Background: For the past two seasons the NHL has been on strike. Players were in an uproar regarding new regulations, rules and pay cuts so they refused to play until order was restored. Most of the players ended up quitting the league for good or retiring due to failing health or old age. With all the changes occurring in the NHL the league decided to revamp every team. Now the next generation of players must rise to the challenge and try to excel in one of the most intense and dangerous sports in the United States. Team owners recruited all new players to the league, most of whom are the children of players long since retired. The most anticipated season the NHL has ever faced is about to be underway…and already tensions and personal vendettas are beginning to rear their ugly heads…
"Mom!" screamed a young woman as she burst through the doors of a rather large condo in downtown Washington D.C., "MOM! DAD!"
Instantly a rather attractive looking man in his early forties emerged from the living room, his eyes wide with concern as he rushed over to the young woman.
"Sammy, what's wrong?" he asked as he grabbed onto her shoulders, "What is it?"
"Nothing's wrong!" exclaimed the young woman as she gasped for air, "Where's Mom? I want to tell you both!"
"I'm right here," said an older woman from the top of the stairs who looked like a carbon-copy of the younger woman down below, "What is it honey?"
"I made it!" announced Samantha, her green eyes sparkling with happiness, "I'm gonna be the captain of the Washington Capitals!"
The man gaped in astonishment as he glanced between his daughter and his wife, "That's my baby girl!" he roared as he picked her up and twirled her around in the air.
"Oh sweetheart!" exclaimed the older woman, "That's wonderful! I'm so proud of you!"
"I'll make you guys even prouder one day," promised Samantha, "I'm gonna be as good as you guys were when you played!"
"No, you'll be better," said her dad with a wide, excited grin on his face, "I know you will."
…
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a similar situation was beginning to unfold. Brayden rushed into his rather lavish house, screaming at the top of his lungs as he burst through the doors. His dark brown hair was a disheveled mess and his blue eyes flashed with barely suppressed excitement as he ran down the long hallway.
"I'm gonna be the captain of the Penguins!" he shouted as loud as he could, his heart hammering with excitement.
A rather handsome looking, middle-aged man rose from his leather arm-chair with a confident smile on his face. He approached his son and gave him a hug as he congratulated him.
"I told you that you'd pull it off," he said as he patted his son on the back, "Now it's time to carry on the family legacy. You remember all that I've taught you?"
Brayden rolled his eyes and sighed, "Dad…can't we just be happy that I got this position? I mean…come on…isn't the feud getting a little old by now?"
Brayden flinched when he saw his dad's eyes flash in anger. His father forced himself to calm down and take a deep breath before he spoke.
"You know how I feel about them," he said, his voice tinged with loathing, "Just remember what I've told you…you'll run into them soon enough. I've taught you well. I know I can count on you to do what you're meant to do."
Brayden frowned a little at that but nodded. He wasn't completely sold out on his father's long-time bitter rivalry but he didn't want to let him down. He'd do what he had to do in order to make his father proud…even if he didn't like it or agree with it one little bit…
…
All across America, the NHL's newly revamped teams were beginning to gather in their home practice arenas for the first time in over two years. Introductions were made, jerseys were passed out and practices began as they prepared to start the NHL back up.
In D.C. the new Capitals players filed into the locker room. Most of them were young kids between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one. Several of the players were pleasantly surprised to find that they already knew half of their team.
"Victor?" asked Samantha as she walked into the locker room, "Victor Varlamov? No way!"
"Sammy!" shouted Victor as he ran over to give her a hug, "What are you doing here?"
Samantha laughed, "I'm the captain! What are you doing here?"
"I'm starting goal tender!" replied Victor with an excited grin, "This is freaking awesome! Did you see the other guys? Adrian Backstrom, Alex Ovechkin, Nikolai Semin, Nathan Bradley and Anthony Perreault are all here too!"
Samantha's brilliant green eyes grew wide with astonishment. All of their parents were very close friends who had played on the Washington Capitals team several years ago. The Capitals team in those days was legendary. They had brought home the only Stanley Cup that the team had ever won…and they had defeated their long-time rival, the Pittsburgh Penguins.
"This is too freaking cool," said Adrian Backstrom as he approached them, "Dude our parents are going to flip when they realize we all got chosen for this!"
"But did you hear the other news?" said Nathan Bradley as he joined the happy group, "The Penguins did the same thing…they hired the original player's kids too. Crosby and Malkin's boys are on their team."
Sam rolled her eyes, "Whatever don't worry about them. I'm sure we can all put the past behind us by now. I mean that fight wasn't even really our fight to begin with. Those days are long gone…granted we'll still kick their ass in the first game but yeah the personal stuff is over."
"You are so much like your mother it's scary," laughed Coach Bruce Boudreau as he sauntered into the locker room.
Despite the immense changes to the team and the NHL in general, the Ted Leonsis, the owner of the Washington Capitals, had chosen to keep Coach Boudreau on the payroll. He was the only coach who had ever been able to lead the team to win a Stanley Cup and further more the players had all loved him dearly. It would have been a mistake to fire a man like that.
Samantha smiled broadly at that. She was incredibly proud to be the daughter of Mike Green and Kristine Alvarez and always considered it the highest compliment imaginable to be compared to her mother. She looked just like Kristine with long, dark, brown hair and startling green eyes and a lean body that was built for speed. More than that, she had skills unlike many of her fellow hockey players which were a combination of good genes and long hours of hard, intense practice.
Samantha had chosen to take on her mother's last name since Kristine kept her maiden name when she married Mike Green. Kristine and Mike had figured that it would be better that way for the fans since most of them already owned "Alvarez" jerseys and t-shirts. Samantha chose to keep her mother's last name and used "Green" as her middle name. She slipped on her captain's jersey with "Alvarez" emblazoned on the back and smiled with pure joy. Nothing had ever felt so right before in her life. This was what she was born to do…and she couldn't wait to get started.
…
Please Review!