#i kinda wanna keep something hockey/sports related but.

[2mylovebird]

also. i kind wanna change my url 🫣 no idea to what tho 😭😭

[team-science-mega-nerds]

Fictober Prompt #23: “You can’t give more than yourself.”

Fandom: Supergirl

Pairing: Danvarias

Warnings: None

Alex skates around the rink. By now she’s shed most of her gear and is left with only her pants, shin pads, and gloves on. Practice shots should be easy but the hockey stick feels heavy after the grind of an intense game. Alex rolls up the sleeves on her National City Bruisers hoodie and takes another shot.

Losses hurt. They always have. But it’s part of this game and this is the life that Alex has chosen. It’s mostly thankless. Hard practices, brutal games, and the hope that they can stave off injuries long enough to get invited to the Olympics next year. But Alex can’t stop practicing, she can’t stop beating herself up over missed passes, she’s a perfectionist and it’ll probably destroy her. “Um... “ Alex turns and sees a woman, bundled up in a double-layered jacket, looking slightly frazzled and very confused. “Sorry...I’m...sorry, can you be there?” Alex cocks her head to the side, watching the woman speed walk around the rink and stop at the open entrance. She looks at the ice like a kid looking at a monster under their bed.

“Yeah, I can.” That’s not the answer the woman is looking for. Alex skates over and stops a few feet away from her. “Just getting a few shots in.”

“Oh, you’re…” The woman blushes and Alex tries her best not to find it cute. “That game was tough.”

“Yeah.” Alex starts to turn and return to her shots-

“Wait! Hold on, I have to…” The woman sighs. “I’m Sam, I’m the new Zamboni operator.”

“You?” Alex almost laughs. “What happened to Tony?”

“PCP and Redbull,” Sam explains. “I need to...look, I get fifteen bucks for this. It’s my third job of the day and my kid is waiting for Richard to pay me after this so-.”

“Richard’s a dick.” Alex skates across the rink, scoops up the puck, and balances it on her hockey stick. Sma looks insanely unimpressed and tired. Alex can relate to that. “Look...I can’t go home right now. I’ll get really drunk and call my ex and I’m kinda trying to move on from those decisions.” Alex thinks for a moment. “I’ll pay you-.”

“You can go to hell-.”

“Thirty bucks.” Sam eyes Alex suspiciously. “And...there’s a shit ton of food in the fridge.”

“I don’t want to get in trouble.”

“You won’t. Any problems, I’ll take the heat.” Alex isn’t certain that she should be promising anything to anyone but she can’t go home right now. She doesn’t have a level head. “You like the ice?”

“No.”

“You picked quite the gig.”

“In my situation, there isn’t a lot of picking.” Alex decides, easily, that she needs to stop making assumptions. Alex can see the exhaustion in Sam’s eyes and then, a girl walking through the stands and cozying up close to Sam. “Sweetie, go sit over there-.”

“You ever skate?” Alex asks. The kid looks surprised that she’s been addressed but eager to poke her head further out from behind Sam. “They rent skates here...but I can get them for free, if…” Alex looks to Sam, afraid that she’s made a mistake by even mentioning the idea.

“Can I, mom?”

“I...seriously just...I’d do anything to keep my mind off of the game. I’m a good teacher, I promise.” There must have been something about Alex’s pleading eyes or the sincerity in her voice because soon she finds herself breaking into the front desk and getting the keys to the skate rental kiosk. Ruby, as Alex learns a few minutes into their mission, is excited to learn. Sam is supportive but clearly frightened of her daughter getting hurt.

Alex kneels in front of Ruby and helps her get into her skates. “Alright, so it’s really important that you tie these bad boys tight.” Alex demonstrates by untying and retying her shoes. She grunts dramatically to show Ruby how tight it should be. “Perfect!” Alex smiles and helps Ruby stand. She glances at Sam, “What about you?”

“I like solid ground.”

“She’s scared,” Ruby whispers in Alex’s ear.

“Oh, I see.” Alex laughs.

“You see what?” Sam looks between them suspiciously. “I’ll sit over here-.”

“Wouldn’t it be better if you were out there with us?” Alex suggests, Sam looks horrified. “You can hang onto the wall.” Alex is unashamed by the fact that she finds Sam to be beautiful. The way her cheeks get flush as she’s mumbling under her breath and throwing on skates doesn’t hurt. “Do you need me to hold your hand?”

“Don’t get cute,” Sam warns.

