#wjc team usa

[itsnotgray]

this is the face of a boy who went weeks thinking he might not recover in time to play in the tournament that means oh so much to him, only to recover in time for the tournament, perform outstandingly, and captain his country to gold

pure relief at the fact that they finally captured the one thing that had alluded them, and unbridled joy at the fact that he accomplished exactly what he set out to do

[boqvistsbabe]

[frostbeees]

good as gold

[boston-bordeleau]

the bc kids🦅

[annieqattheperipheral]

tag yourself at the new years party

I'm the one flat on his back, solo, serene, tossing down confetti at his own face

the way the last two are clutching at each other, snuggy lifting tinsel off his hair, smith grasping at his waist in return as they glide thru gold ..what am i supposed to do with this. pls. Some of us are trying to escape the kitchen from these two

[hockeyandhrsepwr]

Insufferable

Luke Hughes x reader

Basic Premise : your dating one of the Michigan Guys who went to WJ’s, but youre Canadian. After the tourney, you (& Adam) proceed to annoy your bf & the rest of the guys with the Team Canada goal song, partly because it slaps, but also because its annoying as fuck. you & Luke are childhood friends from Toronto, but you moved to Halifax after he moved to Michigan. Now you go to Mich & you’re a year older so third year, but you’ve been involved with the hockey team since your first, & youre good friends with most of the guys

Note: this is based on a random thought I had around World Juniors that I was just reminded of. Please note I am drunk as a skunk as I write this so there will be mistakes & probably things that dont make sense (timeline math wise)

January 2023, Halifax

Is it bad if I’m hoping they lose? I text my besties. Like I love Luke but I want Canada to go back to back

It takes 2 seconds for my phone start buzzing

Anne (bestie from Michigan): Fuck that you traitor!!

Mel (Hometown bestie): Haha, no. Canada for the dub baby!!!!

A: I hate both of you. Just you wait y/n, I’m showing this to Luke when I see him!

Y/n: he knows how serious I take this. I still havent forgiven Jack for 2021.

M: As much as I love supporting our boys, you have got to give that up babe. Its been 2 years

A: And wasnt it his friend who scored anyway?

Y/n: We also dont talk about him

M: Yeah, until you need someone to do Taylor Swift karaoke with at the Lake house in the summer

Y/n: fuck off, games starting, I hate you

As hard as both teams played, Canada wins & the crowd goes wild! I’m over the moon, but I know Luke will be disappointed. After the game, I make my way down towards the locker rooms with the rest of the family members that are here (not like there’s many) to wait for the boys. As they slowly make their way out & head for the bus, I spot Luke. I run over & wrap my arms around his waist, pressing a kiss to his chest.

“Sorry babe, you played so well though.”

He pulls back and raises an eyebrow “are you really that sorry?… Anne texted me.”

“Bitch” He chuckles so I know he’s not that mad “ I really did want you guys to do well. It ws just awkward that its to get to the gold medal game. If you were both in the final it be better but it didn’t work out that way this year. You’ll get that bronze though, and then im going to show you how we have a good time in Hali.”

Dropping a kiss on my nose, I see him crack a smile before something slams into my back and arms go around me.

“Hey Rut, you played great out there!”

“Not good enough”

“Hey! Dont talk like that. Time to get that bronze & then well go back to AA & get that Natty.”

“HUGHES, McGroatry, get your asses on the BUS!!! Duker I see you heading towards them. NO”

I giggle as their coach yells at Duke, but grab him for a quick hug before he can get in trouble.

“God you really are the team mom.”

“What?” “Thats what the guys say but I’ve never really noticed it before”

“That’s nice, I guess? But go babe, before you get in trouble. Tomorrow night though, youre all mine” I kiss him quickly and let him go.

Team mom? Have I somehow adopted a hockey team & not realized?

The Next Day

Team USA gets the bronze with a couple of beautiful goals from our Michigan boys. After the game, I catch up with the boys.

“Congrats!!! here’s the plan. Now I’ve got a game to watch, you’ve got shit to do, and I’ll pick you up at 10 after your team dinner & bonding shit. Get ready I’m showing you the real Halifax.”

“Love you Lukey. I’m so proud of you. I’ve got to get back to my seat but I’ll see you later”

The game is crazy but we take the gold!!! I text Luca since I know he’s here somewhere & we finally mange to find each other before making our way to the ice to congratulate Adam & the rest of the guys.

“By the way, youre coming with me tonight” I nudge Luca while Adams talking to someone else. “I’m showing the boys Halifax

“Y/n, my flight is early tomorrow morning.”

“Bro were all on the same flight. Grow a pair & come out. I need more people since the other frosh are underage”

“Hey, why can’t I come?” Adam has apparently been listening. ‘I’ve never been to Halifax before!”

