The Road to the Cup ~ Wattys 2015

Hey, Best Friend!

I woke up early with a smile on my face. I had the privilege of helping coach the Pittsburgh Penguins; I would never get used to waking up for this job.

I showered and got dressed. When I checked my phone, there were several new messages. Sidney and Beau had wished me good night, Geno had greeted me only moments ago, and my best friend from The Mitten had texted to say she would be flying in next Friday to come see my place and stay the weekend to catch up. I couldn't believe that Julia was coming to see me! I texted her back with lightning speed telling her that I couldn't wait. She would stay here, and I could show her around the Steel City, and she could meet the guys. Nope, no, just kidding. There was no way in hell she'd be meeting the boys. Julia loved the Red Wings more than life itself; and to top that, she was dating one of their centers, Luke Glendening. She hated the Penguins. I knew she would not handle meeting the boys very well.

I grabbed my skates before I left, wanting desperately to be back on the ice. When I got to Consol Energy Center, the boys and Johnston had yet to arrive again. I could make a habit of this. I entered the bench through the locker room. I stuck my shoes below the bench and laced up my skates, I stepped towards the ice. I slid out and began racing around, skidding to a stop right before hitting the boards and spraying ice, then taking off again. As I completed lap after lap, I felt more like myself; I felt more at home.

I continued a bit more slowly, admiring Consol Energy Center from the players' perspective. It was beautiful. I imagined what it might be like on game day: filled to the brim with loud and proud Pens fans, and of course, the occasional group of fans who came to support the visiting team. I couldn't wait to see it like that.

I didn't notice that time had ticked by until I was flanked by Evgeni and Sidney. "Morning," Evgeni said with a grin, decked out in pads and his practice jersey.

"Hello, Geno," I said brightly, "Ready for more conditioning?"

"Born ready!" Was his reply.

"Hey, stranger," Sidney said, a smile spreading across his face.

"Nice to see you again, Sidney," I replied, my own grin mirroring his.

"Gonna kick our asses today, Coach?" The smile turned into a cocky smirk.

"You betcha, Crosby. Go warm up, I don't want any of you pulling a muscle on Day Two." I left them on the ice and returned to my place on the bench. I started I unlacing my skates. "No, leave them on," Johnston said.

"Do you want me to run drills?" Was he actually going to let me call the shots this early in the season? Hell, it was still preseason and he seemed to be giving me more control.

"I want to run this practice with both of us on the ice. I'll be right back," he left to grab his own skates and I retied mine. That wasn't what I had hoped for, but it was only my second day. I grabbed my clipboard and scanned the roster; everyone had showed up.

Practice became routine quickly. We ran a lot of the same drills each day, and we still had no film to watch just yet. After each session on the ice, we sent the boys to the weight room. I went, too, continuing to take notes and drawing out plans for my ideal starters. I still wanted Crosby and Malkin on separate lines, despite their chemistry together. Kunitz was also showing a lot of potential. I wanted Fleury in net; Greiss just wasn't doing as well at practice.

Time passed quickly and it was the day of Julia's arrival before I knew it. All through practice I was checking the clock. I was supposed to pick Julia up from the airport, and while I'd get out of there with plenty of time, I still feared being late.

Practice was almost over and the guys were talking about their plans for this evening. Usually, I didn't want them distracted from the task at hand, but I, too, was distracted, so I didn't stop them. Malkin noticed that I appeared anxious and he came over to me, "What is wrong?"