Thrown Off the Ice Quotes

“You’d think, after preparing for years, knowing the way things would end for over a decade, the big picture if not the details, that it would hurt a little less when it happened, that it might even be a relief. It doesn’t, and it wasn’t. Sometimes it feels like it hurts more every single day.”
― Taylor Fitzpatrick, Thrown Off the Ice

“Why can't I just stay with you?” Liam asks.
Mike stares at him. “Because I'm not a fucking lunatic,” Mike says. “And I would become one if I had to deal with you all the fucking time.”
“I'm here all the time anyway,” Liam says.
“And I'm already one day away from killing you.”
― Taylor Fitzpatrick, Thrown Off the Ice

“Jesus, Mike picked up a fucking puppy long before he picked up Bella, didn’t he.”
― Taylor Fitzpatrick, Thrown Off the Ice

“Maybe Fitzgerald looked around the room to find the person least likely to be friendly, decided he liked a challenge and proceeded to focus all his charm on him. It's not inconsiderable, his charm, though he's more charming when he isn't trying to be; cycling through bravado and insecurity like every other kid his age does, playing with the big boys and trying to keep up.”
― Taylor Fitzpatrick, Thrown Off the Ice

“The kid's comprised half of obvious tells and half of shit Mike can't figure out. He doesn't know why that bothers him, but it does.”
― Taylor Fitzpatrick, Thrown Off the Ice

“He may be a rookie, but he's got a gift for face-offs that even most vets don't have: Fitzgerlad's a true natural center which requires just as much instinct as practice.

If he keeps playing like he has, he just might take someone's job out from under them, some poor fucker getting shuffled straight from injured reserve to healthy scratch. Steinberg may as well take his sweet time healing.”
― Taylor Fitzpatrick, Thrown Off the Ice

“I could be goon squad material," Fitzgerald argues.

Typical rookie: of course he wants to be good at everything from the get-go. What Fitzgerald's got is the kind of potential you don't see in the guys mired on the fourth line, the kind of potential Mike's never had in his life.”
― Taylor Fitzpatrick, Thrown Off the Ice

“He introduces himself to Mike before his first game with a outstretched hand and a shit-eating grin, radiating that specific kind of confidence that teenage boys the world over seem to have: cockiness overlaying self-consciousness.”
― Taylor Fitzpatrick, Thrown Off the Ice

“The kid gets called up to the Oilers when Steinberg breaks his foot halfway through the season. And he's a kid: eighteen, baby-faced, smaller than everyone else on the roster at 5'8" and clearly determined to make up for it.”
― Taylor Fitzpatrick, Thrown Off the Ice

“Mike should say no, should tell him to go fool around with boys his own age, his own size, should tell him to knock it the fuck off and find someone who doesn't play hockey, who doesn't care if he does like every other closet case in the league. But Fitzgerald's flashing his big blues and his hands are shaking, just enough for Mike to notice and Mike isn't a saint. He isn't even a particularly good person.”
― Taylor Fitzpatrick, Thrown Off the Ice

“Fitzgerald still has that doe-eyed innocent look about him, but Mike's seen him on the ice, seen what he can do and he knows the kid's as vicious, deep down as the rest of them. He's got big blue eyes and hair constantly falling in his face and an ass that's spectacular even compared to the average hockey player and Mike wants him so bad, his teeth hurt, but Fitzgerald has no clue what he's playing with, so Mike keeps his goddamn hands to himself.”
― Taylor Fitzpatrick, Thrown Off the Ice

“He's not stupid and Fitzgerald's not subtle: Fitzgerald was attempting fucking bedroom eyes. Fitzgerald's got some fucking ridiculous seduction plan and he's using it on Mike, because Mike honestly has no fucking clue why he's using it on Mike.”
― Taylor Fitzpatrick, Thrown Off the Ice

“Fitzgerald starts talking to him all drowsy eyed, taffy slow instead of the manic pace he usually goes at. Mike finds himself vaguely worrying for a couple of days that Fitzgerald's wearing himself out. He knows the schedule's rough, the games rougher, how big an adjustment it is when you get to the pro level.”
― Taylor Fitzpatrick, Thrown Off the Ice

“The first sign of danger is Fitzgerald all fucking over him, though that might be an exaggeration. It's knees knudging, arms brushing, nothing huge, probably just a malfunctioning sense of personal space, the way Fitzgerald sits with plenty of others. No big deal, except Mike lets him. That's the fucking problem.”
― Taylor Fitzpatrick, Thrown Off the Ice

“Mike doesn't know if Fitzgerald is psychic or just get even stupider with bravado because right around the point where Mike realizes he sort of wants to break him, the kid starts flirting with him. It's easy to ignore at first, as easy as it had been to ignore Fitzgerald latching onto him in the first place, at least right up until he started following Mike around so often the team started calling him Mike's duckling.”
― Taylor Fitzpatrick, Thrown Off the Ice

“The thing is, Fitzgerald isn't Mike's type at all. Mike prefers people who aren't so innocent, men closer to his own size and women that are the furthest thing from breakable, but Fitzgerald's little kid hero worship is endearing, and Mike can't help but want to shake some of that innocence out of him, knows he's awful because all he wants to do is get Fitzgerald onto a bed and make him fucking cry.”
― Taylor Fitzpatrick, Thrown Off the Ice

“Mike hates that he's cute and that he knows it, all toothy smiles and puppy dog eyes when he wants something and more than that, Mike hates that he doesn't think of him like an annoying little brother at all. That the more Fitzgerald makes himself a fixutre at Mike's side, the more Mike wants him.”
― Taylor Fitzpatrick, Thrown Off the Ice

“Mike has no idea why the kid's attached to him. That isn't some 'woe is me, nobody likes me' bullshit; Mike isn't the most popular guy in the room, but he doesn't strive to be.

He's 30 to Fitzgerald's 18, brute force to his skill and his patience for idle chatter has sat at around zero for the last five years.”
― Taylor Fitzpatrick, Thrown Off the Ice

“Mike likes Texas. Texas means warm weather instead of the fucking permafrost of Edmonton winters and Texas means stake.

To be honest, every road trip means steak; it's a pretty standard order when you're trying to keep the weight on despite the season's best efforts to bleed you, though that applies to most of the other guys than to Mike: Mike's job is to get on, throw some hits, maybe a few punches, depending on the game and get the fuck off the ice so the hockey players can play.

That doesn't mean Mike's not going to order streak, though. He's sure as shit going to order steak: they're in Dallas, he's not a heathen.”
― Taylor Fitzpatrick, Thrown Off the Ice

“Fogart approaches halfway to Dallas with a marker in hand. Unless you're coaching staff or known to retaliate bigger and better, it's never safe to fall asleep on the road.”
― Taylor Fitzpatrick, Thrown Off the Ice

“Edmonton has no shortage of young guys on the team right now; when you've got a ton of injuries on a team that's shit even when they're healthy, there isn't much harm in giving your rookies a proper audition.”
― Taylor Fitzpatrick, Thrown Off the Ice