Alex leads Ruby and Sam to the rink. Ruby is agreeable and happy to slowly take a few steps on the ice. Sam is at a stalemate. “Do you wanna know what’s great about ice skating?” Ruby nods. She’s half focused on attempting to move her feet while maintaining a double grip on the wall. “It looks really funny when someone falls.” Alex demonstrates by falling on her butt, Ruby cracks up. “See, it’s not so bad, huh?”

“You make it look easy.”

“It is.” Alex holds out her hands and Ruby takes them. “Let’s glide.” They do. It’s simple and fun and Alex hasn’t taken a route back into the basics for a long time. She laughs along with Ruby, excited by the idea that this could be new to anyone. Sometimes she forgets that there’s a starting point and when Ruby is ready - eyes wide and bordering on confident - Alex lets her go. “Holy shit!” Alex says watching Ruby skate forward on her own.

“Rubes, you’re doing amazing!” Alex turns to see that Sam has inched forward on the ice but she hasn’t moved much. She still looks petrified but very proud of her daughter.

“I can teach you too,” Alex offers.

“I’m fine right here.” Alex skates to Sam and holds out her hands, just like she had with Ruby. “I’m fine.”

“I’m surprisingly good at this, you know.” Alex grins. “Close your eyes.”

“Like hell-.”

“You’re stubborn as shit,” Alex nods over at Ruby who has moved onto practicing stopping against the wall. “Pretend you’re a kid. Pretend the world isn’t scary.” Sam takes her hands and doesn’t close her eyes, and as Alex leads Sam around the rink, slowly, all of the torturous thoughts that had been raging in her mind disappear. Alex forgets the loss and holds onto a woman she barely knows. “This is fun, huh?”

“Ridiculously so,” Sam admits. “Sorry about the game.”

“It’s funny, you know? The word game.” Alex ponders for a moment. “This sport is my life.”

“You can’t give more than yourself,” Sam tells her. Sam squeezes her hands tighter as they move around the curve together. “Turns out there are better things in life than money or glory. Rubes and I struggle but we have each other. I’m thankful for that.” Sam never lets go of Alex’s hands the whole time they’re skating. Alex doesn’t mind, she enjoys the warmth that she brings.

After, while Ruby and Alex press their noses against the glass and watch Sam work the Zamboni, Alex wonders if she’s doing this right. Life is hard and it can be lonely and something about Ruby and Sam makes Alex feel like...maybe her world is changing. “Your mom is cool.”

“Yeah. I know.”

“Sorry, that you’ll be late going home. I guess...I guess, I just wanted to hang out with people.”

“It’s okay to be lonely,” Ruby loops her arm around Alex’s. “My mom never does stuff like this.”

“Like what?”

“Taking chances on people.”

Perhaps, Alex wants to hang onto the moment too bad. Maybe that’s why she finds herself watching Sam and Ruby pack up and is struggling with letting go. “There’s this pizza place…” Alex chuckles, what the hell is she doing? “I can order something for you, if...uh...sorry.”

“We’d love to go if that’s what you’re asking.” Sam searches Alex’s eyes and smiles. “I like pizza, what about you, Rubes?”

“I love pizza.”

Alex has no game. She thinks that Sam probably knows that because she’s covering her smile and watching Alex scramble to grab her things. At least Ruby is laser-focused on pizza which gives a little bit of room for Alex to properly give directions. Ruby gets into Sam’s van and Sam and Alex stare at each other for a long moment. “What the fuck am I doing?” Sam asks herself. She runs her fingers through her hair and sighs. “Is this a bad idea?”

“Let’s find out.”

“You were really good with Ruby.” Sam eyes Alex’s motorcycle, a nervous but curious glint in her eyes. “That’s a start.”

Alex spends the short drive over to the pizza joint, wondering if she’s dreaming. She went from having one of the toughest days of her life, to one of the best far too easily. Alex is happy to roll with the punches and she does when they arrive at the restaurant and wait to be seated. Alex can see the question hanging over them. Sam is clearly concerned about money and wondering if Alex is some asshole who wants to treat her nice just to get in her pants. Alex doesn’t know how she can make her intentions clearer except by being herself. “My sister and I come here all the time.”

“Younger sister, I assume.”

“Yeah...how’d you know?”

“A good guess.” Sam motions Ruby forward as the waiter leads them to a booth. When they sit down and Alex realizes that Ruby and Sam are next to each other, she starts to feel like this is the beginning of an interrogation. Sam smiles and watches closely as Alex sweats under her gaze. Alex needs to figure out how to play it cool for once. “What’s good here?”

