#i will never forgive the oilers for doing this

[equallyshaw]

the medicated series: cale makar.

Pt 7. masterlist of cale's series:

Warnings: angst. swearing. best friends betrayal.

Word Count: 3.6k +

Original Character: Eliza Nicole James, 23 years old. Brunette Hair, Blue Eyes, short and curvy.

Third POV:

Time Skip, 2 months. May: playoffs.

Eliza woke up in a bit of a fog, she felt the bed next to her and it was empty. Ofcourse. He was on the road playing the Edmonton Oilers and so he wasn't there. Eliza smiled, before laying back down and focused on her breathing. Sometimes when she felt any fog or dizziness she would focus on her breath to bring her back 'down.' If that made any sense. While doing so she thought about the last two months working with the team, being with Cale and her health. After a successful year of being on a medication, it stopped working so she switched to a pill biological and found immediate success in it. It was one of those that you saw on tv, and was amazed by how her body took to it. Cale noticed a huge different in how she presented herself, the energy she had and the way she went on with her life. She was thriving not only with her health, but at her new position as well. Within a month, she had 2 events focusing on kids at risk that did not have the oppurtunity to play hockey and another where they raised money for Red Cross Heart Foundation. The team responded well to those and as of right now, she was focusing on the next season as the playoffs took up everybodies time and energy. Thus playing 2 extra games within 1. She also thought abou sweet sweet Cale, and how he had taken to her. How he was patient, forgiving, understanding and above all else, amazing. She was becoming more and more independant, and for the first time in years she felt somewhat more 'normal', Whatever normal was.

And Cale loved it all, he found her incredibly beautiful and strong as hell as each day she got somewhat better or atleast felt better. Even though she may feel better, the disease ofcourse is still wrecking havoc on her body, unfortunatly. He loved how much she was thriving in her world, and enjoyed watching her grow the outreach program. He loved it all. He loved the slow mornings of them 2, stretching and waking up with glasses of coffee. He loved the spontunity that she exhibited now, spur of the moment waffle dates at a nearby diner or regulary scheduled brunches on Saturday or Sunday if his schedule permitted it. He loved how she could get lost in a book for hours, only taking breaks for more expresso or to watch tiktoks. She even began to take daily walks or worked out every other day with walks, that now spanned a mile or 2 suprising the hell out of her. Cale felt himself falling more in love with the girl that was beginning to blossom. She felt it too, she felt that the world was finally throwing her a bone. She had never felt so sure of herself, and Cale added to that everyday.

Eliza got up from the bed and walked into her bathroom to get ready for the day, brushing her teeth and trying to tame her wavy curly hair was the priority. She finished up, and walked into the kitchen seeing Becca in the kitchen on her phone. "Good morning sunshine." Eliza breathed catching a glint of a small smile forming on her best friend's face. "Hi.' Becca mused, looking up and locking her phone. "SO. What is on your agenda for the day?" Becca asked and Eliza shrugged, not knowing. Her weekends consisted (usually) of whatever her body wanted to do, never forcing or trying to make big inconvienant plans. She liked having plans, but she prepared for those. "I don't know. Probably head out to grab some coffee in Five Points." Eliza responded throwing wheat toast in the toaster. "Why?" She quizzed her best friend, she turned around raising an eyebrow. "Just curious." Becca responded, leaving the room. Eliza shrugged, pulling out her phone and texting Cale a morning text. Well, he would of woken up at 6 instead of her 10 am. Cale responded back,

[Sweet Cheeks: I'll be back by 4 pm, missy. keep your schedule cleared.]

[Liza: kkay. should I dress up?]

[Sweet Cheeks: relaxed but nice.]

[Liza: Coolio, have a safe flight love. :)]

[Sweet Cheeks: Always xx]

Eliza turned around to butter her toast before heading into her room to get changed, so she could do a much needed coffee run.

It was later in the afternoon when Cale came to pick her up, but she wasn't having it. She could barely get out of bed without feeling dizzy and spacey, something that shouldn't be physically painful but it was for her. Something not as common with autoimmune diseases it dizziness and spacey-ness which meant that you were confided to bed or the couch. It can fuck up your whole day because you can't focus on anyhting or anybody. It's incredibly frustrating because it leaves you disabled, even more so than usual. Eliza laid in bed, falling in and out of a nap. She had been setting alarms to get up so she could be ready when he came, but it wasn't working. Her rest was not working, so she kept snoozing. This was the first time since they first started dating where she was having a flare up. Her medication had been a miracle and had begun to chang her life for the better. Yet, today was just a bad day. Tomorrow, would hopefully be better.

Becca let Cale in, and Cale knew as soon as Eliza didn't respond to his texts that she wasn't having a good time. Becca gave him a small smile, "She's in bed. She hasn't gotten out of bed since she left to get coffee." She stated and he nodded, taking off his shoes before heading down the hall. He slowly opened the door to her white box fan on the highest setting, drowning out the world. He saw the dark haired girl sleeping soundly. She looked at peace, something she hadn't felt all day. He stepped in, shutting the door and turned to walk towards the bed when the alarm went off. She profusely tapped her phone trying to turn it off, she sat up and groaned. He could see it on her face, that she was having a shit time. She still hadn't opened her eyes so she didn't know Cale was there. She sighed, trying to get out of bed before she almost being knocked down from her dizziness. Cale dashed over, clutching her to make sure she didn't fall. She opened her eyes, looking towards the figure who had took ahold of her. Her eyes went wide, before frantically trying to get out of his touch to get ready. "Im so sorry, im not ready!" She exclaimed, releasing herself from his grip. She moved swiftly towards the dresser before clutching it so tightly, her knuckles turned white. "Hey, hey. It's ok." He said, hearing her begin to cry. She leaned back into his embrace and cried softly. "Im sorry Cale, I've been trying all day." She declared and he shook his head, "You didn't do anything wrong. There's nothing to apologize for." He said softly, trying not to disturb the girl that much. From what he had read and spoken with Becca, is that being as quiet as possible helped her to pass the spaceness and dizziness. It also helped her to focus on what was in front of her, too much noise or movement didn't help.

"Let's go back to bed." He murmured, walking the girl back to bed. She gratefully laid back down and pulled her comforter up. He kissed her head, promising to be back with some snacks and her coffee she had left in the fridge. He walked out leaving the girl, as she rested her eyes again. "Yeah, she's out of it." He explained to Becca who nodded. "Im glad she has you, Cale. It's not easy seeing her miserable. Im glad that she's comfortable enough to be vulnerable around you. It's a testemant to your character." She hummed in gratitude. "Thanks Becca. That reassures me, that I am in fact not overbearing." He said thankfully and she nodded. "Im gonna head out and meet up with a friend. I'll be back- later." She said nervously before stepping out. Almost like she was keeping a secret. Which she was. So was one of his teammates.

Cale softly knocked, alerting Eliza that he was back. He stepped in, shutting the door and setting the coffee on her nightstand along with her cherished pringles. Cale opened one of her dresser drawer and pulled out a tshirt and sweatpants he had left over here for her. She playfully demanded something of his, and he happily obliged. "You are exhausted honey." He stated and she nodded, as he hopped in bed. "Yeah." She mused sipping her coffee. "I think I overexurted myself yesterday at work. Which now leaves me bedridden." She said as he wrapped his arm around her, and she cuddled into him. He nodded, kissing her forehead. "Its okay Eliza, more than okay. Im not gonna lie, I much prefer a relaxing evening with the playoffs." He mused, trying to comfort her. She nodded, "You did a great job yesterday hun. Im proud of you." She said smiling up at him. He looked down at her and went in to kiss the girl. She smiled even more into the kiss, laying a soft hand on his ever red cheek. She pulled apart, as soon as she felt a jolt in her head. A somewhat dull headache was beginning to form. He could see her visibly cringing and reached into the nightstand next to her to grab a tylenol. "Hmm." She muttered taking it and grabbing her coffee. "I haven't had any all day, ive been too lazy to get it myself and didnt want to bother Becca who was freaking about something tonight. She couldn't stand in one spot for too long." The girl explained, and Cale thought about Nathan. "Nate was acting weird too. None of the guys could figure it out." Cale said casually, and Eliza whipped her head around to look at Cale. His hazel eyes met her blue ones, with curiosity. "You don't think?" he questioned and she profusely shook her had, "Hell no. Not after what he said about me." and he nodded. "He's been weird with me recently, like always trying to talk to me, help me out or let me know he was around if I needed anything." She muttered with confusion, which Cale took notice of. "It's like he kinda gets how somebody would help me or anybody with arthritis." She said before rubbing her hand softly on Cale's arm. "Anywho, I'm seeing Martha tomorrow." she smiled. "You are?" He questioned as she began to perk up a bit. Eliza nodded, "Yeah, her mom is gonna have brunch with us." which Cale took a bit of jealousy too. "Ugh, how dare you not invite me?" He playfully sassed and Eliza giggled. "Oh fine, you may come." She mused, sticking her tongue out. "The guilty invite, ok." He said mischeavously and she grinned. They stared at eachother for a few seconds, because ELiza looked away blushing. Cale smiled, "I love you." He exclaimed for the first time in there relationship. Shore, they both said it playfully and in passing but never with such emotion. Eliza looked down at her comforter for a few seconds before looking up at Cale and meeting his gaze. She smiled widely back, "I love you too Cale." She connected there lips, with force and passion.

