Every Rose Has It's Thorns (Patrick Kane)

Only One

Patrick

It's crazy that I feel like my whole entire life has been leading up to this one game. It's been preparing me for one moment in my life, and it's this moment. Every little hockey player dreams of winning the Stanley cup, of lifting it over their head and skating around with it. We watched all our idols do it and who knows, maybe I can be that guy tonight that inspired the next generation of kids to skate around with the cup over their head too.

We arrive at TD Garden in Boston for a series clinching game six. If we win tonight then we win it all and no game seven back at home. And as nice as it would be to win in front of the home crowd, I think ending someone else's season in front of their home crowd is just as good.

I do my usual warm up routine and put on all my pads and tape my stick. I look around the room and it was creepy how focused everyone is. Even Jonny more so than usual. He's played amazing this postseason, I don't get what he's so uptight about. He's set records and scored some of the most important goals of this franchise. But they don't call him captain serious for no reason.

Finally it comes time to start the game and we do pretty good. I mean, we had to be pretty good, bad teams don't make it to the Stanley Cup final. But most of these games have been really close, only a goal difference either way. And this game was back and fourth with us striking first and them scoring two to take the lead but then we take it back. And with less than four minutes left they tie the game sending us into over time.

So we head to the locker room so the ice can be zambonied. This isn't like the regular season, there is no shootout and no five minute overtime period. There's no end in sight for this will go until someone scores again... and I wanted more than anything for that to be us.

We take the ice again and the fourth period begins. We do a good job of getting pressure but we can't get the pucks through. About halfway through the period I jump the boards and join the play. The puck coming into the corner by the Flyers net and I retrieve it. The puck gets cycled back to the blue line where Soupy holds it. He sends it back to me and I stick handle a few times until the guy on me finally takes a bite. Once he does I shake him and head towards the net. I had about ten different options about what I could do. But the whole time I was eyeing the small space between the goalies pads and the ice. I fake the pass but end up shooting the puck into the net. I see it disappear and guess that this could only mean one thing... the puck went into the net.

The problem was that I was the O N L Y person who saw it go in. Everyone was stopped as they try to play the puck but they couldn't find it. So I had to sell it a bit, I toss my gloves and helmet and celebrate in the best way there is to celebrate ending a 49 year title drought at the age of 21. I jump on Neimi on the other end of the ice as a few of the other guys join me. Others stay back by the net trying to figure out where the phantom puck went.

"Where did the puck go" Duncan asks.

"In the net" I tell him.

"Well they can't find it" he explains.

I turn around and see a bunch of people looking around like someone lost their earring. I reluctantly go over there and help them find it.

"Where did you put this thing" Jonny asks.

"Check the far side of the net" I say. A ref lifts the net off the hinges and stuck in it was the puck as it slides into where the net would be.

"Oh my god" Jonny says quite loudly.

"I knew it" I say and he shakes his head.

"You were the only one who knew it" he insists.

We celebrate once again and it was just as sweet as the first time. Not everyone gets to celebrate scoring the Stanley cup winning goal twice, but I just guess it was my night. They review the tape to make sure I scored and I most defiantly did, now everyone else knew it. People start to head to the exits as we do the handshake line. I try to remember it all but I kinda blacked out there for a while. After they set out the carpet and bring the trophies out they announce Jonny as the MVP. He had the longest playoff point streak by a Blackhawk player and proved to everyone why he's the captain. But he wasn't here for that trophy, he gets rid of it as soon as possible and gets the greatest trophy in all of sports. He passes it to Hossa who was in his third straight final with his third different team and it's his first time winning. After that the cup gets passed around and finally they people down to the ice.

We do interviews and take pictures but I keep an eye out for my people. Finally I see my parents trying to get to me and I excuse myself. Because while this is important, the only reason it is even possible is because of my family and Maddie being here with me the whole way. I'm surprised her security even let her down there without them. I would have killed to see those big guys trying to walk out here. But instead I see my sisters help her slip along the ice as she tries to get to me.

The first thing I do is pull my parents into a hug. I thank them a million times for even making this possible for me. I was so thankful for the sacrifices they made to make sure we can have a moment like this.

Eventually my sisters and Maddie make it over to me and Maddie slides right into my arms. She grabs me tight in the fear that she's gonna fall.

"Oh boy, this stuff is so slippery. How are you so good at this" she asks.

"Well I suggest wearing skates" I tease and she giggles.

"Right" she nods.

I notice how all the cameras moved to us but I didn't mind any. Everyone in this place knew that no one was a bigger winner than me because I get to shoot the game winning goal then go home and keep winning with Madeline by my side.

"You know, I knew from the moment you shot that puck that you ended this thing" she claims and I smile.

"Is that so" I smirk.

"Yeah. Ask everyone around me because I was going crazy and they thought the puck was still in play" she says and I laugh.

"It's true. I thought she was lying" Jessica assures me.

"Well I'm happy to know you always believed in me" I say.

"Always" she promises.