#calgary flames story

[puckpocketed]

SHARK/KRAKENBLR ARE WE SEEING THIS.

[pierrelucdisaster]

Brandt Clarke and Matt Coronato's AHL All-Star weekend.

Wranglers vs. Reign 2.3.24 / AHL All-Star weekend 2.4-2.5.24

Bonus:

Brandt's poor face lol

[savagegood]

time to manifest this

update: unfortunately, the game did not reach the mythical 6OT (it ended in the fourth, the sixth longest NHL game in history) but on the other hand, the panthers won and keep winning which means at least we get victory rats…

The story of the rats goes back to Oct. 8, 1995. Prior to a game against the Calgary Flames, a rat appeared in the Panthers’ locker room in the old Miami Arena. Former Panthers’ captain Scott Mellanby jumped up, grabbed a stick, and smacked the pesky rodent against a wall. Later that night, Mellanby scored two goals, leading then Panthers’ goalie John Vanbiesbrouck to quip, “He scored a rat trick”.

another update: the panthers are in the stanley cup finals. we’re four panthers wins away from seeing the stanley cup on ice surrounded by rats.

[fannyyann]

Matthew Tkachuk on friend, former teammate Johnny Gaudreau: ‘I’m going to keep his memory alive’

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Matthew Tkachuk, reigning Stanley Cup champion and prince of South Florida, was bouncing off the walls at the Baptist Health IcePlex on Tuesday. He delivered light cross-checks to his Florida Panthers teammates and led the pack in conditioning drills, and his mouthguard received its customary chomping.

It appeared to be business as usual for the young star who is always occupied with something, whether it be selling the sport in Florida or partying with the Stanley Cup all summer.

Right now, that might be for the best.

Tkachuk’s dream summer turned into a nightmare when he learned of Johnny Gaudreau’s death on Aug. 29.

Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were killed in a traffic crash in Oldmans Township, N.J., outside Philadelphia. Police said the brothers were riding bicycles when they were hit by a driver trying to pass an SUV on a two-lane road.

Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau played together for six seasons with the Calgary Flames, a couple of American kids taking western Canada by storm, often on the same line. The two left the Flames in the summer of 2022, Gaudreau signing as a free agent with the Columbus Blue Jackets, while Tkachuk was sent to the Panthers in a blockbuster deal.

Tkachuk, whose life has been a whirlwind for months, hasn’t had enough time to process Gaudreau’s death in the month since it happened.

“You put so much work into a season, that’s where all of your energy goes,” Tkachuk said. “Then you make the playoffs. You make the Final. And then, when it was over, we got to celebrate this summer. It was the greatest summer of my life, and some of the most incredible memories were made. But then, right at the end of this amazing summer, the unthinkable happened.”

Gaudreau took Tkachuk under his wing in Calgary, and a forever friendship was formed. Understandably, Gaudreau is on Tkachuk’s mind every day, but that was already the case long before Gaudreau was gone.

“Ever since I left Calgary and came to Florida, all I ever do is tell stories about Johnny,” Tkachuk said. “At one point, I was probably telling the guys down here a Johnny story once a week. I was always talking about him, about something funny he had done, something he had done in practice, whatever. He was the kind of guy that you could never get out of your mind, and I hated being away from him.”

Gaudreau and Tkachuk talked all the time after leaving Calgary, and while they badly missed playing together, they looked forward to having another opportunity to wear the same jersey and maybe even play on the same line.

The NHL 4 Nations Face-Off — a tournament among the United States, Canada, Finland and Sweden — will be in less than five months in Boston and Montreal. Then, in 2026, NHL players will return to the Olympics for the first time since 2014. Between the NHL balking at its season being delayed and COVID creating havoc with the 2021-22 schedule, NHL players have not participated in the Olympics for a decade.

“You have to understand that Johnny and I talked about being in the Olympics together a lot,” Tkachuk said. “In 2022, when they canceled us from being in the Olympics, we were so upset. We were both playing really well together in Calgary and we thought we were going to be so good in the Olympics. We talked about it all the time. That was a tough one. He had played for Team USA in so many big events, and I know it meant a lot to him. Obviously, we would have been together this time. It’s tough to think about right now. But I know he would have been excited for those tournaments and he will be on my mind during those times even more than he usually is.”

Tkachuk doesn’t require nor ask for any sympathy. He simply misses his friend.

“Trust me, I feel like I’m the luckiest guy in the NHL,” he said. “I get to play a sport that I love, and it’s my job. And I get to play it (in Florida), which, in my opinion, is the best place in the league. The lifestyle. The fans we’ve developed down here. The way our fan base is growing and growing every day. You wouldn’t want to be anywhere other than this place. It really is the best, and I’m so lucky to have this life. I came here to win a Cup. I looked at this group of guys and I knew it could be done. I knew something special could happen. I guess I was right.”

Tkachuk’s emotions will surely peak in a few weeks, when the Panthers play on Oct. 15 in Columbus for the Blue Jackets’ home opener. In lieu of typical opening night ceremonies, the Blue Jackets will honor the memory of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau.

“I really haven’t thought about that night too much just yet,” Tkachuk said. “But I have a feeling that it’s going to be pretty tough to play that night. It’s not just me that’s feeling it, obviously. The whole league is feeling it right now. Anyone who knew him is feeling it even more.”

Tkachuk is busy preparing his Panthers for a chance to claim back-to-back championships. Dynasties aren’t much of a thing in the modern-day NHL, but the Panthers have won the Cup once, have been to the Final two years consecutively, and their core remains in its 20s.

“We can do something special,” Tkachuk said.

Even still, a small part of his mind remains focused on the international tournaments, where he’ll never get the chance to play with Gaudreau again. But he does have a chance to honor Gaudreau during those tournaments.

“It’s been a really, really, really tough few weeks,” he said. “I still can’t even believe it. It’s just so sad. All of it.”

While sitting and looking down at the Panthers practice facility, Tkachuk’s face alternates emotions, his mind churning.

“You know, the thing that’s getting me through this is those stories I was telling you about,” he said. “Those stories about him I tell all the guys constantly. I’m going to keep those stories with me forever and I’m going to keep his memory alive in everybody by continuing to tell those stories.”

