January 21, 2017

Well, the San Jose game was a setback. But hey, we gotta just move on. To Arizona. HOW DID WE NOT KICK ARIZONA'S ASS? How'd we lose to a team that's struggling just to remain as a team in the NHL? I'll tell you. We played to our opponent and they cheated with help from the refs and their stupid coyote, Chayka, bit me on the arm!

Okay, okay, now that I've peaked your curiosity, I'll tell you what happened...

Let's start with this statement: Pointer, Jo and I are starting a band known as the Lightning Bolts. It was Pointer's idea. Pointer says that we should combine our three singing talents and looks to formulate the NHL's first boy band.

Oh, that's right! Pointer is back!!!! He is welcomed back to hugs and tears of relief (mainly from me, his favorite roomie). Brayden Point is back with the team, scared for life, because according to his chief rescuer, Ryan Callahan - yes, Cally saved the rookie - found him trapped in a cage, bound and gagged and bleeding from torture from the evil NHL Commissioner. I'm shocked he's able to get away with these things. But then I remember, he DOES have mind control, similar to Gallagher's abilities with his Bergevin hockey stick.

But yes, Pointer is okay and in the stage of recovery, constantly watched over by Cally. Cally has a soft spot for the rookie and cares about him. 

Anyway, Brayden's wrist injury from December 28, 2016 against the...*heavy sigh* Montreal Canadiens, is still hurt and healing. He has the cast on still. 

We find out from him that while he was recovering in Tampa (and we were all in Pennsylvania getting our asses handed to us), he'd gotten a knock at his door. He thought it was just this crazy fangirl, Brittany, who claims to be his girlfriend (she's a creepy stalker and yes, she even stalked me once...I don't like her) or his actual girlfriend, Shannon. 

But turned out, it was neither, just a hooded Jimmy Vesey, who overpowered Brayden in a struggle, knocking him out and kidnapping him with the aid and order of the NHL Commissioner. He was then taken up to New York, where he was contained in a cage (poor guy), which he managed to escape from briefly to send me an email somewhere around when we were playing the LA Kings. (I'm sorry I never got that, buddy... Bettman's email are...spam, which I'm sure is where you attempted to send from -- Remember this was that small part from the King diary.) 

Also, Cally says that he went to his house a few days after his kidnapping to check up on him and possibly get together to hang out and found the scene of a struggle and no Brayden and so a few days he spent searching and waiting, until he finally, panicked and notified me. (This is during the Ducks diary, but covered here.)

The kidnapping is then completely confirmed before the Buffalo game at home, when Bettman sends a text to Vesey's phone telling him that Pointer's nice and bloody for Vesey's sick pleasure. That phone being the same one Pointer had given to me back in December when he'd found it in Washington while meeting Trotlellan. 

Turns out, while we were dealing with the new news and the Ducks and Sharks game, Cally took it upon himself to gather a few Bolts, including Bourny [Michael Bournival], Matty Peca, and the recently injured Bolt, Chucky [Alex Galchenyuk] to go up to New York (because we were all able to decipher this between the Ducks and Sharks games as the location with with the text game from (cause remember I never knew about/got the email from Bettman/Brayden)). Together they were able to rescue Brayden Point on January 20, 2017 and bring him back home to Tampa to heal. 

Also, once again, thanks to Artturi Lehkonen, the nice Hab, who aided in confirming the location. He'd texted Chucky on the 14th to let him know, he'd seen Vesey tormenting poor Brayden. Montreal was in New York and first, neither of us believed him, thinking that maybe he was luring us to a trap or was playing around (or, moreso, I thought this at least, Gallagher had taken Artturi's phone and was toying with Chucky and I).

But, yeah, he's a good Hab and we'll listen to him more. I just hope Gallagher and Shaw don't find out he's aiding us.

So anyway, back to the Boy Band idea, which Brayden has (cause he's fine from his ordeal now I guess...ladies and gents and Lightning fans, nothing phases this man, just like me now), our first performance was to be before the game, for the sparse Coyote and Lightning fans. Kuch and Bourny were handling our percussion, while Killer had command of the keyboard. TJ and Pally handled the guitars and Heddy was our saxophonist.

Yeah, I know, this was going to be awful.

But Pointer was all on board for it, because he said it'd be good to show the fans. And when Kuch agreed (after being bribed by cookies), I was rather shocked. And so, we all get dressed and ready for the performance.

"Vladdy, I told you, you gotta work the female fans, so you cannot have your shirt like that," Killer exclaims, shaking his head.

"I'm not selling myself, Killer," I snap at the Harvard grad, smacking his hand away from me.

"It's how the band will work. Look, Pointer and Jo are doing it," Killer remarks, gesturing to wear Pointer and Jo both have their shirts open down the middle.

"Brayden feels like a teenage superstar on Disney!" Pointer exclaims.

Jo holds his phone up and is looking at his reflection with sexy facial expressions as he says, "Who's a sexy beast? Your mom." He then smiles and winks at himself.

I sigh. "Fine..." I reluctantly undo the buttons to my dress shirt. "I swear, Killer..."

Killer smacks me on the back with a firm slap. I stagger forward, but catch myself. I spin around to get him back, instead coming face-to-face with Anthony DeAngelo. The ex-Lightning player.

Behind him, Jo and Pointer and tied up back to back and Killer is lying on the ground, unconscious. Seriously? I lunge to the side and snatch my hockey stick, whipping it before me. "Come at me, DeAngelo!"

"Chayka, attack!" DeAngelo orders.

I step back, ready for whatever Chayka is, holding Yzerchuk at ready. And that's when a scary-looking coyote dashes out of nowhere basically from behind DeAngelo, spooking Jo, who screams like a little girl. The coyote leaps at me and pins me down to the ground, as I hold it back with Yzerchuk, but it manages to bite me on the arm as I thrust upward into it's throat.

I hate being cruel to any animal, cause I'm a Russian lover boy guys, but if an animal attacks you, it's fight back or being hurt or eaten. And I didn't wanna be the lunch for a coyote. So I kick the animal off of me and then swing Yzerchuk at him.

But that's when DeAngelo and Chayka, this coyote creature, both vanish from sight. I scramble to my feet and dart over to Jo and Pointer and set them free and then we check on Killer.

"Maybe the band can wait...?" Jo suggests, grimly. "We kinda need Killer on keyboard."

I nod. "I agree. We can save our first performance for when we return home to our fans?!"

Pointer nods. "That's actually a better idea, Vladdy. Let's get Killer out of here and get to the rest of the team. We'll explain what happened and tell them our new plan. Also, Brayden liked Vladdy's bravery. I think the more damsel experiences you're in, the stronger you get." He flashes me a sweet smile.

I nod at him as we all help Killer to his feet and aid the limp, unconscious man out of the room we are in.

"Where'd DeAngelo go though?" Jo asks.

"I don't know, but I'd rather not go looking for him. We'll cream him and his team on their ice later tonight!" I remark with a smug grin and wink.

And just like that we return to our teammates and inform them of what went down with DeAngelo and Arizona's horrible Yzerchuk, Chayka. Oh, and my arm hurts! For some reason, Yzerchuk cannot heal it...it's not a good thing.