Chapter 5: Confidence
The first practice did help a bit, but despite that, neither Teddi nor Evan had much confidence. As much as they saw the value in sports being fun, they also wanted to win. And they wanted to win badly.
Maybe part of that was because they were sick of being cast aside by Coach T, Riley, and Cole. Perhaps some of them wanted to prove they weren't the pathetic "losers" the Ducks pinned them as.
That was why, when they arrived at the Ice Palace for practice, Teddi was desperate to start scrimmaging. She wanted to start actually playing hockey, not just drilling, even though she and her new friends needed help with skating. Still, when she arrived at the Ice Palace with her dad, he must have noticed her impatience.
"Teddi, listen, I promise we'll start scrimmaging soon. But that can't happen until you master the basics. You also need to master something else, something that I learned the hard way in high school," her dad said to her before ushering her into the locker room. "Now, get ready. Because that special guest will be here soon."
Teddi nodded, rushing off to get dressed. Once changed into her gear, she followed Maya and Lauren onto the ice as Evan, Nick, and Logan soon filed out with the other guys. They all began warm-ups, or at least they did what they could, dodging Logan, who still couldn't skate to save his life and kept crashing into the boards. But God bless him for constantly trying to get back up again and not giving up. That was at least something that needed to be admired about him despite him being a total spazz.
As they warmed up with laps around the rink, though, Charlie skated out with Alex, followed by Gordon and, much to Teddi's surprise, Ted Orion, the man she'd been named after apparently. Orion was carrying a garbage bag and trashcan.
What's he doing here? she thought as she and the others gathered around the coaches, Gordon, and Ted, who nodded at them to take a knee.
"All right, everyone, gather around!" Charlie yelled. "I want to introduce you all to someone, somebody that's as close to my heart as this guy right here." He gestured to Gordon, who glanced down sheepishly; he'd never been comfortable with Charlie and the original Ducks praising him. "Meet Theodore Orion, former NHL player for the Stars before they moved to Texas. He was my JV coach in high school and even went on to coach me when I bumped up to Varsity. Now, you all do not know this: When I first met this man, to say we didn't get along would be an understatement."
"Was I really that bad, Conway?" Orion asked, raising an eyebrow. Despite the stern look on his face, there was a slight teasing undertone to his voice. Teddi could detect some hint of affection when Orion looked at her dad, a similar glint to his eye that her dad often had when he looked at her and Henry.
"Our first meeting you were screaming at all of us and taking away all our fun," Charlie shot back. "And you took away my 'C.'"
"In my defense, you had to learn how to earn it," Orion said firmly. He then turned to address the team. "And he's not lying. I may have even done some things that made him and his friends hate me for a while. But you understand why now, don't you?"
Charlie nodded, smiling a little awkwardly. "You weren't all that bad in the end," he admitted. He nodded in Teddi's direction, indicating he respected the man enough to name his daughter after him.
Ted grinned at Charlie before he shifted his gaze back to the team. "Now, I know why this team was formed. I was there at that Ducks game. I heard Riley, Cole, and Coach T screaming at you guys." He indicated Billy, Teddi, Gordy, and Evan. "Now let me tell you, all three of them were out of line putting that all on you guys. Especially in front of all the parents that were there. Other players are on the team, too; it shouldn't just be a few of you that determine the team's outcome. It's all of you together. But what do some of the greatest hockey teams have?"
"Great players?" asked Lauren timidly, raising her hand.
Ted shook his head. "No, umm . . ." He clearly didn't know any of their names.
"Lauren Gibby," Lauren said.
"Lauren," Ted said. "A team doesn't just consist of great players who know how to win. The greatest hockey teams have something else: great defense. And in order to have a great defense, you need something else: confidence. You've got to have confidence whether you win or lose. It's about putting in the hard work and knowing you did all you could, even if things don't go how you want. And that applies to real life, too. As long as you're out there playing your hardest, you know you're giving it everything, and you have the confidence to accept the loss coming your way, knowing you did all you possibly could, then you're only going to get better and better. You cannot be afraid of losing. You cannot be afraid of failure. You've got to take risks in life and push yourselves, and even if it doesn't work, you get back up and you go for it again. You get it?"
Everyone murmured in agreement.
"Now, years ago, when your coach, or in this case, your dad," Ted said pointedly at Teddi, who looked down, her cheeks flaring, "was on my JV team at Eden Hall, I gave a speech similar to this. Now, whether or not he listened willingly, that's another thing altogether."