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

Later the next day, Cale and Eliza were walking back to her and Becca's apartment after brunch. They walked out of the elevator seeing the one person Eliza never would have expected to see in her building. Nathan fucking MacKinnon. Becca and Eliza made eye contact as the two were in the doorway. Becca called out for Eliza, as ELiza walked back into the elevator. It closed before Cale could react and walk back in. "What the hell man?" Cale threw at Nate as he continued to press the down button. Nate rushed over trying to explain himself but Cale wasn't taking any of it. "No, I don't want to talk to you and nor does Eliza. That's for sure." Cale boomed towards the two as he turned to take the stairs. Eliza had made it to the garage and sat down at the long stool they had near the elevator. She shut her eyes as she felt tears pool out, clutching her hands to her face. She felt betrayed, her best friend had been seeing the one dude she didn't like. Who commented on her health with no right, and had no idea about her and who she was a person. Cale reached the bottom floor, and Eliza looked up as he neared her. She saw the heavy breathing that he developed and pulled him into a hug. "Please, just take me back to your place. I can't see her right now." and with that they were off.

Becca and Nate bombarded the two's phone throughout the evening, and Eliza knew she had to go home. She knew she had to get ready for tomorrow and relax until she went to bed. "You ready to go back?" Cale asked after they finished eating dinner and Eliza nodded, grudgely. He took ahold of her hand and they walked out of the highrise and made there way down to the parking garage.

Back at the apartment, Becca is on the phone with Nate and they are trying to sort out what happened and what they wanted to do moving forward. "I just don't want to hurt her, and I knew I should of said something after our first date." Becca rambled as she paced back and fourth. The two had met right after Eliza had started working with the team, and she didn't realize that Nate was the Nate that said things about her. "Maybe she'll come around?" Nate asked optomisticallly but Becca shook her head. "She doesn't like you Nate, you know that right?" She said more as a statement and not as a question. Nate knew but he was hoping she was beginning to soften with him. He thought he had been doing the right things, offering her help when she needed it or infact helping her carry things to and from her car. Becca when they first met, and had realized who Nate was was conflicted. She straight up told him she didn't want a relationship but neither of the two could stay away from one another. And thus, Becca told Nate off about the situation and told him some surface information about Eliza. How long she has had it, what she has done to help it. She's done so much behind the scenes, and that made the comments so much more worse. Nate had realized his mistake, and was hoping for a moment alone with Eliza to apologize- again. Hoping, she would accept it. Nate and Becca cared deeply around one another, and hoped she and Cale would come around. In due time, ofcourse.

Eliza unlocked the door, shutting it behind her. She had told Cale, that she would be more than ok to go up by herself. He protested but accepted her wishes and he drove off into the night. Eliza heard Becca crying in her room, but for once, she woudldn't run to her and try to fix things. Eliza was always the one with everybody in her life, trying to 'fix' things first or the one to apologize first. This time around, she truly did nothing wrong. So it was not her job to mend things, Becca would need to come to her. It hurt her no doubt, but she wanted to stay strong to prove a point. Eliza walked into her washroom, washing the day off from her face and threw her hair up in a pineapple. She'd wash it in the morning, and let it air dry. After finishing her skincare routine she returned to her bedroom, and got her pj's on and her clothes ready for tomorrow. After making sure her room was set, she went to make her lunch for the next day. She was in the middle of making a california turkey sandwich when she heard Becca's door open and saw the man she didn't want to see. Rolling her eyes, she turned around to slip the sandwich and the ingredients into the fridge, before moving onto the pantry. She heard the footsteps stop near her and her suspicions were true when she turned around to Nate at the counter. She went on with her pretzels and cut up fruit, hoping he'd just leave. "It's not her fault." He stated and she froze, setting her knife on the counter and looked up to meet his gaze. She put on her family's resting bitch face, before closing her eyes. "What do you mean- not her fault? If I am correct, it takes two to tango dude." She huffed, finishing up her fruit cutting. "I mean, I am the one who pursued her after she said we couldn't date because she found out who I was and what I said." He clarified and Eliza nodded softly, turning back to the fridge to put her fruit in. She turned around and rested her hands on the counter before speaking, "Well she was right. I wouldn't want you two to date also. But here we are." She hissed. He nodded, "If you want to be mad at somebody, be mad at me. Becca didn't do anything wrong." Eliza cut him off, "Wait, but aren't you two dating? Seems like she did do something Nathan." She retailated and he nodded, trying to find the right words. "Now I understand why you've been offering to help me more or talk to me. I knew it was suspicious." She stated and he met her gaze. "Yeah, Becca told me some stuff. Nothing too in depth but enough for me to understand more. I even spoke to Cale-" He stopped as soon as her eyes widened. "I just asked him about you but I promise he had no idea. I swear." He said trying to calm her down.

"He just confirmed a few things for me, that's all. I promise. It gave me an idea of who you are. The real you. Not the one that I heard in passing. Becca showed me who you are, seperate from your arthritis. And I have never been so sorry in my life, I promise. I feel like an ass for saying something without the underlying information. I had no right to comment and was so out of place. You don't need to accept my apology but I know that if I didn't- I'd regret it for the rest of my life. It's not cool to violate the Disability Act of 1990." He explained and Eliza's head cocked to the side, "Let me remind Becca to stop talking." She grinned. Nate felt a sense of relief, maybe she was coming around. Slowly. "Well, you are correct. You did violate the Disability Act but can't technically sue you since I wasn't working with them at the time. But I swear to god, I will turn your world upside down if you ever say anything about me again or hurt Becca. They don't just say that my resting face could kill. Because it can." Eliza mused, giving a small smile. Nathan smiled back, rubbing the back of his neck. "Even though I just said all that, it'll take sometime to get used to the idea of you two being together and your apology. Even though I have dealt with pepople like you my whole life, it's hella different when you work with them and have associations with them. Y'know?" She explained and he nodded, grateful that she would hopefully come around. "Thankyou Eliza, that means so much. And again, I now don't underestimate your capabilites. Nor do I underestimate Becc's at all." He chuckled and Eliza joined in. "Yeah, she can give a beating." She retorted which caused Nate to laugh. "Yeah she tore me a few when she found out about what I said. Knocked me down a few pegs. Which, was totally needed and was very demoralizing." He quipped, causing Eliza to grin. "Well, im sure Cale can detest to that too. Becca gave him an earful one time about something mundane but to her, it was very important for him to know. Since it was about me but I took no offence. It was quite funny to see him with a deer in the headlights look." They both laughed at that, and Becca walked out. Becca was miserble, you could see it all over her face. She had puffy eyes, red cheeks and exhaustion plagued her eyes. She walked up next to Nate, and he wrapped an arm around her back.

