The Mighty Ducks Imagines

Coach Cowboy

After reuniting with Bombay, I stayed close to him and the team. I had been dying to get back into hockey somehow. Now I'm part of the Ducks again - well, sort of. I rejoined as an assistant coach - Bombay makes me do every demonstration.

However, Bombay seemed to disappear after the Ice Palace was condemned. Thankfully, we sorted out a new home rink. Alex has been swamped with work ever since she went back to law school - she isn't home as much now. So, with her and Bombay gone, I've taken on the responsibility of being the new coach for the Ducks. Oh, how times have changed. The student has become the master, except I feel like I know nothing.

Thing is, I've been left without someone to fill my previous assistant coaching role. It's been pretty stressful but I make it work. Sometimes I have my old teammates come in as guest coaches when they have some free time - it's usually just the Bash Brothers and Guy.

These kids are an amazing team - of course they are, they're Ducks. Lately, I've notice something has been off. It's like some kind of disconnect or miscommunication. It feels like their hearts aren't fully in it. With everything that happened with Bombay and the Ice Palace, I can understand where they're coming from. We have games coming up in a few weeks, so I need to get them back on track.

I don't want to be dependent on help like calling Bombay every time there's a slight issue. So, when thinking of a solution, I thought 'what would Bombay do?' Then it hit me. I thought back to what we did in similar situations and knew what I had to do. It all depends on a single person. Luckily, he said yes. A week or so later, it's time to put the plan into action.

"I know things have been tough lately, but we can't dwell on this forever. Does it suck? Of course it sucks. You have to remember that this isn't the first obstacle we've faced. Together we can overcome anything in our way... And that's exactly what we're going to do." I explain to a seemingly somewhat uninterested team.

"And how exactly are we supposed to do that?"

"I'm so glad you asked, Nick!" Perfect transition. "When I was a player, us Ducks faced many challenges - including this one. We had to adapt to changing coaches, losing teammates and losing out rhythm all at once as well as similar things when we swapped out players. It wasn't easy but we made it work and made it fun." I relate to gain their interest.

"How?" Maya asks.

"Well, before the Goodwill Games, we got some new players. Bombay tied us together and made us skate as one. That bit was a nightmare to figure out. It was the next bit that lifted our spirits. Bombay came to the ice with a lasso which he handed to one of the players."

"Dwayne Robertson, right?" Evan interrupts me but I nod in response. "He's the guy who got put in the box for a roping call against Iceland."

"Exactly right. Nobody had ever seen that before and it's never been seen again." I respond with pride.

"So, why did Bombay give him a lasso?"

"He wanted us to have some fun since we earned it. Dwayne chased us around the ice. Last person standing wins. It became a warmup activity at the start of every practice - except for the time Dwayne broke his elbow. The only people to ever play this game are the original Ducks."

"Were you any good at it?" Sophie questions.

"Not at first. But the more we did it, the harder it got for Dwayne to catch me." I subtly brag. "So, I thought that you guys should have the honor of being the second group of people to take part in what we called 'Cowboy Roundup'. Now even though I was taught how to use the lasso by the best, I never quite got it right. So, I called in a favour. There's only one man suited for the job. Please give a warm welcome to one of my oldest friends - the cowboy himself - Dwayne Robertson." I announce his arrival and everyone's faces light up.