Tyler's Treasure

Spezza's Laugh Lessons and Goalie Issues (Nemo vs Kari)

Inside the American Airlines Center (AKA: The AAC),

Jason Spezza stood on the ice by the home bench, leaning against the railing, propped up by his elbow. He was watching Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen, who were facing one another at the center ice dot. Jamie Benn was standing to the side, with his stick out before him. He was tapping the ice gently with it.

All around them, the two goalies' gear were littered about the ice. (Sticks, gloves, pads, and helmets.)

"You're going down, Kari!" Antti growled.

"Says the man who hid in a tree during a party!" Kari spat.

"Oh yeah!"

"Yeah!"

"Well, at least I don't laugh like Spezza!" Antti remarked.

"Oh, nice, refreshing, a joke about my laugh, nothing's new here!" Jason mumbled, rolling his eyes. "Why don't you sissies just fight already and stop whining like a couple of teenage girls, ya pansies!"

"I'm the starter for this team, Nemo, me and only me!" Kari snapped.

"Well, I have a history of success, I'm the one with the Stanley Cup ring, Kari!" Antti boasted, raising his head up proudly.

"Can I jump on him yet Jamie?" Kari asked, balling up a fist at his side.

"Fine," Jamie sighed and raised his stick up and then slammed it down on the ice. "Fight!" He launched off from them, as they both dove forward and grabbed each other's jerseys and spun around. They both tried to punch one another, but neither connected and instead they just twirled around growling and spitting at each other.

Jamie skated over and skidded to a halt by Jason. He grabbed his water bottle and quickly took a sip. "Where's Tyler?" the Captain asked.

"I don't know. I haven't seen or heard from him in a while, Jamie. You should probably go check on him, I mean he hasn't seemed like himself since the party!" Jason said.

"You're right. I should go check on him. After practice though..." Jamie remarked, turning to the ice to see the two goalies pinned up against the boards, still tangled up. He shook his head. "Or not."

"Look, I can handle those two, you should go check on Tyler. We need him."

"And you can work on that laugh of yours right?" Jamie questioned.

"Well, no guarantees, but Sharpy said he'd help me out. So far it's...not been working out though. If anything, I think it's just gotten worse..."

"Just try to imagine dead puppies or something like that, Jason. Do that and that nerdy laugh is as good as gone. Either that or think about Tyler getting a prenup!"

"Oh God," Jason snorted and then broke out in his nerdy laughing. "Dammit!"

"Keep working on it Jason, I have faith in you!" Jamie remarked. "Now, I'll leave you to run practice and get your lesson with Sharpy. I MUST find Tyler and see what is going on with him!"

Jamie skated to the door of the bench and swiftly got off the ice and walked down the tunnel, to the locker room. Inside, he spotted Patrick Sharp talking to Johnny Oduya as well as a few other players. He also caught sight of Val Nichushkin on his phone, sitting in his stall. He smiling as he typed a message.

"Hey Sharpy, Spez could really use another lesson on controlling his laughter! I have to go track down my insufferable best friend, who seems to be ignoring me for some reason! Spezza's in charge, and Val, no more texting! Get out on the ice with the team!"

Val looked up and frowned. He put his phone into his bag and then got to his feet and snatched his stick, gloves and helmet in his hands. "Fine. I was just talk to own friends, Zady and Tara and Kuzy. One who text me back!" With that he stomped out of the locker room, muttering to himself in Russian.

"Wow, he's gotten a lot more bitter and outspoken...must be because of Tyler..." Jamie said, shaking his head with a short chuckle. "Can you behave?"

"Jamie, man, I know when is time to goof off and when is time to be serious. And I will help Spez out, you have my word! Now go grab that troublesome partier!" Patrick remarked, patting Jamie on the back.

Jamie nodded. "Alright. See you later, hopefully with Tyler!"

Patrick left the locker room, leaving Jamie alone to get undressed. Jamie quickly stripped down and then got into some normal clothes. He didn't care exactly what he was wearing, because he was just thinking about throwing something on to find Tyler as soon as he could. Where his best friend was however, was a mystery!

The captain of the Dallas Stars finished getting ready and left the locker room himself. He headed into the hallway and walked out of arena.

Meanwhile, back on the ice, Patrick joined Jason and the others. Antti and Kari were still locked in battle, rolling around on the ice now. Antoine Roussel was skating around them, chirping them left and right with his thick French accent.

"Hey come on, you both should know how to 'Finnish' a fight!" Antoine catcalled. "You're not even 'Russian' to the end!"

Val skated by, "Oh, you're so funny Rous!! Hilarious."

"Lighten up Valeri!" Jordie Benn snapped. "You used to be tons of fun until grumpy sassy Val took over...come on Baby Russian, come on back to Team Fun!"

Patrick Sharp shook his head and faced Jason Spezza. Jason was chewing on the spout to his water bottle and switching his eye contact from the two bickering goalies to the annoyed-looking Russian, who was skating in a circle murmuring to himself in, well, Russian. He was cradling a puck in his blade as he skated around.

"Okay, Spez, let's get to work on that laugh of yours...let's see if you can laugh in different ways, okay," Patrick suggested. "HEY ANTOINE, MAKE SPEZZA LAUGH!"

Antoine looked over at the ex-Blackhawk and skated off from Antti and Kari who crashed into the boards and were taking a breather, glaring at one another still. He skidded to a halt and then began to tickle Jason's ribs, under his jersey. Jason couldn't help it, he broke out in laughter...the horrible nerdy laughter.

"Now, think and adjust your laugh, try to deepen the volume," Patrick suggested.

Jason attempted to do as Patrick said and he deepened his pitch but it changed only for a split second before his nerdy laughter came back.

For the next couple of minutes, Patrick ordered different ways Jason could change his laugh. And after thirty minutes of hard core focusing, Jason was finally able to force himself to laugh in a heartily deep chuckle sound.

"Yay Spezza!" Oduya cried. "You did it!"

"Now keep it, and your days of laughing like a nerdy kid are over!" Patrick stated.

Jason smiled. "Tyler Seguin getting a prenup would be pretty hilarious though!"

They carried on practicing, finally splitting Antti and Kari, the bickering goaltenders, apart. Jason and Jordie took ahold of running the practice in Jamie's absence. Val kept back-talking everyone and being stubborn. Antoine tried to get to him and chirp him, only to be jumped at the dot by the big, young Russian kid.