Thank you all so much for all the reviews. I never in my wildest thoughts, ever imagined that Rizzo and Chevon would be so popular.
PrincessBethy- Glad you like the story. Hope you get your computer fixed.
meadow567- Everyone is so anxious for Craig to find out. And your making Rizzo blush.
Klinoa- I hadn't planned on a sequel, but I've gotten so many requests that I may write one.
Emador- Rizzo is adorable. Something you've been wanting is in this chapter. (no, it's not OC in a loincloth. LOL)
Mrs. Rizzo- Take a deep breath. Your enthusiasm is great! I am seriously considering a sequel. But I have so many story ideas floating around.
Nikkd03- Where you at? Hope you like this chapter!
February 22, 1980 USA Vs. Soviet Union
I walked into the Olympic Ice Arena with the rest of the team. We were all quiet; reflecting in our own way. Dad and Herb walked to the offices and I stood in the hall a few more minutes as the team walked into their locker room to prepare for the game. They were so intense.
Rizzo stood outside the door, I looked up at him. I couldn't tell what he was thinking. He looked at me.
"Rizzo, there is nothing shameful if we lose to this team tonight!" I told him. "We have made it this far and no one ever thought we had a shot in hell."
He smiled and pulled me into a hug. "I have to go get ready. You got your scarf from mom?" he said.
I nodded. "Mike, I'll love you no matter what happens in this game!" I leaned up on tiptoe and kissed him. "Now you go out there and you lead this team like the captain you are!"
He smiled and walked into the locker room. I took a deep breath just trying to stay calm. I was feeling a lot of emotions at once, as was many of the boys. I knew I should begin getting ready myself.
I walked down the hall and saw that all those telegrams and letters had been hung on the wall. I looked in awe for a moment. The entire country was really watching this. Those 20 boys had the hopes and dreams of a nation on their shoulders.
I walked into the locker room. I saw Bah getting his stick shaped. I walked over and gave him a quick hug. I walked around the corner and saw Doc checking OC's knee. Then dad walked in the door. He walked over to OC and I held my breath.
"You ready to go?" dad asked OC.
"You serious? Am I playing?" OC asked a smile starting on his face.
"Suit up." Dad told him and patted his shoulder.
As dad walked away I hugged him quickly. He knew how badly I was hoping OC would get to play. I looked over to where OC was smiling so much I thought his face would crack and Doc was smiling too. (Doc genuinely cared about each and every one of those boys.)
I walked over and leaned down to give OC a big hug. I was so happy for him. He was going to live out his dream of playing in the Olympics.
"Good Luck, Jack!" I told him and kissed his cheek.
I walked to the back, the locker room quiet. I walked over to my bag and pulled out my scarf. I wrapped it around my neck, noticing that it looked nice with my brown sweater and jeans. I went to put on my gloves stopping for a moment to admire Rizzo's hockey ring on my left hand. Dad had been so preoccupied with the game, he hadn't noticed it.
I pulled my gloves on then looked in the mirror. Here I was, Ferrah hair, scarf from Rizzo's mom, my mother's locket around my neck, Rizzo's ring on my finger and my gloves on, ready to support the team I loved as they went into battle against the greatest hockey team ever, with the dreams of their home country on the minds! It was overwhelming but exhilarating at the same time.
I walked back into the locker room area. Most of the boys were already in full gear. OC was a bit emotional; he had his face buried in his jersey. I joined dad and Doc near the back of the room. We were waiting on Herb to come speak to the boys. The electricity was so great you could feel it.
Herb walked in and patted OC on the arm then strode to the middle of the room. I had to wonder what he was going to say. Herb had been preparing to face the Soviets since before he was even hired as head coach.
"Great moments are born from great opportunity." Herb started. "And that's what you have here tonight boys. That's what you've EARNED here tonight! One game…if we played them 10 times they might win 9. But not this game…not tonight! Tonight we skate with them…tonight we stay with them. And WE SHUT THEM DOWN BECAUSE WE CAN!!! Tonight we are the greatest hockey team in the world!"
The boys all had different expressions as Herb continued, "You were born to be hockey players, every one of you! And you were meant to be here tonight! This is your time. Their time is done, its over. I'm sick and tired of hearing about what a great team the Soviets have! Screw em! THIS IS YOUR TIME! NOW GO OUT THERE AND TAKE IT!"
