#still one more to go LETS GO OILERS!!!!!!!!!!

[catzgam3rz]

God I’m never going to be normal about this hockey team ever again

[snazum]

im so intoxicated rn more in tags

[intheupside]

Crosby to be Canada's 'security blanket' as captain at 4 Nations Face-Off

Indeed, is anyone more deserving of the title of Captain Canada?

“He’s up there,” Tocchet said. “And look, I don’t want to embarrass Sid. But from sitting in the locker room across from Wayne Gretzky, the way Wayne’s demeanor is, the way he acted around his teammates, the way he acted in front of the public, Sid’s got that.

“And then you’ve got the Mark Messier type, not afraid to say things to your teammates if needed at the right time. And I’ve seen Sid do that too, using his voice to let them know something is unacceptable. He’s willing to do that. That to me is a great leader. In all facets. One hundred percent.

“The bottom line: When he puts that jersey on, you can sense the calmness come over the entire country of Canada. It’s almost like he’s our security blanket.”

“From the time I first met him, it’s just the way he always looks to raise the bar,” Bergeron said. “We’ve been teammates and linemates in a lot of these tournaments, and he’s never satisfied. He’s always looking to the next thing. He’s able to enjoy the success but at the same time wanting more. It’s his drive, his determination, there’s a lot of reasons why he’s been so clutch and so important in, what you could say, [is] history.

“He commands respect. I think the country is proud of who he is as a person and how he represents us on the international stage. There’s no missteps. It’s been going on since he’s been 14 years old when they started aiming cameras on him. He’s never had a misstep.”

Bergeron is considered one of the top leaders of his era and won the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award in 2021, an honor Crosby received in 2010.

“I accomplished a lot in my career,” Bergeron said. “But I have to say, I’m so proud that in my time playing, that Sidney was the face of our league and for Canadian hockey. Well deserved.”

Crosby already had his eyes on the 4 Nations prize five months ago, long before he would officially be given the “C” for Team Canada.

Back in early September, Crosby helped organize an unofficial training camp of sorts under the watchful eye of Andy O’Brien, his longtime trainer, in Vail, Colorado. Among those invited to the event were some of Canada’s top players, including Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, who like Crosby is from Cole Harbour; Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid; and Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner.

Crosby insists it wasn’t an official Canada team-bonding exercise, pointing out that there were players from other countries there as well. At the same time, he admits it was productive for some of the Canadians on hand to get the opportunity to develop chemistry and play together, something that could come in handy at the 4 Nations and the 2026 Olympics.

Marner, for one, was appreciative of the invite extended him by Crosby and O’Brien.

“It was great,” he said. “Getting to know Sid and some of those guys both on and off the ice, well, I was grateful that they asked me to join them.

“You get to know them on and off the ice a bit. Such great guys. And so much talent out there with guys like Sid, MacKinnon and McDavid.”

And, according to Team Canada and Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper, it was just another example of Crosby’s leadership ability to bring players together for a common goal.

“It’s what he does,” Cooper said. “It’s who he is.

“Look at what he did [last] month when we were in Pittsburgh.”

Cooper was referring to a postgame scene after his team had defeated Crosby and the Penguins 5-2 on Jan. 12, a game in which Tampa Bay scored three goals in the final 3:03 to break a 2-2 tie. The uber-competitive Crosby was upset that victory had eluded the Penguins, but still took time to see Cooper afterward to chat about the 4 Nations.

At one point, Crosby asked Cooper to bring out Lightning forwards Brayden Point, Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli, his future 4 Nations teammates, to talk about the upcoming tournament.

“He here is, angry that his team had just lost a game, and he put that aside to talk Team Canada with them,” Cooper said. “They sat there for 20 minutes. They were like kids in a candy store.

“That right there is what true leadership is.”

And, according to Tocchet, what Crosby is all about.

“It’s unbelievable,” Tocchet said. “He’s a guy that carries the torch, and is willing to pass the torch on when he’s done.

“That’s what he’s doing with Cirelli, Hagel, those guys. He basically comes in and says, ‘Hey, you guys are my teammates in a month, I just want to get to know you real quick and let you know what’s at stake.’ He’s done it with other players. I just think it goes so far with his teammates. They legitimately badly want to play with him, to be his teammate.”

[theemporium]

[1.2k] you didn't want to keep such a big secret from leon for the last two weeks. you just didn't know how to tell him.

.

You wanted to wait for the right moment to tell your boyfriend. 

The issue was that you were dating a professional athlete and with how jumpy the Oilers’ season had been recently, no moment ever really felt like the right moment. It was the last run before playoffs so, more often than not, Leon was coming home shattered and exhausted. He was playing through injuries, he was trying to not let each loss feel like a personal attack and he was laser focused on the playoffs coming up. 

And there would be these small moments—pockets of domesticity and a simple life amongst the chaos—where you would think this is it. This is the moment you are going to tell him, whilst you two are sprawled on the couch with Bowie nestled beside you and some trashy reality TV show playing in the background. This was finally it.

But then something hockey related would happen—his phone would buzz with a game notification from a division rival, a teammate would message about a play, a coach would send a reminder about a practice—and the bubble would pop. 

And it just kept happening and happening and happening until it had been almost two weeks since you found out you were pregnant and Leon still didn’t know.

You felt like you were going to burst, to break and shatter under the pressure of knowing something so big and not telling Leon. It felt so wrong that he didn’t know. It felt so wrong to be so on edge and apprehensive and scared, and for Leon not to be there to comfort you. 

Everything about the last two weeks had felt wrong and you weren’t even sure if Leon had picked up on it between games and practices and physiotherapy sessions.

The worst part was that you weren’t even sure how Leon would feel. The topic of marriage and kids and retirement all went in a pretty, little box that you always shelved to open in the future. You were both happy where you were right now, you both knew you wanted to share all those things in the future, you both knew it was an eventual ‘when’ not ‘if’. 

But those topics—kids—never came up in the ‘now’ conversations. Leon was still firmly focused on hockey, still chasing the Cup, still playing the best hockey the league has ever seen. You were still climbing up the career ladder, growing and building and expanding your roots in the industry. You both were so content with the two of you and Bowie, with that being more than enough for right now.

And now, you are pregnant and you don’t even know how your boyfriend will react. 

You don’t even know how to react.

You just know that you can’t really keep it in any longer. 

The ironic thing was that you had spent the three days Leon was away on a roadie doing research. You watched countless videos and posts on how other people told their partner they were pregnant. You watched them set up a cute little box with shoes so tiny that you could barely comprehend, or aesthetically place the positive test on a babygrow that read something along the lines of ‘you’re going to be a dad!’. 

You watched so many in hopes that one would spark an idea on how to tell your boyfriend, and in the end, you ended up doing none of it (the last minute baby shoes bought during your last grocery trip still tucked away at the bottom of your bedside table). 

The team plane landed in Edmonton earlier that morning, which meant Leon was wheeling in his suitcase and kneeling by the front door before noon, cooing and grinning down at a very eager Bowie who was happy to see him. 

The two of you settled into a routine very early on in your relationship after Leon would return from roadies. He would put away his things, you would get started on lunch or dinner or whatever meal time it was, and then he would come and join you after he freshened up. If it was late enough, he would go straight to bed. If it wasn’t, he would have a midday nap that he would try—and usually succeed—in coaxing you into joining.

It was a routine you very rarely deviated from. 

Your body was moving on autopilot by the time Leon came back downstairs, freshly showered and dressed in comfier clothes (that for once weren’t Oilers branded). He was talking to you, doing the post-roadie debrief the two of you always did. He would talk about an annoying play during one of the games, or something stupid one of the boys did. You would tell him some workplace gossip, or something adorable Bowie had done the other night.

Except, you weren’t really talking. You were barely even listening. Your eyes were focused on the cucumber you were currently cutting up, barely paying attention to his complaints about the Oilers’ new power play drills when the words blurted out from your mouth before you could stop them.

“I’m pregnant.” 

You couldn’t bring yourself to lift your head up and look at him, not when the chatter from the kitchen quickly became a lingering silence as your words settled over both of you. You had placed the knife down, still staring aimlessly at the half-cut cucumber whilst your heart thundered in your chest at how your boyfriend would react.

Somehow, the last thing you expected was to be pulled into his chest, face squished against his hoodie as he clung onto you. 

“Are you serious?” He rasped, his voice a little shaky. 

It was what finally prompted you to lift your head, to finally look at him. To finally see the way he was staring down at you, his eyes already glossy with unshed tears and his lips pulled into such a soft, genuine smile. 

“I’m pregnant,” you repeated, a little breathless as the confession finally left your lips, as the weight of the secret left your shoulders. 

Leon’s arms tightened around you, holding onto you for a few moments before he pulled back to cup your head in his hands, leaning down to press one, two, three kisses to the top of your head. Only then did he pull back, just enough to look down at you and beam. 

“We are having a kid,” he whispered, awed. 

“We are,” you murmured, your smile a little shaky as you clung onto the fabric of his hoodie, fisting the material. “I know we never really spoke about kids now or anything. And I wanted to tell you earlier but—”

“Hey, hey,” he quickly pulled you closer, pressing another lingering kiss on your forehead before dropping one to your lips. “We will work it out, okay? We’ll figure it out together. Whatever you want, I want.” 

“I bought baby shoes,” you blurted out, a wet laugh following as you looked up at him. “They are so small.”

Leon’s face softened. “Yeah?” 

“So small,” you whispered.

“Bowie won’t be the only baby in the house,” Leon teased, feeling the tightness in his chest start to relax once you laughed again, a little more confident this time. 

“He’ll always be our baby,” you murmured against his chest, your eyes fluttering shut as you just let Leon hold you. 

“We’ll get them matching shoes.”

You snorted a little.

“We’ve got this, baby,” Leon murmured, sounding so sure of himself, of the two of you, of everything. “We’re gonna do this together.” 

“Together,” you repeated.

And for the first time in two weeks, you could finally feel yourself relax.

.

[tonyspep]

walkin' with his head down, i'm the one he's walking to

A/N: this is for the summer fic exchange!!! it started out as something completely different, but here we are. This is for the amazing @laurenairay I really hope you like it and that your summer is going well. This is my first time writing for Quinn Hughes so here's to trying something different. Quinn is so cute, so I hope I did him justice. This was inspired by “Call It What You Want” by Taylor Swift, which is so hurt/comfort to me. So here we are with Quinn being comforted after the game seven loss to the Oilers this year. thank you to @wyattjohnston for hosting this amazing exchange!!

