Breaking The Ice

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Harry's POV

The room was silent.

You could feel the desperation in the air, the overwhelming need for change and direction, and not a single one member of the team made a sound as I stood before them. Twenty pairs of eyes watched me eagerly, all waiting for me to say something, anything, to reassure them that we still had a chance at the one thing we'd all been fighting for. They needed to hear the words, to be told that we hadn't lost our shot, and that I would do everything I could to get us back to a place where we could still come out on top. We were well aware that not a single thing had gone our way all season, but I knew in my gut that was about to change.

This wasn't like any other typical hockey season. In the NHL if a team has a rough season, missing the playoffs or falling short of any real success, they regroup and come back next season with a new plan. We all knew that it wasn't that simple for us, that our futures and childhood dreams hinged on our college careers, and we didn't have contracts or agents that would keep us on the roster regardless of how we performed. For most of us, we only had a few short years to prove ourselves, to show those in charge that we were capable of playing at a higher level, and I wasn't about to let that slip through any of our fingers.

"Alright, guys." I started, clearing my throat. "I know that there's been a lot of things going on in this room for the past few months, we've all struggled and been fighting our own battles with our own shit going on, and we haven't always been on the same page when it comes to certain things."

I heard the soft sighs, watched the slight nods as I spoke, and was pleased to see that they at least appeared to be listening to what I was saying. It was clear that we were all exhausted, both mentally and physically, and the fire we once had to win had somehow become just a flickering light that could go out at any second. We had hit a pivotal point in the season, where we had no choice but to make a decision about our future. We could either push forward and fight like hell to get back to the top, or we could give up and spend the rest of the year focusing on school and how to be stronger next year.

"No matter what has happened, I think we can all agree that we've been absolutely fucked over with all these changes, it's been stressful and confusing and made everything harder, and I think we're all tired. I'm tired of losing, of feeling like I'm helplessly watching our season circle the drain, and worrying what the hell is gonna happen to us next year if it does." I said, my frustration clear in my voice. "I don't know who they're gonna bring in, what's gonna happen on the coaching side of things, and I have no control over that. But I do know that if any other team had been dealing with half the shit we have, they would have been out of the running a long time ago."

"Amen." Niall chuckled, shaking his head.

We were ranked 17th out of 20 teams. We'd fallen so far that winning the cup was almost laughable, since we'd have to win every game we played for the next month just to make the playoffs. It seemed like an insurmountable task, but we were nothing if not resilient.

"We've survived, you guys. We can do this. I believe in this team, I know what we can do, and we can still make it to the finals." I said, my determination strong. "But if we don't come together now, if every single one of us doesn't get on board, we might as well forfeit the rest of the season."

"Fuck that." Mac scoffed. "Not happening."

Everyone in the room seemed to echo his sentiment, agreeing with the shaking of their heads, all of us feeling like we'd come too far, been through too much, to just throw in the towel like that.

"I don't care what happens out there, up in the offices of some university executives who don't know shit about hockey, what the media or papers have to say, or who they decide to bring in as coach. In here, in this room, and on that ice, it's us. We're the ones out there risking everything, running the plays, taking those hits. We've taken those loses, put up with all this bullshit, not them. We may not always get along, or like each other, but we're family. No matter what has happened up until this point, we win and lose together. We don't have a coach, and as Captain I will step up, but I need a commitment. I need everyone on board before I even attempt to pick up the pieces and put us back together."