#moifanfiction

[miracleonicefanfiction]

There should be more Mark Johnson and Jack O'Callahan stories.

[miracleonicefanfiction]

You need to read this one!!

https://my.w.tt/c7KdWPib4ab

[miracleonicefanfiction]

Rob McClanahan

You and Rob were at your house. You guys have been best friends for your entire life. Both of your moms knew each other before you were born, so you guys basicaly grew up together. You never saw Rob as a love interest of yours. But lately, you’ve been getting this weird feeling whenever you’re around him.

“You okay, (Y/N/N)?” he asked, snapping you out of your gaze.

“Yeah, sorry.” you smiled at him.

“What you thinking about?” he asks curious.

“Just really tired.” you reply.

“Wanna take a nap?” he smiles.

“I’d love a nap right now.” you say. “But I don’t want to leave you with no one to talk to.”

“Then we can nap together.” he replies.

You smile back at him and agree. You get into bed and Rob wraps his arms around you. You get butterflies in your stomach. Within a few minutes, you fall asleep.

You wake up with Rob’s toned arms around you. You both ended up sleeping through the entire night. He wakes up a couple minutes later and pulls you closer.

“Good morning my love.” he says in a raspy voice with a smile on his face.

You smile. “Good morning Robbie.” you reply.

“We should go skating today.” he says.

“Yes! We haven’t gone in so long!” you reply.

At around 2pm you and Rob head to the U to go skating. Rob found a way to get free ice time all to yourselves.

You both tie up your skates and grab your sticks and head onto the ice. You mess around and do a shootout against each other like always. Rob of course always wins but you still convince him that you didn’t try and you let him win.

“Hey I’m gonna shoot one more puck alright? Get back in the net” he says.

“Okay.” you skate over to the net. You get a small glimpse of Rob reaching into his pocket for something but you think nothing of it. He shoots and you block it with your stick. You celebrate and tease him because you had finally blocked a shot.

He smiles at you and shakes his head. “Good game, (Y/N/N).” he says. “Might wanna keep that puck cause you’re not gonna block any of my shots again.” he winks.

You pick up the puck and notice that there is writing on it. It said “I love you (Y/N).”

You look up at him and he smiles, looking a little nervous. “I’m pretty sure the puck speaks for itself but, I’m in love with you (Y/N). I have been since eighth grade. I remember it like it was yesterday. We were on this ice. Doing the same thing we’re doing right now. That was the moment that I realized I was in love with you. I never made a move because I didn’t ever think you felt the same way, and I was afraid it would change our friendship. Now that we’re older, and we’ve been best friends for this long, I can take being friendzoned. I understand if you don’t feel the same way. I just needed to let you know how I feel.”

You paused for a second, not knowing what to say as tears began to form in your eyes.

“Robbie….” you whispered. “I never knew that’s how you felt.” you began to cry.

“No no no don’t cry (Y/N). I’m sorry I should’ve never said anything.” he skates closer to you.

Before he could do anything, you crashed your lips into his. He was surprised but it didn’t take long until he placed his hands around your waist and pulled you closer. You pulled away.

“I’m in love with you too, Rob.” you say still with tears in your eyes. “I just never thought you felt the same.”

He wiped your tears away and smiled at you. He pulled you into a warm hug and kissed your forehead.

[miracleonicefanfiction]

#16 Jack O’Callahan

You feel your vision begin to get blurry as you drive to Jack’s house. Jack was your best friend. Your boyfriend of only 4 months had just dumped you. You needed to see Jack, he was the only person who could ever cheer you up.

You get to Jack’s and knock on the door. He opens it almost instantly.

“(Y/N)! Are you okay love? What’s wrong?”

He brought you into a warm hug and you nuzzled your head into his toned chest. You continued to cry into his chest as he pulled you inside and wiped your tears.

“Please don’t cry (Y/N).” He said in a slight whisper. “What’s wrong? Talk to me.”

“We broke up. He dumped me. And I don’t even know why”. You choked and began to cry again.

Jack clenches his fists. “I’m gonna kill him. I’m gonna kill that jerk.”

“Jack no. Please don’t.” You said trying to hold him back.

