#colorado avalanche one shot

[eightmakar]

empty cups | n.m. | 18+

Pairing: Nathan MacKinnon x Original Character

Word Count: 6.2k

Warnings: drinking, mentions of underage drinking, swearing, smut (fem. oral receiving, protected sex)

A/N: inspired by empty cups by charlie puth. basically all smut so you were warned

tagging: @harlowhockeystick @bitchinbarzal @matbaerzal @taking-shots @fallinallincurls @jostyriggslover96 @burkymakar @flashyfucker @capsvsducks @xsyntheticsensation @double-j @hockeylvr59

Despite being explicitly invited, Chase Bauer felt incredibly out of place at the house party. Should she really call it a house party? It felt like a house party, with all the people milling around, the loud music, the kegs of beer strewn about, but not a house party she’d ever been to. The beer wasn’t the cheapest shit college guys could manage to purchase, the people she partied with were nearly all millionaires, and they held their liquor much better than college guys. 

Gabriel Landeskog walked up to her in her little corner, a big grin on his face and a bottle of fancy beer in his hand. “Bauer, why’re you all alone over here?” he asked, patting her on the shoulder.

“I was waiting for EJ to pick some better music,” Chase replied. “Some songs from this century would be great.”

“It’s not for lack of trying on our part,” Gabe laughed. He pointed to her empty hands and continued, “You need a drink.”

“I don’t like beer.” Chase scrunched her nose. 

“We’ve got a lot more than just beer. C’mon.” Gabe turned around and began to walk into Erik Johnson’s kitchen, so Chase followed him, making herself smaller to maneuver through the large bodies in her way. 

The kitchen was brightly lit in comparison to the rest of the house with shining bottles of every kind of alcohol Chase could imagine. There were brands she’d never heard of peppered in with bottles of Grey Goose and other top-shelf liquor she vaguely recognized.

“What do you usually drink?” Gabe asked her.

“I like sweet drinks mostly,” Chase said. She reached for a familiar bottle of lemon vodka.

“I think EJ’s got something if you want a mixer to make it sweeter.” Gabe began rummaging through EJ’s cabinets as Chase looked around the party. 

Erik Johnson’s home was always the party house. He owned a huge, isolated home with the most gorgeous views imaginable, and more guest rooms than anyone could count, which worked well for the wild parties he threw throughout the year. He always invited the whole staff, all the coaches and equipment managers and Chase and her coworkers, the athletic trainers, but this was the first Chase had chosen to attend, to celebrate the Avalanche winning Western Conference Final and going to the Stanley Cup Final.

Chase cracked a small smile as she looked over at Josh Manson sitting on a couch against a wall, waving a glass of something dark around and loudly telling a story to an apathetic Sam Girard. Mikko Rantanen sat across from them, his girlfriend on top of him, straddling his legs as they passionately made out like no one else was in the vicinity. 

Small groups of wives and girlfriends littered the walls, holding delicate glasses of wine and champagne, though Chase knew they could put back as much alcohol as their significant others. Other groups of players were interspersed around, some chatting lowly, some loudly, and others barely at all. Alex Newhook and Logan O’Connor had started an enthusiastic game of beer pong in the middle of the wide living room.

“How the fuck does EJ only have Crystal Light packets in this huge fucking house?” Gabe said, returning to Chase’s side and making her turn around. 

“That strangely makes sense,” Chase laughed. Gabe handed her the small box of lemonade packets and she immediately took two out. She filled a Solo cup to the brim with lemon vodka and mixed the two packets in. Taking a sip, she gave Gabe a thumbs up. 

“If I see you back in your corner, I’ll drag you to the dance floor instead,” Gabe warned.

Chase took another long, burning sip of her drink. “Got it, Cap.”

Gabe rolled his eyes and wandered away, over to one of the pods of players, leaving Chase alone with her cup to gaze around the party again. EJ was dancing with his fiancée on the “dance floor,” which was just an area of the room that was wide open. The enormous Darcy Kuemper, his wife, Kurtis MacDermid, and his girlfriend all danced with them. Chase thought they all danced like dads.

“Looking for someone?” 

“Jesus!” Chase jerked around and found herself face to face with a serious looking Nathan MacKinnon. Beer in hand, he gazed at her, blue eyes a little icy.

“Shit, sorry,” he said quickly. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s all good, I was kinda zoned out,” Chase admitted. She drank her lemony drink again, trying her hardest to finish it soon. 

A drunken Mikko bumped into Chase before Nate could say anything, dragging his girlfriend behind him and giggling as they went upstairs, but earning a sharp glare from Nate. Nate protectively put an arm on Chase’s shoulder and pulled her out of the middle of the room, out of the way of his drunk friends and teammates. Her feet were beginning to ache in her heels, so she took the chance to sit down on a barstool. To her surprise, Nate joined her, pulling a barstool over for himself as well.

Chase was convinced Nathan MacKinnon hated her. She didn’t know what it was; maybe the serious passion he played with, maybe the intense specificity he demanded with his equipment and his body, maybe the high standards he held himself and everyone else to. If and when she had to treat him, like she did recently when he got in a fight with Dumba for Minnesota, his body tensed up and he pulled away from her touch, which made her job as an athletic trainer much more difficult. She thought it might’ve been the fact that she was a woman, but he fiercely protected her at games, practices, and really any time someone tried to make a comment about her gender. When she’d first been hired, he and the rest of the team had been asked numerous times how they felt about it, and his response made her feel the most welcome and the most at home: “She’s part of the team and we treat her that way. We really only care about getting our job done and making a run for the Cup and she’s going to help us.”

“I’m not gonna lie, Bauer, I was surprised to see you came,” Nate said, fiddling with the bottle in his hand. He looked up at her and anxiously scratched his beard. 

“You were?” Chase asked incredulously, puffing herself up a little bit.

Nate winced at her tone. “Good surprised,” he clarified, and she relaxed. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you at one of EJ’s parties.”

“I usually don’t come, but this one seemed special,” Chase shrugged.

“You didn’t come to the President’s Trophy party last year. God, that one was a mess,” he chuckled low in his throat and half-smiled at her.

“So I take it I missed a lot of fun?”

“Oh yeah,” Nate laughed again, the ice in his eyes beginning to melt a bit. Chase was pretty sure in the two years she’d worked for the Avs, she’d never spoken more than a couple words to him, but here they were having a conversation like old friends. 

“Who was the drunkest?” She asked, swigging her vodka and trying not to react to the burning in her mouth and throat.

“Honestly, a lot of guys were pretty close. Josty was so fucked up he fell outside on the porch, broke his nose, and ended up just sleeping there.”

“Jesus,” Chase breathed with a small laugh. “I’ve never been that drunk in my life and don’t wanna be.”

“I have,” Nate said, pressing his lips together to hide a smile. “In juniors and at World’s.”

“Wow, in juniors? Nathan MacKinnon, under age drinker?” Chase smirked. 

Nate rolled his eyes. “You’re gonna sit here and tell me you weren’t an under age drinker too?”

“Genuinely, I wasn’t. I had my first drink on my twenty-first birthday. I know, how painfully boring of me.” Chase had heard it all, every comment under the sun about her dislike of drinking. 

“That’s not boring,” Nate said immediately. “If you don’t like it, it’s not boring.” 

“I don’t like the taste, unfortunately. Plus my tolerance is sky high, so I’ve only really been drunk twice in my life.”

“Really? What are you drinking now?” 

Chase took a sip of her drink, almost to show Nate she wasn’t boring. “Don’t laugh, but it’s lemon vodka with lemonade packets. It’s surprisingly good.”

Nate cracked a smile. “That sounds ridiculous.”

“It is,” Chase conceded, “but I do wanna get drunk, so this is how I have to do it. Straight vodka.”

“Hold on.” Nate got up and retreated to the kitchen. While he looked through the bottles of liquor, Chase people-watched.

Cale Makar was drunkenly singing to the ABBA song playing over EJ’s sound system with his girlfriend, André Burakovsky had apparently decided to only speak in Swedish for the rest of the evening, and JT Compher stood with his chest against his girlfriend’s back while having a conversation with Darren Helm, tugging his girlfriend far too close to him. 

“Goddamn,” Nate said as he returned clutching a partial bottle of vodka with a bar-style top that allowed for better pouring. “Cale is wasted.”

“Good for him, he deserves it.”

“He does.” Nate offered Chase the bottle. “I snagged this. EJ’s got a whole distillery over there, so he won’t miss it.”

“Oh shit, thank you,” Chase said. “What about you?”

“This isn’t just for you,” Nate grinned, then threw his head back and poured vodka straight into his mouth. 

Chase tried not to drool as she watched him. She was starting to feel a bit fuzzy, and she could feel her reservations about Nate slipping away by the sip. There was no denying he was incredibly attractive, a fact she was painfully aware of every moment she spent close to him. 

“Now my turn,” Chase said. She surprised herself, but she tilted her head back and opened her mouth.

Nate’s grin widened as he began to pour vodka in her mouth. She always thought vodka tasted like hand sanitizer, and the burning taste engulfed her mouth and throat. She tugged away, mouth full, and Nate accidentally got a bit of vodka on her chin. She swallowed and wiped her mouth with her sleeve, watching Nate’s eyes glaze over as she did. Fuck, was he into that like she was?

Chase shoved the thoughts out of her mind and chugged the rest of her lemonade combo. The liquid burned all the way down to her stomach, but the heat continued down her body and between her thighs as she watched Nathan tip his head back and pour more vodka into his mouth.

The song over the speaker changed. Cale clearly didn’t know it, but he looked over at Nate and Chase and waved enthusiastically. He came over to join them, creating a triangle with a third stool.

“You don’t know this one too?” Chase chirped. 

“I’m too drunk,” Cale shrugged, holding his hand out to Nate and motioning for him to hand over the vodka bottle. Nate did, and Cale barely leaned his head back, just moving the bottle, not unlike the way he drank water on the bench during games. He paused, swallowed with a scrunched nose, then poured more vodka in his mouth. Swallowing again, he shook his head and handed the bottle back to Nate. 

Chase took it and drank from it again. She could feel the alcohol she’d already drank slowly lowering her inhibitions, slowly loosening her mind, and she knew she had to continue to drink if she wanted it to stay that way.

“I’m impressed you’re here, Bauer,” Cale said as Chase drank. 

Chase wiped her mouth again and handed the bottle back to Nate. “Thanks, me too. I’ve always been afraid to come to one of these things.”

Cale’s rosy face frowned in concern, his eyes trying to focus on her. “Afraid?” he asked sadly. Nate looked at Chase too, but the concern looked different on Nate’s face. Almost more protective? She couldn’t tell, and with how fuzzy her whole body was starting to feel, she was even more confused. 

“Well yeah,” Chase started, feeling her mouth run without a filter of any kind, just words spewing and spewing. “There’s a lot of men here and some of you I don’t trust to not do weird things to me while I’m drunk and I don’t trust myself to not do weird things and fuck, I’m drunk.”

“Weird things?” Nate asked. 

“Weird things like Mikko and Susanna do. Like right now, Nathan, I want to kiss you so so bad, but I know I can’t, because you hate me but I’d still kiss you.”

Fuck. What the fuck just came out of her mouth? She couldn’t stop it.

“But that would also be weird because I don’t just want to kiss you I wanna do so much more than kiss you but I’ve never had sex before so I’d be bad at it.” Chase sighed and gazed at Nate, who looked incredulous. His blue eyes were wide as he drank from the vodka bottle, finishing off what little was left in it. 

“I’m definitely too drunk for this,” Cale said, shaking his head. He got up and returned to his girlfriend. 

“Shit, Nate, I didn’t mean—fuck,” Chase said. Her body was floating and swimming and felt like static on an old television. 

“I don’t hate you,” Nate said softly. “Why do you think that?”

“Well, you never talk to me, you flinch away from me if I have to treat you during a game, you don’t want me to tape you up before practice, you don’t want me to put the dumb pressure leg things on you, you always glare at me when I smile at you, you don’t smile back at me.” Chase paused to take a deep breath. “So you hate me.”

“Bauer, I—,” Nate cut himself off with a chuckle. “Oh god, I did not imagine tonight being like this.”

“What do you mean? You didn’t imagine having to hang out with me because you hate me and I suck and I’m annoying?” Chase pouted.

“No, listen, I—,” Nate shook his head, “I don’t hate you, Chase, it’s the exact opposite, in fact.”

“You called me ‘Chase,’” she said, blinking in surprise. 

“I mean, that’s your name.”

“Wait.” Chase held a hand up, having processed what Nate said. “It’s the opposite? The opposite of hate is love and you definitely don’t love me.”

Nate shook his head again. “Never mind, Bauer. I’m going to get a drink.” Nate got up and stalked off to the kitchen, leaving Chase alone. 

The opposite of hating her? Nathan MacKinnon couldn’t possibly like her like that. He was much too, well, him. He liked teeny, blonde supermodel types, not loud former hockey players whose job it was to keep him healthy. No, not Nathan MacKinnon, who kept his specific regimens of health, kept his body in top tier condition, who demanded excellence from everyone, including her and her team.

Gabe appeared in front of her, clutching a new bottle of beer and a tall glass of clear liquid. “Can I join you?” He asked. Chase nodded, so he sat down where Nate had just been and handed her the glass. “Nate asked me to bring you water.”

“Because I’m drunk and told him I wanted to have sex with him but that he hates me?” Chase clarified.

“He didn’t give me specifics, but I’m sure that has something to do with it,” Gabe laughed. 

“Now he definitely hates me,” Chase mumbled. She sipped some water, but she didn’t feel any less fuzzy. In fact, she could feel the rest of the vodka starting to hit her and the idea of going over to Nate, who now stood chatting with Nazem Kadri, and kissing him was becoming more and more appealing.

“He acts like that to all of us. That’s just Nate. Whatever he told you is the truth,” Gabe explained.

Chase hummed. “Well, he didn’t say he wanted to kiss me and have sex with me too,” she said, her words beginning to slur together the tiniest bit, her brain working hard to put letters together. “He was stuck on the hating me part.”

“I can guarantee he doesn’t hate you.” 

“You can’t read his mind!”

“Neither can you. Look, Bauer, I’m guessing he said he had feelings for you, right? I can guarantee you he does. The amount of things I’ve heard him say about you matches what you’re saying.”

Chase looked at Gabe with wide eyes. “Nate wants to have sex with me too? Even though I’ll be bad at it because I’ve never had sex? He wants to—.”

“Bauer, go talk to him.” Gabe used his captain voice on her.

“I’m even drunker than I was before,” she commented. “Even with the water. And we can’t have sex when I’m this drunk. I’ll be even worse at it. What if I puke on his dick when I try to blow him? God, maybe then he’d hate me.”

“Okay, Bauer? Go talk to him.” Gabe got up and walked away before Chase could say anything else. 

Chase took a deep breath and stood up. Her legs felt like jelly and she could’ve sworn she was leaning to one side. She giggled at herself, at the fuzziness coursing through her veins, at the thoughts coming to the forefront of her mind. She made her way over to Nate, shoved herself in between him and Naz, grabbed his arms and looked up at him.

“Hi,” she said, realizing how close her face was to his face. 

Naz excused himself, and Nate looked down at her over his crooked nose. God, Chase wanted that nose in between her legs. 

“Hi,” she said again. 

“Hi,” he replied shortly. His tongue darted out to wet his lips. 

“I’m still drunk and I’m sorry I thought you hated me and that I said I wanted to have sex with you because I know we can’t have sex I’m drunk and you’re famous and we work together and you’re good at sex and I’m very bad at sex.” Chase squinted to try and focus on Nate’s face but it was very difficult. When did he have two faces? 

“I actually do want to have sex with you,” Nate said straightforwardly. “I think you’re smart and cool and hot and yeah, I like you. But I don’t think this is exactly the right time to do this.”

“That’s why you didn’t want me to treat you? Cause you liked me?” Chase put together.

“Yeah,” Nate laughed. “I tried to keep you away so I could focus, but having you around the past two seasons has not been a distraction at all, it’s helped me focus.”

“Oh,” Chase said, standing there. “Oh.”

“So we’ll have this conversation again when you’re sober,” Nate said. “I think I’m gonna leave anyway, actually.”

“Wait,” Chase frowned. “Don’t leave yet. We haven’t even gotten to dance. I don’t want you to leave. I’m drinking water now and it won’t take me too long to sober up. Please don’t leave.”

Nate sighed. “Okay, let’s go dance.”

Chase grinned, took his hand, and led him over to where Cale and his girlfriend had resumed their dancing and loud singing of random songs that came up. A rap song came on, definitely one Nate had introduced EJ to, because it was on their warm up playlist. 

Chase turned around, facing Nate, pressing her chest into his. Nate’s eyes glazed over again as he put his hands on her hips, dangerously close to her ass. Chase wrapped her arms around his neck and tugged his forehead down to touch hers, demanding his blue eyes meet hers. She ground her body into his, and relished in the small buck of his hips he responded with.

Nate let his hands slide down her body to grip her ass. His breathing was slowly quickening, his touch slowly tightening, as the song changed to another rap song and they continued their dance. 

Chase gasped when Nate pushed her away slightly and nudged his thigh between her legs for her to grind on. She immediately did, dragging the seam of her denim shorts along the length of his thigh. Feeling herself clench around nothing, she clutched harder to the back of his neck. 

“You like that?” he asked, eyes still drilled on her, a smirk dancing across his lips. 

“I’m drunk and you’re hot and I like everything you do,” Chase replied softly. “Please don’t leave yet.”

“When we’re dancing like this? Not a chance.”

She had no idea how long they danced, but by the time they stopped, she was sweaty and desperately craving more water. She and Nate separated and she hurried to the kitchen to chug water. Chase felt herself sobering up, the fuzziness beginning to fade, and with it, the confidence that had been flowing through her quickly dissipating. 

Nate came to join Chase in the kitchen to get water, too. He filled up a cup and drank long sips. Chase stared at his Adam’s apple as he swallowed. He put his cup down after he finished, his lips glistening from the water, and Chase made a split decision. 

Chase stalked over to him and kissed him. 

Her hands found his cheeks, tracing his playoff beard with her fingertips. His hands rested on her ass again, tugging her closer as she pinned him against the counter behind him. His lips were soft and wet and warm and tasted like beer. His tongue gently made its way into her mouth, softly dancing around hers.

Chase pulled back and looked up at his red, puffy lips. “Fuck,” she said.

“Mmhmm,” Nate replied, then pulled her in for more. Nate kissed her like she was his tether to the ground, like he was floating and the only thing that could keep him down was her lips. His fingertips dug into her ass, and she was sure she’d have bruises tomorrow, but she didn’t care. She traced his bottom lip with her tongue, then pulled away again, just enough to speak to him.

“Let’s go upstairs,” Chase whispered.

“You’re still drunk,” Nate whispered back.

“I’m sobering up.”

“The guys will have something to say. They’ll never let us live it down.”

“So? I don’t care what they think. They won’t even notice.”

“Chase…”

“We don’t need their permission. We’re both adults.”

“You’re still drunk.”

“And I’m still sobering up. Nathan, I’m good. I’m probably like, the equivalent of two shots drunk now.”

Nate bit his lip and looked over her head at his friends. Chase turned around too, and she was right. No one was paying attention to them. Everyone was in their own worlds. It was the perfect time to sneak away. 

“Fuck it,” Nate muttered. “C’mon.” 

Chase giggled as Nate clung to her hand and dragged her away, upstairs to one of EJ’s spare bedrooms. There were solo cups strewn everywhere, and Chase didn’t care to know whose they were. She fell onto the bed with more giggles as Nate turned on the T.V. hanging on the wall in front of the bed.

