30. Chapter 29
Carter
T rade deadlines were way more fun when your team was winning.
The most intriguing acquisition was getting Eoghan Cooper from the Minneapolis Wild.
It was not often you could get a defenseman of his caliber through a trade, but apparently, the Wild couldn’t re-sign him.
I just hoped the Legacy would keep him long-term rather than just add him for the last two months of the regular season.
From playing against his team for so long, I knew his teammates always called him by his last name or some sort of nickname derived from his last name. After doing a little research, his name was Irish and apparently a complicated way to spell the name Owen.
Since all the new guys were given a place to stay in a Legacy-owned apartment complex until they decided what they wanted to do, I made sure to drop off a welcome gift for Coop. Some Irish whiskey. It seemed fitting.
Trying to be a good captain, I went to the rink extra early and hung around the parking lot so I was on hand when Coop showed up. It seemed like he was a bit of an early bird, too, since I didn’t have to wait long. Only Scuba and Suzuki were at the rink before Coop was dropped off.
“Yo, Coop! Welcome to Legacy.” I pulled him into a bro hug.
I was surprised that he reeked of alcohol.
It wasn’t something I would expect from a veteran like him, but I wasn’t going to say anything just yet.
Trades were hard, and he might need a little time to adjust. Besides, I did just give him a couple of bottles.
Maybe he felt like he needed to try out the gift before coming to practice.
It was going to suck to be him today. Coach thought we were sluggish and needed to work on our footwork, so it was going to be a bag skate.
“So I take it you’re here to give me the tour?”
At least he didn’t sound drunk, so maybe he wouldn’t be puking as we skated round and round.
“Yup.” I scanned my badge in and smiled at Dwight, the security guard who lived on a barstool by the entry. His job was basically to make sure none of the puck bunnies ever bothered us by the locker rooms. “I know you’ve been here before, but never to our locker room.”
I swung by the equipment room. The room was open like normal since Grant never left his office unless it was time to join people in the clubs. “This is Grant. He’s awesome. Just let him know how you like everything.”
Coop didn’t even crack a smile. “Don’t tape my sticks. Ever."
Shit, that was colder than ice when he said that. I was just glad Suzuki and Scuba didn’t hear him at that moment. They would have totally started fucking with his sticks just to get a rise out of him.
Much to Grant’s credit, he didn’t flinch or seem bothered. Instead, he got up and said, “I talked to Sudsy and got the lowdown about your preferences. You’re all set to keep your number, and your stuff is already hanging up. But let me know if you need anything else. “
“Thanks, Grant.” I elbowed Coop as I said, “See, I told you he was the best. Come on. Let me introduce you to everyone else.”
Coop only nodded.
Great. I was talking to myself as I pointed out where the coaches’ offices were and whatnot. Oh well, not everyone was super chatty, and even really good players could be shy. It was probably that. Too bad his pre-practice antics didn’t help loosen his lips.
As we got to the locker room, the two Spencers and Scuba were there getting changed into practice gear. Coop sat down at his stall, which was next to mine. He barely acknowledged anyone and instead focused on his equipment. Probably making sure he had everything, and it was his normal stuff.
Scuba tossed a dirty sock our way, which smelled horrific, as he said, “Aren’t you going to introduce us?”
“Coop. The guy with the god awful foot odor is Scuba. Then you got my best friend, Spencer Suzuki. He’ll defend all our asses on and off the ice. But don’t mess with his girlfriend.”
Scuba coughed out. “Who’s also Cartsy’s sister.”
I shot Scuba the 'shut the fuck up' look. I didn’t love the fact that my best friend was dating Natalie, but what could I do? Those two loved each other, and I had no say in the matter. I just wished that Scuba didn’t try to bring attention to the fact.
It was getting old, and if Scuba didn’t shut the fuck up about that, then we would be getting chirped on the ice, and Suzuki would be baited into a fight.
Refusing to be baited by Scuba, I continued with the introductions. “Then we have Spencer Levine. Yes, we have two Spencers, but you can call this one Deuce or Spencer 2.0."
Coop only nodded but didn’t say anything.
Levine waved as he said, “Get ready to skate. Coach announced a bag skate for today.”
Coop momentarily froze at that news, probably realizing his earlier actions were going to be severely problematic. But Coop was a big boy and would have to pay for his choices on his own.