Hockey Prompt

It's no real secret that Quebec City's season didn't start the way they'd planned. As the preseason favorites after a tough exit in last season's playoffs, the Citadelles found themselves frustrated and disheartened as loss after loss piled up during what was supposed to be their best season yet. Shots weren't finding their mark, passes were going astray, and the defense found themselves in each other's way as often as their opponents'. Every practice things got a little tougher, as the staff and team leadership tried everything to right the ship and turn the season around. Then, after another disheartening loss, the coaching staff decided to give the team a free day in the hopes that the players could find some rhythm themselves. They went through a few drills, led mostly by the team captains, but after a while everyone came together at center ice and just started to talk. One by one, they opened up about the frustration of the season until, by the end, they were laughing. Sometimes, things just don't go the way you plan, and the only way forward is to roll with the punches. From that moment on, they decided to live the rest of the season on their own terms, as a team, and let whatever happens next happen. One by one they tossed their sticks to the center of the rink, and goalies Hayden and Time picked them out at random until two teams were formed. They didn't keep score, and they didn't work hard, but the team finally found a way to have fun just playing the game.

And just like magic, the next week the wins came back.