#Canada National Junior Team

[chunkletskhl]

37 years ago today!

Canada vs. Soviet Union "Punch-Up in Piestany", World Junior Championship 1987

[intheupside]

addressing the boys in the locker room and living his ted lasso dreams

also there’s an athletic article about it:

“It was a roller coaster,” Crosby told The Athletic of the game, shaking his head and smiling. “I feel like there’s been a lot more eyeballs, a lot more attention on this team.”

Crosby, wearing Canada’s red home kit, watched one of the more thrilling games of Copa America. Canada took an early lead thanks to Jacob Shaffelburg, who not only comes from the same province as Crosby, Nova Scotia, but is just the second men’s national team player from the province. Canada’s very own ‘Maritime Messi’.

Venezuela tied the game thanks to captain Salomon Rondon’s long-range chip in the 64th minute but Canada looked composed through penalties and midfielder Ismael Kone scored the winning spot-kick.

And not long after Canada entered their locker room to continue celebrating, Crosby joined them.

“Crosby said it was an ‘Unbelievable Canadian moment,’” defender Alistair Johnston said. “He said ���The penalties were insane’ and something that he couldn’t even imagine doing.”

Crosby then singled out what midfielder Jonathan Osorio called the “guts of the group” to step up and score in penalties. “They look like a real tight-knit group,” Crosby said.

Crosby’s visit to Canada’s dressing-room soon began trickling out on social media but it wasn’t planned. Crosby said that every summer he and a group of teammates from his days playing junior hockey for Rimouski Oceanic in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League organize a trip together. This year, once Canada qualified for the quarterfinal, they made the decision to travel south to Arlington.

It was only in the hours leading up to the game that a mutual friend of one of the Canadian players extended an invite to Crosby to come into the dressing room.

As he made his way around the room, Canadian players beamed. Osorio said Crosby nabbed Shaffelburg’s jersey postgame.

“I got to see a Nova Scotia legend,” Shaffelburg said. “I’ve always looked up to (Crosby). To meet him was unbelievable.”

Crosby then encouraged the team for the future and reminded them how proud they have made Canadians.

“His words mean a lot,” goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau said. “But it’s an example of how we are slowly changing things for our country.”

Crosby then posed for a photo with the entire team. He’s no stranger to winning over the hearts of an entire country, having scored arguably the most important goal in Canadian sports history to win the 2010 Olympic gold medal over the United States.

And Crosby understands what so many others are coming to learn as well: This Canadian team is becoming a truly special one.

“The way they reacted after (Venezuela’s tying goal) — it’s a tough goal to give up, but they kept coming,” Crosby said when asked what makes this team special.

Canada is no stranger to having heroes visit the team: Famed astronaut Chris Hadfield joined them for a pre-game speech before their 2022 World Cup opener.

But Crosby’s star status is as radiant as they come in Canada. For generations, Canada’s national team was looked at as an afterthought. Qualifying for the World Cup began to change the perception of the team at home. Yet what they have lacked as of late are results against top teams to earn more fans.

That’s changing, and Crosby isn’t just witness to it. Against Venezuela, he was part of it. “With the games that they’ve put together, they’re only going to get more and more (attention). It’s fun to see. They deserve it. It seems like they’re a really great group of guys,” Crosby said.

This Canadian team is tasked not just with winning matches as they’ve done under new head coach Jesse Marsch; they also understand it’s their responsibility to continue to grow a game that might enjoy heavy participation among children but still falls behind hockey in terms of national popularity.

“What a legend to have on our side,” Marsch said of Crosby. “This is important for us in 2026 (at the World Cup with Canada hosting alongside the U.S. and Mecico). We want to feel the power of the entire nation.”

Now, the team is looking at Crosby’s endorsement as another example of their own star in Canada growing brighter.

“You can tell how much it means to the team that we are taking that next step in Canadian pop culture,” Johnston said. “You could see that we’re reaching a bigger crowd than just the football mad crowd. We’re inspiring a lot of people.”

Canada’s next chance to inspire will undoubtedly be their most difficult test yet: A semifinal against world champions Argentina.

As difficult a test as it might be, Canadian players all agree they believe more people than ever will be watching their team. And that includes Crosby.

[jackhues]

3 + 1 - sidney crosby

notes: i hope you guys like this, first fic for 'it's the most wonderful time of the year', had lots of fun making this!!

likes are good, reblogs are better <3

part of naqia's end of the year celly!

gif not mine

i. (1994)

you'd known sidney your entire life. one of the first memories you had with him was fighting him for the last hockey stick in the store.

well, it wasn't the last hockey stick. but it was the last one of all the types you used to play. it just so happened to be the only one sidney used.

after a game of rock, paper, scissors (you won), sidney got mad and demanded a best of three. maybe it was the defiant look in his eyes at only seven years old, but you decided he could have the stick.

"are you sure?" he asked, now looking hesitant about taking the stick.

you nodded, "i'm sure. they'll get one of the sticks i use in a few days. you can have this one. i'll just steal my brother's stick until then."

sidney grinned, "thanks, y/n."

you smiled back at him, feeling the start of a friendship. you'd lived near him your entire life, but you'd only begun talking to him because of hockey.

"just don't forget to send me a card when you go to one of your tourneys," you told him.

you and sidney laughed over that, before heading back home with your parents. it was after this day that you began to say hi to each other in the halls of school, that you decided to pair up for projects, that you became friends.

over the two months it took until christmas morning, you forgot about what you'd told him. but sidney didn't forget his promise.

and it was on december twenty fifth, that you received a post card in the mail from some place in quebec. a seven year old sidney had tried his best to make the letters look pretty, writing on the side, 'merry christmas, and thanks for the hockey stick, y/n. it helped me win!'

you peered in the envelope, finding a picture of sidney hoisting his giant hockey trophy. you smiled at that.

even though he was so far away, it felt like you were celebrating christmas together.

--

ii. (2004)

'sidney patrick crosby, you have got to be kidding me! you have a huge hotel, you're in finland, and you've got some of the best people with you. and yet, you're saying you wished you were here playing pond with the rest of us? you're crazy. anyways, make sure you score a goal or something, and have lots of fun! honestly, not scoring is fine if you have fun. good luck at the world juniors! i'll be cheering you on from back home :))'

you signed off the letter, sealing it and placing it to the side to deliver later.

at seventeen years old, sidney had become the only under-18 player at this year's world junior tournament for team canada. it was a thing to celebrate, but sidney was upset he would be missing the town's annual christmas pond hockey game.

you and him had played together on the same team for the last nine years, winning every time. this was the first time he wouldn't be here to help your team defend the title.

but that was okay, you thought as you packed up your christmas gear and made your way to the pond.

because sidney was going to play on your t.v. tomorrow, at the national level. it was his first time playing for canada, and you knew he was excited for that.

he just wasn't a fan of missing the small things.

it was why he'd began sending you letters and post cards as he moved around for tournaments and hockey games. they were cute souvenirs, and you didn't mind sending him a letter back.

you just wished he could've been here to celebrate christmas with the rest of you.

--

iii. (2009 - pretend ft was invented a year earlier)

"merry christmas, love."

you smiled, "merry christmas sid."

sidney adjusted his phone, fixing the facetime so you could see him better. you laughed as he struggled for a minute, finally getting a proper angle.

