#the goalie perspective

[sregnarkroywen]

paddy/henke - overtime

"You're a lifesaver, you know?" Paddy said cheerfully with a mouth full of his favourite chocolate muffins. "I can do another three overtimes if that's what's going to happen during the breaks."

"Don't say that, they might just do it," Hank laughed, "and I only have one thermos of coffee."

"You brought coffee too? Oh my god, I love you so much!" Paddy's smile got even bigger. After commentating for five periods of the playoff game he was understandably tired, but seeing his husband was enough to drastically improve his mood. Getting sweets and a nice, warm beverage from him was certainly a bonus too - he really felt like he could keep going for hours after that.

"I would kiss you right now," Hank replied, "but I think the game is starting and you have muffin crumbles everywhere."

[suburbanbonfire]

for no particular purpose, but what's the flyers top line/d-pairing? also who of those would be most likely to accept gritty as their lord and savior?

your help is appreciated

[jankwritten]

I don't think I've ever actually said it, but Hockey AU actually has an official title (for the time being) which is: SPOTLIGHT !!!!

I'm going back and forth on if I want to change it or not though, because the chapters are all titled with quotes from within the chapter itself so I feel like I need to choose a fic title from within the fic itself as well? And Spotlight started more as a placeholder name, because the ORIGINAL hockey AU was a Percy/Will story about the two of them meeting up accidentally throughout the country during the 2018-19 season, and then I got intrigued by what Jason and Nico were doing in the background and realized I wanted to tell their story WAY more.

So the main story is titled And So We Meet Again in reference to Will and Percy's side, and then the Jasico side that was supposed to be an offshoot is titled "Spotlight: Jason and Nico" and has faded into just being called Spotlight.

But on the other hand, it's a fitting title considering 1) Nico feels like he's in the spotlight as a rookie goalie in the league who's basically treated as a starting goalie by his team despite the fact that they already have a starting goalie, Nico has a lot of pressure on him to perform and feels like all eyes are on him and 2) Jason is actually in the spotlight, as an up-and-coming rookie who's going to get drafted in the 2019-20 season, he's like Jack Zimmermann levels of talked about fame. So while I'm on one hand debating changing the title to something a little more stand-out, on the other I feel like Spotlight is really fitting and easy to remember.

[p-antalons]

can we discuss this i think we need to discuss this

[sportswriters]

dating a rival - j. swayman

pairing: jeremy swayman x reader | suggestive, a bit smutty | established relationship | wc: 729 | warnings: swearing, dirty talking, sub!jeremy

welcome post!

dating a rival wasn’t easy. when you had to move from north carolina to boston for a job opportunity, being present as a carolina hurricanes fan became impossible. you cheered from the comfort of your home, missing the energy that only raleigh could build at the pnc arena. game day. you were split between your home team and your boyfriend’s performance. the hardest thing to deal was that jeremy couldn’t help being a fucking great goalie. the bruins weren't doing that well, but jeremy blocked every single shot from the opponent. frustrated groans left your mouth the whole game. no water, no pacing around, no hair grabbing were enough to calm you down.

“fuck. jer, why do you have to be so good?” you muttered, answering yourself seconds after, “yeah, that’s what caught my attention in the first place. fuck.”

he texted you as soon as he finished his interview, so you called him.

“hi, baby! congrats on the win, i’m so proud of you for dealing with the canes all by yourself!”

he laughed, knowing how pissed off you probably were for the loss.

“thank you, love. how are you feeling? don’t pretend to be only happy for me.”

“it was a great game, i’m proud of my other goalie too, okay?” you sighed. “you should come over, i’m gonna get us some food. it’s gonna be delivery, though. i have no brain cells left to cook.”

“no plans on poisoning my food?” he joked.

“i have some plans for you, but none of them are deadly.” you bit your lip, trying to contain yourself. lowering your voice, almost as a whisper, you said:  “come over.”

jeremy froze on the other side of the line.

“okay. be there soon.”

after dinner, you talked about the game from two different perspectives. it was chill, a moment to catch up as a couple, some laughs and all of that. but deep inside jeremy couldn’t stop thinking about the real reason you’d invited him over. couldn’t stop thinking of having you all over him tonight after this win.

