

“No problem. Exercise rooms are that way, showers there, and that door leads to the ice.”

I found a stall with my gear in front of it, though there wasn’t a nameplate yet. I sat down and waited for the coaches and the rest of the team to arrive to start our first day tasks.

More guys entered the room. Some were comfortable, and settled in a stall under their name. Others, the younger-looking ones, stood around the edges of the room checking on what everyone else was doing.

Coach Mackenzie, commonly called Mack, pushed in through the door and looked around. Conversation died and everyone gave him their attention.

“We’re excited to have you all and hope to have a great training camp. Remember, the final roster isn’t set, so do your best and you could be on the ice on opening night.”

There were a few cheers, but for most of us this was a familiar spiel, and not totally honest. Guys with one-way contracts were unlikely to be sent down to the farm team, but there were probably some slots that the rookies could claim if they were good enough.

“We’re going to rotate you through medical, fitness and photos today, taking you by position. There will be team photos at the end for the group as a whole. Lunch is provided. Any questions?”

Some of those newbies were dying to ask but were afraid to look stupid in front of the others, so no one spoke up.

“Okay, forwards to medical down that way.” He pointed. “The guys who were here last year can show the way. Defense to fitness. Goalies to the ice for photos.”

I waited while most of the bodies left the room. One familiar face stopped to greet me. Larry Han, a forward I’d played with for a couple of years. As the only Asian on that team, he’d faced some flack, but he was a good guy as well as a player and I’d been happy to spend time with him.

“Remy!”

I stood up and we did that hug/backslap move. “Hanny. I forgot you were here.”

“Signed over the summer. I didn’t know you were playing for the Aces either.”

“I flew in yesterday—got a contract the day before.”

His eyes widened. “Wow. Glad to see you though. You got a place?”

“The team found one for me.”

“Hotel?”

I shook my head. “I’ve got a dog, so they found somewhere pet friendly.”

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