“Why?! Why shouldn’t I (Y/N)?!” He raised his voice and his eyes turned dark.

“J-just please don’t jack.” You stuttered. Why is he mad at me? You thought to yourself.

“He deserves what he’s about to get! It’s not fair to you!” Jack said as he stormed out the door. Just before he opened his car door, you ran outside and stopped him.

“Jack! Please stop.” You said desperately.

“(Y/N), he just broke your heart. I’m not letting him get away with this. You always do so much for everyone around you and you don’t deserve this in return.” He begins to raise his voice again.

“He already dumped me, why does it matter?” You say.

“Because I’m in love with you (Y/N)! I always have been!” He looks like he’s about to cry.

“You-you what?” You stutter again, in shock.

He pauses and then sighs. “Forget it, it’s not important.” He frowns and turns around.

You quickly run up to him and grab him by his shirt and crash your lips against his. He’s caught off guard but he grabs your waist and starts kissing you back. You both pull away and smile.

“I’m in love with you too Jack”, you say with tears forming in your eyes. “I always have. I just didn’t think you felt the same.”

Jack smiles, brings you into a hug and kisses you on the forehead. “You’re so beautiful (Y/N).” He says as he looks into your eyes. “I’m gonna treat you so much better than him.”

[miracleonicefanfiction]

Memory Loss - Mike Eruzione

You and Mike kiss each other goodbye before you drive off to camp for a couple weeks. You were going for only about two weeks to be a counselor at your uncle’s summer camp, and Mike couldn’t tag along because he had tryouts.

“(Y/N), I’ll see you soon okay love?” Mike said as he kissed your forehead.

“I love you! Goodluck at tryouts you’re gonna kill it.” You reply.

You start heading towards the camp which is only about an hour drive. You had to leave late at night in order to be there a night early because your uncle was expecting you.

You’re on the highway when suddenly a car moves into the wrong lane and hits the side of your car. There is a sudden impact and then everything goes black.

You wake up in a white room with bright lights. You see a man you don’t know sitting next you you holding your hand with his head down. He suddenly looks up.

“(Y/N)! Baby! I’m so glad you’re okay.” He says, kissing your forehead and grabbing your hand tighter.

“Who are you?” You mumble while giving him a strange look. His face drops.

“(Y/N), It’s me, love. It’s Mike.” He tries to smile. Tears pricked his eyes and he looked down again.

“Mike?” You say in a weak voice. “I don’t know a Mike.”

“Please (Y/N), you know me. I’m your boyfriend. Mike Eruzione. Mike. Mikey. Rizzo.” You still don’t understand what he’s trying to say.

“Who....” Your head drops and you fall back asleep. You can still hear the man talking but you are not awake.

“(Y/N) stay with me! Nurse?!” he says frantically. A nurse walks in and assures him that you are in a coma, and you will survive but they are waiting for you to wake up and be fully present and aware of your surroundings. He sighs in relief that you’re gonna be okay.

You hear him start to break down in tears. He’s holding your hand still. He begins speaking to you.

“I know you can’t hear me (Y/N) and I know you don’t remember me but please..” He hesitates. “Please stay strong my love. I know you’ll push through this. I don’t know if you’ll ever remember me, but just know that you are my everything. You’ve have been my everything and more since the day I met you. When I finally got the courage to ask you to be my girlfriend and you said yes. I knew I had chosen the right girl. You are my purpose. You are the reason I do what I do. You have the kindest and purest heart. You are who I want to spend my life with. Forever. Please...” He breaks down again.

About a minute later you wake up and see your boyfriend Mike sitting next you in a hospital room.

“Mikey..” You say in a weak, shaky voice. “What h-happened to me?”

“(Y/N)! You remember me?!” He says with excitement.

“Of course I remember you, love. But I don’t remember what happened. Why am I in a hospital?” You say, confused.

“You got into a car accident on your way to the camp site.” He says. “You woke up about a half an hour ago and didn’t remember who I was.” I was scared you lost your memory permanently.

“I- I was in a c-car accident?” you stuttered in shock.

“Yeah, love. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have let you drive up there alone so late at night.” He says with a frown.