Walkin' with his head down, i'm the one he's walkin' to

summary: the series didn't end the way you or quinn was hoping, but you weren't going to let him hang his head for too long

rating: t

i'm laughin' with my lover, makin' forts under covers

trust him like a brother, yeah, you know I did one thing right

starry eyes sparkin' up my darkest nights

“call it what you want” - by taylor swift

The final seconds ticked away and it was obvious this game wasn't going to end the way you or Quinn wanted it to. He and the rest of the Canucks gave the series everything they had, but McDavid and Draisaitl and company proved to be too much in the end. You felt Brock's girlfriend Bella wrap her arms around your middle, a soft sob escaping her as she rested her head against your back. It was hard for you not to cry, too. The boys had worked so hard to get to this point, they had fought all the way back to take the series lead, only to falter in the most important game and now the off season would be starting.

“I thought they had it,” Bella murmured and you could only nod. You really believed this year was going to be their year. They won the Pacific Divison. They beat the Preadators 4-2 and had home ice advantage in this series, which you knew would be tough, but still..

A tear couldn't help but trickle down your cheek. They had all the pieces to go far, maybe even all the way, and instead they would be packing up their lockers, doing exit interviews and the summer would be starting earlier than any of you anticipated.

“Me, too, Bells,” You agreed with the blonde who had become your best friend since you started dating Quinn just a little over a year ago. The two of you hugged each other tight, watching as the fans made their way out of the arena. You separated from each other after giving each other a kiss on the cheek and went down the steps to the locker room.

Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion as you waited for Quinn to appear. Out came Elias, skull cap pulled over his buzzed blonde hair, flashing you just a brief smile before his handsome face transformed into more of a grimace. JT was not standing tall, but hunched until he was embraced by his family. Brock gave you the best grin he could muster, nothing like his usual sparkling grin that you had come to know almost as well as Quinn's soft smile.

Then came a familiar head of soft brown hair, longer than it was when you first met Quinn in the hallway of your shared apartment building in downtown Vancouver. His head was down, his shoulders slumped, like they were holding the weight of the world. Your heart couldn't help but break. You knew how hard Quinn had worked to get to this point, how he took on the burden of being Captain and how seriously he took the C on his chest. He didn't want the Cup for himself, he wanted it for Brock, for Elias, JT, Thatcher, for Coach Rick Tocchect. He was so selfless and put the team first above anything and everything else.

All you wanted to do was take his pain away, to put the bashfully sweet smile you knew so well back on his face.

“Hey, you,” Quinn gave a weak laugh and there was a hint of the smile you fell in love with on his lips, making your heart lift slightly. “You can really smile you know,” You tease, reaching for Quinn's hand. “I know this didn't go the way we wanted to, but if you don't smile I'll think you're not happy to see me,” You joke and Quinn does laugh, for real this time. “Y/N,” Quinn's voice is tender as he cups your cheek in his other hand. “I'm always happy to see you. If you weren't here right now, I'd be going home to a dark apartment to just sit on my couch and think about all the things I could have done better. Instead, I'm going home with you, which makes this easier than it would be otherwise.”

You flush from Quinn's words. You want this to be easier for him, to ease some of the weight he carries and you think you know just how to do it.

Quinn can see the wheels turning in your head, see the spark that's suddenly taken over your deep eyes. He arches a brow and you kiss his cheek, teasing, “Just wait. I know just how to make this not seem so bad, but you tell me if it's too much, okay? I just want to be here for you, however you want me to be, Quinny,”

His cheeks turn an adorable shade of pink, showing through the playoff beard he's grown. Your heart skips a beat; even a bit run down after a hard fought series, Quinn is still the cutest boy you've ever known. With his big sad puppy eyes, his soft mop of dark hair that curls over his ears, his pink lips and warmly handsome face.

“Relax,” You say as you unlock your shared apartment's front door. “Just sit on the couch, don't do anything except take off your shoes, take a shower if you want, change into something comfy but leave everything else to me, okay?”

Quinn chuckles to himself and gives a joking salute, “Yes ma'am, but there is one other thing I want to do before you do whatever it is you're going to do.”

You blink curiously as you tilt your head, wondering what this one thing could be and then Quinn is touching your cheek, so gently as he presses his lips against yours. This kiss is the sweetest, softest kiss you've ever experienced. You continue kissing each other softly, neither of you wanting to pull away as your fingers sink into Quinn's wonderfully soft, thick dark hair. He nips on your bottom lip, gently, making you moan his name as his other hand wraps around your waist, anchoring you to strong frame.

You break apart out of necessity and Quinn says, “Now I'll go relax and leave you to your surprise,” and you're so tempted to follow him, heat thrumming through your veins, want clouding your thoughts as your eyes follow Quinn until he disappears down the hall.

Somehow you resist the urge, remembering that this night is about Quinn, that even though the game ended in disappointing fashion, you weren't going to let the night end that way.

Flipping through your contacts, you find the one you were looking for and you can only hope you have all the ingredients for the recipe you're planning. Talking to Ellen Hughes feels so much like talking to your own Mom. Her warmth radiates from the other side of the phone as you facetime and you feel relieved that you do have all the ingredients for her famous Kugle, which is Quinn's favorite food.

You're not the best cook but Kugle is easier than you expected. You laugh with Ellen as she goes over the recipe step by step with you and after the casserole goes into the oven, you see Quinn standing in the doorway of the kitchen, looking adorably cozy in a t-shirt and plaid pajama pants.

“Is that my Mom?” He asks, his voice so childlike his big brown eyes lit up with hopefulness and Ellen answers for you saying, “Hi, Sweetie. Y/N just called me. I'm so sorry...” and you leave the kitchen, letting mother and son have this time together, knowing Quinn needs the comfort of his Mom now more than ever.

“You made Kugle,” Quinn's voice is full of wonder as you reappear in the kitchen after changing into something comfortable yourself. “Is that why you called my Mom? So you would know how to make it? I could have helped,” He huffed a little, a pout forming on his beautiful lips, which made you laugh. “I'm the only one of us that knows how to make it. Mom shared her secrets with me,” He's proud, his chest puffing a little and how did you get such a sweet guy to call her your own?

“If you made it that would defeat the purpose of you relaxing,” You shake your head as you and Quinn walk toward each other and share another kiss unable to resist each other.

While the Kugle continues baking, you reveal part two of your of your surprise. After changing into your comfiest outfit – a shirt that used to be Quinn's and a pair of well worn shorts – you set up a fort in the living room with all the blankets and pillows in the apartment. “A fort?” Quinn's eyes are bright like they should always be and you smile just as bright. “A fort,” You confirm. “Figured after tonight you could use something fun like a fort and something comforting like your Mom's Kugle,”

Quinn wraps his arms around you from behind, his chin resting on your shoulder. “I like the way you think,” He kisses your cheek and you blush.

Getting under the blankets, you fire up Disney Plus and land on Toy Story. You know Quinn as well as you know yourself after having been together for nearly two years now and you know how much he loves this movie. Just like if the roles were reversed, Quinn would know to put on Pretty Woman or Tangled.

The familiar credits start just as the oven dings and before Quinn can get up, you push his shoulder gently saying, “I don't think so, you stay right here,” and he knows better to argue with you, so he stays put, laughing as the toys in Andy's room start to move around, letting the audience in that they're alive.

“You're a Toy!” Quinn shouts along with Woody after the new spaceman toy “lands” in Andy's room and you laugh, getting in a few Bo Peep lines and Slinky moments as Quinn can't help but get in the Woody lines before they happen. It's no surprise the cowboy is your boyfriend's favorite and you can't help but remember your first Halloween together this year when you dressed as Woody and Bo Peep to the Canucks party.

You enjoy the Kugle even stealing some of Quinn's who says, “Hey,” and shields his plate from you.

You're snuggled up together as the last credits play, Quinn humming along with “You've Got A Friend In Me.” He kisses you on the forehead and sings in your ear, “Some other folks might be a little bit smarter than I am, bigger and stronger too, maybe but none of them will ever love you the way I do, it's me and you,”

You giggle sweetly as you finish the song with the familiar refrain, beaming up at Quinn, “Boy and as the years go by our friendship will never die. You're gonna see it's our destiny. You've got a friend in me. You've got a friend in me. You've got a friend in me,”

You kiss each other softly, your tongues meeting as your hands move over each other's bodies. Your foreheads come to rest against each other's, your breath coming in soft pants as you look lovingly at each other, Quinn's big hand on your back, his fingers moving over your spine as you sigh, “I love you so much, Quinn,”

His cheeks flush – even though you've been saying I love you for months, it still makes him blush, like he can't believe you love him, which is insane, how can he love you – and your heart flutters like always whenever you're under the stare of his warm brown eyes. “I love you, too. This was amazing; just what I needed after tonight,” He says softly, his voice so tender and honest.

In your fort it's like nothing can touch you here, like, what happened tonight – the devastating loss – didn't happen. You hope you've given Quinn just a little relief, that his heart doesn't feel as heavy as it did when he watched the last seconds tick away or when he was in the handshake line or addressing the team in the locker room after, and the soft smile on his face as he holds you close tells you, you may have done all of that.

The next morning, you wake up in Quinn's arms, the safest place in the world and you smile at how serene he looks sleeping. The worry he carries with him is gone, the lines in his face smoothed away while his long, thick lashes resting on his cheeks. You see the smile creep across Quinn's lips telling you he's awake and his voice, thick with sleep, teases you, “Take a picture it'll last longer,”.

Quinn's humor is sneaky and you poke him in the ribs. “Like you haven't been staring at me too,”

Quinn's eyes open as he stretches and he says, “Can you blame me? I've never seen anyone as beautiful as you,”

“Smooth,” You remark and Quinn laughs. “It's not often, I am,” He admits and after a lazy kiss you find yourself sitting on the stools of your kitchen's island as Quinn makes breakfast.

Last night may not have ended the way both of you wanted, but today was a new day and there would be a new season on the horizon and you would make sure Quinn's days leading up to training camp and then opening night would be the brightest. You wouldn't let him get down on himself or believe he could have done more. You were going to make him believe in himself and believe in the team he had help build up to be one of the best, and that started today.

