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grimmsterj · 07-14-2014, 06:49 PM

7:00 AM

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* The shrill ear-piercing noises fill Mikko's ear. He wakes up and looks around his high rise apartment in the middle of "bustling" Kelowna. Ever since Mikko moved to Kelowna he was always surprised by the peace and calm that surrounded him. He had just moved from a city with nearly two million people to a city with one hundred thousand people. Mikko rolled out of bed and into his fuzzy slippers.

"Hurry up, your egg whites are getting cold", Miikka screamed from across the hall.

Two cold egg whites and a mug of the most disgusting, boiling hot coffee. Mikko wasn't a big fan of his new roommate. Always up at 6 making a huge racket. But he couldn't really complain, at least he didn't have to cook for himself. He choked down the breakfast and made a mental note to grab a bagel and some decent coffee from Tim Horton's before heading to practice. Mikko then headed to his room and threw on some sweats and his Nikes. He grabbed all of his gear and headed for the door.

"I'm going to walk today, see ya at practice" Mikko yelled to Granlund before walking out their front door. It was about a thirty minute walk but Mikko liked the fresh air and wanted some experience with getting around this new town. Plus this way Mikko could get some decent coffee without offending his roommate.

Around 7:45, Mikko reached his first stop, Tim Horton's. He got his food and sat down. As nice as it was outside, walking two miles to the arena was tough if you are carrying what seemed like one hundred pounds of gear. Mikko slowly enjoyed his cup of coffee and warm bagel before heading out again. Today Mikko decided to take a detour, he took a walk through the park that took him to the most amazing view of the vineyards. He got lost in the acres and acres of endless green. It wasn't until his phone vibrated in his pocket that he realized he had just looked at some plants for an hour. It was 9 am, right when they were supposed to start practice.

"Dude, where the hell are you?! You are supposed to have your gear on and be on the ice by now. Team training camp starts today"

After reading the urgent text from his friend and teammate, Kari Kekkonen, he broke off into a run towards the arena. At 9:10 he arrived in the locker room, and was on the ice by 9:17. This wasn't the first time Mikko got distracted or lost and he was used to getting into his gear as quickly as possible.

"Mikko! This is the second time this week. If this turns into a habit there will be serious consequences. Now do your warm up laps and get with our guest, Speedy McSpeeder. He is our skating coach for team training camp." By the time his coach had stopped screaming at him, Mikko was done with nearly half of his warm up. Andrew Gilmore, Aston Martin, and Mikko were grouped up together with Toki Wartooth and Kari Kekkonen. The group worked on all things skating, from speed skating during a breakaway to skating between defenders and teammates. It was two and a half hours of grueling pain. Finally at 11:30 Mikko and his teammates were able to drag their sore bodies off the ice and into the hot showers. Mikko got dressed and was headed home when Gilmore yelled out to him.

"Hey Mikko, me and a couple of the guys are going to Little Hobo's for a quick lunch, you in?" Gilmore called out to him.

"Sure, why not." Mikko was planning on grabbing a bite to eat at home and seeing what was on TV but he figured he should hang out and get to know his teammates better. Plus he really loved Little Hobo's sandwiches and the cute waitress. Wink

Mikko, Gilmore, Trubachev, Cunningham, and Kekkonen all entered the small sandwich shop just after noon and didn't end up leaving until 2. Mikko had never been happier. Sitting in a small little shop with his teammates just joking and poking fun with each other for hours. Mikko knew this was the perfect place for him. After paying the bill and leaving a large tip for their waitress, Mikko started walking home alone. He passed a group of young boys playing street hockey and watched them for awhile. He remembered the days when that was him, with dreams of making it big. It was all too surreal. Mikko was so close to the SHL he could almost taste it.

At 2:30 Mikko arrived at his apartment. He rested on the couch and just as he was about to turn the TV on, Granlund said, "Hey, don't forget about the team meeting tonight. You wouldn't want to be late to two things today. Oh, and we are going to the nice Italian restaurant downtown so wear a suit" Mikko groaned and went to his room after finishing one more episode of Breaking Bad. Mikko shaved what little hairs were growing on his baby cheeks, then put on some cologne. By 3:30 he was in his nicest suit and out the door. Mikko and Granlund got into Granlund's brand new BMW. That contract payout was feeling nice right about then.

They arrived at the restaurant around 4 pm and a few teammates were already there. They grabbed their table and all had some of Kelowna's finest wines. Laughs were had while everyone enjoyed steak, pasta, and wine. Finally, after finishing their meal, they got down to business. The lines were finally released. Mikko was pretty ecstatic. He was on the second line and his linemates were Trubachev and Gilmore, two of the guys he went out to lunch with today. There was more chatter about the upcoming season and the team got excited. It was unanimously decided that everyone should go out for a night of drinking, celebrating and partying. However, Mikko denied, saying only that he had plans.

At 7 pm Mikko arrived home. He had plans with the sunset. Mikko always loved to paint and he had recently discovered that Kelowna had the most beautiful sunsets. He already had his paints and canvas set up by the bay window and he sat down ready to get to work. Mikko loved the majestic hues of purples, oranges, reds, yellows, blues, and greens. His painting was coming along nicely and Mikko felt so carefree. He had finally made it.

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