“Am I okay? I’m not injured right?” You say, a little worried.

“No love you were just in a coma that’s all.” He places your hair behind your ear and caresses your cheek. “Once the nurse comes and checks up on you we can go home alright? I’ll call your uncle Scott for you and let him know what happened. We can stay home for the next couple days before tryouts. I don’t want you going to the camp site. I’ll ask him if you can go in a couple weeks.” He explains.

“Okay. Thank you Mikey.” You say, grabbing onto his hand.

“You don’t need to thank me, babe.” He gives a slight smile and kisses your forehead. “I love you.” He says.

“I love you too.” You smile back. “Hey, Mikey?” you say.

“Yes baby?” He replies.

“I heard what you said to me... While I was, you know, out.” You smile. “I never knew I meant that much to you.” Your eyes began watering. He looks and you and squeezes your hand tight.

“I didn’t know you could hear me.” He chuckles. “But I really do feel that way, (Y/N).” He says.

“I love you so much. You’re my everything, Mike Eruzione.” You say with tears in your eyes. You lean in and kiss him sweetly.

“Don’t cry babe. You’re gonna make me cry.” Mike says looking at you.

You smile. “You’re so cute Mikey.” You grab his hand and he smiles at you and blushes as you think to yourself: I’m gonna marry this man one day.

[miracleonicefanfiction]

Love and Miracle - Jack O'Callahan Fanfiction

CHAPTER 2: KEEPING IT SECRET

A part of me wants everyone to know I will be trying my luck and try to make the Olympic Team in few months, but the other, smarter part of me, tells me to keep my mouth zipped. After all, last thing I need is a bunch of jealous teammates and possibly pissed off roommate. But keeping it secret is hard, especially when everyone can see that different, excited side of me I’ve been carefully hiding all those years.

A week later my head is still high above the clouds and I think it’s starting to drive Ali a little nuts.

“Can you please stop smiling like a tard?”

“I am sorry, Ali. But I can’t.”

“Jeesh, who are you crushing on now?”

I look at her with my brows raised: “Again? What do you mean by that?”

She starts counting my “crushes” on fingers of her right hand, nearly blinding me with a purity ring she’s been wearing since the day I know her.

“Let’s see. We’ve had Simon….” “A summer crush doesn’t count!” “It does if you got to 1st base with him!”

I smack her arm: “Not everyone has to know that, so keep it quiet, okay?”

She continues in a quiet tone: “Then we have Alec…” “Show me one girl who isn’t crushing on Alec here. I dare you. Even you nearly fainted when he smiled at you.”

‘That’s not the point! And then we have Nick and Jason…” “Nick. Jason is a hoser. ”

“Doesn’t matter. And let’s not forget that exchange student, what’s his name again?”

“Valeri,” I answer and blush slightly at the mention of a handsome and quiet Russian.

“Yeah, him. That’s four crushes in two years?”

“That’s not a lot, Ali…”

The bell rings and interrupts our conversation. When our professor, Mrs. Monaghan walks in, the entire class sinks into a deafening silence. Mrs. Monaghan has been teaching here for more than fifty years, she is about eighty years old, but scarier than majority of our professors. And she knows that. Plus, her classes are the only ones where no one dares to chat. She may be old, but she has a sight of an eagle and great hearing.

“Good morning, class. Put away your notebooks, I prepared an exam to see how much you’ve been studying during the break.”

I exchange a scared look with Alice and take a deep breath. This is not okay, I haven’t even open a notebook and I honestly have no idea what is this class about. Sure, I am taking notes, but that doesn’t mean I understand a damn.

“Know anything?” Alice whispers to me and I only shake my head in response. Leaning closer to her, I whisper: “What about you?”

“Do I look like? I have no…” “Roy and Mayfield!”

Here we are again, being called by surnames. The last thing you want hear from your professors (or coach) is your surname.

“Sorry, Mrs. Monaghan,” Ali and I say in unison. She looks at us once again with her eyes squinted, which makes Ali slightly move back on her chair, before turning back to papers on her table. The silence in the class is driving me insane, everyone is waiting for Mrs. Monaghan to give us tests. She suddenly calls out: “Mayfield!”

