#or the local AHL team

[emphasisonthehomo]

Making you choose:

911 or Hawaii 5-0 Tommy or Steve BuckTommy or McDanno Hockey game or show of a band you like

Ohhh so this is tricky because I would generally say that neither 911 nor H50 really qualify as "good" shows, you know? Probably H50, because I've physically watched more episodes of that one.

Tommy. Hands down. Sorry. I love Steve McGarrett and his horrific abandonment issues, but I'm pretty sure the man technically qualifies as a serial killer.

ALSO a tricky one. On one hand we have canon. On the other hand we've got multiple, actual, I Love Yous. (But we could also theoretically get canon I Love Yous for bucktommy) It's a really difficult one, but I'm thinking BuckTommy simply because there's actually been smooches. It is rotting my brain the most rn as well.

Band show. I'm very lucky to live in a city where I can go to hockey games frequently, and the NHL has 41 home games each season. That's minimum 41 chances to see The Boys. Whereas some of the bands I like might be in town once a year at most, and for others I genuinely have no idea when they'll even be in the US again.

[crossbackpoke-check]

glad to see that d3 vid made it to you as well because ohmigosh... i've watched it like 6 times already and it's still just as wild and good as the first time. like the way they all had an answer?? imagining them sitting around having conversations about who they'd like to marry on the team - not to mention the way babies were mentioned more than once. these kids are/have been on tumblr and ao3, they know what's up lol

(also side note one of the guys who said mason, he said it was bc mason was a good cuddler which sent me too - so you guys have cuddled. regularly. like WOW.) not even gonna talk about the one who picked his brother though wanting someone to do your taxes is so real

rotating "hopeless romantic + old school" in my mind, like what does that even mean?? flowers and chocolates and kissing you goodnight at your dorm room? does he pull out a chair for you before you sit down? idk, it was such a sweet and genuine answer

tldr i love them all and can we get more teams doing this please? i've never paid attention to d3 in my life but suddenly i need to know more

- @bondedpairs

every time i watch the video i just start laughing so hard, it brings me so much joy and i cannot thank kasper moregraceful enough for bringing it into all of our lives 🥺 *

AND now i get to pitch that i think everybody should watch more college/local hockey to have that type of joy all the time!!! tickets are usually pretty decently priced, you get your narratives right in front of you (my notes app has some. thoughts) and you get the same emotional attachment and watch your guys develop throughout their careers!!! a lot of the time you can find really fun social media for college teams in particularly because of student media programs but if you are not already an ahl watcher: may i recommend stalking their youtube channels. lehigh valley phantoms spelling bee videos are one of my favorite things in the entire world and the milwaukee ads have a lot of fun content too!!

[blusical]

By the way, if you don't feel like watching the NHL (or even hockey in general) this year because of all the bullshit that's happened, don't feel bad. Don't force yourself to watch this year if you don't feel like it. Feel free to skip a year or even a few select games.

[seventhroundpick]

was looking forward to watch the mtl game today but I guess NOT !

[lenacopperleaf]

It is truly a great day for hockey

[moregraceful]

anyway before i got extremo derailed tonight, i was reading neon's curated collection of quotes from a russian interview with klim kostin and it got me wondering if any nhl teams keep chaplains on staff. considering this is the league where they will not even provide translators or language teachers like 95% of the time, i wasn't expecting them to, but cursory research turned up hockey ministries international which appears to pair local christian church pastors with junior, minor, and major leagues and call it chaplaincy even though everything on their website feels like youth pastor jock version. also found this very interesting if christian-focused athletic article from 2019 about the roles of faith in the nhl which mentions 23 nhl teams having a chaplain on staff. but the entire framing around the hmi program and chaplains in the nhl seemed to be around christianity? which admittedly i have only experienced chaplaincy in relation to hospice or extreme crisis situations so maybe single-faith focused chaplaincy is more standard when people aren't like imminently dying.

