“It could be three months. I might be back for the playoffs. Depending how far we go.”
“In the meantime, you’re… It’s affecting your game.”
Trev sets his jaw. “I’m working on that.”
“You have to have the surgery, Trev.”
“I don’thaveto do anything.” The sharpness of his words surprises me.
“They know what’s wrong; they can fix it. What if you do more damage to it when you’re playing? What if that means theycan’tfix it? Is it worth risking your entire career to play right now?”
“We have a chance to go deep in the playoffs this year.”
“And you might be able to play by then. If you have it now.”
He shrugs.
“You’re also in pain.”
“I can handle that. At this point in the season, probably two thirds of the guys are playing hurt.”
“You’re young. You have a lot of years left to play hockey. You have to do it, and you have to do it now.”
“No. I don’t.”
“Jesus.” I stare at him.
“We’re done for today.” He skates away, jumps off the ice, and tramps down the tunnel.
What the fuck?I shoot a puck at the empty net. I’m trying to help the guy and he’s being an idiot.
I stay on the ice a while longer, lining up pucks and firing them at the net.
When I finally leave, Benny’s standing at the boards. “Hey, Alfie.”
“Hey. What’s up?”
“Can we talk for a minute?”
I frown at the team captain. “Sure?”
Nobody else is around. The Zamboni’s coming on the ice to clean it and one of the guys is taking a net off its pegs.
“I was just talking to Trev.”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for all the work you’ve been doing with him.”
“Well. I don’t know how much it’s helping. He’s…” I hesitate, not knowing if Trev has shared his injury with others.
“His wrist,” Benny says. “I thought something was bothering him.”
“And it’s going to keep bothering him until he has surgery.”
“Yeah… about that. He’s kind of… pissed… at you.”
“What?” Okay, I’m not surprised. I could see he was annoyed. “It’s not my fault he needs surgery.”
