Page 57 of Hooking
“So, Channing has absolutely no idea that Scottie is being discharged today?” Sydney asks as she helps me pack up Scottie’s hospital room.
Scottie has exceeded all expectations. She has been weaned off her oxygen earlier than expected. She has met all her weight milestones and passed her car seat test. All we were waiting on was her echo results to come back. With all that in place, we’ve been cleared to go home. Just in time too.
The Skipjacks have made it to the Stanley Cup finals, again. Tonight is game four of the series with the Skipjacks leading the Tampa Thunder 3-0, and they’re playing at home. Which makes our surprise appearance at the game tonight that much better.
“Nope,” I say, popping the p. “I plan on surprising him.”
The second they told me we were being sprung from the joint, I went ahead and ordered jerseys for Scottie and me, with our guy’s name on the back. Well, Scottie’s is a onesie.
I sign her discharge paperwork and place her in the car seat. As soon as we reach the car, and I snap her into the base, my phone alerts to a call from Channing, and his photo displays on the screen.
“Hey—” he says, as I hear movement in the background. He must be in the locker room, preparing for warm ups. “Just calling for a little pre-game inspiration.”
Pre-game inspiration, my ass. The last few games he has called me for some ‘pre-game inspiration,’ it has been to tell me all the dirty things he wants to do to me once he gets home.
“How are my girls?” he asks.
I smile, looking at the baby camera I had installed in the car. “We’re good. Missing our guy obviously,” I say, trying to hide the excitement in my voice. “Sad that we won’t be at the game tonight. But I know you guys are going to win. My parents will be there in our place.”
“Gosh, I wish you both were going to be here tonight. I promise, though, I’ll be right at the hospital win or lose as soon as the game’s over.”
I look at Sydney, who is silently chuckling in the passenger seat next to me. He’s going to shit a brick when he sees us, but I need him to keep his focus and bring home another cup.
“Go out there and give them hell,” I say, knowing the Thunder didn’t stand a chance the moment the series went 2-0. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” he says, with a smile in his voice before the line goes silent.
The arena is electric tonight. It’s as if all of Seattle has shown up for the Skipjacks. My parents are the first to notice us as we walk into the owner’s box. Mom’s squeals of excitement fill the room as she gently takes Scottie from her car seat.
“Hello, little love. Welcome to your first NHL game,” she whispers to the little sleeping beauty before walking over to a couch and taking a seat.
“So glad you could make it,” Dad says, pulling me into a hug, followed by Mr. Richards and his wife. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell the boy that you guys were coming.”
I smile as I take a seat next to Mom. The lights in the arena dim for the player entrance. “I can’t believe he actually thought I’d miss one of the biggest games of his career.”
The lights completely go out and a remix of the team’s anthem begins. One by one, players are announced onto the ice, and I couldn’t be more proud as I watch the man I love skate out on the ice.
Right out of the gate, fans can tell Tampa is out for blood, doing anything they can to stay in it. They want a shot at the Cup and despite losing the first three, they won’t make it easy for us.
The crowd is chanting so loud, I’m thankful that Scottie is peacefully sleeping inside the glassed suite. Channing gets possession of the puck and charges toward the opposing end of the ice, only to be boarded and blocked by Tampa’s defense. Looking for a pass, he frees the puck and sends it to Brooks, who’s waiting just left of the crease. Brooks winds up his shot and slaps it into the goal, watching as the puck hits the back of the net and lights up the lamp.
The crowd goes wild as Brooks, Channing, Polston, Denizen, and Tremblay join alongside them. The rest of the first period is goalless. Both teams are frustrated, and everyone can tell by the countless penalties both teams are taking.
I take a moment to check on my mom and Scottie, but she’s dream feeding away, her eyes closed as Mom feeds her a bottle. “You and Channing made a beautiful little girl,” she says, looking at me with pride. It’s special that you named her after his parents.”
While I never pushed why Channing never talked about his parents, when we were picking names for Scottie, he told me about them. His parents had passed away in a car accident a year after he was drafted into the NHL. He’s truly been on his own ever since. So, it was only right that she beared her grandfather and grandmother’s names.
The lights dim, and the refs skate back onto the ice before the blowhorn sounds, and the guys skate back out. Right off the back, Tampa gains control of the puck and puts one into the back of the net, tying it up. Channing is pissed as he watches from the bench, realizing the second and third line is becoming flustered as they lose control of the puck, giving Tampa the upper hand.
There’s a scramble in front of the goal, resulting in a goal for Tampa. Six minutes left of the period, and fans can see the defeat on the Skipjacks’ faces. Channing hops the boards, taking the ice for his shift, and gains possession of the puck instantly. He skates back into the neutral zone, resetting for the next play. He passes the puck to Brooks as they advance into Tampa territory.
Brooks passes back to Denizen, who sends it along the boards to Channing, who’s holding it behind the net. A Tampa player advances on Channing, caging him in as he passes the puck to Tremblay at the top of the left faceoff circle, wide open. The puck touches Tremblay’s stick as he slaps the puck into the goal, lighting up the lamp and tying the game 2-2.
The second period ends in a tie, and as soon as the guys skate back on the ice for the third, everyone can see the fire behind their eyes. They want this. This is it. The final showdown. If they score a goal and hold Tampa off, they succeeded in bringing home back-to-back Stanley Cups.
The guys are at the face-off, and we can see words being exchanged between Channing and his opposing player. The ref drops the puck, and Channing wins possession, sending it to Brooks, who advances toward the net, looking for a pass, but is checked into the boards before given the opportunity. Tampa’s winger skates down the ice toward our zone, but I’m stopped by Denizen who sends the puck down the ice to Tremblay. Tremblay gets held up by Tampa’s defense but passes it to Channing who winds up and slaps the puck toward the net. Tampa’s goalie blocks it but doesn’t cover the puck in time, giving Brooks the opportunity to rebound and sink the puck into the back of the net. The lamp lighting up sends the fans into a frenzy.
Now to hold them off for fifteen minutes.