Eliza didn't like this, but if Becca was happy- she'd learn to live with it. Becca looked towards Eliza, and to her surprise her best friend did not look away. "I love you B, but this will take sometime." Eliza said honestly, and the sad girl nodded. "Goodnight guys." Eliza mused before walking back into her bedroom. She shut the door, turned on her white box fan and hurried to get under the covers. She texted Cale goodnight, before making her alarm's and medications were ready for her the next morning. Maybe, she should give Nate a new slate. Yet, that would make her seem weak. He had to really work for it, which he began tonight. She sighed, turning over and shut her eyes.

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

I hope you guys enjoyed! Please give this a like and reblog...also, only one more chapter left !

Tags: @pierrelucduboiis @fallinallincurls

#cale makar #cale makar m series #nhl #hockey #nhl fic #hockey fic #romance #cale makar fic #fanfiction #Nathan mackinnon

[ladylooch]

Letters in Your Last Name - Chapter 15

A/N: I also kinda hate GMBG for what he did to us, Sam. I KNOW okay. I kNOWWWWWW about the cap hell okay. But still. FiFi should have retired a Wild player and I will never forgive Billy for taking that from us.

Word Count: 3.5k

Warnings: Angsty (this is really a theme in these chapters RN), Swearing, lil smidge of smutty themes.

Things are decidedly NOT okay.

I listen intently, standing in my brother’s kitchen 6 weeks later as he describes his conversation earlier this morning with Wild General Manager, Bill Guerin.

“I believe what he’s saying. They thought I would squeak through waivers because I’m still rehabbing. Unfortunately, Edmonton has a lot of goalie uncertainty, so they decided to grab me.” My brother takes off his Wild hat and runs a hand through his hair. Yep, no longer a Minnesota Wild player, my brother will now be an Edmonton Oiler for at least the remainder of this season.

“How… are you even going to get into Canada?” I wonder when I find my voice after the initial shock wears off. “Canada is not letting in international travelers.”

“Well, I’ll be considered a business traveler. The team is working on getting my visa approved. Then I’ll be able to cross the border. What sucks is I still have to quarantine for 14 days. I can’t seem to get around that hurdle.” He mutters in annoyance. Understandably so considering COVID is what created his heart condition in the first place.

“When are you leaving?”

“As soon as I can get packed. I’m going to start driving up as far as I can.”

“You’re driving!?” I gasp. From here to the Canadian border is at least 5 hours in good driving conditions. From there, it’s another 15 hours to Edmonton

“It’s the only way at this point. Air travel is limited between here and Canada and I can’t book a flight until I have my visa.”

“This is such crap.” I snap, pushing away from the island.

“It is what it is, Sam. We can’t change it.” He sighs, coming around to give me a hug. I hug him back tightly and close my eyes, feeling the sadness take over my body. “Felicia is going to need your help while I’m gone. We decided her and the kids are going to stay here for now. The quarantine requirements are tough and we don’t know if the kids can handle a hotel that long.”

“Okay. Of course, I’ll be around for her.”

“Thank you.” He gives me one more tight squeeze before he releases me. “Alright, I have to finish packing and then I’m hitting the road.” I nod in response. “See you when I see you.”

“Bye, Al.” I sigh. We have certainly lived apart for several years previous to Alex joining the Wild, but this goodbye feels harder than any of those did. I swallow the lump in my throat and look down at my phone buzzing on the counter. It’s Kevin. I click ignore because I can’t talk to him right now. I’ll lose it. And I don’t want to do that in my brother’s house when he already has enough stress.

Felicia joins me in the kitchen as Kevin’s text comes through.

I’m home. Where are you?

I type in a quick response. With Alex and Felicia. Go ahead and eat without me. I’m going to be awhile.

“This sucks.” Felicia greets me with a hug. I rub her back comfortingly when we step apart.

“Yeah… I’m here for you though. Just let me know what you need.”

“I will. My mind is so scattered right now that I can’t think of what that is yet. But I’ll let you know. Thank you.” She sighs and grabs her cup of now cold coffee from the island.

“Did you talk to the kids?” I ask her.

“We did. Sawyer is beside himself, but I don’t think Serena really knows what is happening.” We share a sad look and I have to drop my gaze so she doesn’t see the tears forming in my eyes.

It’s going to be a rough day.

A few hours later, I make my way back to mine and Kevin’s apartment in Minneapolis. The whole drive I’m going through the motions until I pull into my spot in our garage next to Kevin’s car. I release a heavy sigh and resist the urge to break down into tears. In the grand scheme of things, this is not the end of the world. But it’s certainly heavy and hard.

“Hey.” Kevin jumps up from the couch when I enter our apartment. “I heard about Al at practice.” He is crossing the room to me and takes note of the scowl on my face. I’m seemingly going through the stages of grief as I take note of the hostility I feel burning in my chest. I want someone to blame and considering Billy Guerin put my brother on waivers, he seems like a great person to start with.

“Fuck Billy.” I scowl at Kevin.

“Okay, get it out now.” He encourages me. “Definitely don’t say that to his face if you see him at the game later.”

“I’ll tell him to his face. I don’t care!” I snap at him, throwing my purse on the counter. “Like what the fuck!? An international team change in the middle of a global pandemic when he has a young family!?”

“Babe, Billy doesn’t have control over who picks him up off waivers… He was trying to move him to Iowa so he could continue to rehab. Al hasn’t even played this year. It probably seemed unrealistic that a team would take a gamble like that.

“Whatever. It’s still his fault.” I cross my arms over my chest, hating that Kevin is being so reasonable about this.

“Are you okay?” Kevin asks after a moment of silence.

“No!” I squawk before bursting into tears.

He comes around the counter and wraps me into his arms. I squeeze myself to him, digging my fingers into his back as I cry. This sucks. There are no other words to describe it. It just does.

“I’m sorry, babe. If you want to stay home tonight, I understand.” He murmurs. The Wild play the Kings at the Xcel at 7:00pm. Going there and knowing my brother has no part in this team anymore will be difficult. But, I’m not just Alex’s sister anymore. I’m Kevin’s girlfriend and he deserves my support.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll go.” I nod, pulling away and wiping my tears off my face.

“Okay… But promise me you’ll avoid Billy.” He looks into my green eyes, his brown orbs serious. He sees the fire in them and his expression turns a little nervous. “I’m serious, Sam.”

“I know, Kevin.” I snip at him. “I’m not a fucking idiot.” I start to walk away from him, heading into our bedroom for some alone, self-wallowing. “And don’t tell me what to do.” I mumble over my shoulder at him.

Kevin’s hand comes to his mouth and I can tell he is trying to stifle a laugh at how childish I’m being. He purses his lips and nods his head at me in understanding.

“Don’t.” I seethe at him, watching his brown eyes dance in amusement. “I’m really upset.”

“I know, but it’s kinda sexy watching you get all mad.” He finally releases the laugh, unable to hold it in any longer. He licks his lip as his eyes dip to my chest, taking in my flushed skin.

“I’m not going to have sex with you! My brother just got moved to a different team. For fuck’s sake, Kevin.”

“Okay. I mean, I’m disappointed, but I understand.”

“You have two hands attached to your body that can help you out.” I narrow my eyes at him.

“Sure.” He nods to me, crossing the room to where I am- his hands still stuffed into his pockets, his shoulders all casually relaxed. He licks his lip as he looks down at me. “But when you want me as a distraction, I’ll be out here… ready for you.” He leans down and places his lips against mine. His tongue is suggestive as it slides against my bottom lip and it takes everything in me to stay rigid. “Five minutes maybe?” He challenges as he pulls a breath away from me to look into my eyes. He sees right through my fake resistance.

“Just for that smart comment, it’ll be 10.”

“I’m a patient guy.” He grins at me, patting my butt lightly before crossing the room to the couch. _ _ _

Walking into the Xcel Energy Center without Felicia this evening was terrible. There is no other way to describe it. I felt the urge to burst into tears when I shuffled inside, but I barely made puck drop, so I was encouraged to press forward and get to the Family Suite. When I entered, the other girls were so sweet, giving hugs and gentle reassurances of the shitty situation to me. I made it through all of those and only cried when Lauren wrapped me in a hug.

“Sometimes, this league sucks.” She assures me as we sit next to each other in the seating area about half way through the first period.

“It’s just been a tough few months with them and now this is kind of the icing on the crap cake.” I mutter, crossing my legs and arms tightly to shield myself from the uncomfortableness of it.

