Six months later

Someone throws me a water bottle after the final buzzer sounds. Game seven of the Cup final, here in Pittsburgh, and we won 2-0. I know I’ve won a cup before, and I’ve played thousands of hockey games in my career, but knowing this is the last one, I’m real worked up. Everything seems to slow down as I look around the arena. I hear the roar of the crowd, see my teammates clapping each other on the back. My coach comes out and pulls me in for a hug, saying, ...