See Kate Score

Chapter 1- Pucks and Punks

Chapter 1: Pucks and Punks

"No... of course sir...yes, I'll be there...don't worry sir...okay...bye." I finally hung up with the head coach of the New York Rangers. He had been talking non-stop about whether letting me be on the team was a smart idea, and if the other players would get 'distracted' from my presence.

I sighed and stuck my phone back into the back pocket of my jeans. It was stressful; wondering when the owners would call and let you join one of the best hockey teams in the world. With four Stanley Cup wins in the past, I was determined to be one of the few women who have helped win a Stanley Cup.

"Stanley!" I yelled, calling my golden retriever to my feet. "What the hell is this?" I held up a chewed up bra I found in my closet.

Stanley sat down and gave me his best puppy dog eyes. "That's not going to work this time." I said, and threw the bra into the trash can.

"What am I going to do with you?" I said, scratching him behind the ears.

I smiled and grabbed my bag from the laundry room and made my way out to the car, but not before yelling back to Stanley. "I better not come home to chewed up furniture!"

Mid-October in New York was like being in a pool of colors everywhere you walked. Red, green, orange, and yellow leaves crunched under my feet while I walked on the sidewalk.

When Bill, the owner of NY Rangers, called me from Minnesota to tell me that I was wanted on the team in this year's hockey season, I had almost fainted in the brown leather recliner I was sleeping in.

Now, with my new small apartment and Stanley, I was off to the practice.

With my white v neck and jeans that were ripped at the knees, I felt a little under dressed when I walked into Bill's large and business-like office. He was a small, scrawny man who wore suits that were three sizes too big. His gray hair looked like it was thinning and he had a permanent scowl on his face.

He sounded nice on the phone, though.

"Hello Bill," I said politely, shaking his hand and taking a seat in the chair in front of his desk, "it's nice to finally meet you."

"Welcome to the New York Rangers stadium, Kate. It's a delight to have you here." He said, even though his face showed anything but.

He looked at some papers in his hands and grinned. "According to your stats over the past ten years, you've been exceptional in all your plays and games. You're already on the team, obviously, so I'm glad to say that you'll be a great addition to the New York Rangers."

I nodded my head, smiling like an idiot. "Thank you sir. It's an honor."

"Now," he leaned forward and rested his hands on his desk, looking me dead into the eye. "This is an all-male team, until now. Men will be men, and we all know how that is. So there will be no guarantee in how they will react when they come to find that there will be a female on the team, also. It took me a damn long and hard time talking to other management offices and our PR about this; letting a female hockey player join a NHL team, so I need to know that you'll put up with anything that comes your way."

I frowned. "Of course, sir. But did you not tell the team already?"

He sighed. "No, I'm afraid not. But don't worry, these men are the best of the best. I'm sure they will act appropriately and maturely."

I nodded slowly. Hopefully they will.

"Now, if you go outside and turn a left, you'll meet our head coach, Grant Sherman. He'll escort you to the locker rooms and hand you your gear. Good luck, Miss Pruitt."