“Everything!” Alex flips open the menu. “Any allergies?” Alex peaks over the menu and sees them both shake their heads. “Good. We’ll get the spaghetti pizza then.”

“Spaghetti...pizza?” Sam questions, scrunching her face up adorably.

“That sounds cool!” Ruby exclaims.

“Exactly, Ruby, you get it.” Alex looks at Sam pointedly. “We’re not gonna have an ice rink situation again are we? ‘Cause I can be just as stubborn as you.”

“Come on, mom.” Ruby urges, grabbing her arm and rocking her side to side until Sam finally nods her head in agreement. “Thanks!” Ruby gets easily distracted by crayons and a crossword puzzle and Alex is trying her best to give them space but her eyes keep finding Sam’s.

“Do you like it out here?” Sam finally asks.

“As in...the city? I guess.” She didn’t have a lot of options either way but she’d made a home of it. “I didn’t always live here. I lived sort of...in a rural area for a while.”

“How’d you like that?”

“Loved it. The thing that I miss the most is this little windchime I had. There were little sparkling hummingbirds on it. Damn, I loved that thing.” Ruby and Sam exchange a subtle look but before Alex can ask why their food arrives. The conversation is easy from there. Alex gets caught up in everything Ruby is learning at school and then hangs onto every word as Sam explains her office job. Alex is happy not to think about herself for a moment and learn anything and everything about these two wonderful people.

When the check comes, Sam practically lunges for it. Alex understands and doesn’t make a big show of paying but instead offers to tip. “Mom, we have to get home to Ducky,” Ruby says, as she grabs Sam and tugs her toward their van.

“Ducky?”

“Our dog, he’s…” Sam pries Ruby’s hand off her arm. “A handful.”

“Oh, sweet. I love dogs.” That gets Ruby to stop rushing and turn to face Alex. “Well, thank you guys for hanging out with me, it was-.”

“Mom, can Alex meet Ducky?” Ruby blurts out. Alex is ready to protest to avoid any drama. She’s overstayed her welcome and doesn’t want to push it.

“If she wants.” Sam gives Alex a bright smile. “He’s really cute and he loves new friends.”

“Yeah? I could follow you…?” Alex makes a mental note to tell Kara everything. From the moment Sam showed up at the rink to the moment Alex pulled into Sam’s driveway and saw an adorable brown and white three-legged pitbull running toward her. Alex nearly cries as she’s showered with puppy kisses and tries her best not to totally fall in love. “Oh my god!”

“Can I take a picture of you? My friends won’t believe that you’re such a softie when it comes to dogs.” Alex doesn’t care what Sam does as long as she gets to keep playing with this dog. “Dweeb.”

“Thank you,” Alex replies with a wink. “You should’ve led with I have the cutest dog in the world.”

“Noted.” Sam looks over her shoulder at Ruby and mouths something. Ruby scampers into the house and Alex feels like this is a very fitting end.

“How about I get you tickets to our next game?” Alex offers.

“Maybe.”

“Please.”

“Maybe-.”

“Please.” Alex looks down at her feet.

“Okay.” Sam takes a step closer to Alex, with Ducky still excitedly wagging his tail at their feet. There’s a cool breeze and then Alex hears a very familiar wind chime coming from Sam’s front porch. She spots the hummingbird chime and cocks her head to the side. Obviously, something miraculous had brought them together. Whether it was fate or not was still yet to be determined. “This felt like...a first date.”

“It did, didn’t it?” Alex wants to reach out to touch Sam but she isn’t sure if that’s the right thing to do now or ever. “You can kiss me if you want.” Alex surprises herself by saying it, Sam blushes like crazy. “Look, I promise I’m not some cool, suave asshole. But if this was a date, I think it went pretty well.”

“I haven’t kissed anyone in like…” Sam covers her face with her hands. “Four years.”

“You can say ‘no’, I won’t be offended.”

Sam lets her arms fall to her sides. She grabs the front of Alex’s hoodie and pulls her close. “Don’t laugh at me.”

“I won’t.”

“You’re really cute.”

“So are you.” The kiss brings butterflies to Alex’s stomach. They flutter and float and Alex has no idea how to find balance again. And then Sam is laughing against her lips and diving back in for more and more, and they’re making out on a night where Alex thought she might drown herself in beer and instead she’s drowning herself in this incredible woman and-

“Kissing’s ridiculous,” Sam says as she pulls back. “I guess that’s why I like it so much.” Sam kisses her again and it’s like a promise, one that they both intend to keep. “Now, get some rest, Ms. Most goals in a year.”