Every single glance in a class is now focused on me, including Ali’s blue eyes, which I have a feeling are glaring daggers in my soul.

“Y-Yes, Mrs. Monaghan?”

Surprisingly, her thin lips are curved into an almost invisible smile when she signalizes me to come closer. Exchanging one final look with Ali, I loudly push my chair away from the table and approach Mrs. Monaghan’s desk. I feel curious gazes burning into my back when she looks up at me: “Coach O’Connell asked me to give you this.”

She hands me a folded piece of paper and adds: “You better read it during the break.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Monaghan,” I take the paper and smile lightly to our professor before heading back to my desk. I slip on the chair and dig the paper deep into my pencil case, away from curious gazes of my schoolmates. Ali leans to me: “What do you think was so urgent?”

Now it is a perfect time to tell her about your conversation with coach O’Connell, but my mouth remain sealed for, to me, completely unknown reason. I know we are supposed to be best friends and room mates, but it seems like I can’t tell her that, that I could ruin our friendship.

“Don’t know. Maybe he’s decided he has to punish me for talking back to him…”

“But you said…” “I know what I said. I don’t know, Ali, I really don’t.”

Damn it, I feel bad for lying to her. But really, I don’t want to discuss that with her, especially not now. Not in the middle of the class.

“Okay, class, calm down,” Mrs. Monaghan calls out completely unnecessarily since the entire class is so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

  Fifty minutes later the class is done and so am I, probably. At least I will be when I get the results of a test.

“How did it go?” I ask Ali, who just looks at me with tired eyes: “Can we not?

“That bad, huh? Don’t worry, we are on the same boat here.”

She chuckles quietly before asking: “So, are you going to read what coach O has to say?” “Yeah… but I will do it in the dorm, not here.” “Oh, come on! Why not? Could be about today’s practice…”

“I am sure it isn’t. Come on, I don’t wanna be tardy for English Literature Class.”

“And I have some tutoring to do. See you later?” “Sure thing,” I smile and hug her before heading the other way towards my English Literature Class. I slip behind my desk and pull out my notebook, when someone clears its throat above me. I look up and see Alec grinning above me: “So when will you tell Alice your little secret?” “What secret? What are you talking about?”

He sits down next to me and flashes me that innocent smile which has been driving girls at the university insane. His fingertips tap together repeatedly before he answers: “I’ve over heard coach O’Connell talk to our coach about you. And trying to get you to the Olympic Team. Hmmm?”

I quickly look around the classroom, which is filling up slowly and notice Lauren, Michelle and Andrea, three of my teammates walk in. They notice me and give me a small wave, but Lauren is the only one, who lifts her thumbs when she notices Alec sitting next to me.

“Good job,” she mouths and winks before she joins Mich and Andy.

“You must tell no one. Please, Alec. It must remain a secret.”

He leans closer to me: “I will try to keep it a secret, but it’s so exciting. Just…correct me if I am wrong… isn’t that so that women’s hockey is not a part of the Olympics?” “Yeah, it’s not.”

“So which sport will you participate in? Are you secretly a figure skater?” he wiggles his eyebrows in an attempt to make a joke. It does make me crack a chuckle, but nothing more: “Nope. Hockey. Really, Alec, I don’t want to talk about it. Not now.”

“How will you play hoc- Wait, you mean you’ll try and make it to the men’s team?”

“Keep your voice down!”

An uneasy sensation flashes through my bones as I get the feeling few of my schoolmates try to eavesdrop.

“You are seriously going to try playing for men’s team?” “Alec, you must tell no one. Please, at least for now.”

He ruffles his curly black hair with a deep sigh of frustration: “I don’t get it. It’s a huge honor to be even considered as one of the players. Why you don’t want to tell anyone?”

“I want, just…I don’t want other girls to hate me or anything…”

His rough hands grab mine and I look at him. His brown eyes are glimmering slightly: “Listen to me carefully. They are your teammates. If they will hate you for being a great player, they don’t deserve sharing the ice with you. Not just the ice, they don’t deserve sharing the locker room and all of the successes.”

