Hockey Imagines

Dancing With Our Hands Tied | Matty Beniers

#10, Center for the Seattle Kraken
Word Count: 2.5 K

"I, I loved you in secret
First sight, yeah, we love without reason
Oh, twenty-five years old
Oh, how were you to know? And
My, my love had been frozen
Deep blue, but you painted me golden
Oh, and you held me close
Oh, how was I to know? I—"
- "Dancing With Our Hands Tied," Taylor Swift

"You don't understand." He tells me seriously. "It's different, okay? And weird and new all at once. But we'll figure it out."

"I just don't like the feeling of being hidden, Matty, okay?"

He shakes his head. "That's not what's going on. Well, it is, but not in the way you think. It's just for a little bit. And not because I'm embarrassed of you or anything."

"Whatever, Matt." I snap and turn away from him.

"Y/N." Matt grabs my arm, stopping me. "Don't go."

Is shake my head. "It's over, Matt. It's better if you understand that now."

"Y/N."

My dad's voice snaps me out of my daydream and I focus my mind back on the conversation. It was dumb of me to space out like that.

"Sorry."

He gives me a concerned look but continues what he was saying, drawing me and the rest of the group back in. My dad knows what he's doing, so it's probably smart if I listen to what he's saying.

"Like I said, nobody has a permanent position. But this is a paid internship, so take every opportunity you have to impress me. Remember, only two of you can be chosen for the assistant coaching positions at the end of this, alright?"

As everyone is dismissed from the meeting, I'm left behind. Due to us having the same last name, it's no secret that my father is the head coach for the Seattle Kraken. And the other people in the group of interns aren't necessarily happy about that. Everyone thinks that I only have this opportunity because of who my father is.

"Y/N."

I give my dad a small smile. "What's up, old man?"

He rolls his eyes. "One, don't call me that. Two, are you alright? You spaced out a few times during that lecture."

"I'm all good. Just, y'know, being here brings back memories, that's all."

"I'm here if you need me, kiddo. And hey, don't let those kids get to you. They're not worth it."

I shrug. "A little competition never hurts. And trust me, by the end of these six weeks, all of them will see why I deserve to be your assistant coach. Daughter or not."

"Damn straight. I think it's in your genetics to coach hockey, just saying." He tells me proudly. I just laugh, following my dad out of the conference room.

"Remember, tomorrow is the first practice. 7 am. You need to be here by 6:30. Don't be late."

I roll my eyes. "As if. See you tomorrow, old man."

- - - - -

The next day, I'm at the arena by 6:15 and I'm the first one of the interns behind the bench. It's rare for an NHL team to give coaching opportunities to kids fresh out of college, but the Seattle Kraken made this decision to see how well these players would mesh with new coaches, especially ones that are closer in age to a lot of them.

The Kraken picked six of the best graduates from University of Washington who majored in Sports or Coaching Education who also had an interest in hockey. Despite what everyone says, I was chosen because of my skill, not my father's name.