Symbols The Score - Mitten ins Herz Elle Kennedy

Hockey – More Than a Game: Symbol Analysis in The Score

Hockey is the electric pulse that runs through Elle Kennedy’s The Score (the third book in the Off-Campus series). For Dean Di Laurentis, the sport is far more than a game. It serves as a complex symbol that evolves over the course of the novel, reflecting his identity, his discipline, his deepest losses, and ultimately his path to redemption. This analysis explores the literal recurrences of hockey in the plot, how its meaning shifts for Dean, its connections to key characters and themes, and provides study questions to deepen understanding.

The Literal Presence of Hockey

Hockey appears in the story as both Dean’s college pursuit and as a community activity. He is a star defenseman for the Briar University hockey team, practicing and playing games against rival schools like Yale. The sport also reaches beyond Dean: his father and older brother played hockey at Harvard, and his girlfriend Allie’s father, Joe Hayes, was a former college player whose career was ended by injury. Hockey is woven into Dean’s daily life through team practices, games, bus rides, and locker-room banter. A key plot point is Dean’s forced involvement with a youth team, the Hastings Hurricanes, which he initially resents but later comes to value. Hockey also becomes a source of conflict when Dean is expelled from the team for drug use after a friend’s death, stripping him of a core part of his identity.

Hockey as Dean’s Identity and Passion

From the opening chapters, Dean’s identity is inseparable from hockey. In Chapter 4, he reflects: “Eishockey gehört zu meinem Leben, solange ich denken kann. Ich bin damit aufgewachsen.” (Hockey has been part of my life as long as I can remember. I grew up with it.) Even though he admits he does not feel the same “high” as his teammates Garrett and Logan when on the ice, his deep understanding of the game is evident. He gives strategic advice to freshman Hunter, demonstrating his tactical knowledge. Dean also finds more joy in training and helping teammates improve than in the competition itself. This hints that his passion lies not in personal glory but in mentorship—a foreshadowing of his future calling as a coach and teacher.

However, Dean’s identity is also shaped by his family’s expectations: after college he plans to study law at Harvard, following the family tradition. Hockey is a temporary pursuit, not a career. This tension between personal desire and family duty is symbolically embedded in the sport. By choosing Briar over Harvard for hockey, Dean already made a small rebellion; yet he still accepts the lawyer path. The symbol of hockey thus represents a suppressed part of himself—the part that craves mentorship and connection rather than legal prestige.

Hockey as Discipline and Control

Hockey also symbolizes discipline, both imposed and internal. Early in the story, Coach O’Shea (Miranda’s father) punishes Dean for his past relationship by demoting him to the second defensive line and forcing him to coach the Hurricanes. O’Shea’s edict: “Kein Alkohol, keine Drogen, keine Schlägereien” (No alcohol, no drugs, no fights) turns hockey into a tool of control and retribution. Dean’s response—accepting the punishment with controlled anger—shows his ability to maintain discipline under pressure.

Yet later, hockey becomes the arena where Dean loses control. After his friend Beau’s death, Dean spirals into alcohol and ecstasy use. This culminates in a drug test that leads to his expulsion from the team (Chapter 32). The expulsion is a symbolic death: the sport that defined him is taken away. He wakes up with a black eye from Garrett, lost and guilty. Hockey, once a source of discipline, now represents his failure to cope with grief and his self-destructive behavior.

Hockey as a Loss and Catalyst for Growth

Dean’s expulsion from the hockey team is a pivotal loss. It strips him of his primary social group, his routine, and his sense of purpose. In the aftermath, he embarks on a “comprehensive apology tour” (Chapter 33), making amends with Allie, Hannah, teammates, Coach Ellis, the youth team, Dakota, and even Miranda O’Shea. He also reaches out to Joe Hayes, Allie’s father, to prove his worth. The loss of hockey forces Dean to confront his flaws and begin genuine growth.

This loss parallels an earlier hockey-related loss: the end of his high-school relationship with Miranda, which O’Shea still holds against him. By reconciling with Miranda in Chapter 33, Dean symbolically closes that chapter and frees himself from the guilt that has haunted him.

Hockey as a Calling to Coaching

Perhaps the most transformative meaning of hockey in The Score is its evolution into Dean’s vocational calling. What begins as a forced punishment—coaching the Hastings Hurricanes—becomes a genuine passion. In Chapter 14, Dean admits to Allie: “Ich kann kaum glauben, dass ich das sage, aber … es macht mir wirklich Spaß.” (I can hardly believe I’m saying this, but … I really enjoy it.) He feels pride when a kid named Robbie Olsen scores the winning goal.