“Why the T.V.?” Chase asked.

“Well, not to brag, but I’m about to blow your mind, and I don’t want to get chirped for how loud I make you moan,” Nate said, his eyes darkening with lust.

Chase shivered, but said, “Well, the only competition you have is my vibrator, but I’ve learned to be pretty quiet.”

“Oh really?” Nate raised his eyebrows, then flopped on the bed next to her. He rolled on top of her, positioning himself in between her legs and said, “I take that as a challenge.”

Nate leaned down and kissed Chase sweetly, with none of the previous fervor from downstairs. He kissed his way down her clothed body, bunched her shirt up around her stomach, and kissed the soft skin as he unbuttoned her shorts and dragged them down her legs. She wore her only pair of sexy panties made of a comfy lace, and Nate dragged his thumb across the band.

“Nice,” he complimented. “Who’d you wear these for?”

Chase smirked. “Mikko.”

“That’s a lie and we both know it.” Nate kissed her covered core and she jumped, making Nate chuckle.

“Nathan,” Chase said softly. “I’m nervous.”

Nate laid his head on her thigh, gazing up at her. “We can stop any time, you just say so.”

 Chase took a deep breath. “Just, uh, go slow?”

“Hang on.” Nate hopped up and left the room, returning a few moments later. He tossed an unopened box of condoms and a brand new bottle of lube on the bed next to Chase, then shut the door behind him. 

“Where did you get this?” Chase sat up and grabbed the lube, examining it. 

Nate shrugged, “I know where EJ keeps his shit. I’ll buy him more.”

Chase’s heart pounded as Nate repositioned himself between her legs. He wrapped his strong arms around her thighs, pulled her to the edge of the bed, then kissed her again through her panties, making Chase shiver. 

“You ready?” Nate asked. He kissed her again and looked up at her through his eyelashes. 

Chase took a deep breath and nodded, then Nate tugged her panties down in a swift motion, threw them on the ground behind him, and gently dragged his hands along her thighs. Chase watched him with bated breath, thinking he was going far too slow but also could go never fast enough. He ghosted kisses along her thighs, teasing her even more, and she pouted. 

“That’s some mind-blowing head you’re giving me,” she said, rather annoyed. 

Nate looked up at her, grinned, and rolled his eyes. He stuck his tongue out and traced it on the lips of her pussy, and she nearly leapt out of her skin. Nate chuckled, then let his tongue dip into her folds.

“Holy fuck,” Chase yelped. 

Nate swirled his tongue around near her entrance for a bit, clearly avoiding her clit, but Chase didn’t care. The simple gesture sent heat waves and ice through her entire body. Finally, Nate softly wrapped his lips around her clit. 

“Jesus fucking Christ!” Chase yelped again. Nate’s tongue massaging her clit felt incredible, in a way she’d always imagined but could never have imagined, in a way she had started to believe she’d never feel. He looked up at her through his eyelashes and gently sucked on her clit. Chase’s legs began to shake and she could already feel how fast her orgasm was racing toward her. 

“Use…use your fingers,” Chase gasped breathlessly. 

Nathan unlatched his mouth from Chase, then shoved his middle finger into his mouth. He slowly teased her with it, gathering up more of her wetness, and slid his thick finger inside her, lips returning to her clit. He curled his finger to massage her walls, keeping pace with his tongue. 

“Oh fuck,” Chase moaned, “oh fuck, I’m gonna come, oh fuck, fuck, Nate, fuck!”

Chase went sailing over the edge as her orgasm raked through her. Despite her legs shaking and her back arching, Nate kept his mouth on her as she fell apart for him. The constant stream of “fuck” that came from Chase’s mouth was so loud that she was grateful Nate turned on the T.V..

She finally came down, panting, and Nate slid his finger out of her and released his mouth from her. She grabbed his shirt and dragged him up to kiss him hotly, tongue immediately invading his mouth, tasting herself. Jesus Christ, he did what he said he would, and she was impressed. 

“Where the fuck did you learn that?” she breathed. 

Nate chuckled. “You did say earlier I was good at sex, if I remember correctly.”

“Jesus.” She was still trying to catch her breath when she realized Nate was still fully clothed, so she said, “You’re wearing clothes still. Let’s change that.”

Grinning, Nate stood up and pulled his shirt over his head. He unbuttoned his jeans and shoved them down his legs, along with his underwear, so he stood before her in all his glory. He was already semi-hard, and he clambered back onto the bed overtop of her.

“Do you want me to like, do anything for you?” Chase asked.

Nate quickly slid his arms under her and pushed her up on the bed, closer to the headboard. “Nope,” he said as he moved her. “I’m good. Are you good?”

Chase nodded nervously. “Y-yeah, I think so.”

Nate reached over for a condom and the bottle of lube. He stroked himself several times before he opened the condom wrapper, then slid the condom on. He grabbed the bottle of lube.

“Okay,” he said, opening the bottle. “If it hurts, tell me. If we use enough lube, we should be fine.”

“Yeah,” Chase agreed. “I’ll tell you.”

Licking his lips, Nate squirted lube on his dick, which he then spread around with his other hand. He squirted some onto Chase’s pussy, and she jumped.

“That’s cold, what the fuck?” Chase yelped.

Nate chuckled. “It’s not that cold.”

“Maybe through latex it’s not.”

“Alright, alright,” Nate conceded. “Do you want more lube or is that good for now?”

Chase brought her fingers to her pussy, spreading the lube around and inside her. “I think that’s good for now, but I’ll stop you if I need more.”

Nate leaned down and kissed her lips sweetly. “Please do. Are you ready?”

Chase nodded, biting her lip nervously. “Go slow, please.”

“I will.” 

Nate straightened up, then guided himself into Chase. Her mouth fell open as he stretched her, slowly inching deeper and deeper. She flailed her hand until it found his so she could tangle their fingers together. His pelvis bumped hers, and she knew he was all the way in.

“Oh fuck,” Chase muttered. “Just stay there for a second.”

Nate did as she said, patiently waiting, looking amused as Chase tried not to squirm. Having him inside her felt so intimate, so delicate, and she never wanted him to stop.

“Okay,” she said after a moment, “move.”

Nate readjusted his position on the bed so he was laying overtop of Chase. He rested on one elbow, keeping his hand intwined with hers, then rolled his hips back so he slid out of her, then rolled them forward to thrust into her.

“Oh my god,” Chase moaned. 

Nate established a slow, steady pace, thrusting in and out of her so she could feel every inch and ridge of him. She felt pressure, but not pain, and it was delicious, especially as Nate’s breathing became heavier and heavier on her neck and lips.

“Does it feel good?” he breathed, nipping at her earlobe.

“Fuck yes, it does,” she moaned back.

“Good,” Nate replied, straining a little. “Me too, it, oh, fuck, you feel so good.”

He kept the same pace and before long, they were both panting and sweating.

“Nate,” Chase gasped, “more, I need more.”

Nate obliged, attaching his lips to her collarbone and sucking hard as he increased the speed of his thrusts slightly and thrust harder into her. He released her hand and began to rub her clit. Chase’s free hand dug into his bicep, leaving tiny crescents on his skin.

Suddenly, Nate sat up, grabbed Chase’s legs, and pushed them out wider, stretching her hips, but also allowing himself to hit a different angle inside her. Chase’s mouth fell open and she couldn’t even moan; the pressure of Nate inside her felt so good it overwhelmed her senses and she couldn’t think clearly.

“Oh, fuck, Chase,” Nate grunted. “Oh fuck, I’m getting close.”

“I’m not sure if I’ll come,” admitted Chase, “but I don’t care.”

“I care. I’ll take care of you, okay?” Nate’s blue eyes were warm and lustful and genuine.

All Chase could do was nod in response. Her head lolled over as she scraped her nails from his bicep to his back, digging so hard she nearly made him bleed, and dragged her nails down his back as he fucked her. She swore she could feel him in her stomach, but then it began to hurt.

“Nate,” she breathed. “Nate, stop.”

Nate froze and brought his hands up to cup Chase’s face. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” 

“I think we need more lube. It’s starting to hurt a little. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” Nate said, kissing her forehead. Chase watched, eyes hazy. He reached over to grab the bottle of lube again, squeezing some onto his fingers, which he then slid inside Chase. He spread the lube around and pulled his fingers back out of her. He squeezed more lube on his dick, stroked it to spread it across himself, then closed the bottle.

“I’m ready when you are,” Chase said and reached out to hold his forearm.

“Okay,” Nate replied. He spread her legs again, then gripped himself and guided his dick inside her. Chase’s back arched as he slid into her. She relished in the feeling of him, pressing her lips together. Nate leaned back over her and began to re-establish the rhythm he’d had.

“I’m sorry,” Chase breathed again. “I know you were close.”

“Shut up, Chase,” Nate breathed back, hungrily kissing her as he snapped his hips against hers. “I’m basically back where I was, oh, fuck.”

Chase placed her hand on the back of Nate’s neck. “You gonna come for me, Nathan?” she teased.

“Shit,” Nate said through clenched teeth. “Shit, I’m gonna come for you.”

Chase pulled Nate’s face close to hers and whispered, “Come for me.”

“Oh,” Nate moaned loudly, spilling into the condom, “oh, fuck, oh my god, fuck!”

Nate’s hips stuttered to a stop and he closed his eyes, panting. He kissed her sweetly as he pulled out of her, making her whimper from the loss of heat and contact. Without a word, he kissed his way back down her body to settle between her legs again. He licked Chase’s clit and she jumped.

“Shit,” Chase squeaked.

Nate slid his tongue down through her folds to her entrance, then pushed it into her. Chase moaned, hands grabbing at him until he offered her one of his hands. He moved his other hand to her clit, softly circling it, and within moments, he had her coming on his tongue, his name spilling out of her mouth.

“Oh fuck, Nate,” Chase breathed. Her body was exhausted and spent, and she didn’t know if she could move. 

“Are you good?” Nate asked, laying next to her and pushing her sweaty hair out of her face. “Can I get you anything?”

“Fuck, maybe a Gatorade?” Chase laughed.

Nate chuckled, “I bet I can do that. Let’s get cleaned up first, though. You know you should pee like, soon, right?”

Nodding, Chase said, “Yeah, but I don’t know if I have the energy to walk right now.”

“Need help?”

“I think so.” Chase was embarrassed. “I’m sorry.”

“Quit apologizing,” Nate said sharply. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Nate helped Chase sit up, then helped her to the bathroom. He pulled the condom off carefully and threw it in the trash, then took turns using the toilet and washing up. Nate went back into the bedroom and picked up Chase’s panties and his shirt. 

“Here,” Nate said, handing it to her. “You can sleep in my shirt.”

Chase’s eyebrows furrowed. “Sleep? Here?”

“I’d, uh, I’d like to wake up with you, but I think we’re both too tired to go home.” Nate smiled softly.

“Oh.” Chase looked up at Nate. He was dead serious. God, he really did like her, huh? 

“I mean, I can take you home if you want,” Nate added quickly.

“No no no. Let’s stay.” Chase stood on her tiptoes and kissed his nose. “But I definitely need that Gatorade.

Nate laughed, “I gotcha. Lemme get dressed.”

The two of them padded back into the bedroom, Chase pulling on her panties and Nate’s shirt, Nate pulling on only his boxers. Chase settled into the bed under the covers, grabbed her phone, and caught up on her notifications while Nate retreated downstairs for Gatorade. 

Nate returned with his arms full of Gatorade, snacks, and phone chargers. “I thought you might be hungry,” he explained as he dumped the contents onto the bed, “and I know my phone is dead, so I stole a couple chargers too.”

���Thank you, Nate,” Chase giggled. “You’re very thoughtful.”

“Don’t tell anyone else that,” Nate joked as he climbed in bed with her. He grabbed one of the Gatorades, cracked it open, and drained it. He grabbed another and handed it to Chase, who opened it and took a few gulps.

Exhaustion hit Chase. “Oh shit,” she mumbled. “I’m fucking tired.”

“Me too,” Nate yawned.

“Can I, uh, can we cuddle?” Chase asked.

Nate smiled at her. “I was hoping we would.”

Chase grinned, put her Gatorade down, and scooted into Nate’s body, laying her head on his chest. His soft heartbeat was like a lullaby, and she knew she would be asleep soon.

“Nate?” she said sleepily.

“Yeah?”

“Please don’t let this be a one night thing.”

Chase felt Nate kiss her head. “Wouldn’t dream of it. Can I take you to breakfast in the morning?”

“Bold of you to assume I’ll be awake for breakfast.”

Nate chuckled. “Brunch? Lunch? Whatever meal we want when we get up?”

“That sounds perfect,” Chase giggled. “Goodnight, Nathan.”

“Goodnight.”

#nathan mackinnon #nathan mackinnon imagine #nathan mackinnon one shot #nathan mackinnon smut #nhl smut #nhl #colorado avalanche #nhl writing #hockey writing #hockey smut #colorado avalanche writing #colorado avalanche smut #avs

[equallyshaw]

suprise for christmas - tyson jost

Warnings: nothing.

Word Count: 1.1k+

← master post. day two. →

────────────

kit hadn't seen tyson since he left for buffalo, she hadn't been able to transfer her position from kohls to buffalo just yet. soon, she kept telling him. in the mean time she cleared the apartment and stayed with a wag and old teammate. it was nearing christmas, and it was the busiest time for kit at work. tyson knew that, however; he had just been traded so he had been extra moody and needy since he left. they hadn't seen eachother in over 3 weeks due to her job. so, how they were both feeling was expected. besides, the two had been dating since he came to denver and hadn't taken the foot off the peddle since. kit was hoping her boss would let her take a few extra days off before transitioning to buffalo, in order to surprise her partner. it was currently december 20th and she had yet to hear anything. she was beginning to grow restless as she stared down her work email, as well as watching the time for her flight. she had five hours before she was set to fly up to buffalo. her email refreshed and she saw the email from her boss, either a yes or no. she silently prayed to the universe and opened it, she skimmed the sentiments from her boss before she saw the answer she had been waiting for her. her boss had granted her the extra few days off, and with that she jumped off the couch and began to rummage her things together.

kit was now sitting in the airports private lounge as she turned off her location, hopefully not alerting tyson. tyson had just texted her, stating he was gonna start decorating the christmas tree that evening to brighten the dampered mood he was in. despite being traded without warning, he was somewhat relieved that he was now on a team that cared about him. cared about his mental wellbeing, his wellness, physical health, above all else. he now longer had to walk around egg shells, which made kit more than happy. she was elated that he was getting along with the players and they had welcomed him with open arms. despite having been there for less than a week, he even went to tage thompsons thanksgiving he was throwing for the team; if they couldn't go home or didn't have anybody coming out to them. kit reminded tyson to eat some extra turkey for her as she was finishing the final moving boxes to be sent out his way. he even texted her the reminants of the turkey and a picture of pumpkin pie, which put her over the edge. though tyson promised he would have the best christmas dinner with her to make up for it.

kit was in the lounge, a mere 20 minutes before she was supposed to board the plane. she made her way over to the gate, and sent one last text to tyson. she played it off that she was gonna be taking a nap before heading over to a local kohls to check in on her team as district manager before parting for buffalo on the 23rd. tyson brought it and she was now ready for her 3 hour nap that was outbound for buffalo.

3 hours and 30 minutes later, she exited the airport looking for the uber she had gotten to take back to the apartment. the driver came out and helped her with her carry on, and 2 suitcases. she thanked them and hopped in the back, taking in all the snow that was coming down. somehow the flight hadn't been delayed and she was forever thankful. she could only spend so much time on the plane before growing antsy. they made their way through the downtown, taking a drive along the ocean. she smiled out the window, beaming at how gorgeous the city was and hoping, hoping hard that tyson was here to stay for some time. hoping that they wouldn't be picking up and leaving- anytime soon.

they stopped infront of the apartment building, and she made her way after thanking the driver for the ride. she walked inside the building and went up to the front desk letting them know that she needed to pick up her keys from them. they whisked her on her towards the elevator, and was on her way to the 4th floor. her leg shook as the elevator went painstakingly slow. her anxiety rising every floor. she had butterflies about not only surprising him, but butteflies of seeing him. even when they spent some time apart- they both got nervous to see one another. just a bit. she took a deep breath and walked out of the elevator staring at the two large apartment. she saw #4 and made her way over. even though she had a key, she smiled a bit as she knocked 3 times. it took about 15 seconds before she heard the lock of the door and then the door opened. she frowned with lips quivering as she saw a tired and dischevaled tyson. he had just woken up from a nap. he rubbed his eyes, trying to see if he was imagining this. the love of his life had flown in early to see him, he must of been imganing. he thought she wasn't done until the 23rd. "hi hun." she smiled and in an instance he wrapped his arms around her. she did as well, and then felt her body leave the ground for a few seconds. he couldn't believe that she was here in buffalo, his heart swelled at the thought of her surprising him. "oh my god...." he breathed as he moved his nose to the crook of her neck. she giggled as he set her down and she rubbed her hands up and down her back. "babe..." she said softly bringing a hand to the back of his head feeling his hair. something she had always done as a comfort thing. he pulled back and brougt her in for a big kiss. the biggest one he had done in a long time. one filled with love, nerves, excitment and everything he couldn't form in words.

they pulled apart and he let her walk in before grabbing her bags. she looked around at the clean and crisp apartment, smiling at the christmas tree that still had yet to be decorated. "crap-- the tree!" he said now realizing his surprise wasn't done yet. she turned around and smiled, "we can do that tonight." she mused before pulling him in for another kiss.

a beautiful and wonderful surprise for christmas.

────────────

hope you guys enjoyed day one!!!

Please reblog and like, and I appreciate any feedback :)

Just some random tags: @comphyjost @antoineroussel @mack-samo @cellythefloshie @fallinallincurls @laurenairay @starshine-hockey-girl

#tyson jost #tyson Jost fic #tyson Jost imagine #tyson jost blurb #nhl #hockey #nhl blurb #hockey blurb #nhl imagine #hockey imagine #nhl one shot #hockey one shot #buffalo sabres #Colorado Avalanche #christmas #holidays with equallyshaw

[drewsbuzzcut]

pictures from pinterest

momma

mikko rantanen x f!reader

warnings: none that i can think of

a/n: this is correlated to the same storyline from my other mikko fic. HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO ALL THE MOMS AND MOTHER FIGURES<3 there also may be a few mistakes but enjoy!

“Give momma kisses. C’mon bub, go ‘mwah’”

“Mwaaah,” you faintly hear mikko talking to your baby girl, kelly. It was also accompanied by a small, messy kiss from your sweet girl.

“One more kiss for mommy, k. It’s Mother’s Day so we have to give her all the love,” it’s hard to not smile but you don’t want them to know you’re awake yet.

Once again, you feel the tiny kiss delivered to your cheek from your daughter who is only 8 months old.

“Rakkaus(love), wake up,” mikko says before kissing your neck softly.

Before he can move his head away from you, you bring your fingers to card through his hair at the nape of his neck.

“Baby, get in bed. Let’s cuddle,” you knew mikko was tired because he had practice this morning and the playoffs were always tiring just in general.

“Can’t. You have to get ready. Kelly and I are taking you out for a nice lunch,” he tells you.

“Kiss first?”

He leans down to press his lips to yours for a chaste kiss, but you want it to last longer so you wrap your arms around his neck and attempt to pull him on top of you.

“Babe, you have to get ready,” his faces proves that he wishes you could keep kissing him, but he knew it’d be extra hard to stop.

“Fine.”

-

After your hour long shower and treating yourself to some deep skincare before getting dressed and putting on makeup, you finally make it out of the hotel room into the little living space, and what you see just about brings you to tears.

