I rub circles onto his back until he is ready. “I didn’t care when I was on that ice, I couldn’t have given less fucks. I didn’t want to be there. I wanted to be here.”

I frown, worried about his state. “Can you really look those boys in the eye and tell them you don’t care about them?” I ask.

“Of course I care about them. It’s the game I don’t care about. Those guys have been in my life for so long, but now my life has got a lot bigger than just hockey: it’s you, it’s Charlotte, it’s Jack. I need to be here, not in that arena.”

I shake my head aggressively. “Liam… you are already leaving. Cassie is ready to announce your retirement at the end of the season, don’t you want to go out on a high, give the fans something to remember you by?” I know winning the cup has always been his dream – it’s every hockey player’s dream. This could be his final chance and I won’t let him run away from that if I think he will have regrets. I could never forgive myself.

“I don’t want to miss anything here. I feel like I’m letting you all down because I’m not going to be here, and—” He pours his heart out.

“Look—” I try to interrupt.

“No, Ellis, I missed enough during the pregnancy and I hate knowing there will be a million milestones that I’m going to miss because my pride and ego told me I needed one more season.”

I wish I could stop him beating himself up like this, talk him down the way he has done for me many times.

“Okay, yes, you are going to miss things – but so will I. When I go back to work I might miss her first laugh, or her first steps, but you would never let me beat myself up for that, would you? So, I’m not going to let you do it either. Liam, there are going to be so many firsts that we will see and some we will miss. But that’s life. We are still her parents, and nothing can take that away.” I pause for breath, but when he doesn’t speak, I keep rolling.

“Let’s say you leave at the end of the season, you might miss her rolling over or holding her head up, but the big stuff? That’s not coming for a while yet. Walking is a year away and talking properly doesn’t come for even longer – plus every baby is different! Missing a few little things in the first six or seven months will not outweigh all the stuff you will be around for the rest of her life.