He hopes to generate another story involving Gaudreau when the Olympics arrive.

“He would have been there and wearing that Team USA jersey meant a lot to him,” Tkachuk said. “It means a lot to me, too. When I’m there, he will be on my mind the whole time. Even more than usual. And I’ll be telling stories.”

[tkachuktkaching]

Matthew Tkachuk returns to Edmonton as Public Enemy No. 1

Tkachuk spent the first six seasons of this NHL career with the Calgary Flames, combating in the Battle of Alberta, the decades-spanning rivalry in which the Flames and the Edmonton Oilers would bludgeon each other to the delight of neighboring fan bases. It's a feud that stands next to any geographic rivalry in sports based on its championship prestige, Hall of Fame talent and unwavering vitriol.

Tkachuk remembers those rivalry games well.

"I guess I know them more than probably most guys by playing in Calgary," Tkachuk said. "But we just had the one playoff series against them that they won, and played a bunch in the regular season. There's a lot of different guys over there now."

Calgary traded Tkachuk to the Panthers two years ago. He has returned to Edmonton twice since.

"I know last year I was booed every time I touched the puck. This year there was nothing, so I have no idea this time," he said.

How close did Tkachuk come to becoming an Oiler? Four years ago, he told TSN Radio that they appeared ready to draft him before Dubois went to Columbus.

"During the draft, on the draft floor, it was kind of a weird moment where some people at the Edmonton table -- you could ask them, they would probably deny it -- but they're kind of staring me down and kind of giving me some smiles. The only people that saw it were me and my mom. So we're like, 'All right, we're going to Edmonton,'" he said. "Then Pierre-Luc Dubois went third overall, and the phone started to ring like crazy at the Edmonton table. They threw the jersey under the table and it looked like they stripped off a name and gave it to Puljujarvi with the next pick."

Tkachuk was drafted sixth overall by the Flames. The rest is (alternate) history.

TKACHUK SAID HE HAD "kind of like a Christmas Eve feeling" before the Stanley Cup Final, giddy with anticipation for trying to win the Cup after the Panthers lost in the championship round last season to the Vegas Golden Knights.

When asked about the Oilers, there was no trash talk, no bulletin board material.

"They're a great team. Finally got to watch some of their games against Dallas, since we were playing every other night. It was good to watch their games," he said. "They played really well and ultimately deserved to win the West. It should make for a great final."

After Florida went up 2-0 in the series with its Game 2 victory, Tkachuk was asked if the Oilers were rattled.

Again, he deferred.

"No, I don't think so. It's just sometimes the way it goes," he said, before leaving the media scrum.

The story of Matthew Tkachuk vs. the Edmonton Oilers is also a story of a young, brash superstar at the apex of his brashness who says he's a much different player today. Tkachuk speaks with pride about what he perceives to be the Panthers' maturity as a team and his own discipline on the ice, in contrast with how he'd played in the Battle of Alberta, for example.

"I'd say that used to be a part of my game. Now it's pretty nonexistent," he said. "I've kind of learned what works, and what works is playing as hard as I can for 30 to 45 seconds -- well, sometimes I take the long shift, so 30 seconds to a minute. There's no need to waste your time doing extra stuff."

Panthers coach Paul Maurice has cited the 26-year-old Tkachuk's maturity throughout the season, starting with how he approached this campaign after Florida's stunning run to the Stanley Cup Final last season.

Maurice said Tkachuk was part of the leadership group that got the Panthers locked in to their defensive game this season, which was a byproduct of missing Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour at the start of 2023-24 after surgeries. He said Tkachuk's attitude from the start of training camp help set the efficient, business-like tone of Florida's approach.

"Last year, I think we were just kind of riding the wave," Tkachuk said before the conference finals. "Going into this, we know what it's going to take to ultimately come out on top."

Tkachuk is tied with Aleksander Barkov with 19 points to lead all Panthers scorers. He hasn't had the soaring moments as regularly as he did last playoff run.

But Maurice is confident that Tkachuk is still capable of them.

"His game is better. He's more disciplined. He's matured with this group over two years. I think he's ... primed," the coach said. "I would never bet against him coming up with some heroics, but it's certainly not the only thing we have to expect now when we come to the rink from him."

Article taken from espn.com I Photos : Getty Images

[annieqattheperipheral]

I watched the cbj vigil too after the flames one. Beautifully done. Speeches were touching. The song specially recorded and played at the end of the calgary 13min of silence was incredible, i felt it deep. Columbus played a photos slideshow during their 13min of silence which was heartbreaking but also so very generous of the gaudreau family to share all those personal photos with us. The stories the players from both teams shared to let us into their dressing rooms. Everything was. .. i hate that we even had to have these vigils. Johnny was so very special and he brought so much joy to so many across this continent, and to hockey fans around the world, inspired so many ppl who felt different from what you're supposed to be, that you have to look a certain way, that you have to be a certain size, that you can be the outlier that shows everyone else how it's done...

There are so many beautiful things about the two of them that we've had the privilege of learning these past few days. Matty was everything to john, as john was everything to matty. The universe did one thing right in all this horror, in that they remain together. Rest in peace to both of them. Take care of each other, boys.

cbj:

flames:

[mediamonkey29]

Rest in Peace, Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau

On August 29, 2024, NHL player, Johnny Gaudreau, and his younger brother, Matthew Gaudreau, were killed by a reckless driver while they were riding their bikes in Oldmans Township, New Jersey.

They were in town for their younger sister's wedding, which was scheduled to take place on August 30, 2024. Since their passing, their have been numerous memorials and vigils for the brothers, and countless stories about how generous, kind, and loving these brothers were to their friends, family, and to strangers.

Johnny Gaudreau, known in the hockey community as Johnny Hockey, spent eight seasons playing for the Calgary Flames before shocking everyone, including the Columbus Blue Jackets, by signing a 7-year contract with CBJ. He was just about to begin his third season with the Blue Jackets.

Although Johnny was only 5'9", he was a giant on the ice and he proved that you don't have to be a big player to make a huge impact.

