Page 30 of Home of the Brave

“It can be pretty adorable sometimes.” And other times they storm off mid-interview.

“Most of them are pretty private, so I focus on the game until I know them well.”

She nodded. “Not the limelight type.”

“There are a few, like Erik Schultz on the Stars. He’s a ham.”

“I remember one of his videos,” she grinned. “He’s charming.”

“I rely on guys like him if I don’t get content anywhere else. There are a few players I know will always be on board with getting in front of the camera.”

“That is really good to know. Too bad Joe doesn’t have that same trick up his sleeve.”

I rolled my eyes. “They’re going to hate him.”

She laughed. “I wonder if they’ll ignore him just out of spite or loyalty to you.”

“A girl can dream.” Then the network would have no choice but to fix this mess and put me back where I belonged.

8

JOSH

As a general rule, I wasn’t a fan of press after practice. I was tired and hungry, and getting through the wall of cameras and recorders was all that was stopping me from getting food. Typically, it wasn’t something we had to deal with. Tournaments like this and the Olympics were the exception. With so little time in our packed schedules to sneak in interviews, there wasn’t much of a choice, and it wasn’t their fault.

But I did tend to get a bit hangry.

“Hold it together,” Hartman snuck me a protein bar as we shuffled to the next reporter waiting with their recorder already stretched out toward us.

I eyed the wrapper. Almond and wild berry. It wasn’t anywhere close to being in my top twenty favorite flavors. I wasn’t even sure it was a protein bar anymore. Was it just a nut cluster thing? I hated those. Sure, they said they had protein and calories, but it never made me feel full.

“How are you guys feeling after a few days of practicing together?”

Since the man hadn’t specifically addressed me, I let the others answer, while I ate it in three quick bites.

Yup, trash.

“And you, Henson. How does it feel playing with some of your rivals rather than against them?”

I ran my tongue over my teeth to feel for anything, then shrugged. “It’s always a bit odd to watch them shoot at another goalie when the games start, but during practice it’s pretty normal.” I smiled. “Nothing like blocking ten or twelve shots from Nyberg in five minutes. He can try, but he’ll never get past me.”

I heard Levi Nyberg, our other alternate captain, chuckle from a few feet away and found him shaking his head. “No need to call me out, we’re teammates, remember?”

The guys around us laughed, and we moved on to the next reporter, going through the motions of the same basic questions.

“Are you feeling prepared to face the Stripes?”

“Which player are you most nervous to play against?”

“Are East and West Coast rivalries fueling you?”

Things only got interesting when we got to Kinsley Jameson, who finally treated us as people rather than hockey robots.

“Have you had any time to explore DC?” she asked.

“Not as much as I’d like,” Hartman looked at me, and I nodded.

“Hopefully, we can take in more during the parade,” Schultz grinned. “At least from afar.”