Adam pushed the locker room door open and looked around, noticing he was the only one to arrive yet. He rested his stick against his locker and tugged his sweater off. Pulling his pads over his head gave him a boost of excitement, the boy could hardly believe this would be his first official game. Just the thought made his pulse pump faster, hockey was in his blood. He picked up his stick and carried it over to the bench in the locker room, laying it beside him, gently as if it were a sleeping baby.
"Banks, are you the only person here?" Adam heard the door open and close as Coach Reilly entered.
The boy looked up from tying his skates and nodded.
"Yes sir."
"Figures, your brother was always the first one into the locker room too. You've got some big shoes to fill Banks, I hope you're up to it."
"I can do it."
"That's what I thought, that's why I'm putting you in as first line right wing."
"That's the position Nick played."
"Yeah, I might put you in at center sometimes to, make you an all a rounder, like the last kid I let wear 9." Reilly pinned the roster up to the board.
"Gordon Bombay." Adam acknowledged. "He was the last Hawk to wear number 9."
"He blew a championship game, his heart wasn't in it. But, I think you're gonna go all the way Banks. I'm going up to the bench, tell the rest of the team to check out the roster and meet me out there where they're ready."
"Yes sir." He repeated, this time as the coach left the room.
A few minutes later the rest of the team started coming in, in a hurried pace, unlike Adam they had to rush. He didn't say a word to Larson or McGill he was nervous they'd be mad at him about the stunt Quimby had pulled at Steven's party. So he sat very quietly on the same bench he'd been sitting on when Reilly walked in and rolled his stick in his hands. He was about to just get up and leave when Larson came over and sat next to him.
"Your friend left a big bruise on McGill's shin." He declared.
Adam sighed.
"I guess I should apologize to him huh?"
"What for? You didn't tell her to kick me did?" McGill's voice queried from the back of him.
Adam turned his head and smiled.
"Nope, but I did know that she has a tendency to be violent."
"Don't worry about it, if anybody asks, I'll say it's a hockey injury."
"So did you guys look at the roster?"
"Yeah, I'm left wing." Larson stated.
"I'm the starting center." McGill added.
"I'm the right wing, we'll all be on the ice together." Adam interjected.
"Cool." Both of the others said in unison.
"Hey Banks, you're number 9, isn't that jinxed?" One of the other players by the name of King inquired.
"Nah, that's just a stupid fairytale." McGill waved it off. "Come on guys, let's go watch District Five warm up."
The three boys went out to the ice, soon followed by the everyone else. Once all the players were there, Reilly ordered them into warms ups. Unfortunately his idea of warms ups bared striking resemblance to things you're forced to do as punishment when you back talk to the drill sergeant in the Army. By the time warms ups were over half the team was beyond pumped, or beyond tired. Adam could not decided which he was. But he was glad when the coach called them all over the bench, where Adam took a seat. It was the first game and he wasn't about to risk getting yelled at by harassing the other team like Larson and McGill were doing. But he couldn't help but laugh as they skated over to the District Five kids and called them girls. From what they'd seen the other day at the pond, the whole team played like a bunch of girls, with the exception of the actual girl. Connie Moreau looked mean and violent.
By the time the game was over the Hawks had totally decimated their opponents and Adam had set a new one game record. He was even more excited when he learned the person he'd knocked out was the legend Gordon Bombay, the very guy that had coached District Five to a score les first game. It was wonderful.
"I beat a record set by Gordon Bombay, even you couldn't do that Nick." Adam told his brother as they went to Nicholas's car in the parking lot.
Nick grinned and opened the trunk for his little brother to stuff his gear inside.
"No, even I couldn't do that, you were great."
"It's not like other team was hard to beat though. Reilly even told us 'That was a lousy third period, anyone can beat these pansies.', I think I agree"
"Who you calling pansies Cake-Eater?" A harsh voice yelled from the window of the beat up old minivan next to them.
"You and you're team." Adam shot back, not knowing exactly what a Cake-Eater was, but it couldn't be something good.
"How about I get out of the car and mangle your preppy little face?"
"I quiver with fear, bring it on, if you can get out of the crappy van without it falling apart."
"That's it you're dead." The back door on the van slid open, and a loud mouthed black kid got halfway out before his father reached around in his seat and caught his shirt.
"Jess get your ass back in this car before I kick it." The boy was yanked back into his seat and the door slid close with a slam.
When Adam got into the car Nick was sitting in the drivers seat with his eyebrows raised. His little brother buckled the passenger side seatbelt with an embarrassed blush, he'd never so much as been in an argument with Nick before. Now he back talking Sophie and starting fights with other players in the rink parking lot, that just wasn't Adam.
Nick started the engine and looked over his shoulder to back out of the parking spot.
"What was all that about?"
"Nothing," Adam replied. "just some District Five kid running his mouth, I think his name's Hall."
"The Halls, Jesse and Terry, I heard the announcer mention their names. You know he would've killed you."
"I dunno, I think I could handle him. I've a fully functioning brain, unlike him."
"If it were functioning that well, you wouldn't be picking fights little bro."
"Where'd Dad go?" Adam changed the subject.
"He had to go back to work, but he saw the game. He wanted to tell you, you played excellent, but he wants to work more on your handling when he gets home and to take you out for ice cream or pizza. What do you want?" Nick eased out of the lot and started toward the center of town.
