Chapter 17

**I am currently in Hawaii for Christmas break with my family, so I'm not sure when I will get another chapter posted because the internet connection isnt the greatest, but here's a chapter for now, hopefully I will get more written soon! Kind of using this vacation as an inspiration for my writing. So enjoy! And as always, comments and feedback are always welcome :)

PS-had a run in with Ryan Getzlaf and a few Ducks players at the airport...pretty disappointed actually, he was pretty rude, so sorry for any Getzlaf lovers out there but I got a bad impression of him.


After a lopsided loss to the Senators, we were on our way to Toronto, and I met up with his parents at the arena during the boys’ morning skate. Andree and Bryan joined the girls and I in the owner’s box for the game that night. The game started with a fight in the opening two minutes…it was Colby Armstrong up against Brent, who easily got in some good punches before Colby knocked him onto the ice and the refs separated them. Good ‘ol Colby, was now my favorite Leafs player, since he’ll probably never go back to the Pens, but he’s an amazing player, minus the fact that Brent owned him in the fight. The fight between those 2 boys pumped up the Hawks and they were non stop after that, Jon got his first hat trick of the season and Brent had a 4 point night, and we won by a margin of 8-3.

After the Canadian road trip, the boys had a 2-day break before their 3 game home stand against the Blues, Sabres and Canucks. The game against the Canucks was the team’s Hockey Fights Cancer night, and being that this was my first year helping with it, it was my responsibility to get hockey pucks signed by the guys and wrapped in purple tissue paper for our HFC table at the arena; and let me tell you, trying to get almost 300 pucks signed was not an easy task. But the night was a success, and the boys getting the win made it more enjoyable.

Halloween was right around the corner, and Patrick and Abby were getting ready to host the team’s annual Halloween party, which was going to be on Saturday following the afternoon game against the Hurricanes. Game day came and much to the dismay of the boys, me, Abby, Dayna, Laura and Savannah watched the game at Abby’s house while we got it all decorated and ready for the party. I had decided to make Jell-O shots the night before, some with tequila and some with 2 different kinds of vodka; Dayna was in charge of making the jungle juice. The boys won the game in a shootout, so we knew they would be happy and ready to party tonight.

By 8:00, the Sharps house was getting pretty crazy with all the loud boys running around everywhere. Jon and I dressed as Danny and Sandy from Grease; Abby, Dayna, Patrick and Brent dressed as some of the Pink Ladies and T-Birds from Grease also, Laura was a sailor and Pat was a Pirate. Most of the team was there except for the few that had kids and no sitters that night. Jeremy, Jake and Bryan came dressed as the 3 stooges, and girls with them on each arm, who were clearly more excited about being there with all the hockey players then their dates themselves…in fact, after looking at one of the girls, I think I recalled seeing her with one of the Stars players, and also with one of the Sharks players when they played the boys here a coupe weeks ago…now there’s a jersey chaser for ya. Plus, Amanda wasn’t with Jeremy, so that was even better. We had a beer pong table set up in the basement, and Kaner kept running his mouth about how he could kick my ass at beer pong, so Jon and I challenged him and Laura to the first match of the night. We beat them the first game, and Pat wanted a rematch, so we had one and beat them again, then I gave up because we weren’t even drinking, and I didn’t want to mix beer and tequila because then I’d be one sick girl in the morning. The party was amazing, everyone had a lot of fun and there was no drama at all which is how we like it. A few of the guys crashed at Patrick and Abby’s, including Jon and I because we were both so drunk…thank god the boys didn’t have practice in the morning, otherwise coach Q would be pretty upset with a very hung over team.


November flew by and I spent my first Thanksgiving away from my family, which was a lot harder then I thought, but with the team on their 6 game road trip through Canada and California, I had to go with them. But knowing that my parents were making plans to come out to Chicago for Christmas made it easier, it would also be the same Christmas that Jon’s parents would be coming out as well, so the parents would all be meeting each other…little bit nervous for that, I wont lie. The road trip wins were back and forth before the boys won the last 2, making it a 4-2 overall record that trip. Adjusting to the cold winter weather in Chicago was easier then I thought, partially because I was used to spending the winters in Pittsburgh, so I didn’t have a problem with it, it just meant getting some cute winter clothes.

