Login

***bluesfan55*** · 07-09-2020, 09:48 AM

Trade Day
by Mitchell van der Heijden, New England Wolfpack center

Trade day.

The day after the Challenge Cup ends when everyone starts to go ham (pun intended) with big ole trades across the league. You always watch along with interest but I don’t think you ever expect to be involved in it.

I was one of those people who always paid attention and it was always interesting to see who went where. Then I got traded on trade day.

This story begins back when I requested a trade from New Orleans at an unspecified time this season. We’ll get back to this later, because it’s pretty important later on, but I was indeed on the block.

Then the playoffs began and everything started to change for me. It’s been known that I wasn’t really enjoying playing for the Specters; if you’ve read some of my past media then you know. The playoffs really changed that for me as I started to perform on the biggest stage. Our first series was against the Edmonton Blizzard, a team that we consider a rival. We won Game 1 4-3 in overtime before dropping Game 2 by the same score. Game 3 we won 5-4, and Edmonton again won the next game, this time shutting us out 1-0. We knew we’d be in for a close series but we also knew that we could turn on that second gear and take the Blizzard out, which we did by winning the next two games 3-2 and 5-2. Everyone was just playing great; from the first line to the third pair everyone was putting a shift in to bring that cup to New Orleans.

The Western Conference Finals was up next, against arguably our biggest rival in the West: Los Angeles. The two teams have shared some pretty intense series, the most recent one ending in a Los Angeles win (4-3) in the first round last season. These two teams hate each other, and any series between them is going to be a spectacle. Of course, last season saw the New Orleans cheating scandal and a punishment handed down, which led the Panthers to hate us even more (I can assure you that we also still have a deep hatred of them). That series was just fucking wild. Of course Los Angeles beat us to the Southwestern Division title by 2 points, earning home ice advantage. Let’s just say that there was no real home ice advantage in this series. We took the first three games, winning Game 1 3-2, Game 2 6-4, and Game 3 7-1. Real domination in the last two games as we took the first two games in Los Angeles. So of course we were naturally confident that we could end this series in 4, having won the first three with all momentum in our favor so far.

Of course, that wasn’t the case. The Panthers, buoyed by some fantastic performances from Knox Booth in net, won three on the trot (Game 4 5-4, Game 5 3-2, and then they absolutely destroyed us in New Orleans 6-2), as a combination of us not being able to solve Booth and Los Angeles really turning it on sent us back to LA with a decisive Game 7. And we all know about New Orleans’ history with Game 7s. It was hard for all of us but our leadership team really carried us through and gave us the confidence to play well, and Michael Fox went out and scored a hat trick, finally ending the New Orleans Game 7 curse (or the Penknight curse as it’s widely known) to send us to the Challenge Cup Finals.

That momentum stayed with us throughout the Cup Finals against the Hamilton Steelhawks (yet another team that we don’t really like; New Orleans was one of the teams to be more critical of the Steelhawks following the STHS break and switch to FHM and vice versa after the LAP series last year). I think everyone watching was expecting the series to be a really close one, and that wasn’t really the case bar Games 1 and 4. We won the first two games in Hamilton 4-3 and 3-1, and then blew out the Steelhawks 7-3 in Game 3. Game 4 was an entirely different story.

It was by far the closest game of the series. We were up 3-2 at the second period intermission via goals from Jimmy Slothface, Lil’ Manius, and Olivier Cloutier when the Steelhawks mounted a comeback, scoring 3 straight to go up 5-3 before Slothy came in clutch again, scoring to make it 5-4 before Nicholas Williams equalized the game with not much time on the clock. We were headed to overtime. And this is where I step in.

My performance had been pretty good for a third liner; me, Thomas, and Joe were finally finding some chemistry and consistency and I’d had 11 points in 16 playoff games up to that point, with a goal in Game 1 being my only point in the series so far. Then, with 14:25 left on the board in the first overtime period, I picked up the puck after Kaspars Claude had missed a re-direct and took a shot from the circle. It was a prayer, really. I threw it on net expecting Geezus Kryyst to save it and freeze for a face-off. Then, I saw the puck hit the twine. New Orleans’ wait for the Challenge Cup had been ended as I, of all people, had scored the cup-winning goal in overtime. Celebration ensues as we all go wild, having won the cup in New Orleans. Pure ecstasy ensues. It was a pretty wild run with stories all across the team, whether it be Kaspars Claude, a former 1st overall pick who’d signed for New Orleans after refusing to sign an ELC with Tampa Bay; the retiring Jøln DuBølk going out with the Cup; aging star Joe Kurczewski winning the cup again; and star goalie Aleister Cain finally getting the ring he deserved.

Then Trade Day commenced, as with the Cup ending, teams could make trades again. Hamilton was heavily involved, trading Kryyst to San Francisco in exchange for a 1st, 2nd, and Ian Venables, an ex-teammate of mine in Anchorage. Then they acquired Dick Clapper and Guy Zheng, two of New England’s best players, giving up FOUR 1st round picks (setting a new record for most first round picks given up in a trade) as well as two good prospects in Kriss Darzins and (Clean) Andrei Kostitsyn. This is where I come in yet again.

After the game, I got a text from Joe, our GM. He’d told me that a deal had been worked out before the playoffs back when I still wanted out. I was to be going to New England, along with Erben Kasius, Stein Neilsen, and 2 picks in exchange for Rex Kirkby, one of the best defensemen in the league, and Boris Poroshenko, a top 6 center. I didn’t want to go; I’d finally realized that I loved being in New Orleans. I was surly there for too long and I had a team that loved and supported me, one that I loved back and was excited to grow along with. I really did want to stay, but the trade couldn’t be canceled. I had to move on. I loved playing for the Specters with a bunch of great people, and I know my name will forever be etched into Specters history. I’ll be back one day.

Now, the funny thing is that New England was on the top of my list for teams I wanted to be traded to. It’s a place I always wanted to play in as the fans are known to be really great, as well as the team’s history of drafting Anchorage players. I’m reunited with Stan Hanson, who I spent 4 seasons with up in Anchorage, as well as Matthew Sawful who I played with in S53. The team is in an interesting spot as well; they may be rebuilding but they already have a great prospect pool led by Sven Yxskaft and Frans Eller as well as stars such as Eko van Otter, Slap McShotty (an international teammate of mine with Switzerland), Perry Morgan, and Jakub Bruchevski. This is a team that’s going to be in a rebuild for 2 or 3 seasons and then will turn into a juggernaut. And the fact that they singled me out to be one of the leaders of the team throughout this rebuild is flattering.

I can’t wait to get started with the Wolfpack. The future’s bright in New England and I’m excited to be a part of it.