“How have you been here for 2 weeks and not seen anything”

“Not with a local!! I want to see the secrets”

“Were going drinking and youre a child so you won’t be let in moron. Also dont you have team stuff?”

He’s dragged away before he can respond but I know we won’t see him for the rest of the night. Luca agrees to come, but he has to find his parents first.

My phone buzzes with a text from Luke Hey babe, think you’ll be much longer, some of the guys are tired & not sure they’ll last much longer

I text him back 30 more minutes. Tell them to take a power nap, but the only ones that’ll need to rally are you & Duker. The rest of them will be back with an hour & a half.

L: Okay babe, see you soon.

After fighting my way through the crowds, I manage to make it to the hotel the teams staying at. I enter the lobby & hear my name, since I texted Luke that I was near. There’s about fifteen of the USA guys waiting for me and I make my way over.

“First things first, who’s 19?” About half of the guys hands go up. “Okay, do you have your IDs?” Everyone nods & I clap my hands. “Alright, for those who dont know me, I’m y/n & this idiot is my boyfriend” I gesture to Luke & he wraps his arms around me. “I’m going to show you how we do shit here on the East Coast, especially those of you who are legal. For the children, I’ve got some cool stuff for you too but your night will come to an end sooner than the rest of us. Ready?”

A cheer goes up as everyone gets up & ready to go.

“One last thing, Duker needs a place to sleep tonight” “HEY!” “But you can sort that out among yourselves. Lets go!!”

The streets of Halifax are absolutely wild, but I manage to show the guys around a lot before we make our way back to the hotel. In the lobby, I give the Michigan kiddos a hug & tell them that ill see them tomorrow for the flight. “For the rest of you, Nice meeting you, im sure ill see you around!!”

We pick up Luca then make our way around downtown. once we make it to the designated bar I see a familiar face.

“MEL!!” “Ah, you made it!! congrsts on the bronze boys, but RED & WHITE TAKES THE WIN BABY!!”

“Sorry about that, she’s a bit drunk. Have fun boys, everyone has my number so text me if you can’t find me!”
“she’ll be in a corner with Luke!” “ Shut it Duke.”

Two hours later, the drinks have been flowing & were all having a great time. Luke & I are out on the dance floor, tearing it up, when the bar goes wild. Luke groans as the opening bars of an East Coast Classic start playing. “ I’m gonna hear this song in my nightmares for the next little bit”

“I mean that sucks for you but COME GET YOUR DUDS IN ORDER” I scream with the rest of the bar.

Sorry, I mouth to Luke

As the night comes to a close, I manage to round up the boys and make our way back to the hotel. All in all, a great few days here at home, but I’m ready to head back to Michigan and get on with the year.

End of January

We’ve been back for a couple of weeks & life is going well. We’re having a party for the team & various friends at one of the houses. Luke & I are chilling on one of the couches, im on his lap chatting to Anne as he talks to Duke, when Luca comes running up

“Y/n what’s the name of that song?” I have no idea what he’s talking about “Could you be any less specific? Give me something Luca”

“You know, du du dud dud” “How does that make sense Anne mutters beside me. “Yeah duh. Why?” “ Adams on the music next & needs a good lineup. He can’t remember the name”

I sit up, “oh, ill text him a playlist, I’ve got a couple of good ones to go along with it”

Luca runs off and Luke pulls me back into his chest “What are you up to?” I give him a kiss “nothing:)”

Ten minutes later, I can see that Adam is hooking his phone up, so I hop up on the coffee table & yell

“Attention folks, Adam, thanks for the tunes. It’s time I introduce you all to a couple of good old fashioned Canadian classics. I expect full enthusiasm okay? Take it Away Adam” The opening bars play and then “Twas the night that Patty Murphy died….”

By the time we get through 5 of the songs, the whole room is bumping. Luke & I are dancing, and he leans down & whispers “I know its coming, and I’m going to get you back for this” I smile up at him, “no idea what you’re talking about”

I dance my way over to Adam & Luca as the opening bars begin

“Hey boys, ready?” “Hell yeah”

“I know you know it, so sing it with me - COME GET YOUR DUDS IN ORDER….. HEAVE AWAY!!” At this point I’m back on the table doing some weird attempt at line dancing with Eddy. Of course the albertan knows how to do it. Were about halfway through the song when im thrown over Lukes shoulder, to cheers from the room

“Thank you, thank you!! Ill be back next week!” I wave as Im pulled from the room. Luke drops me on the swing on the porch before sitting down & leaning on me. “Youre infuriating”, “but you love it’ I grin and kiss him. We stay on the swing making out & cuddling for a while, looking at the stars & people watching. There’s no shortage of interesting incidents to see in a college town on a Saturday night. The the night starts dying down so I round up the boys that dont live here & start making our way back to my place across campus, dropping everyone off & making sure they get home safe before Luke & I get to mine.

All in all a great night.