[youcouldmakealife]

SOTM: Erin/Julius; cosmic vertigo

For the prompt: More Erin and Julius understanding each other on a deep level

“Have you ever thought about the universe?” Julius says.

“I get a headache whenever I do, so I mostly try to avoid it,” Erin says, then, feeling Julius’ eyes on her, “Yeah, I guess. You’ve got to narrow it down a little from ‘literally everything in existence’ for me to figure out what you're getting at, though.”

“How things — change, I guess,” Julius says. “How if something went just a little differently, your life could be completely different too.”

“So like alternate universes,” Erin says, relieved. That’s much less likely to give her a headache. Not unlikely, but thinking about what, exactly, exists past forever? What a constantly expanding universe is expanding into? The last time Erin let herself think about it too long she ended up with a migraine. Possibly a coincidence, but she’s not risking it. That thing lasted two days.

“Yes,” Julius says. “If I was drafted one pick higher, or lower, I would never have come to Edmonton.”

“And you wouldn’t have met Jared, and therefore me, and neither of us would be lying in this bed right now talking about the universe,” Erin says. “Something like that?”

“Something like that,” Julius echoes, then gazes at her for a long moment, not speaking.

“Stop measuring how good a consolation prize I am,” Erin says. Doesn’t matter how great he thinks she is: nobody’s great enough to make up for the pain and suffering of playing for the Edmonton Oilers.

Julius’ mouth quirks, like she’s said it out loud.

“You’re alright,” he says.

“Thanks,” Erin says. “I do my best.”

“Worth coming here,” Julius says.

“Let’s not get too crazy here,” Erin says.

Under the covers, Julius finds where she’s laced her hands on her stomach and prises the nearest away so he can lace his own fingers through it, that hand thief. She likes to sleep like she’s in a coffin and he knows that. Still, she supposes she can lend it to him for a little while.

“Feeling philosophical tonight, are we?” Erin asks.

She doesn’t have to ask why: he’s going back to Finland in two days. Only for a month, before he flies back to Alberta to train with Jared and his buds in Calgary. She doesn’t have to ask why for that either. Dude isn’t going to train in a city he’s never even lived in, a city that hates his guts, just because he misses her brother, though she’s sure Jared would argue otherwise. She won’t make him say it.

“I can come,” Erin says. “If you want me to. I can come.”

Julius blows out a breath. “Next time,” he says.

“Sure,” Erin says. “It’s not — it doesn’t expire or anything. Standing offer. I mean, unless I have something else going on. Then you’re shit out of luck.”

“I will make sure your schedule is clear,” Julius says.

“Thanks,” Erin says. “Thoughtful of you.”

“Would you like your hand back?” Julius says. Erin doesn’t think she’s imagining the reluctance. A month’s not really a long time if the universe is your scale, but if it isn’t, well. It’s long enough.

“That’s okay,” Erin says. “You can have it a bit longer.”

*

So the thing is, when Erin told Julius she’d go to Finland with him, well — it isn’t that she didn’t mean it, because she did, it’s just that she sort of figured that at some point between her saying that and him taking her up on it, she might just spontaneously get past her fear of flying.

Except, fear is such a strong word, isn’t it? She’s fine. She’s been on planes without dying. She even hopped on a plane to see the Canucks host the Oilers — would someone with a lifelong fear of planes do that?

And yeah, sure, it was only ninety minutes, and by the time she quit telling herself that they probably weren't all going to die — but if they did, they better not fuck up and identify her as Bryce’s girlfriend in all the death announcements — they’d pretty much already begun the descent.

Then, once she was done a new recital of how they probably weren't to die — at least they’d better not, because Bryce would feel so guilty about inviting her — they were taxiing to the gate.

And while, like, statistically, that was one of the most dangerous times, like how parking lots and the kilometre around your house are the places you’re most likely to get into an accident, it’s hard to work up the same panic when you’re like, twenty feet in the air instead of twenty thousand.

The flight back wasn’t too bad either, and by the end of the trip, she thought she might have even gotten over that whole fear of flying thing.

She was incorrect.

The thing is, she actually did okay on the flight to Toronto. It helped that it was first thing in the morning, and apparently sleepiness beats out panic, a fact she’s going to be taking advantage of in the future. She genuinely thought she'd reached the other side of it, but the flight to Amsterdam has quickly proven her wrong.

Planes aren’t supposed to shake. And dip! She swears they started to drop out of the sky at one point. Julius said that it was a normal amount of turbulence, but frankly, no turbulence is normal, is it? Sure, it can be a typical amount of turbulence, but normal? They’re in a metal tube in the sky, being thrown around by wind. Erin does not consider any of that to be normal.

“You didn’t tell me you don’t like flying,” Julius says, so quietly Erin can hardly hear him over the almost deafening plane sound nobody else seems to be bothered by. Erin thinks that’s pretty big of him, considering she’s had his hand in a death grip since the turbulence began, and she hasn’t relinquished it even now that it’s finally stopped. In his shoes, she’d probably be going with ‘you know these hands make millions, right?’.

Money that means she’s flying in comfort, if not…comfort. For some reason, Erin thought it’d be easier to deal with things in business class. She doesn’t know why — in a plane crash, the front of the plane is the least likely to survive. But hey, at least Erin got free champagne.

The champagne didn’t help. She hadn’t really thought it would, but she’d been hoping.

“Oh, I don’t know if I’d say I don’t like it,” Erin says. It comes out in a voice she's never heard in her entire life, so perky it’s almost shrill.

“Something stronger?” Julius asks, looking about as disturbed by Stepford Erin as she is. She doesn’t know if he’s talking about the word she’d use or the next drink she should have, but either way the answer's probably yes.

“Do you want your hand back?” Erin asks. It’s not so much an offer as a genuine question, because she’s not sure her hand will unclench for long enough to release it, and she’d probably grab it again the next time the plane started rocking, though maybe she can figure something else out. Grab his thigh or something. It also makes him millions, but it can probably hold up to the abuse a little better.

“You can have it the entire flight if you need,” Julius says. “And for the others.”

Erin’s really, really been trying not to think about the fact there are more flights after this one. Plural.

“Might make it hard to eat,” Erin says. He has the window seat — no fucking way she wants to see just how high up they are, even though she already intellectually knows it — and she’s had custody of his right hand since take off.

“I can figure it out,” Julius says, stroking his thumb over her knuckles. It isn’t quite relaxing — nothing is, right now, not with that damn plane noise — but it’s, you know, not not relaxing, which makes it better than pretty much everything in the world at the moment. It makes Erin’s eyes prickle.

“I know it’s irrational,” Erin says. “I’m well aware of all the statistics, and that it’s safer than basically every kind of transportation. I know. It’s ridiculous. I'm being ridiculous.”

“We can drive,” Julius says. “When we get to Helsinki. We can drive instead. Or take the train.”

Erin tips her head back, trying to keep the tears from spilling. That still leaves Amsterdam to Helsinki, but one flight is better than two. “How long a drive is it?” Erin says.

“Does it matter?” Julius asks.

Erin shakes her head, and when they fall, she swipes at them with her free hand.

“We can drive,” Julius says, thumb tracing back and forth, and Erin focuses on it, the slow sweep of his skin against hers, until the flight attendant comes, asking if they’d like something to drink.

“Champagne,” Erin says. “Please.”

“Two,” Julius says, even though he didn’t even finish his first. “Please.”

“What are we celebrating?” the flight attendant chirps, and Erin stares up at her, unable to muster even a weak smile. Beside her, Julius must be pulling out the ‘dumb fucking question’ face he gives reporters, because the flight attendant says, bright and fake as Stepford Erin, “Two glasses of champagne,” then hurries on to the next seats.

“People,” Julius murmurs, and Erin slides down, twisting in her seat until she can put her head on his shoulder. Probably makes it harder than she needs to, since she refuses to give up Julius’ hand the entire time, but he doesn’t complain, just keeps up the slow sweep of his thumb, and when she finally makes herself comfortable — or, as comfortable as she can, considering the circumstances — he kisses her hair.

“Sorry about stealing your hand,” Erin says. She really hopes he doesn’t think it’s an offer to give it back, because he’ll be disappointed.

“That’s okay,” Julius says. “I don’t need it for my job or anything.”

Erin decides to hold on a little tighter, just for that.

[fleurywiththesave]

Starting feeling things about the game tonight, so

Matthew’s been trying so hard to pretend that nothing is wrong. To ignore that they've been talking less and less often in recent weeks, that it's stilted and uncomfortable when they do. That their conversation on his birthday barely lasted five minutes. That he can’t seem to say anything about hockey without pissing Leon off.

That he hasn’t heard from Leon at all in three days.

He tried to call him the night before they left for Edmonton, and he tried to call him right before getting on the plane, and he’s texted more times than he can count. He knows that Leon didn’t disappear off the face of the earth — he’s seen proof of life from the Oilers media. He just doesn’t want to talk to Matthew.

“He’s breaking up with me,” Matthew says glumly at the poker table.

“Or he’s just trying to keep his head in the game,” Benny suggests.

“He could keep his head in the game and still talk to me,” Matthew insists. “He’s breaking up with me and he’s being a wuss about it.”

“Then go talk to him yourself,” Benny says. “You know they’ll have morning skate tomorrow. Go to the rink.”

“That’s…not a terrible idea,” Matthew says slowly.

“I know. I’m brilliant.” And then he wins a hundred of Matthew’s hard-earned dollars. Jackass.

But he’s a jackass who’s right at least some of the time, so Matthew slips out of the hotel the next morning while the rest of the guys are still eating breakfast and calls an Uber to the arena.

It doesn’t occur to him until he gets there that they’re not just going to let him stroll right in, which means he has to swallow his pride and call Connor.

“Uh, hello?”

“I’m outside, come tell the security guard to let me in.”

“You’re outside,” Connor repeats disbelievingly.

“Leon won’t answer any of my messages and if he wants to dump me before this game then he needs to do it to my face, so come let me in.”

There’s a pause before Connor sighs.

“Give me ten minutes.”

He doesn't look too pleased when he shows up, but at least he tells security that Matthew is allowed in.

"I told him you're here," Connor says. "He's waiting for you in one of the trainer rooms." They don't talk at all while he walks Matthew over, which means there's ample opportunity for his anger to turn to fear. This is it. Holy shit, this is it and then he's going to be miserable for the rest of his life. Maybe he should just let Leon ghost him instead of having to look him in the eye and burst into tears while begging him to reconsider.