Mikko, dressed nicely, holds Kelly, who is dressed in a cute dress; they’re both holding a bouquet of flowers for you. On the table is a cake that says ‘Happy Mother’s Day’ along with a gift bag.

“Happy Mother’s Day, love. You’re the best mom there is and we’re grateful to have you in our lives,” mikko talks for both himself and your baby girl.

You shed a few tears before launching yourself in his arms to kiss him passionately before moving to grab Kelly and give her hugs and kisses.

“Thank you. I love y’all both,” your voice cracks a bit as you’re still emotional.

“We got you a gift,” mikko slides the gift bag towards you and takes Kelly back into his arms

When you take it in your hands and open it, you see a gold necklace that is nestled with sapphires, Kelly’s birthstone. You gasp as more tears well in your eyes.

“Miks… this is so gorgeous. I- i love it so much, thank you.”

“I knew you’ve been wanting something to represent Kelly, and well I have a necklace so I thought I’d get you one as well.”

You walk to him so you could give him a tight hug. Kelly is in one of his arms, but it doesn’t stop him from hugging you back. His free hand rubs your neck, travels down the expanse of your spine before pressing on the small of your back to press you closer to his body. Your hands glide along the tight muscles in his arms until they reach his neck.

“Mmma,” your small moment was interrupted with your baby muttering the only word she knew, ‘momma’, well with the best way she can say it. You smile against mikko’s lips because you’re just so happy to have your small family.

“Yeah, baby, we love momma,” mikko mutters before grabbing your hand so you can get your Mother’s Day started.

“Happy Mother’s Day, hot momma.”

#mikko rantanen one shot #mikko rantanen fluff #mikko rantanen x reader #mikko rantanen fic #mikko rantanen imagine #mikko rantanen #colorado avalanche imagine #nhl imagine

[secretlittlerandezvous]

Angsty one shot ideas? ✨

Hi guys! It’s been forever since I’ve last written something.

BUT

I’m in the mood to write something angsty/sad. If someone has any ideas/requests then please my inbox is open 💖

#nhl writing #nhl imagine #nhl imagines #nhl players imagine #nhl one shot #nhl fic #nhl x reader #boston bruins imagine #boston bruins #seattle kraken #Colorado Avalanche #jamie oleksiak imagine #david pastrnak imagine #David Pastrnak

[crow-the-unknown]

i'd just like to point out how much i love one of my lock screens

mon chums :3

#colorado avalanche #erik johnson #samuel girard #cries #they just love each other ok #this one always makes me smile when i see it #i also have the one of sid and nate from the splash shot competition #and it brings me more joy than i care to talk about #my brain always calls them the gay dads when it comes up

[samuelerssonupdates]

March 6, 2024: Nick Seeler signs a 4-year $10.8 million contract extension with the Philadelphia Flyers. (📸)

After leaving the Chicago Blackhawks in January 2021, Nick Seeler took six months off of playing hockey. He was a poor fit in Chicago, which was looking towards a more youthful team, and after his contract was terminated, he returned to his home of Minnesota to relax and reset. In June, he returned to the show when then-Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher signed him to a one-year deal. In that first year with the Flyers, he bounced back and forth between the Flyers and the Phantoms, but earned a permanent spot on the team roster in the 2022-23 season, and when injuries plagued the roster, even moved up to the left wing of the Flyers' fourth line.

This year things have been different. A shot-blocking machine on the third D-pairing with Sean Walker (a member of the Colorado Avalanche as of earlier today), he's become an essential part of the team, and not just on the ice. His teammates on the Flyers have been complimenting his work ethic for years now, and it's widely known that he's a hugely important presence in the locker room.

"He sets an example with his work ethic, as one of the most serious teammates Cam York’s ever known. He willingly sacrifices his body and sticks up for teammates. But he’s a “teddy bear” off the ice, says York and a teacher to rookies and veterans alike." (x)

"One that comes to mind is Nick Seeler. He is absolutely beloved in the locker room, he is a team-first guy, and he’s playing the best year of his entire career. He’s playing over four minutes per game than what he had been prior in his career, he’s a +14, and he stands up for his teammates. I think if they were to move him at the deadline, and if they were still in contention, I think that would bother some players." (x)

Most importantly, Seeler loves living and playing in Philadelphia. He's openly said for years that the team feels like home and that he wants to play for them, even if it means waiting longer for the playoffs or sticking with a rebuilding team instead of going somewhere with real, current Cup aspirations. You have to wonder if the very reasonable $2.7 mil annual salary is in part due to his willingness to be flexible in order to stay here.

During the 2nd period of Flyers-Blues game on March 4th, Seeler took a shot to the ankle and couldn't stand on his skates; play moved to the Blues' side of the ice as he struggled to get up from his hands and knees. When the Flyers on the ice, now shorthanded in the offensive zone allowed the play to move back down to the defensive zone, Seeler lay flat in front of goaltender Samuel Ersson to continue to try and block pucks from getting to the net.

There's a reason we wanted to keep him. And clearly, he's willing to do a lot for it. We are so excited to have you for four more years, Nick, and can't wait to cheer you on for all of them.

Michael Reaves

#nick seeler #you have no idea how thrilled i am #philadelphia flyers #flyers #not an SEU

[matthewtkachuk]

monday morning - nathan mackinnon

the boys win the Stanley Cup and you end up in bed with one of them

pairing: nathan mackinnon x reader

warnings: mention of alcohol, mention of sex (not quite explicit but more than implied - yk my brand by now), sex that takes place after both parties have been drinking (if this is a trigger feel free to skip! take care of yourselves my loves)

word count: 1.2k

a/n: hey besties long time no see, hope yall are doing well. one week ago, the colorado avalanche won the stanley cup and you know a bitch couldn't resist a post-win fic <3 s/o to @antoineroussel for being the only one awake and telling me when i'm being pretentious

Monday morning you wake with the feeling of cotton balls stuffed down your throat and a heavy body weighing you down into the mattress. For a moment you can’t quite figure out where you are or how you got here—it’s quite difficult to make sense of anything as you burrow your head back deeper into the pillows and keep your eyes squeezed shut.

Wiggling your toes, you assess the damage, but it’s almost impossible to move under the weight on top of you. Said weight starts to shift a little in its slumber you assume, and that’s when you come to realize whoever is on top of you is one, naked, and two, very very heavy. One of his wandering hands slides from its place by your side up to rest on the underside of your boob and that’s when you realize a third thing—you’re naked too. 

The night before comes back to you in bits and pieces—the longest five minutes of your life at the end of the third period, someone screeching in your ear at the final buzzer, placing your hands on the ever elusive lord stanley and then drinking shitty beer out of it with the half naked team who’d won it half an hour before. Linking arms with some of the better halves and stumbling out of a hostile arena into an even more hostile city, and yet finding a club/bar more than willing to take your—well, not yours specifically—”dirty” money. 

Shots and then more shots and then more shots. If you think hard enough, you vaguely remember doing a body shot off André. Somebody pressing a water into your hands and you pretending to take a large slip before leaving it on the closest bar top when they turned around. Sliding in real close into… someone’s embrace shortly after and then staying there for the rest of the night. You can picture their muscled shoulders and feel the heat of their calloused hands and yet their face remains beneath a dark cloud in your mind. 

“You wanna go back to mine?” whispered in your ear and wandering hands and giggles turned whines turned moans turned toes curling and nails dragging down backs. Chapped lips and a bearded face and praise shared like an oath. 

But who? 

You’re afraid to open your eyes, afraid to face whoever is in your bed or maybe whose bed you’re in, afraid you won’t like who you find or afraid you will and they won’t want you too in the fresh morning light. You know it’s a hotel room—or at least you’re pretty sure it’s a hotel room based on the feel of the sheets beneath you and the too fluffy pillow that’s got your neck at an uncomfortable angle. 

If you had it your way you’d never find out whose hotel room it is, but ultimately you don’t have much of a choice. Not when the mysterious not-quite-stranger presses a chaste kiss to the skin of your neck before rolling off of you with a groan.

“It wasn’t a dream,” he says, punctuated by a small exhale of breath that can only be indicative of disbelief. 

The feeling of your chest constricting is timed perfectly with the way the rest of the night flashes by—EJ leaving a sloppy kiss on your cheek, Mel crying into your shoulder, one too many Jägerbombs.

And then Nate. 

Nate lifting you into his arms on the ice and shouting about how they finally fuckin’ did it, Nate’s everlasting eye contact as he tips the Stanley Cup so that the alcohol falls into your awaiting mouth, Nate’s front pressed to your back on the dance floor, Nate’s arms feeling like home when you didn’t know which direction was left and which direction was right. Nate leading you to his hotel room, fingers brushing the 1787 numberplate before turning their attention on you. 

Stumbling into Nate and kissing him and running your fingers through his hair and along the beard on his jawline—”this is so sexy”—getting your hands on him and pressing and pulling and prodding until his naked body covered yours on the neatly made bed. You’d teased him for it, asked him if it was a superstition or just his good manners that had him making the bed on the most important morning of his hockey career yet. He’d only kissed you quiet. 

And then a moment of clarity in the drunken, lust-fuelled haze where he’d pushed back the hair from your face and asked if you were sure. When you’d told him you’d never wanted anything more, he’d told you without shame that it was a tie between you and the cup, and he’d ‘already won the cup tonight.’

It sends tingles down your spine to remember the way he looked at you last night. A look you’d previously seen hours earlier, looking around at the boys after the final buzzer, and then pushing his captain towards it only to hold it minutes later. Like you were the Stanley Cup, like you were the culmination of two and a half decades of hard work and perseverance and overcoming adversity, like you were the thing he’d spent his entire life waiting for.

“The cup and the girl...fuck am I ever lucky,” he speaks again before pulling you so that you lay half on top of him this time. You finally open your eyes to see that very same look still on his face. “Good morning.”

“Hi,” you say, suddenly very shy and wanting to disappear into the covers. You push down the urge to run for the nearest hill, tentatively placing your hand on his chest above his heart. When he covers it with his own you find the courage to speak again. “How did you sleep?” 

“I think I’m still drunk,” he admits with a laugh, “but I’ve never slept better.” 

“Better than Landy?” you ask. “Bet he slept naked in EJ’s hotel room with the cup between them.” 

Nate laughs out loud at that and you preen under the sound. “We’ll get our turn to sleep naked with the cup.” 

“We?” you ask hopefully, tentatively. Despite the look in his eye and the fact that he has yet to let you go, you’re not the kind of girl who makes assumptions or gets her hopes up. In fact, you’re the very opposite—more likely to assume the worst in any situation, and you in fact do so now. 

“I think I made myself pretty clear last night,” he smirks and you remember the gentle way he regarded you during sex. “I’m not a man of many words, we both know that. But you have to know how I feel about you.” 

His hand cups your face and his thumb gently skims your cheekbone before your lips are pressed together.

“Yeah, I think I do.”

#nhl fic #nhl fanfic #nhl fanfiction #nhl imagine #nhl imagines #nathan mackinnon x reader #nathan mackinnon fic #nathan mackinnon fanfic #nathan mackinnon fanfiction #nathan mackinnon imagine #nathan mackinnon imagines #shelb writes

[wyattjohnston]

all fic | universe | gifs | exchanges

(alphabetical order by team, then by player)

updated: 27 Jan '24

* = contains smut

boston bruins

charlie mcavoy

kiss it better now

buffalo sabres

erik johnson

only all the time (series of one shots)

jeff skinner

your eyes look like coming home

tyson jost

it’s me & you

out of ten

this is getting good now (series of one shots)

calgary flames

noah hanifin

the one who needs saving

carolina hurricanes

andrei svechnikov

kinda hope they catch us

colorado avalanche

gabriel landeskog

‘til you give me all your love

nathan mackinnon

the second time

you always did feel just like home

columbus blue jackets

nick blankenburg

need a little company

dallas stars

jake oettinger

the saddest thing i know

roope hintz

no sound worse than silence

tyler seguin

ain’t no sunshine (#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, playlist)

edmonton oilers

leon draisaitl

lock in your love

florida panthers

matthew tkachuk

don't want to miss you like this

you gotta kiss somebody (sometimes)

los angeles kings

pierre luc dubois

never said a thing

montreal canadiens

josh anderson

what am i to you?

nashville predators

anthony beauvillier

into moonlight (series of one shots)

taylor hall

better at leaving* & i just keep coming back to you*

new jersey devils

dougie hamilton

i’ll bet you didn’t even know

jack hughes

make it weird

we all have our secrets

we don't have no time to waste (series of one shots)

nico hischier

late nights in the middle of june (series of one shots)

not perfect (but we were)

new york islanders

mat barzal

all eyes, they're on you (series of one shots)

uh oh

new york rangers

chris kreider

toward a feminine sea

philadelphia flyers

joel farabee

fell in love with you in stages

travis konecny

take me as i am (series of one shots)

pittsburgh penguins

ryan graves

never saw you coming

to hold your hand (would be the bravest thing)

seattle kraken

andre burakovsky

dreamer (just like you)

we look good together*

jamie oleksiak

my picket fence penguins

your eyes look like coming home

st louis blues

colton parayko

open your heart to me

kasperi kapanen

let's get these wheels in motion*

kevin hayes

got a hold on me* (series of one shots)

how those rumours fly

toronto maple leafs

mitch marner

give the stars something to watch

morgan rielly

sache que je serai la tienne (series of one shots)

william nylander

let's get these wheels in motion*

vancouver canucks

brock boeser

and i had silly dreams

take you one day at a time (series of one shots)

elias pettersson

been a long time coming

quinn hughes

let's finish what we started

until the light shines through

vegas golden knights

nolan patrick

found the cure for a broken heart

say that we'll be together (series of one shots)

washington capitals

nicklas backstrom

give up the game

tom wilson

in the shadows & still want more

winnipeg jets

adam lowry

breaking all the rules

#masterlist #this may look exactly the same as the old one #but this is in the new post type

[oeldeservesthenorris]

“My best years are behind me.” Erik Johnson knows what he is at this point of his career. But the Flyers will need him -- and fellow veteran Marc Staal -- if they are going to get into the playoffs.

NOT ENOUGH CRYING EMOJIS FOR THIS ARTICLE

TAMPA, Fla. — If nothing else, Erik Johnson is self-aware. The newly acquired Philadelphia Flyers defenseman, after morning skate at Amalie Arena on Saturday, admitted he hasn’t had the greatest season as part of a disappointing Buffalo Sabres squad. And, even though his getting dealt offers him a fresh start with a new club, the 35-year-old is not suddenly going to turn the clock back a decade.

“It was really tough being 13 years in Colorado and then coming to a new team. I don’t think I really played my best hockey,” said Johnson, who signed a one-year contract with the Sabres in the offseason after spending the majority of his career with the Avalanche.

“My best years are behind me.”

The Flyers know that too, of course. Their acquisition of Johnson on Friday just before the NHL trade deadline, though, serves two purposes: It provides immediate help for what is both an inexperienced and banged-up blue line, and potentially enhances the team culture that both coach John Tortorella and general manager Danny Briere have labeled as the foundation of their rebuild.

His first game was one to forget, as the Flyers were run out of the building 7-0 by the Tampa Bay Lightning in a game that will primarily be remembered for Tortorella’s ejection midway through the first period and his refusal to leave the bench right away.

And the game was abnormal even before it started. The Flyers were forced to dress just five defensemen after Egor Zamula came down with an illness and Adam Ginning, reassigned to the AHL on Friday, was unable to make it back from the Philadelphia area in time due to weather-related flight delays, according to a team source.

In other words, it’s probably not all that advisable to form any broad conclusions from that game about how Johnson will or won’t contribute down the stretch. He was on the ice for Nick Paul’s power-play goal that made it 2-0 and maybe could have been harder around the net. He was also a bit flat-footed on Conor Sheary’s wrist shot from the high slot that made it 3-0, but Flyers goalie Samuel Ersson could have been better on both of those two scores, as well. He finished with a minus-1 rating in 19:57 of ice time, with two shots on goal and six hits.

And it’s not like anyone else on the Flyers was all that effective on Saturday either, as they got behind 4-0 midway through the first period.

“We’re usually a pretty decisive team,” assistant coach Brad Shaw, filling in for Tortorella, said after the game. “We’re usually setting the tone and playing a specific game and I thought we let them get to their game really quickly. …  Just never seemed to get our footing.”

The Flyers are fortunate in that they’ll have a chance to quickly put the brutal loss behind them when they host the league’s second-worst team, the San Jose Sharks, on Tuesday. One of the primary reasons they have managed to stay in the playoff race this season is because of their ability to quickly respond to poor efforts.

Still, they’re a bit of a different team now that they’ve lost Sean Walker, with his ability to help break the puck out of their own end and play that fast transition game that’s led to so much of the Flyers’ offense.

Johnson isn’t that type of player, and neither is another veteran who’s being relied on to play big minutes — Marc Staal, who skated in just 17 of the Flyers’ first 51 games and has now been thrust back into nightly duty with Jamie Drysdale, Rasmus Ristolainen and Nick Seeler still all on the shelf.

The Flyers seemed to realize they need to play differently in at least one of their two games after the Walker deal: They put forth an impressive, buttoned-up defensive performance in their 2-1 win in Florida on Thursday with rookies Ginning and Ronnie Attard making their respective season debuts on the blue line.

Part of the reason why they held the high-powered Panthers offense to just one goal was, according to Staal, everyone on the ice playing together as a five-man unit.

“Realizing the position we were in with some new guys coming in. I think our forwards — they always do a great job of being pretty aware defensively and playing as five,” Staal said. “We really focused on that before the game. … Just good structurally to get that one.”

Staal’s ice time has been steadily rising. He skated a season-high 19:10 on Saturday. And although he’s certainly not the fleetest of foot anymore at age 37, he has a positive expected goals percentage of 54.2 according to Natural Stat Trick, and at five-on-five has been on the ice for an even 12 goals for and 12 against.

Getting into a rhythm after being a frequent healthy scratch has helped.

“For sure. It’s definitely tough not playing when you’re used to being in the lineup every night your whole career so that was an adjustment,” he said. “Stayed positive and kept working and obviously getting an opportunity now and we’re playing really important games and it’s exciting for me to be back in and try to help this team win. … I’m starting to feel better on the ice, getting my legs and timing back more where I’m used to.”

When he signed a one-year deal in the offseason, the prevailing notion at the time was that Staal would be a prime candidate to get moved for, say, a mid-round draft pick ahead of the trade deadline. But Staal said on Saturday that it was always his intention to stay with the Flyers for the season, and now part of what has become a close group, he’s thrilled to be sticking around for the playoff chase.

“Been around these guys since September, I’ve definitely grown to enjoy this room and these guys and what we’re doing here,” Staal said. “Leaving really wasn’t a thought I had. You’ve just got to get in, you know? Get in the playoffs and see what happens. You never know.”

Staal knows that well as part of last season’s eighth-seeded Panthers who advanced to the Stanley Cup Final before losing to the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Flyers have to get there first, though. And in order to do that, both Johnson and Staal are going to have to play a role.

“You check your ego at the door, it’s about winning and it’s about building the culture and continuing to go on a big playoff push here,” Johnson said. “What I just told them was I’m here for whatever you need from me, here to be a good teammate, and do whatever I can for the guys.”

#nhl #nhl hockey #nhl players #erik johnson #philadelphia flyers #my eyes are red #i am crying #condor #nhl2023 2024

[burkymakar]

Alex Newhook Imagine: gratitude

Summary: Your dad works as an equipment manager for the Avalanche, and invites players to stay for Thanksgiving dinner. With the games bookending the holiday, a lot more Avalanche players are attending.  At first annoyed, you can’t help but connect to one player, Alex Newhook. Maybe this holiday dinner will be fun after all.

