The Call Up

[teknonym 61]

Timing was a key aspect in a professional athlete’s life, especially when you play such a reactionary position like Tadhg Byrne. When you think of timing, you often think of throwing your blocker or trapper out just in time. You don’t think of being next to your phone at the right time.

 

The phone rang once, then twice before Tadhg picked up. Unknown Number flashed across the screen.

‘Hello?’

 

Tadhg listened to the voice across the phone, it was the GM of Western Europe’s World Cup team. Definitely not what Tadhg had expected.

 

It wasn’t a long conversation, but not one Tadhg would forget any time soon. The call up for the World Cup had happened. Sure, he was only a back-up and it was unlikely he’d play at all. He was still on the roster. He was still an international player.

 

It wasn’t long before Jameson O’Connor came calling for an interview, he’d clearly heard the news and wanted first (and likely only) dibs on the words out of Tadhg Byrne’s mouth.

 

‘So, Team Western Europe?’ He’d started off easily, letting Tadhg guide the conversation.

‘Yup. Team Western Europe. Surreal feeling. I’m only one of a handful of VHLM players on that roster, I’m incredibly proud to be representing Europe, even if I won’t see much game time.’ The smile couldn’t be wiped from the young goaltender’s face, everything about Tadhg radiated joy.

 

Jameson nodded along with a small smile of his own. It wasn’t a common look for the stoic Tadhg Byrne to be this genuinely happy. ‘You say that you’ll get no playtime, but surely they’ll give you minutes, even if they’re small. Canada split the time amongst Brodeur and Luongo, did they not?’

 

Another surprise, Jimmy had been reading up on his NHL history. Tadhg couldn’t say this was unwelcomed. It was nice to see that his dedication ran deep enough to look at leagues other than his own.

 

‘Lu and Brodeur were two of the most prolific goalies of their time, I don’t think I can even approach Aike van Giersbergen right now. I’m also not sure I want to be in net against Canada or the U.S right now!’ A laugh filled the air in a way that sat comfortably.

 

‘You don’t want to play against the most elite competition in the world? That’s not the Tadhg Byrne I’ve come to learn about,’ a teasing grin came to the face of the journalist, a sight that Tadhg had come to learn to enjoy rather than despise.

 

It was a surreal feeling, and Tadhg realised that he had lost himself a little in the sheer joy of being selected. Jimmy was probably right, Tadhg would have been ecstatic at the prospect of playing against the world’s best not even a week ago, but the draft day stress had taken a toll on him as of late. It was a feeling that was foreign, the piling anxiety mixed into an emotional cocktail of bliss.

 

‘Y’know what, Jim? Not wrong. I was wrong, I don’t care if I let in 5, 10, 20. I want to see what the best have to offer, and how far away I am from shutting them the hell out.’

 

In a small conversation, draft day anxiety had left him. All Tadhg was focused on right now was getting even one minute as an international goaltender. That’s all Tadhg wanted, draft day be damned. In a sense, Jameson O’Connor was to thank for the clarity of mind that Tadhg experienced as he walked out of the Irish Times Building yet again.

 

It was another day in the office for Jameson, but for Tadhg it meant quite a bit. It was weird to have a journalist be the catalyst for a good mood, but who was Tadhg to complain?

[diacope 2 764]

Hello. I like the phone call scenario that you came up with, really breathes life into your player. Not a fan of the color of the font, though it is very visible in both light and dark theme so maybe that's what you were going for. Good luck in the World Cup. Considering Western Europe has VHLM players, I think they are huge underdogs. Would be really special if you guys ended up getting a medal. Also, how is Tadhg pronounced anyway?

 

9/10

[Daniel Janser 2,087]

47 minutes ago, a_Ferk said:

Hello. I like the phone call scenario that you came up with, really breathes life into your player. Not a fan of the color of the font, though it is very visible in both light and dark theme so maybe that's what you were going for. Good luck in the World Cup. Considering Western Europe has VHLM players, I think they are huge underdogs. Would be really special if you guys ended up getting a medal. Also, how is Tadhg pronounced anyway?

 

9/10

[t̪ˠəiɡ] , means 'poet' or 'storyteller'... was once such a common name that the English used 'Teague' (the anglicized version of the name) as a synonym for 'Irish' much as today 'Paddy' and 'Mick' are used. Even the Irish used it as a term for 'Joe Average' calling someone 'Tadgh from the market'...

Edited November 15, 2021 by Daniel Janser

[teknonym 61]

23 hours ago, a_Ferk said:

Hello. I like the phone call scenario that you came up with, really breathes life into your player. Not a fan of the color of the font, though it is very visible in both light and dark theme so maybe that's what you were going for. Good luck in the World Cup. Considering Western Europe has VHLM players, I think they are huge underdogs. Would be really special if you guys ended up getting a medal. Also, how is Tadhg pronounced anyway?

 

9/10

You pronounce it like the 'Tige' in 'Tiger'! Thanks for the wishes, Western Europe should be a fun run

[SpicyGecko 100]

I love reading your articles as always but this one seemed to fall short of previous ones. It seems to be missing something, like there should be more to the story. Maybe more could have been added to the phone call such as some dialogue or even to the interview by adding more questions from Jimmy or thoughts from Byrne Good concept and pretty good formatting, no errors that stood out to me. Overall not bad. 

 

7/10