Ice in My Veins

  I kept sliding down the draft, as the next few teams picked. We were already at pick 15 with the Buffalo Sabres picking now. After them it would be Calgary. Both picks went by and my name still had not been called. I was really starting to think I would not be picked in the first round.

  All the interviews I thought went well, those teams had passed me over, including Boston. Alex comforted me and reminded me we were only half way through the first round.

  I had a feeling I would go number 23 to the New Jersey Devils like my agent had suggested I might. However, they did not call my name; they picked a Swedish player from the elite league. I was never going to get picked. I just put my head down between my knees. I had tuned everything out and was just concentrating on my breathing when Alex shook me.

  “Philadelphia Chrissy, they just called you!” He exclaimed almost jumping out of his seat beside me.

  I looked up at him. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. The Flyers had picked me? I didn’t think the interview went that well. My dream team. I looked towards the stage and there, holding a jersey for me was Toby Chalke. I guess he was the one who actually called my name. I hadn’t realized.

  I found my footing and walked up onto the platform. I shook his hand and put on the jersey. On the back it said Matthews. They must have known they were picking me, or they wouldn’t have my name on my jersey. I was elated. It seemed like everything was in slow motion. I placed the baseball cap on my head and stood with the team staff for the pictures, then was escorted towards the interview table.

  How was I suppose to do an interview now. I was still in shock. Philadelphia had taken a chance on me. Picked 24th in the first round. I was picked before Joe. I knew that would get under his skin a little.

  I was instructed to sit down beside Toby Chalke and the interviewer at the table they had set up. I smiled up at Toby and he smirked. The interview started.

  Christine, how does it feel to be picked by your favorite team and to have your hockey hero call out your name?

  I can’t describe the feeling Jim. It truly is a dream come true. I am honored to be chosen by such a great organization. And to have Mr. Chalke call my name, I was literally speechless.

  Now Toby , why did you decided to go with Christine? She’s a great player, but there was a lot of talk about the fact that she is a girl, and this is still very much a man’s sport.

  Jim, Philadelphia is known for taking chances. We’re famous for it. Christine is a fantastic hockey player, with great skill. She has a good head on her shoulder’s, and she plays hockey for all the right reasons. She is humble and gets along with everyone she has ever played with. I have spoken to her coaches, and they had nothing but praise for Christine. She has proven herself through her perseverance. To us, in the Philadelphia Flyers organization; we believe she will be a great fit for our team.

  Christine, everyone is well aware of your relationship with Alex Reddrick who plays for the Boston Bruins. Will this have any affect on your game or location?

  That is a personal question Jim. Alex and I both understand our careers come first. It’s as simple as that. We have managed before and worked through it, and we can manage now. There will not be any issue on that front. I have my priorities straight. It was also a question that many of the teams asked me in my interviews and I answered them the same way I am answering you now.

  Well thank you Toby and Christine and we wish you and your team the best of luck in the upcoming season.

  Toby shook my hand and motioned me towards the rest of the press tables. I spent the rest of the evening doing media and press related things. I finally found Alex and my family late in the evening. It was past 10:00 p.m. I was exhausted. I just wanted to go back to the hotel and sleep.

  “Well, you got your wish Chrissy,” my father said as we walked back to the hotel. ”For you to play on the same team as your precious bums did.” He chuckled. He still had a hate on for the Flyers. He would have to get over that now that I was a member of the team.

  I didn’t even shower when Alex and I got back to our room. I crawled into bed fully clothed. Alex tried to take my pants off for me because I was to tired to bend, but I passed out cold on him. Once he got those off he gave up and just covered me up and crawled into bed with me.

  The next morning I was talking to Alex. I figured out that if I didn’t make the Flyer’s team at camp I would be heading back to Toronto to play my season with the Gophers. I was only going to be nineteen, and you had to be twenty to play in the AHL; if you came out of the CHL. It is an agreement between the NHL and the CHL. The agreement applies to junior aged players. This agreement protects CHL teams from losing their star players to AHL teams. The actual age limit for the AHL is eighteen, the twenty year old rule only applies to CHL players. I could be eighteen and play in the NHL though. I needed to make the Flyer’s roster at their camp or I would be heading back to Junior’s.

  If I made the team, it would be a five and a half hour drive to Boston to visit Alex, or for him to come visit me. It would still be closer than Toronto. We would work things out. I knew we could manage. We loved each other, but we both understood how important our careers were.

  After a short visit to Dryden to visit with my family, Alex and I both flew back to Providence, Rhode Island.

  It felt good to be home. In our home. I would miss it; miss the playing house part, while we were apart. I knew I could handle it. I hoped to God that Alex could. We enjoyed the summer together. We trained hard and enjoyed everything that we could do together. We even bought a couple of kayaks and started kayaking on the nice days. We were getting pretty good at it.

  I went to Sarabella’s baby shower. Her and Mike were having their first baby. It was going to be a boy. I was so happy for her. I actually had fun picking out the gifts Alex and I bought them. We bought them the car seat they wanted. I also went a little crazy on the outfits I bought for the baby. Of course I had to buy a little mommy gift for Sarabella as well. I bought her some great bath kits from her favorite bath and body store. I added in my favorite bath bombs. Alex sat down beside me as I was wrapping the gifts.