Word Count: 4.5k

Note: Female OC. Inspired by Ted Lasso’s “Carol of the Bells”. In this, you are Donny White’s college-aged daughter so have fun with that lol. This was supposed to be released before Thanksgiving not before *checks watch* New Year’s. Oops.

Donate

Alex Newhook’s original plan was to spend American Thanksgiving with his girlfriend’s family in Boston, but when they broke up before the season, he didn’t really consider a replacement plan. He had fun Cup celebrations to experience, and then the season to prepare for. 

Suddenly, it was mid-November and he was about to spend Thanksgiving alone.

That worried his mom, even though they were Canadian. Paula would wring her hands on FaceTime calls and be abuzz with maternal panic about him being all alone with nothing in the Colorado cold. She tried to get him to fly to Newfoundland but he didn’t see the point in adding a three and a half hour excursion to his jetlag, even if he did miss his folks. Especially since they had to play the Canucks the day before Thanksgiving and then fly to Nashville the day after only to fly back to Colorado. 

The people in charge of NHL scheduling should be shot.

He and Bowen Byram were doing laps at their apartment complex pool since Denver was getting a random day of heat before the cold snap coming. After pushing out of the pool, Alex lamented to his buddy about this bullshit. 

“Oh dude, just go to Whitey’s thing,” he said, shaking out his hair like a golden retriever. “Don’t you remember? He invited everybody. Just text him.” 

“Are you going?” Alex toweled off before sitting with him on the lounge chairs. 

“Yeah, probably. Kails has to study for finals back in Van, and I didn’t want to fly out so I told Donny I’d go. You should come. Val said it’s fun.” 

“Val goes?”

“Yeah, I think he’s a regular, he takes his wife when she’s in town. EJ’s going for dessert,” Bo said. “Frankie takes his family, including Kauter, and Georgie said he wanted to stop by since his girlfriend is back in Finland.” 

“Okay, yeah, I’ll text Donny,” Alex said, and hopefully his mom would be assuaged.

+

You hated making pie crust, it was such a pain in the ass. Every ingredient had to be at the exact right temperature mixed the exact right way. 

But you heard from your dad that some Avalanche players could attend your family’s big Thanksgiving event, and that meant more effort. And gluten-free pie.

Back from college, you were kind of annoyed your family holiday was going to be overrun with sweaty hockey boys. Your dad even said more players than ever were going to be there this year. 

It was a typical experience for most of your childhood. Your dad, Donny White, had been working with the Avalanche organization your entire life. You spent so many nights growing up going to games and hanging out in the locker rooms and playing street hockey with the players or their kids. 

Now in your last year of college, it no longer had the same glamor it once did. They were just some guys.

You had bigger things to worry about, like your upcoming finals. And this damn pie.

“Gluten-free pie should be illegal,” You griped to your younger brother DJ, a senior in high school. 

He snickered, “We should make the good shit anyway, I bet they’d be thrilled.” “I heard that.” Your mother called from the living room, vacuuming off dog hair from the sofa. “These guys are your father’s coworkers, be respectful. No swearing tonight.” “They swear on the ice,” DJ whined. 

“And they don’t swear at the dinner table,” she said primly. 

You shared a wary look with your brother but kept your mouth shut. After the pie was done and you had showered, dinner was still two hours out. Your dad and DJ were picking up your grandfather from his retirement home. Your other brothers Jimmy and Freddy were playing Mario Kart, and you were trying to fix your hair. It was dry but not styled, and then the doorbell started ring.

“Y/N, you gotta get it!” Jimmy called to you. 

“You get it!”

“No, you get it I’m about to kill Freddy!” 

“Shit, fine,” You huff and run downstairs. Your hair is still a mess and you’re in your towel and bath robe that’s covered in cartoon pickles (a gag gift from DJ several birthdays ago) and you swing open the door, not sure who you expect to see on the other side. 

Whoever it was, you certainly didn’t expect Alex Newhook. 

He stood there politely, his eyes only flitting down briefly to see your outfit before locking eyes with you. He wore a nice outfit, a good sweater, jacket, and a black hat that wasn’t a baseball cap. He looked very dapper and cute. “Hey, uh, is Whitey, I mean Donny, here? I’m Alex.”

Your face burned with a blush but you stayed composed enough to tighten your pickle bath robe. 

“Uh, hi,” You greeted. “I’m Y/N, and no he went to pick up his dad. My grandfather, I guess.” Sentences seemed so much harder for some reason. It didn’t help that Alex Newhook was cute as hell, but it was probably just because you felt caught off guard.

“Oh, am I early?” He looked around. 

“Yeah a bit, we weren’t expecting people until 5ish,” You said.

“Shit, sorry, Bo told me 4, not 5,” he said, grabbing for his phone. He cleared his throat. “Um, I can leave-”

“You’re already here,” You pointed out needlessly. He was already here, no need to make him drive again. “And it’s kinda cold, so come in.”

He stepped inside and looked around as he shucked off his jacket. “Nice house.”

“Thanks,” You said, even though you had nothing to do with it. “My mom’s getting ready, and Dad’s out.” You did not want him to follow you upstairs. Wait, you could pawn him off on your brothers. “Let me introduce you to everyone.” 

You walked him to the living room where they were playing Mario Kart loudly.

“Hey, pause it,” You said. They ignored you, so you turned off the console.

They immediately burst into an uproar but you were used to that.

“This is Alex Newhook,” You introduced. “Alex, these are my brothers, Jimmy and Freddy.”

“Wait, you won the Stanley Cup!” Jimmy said, sitting up a bit. He was the one most interested in hockey in your family besides your dad. “Wow, that’s so cool.” 

“Thanks, man,” Alex sat down next to him. “Your dad was really helpful with the run.”

Freddy didn’t care. “Do you like Mario Kart?” “Heck yeah.”

Since he seemed to be fine, you quickly snuck back to your room. You didn’t want to be babysitting a hockey player anyway.

+

Alex Newhook was abandoned by the cute girl wearing pickles with two pre-teens. Well, he liked kids so he wasn’t too put off. 

“Who do you drive as?” One of the brothers, he didn’t really get a chance to differentiate them, asked.

“I usually do Yoshi. When I play with my sister, she’s always Peach.”

“Y/N is always Peach too,” the smaller brother said. “I’m always Toad, and Jimmy is Luigi. DJ is always Mario ‘cause he’s the oldest.”

“Makes sense,” Alex said, committing to memory that the small one was Freddy and the taller one was Jimmy. “Can I play?”

“Sure!” They gave him a controller and got him set up.

Some time later, he’d gotten his ass thoroughly beat in Mario Kart twice before Y/N came down again. Now, she was wearing a nice sweater with black jeans. Your legs were really long and he should not be staring at the daughter of an equipment manager’s legs like this.

“Y/N, come join us!”

“I told Mom I’d help with the mashed potatoes,” You said. “But it looks like you’re having fun with Alex.”

“He’s awful,” Freddy said.

Alex laughed as you turned to him, eyebrow raised. 

“You don’t have to let them win, you know.” 

“I’m not,” he admitted, and Y/N finally smiled. It was a really pretty smile.

“Well, then you guys should let Alex win.”

“He already won the Stanley Cup,” Freddy whined. 

Alex choked on a laugh, “Fair, totally fair.” 

+

You were about to head back to the kitchen when a new voice called.

“Are you two still playing Mario Kart-” Your mom came down the stairs while putting in an earring. She paused at the foot of the stairs and noticed the four of you. “Oh, hello Alex.”

He looked unnerved but still charming. “Hello, Mrs. White.”

“Alex got told the wrong time,” You interjected before your mom asked for answers. “So I had the boys keep him company.”

“Oh, good. Well I’m sorry Alex, but I’m glad you made it!” She continued. “I’m Carol, Donny’s wife. Do you need anything, water, food?”

“I’m all set, thank you, Mrs. White.” 

“Carol is fine,” she waved a hand to dismiss his formality. “This won’t be some crazy strict dinner. I’m just a bit thrown, we’ve never had so many people from the team attend! Y/N, can you please help with the mashed potatoes?”

“Yeah, of course.” You walked over to the kitchen and went to get started.

“Can I help at all? I’m not much of a cook but I’m good at chopping.”

You went to deflect but your mom interjected, “Oh, that would be so helpful! Why don’t you help Y/N peel the potatoes.”

“Are the boys not going to help at all?” You asked.

“DJ is in charge of the green beans,” your mom said. “But J and F would just make a mess and we can’t have that.” 

You rolled your eyes but you did agree. They were still pretty young to be given kitchen responsibilities, especially since your mom was clearly nervous about all the people attending. Apparently, the Captain Landeskog and the good defenseman Cale were coming after dinner, bringing their families. So was EJ, who always snuck you candy when you were growing up, and the two Czech players.

But for the dinner, there was the new goalie, Valeri Nichushkin, the other rookie, and the new guy. You only knew Val’s name because he’s attended the past two Thanksgivings. That’s a lot of important people your dad works with, so you wanted to help.

You didn’t really like having a sous chef, and was afraid Alex would be underfoot. But he was actually really helpful. You were able to chat. He was about your age and also went to college, but had dropped out of his sophomore year, but commiserated with you about the experience and finals, and asked about you instead of just talking about himself.

“Do you think you’ll go back to school at some point?” You asked as you started on the sweet potatoes. To accommodate the healthy, they were having both mashed regular potatoes and mashed sweet potatoes which meant so much peeling and two burners for boiling the taters. 

“I don’t know,” he said. “I’m really happy doing hockey right now and it needs all my focus. But I liked college. My old teammate, Jack Johnson, went back to school and graduated this year. He’s, like, ancient so I might do that later on.”

“Always good to have the option,” You agreed and let the potatoes boil so they could soften. You started mixing half and half, butter, cream cheese and garlic in a large saucepan and put it on a low simmer.

“What’s that?”

“Oh, it’s the mix I use thicken up the mashed potatoes and make them creamy,” You rolled your head side to side to relax your neck. “Better if it’s warm.” He nodded. “Thanks for the help.”

“Of course, thanks for having me,” he smiled and it was a really cute smile. 

Thankfully, before you could dwell on it, he went back to your kid brothers, and your dad and other brother came by with your grandfather. The last half hour before the party was a fervent rush to find seating, set up the candles, make sure there was no evidence of living in this house. 

Eventually, people started showing up. First was Evan Rodrigues, his wife Christina and his kids Grayson and Noah. They were younger than your youngest brother, but they got on immediately, giggling and laughing and running around in the backyard even with the slight chill in the air. 

Christina brought some gluten free rolls and really nice bottles of wine, and Evan and your dad immediately went off to the TV to watch the game, talking about their fantasy football teams. 

Alexandar Georgiev, the new goalie, arrived soon after. He also brought wine and a really nice bottle of vodka for “if we party.” You loved him already.

Then Bowen Byram came, bringing two store bought apple pies and flowers for your mom. Your dad had mentioned he was injured, but he looked fine walking around. But you weren’t an expert.

“You told me the wrong time, idiot,” Newy lightly elbowed him and you bit back a smile.

Bowen huffed. “My finger slipped, di-uhhhhhhh dude,” his friend avoided swearing even though all young ears were outside.

“Well, Alex was really helpful,” You offered as you potted the flowers for your mom since she was busy plating the food with Christine. 

“Was he now?” Bowen raised his eyebrows at Alex, so Alex elbowed him with more heft this time. 

“We wanna play Nerf!” Jimmy ran back in with the other kids trailing on his heels. “Y/N, can we play Nerf?”

“Ask mom, go away,” You said. “I have to finish the potatoes and make whipped cream.” Also this was a really cute outfit and you didn’t want it to get ruined.

“Please!” Freddy whined. “You’ve been in the kitchen for-evvvvvvveerrrrrrrr.” Impressive how many syllables he made that word. Alex and Bowen just snorted. 

“I gotta keep cooking because you’d find a way to burn the whipped cream.”

Apparently not too heartbroken, they immediately turned to Alex and Bowen. “Please, Newy and Bo, please!” 

The two young hockey players readily agreed. “But you guys better have weapons, I left mine back in Canada,” Alex said, and they ran upstairs, a stampede of boys.

“I guess what they say about hockey players just being tall boys is true,” You mused aloud as you head back to the kitchen. 

 Christine laughed as you “Oh trust me, if you’re lucky, that’s the case,” she said. “Also, Nerfs are fun, Grayson adores them.” 

Before you could reply, the stampede came back down again, this time armed with plastic toy weapons and cackling with gleeful laughter. 

“Take those downstairs, I don’t want any darts on the first floor!” Your mom called, and you were taken back to your childhood in a very sweet way as the four of you ran around playing and laughing.

Smiling to yourself, you finished your mashed potatoes and went to get started on the whipped cream, but the doorbell rang.

You went to grab it, because a football-obsessed cheer and groan reverberated from the living room. 

“Sorry for late. I stop by Russian bakery and grab Kartoshka,” Valeri held up a box. 

“All good,” You assured. “Come on in. Everyone’s watching football.”

He nodded and followed you into the kitchen where he greeted your mom. 

“Hello,” he greeted and set the box down. “I go watch football.”

“Sounds good,” You said and got the whipped cream put together. You made it the best in your entire family.

That should be the last of the interruptions. You went to go put out some more snacks in the living room but heard raucous laughter before getting hit with a dart on your shoulder blade.

You whipped around and saw Alex and Jimmy behind you, frozen in guilt but weapons still raised. The rest of the herd of boys stormed up after, promptly 

A Nerf dart laid at your feet. 

“Sorry, Y/N,” Alex said. It looked like he meant it but he was also about to laugh, the giggles pulling at the corners of his mouth.

“Can I borrow that?” You asked Jimmy.

Since Jimmy adored you, he handed you the Nerf gun.

You stepped back a bit since you weren’t a total bitch, and shot Alex Newhook dead center. 

+

Alex Newhook admired how Y/N just immediately gave it back instead of complaining, not moving as the dart hit him and bounced off his chest. Once it hit the floor, he dramatically grabbed at his heart and staggered backwards. “Ah, I’ve been hit! Write sonnets about my bravery!” Then he collapsed on a heap to the floor. 

He heard Y/N’s voice amongst the laughter of all the boys before Mrs. White called out, “Dinner’s ready! Everyone to the dining room.”

“C’mon, drama queen,” Bowen helped him up. “We’ll write songs to you later.”

There were all these little name cards set up. There were five seats at the kid’s table, including DJ who joined the Nerf battle late. 

But Alex was sitting next to you. 

There were a lot of people, so everyone was all scrunched up. His thigh often found itself resting against yours, but you never pulled away so he didn’t either. The conversations were lively, jumping around the Denver housing market and football and TV shows. Mrs. White nixed all talk of hockey, saying it was a holiday and therefore a vacation. But the conversation never dwindled. 

Val was on Y/N’s other side, and he watched as you made a concerted effort to include him and speak slowly enough he could understand. He joined those conversations when he could, but also talked to Erod about the culture shock of moving to Denver and going from college hockey to NHL hockey.

The food was delicious, but he made sure to not eat so much with the game the next day. But he did have some of the apple pie (it’s a FRUIT) with your whipped cream. Holy hell it was good.

Bo and Val didn’t have the worry of playing tomorrow, the injured bastards, and they had two servings of dessert. Once they were full-contact, he was going to hit them into the boards during their practices.

The kids table seemed like they were having fun. Once the food coma took over, all the kids piled into the living room as the others arrived. 

Gabe Landeskog gave Y/N a big hug, and you got to hug Luke and pinch his cheeks as Linnea practically climbed up his own leg. He had no idea how you knew everybody. 

EJ arrived a bit later, carrying three bottles of Screaming Eagle. Like the captain, he gave you a hug and joked about your height. Cale came by with his girlfriend shortly after. He loved talking to her, she was always kind. Cale was quiet and respectful, but he and Donny got into an in-depth discussion on which quarterback they should start for fantasy.

Frankie ended up texting they weren’t going to make it but he sends his best. 

The conversations continued and split and converged. More dessert was eaten. Some of the kids curled up in the guest bedroom to nap. Georgiev and Val spoke in Russian, but joined the others as well. Carol, Gabe, and DJ spoke about the latest episode of White Lotus. Mel, EJ, Christine, and Bo talked about the price differences of wine. 

You and Alex spoke mostly about crazy college courses you took, and weird essay topics you had to write. Cale jumped in at that point, discussing his own essays. 

It was fun to be involved in the convos, even though the topics seemed kind of distant. They spoke of dating and moving and trades, and the housing market (again?!). He was single and in the same apartment complex the team had provided for him. 

Just when Alex thought he should maybe get going and not overstay his welcome, you turned to him. “C’mon, we’ll go to the kids table and go to our next tradition.”

“What’s that?” He asked, the two of you breaking off from the conversation. 

“We play hide and seek,” You said. “It’s cutthroat. You may not survive.”

He grinned, sated and full but always down to compete. “Sounds fun.” He turned to Bo. “Wanna play?”

“Hell yeah.” 

Alex, Y/N, Bo, and DJ snuck off to see the kids watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. “C’mon, kiddos,” Y/N muted the show. “We’re gonna play Hide and Seek. Wanna play?”

The kids perked up. Linnea and Luke were already asleep, as was Noah, but Grayson was ready to play even though he was younger than 5.  

Y/N knelt down to their seated level. “Okay, we got some rules though. You all willing to play by the rules?” The kids nodded ever so seriously. Alex couldn’t help but grin. 

“You guys playing Hide and Seek again?” EJ came by. “I wanna play.”

“You don’t play by the rules,” Y/N said. 

EJ wrapped you in a bear hug and a weird, sudden stab of jealousy sliced at Alex that he immediately pushed down. That came out of nowhere. Besides, you were, like, ten years younger than the big defenseman.

“I’ll behave I swear.” 

“Doubt it,” Alex and Bo muttered at the same time before they all shared a laugh.

“Here are the rules,” Y/N began, your voice commanding but kind for all the kids. “You can hide anywhere in the house except a bedroom. If a room has a bed in it, you can’t hide there. No locking doors, you hide fair and square. No moving spots once the five minutes has passed. The seeker has to wait five minutes before taking off to find people. Once you’re found by the seeker, you join them in the search. If you’re found last or not found within an hour, you win and the winner gets ice cream.”

“Who’s the seeker?” Bo asked.

“EJ should do it, he’s the oldest,” DJ said. 

“Works for me, I’m too tall to fit where you kiddos can,” EJ said. 

“And you broke our cabinet last year,” Y/N added. Alex laughed in shock.

“Accidentally,” he clarified then paused. “Hey wait, as the seeker don’t I get ice cream?” “You can get ice cream,” You placated.

“We probably don’t need it,” Alex said. “Game tomorrow, bud.” 

EJ groaned. “Ugh fair, I’m taking mine to go.” He pulled out his phone and set up a five minute timer. “And... go!” 

And everyone took off. 

+

You booked it down to the basement, the smartest place to hide. You couldn’t hide in the guest bedroom as per rules, but you could hide in the large steam shower in the bathroom. With the lights off, you’d be nothing more than a shadow. And maybe people would dismiss it as being close to the bedroom. Most people went for cabinets and closets. Jimmy usually hid in the DVD and board game closet on the first floor. But you tried to change it up. Last year, you hid under a stack of blankets in the laundry room and were only found because your Duolingo notification happened when your dad was the seeker. 

To make sure you’d stay in the dark, you quickly undid the three light bulbs and hid them in the 

You put your phone on it’s darkest brightness and sat with your back against the wall with the door on it so you wouldn’t be seen. You knew from course reading that people looked for eyes in the darkness so you used that to your advantage. 