"Hey!" Charlie exclaimed, feigning a hurt expression as Orion set down the trashcan to reach forward, messing up his former player's hair. Charlie ducked away, smoothing his hair down and glowering at Orion, though there was hardly any malice behind it.
"We also did a drill that I'm sure he remembers quite well," Ted continued, the barest trace of a smile on his face.
"I knew what you were gonna have them do the minute you brought that in," Charlie said, shaking his head.
"What is it, Dad?" Teddi asked.
"The most disgusting drill he ever made us do. But it was also, ironically, the most fun we ever had."
"But it's also very realistic," Ted noted seriously. "Because let me tell you, I saw the tapes of the practices Riley and Cole ran with the Ducks."
"You mean the ones where they taught us how to take cheap shots?" Evan asked.
"Or the ones where they showed their sons how to take someone out with the stick?" added Gordy.
"Yes. They play dirty. And that's not a reputation anyone should be proud of having. Now, what I found most admirable was the four of you never resorted to that. It took a lot of guts for the four of you to do what you knew was right," Ted said to Teddi, Billy, Gordy, and Evan, who looked up at him tensely. "But, that's also a sign that you four need to get down and dirty. And I don't mean by cheating; I mean something else. When you guys face the Ducks, they'll come at you guys like vultures. They're hard. They're aggressive. They'll come at you even harder because the four of you put a target on your backs, leaving how you did." He gripped the trash bag a little tighter. "They'll be looking to pick up any little bit of trash they can find; they'll look for any and all weaknesses, which means you need to be on the best defense you can be when you are on defense. When you play defense, make it count. Have that confidence knowing you're going for it, and you're doing everything you possibly can."
"That means," Charlie said, "you guys need to prepare for that possibility by taking out the trash." He nodded at Ted, who opened the garbage bag and dumped the contents of it onto the ice, causing a chorus of "Ewwwws!" to erupt from all of them. The smell was absolutely foul; moldy bagels, water bottles, empty Coke cans, rotten vegetables and fruit, bags of dog crap, old tuna cans, and old chicken bones went flying onto the ice. Teddi nearly gagged with disgust, and Evan looked like he'd throw up. Even Billy looked a little green.
"Remember what I said about controlling your edges and shifting your weight?" Charlie asked. "Well, apply that here. You'll all sprint and pick up all this garbage until the ice is cleared of it. Now, remember: stay focused. It's about concentration, not strength." He proceeded to kick the trash around until it was spread out clear across the ice; there wasn't one inch of the rink not covered in trash. "Now, on your feet. I want to see this ice cleared of trash before six o'clock! Let's go!"
Surprisingly, the trash drill wasn't so bad. Once they got into it, it was actually kind of fun. Charlie had put on some music through his Bluetooth speaker connected to his phone; he had a set playlist for practices: "We Will Rock You" by Queen, "The Luckiest Loser" by Bowling for Soup, "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)" by John Parr, "1985" by Bowling for Soup, "For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic" by Paramore, "Long Live Rock and Roll" by Daughtry, and "Don't You (Forget About Me)" by Simple Minds. The music put everyone in a good mood, especially as Charlie and Alex started singing. Even Ted was having fun, cheering every time they made the theoretical "goal," shooting the garbage into the pail. Orion followed them around with the trashcan, having them pick up the garbage one piece at a time and throw it into the can, and Teddi could visualize it being similar to shooting the puck at the net; whenever they missed the shot, Charlie and Ted made them start all over. The team was sweating and panting hard, with Gordon and Alex going around sneaking them swigs of water or Gatorade or Vitamin Water in between. Although some of them still had trouble staying graceful on their feet – namely Teddi and Logan – and some were on the slower side like Evan, for the most part, they cleared the ice free of all the garbage before six o'clock, though when Charlie called time out, Logan ended up accidentally crashing into the trashcan, sending the trash spilling out.
"Logan!" everyone groaned.
"Don't worry; he's not that big of an asshole. He won't make you clean all this up," Charlie teased, shooting Orion a cheeky grin.
"You guys did great," Ted said, smiling. "How did that feel?"
"Amazing," Teddi said, grinning.
"Good. Because it should," Charlie said. "I'm proud of how you all did today. But we have another problem: we still don't have a team name yet."
"Should we take a vote on it, then?" asked Sam.
