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"The hardest thing I have ever done is walk away still madly in love with you"
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"It's a lot of damn work, Blake. I'm not exaggerating and I don't want to scare you, but this shit is going to be tough. However, if anyone can do it, it's you."
"Thanks, coach."
A proud smile makes its way onto my face and my head continues to spin.
It's Monday morning and I'm currently sitting in Coach's office. He called me here to talk about my potentially very real future in the NHL.
God, just thinking about that is insane.
Despite the fact that it's been my plan from the second I threw on a pair of skates and stepped onto the ice, I won't deny there's been a small shred of doubt planted firmly in the back of my mind. Constantly nagging me, telling me I'm not good enough to go pro. But, part of me is grateful for that, it pushed me to be the player I am today.
Fuck, I guess all those late night practices and early morning workouts really paid off.
"I reached out to a buddy of mine. He's going to help you through the process of being drafted and signed. You should be damn proud of yourself, son, not many men get to turn this dream into a reality."
His words sink in.
He's right.
We all love hockey, there's no doubt about that, and I've never questioned the boy's dedication to the sport, but for lots of my teammates, going pro just isn't in their cards.
Luke, Mason, and Theo all know playing in the NHL isn't in their future, but they also know that isn't what they want for themselves.
Luke loves hockey and is a damn valuable member of the team, but his love for it is merely out of entertainment and fun. He has no desire to go pro and says it would quote, "Stress him the fuck out." He only tolerates the strict and regimented side of hockey and when he graduates, he's happy with letting the sport be a collection of good memories.
Mason is a great player, his stick handling is pretty insane and it never fails to baffle me, but his future in this sport doesn't go much further than university. For reasons I will never understand, his passion is academics. Science, engineering, math. The kid is just about a genius and one day he's going to be a hot shot architect, in some fancy suit, and with his office on the fiftieth floor.
Theo potentially could get drafted. He's faster than lightning when you slap a pair of skates on his feet, but his heart isn't in it when it gets overly intense. And going pro can only be described as intense. He loves hockey for a different reason. Less so playing it, more so coaching it. I've watched him with the little boys he teaches, there's no mistaking how happy it makes him.