As Herb turned and walked out of the locker room, I could feel pride, happiness, anticipation all running through me. Dad smiled and turned to follow Herb. Doc was right behind dad. I looked at those boys and smiled; I blew them a kiss for good luck then turned to follow the rest of the staff. We walked down the hall and out to the bench.
The arena was packed, and the crowd was electric. I stood in awe of the crowd, knowing that they were there to support our team. The team that I had spent the past seven months of my life with.
I saw the boys start to skate onto the ice. Rizzo was wishing them each good luck as they came out. I was so proud of him. As each player passed he told them something, when no one was left I saw Walter tap Rizzo on the helmet and then Rizzo too came out onto the ice.
USA! USA! USA!
The chants were all over the arena. I watched our boys do their warm ups and realized I needed to relax. I was emotional and the game hadn't started yet. I saw Donald Craig up in the stands. I wished that Jimmy's mom could be here too. I spotted the Eruzione's as well. Both were cheering and waving.
The boys started coming over to the bench as we prepared for the opening face-off. The crowd was still going wild. I saw Jimmy looking at his dad and it made me smile. Herb walked over to me and dad. "They don't look too nervous down there." He said, referring to the Soviet team.
I looked down and had to agree, they looked very calm and confident. I looked at the Soviet net and saw Vladislav Tretiak; he was considered the best goalie in the world. I looked down to our net, Jimmy was there. With him were Johnson, Marrow, Ramsey, Silk and McClanahan. They put their hands together and yelled 'USA'. Then they skated into position for the opening face-off. I think I was holding my breath.
Johnson was face to face with Makailov. The ref dropped the puck and the Soviets won the face-off. The Soviets took the puck back behind our net where Marrow gained control of it. Soviets stole it back and took a shot. Jimmy deflected it. I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Keep it out of the middle, boys." Herb yelled out onto the ice.
Petrov was speeding up the ice being pursued by Ramsey. He took a shot and again, Craig deflected it. I cheered for Jimmy. Makailov threw Mac over the wall, but Mac was quick to get back on the ice.
"Use those boards!" Herb yelled to the team.
I stood close to Janny watching it all. Schneider picked up the puck behind our net and was skating down the ice. He was slashed by a Soviet.
"That was a slash!" I yelled, but nothing was ever called. OC was also complaining of it being a slash.
Schneider lost control of the puck when slashed; the Soviets took over and skated towards our net. They took a shot and it was deflected in. I shook my head and watched as several players looked frustrated. The slash wasn't called and now the Soviets had scored. Just a few minutes into the game and we were down 1-0.
"Forget about, forget about now! Come on let's go." Herb said.
"Boys, we'll get that back. Just play your game!" I told them and walked down the bench to stand behind OC.
Face off at center ice and we were playing again. Soviets were driving down the ice towards Jimmy. They took a shot and Craig was able to stop it. I cheered again. Ramsey passed up to Johnson. Marrow made a hard check.
"That'd a boy!" dad yelled.
Rizzo was checked hard into the boards. I flinched but he was quickly back up and chasing the puck.
"OC go! OC get in there." Herb told him.
OC quickly jumped over the boards and was out on the ice. I was cheering for him because he finally was playing in the Olympics. Rizzo came back to the bench. I patted him on the shoulder as he took a seat. OC was skating across the ice at high speed and made a hard check to a Soviet player. Rizzo and I both jumped up cheering for him.
Pavelich passed the puck to Schneider. Schneider took a shot and it went in! We all jumped and cheered. OC skated across the ice to celebrate with his teammates. His defense being a part of that goal. As the players on the ice hugged, I hugged Rizzo and then hugged Janny.
"Way to go, Buzzy!" I cheered.
When Buzz sat down on the bench I kissed his cheek. But we were right back in the game with no time to celebrate too long. The Soviets had the puck in the USA zone. OC was tied up with a Soviet player.
"Talk to each other out there, boys!" Herb yelled.
"Play your positions!" dad yelled.
Johnson was thrown over the back of the Soviet net.
"Look out for each other boys!" I yelled. "You have to communicate!"