  “A baby boy for Mike and Sar,” he smiled. I knew what he was getting at. He had told me that he always wanted a big family. He used to say, “let’s have a dozen, name them after donuts.” It always made me laugh.

  No way was I considering children. I had hockey and Alex, that was enough for me. I liked kids, but I liked to be able to hand them back to their parents after I was finished playing with them.

  “Not for a long while Alex. I am definitely not ready for that, so don’t even go there with me.” I smacked him.

  I was a long way from having children. I wanted to focus on my career, then eventually marriage and kids not until later in life if any. I had told him many times how I felt about that. He knew what he was getting into with me. I told him if he wanted kids, I was sure his friend Megan would be happy to assist him. He laughed.

  I was packing for the Flyer’s camp and Alex was getting things arranged to fly up to Boston for his camp. We had made arrangements for the leasing company to pick everything up later that week. We had also made arrangements with the landlord. I would miss this house. I liked it a lot.

  I already knew what to expect out of the NHL camp, because I had watched Alex several times at the Boston Bruins camp. I was excited. Alex took me to the airport and kissed me goodbye.

  I noticed as I walked through the gate, a reporter had stopped him on his way out. I’m glad it was him and not me. I hated doing press. He loved talking to the press. I knew it was part of the job, but I was never really comfortable with it.

  Oh joy, oh joy! I would arrive Friday and first thing Saturday morning was team physicals and testing. Testing and physicals in the NHL were similar to our testing and training camp only much more intense.

  We would start our preseason on Sunday. I knew I was playing at least seven preseason games with the Flyer’s. After that they would have to give me a contr
act or send me back to Toronto for the season. The first game I suited up, but didn’t see the ice. I was disappointed, but I knew I had to bide my time. I would get my chance. I did well in the preseason. The coaching staff was unsure about me staying on the Flyer’s team this season. They wanted me to develop a little more.

  I liked Philadelphia immensely. It was a working class kind of city. The people here were awesome. Down to earth, hard working people and they loved their hockey. What I loved most is that they still remembered and honored the Broad Street Bullies. I thought I was the only person of my generation to know who they were. Kids here as young as seven knew who they were. My father would hate it in Philadelphia. That thought made me laugh.

  The coaching staff of the Flyer’s took two extra days to debate, before they called me into their office. They were going to keep me in Philadelphia. Since I was eighteen, I could play in the NHL. I was ecstatic. My dream of playing in the NHL had officially come true. I would now have to do my best to be a role model to all young girls in the sport. Hold my head high and play with all my heart. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. I would have my work cut out for me. Juniors would be a walk in the park compared to the NHL.

  I called Ben Killerman, who had already suspected that I might be staying up in Philly. He had made sure to pick his team during camp accordingly. He always had so much faith in me. Him working his camp around it didn’t surprise me at all. I called Alex and then my parents.

  My father said he would never cheer for the Philadelphia Flyers, but he would cheer for me. The stubborn old fool. I loved him!

  It would be interesting going up against Boston. Philly and Boston being such rivals. Alex was playing for the enemy. The thought amused me. By no means would Alex take it easy on me either. He wasn’t afraid to check me into the boards, and I knew it. In the preseason games, Philly had not played me on the ice when Alex was out there. However, I suspected that would change quickly.

  When I told my father what Philly had signed me for, I could hear the phone drop on his end, $875,000.00 annually for the next three years with room to negotiate after each season.

  I played with Philly over the following three years. Surprisingly, the team, the organization and the fans were all very accepting of me being on the team. I figured I would have some issues because I was a woman. No one seemed to care. They loved the fact that I played hard and did my part.

  It was in the second year I was with them, that we won the Stanley Cup. It was the first time the Philadelphia Flyers had won the Stanley Cup since 1975. The city shut down for the day. There was pandemonium in the streets. It was the greatest feeling in the world. To drink from that cup, along with my teammates. Amazing! Of course I rubbed it into Alex that I had won a cup and he hadn’t. Alex was great about it. I am sure a less confident man would have had issues with a girlfriend who was playing hockey in the National Hockey League.

  My family was at the Stanley Cup Final. My father had never been so proud. The Peats had also made it down for that game. I had remained in contact with them on a regular basis.

  Alex and I had managed to maintain a sort of healthy relationship over the years, but the distance was starting to take its toll on us. It was frustrating traveling back and forth. We were both lonely without each other. Something had to change and change soon. Neither of us of course were willing to give up our careers. We would have to find a way to work around them.

  We wanted to get married the coming summer. We had our agents working behind the scenes to find a team that would take a chance and trade for us both. Alex agreed to take less money on the deal. He was presently making $3,550,000.00. I had renegotiated my contract with the Flyers and was making just slightly under that amount. We could handle taking a cut to get a sweet offer from a team who wanted us both.

  Vancouver came back with an Offer for us. I had remembered that back at the draft, Vancouver had tried to trade up to get me. Now they would take us both. I was so happy. I was offered $1,625,000.00, and Alex would have to agree to $2,500,000.00. We accepted the offer right away. Vancouver was a great city with a solid team and great fan base.

