Hub City Horrors (Diary of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs)

Elias Pettersson's Diary: Saturday, August 15, 2020

Edmonton, Canada

Western Conference, Sutton Place

I can't believe it! We're up two games on the St. Louis Blues! I've scored a goal in each game too! We're playing really well and I couldn't be more excited! And on top of it all, Tkachuk is hurt and forced to remain in the hotel!

There's no way he can harm me or do anything to me now!

I stand at the edge of the railing and look down at the mostly-empty lobby. I can see that Johnny Gaudreau, Mark Giordano and Sean Monahan are walking out of the building to grab some lunch.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Jakob Chychurn, Taylor Hall and Phil Kessel are doing the same, amassed in an indecipherable chatter. I'm not sure where Clayton Keller is and I have to catch him so that I can thank him -- as well as the Blackhawks -- for finding me in the janitor's closet and getting me out of there!

As I scan the lobby, I see that Clayton is sitting at a table to the side with Kirby Dach (who is no worse for wear from his dumpster incident), Dylan Strome, Alex DeBrincat, Alex Nylander, Dominik Kubalik and Olli Maatta.

A rush of excited adrenaline floods through me and I race to the elevator. I jam my finger on the button for the lobby.

Since Tkachuk's been targeting me lately, I've always had someone attached to me. Most times its Brock and sometimes, if Tkachuk is known to be around, Millsy is with me. But with Tkachuk hurt and stuck to his room, it's been a little more loose.

Besides, he can't successfully attack me with the Hawks around.

I reach the lobby without interference and hurry to the table with all the Blackhawks and Clayton.

"Hey! It's the little Canuckling, slipping away from his babysitters," Alex DeBrincat calls out with a playful grin on his face.

"Yeah," I chuckle, a bashful red color seeping into my cheeks. "Tkachuk's trapped on the Flames floor in his room and I assume no one can hurt me with you guys here."

"I'd like to see those ugly bastards try to put me in the dumpster again!" Kirby remarks, lifting his head up high.

"Careful what you wish for, Kirb," Dylan Strome says with a stern expression on his face. "Also, watch out I don't do it to you."

"Stromer, stop it," Olli scolds.

"Last I checked, I never agreed to Olli Maatta being in charge of what I say or do," Stromer teases, dryly.

"Last I checked, I'm the oldest and wisest one here, so hush up, Strome."

I take an empty chair from one of the other tables and pull it over to join them. "Any more pranks?"

Brinksy shakes his head, looking a little disappointed and frustrated. "Not since Tkachuk took over...we haven't gotten a chance to really get anything going. We did dump Slater Koekkoek's bed sheets in water. But he came back and replaced all of our toothpaste with some kind of yucky meat from a tube..."

"I thought it tasted rather good," Kirby says with a smile. "Like chicken."

"You're nuts and I'm going to throw you in the dumpster myself now!" Stromer snarls and launches at Kirby.

They fall out of their chairs and hit the floor, rolling around in a playful tussle.

Suddenly, I hear Brock's voice ring out, "Petey!! Where are you?! Millsy, Bo, Q and I are heading to grab some lunch and we want you to come with us!"

I see his head peek over the railing and look down. He finds me almost instantly and relaxes.

"He's at a table with Clayton Keller and the Hawks," Brock shouts back behind him.

I hear a muffled voice and then Brock looks back at me.

"You coming?"

"I go! I was just chatting with my friends!" I shout back up.

Kirby and Stromer break apart from one another, their hair a mess atop their heads and they are laughing. (STROMER IS LAUGHING. First time, I've seen him break a smile that's for sure.)

Brock withdraws from my vision and then I can hear a bunch of footsteps heading for the elevator.

"Well, guess I have to go out and get some food, eh? I just wanted to say thank you again to you all."

Stromer gets to his feet and says, "Hey, this is a Tkachuk-Bully-Free group here and we won't stand by while he causes mischief."

Kirby jumps to his feet and sharply nods his head in agreement. "Hear-hear!"

I dip my head to them and then join my teammates as they come out of the elevator. We walk out of the hotel lobby and toward the cluster of restaurants.

When we return from eating, I head up to my room to get a small nap. Eating a big meal like we all did will do that to you. I lay down on my bed in my hotel room as Brock goes into the bathroom to...well, I don't know what he is doing in all honesty.

I tap my phone's screen and see that the Carolina Hurricanes have posted a video clip involving Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho. Something about documenting ghosts in the hotel room. Those crazy Toronto bubble folk...

I let out a chuckle of amusement at them.

That's when a scream...an ear-splitting scream echoes from outside of the room.

Brock jolts to the door and I race over to join him.

"That came from the Hawks level..." he remarks, sadly.

My throat clenches tightly and my heart skips a beat. I freeze in place. I recognize the scream. I heard it when the four Flames ambushed him outside...before putting him in the dumpster.

It's Kirby Dach.

And he sounds like he's in a heap of trouble.