all of which of course gave me one million more questions while i was doing the dishes. like -- inclusitivity 101 but if they hired chaplains with interfaith training at all levels would they start seeing more religiously and culturally diverse players. and was also wondering if, even though hmi claims to be non-denominational, what kinds of outreach they do for orthodox players like kostin (i assume) or vasilevskiy (mentioned in the article) because none of the language on their website felt ecumenical. and also what kind of spiritual care they offer players in player assistance -- i feel like it's not uncommon to hear about goalies finding religion and coming out of player assistance concurrently. and also the number of goalies themselves who are christian, which was particularly interesting to me, as in the article, most of the ones who self-identified didn't come to faith until adulthood or were deeply on the pro-league career track. i also think about like--like what are the ahl (or echl/sphl) chaplains doing for the players who were raised with prosperity gospel and the various threads associated with that

and these are all very fascinating trains of thought for me to chase bc i love thinking about how faith impacts our lives broadly and in my little hobbies specifically but what i kept getting stuck on is if the framing around spiritual care in the nhl is all christianity, who is providing spiritual care at each stop for nazem kadri, who is a practicing muslim

[chirpingfromthebox]

PWHL Minnesota announces new General Manager

ST. PAUL, MN (Sept. 3, 2024) — PWHL Minnesota has announced the appointment of Melissa Caruso as General Manager. Caruso joins the team from the American Hockey League (AHL), where she spent 15 years.  “Melissa stood out as the ideal candidate for General Manager of PWHL Minnesota,” said Jayna Hefford, PWHL Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations. “Her strong background in operations and governance, combined with her extensive hockey knowledge and leadership experience, make her a great fit for the role. Additionally, Melissa’s passion for the game, along with her ties to the local community, positions her perfectly to lead the team both on and off the ice.”  A resident of St. Paul, Caruso most recently served as Vice President of Hockey Operations and Governance at the AHL, a position she began in 2019. In her role, she oversaw the off-ice aspects of the AHL’s day-to-day operations. This included the complex task of building the league’s annual schedule across 32 teams — a total of 1,152 games. Caruso also managed the league’s central player registry and handled by-laws, regulations, and player eligibility, while working closely with the Board of Governors.   “It’s an exciting time for women’s sports, and I thank leadership for trusting me with the opportunity to lead PWHL Minnesota during these crucial formative years for the league,” Caruso said. “I can’t wait to get started on the journey to defend the Walter Cup in Season Two.”  A graduate of Springfield College with a degree in Sport Management, Caruso began her career as an intern for the AHL and quickly progressed to a full-time position as Team Business Services Coordinator later that same year. Throughout her tenure with the league, she steadily advanced through the ranks, assuming the role of Director of Hockey Administration and AHL Central Registry from 2012 to 2015, and Vice President of Hockey Administration from 2015 to 2019.

[caitthegreatest]

apparently this is the one year anniversary of the first pwhl game I tuned into! what a difference a year makes

(I had watched two women’s games ever and attended one game of the local AHL team)

[hopetorun]

Weird writer ask game - 🐺💣👑🔔🏛️

🐺 Build a NHL starting line up (3F, 2D, 1G) based on a really weird criteria for comedic effect (e.g. guys with names that sound like Dylan).

please be glad i didn't choose a starting lineup of guys with names that could or do lead to sex-related nicknames. anyway here's guys with two first names.

nick paul - robert thomas - jack quinn

matt roy - dennis gilbert

devon levi

💣 Blow it up: pick one NHL team. Change its name, mascot, logo/colors. Tell me why you chose the new elements.

okay chicago is the obvious choice here but i don't feel like being obvious. the chicago nhl team should rebrand in real life. actually they should probably be folded in real life. but that's not a fun meme answer. my second thought was the flames, because they didn't rebrand when they relocated and now have a team name that has nothing to do with their location, but it's been decades and has led to local and affiliated spinoff names (the heat, the inferno, rip to them both).

