THIAGO
Returning to New York meant returning to the normal routine, and Coach wasted no time pushing everyone back into championship preparations.
We got off the plane and went straight back to our home arena the very next morning, and the schedule was immediately packed with intense drills.
Practice became much more intense because the finals were coming up quickly, and I made sure everyone was skating hard during every single line drill on the ice.
I spent two full hours pushing the defensemen to block the passing lanes, and I did not let anyone slow down until the final whistle blew.
Even though the workouts were completely exhausting, the atmosphere around the team stayed relaxed because everyone was still happy about the road trip victory.
I washed up quickly and changed into a plain black t-shirt and athletic pants, and then I grabbed my notebook to head down to the team cafeteria for lunch.
The cafeteria was loud and crowded with players and trainers when I walked inside, and I took my usual seat at the head of the long captain’s table.
Kier was already sitting down with a massive plate of chicken and rice, and Cassian was sitting a few seats away while talking to Miller about a new hockey stick brand.
Anastasia was sitting near the end of the table with the media staff, and she had her laptop open next to her salad bowl.
During lunch, the communications manager stopped by our table to congratulate Anastasia because the pictures and videos she had posted during the road trip had become some of the highest-performing content on the team’s official pages that season.
"The metrics are incredible, Anastasia," the manager said, and she smiled while showing a printout sheet to the players at the table. "Our social media engagement doubled over the weekend, and the fans are leaving thousands of comments on the behind-the-scenes videos you shot on the plane."
"That is obviously because of me," Miller shouted out, and he waved his fork in the air toward the media manager. "The fans just love my face, and I am clearly the main reason those videos went viral online."
Cassian laughed and shook his head, and he looked across the table at Anastasia with a wide smirk. "Don’t flatter yourself, Miller. Everyone knows the interview I gave on the flight home was the real highlight of the media package, and Anastasia spent extra time making sure my lighting was perfect."
Anastasia laughed, and she closed her laptop screen halfway.
"You guys should be careful about taking credit, because I have a folder full of your worst pictures from the bench, and I can easily post those instead if you keep bothering me."
"You wouldn’t do that to us, Anastasia," Miller said, and he looked genuinely worried for a second.
"Try me," she said, and she took a sip of her water while the other players laughed loudly at Miller’s expression.
The conversation quickly turned into weekend plans after Coach walked into the cafeteria and announced everyone would have Friday evening off. He stood at the end of the line, and he told us we needed to rest our bodies because the next week of practice would be even harder.
"You have the whole Friday night to yourself, boys," Coach said, and he pointed a finger at the rookies. "But I do not want to see anyone staying up past midnight, and I expect you to be responsible."
Cassian immediately suggested bowling, and he leaned over the table to look at the rest of the younger players. "We should all go down to the big lanes downtown, and we can set up a tournament between the offensive line and the defensive line."
Miller shook his head quickly, and he wanted karaoke instead. "No way, bowling is boring. We need to go to that new karaoke spot near the arena, and we can see who has the best voice on the team."
Before long almost the whole team was arguing over where to go, and the room became incredibly loud as players shouted out different locations across the city.
"I am not sitting in a small room listening to Miller scream into a microphone all night," Kier said, and his voice carried across the entire cafeteria, making the room burst into laughter before he settled the debate by choosing bowling instead. "We are going bowling, and that is final."
"That is fair enough," Cassian said, and he nodded in agreement.
The coach laughed at the exchange, and then he looked directly over at me where I was quietly eating my food. He casually asked if I planned on joining the group this time because I usually skipped every single team outing to stay home and study game film.
"What about you, Thiago?" The coach asked, and he leaned his arms on the back of a chair. "Are you going to show these guys how to throw a bowling ball, or are you staying in your room with your playbooks again?"
I paused with my fork halfway to my mouth, and I almost refused out of habit because I always preferred to stay away from the players’ social events.
I liked my privacy, and I did not think the captain needed to hang out with the rookies on their day off.
But after looking around the room and seeing almost everyone planning to go, my eyes drifted toward the end of the table where Anastasia was sitting.
She was watching me quietly, and she looked curious to see what I would say.
"I will go," I said, and I kept my voice calm. "It has been a while since I went bowling, and I think it could be good for the team."
The surprised looks around the table made me realize I had probably made the decision too quickly.
Kier blinked at me in total shock, and Cassian stopped talking to Miller entirely, and the whole room went quiet for a few seconds because nobody expected the strict team captain to join a casual night out.