#art ross trophy

[sunshine-gumdrop]

Lol when im high i do wanna research hockey history

This is actually so funny when you think about it...

Wayne dominated at the beginning, Mario the sparsely at the middle of the list and jagr at the end. I'm now wondering that time Mario lemieux was sick how much it affected his play.

By the trophy

Stanley 🏆

Wayne 1984 1985 1987 1988

Mario and jagr 1991 1992

Hart 🏆 mvp

Wayne 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1989

Mario 1988 1993 1996

Jagr 1999

Art ross 🏆 top scorer

Wayne 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1990 1991 1994

Mario 1988 1989 1992 1993 1996 1997

Jagr 1995 1998 1999 2000 2001

Chronological

1981 1982 1983 1986

These years wayne hart + art ross

1984 1985 1987

All wayne including stanley cup

1988

Mario wins hart and art ross

1989

Wayne hart

Mario art ross

1990

Jagr drafted

Wayne art ross

1991

Mario and Jagr stanley cup

1992

Wayne art ross

Mario and jagr stanley cup

1993

Mario hart and art ross

1994

Wayne art ross

1995

Jagr art ross

1996

Mario hart and art ross

1997

Mario art ross

Mario absent 1997-2000 first retirement

1998

Jagr art ross

1999 2000 2001

Jagr hart + art ross

Wayne retired in 1999

Legend: wayne mario jagr

[trendynewsnow]

Jaromir Jagr: The Legacy of a Hockey Legend in Kladno

Jaromir Jagr: The Heart of Kladno Hockey Kladno, Czechia — Nestled 30 kilometers northwest of Prague, Kladno is home to a 5,200-seat hockey arena set in a picturesque forest clearing. This is the birthplace of Jaromir Jagr, the legendary hockey player who amassed an impressive 1,921 points over 1,733 NHL games, winning five Art Ross trophies and two Stanley Cups along the way. Now, at 52 years…

[kingofthering]

motogp riders as hockey players

This has been a long time in the making but we are finally here. Promised myself I would take care of MotoGP after doing F1 two years ago and I landed on some stuff. Probably couldn't have finished this without the help of @moonshynecybin, @vanillow and every other person who had opinions on this in my polls and ask box.

I am not known to know how to make choices. I struggled to make some of those decisions (it's a miracle they didn't all end up on the wing). Also I've kind of been in a hockey break the last couple of years so the real players comparisons weren't coming to me as easily as they did for F1, sorry.

Would love to hear your opinions (don't be mean about my choices or I will cry) (okay bye).

2024 grid

Aleix Espargaro : I rewrote this one so many times because to me Aleix could play any position but everyone sees him as a goalie and I will agree on that. Big Flower vibes except Aleix was drafted in the 5th round and arrived in the NHL and started establishing himself later. At some point his team’s captain leave and they don’t name a new one (team just has 3 or 4 As like it happens sometimes) and Aleix already had one of those As but he's nicknamed Capitán anyway. Has a rookie leaving with him pretty much every year.

Alex Marquez : Defense baby, very evident to me. He blocks a lot of shots (part of the best PK of the league and all) and always gets into fights to defend Marc.

Alex Rins : Calm, defensive d-man. Moves teams a bit but never needs long to be given an A.

Augusto Fernandez : I am sorry I know so little about Augusto this is a little bit of a struggle. We’ll do center that mostly manage the 3rd line.

Brad Binder : Also someone I struggled to pinpoint so I tried thinking about hockey players he reminded me of and the first guy that came to me was Morgan Reilly. Then I thought of guys with little brothers that are a little more feisty and brain supplied me with Quinn Hughes so that’s probably a sign to go defense.

Enea Bastianini : Top 5 pick. Winger that lost the Calder fight to Jorge Martin (did you know that they technically were born only 30 days apart because I just realized when checking their draft class). Kind of a little shit on the ice but so good at what he does. Will bitch about having to speak English at any occasion. The media adores him anyway.

Fabio Di Giannantonio : 3rd round pick that arrives in the league 3 years post draft. Feels a little scrappy to me despite the fact that he has the softest of voices in interviews. Position? Hm. Also a toss-up. I’ll go defense. PP2.

Fabio Quartararo : First round pick that everyone criticizes until he proves everyone wrong by winning the Cader the season right after the draft. Winger, very talented, almost wins the Art Ross in his second season before struggling in the last quarter. Calder Trophy winner. The comparisons to Marc go crazy that first year (Fabio is star struck the first time they're face to face on the ice, thank god they're not dealing with FOs).

Franco Morbidelli : I think he’ll forever be a little enigma to me but I want to say goalie. Makes attempts for goalie goals every now and then. Succeeds at least once.

Jack Miller : 4th liner center that would deserve to go up and down between the AHL and the NHL but alas, he’s no longer on his ELC :) Definitely talks too much (both in and out of the ice), gets into a lot of fights, doesn’t win that many of them.

Joan Mir : The one that everyone predicted would be first overall but he wasn’t (Shane Wright vibes, sorry) (I’ve seen both Slaf & Pecco with my own eyes and they indeed have a big size difference so we’ll end the comparison here). Oh, and that’s a center baby.

Johann Zarco : Genuinely can’t even imagine him on ice skates. Maybe defense.

Jorge Martin : Center. Gets drafted lower than he expected but does beat Enea to get the Calder despite a big injury in his rookie year. Lives at Aleix place when he arrives in the league, spends so much time with the kids, etc etc

Luca Marini : My instinct was defense (while being aware of my ‘taller guys go play defense’ bias) and I have seen some arguments about putting him at center. I think putting him on the offensive line puts even more pressure on him re: being Valentino’s brother and I do like d-man Luca. Can’t imagine his beautiful face marred by a puck/stick/elbow bruise (or god forbid a broken tooth) but hm, we’ll ignore that.

Marc Marquez : Speedy crafty winger. True mix of Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid (yes they’re both centers, I know, I do not care) (if we wanna name actual wingers, Callie also said Travis Konecny and Johnny Gaudreau and I approve very much). Boy wonder that the media has been following forever. Angel face that does get into fights sometimes (Alex has to defend him so much because he’s tiny and good so obviously big guys come after him). 1st overall. Calder winner. Art Ross winner. Hart winner. You can’t really win the Stanley Cup on your rookie season when you’re first overall but he wins it early on anyway (think Sid in 2009, Kane/Toews in 2010).

Marco Bezzecchi : Winger. Connects with Pecco so well. Gets into fights and trash talks a little too much while having his mouthguard out of his mouth more often than in (think Matthew Tkachuk). Always plays it up for the camera when their photos are being taken when arriving at the arenas (and loves to have fun with some of his fits).

Maverick Viñales : Another one I could see in various positions. Definitely a first overall that had huge hopes put on his shoulders during his first years and then things faltered a little (bunch of trades, struggling to find his place within teams, etc). Fighter that went calmer with age. Since I can’t have an Aleix/Maverick d-pair, I think I’m gonna keep him at center.

Miguel Oliveira : I think solid center. Takes care of the second line. Probably has an A.

Pecco Bagnaia : Center and it’s not negociable in any world. Could be a 1st overall that disappoints a bunch of people by not getting the Calder. Very clinical play. Could see him as a two-ways forward (Anze Kopitar is coming to mind). Played college hockey with Bezz & Cele (was living with Bezz but Cele was at the house all of the time anyway, already in that first year where he was assigned to the dorms) (inspiration here being my beloved 2021-2022 UMich team).