"don't move!" you said. "there, perfect. now your entire face is on my screen."

he laughed as he shook his head to himself.

the two of you had been friends for thirteen years before he worked up the courage to ask you out. and for the last two years of your relationship had been amazing. there were ups, like seeing him win the stanley cup, and there were downs, like seeing him take some uncalled for hits.

but you were happy. and so was sid.

the two of you had planned to celebrate christmas together in pittsburgh, until a family emergency had you coming back to nova scotia last minute.

everything turned out fine, but it was just too late to get a ticket back to pittsburgh.

even so, you and sid had found a way to work around that.

the two of you spent most of the day on the phone with each other, talking and laughing together. it wasn't what either of you had planned, but you made it enjoyable.

it was a great christmas.

--

iv. (2012)

"sidney, will you get down here already?"

"i'm coming, i'm coming," he called from upstairs.

you sighed, waiting for your husband to get up and get downstairs. christmas morning was the one morning you were happy to get out of bed, but it was also the one morning sid wanted to sleep in.

sam, sidney's dog, came down the stairs, curling around by the christmas tree as he waited for sid with you.

a few minutes passed before sidney made his way downstairs, eyes half closed but a sleepy smile plastered on his face to greet you.

"good morning, love," he pressed a kiss to your forehead. "merry christmas."

"merry christmas," you smiled, pressed a kiss to his jaw. "we eating breakfast first or presents first?"

"mmm, breakfast," sid decided.

"i knew you were going to say that," you laughed, pulling him along to the kitchen.

you'd already prepared breakfast before he came down. some eggs, sausage and bread. it was a good way to pass the time as you waited for sid to get downstairs.

the two of you took your seats, laughing as you ate breakfast and discussed how far you'd gone in life together.

"you almost tripped on the ice," he reminded you.

"no one told me i had to go out on the ice after you guys won," you argued. "i was so excited over you guys winning the stanley cup, i didn't even notice i was being ushered to the ice until i took my first step."

sid laughed as the two of you slowly made your way to the living room.

"here, open my present first," he said, rummaging under the tree to pull out a long, rectangular box.

the two of you had started the tradition of opening all of your sentimental gifts before the other cute ones. and even though you wanted to go first this year, you supposed it was alright if sid got this one.

you unwrapped the box, pulling out a familiar hockey stick. one that you'd given sidney eighteen years ago.

"oh my god," you muttered, tears building up in your eyes.

"i found it in my parent's garage last summer," he shrugged a little. "i remembered how badly you wanted it. and even though it's too small now, i thought you'd like the memory."

"i love it," you grinned, wiping the corners of your eyes. "it's absolutely perfect. i'm putting this up next to that picture of you holding up the trophy."

sid laughed at your response, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

"you can do whatever you like with it."

you put the stick to the side, your hands slightly shaky as you grabbed another, much smaller, box. "here. now open my present."

sid took the box from your hands, unwrapping it and opening it. he stared at the contents of the box, unable to form a sentence as he looked between the box and you.

"you -- this -- seriously?" his eyes shined as he stared at you.

you nodded, feeling the tears build up yourself. "we're having a baby."

sid laughed, pulling you in for a hug. "oh my god, this is amazing. a baby, you and me."

the two of you held each other that day, celebrating christmas together.

[gotta-winwin]

SEVENTEEN'S CYANA'S PROFILE

૮꒰◞ ˕ ◟ ྀི꒱ა > BASIC INFO

NAMES ->

birth name ── cyana yue chinese name ── 岳安娜 (yue an na) korean name ── 유소연 (yu so yeon)

NICKNAMES ->

seventeen ── nana, yue, yeonie vernon/joshua ── cy, anna minghao/jun ── 月亮 (yue liang / moon) wonwoo ── yana

BIRTHDATE & LOCATION ->

birthdate ── dec 27 1999 birthplace ── vancouver, canada residency ── vancouver, canada (1999 - 2016) los angeles, california (2016 - 2019) seoul, korea (2019 - present) nationality ── chinese-canadian ethnicity ── chinese

LANGUAGES ->

english ── 98% (fluent) chinese ── 60% (can speak, cannot read or write) korean ── 10% to 80% (from debut to present)

PHYSICAL DETAILS ->

height ── 160cm (5'2") weight ── 47kg (107lbs) blood type ── AB hair color ── brown (naturally) eye color ── brown

GENDER/SEXUALITY ->

gender ── female sexuality ── bisexual pronouns ── she/her relationship status ── unknown

૮꒰◞ ˕ ◟ ྀི꒱ა > CAREER

NAME ->

stage name ── cyana hangul ── 시아나 origin ── when deciding her stage name, she decided to continue the name she used as a child actor in the states to keep continuity.

INDUSTRY ->

company ── disney junior (2016-2019), pledis entertaiment (2019-present) trainee period ── 4 years in acting, singing and dancing

IN SEVENTEEN ->

debut age ── 19 years old subunit ── vocal team positions ── main vocalist, sub dancer, co-producer, visual, twin maknae representative emojis ── 🐰 individual fandom name ── cyans

૮꒰◞ ˕ ◟ ྀི꒱ა > PERSONAL

MBTI ->

infj-t > [the advocate] description ── an advocate excels in creativity and imagination, and is known to be a perfectionist. They have intuitive understanding of complex systems and human nature, sensitive to criticism and have a tendency to internalize stress. They're able to make strong connections with people easily although shy.

PHOBIAS->

autophobia — fear of being alone agoraphobia — fear of large crowds

LIKES ->

late night walks, dogs with soft fur, black cats, diy activities, harry potter universe, watching movies and tv shows, heart to heart talks, skinship, arranging flowers, writing lyrics

DISLIKES ->

loud noises, jumpscares, horror movies with children or dolls, crowded spaces, misinformation, eggs, swallowing pills, hot weather, casual cruelty

FAVOURITES ->

color — lilac purple, sky blue, navy movies / tv shows — harry potter (specifically POA), criminal minds, grey's anatomy, modern family, the office, little women, one piece, falling into your smile, american psycho, the perks of being a wallflower emojis — 😭😰🤗👍🤍 season — autumn / spring

[maplerunner0207]

For Sinc

Just a little something for the GOAT. Thanks Sinc.

You’re sitting in the changing room, soothing music pumping through your headphones. Your teammates and the staff bustle around you, downing electrolytes and getting final treatments.  It’s showtime: Portland vs. Gotham. You’re not starting, but you assume you’ll be subbed in for Reyna around the 60 minute mark if all goes well. You hope that the Thorns can get the win. It’s been a tumultuous season, and you’ve all had to deal with a lot of shit along the way. But mostly, you hope you can send Sinc out on a high note. You close your eyes, and think back to your first interaction with the woman who had been your childhood hero.

You were 16, still in high school, and fresh out of junior team camp. Canada’s Next Superstar is what the sports journalists had called you, even going so far as to liken you to a young Jessie Fleming. It was a lot of pressure. But then your parents had gotten a call from head coach Bev Priestman. You had been selected, at only 16 years of age, to train with the senior team in a September camp. To say you were elated was an understatement. Which is how you found yourself, jetlagged and luggage burdened, tripping over your feet as you entered your assigned room at the team hotel.