all this to say: im rebranding the jets. i don't like the military so they get a new theme. i think they could really lean into the north thing, since they do it in a lot of their marketing anyway. i know fuckall about winnipeg but idc. i think a cool tundra animal would be the move here. it's a bummer the moose are already their ahl team or obviously i'd pick that but maybe the grizzlies. yes that's already an nba team but it's fine, the jets are also an nfl team so it's a wash. mascot is a grizzly bear obviously. named northy or something to lean into the far north of it all. they can call the arena the den.

colorswise ... ooh the jets colors suck. imho. they're way too muted! brighten up that maroon, maybe go all the way into purple. a kind of reddish purple maybe, and then brighten up the blue. yellow as an accent? i am NOT a color theory gal, we're hoping this is something. please do not tell me if it isn't

👑 If you could add an award to the NHL awards, what would it be and who would be its inaugural recipient?

there are lots of good and serious awards that should be added but EYE think that we should add another really arbitrary poorly defined one like the lady byng. what does it mean to be gentlemanly? we won't be defining that.

so in that vein: i think there should be a reverse lady byng. a grittiness award. a sandpaper award. i think the arguments about it would be really funny. brady tkachuk is a strong contender, sure, but maybe he takes too many penalties. sandpaper, yes, but is he leaving his team shorthanded too much? can you be gritty without getting penalized? who's a good example of that? i am simply here for the endless trivial discourse. anyway i think brady is the inaugural recipient despite the objections. i am taking name suggestions for this award.

🔔 Who is an NHL player you are convinced you can best in a physical altercation?

i think i could take johnny gaudreau. i'm taller than him and i weigh more than him and he gives me more would not hit a girl vibes than some of the other little guys. and i do think i would need the edge of him being reluctant to hit a girl because they are all extremely fit.

🏛️ Here, have a soap box. What is one thing you feel really strongly about that you think everyone should know?

ooh i've got awards on the mind so! i think people should be more thoughtful about the distinctions between most valuable player and most outstanding player! if you don't have both awards then sure i can understand the conflation but the nhl does have separate awards for those things and i think letting them be meaningfully different would be a lot of fun. give the ted lindsay to cmcd every year except for like once every four years when auston matthews or nikita kucherov gets it, but an actual debate every year about which player was the biggest individual difference maker on their team would be compelling. setting my own biases about last season's awards aside, i think that opens the door for more acknowledgement of season-changing goaltending performances (shesterkin in 21-22 perhaps). the hart and the lindsay don't need to be so closely tied! let them be different things!

oh also while we're on the topic it is beyond stupid that it's basically impossible to win the hart unless your team makes the playoffs. "oh the team didn't make the playoffs how valuable can that player really be" idk chucklehead, there are math people who can approximate a player's value in standings points, probably. do i trust their math? not entirely. but i trust it enough to know that argument is bunkum.

[ladylooch]

Can we have some other intro thoughts on Mackdavid (like the honey/nickname stuff)?? I bet he has kinda old-fashioned manners. Like idk where/why they would be in a car together but he def wants to open the door for her and she is NOT having it 🙅🏼‍♀️

Let's learn a bit more about David's background with this one 🥰

David Carlson grew up on a farm in Iowa where working for his family came first and hockey came second. Until David was about 14 years old and his hockey coach came to his parents and told him that David was a highly skilled player and needed to put more emphasis into hockey because he could go pro. From that moment on, the family's priorities shifted and David ended up joining a private school on scholarship to play hockey for more recognition.

By the time Mack and David meet, both of David's parents have passed away. His mom passed in high school due to ovarian cancer and never got to see him drafted into the NHL. His dad passed suddenly after his sophomore season in the AHL from a heart attack while working on the farm.

David has three older siblings, but he is the youngest of four. After his dad passed away, his siblings wanted to sell the farm and split the profits. This didn't sit right with David. He couldn't stomach his family's legacy being sold away to some big farming corporation. What would happen to all the local people they employ? Instead, he bought his siblings out and runs the farm at a high profit. It is the most successful it has ever been.

David is a double major in agriculture and business from the University of Michigan which helped immensely with modernizing the farm. David only played in three season at Michigan before he turned pro to join the Rangers AHL team, but he finished his degree that summer as he promised his dad he would.