"Here," Connor says, stopping outside a room. "Don't be idiots, okay?"

Leon is sitting, but he stands up as soon as Matthew opens the door. They both hover where they are, a good six feet apart.

"Hi."

"Hi."

It's a long, painful moment of silence before they both start to speak at the same time.

"I'm sorry I—" "Please don't break up with me!"

"Wait, what?" Leon says.

"Don't break up with me," Matthew repeats, wincing at how pitiful his voice sounds. "Whatever it is I did, just let me fix it. Don't do this."

"I'm not—" Leon scrubs at his face and groans. "I'm not breaking up with you, Matty, good god."

"......You're not?"

"No. I—can we sit?"

Matthew thumps into the chair next to him. He suddenly feels very, very tired.

"I know I've been kind of an ass," Leon says. "There's just been so much attention on this game and I've been stressing about it and...I don't know."

"And you didn't want to talk to me about it," Matthew says.

Leon sighs. "No, I didn't. You're the enemy on the ice right now, Matthew. You told me yourself how pissed off you were the first time you played Vegas after losing to them. Don't you think I feel the same way? I just needed to focus on my play and my team."

Oh.

"I guess I didn't think about it like that," Matthew admits.

"Shocking," Leon says flatly, though there's a brightness in his eyes. "Look, I know I haven't handled it that well — believe me, Connor keeps telling me. I didn't mean to shut you out completely. I just didn't want to get into it. I'm sorry I was an idiot."

"I was an idiot too," Matthew says. "So I'm sorry too. And you—you're not breaking up with me?"

"Of course I am, Matthew. I could handle you winning the Cup against me, I could go to your Cup Day, but this regular game when we're not even halfway through the season is just a bridge too far. I'll send you a box of your stuff."

"Shut the fuck up." Matthew feels about a thousand pounds lighter than he did half an hour ago. Leon grins and leans in, stopping just before kissing him.

"But I'm going to kick your ass up and down the ice tonight."

Matthew smirks and closes the distance.

[toasttt11]

finally

June 25, 2024

Hayden was lying in the hospital bed in San Diego before her Surgery. They all went from Florida last night straight to San Diego after the last game for Hayden’s surgery.

Hayden spent the entire flight just thinking over the game not being able to sleep and she was pretty quiet most of the morning.

Jack stood up at a text and walked out side of the room down to the lobby and saw Matt. Jack had texted the NTDP group chat that if Oilers lost game seven Hayden was getting surgery the morning after and Matt immediately texted Jack privately asking if it is okay if he comes for Hayden when she gets the surgery.

Jack told Matt he better be there for Hayden. Matt booked a flight for once the game was over and when the Oilers lost he headed right to the airport, he still felt bad about their kiss and how he left right after.

Matt had a bouquet of flowers in his hands as he followed Jack into the room. Quinn and Luke shared a look seeing Matt and Ellen and Jim didn’t even look surprised to see Matt here.

Hayden’s eyes glanced up and froze seeing Matt, her face crumbled a bit, “You came?” She asked in disbelief as Matt set the flowers on the table and walked over to her bed.

“Of course i did.” Matt said softly in reply his sure noticing how pale and thin Hayden has gotten and her bags under her eyes were extremely dark.

Hayden swallowed, “I’m sorry.” Her voice wavered.

Matt immediately grabbed her good hand and his other hand cupped her face notice her getting emotional, “Shh it’s okay Hayden. We’re fine i promise, we can talk later.” Matt softly soothed her.

“I’m sorry for leaving.” Matt softly apologized, he had something to be sorry for Hayden didn’t.

“It’s okay.” Hayden just squeezed his hand softly and leaned into the hand cupping her cheek.

Matt eventually let go of holding her cheek and sat down next to her in the chair.

“You have to take your jewelry darling.” Ellen spoke up knowing Hayden is about to head back to surgery.

Hayden blanched a bit at the idea, she only has taken off her necklace once when she broke it.

“I’ll take care of it promise.” Matt squeezed her hand softly promising and she slowly nodded. Matt reached over and gently undid her necklace and held it in his hands.

Jack helped Hayden take off her bracelets and she handed the bracelet that was her parents to Quinn and the bracelet she kept from Jack during his surgery she handed to Jack. Hayden slipped soft her ring last and handed it to Luke.

The nurse came in and said it was time for Hayden to come back.

Jim kissed Hayden’s cheek giving her a reassuring look, Ellen leaned down gently hugging her and cupped her cheek, “We will be here when you wake up.” Hayden softly nodded lips quirking up a little at Ellen and Jim as they stepped back.

Quinn reached down and hugged her next and he kissed the side of her braided hair, “Your gonna be okay kid.” Quinn softly reassured her knowing she is a bit nervous for her surgery even if she wasn’t showing it.

Luke quickly leaned down next hugging her looking sad, Hayden gave him a reassuring look, “I’ll be okay.” Luke slowly nodded at her words and he pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head and stepped back.

Jack leaned down and rested his forehead on her’s, they didn’t need to say anything and he pulled back squeezing her hand and let go.

Matt looked down at her softly and leaned down cupping her face and slowly kissed her forehead delicately, “I’ll be here i promise.” Matt mumbled against her forehead making her smile a bit and she nodded softly, he kissed her forehead once more before reluctantly letting her go.

“You can have one walk back with you.” The nurse told Hayden and she immediately looked at Jack who just smiled and walked over holding her hand as she was rolled out of the room.

Hayden has a hard few weeks emotionally and physically, she literally lost game seven less than fifteen hours again and she hopped getting surgery could be a good step to start healing and starting to enjoy her post season. She could focus on the game for weeks if she let herself but she had to move on, she’s gonna have so many more opportunities in the fugue of her career, she will get a stanley cup one day. She knew if everything went well in her surgery that she wouldn’t even be able to start for at least a month and right now she was okay with no hockey at all taking a break and just relaxing mentally and physically.

Hayden squeezed Jack’s hand once more and Jack watched her get rolled away.

Hayden watched as the mask was placed over her mouth and her eyes fluttered shut, she fell into a deep sleep and started dreaming.

Hayden blinked feeling like she watching something and suddenly she heard one of her favorite sounds in the entire world, her Mother’s laugh. Hayden suddenly focused on the sound and it was like watching a flashback.

Madison was sitting on the beach in San Diego watching Harrison and little Hayden running in the water.

“Mom?” Hayden whispered in her dream, she felt like she watching a movie in front of her.

Harrison picked up little Hayden and spun her around making her squeal with laughter and he laughed kissing her cheek as he spun her out of the water and towards Madison.

“Dad?” Hayden said softly.

“She’s gonna be sick.” Madison called out smiling watching her two loves.

Harrison listened and gently set little Hayden down on Madison lap, “Yes Dear.”

“Hi Mommy!” Little Hayden giggling kissing Madison’s cheek.

“Hi my love bug.” Madison kissed her nose making little Hayden giggle again.

Harrison sat down behind the two and wrapped his arm both of them kissing both of their heads, “My girls.”

Hayden sniffled watching them and how happy they are all together but how happy she looked with her family, she knew she was happy now but she never let herself fully be happy since her parents died but seeing this memory she knew she had to let her self be fully happy if not for herself but for them.

Hayden knew what she would do first.

“I love you both so much.” Hayden whispered feeling the tears on her cheeks. She closed her eyes and everything went dark again.

A few hours later Hayden was rolled back into her room still asleep and her family were let and within a few minutes she had many gifts scattered across her room from her friends and teammates.

Jack gestured for Matt to sit on the good side and hold her hand as he sat on the bad side as they all waited for to wake back up.

Hayden’s elbow was wrapped up and in a sling and her ribs were wrapped in her gown.

Hayden slowly opened her eyes and smiled sleepily seeing everyone in her room, also her pain was least it has been in weeks and because of her dream.

Hayden softly shook her head noticing all of the flowers, balloons and stuff animals.

Her surgery went extremely well and the doctors expected her to heal up perfectly.

June 26, 2024

Hayden heard a knock on her open bedroom door and she looked up seeing Matt leaning on the doorway his hands in his pockets looking at her with a small soft smile, “Hi.”

Hayden had gotten back from the hospital a few hours ago and got settled in her bed.

“Hey you.” Matt softly spoke to her.

“Like the garden.” Hayden joked a little bit feeling a lot better after her surgery, her room was covered with flower bouquets, Will, Connor, Ryan, Hyman’s, Hopkin’s, Nurses’s, Lauren and Connor, Leon and Celeste, Cole and Macklin all sent her flowers and she had many little gifts from many other hockey friends.

“Very pretty.” Matt hummed as he pushed off the door.

“These are my favorite.” Hayden head tired to the only bouquet on her nightstand, a blue bouquet from Matt.

Matt grinned, “Are they?” He sat down on the bed on the good side.

“Someone special brought them to me.” Hayden said softly grinning as she spoke.

“Did they?” Matt teased softly his hand brushing back a few of her stray hairs falling out of her braid.

Hayden nodded humming in reply.

“I’m sorry i left after i kissed you.” Matt apologized to her, “I thought i made you uncomfortable and maybe ruined our friendship.” He admitted to her.

“You didn’t make me uncomfortable.” Hayden said softly in return making him look at her surprised but hopeful.

“I didn’t?” Matt asked hopefully and Hayden shook her head softly making a smile spread across his face.

“Can i have a do over then?” Matt softly asked as he leaned closer to her. Hayden bit her lip and softly nodded, “Can i kiss you Hayden Lee?”

“Yes.” Hayden breathed out as Matt gently cupped her face and his nose gently nudged her before he slowly pressed his lips to hers.

Hayden sighed softly and she kissed him back this time, if she knew kissing Matt would be like this she should have done it sooner.

Matt slowly pulled away to catch his breath leaving his forehead resting on her forehead and he just stared at her with a beaming smile and Hayden just beamed back at him.

“I love you Hayden and i just really want to be your boyfriend and to be yours if you would let me?” Matt asked so gently and hopeful hopping he got the right idea from the kiss.

Hayden’s eyes widen at his words as she felt her cheeks warm, “Your mine too?” Hayden asked softly in return.

Matt smiled even more at her words, “Yes.”

“I’d really like that.” Hayden finally admitted, her good hand went up an cupped his cheek fiddling with the his hair as he leaned happily into her touch.