“Can I help you with that?” you heard a voice chuckle. Blushing and looking up from the suitcase you had unceremoniously tripped over, you locked eyes with Christine Sinclair. The Christine Sinclair. So much for first impressions. “Oh, uh-sure thanks.” She grabbed a few of your bags, leaving you standing in the doorway, mentally slamming your head against the wall and cursing your two left feet. She set your bags down on the bed closest to the door and beckoned you to come in. “So, it’s your first senior camp, huh?” she said with a knowing smile. “Yeah,” you replied. “You’re pretty young,” she countered, after a few moments of silence. “Yeah,” you said a little quieter. “Hey, I’m not trying to scare you,” she laughs, “I just want you to be comfortable here. We’ve had plenty of young girls on the national team, and they’ve all turned out ok. You can ask-” “Jessie,” you cut in, “Jessie Fleming. She was younger than me. I’m 16.” She stared at you, then said, “You remind me of her, when she was your age. You know, I think you two will get along pretty well.”

And so began your national team journey. Christine was right. You and Jessie did get along. Vanessa called it the “wallflower alliance”, but you kind of just clicked from the get go. There was a silent understanding between the two of you to be the first on the field for extra passing and touch drills. And with all of the bubbly and enthusiastic personalities of the team, silence was exactly what you needed sometimes. Sure, you liked being around people, but you had always functioned best independently. And you were an observer. This same quality had saved you from a fair share of havoc from the team’s pranksters. But it also enabled you to read people with a scary accuracy.

Before even stepping foot on the national team, you had known that Christine Sinclair was a world-class football player and leader. She was an all-time great in Canada Soccer history. But after getting to know her, you found that Christine Sinclair was a giver. She touched lives in meaningful ways. If you had to choose a single embodiment of good in the world, you would choose Sinc. From reaching out to any struggling team member after a rough game, to coming over to your lonely apartment to celebrate Thanksgiving after you had signed with Portland, Sinc showed how deeply she cared about so many others. And even after going out of her way to help seemingly anyone but herself, Sinc hated recognition for any act of goodwill. It was something you really admired and also despised about her.

Which is why you slip your headphones off and stand up on your seat. “Can I get everyone’s attention!” The changing room stills and all eyes turn towards you. You fight down a blush and clear your throat. “I just want to say from the bottom of my heart, thank you Sinc.” You turn your body towards her as your other teammates start cheering and urging you on. “You’ve inspired a whole generation of girls and boys in this sport, including me. And that young girl all those years ago in my first senior camp is so grateful for the role model and caring figure that you’ve been. We’ve all been lucky to have you leading this team. Through ups and downs, you’ve always worn this badge with pride. And now, when we go out tonight to defend it, just know that we’re doing it for you too.” She smiles up at you. Rallying one last shout, you say, “For Sinc!”

[yanxioustrikas]

dmitri

link to the latest art of dmitri

this post is simply called dmitri, and this is hopefully everything you need to know about them! or just some fun facts lol

(this was sitting in draft since SUMMER, and since there is another rise of ocs in supablr, i thought this would be a good opportunity to revise and post this)

biography

full name: dmitri mikhailovich sokolov

pronouns: he/they

sexuality: bisexual

gender: genderfluid

age: 16 (debut), 17 to 18 (super league junior career), 19 to early 20s (post-super league junior)

birthday: may 23

height: 191 cm/6'3 ft

nationality/citizenship: russian-south african

ethnicity: russian + cameroonian

residence(s): st. petersburg, russia (birthplace), johannesburg, south africa (permanent), toronto, ontario, canada (for uni)

language(s): russian, french, english, afrikaans (fluent in first three, limited proficiency in afrikaans)

significant other: hiram romilly-choucair

family

father: mikhail sokolov

mother: nadine bahanag

sibling(s): matvey (older brother; oldest), avdotya (older sister; middle)

pet(s): squeaky (white maine coon cat)

super league junior profile

team: invincible united junior fc

jersey number: 17

position: midfielder + captain

award(s): rookie of the year, star of the match (x10), slj captain of the year (x2)

post-secondary profile

type: university

location: toronto, ontario, canada

program: fashion design - bachelor of design

varsity sports team: men's ice hockey - goaltender

extracurricular clubs: francophone club, visual arts club, cameroonian student association, literature club

possible future career: fashion designer, fashion journalist, or dressmaker

hobbies and interests

ice hockey

soccer

visual art (won a few high school awards for his artworks)

creative writing

sewing and designing

flute

dance (contemporary ballet)

russian and french literature

cooking (not great at it so they call their sister for help lol)

making mocha

strawberries

extra stuff about his family because they all have interesting lives lol

mikhail (father), he/him

a therapist, specializing in cognitive behavioural therapy and psychotherapy, and is among the best psychologists in johannesburg

did practicum at the oasis, and used to work for cognito fc for a year

ex-ballet dancer from a wealthy (and horrible) classical ballet family in moscow

other interests include dance (for old time sake and to pass on the sokolov techniques to his kids), sudoku, pilates, cooking

nadine (mother), she/her

a corporate lawyer working at one of south africa’s high-ranking law firms

cousin of el matador’s female lawyer (both also attended the same law school)

during her youth, she played defence for the u-18 cameroon's women's national soccer team

other interests include yoga, cardio, playing piano, reading classical books

matvey (brother), he/him

a flute player studying at a prestigious conservatory in london, england

has a huge platform on various social media for showcasing his passion for music

part-time job as a music tutor

other interests include reading philosophical literature, working out, photography, playing ice hockey at a recreational league (defender), dance

avdotya (sister), she/her

a food science major and a culinary enthusiast

was a contestant (two-time champion) at a national (russian) junior chef competition

currently co-president for her university’s culinary club

other interests include painting, playing intramural ice hockey (forward), dance, weightlifting, journaling

squeaky (cat), he/him

a male cat who is very talkative and friendly

was adopted from a shelter in johannesburg at 5 months olds

loves to watch the birds from inside the house, but never chases them if outside

dislikes eating fish itself, will eat if the fish is eaten with something else in the bowl

the kids love hockey and dance sm

[sergeifyodorov]

hmm i was scrolling through Twitter earlier and as the designated leafs blog in my mind, what are your thoughts on fraser minten? like he’s so interesting to me because in the narrative i’ve created of him he was tavares’ fifth child but then was our balanced by knies being better, but then wjc happened and he still couldn’t crack it. now he’s on the blades (one of the best whl teams i think??) very interesting

NARRATIVELY he's definitely The Tavares Child -- okayyyy so. Sew. this New Generation of leafs (imho starting at Knies and including Easton Cowan as well as minten) kind of... each parallel a member of the Core: Knies is Auston's child (Arizona boy, big strong forward), Cowan is Mitch's child (London Knight, small winger with endless energy) and Minten is JT's child (Captain anywhere he goes, known for maturity and intelligence)... william child + morgan child ->

anyHWAY the real life scouting report under the cut (not too long i don't think)

Minten's a high second-rounder, which is the type of player that's generally designated as an "upper maybe" NHLer -- by which I mean odds-on he'll get NHL games (as Mints has) but it's less likely he'll become a serious full-time player (although many a second-rounder can and does do so!) The most interesting thing about his draft position was that the Leafs, under Kyle Dubas, traded DOWN to get him -- we had a low first-rounder, then traded it to Chicago to get rid of the Mrazek contract and got the pick that would become Mints in return. Many a source says that Kyle wanted Mints anyway and would have taken him with the first-round pick.