Pedro Acosta : Winger. 1st overall. Calder trophy winner. Gets compared to Marc a lot and is so tired of it. Trash talks so much when he’s on the ice and on the bench (and in the penalty box). Was the very last rookie to live with Aleix, the last year before Aleix’s retirement. Scores a Michigan goal somewhere in his first 10 games in the NHL.

Raul Fernandez : I kind of want a brothers d-pair so I’m going to go defense for the Fernandez brothers. Arrives in the league the second year after his draft despite being drafted halfway through round 2.

Takaaki Nakagami : I can see him as a center, captain of his team at Worlds/Olympics. Has the best fits for rink arrivals (sorry Bezz).

retired riders

Valentino Rossi : So. Listen. Valentino is obviously a legend of the sport, maybe of Gretzky’s level. Obviously a 1st overall. Won the Calder. Won the Art Ross & the Hart on several occasions. Several Cups and one Conn Smythe trophy. You get the picture. Now, he’s a forward, we all know that. I posted a poll about his position and literally got a 50/50 split between center and winger. My initial gut feeling was center and then several of you gave arguments for wing and talking with Maddie led me to the changing positions at some point / playing both options (like all the guys who have double availabilities when you do fantasy hockey, real life example could be Leon Draisaitl occasionally). Anyway. I’m gonna be a little stubborn there and stay with center (although I was very delighted when my brain came with the idea of Jorge Lorenzo having to center both Vale & Marc). The intensity of those blue eyes at the dot? 70% faceoffs wins ratio ✨ Additionally, not much of a fighter (not until he bulks up please) but he definitely has a mouth on him when he’s in the mood. Very loud. He wins the best shootout goal + celly thing at the ASG at minimum 3 times in a row.

Jorge Lorenzo : Center and not taking any criticism on that one. Very good at faceoffs. Definitely challenges Valentino for his spot on the first line when he first gets in the league and yet, they connect extraordinarily well on the PP. Moves teams a bunch toward the end of his career and retire early because of an injury. 

Dani Pedrosa : First place my brain went was ‘he’s so tiny please let him go on a wing’. It also allows him to be centered by Jorge when they play together during World Juniors and they’re soooo good (despite the rivalry that obviously also exists in there, don’t worry). I will say, I could see him centering with Nicklas Backstrom vibes as well.

Andrea Dovizioso : Winger. Second rounder who wins the Memorial Cup during his juniors career (with the London Knights, because I said so). Does get into fights, especially where Marc is concerned.

Casey Stoner : Center. Valentino is very bad at faceoffs against him, it's a thing. Casey is named captain of an ASG team in like his second year being invited (Valentino is obviously captain of the other team). Starts taking the game ban over going to the ASG at some point (Ovi who). Has a concussion that takes him out for over half a season, struggles to come back and eventually retires. Also, very canonically, the biggest fisher of them all.

[sergeifyodorov]

every active first overall pick | 2015, connor mcdavid

Drafted first overall in the CHL as an "exceptional" fifteen-year-old, McDavid was expected to be The Next Next One years before he was even drafted. In the near-decade since his draft, he is a three-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner (tied for the active leader with Alexander Ovechkin), including being one of only two players to win unanimously, a five-time Art Ross Trophy winner, and a Conn Smythe winner, although he has never won a Stanley Cup. When he was nineteen, he was named the youngest captain in NHL history. He also holds the record for most OHL individual trophies (although he never won the Memorial Cup) and is third all-time in points per game. He is universally recognized as a top-five player all-time. Some call him "McJesus."

2014 | 2016

[offsidenewsco]

"For the entire ‘80s and 90’s, only three different players won the Art Ross trophy for scoring lead: Gretzky, who won ten times; Lemieux, who won six times; and Jágr, who won five."

Read Part V of @sergeifyodorov's history of the #NHL here.

[cr0sby-87]

Evgeni Malkin leads the league outright in scoring for the first time since April 7, 2012 when he captured his second Art Ross Trophy.

[atwhughesversion]

my predictions for the 2024-2025 nhl season that will most certainly all come true:

- canucks win the president’s trophy AND the stanley cup

- elias pettersson wins the art ross, selke, and conn smythe

- quinn hughes goes back-to-back with his 2nd norris and also wins the hart and ted lindsay

- demko wins the vezina and demko/šilovs get the jennings

- lekkerimäki, or šilovs, or elias pettersson (the other one) wins the calder

- auston matthews can have the rocket richard again (i’m feeling generous)

[swifty-fox]

Okay so i went in depth about some of Bucky's hockey stats and habits as a goal tender with @1343-40 BUT i gotta talk about Gale "One Engine" Cleven (Aka Clevy, AKA Buck) for a second

so i imagine he's about 5 years into his NHL career. A cup under his belt, not quite a seasoned vet, not quite a rookie. He could still be argued as up-and-coming and has won a lot of awards but theres a lotta people who think he's overrated, over hyped. Bit of a candy-ass when it comes to taking hits and standing up to the bigger players (not that Austin is itty bitty but he's small for a hockey player)

so anyways by year Five Gale is playing a solid 78-82 games. He's the main guy, hes the superstar. Got his nickname "One Engine" cause he skated and scored with one broken off skate

Stats(Cumulative): 146 goals, SOLID 350 assists, (What can i say hes a giver) He's got a really low PIM; mostly nonviolent calls so Holding, maybe some accidental high-sticks and obstruction. He's an ace on the Powerplay (58 PPG, 140 PPA) but struggles with his SHG (we'll put it at a solid ONE TIME) ,again because of his size. if he doesn't have enough players playing interference the other team roughs him up easy.

he's got a respectably 24 game winning goals by now, a stanley cup and a closet of trophies:

Art Ross, Hart memorial, Ted Lindsay. ALMost snags the Messier but I think Curt gets it instead. Maurice Richard and 2 Conn Smythes

[darkpeacemusic]

Creepypasta Headcanons: Bloody Painter

(TW: Murder, bullying, and child abuse)

Helen Delilah Otis was born on October 1st, 1992 to Cassandra and Joseph Otis.

Growing up, he had a lot of pressure due to his parents’ high expectations and control.

He was often emotionally abused and forced to dress like a girl and was treated like a girl since his parents wanted a daughter and not a son.

It wasn't until he was six years old that his parents decided to dress him like a boy when he started school.

Even after that, his parents continued to abuse him behind closed doors by criticizing him and insulting him just for being born as a male instead of a female.

As a result, he grew as a quiet kid and was bullied a lot by his peers since he mostly preferred to be by himself.

He started to draw when he was 8 and they often violent drawings such as him killing his parents and himself hanging from a noose.

As a result of the trauma, he started to become a narcissistic, hateful person who wanted to one day teach all those who hurt him wrong.

His first victim was Tom, his only friend since elementary school who he pushed off the roof.

However, due to a lack of evidence the court decided not to press charges.

He went to an art school after college where he would eventually meet Mary Vaughn who he became one of his closest friends.

2 years later, he would meet Sully Woods who he would end up falling in love with.