Off the ice, family was everything to Johnny and him and his wife, Meredith Gaudreau, have two children together, Noa and Johnny.

Matthew Gaudreau was also a professional hockey player. He was given a contract to play overseas but decided to end his playing career when he missed his family too much. He transitioned to a hockey coach and was a head coach of their high school team in New Jersey. He made an impact on those he coached, as well as those around the community, who remember him as a kind and caring person who put his family first.

Matthew and his wife, Madeline Gaudreau, were together for over 14 years and were expecting their first child together, son Tripp Matthew Gaudreau. A GoFundMe has been established to assist Madeline and baby Tripp.

The funeral for the brothers is set to take place in Pennsylvania tomorrow, September 9, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. The Columbus Blue Jackets and Calgary Flames will be live streaming the service on their website.

Rest in Peace, Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau. Your spirit and memories will live on. Praying for their family, friends, and the hockey community. We stand together during this difficult time.

[crossbackpoke-check]

find a blorbo (nhl tag game)

RULES: Go through the roster of each NHL team and find at least one player that you can root for.

tagged by @bondedpairs!! when i say too many teams to count and here for the narrative um. i may not have lied. this is not an extensive list of my blorbos but in order to make it not ten thousand years long i made up the rule that i had to do it straight from memory :)

anaheim ducks: as evidenced by recent events i DO like mason mctavish and trevor zegras but i have to honor laura and mention troy terry and beloved goalie gibbie*

boston bruins: oh for sure brad marchand… can i say patrice? one of the charlies got traded but i think mcavoy is still there because gryz is gone, brandon carlo is there still i think

buffalo sabres: cozens & thompson, owen power, rasmus dahlin, ukko pekka luukkonen

calgary flames: is chris tanev still here? is markstrom still here?? noah hanifin?? as a last resort i’ll say blasty

carolina hurricanes: aho & jarvy & teuvo teravainen & brent burns is still playing maybe? i know sepe got traded

chicago hockey: the bedsy narrative is compelling but ANDREAS ATHANASIOU MY BELOVED reunited with tyler bertuzzi… that’s the real story. also i like foligno

colorado avalanche: gabe landeskog, whatever ross colton & miles wood have going on, natemac + jo, mikko

columbus blue jackets: have long been on the merzlikins train, have been swayed to the darkside of umich boys (brindley, kent johnson, fantilli, blankenburg who is now on nsh)

dallas stars: seggy! mush! roope + miro and otter and robo and wyjo (rip ty dellandrea) and harls! etc.

detroit red wings: MOST players. dilly larks, moritz seider, jv, raymond, rasmussen, kitty, lyon, etc except for k*ne

edmonton oilers: mcdrai, ofc. nugent-hopkins, nursey, rip vinny & skinny

florida panthers: tkachuk, reinhardt, sasha barkov, verhaeghe (is there still?)

los angeles kings: adrian kempe… kevin fiala… danault… quinton byfield & alex turcotte

minnesota wild: kirill, marat, fleury, brodes, fabes, boldy, moose, middsy, spurge… god’s perfect idiots

montreal canadiens: going out on a limb here to say martin st. louis but also xhekaj (both), slafkovský, suzuki, my austrian reinbacher, yes fine cole caufield

nashville predators: MOST BEAUTIFUL D PAIR IN THE WORLD GRADY SKJEI AND ROMAN JOSI!! juuse, evangelista, isn’t stamkos there and also someone else who absolutely should not be

new jersey devils: nico… tuna (tatar), dawson mercer, siegenthaler, dougie hamilton, yes the hugheses whatever

new york islanders: barzy, zeeker & marty, anders lee, noah dobson lol

new york rangers: mika & chris, lafrenière & k’andre, shesterkin

philadelphia flyers: frosty & beezer and tk and sanny and the new baby michkov and coots and scooty loots and foerster etc etc. you know the Guys

pittsburgh penguins: the two headed monster but also compelled by rutger mcgroarty, and kevin hayes was there!!!

ottawa senators: timmy stü & brady! josh norris! the evolution of shane pinto! ullmark now and brännström and claude giroux and chabot

san jose sharks: ekky, thrun, mario, borde, logan couture, shakir, that other vaguely blond rookie

seattle kraken: brandon tanev, andre burakovsky! grubauer & d’accord also

st. louis blues: jordan kyrou, nathan walker (is still there?), rob thomas? is parayako still there?

tampa bay lightning: hedman, point, they dumped so many guys after the cup run… is kucherov still there or is he in nashville?? anthony cirelli (notable for being made out with by pat maroon)

toronto maple leafs: mitch, jt, willy, alex nylander, kniesy, dewar, et

utah hockey: crouse, keller, tuba

vancouver canucks: quinn, brock, petey, jt, garly, höggy, i want to say dakota johnson, elias lindholm?

vegas golden knights: brandon montour is here now… alex pietrangelo, so sorry to one i can’t remember who loves the lions it will come back to me

washington capitals: full of love and stupidity. oshie, nicke/ovi, pierre-luc dubois, dowd, vrána, milano

winnipeg jets: adam lowry!! josh morissey and kc and morgan barron, also vladdy my beloved

tagging @stillfertile + @colap1nto + @songsandswords + @moregraceful if they haven’t done it yet, i know they follow at least a couple teams. if anybody else wants to play i love adopting blorbos!!

[bropunzeling]

Ooo ooo ooo 4 & 8 for the fic writer asks pls and thank youuuuu!! If those don’t spark joy for whatever reason or you’ve already done them, swap ‘em out for whatever you want!!