The general consensus is that Mints tops out as a middle-six centre, a 3C on a good team or a 2C on a worse one (or a 1C on the Boston Bruins.) His ceiling is probably about 40 or 50 points, maybe more depending on how much power-play usage he gets.

However, it's also noted (and was pretty obvious to me, even watching him at the WJC -- which I'll get to in a second!) that his real value is not and will likely never be in point production. He's a natural centre, good-to-great at faceoffs (a skill that he learned in part from JT!!) and very good defensively. Because he's still a kid, plays a bit physically and tends to be involved in the play at both ends, he probably takes a few too many undisciplined stick infractions, but these things of course can be straightened out with time and wisdom. Also, he's a touch of a personality hire: he was the youngest A on the all-timer Kamloops Blazers last year and was pretty much immediately named C after the Leafs sent him home this year; he was named captain of the CANADIAN WORLD JUNIORS team with zero other experience playing for Canada on the national level. He plays the piano! He's smart, polite, doesn't cause a fuss, wise beyond his years. Takes a guy far.

Anyway, the WJC: just an absolute hackjob by the coach and one of those years that really demonstrates that Hockey Canada still thinks it can get ahead by being Canada (the ol' throw bodies at the wall shtick) and not, like, because of its actual quality of development. I think bowing out when they did was a bit unlucky, but they absolutely were NOT primed to win it all -- especially because the coach basically seemed to have no concept of... line construction? or anything of the sort? Like he just tossed players together from a hat once (1) and decided they were just going to play out the tourney like that -- no real concept of "x is the playmaker, y is the shooter, z is the forechecker" or "these three are the transition line that take d-zone draws and use their speed to create rush chances/o-zone draws" or even something so simple as "this defensively-minded, slower centre is perhaps not the best match for the winger notorious for being opportunistic and shooty." Also, not to put too fine a point on it but a player can have a bad WJC and it doesn't mean anything, or a good WJC and it also doesn't mean anything -- Jesse Puljujarvi rose his draft stock by a good chunk in 2016 by having a FANTASTIC WJC, and he's currently on an AHL tryout. It's a small sample size, mostly played with teammates they barely know and against competition about a half-step up from what they're used to. Weird statlines happen.

Back to MINTS because we're still talking about him. Yess currently he's on the Blades -- traded from the Blazers because the Blazers are garbage and they want to Do Right By The Player and put him on a competitive team (done for two reasons: one, because it can be demoralizing to be the best player on a bad team, and two, because being on a good team in juniors often means you get actually good-for-your-development linemates and usage). He was generally not expected to make the Leafs at ALL this season (I mean, 20-year-old second-rounder, right?) and cracking the roster out of camp, even though he only got three games and has a rather blank statline is SUPER impressive. I'm pretty sure this is his last year of CHL eligibility, after which he'll probably either get put on the Marlies for a year to keep cooking or he'll make the Leafs again and stick around. Either way, he's slid twice I think so we burn a year of his ELC.

and my opinion of the boy? I love him. Let's go baby leafs baby leafs forevar

[misshoneyimhome]

i have more of a cute ask then a smut one but going back to the interview will did in sweden, what if it was him getting asked if he’s single and he starts talking abt his gf and how much he loves her and it’s all cute

Bb, you had me at cute ask ❤️ I’m all with you on this one, because let’s face it, that boy may not fall easily, but when he does, it’s deep 😉

➼｡ﾟ

Cause All of Me, Loves All of You I William Nylander

William had grown used to being in the spotlight.

As a star player for the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team, his exceptional talent had consistently garnered attention. However, in recent years, he had found himself in the spotlight even more.

Currently on a global series tour, the team had the pleasure of playing in what he considered to be his hometown of Stockholm. Despite his birthplace being in Calgary, Canada, Sweden had always felt more like home to William. His familial roots lay in Sweden, and everything from the language to the traditions and homey cuisine resonated deeply with him, reflecting his strong connection to Swedish culture.

And as the team arrived in Stockholm, the media naturally focused their attention on the charming 27-year-old. Interviews, signing sessions, and a flurry of media engagements ensued.

Yet, none of this could have prepared him for what was about to unfold next.

William had been asked to appear on a national Swedish talk show hosted by the charming Bianca, to which he’d graciously accepted. It was nothing like he’d ever done before, but since he’d done numerous of interviews, he figured it might be enjoyable to give it a shot.

And as he sat comfortably in the make-up chair, nearly ready for the show, you quietly peeked in to check on him.

Him. Your boyfriend. William Andrew Michael Junior Nylander Altelius.

_

You had met him several months back, and casually dated for weeks before deciding to elevate your relationship to a more serious level.

Though he had shared snippets of his life on social media, he had never directly mentioned you. During interviews he’d deliberately avoided any mention of girls or dating, focusing solely on hockey, as instructed by managers. Not that you minded at all.

The spotlight belonged to him, not you. And you respected his desire to keep his private life just that - private - and to shield his loved ones from the unpredictable nature of the media.

At first, it had stung a bit, the thought that he might be embarrassed or not serious about you. However, following a heartfelt conversation after a minor disagreement, you came to understand his reasons for keeping your relationship private – he wanted to shield you from potential scrutiny.

And as time passed, your relationship evolved, and eventually, neither of you fretted much about others' opinions.

_

With a gentle stride, you approached him, a smile gracing your lips as you glanced at him through the mirror, feeling immensely proud of your remarkable man.

"Ready for the big spotlight?" you teased lightly, eliciting a soft laugh from William.

"Sure," he replied nonchalantly.

"Feeling okay, darling?"

William nodded gently. "Yeah, I suppose I'm just a bit nervous... I've never done anything like this before."

"You'll be brilliant, Willy," you reassured, leaning against the make-up stand, gazing down at him with a tender expression. "Everyone will adore you."

"What if I mess up?" he asked timidly, despite knowing he had been well-prepped and having years of experience in media work. Nevertheless, a faint sense of uncertainty lingered within him.

"Come on, babe, you've practically aced situations like this a million times," you reassured him with a comforting smile. "If they start digging into your personal life, smoothly turn the conversation back to hockey. And if they bring up anything negative about your career, family, or anything else that makes you uneasy, just flash them that stunning, confident smile of yours and throw in a cheeky comeback."

Your words seemed to soothe William; his tense muscles gradually relaxing as he regained control over his racing heartbeat.

"And in the worst-case scenario, use the political strategy - answer a question with another question. Journalists hate that," you chuckled, your unconventional communication advice amusing William.

"Wow, babe, you should be in PR," he jested, earning a playful huff from you.

"Yeah, right. Dealing with people and the media all day? No thanks, I'm good sticking to my desk," you retorted with a wink, teasingly.

And amidst your shared laughter, the crew arrived to usher William away and prepare him for the interview.

"See you later, babe," he murmured, planting a gentle kiss on your lips as he rose from his seat. "You'll be backstage the whole time, yeah?"

