The Hockey Life - A Patrick Kane Fanfic

Part Ninety-Six - Duck Hunt

PART NINETY-SIX: DUCK HUNT

It was back to business once the guys found out who they'd be playing for the Western Conference Final. The Ducks might not have won a Stanley Cup twice in the past five years, but they were a good team. I wasn't sure how I should expect this series to go. I sure didn't think we'd beat them in a clean sweep like the Wild, though.

Anaheim had the home advantage first in the series, so I headed to California with the team. I wished we could stay to just relax and enjoy the palm trees for once, but that was never how it went when hockey was involved. Our relaxing was mostly limited to a few restaurants and the hotel.

Game one was not the best - I was right about not sweeping them. The Ducks won 4-1. They were a tough team, it appeared, and Patrick was really let down by the loss.

"Hey, it's only game one, remember? Just take your anger from this loss and turn it into adrenaline in the next game. You just have to keep moving along." My words of encouragement seemed to almost always help Pat feel better, thankfully. He worked hard at practice the next day and we even got to spend some time in the hotel pool. It wasn't exactly the beach, but it was nice to unwind for a while. The team absolutely needed to take some time to chill and calm down between games, especially after losses. That way, they could focus on improving and relieve a little stress while they did so. It wasn't worth it to get worked up this early in the WCF.

Game two was an improvement for the Hawks, but it took three overtime periods to even the series out. It was a long, exhausting, and stressful game - the longest in Blackhawks history, actually. It went on for so long that it could have easily gone into a fourth overtime. Thank god for Marcus Kruger, though, because it didn't. Thanks to him, the team went back to Chicago with a feeling of confidence and victory, and I had a feeling that we'd have no problem winning the next two home games.

Okay, so we didn't actually end up winning the next two home games, and my feeling was just a feeling. The first game was a bust, but there was something about the United Center that definitely did give the team positive vibes. It was like my coach in high school had always told Tess and I when we had home games, "This is our arena - it's our home. We cannot let them defeat us in our own territory. We have to work hard to show them that this is our ice, not theirs." Tess and I both reminded Patrick and Jonathan of that, and as captain, Jonathan reiterated the message to the whole team. It must have worked. It took double overtime to win the second home game, but Vermette won it and the final score was 5-4. The series was tied up once again.

"All you need to do is win it in Anaheim," I convinced Patrick. "You did it in game two, so you can do it again, especially after this huge win. Win in Anaheim, and the game at the UC will be easy."

"I know. We can't mess this one up," Patrick agreed.

I wasn't pleased to be going back to Anaheim. When it came to the playoffs, rivalries got really serious, and I felt the glares anytime I went anywhere. I just wanted to be back in Chicago, honestly. We did go back to Chicago, but unfortunately it was after a 5-4 loss to the Ducks. It didn't take long in the first and only overtime for the Ducks to win it, and it was a disappointing loss. The whole team had told themselves that it was a crucial game to win; that winning this one would almost guarantee a series win for them, and they lost it.

"It's home ice, Patrick. You've got this," I persuaded him.

"It's not this game I'm worried about. It's game seven in Anaheim that concerns me," he replied, about an hour before we had to head to the United Center for the game.

"Just take it one game at a time, Pat. Just focus on this game for now. Show them whose territory they're in. I'll wear my jersey, too," I promised.