"I can't decide."
"Okay, ice cream pizza." Nick teased and Adam laughed. It seemed the only two times he was really happy was playing hockey or hanging in with his brother.
"Banks, are you the only person here?" Adam heard the door open and close as Coach Reilly entered.
The boy looked up from tying his skates and nodded.
"Yes sir."
"Figures, your brother was always the first one into the locker room too. You've got some big shoes to fill Banks, I hope you're up to it."
"I can do it."
"That's what I thought, that's why I'm putting you in as first line right wing."
"That's the position Nick played."
"Yeah, I might put you in at center sometimes to, make you an all a rounder, like the last kid I let wear 9." Reilly pinned the roster up to the board.
"Gordon Bombay." Adam acknowledged. "He was the last Hawk to wear number 9."
"He blew a championship game, his heart wasn't in it. But, I think you're gonna go all the way Banks. I'm going up to the bench, tell the rest of the team to check out the roster and meet me out there where they're ready."
"Yes sir." He repeated, this time as the coach left the room.
A few minutes later the rest of the team started coming in, in a hurried pace, unlike Adam they had to rush. He didn't say a word to Larson or McGill he was nervous they'd be mad at him about the stunt Quimby had pulled at Steven's party. So he sat very quietly on the same bench he'd been sitting on when Reilly walked in and rolled his stick in his hands. He was about to just get up and leave when Larson came over and sat next to him.
"Your friend left a big bruise on McGill's shin." He declared.
Adam sighed.
"I guess I should apologize to him huh?"
"What for? You didn't tell her to kick me did?" McGill's voice queried from the back of him.
Adam turned his head and smiled.
"Nope, but I did know that she has a tendency to be violent."
"Don't worry about it, if anybody asks, I'll say it's a hockey injury."
"So did you guys look at the roster?"
"Yeah, I'm left wing." Larson stated.
"I'm the starting center." McGill added.
"I'm the right wing, we'll all be on the ice together." Adam interjected.
"Cool." Both of the others said in unison.
"Hey Banks, you're number 9, isn't that jinxed?" One of the other players by the name of King inquired.
"Nah, that's just a stupid fairytale." McGill waved it off. "Come on guys, let's go watch District Five warm up."
The three boys went out to the ice, soon followed by the everyone else. Once all the players were there, Reilly ordered them into warms ups. Unfortunately his idea of warms ups bared striking resemblance to things you're forced to do as punishment when you back talk to the drill sergeant in the Army. By the time warms ups were over half the team was beyond pumped, or beyond tired. Adam could not decided which he was. But he was glad when the coach called them all over the bench, where Adam took a seat. It was the first game and he wasn't about to risk getting yelled at by harassing the other team like Larson and McGill were doing. But he couldn't help but laugh as they skated over to the District Five kids and called them girls. From what they'd seen the other day at the pond, the whole team played like a bunch of girls, with the exception of the actual girl. Connie Moreau looked mean and violent.
By the time the game was over the Hawks had totally decimated their opponents and Adam had set a new one game record. He was even more excited when he learned the person he'd knocked out was the legend Gordon Bombay, the very guy that had coached District Five to a score les first game. It was wonderful.
"I beat a record set by Gordon Bombay, even you couldn't do that Nick." Adam told his brother as they went to Nicholas's car in the parking lot.
Nick grinned and opened the trunk for his little brother to stuff his gear inside.
"No, even I couldn't do that, you were great."
"It's not like other team was hard to beat though. Reilly even told us 'That was a lousy third period, anyone can beat these pansies.', I think I agree"
"Who you calling pansies Cake-Eater?" A harsh voice yelled from the window of the beat up old minivan next to them.
"You and you're team." Adam shot back, not knowing exactly what a Cake-Eater was, but it couldn't be something good.
"How about I get out of the car and mangle your preppy little face?"
"I quiver with fear, bring it on, if you can get out of the crappy van without it falling apart."
"That's it you're dead." The back door on the van slid open, and a loud mouthed black kid got halfway out before his father reached around in his seat and caught his shirt.
"Jess get your ass back in this car before I kick it." The boy was yanked back into his seat and the door slid close with a slam.
When Adam got into the car Nick was sitting in the drivers seat with his eyebrows raised. His little brother buckled the passenger side seatbelt with an embarrassed blush, he'd never so much as been in an argument with Nick before. Now he back talking Sophie and starting fights with other players in the rink parking lot, that just wasn't Adam.
Nick started the engine and looked over his shoulder to back out of the parking spot.
"What was all that about?"
"Nothing," Adam replied. "just some District Five kid running his mouth, I think his name's Hall."
"The Halls, Jesse and Terry, I heard the announcer mention their names. You know he would've killed you."
"I dunno, I think I could handle him. I've a fully functioning brain, unlike him."
"If it were functioning that well, you wouldn't be picking fights little bro."
"Where'd Dad go?" Adam changed the subject.
"He had to go back to work, but he saw the game. He wanted to tell you, you played excellent, but he wants to work more on your handling when he gets home and to take you out for ice cream or pizza. What do you want?" Nick eased out of the lot and started toward the center of town.
"I can't decide."
"Okay, ice cream pizza." Nick teased and Adam laughed. It seemed the only two times he was really happy was playing hockey or hanging in with his brother.