The Soviets skated right back down the middle despite the yelling of both dad and Herb and scored a goal. A lot of boys kicked and hung their heads in frustration. It was a textbook Soviet play. I knew now that things were critical. If we let the Soviets get on a role, they would run away with the game.
Dad yelled instructions at the boys as the crowd tried to motivate the boys with the USA chant.
"Keep your heads up boys, we're still in this!" I said to them.
Another face-off on the ice. Soviets won the face-off. Herb yelled about letting them have the middle.
"Listen to your goalie!" I yelled onto the ice. "Listen to Jimmy!"
Twenty seconds in the first period. I was glad that we would finish this period only one goal down. Jimmy was deflecting shots one right after the other.
"Get the puck out of our zone!" I yelled.
"You should be a coach!" Wells told me and I smiled at him.
"Johnson, go!" Herb sent Mark out onto the ice.
I watched as Johnson skated out onto the ice. Christian had the puck in the neutral zone. Christian took a shot it was deflected by Tretiak. Johnson picked up the rebound and scored!
The buzzer sounded as I jumped up cheering as did the rest of our team and the crowd. I watched and cheered as Rizzo and the others on the ice hugged Johnson. The Soviet coach Tikhonov was arguing the goal. We had tied the game 2-2 with no time left in the first period. Those on the ice skated over to the bench and we all started hugging. I was buried somewhere under players, but I didn't care.
Doc was clapping and smiling, dad was smiling, the crowd was chanting. We started off to out locker room while the crowd chanted USA USA over and over again!
(2nd Period)
When the boys were skating on the ice preparing for the 2nd period, the crowd was still going crazy. Dad, Herb and I immediately noticed that Tretiak was on the bench and that the Soviets had put in their back up goalie, Vladimir Myshkin. We all looked at each other in surprise.
"Well boys, they just put the best goal tender in the world on the bench." Herb said.
The boys seated themselves on the bench as we prepared for the 2nd period. The Coneheads were on the ice for our team. Jimmy Craig was still in goal.
The Soviets kept the puck down in the USA zone, Jimmy knocked the puck away. Dad and I were both cheering him on. Harrington broke away with the puck, but it was stopped by Myshkin. The Soviets then skated down the middle towards the US zone. One of the Soviets skated hard and checked Jimmy down, scoring in the process. The Soviets took the lead 3-2.
But Jimmy wasn't getting up. He had landed hard on the ice. Our team members on the ice skated over to check on him. While those on the bench jumped up to see what was going on. Much of the crowd came to its feet. I was holding my breath. Doc got ready to go out onto the ice if needed. The crowd was booing at the Soviets.
I knew I couldn't fall apart for the sake of the team. I saw the looks on Rizzo and Verchota's faces. Everyone was concerned. I looked up to Donald Craig in the crowd; he was obviously showing great concern. Herb called to Janny. If Craig was hurt bad, Janny would have to go in. Jimmy was slowly getting to his feet. I was glad that Mac was right next to him if he needed anything.
Jimmy climbed to his feet and we all breathed a sigh of relief. Dad put his arm around me. I smiled up at him. I guessed he knew I would be worried about Jimmy. The crowd cheered as Jimmy stood up. I was glad that he just had the wind knocked out of him. I saw his dad clapping with relief. Herb immediately started telling the boys things. We were going right back to playing.
(3rd Period)
The score was still 3-2 Soviets. The crowd was chanting. 20 minutes left in the game. While in the hall on my way back to the bench, I overheard someone say that this game was closer than anyone had anticipated.
I looked at both teams skating on the ice and listened to the crowd chanting. It was an electric feeling.
"Boys, come here. Bring it in." Herb yelled to them. The team skated over to the bench. Even Jimmy came out of the net to be with us at the bench. "Listen to them" Herb said.
We were all quiet for a moment just listening to the crowd. 'USA! USA! USA!'
"That's what you've done." Herb told the boys. "Now we've come from behind in every game in this tournament so far and we can do it again! We can beat these guys!"
"Come on Herb, get your guys to the face-off!" a ref yelled over to us.
"Everybody in." Herb said. Everyone on the team even Dad, Herb me and Doc put our hands in the middle. "WHO DO YOU PLAY FOR?" Herb yelled.
