TROUBLE MAGNET - Completed

Chapter 20 - Pink The Rink

Chapter 20 - Pink The Rink

Alex and I catch up on each other's lives, until it is time to go to the arena. Once Alex is dressed and ready to go, she pulls a pink Tanner sweatshirt on over her white blouse and then hands me one to put on. When I give her a questioning look, she tells me I will understand when I get to the rink.

When we get there I notice that all of the players are wearing similar pink sweatshirts. Alex tells me its 'Pink the Rink' night, like I should know what that means - but I definitely don't... but I feel like I should, so I don't want to look stupid and ask her. While Alex heads off to see the trainer, I take turns chatting with some of the players and coaches. I'm relieved to find that everything feels good between the team and me. There is no mention of my previous visit other than a few harmless jokes from some of the girls.

After Alex is done with the trainer, she leads me to the snack bar area where the coach has dinner set up for the team. We eat Chicken Parmesan and pasta. It is fun eating with the team and I can feel that electrical buzz that is always in the air on game day. It's like a natural adrenaline high. I only wish that I could be out there playing with them.

Once dinner is over, we head back to the dressing room. After a few minutes the coaches come in and talk to the team about systems and strategies, which will be used during the game tonight. After about a twenty-minute coaches' talk, it is time for the girls to do some dryland and get their muscles warmed up. Some girls hate that part, but not me. I love it. It gets me pumped for the game. I so wish I could be doing it with them right now.

When the girls are done their dryland they start taping up their sticks and start to get dressed.

I stand with the girls that are not playing in tonight's game. They are either injured or were not called up to play. It is even harder for them than it is for me to watch the on-ice pregame warm up. We joke around though and get to know each other until its time to head back into the dressing room to hear the coach's final inspirational talk, while the Zamboni floods the ice. Then it is game time, my favorite time of all.

The girls and I head back up to the stands as the two teams take to the ice. We sit behind the players' bench to watch the game. The girls tell me this is a good game to come to because it is 'Pink the Rink' night.

"Okay, what is 'Pink the Rink' night? I finally work up the courage to ask. They tell me that tonight's game is a breast cancer fundraiser. It looks very cool when the entire team comes out of the dressing room wearing bright pink jerseys, especially since they were wearing their normal jerseys for the pregame warm up.

When I look around, I notice that a number of the fans have come wearing pink as well. I'm happy to see that there are more fans than I thought there would be and they are wearing everything from pink hats and shoes to pink face paint. The girls tell me that it is a very popular social night at the school.

We stand for the national anthem and I'm so happy to find out that they play the Canadian anthem as well as the American anthem. It reminds me of home. The girls tell me that the reason for they play the Canadian national anthem is because the Tanner team has ten Canadian girls on it.

The puck drops and I find myself checking out who are the top players on the Tanner team. I want to know who my competition will be for scoring points as I plan to be a frontrunner.

About five minutes into the game I get a tap on my shoulder and when I turn around, Trace is standing behind me. He is wearing a pink sweatshirt similar to mine only somehow he makes it look good - no, better than good. He makes it look hot.

"Hey Rookie, you look good in pink," he says. "How about me - do I look good in pink?"

He definitely does. "Yeah, you do." I say smiling.