One in 2330 ~ Connor Bedard Love Story

27. Redemption

November 24, 2023. 4:30 PM.

We had just gotten to the rink and were about to head in for the walk-in photos.

No matter how much Connor told me that I was going to be okay, I was internally panicking. I felt so much pressure to do well this game, as I had to prove to the NHL and to my fans that I didn't leave them to fend for themselves.

"Sophie Amelia Tkachuk." Connor said, snapping me out of whatever spiral my mind was in. It was also very rare that Connor would ever call me by my full name. The only times were when he needed me to pay attention to what he was saying, as would be really important. I guess this would be one of those times. "You are going to be fine. Just take a deep breath and realise that you don't need to prove yourself to anyone but you."

"Yeah, thanks, Connor," I agreed, sighing and following his advice. Breathe in, breathe out, repeat. After a few reps, I felt like I was finally ready to head in. The one thing was that I didn't really want people knowing that I was going to be playing this game. I wanted it to be a surprise for both the opposite team and the fans. Let's just hope none of them check the published starting line-up cards.

The camera person who takes our walk-in photos was shocked when they saw me. I could tell that they wanted to take my photo, but I had already told the management team that I didn't want my photo taken, so they didn't. Although, it made it really frustrating to take a photo of Connor, as they needed to make sure that not even the slightest glimpse of me was in the photo. Which was not possible, as Connor had his arm slung around my shoulder. Well, whatever. I could not care less.

"You ready for the game?" Kevin asked as soon as we'd entered the locker room.

"Yeah, but I'm not entirely positive on how the fans will take it to me being back." I sighed, dropping my hockey bag on the floor and sitting down on the bench in front of my locker.

"Soph, you have absolutely nothing to worry about." Connor assured me. "The entire time you were away, when the news leaked that you had left because of Derek, the fans started chanting, 'We want Sophie!' and 'Fire Derek!' So, trust me, you're going to be fine."

* * *

Warm up.

Connor wasn't kidding about the fans wanting me back. The chorus of, "We want Sophie!" echoed throughout the stadiums, and at least half of the fans wore jerseys with the number 96 on the back, which made me swell with happiness. Chicago really did have the best fan base in the league.

"Well, Soph, time to give the crowd what they want." Connor smiled, nudging me on the shoulder.

"Yeah, I guess it's time." I sighed, exiting the dressing room and making my way down the tunnel.

"Yo, Soph, you should go first." Arvid Soderblom, our goalie for the night suggested.

"Arv, you sure?" I question. Usually, our team let out starting goalie go out on the ice first, as it was tradition. The only time a player went before the goalie was because they had to do their victory lap. That was it.

"Soph, I'm positive." Arvid confirmed. "I can tell how much you mean to the fans, and how much this sport means to you, so you deserve to go out first."

"Thanks, man," I smiled, giving him a hug.

"Of course. Now, go out there and let's kick Toronto's ass!"

I took in a deep breath before I made my way to the entrance to the tunnel. I looked up at the crowd, and it was a sell-out for sure. News had gotten out that I had flown back from Ottawa early this morning, so a lot of the fans wanted to know if I'd be playing in today's game.