You are getting ready for the German ice hockey league's championship game. It is bothering you because you get the feeling it is your last game for Red Bull München. The changing room is abuzz with an excited energy. You are however not feeling the excitement. It is because you will be leaving behind the life you have forged for yourself as an ice hockey player in Germany.

"Mia, what's wrong?" Your goaltender asks.

"I'm leaving for Pittsburgh in a couple of days," You reply. It is going to be an interesting move for you. The goaltender gives you a surprised look. You feel bad for not telling her sooner but you have been busy preparing for this game.

"Wait have you been drafted to the Penguins?" Your one of your fellow forwards asks.

"Yes, Leo I have," You respond. You feel guilty for not wanting to talk about the NHL draft but you hate the fact that you are leaving. You sigh as you quickly tie your laces. It feels odd that this is your last game in Germany. It doesn't take long for everyone else to finish getting ready.

"You will be alright Mia," Your goaltender tries to reassure you as you both get ready for the warm-ups.

"Thank you ‎Liesel but I just want to focus on the warm-ups right now," You know she is talking about when you leave. You both head to your respective areas. You get to work on doing stick handling with Leo and one of the left wings.

"Mia there is some Klatsch (Gossip) going around that you are joining the Pittsburgh Penguins," the left-wing remarks.

"Yes, Hans I am but I really just want to focus on the game," You retort. You get to work on the drill. You are glad that the warm-ups take a reasonable amount of concentration. After twenty minutes of warm-ups, you are ready to go. You feel sorry for Leo who has to take the face-off. At least you are ready to back him up if he needs. You get the feeling that he will be just fine. There is a loud crash as Leo's stick makes contact with the other centre's stick. He soon recovers but by the time he recovers you have the puck for him.

"Here you go Leo," You say as you pass him the puck.

"Danke (Thanks)," He responds. After thirty seconds of weaving the puck between the ice skates of the defence, Leo passes it to you. It doesn't take you long to get the puck to the goal. The defence soon swarms on you.

"Watch the crossbar," You call out to the others. You slam the puck as hard as you can. Hans picks it up and he uses the opportunity to score. The only thing that interrupts Hans' celebration is the next face-off. This time Leo is a little more successful. He manages to wiggle his way through the defence however he soon passes to you because he can tell that you have a better opportunity to score than him.

"Mia," He calls out as he gets the puck over the defenceman's skate. You take the puck from him. You shoot. The puck sails over the goaltender's glove. It feels good to score. Hopefully, this goal isn't the last one for you as a player for Munich. Ten minutes later the period has come to an end. You are glad that you have the next period off because the other team is fighting hard. You are still a little on edge about this being your last game for Munich.

"You know you will be fine Mia. In fact, I reckon you will do better as part of an NHL team," Leo remarks as he sits in the spare spot next to you.

"It's not that that's bothering me. It's the fact that I'm going to a place that I don't know much about," You retort as you bring your water bottle to your lips. You wish you could be in Pittsburgh already. It doesn't take long for your thoughts to be occupied by the game. You get the feeling that you will miss the feeling of playing Germany.

"Come on Jojo," You cheer for your alternate centre despite the fact that your voice will be drowned out by the other supporters. It's the least you can do whilst you are off the ice. The others follow your lead. It doesn't take long for Jojo to be successful. She passes it to the other right-wing. After some back and forth between the forwards Jojo is finally ready to score. The goal horn rips through the silence. It doesn't take long for the other team to break even again. After another seventeen minutes of gameplay, the second period has come to an end.

"Jojo, that was a good goal," You decide to compliment her.

"You would be right but the game is tied again," Jojo sighs as she takes your spot.

"Look on the bright side you scored and we have one more period," You respond. Those words hit you like a brick because it will be your last before making a drastic move. It doesn't take you long to get ready for the face-off. It is probably the tensest face-off that Jojo has ever taken. Sadly he is unsuccessful. You all get to work on getting the puck back. It doesn't take long for one of your defensemen to get the puck back.

"Mia, Jojo, Hans, make sure you're open," He calls out.

"Ya I'm open," You respond as you get around the defenceman that is on you. He passes the puck to you. You try your best to get the puck towards the other team's goal. It doesn't take long for the game to reach a dead end. Seventeen minutes later you are hoping for a buzzer-beater. Jojo passes the puck to you. You can feel the seconds count down as you pull your shoulders back for a slap shot. Crash. The stick makes a loud crash as it contacts the puck. You can feel the time slow down as the puck glides over the goaltender's head. A couple of seconds later the buzzer sounds to end the game. The others pile on for a celebratory pile hug. It is a bittersweet moment for you as you hoist the trophy above your head. It has been a couple of days since the championship game. You are getting ready to board the Lufthansa plane that will take you to Pittsburgh. You have mixed feelings about leaving but you are confident that you will forge an amazing career with the penguins. After fifteen hours of travelling you have made it to Pittsburgh. It doesn't take you long to find one of your new teammates.

"Excuse me are you Mia Heinrich?" Evgeni Malkin calls out. You are a little surprised that he is here to pick you up. It does make sense because you were told by Jim Rutherford the general manager, that you would be staying with the Russian until you have the opportunity to find your own place.

"Ya, that would be me," You respond as you approach the Russian.

"Would you like me to take your bag?" You can tell that he prefers to speak his native language. It's a pity you are not fluent in Russian. You pass him your hockey gear bag.

"Thank you, Evgeni," You respond. Five minutes later you have made it to the car. He can see that you are struggling to keep the sleep at bay. Despite the fact that you got some sleep on the plane, travelling in any form makes you tired.

"If you need nap, go for it," Evgeni says. It doesn't take you long to drift off. Twenty minutes later you are gently woken up by Evgeni. You moan as you rub the sleepiness from your eyes. You mutter some things in German. Hopefully, the others can be as welcoming as Evgeni. You are looking forward to next when you join the others for the preseason training.

"Would you like me to cook you dinner?" He asks as he leaves the car. You soon join him.

"If you want," You reply. The sleepiness is still tugging at your body but Your hunger takes over. Ten minutes later you have changed into your pyjamas. Your nose is hit by the sweet smell of food. You lazily make your way to the kitchen. As soon as you sit down Evgeni has the food dished up.

"I hope you like," He remarks as he places the dish in front of you. You make quick work of the dish.

"Don't worry it's good," You respond. It doesn't take you long to finish the food.

"Anyway, I'm going to go to bed before I collapse," You pass the plate back to him.

"Good night Mia," Evgeni replies. You can tell that he is a little tired as well. The next couple of weeks are going to be interesting. You make your way back to your room. Exhaustion finally takes over. You collapse on to the bed. You are glad that Evgeni was welcoming enough to make you dinner. You soon drift off to sleep again.