He helped Jane and Sully into creating the infamous Jeff the Killer photo while Sully was the one who made up the nickname.

While at first, Helen laughed about it, he would be the only one who secretly regrets his actions after Jeff had later went on a murderous rampage due to the bullying.

Before Jeff had went on his murderous rampage, Helen was sent to a mental hospital due to a series of murders he committed in his college dorms (Sully was at home when it happened while Mary was on a date with Jane).

He would later reunite with both Mary and Sully after Sully had broken him out of the hospital out of fear of Helen getting hurt by Jeff.

He's one of the original members of the Jeff Hunters which was found by Jane and Sully.

He's very smart and can cover his tracks very easily which is why he's the brains of the team.

He's a night owl and a light sleeper.

His favorite color is blue.

He's a neat freak and he hates leaving messes of his crime scene.

He's currently in a love triangle with Judge Angels and Sully.

He had a semi-netural friendship with Clockwork even though he thinks she's too impulsive.

He has a habit of collecting little trinkets and mementos from his victims, much like the little items that often pop up in their surroundings.

His art room has many sculptures he makes from his victims and paintings he makes with his victims' blood. He keeps them as trophies of his murders.

He loves music and will sing along to songs in their head while he paints or draws.

He is non-binary but often prefers he/him pronouns.

He has a daughter named Mona who was an accidental pregnancy when he and Judge Angels got drunk during New Years.

He has autism and he has internalized ableism due to his trauma with his parents who were very ableist towards others with disabilities.

It is unknown what happened to his parents and where they are now but it's been hinted at many times that he murdered both of them prior to him getting into college.

He's secretly a fan of country music and K-Pop.

He's friends with Jane, Mary, and Jessie.

He's netural with Randy because he thinks Randy is too rambunctious.

He's a great cook and he's often the one responsible for making the meals for his team (when Randy is not making pot brownies).

He doesn't like alcohol or smoking very much and he only drinks on special occasions.

He is quite fond of psychological horror films, since they remind him of his own descent into paranoia and madness.

He watches Bob Ross whenever he needs inspiration (which Sully has made fun of many times).

He's a big fan of anime, especially horror anime with creepy imagery.

He also loves to watch Twin Peaks, American Horror Story, Hannibal, Black Mirror, and the X-files.

Though he is not an avid reader in comparison to Judge Angels or Jane, he enjoys the works of H.P. Lovecraft, Victor Hugo, Edgar Allen Poe, and Stephen King.

[toasttt11]

brinley matthews

Brinley Amelia Matthews

Number: 11

Season: Seventh

Position: D

Height: 5”11

Hometown: Arizona

S/C: R

NHL: MTL

Prev Team: USNTDP

NHL

• Selected First overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2017 NHL Draft.

International

Team USA

•2017 World Championship- Gold, 8 G, 10 A, 7 GP

•2017 World Junior Championship- Gold, 9 G, 9 A, 7 GP

•2016 World Junior Championship-Gold, 6 G, 11 A, 7 GP

•2015 World U-18 Hockey Challenge- Gold Medal, 6 G, 10 A, 7 GP

•2014 World U-17 Hockey Challenge- Gold Medal, 5 G, 11 A, 6 GP

Seventh Season (2023-2024)

Montreal Canadians

50 G, 102 A, 152 P, 80 GP

Captain.

Received James Norris Memorial Trophy.

Received Hart Memorial Trophy.

Sixith Season (2022-2023)

Montreal Canadians

35 G, 91 A, 126 P, 68 GP

Captain.

Received James Norris Memorial Trophy.

Received Ted Lindsay Award.

Fifth Season (2021-2022)

Montreal Canadians

30 G, 90 A, 120 P, 72 GP

Captain.

Received Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award.

Fourth Season (2020-2021)

Montreal Canadians

33 G, 99 A, 132 P, 87 GP

Alternative Captain.

Received James Norris Memorial Trophy.

Received Hart Memorial Trophy.

Received Art Ross Trophy.

Third Season (2019-2020)

Montreal Canadians

15 G, 42 A, 57 P, 40 GP

Alternative Captain.

Received James Norris Memorial Trophy.

Signed a Contract for 72 Million dollars for Seven years and a 5 million dollar signing bonus.

Second Season (2018-2019)

Montreal Canadians

21 G, 80 A, 101 P, 79 GP

Alternative Captain.

Rookie Season (2017-2018)

Montreal Canadians

19 G, 80 A, 99 P, 84 GP

Received the Rookie of the Year award.

Signed a Contract for 9 Million dollars for two years and a 1 million dollar signing bonus.

Before the NHL

Played two seasons with the USNTDP.

Totaled 220 points (80-160--240) in 125 games with the USNTDP, the most assists ever in USNTDP history and the most points ever scored by a defensive player.

Scored points (40-80--120) in 63 games in 2015-2016, played with the U-17 and U-18 Teams.

Scored points (40-80--120) in 62 games with the U18 team in 2016-2017.

Personal

Born January 2, 1999

Daughter Brian and Ema Matthew

Has three siblings Alexandria, Auston, Breyana

[bobby-r2d2-floyd]

behind the glass part one | (tgm x nhl)

note: i've finally sat down long enough to actually write this and im so excited that it's finally here!

warnings: a few swear words, nothing too bad. not a lot of dialogue, mostly background stuff, time jumping, mentions of the covid-19 pandemic

beta'd by the lovely @sarahsmi13s

word count: 4.2k

------------

The first time your parents took you to a hockey game, it was 2008 and you were 13 years old. You remember it was glass seats, home-shoots-twice side right off to the left of the net for the Pittsburgh Penguins in Mellon Arena, affectionately named The Igloo for the white domed top and it being home to the Penguins. 

Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins Two Headed Monster, had a combined 68 goals and 148 assists that season. They both racked up career 100 goals with Crosby earning his 200th career assist and 300th career point. Malkin earned the Art Ross trophy as well as the Conn Smythe trophy with a nod to the Hart Memorial trophy, whereas Crosby only received a nod for the Mark Messier Leadership Award. 

The Penguins had a decent regular season that year as a team. 45 wins to their 37 losses (28 in regulation and 9 in overtime) but they went on to beat the Philadelphia Flyers, then the Washington Capitals, then the Hurricanes over in Raleigh before finally beating the Detroit Red Wings for the Stanley Cup at the Joe Louis Arena.

Your dad used to joke that you didn’t blink the entire time that you were there, not even during the intermissions between periods. From that moment forward, you were hooked. Hockey consumed your life, you begged your parents for the chance to go again, and again, and again. You went to every home game that took place on weekends. The glass seats were a gift as a back to school surprise, but you never minded sitting further back if it meant you had a better view of the ice. 

Over the next 12 years you must have attended nearly 500 games (professional and college), and when you weren't at the games, you were watching them on TV. You, with the help of your parents and grandparents, cultivated your childhood around the sport. Games, practices, meet-the-players events… you attended as much as you could; you even played on a rec team for a bit. 

In high school you convinced the head of the newspaper to let you write all four years instead of just your junior and senior years. You specialized in sports, aside from hockey, you were well educated with baseball and football. You graduated high school with a full ride to Penn State University where you double majored in digital journalism and telecommunications and received a certificate in sports journalism. 

