Reality Check in Detroit Read Free

birth to it.
    The “swag” – as Nish called it – was unbelievable. The television producers were providing brand-new equipment to every player on the team. And not just new equipment, but the
best
new equipment.
    Travis picked up his own jacket – “ NO . 7, TRAVIS ” – and tried it on. It fitted perfectly. Nish had put his on, too, and it also fitted perfectly. How could they know our sizes? Travis wondered. They must have gone through Mr. D – Mr. D knew everyone’s size, their sticks, and even how they liked their skates sharpened.
    Travis checked his stick: a Bauer Vapor, just like he’d dreamed of having one day, but it had been too expensive to ask for. The stick was exactly the lie and curve he liked. He went over the rest of the equipment: top-of-the-line Bauer shoulder pads, shin pads, elbow pads, socks, jock, helmet, face shield, neck guard, pants – even new skates exactly the right size. As well as the team jacket, there was also a Screech Owls tuque, a tracksuit with his name and number on it, and a new NHL -quality Screech Owls jersey. It even had the captain’s
C
stitched over the heart.
    Nish was still rolling around on his bed in all the new equipment. At one point, he even squealed, which Travis thought appropriate: his friend looked like a happy pig in a trough.
    There was a knock at the door.
    When Travis pulled it open, he was almost run over by a cameraman and soundman, who both hurried to the bed where Nish was
bathing
in his new hockey swag. Nish, of course, ramped up his foolishness, wiggling as he tried to drown in the equipment, screeching as he hugged and kissed his new gloves and the new black Bauer helmet with “44” stenciled in bright white stick-on numbers on the back.
    A familiar voice sounded from the doorway.
“These young hockey hopefuls could one day become legends, heroes of the NHL!”
    Squeezed into the door frame were Samantha Bennett and Sarah, both of them outfitted head to toe in the new equipment. They waltzed in, giggling and laughing, and high-fived Nish, who was still flopping around on his bed as if he had fallen into one of his beloved Dairy Queen Blizzards.
    The girls were repeating a line from the
Goals & Dreams
video that the cameraman had played on the bus, the “Voice of God” announcer making it sound like these peewee hockey players were but a slap shot from NHL superstardom.
    “
The
Screech Owls may hail from the small Canadian town of Tamarack
,” Sam continued, hamming it up for the camera, which was almost in her face, “
but their dreams live here!
”
    Daniel, the soundman, who had hung the microphone right over her head to capture every word, now dropped it to his waist. Almost anything the players said could make it onto the show – just not any comments that made fun of it.
    “Stop copying our voice-over,” snapped Inez, one of the producers, who had appeared in the hallway behind Sarah and Sam. “Roger never should have shown you that rough cut. Say something real. This is reality TV . Tell us how you
feel.
”
    Travis knew Sam and Sarah well enough to know when they were just poking fun at themselves and Nish. He could also tell that Inez, who wore a smart-looking dress and high heels, and was impatiently tapping her fingernails on a clipboard, had no sense of humor at all.
    “What do you think of all this great stuff?” Inez prompted as she put her phone to her ear to take a call and moved farther down the hall.
    “There’s … there’s a lot of … stuff here,” said Travis, trying to offer something more than mockery to the camera. “It’s pretty incredible.”
    “You know who’s incredible?” said Nish, still digging through his loot. “Me. And I deserve all of this gear! Star power, baby.”
    “Well, that’s definitely the kind of reality- TV gold Inez is looking for,” laughed Daniel as he swung the microphone back in Nish’s direction – where Nish thought it should have been all along.
    Nish put his