David is extremely handy. He loves to fix things and/ or make them better. Mack loves this about him and will regularly stop him from fixing something to tug him into her bedroom.

David is extremely reliable and calm when things don't go according to plan. He is incredible in an emergency. ( we will see this later on!) Growing up on the farm, his father and the farm hands always talked about how dangerous farming accidents could be and staying calm could keep him alive in dire circumstanes.

Mack is the only girl David has ever called honey. It is what his dad called his mama growing up. When he met Mack, it just came spilling out of his mouth. Looking back, as he is preparing to marry Mack without either of his parents, he thinks that was a sign from his mom that this was his forever girl.

[lonewolflink]

hi! before reading your fic I’d only ever watched one hockey match at my local mall (there’s an ice rink) and it shook me for real. after reading your fic my interest in hockey has resurfaced, but I have no idea where to start. any suggestions?

HELLO!!! i'm sorry this response is so damn late; it's been hectic af around here (here being...my life).

i am genuinely so excited that you're interested in getting into hockey. it is such a fun sport to be a fan of.

*warning*: this is a super long post, because i wanted to answer you thoroughly and make a list of useful resources in case anyone else reading wsc also wanted to get into watching hockey and wasn't sure where to start.

generally speaking, my recommendation is to familiarize yourself with the basic rules of the game, and then maybe pick a team to start following. being a fan is most fun once you start getting invested in the players on the team and know their stories, their connection to the community, etc.

—basic rules of the game—

there are some more (and less) useful guides online to getting into watching hockey. i'll link you a few; peruse at your leisure (and note that some of these posts are pretty old; they're still overall solid though).

(1) i think this short guide is might be the best place to start. it's just some guy on his own personal blog, i think, but that (weirdly) is what makes it a better take than more "official" sports journalism outlets.

(2) this is a really helpful (and fairly short) guide to the different zones of the ice and what they're called, and some other basic concepts of the game. i think it's directed at parents of kids who are starting to play hockey, but still super useful!

(3) this guide doesn't give a ton of detail but it's solid re: concrete basic steps to take to get into hockey.

(4) parts of this guide are outdated (e.g. brendan shanahan no longer runs the department of player safety and is instead the president of the toronto maple leafs) and it's a little pretentious in the way hockey fans can sometimes be, but it gives a sense of the flavor of being a fan of this sport i think.

(5) more on this below, but 2024 began with a bang, as the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) began it's inaugural (!) season. there are some differences between the NHL and the PWHL, some of which are covered here and here. if you're interested in watching women's hockey, that'll be useful!

—picking a team and how to watch—

[note: i am assuming you live in north america. if you do not, some of this might not apply, e.g. picking a favorite team based on geographic proximity]

if you're starting at a baseline of 0 hockey knowledge, you should probably know the names of three hockey leagues: the National Hockey League (NHL, the best men's league in the world), the American Hockey League (AHL, the NHL's minor league where their young prospects usually play for a few years before transitioning to the majors), and the aforementioned Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL, literally brand new as of a month ago).

NHL Recommendations

—the NHL is a great place to start for watching hockey, largely because it has the best players in the world so the level of play is extremely high and entertaining, and it has some really great personalities in the game right now. i watch the NHL regularly. —if you live in an area that already has an NHL team (or at least one within 2 hours of driving), i'd recommend starting out as a fan of that team. this is bc part of sports culture is to support your home/local team, but also because that gives you more opportunities to see your favorite team play in person. here's a list of all the NHL teams. —watching the NHL on TV or your computer is actually kind of annoying, because the league is run by a bunch of idiots in its bureaucracy. you can watch most games (but for some reason not all of them) if you have ESPN+. here's the nhl's official guide for how/where to watch. —i am a poor grad student so i use other...completely...legal...means to stream NHL games online. they are, as i just said, completely legal (...). but um. nonetheless, if you want to know how to find and use these means...maybe just...shoot me a private message. —if you don't have geographic proximity to any of the NHL teams, there are a few ways to pick a team to follow. some classics:

1. as you learn about hockey and watch some games, you might find yourself starting to have a favorite player. you can start with their team! [message me or send another ask if you want some recs for players to look into!]