You thanked whatever god there was above that you managed to bag a position with the Penguins as an assistant photographer for the team. You became a permanent fixture on your favorite team during year one of their back-to-back Stanley Cups, one away at San Jose (2016) and the second one at Nashville (2017) and you were just as over the moon as the players were as you watched Sidney lift the cup for the third time in the last decade. 

As you made your way onto the ice, you threw some of the Predators players condolences and “good game [insert player here]” as they worked their way off the ice. 

You had developed a close bond with the Russian half of the Monster, and with his wife at home with their newborn son, you made sure to facetime her as Geno skated up to you with the cup, cheering to her in their native tongue. You leave him to talk to his wife while you go off and take pictures of the rest of the players and staff that made it out to Nashville while they’re still celebrating on the ice before moving into the locker room. 

The summer of 2017 was a whirlwind event. 

Between attending cup celebrations for the friends you made on the team and then almost immediately getting right back to it with pre-season at the Penguins practice facility, UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, in Cranberry. 

On a rare day off, you and fellow Penguins photographer Leland Hawkins were at PNC Park watching the Pirates play the Cubs when the news came through.

“Jesus Christ.” you mumble as you look at your phone screen.

“What?” Leland asks, eyes not leaving the field as she shovels popcorn into her mouth.

“San Diego just announced that they were approved for their own NHL team and they broke ground on an arena that’s expected to be complete prior to the start of the 2020-21 season,” you paraphrase aloud as you scan the article. “We just went through a draft with Vegas and now we need to go through it again?” 

“You’re joking, right? We just lost Fleury and now we’re about to lose ANOTHER person? Unbelievable…” Lee mutters before taking your phone from you and reading the article for yourself. 

You watch as Rizzo hits a line drive to left field to take first base and you smile a bit, he was your favorite player after all, but the Pirates were the home team. Either way you would be happy with the outcome. 

Expansion drafts were never fun for anyone. You remember the hot coal feeling in your stomach as you watched Marc-Andre say his goodbyes to Sid, Geno, and Kris. Players he had known for his entire career to go somewhere completely new. 

“I hope I never get asked to go somewhere new. I don’t think I could ever leave this view,” you say as you kick your feet up on the seat in front of you, stealing Leland’s popcorn as you look out past the outfield to the Allegheny River and the Pittsburgh Skyline. For it being Father’s Day, the park wasn’t that packed considering the weather was absolutely beautiful. 

“Yeah I think I could. Isn’t there a Navy base in San Diego? All the hot seamen.” 

“Is there even a market for another team there? There’s already three teams in California, two of them are not even three hours away.” you say before cheering as Rizzo crosses home plate, bringing the score to 3-0, Cubs. 

“New York has two basically next door to each other and then there’s the New Jersey team, ALSO right there.” Leland tries to rationalize and you shake your head.

“Madison Square Garden is in Manhattan and the Barclays Center is in Brooklyn, there’s a forty-ish minute difference and the Prudential Center is an hour away from Madison,” you correct her before standing. “Want anything from concession?” 

“Get me a beer please? And why do you know all that?”

“I make it my job to know!” you yell back as you walk away from her. 

While in line, you scan through the article again. The old Pechanga Arena will be demolished and then rebuilt to become a new top of the line facility, not too much different from the newer Little Ceasar’s Arena in Detroit, and will only be a 15 minute highway drive from Petco Park. 

You shake your head and slip your phone back into your pocket before ordering two beers and a couple of pretzels before pressing the thought of another expansion team to the back of your mind. 

The rest of the game flies by and the Pirates lost the series 7-1 which you weren’t surprised by. Tthe Cubs are a good team who’re just coming off the tail end of winning the World Series only eight months prior. 

The news of another expansion was the talk of the locker room the next time you were at the Sports Complex. You were sitting in the hallway leading up to the locker room taking pictures when a little blond boy came running up to you.

“Lens!” You hear and you have barely enough time to set your camera down before you’re being knocked over by Nikita Malkin.

“Nik! What are you doing here?” you laugh as you wrap your arms around him.

“Gonna skate with daddy,” he says, his English is good but you know that Anna and Geno speak Russian primarily at home. 

“That’ll be fun, gonna score some goals on Muzz?” He nods and you smile, “Good, score one for me.” you say before he bounces off and you manage to get a few photos of him and Geno walking down the hallway. 

During the first half of the 2017-18 season the Pens were 19-21 and 28-14 in the back half. They managed to take second in the metropolitan division and head into the playoffs, where, unfortunately they had a second round exit after losing to the Capitals in game six. 

As sad as you were for the team to go early, you were thankful for the opportunity to take a bit of a break. You and Leland were able to travel around Europe for a few months before reporting back to Pennsylvania before the players were due to return. 

You were taking some pictures of new players’ jerseys that were hanging up when you heard the door open. You look over and see the captain standing there and you give him a small smile. 

“Hey Sid. Ready to be back?” you ask as you move over to the next stall.

“Oh yeah, hopefully we’ll make it past round two this year,” he says and he takes a seat and starts pulling stuff out of his duffle that he had slung around his shoulder. 

“Well, you never know. I’m just glad Ovechkin can finally shut up now about not having a cup,” you say and he laughs. His rivalry with the Russian has always been a big thing on the ice, but off you knew that the two were friends. 

“Right, happy for him though,” he says before looking over at you. “What happened to Leland? Doesn’t she usually do this?” 

“She actually moved to Denver. So it’s just me now. Well, at least until my assistant gets here.” you say and he laughs.

“A promotion? Good for you. You always deserved it.” He hesitates, “No offense to Lee.” 

You smile and nod, “I’m sure she wouldn’t take any offense, Sid. How was your off season?”

“It was good, Nate and I did a lot around Cole Harbour. Spent a lot of time relaxing at home, played a bit with Taylor while she was in town. What about you?”

“Went to a lot of Pirates games, helped Lee move, spent a lot of time outside with my younger siblings, hung out with some of the WAGs that stayed in town..” you say before taking a seat next to him. “Did you read that on top of the San Diego expansion, Seattle is getting a team now too? Making the even 32 teams and odd 33? Wonder who will be next.”

“Yeah I heard… It’s weird though, that Bettman has allowed so many expansions.”

“It’s Bettman, are you surprised? Why does he do half the shit he does?” You roll your eyes, your disdain for the NHL Commissioner very evident on your face. 

“Don’t say that too loud, he might hear you,” he bumps your shoulder and you laugh.

“Right, the last thing I need is to be fired, or worse… transferred.”

“Hey, you work for Mario and he loves you. He won’t let you leave.” Sidney tells you and you can tell he’s being honest. Crosby may be many things, but a liar? Never.

You notice the proximity between the two of you and you take a deep breath, his cologne filling your senses before you clear your throat and stand up. “I uh.. I’ll leave you to change. See you on the ice, Cap.” 

You shake the thought of being so close to him off, he’s Sidney Crosby and you’re just a photographer for the team. 

You wait for Sid to take the ice before moving down to the bench so you can get pictures of him without the glass being in the way. 

You remember the day that he got drafted to the Penguins in 2005, you remember all the things that everyone had said about him, “he was going to save the Penguins”. All the injuries he had, all the concussions, the year of missed games… He was one of the best skaters in the game after some of the legends. Watching him skate is the reason that you took up skating yourself, he was your on ice hero but you would never tell him that. 