4. a story idea you haven't written yet

what HAVEN'T i not written while also thinking about it extensively. lmao and also rip. one of the ones that's like, clearest to me and probably would take the least effort (and therefore it is inexplicable why... i haven't done it....) is:

when matthew gets concussed during the bubble playoffs, he wakes up. his head doesn't hurt, which is great. he's not in the right place, which is a lot less great. this is not his beautiful house, etc etc. but his phone is telling him he has to go to skate, and he has car keys, and so he gets his ass up and goes to skate.

and what the fuck, this is the DCA. what the fuck, everyone is talking to him like it is perfectly normal and reasonable for matthew tkachuk, known calgary flame, to be in the edmonton oilers practice facility. connor fuckin mcdavid calls him chucky. there's a stall with his nameplate. clearly something is WRONG. in fact the only thing that isn't wrong is that leon draisaitl stares at him like he is a bug, or perhaps a rabid possum.

he makes it through skate. he makes it back to his "house" (which he has never seen before). he goes for a nap.

he wakes up in a wagon and johnny all tied up next to him. they're both in some knockoff costumes from game of thrones, seems like. connor and leon are guarding them, and leon keeps glaring suspiciously at him, like he's not supposed to be here.

(and so on, and so forth. he keeps universe hopping, trying and failing to figure out why it's happening, and why leon seems to be the only person who gets that he isn't supposed to be here. do we think is related to them sleeping together a few times before the world shut down? your guess is as good as mine :) )

anyway it's like fully thought out i just need. to do it. universe hopping matthew u are in my heart.

8. if you had to write a sequel to a fic, you'd write one for...

there's only two timestamps/mini-sequels i'm seriously contemplating: marriage bets timestamp of The Time They Had A Real Wedding, and girl!leon timestamp where we finally, finally get rat baby in cup. everything else is a pretty complete story to me/doesn't have a compelling sequel plotline (to me, anyway)! skjskjskj tho always interested in what people would be interested in! you never know!

[naanima]

One of the interesting things about reading and listening to so much hockey media stuff is that there's a HIGH chance of them being WRONG about teams & players, or just being wrong. A list of things that I remember the hockey specialists have been wrong about in the past year or two.

Matthew Tkachuk trade & the Panthers' narrative - ALMOST everyone said it was a bad trade for Florida, that Calgary won. That they shouldn't have given up Huberdeau et al. That Tkachuk was only good bcos of the line he was playing on during his time in Calgary. Now - face of a franchise, team darling, came back from a broken sternum & now killing it now.

The Panthers are bad, they are done for, they are a wildcard, they will get swept by Boston etc 22-23. Stanley Cup Finalist 22-23, top ranking team 23-24, one of the Cup favs. And the Flames. Yeah.

The Oilers at the beginning of this season - THEY ARE DEAD, THEY ARE DONE ETC. Now - STANLEY CUP CONTENDERS!

The Flyers are gonna tank! Flyers are in a playoff spot (23-24), whether they keep it or not is another question. BUT NO one thought they would be as high as they are now.

Boston is gonna be bad in 22-23, Boston highest regular season performances 22-23. Losing their captain and some top players will mean they will slide substantially backwards. STILL one of the TOP teams 23-24.

The Devils are not ready yet 22-23, makes it to the second round of the playoffs. The Devils are HERE 23-24! Fighting for a wildcard position that's not looking too hot.

The Canucks are not great 22-23, they have so many problems. Here's hoping they make minor improvements in 23-24. The Canucks top 3 teams of the fucking league 23-24.

The Ducks are going to be a much better team! The Ducks are NOT a better team oh gods.

The Sharks will tank! OMFG the Sharks are so MUCH WORSE than tanking.

The Sens are gonna be a STANLEY CUP CONTENDING TEAM, a playoffs team at least! The Sens are not either of those things.

Duchene is bad news, a locker room cancer! Duchene fucking lighting it up in Dallas! Providing that spark for Seguin & Marchment!

Buffalo Sabres have arrived! Buffalo Sabres have NOT arrived, they have missed their appointment by years.

Red Wings - the rebuild is over! ... The rebuild is what it is.

The Blackhawks will be bad but they got Bedard and some support they will be ok-bad! The Blackhawks are the first mathematically team to be locked out of the playoffs.

The Pens will be a middling team! The Pens are shit. They are dead, there's no future for them etc etc (as a Pens fan I'm delusional in thinking we are gonna WIN the 24-25 Cup).

I feel like this is sort of the tip of the iceberg. Yeah, the hockey media gets a lot of things right. But OMFG the IMPORTANT things they fucking get wrong every season is insane. ALL the teams I mentioned could potentially have a reversal the next season. Bcos hockey is a weird and unpredictable sport a lot of the time!

When unexpected things happen hockey media try and push it into a nice thematically appealing narrative when the story shifts on them. We are all guilty of this.

For all the depressed hockey fans out there, just remember, you NEVER know, your team/player could suddenly become the story that the hockey world gets wrong!

[barzal-mat]

homesick

chapter one.

matthew tkachuk x ofc

synopsis: Matt and Lauren had known each other practically forever. They grew together, fell in love and then hockey moved him away, but feelings stayed the same. And now Matt is home for the summer, Lauren has a boyfriend and Matt is lost.

word count: 1k

warnings: none

authors note: This was originally a story with two NHL players, Matthew tkachuk and someone else. But that someone else ended up being a not so great person and I didn't want to sub in a new player. So, I've gonna full Thanos and reality is what I make it. Enter: the face of a frat boy, the kind eyes of a golden retriever and a heart of gold...until it isn't. Ladies and gentlemen, Tucker Williams.

Matthew Tkachuk had a reputation on the ice. Everyone knew it. He knew it. He was a pest. He was an asshole who always had something to say, and he fought. None of that really translated into real life, though. Only when it came to Lauren. He had threatened, taunted, and fought anyone and everyone for the safety and respect in regards to Lauren.

Matt and Lauren had known each other since diapers, the Tkachuk and Jacobs families were neighbors, and had kids around the same age. Some would say it was fate. The diapers turned into backpacks much too large for six year old bodies, and the pair grew even closer over sticky popsicle fingers and crayons tracing their ABC's in kindergarten. Matt and Lauren were best friends. Everyone knew it, teachers, parents, other kids. Where one went, the other wasn't far behind, Lauren with a smile and Matthew with a smirk.

They each had a front row seat to all of the milestones, failures and embarrassment the other faced. Lauren remembers vividly the first time Matt kissed a girl near the swing set. Matt cried. Matt also vividly remembers the first time a boy broke up with Lauren in middle school. Lauren didn't see Matt at school for the next three days until he returned with a smirk and the boy who broke her heart reappeared with a broken nose. Always the enforcer. Always the fighter. Always the protector.