“Absolutely. It’s been tough for you too. I’m here if you need to talk or vent or cry.”

“Thanks, Laur. I know… I think tonight I’d rather just focus on Kevin.” I give her a sad smile and she nods her head in understanding.

We turn our attention to the ice where the Wild are already ahead 1-0. The puck is in the Minnesota end and I cringe as I see Kaapo Kahkonen sprawling on the ice after being crashed into by a few players from both teams. The net is wide open as the puck comes to the blue line. But Kevin is there. He executes a perfect poke check before he is dashing down the ice on a breakaway. Three Kings players rush after him, but Kevin is too fast. He is down the right side boards, creating just the right amount of space, before he cuts into the center of the slot. He pulls the puck to his forehand and a quick shot snaps the twine behind Jonathan Quick.

“YES!” I scream, jumping to my feet and clapping with the rest of the arena. Kevin celebrates and grins as his teammates mob him. I watch his face on the Jumbotron and feel some of the sadness in my heart ease away.

The first period ends with the Wild ahead 3-0. I feel we can all breathe a little easier. The Kings are a pretty lackluster team these days and the confidence of another Wild win is building in the arena. I avoid mingling with the other girls at intermission and instead stay silent in my seat. I send Felicia a quick text to check in and she assures me that all is well in the Stalock household.

The second period begins and the rest of the girls return to their seats. I take the opportunity to grab a snack- a handful of pretzels- along with an alcoholic beverage. Soon, I settle back into my seat with my cider and watch as Kevin returns to the ice for a face-off in the Minnesota zone. The play begins with the puck bouncing back to center ice. Kevin takes off in pursuit quickly, zeroing in on the defenseman as he turns to grab the puck. Kevin lifts his stick as both players turn towards the corner. At the last moment, Kevin pushes to guide the defensemen into the boards, but the King’s player catches an awkward edge and goes flying into the boards face first, crumpling up from the momentum. Kevin falls into the boards too and the resulting image is awkward and concerning.

“Oh my god!” I exclaim, my hands coming to cover my face. I watch as the teams begin to pile up to fight and Kevin becomes consumed by the hockey players on the ice. The King’s player, Matt Roy, has crumpled to the ice, but thankfully he seems to be able to move. I close my eyes and say a quick thanks to the Hockey Gods before turning my attention back to the pile where Kevin is. Eventually, the player that has Kevin in a headlock is taken care of by Jared Spurgeon. Kevin immediately turns from the scrum and goes to Roy who is still down on the ice. The ref is pushing Kevin away insistently to the penalty box. As he skates away, Kevin keeps looking back in obvious concern.

“Ugh Kevin…” Lauren grimaces at me. “Yikes.”

It takes a few minute for the training department for the Kings to get Roy off the ice. Every second feels like minutes as they talk with him, heads down seeing to the extent of how serious this is. Thankfully, within a few more minutes, Roy is up, skating off on his own power. I clap graciously in response and turn my attention to the penalty box where Kevin is waiting. The refs are still discussing on the ice what to do. They break apart and the Wild penalty box opens for Kevin to skate out to the bench. Game misconduct.

I look at the large scoreboard hanging from the ceiling, seeing there is still well over half the second period to go before the game is over. Kevin disappears to the Wild locker room and the game begins again without him.

“That might turn into more than just this game.” I mutter to Lauren. “I hope Roy is okay.” My finger nail comes to my mouth and I chew on it uncertainly. My legs begin to bounce nervously and I just want to see Kevin. He’s never been ejected from a game before, but my understanding is he will stay in the locker room for the remainder of the game. I purposefully do not reach out to him as I want to be respectful of whatever else he may need to do now that he is off. I’m sure there are a few conversations to be had.

The rest of the game is a blur of motion. The Wild end up winning the game 5-3, but it hardly feels like a win to me. I’m too worried about Kevin. I’m not sure what to expect when I do see him.

As we head down to the elevators, Lauren and I chat with Shyla.

“Poor Kev. That was tough to watch.” Shyla says as we enter the elevator.

“Yeah.” I respond, folding my arms across my chest. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he is facing a suspension.”

“Probably.” Lauren agrees with me. “Timing sucks too because he’s been playing lights out.”

“I know.” I sigh, running a frustrating hand through my hair. “We will just have to see.”

When we reach the ground floor, the elevator doors open and I step out, surprised to see Kevin waiting for me in the hall. I slow my pace and stop next to him, waving to Lauren and Shyla.

“Chin up, Kev.” Lauren squeezes Kevin’s arm as she walks by him. He gives her a smile that looks more like pursed lips than anything else.

“Not ideal.” I say when Kevin’s eyes meet mine. He responds by pushing himself off the wall and starting towards the player’s parking lot. At this point, congratulating him on the goal seems like a moot point.

“Nope.” I hear him mutter from in front of me.

“What’s going to happen?” I ask when I catch up to him, lacing my arm through his. He doesn’t pull away but he also doesn’t attempt to get closer to me.

“I’ll probably have a hearing with the league tomorrow. At least that’s what Dean and Billy think. They said they would let me know when they hear.”

“Ugh.” I grunt out, pursing my lips in displeasure. Can this day get any worse? I glance at his face and it’s set in a hard, unforgiving frown. “Don’t beat yourself up.” I say to him, watching as his brown eyes darken. “Hey. It was an accident.” I pull him to a stop and he pulls away sharply before running a frustrated hand through his hair.

“Sam, I just want to get home. Can we not talk about this right now?” He starts to walk again. I follow him silently, knowing it’s best if I back off. The sound of my boots hitting the pavement claps back to us as we walk to where Kevin’s Audi is. We get inside and Kevin begins to drive us home. I slowly pull my seatbelt over me as we exit the parking ramp, heading back towards Minneapolis. We take I-94 for most of the way until we exit to wind our way back to our building.

“I didn’t mean to hit him like that.” Kevin finally whispers to me as we wait for a red light in downtown.

“I know, baby.” The tension inside of me dissipates at his words and I reach out to touch his cheek. My heart hurts for him as I watch the internal struggle rage just below the surface. “Hockey’s an unpredictable game. And sometimes it’s dangerous.”

“I thought he would go into the boards sideways, so I pushed.”

“I know. He lost an edge, Kev. It happens.”

“What if he isn’t okay?” He wonders, turning with fear in his gorgeous eyes.

“Honey, he skated off on his own. That leaves a lot of hope that he will be.” I rub his cheek with my thumb. “You’re a good man. It was an accident.”

He turns away from me and begins to drive when the light flips to green. We are silent the rest of the way to our building. I don’t know what to say to make it better, so I don’t even try. I hold his thigh in comfort so he doesn’t feel alone.

When we arrive at our building, we head directly to the elevators. Once inside, Kevin blows out a heavy sigh, closes his eyes while leaning against the wall. I purse my lips and look at him. It’s going to be a rough night and likely a couple of days as we navigate both this and Alex’s departure.

“I’m here.” I say quietly to him.

“I know.” He responds. The elevator dings and he walks out without me. I pause for a moment and then follow him down the hall. He opens the door and holds it open for me as we step inside. I shrug off my jacket as Kevin walks down the hall to our bedroom, presumably to change.

While he is in there, I take out a wine glass and give myself a healthy pour of Pinot Noir. I savor the first sip as it coats my mouth and slides down my throat. I take another healthy gulp as Kevin returns to the living room. He plops silently down on the couch and flips the TV on. The sounds of ESPN enter our apartment. Slowly, I move towards him, coming around the couch and standing in front of him. I push him back against the cushions gently and straddle him. My hands run to his shoulders then up to his neck to hold his cheeks in my hands. He melts instantly into my touch.

“This sucks.” I affirm to him, watching his face contort briefly into discomfort. “You can’t let it change you though. You know who you are. You know what type of player you are. Don’t listen to what anyone else has to say about what happened. You know your truth.” He nods in response and I pull him into my chest. His arms wrap desperately around my body as he buries his face deeper into my breasts. I hold him to me with one hand on the back of his head and the other across his shoulders. I gently rest my cheek against his head as well, wanting him to feel held and understood. We stay like that for several minutes.