After taking some pictures of him skating, you make your way out from behind the bench so you can head up to your office and get started on picking what pictures to send to the digital media team. 

Before you know it, the season is already ending with a first round exit, swept by the Islanders despite winning 44 games in the regular season. 

By the time March of 2020 rolled around, the Penguins had 40 wins and 29 losses, a comeback that they needed. 

Until everything came to a standstill. 

Commissioner Bettman paused the season due to the threat of Covid-19. All non-essential positions were suspended due to the virus. 

For the next four months you didn’t leave your home. All groceries were ordered from people who were brave enough to do Shipt, you taught yourself how to actually cook, spent a lot of time talking to your parents over Zoom, you started to write more, making mock articles to get back into the swing of the journalism aspect of your job again. 

By the time that July had come around there were two hub cities named for the play-offs, Toronto and Edmonton. You traveled with the Penguins to Toronto for the modified tournament but left after the Canadiens knocked out the Penguins after three games.

September 28, 2020 the Lightning were crowned Stanley Cup Champions, and the 20-21 season began officially on January 13, 2021. Only 56 games would be played before the Cup would be returned to the Lightning again only a few short months later. 

The San Diego expansion draft took place just after Stamkos raised the cup for the second time. 

You watched as players got drafted to the San Diego Tomcats, shocked as some teams traded away some of their best skaters, knowing that they didn’t go lightly. Just like what happened with Vegas when Fleury left, you felt a sinking feeling in your chest. 

You watched as the last six players were drafted: first was Bradley Bradshaw, center from the Capitals; Reuben Fitch, left defense from the Predators; Mickey Garcia, left wing from the Rangers; Jake Seresin, right wing from the Stars [you rolled your eyes at his name, good luck Tomcats]; Javy Machado, right defense from the Bruins; and the fortieth man drafted was Robert Floyd, goalie from the Blues. 

Floyd and Bradshaw were the two you recognized the most between the six of them. Both were on cup winning teams in the last five years so you were surprised to see them there, but then again they weren’t the only Cup winners on the team, some guy named Brigham Lennox from the Lightning was also there. He was going to be a cocky asshole. 

You were driving into PPG Paints the next morning when you got the phone call, it was a number you didn’t recognize so you were hesitant when you finally did answer.

“Hello?”

“Hello, is this Y/N Champaign?” a deep voice asked from the other side and you sucked in a breath before answering.

“This is.”

“My name is Beau Simpson, I’m calling to inform you that you’re being relocated to San Diego. You’ll need to be here when players report for training.” he says and you pull over to the side of the road.

“Sir I’m employed directly with the Penguins, not the NHL-”

“Oh I know. You’re being sent over by recommendation of Mario Lemieux.”

“Oh.” 

“I know you’re comfortable with the Penguins, I know that you’re from Pittsburgh so it’ll be hard leaving home. But I’ve seen your work both on the ice and off, as well as behind the glass. You’re talented and as a new team, we could use some talent everywhere it counts.” he says, and you throw your head back against your seat.

“Of course, sir. I’ll be on a plane before the afternoon.” you tell him and you can hear the relief in his voice.

“Wonderful. Bradley Bradshaw will meet you at the gate, he was the first one here so he can get you to the facility.”

“I’m assuming this is an office phone, so I’ll email you the details of my flight.”

“Don’t worry about it, Mario already has them. I’ll pass your number along to Bradshaw.” he says before the line goes dead and you look at your phone as the line disconnects. 

You pull back into the road and continue your drive, the last one to PPG Paints as a home team member. 

Mario is in his office when you make your way upstairs. A gentle knock on the glass alerts him to your presence and he gives you a smile, “come in.”

“Beau Simpson called me while I was on my way over.” you tell him as you sit down across from him.

“Yeah, he called me last night. I’m sorry I didn’t-”

You hold your hand up and stop him, “don’t worry about it. It’s… okay. It’ll suck leaving the team and everyone behind but new opportunities, right? Plus it’ll be nice seeing the sun for longer than three out of twelve months.” you joke and he cracks a smile and laughs with you.

“You’ll be missed.”

“I know.” 

He passes you an envelope and it has your last check as well as a flight itinerary and contract for the Tomcats for you to read through on the plane. “Well, I’m sure you have some owner stuff to do so I’m gonna go say bye to the team.” 

He stands and pulls you in for a hug, you were close with everyone, players and staff, so it wasn’t surprising when he pulled you in gently. “I’m gonna miss you, kid.” 

You pull away and give him a gentle squeeze on his arm before walking out of the office and down to the ice, stopping along the way to say goodbye to familiar faces in the hallways. 

You take a look out to the ice, you watch as the team laughs and smiles, passing the pucks to each other as they all run their own drills. Coach Sullivan is the first person to notice you, skating over and leaning against the boards. 

“No camera today?”

“No.. not today… or tomorrow… or next week.” you say and his smile drops. 

“No, where to?”

“San Diego.” 

“Well, they just got a great person added to their team, it sucks it comes at our loss.” he says before blowing his whistle, getting the attention of all the players. Sidney is the first to skate over to you, slowing down before hitting the boards.

“What’s going on?” 

“I’m being relocated. So I just wanted to come by and say goodbye to the team.” you tell him with a sad smile. He opens the gate for you and you set down your paper work on the bench before taking his hand and stepping onto the ice. 

One by one, all players new and old (mostly old) pull you in for a tight hug, ignoring the sting of the hard pads digging into you at odd angles. You laugh as Geno hauls you into the air before setting you back down on the ice, only slipping a little bit but he’s quick to steady you. 

After wrapping up your goodbyes, you head back to your apartment and pack up just the necessities before meeting your mom downstairs. 

“You ready sweetheart?” she asks, helping you with your camera bags and you sigh.

“As ready as I’ll ever be to move away from the two homes I’ve ever known.” you tell her and she gives you a small smile. 

“You’re going to be just fine over there.” 

“I know, it's just… this city means so much to me. It’ll suck only being back for a few games a season.”

“And holidays.” she says and you laugh.

“And holidays.” you confirm and she smiles.

The drive to the airport went too quick for your liking and before you knew it, you were in the air above the steel city, watching as the skyline and the yellow bridges fade into the distance. 

Six hours later you were landing in Fightertown, USA. Stiff from the flight, you do your best to work out all the kinks and cracks that your body goes through as you walk over to baggage claim. It’s easy to find your gear bags due to the giant Penguins logo on the sides, and the small bright yellow suitcase came shortly after. 

You turned your phone back on and the first notification that you get is from an unknown number and a text that reads

Waiting for you at the Starbucks in term. 2. See you soon! -Rooster

“Rooster? Who the fuck is that?” you mumble before making your way to the Starbucks. You do a quick scan of the area, you know what Bradley looks like, so you know that none of the people around you are him. 

15 minutes go by when an out of breath, lanky brunette walks up to you.

“I am so sorry I’m late, I was here but then I had to go to the bathroom and then there was some kids that recognized me and-”

“Take a breath, I’m not mad.”

“Okay, give me a minute,” he takes a few deep breaths before holding out his hand, “I’m Bradley Bradshaw, or Rooster, if you want.”

