#like what are the chances of the only other english player in the chl playing the only english team - and its his own original club !!

[likehephaestionwhodied15]

Alec Lightwood Hockey AU

[threads can start anywhere in the story after Alec is an Adult, and do not have to follow this exact story line] 

[very long post under the cut]

Alec grew up playing pond hockey in Northern New York. His father expected great things from him, expected Alec to win the Stanley cup he never did. Alec ends up disapointing his father at every turn. 

He turns down the chance to join any of the Major Junior teams, avoiding the draft completely, instead playing for his High School team. Its less risk, he tells himself, less pressure. If anyone finds out he’s gay- well there will be less of a spotlight. And if he keeps the lid on it plenty of kids have gone on to the NHL with out playing Major Juniors. 

After graduating High School Alec again turns down the chance to play in the Canadian Hockey League, deciding instead to go to College, Boston College in fact. “A good hockey school.” He promises his father it doesn’t make things any better. 

Alec goes un-drafted, his father blames him, tells Alec that he should have done better at the draft combine, that he probably had shit interviews with the teams “If any team wanted to talk to you anyways.” Alec is secretly relieved. He wants to play Hockey for the rest of his life, or as long as possible anyways, but the burden of his father’s expectations, and the thought of being the only queer player in an entire league are heavy. He knows he wouldn’t be the only queer player statistically it’s impossible but that’s all he has to go off of, statistics. He and math have never been friends. 

When the call for the National Team comes Alec isn’t sure who is more suprised, him or his father. The American team could fill up with boys from the National Program, boys in the CHL, boys who’ve been drafted, and boy playing in the NHL right now. It’s not a chance he can turn down. He doesn’t even want to, playing on the second largest international stage should terrify him, his carefully held secrets. But it doesn’t, he takes the chance. 

After his spectacular play in the international tournament offers from teams start rolling in. He knows his father scowls as he turns each one down “I want to finish my education first.” He could be letting go of his shot at the NHL, his father tells him, and maybe he’s right but Alec wants this, a degree is a sure future, an NHL contract is not. 

Alec gets the call for the National Junior team again the next year. This time, not only does he play for his country, he captains the team, after all it might be the last time he gets to wear the stars and stripes. And  just like the year before the offers from teams come rolling in. He tells them what he told them the year before “two more years, and then I’ll think about it.” 

The Winter of his Senior year he takes a leave from school to go play in the Olympics. He doesn’t know how he made the cut, there are so many Americans in the NHL, not even the CHL boys make the cut, or the National program boys. So there’s no way Alec can say no. He gets more calls from more NHL teams, even after a Silver Medal to Canada. He has less than a semester left, he won’t give up now. 

He graduates on a Saturday, after he walks across the stage he walks out of the arena and into the locker room. He gives the Logo in the middle of the room a reverent kiss on his way out, stuffing his cap and gown in his back pack before getting a cab, hoping on a plane, and goin to Ukraine. He has one more international tournament to play in before he makes a choice about the NHL. 

In Ukraine he meets with executives from half a dozen teams. He almost wishes he had his dad around, to help him listen, understand what was being said. Wishes he had the money for an agent. Instead he had to go with his gut, he signs with the Edmonton Oilers. 

Alec realizes that his hopes of staying out of the spotlight are gone as soon as his plane touches down in Edmonton. He’d stayed out of the public eye so far, doing as few interviews as he could get away with. Letting the others on his team shine, doing his best to direct all the attention to his defense partner. But now, there are reporters with cameras, and he doesn’t know how they found out what flight he was on. He goes into a cold sweat while answering as few of the million questions posed to him as possible. 

After his frist week of training camp Alec wonders if he ought to have signed in Montreal, maybe not knowing French would get him out of most of these questions. He envies the guys from overseas, the ones he knows are pretending not to know English to avoid the media. He had always hidden himself but now he works overtime. His phone’s pass key switched for a finger print. Any possible incriminating message deleted after he reads it, refusing to even think about his private life around reporters, his team mates. 

it goes well, until it doesn’t. Half way though the season Alec loses his footing both figuratively and literally. Literally he slips, his foot slamming into the board his ankle going wonky, a team mate has to help him off the ice. Figuratively he pulls even further away from his team mates. Even after he is all healed up he doesn’t play right. Like he is out of sync. 

From here it’s whatever the thread wants it to be. Alec can come out or not. He can get back in sync or not. I don’t have any other set ideas about Alec in the NHL