Stunned by his words of support, which I really didn’t expect from him, I don’t answer. When I open my mouth, my tongue becomes numb and I just stare at him wordlessly.

“And listen, would you like to join our practice once or twice? Just to experience how real college hockey is supposed to be played?” “A-Are you serious? I’d love to…” “Great! Talk to you after class,” he gets up and gives me a huge smile before turning around and going to his desk. I watch him as he does that and I notice him giving a high five to one of his teammates.

  As soon as I enter the cafeteria, half of my team surrounds me. “Lauren said Alec spoke to you? What it was about?” Jenny Lewis, a freshman defense player, asks me as soon as she gets a chance.

Now it’s the right time to tell them I think to myself and open my mouth, but instead of telling them I might be playing for the Olympic team I simply say: “He invited me to join them on their practice once…” “I hope you accepted!” Susan Parker, another player from freshman year, squeals and looks at the others with excited spark in her eyes.

“Maybe I will…”

“Kim, you should. You are a hell of a great player and practicing with them would not hurt you,” Lauren touches my shoulder and flashes me a wide grin. I smile back and nervously tuck of hair behind my ear.

“Lauren… I have to tell you something. Can you please follow me?” “Is everything okay?” “Yeah… I think. I just want to talk with you about something.”

“Uh, okay. But can it wait until after the lunch?”

“It can… Lauren, I’d rather tell you after the practice. If that’s okay with you?” “You are freaking me out and it doesn’t sound like nothing is wrong.”

I pinch bridge of my nose and assure her: “I swear everything is fine. See you later at the practice, okay? See you later, girls.”

  The rest of the day flies by quickly and annoyingly slow at the same time. Hiding secret before your teammates and your friend is not the everyday thing to do. When the hour of a practice rolls around, I am a nervous wreck, mostly because I’ll have to bite into a sour apple and talk to Lauren.

Even girls who have just joined us and we don’t know each other well yet notice I am not myself. Usually loud on and off the ice, but today I barely speak to anyone.

“What is wrong with you, Kim?” Alice asks worriedly after I hit the boards for the zillionth time during doing a simple exercise.

“Nothing… Really, Ali, I am fine…” I shut up mid-sentence when coach’s and mine gaze meet.

“Mayfield, what are you doing? Put your head in a game!” he smacks his stick against the ice and small pieces of ice fly up in the air.

“Yes, coach. Ali, I am fine, I swear.”

But my nerves are a mess and after I nearly fall over the boards, Lauren, as a future captain of our team, asks coach to let her and me have a word in the locker room. As soon as the door close, she looks directly at me: “Okay, Kimberly, what is wrong with you today? You’ve been weird for the entire day.”

“Lauren, I hope you won’t hate me…” “Does it have to do anything with Mike?”

Mike is her boyfriend and they have been together for ages. The only thing she is really possessive of is he. And there’s no doubt she would kill me if I tried something with him.

“Nothing. Why? Is there something wrong?”

She sits down next to me and buries her face in her palms, soft whimpers escaping her lips. A second passes before I awkwardly pat her back: “What is wrong, Lauren?”

“I t-think he might be cheating on me…with one of the girls from the t-team. A-And I thought it m-might be y-you.” “I’d never do that to you. Or to anyone else. I hope you know that.”

“I know…I am sorry.” “I’d be the same, no worries. Lauren…I can trust you, right?”

“Sure. What’s wrong?” she wipes tears off her cheeks and looks at me. Her selflessness is exactly why she will make a great captain, she was willing to forget her personal troubles to face mine.

“So, uh, coach O suggested me to maybe challenge myself and…and try my luck at the Olympic tryouts…for men’s hockey team”

  “You mean…Olympics in Lake Placid in twelve months?”

“Yes… But you must tell no one. Please, at least for a while.” “Kim, that’s great! I am so happy for you! And of course I won’t tell anyone.” “Thanks, but… are you not mad?” “Why should I be? This is a great opportunity and you are an extremely talented player.”

Words, she is saying, are exactly the right words of support, but I think I can see in her eyes she is wondering one thing.

  How the hell did Kimberly Mayfield get a chance like that? Why her and no one else?