“I thought you weren’t into hockey.” Sam lets out a laugh and swings open her front door, where Ruby had - apparently - been spying on them the whole time. Alex starts for her bike, struggling not to smile.

She supposes that losing isn’t so bad after all.

[jack-manpain-zimmermann]

My first year of hockey fandom on tumblr and yikes. Everyone who posted about concussions and CTE and calling out NHL Player Safety is really just gliding on past the fact that this team once again used targeted head shots made by a player with a long history of targeting head shots, in a series against a team whose captain already lives in fear of CTE.... in large part because of said team who once again, targeted his team with concussions.

(please don’t reblog - replies are fine but just know I’ve been into this sport too long to be interested in having my mind swayed in favor of being nicer to male athletes)

And wow. I gave most people the benefit of the doubt that they absolutely knew their perceptions of hockey players as lovely sweethearts is almost entirely fiction crafted by PR and social media, and that duh of course male professional athletes should be viewed as default assholes until fairly unorchestrated proof shows otherwise. That’s just common sense. I didn’t watch hockey games as a 90s teen thinking I wanted to take these guys into my heart and good graces. But I also didn’t want to be that old person in fandom who took fandom stuff too seriously. I’ve never had a team affiliation or preference so I never get touchy about a team or players getting grief from opposing fans. So I didn’t get too in my feelings when I saw people getting gushy about their favorite teams or players either, even if it did seem pretty removed from reality. I figured people knew what they were doing.

But I.... think people actually believe Ovechkin is a sweetheart and that the Caps deserved a win out of this series. That’s ummm. A step away from logic and reality that I can’t inflict upon myself. I had no horse in this or any other playoff race and yeah, the Penguins absolutely have shit to be critical of. But the Caps straight up haven’t cared if they’re shortening someone’s life or not. Again. They support someone laughing at having laid a player out on the ice. They have a history of head shots as a way of removing players from the game. ??????

If someone wants to just fantasize online about an Ovechkin who’s everything the commercials, PR, enormously biased team mates and his very young girlfriend/wife say he is then it’s fine. So long as that fantasy knows to hold off in the face of real life things that you can’t ignore and that people are rightly outraged about.

Especially when these same people claim to be outraged about head shots and goons. 

Real Life Ovechkin is a sexist, egomaniacal pig who I wouldn’t want anywhere near me, my female friends or female relatives. I’ve met Ovechkins, I have friends who’ve dated Ovechkins. He offers nothing in his flimsy public persona to make me assume he’s anything different. No one should be shocked by this. The warning signs are there, folks. That PR veil of cutesy doofuses is paper thin. You lose nothing by admitting that he, like most of these players, is a waste of space not worthy of struggling to find good qualities about. Watch him play all you want but don’t let him into your feelings. He and all these men gain a lot from people perpetuating public images they haven’t earned. You’re playing into that.

Sorry, it’s just genuinely scary. People hating Crosby (so long as they don’t dip into misogyny or homophobia for it) and people hating the Penguins or just not wanting them to keep winning is whatever, that’s a normal part of competitive sports. But for all that I thought I saw a public outpouring on here for ZAR, I’ve seen chillingly little responsibility held over Ovechkin, Trotz or the Caps as an organization that employs guys like Wilson and Ovechkin who deliver high hits that get called ‘playing hard’ or ‘beastmode’ and waved away by the league. And now I guess fans who claim to be against goon behavior.

It’s fine if people wanna pretend cute stuff about hockey players and teams fully knowing it isn’t real. But this sport repeatedly exhibits it’s most repulsive side in the team that won last night. It’s something they and their players are known for. 

Bear in mind that I had to watch Paul Kariya’s brilliant career get broken apart and reduced to nothing but his history of concussions because of the types of guys that the Caps and many other teams are employing. Paul Kariya, who won the Lady Byng multiple times but who stated that he realized he’d have to start playing dirtier just to protect himself. Hell, I remember Gretzky himself (another Byng recipient) still being known as a “whiner” because he used to speak up about bad hits. I remember that he gave up and stopped criticizing the players who targeted him because he was shamed out of it. I can’t believe hockey fans, even supposedly progressive ones, are no farther along than they were then. And that now it’s all because they think grown men are their own sweethearts to protect and defend.

Side note that shit like this makes me think every non-Penguins fan in hockey fandom truly believes that their team wouldn’t have gone to the White House and had the exact same responses about it. Despite so many of their faves having visited a Bush White House and now the Women’s Olympic team going this year. And the resoundingly ambivalent or supportive reactions that 2016 teams had about the Penguins visit, especially from white players. 