"USA!!!" we all yelled.
The boys climbed over the wall to be seated while others took their positions on the ice. Ramsey, Silk, Christian, McClanahan and Johnson lined up with Jimmy in the net.
Johnson was once again face to face with Makailov for a face-off. Johnson won the face-off. He passed back to Ramsey who passed back to Johnson. Johnson shot the puck around the boards. Soviets gained control and brought the puck down to the USA zone. Craig made a save.
"Way to stay in it Jimmy!" I yelled. He was on top of his game tonight and we were going to need that to stay in this game.
Another save and another. Craig passed the puck to Christian. Petrov came up behind Christian and slashed him. This time the ref called it.
"Two Minutes for slashing" the ref called.
"Coneheads lets go, Coneheads!" Herb called as the three took out to the ice.
"Let's use this power play, boys!" I yelled.
"Come on boys, let's take advantage of this." Herb said.
OC passed to Harrington. Harrington passed back to OC then back to Harrington. Harrington then passed to Ramsey then to Schneider. Buzz took a shot bit it was stopped by Myshkin.
"Keep it going now boys. Keep up the intensity!" Herb yelled.
I heard Jimmy yelling that there was 16 seconds left in the power play.
"Last rush, come on Silky!" my dad yelled as Silk skated by with the puck.
"Johnson's with you, Silky!" I yelled, seeing Johnson skating onto the ice and was open.
Silk was checked as the puck came loose; Johnson picked it up and shot it straight into the net. The buzzer sounded marking the goal.
As everyone jumped up from the bench cheering, I jumped up on the bench itself yelling. Johnson had tied the game with just seconds left in the power play. The team all skated out onto the ice to celebrate. The entire crowd was on its feet.
"That's my boy!" dad said to Mark when he came back to the bench. I gave him a hug and kiss on the cheek. His second of the night!
3-3, we still had work to do. Herb told the boys that. Back on the ice the game had resumed and the Soviets had control of the puck. Craig made two awesome saves and then cleared the puck.
"Keep them wide!" Herb called to the team.
"Come on Buzzy!" Rizzo yelled as Schneider skated down the ice with the puck.
"Rizzo, go!" Herb said sending Rizzo out onto the ice.
Rizzo skated out; Harrington made a check as Pavelich took control of the puck. I heard Rizzo calling to Pav. Pav saw Rizzo and yelled for him. Pav passed the puck to Rizzo who skated down the ice with it. (I was holding my breath and couldn't move!) Rizzo shot the puck and scored!!!
The crowd erupted as the buzzer went off and I threw my arms up while screaming. The entire team jumped off the bench and went out onto the ice, where those on the ice were hugging Rizzo. Doc was clapping!
"That was unbelievable!" dad said.
Herb even showed some emotion throwing his arms up and yelling: "yeah!"
I had to hold back tears. Mike had struggled so hard for so long, feared he wouldn't make the team…and now he had just scored the goal that put us ahead of the Soviets! I saw Donald Craig with his arms up cheering. The crowd was on its feet and chanting again. I saw Rizzo's parents cheering, his mother in tears!
I looked at the boys celebrating on the ice. They had lifted Rizzo up against the boards and Rizzo was cheering.
"WAY TO GO RIZZO!!! I LOVE YOU, BABY!!!" I yelled, still clapping.
Dad gave me a funny look but before he could say anything Herb started talking to him. Rizzo was still smiling and cheering as he skated back across the ice. Exactly half way through the 3rd period, he had put us ahead of the Soviets. The team was still congratulating Rizzo as he came back to the bench.
Rizzo sat down and let out a cheer. I walked over to him and pulled his face up to mine. I gave him a kiss that was filled with so many emotions. I wanted him to know how proud I was of him. When I pulled back, I hugged his neck. "I am so proud of you. I love you so much!" I said.
I noticed dad looking at me again, but before he say something Doc pulled him aside.
10 minutes left to play and we were ahead. Face-off and we were back playing.
"Stay focused boys! You have to stay focused!" I yelled.
"Play your game. Play your game!" Herb told them.
Jimmy Craig was making one amazing save after another. And all of the coaching staff, even Doc was getting wound up.