2. pick the jersey you think is coolest. it's how kids pick their favorite teams half the time, so why not us? here's a link to an article that that ranks the current home jerseys of teams. i STRONGLY disagree with these rankings, but the photos of the jerseys are high quality so you can see them well. you can also see each team's away jersey and third/alternate jersey designs here.

3. pick a fun, up and coming team to follow. some notes on this: —for example, if i were you and could pick any team, i would probably not pick my very own favs the washington capitals. they were one of the dominant teams of the last 15 or so years because our captain is the greatest goalscorer of all time. however, he is now 38 (ancient by athlete standards) and the team is on its decline. —by contrast, a team like the edmonton oilers is super exciting to watch; they're considered current championship contenders because they have by far the best player in the world, connor mcdavid (aka "McJesus"). they're kind of a heart attack to watch because they have insane offense but not amazing defense, so they score a lot and get scored on a lot. they're a team with amazing history (wayne gretzky's dynasty oilers in the 80s), but were TERRIBLE for decades until mcdavid came around. he's trying to bring the franchise back to glory from the pathetic ashes it turned into. —then there's teams like the montreal canadiens or buffalo sabres, who have been really bad the last while but drafted a ton of great young players who are on the verge of becoming superstars. they'll probably not make the playoffs this year (and maybe not next year) but they'll be on the cusp soon and getting into a journey like that with a young team early on is super fun. —in general, teams i'd stay away from being a fan of, if you have a choice:

-washington capitals/pittsburgh penguins/st. louis blues (formerly top teams in the league, now on the decline) -toronto maple leafs (the most tortured fans (and also somehow the most annoying and entitled), don't join their ranks) -arizona coyotes/columbus blue jackets (disaster franchises (sorry fans of those teams! it's true!!) traditionally have been poorly run) -chicago blackhawks (they do have the next great superstar in connor bedard, but they've had some really messed up scandals in their organization and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth) -new york rangers/islanders (unless you're from nyc...don't)

—recs for current good teams if you want to come in when they're already hot, they're all pretty fun teams tbh: -carolina hurricanes -colorado avalanche (recent champions) -new jersey devils -florida panthers -seattle kraken -vancouver canucks -vegas golden knights (recent champions) -edmonton oilers

—recs for up and coming young teams that will break out in the next 1-4 seasons, i think: -anaheim ducks -buffalo sabres -detroit red wings -montreal canadiens (would be my pick, i low key love them) -ottawa senators

AHL Recommendations

it can be super fun to follow an AHL team if you happen to live near one. tickets to AHL games are SUPER cheap, and the arenas are smaller and more intimate. you get to see some really talented players early in their career before they become superstars, and this can also help you pick a favorite player to follow (and thereby, later, a favorite nhl team) for their career! i love going to AHL games, and did that a lot in high school.

here's the list of AHL teams.

PWHL Recommendations

tragically, i have been so busy in 2024 so far that i haven't been able to get into the PWHL yet. however, i'd really like to, once i have a bit more time.

because the league is in its infancy, there are only six teams: -boston -minnesota -montreal -new york -ottawa -toronto

they don't currently have team names outside of the cities, but i think those are coming next season. for myself, i already know i'm going to be a montreal fan (i lived there for 5 years, and montreal's hockey culture is in my opinion the best in the world).

the pwhl is great for many reasons. -first of all, women athletes. let's fucking go!!! -second of all, we get things like two fiancees playing on the same team (on the same line!!) and celebrating together when they score a goal. -third of all, women's hockey has traditionally had a different ruleset from men's hockey to discourage the more...violent aspects of the sport. but the PWHL...has been honestly violent af so far, at least from the highlights i've seen. could be that hitting is still against the rules, but seems like the refs don't really give a shit, so the games are bloodthirsty lol -fourth, and perhaps most importantly, it is super easy and convenient to watch the PWHL. they stream every (!) game on their youtube channel for free!

