"Like what?"
"I don't know. Expanding the youth program maybe. Running coaching clinics for other small-town teams. Writing a book about coaching philosophy. Something that has impact beyond just our team."
Lucy smiled. "You're ambitious. I like it."
"Says the woman who opened a restaurant and is already thinking about expansion."
"Fair point. We're both ambitious overachievers."
"That's why we work."
Back at their apartment, Jake's phone rang. Tommy.
"Jake, I need to talk to you about something. Can you stop by my place this afternoon?"
Jake met Tommy at his house an hour later. Tommy's wife, Patricia, let him in with a knowing smile.
"He's in the garage. Fair warning—he's being very mysterious about whatever this is."
Tommy was indeed in the garage, surrounded by boxes.
"What's all this?" Jake asked.
"Thirty years of coaching. Files, playbooks, notes. I've been going through everything, trying to organize it before Patricia makes me throw it all away."
"She's threatening to throw away thirty years of hockey history?"
"She says it's clutter. I say it's legacy. But that's not why I called you here." Tommy pulled out a folder. "I've been thinking about retirement. About what comes next."
"You've already retired."
"From coaching, yes. But Jake—I still have things to teach. Knowledge to share. And I don't want it to die with me."
"What are you thinking?"
"A coaching academy. For young coaches who want to work in hockey but don't know where to start. We'd teach strategy, player development, team management. All the stuff you learn on the job but wish someone had taught you."
"That's incredible. Who would run it?"
"I was hoping we'd run it. Together."
Jake felt his heart skip. "Together?"
"You're a natural teacher, Jake. You took a mediocre team and won a championship. You work with youth hockey every Saturday. You understand the game on a level most people never reach. And you're young enough to understand how the game is evolving."
"Tommy, I don't know what to say."
"Say you'll think about it. We'd start small—summer clinics for high school coaches, maybe some online content. See if there's interest. If it works, we expand. Make it a real training program."
"Where would we do this?"
"Here in Timber Falls. We have the rink, we have the community support. We could bring coaches in from all over New England. Make Timber Falls a destination for hockey coaching education."
Jake's mind was spinning. This was exactly the kind of expansion he'd been craving. Teaching, mentoring, having impact beyond just one team.
"Let me talk to Lucy," Jake said. "But Tommy—I'm interested. Really interested."
"Good. Because I've already started planning the first clinic for August."
