Always Have, Always Will

Period 1

1997

Aiden LeBlanc just finished his second season in the NHL. At twenty-one years old, he was a successful center for the Pittsburgh Sentinels. At the end of his rookie season he’d been awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy, which was given to the league’s Rookie of the Year. This year, even though the team did not make it to the finals, Aiden was the recipient of the Art Ross Trophy for his scoring efforts and was named team captain. Playing hockey in the NHL was a dream come true for Aiden, and sometimes he still couldn’t believe he’d made it to the big league.
As the team’s newest center, Aiden was often praised for his strong skating skills and creativity on the ice. Centers were known as the “quarterbacks” because they led the team at both ends of the ice, and they were strong, skilled skaters. Aiden was disciplined on the ice and that carried over into his personal life. Not one to overdue the drinking and partying, he still had fun. Aiden prided himself on living by the rules and doing his job well. Some said he was too young to be so serious, but Aiden knew he was being smart by not taking his blessings for granted.
The contract he signed with the Sentinels provided him more money than he ever dreamed of earning. His agent, Daniel Klein, kept him busy when he was off the ice with endorsements for Reebok, Gatorade, and Bauer hockey skates and equipment. All in all, he earned five million dollars in his rookie season, and it was possible his earnings could top seven million this year. Nothing was guaranteed to a professional athlete; and so Aiden never lost sight of the fact that he could suffer a career ending injury or lose his starting spot on the team if he didn’t perform well.
Money was the reason he was bored out of his mind as he walked with the President and a few members of the President’s senior executive group at the University of Toronto. He was going to kill his brother when he saw him tomorrow. Seth, Aiden’s brother, who was ten years older, was a professor at the university in the history department. He was up for tenure in the fall. Seth had asked him to accept the invitation for a tour and listen to the fundraising spiel in order for the university to get donations for the school from “capable donors.” Aiden had offered to just write a check, but his brother said it would look better if he listened to the dog and pony show.
The President was saying something about the new computers in the library where the group had stopped to view the equipment in the media room. Aiden was impressed with the state of the art technology that had been donated by a group of benefactors. As he listened to one of the senior executives describe the new filming equipment, Aiden looked up and that’s when he saw her. She was the most gorgeous young woman that he’d ever laid eyes on in his twenty one years. Aiden felt as if he’d been hit in the head by a puck travelling ninety miles per hour.