Wrathpup: Chapter 1: Finn in the Motor City

His next endeavor was now second nature to him. Taking a face-off was nothing new to him. This was what Mika Kykalisko did now, playing right wing for the Detroit Cougars (they would become the Falcons for the 1930-31 season and the Red Wings starting with the 1932-33 season). It had been a brilliant year for the Finn. He had become one of the team's standout players and was currently the top rookie in the National Hockey League. Today he was in Boston for a game against the Bruins at Boston Garden. It was early April, and the season was winding down.
"We are now set for the face-off in Cougar's territory," said the radio announcer calling the game. "Taking it for the Bruins is Aubry Victor "Dit" Clapper, and taking it for the Cougars is Mika "Wayne County Wild Child" Kykalisko. So far, it's been a great game for both and a dynamite season for Kykalisko. Throughout the year, we've seen this young player show the skills that made him a star player back home in his native Finland, and now at the age of 20, he's only a short step away from Rookie Of The Year. Off the draw, Clapper has the puck initially, but Kykalisko quickly swipes it away and BLASTS it deep into Bruins territory! Down the ice goes everybody not guarding the net. Kykalisko is closing in fast. He passes it off, gets it passed back to him, Kykalisko, slapshot! Scores! Hat trick for the one they call 'Wild Child'!"
Immediately after putting the puck in the net, both of Mika's hands shot up in the air in triumph as he yelled "YES!! WHOO!! YEAH!!" As he shouted and pumped his fists, he shook his head hard enough to where his blonde mullet also shook wildly with it. Helmets were not in widespread use back then, so Mika's hair was totally exposed. The goal was his third of the game. Clearly, he was on a hot streak tonight. After being congratulated by his teammates on the ice, Mika headed over to his team's bench where his other teammates and coach were. More congratulations awaited him there.

Later in the game, in the third period, Mika was back on the ice battling Clapper along the boards at center red line just inside the Cougars' zone. The score was 5-3 in favor of the Cougars, as two other players other than Mika had scored goals.
"They're really battling hard along the boards here in the third period. It's Clapper and Kykalisko battling for possession of the puck and they seem to be locked in a stalemate. Now Clapper kicks it free, but Kykalisko is the first one of the two in hot pursuit of the puck. Neither one of them gets there first."
Boston got to the puck first. Sensing a pass back Aubry, Mika immediately went after the puck and his now rival.
"Clapper gets the pass, OH, but here comes Kykalisko with a huge board check! And Aubry Clapper looks furious."
Normally, a board check, also called boarding, is illegal. But nobody saw it. Aubry pounded the boards in frustration. He had just about had enough of the young Finn constantly getting the upper hand. The puck swapped possession among teams twice after Mika swiped in out from under Aubry along the boards. Soon the puck was headed towards the Boston goal area. None other than Mika Kykalisko was leading the charge. Most of the Bruins had gotten back on defense, including Clapper.
"Boston retreats back on defense as Detroit advances on offense. Here comes Kykalisko again! He passes it off, then gets it back. Clapper comes in to intercept!"
Mika and Aubry collided in a fairly heavy impact. Mika was thrown over Aubry's back and shoulders, the toes of his skates catching Aubry's collarbone, which caused him to fall over backwards. He landed safely on his back and would skate away. Mika wasn't so lucky. He landed hard on his right shoulder, with his head also making contact with the stone-hard ice. He ended up on his back and lay almost limp on the ice.
"Oh, what a hit! Kykalisko goes down hard!" the announcer exclaimed.
Play was stopped immediately while a medical crew moved in to attend to the injured Finn. Mika was knocked unconscious and was out cold for almost a full minute. Concerned over his condition, the head coach and every other Cougar on the ice at the time rushed over to the scene where their injured comrade lay still. Eventually, Mika regained consciousness, but was very disoriented and in a lot of pain. After a few more minutes elapsed, he was taken off on a stretcher. As the stretcher was being carried off the rink, Mika put his left hand in the air and waved to show that he was awake and alert. He was completely unable to move his right arm. That sight came as a big relief to his coach, teammates and the commentators calling the game up in the broadcast booth. The game eventually resumed, with Detroit winning 5-3.