Mid February

“What’s up everybody!!!!” I skate onto the ice to get the crowd going

“All right, its loud in here tonight!! So I’ve got some news for you. I know you were expecting to see our wolverines playing some of Team USA’s development guys. Unfortunately they had to pull out, but weve got something better for you all tonight! Before I let you in on it, Here are YOUR MICHIGAN WOLVERINES!!!”

The Music starts as most of the guys come rushing out of the tunnel doing a lap in front of the crowd before lining up in front of our net. Smiles all around as the crowd goes wild. Once they settle down, I start back up. 
“Thank you boys for that dramatic entrance!! Now, some of you may know me as that annoying girl who’s been on the mic at Yost for the past three years, which is valid. But what some of you might not know, is that I’m Canadian.” BOO. I hear from behind “Zip it Duker” The rest of you, Stop your booing!!! I’ve brought it up for a reason - For those of you that know me, you know that I came here for a boy. I know what youre thinking, what a dumb move, moving to another country for a boy, but I couldn’t help myself. You all know and love him, from the wolverines, number 43” The crowd starts making some noise, “QUINN HUGHES.”

The boys behind me start laughing & glance at Luke, but he knows im joking (or am I?…)

“Nah, Nah, in all seriousness, Q is like an older brother to me, so when I was figuring my life out four years ago he brought me here & I knew it was the place for me. But there is a boy, who followed me here cause im that awesome ‘hair flip’, and since there’s a very special holiday coming up”, I turn around and skate over to stand in front of Luke, looking into his eyes before turning my head

“Duker, will you be my Valentine” The arena burst out into laughter & cheers as Luke drops his stick & I try & race away from him. He grabs me by the waist before I make it more than a few metres, swinging me around before setting me back down on the ice.

“Youre going to pay for that” he whispers before dropping a kiss on my lips as a collective EW goes up from the crowd.

“Yeah yeah, get back in line lukey.” I blow him a kiss as he skates back.

“Now that thats out of the way” The crowd laughs “Duke im free at 7, you know where to find me”

“In all seriousness, you may be noticing that were missing quite a few players. Now there’s nothing wrong with them, but first let me tell you what’s about to go down. We have a couple of special guests coming to join us for this game, so lets get into it. We’re hosting the first, and probably last, USA vs Canada game, Michigan style!!”

I can tell that people are confused, so why dont we just show you?” Cheers & Boos start up, but thats alright, I. Think they’ll be pretty happy once they see what’s planned.

“First up, they may look a little different tonight, but please welcome, your Canadian wolverines!!
Starting us off tonight, you all know & love them, an inseparable duo, the bros LUCA & ADAM!!” They come out wearing Adams jerseys, pumping up the crowd & do a lap before standing behind me, just opposite their teammates.

“Next up, from the single worst province, number 73, ETHAN EDWARDS!!” The crowd roars as Eddy pretends to flip me off.

“And the last of our Ontario boys, Eric & TJ!!”

“All right, I dont know about you guys, but I’m thinking our Canadian boys need a little colour with a u” The boys snicker & Eddy fist bumps me “So please welcome some very special gents with a delivery for us. From last years championship winning team” The crowd gets so much louder “Mr ‘no one can spell your province’ Jimmy Lambert, Mr British Columbia Kent Johnson, and the big dog Owen power!!” Jimmy, KJ & OP skate out, the crowd cheering as they hold a bunch of Team Canada jerseys.

I’m glad they’re willing to play along. When Kent messaged me earlier in the year & mentioned that him & Owen were going to try & stop by for a game during the all star break, I knew it could turn into something super fun. Once I got my boss & the two guys on board, & the NTDP had pulled out a few weeks ago due to something, I started my mission. The Michigan boys had no idea what was going on until getting ready tonight, so I think it’ll be an awesome time for everyone. It also gives me an opportunity to fuck with Luke a bit which I’ll never pass up. He thinks he know what I’m up to, but I’ve still got a few tricks up my sleeve.

“Now Owen & Kent have generously donated some of their old jerseys for the players to wear tonight, so we can really represent. Will they all have the same names on the back? Yes, but they’re big kids, they’ll figure it out.” Sweeping my hands out, the boys start grabbing jerseys.

“We’ll have a quick break so that the boys can change”

“I mean they can start stripping out here, we won’t complain” I hear from the stands as laughter erupts & I point towards the children of Yost section.

“I like you, but unfortunately the on ice strip tease portion of this evening has been cancelled. It will take place in the locker room, tickets are ten dollars” I wink at the camera before turning back towards Luke. “But lets continue. we can’t play a full game with only a few on our team, so please welcome some more special guests. One of your former wolverines, Mr has lived in Vancouver so long he’s basically Canadian, Quinn Hughes!! (Bum Bum bum bummmm noise)” Lukes eyes go wide as the arena explodes with noise and Quinn comes out. I open my arms and grab him for a hug before having him stand next to me.

