Sunday, May 4, 2008

Dream...or Reality - Part 2

‘What happened?’
She looked up and saw a roof staring back at her. Slowly sitting up she saw ice, a player’s bench, and faces looking down at her.
“Are you okay?” one of the boys asked her. “You took a pretty bad spill.”
‘So it was all a dream?’
“Where am I?”
“Sudbury, Ontario.”
‘Oh that’s right Brent and I broke up 5 months ago and I was having a hard time getting over him so my parents sent me to help my Uncle with his hockey team.’

Dream...or Reality - Part 1

Crying she looked down at the item in her hand.
‘OMG this can’t be happening.’ ‘What am I going to do?'
Sliding down the wall she sobbed.
‘I’m too young for this.’ ‘I’m still in high school.’
“Krista, dinner”
‘Aww crap I can’t go downstairs looking like this.’
She cleaned herself up and buried the object of her misery in the trash. After a miserable dinner she locked herself in her room.
‘This sucks, Brent isn’t even in the same country.’ ‘I still need to tell him.’
Slowly she picked up the phone and dialed 3 numbers only to hang up again.
‘I can’t do this.’ ‘My parents are going to kill me.’ ‘I’m supposed to graduate, go to college, get a job, get married and then have kids.’ ‘This is so screwed up.’ ‘What do I do.’
“What do I do?”
Next thing she knew it all went blank.

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Media or is it...Player realations - Epilogue

As I stood there watching him celebrate with the team I smiled. After all we’ve been through his dream has finally come true. Taking the cup from Malkin he raises it over his head. Yes the cup has come back to Pittsburgh. After a season of injures galore they did it. They are the champions.

During Jordan’s two seasons in the NHL so far so much has happened. Remember my dream? Well it came true too. Jordan became the youngest player to ever score a hat-trick on February 10th, 2007 against you guessed it Toronto. The boys made the playoffs for the first time in 7 years only to lose to Ottawa in the first round. This year though things were going to change. After losing not only Marc-Andre to a high-ankle sprain we also lost Sid and Talbot. Roberts was out with a broken leg and Eaton for his knee. Yet the boys did better than ever. At the trade deadline Army, Christensen and Esposito were sent to Atlanta for Hossa and Dupuis. We acquired Gill from Toronto for a draft pick. After winning the Atlantic division the boys got their chance at revenge on Ottawa. And boy did they get it. A sweep! Then they took on the New York Rangers meaning Jordan had to play his brother Marc. We won in five. Then came the Flyers…have I mentioned that I hate them. They targeted Sid but he played through whatever pain he was in. We won the Battle of Pennsylvania and headed to the Stanley Cup finals. Now here we are.

The guys motioned for me to join them on the ice. I did. Jordan pulled me into a kiss and twirled me around.

“You did it baby,” I whispered. He held me close and as he took my hands he brushed my wedding ring. We had wed last summer in Thunder Bay. It was a small, quiet wedding with just close family and friends. I am now Erika Staal, and I love it. We bought a house last month in Pittsburgh and are finishing the renovations. Jordan had done most of the work with help from his teammates.

Oomph, I felt gently in my stomach. I placed Jordan’s hands on my swollen belly as the baby kicked again. “Madeline is proud of her daddy too,” I said. We had just found out we were expecting a baby girl. I was due in late September or so the doctor said. If she’s anything like her father who knows when she’ll arrive.

Sidney was currently holding the cup and skating around Mellon arena. The crowd was still on its feet and the cheering was energetic. As Sid came around the ice he stopped. Turning to me he said, “Your turn.” I looked at him confused. “Oh come on Erika, you’re as important to the team as anyone else standing on the ice right now.” He eased the cup into my hands and I smiled. He knew better than to let it go because technically I wasn’t supposed to hold anything heavy. As we stood the ice it was a picture perfect moment, one that will forever be engraved into history.

THE END

Media or is it...Player relations - Chapter 6

Arrgg! I hate this time of year! Work sucks! Frustrated I threw my pen at the door.

“Oww…” I heard coming out as a yelp not a whine. “What did ya do that for?” I looked up to see Colby Armstrong rubbing his head.

“Sorry,” I mumbled.

“What’s wrong,” he asked. “You look tense.”

“Stupid reporters,” I sighed. “They can’t let me just do my job. They have to interfere.” He gave me a sympathetic smile.

“Yep they can be a pain.”

“So what did you need?” He handed me a note and slid out of the room. I opened the card. ‘I can’t believe I forgot my own birthday!’ It told me to go to where Jordan and I first met. Well I’m done for today anyway. Let’s go! I slid across the ice over to the benches. At first I saw nothing but then I noticed a note with a white rose attached. He is too much. It said:
Roses are red
Violets are blue
It’s your birthday
How about dinner for two?

