Chad Gilbert - A Biography [2/2]

[Fire_In_Babylon 35]

A Rough Start

 

Chad Gilbert never knew his parents. He was born on a hot summer day in June at Hartford Hospital. His mother passed in childbirth, his father, a deadbeat. Chad’s grandfather, Bob, took him in and raised him as his own.

Gilbert’s grandfather was a blue collar as they come. A machinist by trade, he often worked a double to make ends meet. Being a single parent is tough, being a single grandparent is a nightmare, but every penny Bob earned went to Chad. The only luxury indulged was half-season tickets to the Hartford Wolfpack.

 

 

Bob loved hockey. He grew up a Whalers fan and spent his own childhood dreaming of playing in the league himself: Scoring against Dryden, passing to Howe, fighting Probert... but of course it was never to be. Bob was on the small size, couldn’t skate worth a damn, and was uncoordinated as they come.  But his love for the game was undeterred. His disappointment in his own lack of skill transitioned into a love of enforcers. Watching a big guy destroy a skill player was euphoric. The epic battles between the rumbling goons on ice was spellbinding. He adored the physicality and the bloodshed. The brute strength and manliness.

 

 

This love was passed onto Chad. While most boys where told bedtime stories of Knights and superheroes, Chad was spun tales of McSorley, Domi, Probert, Schultz. While other kids were watching Sesame Street and Dora the Explorer, Chad was watching a “Great Hockey Fights” DVD.  When other kids were playing cops and robbers, Chad was running around pulling shirts over other kids heads and punching them in the face. See, as good a parent Bob was, he wasn’t a mother, and Chad had figured out his real father wanted nothing to do with him. All the love in the world from a grandparent can’t fix the emptiness Chad felt from being unwanted. That anger was focus onto the playground, much to Bob’s dismay.

As you could imagine, this didn’t make Chad very popular. Parents sneered, teachers would send him to the principal for any reason, kids kept their distance. Chad was isolated.

But he wasn’t a bad kid. He just lacked direction. He lacked a purpose, focus. He lacked… a coach.

 

The Turnaround

 

Enter Jim Taylor. He’s the 2^th grade Math teacher at East Hartford Elementary He also happens to moonlight as an assistant coach in the Mid Fairfield Youth Hockey Association. He saw Chad fighting on the first day of school, and instead of pushing him aside like so many teachers before, Coach Taylor arranged for him to join him at a practice. That’s the day everything changed. Up to this point, actually playing hockey was never even a thought. Heck, Chad didn’t even realize kids his age played hockey! Coach Taylor taught him to skate, to hold a stick, to move the puck… he refocused all that anger and rage into skills Chad never knew existed.

And he was a natural.

 

 

It took some time to get Chad to stop dropping his gloves. It took even longer to get him to stop trying to check everyone on the ice into the boards. But he got there. Coach Taylor tired Chad everywhere. Defense didn’t take, even though it seemed like a natural spot. Chad didn’t care about who had the puck. Playing a winger seemed to disinterest him. Then they tried Center and lightning struck.

 

“See this puck?” Coach asked in practice one morning. “See the guy across from you? He wants this puck. He thinks you can’t take it when I drop it. He thinks he’s better then you and deserves it more. Prove him otherwise”

 

So Chad punched the kid in the face…

 

But on the next attempt (once Coach clarified the drill) Chad won the faceoff. And he won the next one. And the next, and the next…. Chad dominated that drill. And every faceoff drill from that day forward. He’d spend hours practicing. It consumed Chad. And that practice payed off in games. Once Coach convinced Chad that every time he touched the puck it was like a mini faceoff. Every time the puck was on his stick, his job was to get it to a teammate, and his team’s possession skyrocketed. Chad had a renewed focus, he spend every second of his free time practicing moving that puck, keeping it away from defenders, getting it to teammates. It was an obsession.

 

 

Next Step

 

Chad’s skills became unrivaled among his peers. Coach Taylor convinced Bob to move Chad into a youth program, and that move payed off. Chad eventually played in the 2012 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. He went on to play high school hockey at Avon Old Farms. Notable for alums Brian Leetch and Jonathan quik. While not a pure goal scorer, he was leading the state at his level in assists and face off wins. Chad committed to the USNTDP for the 2017–18 season. Splitting his time between the U17 and U18 team. He would put up 98 points that season, 90 if those as assists.

 

Colleges took notice.

 

The VHL took notice.

 

 

 

Edited July 16, 2019 by Fire_In_Babylon
Grammar

[Kekzkrieg 160]

Review: Great take on the void that his father left him and diverting that angst and desire for a father-figure into his game. I really enjoyed the transition from the beginning to the introduction of his coach that would help mentor him throughout his young hockey career and development. Great read and well written!

[Brrbisbrr 207]

Review:  Great job.  I enjoyed the backstory, it put a personality to your character.  He's a guy you really want to cheer for.  I like the writing style also, there's enough description to paint the picture but not to the point that it is overbearing.  I also like that your player is very much a grind it out/defensive specialist/enforcer.  Once again, great job!  Keep us updated!

[Fire_In_Babylon 35]

Thanks for the input guys!

[Donno100 94]

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Edited July 16, 2019 by Donno100

[Big Mac 310]

1 hour ago, Donno100 said:

Review: Pretty nice story here! I love the development of Chad's character and how he grew as a person and gain the direction that was needed. The way you use your words and paint a nice and well-lit picture (especially with the part where it talks about him watching hockey fights) is some real ace tier stuff and I really enjoy how this all turned out story wise with the whole "A Hero's Journey" thing you're doing here. Great work.

Already past 2 review.

[Donno100 94]

2 hours ago, Big Mac said:

Already past 2 review.

Fuck