Matt laughed happily and kissed he again but this time he was kissing his girlfriend.

It may of taken years and a lot of pinning and confusion but Hayden and Matt were finally together.

[sergeifyodorov]

Your post of all the first overalls to girl interrupted actively makes me feel crazy. Do you have a ranking of the most compelling first overalls?

cody's list of most compelling (active) (to me) first overalls

21. aaron ekblad (2014.) i don't care for the florida panthers

20. alexis lafreniere (2020). his strongest narrative juices are a) the bust thing (he was a covid baby, it takes time) and b) maybe him also going to rimouski like sid, if you really wanted to pull it out like that. but the two of them have little otherwise connection, so not really

19. owen power (2021) this is a list ranked by compellingness and not cutieness or who i would want to provide most with feminizing hrt against their will

18. nico hischier (2017) even some of the least compelling 1oas are still quite interesting IMHO -- nico is the highest ever drafted swiss player + a very young captain on a basement team + a CHL import. all of which *are* juicy. he just lacks... i don't know, a little extra je ne sais quoi

17. macklin celebrini (2024) invoking the power of "He Literally Just Got Here" for this one. the daddy issues are a powerful offset though

16. ryan nugent-hopkins (2011). the power of the longest-tenured member of a team is quite something. earns points for not being an upper middle class rich boy either

15. nathan mackinnon (2013). controversial to put him so low i know but in my genuine and honest opinion he's way more interesting as a Character than a Part Of The Narrative. crucial divide here. i'm about to talk about slaf's personality making him interesting narratively but they do want their good canadian boys to shut up and take it and nate doesn't rebel against that. all he wants to do is win (accomplished) and fuck sidcros (negligible)

14. juraj slafkofsky (2022) just barely edges out the nuge by virtue of a) the whole First Slovak thing (see nico) and b) his new and upcoming beef with the slovak federation??? what's all that about because THAT'S juice. THAT'S spark. slaf's great because not only are his little circumstances compelling but he's also got such a Personality to him. his little rockstar attitude. his little braces. I will show him where is Slovakia. yessss girl

13. rasmus dahlin (2018). im a dahlin attention payer so he's probably higher than he "should" be but CAPTAIN OF THE BUFFALO SABRES I AM SO SORRY.

12. erik johnson (2006) hugely fascinated by his fall from grace via golf cart, which is not a route most people take. and then of course he was a crucial emotional crux of the avs up until their 2022 run and in my belief a much more important part of their fall from grace post-run than whatever landeskog is doing. and of course any flyer is relevant by nature

11. jack hughes (2019) you cannot deny the hughes are interesting narratively because they are important. he's not as interesting or as important as quinn though so obviously not as high on the list as he might have otherwise been

10. taylor hall (2010) actually super interesting because he has, throughout his entire career, been on one (1) good team (the 2022-23 boston bruins). he has a hart trophy!!! you guys know he has a fucking hart trophy right???? while they were drafting davo et al, he was an oiler. while they were drafting nico, he was a devil, while they were drafting owen, he was a sabre, and when they drafted connor bedard he was a blackhawk. always the bridesmaid, never the bride

9. steven stamkos (2008). there's always something to be said for waiting a long time to get what you want. and then once that goal's been accomplished, they throw you out.

8. connor bedard (2023) Let's Get Generational With It

7. john tavares (2009) brief let's un-get generational with it to talk about mr magic amulet breaking TWO entire playoff round curses as captain, twice. about him choosing toronto. about Him

6. auston matthews (2016) what if you were a vain shy arizona boy who wanted nothing more than to be a star and then they gave it to you and then you immediately had to learn that it's not nearly as good as you thought it was going to be. and you were actually kind of gay the whole time (im biased. this is cody sergeifyodorov's immense toronto bias. be normal)

5. patrick kane (2007)

4. marc-andre fleury (2003) the whole saga of him in pittsburgh AND the whole saga of him in vegas AND the whole saga of him in minnesota (and the brief intermission when he was in chicago) are all massive narrative moments of their own, but to have all of them? to be a goaltender that lucky and that loved for that long? it's not done. it will never be done again.

3. connor mcdavid (2015) I Love It When The Ginger Man Suffers

2. alexander ovechkin (2004) you know i could write essays on ovi. i could write dissertations. people have already done so -- i would not be the first and will not be the last if i join their ranks. i could take about the goals and the record chase. i could talk about the way he's been juxtaposed against the guy who you really should have known going in was going to be number one for his whole career. i could talk about the hunt for 2018, and the long, long time they said he was useless, no matter the record. but i will say after me. after me, i give it to you, baby.

sidney crosby (2005). obviously

[haddonfieldwhore]

bad idea - matthew tkachuk

flames!matthew tkachuk x draisaitl!fem reader

summary: in a bad mood after losing to calgary, your brother is a dick to you. you decide to get back at him with a little bit of help

warnings: mention of injury/fighting, language, implied smut, crying inside that i wrote anything oilers related

word count: 1.8k battle of alberta 2018

in all your years of watching your older brother leon play hockey, you were sure you had never seen a game as rough as this one. you knew it was to be expected; the game was advertised as the ‘battle of alberta’ for good reason, the edmonton oilers and the calgary flames quite literally going to war on each other from the very second the puck dropped. you weren’t the biggest hockey fan, but you rarely got to see your older brother with his busy schedule, and were looking forward to hanging out with him after the game.

it wasn’t even two minutes into the first period before leon laid a huge hit on calgarys matthew tkachuk, the younger player hitting his head on the ice as he landed and leaving the game for the time being.

while you were cheering for your brothers team to win, as were your friends and family sitting in the crowd next to you, you found yourself hoping that the calgary flame was okay. you would be crucified if you said it out loud, but you found the flames player kind of cute, and always enjoyed watching him play; despite the rivalry that seemed to be brewing between him and your brother. your eyes always ended up on him whenever he was on the ice, and you found it hard to look away. you were pretty sure that tkachuk was only a year older than you, and you found yourself breathing a sigh of relief when he returned to the game, seemingly uninjured.

as the game went on, edmonton had a two nothing lead, but after many more fights, (most of them involving tkachuk in some way) and four goals from calgary, the game was over.

‘this is gonna be a fun drive home,’ you thought as you walked out of the stands to find leon. you had to wait for awhile for the team to change and shower, and you were growing tired waiting around for your brother. your friends and family being bummed about the loss was not helping the time go by faster as you stood around awkwardly while they caught up with eachother.

it was around thirty minutes later that leon finally emerged from the hallway that lead to the visitors dressing room, greeting your group unenthusiastically.

“hey,” you replied, and he merely grumbled in response, barely paying attention to the fact that you were there; and it stung. leon greeted your parents and friends without much more warmth but still you suddenly felt invisible as he talked with them and not you. you hadn’t seen him in months, and he couldn’t even say hello properly? and to make matters worse, your parents had already seen him before the game.

“leon-“

“let’s go,” he mumbled, his jaw clenched as he bumped into your shoulder with his, causing you to stumble slightly.

maybe you were being overly sensitive, but no one seemed to notice how cold he was being; either letting it go because the team lost, or perhaps you were just expecting a warmer greeting from your big brother.

you tried to grab his arm to keep up with him as he walked away, but he pulled it away and shot you a glare.

“i know you’re pissed, but it’s not my fault you guys lost.”

“so it’s my fault?” he countered, and you sighed.

“that’s not what i said-“

“that’s what you’re thinking though, isn’t it?”

“no, leon!” you sighed, trying to remember how he was feeling right now. “if i had known you were gonna be such a sore loser i wouldn’t have come.” he had never been this grumpy after a loss before.

“then maybe you shouldn’t have,” his jaw clenched again, and you could tell from his expression that the conversation was over. you stopped walking while he continued down the hall, your parents catching up to you, oblivious to the argument between you and leon.

“you know what, i’m gonna catch up with you guys tomorrow,” you said, faking a yawn. your family had planned to go for dinner after the game while you were all in town. the oilers had a day off tomorrow, and you hoped by then your brother would be in a better mood.

“are you sure, honey?” your mom asked, and you nodded.

“yeah, i’ll just get a cab back to the hotel. i don’t think leon’s really in a celebrating mood so i’m sure he won’t care. i’ll see you guys in the morning,” you said, before hugging your family and watching them leave the saddledome.

you sighed as you stood in the now nearly empty hallway alone, and before you could do the smart thing and actually take a cab home like you said you would, your felt your legs begin to carry you in the opposite direction.

your feet slowed outside of a certain closed door, fiddling with your hands nervously as you lingered outside the flames dressing room. just as you were deciding that the players had probably already left and began to turn back, the door opened.

after one quick look at your jersey, branded with the oilers logo and leon’s number, matthew tkachuk shook his head with a slight laugh.

“i don’t know how you got back here, but if you’re looking for him you have the wrong locker room,“ he said pointing at your jersey.

“and if i’m looking for you?” you replied, and he looked you up and down again, slower this time as if actually taking in your appearance, not just your wardrobe.

“depends why you’re looking for me. if you’re going to stab me or something for beating your team-“ he joked.

“relax, leon’s my brother; you don’t have a security issue,” you laughed, and he smiled slightly. “and i promise i’m not here to stab you,” you raised your hands in surrender.

“that’s a relief,” he laughed, a more genuine smile on his face this face this time, and you realized that he was even cuter in person. his long curls were messy, still slightly damp from the shower, and he stood quite a bit taller than you. his expression changed as the words ‘brother’ and ‘leon’ clicked in his head, and he crossed his arms over his chest, his muscles flexing under his shirt. “so why are you looking for me?”

“i… uh,” you stuttered, not having thought this far ahead. “i don’t know. i kind of felt bad that my brother hit you so hard, but i guess you got him back in the end,” you said, your gaze falling to the floor. matthew had gotten a few good hits in on leon during a fight later in the game.

“well, i appreciate the thought, but i’m okay. and yeah, i guess we’re even; for now.”

“does that mean you wouldn’t be interested in doing something that would really piss him off?” you asked, looking up to meet his blue eyes, his eyebrow twitching upward slightly with intrigue.

“why do i get the feeling you’re hoping i am interested?” he took a step closer, and you could smell his cologne now. “big brother do something to make you mad?” he asked, and you found yourself smiling, despite the fact that he was teasing you.