“i can see your thoughts working, jer. do you want to say something else?”

“i was wondering if you, hum, if you had something other than dinner in mind.”

you tilted your head, faking a confusion jeremy didn’t notice because of how nervous he was.

“well, in fact, i was thinking of congratulating you. but i didn’t want to jump right into it.”

jeremy nodded.

“do you want that right now?”

he was trying to put himself together, finding it hard to do such a thing when your eagle eyes were watching him like that.

“tell me what you had in mind.”

you got up from your cuddling position to sit on his lap. with a soft caress on his bearded cheek, you said: “i’m really proud of you. i’m proud of how fucking great you were out there.” you gave him a peck, his eyes didn’t lose focus once. “so, this is how it’s going to be… i’m going to give you everything you deserve, you’ll decide what it is. i’ll give you everything you want, jer, because you worked for it.”

you adjusted yourself on his lap, getting a helpless moan from him. he was gone already.

“i need you to tell me what you want, baby, i need your words.” your voice turned into a whisper as you got close to his ear, leaving soft kisses on the side of his neck. “want me to start by sucking your cock? let you go all the way down my throat? or do you want me to slide over it right now? i could let you come inside, you know? i think it’s a proper special occasion.”

you could feel him hardening. all the talking with soft kisses were leaving his mind blurred.

“jer, i need your words. this time it should be all about you, then in my turn i would get what i deserve. don’t you think that’s fair enough?” you grabbed his chin, facing his fucked up expression.

you waited for his response, noticing his every move. it was fun to have him like this once in a while, you were going to enjoy every step of the long way.

“please, just… just kiss me and we’ll go from there, okay?” he gulped. “just fucking kiss me right now.”

[jtl-fics]

happy WIP wednesday! more TBD please?

5/22/24 WIP Wednesday (Closed) | TBD

When he'd had that thought Andrew had almost left the Court entirely, the horror of having a thought that likely would have aligned with Kevin's own perspective. There was, in fact, no likely about it as he had heard Kevin say the exact thing he had thought about his own starting position.

Andrew shook his head slightly to rid himself of the thought.

If the guy got better that meant that Andrew had less work to do as the starting goalie. It was never about striving for a better team, only Andrew's own lack of care for the sport.

Either way, the defensive line for the Wolves was decent. Even he had a hard time tracking the interceptions they frequently managed.

<<Prev | First | Next >>

[samsalami66]

Early Ball For My Goalie

Look at that, another part of the soccer au! This time, a little glimpse into my new favourite rarepair, Construction (if you have wondered who the mother of little Lily is... you will find out now !)

This was written for the wonderful @sandman-rarepair-fest, which gave me the motivation to write this thing in the first place!

Prompt: Strangers to Lovers

Rating: Teen and Up

Status: Complete

Words: 1,138

Warnings: No Warnings Apply

Tags: First Meetings, Crush at First Sight, Dominant Johanna, Destruction is so gone for her

Summary: John surprises the team during their usual Saturday Drink Night by introducing his cousin Johanna. Clearly, he has an ulterior motive to sitting her directly next to Olethros... and he rather quickly finds out just what exactly that motive is.

Read below or on AO3!

Some music, a good beer and even better company were all the things Olethros needed to enjoy a Saturday evening. And between the 80s’ rock, the New Inn’s craft beer, and his team, there really was no better way to spend a weekend night. 

Though this particular Saturday might have the potential to be the best in a row of great ones, all thanks to a new addition to their weekly meet-ups. When John had arrived with a mischievous smile on his face and a beautiful woman on his arm, all silky brown hair and eyes shining with joy, Olethros had simply raised an eyebrow at him. John was really the furthest thing from straight, probably only topped by their resident manwhore himself, Corin Thian. But once he introduced the woman as his cousin, Johanna, things came into perspective. 

The guy was up to something. 

Not that Olethros had the time to think about that particular fact for much longer, as John ushered her into the booth right next to him, so that they were pressed together from shoulder to thigh. Everywhere they touched, Olethros felt warmth bloom, racing up his body and into his chest so it might send his heart into overdrive. 

God, but it had been so long since he had felt this way after a mere glance and touch from a woman, like the blush on his cheeks might go up in flames if she so much as dared to speak to him. 