Just as you felt settled you found the perfect spot and that EJ would be too stupid to find you as the minutes counted down, the door burst open before shutting quickly. You closed your phone, and tried to quiet your breathing.

The lightswitch flicked on and off uselessly and the sauna door opened. 

Alex Newhook peeked his head in and went to make a sound. Acting on pure instinct, you slapped your hand over his mouth and pulled him into the steam shower. 

“Hi,” he said once you removed your hand. His smile was lazy and good-natured. “Wasn’t expecting that.”

“Hide and Seek is serious,” You said, slightly sheepish. “You’ll have to hide with me, we’re almost out of time.”

“Works with me.” He sat across from you. There was less than three feet between you so the whisper carried. “Smart move to take out the bulbs, you’re ruthless.”

You smiled at him then realized he probably couldn’t see you. “Thanks.”

His low chuckle was bright in the darkness. 

“Do you think EJ is gonna cheat?” You found yourself asking.

“I wouldn’t put it past him,” Alex acknowledged. “He’s a competitive bastard. We all are.” 

“Probably best in your line of work,” You acknowledged back. In the distance, there was maniacal laughter and one of your brothers shouting “NO!” dejectedly. You went quiet, and so did Alex.

Once the noise quieted down, you pulled out your phone with the brightness still low and checked Instagram. Your college roommate sent you a ridiculous AITA post so you chuckled as you read it.

“What’s so funny?” 

“An ‘Am I The Asshole’ about this 100,000 dollar wedding dress getting destroyed for a TikTok.”

His laugh was shocked and quick. “Holy shit, can I see?”

You nodded and he moved over to sit next to you on the bench. He read over your shoulder, and you watched his reaction in the faint glow of your phone screen. 

He turned to you, “That was funny-” and then cut off as your faces bumped into each other. 

“It was,” You whispered, not just because of the game. 

Not exactly sure who made the first move, you both leaned forward and met in the middle. The kiss was sudden but deep and you quickly clutched onto his sweater as his hand cupped your jaw. His hand was big, sturdy and warm as it gently held you to him.

Your fingers tightened on his sweater and he pulled you closer. Without thinking, you climbed onto his lap and his other hand moved to your hip as a low groan rumbled from his throat.

The door to the steam shower slammed open, and you and Alex pulled apart.

Erik Johnson stared at the two of you as you froze in fear, and then he snorted. “Oh boy, you’re dead, Al.” His laugh followed him out of the room, shutting the door to the bathroom behind him.

“Well, we were found.” Alex pointed out slowly. “So I guess we lost. Which may not be the only thing I lose tonight if he’s right.” 

You tried not to laugh. EJ maybe had a point. Your dad could kill him for making out with his daughter at their Thanksgiving party, but he wasn’t one of those shotgun dads. He knew you were an adult, a woman with bodily autonomy. 

“I wasn’t that interested in playing the game anymore,” You said.

“Me neither,” he said and kissed you again.

Note: thank you for reading! masterlist here!

#mywriting #alex newhook imagine #nhl imagine #colorado avalanche imagine #hockey imagine #alex newhook

[eightmakar]

coming home | j.t.c. | 18+

Pairing: J.T. Compher x Original Character

Word Count: 12.2k

Warnings: cursing, drinking, smut (dry humping, dirty talk, making out) MINORS DNI

A/N: idk where this came from but enjoy the yearning i tried

tagging: @taking-shots @harlowhockeystick  @flashyfucker  @fallinallincurls  @jostystyles  @jostyriggslover96 @burkymakar @cuttergauth @matbaerzal @hockeylvr59  @hockstuff @tkachukslut  @mikkorantanev  @gabelandeskog @cale8makar @xsyntheticsensation

Connor Maddox’s grandfather always used to tell her, “Whenever Joseph Compher wants to practice on our ice, you let him. That kid is going to bring home the Cup one day.” She idolized her grandfather, respected every word he ever spoke, and so she spent her adolescence opening the rink for the soft-spoken yet snarky older boy with the big, brown eyes who always brought her a hot chocolate with Irish Cream, no matter what time of day it was. 

And there he was on her television screen, hoisting the Stanley Cup over his head. Her grandfather would be proud. 

“Hey Connor?” her employee, Robin, asked. 

“Yeah, what’s up?” Connor looked up at her from her desk. 

“There’s, um, there’s someone on the phone who wants to talk to the manager. He wants to have an event here or something.”

“Okay, thanks!” Connor picked up the phone as Robin left her office. “Hello?”

“Hi, is this the manager?”

Connor’s stomach dropped. She would recognize Joseph Compher’s voice anywhere. 

J.T., Connor reminded herself. He goes by J.T..

“Yes, this is Connor, how can I help you?”

“Hey Connor, my name is J.T. Compher and I play for the Colorado Avalanche. I, uh, I grew up in Northbrook and basically learned everything I know at your rink, so I’d like to bring the Stanley Cup over and have a big celebration on my cup day,” J.T. explained. 

“Yeah, we can do that for you, J.T.,” Connor said, smiling but wondering if he recognized her voice. He might recognize her last name, and he’d definitely remember her if she reminded him what her nickname was when they played hockey together.

“Thank you so much!” J.T. sighed. “We want to do a fundraiser as well, raise some money for the community, you know, give back a little.”

“We’d appreciate that a lot, truly. Let me give you my cell number and we can work this out together, sound good?” Connor suggested. 

“That’s perfect, Connor, thank you.”

Connor gave him her number, wondering if he still had it in his phone from all those times he’d call her late at night or early in the morning, begging her to open the rink so he could skate. She bid him goodbye, then immediately called her dad.

“Hey, kiddo, what’s up?” Connor’s dad, Tom, answered. 

“Remember Joseph Compher?” Connor questioned. 

“You mean Stanley Cup Champion Joseph Compher? Yeah, of course.”

“He wants to have part of his Cup day celebrations at the rink.”

Tom gasped, incredulous. “He wants to bring the Stanley Cup to our rink? Did you tell him yes?”

“Of course I did. Pops would’ve rolled over in his grave if I didn’t. He wants to do a fundraiser and I think I could get him to make a donation to the rink, too.”

“Did he remember you?”

Connor gnawed on her lip, and muttered, “I don’t think so, but I didn’t tell him my last name. I wanna see how long it takes him to realize it’s me.”

“Ah, a test to see if he’s still worthy after all these years?” Tom chuckled. 

Connor laughed back, “I hate you!”

“He’s still a good-looking guy, Con,” her dad insisted. “With a hell of a salary.”

“Goodbye, Father.” Connor rolled her eyes and hung up on her dad to get back to work. She checked her cell phone to see a text from J.T.. She realized he hadn’t changed his number, and she hadn’t changed his contact number since high school. 

July 1st

Joseph The Idiot (12:43 PM)

Hey Connor, this is J.T. Compher. Wanted to say thanks again for helping us set this up. Your rink means the world to me and it’s going to be so special to share the Cup with Northbrook!

Connor (12:45 PM)

No problem! Excited to work this out!

July 2nd

Joseph The Idiot (11:21 AM)

I’ve confirmed my cup day is the 15th, is that okay?

Connor (11:24 AM)

Yes, that’s perfect! What are you wanting to do at the rink specifically?

Joseph The Idiot (11:30 AM)

I would love to be able to talk a bit to the people that come to the event

Also a photo op of some sort, definitely

I’m working with the Bluehawks too, cause I played for them, and there will be a lot of kids there.

Connor (11:35 AM)

Okay, so we could put carpet down on the ice? And chairs and such for the kids, for any of your family members, other important people?

If you wanted, too, we could have the photo op on the ice

Joseph The Idiot (11:37 AM)

That would be amazing!

I think we’d probably be there about a couple hours or so based on the tentative schedule.

Late morning to early afternoon, probably 11:30 to 1:30 or something like that

Does that work?

Connor (11:40 AM)

Yeah, we can make that work. We have a couple parties that night, but that should be fine.

Joseph The Idiot (11:41 AM)

We’ll help you guys clean up and get ready for those parties.

Connor (11:42 AM)

You don’t have to!

But we would appreciate it anyway :)

Joseph The Idiot (11:43 AM)

It’s the least we can do!

I’ll also be making a donation. I know you guys have some repairs you want to make, and I would love to contribute to that

Plus the youth hockey programs

Connor (11:47 AM)

We’d appreciate both of those donations!

I’m one of the youth hockey coaches

Joseph The Idiot (11:49 AM)

Really? That’s incredible! What team?

Connor (11:50 AM)

The U12 and U19 girls teams! I help out with the U14s and the U16s too.

Joseph The Idiot (11:51 AM)

My sisters both used to play for the girls’ teams. I’m so glad to hear they’re still going strong!

Connor (11:52 AM)

I’m glad to report it :)

July 4th

Joseph The Idiot (2:28 PM)

Happy Fourth!

Connor (2:38 PM)

Happy Fourth back atcha!

Joseph The Idiot (3:00 PM)

Think we could get some epic fireworks for the 15th?

Connor (3:07 PM)

Ha, in the middle of the day?

Joseph The Idiot (3:09 PM)

Damn, you’ve got me there

July 6th

Joseph The Idiot (6:58 PM)

How’s the planning going? Anything you need from me?

Connor (7:00 PM)

Nope, not as far as I know! We’re just making sure we have the staff to be able to host.

Joseph The Idiot (7:03 PM)

Great! Let me know how I can help!

Connor (7:04 PM)

Will do! :)

July 8th

Connor (4:43 PM)

Do you have decorations you want put up?

Joseph The Idiot (4:44 PM)

Oh shit, yes

I’m in Colorado right now, but can I have one of my family members bring them over?

Connor (4:46 PM)

Sure! Have them drop it at the front desk

Joseph The Idiot (4:47 PM)

God, you’re a lifesaver!

July 11th

Joseph The Idiot (5:41 PM)

Everything still good?

Connor (5:43 PM)

Yep, all good! 

July 14th

Joseph The Idiot (9:07 PM)

See you tomorrow!

Connor (9:08 PM)

See you tomorrow! The rink is all ready to go!

July 15th

Joseph The Idiot (8:11 AM)

[image]

Pancakes taste even better from the Stanley Cup.

Connor (8:12 AM)

I bet they do, save some for me?

Joseph The Idiot (8:13 AM)

One to go box, got it.

[image]

I’m pretty sure this violates the “don’t take a date to bed on the first date” rule, but when else could I take Lord Stanley to my childhood bedroom?

Connor  (8:15 AM)

At least you took him to breakfast beforehand. 

“Does this shirt look okay?” Connor smoothed down her burgundy blouse nervously. She’d picked it out specifically for today, because it was one of the Avalanche’s colors.

“Why? Nervous to see your boyfriend?” Connor’s younger sister, Corissa, teased. 

Connor stuck her tongue out at Corissa. “I’m ninety percent sure he has a girlfriend. Plus, he doesn’t remember me, so that would be awkward.”

“So? What if he shows up today and confesses his love for you?”

“I—,” Connor blushed at the thought. High school memories of him flashed through her head; watching him zip by her on the ice, scoring his games, looking up to see him watching her games she played with his sisters, Jesse and Morgan. She remembered how much she wanted to kiss him when his face was flushed and sweaty after a game. 

“I’m just saying, if you suddenly have to sneak away to your office with him, I’ll cover for you guys,” Corissa said seriously.

“Jesus Christ, Cori,” Connor laughed. “I’m not going to fuck him at the rink!”

Corissa wiggled her eyebrows. “But maybe after?”

Connor shoved her sister and cackled, “Fuck off! I’ve gotta go. I’ll see you over there?”

“Yes ma’am,” Corissa saluted. “See you at the rink.”

Connor left her and her sister’s house and made the short drive to the Northbrook Sports Center. Her hands shook as she drove, pulling into her designated space and barely staying between the lines. She saw a gaggle of people in front of the building, several of them with the telltale Compher-red hair, and unmistakable number thirty-seven white Avalanche jersey. 

Oh fuck, Connor thought. She wasn’t ready to see him yet, hadn’t mentally prepared to see J.T. after so many years, but there he was, standing at the front door of the rink like he was fifteen and waiting for her bike over to let him in. He looked good, much taller and much broader than she remembered him being. 

Connor took a deep breath and clambered out of her car. She nearly tripped, cursing the heels she’d chosen to wear. She popped her trunk, grabbed her backpack, and walked over to meet the Compher family. 

“Hey guys,” Connor greeted them as she came to a stop in front of the family she was once so familiar with. “I’m Connor.”

“Holy fuck,” J.T. breathed, sounding shocked. Connor saw Jesse elbow Morgan behind their brother, but her focus remained on J.T. as he said, “Duck?”

Connor pressed her lips together, but couldn’t hold her smile back. “I didn’t know if you’d remember,” she said quietly. “Hey, Seph. It’s good to see you.”

“Holy shit!” J.T. opened his arms and pulled Connor into a strong hug, allowing her to wrap her arms around his waist. God, he’d gotten so ripped. “I thought you were the Connor I was talking to, but I didn’t know your family still owned the rink after your grandpa.” He let her go but they stayed close together. 

“Yeah, he, uh, he wanted to make sure we kept it, so he left us a lot of money to keep it going,” Connor explained. “I didn’t know if you’d remember me, either, and I didn’t want it to seem like suddenly you came back with the Cup and now we’re friends again.”

“I’d never think that,” J.T. said, barely audible, but was interrupted by Jesse loudly clearing her throat. 

“Quit flirting and let us all say hi, J,” she said, pushing past him to hug Connor. 

“There’s the Jesse I remember,” Connor laughed. “It’s even better to see you than it is to see Joseph. And Morgan, of course!” Connor released Jesse to hug Morgan, then Valerie and Bob.

“Um,” J.T. said, reaching for a plastic bag behind him with a coffee cup next to it. Connor’s heart pounded as he handed them both to her sheepishly. “I said I’d bring you some of Mom’s pancakes, so here. And just in case it was you,” he glanced over at Jesse, who smirked, “I got a hot chocolate with Irish Cream.”

Connor was stunned. He really remembered. Holy shit. 

“Who had to remind you?” Connor teased, taking the cup and bag. “Jesse or Morgan?”

J.T. chuckled. “I remembered myself, thank you very much.”

“Wow, I’m impressed you had the brain cells to remember after all the partying you’ve done since you won the Cup!” Connor grinned and unlocked the door. She yanked it open and J.T. caught it for her. 

“You know what,” he said, “you’ve got me there. For a while there my blood was just straight alcohol.”

 Connor laughed as she walked into the rink, her second home. She flicked on the lights, then went around unlocking everything as the Comphers looked around nostalgically. They had their heads together, speaking softly, when she returned to them. 

“So all your decorations are up,” Connor said. “And there’s a bunch of chairs on the ice, plus the backdrop for photos and a table for the cup and everything.”

“This is perfect, honestly,” J.T. told her. “Thank you so much.”

“Yeah, of course! My grandpa always said that you’d bring a Cup home,” said Connor sadly. 

“I was really sorry to hear that he’d passed. He was a great person.”

Connor noticed that the rest of the Comphers had suspiciously left them alone, but she didn’t mind. She always loved the time they spent alone at the rink, and standing next to J.T. reminded her how much she’d enjoyed it. 

“It sucked, I’m not gonna lie,” Connor agreed sadly and took a drink of her hot chocolate.

“What, uh, what happened, if you don’t mind?”

“Cancer.”

“Fuck, Connor, I’m so sorry.”

Connor shrugged, “We knew it was coming. He’d been struggling for a while, and we were just glad he wasn’t in pain.”

J.T. shifted nervously on his feet, looking like he wanted to do something to comfort her, but ultimately opting not to. Instead, he said, “I’m glad he’s not suffering anymore.”

“Me too. He left Dad the rink, plus some money to keep it going, and then when I graduated from college, I took over running it. Dad is technically the owner still, but I keep everything going since Dad has his own job.” Connor gnawed on her lip, wondering if she was telling him too much too quickly, but he didn’t seem to mind.

“Where did you end up going?” J.T. questioned. 

“Northwestern,” Connor said with a sly grin.

J.T. grinned back at her. “You always wanted to go to Northwestern.”

“And I did it. My degree is in my office,” Connor laughed, “also known as my most expensive piece of paper.”

“You’re doing better than I did,” J.T. laughed, too. “I don’t even have a degree.”

“Okay Mr. Three Million Dollar Contract.”

“Actually,” J.T. corrected, “Three and a half million. For four years.”

Connor shoved her old friend, laughing, “Show off.”

“You could’ve played pro, too, Duck.”

“What?” Connor looked incredulously at him.

“Yeah, you could’ve easily gone to play in the PHF. Jesse’s playing at Wisconsin in the fall, and I’m pretty sure she’s going pro after. I bet you could still keep up with her.”

“Seph,” Connor said quietly. “I can’t. I have to keep the rink going.”

“I mean, you could,” he insisted. 

“Con,” Jesse interrupted loudly as she, Morgan, and their parents rejoined them, “thanks for setting this all up. Everything looks great!”

“Thanks, Jess,” Connor said with a smile. “We have a place for your medal, too, if you want.”

“I won’t leave it out, but I brought it if you want to see it,” Jesse said, reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a sock, reached into it, and removed her shining Olympic silver medal. Jesse offered it to a gaping Connor. 

“Jesus, you trust me to hold it?” Connor laughed. 

“It’s Jesse, not Jesus, and yes.” Jesse nearly shoved her medal into Connor’s hands as Connor laughed at her joke. 

“Oh my god, it’s heavy!” Connor yelped, admiring the medal. “But look at her.”

“Wait til you see the Cup,” J.T. added. 

“Damn, you really saw your sister win a silver medal in the Olympics, said ‘Hold my beer,’ and won the fucking Stanley Cup. You couldn’t let her outshine you, huh, Seph?” Connor chirped with a grin.

J.T. shrugged. “Nope, couldn’t let her have all the attention.”

Valerie walked over and joined them to say, “I think the Cup just got here, J.”

J.T., his family, and Connor all went outside to get the Cup. J.T. grinned when he pulled it out of its case, and Connor was struck by how shiny it was. 

“Wow,” she breathed.

“You wanna hold it?” J.T. offered.

“I’m allowed to?”

“Absolutely.”

J.T. handed her the Stanley Cup and she gasped a little at how heavy it was. She’d always had the arm strength of a Tyrannosaurus rex, so J.T. helped her hold it over her head while Morgan took their picture. J.T. stood so close to Connor, she could feel his heart pounding. Why was he nervous?

“I think folks are gonna start showing up soon,” Connor said. “So I should get inside. Let me know if you need anything, any of you, okay?” Connor looked at J.T.’s whole family.

“We will.” J.T. wrapped his arms around Connor again, and she returned the sentiment, looking up at him in his arms while he mumbled to her, “I’m damn glad to see you, Duck.”

“I’m damn glad you remember me, Seph. You didn’t get too big for your britches and forget one of your childhood friends.” She thought for a moment, then added, “But you don’t go by Joseph anymore, so I should probably stop calling you ‘Seph,’ huh?”

“Please don’t stop calling me Seph,” he nearly whispered.

“Okay,” Connor whispered back. She stared at his lips and wondered how his beard would feel against her face. He’d shaved it recently, and she was glad; his playoff beard was looking ratty.

“Okay,” J.T. repeated. He was looking down at her, some glint of something in his dark eyes that Connor couldn’t identify. Joy? Guilt? Admiration? She couldn’t figure it out. 

“I’ve gotta go,” she said quickly, but didn’t want to let go.

“I do too,” J.T. sadly agreed. “But I’ll see you later.” He gave her one final squeeze, then released her and disappeared into the rink, leaving Connor alone.