for more info on the season schedule and how to watch, look here.

also, speaking generally, i'll probably be reblogging some pwhl content on tumblr so you can peep some of the people i'm reblogging and poke around until you find a team or player you like! :)

OK THAT'S IT SORRY FOR THIS LONG ASS POST I JUST WANTED TO ACTUALLY DO YOUR QUESTION JUSTICE, HOPEFULLY I DID AN OKAY JOB!! PLEASE ENJOY YOUR HOCKEY JOURNEY!!!!!!!!!! <3

[puckpocketed]

previous anon don’t listen to all that it’s melbourne mustangs or bust (ily)

MUSTANGS ARE JUST THE SAN JOSE SHARKS AHL AFFILIATE RETIREMENT HOME . sorry . sorry. sharks #1 in my heart forever BUT i reserve a deep and unhinged devotion to my local team . sports nationalism off the charts. if we meet again in the finals (it was cbr vs mms last year, we lost) wishing the mustangs a SWIFT collapse and explode and loss of all mental .

[rossmccallsqueen]

How’s everyone doing? Just wanted to check in 💕

My local AHL team is currently in the finals for the Calder cup, and today was the last home game of the season. 3 hockey games in one week is a bit exhausting but so so worth it. That arena has become a home away from home, and I am so so proud of this team. We need the good vibes if you can give em!

[fascinationsublime]

So my local AHL team is the Syracuse Crunch and I called them today to get tickets to a game and they put me on hold for a bit to find my tickets in the system or whatever.

Do you know what they had instead of hold music?

Freaking Carter Verhaeghe's highlights

He doesn't play for them anymore. If he got moved down to the AHL he wouldn't play for them anymore.

He's made it and they're SO freaking proud of him🥹

[stereax]

Hi , i see you always posting news and stuff about every team amd i’m new to hockey and want to know more about the sport and the teams so do you know how could i do that or what should i watch?? ^^

Hi there anon!!! Nice to meet you :) I'd love to impart a little wisdom on you!

Unfortunately, you're going to have to be a little more specific here.

Are you primarily interested in the NHL? (Or do you want to follow minor leagues in the Americas such as the AHL, or the major junior leagues such as the CHL or USHL, or would you prefer European hockey leagues like the Swiss NL, German DEL, or Russian KHL?)

Do you want to follow one team extremely closely or have several favorites you track? (Like personally, I specialize in Devils hockey and can tell you way too much about it, but I track most of the teams of the NHL to some extent so I can analyze and discuss them if prompted to. Some people only really care about one team; others choose to enjoy one team from each division, for example, so as to always be rooting for someone.)

Do you prefer the analytical side of hockey or would you rather follow the narratives? (Cap structures, rulebooks, drafts, and all that can get quite complex but they're super rewarding - at least for me personally. Other fans choose not to worry too much about the analytics and prefer just to watch the games and enjoy the narratives of teams.)

Personally, I picked up a TON of knowledge from my Discord friend groups. TheBrattPack, noted Devils Twitter user, has a Discord server and it was a MAJOR reason I fell so in love with hockey. Great people, great atmosphere. Another Discord server I really like is the Reddit Panthers server - I don't know its invite status, but a Cats friend shot me the link because one of the people there livestreams the games a solid 90 seconds before my high seas sites. Really nice and welcoming community as well.

Another place to learn hockey is YouTube. Steve Dangle, who recently left SportsNet, is one of my personal favorites - his Dang-Its and Hat-Picks videos are really good to show you some of the things considered Really Bad and Really Good. He also has LFR (Leafs Fan Reaction) where he goes over every Leafs game and points out highlights and lowlights. There's also The Hockey Guy (Shannon) who talks about everything NHL - he is really strong breadthwise to learn about many teams and their strengths (and he does videos for every game), but depthwise you might want to look at other sources. If you want funny, try UrinatingTree's NHL videos - his commentary is hysterical.