After spending the night in a Boston hospital, Mika was released the next day to continue rehab back in Detroit. His injuries were as follows: concussion, broken right collarbone, broken right shoulder blade, and a small cut on his scalp. Some of his hair had to be shaved off in order to apply a bandage on the cut. The cut only covered a small area, so not much hair needed to be shaved. After being released in the morning, Mika met up with his teammates, who were waiting by the team bus for the ride back to Detroit. It was mid-afternoon when the bus left Boston, and night had fallen by the time they got back to Detroit. Mika's right arm was in a sling, and the injury to both the collarbone and shoulder blade made rotating the shoulder joint impossible without experiencing excruciating pain, so his shoulder was encased in a plaster cast. He wore a rain poncho over his leather jacket so that no one would notice. And besides, it had started to rain when they arrived back in Detroit. The only other disguise Mika was wearing at the time was a Detroit Tigers ball cap with the "Old English 'D'" on the front, which he wore so that no one would notice the cut on his head.
After getting his equipment bags out of the cargo bay, Mika then waited under an overhang near the team's arena for a ride home.
"Man, I'm sure glad to be out of the hospital so soon," he thought to himself. He was, however, down in the dumps. The injuries he sustained in that collision on the ice meant that he was out for the season. After putting his bags down, he placed his left arm up against a concrete wall and leaned on it. All the while, he couldn't keep from thinking about what might be: He had a shot at Rookie Of The Year, and now that was in jeopardy. He was really looking forward to playing in the playoffs. Now that was out the picture. Things had gone from good to bad to worse in less than 24 hours, and he hated having to be reminded of it.
Soon, Mika saw his good friend and roommate Kevin Taylor pull up in his Ford Model T.
"Hey! Kevin! Over here!" Mika exclaimed as he frantically waved his left arm. "This way!"
"Welcome back, Mika!" Kevin enthusiatically shouted back from the driver's seat. "Get in, get in!"
Mika immediately hurried over to Kevin's car with his duffle bag slung over his left shoulder. He then put it in the back seat because the trunk didn't have enough room.
"Oh, man," said Mika after shutting the passenger side door behind him. "I'm sure glad to be out of the rain. When did it start raining here?"
"About eight o' clock," Kevin replied as he put the car in gear and began to drive home. When did you get back?"
"Ten minutes ago," Mika responded. It was well past ten o' clock, but not yet eleven o' clock. "I hadn't been waiting very long."
"Ah, Kevin put in. "So, what's the deal with your shoulder?"
"I'm out for the season, unfortunately," Mika said glumly to the point where his voiced was almost completely muffled by his thick Finnish accent.
"That bad, eh?" Kevin asked.
"Sadly, yes," Mika replied.
"That must've been one helluva hit you took," Kevin added.
"Well, I was knocked unconscious when my head and right shoulder hit the ice," Mika put in.
"You were knocked out?" Kevin asked.
"Yes, I was," Mika responded.
"Ah, okay," Kevin put in. "None of the sports articles around here have an injury report on you printed yet."
"Well, for starters," Mika proceeded to speak, "I have both my right collarbone and shoulder blade broken, plus a concussion and a cut on my scalp."
"Hey, don't worry, man," said Kevin as he tried to get Mika to cheer up. "You'll recover from this. I'm sure you'll be back to playing hockey soon."
By the time they finished talking, they were already well on their way home.
They drove on through the rainy night to reach home.
Eventually, they arrived at the downtown apartment building Kevin lived in. His unit was on the fifth floor, which he shared with Mika, as well as Mika's Finnish girlfriend, Rikko Jehkinen, who had come over from their hometown of Kokkola for his first game. Prior to that, it had been nearly four years since the two Finns, who were very much in love, had last seen each other. Despite their best attempts to move on with their lives, they couldn't seem to forget about each other. After Mika's incredible, heroic escape up in Nome, Alaska, in which the then 19-year-old saved Nome from a large band of Soviet extremists who had invaded Alaska after crossing the Bering Strait on a mission of their own to take back Russia's former territorial holdings in North America, word reach his hometown and got the residents talking. Among those who had