“What the fuck is happening?” Connor muttered to herself, covering her face with her hands. Her heart was pounding, her hands shaking, all for Joseph Compher. All because Joseph Compher remembered her, remembered her nickname and her hot chocolate and her. He remembered her.

“Yo, why are you out here?”

Connor removed her face from her hands to see Corissa walking up to her. She relaxed her body, and sighed, “Corissa.”

Corissa raised an eyebrow at her. “Connor. What is it?”

“He remembered,” Connor whispered. 

“Shut the fuck up,” Corissa said loudly with a big grin.

“He remembered,” she whispered again, almost trying to convince herself that it was still real. “I walked up, and he called me ‘Duck,’ Cori. He brought me hot chocolate with Irish Cream.”

“Shut the fuck up!” Corissa repeated, her grin growing. 

“And Jesse and Morgan kept, like, elbowing each other and smirking at him and stuff. Like I said, ‘Hey Seph,’ and Jesse elbowed Morgan. Like they’d talked about it too,” Connor added.

“Bro,” Corissa said excitedly, “he’s into you! He so is!” 

Connor shrugged. “He's just being nice. We have history.”

“Sure, if that’s what you wanna call it, then call it history.”

“C’mon, we’ve gotta get inside. People are coming soon,” Connor tried to divert her sister. 

“We’ll talk about this later,” Corissa said as they walked into the rink. 

People began showing up shortly after that, and then Connor began running around like a chicken with her head cut off trying to keep things going smoothly. She hardly saw any of the Comphers, let alone J.T., during the ceremony, during the photo ops, during the whole event. She didn’t even get to see J.T. raise the Cup for the youth teams, including her girls, which made her sad, but she knew there would be video. She ended up back in her office as the event finished, and emerged when everyone had left. 

“Duck,” J.T. said happily when they finally saw each other. “We missed you.”

We? Or I? Connor thought.

“I missed you guys too,” she replied, “but I had about a million little fires to put out. How’d it go?”

“Really good. It was awesome,” J.T. said with a soft smile. “I think the kids loved it.”

“I’m sure, my girls have been talking nonstop about it, and I know I haven’t heard the end of it.” 

“I, uh, I would be happy to come to practice and hang out with them,” J.T. offered. “I’ve gotta go back to Denver for a bit, but I’ll be back. I could probably drag Jesse, too.”

“You’d do that?” asked Connor incredulously. An NHL Player making time to come work with her girls would make them so excited, especially J.T..

“For you, Duck? Anything.” J.T. reached out and put a hand on her arm.

Connor swallowed hard, her heart pounding in her throat, her stomach in knots. God, he’d grown up so well, had such broad shoulders, such nice lips. “Seph,” she mumbled. “Thank you.”

“I owe you an apology, too,” J.T. said, looking at the floor but keeping his hand on her. “For not texting or calling once I left. College got in the way, but that isn’t an excuse.”

“It’s okay, Seph, really—.”

“It’s not, Connor, I ghosted you. You were one of my best friends, you let me on the ice whenever I asked, and then I dipped. And I’m sorry for that.” He licked his lips and looked her in the eyes. “I’m so sorry.”

“I forgive you,” Connor whispered. “I could’ve called, too.”

“It’s not your fault, Duck. Let me make it up to you. Come out with us tonight.” J.T. pushed a strand of curly hair behind Connor’s ear. 

“Seph—.”

“Please?” His eyes were wide and hopeful. 

“I have to run parties tonight.”

“We’ll be out most of the night. Come join us when you’re done.”

“Don’t you have a girlfriend?” Connor blurted out suddenly.

J.T. was stunned, blinking at her. “I did,” he said slowly, “but it didn’t work out.”

“Oh.”

“And you don’t have a boyfriend, right?”

Connor’s cheeks burned. “No,” she simply answered, instead of the complicated answer that she usually gave, which was that she’d never dated anyone before. None of them were J.T., none of them came close to him, and even years after they’d stopped talking, she couldn’t help but compare every man to him. 

“Perfect. I’m gonna be honest with you, I’m gonna be smashed, but I’ll have Morg or Jess make sure you get the address of the bar we’re at. Or you can call drunk J.T., but I don’t think you’ll get very much out of him,” J.T. grinned. 

Connor half-smiled back at him. “We’ll see.”

“J!” Valerie Compher called from the door. “We’ve gotta get going!”

“Okay!” J.T. shouted back at his mom, then turned back to Connor. “Please come out with us. You don’t have to drink, I just want to spend time with you. Please.”

“I’ll have to go home and change, but I will.”

“Pinky promise?” J.T. held out his pinky, like he used to when they were kids. 

“Pinky promise,” Connor said, taking his pinky in hers and pressing their thumbs together.

J.T.’s grin returned. “I’ll see you tonight.”

July 15th

Joseph The Idiot (9:43 PM)

whereeeeearrreeeee youuuuuuuuu

you pinky promised you’d come out and you aren’t here yet :(

I’m the saddest ginger boy ever

Joseph The Idiot (9:55 PM)

Duckyyyyyyyyyyyy

I want to see your face

I went too long without your face

And I need it now

Joseph The Idiot (10:01 PM)

Birthday parties are sooooo lameeesee

Come party with me instead

I’m hotter

I’m cooler than birthday kids anyway

And I have the cup

Joseph The Idiot (10:15 PM)

I miss you

Pease come dancr wth me

Joseph The Idiot (10:24 PM)

do u temembre th pRty o took yoh ti

whwre wd olayes 7 munutes in haeven 

Qnd yiu kixxed Alrx Smuth 

I qas sooooiiiiiioooo jeslius 

Connor (10:38 PM)

Oh boy, you’re having fun

It was later than she’d expected she’d be when Connor texted Jesse and Morgan asking what bar they were at. Morgan answered quickly, and Connor hopped in an Uber to meet them at a local rooftop bar.

She walked out onto the roof to see J.T. and several friends chugging beers. He got about halfway through the beer, then poured the rest of it over his head and cheered. The crowd around him cheered, too.

“Ducky!” he hollered, stumbling over to Connor. She caught him as he nearly tripped, and somehow ended up with his hands on her face. 

“Hi,” she greeted him, stifling a laugh.

“‘M sooooo glad you showed up,” J.T. slurred heavily, his wide, blown-out eyes struggling to focus on her, his cheeks tinged with pink. 

“Oh yeah? Have you had any water?”

“Noooo,” J.T. shook his head and shouted. “I don’ need water!”

“Okay, big guy,” Connor chuckled. “Can I come in and get a drink?”

J.T.’s brow furrowed. “Bu’ you don’ drink.”

“It’s your Cup party, Seph, I’m gonna have a drink.”

A big, drunken grin came over his face and he turned over his shoulder and shouted, “DUCKY NEEDS A DRINK!” He wrapped a long, strong arm around Connor’s shoulder and escorted her over to the bar. 

“Con!” Jesse squealed. Connor didn’t think she’d ever hear Jesse’s voice in that octave, but had there been any dogs around, they may have started howling. “You made it!”

“I did!” 

“Ducky needs a drink!” J.T. repeated, more to the bartender than anyone else.

“What can I get you?” the bartender intentionally asked Connor. J.T. wandered off somewhere, and Connor knew she’d catch him in a second.

“Smart woman,” Connor laughed. 

The bartender shrugged and said, “I like to get paid.”

Connor laughed again. “Understandable. I’d like two shots of vodka with Coke, please. And whatever they’ve been pouring into the Cup to drink.”

“Got it.” The bartender began making her drink and asked, “So you’re Ducky?”

“Oh, God,” Connor rolled her eyes and muttered. “What’s he been saying?”

“Every time he’s gotten a drink, he’s told me you’re coming,” the bartender laughed. “Seems like someone’s got a little crush.”

Connor’s face flushed bright red. “We’re just friends,” she insisted. 

“Does he know that? You know what they say, drunk words are sober thoughts.” The bartender slid her a bottle of Bud Light and her spiked Coke.

“Thanks,” Connor said sheepishly. “We haven’t seen each other in years, by the way. We were close as kids and in high school, then he went to college and we lost touch.”

“I’m guessing your name isn’t Ducky, right? Where’d that come from?”

“My last name is Maddox, and when he was a kid, he misspelled it M-a-d-d-u-c-k-s. It just stuck.” Connor pulled out a twenty dollar bill and slid it over to her.

“Oh, it’s covered already,” the bartender said, trying to push it back.

“I know,” Connor replied. “That’s for you. I don’t know if any of these dumbasses have tipped you or not.”

The bartender smiled, shoved the twenty in her apron, and said, “I appreciate it very much. You let me know if you need anything else.”

“And you let me know who doesn’t tip. I’ll make sure he tips you enough to make up for it.” Connor picked up her drinks and walked over to J.T., who was hugging the Cup with Morgan. 

“Ducky!” he said in surprise, like he’d forgotten she was there. “I’m soooooo glad to see you.”

“I’m glad to see you too, Seph,” Connor replied, bemused. “I got this beer just so I could drink it out of the Cup, by the way. Can you help me?”

“Fuck yes!” J.T. yelled. “Morg, help me out.”

J.T. took the beer from Connor, cracked it open, and poured it into the Stanley Cup. He and Morgan carefully picked up the Cup as Connor bent down to one knee. Connor quickly handed Jesse her drink and her phone to take a video, and once Jesse was set and recording, Morgan and J.T. began to pour the beer from the Cup into Connor’s mouth. Connor grabbed the edge of the Cup to steady it, gulping down the frothy, amber liquid. It quickly splashed over her face and down her chest, and Connor was silently thankful she’d worn a romper with a black top. 

The crowd around her cheered as the last drops of beer flew out of the Cup and onto Connor’s face. J.T. and Morgan lifted the Cup up, and placed it back on its pedestal. Connor turned to Jesse, arms up in the air, and cheered as she continued to record. Jesse laughed and handed Connor’s phone and drink back to her. 

Connor suddenly felt herself being lifted into the air. She looked down to see J.T.’s grinning face as he spun her around 

“That was sick!” he exclaimed, putting her back down and wobbling on his own feet. “Oh good, you got a drink.”

Connor gulped down her spiked Coke. “Yeah, something to get the beer taste out of my mouth,” she laughed. 

“Let’s dance, Ducky!” J.T. grabbed her hand and tugged her over to the dance floor. He held both of her hands in his as they began to dance, just swaying and bouncing their bodies to the beat of the rap song playing over the speakers that Connor didn’t know and J.T. pretended to know.

Connor noticed J.T. kept licking his lips and looking at her. She swore he was looking at her lips, but he was so drunk she had no idea. J.T. pulled her in close to his body and Connor turned around to grind her ass on him instead. Why not tease him a bit?

“Oh shit,” J.T. groaned softly.

Connor brought his hands to her hips. He gripped her hard, but it felt nice. Connor had daydreamed about grinding on him at school dances every year in high school, and she wondered how mortified High School Connor would be to see Adult Connor living her dream. 

J.T. nuzzled his nose into Connor’s shoulder and neck. She froze when she felt his lips brush her skin.

“Why’d you stop?” J.T. whined, pulling at her hips.

“Did you kiss my shoulder?” Connor asked, glancing behind her. 

“Yeah,” J.T. shrugged. “I wanna kiss more of you but I can’t.”

Connor’s body went cold and she turned around in his arms, which he wrapped around the small of her back. “What?”

J.T.’s eyes fell to her lips again as he slurred, “I wanna kiss all of you. You look like you wanna leave, please don’ leave. I haven’ seen you in years and now you’re here and I wanna kiss you.”

“Joseph, you’re really drunk, and you’re definitely not gonna remember this in the morning,” Connor said. She put her hands on his chest, but she knew if he tried to kiss her, she would let him. 

“I can’ stop thinkin’ about you,” he said slowly. “I want you all the time. You know I dreamed about you las’ night? I dreamed I saw you and I kissed you and I fucked you in my childhood bedroom with the Cup next to us.”

Connor blushed hard. “Joseph,” she whispered. “We can’t. You’re drunk.”

“Yes, we can,” he said, much too loud. “Do you know how much I liked you as a kid? How when I asked you if I could skate it was just an excuse to be with you? You’re the reason I’m here to begin with!”

“My grandpa is the reason you’re here,” Connor corrected. 

“So? That doesn’ change how long I’ve been in love with you, Duck.” J.T.’s face was soft, eyes wide. 

But it didn’t matter, he was drunk. 

“J.T.,” Connor finally said, taking him aback. “We can’t do this right now.”

“I won’t remember any of this in the morning,” J.T. said somberly. “So just tell me yes or no. Did you like me too?”

“Seph…”

“Yes or no.”

Connor hesitated before she said, “Yes.”

A huge grin spread over J.T.’s face. “Fuck,” he laughed, “I wish I was gonna remember this.”

Connor looked at him, pained, and muttered, “Me too, Seph.”

July 16th

Joseph The Idiot (9:03 AM)

Holy fuck

I’m unbelievably hungover 

You didn’t come out last night :(

Connor (10:12 AM)

Yes I did!

[video]

You were already blacked out by the time I got there?

Joseph The Idiot (10:21 AM)

Shit

My bad

And I’m sorry for anything I said or did

Connor (10:25 AM)

Damn, so you don’t remember we got married last night?

Joseph The Idiot (10:27 AM)

Don’t even joke about that

That’s legally binding

If we got married, I’m fucked

Connor (10:28 AM)

Yeah you are, cause when we get divorced I’ll get half of your money

Joseph The Idiot (10:30 AM)

When? :(

Connor (10:34 AM)

You didn’t take me out to dinner first :/

Joseph The Idiot (10:35 AM)

You got me there

Connor (10:58 AM)

Do you have lunch plans? Wanna grab a bite?

Joseph The Idiot (11:05 AM)

Fuck, I wish I could

I’m about to board a plane back to Denver

I’ll be back in two weeks

Connor (11:12 AM)

Damn, that sucks. Safe travels!

When you come back, how about dropping in on my girls’ practices? Make up for ditching me?

Joseph The Idiot (11:22 AM)

You bet.

Taking off, see you on the flip!

Jesse Compher (12:04 PM)

Hey, can I call you?

Connor’s heart banged in her chest as she read Jesse’s message. Shit, did she remember what happened last night? She cautiously shut her office door and dialed Jesse’s number. 

“Hey!” Jesse answered cheerily.

“Hey,” Connor replied with a small chuckle. “You sound like you feel better than Seph did this morning.”

Jesse laughed back, “Definitely. The miracles of hydrating after drinking.”

“So what’s up?”

“Okay,” Jesse began, “hear me out before you tell me no.”

“Oh, boy.”

“You’ve played hockey your whole life. I’m pretty sure you could still keep up with me if not be quicker than me, and J.T. said he mentioned pro hockey to you. Are you interested?”

Connor was shocked. She sat silently on the other end of the phone for so long that Jesse started calling her name.

“Sorry, I’m here,” Connor finally managed. “You think I’m good enough? I played club hockey in college, but I played with a lot of boys.”

“What time does the rink close tonight? Maybe I could come over and we could skate. I’ll bring you a Red Bull.” Jesse sounded bemused; like her brother, she’d spent most of her childhood at the rink, and though she was two years younger than Connor, they’d still been pretty close. Jesse always brought Connor a Red Bull instead of a hot chocolate, because that was ‘J’s thing.’

“We close at nine. I’d make the excuse that I don’t have my skates, but we both know that’s not true. I’ll see you at nine?” Connor couldn't believe what she was saying. 

“See you at nine,” Jesse replied. As Connor was about to hand up, Jesse added, “Oh, Con? J.T. doesn’t remember last night, but I do.”

Connor’s mouth went dry and she squealed out, “Oh?”

“Tell him. Tell him what he said.”

“I can’t, Jess. It’ll seem like I’m just a gold-digger or something.”

“Sure you can. It doesn’t matter what other people think.”

“I …” Connor trailed off. “I’ll think about it.”

“I’ll keep reminding you.” Connor could hear the smirk on Jesse’s face.

“I know you will. I’ll see you tonight.”

“See you tonight. Bye!”

“Bye!”

Connor buried her face in her hands. What the fuck had she just agreed to? If she still skated better than Jesse, an Olympian, could she really make it as a pro? Could she leave her girls?

Questions plagued her mind as the day dragged on, until Jesse’s grinning face appeared in her office at exactly 8:30, clutching two Red Bulls and her stick, a backpack on her shoulders. 

“On time is late,” she joked, tossing one Red Bull to Connor. 

Connor tapped the sides and cracked it open. “That’s probably why I haven’t played pro yet. I’m habitually late.”

“Keep telling yourself that. I’m gonna go warm up. I paid the entrance fee for free skate at the front.”

“Jesse!” Connor laughed. “Why?”

“Cause I wanted to,” shrugged Jesse. “It’s the least I can do.”

Connor’s heart warmed. “Thanks, Jess. You mind if I zamb after we skate?”

“Nah, I don’t care. I’ll see you out there.”

Jesse left Connor’s office, and a few moments later, Connor watched her zoom around the free skate stragglers. She watched two little girls—she recognized them as sisters of a couple of her players—stare at Jesse in awe. 

Connor joined Jesse after a bit, clutching her stick and wearing her helmet and gloves in addition to her skates, before Robin made the announcement that they’d be closing in five minutes. She skated out to the center of the ice, waved at the girls who were staring at Jesse, and pushed off on her skates. Skating clockwise, Connor slowly crossed over when she turned, and took big, powerful strides to warm her muscles up. The ice under her was bumpy and rough from the hours of free skate, and she noticed her skates needed sharpening.

Jesse skated up to her, blowing snow when she stopped, to the girls’ amazement. As Robin made the “We’re closed, please leave” announcement, Jesse grabbed a puck and began skating around with it, dangling past imaginary defensemen. Connor took a sip of her water bottle she’d brought with her, then grabbed another puck and passed it to herself off the boards. 

“Okay,” Jesse said once the ice had cleared and everyone had gone home. “First thing’s first. You were always faster than me, so let’s race. Start at the red, go around clockwise, first one back to the red wins.”

“Just like the All-Star fastest skater race?” Connor asked with a grin.

“Exactly.” Jesse grinned back. 

They skated over to the refs’ circle by the score box, but Connor stopped them before they could start. 

“Wait, we should have Robin time us and tell us when to go,” Connor suggested. “I don’t want you cheating to make me feel good about myself.” Jesse nodded, so Connor called Robin over, explained what they needed, and got ready to race. 

“Ready…” Robin said, “set … go!”

Connor leapt forward on her skates. She leaned down as far as she could, her knees bent, flying around the faceoff circles. She quickly crossed her left foot over her right, still gaining speed as she straightened out and skated parallel to the boards. Her lungs burned from the cold and her legs burned, but she continued to push, gaining even more speed on her second turn. She flew past the red line, turned, and stopped at center ice before she flopped down on her back. 

“Holy shit,” Connor gasped and looked at Jesse, who was hunched over and panting herself. 

“You beat me,” Jesse said with a grin. “And I was going faster than full speed. Robin, what was the time?”

“Connor’s was 14.2 seconds,” Robin said. 

“Connor!” Jesse gasped in surprise. “Dude!”

“That means nothing,” retorted Connor. “Speed and skill are two different things.”

“Okay, so challenge me then. Keep me from scoring.”

Connor laughed, “I need like, two more minutes of laying on the ice.”

“But you still beat me,” Jesse said. “Like, I was probably a full second behind you.”

“Like I said, speed doesn’t equal skill.”

“We’ll see.” 

After a few more minutes of laying on the ice, Connor got up, squirted some water into her mouth, and set up in front of Jesse, who had collected several pucks at center ice. 

“Defend me,” she challenged. “I’m gonna try to shoot at the crease basically.”