"Of course," you replied with a soft smile. As William exited the dressing room, your gaze lingered on the man you deeply loved, observing him getting ready for the show, a profound sense of pride and happiness filling you.

And as the stage lights prepared to illuminate and the show was set to commence, William felt the heat more than expected. The temperature seemed much higher than he'd anticipated, so despite his initial confidence in his casual attire for the night, the loose jacket gradually became too much. Eventually, he opted to ditch it, appearing on stage solely in a white tank top.

Your eyes fixated on him as he shed the jacket, causing you to gently bite your lower lip at the sight. "Fuck, he looks good," you thought, simultaneously feeling a twinge of disappointment as he exposed his impressive physique to the world.

But quickly shaking off the feeling, you reminded yourself that you'd be the only one appreciating his body later tonight. That is until Bianca remarked on his toned physique, and Marinna, sweetly and slightly embarrassed, delicately touched his upper arm while praising his defined muscles.

And she wasn't wrong.

William did indeed possess an impressive physique. His body bore the results of elite sports training - muscles finely sculpted and defined, with a hint of thickness that hinted at his love for food, almost rivalling his passion for hockey.

Among his many physical attributes, his thighs stood out, at least in your opinion. They were solid, strong, and defined, and overall, your favourite spot to snuggle up against.

Then there was his torso - a well-built frame adorned with a light smattering of chest hair that you often playfully ran your fingers through.

And those arms, strong enough to envelop you in a tight embrace, effortlessly lifting you as if you weighed nothing at all.

You understood precisely how the two women felt, sitting next to your boyfriend, their eyes lingering on him with a hint of desire. And a slight smirk danced on your lips.

The show went on smoothly. William handled each question with professionalism, infusing his responses with his trademark laughter, showcasing both his expertise and his enjoyment.

However, it was the subsequent line of questioning that caught you completely off guard. Bianca, far from being subtle, dove straight in with her probing questions.

"So, you're single?" Bianca inquired, obviously aiming to captivate the attention of anyone eager to hear that coveted 'yes' slip from William's lips.

And though you half-expected that response, considering he'd never publicly acknowledged your relationship, his words proved you wrong.

"No… No, I'm actually not," William chuckled.

Your heart sank at his announcement of his relationship status, fully aware that this would be broadcasted worldwide, potentially sparking a flurry of quotes and discussions across the internet.

"Aha, and who's the lucky person?" Bianca inquired, maintaining her professional tone.

William paused, contemplating how much to reveal. He understood that you preferred a low-profile existence, and his management had advised keeping his dating life discreet for as long as possible.

Yet, an overwhelming urge surged within him to pour out everything he adored about you. He wanted the world to know; how you crossed paths, seamlessly integrating into his chaotic life, adjusting effortlessly to his roller-coaster schedule. He yearned to shout out his love for you, to express how incredible you were for standing by his side through every high and low, and to proclaim your stunning beauty, kindness, and unwavering care. He wanted everyone to know it all.

However, composed he tried to remain, a broad grin crossed his face as he began, "She's this wonderful person who entered my life a few months back, and luckily for me, she decided to stick around," he added a casual jest, though he could feel his heart racing and his cheeks turning a faint shade of pink, by the mention of you.

"So, you've been together for a while?" Bianca probed.

"Um, only a couple of months… It took me ages to ask her out and convince her to go on a date with me," he chuckled, lightly rubbing his slightly sweaty hands together, excitement coursing through his body.

"Wait, she didn't want to go out with you at first?" Bianca chuckled lightly. "Wow, she must be out of her mind - how did that go?"

William couldn't hide his pure excitement as he started talking about you. "Oh, she definitely is! I mean, she's just so amazing and wonderful, probably way out of my league," he blurted out, his words running ahead of his thoughts. "She's intelligent, funny, and initially, she kept laughing whenever I asked her out because she thought I was joking. But on my fifth attempt, she finally agreed to give me a chance."

"On your fifth try? That's keeping a man on his toes," Bianca remarked, intrigued by the unfolding tale.

"Oh yeah, she definitely didn't make it easy, but it only made me want to get her to say yes more," William confessed, his eyes reflecting the nostalgia of those initial weeks after meeting you.

"So, what changed her mind about you?" Bianca inquired, observing William as he pondered his response.

"Honestly, I'm not sure - perhaps someone convinced her that I'm an alright guy and she should give it a shot," he answered, his words not far from the truth.

In reality, when William had persistently pursued you, and you had turned him down multiple times due to his overly confident yet enticing demeanour, it was Auston Matthews who convinced you to give William a chance. With his own charm, Auston had convinced you by highlighting how much William desired not just a physical connection but found your energy and personality irresistible.

"And things worked out in the end?" Bianca probed further.

"Well, somehow, yes," William continued. "I managed to take her out on a few dates, but relying solely on charm didn't work. I had to prove that I meant everything behind my words and eventually express how I truly felt."

As William delved into a more emotionally charged aspect of the conversation, his voice gradually relaxed. Expressing deep feelings had never been his forte, a pivotal moment in your relationship when you had urged him to be straightforward and honest because you couldn't read his thoughts.

This nudged him to make a genuine effort to articulate his innermost feelings, leading to heartfelt conversations about your emotions for each other.

Bianca smiled, noticing the interview taking on a more romantic tone, and then Marianna joined in.

"Did she make you ask?" she sweetly inquired. "Did you have to ask her to be your girlfriend?"

"Oh, absolutely," William chuckled again. "Yes, I had to ask directly, otherwise, she said it didn't count."

Laughter and smiles filled the studio as William's infectious laughter resonated once more.

The situation had unfolded just as William described.

He hadn't initially considered discussing labels, content with enjoying your company. But you, well acquainted with boys like him, knew their tendency to keep a girl around until they grew bored and moved on. So, you diplomatically and casually laid down the options: either you were dating with a view to be serious or simply good friends with benefits - exceptionally good benefits, of course.

So, realizing that to keep you exclusively for himself, William needed to take a more direct approach, and eventually he asked you directly, to which you naturally responded with a 'yes'.

As the interview gradually drew to a close, you found yourself unable to contain your amusement. Though slightly taken aback by William's sudden honesty and directness in discussing you, you couldn't help but smile.

Amidst the final applause and the cameraman calling "cut," William stood up and made his way backstage to join you before meeting up with his friends and family.

A smile graced your lips as you welcomed your man with open arms, both of you enveloping each other in a deep, affectionate hug followed by a tender kiss.

"You were amazing, babe," you gently praised after parting from the embrace, gazing up at him with sparkling eyes.

"Yeah, you think so? I hope I didn't share too much - I felt like I just kept talking and talking, and-"

"Willy," you interrupted his rambling. "You were perfect, love - I'm just surprised you said all those things about… us."

"Well, I just wanted everyone to know how much I love you… and," he exhaled softly, as if it were a relief to finally share his deep thoughts. "I can't stop thinking about how much I want you around all the time and… I never want you to leave me."

In that fleeting moment of profound tenderness, your heart quickened at his heartfelt words.

"Willy… I'll never leave you. I love you so much, and I'll always be by your side," you whispered gently, still wrapped in his embrace, feeling the reassurance as his arms tightened around you, drawing you closer.

"Promise?" he softly asked, his eyes reflecting a hint of concern.

"I promise," you almost breathed out, drawing him into another deep kiss.