The boys were having some stressful home games, so I tried to make it as easy as possible for Jon at home. We had a few date nights and mostly spent time at the house, but that was the best time to have. After that first night of sleeping together, it happened more often, but hey I’m not complaining about it, Jon was a sweet and gentle one, not all crazy rough. And when the girls said if the boys want you all to themselves after a bad game, you just do it, and it was no joke, some of the best sex ever.

The bad games didn’t stop either, the boys lost 4 of their last 6 and the 2 that they did win were in overtime. The boys were on the ice and I was in the office I shared with Lauren when Jon came storming into the office and slammed the door.

“Babe, what’s wrong?” I ask him as he paces the office
“I can’t take this anymore,” he says
“Take what?”
“The loses, the way were playing, the way were getting criticized, its horrible!”
“But ya’ll are out there practicing everyday, aren’t you?”
“Yes, but it is so frustrating right now! And the stupid reporters ask question after question and don’t stop, they do it to get under your skin and they know it!”
“Yeah but isn’t there a point in time when you can tell them your done answering questions?”
“I guess, but I feel like its my job as captain to tell them what’s going on,” he says sitting down
“But it’s also Q’s job too,” I say as I sit in his lap
“Yeah, but ugh”
“I know I wont say the right things because I’m not skating with you guys, I’m not on the ice playing the game, but you guys are working so hard! I know that the losses are always hard, but you guys still worked your asses off and showed everybody that ya’ll should have won them.”
“Yeah, it just sucks, people are saying that we’re favored to win the Cup again this season too,”
“Well, it could happen, don’t let that get in the way though, it’s barely December and there’s still 60+ games left, you guys will get start clicking and winning again”
“Ughhh, ok your right babe,” he says and gives me a kiss
“I’m what?” acting like I didn’t hear it
“Your right!”
“Just wanted to make sure I heard that right,”
“Yeah, you did,” he said giving me another kiss
“Are ya’ll done with practice?”
“Yeah, I just have to change, are you done working?”
“Well I WAS almost done until my crazy boyfriend came to vent to me,”
“Sounds like you gotta keep this boyfriend of yours in line, what else do you have to do?”
“Just send out a few more email reminders to the Army and Navy guys that are coming to the game next week for the toy drive,”
“Toys for Tots is already next week?”
“Yep, the girls and I will be at tables around the arena with the guys collecting toys, then spending the next day wrapping them all,”
“Sounds fun,”
“Yeah, Lauren thought it might be a nice idea if ya’ll helped with the wrapping,”
“I think we could do that,”
“Well, I would sure hope so Jonathan,” Lauren says as she walks in
“Oh ok then, I’ll tell the guys,” he says
“Great! Now I have a few more things to finish so why don’t you go change and I should be done soon,” I say giving him a kiss and scooting him out of the office
“Ok, see you in a few,”

“What was that all about?” Lauren asks as I finish the emails
“Oh, he’s just a little frustrated with the season and the losses, so he was venting,” I say
“But it’s only the beginning of the season,”
“I know, I told him that too, and that they have been working so hard, they just need to get out of this funk of losing and they will be fine,”
“Thata girl, that’s exactly what I tell Brian when he is stressed too, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t,”
“Yeah, and I’ve never dealt with anything like this, the most was when they got knocked out of the playoffs and Jon and I were talking on Skype, we got in a fight cause I didn’t really know what to say, but I think being here kind of helped,”
“Yeah, definitely, and I know he’s happy your out here,”
“Well, I’m glad to be out here too, it’s been a good change from the desert,”
“Ok, so I sent an email to Dayna and Abby about coming by so we can put some signs up around the arena and then decorate the boxes, the toy drive is on Thursday’s game against Calgary, so I told them we should all meet here on Wednesday,”
“Yeah, that sounds great,”
“Ok, then that looks like that’s it for today,”
“Ok, cool,”
“Now, go keep an eye on that boyfriend of yours,” she says with an elbow nudge
“Yeah, I’ll do my best! Bye Lauren!”
“Bye, I’ll call you tomorrow!”