“So, you’re the goalie, then?”

Olethros knew the tips of his ears were growing hot, and he could practically feel the team’s amused eyes staring him down. 

“Yeah, that’s right,” he cleared his throat and turned more towards Johanna, giving her his full attention. “The name’s Olethros, but my friends call me Olly.”

As was customary for an introduction, Olethros held out his hand towards her, which Johanna took with a firmer grip than he would have expected from a woman so slight. The look in her eyes spoke of challenge and mischief, a competitive fire that Olethros wanted to meet all too readily. He was a player at heart, after all. 

“Olethros,” Johanna repeated, slowly, as if rolling the name around in her mouth. It sounded good in her voice, in her accent. “Eccentric parents?”

A laugh escaped him before he could even try to keep himself back. 

“You could say that. Though I think compared to some of my siblings, I got off lightly.” Johanna prompted him to elaborate with a raised eyebrow, and Olethros continued with a smile underlying his words that he couldn’t quite seem to shake. “Alright, from oldest to youngest, there are Potmos, Teleute, Morpheus, myself, Epithumia, Aponoia and Delilah.”

Beside him, Johanna snorted inelegantly, and Olethros almost didn’t feel the pang of hurt at speaking Del’s name over the warmth that rose in his chest. 

“Seems like your parents had a bit of a change of mind between child six and seven… But, really mate, seven children? Bet your childhood was a real treat.” 

Olethros’ answering smile was weak but genuine, a sad thing that he tried to hide behind a sip of his beer. 

“You could say that… What about you? Any siblings to speak of?”

“Nah,” Johanna nodded in John’s direction, who was basically sitting in Cori’s lap with how he was draped over him, deep in conversation. “That disaster of a man is as close to a brother as I’ll get.”

“John’s a good guy. Though he never mentioned you before, which is a true tragedy.” 

Johanna tsked at that and threw her cousin a disappointed glare, which the man probably didn’t notice, with how far down Corin’s throat his tongue was now. It would have been impressive, if Olethros didn’t have to deal with them every single day during training. 

“Bet he hasn’t, the little shite. I’ve been out of the UK for a while, only came back this weekend. So I’m not too surprised he forgot to mention his favourite cousin before.”

For a moment, Olethros bit his tongue in order to keep in the words which were threatening to spill. But Johanna’s open smile and imploring eyes were all that he needed to let loose what he usually wouldn’t, the words he knew were too much and too soon. 

“I don’t know how anyone could forget you,” the words came out stumbling, which made Olethros feel like an inexperienced teenager talking to his first crush, but Johanna’s eyes still seemed to darken at his words, emboldening him to go on. “I know I certainly won’t, after tonight.” 

Quite suddenly, Olethros felt a hand on his thigh, lithe and hot and strong as it gave the muscle a firm squeeze, and it took everything in him not to whimper at the touch. God, but he loved himself a woman that took charge. 

“Actually, Olethros, I’m currently looking for a place to stay, here in London.” Johanna drawled, her nails scraping along the inside of his thigh, and Olethros was a very weak man if the groan he let out at this teasing touch was any indication. 

“You barely know me,” he answered, slightly breathless, and choked at the smirk Johanna threw at him, the way she licked her lips while staring into his very soul. 

“Think I’d like to, though.”

Her words were followed  by a pinch so high up his thigh it was surely deemed inappropriate in public, which had Olethros gasp a desperate breath and nod, perhaps a little too enthusiastically. “Yeah, yeah, alright. I, I have a couch-” 

That sentence was interrupted by a thumb on his lower lip, pressing slightly into his mouth. Olethros felt his knees going weak. 

“I think I’d prefer a bed, for the first time.” 

Right, he could be so normal about that. No need to whine or moan like a needy lapdog. Except he did both, loud enough that at least six heads turned towards him, and Olethros could feel John’s stupid grin from across the table. 

“And we should leave, I think.” she added with a glare towards her cousin, before grabbing Olethros’ hand and pulling him upright. Despite her lesser height it didn’t seem like much of a problem to her, and for a brief moment Olethros wondered if she could throw him around if he let her, once they got home. In the next moment, Olethros realised that the idea sent a small thrill up his spine, and he scrambled to get out of the booth and into his jacket, which Johanna straightened for him with a small grin. 

