Satan: Youngblood (Calgary Flame)

Narrated season (ice-hockey) account of rise-to-improvements and mentorship for Calgary under the skies of human dice.

An ice-hockey fable inspired by Youngblood (Patrick Swayze).

DISCLAIMER: I've no official ties to the ice-hockey team (Canada) mentioned/referenced in this work of sports-fanfiction and any coincidence(s) nullifies; it's only intended to be a presentation of sportsmanship differentiation. 

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I moved from New England (Boston) to Alberta, Canada (Calgary) when I was transferred from the Bruins to the Flames (American ice-hockey). My name's Amlan Satan, and I was a standout in college ice-hockey before becoming a 1st-round pick for the Bruins but was then transferred to the Flames (Calgary) and made the Canadian city my new home as I prepared for the upcoming season. This is my story!

My mentor on the Flames became a hot veteran player, an Algerian-American named Isha Youngblood. He'd been considered one of the prodigies of Canadian ice-hockey and played for the Olympics team. However, the strange 'truth' of Youngblood was that during practice-sessions for the Flames (Calgary), Youngblood scored and swooped in like a hawk but during games felt 'satisfied' relegated to the helpful position of assist-master, leading the league in assists only. Youngblood told me, "The secret to ice-hockey, for any young rising man of dreams, is to think of self-awareness in terms of ice-rink/arena dance."

YOUNGBLOOD: I'm 'honored' to take you under my 'wing' as a protege, Amlan Satan; I too had a 'mentor' --- Marc Raki.

Youngblood has one weakness, really --- women. He watches movies with gorgeous American/Canadian stars of a female dazzle and take me to bars on Fridays after practice to help me meet beautiful Calgary citizens of a feminine orientation! I wonder if Youngblood will teach me more about ice-hockey/sportsmanship...or the divinity of women!

YOUNGBLOOD: When playing this game of swiftness/self-control, think mostly of the 'youth' of courage; the idea of dance!

Everything changed for me that season with the Flames (Calgary) when Youngblood was out for his career with a sports-ending head injury which rendered him too frail to get back on the rink/arena with the same 'mental gusto' he had before. This left me to train myself mentally/physically now with Youngblood as simply my sideline-viewing fan/spectator mentor! I had to suddenly reorient myself to think of the game/sport and my 'position' in it as one of self-made focused diligence, with Youngblood in my memory, urging me from the sides to make myself more than a man in flames!

COACH: Now, Satan, your 'guru' Youngblood's given you all you need for now; think of him on the sidelines; focus on fans now.

Youngblood invited me to his house for Thanksgiving dinner that upcoming autumn season after my 1st season with the Flames (Calgary), during which we rose from the 'ashes' and came in 2nd in our division. The Kings were 1st that first season in Calgary when we permanently lost Youngblood. During that Thanksgiving dinner at Youngblood's house, my old mentor made me promise myself that I'd make myself a 'continent-man' of great sportsmanship and community value.

That next season, the Flames came up and won our division, placing 1st overall in the Pacific-West, ahead of the Oilers and even the Kings! We'd been suddenly on-track to repeat the 'glory' of the 1989 Stanley Cup, when two Canadian teams (Flames-Canadiens) 'duked' it out and saw Calgary come out on top 4-2. I wonder now if Youngblood (my mentor), like me, in Calgary, is dreaming of the return to 'forms' for this standout season, during which I rose to greater prominence as the team's leading striker!

YOUNGBLOOD: Take this red-faerie sculpture gift-figurine, Amlan Satan, as a memento-inspiration 'muse' for the playoff(s).

Will Calgary grab another Stanley Cup title this year, thanks to my self-improvement(s) and the guidance/inspiration I've gained from my 'fallen' mentor-guru Youngblood? What I have indeed learned during this seasonal experience is the aspect of human resilience and 'raw ambition' is to think of the 'frailty' and 'giftedness' of man through the 'magic-lens' of choreographed depression. Go Calgary!

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"Money is everything" (Ecclesiastes)