For a moment, it felt as if the world had faded away, leaving both of you lost in the intimacy, until Calle's voice abruptly shattered the intimate bubble.

"Jeez, Willy, you might as well have proposed on stage with that speech about your girl," he chuckled loudly as he and the other Swedes joined you.

"Oh, please don't give him any ideas," you laughed lightly, with a hint of seriousness, gently pulling back from William's embrace, though his arm remained securely around your waist.

"Don't worry about that," Calle teased further. "He's already got it all planned out."

William chuckled along with his friend's playful banter, knowing that there might indeed be a hint of truth in it. At least in his heart, he was set on making you his completely one day, ready to offer you half of what he owned and all of his heart.

[thenhlteaissuperhot]

The Bruins are effortlessly funny - or the aftermath of Poitras being sent home from the Juniors by the Czech team

"In case you don't know the Czech national anthem, Lauko will sing it for you. You have probably heard it at the end of the game." - Montgomery

Reference to this Twitter teasing from Lauko after Canada's loss:

[grantmentis]

2024 u18 Women's Worlds Information

What: The biggest junior tournament for women's hockey, featuring the top players from 8 of the best IIHF countries

When: January 6th to January 14th

Full schedule available here (it will even convert to your time!) Since this takes place in Switzerland, most of these games will be early morning for North American's, but there's a few afternoon starts.

Where: Zug, Switzerland

Where to watch: The following will host at least some of the games. Sadly a lot are only showing games in their country and medal games (for example, in the round robin, TSN and NHL Network are only showing USA, Canada, and Slovakia.) There are also some alternate sources to watch if you do not have access to these channels, and I'm happy to connect if you're an active account on here if you DM me

TSN

RDS

NHL Network

SVT Sweden

Discovery Finland

Swiss digital / ringier sports

Format: There is an initial round robin round among each of the two groups, group A and Group B.

Group A contains Finland, Canada, Czechia, Germany

Group B contains Sweden, United States, Slovakia, Switzerland

After that, the teams will play a cross-over Quarter-final game in the following format (via wikipedia)

Who: Below the cut is the rosters for each team, a few notable players, and what the main goals for each team will be

Switzerland

(Text version available here and here)

2023 Finish: 7th place

What to expect: Switzerland has had a rough few years in the tournament, having had to play to avoid relegation the last two years. If they can stay out of the relegation game

Players to watch: Ivana Wey had 4 assists last world juniors, and is currently playing on a beyond stacked SWHL B team where she's seen a lot of ice time and scored a lot of goals. 15 year old Norina Müller is one of the youngest forwards on the roster, and has seen some time in a SWHL A team this year, which is impressive experience especially at her age.

USA

Text version of roster available here and here

2023 finish: 3rd place/Bronze

What to expect: USA was upset by Sweden in last years semifinals, and is hoping to make it back to the medal game and upset the favorites and their rivals in Canada

Players to watch: Captain Maggie Scannell is in this tournament for a third time and was one of the best players last year, with 8 points in 5 games. 17 year old Boston College commit Ava Thomas is one of the many excited prospects coming out of the Philadelphia Jr Flyers program in recent year. She has dominated in many national tournaments before with speed that she utilizes well, and is a must watch as she makes her intentional debut.

Sweden

2023 Finish: silver

What to expect: Last year, Sweden had a huge victory over the USA to make the finals only to experience a disappointing 10-0 finish. This year, they will want revenge and a gold medal, maintaining a lot of the same group.

Players to watch: Hilda Svensson was the top scorer on the team and she has only gotten better, as one of the top scorers on SDHL team HV71. Isabelle Leijonhielm is playing in this tournament for the third time, and has taken a pretty big step at the SDHL level this year despite being on a struggling team and has a knack for getting shots through traffic

Slovakia:

Text version available here

Last year: 6th place finish

What to expect: Hope to continue to build on last year, but unlikely to move much in the standings, and show more depth

Players to watch: If you don't already know about Nela Lopusanova, you should look her up and instantly see what a sensation she is. Won best player of the tournament last year after scoring 9 goals and 3 assists in 5 games including a michigan goal, and has spent the past year at one of the best prep schools in north america. Her teammate, Ema Tothova, has also spend the past year getting better, and is one of the top scorers in the EWHL. The two will almost certainly be linemates and a must watch for this tournament

Canada

Text version can be found here and here

Last year: First/Gold

What to expect: Last year, Canada steamrolled everyone to victory, and much of the same roster is back and expecting to do it again. People have named this as one of the best u18 rosters we have seen.

Players to watch: Caitlin Kraemer had 10 goals last tournament, so eyes will be on her to repeat that great performance. Defender Chloe Primerano will be making her exciting u18 worlds debut after dominating the CSSHL U22 by having one of the best season ever recorded and becoming the highest scoring defender of all time in the league in just 45 games

Germany

Text version available here and here

Last year: Was in u18 Division I group A and was promoted!

What to expect: Germany will mainly be trying to avoid relegation and stay in the top division, a lot of the key player that helped with promotion have aged out sadly

Players to watch: Anastasia Gruß was one of the top scorers last tourament with 5 points in 5 games. Emilija Birka and Mathilda Heine will be two of the youngest playres at this tournament at only 14 year old, so it will be interesting to see how they impact the roster

Finland

Text version available here and here

Last year: Fourth Place

What to expect; This is a team that wants to medal, and has more depth than teams like Switzerland or Slovakia, but may not have the star power to fully compete for a medal. Sanni Vanhanen aging out is a huge loss, and don't have some of the elite goaltender prospects to make up for that like they have in the past. That said, it's still Finland, and there are many players poised to break out. Such as the following!

Players to watch: Emma Ekoluoma has been great both in the Finnish top League (naisten liiga) as well as in international competition this year. Nelly Anderson is a 16 year old defender who made major steps this year and was impactful as she played more games in Naisten Liiga, and I'd expect her to get some big minutes

Czechia

Text version here and here

Last Year: Fifth Place

Expectations: Medal! There's a lot of reason to believe this group can take a big step this year as Czechia has reaped the rewards of investing in their women's program the past few seasons

Players to watch: Adéla Šapovalivová was the top scorer for Czechia last year, and this year she enters as one of the top scorers in the SDHL where she plays against many senior level players. Same for Tereza Plosová, a university of minnesota commit who has already been a consistent producer in the SDHL and played on the Czech senior team. Goaltender Daniela Nováková looked good in an extremely small sample size at last years tournament, so we will see if she can build on that

[sunskate]

Warsaw Cup 2024 RD

why are some events higher scoring season after season? Denis Ten kind of broke their tendency to be sky high this year, but here, 8 of the top 10 scored season or personal bests. the two who didn't had twizzle mistakes

Lauriault/Le Gac came out strong at Lake Placid and won against teams like the Browns, P/B, F/A and N/M but have had big errors and strange mistimings at every competition since. idk if it's gotten to them mentally. here, besides a big twizzle mistake, they couldn't complete a move where she goes through his legs and swings up because they didn't connect