High school changed things, as it always does. They were older. Wiser. Stupider.

Matt asked Lauren out a week before homecoming of their freshman year. She wore a pink dress, and Matt wore a pink tie while they ditched the dance early and went to McDonald's. Romance quickly followed for the next four years. They loved each other with every fiber of their being, for their relationship was built upon a friendship. Their love was only stronger. If you asked Keith Tkachuk, the pair would have been married by the time they graduated. And if you asked Matt, he already had a ring picked out. Keith helped him get it. It's still tucked away in Keith's safe to keep for his son.

But, there was also hockey. The thing Matt loved almost as much as he loved Lauren. Coming from the family he did and having the dad that he did, it was only natural that he followed in his father's footsteps. Same with his younger brother, Brady. Matt was good at hockey. Really good at it. So good that he left St. Louis at 18 to play in Canada.

Lauren had a life of college in front of her and Matt had a flourishing hockey career in front of him. They were 600 miles apart. And no matter how much love they had for one another, they broke up. It was a peaceful break up, void of bitter feelings or anger. They loved each other too much.

Five years later, they were 23. Lauren was still in St. Louis working in finance, and Matt was playing hockey for the Calgary Flames. Lauren had a boyfriend, who also played hockey. A defenceman for the St. Louis Blues. Matt was single. Never brought a girl home or talked about anyone at all. Brady used to chirp him endlessly about the lack of a girlfriend or even a hookup. Yet Matt never had anything to respond with. His eyes glazed over with emotion and Brady never taunted him again.

The Missouri sun was warm on Lauren's skin as she made her way up the sidewalk to the Tkachuk front door. It was a normal day in June for everyone else, but to her, it was the first day of summer. Both of the Tkachuk brothers were finally home.

She knocked against the red door, the same door she was pictured in front of for her first day of kindergarten. The boy pictured next to her opened the door, "Lauren!"

Lauren laughed as Matt lifted her from the ground as he hugged her. She could practically feel his smile against her hair. Matt sat the brunette down when the youngest Tkachuk shoved him out of the way. Taryn Tkachuk yearned for a big sister as the only girl in her family, and Lauren was that person. The two girls hugged briefly as Matt ushered them inside.

Chantal stood in the kitchen with Lauren's mother as they prepared a salad, Keith and Lauren's father were outside grilling, the smell wafting through the air, her stomach responding in hunger. The Tkachuk house was basically an extension to the Jacobs house. While Matt and Lauren were best friends, so were their parents. Keith and Chantal bonded with Kathrine and Robert over their children's friendship, good golf, great wine, excellent food and even better conversation.

The families took turns hosting dinner for the other since their oldest children were in preschool. The families were close. So close that even after Matt and Lauren broke up, they saw each other every summer. They would vacation together, spend summer evenings in St. Louis as they drove around, usually aimlessly as they talked about everything and nothing. To someone on the outside, it would appear that Matt and Lauren never broke up. But the name flashing on Lauren's phone brought Matt back down to reality. Brady, standing behind him, noticed the text notification and the way his brother's shoulders tensed.

Matt didn't like Tucker Williams. He didn't like him before he started dating Lauren. And he really doesn't like him now. Matt knew of his own reputation. People called him a rat, a pest. He knew it and acknowledged it. But what Tucker was, Matt thought was worse. He was a goon. He was there to hurt people. That was it. At least Matt had some integrity, he protected. He never hurt without reason. But, Tucker wasn't any of those things off the ice, so Lauren loved him. And seeing Tucker Williams' name on Lauren's phone stung in a way he couldn't quite describe.

Dinner was delicious, wine was continuously being poured, and Lauren felt warm and fuzzy as the families conversed around her. She always loved being with the Tkachuk family. She would visit weekly throughout the year. It didn't matter if Matt was home or if her parents were visiting or not. She would watch trashy reality TV with Chantal, talk about the latest Flames or Senators games with Keith, and spend nights gossiping and painting fingernails with Taryn. It was home.

Matt sat to her left, Brady on her right, and both she and the younger Tkachuk noticed the quietness of the older Tkachuk. Matt talked. A lot. And now he was quiet, which was very concerning. Lauren watched as he picked up his refilled wine glass and downed it in one go. He sat it down harshly, the glass colliding with the wood table loudly. Keith glanced away from Robert to look at his oldest after the clashing of the glass and wood, finding turmoil written all over his face and his hand twitching on the table as Lauren placed her hand next to it to grab her napkin. His son was still in love. And the ring his son bought her at eighteen was still upstairs, unbeknownst to her.

Matt didn't have time to dream about finding a girl who loved his family so much, and her family loved his family so much because he already had it. It's all he ever knew since the beginning. He never had the desire to find someone to spend the rest of his life with because she sat right next to him, talking with his mom, sister, and her mom over a new restaurant that opened last week and her father was chatting to Keith and Brady about golfing next week, Taryn floating in and out of each conversation. He had it all. Everything he could ever want. Except Lauren wasn't his wife. They weren't dating. She wasn't in Calgary with him. And she was with someone else.

After cleaning up the kitchen, Lauren made her way to the backyard where Matt and Brady were setting up the fire pit. Taryn had been begging for a family night with smores, and being the youngest and only girl of the Tkachuk household, she got what she wanted.

The fire crackled in front of them as Lauren leaned back in her patio chair, shuffling her feet uncomfortably as she was still in her heels from work. Matt's hand slid down her calves to bring her legs over his lap, dropping her shoes to the ground next to his chair, his fingers working at the overworked muscles in her feet. Lauren dropped her head back as the tension slowly left her body, she felt content. Matt never broke eye contact from Brady as he spoke, like this was the most natural thing in the world for him to be doing. Like it was second nature. Chantal didn't miss the pointed look Keith gave her as he watched his son with Lauren. Kathrine didn't miss the way Robert hid a smile at his daughter with Matt.