“Have fun, you two!” John called after them as they hurried out of the New Inn, and when Johanna interlaced their fingers with a laugh, Olethros got the feeling that this was the beginning of something truly wonderful.

[scarletenvy]

from a hockey fan perspective both of these goalies are just a joy to watch

[devilsupdates]

Markstrom Eager to Begin Opportunity with Devils | FEATURE

Markstrom asked himself just one question when deciding to waive his no trade clause to join New Jersey

Markstrom Smile Feature

By

Amanda Stein

@amandacstein Team Reporter, NJD.tv

4:32 PM

When the Calgary Flames had a deal in principle agreed to with the New Jersey Devils in place there was only one person left to sign off on it: goaltender Jacob Markstrom. The 34-year-old goaltender has a No Movement Clause built into his contract and he was the marquee piece of the trade.

So, when Markstrom was asked to waive that clause, he had to ask himself just one question to sign off.

“You look at the hockey perspective, and it’s like, do you feel like the team can win? And when that's a yes, everything else comes pretty easy,” Markstrom said from his home in Sweden. “When (Calgary) agreed on this deal with New Jersey I was super excited to start this journey.”

This journey will be filling a much-needed role as the Devils’ No. 1 goaltender. General Manager Tom Fitzgerald publicly identified goaltending as the area of his team as his top player priority in the off-season. He was going “big game hunting.”

Well, that hunt is over, and the prize is Jacob Markstrom.

“Tom really made a push for me,” he said, “And, you know, when somebody wants you to come play with that team, it makes you feel good. And it doesn't take much more than that, for me to get excited and want to jump on the ship and be a part of it, and hopefully sail it in the right direction.”

Whatever analogy you want to use, be it a journey or jumping on the ship, Markstrom will play a big part in taking the Devils to their next level. Markstrom brings solidity to the position that has been a rocky road for the Devils the past couple of seasons and with that, he understands the pressure that comes along with it.

“My position, it's important, goaltending is important,” Markstrom said, “You know, the pressure I have on myself is every time you lace your skates up, you want to win the hockey game, you want to be the difference maker, which as a goalie, you have a chance to do that every night.”

In 48 starts last season for the Flames, he had a 2.78 goals against average and .905 save percentage, his best year came in 2022 when he finished the year in second for the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender, off a season of a career-high 37 wins and a career-best 2.22 GAA and .922 save percentage.

Markstrom believes there’s another level to his own play and that New Jersey will be the opportunity to watch his game flourish.

"It is a great challenge for me," he shared. “I want to get pushed, I want to get challenged, to perform my best and I think my best will come out of this for sure.”

Markstrom's best is what the Devils will need from him as their big off-season acquisition. After falling short of expectations in 2023-24, there will be plenty of pressure on the team to demonstrate a quick turnaround, especially with one of the roster’s most vital needs now filled with the 6-foot-6 Markstrom. He will join Jake Allen, acquired at the 2024 Trade Deadline, as the veteran goaltending duo to shoulder the pressure.

And that’s just fine with the big Swede.

“It's a big team with a high expectation and as a goaltending position, there is pressure on goaltending,” he said, “I've been on teams in Canadian markets, a few of them so, I know what's expected and you know, me as a person too, people that know me know that I just want to win hockey games. And when we don’t win I'm the hardest (critic) of myself, so I'm just super happy and stoked about that going (to New Jersey).”

GettyImages-2118555290

Markstrom will spend the next few months in Sweden, before making the trip to New Jersey roughly a month before training camp opens on Sept. 18 to settle in his new environment. Although he doesn’t know anyone on the team, other than training with Jesper Bratt a couple of off-seasons ago, he’s already exceedingly excited to be a part of the group and what Fitzgerald has been intricately building.

“Me and my family couldn't be happier,” Markstrom said, “Obviously they really wanted me to come and it's, you know, it's always exciting to join a group and a team in an organization like New Jersey Devils.”

“I can’t wait to make my home.”

