Second Epilogue—Team Impressions

SOCKEYES ARENA—THE DAY THEY WON THE CUP

COOPER BLACK

Team Captain and First-Line Center

With seconds left on the clock, Cooper Black skated fiercely down the middle of the ice. Drew lasered a pass to him, and Coop took it, barreling toward his goal.

His laser-sharp focus was on nothing but the net. He knew defensemen were bearing down on him from both sides, but he didn’t care. He had this. He didn’t want this game to go into overtime. He wanted to win it here and now.

The goalie crouched low, waiting for him, his dark eyes narrowed and determined. Coop was more determined. This was his score. No one else’s. His moment. His dream. Only this time it wasn’t a dream. It was his reality.

Coop faked to the left and slid to the right. He slapped the puck toward the goal. The rubber disk streaked toward the net and missed the goalie’s helmet by a fraction. The lamp lit at the same time the buzzer sounded the end of the third period.

His teammates cleared the bench. Coop was buried under a sea of bodies. He didn’t care. He was gasping for breath and laughing and crying all at the same time. When he finally emerged from the dogpile, he briefly accepted his teammates’ congratulations. He was on a mission. Waiting for him by the bench was Izzy. He lifted her over the barrier, spun her around, and kissed her.

She was crying happy tears, and his nephew, Riley joined them in a group hug.

They’d done it. They’d won it all. He would savor this moment for the rest of his days. He’d played this game for almost his entire life. He was thirty-five, and he was going out with bang. The torch would be passed to a new captain, and he’d start a new life with Izzy and however many kids they ended up having.

He was one of the lucky ones. Life didn’t get better than this.

ISSAC WOLF

First-Line Defenseman

Isaac stared at the scoreboard, trying to process what had just happened.

This was the moment every professional hockey player dreams of from the time he laces up his first pair of skates until they put him in his grave. Isaac was no different. And the moment didn’t let him down. It was everything he’d ever dreamed it would be and even better because he had someone special to share it with.

He watched his teammates pile onto Coop and shook his head with a grin. Unable to stop himself, he joined them, leaping onto the top of the pile and falling off the other side. He skidded across the ice, rose to his feet, and headed for Avery. She’d already joined the family members streaming onto the ice, and he skated for her, grabbing her around the waist and spinning her like a figure skater.

He hugged her tightly to him and kissed her.

There’d never be another moment like this one.

CEDRIC PETERSEN

First-Line Right Winger and Alternate Captain

Cedric launched himself at Coop as the buzzer sounded. Seconds later, he was buried under a sea of hockey players, and he didn’t give a shit. A guy only had one moment like this one, and he didn’t care if he couldn’t breathe or move or if someone’s skate was jabbing him in the back. None of it mattered. They’d risen from adversity to the pinnacle of hockey, and they’d done it as a team.

Once free of the pile, he scanned the crowd on the ice and found Bella. She was still cheering at the top of her lungs and hugging anyone who came close. He skated toward her, threw his arms around her, and kissed her.

He was a champion. They all were.

ETHAN PARKER

Owner and Mastermind Behind the Seattle Sockeyes

Ethan may have climbed the mountain and reached hockey’s summit, but he had even bigger plans to leave a lasting legacy, not just of a winning hockey team, but of a caring and compassionate community member, and a team who gave back to the men who so willingly put their bodies on the line for one common goal. He wouldn’t let them down. There were things in the works to improve the lives of hockey players long after they skated their last professional game.

Ethan hoisted the Cup and skated around the arena, holding it high over his head, and back to a waiting Lauren so they could both kiss it together.

Tomorrow would be another day, and he’d be focused on his next goal, but tonight—he’d celebrate.

~ THE END ~

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