The Greatest Assist (Patrick Kane)

74| Getting the Gang Back Together

Patrick

As the temperatures start to cool that means it's about time for hockey season to ramp up. So for the first time this season I hit the ice with a few of the guys for a little mini practice before training camp starts up.

So I take the ice and skate around for a little. Eventually the guys join me as we catch up on a lengthy summer.

"First summer as a married man, what did you and Abby do" I ask Sharpy.

"We didn't do much. Took a nice long vacation, went back to Canada for a while to visit the family. We already honeymooned and decided it wasn't time quite yet for a kid so we just lived the best life we could possibly live.

I'm more interested in what you did because I never saw your name in the papers. I wasn't getting calls from your mom asking where you were or what you were doing. I'm guessing Chelsea stuck around then" he accuses.

"Something like that" I smile. My cheeks start to burn as Patrick gasps. "It's more like I stuck around Chicago to stay with her than her sticking around with me."

"Oh my god... you guys are dating aren't you" he accuses. My smile takes over my face as he starts to punch my arm like a older brother. I try to shoo him away but we were on ice and there's no place o can go that he can't. "You actually did it, I'm so proud of you. I was hoping that once hockey was over you guys wouldn't be able to use work as a excuse to not be together. I'm so happy for you guys" he insists.

"Thanks man. It's kind of been life changing, being with her. I mean she's been in my life changing me since day one, but actually being with her is like a whole new world. It's my first serious relationship, the first time I told a girl I loved her, the first time any girl has met my family or stayed over for more than a night. And I was afraid that these feelings I had were going to go away, that I only wanted her because she didn't want me. That if we were to actually to be together I wouldn't know what to do. That I wasn't capable of sustaining something as powerful as the love I felt for her. But the only thing that happened was that I fell more and more each and every day. With each second that passed I was more sure that I was right where I was supposed to be" I explain.

"Look at you! You're glowing" he smiles as he tries to pinch my cheek. I playfully smack his hand away as he laughs at me.

"I've never been this happy. Not even when we won the Stanley cup" I admit.

"Isn't that a bit much" he questions.

"No, not really. While winning the cup was a once in a lifetime kind of experience, something that no one can ever take from me. I was in a bad place, I was lost. It's hard for me to look back and remember the good times when it was so dark and so blurry.

But with her every day is sunny. There might be a cloud or too but we weather the storm. I would honestly rather have bad times with her than good times without her" I admit.

"Look at that. There is hope for him after all" Duncan teases.

"Says you guys" Jonny scoffs. "I spent much of my summer with him and he has fallen off the slide and diving board at least six times... each" he accuses.

"That you know of" I laugh.

"Okay so he's not grown up but there's still hope" Duncan argues.

"I'm good with that" I shrug.

"And that's the sad part" Jonathan scoffs.

We get the mini practice started and it felt like we never spent a day apart. Our passes were clean and stick handling fresh. For us hockey wasn't just a sport, it was a way of life. That's why this team worked so well together, we all wanted to be better than the guy next to us and eventually we all got pretty good sending multiple guys to the all star game every year and even the fourth liners put in work. It's what made us dangerous and it didn't get that way over night. This is years of work and being together that let us figure out our roles on this team and to be able to use them. I'm the offensive guy, likes to use the whole ice and a visionary to where I want to put to the puck and how to get it there. Jonny is the best two way player in the league right now, his numbers might not blow you away but he is penalty kill and power play and shut down and high offense all in one. He's a dime a dozen. Plus you have Hammer who could score three goals all season and be worth all the money you give him. I've never seen bigger balls on a guy going to the front of the net and putting his body in front of pucks. He might have to be a little a crazy but that's what we have Duncan for. he's all the crazy you can handle in pro sports. The only Dude I would say could be pro in any sport and actually be good at it. Whatever it is he wants to do he's going to do it, that's what makes him great. Then you have guys like Sharpy and Seabs who are your typical hockey dads. They will get you in trouble then get you out just as fast. And of course hossa who we see as a good.

And put us all together you got yourself a pretty good hockey team. Throw in some rookies and veterans, some power play specialists and net front presence and that's how we wing championships. Because we stick together and we want to be better together.

After practice is done we go out to eat, just us guys. We find a bar and sit down and relax before we all go our separate ways.

"You still not drinking" Sharpy asks.

"Nope" I say popping the p. I take a nice long drink of my water before setting the glass down.

"A year ago this time I found you passed out in a bar with three different girls numbers written on your arm in sharpie. How did we get here" he asks.

"I guess change is a possibility should you put your mind to it" I shrug.

"I guess so" he smiles.