“How do you always know what to say?” He mumbles to me.

“Tonight, it’s the wine.” I respond with a smile. He sighs out a laugh and nuzzles his nose against my breasts. His head rises and I pull back to look at his face. His features look more relaxed but there is still an edge of sadness to him.

“Thank you.” He tells me.

“I could suck your dick if that would help.” I suggest to lighten the mood. He sighs and runs his hands along my thighs.

“I love your mouth.” He pauses and looks at my lips. “But, for now, just come here.” He pats the seat next to him, so I flip to my side, snuggling into him. He slides his hand around me and dips into my jeans, groping my bare butt. I give him a look and he shrugs innocently.

I know exactly where the rest of this night is going.

#letters in your last name au #kevin fiala #Kevin Fiala Fic #los angeles kings #my writing #hockey fan fiction #hockey writing #NHL writing

[moregraceful]

Top 5 Kaapo isms and lore - 💖

i love this question so much, thank you 💖 anon

"wow, it's a nice city." the deadpan delivery. he's iconic?? people should not have been mean to him about that because it was objectively funny as hell

drunk on a jet ski. dipshit <3

>benched in game 6 of the ecf, comes out swinging >pending rfa >photographed drunk and/or high at a rave >signs for 2x$2.1 two weeks later. again: icon

kid line!! i know many longtime hrpf fans have opinions and feelings about the naming of the rangers' kid line but i think it's great. people are like oh they will never stand up to the heyday of the oilers. ok but this is way funnier. the lafrenière-chytil-kakko line is a wild collection of young men who play very well together and are deeply hilarious to think about in situations. obvs i love top line kaapo being dadded by chris and mika but i also love: good hockey, personal mess

that time ryan reaves was getting shoved around in whatever playoff game last year and kaapo flying in to defend him. kaapo it's ryan reaves. what are you going to do in a fight that he can't do himself! heartwarming. like a gosling coming into defend his dad who is a canadian goose when the gosling can't even fly. i hope reavo had another "his hands are not meant for violence 😔💔" moment

and ofc special shout out to the time i spend 30 minutes reading every single thread and every single comment on a r/celiac post about gluten intolerance and condoms. kaapo i will never forgive you for inspiring me to waste the minutes of my one wild and precious life reading people giving reviews of condoms based on if it gave them an allergic reaction. fucks sake

#cage replies #💖 anon #''our dumb rave baby'' as tash called him and she was right

[randomoranges]

me? miss a chance to do anything playoff related? despite the fact that my team finished last of all the teams? do you even know me????? literally scrapped together 19 consecutive minutes in two batces to write this silly little dumb thing. @allbeendonebefore  you’re welcome. 

Traitor

May 18th 2022

 Étienne sits up as the screen flickers to life and Edward appears before him, “Hi Eddy,” He greets with a warm smile. It might only be less than two weeks since he’s been back home, but he still misses his day to day with his boyfriend. “How are you?” He asks and it may just be a platitude that is constantly exchanged between people, but he genuinely asks and really wants to know.

 From the other side, Edward returns his smile and Étienne thrills at the sight of the playoff beard. He left before it had really come in thick and he silently mourns lost opportunities. Still, it had been time to go home and he knows that there will be future opportunities for him to appreciate the beard in all its wondrous glory.

 “Not too bad; getting ready for the g-” Edward pauses mid sentences and frowns as he sits closer to the screen as if wanting to get a better look at something that has clearly miffed him. “Maisonneuve, please tell me that is not a red shirt you are wearing. Today, of all days, on top of that.”

 Étienne blinks, perplexed, and looks down to see the aforementioned red shirt. He tries to think if there’s anything offensive with strawberries and comes up short.

 “I thought we were friends. I thought our relationship meant something to you.” Edward goes on, as if Étienne has committed the biggest of crimes and has murdered Edward’s first-born before his very eyes. Still, despite his best efforts, Étienne has no idea as to what his boyfriend is on.

 “I thought you of all people would get it, but clearly, - I was wrong.”

 The fact that Étienne really tries his damndest to figure this out says something about how much he cares for Edward, but no matter what, he cannot, for the life of him, figure out why Edward is pulling the dramatics on him over some silly shirt.

 “I guess this is it – we can never speak ever again. It’s over. Truly. Now I see, you’ve chosen your allegiance. Your side. I can’t believe you’re leaving me for Calvin. Picked him over me.”

 “Okay, calm down, là.” Étienne finally manages to say, before Edward can go into the deeper melodramatics. “What the hell are you going on about, Murphy. I don’t speak this brand of weird.”

 Edward manages to look even more affronted and insulted, if that’s possible, and audibly scoffs at him. “Maisonneuve, Battle of Alberta starts tonight. My entire dignity is on the line here. We’re playing Calgary. I must have told you forty thousand times, at least. Were you not listening?” He says it as though he himself will be personally lacing up his skates and donning the blue and orange for the game with all the stakes, when really, Edward will be doing none of that and on top of that, it’s game only game one.

 It  finally does click for Étienne and he lets out a small laugh, which is clearly not the best of answers, if he’s to judge by the look he receives from the screen. “For the record, I was listening. I just forgot it started today, since I literally could care less about what happens in these playoffs other than can anybody please eliminate Tampa. Forgive me for having caused such a scandal.”

 Edward rolls his eyes at him, but it’s fond. “If the Oilers lose, it’s all on you and your red shirt.” He says it very seriously and Étienne knows he means it.

 “Oh my God, do you want me to actually change? Like you realise that had we not been actually video-calling you would have never known what coloured shirt I was wearing, right?” Étienne still gets up and still heads towards his bedroom to look for a less offending shirt, despite Edward telling him he doesn’t have to. But – Étienne knows better.

 “It’s too late. The damage has been done. If your house is egged tomorrow, you’ll know why. I’m sending the angry mob your way.”

 “Wow, okay, first of all, the game hasn’t started. Second of all, serious much? It’s a t-shirt!” Étienne puts his phone down on his nightstand and starts rummaging for something else to wear.

 “Really? You of all people are telling me that? When just last year you went on a big stink about me wearing a very plain white t-shirt to game four?”

 This time, Étienne levels him a look that Edward gleefully returns. “How the mighty have forgotten.” He chides. Étienne ignores him as he pulls out a shirt he then tosses to the side.

 “Yes, well, now that I’m clear headed and not suffering from playoff fever, I can see that those actions are excessive.”

 Edward lets out a bark of a laugh and goes so far as to wipe an imaginary tear from his eye, “I’ll make sure to quote these words back to you next time you climb up hundreds of stairs on your knees all to get a grace for your team to win.”

 Étienne ignores the comment, not wanting to give any more ammunition to his boyfriend. The man has enough already and is clearly on a roll.

 “If I put something orange on will it get you to stop, or are you going to mock me until the puck drops?” He sits on his bed for a moment, his quest for an appropriate shirt forgotten for the time being and Edward grows pensive as if he’s actually considering this suggestion.

 As Edward ponders, Étienne removes his shirt, having finally figured out what he could wear instead.

 “You know,” His boyfriend starts, “You could just – not put anything back on. View ain’t half bad.” He suggests.

 Étienne laughs and winks over his shoulder, “No, no, wouldn’t want to cause some bigger cosmic shift. I know I have something orange in here.”

 “I swear, Bouclé, if you pull out some orange Youppi disaster, I am actually going to divorce you.”

 “Please, I know better.”

 Instead, Étienne takes out the sweater he figured would be a good fit. He turns back to face his phone, and does a little show of revealing what he’s wearing, waiting for approval.

 Edward, from his side of the screen, laughs and shakes his head, when he sees Étienne’s bright orange Habs sweater from the Indigenous Celebration game a while back.

 “I’ll accept this. It’s a good compromise. For now. But if they lose...”

 “Yes, yes, there’ll be hell to pay, I know.” Étienne finishes off, knowing full well the rules and regulations by now.

 FIN

#pc: montreal #pc: edmonton #edward murphy #étienne maisonneuve #fic #projocanondoko #im so funny.

