Then suddenly it all went wrong. Just as Ward shifted position to take the shot, he felt a sudden jolt of pain as his knee gave way beneath him. He stumbled and crashed inelegantly to the ice, the puck sliding harmlessly away from him.

The crowd gasped, a hush falling over the rink as he clutched at his knee in pain.

He’d blown it. In more ways than one.

Two of his teammates skated over to help him off the ice, their faces a mixture of disappointment and sympathy. Ward’s emotions remained between confusion and defeat while he struggled to comprehend what had just happened.

As he limped off, he felt the mood of the crowd shift from hopeful anticipation to stunned silence. Could almost feel the disappointment emanating from the stands, and he knew that the Panthers’ chances of winning were done for. He glanced at the scoreboard and his heart sank even further. He had let his team down, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Ward gingerly made his way toward the locker room aided by the medical trainers, barely aware of their words of comfort and sympathy as he replayed the events in his mind. He had been so close; he had seen the goal, had felt it within his grasp …

When they finally reached the locker room, he undressed and removed his equipment, wincing as he tried to put weight on his injured knee. He slowly made his way to the trainer’s table and sat down, grimacing afresh as the medic examined him.

‘It’s not good, man,’ he said. ‘It looks like you’ve torn your ACL. We’ll have to get you to the hospital right away for surgery.’

Ward nodded numbly, his heart sinking as the realization of what had just happened truly began to sink in. He had been so close to making that winning shot.

But it was too late. He had let his team down, and he had let himself down. He’d been presented with one chance to prove himself, one chance to show the world that he still had what it took to compete at the highest level, and he had failed.

Story of his life.

*

‘So how’s rehab coming along?’

Ward’s jaw muscles tightened. His agent was not going to be happy about what he had to say.

‘There’s been a bit of a … setback,’ he admitted.

Bernie Pitwell stared at Ward’s leg, his eyes even more enlarged by the thick-lens glasses he wore. ‘You’re kidding me?! What happened?’

‘Think I came off the crutches too early. Knee went weak and I took a tumble. Nothing too serious; just an unexpected setback, that’s all.’

‘I see,’ the agent murmured, looking distinctly uncomfortable. ‘But that’s not good, man, not good at all.’

‘You’re telling me.’