| "We have a new assistant coach." The team collectively rolled their eyes and immediately tried to hide it. The Baby Pens had been going through assistant coaches like they went through sticks for the past season. Eric Meloche, one of the more outgoing members of the AHL team, was unable to contain himself and blurted out "Another one?" Head coach Glenn Patrick sighed before answering. Normally Eric would've been given a smart answer, but this time Glenn held in his comment. After all, Eric was right. "Yes, another one. And this one's gonna stick, they've been doing good things for Long Beach." "Long Beach CALIFORNIA?" Eric asked, trying not to laugh as the rest of the team held in snickers. "Do they even have ice in Long Beach?" "Yes, California, the Long Beach Ice Dogs. They had a losing record, won all of three games in one saeason. But they've been undefeated in the West Coast Hockey League since she started working for them." "She?!" Patrick sighed. "Yes, she, her name is Brielle Rucchin, her brother Steve plays for the NHL Mighty Ducks, and has been since '94. She's been coaching and assisting since she was eighteen, she's twenty-six now." "How good is she at the game, though?" Colby Armstrong, the season's resident rookie, asked. "It's great that her brother's an NHL'er, but can she play?" "She's been playing since she could walk. She's been in so many women's leagues I can't even begin to name the teams she's been captain on. She's a right wing and she's damn good. I've seen this girl play before and she plays hard. I've seen her coach before and she coaches hard, and that's what you guys need. She's good at what she does, and Barett wouldn't hire her if he didn't think you needed her." He stood silent while his team began to discuss the new girl coach amongst themselves. He studied the faces of his players, and they didn't look too happy, most likely because some girl from California was gonna come in and tell them what to do. "She'll be here for tomorrow's practice. And you better get used to the idea of having a girl around, because she's Barett's last try - if you don't like her, tough, she's staying." ~*~*~ "What kind of bullshit is this?" Meloche asked, to no one in particular, as the team entered the locker room. "A girl. We have a fucking girl as our assistant coach. Does anyone else see this as not right or is it just me?" Kris Beech sat down on a bench and let his stick drop to the floor. "You're not the only one. You're just the loudest at showing it." "Hey, coach says she's good at what she does, why don't we give the poor girl a chance?" Colby asked, not understanding why his teammates were so adamently opposed to having a female as their assistant coach. "Army, lemme ask you something," Eric said. "Have you ever skated under a girl before?" "Yes, I have," Colby answered. "She was better at coaching than our coach was." He paused. "And besides, maybe she's cute." The team laughed. "Army, it doesn't matter if she's cute or not," Meloche stated, "what matters is that we have to take orders from her." "And if she's cute, then I'll do whatever she wants me to do," Colby shot back with a grin. "Army... You need a girlfriend," Eric said, shaking his head. |
 |
|
|
|