Page 262 of On His Team

Minnesota gets it back three minutes later on a point shot Percy never sees through traffic.

1-1.

That’s how we go to the room.

Fuller is at the board before most of us have our helmets off. Minnesota has changed the forecheck, so we change the exit. Winger comes lower. Center stays underneath. Stop forcing the wall when the wall isn’t there.

“Make them get impatient first,” he says.

The second period gets meaner without getting louder. The long change catches Stanley out for almost two minutes on one shift. By the time the puck finally clears, he misses the open door entirely and skates to the far end of the bench before folding over with both hands on his knees.

I come off ten seconds later and sit beside him. “Great shift.”

“Fuck yourself.”

I grab my water. “Okay.”

Neither of us has enough air to laugh.

Halfway through the period, Minnesota drives wide and sends a puck through the crease. It hits something in front. Percy goes down. Mackey goes down. I lose it completely.

Their bench jumps up. The red light comes on. For two seconds, I think we’re down.

Percy is already waving his glove. “No.”

The officials come together while the building gets louder. The replay goes up on the board: Percy has it underneath him, Minnesota gets a stick in after the whistle, and the puck appears across the line afterward.

The referee waves it off.

The Minnesota side of the building loses its mind.

Fuller is already pointing toward the ice. “Next shift.”

So we go.

At the next whistle, one of their forwards gives Blue a shove between the shoulder blades after Percy covers the puck.

Blue turns around. The guy says something. I’m already moving toward them because I know Blue. Blue looks at him for a second. Then he skates to the faceoff dot.

Benson passes him on the way in. “Good.”

Blue doesn’t answer.

The puck drops.

That’s most of the second period. Get it out. Get off when we can. Don’t give Minnesota the middle. Percy talks behind us every time the puck comes back — *time, reverse, wheel, leave it *— and Minnesota gets more frustrated the longer nothing happens.

Nobody scores.

We go to the second intermission still tied.

Fuller makes two adjustments and tells us Minnesota’s defensemen are pinching earlier now.

“The next one might be enough,” he says.

Stanley looks across the room.

“So score it.”