Page 4 of Slew Foot
Several guys let out audible sighs of relief.
“What’s happening is I’m stepping down as president of hockey operations.”
Murmurs rose from the crowd, and he silenced them with a gesture of his hand. “This isn’t because Ned Merritt or anyone else from the ownership group has asked me to. It’s voluntary because I need to make some lifestyle changes.”
Mickey listened intently as Gavin described the heart issues he was having—nothing immediately serious, thankfully—but a situation that could easily become a massive heart attack if he wasn’t careful.
“You’re still our GM though, right?” someone asked when he was done.
“Yes.” Gavin smiled. “I’m going to put my focus on drafting, development, and building the best possible roster I can.”
“Who is taking over the other duties?” Anker Henriksen asked.
Mickey glanced over at Finn O’Shea.Ohhh.
“This guy,” Gavin said, gesturing toward Finn and confirming Mickey’s theory.
“So, I’m going to have to put up with your annoying ass all the time now, huh?” Connor called out as Finn stood.
He was tall and lean, with pale skin and reddish blonde hair—not at all Mickey’s type—but the bright grin he shot his younger brother transformed his face into something appealing. “Yousure are. You’re going to be seeing a lot more of me around here moving forward.”
“I already see too much of you!” Connor shot back.
The entire team laughed.
When the sound died down, Finn continued, still smiling.
“Guys, I’m not going to make a big speech. I just want to say I’m excited to be back with the Harriers and to work with the team this way. I’m glad Gavin brought me on board. I think all of you know who I am”—everyone in the room nodded—“and you know I bring years of NHL experience as a player and a degree in finance. However, that doesn’t mean I plan to make a huge number of changes around here.”
He took a sip of water from the bottle in his hand.
“Gavin’s already doing a great job, so I don’t want to undo the progress he’s made. What I want to do is help him achieve the plan he’s already set out for this team and this organization with a little less stress.”
“So does this mean you’re the boss around here now?” Crawford asked.
Finn laughed. “No. In some head offices, that’s the way it works, but when Gavin and I sat down, we agreed my role would be more like what some franchises call ‘senior advisor to the general manager’. Although I’ll have the title of president of hockey ops, technically, he’s still the boss if we’re looking at it from a hierarchical standpoint.”
“But honestly,” Gavin said, stepping forward. “Finn and I are committed to working together. As much as I enjoy being the one in charge”—he shot a grin at Dakota Crane, the team’syoga and Pilates instructor—“I’ve recently learned that flexibility matters.”
Mickey frowned, unsure of whatthatwas all about with Dakota.
He felt like he was missing a joke or something. His mother, who had lived in the United States in her twenties before he was born, had taught him English growing up and he’d formally started it in school at the age of ten. He’d picked up a lot in the past few months as well.
But as fluent as his English was, the subtler things sometimes went over his head.
Oh, but Gavin must be talking about flexibility because Dakota was the one working with the team on that. Made sense.
Mickey tuned back into Gavin again who said, “… means Finn’s dealing with everything else behind the scenes. There will, undoubtedly, be a ton of overlap in our roles and Finn and I will have to hammer out how that all works. But we’re both committed to this being as smooth and seamless of a transition as possible. If we do it right, you shouldn’t notice much difference other than me working a few less late nights.”
There were a few more questions, but the meeting wound down fairly quickly.
When it was over, their head coach, Hoyt Kent, called out, “On the ice in twenty, guys! No dawdling in the locker room.”
Several guys grumbled but everyone rose to their feet. There was a bit of a lineup going out the door as players alternately congratulated Finn and expressed their concern over Gavin’s health.
Mickey did the same and when he was in the hallway, he wound up with Crawford and Tanner in front of him.
“I can’t fucking believe you made me think the team was moving,” Crawford grumbled, hooking an arm around Tanner’s neck and giving him a noogie.