This mentoring role taps into Dean’s natural empathy and leadership—traits that his “player” persona had hidden. The youth team also connects him to Dakota, a ten-year-old who cannot ice skate because her family only paid for her brother’s lessons. Dean promises to help her, showing his growing sense of responsibility. By the end of the novel, Dean rejects law school and decides to become a PE teacher. He secures a job at Parklane Academy in Manhattan. Hockey, which once represented a path he did not choose, becomes the foundation for a meaningful career centered on teaching and coaching.

Hockey Connecting Generations: Dean and Joe Hayes

Hockey also functions as a bridge between Dean and Allie’s father Joe. Joe was a promising college player whose NHL dreams were shattered by a knee injury. He later worked as a scout for the Boston Bruins. When Dean visits Joe in Chapter 34, they bond over watching hockey games and eating pizza. During the second intermission, Dean tells Joe he loves Allie. Joe acknowledges it. This quiet moment of connection is built on their shared understanding of the sport. Joe’s acceptance of Dean is symbolized by his laughter when Dean mentions that Allie is teaching herself French—a callback to an earlier conversation about the soap opera Héritier. Hockey, once a source of alienation (Joe initially dismisses Dean as a “privileged rich boy”), becomes a common language that helps bridge class and generational divides.

Themes Illuminated by the Hockey Symbol

The symbol of hockey interacts with several core themes of the novel. For a deeper exploration, see the theme pages on this site.

  • Grief and Loss: Dean’s expulsion from hockey directly results from his inability to process Beau’s death. The loss of the sport mirrors his emotional turmoil.
  • Casual Sex vs. Emotional Attachment: Hockey serves as a safe, structured world for Dean, much like his casual sexual encounters. As his relationship with Allie deepens, both boundaries blur.
  • Redemption and Growth: Dean’s journey from expulsion to coaching and teaching illustrates the redemptive power of embracing one’s true calling.
  • Class Privilege: Dean’s wealthy family can afford hockey equipment and ignore financial pressures, contrasting with Dakota’s family and Joe Hayes’s modest Brooklyn home.
  • Family Obligation: Dean’s expected law career vs. his passion for coaching mirrors Allie’s conflict between caring for her father and pursuing acting.

Study Questions with Answers

Question 1: How does Dean’s attitude toward hockey change over the course of The Score? Use specific chapters to support your answer.

Answer: Initially, Dean sees hockey as a family tradition and a source of social status, but he lacks the “high” his teammates feel (Ch. 4). He enjoys training more than competition. After being forced to coach the Hurricanes (Ch. 5), he discovers a genuine passion for teaching kids. His expulsion for drug use (Ch. 32) devastates him but forces him to reevaluate. By the epilogue (Ch. 36), he has chosen to become a PE teacher, embracing hockey as a vocational calling rather than a performance.

Question 2: What does Dean’s expulsion from the hockey team symbolize in the context of his character arc?

Answer: The expulsion symbolizes the collapse of Dean’s former identity—the charming, carefree “player” who relied on hockey for status and distraction from grief. It represents the consequences of his avoidance and self-destruction. Stripped of the sport, Dean is forced to confront his guilt over Beau’s death and his own emotional vulnerability. This loss is a necessary catalyst for his redemption and growth into a more responsible, self-aware person.

Question 3: How does the character of Joe Hayes use hockey to test and ultimately accept Dean?

Answer: Joe Hayes is a former college hockey player and hockey scout. When Dean visits for Thanksgiving (Ch. 21), Joe is hostile and dismissive of Dean’s privileged background. However, bonding over a hockey game later (Ch. 34) allows them to communicate. Joe watches how Dean talks about the sport and his love for Allie. By acknowledging Dean’s love, Joe signals his tentative acceptance. Hockey serves as the common ground that bridges their class and personality differences.

Question 4: In what way does Dean’s coaching of the Hastings Hurricanes foreshadow his final career choice?

Answer: Dean’s coaching duties (Ch. 5 onward) reveal his natural talent for teaching and his emotional investment in the kids’ success. He feels pride when they win and guilt when Dakota cannot afford skating lessons. This experience contrasts with his planned law career, which he lacks passion for. By the end, Dean realizes that coaching gives him purpose, leading him to become a PE teacher—a career that allows him to mentor young athletes.

Internal Links for Deeper Exploration

In The Score, hockey is never just a sport. It is a mirror for Dean Di Laurentis’s inner life—his identity, his discipline, his losses, and his ultimate redemption. Through the evolution of this symbol, Elle Kennedy shows how a passion can transform from a given path into a chosen calling, and how the game itself can heal as much as it can hurt.