"Keep the puck moving!" I yelled out onto the ice.
"That'd a boy Jimmy!" dad yelled.
Mac got the USA zone cleared. Many of the boys were pounding on the boards to show their support. 7:09 left to play.
"We're going to go in short shifts, boys." Herb told the team. "Short shifts, 30-40 seconds. Keep an eye on it Doc."
Doc had the stop watch. I knew that these next minutes were critical. The Soviets always dominated the end of the 3rd period because they were better conditioned. No one could ever skate with them by the end of a game. Now we had to in order to win, Herb had conditioned them well; I knew we could do it.
Craig made another amazing save.
"Switch it up, go go go!" Herb yelled sending fresh players onto the ice.
"Stay in it, boys!" I yelled.
The boys kept the puck moving. I could hear frustration in the voice of Tikhonov as he yelled in Russian.
"Keep it going now boys!" Herb yelled.
Makailov was skating down the ice, he shot and it was knocked away by Craig.
"Chip it out!" dad yelled.
The boys cleared the puck and Pavelich was checked hard. Herb called for the boys to switch again. Fresh players went onto the ice. Jimmy Craig yet again made another amazing stop.
"All right Jimmy!" I yelled also pounding on the sides of the boards.
"Play your game boys!" Herb yelled.
"Get off the boards, bring it off the boards!" dad was yelling.
Herb asked Doc about the time and then had the players change again. I was watching the clock 3:19 left to play. I knew that soon the Soviets would be pulling Myshkin so they could have an extra skater.
"They'll be pulling Myshkin soon!" I told Herb.
"I know!" he said. Then turned to the team, "POISE AND CONTROL!" he told them.
Out on the ice, our boys were battling for the puck. Ramsey gave a hard hit to a Soviet then we took off with the puck.
"Okay no more changes until the next whistle!" Herb told the team.
"Come on Jimmy!" dad yelled.
"When they pull Myshkin, I want fresh legs." Herb said to dad and pointed at OC. "OC"
"Yeah!" dad said.
The Soviets had the puck back in our zone.
"Get the puck out of our zone!" I yelled. "Listen to Craig!"
1:33 left to play. Herb, dad and I were all yelling things out onto the ice. Craig made two more saves.
Dad jumped up on the boards, "CHIP IT OUT! CHIP IT OUT!" he yelled.
1:00 left to play. I looked but the Soviets weren't pulling Myshkin, but Tikhonov
was yelling in Russian. It dawned on me that he didn't know how to react- no team had ever been able to keep up with the Soviets this late in the game.
"They're not pulling Myshkin!" dad said to Herb.
"He doesn't know what to do!" Herb said as if reading my mind.
0:34 to play. I walked over and joined the Coneheads and Verchota slapping the boards and cheering. I was holding my breath, yelling and watching intently all at the same time. Verchota let out a big yell and I hugged him with one arm still hitting the boards.
0:11- we started jumping up and down. Everyone in the Olympic Ice Arena was on their feet and cheering. I could hear the crowd counting down. 4-3-2-1…and then the buzzer sounded!
Everyone on the bench started hugging! Doc was cheering. Dad threw up his arms in victory and began hitting players on their helmets! I just screamed in joy, I didn't know I could feel so much at once! The boys started jumping onto the ice. Sticks and helmets were thrown everywhere. The boys were all hugging and screaming. I looked up to see the Eruzione's both with tears in their eyes.
I hugged Doc who laughed as I gave him a kiss on the cheek. Herb went to shake dad's hand, but dad gave him a bear hug. The joy was so great! I hugged Herb next and kissed him on the cheek as well.
Then I turned to my dad, looking happier than I had ever seen him. I jumped into his arms and he lifted me off the ground. It was then that I started crying, tears of joy. He set me back on the ground.
"I am so proud of you!" I said through tears. "You've waited so many years for this!"
He hugged me again. I looked around and saw the crowd waving American flags and celebrating.
Dad and I walked out onto the ice. Mark Johnson skated over to dad and hugged him. I smiled and kept walking looking for Rizzo.
Neal Broten saw me and hugged me. I kissed his cheek and then spotted Rizzo. I ran over to him and tried to talk but I was too overcome. I just cried.
