Page 4 of Between the Pipes

Mr. Kinsey chuckles and pats my arm in the same way Dad does and turns away to follow his husband over to the other guys. Before the rejection has a chance to set in, he calls back over his shoulder.

“Break Stanton’s shutout record, and I’ll be there.”

Oh, I’ll break every record that exists if it means seeing you again, Mr. Kinsey.

The last time I know that I saw Mr. Kinsey was in the stands for the first game back in Wrenshaw after I broke that record with fifteen consecutive shutouts. I thought I heard him cheering for me during the championship, but that was a level of noise I was fully unprepared for. Call it wishful thinking, but I always play my best with him cheering me on. I have to imagine it now. There’s no way he thinks of me as much as I think about him.

I’ve been wishing ever since… Nope, can’t go there. I take the head taps from my teammates and we all head back to the locker room to unwind. Walking down the tunnel, plans are made for clubbing, gambling, drinking, and nights in with families. All I want to do is hear how proud that one man is of me.

“Tonight, the spear goes to our new goalie, Isaiah Charming, for one helluva performance.” The team captain – who I know only by facial recognition at this point – hands me what looks like a child’s toy spear from a gladiator costume. “You’re not gonna be with us long if you keep playing like that, Kid. Hell, you might even make it to the Bigs if you keep that up.”

Guys cheer and start slapping my shoulders and back while I work on removing the rest of my gear. I smile and nod because it’s the polite thing to do, but the main thought running through my head is that I’m going to have a very long night ahead of me to memorize names before practice tomorrow afternoon.

“Any special requests?”

The question pulls me from my thoughts and I see a guy who is probably old enough to be my grandfather lifting my right pad. After a half second of thought, I remember that he’s one of the equipment guys for the team. The staff at WU kind of just did what was needed without my input, same with the people in Juniors. I guess pro players get some perks?

Shaking my head, I grab my towel to head for the showers. “Just a good fumigation if you don't mind the trouble. I redo the lacing myself before every game anyways, so as long as nothing gets cut or sliced, I’m good.”

The old guy chuckles and gives me a two-finger salute as I cross into the steam filled shower area to rinse away the funk from the game. I get the feeling that I’m a breath of fresh air with equipment.

“Sammy is gonna be so happy to get you when the diva finally leaves.”

I don’t have time to think about what the old man is mumbling as I turn around and am greeted by the sight of three of my teammates walking past with their towels over their shoulders instead of around their waists.

Sometimes, I love being a hockey player…