Connor nodded, then placed her stick on the ice and leaned on it, feeling the flex push back against her. Jesse pushed the puck around with her stick a few times before settling like Connor did, leaning on her stick. Connor nodded at her, and with a grin, Jesse pushed the puck forward. 

Connor skated backwards to keep her eyes on Jesse. She easily kept pace with her friend, driving her to the boards with her stick before she poke checked the puck off Jesse’s stick and off the boards. Jesse whirled around to try and regain control, but Connor had already snatched the puck away from her and skated down to the opposite blue line with it.

Jesse grinned under her cage. “How the fuck did you poke check like that? You’ve gotta teach me.”

“Let’s go again,” Connor insisted, not convinced that Jesse wasn’t taking it easy on her. 

“Whatever you say, Con,” said Jesse. She skated back to center ice, grabbed a new puck, and attempted to take it straight down the middle. Connor raced to meet her between the circles, so Jesse dangled the puck towards Connor to throw her off. Connor wasn’t phased by her attempt, however, and kicked the puck off Jesse’s stick, then took control of it and brought it back to center ice. 

“It’s because there’s not a goal to shoot on,” Connor said. She clambered over the edge of the ice to the area where they kept their goals, grabbed one, and lowered it down onto the ice. Jesse took it and skated it over to the crease while Connor carefully climbed back onto the ice. 

“Now there’s a goal,” Jesse said, skating to center ice, “so let’s go again?”

Again and again, Connor defended Jesse, stealing the puck in every way imaginable, until Jesse’s grin melted into a touch of frustration. Jesse finally fired off a slapshot that Connor couldn’t stop, so it went sailing into the net and Jesse yelped out a strangled cheer. 

“Fucking finally,” she muttered. “You wanna switch? You shoot and I’ll defend?”

“Yeah, sure! You’re gonna crush me though, I’m not a great offensive defenseman,” Connor shrugged. 

“Connor, I’m telling you this because we’ve been friends a long time, and even though we haven’t chatted in a while, I still consider you a close friend so listen to me: Shut the fuck up.”

Connor blushed. 

“You’re doing incredible,” Jesse continued. “I don’t know how you’ve managed to keep your edges so well, but I firmly believe you could sign a pro contract right now.”

Connor’s blush deepened. “I—I don’t know what to say.”

“Say you’ll try. Register as a free agent with the PHF, and they’ll contact you. If you wanna wait til you show up J.T. too, that’s fine, but just tell me you’ll give it a shot,” pleaded Jesse. 

“I don’t think I can leave the rink,” Connor said softly. “They need me here.”

“Cross that bridge when you come to it. Just see if a team will give you a try out.”

Connor chewed on her lip, thinking. Finally, she said, “Okay. I’ll do it.”

“Really?” Jesse asked excitedly. “You’re not fucking with me?”

“No,” Connor responded as a grin spread across her face. “I’m not. I’ll give it a shot.”

“Fuck yes!” Jesse cheered, skating towards Connor and throwing her arms around her. “You’re gonna be great, I promise. Now, you just have to tell J.T. what he said last night.”

“Ha, absolutely not,” Connor chuckled. “He can confess his love to me sober.”

July 17th

Joseph The Idiot (10:48 AM)

Jesse told me about your practice session

Connor (10:49 AM)

Of course she did 😂

Joseph The Idiot (10:53 AM)

Are you gonna do it? 

Connor (10:55 AM)

I’m going to try. I’m filling out the free agent registration right now

[image of Connor’s computer]

Joseph The Idiot (10:59 AM)

Fuck yeah

Jesse would know more people than I do, but I’m gonna ask around about the process, too

Connor (11:00 AM)

Thank you Seph 🥹

Joseph The Idiot (11:04 AM)

Anything for you!

July 19th

Joseph The Idiot (1:31 PM)

I’m coming back to NB on the 27th!

How about that lunch? 

Connor (1:36 PM)

What day?

Joseph The Idiot (1:39 PM)

The 28th at Max & Benny’s?

Connor (1:41 PM)

Perfect!

Joseph The Idiot (1:44 PM)

When do you have practice with your kids?

Connor (2:03 PM)

Every day. M/W is U12s and U16s, T/Th is U14s/U19s, Friday is everyone, Saturday is class for the babies. Weekday training starts at 10 am, Saturday starts at 9

Joseph The Idiot (2:05 PM)

Damn

You’ve got them practicing a lot, huh?

Connor (2:06 PM)

Well it’s summer so they don’t have school, and they love it honestly

Joseph The Idiot (2:07 PM)

I’d love it too if I was their age

Which practices do you want me to come to?

Connor (2:10 PM) 

All of them? They would all benefit from it

Joseph The Idiot (2:17 PM)

I’ll only deal with the young kids for you

Just for you

Connor (2:20 PM)

If you kill one of my kids I’ll kill you and replace you with Jesse

Joseph The Idiot (2:26 PM)

She did always want to be J.T. Jr

July 22nd

Joseph The Idiot (11:27 PM)

Di yoh thjnk pigs ciuls gly if rhey tries hqrd enougt 

Connor (11:29 PM)

Drinking again are we?

Joseph The Idiot (11:35 PM)

Nooooooiiiiioooooo

I muss yiu

Connor (11:36 PM)

You’ll see me next week seph 

Joseph The Idiot (11:38 PM)

Nor sooon enoygh 

Inwanna kisss tou ao basd 

Connor (11:43 PM)

They really should take your phone when you’re drunk

Joseph The Idiot (11:47 PM)

Noooiooi thry csnt I’m a chsmpiun!

Connor (11:50 PM)

You are a champion

Drink some water seph 

July 23rd

Joseph The Idiot (12:00 AM)

Hsppu nrw yaer!!!!!

Connor (12:04 AM)

Seph 😂 It’s July

Joseph The Idiot (12:06 AM)

NI ITWS NOIT

Connor (12:10 AM)

Goodnight Seph, I’m going to bed 

Joseph The Idiot (12:17 AM) 

NNOOOOOOOIP

Cime bafk 

I lovr yiu 

NI i donr i hqte yiu

Ik kudt kuddinh 

I lpre yoh 

Joseph The Idiot (1:14 AM)

Qusck qusfk 

Her ut 

Cahse gour nwme is duck

hehehewhee

Joseph The Idiot (2:16 AM)

Ih nu my ecx id here

Noooooiiioooooo gp awsy 

Stipid wx 

Joseph The Idiot (3:43 AM)

Hehe i ficked my ex

Bur i qas thijkimg sbout yoh 

Joseph The Idiot (8:59 AM)

Jesus Christ

I’m so sorry, Connor

Connor was fuming. What was J.T.’s deal? He’d led her on as a kid, then waltzed back into her life like it was nothing. She angrily called Jesse later in the day.

“Jesse, I’m going to murder him,” Connor growled. 

“Okay, totally valid,” Jesse agreed. “He’s being an ass about this whole thing, but what he told me was that now that he won the Cup, he realized that he was only missing one thing, and that was you.”

“He did not say that.”

“He did. I have proof.”

“Bullshit.”

“Hang on.”

Connor heard rustling, then felt her phone buzz. “What did you send me?” She questioned Jesse. 

“Evidence.”

Connor pulled her phone away from her ear, put it on speaker, then looked at the screenshots Jesse sent her. 

July 17th

Jesse (5:01 PM)

What’s up?

J.T. (5:17 PM)

I think I’m in love with Connor

Like i have been since we were kids

And seeing her the other day just made everything come rushing back

Jesse (5:29 PM)

Why now?

J.T. (5:32 PM)

When we won the cup I realized that all I wanted to do was share it with her

Even though I hadn’t seen her in years

And I fucked it up when I ghosted her

But when I saw her and she looked at me like that? 

I knew she was the only thing I was missing

I had the cup

And I needed to work to get her back

It’s her, Jess

It’s always been Connor

Connor’s face burned as she read the messages. If he felt this strongly, why hadn’t he said something yet? She supposed he had, but she’d written it off as drunken ramblings. She was terrified of the idea of him actually reciprocating her feelings; being rejected was one thing, but being liked back was almost scarier. 

“Con? You there?”

Connor was startled, having forgotten she was on the phone, and replied, “What?”

“I asked what you thought of his messages.”

“Oh. They terrify me.”

“What do you mean?” 

“I’ve never had a boyfriend, Jess. So the idea of him liking me back is so scary, because I’ve felt the same way about him since I can remember. I legitimately remember meeting him on the ice and asking him to be my friend. I realized I liked him when I was like, seven. My grandpa—,” Connor’s voice caught. She cleared it, then continued, “My grandpa used to tell me J.T. was going to win a Stanley Cup. And I used to tell him that he was going to marry me first.”

“I remember when I realized you liked him. You came over for a sleepover when you were like, twelve probably. My parents made him watch a movie with us and he was so mad, but you kept looking at him the whole time,” Jesse laughed. “I was so confused, because I was sitting there like, ‘Out of all the guys we know, you picked my brother?’ I idolized him, but you liked him. It was so weird to me.”

“Is it weird now?”

“Nah. You’re soulmates. Just remember we had this conversation and share it at your wedding, okay? That I set you guys up.” Connor could hear the grin in Jesse’s voice. 

“Whatever,” Connor said back, a grin plastered on her own face. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“Okay, Love Bird,” teased Jesse. “Bye.”

Connor shifted on her skates as she waited for J.T. and the rest of her girls to join her. Jesse was already on the ice, skating around with some of the girls. J.T. came out finally, his helmet and visor shoved messily on his finger hair, wearing a pair of gray sweatpants and a navy blue Avs pullover.

“Hi,” he said with a grin, bumping her with his hip. 

“Hi,” Connor replied. “How was Denver?”

“It was great, but I’m glad to be back. I missed you.”

Connor smiled softly. “I missed you too. Are you ready?”

J.T. replied, “Let’s do it.”

Connor blew her whistle to have the girls and the other coaches gather around. The girls knelt on the ice in front of them, the coaches gathering next to Connor, J.T., and Jesse. 

“Good morning, ladies,” Connor greeted. “I want to take a quick second and introduce some special guests who will be helping us during practice today. They were both just like you guys, skating here, and now they’ve done some pretty cool things. This is Jesse Compher—,” Connor motioned to Jesse—“and she was a member of the US Women’s Hockey team that just played in the Olympics in China. She got a silver medal, which is pretty dope, right?”

“Right!” the girls cheered. 

“And believe it or not, this is Jesse’s brother, J.T.. J.T. plays in the NHL and just won the Stanley Cup for the Colorado Avalanche. So they both know hockey pretty well. If they ask you a question, or tell you to do something a certain way, they know what they’re doing. Any questions?”

The girls looked around at each other before another coach said, “Alright, let’s split up like normal!” 

The coaches and players split off, the older girls on one side of the red line, the younger girls on the other, and Connor skated over to be with the older girls, her U19s. Another coach started them off in a skating drill while J.T., Jesse, and Connor watched the girls, giving them pointers on how to improve their strides. Connor made sure to point out the girls she thought had college or pro potential to Jesse.

J.T. then began skating the drills with the girls. Connor gazed at him talking to the girls in line, pointing things out to them as their teammates skated, laughing with them and hanging out with them. Connor had always thought he’d make a good coach, but seeing the way he interacted with her kids confirmed that.

They moved onto a couple more drills, which J.T. participated in with the team. Jesse joined him, going out of her way to talk to some of the girls Connor had mentioned as she skated with them. 

Eventually, they started a scrimmage, J.T. on one team, Jesse on the other. Seeing them reminded Connor of when they were kids, when nothing mattered except playing hockey, when she wasn’t aware she was in love with J.T. and that he was in love with her. J.T. skated like he was having the time of his life, too; he had a huge grin every time he took the ice, every time one of the girls stopped his attempts.

Practice ended at noon, but J.T. and Jesse hung around on the ice to take pictures, answer questions, and just spend time with the girls. Connor had to physically kick them off the ice so Robin could run the Zamboni, but the Comphers continued to talk to Connor’s kids. When the last girl left to go get undressed, J.T. finally plopped down next to Connor on the bench in front of her office window, with a wide grin on his face. 

“Hi,” he said happily. 

“Hiya. You’re happy,” she teased. 

“That was way more fun than I expected, to be honest. Those kids had great questions, they’re funny, and God, some of them can skate.”

“That’s why I wanted you to come,” Connor said, laying her head on J.T.’s arm. “They work so hard, too. I’m just so proud of them.”

“You should be. Cassie over there? That I was talking to? She’s gonna be a Jesse. Her hockey sense is just off the charts. And Lucy too? I was so impressed.” J.T. took off his helmet and began untying his skates. 

“Yeah,” Connor agreed, smiling at the ground. “Yeah, they’re gonna be stars. I’ve trained them since they were little. Cassie’s going to Minnesota, Lucy’s still deciding, but her top choice right now is Michigan.”

“And you didn’t tell me before?” J.T. asked incredulously. 

Connor smirked. “I didn’t want you influencing her. She needs to decide on her own, Seph.”

“I would never try to influence her to go to the greatest school in the world,” J.T. said proudly. 

Rolling her eyes, Connor said, “Whatever. Some of us actually finished college.”

J.T. shoved Connor playfully. “I was gonna buy lunch, but with that blow maybe we’ll split the check.”

“You’d make me pay for my own food?” Connor asked, giving J.T. puppy eyes. “Is chivalry dead?”

“You’re incorrigible,” laughed J.T.. “Hurry up, I’m starving.”

“Me too.” Connor quickly tugged her skates off and padded into her office to slip on her sneakers and drop off her skates. She rejoined J.T. in front of her office, and the two of them walked out of the rink together. 

“Jesse drove me,” J.T. said, “so can I catch a ride with you?”

“No. You can walk.”

J.T. made a face and reached for Connor’s passenger side door anyway. “Funny.”

Connor smirked and climbed in the car with J.T.. They quietly drove to Max & Benny’s, then got a table in the corner. J.T. sat with his back to the door, his attention fully on Connor. He gazed at her, some glint in his deep brown eyes. 

“I’m getting a milkshake before lunch,” Connor said to break his gaze. 

“Life’s too short to not have dessert first,” J.T. chuckled, quoting Connor’s signature phrase from high school. 

The waiter came over to take their drink orders, but J.T. and Connor had been there so often that they knew what they wanted. J.T. ordered a water and a double cheeseburger with everything on it, fries and broccoli on the side. Connor ordered a chocolate milkshake and a BLT with fries. The waiter left, returned after a moment with two waters, and left them alone again.

“So,” J.T. said, “how was everything while I was in Denver?”

“I’m in love with you, Joseph,” Connor blurted out. 

J.T. blinked. “Pardon?”

Connor took a deep breath, then said, “I’m in love with you. I have been since we were kids, before I even knew what it meant to be in love with someone. You kept drunk texting me and I didn’t want to believe that you felt the same way, but now I just—I just can’t convince myself anymore. I love you.”

J.T. sat quietly. He swallowed hard, he licked his lips anxiously. He looked around, his leg shaking. He was trying to think of what to say, and the longer the silence loomed, the more Connor wanted to run away. 

“Every morning,” J.T. finally said, his voice cracking a bit. “Every morning, I wake up and think of you. Every night when I go to sleep, I think of you. When I lifted the Cup, all I wanted in the world was for you to be there with me. It’s like I finally allowed myself to feel it, you know? I’m so in love with you, Connor Maddox, and I don’t want to go another day without you.”

Connor stared at him until they both cracked and grinned at each other. “Why the fuck did we wait this long to tell each other?” she laughed.

“Great fucking question,” J.T. laughed back. “I want to kiss you so bad but I think we’d get kicked out.”

“Why?”

J.T. smirked. “Because I don’t just want to kiss you.”

“Oh.” Connor didn’t have a witty comeback; the thoughts and wonders of what J.T. wanted to do to her consumed her brain.

“Our food better get here fast,” J.T. said, turning to look at the kitchen impatiently. Under the table, he moved his foot so it was against Connor’s, lightly rubbing against it. 

“Wow, playing footsie, Seph? What are we, fourteen?” Connor chirped.

“Listen,” J.T. said loudly, then looked around before he continued in a hushed voice, barely audible. “The second I get you alone, I’m gonna wreck you.”

“How do you know I wanna be wrecked?” Connor’s voice wavered as she tried to tease him.

“Do you?”

“Do I what?”

“Do you want me to wreck you?”

Connor’s face went bright red at the thought. She licked her lips and answered, “Maybe.”

“You’re blushing,” J.T. observed.

“And?”

“When you say maybe, it means yes, you just don’t want to say yes. You’ve done that forever, Duck. But I need to hear you say ‘yes.’” 

“I’m…” Connor trailed off and looked down.

“What?” J.T. asked, reaching for her hands comfortingly. “You can say no, that’s perfectly fine. We’ve waited this long, we can wait a little longer.”

“No, it’s not that, I just, um, have never had a boyfriend before so I don’t know how this all works. And technically, I’ve never had sex with another person, but like, I take care of myself.” Connor’s face flushed even more.

“There’s not a certain way that it works, really, it’s up to us,” J.T. said softly. He rubbed his thumb over Connor’s knuckles. “Do … Do you want me to be your boyfriend? I’d say we’re moving quickly, but considering the fact that we’ve been pining over each other our whole lives, I think we’re fine.”

“Seph, I want that more than anything,” Connor breathed. 

“Excellent,” J.T. said with a huge grin. “I’ll get you flowers and romantic shit later, girlfriend.”

“Please don’t call me ‘girlfriend’ like that,” laughed Connor. 

J.T. agreed, “Yeah, I didn’t like that either.”

Their waiter reappeared with their meals and Connor’s shake. The two of them ate quickly, not talking, just wanting to get out of the restaurant and go somewhere alone. J.T. paid for their food, then, tightly clutching Connor’s hand, led her out to her car. 

They quickly clambered into Connor’s car. J.T. kept a firm hand on her thigh and Connor began to drive, with no idea where she was going, thoughts racing. She didn’t know if her sister was home, since she was a teacher and it was summer vacation, and she eventually found an empty parking lot. She threw the car into park, turned it off, and nearly threw herself across the center console into J.T.’s lap, straddling him. 

J.T. grabbed her hips to help her over, then let his hands drift down slightly to grip her ass. Connor stared at him for a moment, not moving, not kissing him, just staring into his dark brown eyes. She brought her hands to his face and dragged her fingertips delicately across his stubble. 

“You shaved,” Connor commented.

“You told me my playoff beard looked terrible,” J.T. laughed. “You told me it was too long and that you liked stubble like this.”

Connor furrowed her brow. “Did I? When did I say that?” 

“When we were drunk on the roof on my Cup day.”

“I thought you didn’t remember that I showed up.”

“I lied,” J.T. shrugged. “I remember everything. The way you danced on me, everything I told you, all of it. You were freaked out, so I pretended I didn’t remember.”

“You could’ve just told me it was the truth,” Connor teased. 

“And be vulnerable? Nah.”

Connor laughed, then gasped slightly when she felt J.T. shift under her, sending a small bump of pleasure through her. She put her hands on his chest to try and halt him, but he grinned and rolled his hips into hers, slowly and intentionally.

“Asshole,” Connor groaned. “You haven’t even kissed me yet and you’re sitting there teasing me like that?”

J.T. didn’t answer; instead, he gripped her ass, pulling her down while he rolled his hips again, increasing the friction and pressure against her core. She closed her eyes as the pleasure washed over her. 

“Joseph,” said Connor desperately. “Joseph, I’m so close already, you have to stop.”

“You’re about to come already?” he mocked. “I’ve barely touched you.”

“Shut up and fucking kiss me, you dick,” Connor commanded. She leaned in and fiercely pressed her lips against hers, pressing into his body eagerly. J.T. chuckled against her mouth before giving into her and softly parting his lips. His tongue darted out to brush against Connor’s lips. 

