Page 52 of The Cutting Edge
“One potential hiccup — USFS is prohibiting me from being on the ice at all, “I say, leaning forward in my hospital bed. “Would that be an issue?”
“I don’t care what you do to do your job, and it doesn’t bother me if you don’t ever go onto the ice. As I see it, you’ve already been pretty effective from right here in your hospital bed.”
“I don’t know that I can take any credit for the Hat-trick game,” I say, feeling a blush color my cheeks. Besides, just because I have a reputation as a lucky charm doesn’t mean I actually am one. Just because everyonethinkssomething is true does not mean itistrue.”
“I disagree,“ he says kindly. “The mind is a tricky deal. If someone believes something to be true, they often behave in a way that makes it true, which further reinforces the belief. You know, a self-fulfilling prophecy. As you probably already have guessed, hockey players are extremely superstitious. If Logan thinks the reason he had the best game of his life is you, then it is. This is why in every locker room you’ll find a player who’s worn the same crusty, disgusting socks or jock all season without washing it; or refusing to shave; or always eating the exact same pregame meal. If they believe it, it’s true for them. And part of my job is making sure my players have every tool they need to win. Even if it’s a bit… uh, unconventional.”
“When would I start? I’m still not exactly sure when I’m going to get out of the hospital, although I believe it’s in the next few days.”
“As I mentioned, I don’t care if you do the job from the hospital or the moon or anywhere else, as long as it works. Spend time with Logan, make him mow your lawn as penance for the puck, and do whatever you two were doing before when he was winning. If you want the job, you start today. Game four of our playoff series against Philly is tomorrow night at home. If you and Logan think it’s best for you to be at the games, I will get you front-row seats next to the bench for every game. And of course, will cover your travel and expenses in addition to your regular salary.”
“Did Logan put you up to this?” I ask, unsure if I want to know the real answer.
“This was my idea.”
“How do you know he’s going to be okay with this?“
“Logan is the team captain; he’ll do whatever I think is best for the team.” I’m not exactly sure how I feel about this. On one hand, it’s an incredible opportunity to get rid of my training debt in a relatively short period of time, not to mention my hospital bill, which I imagine equals the GDP of a small country by now — it’s been over a week and a half I’ve been stuck in here.
On the other hand, I’m not sure how I feel about being Logan’s official lucky charm. What if they lose, and it’s all on me?
“I’m not sure how comfortable I am with that kind of pressure, “I say slowly, “I’d feel horrible if you lost out on your big opportunity because of me.“
“We may be out of it already,” he says. “I mean, let’s be honest— if I wasn’t desperate, I wouldn’t be here. If we lose tomorrow night’s game, our season is over. And frankly, the odds of coming back and winning a playoff series after being down three games is almost unheard of in the history of the NHL. It’s only been done a handful of times. This is at least as bizarre of a proposition for us as it is for you. The stakes are extremely high, but we’re willing to pull out all the stops in order to win the Stanley Cup. So what do you say? Will you be the Slashers’ official lucky charm for the rest of this season?”
“What am I supposed to do about Logan?“ I ask. “The last time I saw him, I kicked him out of my hospital room. Do you think it will be a little weird for me to just start showing up to his games and practices out of the blue?“
“Probably,” he winks, “but I have a feeling he will be very happy to see you.” This has me wondering what else Logan might have said about me.
“Will Logan or the other players know that I am supposed to be some kind of lucky charm?”
“No, we wouldn’t want to do anything that might be an embarrassment to Logan or the team. Although, just so you know, he’s quite taken with the idea that you really are some kind of lucky presence, so he won't exactly take any convincing. I have some non-disclosure agreements for you to sign if you agree. We need to make sure he keeps his head focused on winning the Stanley Cup. Your deal will be confidential, you can not tell anyone. As far as coming to practices or games, you’ll have access to the same area wives and girlfriends do. That will make it much less likely that the team, the press, or the opposition figure out what we’re up to. We don’t want the other teams or the fans to think he’s relying on some sort of magic or luck to win games — as far as we’re concerned, we want everyone focused on his incredible speed, dominance in the rink, and the fastest slapshot in the league.”
“I feel a little weird doing this behind Logan’s back,” I say.
“Trust me,” he says, “this is what’s best for everyone involved.”
Chapter twenty-one
Logan
Ihavesomethingforyou, any chance you can possibly swing by the hospital today?
Coco’s text this morning takes me completely by surprise.
ME:
I’ll be there after practice. Around 2?
I don’t care if her surprise is to drop water balloons on my head from the safety of her hospital room, yell at me, or have me sing an apology live on her Instagram account – I’m just happy she wants to see me.
COCO:
Perfect. Well, that was easy, don’t you want to know what it is?
ME:
I’m just happy you want to see me after the last time. But sure, I’ll bite. What is it?
