Fire & Ice//Claude Giroux

Chapter 1

She stood in the plaza outside Wells Fargo Center in total awe. She had been in this exact place hundreds of times as a Philadelphia Flyers fan. But tonight she was going to walk through that "Press Only" door. She pinched herself so she would continue putting one foot in front of the other. This is it, she told herself. Your dream come true. Don't blow it.

It had been a long time getting back to the world of press passes and all access that she had taken for granted as a young adult working in professional baseball. It all seemed so simple then. In her youth and naiveté, it never sunk in that not everyone gets those chances. She was the envy of so many without even knowing it. She gave up on her dream too quickly and had regretted it ever since. But here she was. Getting ready to enter the press box for her favorite National Hockey League team, thanks to their gracious press credentials policy and her Flyers blog.

As she entered the press door, she froze in admiration of the spacious room filled with photos depicting the Flyers' glorious past. Her eyes immediately focused on a photo of the infamous Broad Street Bullies. In the 1970s, all NHL teams feared facing them, and they were an integral part of the Flyers' Stanley Cup championships in 1974 and 1975. What Flyers fans wouldn't give to have Lord Stanley's Cup in Philadelphia once again. Several Flyers' teams had come close since those two amazing years, but winning the coveted trophy takes a combination of skill, luck, and karma that they Flyers had not been able to capture again.

As Christine glanced around the room, her knees buckled as she spotted a photo of the Flyers' current captain, Claude Giroux. He was one of the few men on earth she would describe as beautiful. He wasn't classically handsome in an actor/model sort of way, but there was something about that wavy ginger hair, cocky grin, and hockey player build that she (and many other women) found totally irresistible. She felt a flurry of butterflies in her stomach as she remembered that her press pass included access to the Flyers' locker room after the game for interviews. She wondered if she would be able to remain conscious when face to face with the Captain.

Christine took the elevator to the press box in the upper level of the arena. Though she loved the view of the ice from her season ticket seats on the lower level, the birds eye view from up here was pretty amazing, providing a full view of the playing surface. Christine flashed back to her days of ushering writers to their seats in the press box prior to minor league baseball games. It seemed so long ago, yet it seemed like yesterday. A Flyers' media assistant told Christine to help herself to the buffet in the adjacent room, but Christine's stomach turned at the thought of food. A soda would do for now.

The game was soon underway, and the perspective from the rafters of the arena was stunning. The ice was laid out below Christine like a blank map, with each play unfolding with precision wrapping in chaos. The action went back and forth from one end of the ice to the other for a few minutes before the Flyers young defenseman Shane Gostisbehere skated the puck into the Devils defensive zone, took his spot at the point, then quickly slid the puck to Giroux, who fired a slap shot into the net. Christine heard the horn just as she saw the puck hit the back of the net. The fans in the arena went wild, standing and cheering while the goal song blared. In journalism school, Christine was taught the old adage "No cheering in the press box," and she had always adhered to that rule, even as her heart was bursting with joy and her fist was pumping behind her back. Tonight, she realized that times have changed, as many of the Flyers beat writers and bloggers let out a small cheer when Giroux scored.

At the end of the first period, the score stood Flyers 1, Devils 0. By this time, Christine's nerves had settling down a bit so she decided to venture out to the buffet table and grab a bite to eat for fear that not eating anything might leave her feeling ill. Christine picked up a sandwich and chips and was headed to a nearby table when she heard a man's voice. "Good evening. I haven't seen you around here before." Christine smiled. "Good evening. Yes, this is my first time here. I write a blog about the Flyers." The man introduced himself as a Flyers beat writer for one of the Philadelphia newspapers. Christine recognized his name immediately, and they had a brief chat about how well the Flyers treat the press.

Christine was soon back in her seat as the second period was underway. This period started just as the previous period had ended --- defense, defense. The Flyers and Devils were notorious for playing these type games, and Christine remembered being lulled into a near trance during previous Flyers/Devils games, watching the play go back and forth with seemingly no scoring chance in sight.

In what seemed like a flash, Christine looked at the game clock and realized that there was only 3:25 left in the third period. The score still stood 1-0 and if the Flyers could hold the Devils off, the game would end in a Flyers victory and she would be heading to the locker room. Her heart sped up and felt like it was going to burst out of her chest. THE LOCKER ROOM! She wasn't ready. There was no way she could deal with this. What would she say when face to face with the team that she had cheered for so long? And how in the world could she live through staring into Giroux's hazel eyes? Get a grip Christine, she told herself. I don't care how scared you are. You made it this far and you are going to see this through.

The horn sounded to end the game and the crowd cheered a decisive Flyers victory as the players congratulated one another and thanked their goalie Michael Neuvirth. Christine followed the other writers into the elevator. When the doors opened, Christine was staring at the wall outside the Flyers locker room with the Flyers logo emblazed on it. She had seen this wall in the Flyers pre-game video, but never in her wildest dreams did she think that she would ever be standing in front of it.

As soon as the press was gathered outside the locker room door, the Flyers public relations director reminded them that several players are made available for interviews after each game. This evening, those players would be Giroux, Gostisbehere, and Neuvirth.

Before Christine could take it all in, the locker room door opened to reveal an open area surrounded by several oversized, brown leather chairs. Behind the chairs, Christine could see the players' lockers surrounding the orange Flyers logo emblazoned on the black carpet. Before she had a chance to register the fact that she was standing in the Flyers locker room, the PR representative brought Ghost and Neuvy into the circle of reporters. The beat writers started asking questions while Christine focused on trying to remain calm and not draw attention to herself. As soon as Ghost and Neuvy went back to their lockers, G began making his way towards the press area, and Christine felt her knees go weak as soon as she laid eyes on him.