[miracleonicefanfiction]

OC’s Playin’ Baby!

This is dedicated to Michael Mantenuto, who played Jack O'Callahan in "Miracle". May his soul find eternal peace. ❤️

February 14, 1980 USA vs CZECHS

Herb Brooks walked into locker room 5 with nothing but absolute confidence. He believed that a coach's attitude would fuse into his players.

"I want everyone dressed tonight." Walking over towards Mac, who refused to look Herb in the eyes, he rapped out, "You better be ready to go 100%."

Walking back to the middle of the locker room, Herb pointed a finger at Jack. "Don't get any ideas. Just because I'm having you dress, doesn't mean I'm gonna let you on that ice, Jack."

Rolling his eyes, Jack retorted, "How come you'll let him go but not me?"

Ignoring Jack, Herb continued, "Johnson line starts. Let's get ready to skate." With that, he left the locker room.

Halfway through the game, Jack was starting to get anxious on the bench. He was highly considering telling Morrow that he was going to reclaim his shifts.

"Don't do it. I know what you're thinking. Don't do it, Jack."

"What?"

"Herb will let you go soon, I promise. Don't try to jump the gun," Phil replied, giving Jack a supportive pat.

February 16, 1980 USA vs NORWAY

"Coneheads starting. Everyone dressed, 19 playing," Herb tersely commanded, before leaving the locker room.

"Are you kidding me?" Jack called out, running his hands through his hair in frustration.

"Relax, OC. You'll get your shot," Rizzo reassured him from across the small room.

"When?" Motioning to Robby, he continued, "He gets hurt, Herb forces him to keep playing. I get hurt a week ago and he won't even let me touch the ice! Where the fuck is that logic?"

"You wanna be in my position? Well, you can have it," Rob muttered, tying his skate laces.

"I'm just not understanding why Herb won't let me go, okay? How will he know without testing me out?" Jack replied, throwing his hands in the air.

"Your time will come soon, OC."

February 18, 1980 USA vs ROMANIA

"I want Christoff with McClanahan and Johnson. Strobel with Broten and Eruzione. First line starts. Same line up as Norway. Let's get a good win in, boys," Herb rapped out, before exiting the locker room with the team's doctor.

"I cannot fucking take this!" Jack yelled. "I'm ready to go, I know I am!"

"Just wait for Herb's okay, Jack. Don't disobey him, or you won't play at all," Bill Baker warned.

Watching his team play without him, Jack became extremely overwhelmed. He wanted nothing more than to play for his country, and his opportunity was passing before his eyes.

Throwing his head into his gloves, he felt a tap on the back. Looking up, he was eye to eye with Craig Patrick.

Whispering into Jack's ear, Craig began, "Be ready to go, OC. I'm not promising anything, but make sure you're ready."

Overcome with excitement, Jack felt his heart flutter. "Thank you, Craig!"

"Just remember, no promises." Winking, Craig walked to the other end of the bench where Herb was.

Shaking from excitement, Jack was ready to just burst out onto the ice. The third period was now halfway over, and he was starting to become worried that he wouldn't get his chance. Finally settling in on the fact that he wasn't going to get to play, Jack took off his gloves and massaged his temples.

"Next shift, OC."

Eyes wide, Jack turned around. "What?"

"You're taking the next shift," Herb replied.

As Baker and Christian were skating to the bench, Jack and Rammer were getting ready to hop over.

As they looked at each other, and Rammer shot him a big smile, Jack screamed, "OC's playin' baby!" Leaping over the bench, he rushed out onto the ice. Slamming into the first Romanian he saw, he pushed the puck out to Riff, who handled it and scored.

As the celebration headed to the bench, someone behind Jack whispered, "Way to be out there, OC."

Turning around, Jack became confused when he saw that there was no one behind him. In fact, Herb was the closest person that was behind the bench.

[miracleonicefanfiction]

Boston Tough (#17 Jack O'Callahan and #8 Dave Silk)

Things don’t seem to go as planned for Jack O'Callahan. After months of hard work, exhaustion, long practices and avoiding injuries, he now fears for his future on the team. He remembers when the team was put together, how many different personalities were gathered in one place. He remembers getting into a brawl with Steve Christoff at sports festival in 1978, a guy who is now like one of his eighteen brothers to him.