Bashynska/Beaumont: they're having a rough go this season. the programs aren't doing them any favors, the taste level in the packaging, oof. this is a team who won junior GPF over Lim/Quan and the Mrazeks - they have more potential than they're showing right now. they skated ok here, but like L/LeG they've had some very bumpy competitions, and it's maybe affecting how they carry themselves. they still haven't gotten to do the ballet program of their dreams, and more elegant packaging could do a lot for them. hate to say it, but maybe the costco of ice dance would be better for them

i like Dupayage/Nabais, but thanks to Jean-Luc i can't stop noticing how much they accordion in the spacing between them as they go through their program

Lopareva/Brissaud looking solid besides a twizzle level. all the judges had them first except the German judge who had Pate/Bye 1st with a 81.17 and 4 points higher than L/B how 👀

Z/K looking crisp, and he's calibrating his energy level so it's less frenetic. she had a balance check in a twizzle and pirouetted part of her 3rd set for a level 2 - judges though gave them GOE from -1 to +3 😐 the Ukrainian judge didn't see either of her twizzle mistakes?

watching Hannah and Ye's RDs at their 2 GPs and then here, they've been pretty consistent. live in Quebec in August, this program was already good but even more for the potential to be really exciting - at Skate Canada it looks like they had a lot of glide. GP Finlandia it was a little bit more noticeable that their pattern maybe isn't as big as some other teams and that they're not as deep into their knees or the ice? the choreo on their ChRS lets them down a bit in the middle - too much pointing on the beat, the kicks don't match - it doesn't add a lot of interest, and you know they have the potential to eat up a choreo sequence

i never understand J v R/S's costumes lol

but a personal best for them and tied for 2nd in BV. German judge can’t be accused of national bias - had them in 4th

[jeanie-g]

omg i had the worst day ever but i saw this cool little game and was cheered up at the thought of it.

um maybe the number 56 and trevor and jamie

i hope this week has been better for you! here's some fluff 💞

[#56] enemy (Charli xcx)

Maybe you're my enemy / Now I've finally let you come a little close to me, oh

Trevor and Jamie could not be more opposite. Trevor's an extrovert, Jamie prefers solitude; Trevor's a brash, impulsive forward, Jamie the calculating, strategic defenseman; and if you want to zoom way out, Trevor's American, and Jamie's Canadian.

Their nationalities were the impetus behind their first meeting after all, ending with Trevor on the podium with a gaudy gold medal around his neck and Jamie commiserating with his canucks on the other side of the ice.

It was almost cruel to ship the two of them to Anaheim right after the championship. It was going to be uncomfortable one way or the other—it was either going to be the U.S. or Canada. The Ducks didn't seem to care either way; they just wanted their shiny new rookies on the same plane and at training camp as soon as possible.

The plane ride was awkward, Trevor remembers. He tried getting his new teammate to talk, but Jamie'd rejected every attempt at camaraderie. Trevor understood it; it sucked to lose, especially on a stage like that. He would've been pissed too if he had to shack up with one of that loss' main perpetrators an hour after the fact.

But as training camp began, Jamie's coldness continued. World Juniors was serious, but they were teammates now. They had to grow up. It wasn't until their time on the Gulls when Jamie began to warm up to him. It started with nods and greeting smiles, stick taps and the occasional "Nice footwork out there." They were road roomies sometimes, and Jamie at least acknowledged him, though he was quiet as a church mouse.

Things didn't truly click until a game midway through the season, when they connected on an odd-man rush and capped the OT winner over the Utica Comets. On instinct alone, they went soaring into each other's arms. And just like that, the dam had broken.

Back at the hotel, they ordered Chinese food and stayed up into the late hours of the night just—talking. Jamie told him about his hometown and the different teams he played for, Trevor finding it hard not to smile at the little things he pronounced differently.

Trevor, in turn, told him about his time at BU—the great team and the killer parties—and how weird it was to be so far from home. That, at least, Jamie could relate to.

And as they talked, it became clearer and clearer how stupid they'd both been. They'd wasted so much time being rivals, or feeling like they had to be, at least. Jamie started it, sure, but Trevor didn't put much effort into building a friendship either if he was being honest.

He even apologized for beating Canada way back when (a half-baked apology and Jamie knew it), but Jamie just shook his head and apologized back. He'd been a dick, he said, bitter and resentful and jealous.

That last word had caught Trevor's ear. When he made Jamie elaborate, the tips of his ears burnt red. But he went on to explain how envious of Trevor he was—not just of his skills on the ice but his confidence off of it. Jamie was intimidated; Trevor thought he was just being aloof.

After that, things snowballed, really. They were both sent up to Anaheim not far after the other, and scored their first goals minutes apart in the exact same same. They were road roommates and eventually, real roommates, and then one day, sitting on their roof top, Jamie kissed him.

This feels right, was Trevor's first thought before bringing a hand to his cheek to kiss him back. From there, it tumbled into Jamie Jamie Jamie.

And now, Trevor's looking at the framed photo of their celly from Trevor's first goal, five years old now, and is reminded how much they've grown since then.

Jamie's out with their dog, Chauncey, and Trevor has a pot roast cooking in the oven. He also has a ring box burning a hole in his pocket; Jamie has no idea.

It's laughable that they started out as enemies, no matter how misconstrued it was. But if it got them here, Trevor doesn't think he'd go back and change a thing.

[iammistressofmyfate]

Rating: Explicit

Relationships: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov

Tags: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Rule 63, Rivals To Friends with benefits To Lovers, Hockey, Olympics, Long-Distance Relationship, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Longing, queer women in love, bisexual Ilya forever, women in professional sports, Friendship, Headaches & Migraines, Dating, Falling In Love, Travel, Family Fluff, Mentions of Pregnancy, Weddings, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Honeymoon, Bathtub Sex, Shower Sex, Cunnilingus, Vaginal Fingering, Scissoring, Strap-Ons, Children, Menstruation, POV Alternating, Depression, Anxiety, Nipple Play, Alcohol, Smoking, Clubbing, Bachelorette Party, Webcam/Video Chat Sex

Summary: Shane Hollander and Iliana Rozanova are the biggest names in women's hockey. Meeting at the IIHF championship starts them on a journey into love that spans the next decade of their lives and beyond.

Excerpt:

2008 - Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Shane Hollander sat in the stands of the dumpy practice arena in Regina, Saskatchewan, bundled up in her Team Canada winter wear. On either side of her sat her parents, but all she was able to focus on was the team on the ice. 

And one person in particular. 

Normally Shane didn’t watch other teams practice. She didn’t like distractions but she couldn’t help herself this time around. 

Her eyes were on the tallest skater on the ice who was skating idly around on her edges, pausing, and looking up into the stands. Shane felt her heart speed up. 

Iliana Rozanova, top player for the Russian women’s junior national hockey team. They didn’t really know one another but word had gotten around about the star center and Captain. 

[IIHF Championship - Regina]

[Put Your Lips On Mine]

[Author's Note]

[travisdermotts]

I have to laugh every time they discuss rosters for 4 nations, and inevitably, they say canada has a goalie problem because

1. we have a MEN'S goalie problem. we have no issues on the women's side.

2. what do you expect from a country whose junior hockey had been riddled with sexual assault cases and is inaccessible and unaffordable for most families, who hasn't seen an NHL team win for over 30 years and every time we have a promising young player they get shipped off to bumfuck USA because of the lottery to waste away their first few good seasons.

Like why would anyone want to try??