“Alright Quinny, how are you feeling being back?’
“honestly y/n im wondering what you have planned because if I know you, there’s something else that going to surprise me.”

“Ladies & gents, he’s known me since I was 3 so I’d say he’s got a pretty good read on me. Now number 43” “Hey!” Luke pipes up and I wave my hand in his direction to shush him, “I’m going to have you stand over there until everyones here & we can split you up.

“You’re wondering who’s next, I’m wondering why he’s here at all” Laughter & cheers from the crowd and the boys on the ice bang their sticks “we have Mr ‘ive never met anyone with greater middle child syndrome, he didn’t even go to college but refused to be left out’ from New Jersey Jack Hughes!” Jack skates out & leans towards the mic

“I would like it on the record that you asked me….” I hip check him away “That’s false. Anyway” He skates over to Luke & grabs him in one of those weird bro hugs then heads over to Quinn.

“Alright, last one then we can get going with some hockey!” The crowd roars

“Since they seem to come as a pair these days, your other favourite boy from Columbus, Nick Blakenberg!”

The crowds going wild, the boys are having a good time seeing each other & I think were about ready to get going.

“So here’s everyone. Now rapid fire, its time to split them up. We’ve got our Canadian boys. Jack, get your butt over there” He starts to protest but I hold up my hand “you know why, remember?” Raising an eyebrow at him, I see the recognition dawn. his face falls into a pout as he heads over to stand next to Owen.

“Q, I may have said youre basically Canadian but since I do love your brother, you can head over there” The smile on Lukes face as Quinn skates over & stands next to him is just adorable. God hes so cute. A mixture of Aws & Ews makes me realize that I may have said that out loud. My cheeks feel like theyre on fire as he skates over, wraps his arms around my waist & rests his chin on my head after pressing a kiss to my cheek. “Youre cute too” he whispers

“Anyway, next up, since we appear to be missing a goalie, its only fair that we get Ports! So get on over here!” Boos ring out “hey, he’s not American. That’s the literal criteria. Now here’s where it get tricky. The rest of these fine gentlemen are proud Americans, but the teams are pretty uneven. To keep things fair, we have a couple of guys who played in the BC leagues, so they’re hopping over the border for this one. So please temporarily welcome to team Canada, Holtzy, Phil, Grano Kienan & TShea!!!. Were about even now.“

The players are starting t organize themselves “Now we’ll take a five minute break so the guys can switch jerseys. Then its go time!!!” Noise inside the arena grows as I wrap my arms around Luke & he drags me off the ice.

“I love you so much, but youre absolutely insane.”

“Aw thanks babe, love you too. Now get your ass in the change room & get back out there”

I grab my Canada Hoodie that I hid next to the door earlier this morning and pull it on before hopping back on the ice. “How are we feeling? Excited?!” I pump up the crowd as I skate around. “So this is how tonights gonna go. We wont be playing a full game, since were ’not allowed to tire out the NHL guys on their break’ boo We also dont want any injuries since this is just for fun. So we won’t be too rough tonight, but instead of that final period, we’ve got a fun little game to play with the players. But first, while the rest of the boys are away I have one more visitor” I spin & open my arms up, gesturing towards the tunnel, “everyone’s favourite fashionable frenchman, Thommy B!” Bordy comes skating out and yells, “dont ever call me that again” “What, French?” Laughing,I shout back as he waves to the crowd. “So Bordy, welcome. You know a little bit about what’s going on tonight. I know youre used to wearing the red white & blue, but now its time to represent the superior country.” He laughs and sticks out his tongue. “Here come the rest of our players!!” The music gets going again as the boys come out. They cheer as they see Bordy before splitting up into their teams.

“ALL RIGHT ARE WE READY?” The noise is deafening as the boys head to their benches, but jack skates towards me. “Just so you know, Z, Turcs & a bunch of the other guys are here so it might get a bit rowdy”

“Cleary you’ve never been to a game here haha. There’s no one rowdier than the children, but I’ll keep that in mind. Where even are they?”

“They’re in the away dressing room, Quinn helped me get them in there but they’re going to come into the tunnel to watch”

“Fucking Zebras, messing up my plans. I hope they know that they’re not getting away with being here & not participating. Ive got to do some shuffling” “Y/n they dont have any gear” “Well they should have though of that before gatecrashing” I pat him on the shoulder, “dont worry jacky, I’ll sort it out, now get over there”.

“NOW, Can I please get my two representatives to centre for the puck drop, then I promise we’ll be on our way”

Luke & Adam skate up to me and get into position. We get the picture & then,

“Hey y/n, I think were missing something” Adam pipes up

“I think youre absolutely right Adam. Everyone please rise”, the crowd stands up, “it would be a shame to start without this, Lukes favourite song” He groans as the smile on my face grows infinitely bigger “Take it away” I point to the sound guys & Heave Away starts to blare from the system.