I smiled. How did he know? I hadn’t told the guys about my love for Tillie’s but yet somehow I knew that was exactly where he’d take me. Practice had only ended 15mins. Ago therefore I knew I could find Jordan in the locker-room. Creeping into the room, I jumped. It was empty. There is no way they changed that quickly. Scanning the room again, I noticed a stray jersey lying on the floor of Jordan’s stall. (haha) Being a neat freak, I picked it up. A tiny box fell out. Now this was no normal box. It was a jewelry box. Shocked I looked at the jersey. The front looked normal but the back was a different story. The letters where the name should be spelled out MARRY ME? I burst into tears at those two little words. Before I could fall, Jordan caught me and looked at me with a question in his eyes. Not being able to speak I nodded. He caught me in a passionate kiss and gently slipped the ring onto my finger. This year has been amazing. Not only did I get my dream job but I got the guy too.

Media or is it...Player realtions - Chapter 5

After an amazing dinner we all sat and watched a movie. About halfway through it I passed out on Jordan’s chest. While there I had the weirdest dream.

He shoots and scores! I saw Jordan celebrating wit his teammates and sad Toronto players leaving the ice. I walked off the bench and slid towards him cool air hitting my skin. I had left my jacket on the bench. Hats continued to fall on the ice. I looked up at the scoreboard. ‘Goal scored by #11 Jordan Staal.’

All of a sudden I woke up stretching. I was asleep in what appeared to be Jordan’s room. Of course it was only a dream. We’re not even sure if he will stay with the team this year. I looked around to see at least 2 dozen hockey posters scattered on the wall. What wasn’t covered was blue. Hockey memorabilia was laying everywhere. His room was way cleaner than his one at Recchi’s but he’s never here so I guess that makes sense. I stood up and walked to the window. It looked to be around 8am. Jordan slowly crept up behind me and slipped his arms around my waist. I knew his touch anywhere. His lips pressed to my neck and I sighed. After a delicious breakfast we headed back to the city to rejoin the team.

Media or is it...Player relations - Chapter 4

Later that week the boys played Toronto. Jordan begged and pleaded with me to go with him to Thunder Bay and meet his parents. I finally agreed and we left the next morning. We pulled into the driveway and Jordan being the gentlemen that he is opened my door for me. Holding hands we walked up the path. Opening the door he led me inside.

“Mom, Dad, Eric, Marc, Jared, we’re here,” he said. His mom was the only one who came to greet us.

“The boys are all out back,” she said. Turning to me she smiled,“It’s so nice to finally meet you.” “Jordan has told us so many good things about you.” Jordan led me to the back door and out to the Staal’s rink.

“I’ll go grab our skates,” he said walking away. When he came back we sat on the bench and put our skates on. After that we stepped onto the ice and Jordan went and pushed his brothers as he skated by. I rolled my eyes and did a double Lutz. Once his brothers noticed me they all skated over totally checking me out. Jordan caught my arm and pulled me towards him easily... I mean we were on ice. Watching Jordan with his brothers was too cute. I introduced myself and looked up at Jordan.

Media or is it...Player relations - Chapter 3

2 weeks later we left for our first exhibition game. No one knew about Jordan and I except the Recchi’s. About an hour before the scheduled practice I met Jordan down by the ice. We went out to skate and we were totally flirting. He was so easy to get along with. He was chasing me around the rink. Not looking I slid into the boards him pinning me against them. He gazed down at me his look hot. He lowered his mouth to mine and my world stopped once again. It did every time his touched mine. We broke apart for air and he lifted me up. Hockey has definitely done him good. We stood there my legs wrapped around him as he held me. I don’t know how long we stood like that but the next thing I knew there was a catcall coming from the player’s entrance. I dodged under Jordan’s arms and turned towards the entrance. The entire team was standing there.

“Gee, thanks Mark,” I said knowing it was him. He just shrugged as I skated over to them. I stopped in front of Mark and hit him on the arm. He chuckled at me. Coach T then walked out.

“I see Jordan has gotten some extra practice.”

“Yeah, flirting with his girlfriend,” Mark said sarcastically.

“Hey I put him in for a good workout.” “Don’t even say it Mark,” I replied knowingly. I turned around and started skating laps around the rink. When they started their warm-up skate, I sat down and started to stretch. Soon I was back on the ice ready to continue my workout. Coach T called me over to the bench.

“Feel like practicing with us today?”

“Sure, a scrimmage right?”

“So how do you think we should team up?”

“Young guns vs. Veterans,” I suggested. He nodded and mentally split the teams. I was on a team of Crosby, Malkin, Jordie, Christensen, Mad Max, ad Army as our forwards. Our defensemen were Scuds, Whitney, and Ekman and Fleury was our goalie. Lucky for us the teams ended up even. After a hard fought scrimmage, which we won by the way, we headed into the locker room. I slipped into comfortable clothes and started to reapply my makeup. Looking in the mirror I saw Jordan stare at me. He walked up to me and gently placed his arms around my waist. He kissed the top of my head and I smiled lightly.

