Now I actually want someone to put a horse on four rollerblades just to see the horrifying chaos that would happen.
(Scene: interior of barn. A young girl and her mother stand outside a stall with Wheelblaze inside.)
Jenny: Oh Wheelblaze! They say if the chairman of the Central Ontario Amateur Athletic League approves we'll be able to actually enter the tournament! Isn't that wonderful?!
Wheelblaze: (ADR of happy horse noises.)
(Both Jenny and Mom laugh in unison.)
Mom: Now Jenny... Don't get your hopes up. A horse playing goalie for a teen rollerhockey league is unusual. There is no guarantee the chairman will even...
(VO from off camera)
Oh... I've seen stranger stuff in my day.
(Mom and Jenny turn in unison to barn door. Both react with huge surprising smiles.)
(At the same time.)
Mom: Hockey Legend Wayne Gretsky!!
Jenny: Hockey Legend Wayne Gretsky!!
WG: Hi Jenny. Hi Mom.
Jenny: You're the chairman?
WG: Yes. Have been for the last ten years. I've always felt that hockey's future in a world of global climate change lay not on the ice, but on the wooden rink. Made of sustainably harvested lumber though, eh?
Mom: So Wheelblaze can enter the tournament?
WG: I see no reason why a horse shouldn't be able to play goalie?
(In unison.)
Mom: Yay!
Jenny: Yay!
(Quick cut to local news broadcast.)
Female anchor: Chaos, death and heartbreak tonight from the roller rink. Our own Jim Thompson has the story at the scene. Jim?
(Cut to Jim outside roller rink surrounded by ambulances, police cars and a mix of civilians and first responders.)
Jim: Thank you Christine. Yes, today we saw a tragic turn of events when, against all logic and reason, a full grown stallion was allowed onto the premises, then equipped for and then employed as the goalie for a teen female league game. As you can see from the footage here things started off okay as play started. The horse was infact putting up a stunning defensive game as you can see by the shots blocked here... Here... And here.
(Footage plays showing horse on inline skates with stick in mouth easily stopping each incoming shot.)
Jim: Indeed it was during the celebration of that last maneuver by the horse that precipitated the carnage to follow. It seems a combination of flash photography, airhorn discharge and the general cacophony of sounds from the crowd spooked the horse, outfitted mind you as can be seen in this footage, in a custom goalie uniform, fully armored and padded, along with incredibly heavy custom made, titanium steel reinforced inline skates or "roller blades". The combination of this and the sheer weight of the full grown animal made any approach to try and calm the animal down a fool's errand. You can see here what happened when a referee and some other officials try just that. This is... Quite graphic.
(Footage of horse kicking in head of ref slowly coming at it from behind. Then horse' with stick in mouth starts swinging head wildly, bashing security left and right, spays of blood and the sound of bones crunching fill the screen.)
Jim: As shocking as this all is, it begs a host of questions, not least of which is how this was authorized in the first place? A contrite chairman of the league, hockey great Wayne Gretsky, seemed to take a lion's share of the blame.
(Footage of Gretsky, looking visibly shaken, tie undone, at podium making a statement to the press.)
WG: So as it turns out... There were actually many, many good and completely justifiable reasons why a horse should not be allowed to play the position of goalie, or in fact any position on a female junior rollerhockey team. I mean... Weight alone... At minimum that thing must weigh... (WG. turns his head as if speaking to someone just off camera.) What would you say Steve? The equivalent of four or five full grown men? (From off camera.)
Steve: Yeah... In that ballpark.