Even here on Tumblr, though, there are a couple of super informative blogs. I'd like to think I'm one of them, and you can always drop in my inbox with questions! No question is "stupid", really; we all have to start somewhere. @nhlupdate is really good for general updates on the league and questions, and I recently discovered @reavenedges-lies as well - Ren has some great takes and analysis on the sport, and even taught me a thing or two about goaltender interference :).

But yeah, I think that's the basics of it. See what you're looking for in your hockey fandom and go from there. I can't answer what you should watch without knowing what you're interested in - what teams catch your eye? You might root for a local team, a team who has players you like, or even just pick a logo and go from there. Every team is unique and has its own strengths and challenges. You might find, for instance, that rooting for a team like the Flyers, who are entering a rebuild and won't be successful for a few years, is unrewarding. On the other hand, maybe you want to choose an underdog and avoid a team like the Oilers for that reason. It's all up to you. So let me know what team(s) you're interested in and we can go from there!

[theblackace]

2nd part of the backstory...

Ottawa was an entirely different beast.

That argument could be made for any Canadian city for an inexperienced kid from the U.S., but it wasn't just the city nor the country. The atmosphere of the team itself was different...and he liked it. Detroit felt like work, because of their history, which led to pressure and expectations. The Senators didn't, despite being a Canadian team and that carrying it's own set of expectations. He knew the team was rebuilding, which he figured was the reason he was brought in in the first place, but they didn't take themselves seriously all the time, which he found refreshing. Practice and skate sessions seemed a pleasant mixture of work and fun, and he was welcomed almost immediately rather than having the "awkward new kid" experience he expected. The coaches and players were excited to have him, he was excited to be given a legitimate shot at the NHL, and he was excited to see what the upcoming season would bring. On the other hand, he did feel like he was having to play catch-up, not because he wasn't a good player, but because he did not have the shared experiences the others had: national development teams, AHL experience including playoffs (he had a total of eight games with the Manitoba Moose in two seasons), and especially being drafted.

He finished pre-season with four goals and two assists, even getting a few fights under his belt. This seemed to garner approval from the team's captain, Brady Tkachuk, who banged his stick on the boards the loudest.

When head coach Jaques Martin called him into the office, he couldn't help but have that pang of dread, fearing a repeat of what has happened with the Red Wings. He took a seat, bracing himself for the worst, but hoping for the best.

"Needless to say, I've been very impressed with you, Devin. We don't usually see this level of play from undrafted talent, let alone with limited playing experience. There as no time with the US National Development Team listed in your file, nor any notable junior hockey experience. How'd you get to this point?"

"No, there wouldn't be, I reckon, but uh, I didn't start hockey until I was about 9 or 10. I feel in love with it after going to my local team's games. My junior experience was spent with the Hampton Roads Whalers, in the Chesapeake Bay Hockey League. Never did get up to the elite level, but after going undrafted, the Norfolk Admirals picked me up."

"Well it seems we've found a diamond in the rough, so to speak." Coach Martin cleared his throat and leaned forward, forearms resting on the desk, his fingers laced together. "I'm sure you'd agree your game needs work, but I don't see anything that warrants any sort of extended stint in a lower league. I'm willing to take the gamble and put you on the third line. You'll be on the wing until your face-off wins improve."

His eyes lit up, and he had to remind himself to be professional. "Thanks coach, that's greats news. I wholeheartedly appreciate the opportunity."

Afterwards, he met with the Senators' equipment manager to get his gear in order, mostly for a number change and to get his specifications on file. He put got a new helmet, but refrained from getting new skates or a new type of stick. A few days later, it was contract signing day. The Senators saw fit to offer him three years for $0.850 million, an offer that, per his agent, was unusual for an undrafted rookie. He had the biggest smile on his face for the photos. Finally, there was quick media availability.

"Devin, you went from being undrafted, through pre-season, and now making your NHL debut. What do you expect for this game?"

"I think it's gonna be a challenge, for sure, but I'm also just trying to enjoy it."

"For those who haven't followed your career, how would you describe yourself as a player?"

"Ha, well, as my fans in Norfolk will tell you, the hardware comes second to me. I'm looking to help the team win and play the game I love."