[devilsupdates]

Update on trade

Again this is coming from ESPN and the Devils app

We got a goalie!!!!

The New Jersey Devils announced today that the team has acquired goaltender Jake Allen from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for New Jersey’s conditional third-round selection in the 2025 NHL Draft. Montreal will retain 50% of Allen’s salary both this year and in 2024-25, the last year of his contract. The announcement was made by President/General Manager Tom Fitzgerald.

The conditions on the pick are as follows: if Allen plays in 40 regular-season games in the 2024-25 season and his club qualifies for the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the 2025 third-round pick becomes New Jersey’s 2025 second-round selection.

Allen, 33, joins New Jersey after spending the last four seasons with Montreal. The 6’2”, 195lbs. goaltender recorded a 41-68-15 career record with the Canadiens, while also earning three shutouts and a 3.30 goals-against average (GAA). Allen posted 6-12-3 record in 21 games this season for Montreal and owns a 6-1-0 career record playing at Prudential Center.

Before Allen was traded to Montreal on Sept. 2, 2020, he played in parts of eight seasons with the St. Louis Blues from 2011-12 to 2019-20. Allen earned 148 career wins with St. Louis, which ranks second all-time for Blues franchise history. The Fredericton, New Brunswick native logged his first career regular season start on Feb. 13, 2013, in a 4-3 win at Detroit. He recorded a career-high 33 wins in 2016-17 with St. Louis and earned a career-high six shutouts in 2015-16.

The veteran netminder also carries Stanley Cup Playoff experience, after playing in six postseasons with St. Louis, and was a member of their 2019 Stanley Cup championship team. Allen has played in 29 career postseason contests and owns an 11-12 overall record with a 2.06 GAA.

Born on Aug.7, 1990, St. Louis selected Allen in the second round, 34th overall, in the 2008 NHL Draft. He also represented Canada on the international stage at the International Ice Hockey Federation’s (IIHF) U18 World Junior Championship (WJC) in 2007-08 and 2009-10. Allen helped Canada win a Gold Medal in 2008 and was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. He also earned a Silver Medal with Canada at the 2010 WJC.

[sergeifyodorov]

How does world juniors work and where would one watch?

This is my first season watching the nhl and I’m from nz so I suspect we wont be represented lol but I’m keen to learn more and watch some! Any recommendations on what ones to watch?

omg anon WELCOME and also ... a brief WORLD JUNIORS PRIMER for you all...

Puppy Bowl!

If you're from NZ I'm not sure you know about the Puppy Bowl -- a show run concurrent to the Super Bowl, but all the participants are puppies? It means absolutely nothing but it is adorable. The World Juniors are basically that, but also it is exactly as important as the Olympics what are you talking about. Their official name is the "IIHF U-20 World Championship," which is a pretty self-explanatory name -- it's a tournament for players 20 and under (I believe they have to be at least sixteen, but because young athletes mature physically a LOT in those four years, the vast majority are eighteen-nineteen-twenty). Tradition dictates it starts on Boxing Day, and it runs for about three weeks -- it starts with a round-robin, followed by a single-elimination tournament, a bronze-medal match, and a relegation match.

Players are selected by their national hockey administration -- for Canada, it's Hockey Canada, but all countries within the IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) have their own. The intricacies of ~Sports Bureaucracy~ are really long and only a LITTLE relevant, but every country ices the best roster they can, which means players are often "loaned" from CHL teams, NCAA universities, European league teams, or, occasionally, the NHL. (Note: You can usually tell how good a World Junior team is by how many players have been drafted/signed by NHL teams: the Canadians, Swedes, and Americans are almost always entirely draftees or under-18s, while the other teams in the upper division might only have a handful, or even only one, drafted player.)(Second note: The quality of a team has less correlation than you might think to them winning a single-elimination tournament.)

Like I said earlier, it starts with a round-robin: there are ten teams in the main WJ (we'll get to this in a second), divided into two groups of five, who each play each other once. The worst-performing team of each group is sent to the relegation match post-tournament, and the eight other teams do a single-elimination match until one team wins gold.

Teams and Divisions

This year, the top ten teams are: Canada, the US, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Norway, Czechia, Slovakia, Switzerland, and Latvia. Because of the invasion of Ukraine, Russia is banned from participating in IIHF tournaments, but when it's not it's always in the top ten (likely instead of Norway, Switzerland, or Latvia.) UNLIKE the NHL, the IIHF has multiple "divisions" of teams, and at the end of the tournament the bottom two teams play a match to avoid relegation from the official ~IIHF World U20 Championship~ to Division I, which is right under it. There is also a Division II and a Division III -- and after some sleuthing, there IS a New Zealand team in Div III!!!!!

Canada and Broadcasting

Unfortunately, the WJC is basically only popular in Canada -- essentially a Boxing Day tradition to watch the babies play and cheer for our teams' prospects, or, usually, just Team Canada. In fact, Hockey Canada has bid to host it basically every other year until 2030. Because of this (or maybe a bit of a chicken-egg situation), the WJC is... kind of hard to find online if you're outside of Canada? I know for a fact it's broadcast on TSN (one of our sports networks) without any regional blackouts, but I don't think there's anything available in NZ that will be streaming it, especially because it's not one of the IIHF top ten countries. If you're not already doing so, you'll probably have to sail the high seas for your fix. (If you don't know where to do this, you can slide into my DMs and I can send you a link!)

Who to watch?

There's basically two routes for this: one, pick the team you think is going to win, or two, go look up what prospects your NHL team has that are playing at the WJC and watch them (Note: neither the Avs nor the Oilers have any WJC prospects this year!) The IIHF website has the game schedule listed, including time-zone adjusted start times -- they're all staggered, so if you have a lot of free time you might be able to watch more than one!

Personally, as both a Canadian and a Leafs fan -- both WJC-chosen Leafs prospects are Team Canada players, including their captain Fraser Minten -- I would recommend Team Canada (unashamed homer bias here.) They're usually one of the favourites to win, and they're almost entirely either drafted or not yet eligible, so you can see either your prospects or you can look at Celebrini and hope (if your team is bad) that he's coming to you one day. The Americans are generally considered Thee tournament favourites, if you prefer your teams highly touted.

To me, the WJC has twofold appeal: one, junior hockey is, for lack of a better term, messier than high-level hockey? Pucks are more likely to bounce in silly ways, rushes can get crazy, and you can get both a super high amount of shots and a super high amount of goals. Hormonal teenagers playing super high-stakes hockey for the first times in their lives and they can get really, really into it! The passion a kid has scoring a medal-winning goal in front of a sold-out crowd is absolutely unrivalled by all but the Cup Finals. (OMGGGGG THIS IS YOUR FIRST HOCKEY SEASON TOO... ok don't let me start talking about nhl playoffs because THIS is the puppy bowl that is the super bowl. but worse! i mean better but it's worse (for your cardiovascular health.))

Two, that these guys are still so young, and that at least a few of them have long, illustrious, potentially-Hall-of-Fame NHL careers ahead of them. For a lot of young stars, the World Juniors is an important part of their Lore. Watching someone become something as an adult after you've seen him as a junior is... magical? World Junior hockey is diamond-in-the-rough hockey. There's no polish, but it's the rawness of the million-dollar stone that sells it.