The guy laughed. “I’ve never seen a hockey game in my life. We watch football in these parts.”
“Welcome to Texas,” Jay muttered once we were inside, and I snorted.
“Guess we should expect that, huh? Not a whole lot of ice around here.” I turned to the goalie. “Where you from, kid?”
“I was playing on Atlanta’s farm team,” he said. “Down in Mississippi.” He grinned. “Talk about a hockey hotbed, right?”
We both laughed. “I think I did a stint down there,” Jay said, scrunching up his face in thought. “Mississippi Magnolias?”
“Yeah,” Enzo said, rolling his eyes. “Dumbass name for a hockey team.”
“That’s not even the worst team I played for,” Jay assured him.
The kid cast a glance in my direction, almost looking shy. “I actually grew up in New York. Bunch of my friends had posters of you on their walls.”
“Jesus, that makes me feel old,” I said, laughing.
“Because youareold,” Jay pointed out.
Just like Jed had said, the signs leading to the locker room were clear and easy to follow. After a couple turns, we found ourselves in front of a closed door with a paperplayers onlysign taped to the outside.
“Hey kid.” I poked Enzo in the shoulder. “This your first time in the big leagues?”
His smile was a little sheepish. “That obvious, huh?”
“Just enjoy it, man,” I told him. “You make it through camp and we’ll take you out for a beer.”
Jay shot me an amused glance. “You’re just trying to be cool cause the kid grew up watching you play.”
I ruffled Jay’s hair, which I knew he hated. “I don’t need to try to be cool. I justam.”
“Uh huh.” He pushed my hand away. “Just go inside, would you?”
“Don’t rush the kid! This is a big moment.”
Enzo cast me a glance before pushing open the door. “Walking into an NHL locker room with Liam O’Conner,” he muttered, shaking his head. “Wild.”
It was kind of trippy, that look he gave me. I remembered the day New York had called me up like it was yesterday. My first time in that locker room I had nearly pissed myself when I realized I’d been assigned the stall right next to Dale Morrison, a legendary left wing I’d idolized since junior high.
And now I was the veteran some twenty-year-old kid had grown up watching. Life was weird, man.
I followed Enzo and Jay into the locker room and got my first look at the space. There were a bunch of guys milling around, chatting in groups of two or three. Their muttered conversation didn’t make up most of the noise, though. The drilling and hammering on the far side of the room was responsible for that.
“Guess they weren’t quite ready for us,” Jay said, watching the work crew’s activity. Only about half of the wooden locker stalls had been installed so far. A man wearing coveralls was on a ladder fiddling with the overhead lights. Several more workers were painting a wall. There were tarps and ladders all over the place. And in the middle of the room, several of my new teammates stood, casting bemused glances at the chaos around them.
“Shit,” Jay continued, in an undertone now. “Is it just me or does everyone in this room look really fucking young?”
It wasn’t just him. There were kids in here who looked like they didn’t even have to shave yet. It seemed like management had needed to call up half the farm team to make up a full roster.
“Come on,” I told Jay, nudging him towards the closest group of nervous looking guys. If we were the veterans here, I supposed we might as well act like it.
For the next five minutes the room filled up around us and I introduced myself to as many of the players as I could. They weren’tallwet behind the ears. There were a few guys in here I recognized from playing against them over the years. But man, alotof these guys were rookies. I had certainly never played on such a green team.
“Good morning,” a booming voice called from the front of the room. “I’m glad you could all make it.”
I looked up to see Duke Olsen, the interim GM, waving everyone towards him. I’d met the guy once, the day after I was traded. He was on the younger side for management, maybe forty or so, only recently retired from playing himself. He’d been one of the mid-level assistants on the Atlanta team, but I guess he’d been promoted when his boss (and his boss’s boss) got indicted.
Jesus. What a mess.