[aleftshoe]

I’m thinking about aftg but from Kevin’s perspective

I haven’t read all the extras so if there is an inconsistency, I don’t care

But it would have started as soon as Riko broke Kevin’s hand and the entire story would be an avengers or x men type story arc where Kevin is building the perfect team. It would show his struggles with the team when he was their assistant coach. He thinks that gifting Wymack a perfect goalie (that has some issues he needs to work through), a damn good back liner, and a mid back line sub would be enough to get the win Kevin needs to get the Ravens off his back.

It would show his internal conflict about stepping onto the court as a player again and how he came to make that decision. It would show his devastation when Janie attempts suicide and his scramble to get Neil on the team.

He would be a war torn commander that seeks solace in the bottom of a bottle rather than an uptight brat that runs from his problems by getting drunk.

And not to mention once he finds out Neil is Nathaniel. It just feels like a classic anime or YA novel when it’s from Kevin’s pov…

[altschmerzes]

I do follow hockey, but definitely not enough for this thing with Thierry because all I’m coming up with is Fleury and I don’t think he’s from Montreal and I don’t think he played there either so can you explain? Google informed me that Carey Price exists which like yes thank you google I am aware

LOREAUX. YES. WHEEZE. THANK YOU.

just- okay. bear with me for a moment here where i wax on a bit about the huge potential for A Big Interesting Internal Landscape in thierry zoreaux, a canadian goalie from montréal. (if i get anything wrong in the process forgive me, this is all off the dome based on My Personal Experience And Perspective as a longtime sports fan. also it got.... long lmaooo sorry for that. i simply think goalies are fascinating and thierry specifically has such an interesting context for Being A Goalie. also no season 3 spoilers in here!.)

you're correct that fleury isn't from mtl, no! he's from another city in the province, and he never played for the habs. and you're also right, carey price does exist sldkfjs and he's CONSTANTLY on my mind when i think about thierry and about the role of goalies in sports that have them - whenever there's a team sport that has One person who is uniquely different and has a radically different role (goalie, pitcher) compared to the rest of the team (whose roles are pretty similar even if they're first baseman, outfielder, midfielder, fullback) there's gonna be a Lot going on there. goalies have a reputation for being Really Fucking Weird. like. those guys are Odd and everyone knows it. (pitchers are the same way. known for superstitions, habits, Generally Being An Absolute Oddball.) they have a different kind of attention, a different kind of pressure. at the end of the day it always is going to come down to them on their own, in one way or another. goalie characters in sports fiction obsess me because of all the Baggage and all of the Stuff that goes into Being A Goalie and man. that was enough to make thierry really compelling to me, as the goalie we see the most of. and then specifically being a goalie From Montréal? ohohohohoho.

i watch football/soccer a lot these days and have for a couple years but i've been a hockey fan for much longer and i can't help see things through that pov sometimes, and as soon as they intro'd a character from mtl, my background as a habs fan perked right up. a goalie from mtl. that was the first hockey team i ever followed and boy does it have mountains of history that make it a fascinating team to follow/learn about/think about especially as a narrative background/parallel/foil/whatever.

obviously thierry's a soccer player, he's a soccer goalie, but in the words of someone i spoke to yesterday, "hockey suffocates every other sport in this country." it's always around, always present. your average torontonian can probably name the last year the leafs won the cup even if they hate sports. the canadian viewership numbers during playoffs is nuts. i've seen a few percentages come up - in the 70s-80s. i also have had some fun daydream thoughts about thierry being a multi-sport player growing up. there's a hockey player i can think of who pretty much got all the way to the point of draft eligibility before deciding whether he was gonna play hockey or baseball. that's a headcanon i have about thierry too, that he spent a while playing hockey when he was younger and was pretty damn good at it, probably could've gone pro, but decided to stick with soccer in the long term because he liked it more.

anyways, so. the sport is huge, it's unavoidable, and one of the biggest teams is the canadiens. especially if you live in mtl. it's hard to overstate the extent to which they are an institution, practically a religion. and one of the things that's important to understand about the context of thierry specifically rather than if like- if any other player had grown up in québéc, is that the habs have an...... intense history with goalies. like a VERY specifically intense history with goalies. they've had some of the biggest names in hockey goaltending history in their nets and the combination of the team's history, the goalies who've been there, and the media market of montréal means that being the habs goalie is one of the most heavily scrutinized, highly public roles in the sport.