"I have something in mind already," Charlie said. "Gordon, Alex, and I discussed it before tonight's practice. But I also want you guys to keep something important in mind: When you have that first game against the Cardinals in a couple of weeks, regardless of how dirty or low they might go, I want you all to promise me you'll be better than that. Because I know how you guys feel. When I was a freshman at Eden Hall, I was thrown into a school with a bunch of cake-eaters who decided they hated me because I just existed. The varsity team was the worst group of bullies I ever faced, including Rick Riley and Brad Cole, who are coaching the Ducks now. And sure, I pranked them when I was in school, but even if they and their team of Ducks try to go low, don't go as low as they do. Believe me. I wanted to kill Riley and Cole for discussing benching you guys." He looked pointedly at Teddi, Gordy, and Evan. "I would've wanted nothing more than to spit in Coach T's face for humiliating you guys the way he did in that first game. But if I become something I'm not, if I sink to their level, then I'll lose more than just the game. I'll lose a part of myself, too. You understand me?"
"Yeah," everyone chorused under their breaths, some of them glancing down at the ice.
"We're not thugs. And we're not bullies. We're going to play fair, even if the other team doesn't deserve that fairness. It's important we just be ourselves." Charlie glanced sharply at Teddi, who looked up, feeling his eyes bore into her. "You." He pointed at her. "What's your name? Full name."
"Theodora Constance Conway," Teddi said.
"Where are you from?" Charlie asked.
"Minneapolis, Minnesota," she responded quietly.
"I can't hear you," Charlie said. "Say it louder!"
"Minneapolis, Minnesota," Teddi spoke up a little louder, avowing it so everyone else turned to glance at her.
"You." Charlie pointed at Gordy, who turned in his direction.
"Gordan Guy Germaine."
"From where?"
"St. Paul, Minnesota," Gordy said, a shy smile on his face.
"You." His gaze landed on Logan.
"Logan Harris La Rue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada," Logan said, his voice cracking nervously.
"How about you?" He nodded his head in Maya's direction.
"Maya Amanda Kasper, Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York," said Maya proudly.
"Lauren Gibby, St. Paul, Minnesota."
"Adib Samitar, Atlanta, Georgia."
"Evan Johnathan Morrow, Minneapolis, Minnesota."
"Nicholas Ganz, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania."
"William Adam Banks, Edina, Minnesota." Billy reached his hand over and clapped Gordy on the shoulder, who responded by squeezing his hand right back.
Charlie grinned, turning his head toward Alex. "Alexandra Morrow, Detroit, Michigan."
"Gordon Andrew Bombay, Minneapolis, Minnesota," Gordon declared.
"Theodore James Orion, St. Paul, Minnesota," Ted announced just as proudly.
"And I'm Charles Francis Conway, Minneapolis, Minnesota," Charlie said finally as they heard someone skating out onto the ice, and they all turned to see Mr. and Mrs. Germaine and Mr. and Mrs. Banks approaching them, with Mr. Banks holding a cardboard box in his arms.
"That's right, Charlie," Adam said, grinning. "And I know Riley, Cole, and Tingman told you guys, 'Don't bother.'" He looked over at Gordy, Evan, and Teddi, whose cheeks flared hotly at the reminder. "Well, I say, we take that and use it. Because none of you may know this, but before I was a Duck, I was a Hawk. And I was a terrible person. My 'friends' and I had a nickname for Guy and his friends Jesse and Terry, who are of darker skin color; we called them the 'Oreo line.'" Sam's eyes went wide at hearing that, knowing back then, Adam had used such a racist term so casually.
"It was Bombay's idea for Jesse, Terry, and I to take that and use it. If the Hawks felt like throwing a racial slur in our faces, we needed to wear it with pride and own it," grinned Guy. "Think of it like the Vancouver Canucks – Canuck is typically an ethnic slur used to demean those from Canada, but think about what Vancouver's hockey team did; they took it and have been using it as their team's name ever since because they're proud to be a Canadian hockey team. It's about going by every mean name you've ever been called, every ounce of bullying you've ever taken being used like kerosene on a raging fire and making it grow stronger, because once that flame is strong enough, the other teams will run scared."
"There's a reason every creature in the animal kingdom is scared of the duck," Connie said further, "because the duck is one of the most noble, respectable creatures in all the animal kingdom; they don't need to be bullies, they stick together and know if you mess with one, you mess with the whole flock. It's pretty sad to me the modern-day Ducks don't understand that, considering they kicked out some of their own."
There was a murmur of quiet agreement.
"So, in honor of that, I think we've got a name for you guys that's rather appropriate." Adam dropped the cardboard box at his feet, and Connie reached inside for a bright, canary-yellow hockey jersey; written across the front of it in the bold, black-and-white script was DON'T BOTHERS, screaming the phrase loudly. Flipping it around to show off the back, it read the last name CONWAY with '96' stamped across it.
