For a moment, I worry that Dad will raise a fuss. Instead, he seems to be silently counting the bills in front of him.
“You know, if the kid's gonna head out, we could always go to the strip club down the street. He's always worried about getting caught there by the papers, but that's the benefit of retirement, am I right?”
Finally, a joke gets the level of laughter he wants, and I am free to walk away.
In the cab on the way to the hotel, my phone buzzes.
Jamie Carter 9:12 PM
Where'd you go, Cap?
Everything okay?
Jamie Carter 11:12 PM
I'm just reading in my room if you want to stop by
I stare at the messages for a minute, tempted by the offer they hold, then power down the phone entirely. I press my forehead to the cold window and watch on as snow falls on New York.
JAMIE CARTER: TRAILBLAZER OR TROUBLEMAKER?
REUBEN SANTOS FORTHE NEUTRAL ZONE
[Image 1 Description: Two hockey players engaged in a fight near a goal. One, whose jersey reads “Tremblay 8”, is wearing navy and light blue; the other is wearing green and gold.]
We are now almost halfway through the NHL season, and pundits are starting to make predictions for who we’ll see in the playoffs this year. In the East, a strong Carolina team brought back most of their top lines and looks to be prepared to make a Cup run once again. Boston and Buffalo also seem prepared to continue their solid performances through the rest of the season. In the West, Arizona and San Francisco are the current leaders, although many consider the division very soft.
The real story this year is coming out of the Central Division, where the standings have ended up very different from what many predicted. Minnesota has had a solid start to the year and are on track to out-perform their last Cup-winning season, while Dallas has notbeen able to generate the offensive production many expected based on their draft picks and trade activity.
Still, many are questioning whether Minnesota has what it takes to keep this up through the post-season. While rookie Jamie Carter’s production has been through the roof, several around the league are concerned with what his presence may be doing to the team. Dallas’ coaching staff has gone on the record regarding their choice not to draft Carter this summer, stating that they felt his sexuality and press coverage would prove distracting to the team.
His presence certainly seems to be impacting the team on the ice, where team captain and defenseman Ethan Tremblay has spent more minutes in the penalty box this year than in any other during his career. Word around the league is that Tremblay and others on the team have been particularly sensitive to the type of locker room talk commonly heard on the ice.
When questioned about the very real negative impacts of having Carter on the team, Huskies General Manager Greg Winthrop did not seem to take the question seriously, stating “Jesus Christ, it’s not like he’s contagious.” While Winthrop may be willing to look the other way, insiders state that front offices throughout the league are keeping a close eye on the team for any sign of implosion.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
JAMIE
“Dude,you weren't at the team dinner last night. You ok?”
“Oh, uh, yeah. My dad lives in New York. He wanted me to go out with him after.”
I'm a little jealous of this, to be honest. I can't wait to get a chance to catch up with my mom and Avery when we play LA.
“Oh, that must've been nice!”
His face is tight.
“It was fine.”
He must sense the confusion on my face.
“We're, uh, not close.”
Oh. That's odd – I've definitely seen articles about the two before – father and son NHL players. Nothing that ever gave the sense they were estranged.
“Oh, that sucks.”
