The Life of Woody McPine
Woody McPine was born on the outskirts of a small town in Nova Scotia, the youngest of 4 children to Willow and Ash McPine. He has 2 brothers, Ash Jr. and Oakley, and 1 sister, Juniper. The family lived in a little cabin in the woods and had a thriving Christmas Tree business each December. The remaining 11 months of the year money was tight for the family, and as a result, Woody never played organized sports until he entered high school. The kids are all very close, and never have anything negative about their lives growing up in such circumstances.
Being the youngest of 4 children meant that Woody got last choice of what role he would be whenever the siblings would play together, and when they played hockey in their yard, he was almost always the goalie. Ash carved each child their own stick out of the surrounding forest, while Woody made his own pads out of garbage bags stuffed with leaves. He didn't have a glove or blocker. For a puck, the kids used a sanded down chunk of wood.
Growing up, Woody had a lot of chores to do, which helped to build, not only his strength, but also his discipline. As a result, he never got into trouble much at school. Teachers did note, however, that despite living so far away from his classmates, he was very popular and quite the social butterfly. He was often found in a large group of friends, usually joking around or playing some sort of game. Friends have said that he always dominated whenever it came to schoolyard sports or other feats of strength. Everyone knew he could be something great, but unfortunately his family's financial situation made that impossible.
Other than succeeding in schoolyard sports, Woody's best class was, naturally, physical education. He consistently got the highest marks in his class. This is where his academic prowess ends, though. Woody was not a very good student when it came to classes such as math, writing, and science. Everyone assumed that he would follow his father's footsteps and one day co-own the family business with his brothers and sister. Fate, however, had other ideas.
One winter, shortly after he turned 12, a classmate of Woody's, John, received a new pair of skates as a gift from his parents. John was an only child and didn't need the extra pair, so he decided that it would be a good idea to give them away to his less fortunate friend Woody. Up until this point in his life, Woody had never worn skates, so John offered to teach him. So, after the Christmas rush of the Tree business, Woody, with permission from his and John's parents, spent many weekends at John's house learning how to skate. The community saw how much this young kid loved being on the ice, and slowly but surely, more equipment donations started pouring in. Woody, and his family, were thrilled and overwhelmed by the support, and pretty soon Woody and his siblings were regulars at the local pond where they would play shinny for hours and hours. It quickly became clear that Woody possessed a remarkable skill in nets, and his friends pushed and pleaded for him to join their team. But Woody, as bad as he was at math, knew that his family did not have the money to make that happen.
And so, Woody never thought much about a future in hockey. It was just a fun thing to do when he didn't have to do chores, or learn the ins and outs of the family business. This all changed, however, when tragedy struck the family. One day, Juniper and her friends went for a walk to the park. The roads were slippery and somehow, June slipped, fell into the street and was struck by a car. She was rushed to the hospital immediately. For several days, the family watched over her, praying, as she slipped in and out of her coma. After 5 days, she passed away at the age of 16. While she was awake, she would mutter things under her breath that were difficult to hear. On her last day, she whispered to Woody "Find a way." Woody knew what she meant. Juniper had been a big supporter of him pursuing a career in hockey, even offering to get a job to help pay for it. But Woody always refused. He didn't want to put any extra stress on the family. But now, he knew he had to go for it. He was starting high school the next year, and he would try out for the team and wear #16, to honor his sister.
He made the team as the new starter. The school and community once again came together to help with the funds the new, superstar goalie would need to play. He refused to take any new gear unless it was absolutely necessary, but was very grateful for the help with travel and road meals. That year, the freshman goalie backstopped his team all the way to the championship finals, where they ultimately lost to their rivals from the next town over. Woody was awarded rookie of the year.
The next year, Woody and his team went undefeated all the way to the finals, where they would again face their rivals. This year, Woody shut them out for the championship. That summer, Woody was invited to a hockey camp in the big city of Halifax. And with some help from the community again, he went. He was invited to play for a city high school, where he would get more exposure and opportunity. He accepted the offer, and took his new team to the 2nd round of playoffs. That year, at the age of 17, Woody accepted a contract from the Las Vegas Aces of the VHLM. He says he plans to use his new found money to give back to the community that helped him get so far, repay everyone he could, and most importantly, finally give his family the financial comfort that they deserve.
*2nd week of claim*
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