“Rooster?” you ask, his palm large and warm against your own as you introduce yourself as well and you take the moment to take him in, his brown hair is already sun bleached at the front and he dons a pornstache that he somehow manages to pull off.

“Yeah, Ovi started calling me that when I joined the Caps so..” 

“Oh trust me, I am well versed with Ovi nicknames. He used to call me chicken because my family had chickens a few years ago.. He’s the one who started calling me Lens, actually.” you say as you stand up and pull the handle up on your suitcase.

Bradley is taking the strap of your gear bag when you grab it from him and he looks at you wide eyed.

“Sorry it's just.. There’s a lot of expensive equipment and-”

“Hey, it’s okay. I get it. Would you rather carry it or…?” 

“Yeah, sorry I know it's weird and I know everything is packed really well, but I know it was probably thrown around during loading and unloading.” you say and he gives you a small smile. 

“Well, then I’m taking this.” he says as he takes the handle of your suitcase from you. “Welcome to San Diego, Lens.” he says as you make your way to the front where his Bronco is waiting for you. 

You two make idle small talk as he makes the short drive from the airport to where the new Pechanga Arena is located.

“It’s going to be weird not seeing you in the Caps uniform anymore.” you say as you climb out of the car and he laughs. 

“Yeah, but it’ll be nice to see you everyday now.” he says and you notice the flirty smile on his face and you roll your eyes. 

“Just remember to smile for the camera, Bradshaw.” you chirp back to him as he opens the door for you. 

Standing in the vestibule of the arena, you take everything in. The Navy timeline that wraps around the wall, the Top Gun memorabilia that's displayed behind glass. Bronze statues of the old San Diego Gulls members standing proudly. Bradley gives you a gentle nudge before looking up and you do the same, a replica F-14 Tomcat is hanging, wings in, right above your head. 

“Wow… I’ve been to Little Caesars many times over the years, for various reasons, so I knew a little bit of what to expect but this is… Amazing.” 

The two of you wander down into the bowl seating and you watch as the ice gets painted, the steel blue and slate gray of the logo is being carefully brushed onto the stark white ice. You follow him around the rest of the arena, a small tour of the locker room where there’s various players in a state of undress after a voluntary workout before going to the offices. 

Your office was a bit bigger than the one at PPG, the only difference was the F-14 that was painted on the wall instead of the Penguin from the 90’s that you loved so much. 

“Simpson, Coach Kazansky and the rest of the coaching staff are going to be waiting in the review room whenever you’re ready. It’s down the hall to the left, and then it's the third door on the right.” Bradley says before leaving you to settle in.

You pull out your phone and send a quick text to your mom that you landed just fine and were already settling into your new office before you put your hands on your hips and let out a sigh as you looked around, it’ll be a long road of making your office comfortable like it was back home, but you honestly couldn’t wait to see what this new city would bring you. 

------------

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[racingliners]

So, in my many emotions at seeing these beautiful pieces by @aphrostiel, I ended up writing a ficlet about it (because how could I not indulge myself in writing the Seb and Schumi podium we deserved).

I may polish it up further and put it on ao3 for prosperity but I really wanted to just get it out there, I hope you like it!!

(Thank you so much to Jules for both their blessing to post this for for sharing such incredibly beautiful art!!)

Golden

The sun cast warm, golden rays in the widening breaks though the pale clouds as they walked out onto the podium together. Seb, being the young gentleman in training, suggested that Michael have his day and walk out alone. Michael, almost too overwhelmed to speak, insisted they walk out together.

They would both argue that Hockenheim looked beautiful no matter the weather, but today after a race that went from dry to pouring rain to dry again, it felt like no sight would ever come close to how the track looked right then in that moment.

Ross Brawn stood proudly on the constructors step of the podium, and was barely containing his tears as the German anthem was introduced over the tannoy. Seb couldn’t help it as he looked up at Michael, his mentor, his friend, and today probably the most fierce driver he had ever raced against, and watched as tears streaked down his face after the first few notes.

The Mercedes mechanics and engineers gathered below let out al almighty roar as Michael raised both fists triumphantly in the air at the end. There was something awfully poetic about him netting his ninety second win at Germany in a Mercedes, and the worlds press were already hard at work at their keyboards and notepads trying to figure out just how they could talk about the Red Baron’s triumphant return when no suitable adjectives really seemed to exist.

Right as the trophies were about to be presented, Michael clapped a heavy hand on Sebastian’s shoulder and beamed at him with a proud smile before fixing his winner’s cap back onto his head.

The crowd were beside themselves even before Michael was presented with the winner’s trophy – a 3D Santander logo that was painted with the colours of the German flag on in the inside but chrome silver on the outside. A fitting prize for a silver arrow. The sun glinted off the surface as the crowd and Mercedes team roared so loud it was a wonder they weren’t heard cheering for miles.

Sebastian, who still couldn’t quite believe that his childhood dream of sharing a podium with Michael had finally come true, accepted his second place trophy with a wide schoolboy grin. All he could think about was that day in Kerpen when he’d met Michael for the first time with wide eyes and a stunned smile. Seb was pretty sure that he was wearing the exact same expression on his face, and for once he didn’t care.

With the trophies presented, the dignitaries were quickly escorted off the podium and Seb let out a shaky sigh as he leaned down to grab the neck of his champagne bottle.

“Shall we get Ross first?” He asked with a cheeky smile. Michael looked at him with a familiar glint in his eye as he picked up his bottle with ease, and really he certainly was a professional in the art of spraying champagne as he popped the cork, jumped down from the top step, and ran over to Ross before the long-suffering Team principle had a chance to run away. The two men laughed as Ross was soaked through, and only when Michael was happy did he go over to the very edge of the podium platform in the hope some of the droplets of spray would reach his beloved colleagues.

Sebastian grinned as he sprayed champagne over Michael’s right side. Fernando, who had finished in third place eventually joined in and deposited the bulk of his bottle’s contents over Michael’s head.

When they piled onto the top step of the podium Seb gestured for Ross to stand between himself and Michael for the official photograph. Before he had a chance to respond Michael hooked an arm round his shoulder and pulled him in so they were stood side by side, brothers in arms complete with matching grins even if Ross still looked quite astounded with the events of the past two hours. Seb was still smiling brightly as the picture was taken, and when he took off his Pirelli cap to swap it for his Red Bull one, Michael reached over to ruffle his hair with a hearty laugh.

The crowd hadn’t relented in their cheers once, and they only hushed when Michael spoke during the podium interview. He tearfully thanked the crowd in German for all their support throughout the years – and especially since his comeback two years ago, before expressing gratitude just as heartfelt to his race engineer Bono for getting him to the end, and Mercedes head of strategy James for his cool-headed decisions that led him back to the top step of the podium once more.

He then turned to Sebastian, and looked at him with a proud smile.

“You know, I remember meeting a young kid in Kerpen many years ago, I never in my life thought I would get to race against him let alone for a race win. But we had a good fight, I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed racing against someone. I hope that we can do it again sometime.” There was a warm ferocity to Michael’s smile, not in the malicious sense but the kind of a true competitor. One that would never, ever give up without leaving anything on the table.

Seb said as such when the interviewer turned to him, adding that he knew going against Michael he would have to give everything, and while he was disappointed to lose the race he would always be honoured to say that he got to battle it out on track against his hero.

