HAYDEN

Coach’s whistle was particularly shrill that morning. We opened with laps, then dove into a gauntlet of passing drills that demanded quick touches and quicker decisions. My legs felt good.

My brain was clear in a way it hadn’t been in months, which made zero sense after a late night, but that was the truth. I was over the moon.

We moved to a breakout drill, and I called the play before anyone else could, snapping the puck up the boards, cutting through the neutral zone, ...