I skate around pumping up the crowd as everyone gets into it. I see a few faces from the US WJC team look like they’re trying not to enjoy themselves, but I know they like the song. Between Adam & I, We’ve played it enough. A ripple of laughter comes from the crowd as I hear skating behind me. Luke grabs me and pulls me over to the box I normally sit in, stealing my mic in the process.

“Think that’ll stop me babe? I can yell pretty loud too”

“Oh I know” he winks, “and so does the rest of the house” My mouth drops as I know what he’s insinuating. 
“Now Ive got a game to win” he says as the final notes of the song play. He turns around but I grab his jersey before he can get away, “think youre forgetting something” He kisses me quickly before getting back to centre ice.

The crowd at Yost is absolutely electric through out the game, and the boys are having a blast. Throughout the first period, I’m texting my friends & the others who work in the arena to see what they think about my plan for our gatecrashers.

(I can’t describe a game to save my life, despite having watched hockey since I was a kid, so just use your imagination for whats actually going on on the ice:) )

First intermission comes up, and the Canada side is leading, obviously. The boys head to the dressing rooms, and the music starts going. I head back to the dressing rooms to deal with the new guys. I crack the door to the away room & Yell

“You better be decent, im coming in” before pushing the door. A few guys my ass, I think as I take in half of the team jack played with in the program & a bunch of young NHL guys.

“Sup Mase” I stick out my fist. “Long time. Matty, Briss, Beech, nice to see you.”

“Trevor” I narrow my eyes at him

“Okay, I wasn’t expecting any of you but I have something for you. Since you idiots, Zegras & Cole im looking at you, didnt assume that I’d make you participate, none of you have gear. Luckily for you, we’ll be able to scrounge some stuff up. Follow ME!” I walk out and they file out behind me. Over to the Michigan dressing room, which is a little bit full right now.

“Hey boys, im coming in” I dont bother checking before opening the door, they’re pretty used to it by now.

“Jesus Christ its like a minefield in here” I have tp jump over a couple of things and dodge equipment as I make my way over to Luke before plopping on his lap. “Apparently we have some additional guests” I sweep my hands towards to door as heads poke in. “& We need some equipment. Ive talked to Joe (equipment manager) & he’s seeing what he can find. But I wanted to ask if anyone minds letting them borrow a stick?” Luke rests his head on my shoulder as we watch the chaos, as guys jump up to say hey, chat & just have a good time. “Is it bad that I’m excited to see what you make them do?” He says. “Nope” I grin, “ they have no idea what’s coming”.

The horn blares and the gatecrashers leave so the rest of the guys can head back to the ice.

“Just to remind you guys” I say once the cheering had died down “ were only going to be playing 2 periods of hockey, but We have something pretty fun to replace that third period. Now Lets get back to it!!”

Th game restarts and its awesome to watch. Its face paced but still clearly a fun game. Watching Luke & Quinn play on the same line has me smiling like an idiot since I know how much Luke had wanted to play with him in a game setting. Its pretty special & I’m glad I could make it happen.

The final horn sounds, and ‘Canada’ wins, but all the guys are joking around & having fun so I know there not taking it too seriously. Which is good.

“Alright alright, how was that?” Roars from the crowd tell me that they liked it. “First I want to say thank you to all of our players for being such good sports about this, and a huge thanks to everyone who came back. Thanks for going along with my crazy idea, I think we’ve made tonight pretty memorable for everyone!” Yells of agreement come from all around me.

“I promised you a replacement for the third period, so lets get into it

The reason that so many of our hockey alumni can be here tonight is because of the NHL All Star break! Since none of them were invited to the All Star weekend, except Jack, who is still here for some inexplicable reason, I decided that we’ll give them a chance to show off their skills here, just like the skills competition but with no prep. Who needs Florida when you can be here? !” Cheers come from the crowd as they agree with me.

“Originally We had a couple of our Michigan guys & our Alumni who were going to be doing this, not that they knew that, but in true middle child fashion,” more laughs, “Jack had to make it about him & bring a few friends. So please welcome some of the most annoying guys ive ever met, Trevor Zegras, Cole Caulfield and Alex Turcotte”, cheers & boos ring out. “ I know, Wisconsin & BU suck, but since they decided to crash my event, they have to participate. We’ve also got special appearances from DUNDUDUUH Mason McTavish, reuniting him with is bestie Kent, go team Canada! And MAKE SOME NOISE FOR YOUR FORMER WOLVERINES, Matty Beniers, Brendan Brission, Jonny Beecher, Cam York & Josh Norris!!” The boys make their way onto the ice, sliding around & The noise turn deafening.