The sky got darker, the fire had burned out, and a chill was starting to settle into the air. Lauren was asleep in her chair, legs still comfortably resting in Matt's lap, his hands draped over them, keeping her warm. She still felt fuzzy, the wine still stuck with her, making her sleepy. She awoke to find all the chairs that were previously occupied empty, her and Matt the only ones still outside with the warm coals illinating them in an orange glow.

Matt noticed she was awake, speaking softly as his thumb rubbed circles into her skin, "Your parents went home, I told them I'd drive you back. Your mom took your car so it wouldn't be sitting out overnight."

Lauren brushed her hair back, feeling the warmth in her cheeks, "Yeah, driving would not be a good idea right now."

Matt chuckled next to her, slowly dropping her legs off of him, "Get your stuff, let's get you back before you turn into a pumpkin."

Lauren rolled her eyes and laughed as she met Matt's gaze, who stood in front of her with a calloused hand outstretched, "Can't I just stay here? I'll crash in the basement."

His voice was soft, wispy at the edges and barely above a whisper, "Yeah, you can stay. You can always stay."

Matt handed her extra blankets and a pillow as Lauren pulled out the sofa bed in the basement. She knew this house like the back of her hand and had spent more nights in high school sleeping on this exact bed rather than her own bed in her own home.

She thanked Matt for the items, laying them out and sitting on the bed, picking at the skin of her thumb, "Are you going to Brunski's party tomorrow?"

Aaron Brunson, nicknamed Brunksi from peewee hockey, was an old high-school friend and an employee of the St. Louis Blues. Matt had been invited to his party last week, unsure of whether he'd be attending or not. Aaron, being a Blues employee/friend with the players and most important of all, a Blues player being a boyfriend to the girl in front of him, meant Tucker would be there. And while because of Lauren, he'd always be civil, he didn't really want to be.

Lauren looked up at him through her lashes, her cheeks still pink from the wine, and Matt crumbled. He shrugged, "Yeah, I'm going. You?"

Lauren grinned, "Awesome! Yeah, Tucker and I are going."

Matt awkwardly shifted from foot to foot, his eyes downcast, "Cool, then I'll see you there."

He turned away without another word, climbing up the stairs until Lauren's voice stopped him, "Hey, Matt?"

His hand paused on the doorknob, chest tight, "Yeah?"

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Lauren."

[fannyyann]

Hey, hope you're doing okay. I hope you don't mind me asking, but I am rather new to the mattdrai fandom and I couldn't help but wonder:

Was Matthew really as bad as a lot of fic lead to believe in his earlier hockey years in Calgary? And was he really disliked in the room - where there rumours like that? So many fics build on this premise, and seeing him now in Florida and hearing all the nice things his teammates say about him and seeing the things he does himself and the insane good hockey he plays... it's hard to believe.

It's so strange also that it's so rarely mentioned that Leon was the one to be sent down to the minors, not Matthew.

Plus what I don't get: matthew is a lot hotter than Leon? why is it always told like Leon is the hottest dude on earth while Matthew is nothing? comparing early pics and pics from now... it's just not true? Leon looks good, a bit bland IMO, but Matthew is and was just hot in a very unique and special way. maybe because he isn't that bland generic good looking Leon is? But good looking in a special way? so that got a lot longer than I thought it would, hope you don't mind the ask.

i don't mind you asking at all! this is basically my roman empire so MY apologies if this gets unwieldy but i have FEELINGS about matthew's early fic portrayal lmao

in his six years on the flames, matthew was always one of the top five scorers.

his rookie year, he was sixth in rookie scoring

the season he was picked for his first ASG, the flames were 16th in the league at the time all star rosters were announced and matthew was their top scorer.

so it's not like he was the best player from a bottom of the league team or going because he was the home town boy, he was a playoff team's best player (both at the asg break and when the season was eventually suspended because of covid).

and even in his career worst year (2020-2022), he ended the year as their third best scorer and only six points behind johnny (the leader). and as one of calgary's beat reporters said in his end of the year review, Matthew was "good, but not quite as good as the Flames needed him to be."

so i've never really understood why people were portraying him like that either and still haven't figure out if most of it was unreliable narrator kind of stuff or if some authors actually thought he was bad before he had his breakout season, but it doesn't reflect reality.

as for him being disliked in calgary, that all stems from jake muzzin flipping the puck at him, and the subsequent players only meeting that took place after it, in which matthew allegedly told the team he was upset they didn't join him in the scrum after and he was then told him it can't be a riot every night.

before that there were never any rumors that i'm aware of that he was unliked in the room, and in 2019 gio, who most people tend to think is the one who told matthew to tone it down, said this about another players only meeting:

so while the 2021 players only meeting was a story because matthew wasn't playing like his usual self afterward, i've never thought it was indicative of him not being liked by his teammates. and honestly, you have to take it all with a grain of salt anyway because while guys obviously bullshit the media, at the practice after the players only meeting guys talked about how there was a general lack of emotion, and how they came out there trying to have fun with each other and put it behind them, and in the postgame the next night, gio specifically sites getting into scrums and mixing it up when asked how much more emotion they played with in that win compared to earlier losses, so if mixing it up was good the very next night, the math doesn't quite add up, yk?

but johnny did confirm in his spittin chiclets appearance about two weeks after the muzzin incident that matthew was pissed after they left him out to dry that night, and when asked about matthew's struggles that season darryl sutter said matthew needed to, and would, get back to playing to his identity, so the whole cause and effect of the muzzin incident on matthew's play that season isn't completely unfounded, but i do think multiple guys saying the team needed to play with more emotion, johnny saying in the chiclets episode that the guys skating off didn't find out about the puck flip until they saw it on sportsnet and saying he felt bad about it, and the new coach coming in and getting matthew to play back to his style shows that it wasn't as personal as it was made out to be.

anyway, the flames may not have be as tight knit as the panthers are, but matthew had his people there. he's bffs with hanifin and his friendship with sam bennett is part of what drew him to florida. johnny always says great things about him, blake coleman called him the heartbeat of the team, and was such an important voice in the room that the flames suffered when he and gudbranson were no longer around to tell sutter to chill the fuck out when he was being too hard on guys in the room.

he probably wasn't close with every teammate, most people aren't friends with all their coworkers, but he wasn't some sort of loner in that locker room.

as for the looks, that's all down to personal preference. leon is definitely very conventionally attractive and while matthew has definitely glowed up in the last few seasons, he was by no means ugly. i wouldn't even say he's really unconventionally attractive either. he's got a good face and was a cute teen and people who are like "oh no i find matthew tkachuk attractive now" have literally never made sense to me. but again! personal preference and all that.

again, my apologies if you weren't looking for THIS MUCH of an answer to your question but this isn't even all the sources i pulled up when i first got this ask so i did TRY to keep it short lol

[libertyreads]

Book Review #67 of 2024--

Against the Boards by Cynthia Gunderson. Rating: 2.5 stars.