“that’s irrelevant,” you rolled your eyes playfully, taking a step closer so you were only about a foot apart now as you looked up at him. “besides, i’m thinking as much as i would like to get him back, it’s probably best he doesn’t know what i’m thinking right now.”

“yeah, i’m sure he wouldn’t be too happy to know his sister was waiting for me after the game,” he agreed, his eyes travelling up and down your body again.

“leon and everyone left already. i told them i was going back to my hotel room…”

“will they notice if you’re not there?” he asked. and you shook your head with a smile. “then i think we could make a quick detour first..” he trailed off, throwing an arm over your shoulder and leading you down the hallway. “here, don’t want to draw too much attention to yourself.” he threw his suit jacket over your shoulders to cover your jersey as the two of you snuck out of the arena and to his car.

“embarrassed to be seen with me?” you teased as he opened the passenger door for you.

“i was more thinking about how it might look to the paparazzi if they happened to stumble upon us leaving together.”

“wouldn’t that be the scandal of the season,” you laughed as he started the car and drove out of the parking lot and towards his house.

you were barely inside the door before you were trapped between it and his body, matthews hands holding your waist firmly.

“you sure you want this?” he asked, his hips pressed against yours as you stared up at him. “it’s probably a really bad idea…”

“i thought you liked breaking the rules?” you smirked, placing your hands on his chest and sliding them upwards to tangle in his hair.

“hmm i have been known to do that,” he leaned down to capture your lips with his, and tou tugged on his hair as his hands slid under your jersey, bunching the material up. “either way, edmonton jerseys are forbidden in my house so this has to come off,” he smiled.

•

“so not that i care, but was this just to piss your brother off?” matthew asked as he walked back from the bathroom after getting cleaned up, dressed in just his sweatpants.

“sounds like you care a little bit-“ you teased, covering yourself with the blankets on his bed.

“i don’t!” he laughed, and you shook your head with a smile as he handed you a t-shirt to wear.

“mhm,” you hummed. “i’ll be honest, i’ve thought you were cute for a while. pissing leon off was really just a bonus.”

“good to know you weren’t just using me-“ you threw a pillow at him and he laughed as he caught it, crawling back into bed next to you. “okay, i kind of used you just as much, so i guess we’re even. i do love any chance to make your brother angry, but i think that this might be my new favourite,” he said before he kissed your lips.

“agreed,” you smiled, reaching over to grab your phone as it began to buzz on his nightstand. leon’s name appeared on the screen, and you rolled your eyes as you answered it, gesturing for matthew to be quiet.

“hello,” you said plainly, still a little mad at him despite how good of a distraction you’d had for the last two hours. you could see matthew moving closer in your peripheral vision, and you felt his breath on your ear.

“i’m sorry,” leon said on the phone held to your other ear, and you sighed, your breath catching as you felt kisses up the side of your neck. you froze as matty nibbled at the skin of your throat, leaving a light bruise behind as you tried not to make a noise.

“yeah, you were kind of an asshole. i’m kind of glad you lost, actually,” you said, and it was half true.

matthew had to stifle a laugh as he laid down next to you, covering his mouth with his hand.

“i wish you had come to dinner. we missed you,” leon sighed.

“it didn’t seem like you missed me very much earlier,” you replied. “i’d appreciate if you didn’t take it out on me when you lose.”

“i know, i’m sorry. i’ll see you in the morning?” he asked.

“yes, i’ll be there for breakfast. goodnight leon.”

“goodnight,” he replied, before ending the call. you tossed your phone aside as you hit matthew playfully on the shoulder.

“do you know how much trouble we would be in if we got caught?”

“i thought that was the half the fun?” he smiled, crawling on top of you and kissing your lips.

“maybe i’ve decided i want to live to do this again sometime.”

“i like that idea.”

disclaimer: all screenshots, events, and/or interactions depicted in this are a work of fiction. i have no association with any parties mentioned

[puckthisshift]

2024 Writing Wrap Up

I blame @sportspuckball and @fleurywiththesave for me posting this. Thanks wonderful friends.

I published 14 fics this past year, and still I somehow feel like I didn't have a productive year. I'm that person, I guess. It's mostly MattDrai, with the exception of one Sens fic (because I'm also that person).

All fics below the cut

MattDrai

One-shots

act like I don't care what you did (E, 6.4k): Matthew had grabbed Draisaitl’s thigh mostly by accident, but he wasn’t going to let that asshole know about that. But after making some promises, he finagles a bid for the winner’s room so he can deliver. And then some. How else is a guy supposed to get an apology out of Draisaitl?

I was done, the deal was signed (M, 41k): A marriage pact made between rivals was never meant to come to fruition. But in 2032, Leon Draisaitl is playing one last season, hoping to finally win a cup. He didn't expect Matthew Tkachuk to even remember the pact, let alone to hold him to it. And he definitely didn't expect happily ever after.

lift your hearts to the horizon (M, 14k): In which Matthew slut-shames Leon’s wandering heart, Leon makes declarations like the romance novel hero he is, and we ignore the rules of physics in favor of magic.

make this bed get squeaky (E, 8.7k): The Oilers win their series against the Flames and Leon feels like he deserves a reward. Showing up at Tkachuk’s house for a booty call feels like the natural next step.

no one's ever had me (not like you) (E, 17k): Matthew gets drafted by the Oilers knowing that if he makes the show, he’ll be expected to mate with one of the unmated Alphas. And Matthew wants to have it all: sex and hockey and a baby - and there’s only one Alpha he wants that with.

something happens when everybody finds out (T, 3.8k): Matthew had a plan for how to tell his family about his boyfriend. This wasn’t it.

welcome to the family business, you're already in this (M, 10k): The handshake line has one life-changing revelation for Leon Draisaitl.

when I just did my makeup so nice (E, 9.6k): Leon sneaks out of the team hotel and into a queer club. He doesn't expect to meet his dream guy, all dressed up and ready for Leon to make a mess of. For Leon, being down bad is an understatement.

you don't know why, but you're dying to try (E, 9.3k): The pissiest guy on earth visits the happiest place on earth in the summer of 2016. He keeps running into this annoying teenager while in line. With a little help from a mermaid princess, the pissy prince might even… kiss the boy.

you'll find that you were never not mine (T, 10k): Leon goes from moping over his ex beating him to the Cup to flying to St. Louis in the hopes of getting another shot at their relationship. All because of one single emoji

Multichapter and series

catch me, I'm falling (E, 9.8k): Matthew wakes up alone and confused the morning after saying Red to his one-night stand. He’s planning on going right to Biosteel Camp, but someone demands to take care of him.

And its partner flying head-first into fate (M, 4k): Leon just wanted Tkachuk's attention. He hadn't expected to get the honor of taking care of him when he was so vulnerable.

raise you to be good (E, 45k): This is our pack. Kat found it all on her own. It’s little, and broken, but it’s still good. More than good. It might be the best thing that’s ever happened to Matthew.

Chabby/Josh

Lentement (E, 2.1k): Josh is going to get what he wants. Chabby happens to be what he wants. Who he wants. Would be kind of nice to figure out what the fuck Chabby wants from him though.

[krakenbait]

bragging rights bracket update #3

greetings, bracketeers!

i think the hockey gods are looking down at avs fans and laughing. not only did the colorado avalanche get eliminated by their divisional rivals, they lost their seventh straight game 7 AND their spurned ex scored a hat trick! sure, a dallas team traded away luka doncic, but a different team acquired mikko rantanen- and in the latter trade, the avs are the one with egg on their face.

in other news, i'm now taking suggestions on who to bandwagon for the rest of the playoffs. i'm leaning towards the caps, but i will hear other arguments.

commentary under the cut. be prepared to see the collapsing swing busted bracket gif a lot today! also one more reminder: please let me know which bracket is yours if you have not already!

76 points

djoker's bracket - the only perfect bracket still standing. let's see if the jets ruin your streak.

75 points

ki's confusion - okay, so how are the nuggets doing?

66 points

here we go again :| ( @morganfrost) - i think the oilers are the only orange team still in? so enjoy some le poisson steve

63 points

@andreisvechnikov's bracket - how about that miami gp?

60 points

witchmarner ( @connordewar) - congrats to mitch marner and his wife on having a kid. i saw some post about “new dad strength” which always sounds weird.

59 points

Do it for Stromer ( @stromesquad) - i can get behind the dylan strome revenge tour.

56 points

the mcstrome agenda - it's like last year's vancouver-quinn hughes bracket doppelganger situation all over again!

53 points

jt's kombucha tap ( @assistantcaptainmitchmarner) - your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries.

Baracket ( @donnorcewar) - now leave or i shall taunt you a second time!

50 points

@builthebobder's bracket

you can pretty much only go down from here

49 points

MLE's bracket - i also can't believe we lost to those green motherfuckers.

define insanity ( @tavaresfucker) - there’s that one kid who stands up, “cat. K-A-T, I’m outta here.”

46 points

nat 2 serious ( @natashastarkk) - i fully didn't notice that you picked the kings to the cup final. that is incredibly unfortunate.

43 points

abeja's bracket

press F to pay respects.

NewJerseyNates ( @puck--off) - what’s your opinion on frilly toothpicks?

33 points

Carpe_history's bracket - sluttering (v.): pontification under duress (happy jawbreaker day)

so that's a nope ( @shea-theodore) - as odious as your champion pick is, your outlook is more promising than most of your neighbors.

Infinite Jets - watch the very-finite jets get taken out by the blues tonight…

ottawa state of mind ( @arsonandhockey) - for reference, you finished with 118 points last year.

30 points

i want this yes. - oh buddy, this just keeps getting worse by the day.

23 points

deepest desire - you still have promise.

Blasphemy! Heresy! ( @circle--of--confusion) - at least you've unglued yourself from the bottom

one lost bruins fan ( @patron-saint-of-boston-hockey) - may the fourth be with you.

20 points

brackeT, t stylez ( @imperatorrrrr)

don't look at your max points (it's 58) 😬

several "hey"s later (me)

well this is just embarassing.

[oil-rigging]

Here we go again. Oiler with the Psychonauts. Today we’re talking about ✨Vision✨ as I am on the Ford Cruller kick.

My cell shaded idiot, oh how I adore your color scheme.

I was struck the other day with like, an epiphany in which I somehow tied Vision and Ford together with branching comparisons that made me feel like I was losing it for a while, so I’m going to try to make those connections coherently via text.