[nuge]

good for him <3

ethan bear | other side | 12/11/2021

#ethan bear #Edmonton oilers #carolina hurricanes #oilers lb #canes lb #i will never forgive the oilers for doing this #we miss u bear #the only thing that would’ve been perfect is if they never signed TDA #but that’s none of my business #perlinigif

[dude-wheres-makar]

People I'm gonna bully from each team in the upcoming NHL season:

Note: Every problematic player already makes it on the list. This is about the others.

Anaheim Ducks- It never once changed, I'm gonna bully their bald captain and Deslauriers

Arizona Coyotes- Phil Kessel (thank you @readyfreddy )

Boston Bruins- Their scary ass mascot, and Charlie McAvoy

Buffalo Sabres- The entire team

Calgary Flames- It says here I'm legally obligated to bully Matthew Tkachuk

Carolina Hurricanes- Ian Cole. I'll never forgive him.

Chicago- Yes.

Colorado Avalanche- Too many options. All of them.

Columbus Blue Jackets- NATHAN GERBE. NAME A SHORTER PERSON.

Dallas Stars- You either die a hero or live ling enough to become the villain. Roope hintz, for that stupid haircut.

Edmonton Oilers- Connor McDavid. I'm superior, bitch.

Florida Panthers- Florida Panthers.

LA Kings- idk....Anze Kopitar??????

Minnesota Wild- my friend Andrew❤

Montreal Canadiens- Cole.

Nashville Predators- Matt Duchene

New Jersey Devils- Classic. Jack Hughes.

New York Islanders- Mat Barzal is just too easy. I need to bully everyone but Matt Martin.

New York Rangers- Unironically forgot who plays here hold on.....Chris Kreider.

Ottawa Senators- BRADY YOU LITTLE SHIT-

Philadelphia Flyers- TK and gritty

Pittsburgh Penguins- Sid. It wasn't supposed to be this way, you know.

San Jose Sharks- Who plays here?

Seattle Kraken- They're a brand-new team, therefore I'm gonna give them the same treatment as I gave the nights. I'm bullying the FRANCHISE.

St. Louis Blues- I'm actually gonna go with a St. Louis Cardinals player on this one, and say Nolan Arenado. Don't ask how I'll make it work, I just will.

Tampa Bay Lightning- Pat Maroon or.....Steve.

Toronto Maple Leafs- fuck you

Vancouver Canucks- Petey, if he signs with them. If not, Oliver Ekman-Larsson. His fault for getting traded, bro.

Vegas Golden Knights- lol pie boy (Alex Pietrangelo)

Washington Capitals- Do I have to pick just one?

Winnipeg Jets- Pierre-Luc Dubois, you can't be hot shit forever, man.

#dude im rambling #hockey #nhl #I'm not tagging all 32 teams fuck that shit

[jamesvanriemsdyk]

nolan patrick, mitch marner, tyler seguin, matthew tkachuk, and hmmmm idk uh the oilers?

i swear to fucking god anon

nolan patrick: i hate this motherfucker so much i made a nine slide powerpoint primer about him. also i want to *** *** ** * *** *** **** *** ***** ** **** *** ** but then also make him some tea and hold his hand afterward and maybe take him to the aquarium yknow? anyway hes my favorite player in the stupid fucking league somehow

mitch marner: ill like. always love this dude. because i love him yeah but hes also kait's favorite and he makes her so happy and i just. i just love it when she's happy

tyler seguin: every time i see him or say his name i NEED to call him a sl*t like i physically cannot help it

matthew tkachuk: i just think hes real neat. like i genuinely do. also hot take but i think its funny that he elbowed d*ughty in the face AND i dont care that it was an illegal hit AND i think its even funnier that he just. didnt give a shit and kept egging him on

oilers: i literally cant like them because i experienced pre-C and draft-era connor mcdavid and can never forgive them for making him fucking miserable

#la is this u #anon #answered

[mitchmarner]

hockey players as texts i’ve received from @evgeny-kuznetsov 

Mitch Marner: why is sweatshirt by jacob sartorious on my top songs of 2018

Alex Ovechkin:  youtube just recommended me a sidney crosby video lmao

Jamie Benn: I have one brain cell forgive me

Nolan Patrick: WOW HE LOOKS SO DIRTY THATS SO HOT

Carter Hart: i feel like i could explode and i would just be a puff of glitter and smiley faces

Travis Konecny: did you see claude giroux’s wife is pregnant do you think gritty will eat the baby

Connor McDavid: it’s so unfair why was i cursed with this life smh

Elias Pettersson: how many times have you been through the stages of grief

Evgeni Malkin: people hate crosby so much that it’s honestly amusing

Tom Wilson: ANDRE GETTING THE RESPECT HE DESERVES IS MY KINK

Jack Eichel: hockey has really taught me i truly have no idea where cities in canada are

Tyson Barrie: that cornbread today was sweet cornbread and it was so moist WOW I CANT STOP THINKING ABOUT IT

Brad Marchand: I’ve never gone to the eye doctor I wanna go for a confidence boost so they can tell me my eyesight is perfect

Sebastian Aho: I have to include two quotations from the book. i don’t even own the book

Mike Babcock: imagine if the leafs could actually play in the first period

Tyler Seguin: imagine thinking sidney crosby has personality and pretending jamie benn doesn’t

Brady Skjei and Jimmy Vesey: I JUST SAW KEVIN HAYES AND LOST IT

Jeff Skinner: she does look so kind like she definitely keeps candy in her purse

Kevin Hayes: weeks are much longer than days.

Mat Barzal: there’s a girl sitting right behind the bench on the stars game with the worst eyebrows i feel so bad for her there’s so many people seeing that

Andre Burakovsky: i’m literally jealous of a baby

Sebastian Aho: I wish i understood anything right now

Brendan Gallagher: like if you called the cops to have me admitted to a mental institution right now i would for sure understand

Ryan Reaves: i want hours of footage of tom wilson CRYING

Anthony Beauvillier: when we were together did i ever hit myself in the head like repeatedly on purpose because i got frustrated or had too many emotions or something? if not just know i do that sometimes and whenever i look at mat that’s what i want to do

Paul Bissonnette: I would send feet pics for money definitely but my feet are so ugly after the first pic they’d block me and never send me my money

Tkachuk brothers @ everyone: LIKE I DONT HATE HIM BUT SOME THINGS HE DOES PISSES ME OFF

Braden Holtby: i cant rely on the caps to play well two games in a row

Johnny Gaudreau: i hate being realistic. fantasy world is so much better

Peter Chiarelli, looking at what he left behind: it’s like a car wreck. i cant stop watching it

Everyone on Tampa Bay: UGH THIS GAME IS SO NUT

Everyone on the Colorado Avalanche: THE WORDS CAPTAIN GABE LANDESKOG IS LITERALLY EAR SEX

Dylan Strome: i cant even imagine how draining being in the oilers would be like. connor looks like he’s 35.

#its her birthday this is a special post for her #happy birthday jesse thanks for sending me texts that should you institutionalized #should have you* #hockey

[mkyujji]

Favorite sports things- 

Basketball.   I’m from a basketball town.  Probably the only school in Texas without a football team.  We focused on basketball year round.  I love basketball.  If I was forced to only watch one sport for the rest of my life, it’s probably what I’d choose.

Favorite Men’s team - San Antonio Spurs.  Although I will cheer for the Dallas Mavericks or the Houston Rockets as long as they’re not playing the Spurs.

Favorite Men’s Player - tough, but either David “The Admiral” Robinson or Tim Duncan.  (Hakeem Olajuwon also ranks pretty high)

Favorite Women’s team - Damn I miss the Houston Comets.  :(  In their absence, the Seattle Storm.

Favorite Women’s Player - Cynthia Cooper.  Seriously miss the Houston Comets.

Football. As a teenager, I can honestly say that I knew nothing about football except that the Dallas Cowboys and the Houston Oilers existed.  Oh, and there were probably other teams, but I didn’t pay it any attention because it wasn’t basketball.  I got a little into it when the Cowboys were making waves with the Triplets and everyone in Texas was going insane.  (more insane than normal).  I didn’t really get into football until I was an adult and I moved to Seattle and started working at a casino.  Suddenly, I was surrounded by hardcore football fans and it was on the television All The Time.  I had to learn to enjoy it out of self-defense.  I enjoy it now, but I most enjoy watching how it effects my co-workers.

