“It’s time to go to the rink Mikaela!”
5:45pm hit the clock, my father walked into my room.
“You ready girl?” he asked me.
My father got on his knees, tied my shoes, picked me up and carried me to the car. Sitting in the backseat by myself, he was blasting his favorite Nickelback song all the way to the ice arena. We pulled into his normal parking spot; he carried his equipment and I grabbed my skates and ran to the doors. My father giving a nice high-five to the man at the front desk, I followed him to the back rink past the little skate shop on the right, that sold all pretty outfits that caught my attention. I heard,“This way mik!” as I slowly followed my father, glancing back at the little outfits.
I walked through the big red door, blocking me from the ice, and entered the freezing cold. I looked up to my father walking ahead of me. “Stay here for a minute.” he said softly. The music turned on in the rink and the lights went dim. The team skated out to the rink and started warming up. My dad followed behind them.
“Get your skates on and get on the rink!” He shouted over the music.
“Ok!” I replied.
I walked over the the bench behind me and slipped my skates on. I thought to myself for a minute, I’m only 10 years old and I’m about to skate at a practice for the New York Rangers. Once I was done freaking out about how this moment was actually happening, I got up and walked to the edge of the ice, putting my right foot on the ice first, there I went. I saw my dad in a bit of a distance bringing me a hockey stick.
“Get’em girl!! Show them what you got!”
In a second, I was playing hockey with the New York Rangers themselves. “Line up!” my dad yelled to the team as I skated around them. So many practice drills, over and over preparing for the game tomorrow. I skated to the bench, sat down and watched the team practice. My dad split the team in half and set up a game. While sitting on the bench I refilled the teams gatorade bottles and whenever one skated over to me, I threw them their bottle. I got back on the ice and began to collect all the pucks that were scattered all over the rink.
“Mik! Over here!” my dad shouted.
I hit a puck across the rink to my dad, he picked it up and hesitated to start the first practice game. The team worked endlessly and every time a player did something wrong, my father made them do it over to make it perfect.



After school on Wednesday, my dad picked me up and we started driving to the city. “Are you excited?” my dad asked.
“Of course I am dad!”
We arrived at Madison Square Garden and pulled up to the security check. My dad pulled out his ID card and the gate opened. “We’re in!” he said as he high-fived me. “Look who it is!” I glanced up, standing to the left of our car, in front of the backstage entrance doorway, Zac Efron stood. Now, not only was I excited about being at the game, I was about to meet Zac Efron! “Before you go running to him Mik, don’t scream or yell.” He told me.
I got out of the car and walked to the door pretending that I didn’t notice him.
“Let me get that for you,” he said as he opened the door.
“Are you Zac Efron?” I responded to him.
“I am!”
I couldn’t help hold my excitement in, so I gave him a hug.
“I love you!” I said as my dad started walking over.
“I love you too!” he responded.
“Mikaela!” my dad shouted.
“Daddy! it’s Zac Efron!!!”
“Your daughter is adorable!” Zac said politely to my dad, holding the door open.
We walked through the door, entered a dark blue room with two security guards standing on both sides of the escalator. One of the security guards gave me a nasty look but i just kept walking.
“Who’s that with you?” The security guard with the big mustache said to my father.
“This is my daughter, Mikaela.”
He looked at me,  took two fingers to his eyes, and pointed them back at me. My dad showed them his ID card and we went up stairs to the rink. “Go have fun Mik!” my dad said to me as he started walking into the locker room.  As I looked around Madison Square Garden there were people in purple shirts putting flyers in each seats cup hole. It was completely awesome seeing Madison Square Garden empty.

As the team was getting ready for the big game, I was running around the stadium having the time of my life. The music was blasting and it was just me with no one in sight besides the workers of course. I wanted to go on the ice so badly, I didn’t even think about it so i opened the little blue door and walked on the ice. Sliding around with my little sneakers on, I looked behind me and saw the team running towards me. In that instant I thought my dad was going to be mad at me.
“DAD……” I said nervously.
“What’s up Mik?” he responded.
“Oh nevermind.” I replied in joy that I wasn’t in trouble.