Since he busted his knee during the pre-Olympic game against the feared Soviet Union, his days are more or less the same: wake up, get ready for a day, have breakfast, then spend most of his day at the rehabilitation, having sessions three times per day. Squeezing some time to try to see his parents, Jack and Bernadette, OC barely has any time to feel sorry for himself. Not that he really feels the need, he doesn’t believe in showing weakness. At any time. Beside, lumps are part of his life, some of the scars dating back before he even laced up the skates, a reminder of his past and growing up in Charlestown.

Today, he hasn’t had time to see his parents, but he can call them. He would never admit that, but he needs encouraging words of support from people who has always been there for him. Who drove him to all those junior games, who encouraged his every decision, good or bad. Who were there for him to patch him up, to disinfect bleeding wounds and to make trips to the hospital when he needed stiches. Who drove him to dentists until he decided that would mean infinite trips, and started pulling out his loosened teeth by himself while sitting on the bench.

Limping slightly, he heads to phone trailers and finds an empty one. After he leans his crutches against the wall, he sits down and calls his parent’s hotel room.

After hearing it ring for a while, his mom finally picks up: “Hello?” “Mom, it’s…it’s me.”

“Johnny. Darling, it’s John.”

John. When was the last time someone called him by his real name. He has been known as OC, OCee, Hollywood or just Jack. The way his mother calls his name reminds him of when he was younger, an innocent sweet fair-haired kid, who grew up in a shadow of Bunker Hill Monument. A fair-haired boy who grew up with a brother and a sister. That same kid, who started skating at the age of nine with $15 skates.

“Mom, I am scared.”

“John, my son, we are proud no matter what. Look how far you’ve come.”

“I don’t want you to be here for nothing.”

“Jack, what can we do? Johnny is injured," his mother’s voice breaks. Jack hears his father trying to comfort her: "Bernie, don’t worry, John is a tough guy. Do you think you can get back on the ice soon?”

“I hope so, dad. If I don’t we will still stay here and watch the games.”

“We will be here with you. And don’t worry, you won’t get cut.”

For a while, Jack and his father continue debating about the Olympics and try to involve defenseman’s mother into a conversation, but it seems like she doesn’t want to talk about the games. Just how her son could play again.

“Mom, this is not the first time I am injured…”

He doesn’t want to bother his parents with everything that has been racing through his mind. He even doesn’t understand it himself. It’s not like he is retiring, he will still have chances to prove himself… but at the same, he is so close to the Olympics and he would be devastated if his injury sent him home.

When he finishes the phone call, he remains seated, staring at the wall. Despite comforting words from his parents, he feels a lump in his throat. He is worried about his future, but he is determined the injury won’t stop him. Not now when he is so close. He stretches his arm to grab the crutches when someone waltzes in.

“Oh, am I interrupting…OC?” “Silky, what are you doing here?” “Mac is snoring again. I couldn’t sleep, so I went for a walk. My mom is probably still awake and I thought maybe I should check on her.” “Rob’s snoring again? What’s new here? I have just finished, I am leaving…” His friend from Boston University rests his hand on his shoulder: “Sit down. You don’t seem like yourself.”

Jack is divided between telling him and shrugging it off like it’s nothing. But he looks up at Silk and realizes if anyone, he can see him broken. Jack’s head falls on his chest as he mumbles: “I am…scared.” Silk leans against the wall: “About being sent home?”

Tall defenseman nods and looks up at his friend, feeling his eyes filling with tears of fear: “I don’t want to go home. I don’t want this to end.”

As unusual as it is for them, it doesn’t matter this time. Silk approaches Jack and hugs his friend, pulling him into a bear hug of a well-built hockey player: “You won’t go home. You belong here, on this team. You belong on the ice in Lake Placid with the rest of us. There are nineteen guys waiting for your ass to get on the ice and you better not let us down.”

Even Silk’s voice breaks – he doesn’t want his friend to leave. They have been teammates since university and they suffered together through sadistic practices of Herb Brooks. And OCee can’t leave now. Not now.