Either it’s the league that’s to blame or it’s the teams and players, or it’s everyone. You can’t pick and choose who is more to blame and who has no choice based on the circumstance. 

I’m just. There are genuinely people who look at a Putin buddy and say how “gay” and liberal his team is and mean it, and who don’t realize that his level of physical affection with men is normal in Russia and yikes if it isn’t tone deaf to call it gay and actually think it is. Yes, all Russian players have to toe the pro-Russia line no matter what, but this guy is literally Putin’s friend. He’s not. Cuddly. Or. Sweet. Holtby going to pride parades and saying nice stuff is ... so? That’s nice and all and worth a reblog and folks can gush as if it means more than it does. Lord knows we’re starved for it. But it’s the barest fucking minimum and the dude is a heterosexual. Has zero impact on what his other team members think or do. 

Again, I really was operating under the belief that all the Ovi/Nicky pseudo shippy stuff and the Cuddly Bear Ovi stanning was people posting it but knowing how absurd and unreal it all is. That it’s a bit of fun to have while watching hockey but ultimately knowing that the truth is pretty gross and disappointing. I can kinda see that, even if I don’t get into it myself much. But god, not if people are actually starting to let their reactions to concussions and dirty hits and actual personal political affiliations be swayed by it. 

(And if anyone reads this and does separate their fandom fantasy from reality then just know I’m not addressing this at you anymore than I am myself for occasionally dipping my toe in it. I took part in protesting the Pens WH visit despite reblogging Pens stuff sometimes.)

That’s a terrifying amount of bias based on nothing more than the odd team member going to a pride parade or posting cute stuff with children on their instagram and indulging fans in the fantasy that all their relationships with women are perfect and wonderful. This league is infested with toxic masculinity as it always has been. It’s almost creepier that men who are remorseless thugs on the ice are able to use social media and a prevalent NHL public relations presence to seduce supposedly progressive fans so easily by making the barest minimum effort at presenting a likeable persona.

I think it’s uhhhh time to back away from hockey tumblr now. I’m glad I didn’t get too deep into it.

[mrbananny]

Emmet’s Apartment

Took the liberty of going through this part of the second scene of the movie in Emmet’s apartment to take a look at all the stuff he has This proves that I have too much free time and nothing better to do :) (Under the Read More)

Here’s the first shot, where we get a first glimpse of his bedroom. Like any apartment, it looks pretty small. You can see his bathroom over to the left and- who puts their toothbrush in the sink when they’re through using it? Emmet, get a toothbrush holder :/ You can see quite a few sports related things here and there, a hockey poster, a basketball on top of his wardrobe, and two of the same posters? Emmet wyd? Not to mention the bike slightly offscreen. Tissues and a lamp on his bedside table.  There’s also what appears to be a box and a radio(?) on top of his wardrobe. Judging by how crooked the bricks on the bed look, chances are he hasn’t fixed the fitted sheet to, yknow, fit.

Emmet!! LEGOs don’t bend back that far!! Are you okay?! Taking a look at the wall above his bed now, he definitely has two of those trophy posters. Not to mention he has two car posters. At least they look different. Also he just,,, leaves the blanket hanging off the bed? Emmet make your bed!! He also has an award? What is it for? What did he do? He’s 22 and not in college so that’s not it??? High school diploma maybe?? That darn bike is still there. Emmet you have a balcony, keep your bike outside! There’s also a chair. Bad Cop just,, invades his home after capturing him and just,, kicks it once and leaves. Emmet also has a lot of books. Also he has what I can only assume to be a cactus? Emmet has way too many plants this is canon it’s Planty’s little bro.

Teen Copz poster, Emmet did say he watched a lot of cop shows. Maybe he watches a lot of cop movies too? Macho and the Nerd, obvious reference to Phil and Chris’ other movie 21 Jump Street, with the Russian title for the film. I can’t decipher what that last one says, but it seems to be a dog walking its owner? The ‘something’ Places. Possibly a reference to The Twilight Zone. There’s a trophy and bike helmet on the shelves against the wall, not to mention the picture of Emmet in front of the construction site that GCBC used in asking the other workers about him. Emmet has a separate bookshelf for instructions I’m gonna scream Also another plant

Why wasn’t there a lego set for Emmet’s apartment, it looks like a REALLY NICE APARTMENT.

This boy has way too many instructions.

Emmet has an Oscar? Maybe that’s why The LEGO Movie didn’t win an oscar back in 2014... Emmet already had one. It looks like he’s got instructions for sailing, something with a house, and I see what looks like LB’s helmet.