Favorite Team - Houston Texans.  I will cheer for the Dallas Cowboys half-heartedly if they’re not playing the Texans and ti definitely makes my life easier when the Seattle Seahawks win as I’m mostly surrounded by Hawks fans.  

Favorite Player - JJ Watt

There needs to be a woman’s league.  :(

Hockey. I admittedly only got into hockey during the 2016/17season.  Prior to that, all I could have told you about hockey was that Wayne Gretzky was The Great One and that the Ducks were Mighty.  A friend wanted someone to join her in the craziness, though, and dragged me into it forcefully and fully very quickly.  I’m still trying to understand some of the rules (seriously, wtf is icing?), but I love it and have now seen more professional hockey games than I have all other pro-sports combined. Including selling my soul to go to Game Five of the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals.

Favorite Men’s Team - Pittsburg Penguins.  (Which I get a lot of flack for choosing a reigning Stanley Cup champion as my team, but look, my ex-husband is a Philly Flyers fan.  It’s in the divorce creed that we have to choose teams that are nemesis.  I don't make the rules, I just follow ‘em.  ^_^ Also, Crosby may or may not be a robot, but he is a hot bot, so...)

Favorite Men’s Player - This gets a little complicated.  Because I have multiple favorite players across multiple teams.  Sidney Crosby.  I don’t understand the hate.  The cries of ‘he’s a whiner’ or ‘he’s a diver’.  Like, you’ve clearly never watched other sports if you think that qualifies as whining and diving.  Watch soccer, my friend.  Then you can see some grade A performance dives and whines.  Marc Andre Fluery.  I will never forgive the Pens for trading him away.  Ben Hutton.  The Canucks may not be what you’d call a uh... contender, shall we say, but I adore that big ball of sunshine.  Alexander Ovechkin.  This man deserves a fucking Cup, okay?  Like, yesterday.  I hate that he’s so, so good and doesn’t have that.  And while they may not be my favorites, I still love Evgeni Malkin, Chis Kunitz, Jamie Benn, PK Subban, Conor Sheary, and far too many others to name.  I’m sure it’ll calm a little once I fully settle into life as a hockey fan, but right now I’m still very much all over the place with things and people to love in this sport.

Favorite Women’s Team - 2018 Women’s USA Olympic Hockey Team.  I was pretty stoked this year.

Favorite Women’s Player - How do you choose between Hillary Knight and Amanda Kessel?  

Soccer. I didn’t really start watching this until my daughter started playing.  Then I suddenly needed to know more about it.  :)

Favorite Men’s Team - Seattle Sounders.  Tickets here are expensive, so I don’t go often, but I really enjoyed the atmosphere the few times I have gone.

Favorite Men’s player - I honestly haven’t picked a favorite player, although I have seen some really amusing whining and diving on the field.  It’s like performance art.

Favorite Women’s team - I haven not watched any women’s soccers teams above the high school level.  It’s harder to find on tv than even hockey.  :-/

Baseball is boring.  Golf should not be considered a sport.  Rodeo is a weird gray area where I can’t decide if I like it or not.  Boxing hasn’t been the same since Oscar De LeHoya retired.

So yeah... I love sports.  

#rl #sports #about me

[gustavnyquist]

Hey. I’m kind of new to hockey and I would like to have a sort of a masterpost ? Or if you could guide me that’d be great. Thanks !

I sincerely hope you’re asking for a sort of hockey overview (rules, structure, etc.) bc that’s what I’m reading this as and that’s how I’m going to answer

okay so I looked through the tags for a while thinking there would already be something somewhere (and I’m sure there is) but I couldn’t find anything and I can’t think of a specific post that I’m aware of rn, so, I’m just going to make one myself

warning: this is rly long and I could not for the life of me make the read more work, pls forgive me, I will tag it as “long post”

so I’m totally cool with making this and none of this is meant to be condescending, only informational!

1. makeup of the NHL

there are 2 conferences (eastern and western) and 4 divisions (atlantic, metropolitan, central, and pacific)

the eastern conference is made up of:

the atlantic division, wherein you’ll find gems such as the: detroit red wings (wings), ottawa senators (sens), florida panthers (cats), buffalo sabres, toronto maple leafs (leafs), montreal canadiens (habs), boston bruins (b’s), and tampa bay lightning (bolts)

and the metropolitan division, wherein you’ll find beauties by the name of the: carolina hurricanes (canes), philadelphia flyers, washington capitals (caps), new york islanders (isles), columbus blue jackets (cbj, jackets), new jersey devils (devs), new york rangers (rags), and pittsburgh penguins (pens)

the western conference is made up of:

the central divisions, wherein you’ll find stunners such as the: nashville predators (preds), winnipeg jets, st. louis blues, minnesota wild, dallas stars, colorado avalanche (avs), and chicago blackhawks (hawks, trash)

and the pacific division, wherein you’ll find catches by the name of the: edmonton oilers, vancouver canucks (nucks), calgary flames, san jose sharks, arizona coyotes (yotes), los angeles kings, vegas golden knights (vgk, knights), and anaheim ducks

vegas is the newest team, which gave the pacific a full 8-team division, making the central division the only one with 7 teams, however, seattle’s probably getting a team in the near future and you’d think they’d belong in the pacific as well, so who tf knows what the divisions will look like in a few years :-) (this wouldn’t be the first time they’ve changed)

teams in the same division play each other 4 times a year (2 home, 2 away), every team plays each other at least twice every season (1 home, 1 away), and a team from one division can play a team from the other division in their conference 3 times a year, depending on how the scheduling works out

2. basic rules and structure for a hockey game

- a hockey game is 60 minutes, 20 minutes per 3 periods with 2 intermissions, but, generally, with stoppages and real-world timing, a hockey game last about 2 ½ to 3 hours

- there are 6 players from each team on the ice at a time, 3 forwards (right wing, centre, and left wing), 2 defensemen (right and left), and 1 goalie; each team will have with them on the bench 4 lines of forwards (12 guys), 3 defensemen pairs (6 guys), and 2 goalies (starter and backup) - some coaches, instead of 12/6, like to do 11/7, which means taking away a forward in favour of another defenseman, which basically means that some forwards will be taking double shifts and you’ll have an extra d-man to play so they essentially don’t get tired out as fast

- okay so the guy with the puck, on his way into the opponent’s zone (past the blue line) has to enter before any of his teammates, or at least the puck has got to cross the line first; the dudes on the other team can go in whenever bc it’s their own zone, but when you’re on offense, puck first - if you come before the puck, that’s called offside and the linesmen will stop the play and have a faceoff outside of your opponent’s zone

- you can’t just shoot the puck all the way down the ice into the opponent’s zone! that’s called icing - you can shoot it in from centre ice, but not from your zone all the way into the other guys’ zone; if you ice the puck, the linesmen will stop the play and the faceoff will come back in your own zone

- also, the referees (who call penalties) wear the orange armbands and the linesmen do not (they call the offsides and icings)

- nobody knows wtf goalie interference is anymore in the league so it’s best not to ask

which brings me to my next point

3. penalties

- the first thing to remember is that you will never fully agree with all of the refs’ calls as you become more familiar with the game, and yeah, sometimes it’s gonna screw over your team, but that’s hockey

- if your team gets a penalty, that means you’ll be playing 4 guys instead of 5, while the other team (on a power play) will have all 5 guys (plus goalies, of course), and your penalized dude gets to sit in the penalty box (aka sin bin) for 2-5 minutes, depending on what he did and what the call is

- a delayed penalty is when team 1 is called for a penalty, but team 2 (who is about to go on the power play, or pp) is still in control of the puck, so team 2′s goalie goes to the bench (since any goals here by team 1 won’t count) and they get an extra 6th man, and the penalty will be called as soon as team 1 touches the puck (or a goal is scored, and then no penalty)

- you can get a 2, 4, or 5 minute penalty, as well as a 10 minute game misconduct - 2 minutes is minor penalty, 4 minutes is a double minor, and 5 minutes is a major

