Power Play Read Online Free PDF Page A

keep a secret?”
    “No problem.”
    “I want to tell you something that basically nobody else
does
, or
can
, know about.” He lowered his voice. “It won’t be official for another two weeks, but I’m going to be named head coach of the Watertown Warriors.”
    “Junior A, that’s amazing! Congratulations!”
    “Thank you. And that has some important implications for you.”
    “For me?”
    “I’m going to be working with the GM and the owner to determine who we’re going to draft. How would you feel about playing with Watertown next year, playing for me?”
    “That would be incredible!”
    “Of course, that would mean moving and being billeted locally. Some kids from big cities have trouble adapting to life in a small town. And Watertown isn’t just a small town, it’s a hockey-crazy town. The Junior A players are local celebrities. You live under a bit of a microscope … everybody is watching what you do. Do you think you could handle that?”
    “I’d like to try.”
    “What would you think of having Josh as a teammate?” Coach asked.
    I didn’t like him, or anybody I’d ever played against, but that wasn’t the answer I was supposed to give. “He’s a good player.”
    “He led the league in scoring,” Coach said. “But you and I know that there’s more to being a hockey player than scoring goals. What do you think of him as a teammate? What sort of guy do you think he’d be on the bench and in the dressing room?”
    “I’ve never heard anything bad about him. If we’re in the same dressing room, then he’s my teammate.”
    “Good to hear. He might be worth a pick if he’s still there when it’s our team’s turn to choose.”
    “I’m just not sure how he’d feel about being on the same team as me,” I said. “It wasn’t him that broke a stick on me. Maybe you need to ask him the same question.”
    “Indirectly he already told me,” Coach said. “On the drive down, he said he hated to play against you—one of the highest compliments a player can give another player—but he’d love to have you on his team.”
    “Does he know about you being named the head coach?” I asked.
    “You’re the only player I’ve told. Keep it under your hat until it’s officially announced.”
    I nodded. I wasn’t sure why he trusted me with this, but I wasn’t going to let him down.
    The final buzzer sounded and the Leafs had another moral victory—they’d lost by only two goals, the last one an empty-netter.
    “Not a bad game,” Coach said. “Especially if you’re a Habs fan.”
    “Cheering for Montreal to win is like getting up at five in the morning and cheering for the sun to rise,” I said. “It’s gonna happen whether you cheer for it or not.”
    “He’s right,” Josh said. “Anybody can be a fan of Montreal. You have to be a real diehard fan to cheer for Toronto.”
    He held up his hand and we exchanged a high-five.
    “I hope neither of you is in a rush to get home,” Coach said. “I have a surprise. We’re going to meet some people before we leave.”
    “Who?” I asked.
    “If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise.”
    We followed him out of the stands and through a corridor. He led us past a pair of security guards—both of whom recognized Coach and shook his hand—and into a sort of party. There were lots of people, sipping on drinks and nibbling on food. Coach was greeted with smiles and handshakes. He seemed to know everybody and everybody seemed to know him. And because they all seemed so glad to see him, they seemed happy to meet us as well.
    Some didn’t need introductions; they were former Leafs, people I’d either watched on TV or just knew because I knew hockey. The hardest part was mumbling out a few words so I didn’t look like a total idiot standing in front of one of my heroes. I fought the urge to ask them for autographs.
    What was almost as impressive was watching how theplayers treated Coach—with respect. They talked hockey, and while