“Well I guess we know who the favourites are huh? Now you may be noticing, none of these gentlemen have any gear Again, they decided to crash but didn’t plan ahead, so they’re at a disadvantage. We’ve managed to find some sticks of them but that’s about it. Back to what’s happening next. The teams, Canada & US, will each pick five players to show off their skills. A few exceptions, KJ, Jacky, Blanks & Mackie have to do it, as do all of our interlopers. Portillo will be in net. Sort it out boys, you’ve got until I finish with our judges. Judging today, We’ve got Joe the equipment manager, the real star of this team, representing the student section, Annie & Tim, both 4th year students who work as Student trainers, and A woman who has who know exactly what she’s talking about when it comes to hockey, and is used to wrangling boys, its Mama Hughes!!” Our judges come out to one of the benches waving.

“Gentlemen, ARE YOU READY?” Nods all around. “If youre participating, line up single file at centre, everyone else, get out of the way!”

The crowd gets going again as the players split up. “I’m sure youre all a bit sick of me, so I’m going to pass the mic to my colleague Bob, who you may recognize. He’s going to be commenting on this portion of the evening, but I’lll be back soon!” I skate over & give Ellen a hug before handing out whiteboards & markers as the competition gets underway. I’m pretty impressed by what some of these guys have managed to come up with given the time crunch. I’m doodling on my own whiteboard, creating my masterpiece. Im also keeping track of the scores. Luckily Jack & Trevor are going last so I have some time. I lean my head on Ellen’s shoulder as she laughs at Mackies performance. “Thanks for doing this, I know it was a bit random” I say, & she wraps an arm around me

“I’m having a blast & I know all the boys are too. Youre coming to dinner tomorrow right?” “Wouldn’t miss it.”

“I’ve never been more glad that we moved next door to you in Toronto. You make him so happy” I look up & lock eyes with Luke as she says this, a dopey grin on his face. holy shit I’m gonna cry. “You can’t make me cry right now Ellen, I haven’t embarrassed jack & Z yet. I can’t be crying when I do that.” We both laugh as Bill says, “& here come our final contestants, a dynamic duo Hughes number 2 & Zegras” they do pull off something pretty sweet, but I hold up my board when the rest of the judges do.

(Drawing of the Ducks Mascot saying “you suck Z”)

He laughs at it so I know he doesn’t think I’m too serious, and I stand up. That’s my cue.

“Alright how was that?!” The crowd goes nuts.

“Thanks to our four judges for your time. And now, the winner of the 2023 skills comp is “drumroll please”, number 11, Mackie!!!”

Bob skates out with the prize, which I think is pretty dope. We found a vintage Michigan Hockey sweat set & letterman jacket which looks cool as fuck, so im glad they were willing to let us give it away. I pass it to him & he takes a victory lap, taunting the other boys.

“Since this is a game, We’ve got something for our winners. The NHL gives a million dollars, but that boring (and im poor) so instead, we have something else for our boys!” The crowd cheers & bill skates towards me with a box. The teams line up opposite each others, & we skate in between them. I pass out the trophies, adorned with little maple leafs & filled with chocolate. “You were confident eh?” Kent says when I pass him his. “Duh” everyone laughs. we finish passing them then I address the crowd again.

“If you’ll direct your attention towards the screens,” everyone turns “ I have a special message from a couple of our participants.” A video of Cam, Jack, Trevor & Beecher pops up from when they were like 17. They’re wearing their USA jerseys and everyone laughs. Not them though. They know what’s coming. I press play & the singing starts “we Aren’t the champions, we aren’t the champions” Ive been sitting on this one for years. Its from the summer that year when I visited & we had some kind of competition. Their team lost, so Quinn & I made them change the lyrics to reflect that they lost. (I have no idea, Just need something that would be embarrassing).

‘Thank you gentlemen for that, I needed an occasion to play that & this seems like everyone enjoyed it” The crowd laughs along.

“Now, we need to crown an MVP. The way I’m going to to this is: each team pick 3 players, & then you, the crowd, will determine our MVP based on how loud you cheer. Teams you have 1 minute to offer your sacrifices.”

I skate over to the bench. “Now some of you may know that the NHL MVP gets a car, so we decided to stay on theme, but you know we do things better here at Michigan! Thanks to a donation from a generous alumni **Cough cough quinny** the 2023 MVP of our game will get, drumroll please” Everyone in the arena starts making noise and the boys start banging sticks and hollering, The Zamboni door opens & out drives Bill, in a little navy blue jeep (Like the ones for kids to drive) as laugher breaks out from everyone.

“So boys, can I get your top three please! Join me at centre ice.” Owen, Luke, Luca, Rutger, Ethan & Nick come towards me & line up in that order.