the whole...... sports fabric of montréal is steeped in goalies. jaques plante, patrick roy, carey price. so many more enormous names, names everyone who's into hockey knows immediately, names that left permanent marks on not only the habs and mtl but on the sport as a whole. every year the league awards the best goalie of the regular season the vezina trophy, named for georges vézina, who played his entire career for the canadiens. (these days, the likes of sam montembeault. québéc born and raised goalie who now plays in the habs organization, heir apparent to carey price's net. monty, with goalie masks depicting jaques plante and the torch that is literally passed every year at the beginning of the habs season at their first home game, that is mentioned in the motto in their dressing room, inside the collars of their jerseys. it's a quote from a poem about the first world war - to you from falling hands we throw the torch be yours to hold it high.)

for thierry this would've been just.... all around him. when i think of him i think of him growing up in a habs watching household, because most families are in one way or another in that region, and having this idea of like. the role of a goalie. the pressure of being a goalie, watching particularly the way that carey price, one of the best goalies who's ever played, was completely wasted by the catastrophic mismanagement of the habs during his prime. i think all the time of this screencap from either the behind the scenes videos the habs produced for PR stuff or some feature on tv or documentary thing, a shot of carey price with his iconic thousand yard stare, the subtitles from the voiceover saying if he could score, he would play alone. i have to think that'd do something to a person, you know. seeing how important the goalie is, how revered and respected they can be, and that it can still not make a difference in the end. not enough of one. there will still be people who hate you because you're not the guy who came before you, because you can't just do it all yourself. and then choosing to be one anyway.

so you know. you're thierry zoreaux. you grow up in montréal. you can't avoid the habs if you tried, it's baked into the city. it's in the air. and you're a goalie. it doesn't matter whether you play hockey or soccer, the role of a goalie is a different thing, a unique experience. you are involved in everything, and you are alone. you are so, so visible, and so, so overlooked. you never appear on the goal sheets, but some media outlet will blame you for every loss. you're a little weird, a little wired. a little in your head, a little in another world. your teammates adore you but everyone knows there's something about you that's different, that sets you apart. every one of them sees it as their job to protect you, but at the end of the day, none of them can help you do what you do.

also, as an aside, i checked his wiki page real quick, and have learned the actor is jewish and sees his character that way too to which i say: ONE OF US. ONE OF US. ONE OF US. also i am about to write fic about this IMMEDIATELY. thierry zoreaux, quebecois goalie and jewish king. i've always been a little extra attached to him - minor character enjoyer that i am and enthralled by the potential in him, and also just finding him. very funny, and his actor a delight in his scenes. i love him and i need to write way more about him Right Now. it just occurred to me earlier, when i made that first post about him, and realized the line i'd jotted down wasn't half as good if you didn't have the story that exists around him in my mind, around his role and his experiences and cultural context about his role. and well! here we are now.

[acheronist]

15 questions + 15 friends (tagged by @fedorovista and @whitenikes MWAHHH)

1. Are you named after anyone?

not that i know of

2. When was the last time you cried?

(dylan larkin voice) i cry every day. just kidding let me think about this.. december 23 i think... i was having a stressful and uncomfortable few days and hurt my hand pretty badly and i needed twenty minutes in a quiet room by myself to weep a little bit

3. Do you have kids?

NO. but i do like kids and i'm good with them, i don't have the stamina for being a parent tho.

4. What sports do you play/have played?

um.... in true unpopular goth art freak fashion i was never into playing sports... i did ballet for a few years when I was small but I don't think that counts. also, growing up, i was the designated goalie when we played street hockey, but i also don't think this counts

5. Do you use sarcasm

probably but i feel like it never lands like i think it should? #undiagnosedautismmoment

6. What is the first thing you notice about people?

hm. how they're dressed, I suppose. if they seem calm or not.

7. What's your eye color?

green (underwhelming and watery)

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

now what's a gal gotta do to get a scary movie with a happy ending !

9. Any talents?

from my perspective? not especially. but my friends & sweetheart feverishly assure me i'm good at creating art and can cook well and think i'm good at organizing things

10. Where were you born?

mitten

11. What are your hobbies?

lately? getting high and playing tetris while listening to new wave music. to be so honest.

