Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 34333 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 172(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34333 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 172(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
He has been savaged online for backing me up and has been painted with the same PED brush used to smear me. It’s bullshit. But the support I receive from my team means the world to me, and I’ll never be able to thank them enough.
As for the piece of shit who started the whole mess, when Devon told me her plan, I was hesitant to let her try to get him on tape. There was no telling how dangerous he was or what he might do. I wanted to just go and beat the shit out of him, figuring a little pain and blood loss would get the confession I wanted. But Devon talked me off that ledge, making sure I understood that gaining a confession that way wasn’t going to be the silver bullet I thought it would be. She convinced me she needed to get him to confess of his own free will.
I didn’t like it and was worried about putting her in harm’s way like that, but she insisted. And eventually, I came to realize she was right. I had to trust her—and I did. I just didn’t want that little shit getting squirrely and doing something to her because then I would have really beat the shit out of him. I might have beat him to death. So, I waited in the car and listened in while Devon went and did her thing. And she nailed him, and he never saw it coming.
After the story broke, he apparently received such backlash that he ended up dropping out of school and went into hiding. And by hiding, I mean he went back to his parents’ house. I filed a defamation lawsuit against him and made sure that was made public.
He’s got no money and I honestly doubt he’ll be able to pay off the multi-million-dollar judgment I’m expecting to be dropped on him. Frankly, I don’t care. I just want to deter assholes like Zack Winters and anybody like him from putting bullshit out there like he did. If these pricks know they’re going to face serious consequences, maybe it will make the next guy think twice before spreading their lies and bullshit just to get even for some perceived slight.
As for matters on the ice, the team won one and lost three in my absence. I tried to stay away and avoid becoming a distraction. But the circus that surrounded me, which obviously surrounded them by extension, was a distraction anyway. How could it not be when day after day, they had to answer questions about my PED use, what they knew, and how long they’d known it? They’re human and that kind of bullshit coming at them from every direction was bound to take a toll. Their faith in me never wavered, though.
Unfortunately, we went into the last half of the season with a slim margin for error, and losing those three games hurt us. But once the bullshit was over, we got ourselves back on track and went into the last game of the season needing a win. A victory over Dallas would put us in the playoffs and a loss or tie would send us on summer vacation. It was unthinkable considering where we stood at the midpoint of the season, but coming out of the PED drama, we played like a team possessed and with a giant chip on our shoulders. And it all came down to the final night of the regular season.
One game.
Do or die.
And as the final horn sounds, I skate to the far end of the rink and jump into the mass of bodies. My entire team is there, hugging and jumping as we slap each other on the back and cheer each other after coming away with a victory.
We’re headed to the playoffs. The entire arena feels like it’s shaking as the crowd roars and jumps in the stands, celebrating along with us. This trip to the postseason is so unlikely that in a lot of ways, it’s more satisfying and more exciting than even our last run to the Cup.
We’ve been through a rough season and have come out stronger because of it. We’ve been forged and tempered in fire, and we’re ready for the trials of the postseason. Sixteen wins stand between us and a Cup. I’ve never been part of a team this close, and I think that bond we share is going to make us a tough team to beat. But before we take the celebration to the locker room and start setting our focus on the postseason, there is something I need to do.
I give Anders a nod, and he gets the team settled down. They’re in on my plan so they’re already patting me on the back as we skate to center ice. The PA announcer asks the crowd for quiet, and though it takes a few minutes, everybody in the arena settles down as well. The gate in the half-wall opens and the ice crew quickly rolls out a red carpet. I stand at the end of it with my team in a half-circle around me, and I’m handed a microphone by one of the ice crew.