Page 28 of Off Side
I hang up feeling recharged and ready to take on the world. What did I do to deserve this guy?
I start my hustle to the meeting room, but my name is called out in the corridor. It’s Austin and he’s only partially undressed.
“Hey, Austin, what’s up? Thanks for your help out there today. You’re a great captain.”
He blushes and looks embarrassed. It’s kind of cute.
“Thanks, Sam. Listen I just wanted to say the team has your back. Obviously, we couldn’t ignore Mike’s freak out, I’m sorry. I just wanted to let you know, we all have faith in you and you won’t get any push back from us.”
My eyes sting with tears at his sincerity and for taking the time to tell me this. I’d hug him if he wasn’t all sweaty and gross, and one of my players. Instead, I grasp his hand and squeeze. “Thank you so much, Austin, I appreciate that. We are gonna have a hell of a year. I know it.”
“Hell yeah, we are…Coach.”
He hustles back to the locker room. He called me Coach. Wow. Not Sam or Coach Sam, but Coach. This player already regards me as such and respects that. As do his team mates. I’ve got this.
I head off to the meeting which I might be late for if I don’t pick it up.
Michael and Nixon are indeed already in the meeting room and its tense. I decide to pretend not to notice and launch into the few things we need to discuss.
“Okay, gentleman, I don’t want this to take too long so let’s address the first thing, shall we?” I turn to Michael and give him the blankest face I hope I can pull off. “Michael, I will not allow you to demean me and my decisions in front of the team and who ever else may be listening. Not only was it disrespectful, it was downright rude. If you ever do that again I have no issues firing you on the spot. Do I make my self clear?”
His eyes are dead, and he stares right through me. In a flat voice, he says, “Loud and clear, boss.” He continues to stare blankly ahead.
“Great. Next thing I want to discuss is the line change shuffling Logan up with Austin and Brooks. From what I saw out there I think it’s a good shuffle. What do you two think?”
“I agree. Logan looked like he was connecting way more than he did with Travis. I say we try that combo out for a while, what do you think, Mike?” Nixon looks at Mike with hope on his face.
“Sure, two against one so I won’t argue.”
I inwardly sigh. He’s so going to be a pain in my ass. “I’m happy with the rest of the combos, I like the new additions. You two did well to get them in place and meshing with the team. The only other thing I want to talk about is the way practices are run.”
They both watch me expectantly. “Austin is running all the drills and directing his team mates. While I see that as a great leadership quality, it’s not fair to him or the other players. What I would like to do going forward is to break the players up in to smaller groups for some more one on one coaching. Nixon, since you used to play goal, I’d like you to really work with our goalies a bit at each practice and concentrate on the defensemen in relation to that. I think that would boost our defense. Michael, I’d like you to work with the offensive lines on special plays, powerplays, short-handed situations. Really concentrate on how their positioning and thinking will change in those situations. If you could both choose something and work with them at each practice, I feel it would be beneficial for the players. How do you feel about that?”
Nixon is beaming like a kid on Christmas morning. “Hell yeah! I would love to do that. I’ve always wanted to but Tom, he never did, which I found odd. But yes, I will work on a plan for our next practice day.”
I turn to Michael, expectantly. He’s still got that flat expression. It makes me slightly nervous. “I can do that, but what do you plan to do? Being the head coach and all that.”
His jab at me isn’t unnoticed but I’m not playing his childish game. With great enthusiasm, I say, “I’m so glad you asked! I’m going to do several things, actually. I’m going to jump in with each of you here and there, but I’m also going to set up some dry land conditioning sessions with each of them around their individual schedules. I have that background to bring and help them, I might as well use it.”
Michael looks shocked with that information. He probably thought I didn’t finish school or some bullshit he heard through the grapevine. Nixon thinks it’s a fabulous idea and wants me to start with our youngest goalie, Liam.
“There’s one other thing I need to tell you. You don’t need to know all the details behind my grandfather’s will, but one request he made before he died was I need to help Drew find his love of hockey again. I’m asking him to take part in the practices only. I’d like him to run some skills drills at the beginning, and if he wants to take on more after that, then I’d like to do that too. He had tremendous skill when he played. I think he can help the players in any capacity and I know it would do him some good to get back out there.”
Nixon, my biggest ally, looks doubtful. “I’m okay with trying that out, but do you think he’s going to go for it? He’s avoided everything except the Zamboni for years, Sam. It could be a big ask.”
“I know, but he’s not going to have much to say about it. I will leave it at that.”
Michael snorts. “Making your boyfriend do it regardless, that how it is? If you think he’s not going to kill anyone out there, then whatever, go ahead.”
“No, that’s not how it is, and you don’t know the story, nor do you need to. I will talk to him about it tonight.”
As I’m driving home, I’m wondering if he’s even going to say yes and how angry he will be with me that I’ve already suggested it. I hope I don’t blow this thing we have simmering and he agrees to try, or we might be over before we really get started.