  The fans in Vancouver were welcoming. They truly seemed to like the idea of having a couple on the team. The organization, and the city made us feel so welcomed. It was beyond what we could have hoped for.

  One fan told me a few months after I had been with Vancouver that seeing us together on the team helped her and her husband to try harder to understand each other.

  Alex and I worked many charity events together. We understood that putting on an NHL jersey meant you had to give back to the fans and the community who supported you. Being an NHL player came with obligations. We loved doing it.

  The city treated us like part of their family. I loved living in Vancouver. It is a beautiful city. The prettiest city I had ever seen. It had a little bit of everything. From farm land, ocean, to majestic mountains. It was fairly warm in the winter as well, however; the rain took some getting used to.

  We had a beautiful summer wedding up in Whistler, British Columbia. It was a nice ceremony with our friends, family and teammates. I wasn’t one of those girls who used to dream about their wedding. I truly never thought I would ever get married.

  Our wedding took place at the Raven’s Nest on top of Creekside Gondola. It was only a ten minute gondola ride to get there. The venue was very private with a spectacular view. I wore a beautiful wedding gown from Maggie Sottero. It was a one-piece, strapless, full A-line gown with corset closure. It had a satin bodice with embellished chantilly lace motifs, and a contrast band accentuating my natural waistline. Sparkling chantilly lace also surrounded the hem of the fully gathered tulle skirt creating exquisite scalloped edging.

  Our wedding photographer took pictures of us and the wedding party all over the mountain, including in the gondola. They turned out magnificent. It really was the perfect summer wedding. The mountains were covered in snow; yet it was exceptionally warm. The best of my two favorite seasons, summer and winter.

  I never imagined that I would actually get married so young if I got married at all. It’s funny how life surprises you. You just never know where the heart will lead you.

  Cathy and Harry flew up for our wedding also. My gift to them for how kind they had been to me, I paid for their flight and hotel. I was so happy to see them. They had visited me a few times when I was in Philadelphia. I considered them part of my family.

  We took our honeymoon in Aruba, for a week, because I loved the island so much. Then headed right back to work. I had a great season with the Vancouver Canucks. One of the best I had ever played.

  The playoffs started off well for me also, but then half way through the playoffs - I started to feel really sick and tired all the time. I had the team doctor look at me.

  When he called me to give me the results, everything went foggy, I had fainted. Would this be the end for me?

  Your Life Can Change in an Instant

  I didn’t know what I was going to do. I begged the doctor to keep it to himself, and not tell the team owners for as long as he could. I knew full well that wouldn’t be long. I needed time to process the situation. I needed time to sit down with Alex. He agreed, but told the coach I was going to be too sick to play the rest of the playoffs.

  What was I going to do. This would change everything. How would the team feel about it? How would the fans feel about it? The instant I was told by the doctor, I already knew in my heart what my decision was going to be. I just didn’t know how anyone else would feel about it.

  After the game I sat down with Alex in our living room. I scanned our small apartment. He watched me curiously.

  “I think we need to move. Buy a bigger place. This place is to small.” I giggled.

  He looked at me strangely. “What’s going on Chris?”

  He would never have guessed. I would have never guessed, because we had always been so careful.

  “Alex, you’re going to be a daddy!” I blurted out.


  Tears filled my eyes I was so happy. He started crying as well. He wanted this for a while now. He jumped off the couch and spun me around. Then it hit him.

  “Hockey?” He exclaimed. “What did the team say?”

  “I haven’t spoken to them yet. The doctor said he’d give me two days to figure things out. There was no doubt in my mind as soon as he told me I was pregnant, that I would definitely be keeping my baby. I just needed the two days to enjoy the moment.” I explained to him.

  “What’s your plan, what’s our plan?” He corrected himself.

  “I’m hoping that the team won’t have to much of a problem coming to some kind of deal regarding me having a child. Hopefully, shortly after I have it, I can play again. I was going to work with the doctor and a trainer to keep fit while I’m carrying. I don’t know how they will feel about the issue. If they don’t agree, I suppose I will have no choice. It just might be the end of hockey for me.” I said sadly.

  “You’re only twenty-three Christine. You have so many years of good hockey left in you, and they know that. I think they would be willing to come to some sort of compromise.” Alex was sure they would.

  I wished I could have his faith. I didn’t. I knew full well this would also bring up the other issue of why women should not play in the NHL.

  I called my agent and we set up a meeting with the Vancouver Canucks management and owners.

  I was nervous when I walked into the team office. I turned to Alex. He also had to be part of this meeting. It affected him as well. I never believed anything could mean more to me than hockey ever could. Now I had two things that meant more. Alex and my unborn baby.

  The doctor had let it out to the staff that indeed I was pregnant. My agent had informed me of that before the meeting. The doctor would also be joining us in this meeting. He was taking my side. He was willing to work with me to make sure I would be ready to play within two months of having the baby; provided everything went well throughout the pregnancy and birth. He said he would also ensure them that I was young and this should not, in any way affect my ability to play hockey after the baby was born.