"We beat the Soviets, Chev. Can you believe it?" He said hugging me.
I pulled back and looked into his eyes and still crying, "I always believed in you!"
I was still crying but Rizzo leaned in and kissed me anyway. I held him close and
tried to convey with a kiss everything I was feeling.
"I am so proud of you!" I said still crying. "I love you"
"I love you more!" Rizzo said and kissed me again.
We were still kissing when OC and Jimmy Craig came over and started hugging
us. I saw Doc was out on the ice also being hugged by the boys. This was a celebration like I had never seen before, I was so glad to be a part of it.
"USA! USA! USA! USA!" was being chanted all over the arena.
All of us hugged. I was still crying tears of joy. I kissed every player on the cheek (without mistletoe). They had earned it and I loved each of them so much. They were indeed my family. We all started waving to the crowd and celebrating with them. Bah was pounding on the glass. Jimmy was slapping high fives.
Rizzo held my hand and he skated and I walked around celebrating with the fans. We had to get off the ice soon. But we were going to party all while we could. I leaned over and whispered, "You realize with all the kissing we have done tonight, we're caught!"
"I don't care! There is only one game left, and with a win this big, I couldn't have kept from kissing you." Rizzo said.
"I know, I feel the same way." I said and kissed him again.
Dad motioned for us to follow him off the ice. Still cheering, yelling and celebrating, we made our way off the ice and towards the locker room. Cameras were flashing everywhere, but I could make out parents waiting for us. Donald Craig rushed to hug Jimmy. I saw the O'Callahan's rush at OC.
I saw Rizzo's parents and we ran over to them. Rizzo hugged his mother while his dad hugged me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Then Rizzo hugged his dad while his mom hugged me.
"You were great out there, Mikey!" his dad said.
"We are so proud of you!" his mom said.
"I just can't believe it! We beat the Soviets!" Rizzo said.
"Chevon, your dad must be ecstatic." Mr. Eruzione said.
"He is, and I am just so proud of both him and Mike. I am just so full of emotion right now." I said.
We stayed talking in the hallway for a few more minutes and then walked into the locker room. The boys were still celebrating and going crazy. I was so happy for them. I just smiled watching them hug and yell.
"Boys, I don't mean to damper the party but we do need to get out of here sometime tonight!" Dad said. "Get cleaned up and dressed."
I saw Herb finally come walking in. He looked as if he was so happy he didn't know what to do with himself. Herb walked over and was talking to dad. I left the locker room to give the boys some privacy.
Outside in the hall I saw Donald Craig. "Hey Mr. Craig!" I said.
"Hello Chevon. What a night?" he said hugging me. "You must be so happy."
"I am. I am just happy and proud beyond words. And you must be too. Jimmy was phenomenal out there!" I said.
"So was Rizzo. He must be thrilled and your dad too!" he said.
"He is. I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight I am so wired." I said with a laugh.
"Chevon, where is Herb?" Walter asked running towards me.
"In the locker room, why?" I asked.
"The president is on the phone and wants to talk to him." Walter said.
"What president?" I asked.
"The President of the United States!" Walter said.
"President Carter is on the phone?" I asked.
"Yes, we just beat the Soviets. The whole country is celebrating. This is already being called the 'miracle on ice'." Walter said and entered the locker room.
A minute later Herb, dad and Walter exited the locker room and took off down the hall. I was so happy I couldn't stop smiling. I talked to Donald a few minutes more before heading back into the locker room myself.
I walked over to Rizzo and kissed him. "Have I mentioned how proud of you I am?" I asked.
"I don't think." Rizzo said with a wink.
"Chevon, Rizzo could we see you a minute?" we looked up and saw Dad standing with Herb.
Rizzo and I stood up and followed them to the back catering area. I wasn't sure what any of us would say. But I was kinda relieved that dad knew about Rizzo now.
Herb shut the door behind us. "She's your daughter Craig." He said.
"Okay Chevon, what's going on with you and Rizzo?" dad asked. He didn't sound mad. He had the same tone he would if he were asking me my shoe size.
"Well we have been dating in private for a while." I said.
"How long?" dad asked.