"Let them say whatever they want," said Gordon. "'Cause none of that crap is gonna matter. At the end of the day, you all matter. And when you play, when you debut those jerseys at your first game, make it count."
"I couldn't have said it better," grinned Charlie, taking the jersey from Connie and tossing it at Teddi.
Teddi grinned broadly and felt her eyes sting tearfully as everyone else received their jerseys. What had started as an insult and meant to belittle her was being taken and used for something else, something better. And she ran her fingers across the back of the jersey; she jumped up and hugged her dad, who grabbed her and spun her in a circle.
"Thank you, Daddy," she choked out; she hadn't called Charlie "Daddy" since she was eight.
Charlie kissed her on the top of her head. "You'll show 'em, kid. Show them where you belong and make it clear they made a mistake benching you."
Teddi smiled wider as she released her dad, rushing off to the locker room to put her new jersey on, nearly colliding with Logan, who'd fallen over and almost taken out of her knee, but she hardly cared.
They had their official team's name.
"Dude, I can't believe we're doing this," Nick Ganz complained to Evan Morrow as they walked along one of the neighboring streets in St. Paul.
"Look, according to the IP address, Koob lives here. We can't just rely on Billy to be goalie even though he has potential; we could always use a backup. Maya and Lauren may have volunteered to play defense, but we can't just have two defenders – they're girls; the other teams won't see them as girls and we have to make sure they're safe, too," said Evan. "Besides, Koob's gotta get out of his basement. He racks up wins in gaming. He could be an asset if he put half as much effort into doing something on the ice."
"Still, man, you know he's got like, a long list of excuses to stay away from gym class."
"But you also heard what Coach Conway and Mr. Orion said earlier. Maybe the guy just needs a confidence boost," Evan said as they made their way up to Jaden Koobler's front door. He knocked, hoping someone was home.
He knew this was a long shot. But Jaden Koobler was the best online gamer in their middle school. He didn't talk much, but his vast size was formidable, something that could help them out a great deal; they needed somebody who could act as a goalie or an enforcer, and while Billy could be an excellent potential backup, they also required a primary goalie, somebody in the net full time. He just hoped Koob would agree, though he also had his doubts. The guy spent all of his time locked up in his house playing video games and eating junk food, not socializing with anyone unless it was behind a computer screen.
But his mom also told him growing up how easily he found potential in others, how his willingness to give others chances was a good thing. It was what led to him persuading Teddi Conway and Gordon Germaine to join the Ducks with him when they were in Squirts, except he hadn't had a clue that their parents were Charlie freaking Conway and Connie and Guy Germaine, the OG Ducks; that had been a bonus. Almost everyone expected Teddi and Gordy to be just as good as their parents. And though they had their weaknesses, Evan also knew that they had a lot of heart. He knew they could lead a team between himself and Teddi, though it was a matter of who would be the Don't Bothers captain when the time came to make that decision.
He just hoped his willingness to give others chances would persuade Koob.
He knocked again before he heard the door open, and Mrs. Koobler opened the door.
"Hello? May I help you?"
"Yeah, we're here to see Jaden. Is he home?" Evan felt almost stupid for asking. Koob was always home.
"Yes, he's downstairs if you want to see him. Are you friends of his from school?"
"Sort of," said Nick as they followed Mrs. Koobler into the house. She led them through the hallway toward the stairs to the basement, beckoning them forward.
"He's down there."
"Thanks, Mrs. Koobler," said Nick, leading the way downstairs. When they entered the basement, they saw Koob's massive form sitting in the recliner, bags of chips spread out in front of him. Upon glancing up from his game, he paused it and looked at them, confused.
"What are you guys doing here?" he asked.
"We need you for our hockey team," said Evan. "We need a goalie before our first game."
"Do I look like a goalie to you?" Koob asked, his cheeks reddening as he looked at them with reluctance.
"I told you, man. It's a waste of time," said Nick.
"Nick, no." Evan shook his head firmly. "Look, Koobler, you may not think you can, but I think you've got a shot."
"At what? Falling on my ass and showing the world what a loser I am?"
"No, to improve and get better. Besides, you never know until you give it a shot. Come to our next practice on Sunday afternoon. You don't have to if you don't want to stick around after that. All I'm asking is you give it a fair chance," Evan said. "C'mon, Nick." He gestured for his best friend to follow him up the stairs, hoping Koob would accept the offer.
"Um, Evan?" he heard Koob asking. "When and where is it?"
"Twelve thirty at the Ice Palace," Evan called over his shoulder.