Donny Carter : Top of the Mountain

[TheNeonShaman 214]

               It was difficult for Donny Carter to take the moment in. He’d had a long career. An extra year in the VHLM had cause for a late entry into the VHL. Though it also gave him the ability to play in the first ever VHLE season, which was one of his favorite seasons of his career. It didn’t end in a championship however. 3 years in Riga that started rough, and ended with a revival season, however the playoff success did not follow. Then came the second half of his career, where stability was thrown out the window. A year in Davos was mostly an experiment, and it did not go well, he put up the lowest point total aside from his rookie season. After Davos, he was traded to Malmo, and rediscovered his love for hockey. Even though they were not successful, he finally knew what it was like to be an elite player for a team, and was a key piece to many of the Nighthawks’ wins that season. Entering his final year, he was hoping Malmo would be a contender, and unfortunately that dream was not realized. So GM @KaleebtheMighty decided to trade him to a contender to give him one last chance at a championship.

               His time in Vancouver started rocky, the team was struggling to click. Then, in the final stretch of the season, in a race for the playoffs, the Wolves became a super team. Every single player on the team was contributing in the right way. The wins added up quickly, and the Wolves easily clinched a playoff spot. The path would not be easy however. Starting with a quick wild card series win against Seattle, the Wolves would have to take on the top team in the league, the Calgary Wranglers. This was where this Vancouver team showed they would be a difficult team to beat. Calgary was out in five games. Up next was Chicago, a more difficult series that went 7 games, though again Vancouver was victorious. All of a sudden, Donny found himself in his first ever finals, in the final year of his career. The pressure got the better of him at first, and in the first 4 games, where the team went 2-2, Donny was almost invisible. However in a decisive game 5, he exploded with 4 assists, and he and the Wolves were one win away. However after a loss in game 6, the series would come down to a game 7. Donny didn’t sleep great that night, but he had tons of energy in the morning, more due to his nerves. The game was intense, both goalies were showstopping, and after regulation, it was 1 to 1. Then, in overtime, the pass by mid-season arrival via blockbuster trade, Sergey Preobrazhensky @Bulduray_1, to defenseman Pierre Emile Bouchard @Gaikoku-hito. The shot, a seeing eye wrister from the point, right into the back of the net. The Vancouver bench exploded, and Donny Carter was finally a champion. Hoisting the cup above his head, there were too many emotions to take in. It was a wild journey, and never an easy one, but in his final season, Donny was able go out on top.

 

Word Count : 533

For Week of 1/8