Saturday, July 5, 2008

Media or is it...player relations-Epilogue(Jordan Staal)

As I stood there watching him celebrate with the team I smiled. After all we’ve been through his dream has finally come true. Taking the cup from Malkin he raises it over his head. Yes the cup has come back to Pittsburgh. After a season of injures galore they did it. They are the champions.

During Jordan’s two seasons in the NHL so far so much has happened. Remember my dream? Well it came true too. Jordan became the youngest player to ever score a hat-trick on February 10th, 2007 against you guessed it Toronto. The boys made the playoffs for the first time in 7 years only to lose to Ottawa in the first round. This year though things were going to change. After losing not only Marc-Andre to a high-ankle sprain we also lost Sid and Talbot. Roberts was out with a broken leg and Eaton for his knee. Yet the boys did better than ever. At the trade deadline Army, Christensen and Esposito were sent to Atlanta for Hossa and Dupuis. We acquired Gill from Toronto for a draft pick. After winning the Atlantic division the boys got their chance at revenge on Ottawa. And boy did they get it. A sweep! Then they took on the New York Rangers meaning Jordan had to play his brother Marc. We won in five. Then came the Flyers…have I mentioned that I hate them. They targeted Sid but he played through whatever pain he was in. We won the Battle of Pennsylvania and headed to the Stanley Cup finals. Now here we are.

The guys motioned for me to join them on the ice. I did. Jordan pulled me into a kiss and twirled me around.

“You did it baby,” I whispered. He held me close and as he took my hands he brushed my wedding ring. We had wed last summer in Thunder Bay. It was a small, quiet wedding with just close family and friends. I am now Erika Staal, and I love it. We bought a house last month in Pittsburgh and are finishing the renovations. Jordan had done most of the work with help from his teammates.

Oomph, I felt gently in my stomach. I placed Jordan’s hands on my swollen belly as the baby kicked again. “Madeline is proud of her daddy too,” I said. We had just found out we were expecting a baby girl. I was due in late September or so the doctor said. If she’s anything like her father who knows when she’ll arrive.

Sidney was currently holding the cup and skating around Mellon arena. The crowd was still on its feet and the cheering was energetic. As Sid came around the ice he stopped. Turning to me he said, “Your turn.” I looked at him confused. “Oh come on Erika, you’re as important to the team as anyone else standing on the ice right now.” He eased the cup into my hands and I smiled. He knew better than to let it go because technically I wasn’t supposed to hold anything heavy. As we stood the ice it was a picture perfect moment, one that will forever be engraved into history.

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