"Since July." I said. "I'm sorry we didn't tell you but I was afraid that Rizzo would get cut. Or that you or Herb would say that I was a distraction to his game."
"It was both our decision not to tell the coaching staff." Rizzo said, putting an arm around me.
"Since July?" dad asked looking a little shocked.
"I would not have cut Rizzo for dating you." Herb said. "I admit I'm not thrilled you have been dating one of the players, but there is only one game left. And it obviously hasn't hurt the team so I guess I can't be too upset. At this point there isn't much I could do even if I was very upset."
"Thank you Herb." I said and looked to daddy, "Daddy please don't be mad. I wanted to tell you a thousand times, but if you knew and Rizzo had been cut, I would've blamed myself no matter the reason why he was cut."
"I mean I had a suspicion you were dating somebody on the team. All this time I thought you were dating Jimmy Craig!" dad said with a chuckle. "Are you happy?"
"Yes, daddy. Rizzo makes me very happy. He has been good to me." I said and looked up at Rizzo who smiled down at me.
"You love him, I can tell. You look at Rizzo the same way your mother looked at me." Dad said and seemed to choke up.
"Yes, I love him very much." I said starting to tear up at the sight of dad getting emotional.
"I always knew there would come the day when I was no longer the only man in your life." Dad said and I could see the tears.
"Oh daddy!" I said and jumped into his arms. "No one could ever replace you!"
Dad hugged me tight, both of us in tears. "And you," dad said to Rizzo, wiping his eyes. "You better always be good to her. She may be your girlfriend, but she is still my daughter."
"Sure thing Coach Craig." Rizzo said and shook dad's hand. "And just so you know, I love her too."
"You got a very special lady here Rizzo." Herb said walking over to us. "In the past few months she has become like another daughter to me. I better never hear of you making her unhappy."
"You won't coach." Rizzo said and Herb shook his hands.
"All right, let's go back to the hotel. We got a lot to do before the gold medal game." Herb said
As dad and Herb left I hugged Rizzo. I couldn't believe they now knew, and they were okay with it. We then followed them out to the locker room to gather out things to go back to the hotel.
Back at the hotel the boys were still wired as we got off the bus. Rizzo and I walked through the building. We were on our way to his room. Silk, Craig and OC were walking with us.
"Who is up for ordering some drinks and partying some more?" Silk asked.
"I am there." OC said. "Besides, I have a feeling I better vacate the room for a while." He said winking and pointing at us.
I rolled my eyes, but laughed. "Just don't go crazy and trash any rooms." I told them.
Rizzo and I said goodbye to them and went into his room. We dropped our bags by the door.
"I don't think it has sunk in yet!" I said. "I just never knew that I could feel so much at once!"
"I know what you mean." Rizzo said and I flopped back on his bed.
"And you, Mr. score-the-goal-that-won-the-game!" I said getting to my knees and crawling to him by the edge of the bed. I kissed him.
"It was a team effort." He said as he put his arms around me. "And you, you're a regular little coach over there."
"Well I did grow up around hockey!" I said and kissed him again.
"You know it amazes me that OC was able to read my mind?" Rizzo said.
"He read mine too!" I said and pulled Rizzo down on the bed with me.
(3:00AM)
"Mike, are you still awake?" I asked.
"Chevon, go to sleep. I am tired and you can't possibly have energy for another go round." Rizzo said.
"You wimping out on me Eruzione?" I joked, and leaned up to look at him.
"Chev, twice and I played a grueling game!" he mock protested.
"I know, that's not why I was talking anyway." I asked pulling the covers up around myself. "I still can't sleep."
"Tonight was a big night." He said and opened his eyes.
"Yeah it was, dad was on cloud #9. I am still so stunned." I said. "You know looking back, all those drills and training Herb had you do paid off. At the end of the game, Tikhonov had no idea what to do. We were the fist team he ever played that could keep up with them at the end of the game."
"Herb knew how to prepare us. We beat the two best Eastern Block teams!" Rizzo said.
"You realize you win this next game and we will have won the gold medal?" I asked.
"Yeah, but you better get some sleep. Tomorrow is bound to be a busy day." Rizzo said and kissed me. "And even if you don't sleep be quiet so I can!"
I chuckled and lay down on Rizzo's chest.