Alright, its up to you.” I skate over to Nick & hold my hand above his head Listening as the noise grows. “Decent. Next up” Im make my way down the line, each boy getting the crowd going. They’re all a bit taller, but I can still reach above them, until I get to Luke. I jump on his back & the crowd goes wild. “Last up, Owen! I think ill need some help here, Luke care to contribute?” He scoops me up & lifts me “im a bird!” People laugh & I hold my hand above Owen. Noise grows again. “So to avoid being called out for bias” “YOU ARE” a couple of the players yell “and giving it to my boy OP” Luke pretends to stumble & drops me back onto the ice as laughter rings out. I lean over & whisper, “ill get you for that” I right myself and continue “I’ve asked our skills judges to determine who the crowd got loudest for. On the count of three, please hold up your boards. 1, 2,3!!”They flip them around and I see one for Owen, one for Rutger, one for Luke & then Ellen flips hers, displaying Rutgers name. “Mom seriously!” I snicker as Luke yells in indignation & Ellen shrugs “Alright folks, there you have it. Your MVP!Rutger, Bill has the keys. Now you can stop stealing Luca’s Moped and drive this bad boy around campus.” He goes to sit in it & everyone laughs. “Okay, Thats all from me tonight. I just want to say a massive thank you again to all our alumni for participating and giving up part of your break to be here. To my boss & the rest of the team staff, thanks for trusting me on this & basically giving me free reign.” “Bad idea” one of the boys chirps “Thanks for going along with what was a bit of a harebrained idea that I think turned out pretty fun for all” the crowd agrees with me, “And thanks to all our guys for being such good sports about the change in programming. I’m not going to keep you here any longer, so Thank you & Goodnight!!” The crowd screams & cheers as I wrap my arms around Luke. “Oh before I forget, allow us to play you out with this teams favourite party playlist. Once more, for CANADA, Billy you know what I want” A thumbs up from the sound guy “COME GET YOUR DUDS IN ORDER!!”

I pass the mic to someone as they skate past, and Luke & I skate in a circle. “Youre incredible, you know that?’ He drops his forehead to mine. “Glad you finally see it” I chuckle. “Did you have fun” “are you kidding babe? I dont think ive ever had as much fun playing a game, & playing with Quinn was awesome. I can’t believe you pulled this off” Suddenly my song cuts out & he breathes a sigh or relief “oh thank god”

I lift my head to see who’s messing with it, when Luke spins me around & I see Quinn with the mic, Bordy & Duke skating towards me. Now that I look, none of the boys have left the ice.

“Sorry everyone, We’ll be quick. There’s one person who is entirely responsible for tonight, and we think that she needs some applause! Give it up for y/n l/n” I think im going to go deaf with how loud the barn gets, or maybe its just from Luke yelling in my ear. My face is bright red & I try to turn into Lukes chest, but he keeps me in position. Bordy grabs the mic “You’ve been an important part of this team for the past three years, even before Luke, and We wanted to do something to show our thanks. since some of us had a bit more notice” “We found out 30 minutes before you guys” duke pipes up gesturing to the crowd “Anyway, we have a little something for you to show our thanks” Duke pulls out a bouquet of flowers from behind his back and passes them to me. “I knew you were in love with me Duker. Does this mean you accept my valentine?” The boys that can hear me laugh, and Bordy keeps going “ you can thank Quinn for organizing this one, but Drumroll please” Banging from around the arena grows “Your very own Michigan jersey” He holds it up & flips it around to show my name on the back. My mouth drops, “Thats dope! Holy shit!’ I pass Luke the flowers & take it, pulling it on over my hoodie. “Guys this is awesome, thank you!” “One last thing,” Quinn says, as he produces a jacket from behind his back, the same kind that we used as the skills prize. Apparently there were two of them laying around. “Oh hell yeah! Mackie & I are going to look so much cooler than all of you!” They all laugh as I try to hug the three of them at once, before pulling back. “Alright, thats really all that we have for you tonight,’ Quinn says, addressing the crowd, “so well let you get out of here. Billy, lets get the music back on!” The next song plays as im grabbed by Luke & suddenly surrounded by the whole team. I’m crushed into a hug with most of them, laughing. I get out & manage to give everyone a quick hug before I make my way back to Luke, who’s now chatting to his mum & brothers. “What’s the plan now y/n?” Jack asks. “Man I dont know, do I have to plan everything?” He laughs. “The boys were talking about a party at the senior house, but im not sure if well fit everyone.” “We can try babe” Luke says “I’m going to go get changed & see what they’re thinking” he kisses me before heading towards the dressing room About thirty minutes lates, we’re finally leaving the arena. Luke & I are grabbing dinner but then its to the house to party. Some of the boys are doing the booze run, but everyones heading over there pretty soon. We grab a quick bite at one of the places we love and make our way down the road. We get to the house but the doors locked. I text one of the boys and they come, but the music cuts out once the door opens. “Ladies & gentlemen,” Nolan, who opened the door yells “The woman of the hour, Y/N!!!” The boys cheer as we step into the house & I laugh. Half of them are blasted already, but we catch up pretty quick. By the time the end of the night rolls around, I’ve seen thing I never wanted to (Shudder), but I’ve had fun, and I know this is the kind of night that ill remember forever.