LEGOS STILL DON’T BEND BACK THAT FAR, EMMET I AM CONCERNED DOES THIS BOY NOT HAVE A SPINE??!

I really like that they gave Emmet one of those ACs that stick out the window and a satellite dish, that’s a really nice detail.

Now we have a different angle in Emmet’s bedroom. First off, that pillow does NOT look comfortable at all. Also there’s a computer and desk there that wasn’t there the first time? It looks like a pretty outdated one too, more of a square monitor than a rectangular one. Not to mention Emmet’s pajamas have quite a few folds in them, meaning they might be just one size too big.

Emmet!! Close the curtain, you’re getting soap all over the bathroom!!!!

That arm is most definitely not his.

See now he looks kinda like Chris Pratt!

This boy was about ready to go out naked and I can’t let that go. NOT TO MENTION!! He’s on a higher floor in the complex, meaning he alREADY LEFT HIS APARTMENT NAKED THANK GOD HE STOPPED HIMSELF.

Emmet... knows he works as a construction worker right? Does he just forget on a daily basis? I’m actually concerned for him.

I like how he keeps his hard hat on the top of his fridge. Not to mention his kitchen looks nice I wanna eat lunch with him.

I can’t tell if he’s eating breakfast with a croissant, or he’s going to eat it for breakfast. Planty gets his own mug as well. Also @ Emmet, why did you buy overpriced coffee if you already made some yourself im so confused? Not to mention A Popular Band.

In conclusion: Emmet has a very nice apartment.

[orlandothings]

tagged by:  princessplantasaurus

rules: you must answer these 85 statements and tag 20 people

tagging: I took so long to do this that I don’t know who has and who hasn’t done it. So I’m strongly encouraging all of you who come across to do it! Tag me please I wanna learn more about you guys! I gotta get more active on this blog!!

And if you’re tagged, you don’t have to. (no pressure here friends)

the last

1. drink: water 2. phone call: my little brother Robbie 3. text message: Sammi 4. song you listened to: I Have Nothing by Whitney Houston 5. time you cried: Last night at 3:30am because I rewatched Sweeney Todd (i’ve forgotten how many times I’ve watched it) and that very last moment breaks me EVERY. TIME. 6. dated someone twice: nope I don’t play those games 7. kissed someone and regretted it: Happily can say no 8. been cheated on: unfortunately yes 9. lost someone special: my Nana in 2012 10. been depressed: This past week was really hard because my seasonal depression decided to act up 11. gotten drunk and thrown up: Nope!

3 favorite colors 12. Blue 13. Purple 14. Black

in the last year have you 15. made new friends: Yes 16. fallen out of love: Yes 17. laughed until you cried: Yes 18. found out someone was talking about you: Negatively? No? 19. met someone who changed you: Yes 20. found out who your friends are: Already knew that 21. kissed someone on your Facebook list: god no

general 22. how many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life: Most of them I think I only have a few internet friends on there? 23. do you have any pets: two dogs Rebel and Christy 24. do you want to change your name: Nope 25. what did you do for your last birthday: Went to Epcot with my mama for my 21st! 26. what time did you wake up: it’s my weekend off so I didn’t wake up until noon 27. what were you doing at midnight last night: I think I was catching up on D23 news and catching up on YouTube videos 28. name something you can’t wait for: Sammi’s first Disney Trip in September and Syd’s 21st birthday (also at Disney) in October! 29. when was the last time you saw your mom: A few moments ago because I still live with her!

31. what are you listening to right now: Charles Trippy’s voice because I’m watching my theme park vlogs playlist 32. have you ever talked to a person named tom: All the time. Thomas/Tom is a common name on my mom’s side. 33. something that is getting on your nerves: My job? That’s about it. 34. most visited website: Does snapchat count? Then Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, and YouTube 35. hair colour: currently=poorly bleached hair. hopefully soon=blue! 36. long or short hair: short 37. do you have a crush on someone: Does Sebastian Stan count? 38. what do you like about yourself: I’m kind to everyone and I use my ridiculousness to make others laugh?  39. piercings: Two piercings in my ears that’s it 40. blood type: ????? i think O???? 41. nickname: Too many but my main ones are Scarelyn, Skully, Carolina, and Mom. 42. relationship status: single rider line 43. zodiac: Sagittarius