I know I promised more writing stuff that Was Not analysis but LET ME HAVE THIS PLEASE!!!

I know that primarily, Vision is a visionary. Like that’s his whole thing. He’s the idea machine, perception into invention, the observation to Otto’s hands-on approach (idk if I’ll speak on the rest of the feast although I love them, but that’s definitely a part of my Dr. Touch analysis) that later amounts to discovery. He is at the helm of the think tank that was the dawn of the Psychonauts.

Also, as I last mentioned, he’s green. This represents balance. He’s the glue that holds things together, pretty much.

But also, to make him an eye is to saddle him with impossible burden. I reference my last Ford analysis regarding the mirror. Subconsciously, Helmut probably knows that something’s wrong with Ford right now, or at least there was at one point. To gaze upon oneself requires an eye, and while Ford was doing that in the scientific-exploration-of-the-mind sense beforehand, it’s taken on a whole new meaning as of the events of the second game.

Calling back to the ‘there was something wrong with Ford at one point’, the concept of ‘see no evil’, or rather the fact that Ford had to look deeply at someone he loved very much and was forced to reckon with the fact that Lucy was very much not the same person she’d been when they’d met after being in denial about it for such a long time.

Maybe it was a subconscious hope from Helmut, that Ford saw that Lucy had a part in ‘killing’ him (even though they all did and all blamed themselves), and some little dramatic and ever so slightly salty part of him wanted Ford to recognize that.

Otherwise, this could reference Ford himself and the mirror theory. That he looked upon himself and he didn’t quite like what he saw, thus leading to the use of the Astralathe.

Again, it wasn’t as though Helmut ‘died’ before he saw the beginning of Ford’s downward spiral. He was around to see all of the emotions Ford went through before the battle of Grulovia.

Also, the matter of Helmut’s brain. We heard Helmut say something along the lines of ‘I sent you my brain!’ Maybe he briefly thought that Ford didn’t see it. Or ignored it.

My point is, while it may be subconscious, I think Helmut both sympathizes and is rather cross with Ford for a multitude of reasons, all of it eventually dulling down to a call for him to ‘open your eyes’. To see what has become of his lover (and, during Helmut’s monologue, to see that Lucy was still inside Maligula), to see that Helmut had very literally put his life in Ford’s hands, and to see that Ford had to take a long look at himself in order for anything good to come of any of the shit he started.

Once again crunched for time, I have to go shape the minds of a younger generation. Why they let a very anxious engineering major teach a metal safety course is beyond me.

[annieqattheperipheral]

Players & team front office responses

The Florida Panthers hosted the league’s first Pride Night in 2013, and the promotion gradually spread across the league until all teams were wearing rainbow-colored jerseys and using Pride Tape during the 2021-22 season without issue. (x)

Oct 2023:

An NHL spokesperson told ESPN that Pride tape had been allowed for years as an exception to its stick tape restrictions, which otherwise would allow players to use only black or white tape. The league said the current ban on Pride tape was to prevent teams and players from using it as an "end around" to violate the new uniform policy.

Stickers and ribbons are also banned from player uniforms, although coaches are allowed to wear ribbons.

...

Commissioner Gary Bettman: "What happened last year was that the issue of who wanted to wear a particular uniform on a particular night overshadowed everything that our clubs were doing. So what we said, instead of having that distraction and having our players have to decide whether or not they wanted to do something or not do something and be singled out, we said, 'Let's not touch that,'"

ESPN

Deputy commissioner Bill Daly: “I think the primary point is that nothing’s really going to change in the sense that our clubs will continue to celebrate these special initiatives and these causes and do a lot of cause messaging around those events,” he said. “The only difference this year is we’re asking the clubs not to employ use of the players on the ice during the game. As you know, probably, we had some issues last year with players feeling uncomfortable in supporting certain causes and we didn’t want our players to be put in those situations going forward.”

Sportsnet

"Game/practice restrictions don't interfere with players' ability to support in other settings. In fact, we encourage them to. (We) just don't want to put other player(s) in a tough spot simply because they don't choose to join."

Toronto Maple Leafs

Morgan Rielly - A

“It’s unfortunate. But I think as players and as people,” Rielly said Tuesday. “We’re going to continue to support those people and those causes that we think need it or are worthy and very deserving of it. Whatever statement was made is fine, but as players, we’re going to continue to offer support and be allies. We want to be a part of this community.”

...

Rielly, for one, won’t be deterred from speaking in support of marginalized groups.

“I wish players had the right to kinda do more and be more involved,” Rielly said.

“I’m going to continue to be involved in the community and offer support to those communities and those groups that want that and need that. As players, we’re going to continue to be involved, pretty much no matter what the league says.”

Brad Treliving - GM

Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving said that both he personally and the Leafs as an organization have always been supporters of the 2SLGPTQ+ community. Memo or no memo.

“Nothing’s gonna change that,” Treliving said. “We’ll figure out our ways that we make sure that we do the right things and support as we always have and stay true to what we believe in. There’s always challenges in in the world, but that doesn’t affect how we support.”

sportsnet

Mitch Marner - A

“That’s something that I think a lot of people in our organization take pride in and have supported that community for a long time,” Marner said on the Jeff Marek Show Tuesday. “I know I have a lot of friends, I’ve got family, so that’s something close to my heart. I think I’ve said before, but everyone in this world should be able to express themselves as best as possible, and love who they love. They shouldn’t be looked at any differently… It’s unfortunate, but it is what it is. We’re still obviously going to support those communities, and still got a lot of love for them.”

Sportsnet

Edmonton Oilers

Connor McDavid - C

"I've expressed disappointment in not being able to wear the various jersey or the tapes ... whether that's Pride tape or pink tape," McDavid said Tuesday.

"Is it something that I'd like to see back into place one day? Certainly," McDavid added.

ESPN

"In terms of a league standpoint, is it something that I'd like to see put back into place one day? Certainly. You know, but that's not the way it is right now," he told reporters at Rogers Place.

...

"I've commented on this before. I think everyone knows how I feel," said McDavid, a three-time MVP of the NHL.

"I've enjoyed all the nights that we've celebrated here in Edmonton, whether that's Pride night or military night or Indigenous night, all the various nights that we've had and had a chance to celebrate. I've always enjoyed them. I can't speak for anyone else or the league."

Zach Hyman

McDavid's teammate, Zach Hyman, also used the word disappointing when asked about the ban on Pride tape but suggested he won't stop supporting the LGBTQ2S+ community.

"We'll be able to support them individually, but collectively that's out of the players control. Disappointing, but out of our control," Hyman told reporters.

"It's out of our hands. I know personally I enjoyed wearing the Pride jersey, the Pride tape, the military jersey, we had Willie O'Ree night, Indigenous night, all those great things that we support."

CTV News Edmonton

Nashville Predators

Ryan McDonagh - A

"It's a fine line in today's world and today's sports culture," McDonagh said before the Predators faced the Tampa Bay Lightning in their 2023-24 season opener at Amalie Arena. "You want to be your own self, be your own individual, represent yourself. But you also represent your company, your brand and your employer —everybody that you're working for.

"I think it's a work in progress as far as what's right and what's not. Ultimately the individual has the final say. I think that's what you found out last year with guys that made certain stances on things. That has to be continually discussed ... letting people make their own choices."

...

McDonagh said there are other ways players can show support for causes, though. For example, the rule doesn't prohibit players from wearing supportive shirts in arenas.

"Just because I'm not given the opportunity to wear a jersey doesn't mean I can't speak out for something I believe in," he said. "One opportunity closes, another opportunity opens.

"If you feel strongly for something, there's a will and a way to support anything you want in this world."

The Tennessean

Calgary Flames

Mikael Backlund - A

"I mean, it's their decision," said Flames captain Mikael Backlund.

"We're going to support Pride any way we can, other than the tape, and we're going to follow the rules and do what we're told."

Rasmus Andersson

"I mean, it sucks," said Flames defenceman Rasmus Andersson.

"It's something that's close to my heart and something I would love to support but, you know, it is what it is and we've got to find other ways to support it."

CTV News Calgary

Jonathan Huberdeau - A

“I fully supported it, and still support it,” Huberdeau said. “For me personally I still support it, and if I get the chance to do it, I’ll do it.”

Sportsnet

Vancouver Canucks

Patrik Allvin - GM

"Decisions like that, that’s something we follow the NHL, what they recommend,” said Allvin. “I think this organization has done a lot of good things in the community…we will continue to do that. But we definitely follow the league rules and what they’re telling us to do.”

Quinn Hughes - C

"I preached it before, last year in this locker room, this organization, with Pride, will always support that,” said Hughes. “It starts at the top of the organization with the Aquilinis on down. Whether we’re wearing the tape or the jerseys, it’s something that we’ll always support. We may not be doing anything on the ice but we’ll still be doing things off the ice to support it.”

Ian Cole - Canucks’ NHLPA union rep [fr??!]

"I know the reputation that this organization has,” said Cole. “When I came here, it was a really great selling point of this organization — how they approach these things…I think it is very important.”

...

“I think that the NHL wants zero controversy, which inevitably gave them controversy,” said Cole. “Unfortunately, they are the iron fist there and what they say goes…They’re the ones that make the rules. Unfortunately, as employees, we don’t get a ton of say in it. But I really respect and like what the Vancouver Canucks have done.”

[sidenote: this dude's got his own horrendous serious issues (tw: sa) so consider this the worst person you know said something passable. Also he had the NHLPA's support when he was suspended for the allegations so it makes me wonder if he gets at all that they need to take a stand here.]

Vancouver Is Awesome

Winnipeg Jets

Josh Morrissey - A

"It's always been something that I've tried to embrace, the different theme nights and, obviously, the inclusivity around the game of hockey," Morrissey said. "Try and have everyone feel comfortable to either play or watch or be a part of what I think is the greatest game on earth. So that won't change, I guess, as a goal personally to try to grow the game, regardless of what the memo says."

Kevin Cheveldayoff - GM

"I do know that this organization takes great care in wanting to be inclusive and the theme nights," Cheveldayoff told reporters in Winnipeg. "What the specifics of the memos are, I really can't speak to. I don't really have that yet.

"I'll have to obviously get briefed on that a little bit more. But I do know that the commitment from an organization standpoint is we'll do everything we possibly can."