Media or is it...Player realtions - Chapter 2

Jordan was staying with Mark R. as I later found out. Here’s what went down that night according to Mark.

So I hear you all met your new press manager today,” Alexa said. Jordan and I nodded. With a sly smile I said, “So what do you think of her?” He blushed profusely causing my wife and kids (Christina, Cameron and Austin) to laugh. I grinned at my wife as she started to mock him. “Oh so he has a crush does he?” He turned a deeper shade of red and dinner went back to normal.

When he told me this I just laughed. So now I guess you could say the fun begins. I finished up what I had to do and then headed back to my place. Around 3:00 my work phone rang. I answered and to my surprise it was Mark R. He invited me over to dinner. I agreed and went to change. Now don’t get me wrong I dress up a little but I didn’t want to over do it. I decided to keep it simple by just wearing a sun dress. I headed over a little early and was greeted by Alexa. I started chopping vegetables after finally getting her to let me help with dinner.

“So… Jordan has a major crush on you.”

“Yeah I know.”

“So who on the team do you think is good looking?”

“Well,” I said pondering my answer. “Sidney of course,” I laughed. “And I have a soft spot for Army and Max.”

“What about Mr. Staal?” she asked me. I blushed contemplating my answer. She just smiled knowingly.

Just then Mark and Jordan walked in the door. We carried the food over to the table and then greeted the boys. I received a hug from Mark and a bear hug from Jordan. We ate dinner and sat down to relax. After a while I felt Jordan grab my hand and he pulled me to my feet. I looked at him questioningly but decided to go along with where he was taking me. We walked back through the kitchen and out onto the back porch. The stars were just starting to come out. All of a sudden he stopped pulling me close to him. I could feel him breathe and I looked up at him. My stomach was fluttering and my heart pounding.

“Erika,” he whispered slowly lowering his lips to mine. His kiss was soft and sweet. He pulled away and kissed my forehead. My head was resting on his chest.

“So I guess we’ll be seeing a lot of each other,” I murmured.

“I’m looking forward to it.” I turned around and he wrapped his arms around me. We stood there for hours just looking at the stars and enjoying the company.

Media or is it...Player Relations - Chapter 1

The next morning I got up and took another shower. I got out and put my makeup on then headed out to get dressed. I picked out a mid-length pink skirt and a off the shoulder white top. Putting on my white heels I grabbed a quick breakfast, picked up my purse and headed off to work. I arrived in no time considering morning traffic. I grabbed my bag and pulled out my pass ready to head inside. Once inside I headed down to the ice.

There I saw a note that said that the team would be there in an hour but that I could skate if I wanted to. I threw on a pair of ice-skates and grabbed my MP3 player. I finished skating and heard applause. I turned the music off and spun around only to see the whole team staring at me. I skated over stopped at the bench. I introduced myself and slipped my heels back on.

“And you are how old?”Sidney asked me.

“19,” I replied shrugging. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Jordan’s jaw drop. I sat down and pulled out my laptop. Starting it up I grabbed my planner and jotted down dates form the top of my head. Turning back to the computer I pulled up ‘internet explorer’ and headed to the Penguin’s website.

“Above all else I’m a fan,” I stated blatantly knowing that they were looking over my shoulder. I checked the board then went to MSN to check my email. Satisfied with everything I shut my computer down and turned my attention back to the boys. Jordan was flat out staring at me. Apparently Colby, Mark R., and Sid all noticed this because they chuckled silently. I glanced at them with an amused look on my face.

Media or is it...Player Relations - Prologue

One day changed my week, month, year, and possibly my life. Now you may be wondering who I am. Well let me introduce myself. My name’s Erika, I am 19 and am moving to Pittsburgh, Pa to work for the Pittsburgh Penguins. You may be thinking whoa, wait a second she’s only 19. Well I graduated high school at 15 with credits to spare. I went to UNC for four years of business classes. After graduating last summer I applied for a job as a press manager with the team. You see Pittsburgh is an obvious choice for me considering I grew up there.

Well after 2 or 3 weeks I got the letter. They were hiring me! I swear I screamed as loud as possible. So here I am today driving down the highway to Pittsburgh and my new life. I stopped at my new apartment before getting back in the car and heading to West Elizabeth. I pulled into the parking lot and entered the building. It was just like I remembered it. The smells of Italian food drifting through the air. I was seated and handed a menu. It read in big cursive letters ‘Tillie’s’. This was my all-time favorite restaurant. Every time I got to pick the restaurant we came here. I ate and then headed home refreshed and ready to unpack.

Around 11pm I had finished unpacking. I still didn’t have any furniture in my living room so I decided to stretch my muscles before bed by dancing. I had taken 5 years of ballet and tap when I was little. I turned on my radio and popped a CD in. It was full of old music from years ago. About an hour later I hopped in the shower and crawled into bed. Tomorrow I started work.