44. pronouns: She/her. 45. favourite tv show: I’m terrible at watching shows but my all time favorites are Pushing Daisies, The Simpsons, Bob’s Burgers, and That ‘70s Show. 46. tattoos: Three stars on my left middle finger 47. right or left handed: Right 48. surgery: Thankfully never had to have surgery 49. piercing: Oh man you caught me I got a piercing while answering that last ten questions 50. sport: I don’t play any but I’m a HUGE hockey fan 51. vacation: my mini trips to Orlando 52. pair of trainers: are trainers shoes? cause I primarily wear Vans

more general 53. eating: just had diary free brownie ice cream 54. drinking: water 55. i’m about to: Finish this then start planning my Disney trip again 56. waiting for: my paycheck? or dinner? 57. want: a better job or at least my sweeney todd tattoo 58. get married: If i love them??? i guess?? 59. career: whatever let’s me keep my annual passes to both Disney and Universal (or own a bar with my best friend by the beach)

which is better 60. hugs or kisses: depends on who??? but hugs are the best 61. lips or eyes: Eyes 62. shorter or taller: doesn’t matter I just wish I was taller (i’m 5′9″) 63. older or younger: Older. 64. nice arms or nice stomach: arms! 65. hook up or relationship: relationship 66. troublemaker or hesitant: HESITANT

have you ever 67. kissed a stranger: Nope! 68. drank hard liquor: Yep! 69. lost glasses/contact lenses: can’t relate i have 20/20 vision 70. turned someone down: yes. me turning someone down is politely declining then RUNNING AWAY 71. sex on the first date: all depends man 72. broken someone’s heart: i honestly don’t understand 73. had your heart broken: always *upside down smiling face* 74. been arrested: thank god no 75. cried when someone died: not immediately but technically yes 76. fallen for a friend: Yep *once again upside down smiley face*

do you believe in 77. yourself: yes/no/kinda/not really/sure 78. miracles: *shrugs shoulders* 79. love at first sight: Not really 80. santa claus: what kinda question is this cause he’s totally real? of course I believe what kinda question I want his sleigh to work BECAUSE HE’S REAL GUYS 81. kiss on the first date: yes because kissing is the best and i love it ok 82. angels: absolutely

other 83. current best friend’s name: Sydney 84. eye color: Blue 85. favorite movie: (not including harry potter cause that’s my favorite thing for everything in life) Sweeney Todd and Back to the Future

[yahoo-puck-daddy-blog]

Puck Daddy Countdown: Voynov, Blue Jackets and a potential Kessel trade

Slava Voynoy is a scumbag and shouldn’t be allowed back in the league. (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NHLI via Getty Images)

8. Bringing back Slava Voynov

If you’re an NHL GM and you’re thinking about bringing back a solid No. 2 defenseman who got kicked out of the country for assaulting his wife, here’s some advice: Walk into traffic instead.

For all of hockey’s talk about Being Good In The Room and Having Character Guys, the fact that this is even being discussed is sad and upsetting, but not particularly surprising.

I mean look, the league itself is currently passing the buck on the Ottawa Senators’ assistant GM getting an order of protection served against him because he allegedly did some very gross stuff toward a hotel employee (and it might not even be the most drama-y story coming out of the Sens organization this week; things are going great up there). The idea that they’d allow a path back for Voynov, who should be viewed as an irredeemable piece of garbage within the sport, totally sucks.

Hopefully everyone smartens up here, but if the immigration issue weren’t an issue at all here, you can say for sure he’d have been back in the league well before now.

The league loves to talk a big game about inclusivity, but that apparently entails including domestic abusers.

7. Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Yeah one of OEL’s top skills as a borderline-elite defenseman is his decision-making. Off the ice? Not so much. I don’t care that the Coyotes are reportedly giving him the captaincy, $8.25 million for eight years plus a no-move. Why would you commit to staying with that franchise?

This is likely to be a Jarome Iginla-level waste of a career. What a bummer.

6. Hard decisions

It was pointed out on The Athletic yesterday that the Blue Jackets may soon face some seriously tough personnel decisions.

This summer they need to re-sign RFAs Boone Jenner, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Ryan Murray, who might cost them a little bit (Jenner in particular) but aren’t likely to break the bank. They will have no such luxury next summer.

Sergei Bobrovsky will need a new contract and probably expect a raise from his $7.425 million cap hit.

Artemi Panarin will need a new contract and you can guarantee right now he’s gonna pull $8 million.

Zach Werenski will need a new contract and he’s a future No. 1 D if he isn’t one already, and those aren’t cheap.

Columbus has relatively few cap commitments for 2019-20 and even if you err on the expensive side of their current RFAs, they’re probably not going to have more than $50 million locked in. That gives them, potentially, a few dozen million dollars to mess with. They can, conceivably, add all these guys and dip into some bargain options or ELC guys to fill the gaps.