Read from November 12th to 14th.

I'm going to try to keep this review short because this was a short novella and I just don't have a ton to say about it. I knew pretty early on that this writing style isn't for me. But I purchased both the first and the second book in this series on Kindle from a deal of the day so I was obviously going to keep reading despite that early feeling of "oh no." This is clearly a book that was getting hyped on social media which is how it ended up on a deal of the day email. I get it. I don't love it. The writing felt rough. There were so many sentences explaining the physical moments of characters that felt clunky and unnecessary. "The character picked up a book with their left hand and then grabbed the keys with their right hand, making it difficult for them to grab their tea..." Things like that that hopefully they've worked out over time. Also, character descriptions that go against what we've already seen/read. The cover on the copy I got has the main female character with a brownish red hair color while the descriptions in the book have her blonde. The descriptions of people's eye color or build were almost constantly changing. The characters in this one were pretty immature, especially the main female character. She jumped to so many conclusions that I wouldn't be surprised if she's secretly a frog. With just the tiniest scrap of "evidence" she'd come up with the most outlandish explanation for what she was seeing. Instead of, you know, talking to the guy??? Come on lady, you're in your thirties.

There was a moment in the book that hit me like a weight thrown from a ten story window straight onto my chest. This author clearly knows hockey, but it's been less than a year since this book was published and there is a hockey player she mentions while the two main characters are at an NHL game and that player died this summer in an accident. That immediately pulled me from the story. This author is clearly from Calgary or loves the Flames but when she was writing about the hockey in this section of story it kept yanking me out of it. This summer the player she mentioned died alongside his brother when a drunk driver hit them while they were cycling in New Jersey. Less than two weeks later, his wife announced she was pregnant with their third child. So...I don't want to make a fuss about whether or not this author knows her hockey--she clearly does--but anyone reading this story after August 2024 is going to be stunned during that scene. Or at least I was. The author could never have foreseen this happening so I don't blame her for this. It's just something that took away from the story that is an outside factor.

Overall, I probably wouldn't be putting the next book on any future TBRs, but since I bought both the first and the second books in this series, I will be continuing on. I'm hopeful that the second book has a few mature characters and no inclusion of dead hockey players. 😬 That was too far. I'm just hoping the next one is better.

[annieqattheperipheral]

Flames media today. It helps to hear ppl talk about how they are. I appreciate reporters asking them "how are you doing?"

Blake Coleman:

First 4min on Calgary's response and vigil, and attending johnny & matthew's funeral yesterday, seeing old teammates, catching up with stories about Johnny.

Mikael Backlund:

first 1:40min

Craig Conroy:

first 1:40min

There was a wake the day before the funeral. Got to meet and chat with the Gaudreaus then. Gave the family specific flames contact names so they can always reach out.

Jonathan Huberdeau:

First 2:30min.

Met Johnny at the mangiapane wedding earlier this summer.

[hopetorun]

“it’s almost just like how it was before” for the made-up fic title meme!

my first thought for this was actually leon goes to tampa futurefic but the @msmargaretmurry did this in a response for the same meme so i'm going to take this in a different direction.

our story starts in buffalo, new york, on june 24, 2016. draft day. auston matthew goes first overall to toronto, and patrik laine goes second overall to winnipeg. and then, instead of what actually happened that day, it goes the way people thought it would: jesse puljujarvi goes third, to columbus. and edmonton, picking fourth, takes the guy whose nameplate they already have velcroed to an oilers jersey: matthew tkachuk.

so matthew trucks his way up to edmonton, with aspirations of adding "winger for connor mcdavid" to his resume. now i'm gonna level with y'all: the oilers made me very, very mad in the summer of 2016 and hockey in general made me very, very made in the fall of 2016, so i've memory holed a lot of the details of the next couple of years. but luckily i'm not writing this story for real, so i can fudge and slur my way through that part!

matthew's career trajectory in edmonton isn't all that different from in calgary -- he's good pretty much from the jump, and with some ups and downs improves as he gets older (and a little calmer). he does get to add winger for connor mcdavid to his resume, but he ends up sticking mostly on the second line, as one of leon's wingers. there's a lot of reasons for it, but in part it's because it just drives the other teams bananas. annoyingness/60 off the charts. and matthew and leon are both having a blast the whole time.

i don't think they click instantly when matthew shows up in edmonton in 2016, because matthew's a hotshot, high draft pick, legacy, the whole nine yards, and leon's still feeling a little insecure about his place with the oilers. at least matthew's not a center.

so they don't click instantly, but it comes pretty quickly. matthew's a friendly guy, when he's not antagonizing every flames player on the ice (which frankly leon thinks is very funny), and he's smart about hockey, and a fun guy to hang out with.

and so we get a few years of the mcdavid-draisaitl-tkachuk era in edmonton. a lot of goals, and maybe not as much defensive responsibility as everyone wishes, a lot of people on twitter and capfriendly's gm tool getting stressed about the contract math. and they're right to be stressed about the contract math -- that's a lot of high-end offensive talent to have stored up, and it's gonna get pricey.

and then it's the 2021 offseason. matthew's already been a holdout, and he got his deal but everyone knows the next one won't be any easier, and mcdavid and draisaitl have their long-term deals but they're only going to get more expensive. they've been swept two years in a row in the playoffs. the front office wants results, and cap flexibility (that flat cap is already hurting). so matthew gets traded.