“Don’t worry Seb,” Michael said with a warm pat on the shoulder when they walked off the podium and back into the cool down room, arm in arm. “You’ll get your turn next year.”

Sure enough, almost exactly twelve months later, Sebastian took to the top step on the podium at the Nürburgring. Michael, now retired, apparently doubled up as a psychic. He sent Seb a text congratulating him on his first home race win, and in the week off between the races in Germany and Hungary he greeted Sebastian with a thumbs up and a bright grin when he and Hanna happily accepted an invitation to dinner at the Schumacher home.

Sat proudly in the living room, wrapped in thin white frames, hung two pictures from that day in Hockenheim. The first was of Michael with his trophy, the second of himself and Sebastian spraying champagne wearing the brightest of smiles. Mick couldn’t help himself when he asked his father and his friend just what it was like to race each other in such difficult conditions, and both Sebastian and Michael reeled off in great technical detail exactly how everything unfolded.

Seb couldn’t help himself as he glanced at the pictures as he left, the sun now set and the sky filled with twinkling silver stars, and he felt nothing but pride as he knew he would carry that day in his heart for the rest of his life.

[cellythefloshie]

ＩＭＡＧＩＮＥ: Being Jon Cooper's Daughter and Dating Sidney Crosby Celly’s 300 Follower Appreciation

NOTE: mentions of the pandemic/lockdowns.

when you have been invited to join your father at the 2019 NHL Awards in Vegas you had merely been excited to experience the city with the greatest nightlife in America

but it also left you nervous

you hadn’t attended an event of such scale before

there were players from all over the league who were nominated

all of the NHL’s elite to be honoured

and it left you surrounded by stars

as you walked the red carpet with your father you couldn’t help but feel a little star-struck when you caught sight of Ryan O'Reilly with the Stanley Cup

and you couldn’t help but be a little tongue-tied when you found yourself in an awkward conversation with generational talent Conner McDavid and his girlfriend as you went looking for a drink

but the overwhelming feeling was but at ease when you found familiar faces

Nikita Kucherov, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Victor Hedman had all been nominated along with your father for awards that year

seeing them all brought you instant relief

the team was like a second family to you 

having them all there together put you at ease 

making you a little too comfortable

it left you cheering a little too loud for Andrei as he took the stage to accept the Vezina Trophy

and louder again when Nikita accepted the Hart trophy to add to his already impressively earned Ted Lindsey and Art Ross Awards

you were standing right up out of your seat

your hands sore from the applause when you felt a pair of eyes on you

scanning the room casually from where you stood your eyes were quick to find Sidney Crosby who was all too shameless about his stare

he wore a coy smile

one that only grew as he realized you had spotted him

not once did he look away until the crowd had begun to calm and his attention returned to the stage

settling back into your seat he remained on your mind the rest of the night

and you could feel his eyes on you on occasion

you didn’t need to look his way to know it was him that was staring

you didn’t know why he would be staring

but the fact that he was left your mind to wander with curiosity

Sidney was older, very handsome, and undoubtedly the greatest player of his generation

and that night he only had eyes for you

or at the very least it seemed that way 

and it became all too clear at the after party

you should have been disappointed that your father had lost the Jakc Adams to Bary Trotz

but you had your father’s sportsmanship

you would always respect those who were victorious even when it meant taking a loss

and so you mingled at the after-party offering your congratulations to those who had taken a trophy or two home that night

you enjoyed a drink or two

and the finger food that was served

it was when you were out mingling

and your father was distracted by an enthralling conversation with Ben Bishop that Sidney approached you

he was nothing but respectable

not even touching you when the media came by taking some candid shots of you both in casual conversation before asking for a photo together

it was just when you thought you had gotten ahead of yourself in thinking that Sidney Crosby might have - at the very least - been interested in you

because the conversation was much too respectable and intelligent to be fueled by attraction

that he surprised you by asking to get away from the party

you were taken back by how forward he was about it

but you didn’t decline

it only took a moment for you to make an excuse 

you slipped away for only a moment to feed the excuse to your father who gave you a quick hug and a kiss on your temple

then you snuck out of the party with the Pittsburgh Penguins Captain

he was nothing but a gentleman as you took to the city together

finding a place to eat a real meal together 

and enjoying some of the nightlife before ending up back in his hotel room

you were sure it was going to be a one-night stand

because you didn’t leave him your number when you snuck out of his room at an ungodly hour and back to your own

and you didn’t hear from him again for weeks

not that you had given him many ways to reach you 

but somehow he had managed to get ahold of your phone number

you didn’t believe it was him at first

he was very much out of your league

older, and could get any woman he wanted with ease

plus, it was just a number on the screen after all

but when he texted you the ungodly things he had done to you in that Vegas hotel room you knew it was him

and not only was it him, but he also wanted to see you again

when you had hooked up with him you didn’t even think it was a possibility 

and yet you were making plans to see him again during the summer

A secret meet-up or two during trips that you claimed were girl’s trips were spent on private all-inclusive resorts where Sidney got to know you better than anyone

but then the hockey season came

his time was focused on his team in Pittsburgh while you were in Tampa

and you were ready to accept that it was just a crazy summer romance that only the two of you knew about

but by some chance, your paths crossed in New Jersey

you were on a work trip

and he was set to play the Devils

you convinced your colleagues to go to the game

and by the end of the night, you were in his bed

and suddenly the season was halted

put on pause as a pandemic consumed the world

and you were stuck in Jersey

flight cancellations left you grounded, unable to return to Florida without having to get a rental car and make the drive

before you could make the arrangements to get the car your company had already agreed to work from home

and you were suddenly not needed in Tampa beyond your parents insisting that you return home

but instead, you were faced with another option you hadn’t even considered could be a possibility

Sidney offered his home in Pittsburgh to you

it was a grand home, with only him to occupy and with no one knowing how long it would all last he wasn’t going into it without company

and you couldn’t stay no

at first, you had to make excuses

telling your mother and father that you were still with your coworker in a place you were able to rent in Newerk

but in reality, you were in Crosby’s home playing house

you worked from his office while he worked out in the gym

the two of you cooked your meals together 

and you kept yourself with busy with Netflix and your antics in the bedroom

but soon the secrecy was becoming too much

and your relationship with Sidney was becoming more than just killing time when he let the first “i think I’ve fallen in love with you slip”

you knew you had to tell your dad but you were worried about just how he was going to take it

telling him over a zoom call just didn’t seem right

yet that’s how it was done

and your dad was furious

not solely at the fact that you had been “dating” a hockey player

because he had always warned you to stay away from dating them

but that you had kept it a secret from him

and while your relationship with Sidney was long-lasting

your father still was never very approving of him

And neither was the team

fast forward to March 3, 2022

you returned home to Tampa to watch the Pittsburgh vs Tampa game

and you had an announcement to make over dinner before the game

Sidney had proposed

your parents couldn’t have been happier

but the Tampa Players were less than enthused

maybe it was the timing of it all

but they were all very protective of you

you were like a little sister to them and you deserved the world

they didn’t doubt that Sidney was going to be able to give that to you

but that didn’t mean they weren’t going to give him a hard time as you would forever have a roster of 22 - and alumni of big and little brothers to look out for you

when it came to game time Tampa found itself in familiar turmoils 

they went down 2-0 early in the first

and by the end of the second period, things were heated

a scrum broke out in front of the net with Cirelli going after Sidney only to face Rust instead

no one got to mess with the Captain

and when penalties were handed out and the Bolts took an extra penalty the overprotective nature of your father mixed with his passion for the game and there was no controlling him 

he was yelling so loud that the whole arena could hear it, and the officials weren’t having it

and your father was ejected from the game before it could reach its halfway point

leaving your seat you moved through the halls of Amalie and found your father alone in the locker room

he was still pretty red in the face but calmer now

you couldn’t help but feel a little responsible for his outburst as you moved to sit on the bench beside him and wrapped him in your arms

he welcomed your embrace

his cheek coming to rest against your hair

and it was there holding you that he apologized

for the outburst and for how he has been throughout your relationship with Sidney

always supportive but not always approving

because you were his daughter 

he was always going to be skeptical of a man’s intentions with you

and the engagement left him relieved but saddened

you weren’t his baby girl anymore

you were all grown up

and he couldn’t be more excited to walk you down the aisle

[icedbatik]