12. Do you have any pets?

peppercorn and then my family has two dogs who are also my babies

13. How tall are you?

short leave me alone

14. Favorite subject in school?

art history leave me alone

15. Dream job?

😔.............museum exhibit curator.... or the resident detroit red wings media archivist and historian (with salary)

ok let me think if i can remember 15 people who might play along w tag games.... mutuals if you dont give a fuck im sorry lmao @saintdetroit @berrytart @hexgh0ul @sportsfair @kafkaesq @coffinbutch @godturnmeintoaflower @svechkin @grandahsoka @snuffpole @fangedsaint @imissanthonybourdain @godconstruct @foxes-jaw @crossbackpoke-check

[pucktoxicity]

https://www.tumblr.com/pucktoxicity/759056822999171072/httpswwwtumblrcompucktoxicity759017398395404

gonna push back a bit, respectfully, of course…

For Toffoli the writing was on the wall…

It came out that he and the Devils couldn’t come to an agreement on term and as soon as that was known I think it was pretty clear that he wasn’t gonna stay because he was gonna walk at the end of the season anyway, Fitzgerald needed to make sure he wasn’t walking away for nothing and so the trade happened.

Same with Marino unfortunately…

As soon as the Devils were all but confirmed to get not only Pesce but also Dillon and the Kovacevic signing, Marino’s time was up. There just wasn’t any room for him with all those additions. Plus, with Markstrom as the new goalie you needed to build a D core to defend shots that he can’t save and that’s where Marino’s statistical weakness is.

And finally with Holtz…

They’ve been trying to trade Holtz since the Timo Meier trade last season. Holtz was part of that package but the Sharks wanted Fabian Zetterlund and Holtz was also included in the original packages for Markstrom but again Flames wanted Bahl more. So if you’ve been trying to trade someone for over a year…the trade is sadly not a surprise.

I say all this to mean none of that background or writing on the wall exists for Dawson Mercer.

Devils GM has been very vocal about Mercer not being on the trade block. Nashville came asking for him and Fitzgerald said no. He said he won’t include Mercer in any deals.

Plus we don’t have a log jam of forwards like we did with defenseman.

And he pretty definitively said he was done with moves for the off season.

We also have to remember Dawson Mercer’s agent is also the agent of like seventy other hockey players including Matty Beniers so this man is doing negotiations for several unsigned players at once so it may be just a there’s a lot of work to do rather than the numbers or terms being far apart.

I hope we get the announcement soon that he’s signing and we can all stop being anxious!

I hope my response wasn’t rude please let me know if it is I just wanted to provide some context as to why those trades happened and why the Mercer situation is nothing like that.

omfg please you can push back all you want!! that’s why we’re here!! i don’t mind at all, and i love having discussions about trades, player moves, contracts, etc. because it’s interesting to see what other perspectives are out there.

i’m really intrigued that toffoli was expected to go, because i actually was unaware that an agreement couldn’t be reached. all i’d heard was that it was “unexpected,” and i thought that meant he was surprised by the trade, not that it could’ve meant it was unexpected that an agreement couldn’t be reached w someone of his caliber/veteran presence in the league. looking back at it, the latter makes more sense than what i was hearing, so you just cleared a lot up for me! 😌 and on holtz… i know he was going. i thought even before/leading up to the trade deadline, he was gonna go before then, but i just hoped that maybe if he’d somehow reached an agreement in the offseason or something happened, or fitz and the team believed things could change with a new coaching staff, etc., but you’re right. they were trying to get rid of him for a long time, and i think because i’d interacted with him so much & gotten to know him as a person and an athlete, i was in major denial lol. i was like no way they’re getting rid of him 🙂‍↔️ things could turn around, but it was loudly obvious he was gonna be leaving, just a matter of when. (same with john, i think after the trade deadline was when people said he’s a good player, but not what we need, and as soon as free agency started, it was inevitable, especially with how large john’s contract was)

okay you brought up kevin and that was an interesting (not shocking, but shocking in that he got us markstrom) trade, so i have to ask you: did you think he’d be in the deal for markstrom? or did you think come free agency we’d use him as a trade bargaining chip for someone else we needed come this season, and someone else would’ve been used for markstrom? i did not expect us getting rid of him for markstrom but definitely welcomed it, because now we have better d-lines. kev was the nicest guy, and a huge guy, but not the strong defense we needed for sure.

and YEAH. i need a mercer announcement soon, but i know that pat brisson is BUSYYYYY right now lmfao, i could not handle his job!!

i’m having fun, please give me more trade and contract analyses of our team because it’s nice to see it from such a technical, straightforward perspective and not the perspectives of reporters or fans or whoever who might have bias. very refreshing, 10/10, no notes. let’s do this again please 😌

[popcornkwantum]

mischief monday!

