VIKTOR
I soak in the ice bath beneath the arena for a long time. Long enough that it burns, thinking and rethinking my stupidity in charging that player.
Sometimes I am too aggressive on the ice. This was one of those times, and it cost us the championship. I have only myself to blame.
Therapy staff mill around, assisting with minor injuries. One of them tells me I'll do myself damage if I don't get out of the tub, so I rise, the cold water sluicing over my skin. I grab a robe and head for the sauna, wanting the extreme difference of cold and hot to calm my aching muscles.
Nothing can calm my mind, though.
I did the wrong thing. Tyler did the wrong thing. But I also protected our captain from what was bound to be an injury-causing check against the boards. I should not have earned a major penalty though. A five-minute penalty? Really?
"Fuck!" Punching the wall of the sauna does nothing but bruise my knuckles and put a dent in the wood.