The Boston Experiment

Twelve

The garage of the Back Bay home that belonged to Tuukka Rask was basically the goalie's favorite place in Boston besides the TD Garden.

His favorite hobbies in the world were ice hockey, music, and science. The garage let him practice all three: there was hockey equipment with which he could practice saves, a drum set that he could play, and science equipment that he could use for all sorts of fun experiments.

Right now, he was drumming along to one of his favorite songs while wearing earmuffs so the loud heavy metal wouldn't blast his ears off. As soon as he finished playing the final best of the song, his daughter walked into the room. He smiled at her, but she looked quite anxious.

Tuukka's smile disappeared. "Sinikka, what's going on? You look upset. Did something happen at the practice?"

"No...well, sort of," Sinikka stepped into the garage, and Tuukka saw that the preteen was clutching her phone tightly in her hand. "Dad, do you ever wonder why some goalies in the NHL are...too good?"

"Well, yes," Tuukka raised his eyebrows. "We have a talent that we've turned into a full-time job."

Sinikka shook her head and sighed. "I know that, Dad, but that's not what I meant. Have you ever noticed how some goalies are...too good?"

Tuukka thought for a moment. "Sometimes someone will have a near-perfect performance that shocks me."

"Do these games ever seem a little bit unnatural to you, like no normal human should be able to perform that way?" Sinikka asked.

"I suppose," Tuukka narrowed his serious eyes. "Sinikka, what are you getting at here? You're asking me some very strange questions right now."

"I know everything that I'm saying sounds really odd, but I swear I'm not going crazy," Sinikka insisted. "Listen, there's a lab in the basement of the TD Garden—and they genetically engineer goalies for the NHL."

Tuukka made a noise of disbelief. "What? That's impossible."

"No, Dad, it's possible," Sinikka retorted. "I have proof. I promise that I'm not lying to you, and I swear that this isn't a conspiracy theory."

"I trust you, Sinikka," Tuukka told his daughter. "It just sounds extremely weird is all. Can I see your proof?"

"Yes," Sinikka opened her camera roll and quickly found the pictures that she had taken in Bobby Orr's lab. She showed him the place where the goalies were made, the computer that Bobby used to engineer the genes that made his goalies extraordinarily good. She showed him the stacks of college-ruled journals with tons of notes in them, including some things about Tuukka.

When Sinikka finally put her phone away, her father gasped for breath and leaned as far back in his seat as he could without toppling over.

"I promise that all of these photos are real," Sinikka assured him. "I can't use Photoshop to save my life."

"Is my entire existence a big lie?" Tuukka looked at his hands, his voice shaking. "Was I created just to provide entertainment to fans of the Bruins? Am I worthless, Sinikka?"

"Dad, no!" Sinikka rushed over to her father and tried to comfort him by putting her hand on his back. "You are in no way worthless. Even if Bobby Orr did create you solely to entertain Bruins fans, you have still touched so many people's hearts. Your fans love you. You sign things for them and let the little ones touch your goalie equipment. Every time it is announced that you will start in goal, most Boston fans' days get a little better. My day gets a little better, even if you lose."

Tuukka sighed sadly. "Really?"

"Really," Sinikka responded. "I promise. Your parents love you. All of your aunts, uncles, cousins, and whatever other family you have love you. Despite the fact that you and him always tease each other, your little brother Joonas loves you. And I love you!"

When Sinikka finished speaking, Tuukka smiled, but his mouth was tight. "That's good to hear, but it's still a lot to take in. I'm going to need some time to think about this."

"I understand," Sinikka stated, then looked up at her father. "Dad, do you know who else loved you?"

"Who?"

"My mother," Sinikka confessed, and all her father could do was fight tears at the thought of his best friend who had passed away in July. "She wasn't created in that lab, but she was willing to spend six years of her life in one of its tanks just so she could date you."

Tuukka blinked. "Are you being serious? Is that really why she was in one of those tanks?"

Sinikka nodded. "Yes, Dad. She went on vacation to Boston when she was twelve. It was the afternoon of your twelfth birthday when she accidentally walked into the lab and saw you in your tank. She fell head over heels for you and wanted to meet you, but...you were unconscious in a tank. So, she asked Bobby to put her in a tank too, and he agreed."

"So...she let six years of her life be controlled by Bobby just because she loved me?" Tuukka asked.

"Yes, Dad," Sinikka responded. "Yes. My mother loved you. She always did."

"Wow," Tuukka's voice shook as he struggled to hold back his tears. "I...guess she did. That means so much to me."

"I know," Sinikka hugged her father before pulling away. "So what are you going to do about all of this?"

Tuukka stood up, put his drumsticks away, and walked towards the door. "I don't know yet, Sinikka, but I do know that my goal is to end Bobby Orr's inhumane practice of goaltender engineering."

"Can I make one request?" Sinikka asked as she followed her father into their house.

Tuukka nodded and let out a quiet noise, which Sinikka took as a yes.

"Okay, well, don't hurt him," Sinikka requested. "I know what he did to you, many other goalies, and my own mother was horrible and unfair, but I don't want anyone else to be hurt by his actions...not even him."

Tuukka inhaled, then exhaled a long breath. "Okay. I won't hurt him, but I will bring goaltender engineering to a stop."

"What's your plan?" Sinikka asked.

"I think I'm going to go down to Bobby Orr's lab with you at some point," her father replied. "He won't be there, of course, but we will. We'll take some more pictures of his supplies, especially close-up pictures. We'll tell him that if he does not agree to shut down his whole operation, I'm releasing the pictures to the world."

"Dramatic," Sinikka nodded, a smirk appearing on her face. "I like it. So the plan is to blackmail Bobby?"

Tuukka crossed his arms. "Yes. And with that, we will end his goaltender engineering once and for all."