Taylor watches from the stands as Scary and Lincoln play with the rest of the soccer team. Both Hermie and Hero sit next to him, while Normal races along the side of the stands, doing flips and pumping his Teeny the Teen arms high into the evening sky.

All Taylor has eyes for is Lincoln. The way his husband dashes fast across the field, sweat on his face and smile the size of the moon joining the faint stars in the sky. They’re going to win—No doubt about it, not with how many scores Scary keeps kicking into past the enemy goalie.

“When the game is over,” Hero mutters to Hermie over Taylor’s head, “Are we still going to my moms ice cream shop for sundaes?”

In his head, Taylor can already imagine the banana split he’s going to share with Lincoln. Strawberry and chocolate ice cream, peanuts shaved on the top, as Lincoln tells him all about the plays he managed to make in tonight’s game.

Before Hermie can say a word, Taylor sits up straighter, “Of course we are, Hero. How else are we supposed to celebrate?”

“I don’t know,” She rolls her eyes, “By kissing your boyfriend?”

Taylor fantasizing about the simple plan of just sharing ice cream with Lincoln and hearing Linc enthusiastically ramble on about the game he just watched!!! He's so mushy and SOFT and Hero just casually roasting him for it. Also just how you describe Lincoln's smile from Taylor's perspective!! Chef's kiss *.✧

[theemporium]

Reporting for train delay distraction. Feel free to ignore completely or partially 🙂

Which team in the Stanley Cup final would you prefer to win/loose?

Which player do you really want to not have a cup?

Which 30+ player without a cup do you really want to get a cup?

What would be your dream final?

Let's celebrate hockey ass:

Which players booty do you like the most? Do you have a list?

Goalie hugs, yes or no?

Players with kittens/puppies, does it fill you with joy or is it a nah?

Do you have any thoughts on how the Leon draisaitl/ matt tkachuk fandom are probably having a stroke or the time of their life atm?

Many hugs!

GAHSHAJAJAAN OH GOD OKAY

1. honestly I’m gonna say panthers to win because I’m still bitter about the oilers knocking the canucks out

2. hmmm there’s not many players that I hate but I’d rather not see the rangers win the cup at any point🤠

3. I don’t have anyone in particular in mind but I did kinda feel bad for the older guys in the stars who just wanted to win a cup with the younger boys😭

4. I wanna say my dream final would be canucks vs devils but I think I would genuinely throw up the whole game so💀but the devils vs anyone would be !!! because I want them in the finals and I want them to win

5. I don’t have a list but nico my swiss grizzly bear!! his ass isn’t fair, I want the routine

6. I LOVE GOALIE HUGS THEY ARE SO CUTE

7. big beefy men with baby animals? sign me up please and thank you

8. I know people are going insane but I don’t really know the lore behind them to comment on it😭but from a fan perspective, I hope those ao3 authors are having the time of their lives

[lickmylundqvist]

So from the perspective of a Rangers fan who loves these idiots dearly with all my heart...the reason I land on the side of them having gotten very lucky and that being why they won is purely because of their defense. Yes, the rest of the team scored the goals, but that doesn't change that they also failed to clear the puck and put Shesty in a very difficult position. I love them. And because I love them, I say they need to get their defensive shit together and understand that they can't lay the entirety of their defense at Shesty's skates when they're winning. Their biggest problem is getting complacent when they're winning; they really need to fix it. That said, I am still delighted that they won I just want them to tighten up because I know they're capable of doing better and I want to see them live up to themselves They deserve it and so do we as their fans

This is a great take and I agree with you on them needing to remember the D stands for defense not Depend on your Goalie!! I just hate the people who never have anything positive to say about our team considering we even got this far. But thank you for explaining your view and not telling me I’m dumb 🥹