Connor pulled back, gasping for air. She’d forgotten how to breathe, how to speak, how to function.

“Are you okay?” J.T. asked. “We can stop if this is too much.”

“Please don’t stop,” Connor whispered. “I just forgot to breathe.”

“Breathing is pretty important,” J.T. laughed, licking his lips and grinning slyly.

Connor knew what he was about to do and warned, “Joseph, don’t you d—.”

J.T. held tightly to Connor’s ass as he rolled his hips up into Connor’s core. Connor clenched around nothing, once again dangerously close to coming. 

“Fuck!” Connor yelped.

“I wanna make you come,” J.T. whined, bucking his hips up again. 

“This is how you wanna make me come for the first time? Dry humping like teenagers?” Connor asked incredulously. 

“Mmm-hmm,” he responded. “Please?”

“If you promise to do better later.”

J.T. cocked his eyebrow. “Later?”

“Yeah, later, when I kick my sister out so we can properly fuck,” Connor said. 

“So,” J.T. tugged her in close, nipping at her lips. “How do you want me to make you come later?”

Connor breathed out a moan when J.T. began kissing down her neck. “Um…”

“I’m listening,” J.T. mumbled against her. He softly bit her neck and sucked the skin between his teeth.

“No hickies,” she said quickly. “We aren’t teenagers.”

“Mmm, but here we are, dry humping in my car like we’re sixteen,” teased J.T.. He bucked his hips up into hers again and she jumped as he said, “You didn’t answer my question.”

“Um,” Connor gasped, “I want you to make me come with your mouth.”

“Keep going.”

Connor rolled her hips, her mouth falling open a tiny bit as she dragged herself across J.T.’s hardening cock. His breath caught as she did, and her thoughts went fuzzy at the sound. He was moaning like that because of her. 

“I,” Connor breathed and continued rolling her hips, establishing a slow rhythm that ground into him as much as she could. “I wanna feel your stubble between my thighs.”

“My tongue on your clit,” he whispered. His grip tightened on her ass and she felt dizzy. 

“Fuck,” squeaked Connor. She could feel her orgasm building again quickly. 

J.T. lazily mouthed at her neck, driving the pace of her grinding with his hands and matching it with the rolling of his hips. “Bet you taste so fuckin’ good,” he mumbled.

Connor clenched her thighs tightly over him and moaned, “Oh fuck, J.T., I’m gonna come.”

“Yeah? I wanna feel you clench your thighs like that around my face,” J.T. continued, dragging his mouth across her neck, searching for her lips. “Wanna slide my tongue all around your pussy while you—”

“Shit, I’m coming,” Connor groaned as a soft orgasm washed through her, leaving her feeling cold. She clenched around nothing, but kept grinding against J.T. until she was too sensitive to continue and twitched to a stop with a small gasp. 

“No, fuck, don’t stop,” J.T. grunted desperately. “I’m so close too, holy shit.”

Connor carefully re-established her previous pace, grinding on J.T.. His hands froze when Connor captured his lips in hers and placed open-mouthed kisses down his neck.

“Come for me, J.T.,” Connor muttered into his skin. 

“Oh my god,” yelped J.T.. Connor felt his dick twitch, then a small wet spot slowly appeared through his gray sweatpants. 

“Oops,” Connor giggled. She softly pressed the wet spot and J.T. jumped. 

“Fuck!” he gasped in surprise, then laughed. “Oh, God, I do feel like a teenager.”

“You came in your pants dry humping in a car.”

“So did you!” J.T. protested.

“Yeah, but no one will know that I did.” Connor smirked. 

J.T. rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Drive somewhere soon, please, because if I don’t get my mouth on you in the next twenty minutes, I’m gonna put you on the trunk of your car and fuck you with my tongue in front of anyone and everyone who’s around.”

 The call came a few weeks after Connor registered as a free agent with the PHF. 

“Hello?” Connor answered the unknown number. 

“Hi, is this Connor Maddox?”

“Yes, this is she.”

“Hi, Connor, this is Ronda Engelhardt. I’m the head coach of the Minnesota Whitecaps. How are you today?”

Holy fuck. 

“Hi, uh, I’m, uh, I’m great.”

“That’s good to hear. I saw that you registered as a free agent with the league, and I was wondering if you’d be interested in coming to a tryout day with us,” Ronda explained. “Your history is different than what we’re used to, but I’ve heard some really good things about you.”

“From who?” Connor smiled, knowing the answer already.

“Jesse Compher from the US National Team. She gave me a call and recommended you.”

Connor’s smile widened. “I figured. I’ve known Jesse our whole lives.”

“She credited you with being the reason she made the Olympics and the reason her brother just won a Stanley Cup. That’s high praise, and I don’t take that lightly, which is why we’d love to fly you up to St. Paul. How does that sound to you?”

“I would love that,” Connor said, “I just have a couple questions, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course! Ask away!”

“I currently manage a rink myself, and I understand that most of the ladies have to have extra jobs to supplement their income. Is that something that I would be able to continue doing?”

“I think we could make that work for you, Connor.”

The next day, Connor found herself on a flight to St. Paul. As she waited in the airport, she nervously texted J.T.. 

Connor (8:32 AM)

Seph I’m terrified

Joseph The Idiot (8:33 AM)

You’re gonna be fine

You just go and be yourself

They already like you

Connor (8:35 AM)

They like what they saw on paper and what Jesse told them, not me

Joseph The Idiot (8:38 AM)

Which is why you’re going to meet them

And play for them

Chemistry is more important than skill

Connor (8:40 AM)

But what if all the girls hate me?

Joseph The Idiot (8:42 AM)

That’s impossible 

Since I personally know at least one of them, I can guarantee at least one of them won’t hate you

Taylor Turnquist

Connor (8:45 AM)

So that’s one

Joseph The Idiot (8:46 AM)

Which means it’s impossible for all the girls to hate you

Connor (8:47 AM)

Asshole

Joseph The Idiot (8:48 AM)

A correct asshole

Connor (8:50 AM)

I’m boarding, love you seph

Joseph The Idiot (8:51 AM)

Love you too duck

Safe travels

Connor (10:23 AM)

Landed!

Joseph The Idiot (10:26 AM)

Good!

Did they get a car for you?

Connor (10:28 AM)

Supposedly

Joseph The Idiot (10:31 AM)

Let me know if they didn’t okay?

Connor (10:33 AM)

If they did, do you not wanna know? 

Joseph The Idiot (10:34 AM)

I walked into that one didn’t I

Let me know when you’re safe

Connor (10:46 AM)

I have a car! The driver had a sign! I’m on my way to the arena

Joseph The Idiot (10:49 AM)

Send pics!

Connor (11:02 AM)

Just got to the arena! They’re giving me a tour first

We’re in the locker room and they already have a locker with my name on it? And a jersey and gear? I haven’t even skated yet

Okay now I’m gonna skate with Ronda

Joseph The Idiot (12:00 PM)

How goes it?

Connor (12:04 PM)

Just got off the ice! Ronda’s awesome and I think they’re going to offer me

Joseph The Idiot (12:07 PM)

SERIOUSLY?

Connor (12:25 PM)

I just signed a contract Seph

Joseph The Idiot (12:26 PM)

Oh my fucking god

I’m so fucking proud of you

I love you so much

I cant wait to see you play

What number are you?

I need to buy a jersey

Think you can hook me up?

I’m so proud of you duck holy shit

Connor skated out onto the ice as her name was called by the announcer, clad in her Whitecaps jersey. She looked up into the stands and grinned up at J.T., who’d flown over for the game specifically: her first game. He sat next to Tyson Jost, and grinned down at her when he made eye contact with her. He blew her a kiss, which she caught, and Tyson gagged. J.T. shoved him. 

The game went by faster than any of her games ever had, and before she knew it, she was showering in the locker room after the game. She quickly redressed in her game-day outfit, then walked out of the locker room. Connor was greeted by a huge hug from J.T.. 

“You did it!” he cheered, swinging her around and kissing her face. “I’m so proud of you!”

“I wouldn’t have done it without you, honestly,” Connor said. “You mentioned it to me and put it in my head, and now here I am.”

“You’re a professional hockey player, Duck.”

“So are you, Seph.”

“You’re better,” J.T. retorted. 

“You make more money. And you won the Stanley Cup.”

J.T. chuckled and let her down on the ground, kissing her forehead. “Whatever, you still did it.”

“I know something else I’d like to do,” Connor said slyly, smirking at her boyfriend.

J.T. grinned at her. “Then let’s get out of here.” 

#jt compher #j.t. compher #jt compher imagine #jt compher smut #jt compher writing #j.t. compher imagine #colorado avalanche #colorado avalanche writing #nhl #hockey #nhl smut #hockey smut #hockey writing #nhl writing #jt compher x original character #jt compher x oc

[sophsicle]

How's the hockey going soph?

I love your hockey talks somehow i feel like i'm part of it even if know nothing about it xx

WOW

i'm so glad you asked

soph hockey highlights:

THE LEAFS WON

they were down 4 - 1 in the THIRD (last) period, there were ten minutes left on the clock and my babygirl (Auston Matthews) was like "nope, nah, not today you florida-man-motherhuggers" so he scores a sweet goal and then AND THEN two minutes later he scores another goal

and this second goal guys

this second goal was so sexy im literally gonna write a one shot where james makes this goal so that i can properly communicate to you all how sexy it was

ANYWAY long story short they win the game in overtime!

Leafs 3 (wins)

Tampa 1 (win)

if they win the next game they move on to the second round and Tampa is OUT

2. Cale Makar fucked up

Cale Makar is a real talented player lil tiny boy who plays on the Colorado Avalanche (he is tiny 2 me but not literally tiny)

they are playing the Seattle Kraken and in their last game one of those fish boys shot the puck and then like, five hundred years later Cale WRECKED him

it was like

so out of pocket i don't understand what happened

for those of you who don't know hockey you are not supposed to hit dudes who don't have the puck and this was like, not even a question

if you wanna see it you can do so here

like when i tell you my boy is in his VILLAIN era, hot damn

ANYWAY so Cale is suspended for one game and the Avs and Krakens are tied 2 - 2

3. Jack Hughes baby

jack hughes is one of the members of the NHL boyband and frequently used guy in any marauders edits that involve hockey, he looks like a lil baby who hasn't grown into his backwards baseball cap yet

but listen, we love an underdog and nobody thought the New Jersey Devils were gonna be able to hold up against the New York Rangers BUT GUESS WHAT BUDDY you underestimated this lil nugget right here because the series is tied 2 -2

also jack hughes did give one of the best post game interviews so far this playoff season (when they were down 2 - 0 ), in which he tells the press to get fucked (he doesn't do that at all but the SUBTEXT) the sound bite is HERE

THAT IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY THANKS FOR TUNING IN TO SOPH"S PLAYOFF HIGHLIGHTS :) :) :)

#soph talks hockey

[senditcolton]

Avalanche’s championship an act of love between veterans Landeskog, Johnson

Written by Mark Kiszla, Denver Post, June 27th 2022.

The only thing better than winning the NHL championship? Sharing a big hockey hug with your best friend.

Before they went dancing with the Stanley Cup, Avalanche captain Gabe Landeskog and Erik Johnson carved out a little piece of ice amid the celebration of a 2-1 victory against Tampa Bay and embraced like brothers from different mothers.

“We were crying, telling each other how much we loved each other. How proud we were of each other. We’ve been teammates for 11 years. We finally climbed the mountain,” Johnson tole me late Sunday, after Colorado beat the Lightning in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final to claim the franchise’s first championship since 2001.

It was worth the wait, because these is no more beautiful dance in sports that the one Landeskog took with a 139-year-old beauty. Landeskog lifted the 34.5-pound silver chalice overs his head, welcoming the Cup back home to Colorado with a kiss.

And then? Landeskog handed the Cup to Johnson. Hockey besties. Sharing the greatest prize in the game. Atop the mountain. Together.

“To win it with E.J. is just so special. He has been my best friend since Day 1… he was the first guy to reach out to me after I got drafted,” Landeskog told me. “I’ve been following my big brother for all these last 11 years. To be able to hand off that Stanley Cup and watch him skate away with it…”

I’m not crying. You’re crying.

Landy and E.J. have given heart and soul to this team, not the mention teeth and assorted other body parts, from years when the Avs weren’t easy to love through this crowning glory. Between them, Johnson and Landeskog have played 1,509 games, scored 344 goals and contributed 551 assists to the Burgundy and Blue.

A child lead the Avs to their first championship since 2001. OK, check that. At 23 years old, baby-faced defensemen Cale Makar only looks like the kid who takes you hamburger order at the drive-through window. On a star-studded roster, Makar was the man, richly deserving of the Conn Smythe trophy as the playoff MVP.

But did you see Landeskog crawling off the ice to the Avs bench in the final desperate minutes of the Cup-clinching contest, in obvious pain after blocking a wicked hard shot by Tampa Bay forward Nikita Kucherov?

Landeskog “might be the most important person in this whole organization,” Johnson said before this championship series began. “The demeanor he had, the type of player he is. Just a critical piece. He’s the cog that makes this machine go. The heartbeat of this team.”

And know what’s wild to think?

It not for kind twists of fate, both Landeskog and Johnson might not have shared a sweet hug they’ll cherish until their final breaths on this earth.

His NHL career could’ve ended with Johnson’s face hit the ice with a sick thud on Jan. 30, 2021, the result of a clean hit by Minnesota winger Jordan Greenway. Nearly five months after suffering a concussion, Johnson moved in a fog, from one uncertain day to the next.

“I was frankly sick of being injured. It was very disheartening,” Johnson told me. “With a concussion, it can be a week for some guys and a month for others. Or it can be career-ending. And I didn’t really know where I fell in that spectrum… I wasn’t totally sure I was going to come back and play this year, to be honest.”

A phone call cemented the resolve of and often-injured player to give a quest for the Cup on more shot, at age 34.

Joe Sakic, the front-office exec that put this championship puzzle together, reached out to Johnson and said: “We’re going to need you if you’re feeling well enough to play.”

Landeskog was born in Sweden, but he proudly calls Denver his hockey home, because this is where he grew up as a hockey player after joining the Avalanche as a teenager in 2011. But after a decade run with the team, he was forced by the cruel business side of hockey to contemplate leaving in the wake of a disheartening playoff loss to Vegas.

Last summer, less than 60 minutes before he was scheduled to become a free agent, Landeskog agreed to a new 8-year, $56 million deal to remain with the Avalanche.

“It did go down to the wire, that’s for sure,” Sakic said. “Maybe near the end I was a little worried, but I was hopeful we’d get it done. Both sides were really happy with the deal. He can finish his career as an Avalanche. That’s how it should be.”

Fighting back tears while standing on the ice of Amalie Arena, amid a celebration with family and friends, Landeskog said: “Management didn’t blow things up after losing in the second round for the third tear in a row. They kept believing in us.”

Every championship dream is born of faith, earned through sweat and strength to be these for your best friend in the locker room, to apply glue to a broken heart in defeat and share the tears of joy in victory.

“Gabe. Me. We won a championship. Finally. After 11 years,” Johnson said. “It’s amazing. But we did. And we did it together.”

And now? The names of Landeskog and Johnson will be engraved on the Stanley Cup. Together. Best hockey friends. Forever.

#colorado avalanche #stanley cup finals #stanley cup champions #stanley cup 2022 #gabriel landeskog #erik johnson #my favorite article in the denver newspaper the day after #very happy for EJ and Gabe #because they've been there the longest #and through ALL of the shitty years #they've deserved it

[cellythefloshie]

if you ever wanted a sequel to your Gabe one shot.....I wouldn't be apposed 👀

As of right now I haven't put any thought towards a sequel to Everybody Talks. I am still just easing into writing Colorado Avalanche content.

#celly answers

[caixxa]

Avs and Kings for the ask 💗

Los Angeles Kings: Drabble, one shot, mid-length (10-20k), long fic (20-50k), or looooong fic (50k+)?

I prefer 2-4K one-shots in both reading and writing, anything longer is a Commitment and it'll take me forever to get started. I do love the process of dealing with an ongoing multi-chapter wip tho, I have read many of those and if they don't get finished? That's life, I'm not hurt, I'm happy I was along with the ride and cheered the writer for the chapters I did get to read.

Colorado Avalanche: What’s something that excites you about your current WIP?

Writing dialogue in Finnish! I'm excited about the challenge of trying to make Roope sound like Roope.

Thank you for the ask!

#asks #answered #ask game

[fr33sh00tr]

Hockey au hockey au hockey au-

HOCKEY AU!! I hope anon wanted me to go into great detail on this because that's what I'm going to use this opportunity for X] here's some of my favorite parts of the au:

- the reason xigbar is the captain, not xemnas, is bc xem also kiiind of acts like a manager for the team even while being a goalie (I know that's not irl teams work but who cares)

- I don't have too many lines figured out in my head BUT xigbar/xion/saïx is a KILLER line that can get the puck down the ice super fast– they're usually called in for power plays along with roxas and axel. the main defensive pairing is, as you probably guessed, lexaeus and xaldin. they're part of the main penalty kill team, with demyx and luxord.

- larxene is usually the backup goalie to be used whenever xemnas isn't available (due to injury or otherwise). she has an awesome save percentage, but she will attack players indiscriminately, regardless of their team affiliation. she is known to send people to the hospital.

- saïx's shots on goal can get up to 160 mph because he goes a little berserk when shooting. nobody but axel, xemnas, and xigbar know that saïx was one of the best players in radiant garden's hockey team. he loves hockey so much. every time he gets in a fight xemnas usually has to intervene because he is NOT losing and neither zexion nor vexen can pull him off of whoever he is fighting.

- Did I mention they fight amongst themselves all the time because it is a literal miracle they haven't killed each other yet. demyx accidentally high sticked larxene once and she broke his nose. xigbar is known to use his gravity powers to root people to the ice (especially saïx bc despite being captain and alternate they butt heads all the time) so he can beat them up easier. axel will melt the ice under an opponents feet so they trip and fall. this is the tip of the iceberg

- all the other teams in the league hate them SOOO MUCH. the organization seekers have been kicked out of many major cities but they haven't been removed from the league because they're just that! good! at selling tickets. and playing hockey but also selling out arenas.

- the uniforms (and the team) are based off of the new york rangers (they ARE my favorite team, after all...)! specifically, I used mika zibanejad and chris kreider as models for both saïx and xigbar, and igor shesterkin for xemnas. the other members are either not based on anyone or modeled after multiple players (I think luxord might be based off a couple of Carolina Hurricane players, and axel off of the colorado avalanche right wings..?)

- I'm very inconsistent about drawing the logo but it's a purple heart outlined in white with a crack running from the left side, with a white bandage over the end. larxene's goalie stick says "killer" and xemnas' says "superior".

- they all go out to dinner after they win a game :) it is like one of the only times they are cordial with each other

- typical penalties: xemnas is prone to holding; xigbar gets slashing; lexaeus and xaldin usually get crosschecking calls; saïx racks up all minor penalties but mostly hooking and roughing; axel, demyx, AND luxord all get high sticking calls constantly; marluxia gets charging and boarding penalties all the time; larxene gets fighting, spearing, hooking, holding, etc, etc. xion and roxas barely get any penalties except slew footing and tripping. all of them garner unsportsmanlike conduct penalties to varying degrees.

this is so long SORRY LMAO also here's some bonus hockey doodles i never posted here. the berserker goalie was my sister's idea i think it would be funny if the org used lesser nobodies when they practiced

#hockey au #anon #im so sorry this is so long anon FJKSDL i really really like talking about hockey #also you didnt ask but i do have an aa hockey au in the works. teehee