Nonetheless, as much as the team would never root for its players to do badly, every Panarin primary point, Bobrovsky 30-of-31 performance, and exemplary Werenski shift ticks that cap number up just a little bit higher. Which is what makes having, say, Nick Foligno and Brandon Dubinsky and David Savard on too-big contracts a bigger issue than it is currently. Potentially much bigger.

This is a team on the rise, but they might have to start making harder decisions soon, and that’s no fun.

5. That rumored Jack Johnson contract

One contract Columbus won’t have to worry about? They’re not gonna bring back frequent healthy scratch Jack Johnson, in no small part because Bob McKenzie said yesterday that he’s expected to pull a $6 million AAV this summer, and hilariously, the Canadiens might be the team to give it to him if their rumored interest pans out.

Imagine thinking in the year of our lord two thousand eighteen that Jack Johnson is anything other than the McKenzie tweet about Deryk Engelland. “That’s per year.” If you wanna give Jack Johnson two years and $3 million AAV or three years and $2 million AAV, I mean, there are probably better options but you’re not making a huge mistake. If you give him $6 million for any non-zero number of years, you’re giving out one of the worst contracts in the league that you’re gonna have to buy out in like three seasons.

All of which could have been avoided if GMs weren’t compelled to just give out the dumbest contracts imaginable because they have the cap space.

4. Phil Kessel maybe

Turns out that rumored rift between Mike Sullivan and Phil Kessel, which may or may not relate to how Kessel feels like he “should be” coached, might not be a rift at all.

Of course, it’s hard to pull off trading a guy making Kessel’s money at Kessel’s age even after he put up 90-plus points. But nonetheless, if you’re like, “He’s a coach’s nightmare!!!!” it’s also a good kind of nightmare to have because he put up 90-plus damn points.

Plus, it’s kind of in Jim Rutherford’s best interest to say, “Ah we love the player! He might have had a disagreement with the coach but no one is mad! In fact, they’re laughing.” Especially because he added the classic, “But if someone made me a good offer dot dot dot.”

So I dunno, that’s something to keep an eye on, especially because it seems like all this cap space has a huge percentage of the GMs league-wide geeked up to do a million trades. The next couple weeks are gonna rule.

3. Draft prep

This is my time of year, baby! Ask me about Brady Tkachuk’s relative 5v5 HQCF%!!!!!!!!! (It’s insanely good.)

2. Adding Ilya Kovalchuk?

Coming to a team near you on July 1: The third-leading all-time scorer in the KHL.

A ton of teams understandably have heavy interest in a winger as good as Kovalchuk, with maybe the most intriguing being Boston (assuming they move on from Rick Nash). But here’s one that doesn’t make a lot of sense, though: Detroit.

Why in the world would the Red Wings look at this guy and think, “This is someone we need to add,” y’know?

Like, okay, Kovalchuk’s stated goal is to actually win a Stanley Cup, and while you hear that kind of talk a lot before a guy signs with I dunno, Ottawa or something, you kinda get the feeling that’s actually Kovalchuk’s goal, actually. After all, why come back to the NHL at age 35, from what is assuredly a lucrative career in his home country, to pull like $6 million before taxes?

Based on his overall record as a player — point a game in 800-plus NHL games, well above that in almost 300 KHL games, a Rocket Richard, two Gagarin Cups, gold at U-18s, the world championships and the Olympics — anyone can see he’s at least a borderline Hall of Fame case. You get a Cup? Or even get close? That’s probably going to be worth a lot for the voters.

But to circle back to the Detroit thing: Why would the Red Wings want to add this guy? Leaving aside a reasonable lack of interest on the player’s part, this team should be rebuilding, doesn’t need to add salary to meet the cap floor, and doesn’t seem like any sort of team that could reasonably claim to push Kovalchuk toward anything resembling a Stanley Cup.

1. Getting plastered

The best thing I saw from the Caps’ parade after a nice, long weekend of getting falling-down drunk? It’s definitely this:

Someone asked Nicklas Backstrom if he's had enough partying. "It just started," Backstrom said.

— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) June 12, 2018

(Not ranked this week: Bashing Ovechkin still, somehow.

The good news is that I haven’t seen many anti-Ovechkin takes. The bad news is that I saw any. Get lost with the negativity!)

—

Ryan Lambert is a Puck Daddy columnist. His email is here and his Twitter is here.

(All statistics via Corsica unless otherwise noted.)