Penguins to retire Jaromir Jagr’s No. 68 during pre-game ceremony on Feb. 18

By Pittsburgh Penguins

November 10, 2023

The Pittsburgh Penguins will raise two-time Stanley Cup Champion Jaromir Jagr’s no. 68 jersey to the rafters at PPG Paints Arena on February 18 versus the Los Angeles Kings as part of a pre-game celebration, it was announced today by the club.

As part of the ‘Celebrate 68’ festivities, all fans in attendance that night will receive a replica Jagr No. 68 banner. In addition, a commemorative Jagr bobblehead has been added as a giveaway to all fans in attendance on Thursday, March 14 versus the San Jose Sharks.

Jagr, whose NHL career spanned over two decades, is one of the most accomplished players in NHL history and a member of the league’s ‘100 Greatest Players.’ In 1,733 career regular-season games, the 6-foot-3, 230-pound winger scored 766 goals, 1,155 assists and 1,921 points. He ranks fourth all-time in games played and goals, fifth in assists, and only Wayne Gretzky (2,857) has recorded more points than him. No player in NHL history has more game-winning goals than Jagr’s 135.

Drafted by Pittsburgh in the first round (5th overall) of the 1990 NHL Draft, Jagr spent the first 11 seasons of his 24-year NHL career with the Penguins, appearing in 806 regular-season games notching 439 goals, 640 assists, 1,079 points, 78 game-winning goals and was plus-208. He is in the top-5 in franchise history in games played (5th), goals (4th), assists (4th), points (4th), plus/minus (2nd) and game-winning goals (4th). He was one of 13 captains in team history, serving in the role from 1998-01. 

Jagr was an instrumental piece of Pittsburgh’s back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships in 1991 and ’92 – his first two seasons in the NHL. In that two-year span, Jagr suited up for 45 postseason contests, notching 37 points (14G-23A), which was sixth in the NHL over that stretch. Jagr shined during the 1992 Stanley Cup playoffs, recording a playoff career-high 24 points (11G-13A) in 21 games. In total, Jagr has dressed in 208 Stanley Cup Playoff contests, accumulating 201 points (78G-123A). He is one of just six players in NHL history with 200 or more playoff points. 

The 10-time NHL All-Star has won a plethora of awards over the course of his NHL career. He is a five-time Art Ross Trophy winner (NHL Scoring Leader – 1995, ’98, ’99, ‘00, ’01), three-time Ted Lindsay Award winner (Most Outstanding Player – 1999, ’00, ’06), and was the recipient of the Hart Trophy (NHL MVP) in 1998-99 and Bill Masterton Trophy (Perseverance, Sportsmanship, and Dedication to Ice Hockey) in 2015-16. Jagr was named to the NHL’s First All-Star Team seven times (1995, ’96, ’98, ’99, ’00, ’01, ’06), the Second All-Star Team in 1996-97 and was a member of the All-Rookie Team in 1990-91.

Throughout NHL history, only Chris Chelios (26), Gordie Howe (26) and Mark Messier (25) have played more seasons in the NHL than Jagr’s 24. Of his 24 seasons, he notched 20-plus goals 19 times and 30-plus goals 15 times, which both rank third in league history. He’s also hit the 100-point plateau five times, and was the sixth-oldest player in NHL history to accomplish that feat during the 2005-06 season at 34 years and 31 days old.

The native of Kladno, Czechia has multiple accolades on the international stage. He’s won a gold medal (1998) and bronze medal (2006) at the Olympic Games, two gold medals (2005, ’10) and two bronze medals (1990, 2011) at the IIHF World Championship and a bronze medal at the 1990 IIHF World Junior Championship. Jagr is one of just 30 players in history to join the Triple Gold Club, which includes winning a Stanley Cup, an Olympic gold medal and an IIHF World Championship gold medal. He and Jiri Slegr are the only two players of Czech descent to accomplish this feat. 

Jagr currently owns Rytiri Kladno of the Czech Extraliga and has been majority owner of the team since 2011-12.

[sergeifyodorov]

hiya! got a question for you. did sidney crosby live up to expectations? if yes, in what way? if no, why and what aspects did he fail to reach? thanks!! im fairly new to hockey but crosby is a name i recognised before getting into hockey

Sidney Crosby was expected to be The Next Great One from the time he was about fifteen. In the twenty or so years since, he's won three Cups, two Harts, two Art Ross trophies, two Rockets, two Conn Smythes, is a ten-time All-Star, made the playoffs every year except two, (his rookie and most recent full season), is 4 points out of top-ten all time despite having both played through the dead-puck era and missed essentially two years of his prime with concussions, and is still above a point a game at 36.

[roo-bastmoon]

A note of motivation

My darling puppykitties,

The Music Industry, like the rest of the world, is blatantly unfair.

Talent, hard work, and merit are no guarantees of success in a system where money, politics, and backdoor deals talk loud.

But let me comfort you. BTS have already won the most important kind of success.

Yes, I want our boys to chart well and get awards. Of course I do!

But NOT if it means they have to diminish their art to be mainstream or pay the industry "protection fees."

I will still buy and stream and vote--always; I will always show up for our boys. Even if they don't get the accolades they deserve.

But keep in mind: there are plenty of "chart-topping" musicians that struggle to fill 10K venues or make 2K in sales. And there are amazing legends like Diana Ross and Michael Jackson and Queen who never got Grammys.

I know that BTS fills up whole stadiums AND overflow venues in minutes. BTS sells out entire brands in under an hour. BTS has more daily engagement on all platforms than anyone. BTS makes music that moves people regardless of the language or age barrier.

ARMY loves BTS for being authentic, not because they chart high or have trophies.

So if the rules keep changing, if the goalposts keep moving, and for some reason we cannot win fair?

Take heart.

BTS has us. And we will always show up, tune in, and appreciate them.

We will buy their music and play their music and promote their music so loud, it'll drown everything else out.

And the industry, the SK government, the bad actors who would use them or tear them down? They can never truly touch BTS.

Hell, almost twice as many millions of people tuned in to watch one of our boys eat chicken than tuned in to see the Grammys.

So who needs who? (Fuck all the opps.)

They are scared and their ever-changing rules reflect it.

Keep calm. Carry on. APOBANGO.