6:30pm hit the clock and the gates opened. A swarm of people started coming into the arena, most dressed in Rangers jerseys and others in the Toronto Maple Leafs jerseys. My brother should be arriving soon with my mom to join me in our front row seats. While everyone was getting settled in their seats, I walked to the back to get all the free food I could possibly get. I showed the man blocking me from backstage my little green MSG-backstage pass and he let me through. Ice cream, popcorn, hot dogs and all sodas imaginable were in front of me. Not only snacks but also meals set up for the players and a bar all the way in the back. I looked through the glass on the right hand side of me and saw the hosts filming the introduction to the game. Being my 10 year old self, I was jumping up and down trying to get myself on TV. I looked behind me and saw the same security guard that gave me a nasty look walking over to me.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
I had a feeling this man was going to give me a problem.
“I’m waiting for my dad.” I replied.
My dad walked out of the locker room along with the team so I ran over to him.
“So, gameplan dad?” I asked him.
“Go ask the boys!” he responded to me.
I walked over to some of the players while they were standing around.
“Hey guys!” I said as they looked down at me.
Ryan Callahan looked at me, and picked me off the ground holding me in his arms.
“Hi...what’s the game plan?” I said.
He began to laugh at me
“You’re so silly, but the game plan is to win!” he responded.
“Isn’t that every teams game plan?” I said back to him.
“You’re a smart young girl!” he said, as he put me back on my two feet.
“Well, Good luck!” I said looking up to him.
He patted my head, smiled and went back in the locker room to get changed.
I walked back to my seat and sitting in the seats next to mine was my mom and my brother. 15 minutes later the team came out and started warming up. The crowd went crazy, the team threw pucks into the crowd and my brother caught one.



“Lets go Rangers!” the crowd chanted over and over as they stomped their feet against the metal bleachers. The first goal was scored in the first period by Callahan, and yet another 2 goals in a row after the first. The fans were wild and people were having a blast. Me being me, I wanted to stand up against the glass that blocked me from all the action. So I did. I never told my mom where I was going. I guess she just trusted me. At one point in the game, during the 3rd period, the security guard that gave me a nasty look, came over to me and took me backstage. I was confused and wanted to continue watching the game. The man started to question me.
“Where is your ticket?” he asked.
“My dad works with the team,you know that” I replied back.
“I’m sorry but I have to ask you to leave without presenting your ticket” he said to me and walked me out the door.
“Stay here.” He said to me.

So for the rest of the game, I was stuck outside of Madison Square Garden. I walked around the whole building trying to find another way in. I wasn’t sure what my mom was thinking I was doing all this time. I sat down outside of the door the security guard walked me to and waited. As I waited, I couldn't help but think about how bad I felt missing the game. I nervously was thinking about what my father was going to say to me when he saw me. I waited and waited for the game to end to see people leave so that I could find my parents. After what felt like forever, the door behind me opened and it was my dad.
“What are you doing out here?” he said to me,

“The security guard told me I couldn’t be inside without showing him my ticket so he brought me out here,” I replied.
Finally, I got back inside and got to see the last minute of the game while my dad was arguing with the security guard.
“Why would you kick my daughter out!!!?” My dad said quite loudly.
“She didn’t have her ticket sir.”
“She doesn’t need one!!”
My father got very angry and walked away from him.
“Don’t worry about him Mik, I’ll take care of it.” He said to me as he hugged me from behind.
“YEAH!!” My dad screamed as the last goal was scored.
“5-1 the Rangers win!!” The whole crowd screamed.
I quickly ran backstage to say congratulations to the team as my brother followed behind me.
“Yeah boys!!!” I screamed to them.
“Well dad, you’re a great coach” I said to him as we were driving home from the game.
“Thank you baby! I couldn’t do it without your help.” he replied.