Chapter Text
June 29, 2018
Zane Boodram
Though he would never admit it to himself, in the deepest parts of Zane Boodram’s mind was resignation. He had fully adjusted to the fact that his team – the Ottawa Centaurs – even on their best day would always just be good enough. They had some consistent (patient) supporters, but the team rarely saw the arena inundated with enthusiastic fans. It didn’t help that there seemed to be a revolving door of coaching staff.
They would need a miracle (or ten of them) to even approximate greatness. That was not to say Zane Boodram wouldn’t try his absolute fucking hardest to win some games. And maybe even one day, take home some awards… Of course he would. He was on track to be the Centaurs’ captain. One of the few non-white players in the league to take on such a significant leadership role. It mattered to him how his team did; truly. But since well before Zane got drafted by his team in 2014, the Centaurs team had not seen the playoffs.
That’s why, come 2018, they got the second pick of the draft: Luca Haas. Luca Haas, a Swiss player, already held a great reputation. At just 18 years old, he was believed to have the capacity to one day become a generational talent. “An untapped potential,” spoke the sports journalists and NHL analysts alike. With just a few years of extra development, Haas may one day find himself at a level comparable to his second-pick predecessor, Shane Hollander, a center for the Montreal Voyageurs. Or Ilya Rozanov, described in interviews by Haas himself as one of his great idols. At least Zane had that to look forward to. Just a few short years for the new talent acquisition to finish out his current contract with his Swiss professional league, to hone his skills, and then be ready to play in the NHL.
As Zane got into bed that night, his mind was swirling with thoughts about a team rebuild. About what things would look like with him leading, with particularly talented players like Luca Haas on the Centaurs’ first line. What the Centaurs team could accomplish. Though contracts were being signed, it still felt a bit like a pipe dream.
That was until a few days later, almost immediately after free agency opened up on July 1st, when the rumors began circulating.
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Zane was spending his off-season working out in the Centaurs’ training facility gym with his teammates, Tanner Dillon and Evan Dykstra. ESPN was playing on one of the TVs in the background. It was Evan who heard it first, quickly grabbing the remote and blasting the volume as loud as he could.
Zane and Tanner quickly turned their heads towards the screen, enraptured by what was being said.
The reporter, a young woman, stated with a tone that somehow portrayed both assuredness and confusion: If you’re anything like us, Ilya Rozanov’s official entrance into unrestricted free agency has probably been at the top of mind. Well, listen up, because we have some exclusive news that may be shocking. Just a few hours ago, an unnamed but verified source told our ESPN team that Ilya Rozanov has decided not to take the Boston Bears’ seven-year, $81 million contract. This reportedly comes as a massive shock to Boston’s management and coaching staff, who apparently had absolutely no idea that powerhouse Ilya Rozanov would not be resigning with the team. Boston, who has seen a massive resurgence in wins since the 27-year-old hockey prodigy was drafted with them, is allegedly pulling out all of the stops in order to convince Rozanov to resign with them. But hockey fans, that is not even the craziest part… Rumors are circulating that Rozanov has his eyes on, get this: Ottawa. You heard that right. Ottawa. This team has both the cap space to pay Rozanov what he is worth, and is desperate for depth at center. But this still leaves the question: why Ottawa? Other teams – teams that have made it to the playoffs within the last ten years – can meet these same needs. What is it that could have convinced notorious playboy Ilya Rozanov to leave a city like Boston, and a hockey empire he has helped build? A team that, with Rozanov, was likely to see a cup within the next 2-3 years? Whatever the reason – personal or professional – ESPN will be the first to know, which means our viewers will be the first to know. Thanks, everyone.
At the segment’s end, it was Dykstra who spoke first, turning towards his teammates who were standing there, mouths agape and eyes fixed at the TV. “Bood,” he shook Zane’s shoulders. “Bood,” Evan repeated.
A whispered “holy shit” was all Zane Boodram could muster up the ability to say.