ESPN Broadcast:

The biggest news coming out of the hockey world this week is surprisingly not the All star weekend. Absolutely everyone has been talking about the University of Michigan. On Friday night, fans were treated to a different kind of show. When introducing the night, host y/n l/n, a close family friend of the Hughes family, declared that it was a “Canada vs USA’ game, filled with the current roster & various alumni. I think a lot of people were sceptical, but once the night go going the crowd were really into it. We saw some of the leagues young stars I dont know about you but I absolutely loved the idea and the fans did too. A 2 period game took place, and If you want to see more, check the broadcast from that night, it was great, fun hockey, not too serious but very entertaining. Fans were shocked as more young stars made their way onto the ice, as they replaced the final period with a mini skills competition.

The event was live-streamed on social media & got fans around the country interested. Comments on social media included:

The NHL could really take some tips from the Michigan game this weekend. Ten times more entertaining than All Star.

Y/N has to be one of the most chaotic commentators that Ive ever seen, but She makes it work. Absolutely hilarious.

Luke Hughes Girlfriend, Y/n, doing nothing but roast jack was hilarious. I need to know what he did to get “punished” by wearing a Canada jersey though

I need to see y/n commentating the All Star game in the future, she ws great!

Fuck the All Star weekend, I need a repeat of that Michigan game next year!

I go to OSU but I would’ve loved to be in Yost last night.

Y/n putting on a whole ass game just so her boyfriend can play on the same line as his favourite brother. I see you girl.

NHLers even got involved, with stars like Dylan Larkin tweeting “can’t believe I didn’t get an invite @/YnLn” and other notable alumni echoed the sentiment. Former Captain & Goalie Strauss Mann got in on it, commenting “ damn thats what I get for taking care of you your first year huh? I’ll remember this”.

“HOLY SHIT. LUKE!! They’re talking about me on ESPN! What the fuck? “

Bonus:

Frozen four finals

Broadcaster:

We’ve just been informed of one last change to tonights final game, the University of Michigan have decided to switch their goal song for tonight to pay tribute to someone. You know as much as we do, so hopefully we’ll get a chance to hear it tonight as our game gets underway.

Xx

[wintfleur]

small little rant here ‼️

I’ve seen so much hate on Rutger because of his ‘actions’ yesterday 🙄 and it’s absolutely ridiculous, like months ago he suffered a terrible injury, he himself said it was the most painful thing he’s ever felt?! He didn’t know if he would be able to play in the tournament this year, his last chance at playing btw!

People are angry at him cheering in the penalty box, and apparently ‘taunting’ the crowd. The crowd that has been booing at him and teammates the whole time (which is Normal in hockey, and so is the players ‘taunting’ the crowd) but since it’s team USA doing it, it’s suddenly not appropriate or classy for the game. WHEN TF DID HOCKEY BECOME CLASSY?? Exactly.

I bet he was cheering in the penalty box because I don’t know…IT WAS BASICALLY CONFIRMED THEY WERE GONNA WIN BECAUSE THE SCORE AND THE TIME LEFT. And I don’t know about you, but I’d definitely be rubbing it in the crowds face that I’ve won against there team, after they have been booing the whole time. Like the score was 6-2, USA kicked Sweden’s ass (I love Sweden, don’t hate me but it’s true 🫶🏻, team USA was a stacked team this year)

“Oh the refs were terrible” “refs fault” well I’m sorry how does that have anything to do with team USA the refs were bad for all the matches, not just USA.

I think people are forgetting that these are young guys, rutger dancing before getting his Medal is not disrespectful, he’s happy that he’s won! It was his last chance for him and many of his other teammates to win. Team USA haven’t won since 2021 of course there gonna be happy.

All this rutger and team USA hate is absolutely ridiculous, acting like you’ve never watched a hockey game before, there is always tension between teams and some trash talk and yet your getting angry because Rutgers dancing 🤣

Sorry I had to say something before I exploded 💞

[14faber]

🪣💥 | 8.14.22

[itsnotgray]

honestly, best caption i’ve seen for his celly

[boqvistsbabe]

[frostbeees]

Rutger McGroarty leading Team USA's celebration after winning the World Juniors

[iamjackedwards]

coach in the back is so me

[lukehughes43]

screaming crying throwing up.

little luke hughes is captain. the captain. for team usa.

i’m so proud🥹

[annieqattheperipheral]

wow...

Being a GM is half the time just parenting teens. And then you trade them w your relatives across the country when they tell you what you made for dinner sucks, go to their bedroom and never come out

*briere stroking drysdale's hair: our new son loves philly cheesesteaks

[three-headed-monster]

"i think it's time, to let it die"