Arrow Hawk: Battle for the Ice - The Great NHL War (Book 4)

The Spark That Started Everything

Valeri Nichushkin (Val), Nikita Zadorov (Zady), Nikita Nesterov (Nesty) and Vladislav Namestnikov (Vlad) all sat together at the Russian table. They were deep in conversation with one another, speaking in the native tongue of course. Attached to them were Gabriel Landeskog and Niklas Hjalmarsson, two Swedes and Antti Niemi, a Finnish goalie. The Swedes were trying to engage the Finn in a conversation, but everything was awkward, so they just shot glances up at the Russians.

To the side of them sat the Americans and Canadians, grouped together but split down the middle. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews marked the split. In the Canadian group, Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, Patrice Bergeron, Reilly Smith, John Tavares, Jordie Benn, Brent Seabrook and Nathan MacKinnon sat. And in the American group, Brandon Saad, Ben Smith, and Torey Krug sat. Corey Crawford sat at the end of the Canadian side of the table.

Patrick was busy talking to Jonathan, happy to be near him and to be seeing him.

Suddenly, Ryan Kesler, an American traitor walked by with his friend Patrick Kaleta. Val got up from his table and made to get something, when Kesler and Kaleta both bumped into him purposefully and sent him sprawling to the floor. He landed on the ground with a sickened thud and snapped his head up to look at what he'd ran into.

"Watch where you're going Russian asshole!" Kesler barked.

"I no hit you, you hit me."

"Speak better English, Communist!" Kaleta spat back.

Val scrambled to his feet. "I still learning and I no Communist."

"Well, you're in America! That goes for all of you "baby Russians", learn English or maybe we will make you!" Kaleta snickered.

"Yeah!" Kesler added on, ruffling Val's hair.

They walked on, laughing like a couple of popular kids who'd just bullied a nerd. Val looked behind him, flattening his hair and then sat back down. He hung his head and frowned, pouting his lip.

"That no nice," Zady said, concerned.

"I know. I just get up and mind my own business and they pick on me...I no do a thing..." Val looked down at his feet.

"It okay, Val. We here for you. We Russians and we stick together," Vlad exclaimed, winking.

"Exactly," Nesty tacked on, with a clueless grin.

The three Russians put hands on Val's shoulder and comforted him, sending his positive vibes of reassurance.

Val looked back up and nodded, cracking a sweet smile. "Thanks guys."

At the Canadian table, Jonathan turned to Patrick, "Did you see that?"

"What? Kesler and Kaleta being bullies?" Patrick inquired with a roll of his eyes.

"Yeah."

"I never liked the two of them. Kesler's a traitor to the Americans and gives us a bad rep. I never did like him...or Kessel."

"I'll say," Brandon Saad said. "He's essentially that kid that was stubborn and wicked in school."

"Except we're not in school. We're grown men in the NHL...well in the Olympics. We're just hanging out together. We all respect one another, no matter what our country origin is," Jonathan stated. "Even if we are teammates from the same team."

"We can still be friends with others. Like I can be friends with Jamie and Patrick," Tyler remarked, leaning over. "Right Jonny?"

"Right Tyler. That is all fine." Jonathan patted the Canadian-born Dallas Star on the back.