CBC

San Jose Sharks

Anthony Duclair

"I know a lot of guys are supportive of that. I have no problem in the past to do it. It sucks that’s not going to be part of the league moving forward,” Duclair, who has worn both Pride jerseys and used Pride tape on his sticks in previous years, told San Jose Hockey Now. “It’s a little weird to me, a little puzzling to me.”

...

“For me, you’re also banning Black History Month,” the San Jose Sharks winger, of Haitian descent and also an outspoken member of the Hockey Diversity Alliance, opined. “I think we’re taking a step backwards, to be honest.”

...

All these guidelines might affect Duclair, who famously, before Martin Luther King Day during the 2020-21 season, wore skates that featured, per The Athletic, “the letters ‘BLM’ to support the Black Lives Matter movement, a raised fist logo and the phrase ‘Change Hockey Culture.’ The left skate also [featured] the logo of the Hockey Diversity Alliance.”

Duclair isn’t sure if such on-ice statements are now banned during Black History Night.

"That’s something I’ll have to ask,” he said. It sure looks like it though.

But one thing that Duclair knows, the NHL, is once again, falling behind other leagues, by not opening the door for new fans to feel welcome.

“That’s why the NBA, NFL, leagues like that, they’re always growing year after year, always getting new fans, new viewership,” he said.

San Jose Hockey Now

Pride Tape

The Pride Tape team is extremely disappointed by the NHL's decision to eliminate Pride Tape from any league on-ice activities.

The league has used language in recent days which would prohibit the tape from any proximity to NHL Hockey. We hope the league - and teams - will again show commitment to this important symbol of combating homophobia. Many of the players themselves have been exceptional advocates for the tape.

For the last six years we are grateful for the clubs and their players' support and visibility for inclusion in hockey. The NHL's amplification and global influence has been integral to Pride Tape connecting with players, parents, coaches, officials, fans at all levels in over 40 countries.

Seven years ago, Pride Tape was born out of adversity as a grassroots hockey initiative that remains resilient, and optimistic about our plans with hockey clubs, organizations and their partners at every level.

Thank you to everyone around the world who has had the courage to speak up for inclusion and stand up to the idea that Hockey is For Everyone. Despite this setback, we are encouraged for what lies ahead based on our recent conversations from every corner of the sport.

You Can Play

If Hockey is for Everyone, this is not the way forward.

It is now clear that the NHL is stepping back from its longstanding commitment to inclusion, and continuing to unravel all of its one-time industry-leading work on 2SLGBTQ+ belonging. We are now at a point where all the progress made, and relationships established with our community, is in jeopardy. Making decisions to eradicate our visibility in hockey- by eliminating symbols like jerseys and now Pride Tape immediately stunts the impact of bringing in more diverse fans and players into the sport.

We continue to be encouraged by our ongoing work and conversations with individual clubs, where we are working collaboratively to ensure Pride Nights remain vibrant events, providing visibility and a message of inclusion to the entire hockey community all year-round. We know this issue is not within the hundreds of dedicated staff within individual clubs who go to work daily to create a culture of belonging for everyone, everywhere in the hockey ecosystem.

We call on all allies, players, fans, and coaches at every level in hockey to amplify their voices and join us in this important conversation and to remind the NHL #WhyThisMatters. This includes the NHLPA and the NHLCA. Hockey is safer and better when more of us belong.

[crosbyism]

Next Generation’s Best | Five

An essay on generational talents, gender, and the NHL in six parts.

<Previous | Masterpost

Part Five: Curtain Call

Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for coming out to see our show tonight! Before the final act, let's get all our lovely generational talents so far up onto the stage. For your entertainment, here they are: the seductive Spanish Russian, the meek princess, the hard-working hot fat-lipped nerd, the Diva, the gold-digger, the slut, and last but certainly not least: the virgin! Flanked by our wonderful dashing gentlemen Mr. Hockey and Le Magnifique, they are your: National Hussy League!

—

Okay, so I’ll spell it out: skill is soft. Not fighting is soft. Being short and slight is soft. Being a foreigner is soft. Not growing a beard is soft. Soft means whatever slur-du-jour you want it to mean, but in the end it mostly means: like a girl, where like a girl means: bad. Worse. Lacking. Weak. 

This all started because I kept seeing the phrase: "the first male hockey player to suffer from misogyny". But trying to figure out which man’s had misogyny wielded against them—and making a competition out of it— is pointless. Truly, there's almost no man that hasn't. Misogyny is ubiquitous in society, and even all-male sports leagues aren't exempt from that. It might be the virgin-whore dichotomy, it might be putting them up on a pedestal, it might be an objectifying kind of sexualisation.

It’s all forcefully stamped pink. In the way pink means: "ew, it’s pink".

2015

Connor McDavid’s biggest crime wasn’t going to the Oilers. It was going there about 35 years after Gretzky.

35 years is the exact span of time for no one to be left who really, properly remembers. That Wayne was small and slow and slight. That he looked like a girl. There’s only statues and banners left now, and even Zdeno Chara looks small next to those. Wayne Gretzky does, too.

Connor McDavid is the fastest player in the league. He’s tall. He started being able to grow a full beard before he hit 25. He's the physical ideal. Everyone in the league’s afraid of playing him. For some reason, he just can’t win a Cup or make it out of Gretzky’s shadow.

I wonder if he’s met Eric Lindros.

—

Auston Matthews isn’t just tall, he’s big. Wears a mustache and has the type of receding masculine hairline that makes reporters leave out words like soft or elegant.

They use words they used for Alex Ovechkin, instead. Big, flashy, loud. Times have trucked along, so he’s barely not getting slut-shamed. But they really, really want to call him Papi for some reason.

—

Everyone keeps wanting Nathan MacKinnon to be someone else. He just isn’t, so they can’t figure out what to do with him. He’s not small, he’s not frail, he’s got a remarkably broken nose, he’s fast, he’s skilled. He’s truly an all-rounder. He had a sophomore slump, and that was his second biggest crime; being a normal young adult man, by which I mean: a failure.

The biggest was making himself eligible for a Lady Byng in 2017. Why would they hand out the Hart to anyone who can’t rack up a respectable amount of penalty minutes like a real man?

—

Some days it seems like Leon Draisaitl went to the Evgeni Malkin school for alternate captains. A little more blunt, owed either to his inherent Germanness or the fact that it’s easier to afford to be, these days. Their professional personalities are mostly where the similarities end. They’re still the two NHL players most likely to be called “bitchy”.

—

Funnily enough, I don’t think it’s ever occurred to Mitch Marner how much he has in common with Sidney Crosby. I wonder if it’s occurred to Sid to commiserate.

To be fair, it’s been a long time since either of them were rookies getting crushed under the vicious, jealous pressure of older, bigger men in positions of authority. I suppose being the focus of derogatory media frenzies is still up for grabs as a topic of conversation.

Then again, I’d wager they’d probably both prefer to use the opportunity to talk about dogs instead.

2024

The Olympics, by their original definitions in ancient Greece, only allowed men to compete in sporting events. Women have been allowed to participate since the second iteration of the modern Olympics in 1900. For years, very few disciplines were offered, and few women participated. 

In 2020, women were allowed to bear their countries' flags along with men for the first time. This year, 2024, was the first year there was almost full gender parity, meaning almost every discipline was offered in the same format for both men and women, and there was almost an equal amount of athletes in both genders participating. 

—

The Battle of the Sexes was the title given to a significant sporting event in the mid-twentieth century in tennis that broke the barrier for tennis to develop a mixed-gender discipline. 

There was a huge movement around that time and afterwards to end gender segregation and allow women in men's leagues. The idea was to create true best-on-best tournaments and also to give women access to better pay and worker's rights in those leagues. Somehow, tennis is the only sport where it really stuck. 

Chess is still a gender-segregated sport.

—

The inaugural season of a professional women’s ice hockey league has happened at least four times. The most recent was last season's inaugural PWHL season. 

The season openers for their second season are this Saturday. I recommend giving them a watch; the world's best ice hockey player plays for the Montréal Victoire. Her name is Marie-Philip Poulin.

<Previous | Masterpost

[bropunzeling]

ooh, this looks like a fun game! AU where the Oilers snap Matthew up instead of Puljujavri!

matthew and leon get along really well practically from the start. they're the same kind of annoying, at the heart of it; leon thinks it's funny when matthew pisses off a whole bench, and matthew likes when leon is a smug asshole who just put up 4 points. neither of them are the big guy on the team (how can you be, when it’s connor mcdavid's team) but they’re both hanging out as joint number two. putting up points. causing problems.

but the oilers keep being that little less good than they're supposed to be. they keep falling that little bit - that whole mile - short of expectations. and leon's - it's not to say he's used to it, or resigned to it, but he can work with it. he thinks they can get to a place where they can turn things around.

and he thinks - knows - matthew's gonna be a part of that. sure, the bridge deal isn't as good as an eight year guarantee, but he figures contract negotiations will go fine. matthew's gonna stick around.

more to the point, he wants matthew to stick around. matthew's his friend, matthew gets what it is to be one of connor mcdavid's oilers. he makes the team better. he makes leon's life better, he doesn't want to give up ragging matthew about his shitty taste in tv or competing at golf or hanging out after practice, watching matthew play with his dog. he likes it all. they could do it for another eight, ten years.

and then instead of signing with edmonton in the summer, matthew goes to florida.

leon's had this happen before. friends leaving. but he didn't - this one feels personal, and painful. especially because matthew never let it slip, never even hinted at what he was thinking. it stings, and leon reacts the way he always seems to, which is to get mad, to lash out.

that first game in november he's furious, and upset. seeing matthew on the other side of the ice in the wrong colors, being on the receiving end of his stare or his chirps or his slashes - it just pisses him off more.

and then after, they all have to go out, because of course they do, matthew has to show them his favorite bars, and the win should make leon okay with it all but he isn’t, he's still frustrated and angry without any reason for it, nursing his beer and barely conversing, when matthew comes by and nudges him. asks how he's been, needling and yet sincere. they make stilted conversation, and leon wouldn't be mad if matthew bailed. he knows he's being dickish even if he can't stop.

matthew says, rolling his eyes, i miss you too, asshole. and leon looks at him, and it’s like a camera clicking into focus, matthew's grin and his creased eyes and the warmth of his arm against leon's and fuck, fuck --

of course leon figures out he wants matthew after he's left