The doors to the arena reopened, and it was like a Disney character had sprinkled pixie dust on the place.
Not only was the stench of putrid play gone, it was as if it had never existed.
In a way, it hadn’t.
The winds of change had blown through every nook and cranny, sweeping out reminders of suffering. Fresh faces appeared at every turn. The new No. 1 center stood in one corner. The recently acquired scorer examined his locker in another. The new goaltender tried on the blue pads that had just arrived. The new coach oversaw it all and dreamed of endless possibilities.