now, i don't think he and leon ever dated or anything at this point, but they were kind of dancing around the possibility for a while. another few years, or maybe one good solid playoff run, and it would've happened. (and by it i do mean falling into bed without actually talking about anything, but they would've talked eventually. both of them are too soft and serious about important things.) so for leon, matthew is this possibility. someone he almost got to have. it haunts him a little, when he lets it. and he misses the camaraderie he had with matthew, and how well they clicked on the ice. but that's just the business. he makes new friends and finds new guys to click with on the ice, and sure none of them make his heart beat too fast in the same way but he shouldn't be looking for boyfriends amongst his teammates anyway.

they keep in touch, a bit. it's hard with the grind of the season, and the time difference (matthew's on the east coast now) that doesn't even get any easier in the summers. leon fills up the space matthew took up in his life with other friends. more time with connor. other teammates. a dog. (it's a hassle, without someone living with him, but he's got a very generous neighbor and a big backyard and money to burn on fancy kennels if he wants.)

leon dates someone else, eventually. pretty seriously, living together kind of stuff. it is easier to deal with the dog this way. he learns just how annoying it is to play against matthew, and he tries not to laugh when matthew stares him down. the two of them get dinner with connor when the oilers are in raleigh (hey, we're playing the it almost happened game here anyway) and talk about the oilers circa 2017 experience. none of them win cups, but matthew gets the closest. leon determinedly isn't jealous, and sends him a nice text when the canes wash out in the conference final. again. but you know, it's not like leon misses him daily or anything. just at odd moments, when a play breaks down and he ends up with the puck, and he spins to find matthew on the ice, because matthew would've seen the same thing he did. and matthew's not there. matthew hasn't been there for years.

he doesn't ever ask if matthew's dating anyone, and matthew doesn't volunteer the information. he thinks it'll sting too much to find out, even though he is dating someone, and he hasn't told matthew about it.

matthew finds out, though, at an all-star game down the road. they're both there, and leon's boyfriend is too, and leon doesn't even introduce them. matthew's just saying hi to everyone, the way he does, and leon's boyfriend says leon invited him, and from the look on matthew's face, he doesn't even have to say boyfriend because matthew's got it all figured out. that shouldn't bother leon, and it bothers him a hell of a lot. (matthew's dated people too, but no one seriously enough to do something like this, and leon is right that he'd be hurt if he found out.)

leon signs a contract extension in edmonton. thinks about the possibility of retiring as an oiler. gets dumped, because his boyfriend gets tired of the late nights at home alone. the core of players he was striving for a cup with in edmonton is slowly breaking up. early-ish retirements. trades. the usual stuff. and leon wants to win, and he's starting to think that isn't going to happen in edmonton.

there's two years left on his contract and, well. he's looking, a bit. eyeballing other teams, looking at where he thinks he might be able to help the most. he has a full NTC, now, and the oilers won't be happy if he asks to be moved, but he thinks they'll make it happen. he can be flexible, a bit. he's good enough to command a decent return. connor will forgive him. he'll resent it, the freedom that his presence has given leon to do things like bail on the oilers when the going starts getting tough again, but he'll get over it. the deadline is creeping up now, and the oilers could still make the playoffs but it's looking more and more like they won't, and on the other side of the continent matthew's still -- well, he's not tearing it up like he used to, but he's putting together a decent season on a competitive team. and leon's jealous.

so he finally puts in the request. feels a little guilty but not enough to not do it. this is a business. he wants to win. he's won everything else, individually. maybe they've even won the president's trophy once or twice. but he wants a cup. the cup isn't the first thing he thinks about when all the chips are down and he's going to be matthew's teammate again.

it takes some getting used to, when it actually happens. matthew doesn't just plop back onto leon's wing and learn to read his mind all over again. matthew's an established guy on the team, he's already got a line. leon's playing a bit of wing, a bit of center. leon knows better than to have expected everything to just slot back into place but there was a stupid part of him that kind of wanted it anyway. it was so easy before! and now matthew's got a whole life here and leon's the interloper.

i think from here leon spends a while being in his feelings about it. not wanting to push too hard and upset the balance of this team, because they're winning. they're playing well. it feels good. but then the team's 2c gets hurt and he ends up slotting in, matthew on his wing again and oh, oh, that's the thing they used to have. leon is totally swept up in it, and along with it the crush he used to have on matthew. the thing that always felt like it could happen is still there, simmering under the surface. leon feels it when matthew slams him into the boards in a hug, and he feels it when matthew compliments him in a scrum and he feels it at the bar after the game, drink in hand and matthew leaning in close and grinning too wide.

it's not the same, exactly. they're both comfortably into their thirties now. older. more settled. matthew has a house in raleigh, which he never did in edmonton. even leon, uprooted midseason and in a new area, feels older and more stable than he ever did at 22.

they still don't act on it. matthew thinks leon got over it. leon doesn't want to rock the boat. but leon can't stop himself from pushing a little. touching when they don't need to. knees pressed together on the plane.

matthew does realize leon isn't over it somewhere in here. he's not an idiot. he knew what the vibes were back in edmonton, and he knows that leon's hand on his back at the bar isn't platonic. but leon doesn't push, and matthew's careful about these things. and they're winning, winning so much. winning in a way they weren't when they played together before, and it feels incredible.

gonna go big romance here and say this one ends when they win the cup. neither of them's on the ice but they pile off the bench together when the buzzer sounds, and after they've had their turns with the cup -- it feels even better than leon thought it would -- and after the night has finally wound down, leon grabs matthew by the wrist the way he's wanted to since matthew was 20 years old and so transparently trying to make everyone like him.

matthew comes toward him easily, until they're nearly touching, and leon finally, finally kisses him.

[eternalroo76]

Kenzie and I finally made it back out to her place in Calgary to visit her family after 4 years lmao 🫣 The plane ride isn't so bad, just an hour. But driving to the airport was rough as we had to navigate past two messy car accidents. And then when we got here we drove past a three story building engulfed in flames. So we're exhausted. But it's SO QUIET here. Kenzie's sleeping peacefully. I poured out all the now-expired meds and toiletries we left here in 2019, thinking we'd be back much sooner. Now I need to look at some fronnie to feel like myself again