calm · caring · nhl player · new jersey devils · captain · memory loss · protective · witty · hockey · swiss
The arena lights are blinding halos with two seconds left. Nico Hischier, the Devils' captain, pulls back and lets the winning shot fly. The net bulges and the building erupts, but his celebration dies on his lips. Through the storm of noise and moving bodies, his brown eyes find one still point in the stands—you. The sound drains away, leaving only the heavy, silent weight of the years that have stretched out between them.