Bottle Rockets

ONE - She's Not A Puck Bunny

This was too weird. Sitting here in a room, no, an arena full of men was too damn weird. Well, there were a few women, mostly mothers and sisters waiting with sons and brothers. And Tyler Devlin was doing just that. She sat in her seat with her brother and mother on either side of her but she was not accompanying her brother. It was more along the lines that he was accompanying her.

When Tyler was little, she watched the NHL draft on television every summer. If she couldn't, she threw temper tantrums until her mom gave up and changed the channel. Tyler watched with wide blue eyes as her favorite teams drafted her favorite players. She admired every single man on every single team and couldn't stand the thought of hating anyone. Tyler saw the beauty in all of them, no matter how dirty they played.

She grew up on skates, having received her first pair the moment she could stand. Her dad hoped for a boy but he got Tyler instead so he made do. He bought her skating lessons and gave her a stick. When she was old enough, he built a rink with her in the backyard so she could play whenever she wanted. He did most of the labor while she supervised. Mom wouldn't have any five year old play with tools that dangerous.

Her dad died when she was seven. A drunk driver hit him head on. After that, Tyler dedicated her entire life to hockey. She spent days on the backyard rink, hours at practice with her local team, and did everything she could to improve her game. She climbed her way to the top of several teams but ended up playing hockey for Boston University. On the men's team.

And now, Tyler Devlin waited with hundreds of other draftees to be drafted into the NHL. All of that hard work paid off.

Tyler's eyes glued themselves to the stage where the management of the Pittsburgh Penguins stood and waited, but bowed her head the minute the general manager approached the podium. She couldn't even think about looking up when they announced their pick.

For months, analysts picked and fidgeted with Tyler in the media. They analyzed every aspect of her game, how she played, and why the hell she was even considered for a draft pick. Many argued that allowing women to play in the NHL was a reckless decision, dangerous even. Tyler Devlin's eligibility to play in the NHL is the equivalent of a long list of bad things waiting to happen. But others pointed out a change in the system was good for the league. Optimists raved about her, praying to the Hockey Gods that she would be picked high, 3rd overall at the very least. Every time Tyler thought about getting drafted that high, her mouth ran dry and she couldn't find any words to say.

Tyler's fingers gripped at her knees while the hands of her mother and brother curled around her biceps. She figured it was a longshot that she would be drafted first overall but something deep down inside of her wished that she would.

"With the first pick of the 2015 draft, the Pittsburgh Penguins are delighted to select from the Boston Terriers, Tyler Devlin."

It was tradition for a few of the Penguins to get together and have a small draft party. All that really meant was a bunch of those "flightless birds" crowding into a living room, sipping beer, and watching the draft on tv.

Kris Letang elected to host this year so several of the Penguins settled down in his living room with their beers kept safely in their palms. The few teammates that remained in Pittsburgh and sat in Kris' house included Sidney Crosby, Beau Bennett, Pascal Dupuis, Brandon Sutter, and Paul Martin.

Each bird here received earfuls of questions and information on Tyler Devlin before the draft. After all, many speculated she would be their new teammate due to the Penguins horrible season that put them at the bottom. Interviewers wanted opinions, comments, anything that the Penguins were thinking about her. But they had very few things to say, seeing as how none of them had ever played with her or had the opportunity to watch her play. Long story short, they all shared mixed feelings on the idea of a girl playing in the NHL, especially on the same line as them.