- 2-minute minors: hooking, crosschecking, tripping, elbowing, highsticking (no blood), kneeing, unsportsmanlike conduct (mouthing off to the refs, ususally), too many men on the ice, and a variety of other things that I either can’t remember rn or don’t get called very often (like tucking your jersey into your pants) - these penalties end immediately if the team on a power play scores

- 4-minute double minors: generally this is for when you highstick someone and they start bleeding - if the power play team scores during the first 2 minutes, only that penalty ends (in other words, still 2 minutes to go), if they score in the second 2 minutes, then the penalty is altogether over

- 5-minute majors: fighting, boarding, spearing, charging, anything that’s more serious - the power play team can score as many times as they want during this penalty and the penalty will not end until the 5 minutes is up

- 10-minute misconduct: this is for when you’re rly being an asshole - mouthing off, seriously injuring a player, and so on, and you can either sit in the penalty box for 10 minutes (your team will not face a penalty for this, just the player) or you might just get kicked out of the game (say it’s the first or second period and there’s 10 minutes or less left, the player will probably just be sent to the dressing room for the misconduct and potentially return the next period)

- and above all else, a player rly can just kicked out of a game, especially if they’ve done something that is worthy of a fine or a suspension, which will be reviewed after the game

- also, both teams can get a penalty, which results in 4-on-4 hockey, and a team can get 2 penalties, which results in 5-on-3 hockey (or like 4-on-3 sometimes, if team 1 has 1 penalty and team 2 has 2)

4. wins, losses, OT, and SO

- if your team wins a game in regulation, congrats, you get 2 full points!

- if your team loses in regulation, you get 0 points :(

- OT (overtime) is when a game is still tied after 3 periods; each team gets 1 point, and the game is now going to sudden-death (someone scores, game over) 5 minute 3-on-3 hockey (yes, 3-on-3, 2 forwards and 1 d-man) - whoever scores now gets the full 2 points

- if that doesn’t solve it, we got to a SO (shootout), which involves 1-on-1 goalie vs. shooter, each team gets 3 shooters to start, the shooters rotate, and whoever scores the most goals wins (if no goals are scored by these 6 shooters, or it’s still tied, it goes to 1-shooter rounds until one team scores and the other doesn’t), winner gets 2 points

5. other general stuff

- come playoff time (only like a month away now), if you want a crash course on that, I’ll be happy to help, since I could do a whole new thing just for that

- if a player’s last name is kane, chances are they are a bad person (feel free to ask me for players that have done some shitty stuff, if you care to know that stuff)

- hockey tumblr is uh… an interesting place, take this as a warning, there are lots of nice ppl I’ve met here, but there are also a lot of opinions and it can get ugly

- there are also NHL awards and an entry draft at the end of the season, which you can ask me about, too (in June, that’s when it all takes place!)

- trades suck sometimes but luckily the trade deadline is over for this season (which was a week ago), so no more trades can be made until after someone wins the stanley cup this year

- there is an all-star weekend in January and that’s always a hoot

- every team has an AHL team affiliate, which is where they keep players that they can call up if someone gets injured, and where players develop so that they can be the best-conditioned player for the NHL before making it to the big league, and they play for their own cup (the Calder Cup, which the Grand Rapids Griffins, affiliate of the Red Wings, won last year)

- each team also has an ECHL team, which is a step under the AHL, like a reserve-reserve team

- if need be, I can also explain how call ups and waivers work, too

- the top three stanley cup winning teams are the: habs (24), leafs (13), and wings (11) - everyone else is pretty far from those totals

- here’s a link to some hockey blogs I like and follow (some of the urls might not be right, but the links should still take you to the right place)

- pls feel free to ask about anything else, I will try my best to explain it!

- you can also ask me about teams and players, specifically, but any of that would just be my own opinion on them and not necessarily a reflection of which teams and players ppl on here like (my fav teams are the wings and sens, and my fav players from each of those teams are Gustav Nyquist (right winger) and Erik Karlsson (d-man), and my fav goalie is Petr Mrazek, who now plays for the flyers)

hope this is helpful and what you were looking for :)

#long post #if any info in here isn't correct pls correct me #hockey #hockey crash course #ask #anon #when I was looking for a hockey rules overview post I fucking found all the stuff from 'rules to dating a hockey player' #remember that mess yikes

[torontoarenas]

my take on every trade deadline trade

as you may have heard, several trades happened today. here are my comments on all of them. just the trades that happened today, though. if you came here expecting to see my opinion on, like, Washington giving up a third-round pick for Ilya Kovalchuk, you’re outta luck, pal. that trade happened yesterday.

aw, heck, tell ya what, I’ll give you that one for free (”seems fine”). anyway, let’s get started.

Detroit trades Mike Green to Edmonton for Kyle Brodziak and a 2020 conditional fourth-round pick.

I don’t know if Mike Green is still good (though given his age and the team he’s played for in recent years, I have a pretty good guess), but at the low acquisition cost of a mid-round pick and some guy I didn’t know was still in the league, it doesn’t matter too much.

Ottawa trades Vladislav Namestnikov to Colorado for a 2021 fourth-round pick.

on its face, this is a mostly inconsequential trade, but I’d like to take this space to point out that Ottawa traded their own 2021 fourth-round pick for him earlier in the season, which means they likely downgraded a draft pick for “a few months of Vladislav Namestnikov in a lost season.” cool.

Ottawa trades Jean-Gabriel Pageau to NY Islanders for a 2020 conditional first-round pick, a 2020 second-round pick, and a 2022 conditional third-round pick.

that’s a bit rich for my blood. J.G. Pageau drives play pretty well, but he typically doesn’t score at a very high rate. what’s his shooting percentage this season, by the way? 17.8%? ok, yeah, that makes sense. I see why Lou traded a first and a second for him now, and immediately extended him for six years. look, any time you can buy high on a 27-year-old who’s shooting nearly double his career average shooting percentage and then lock him up long-term at a price point commensurate with the assumption that he will continue to produce into the future at the same rate he has this year, I guess you have to do it.

Florida trades Vincent Trocheck to Carolina for Erik Haula, Lucas Wallmark, Chase Priskie, and Eetu Luostarinen.

hmm. is there any reason why Florida would want to trade a reasonably productive, play-driving centre who’s signed at a decent cap hit for the next two seasons for a return best described as “a collection of spare parts”? is it that his on-ice save percentage this season is .877 and Dale Tallon’s a dumb guy who’s bad at his job? nah, that can’t be it. oh well, guess we’ll never know!

Montreal trades Nate Thompson to Philadelphia for a 2021 fifth-round pick.

not worth it. Thompson stinks. why give up any draft picks at all for him, even one as low as a fifth?

Toronto trades Michael Hutchinson to Colorado for Calle Rosen.

oh, hey! Calle Rosen’s back! I have no other commentary to offer re this trade.

San Jose trades Patrick Marleau to Pittsburgh for a 2021 conditional third-round pick.

hey, sure, why not. would’ve preferred to see both Marleau and Thornton join the same contender, win a Cup together, and then kiss, but I guess that’ll just remain confined to my fan-fiction. for now.

New Jersey trades Wayne Simmonds to Buffalo for a 2021 conditional fifth-round pick.

look, if you insist on lighting a draft pick on fire in the frivolous pursuit of a playoff appearance that isn’t gonna happen, it might as well only be a 2021 conditional fifth. who cares.

Anaheim trades Derek Grant to Philadelphia for Kyle Criscuolo and a 2020 conditional fourth-round pick.

I tried to have an opinion on this trade, but I just can’t muster one. sorry.

Montreal trades Michael Peca to Ottawa for Aaron Luchuk and a 2020 seventh-round pick.

in my day job as accountant, we have this phrase we like to use during audits and reviews. basically, if the balance of a given account is so small that it wouldn’t be worth our time to test it, we note that in the file by saying “trivial. no further work performed.” that’s this trade and about 70% of all trades on deadline day.

Anaheim trades Nick Ritchie to Boston for Danton Heinen.

this trade seems pretty reasonable for both sides. I don’t have much else to say about it other than “lmao remember how Don Cherry wanted the Leafs to draft Nick Ritchie instead of William Nylander”

Detroit trades Andreas Athanasiou and Ryan Kuffner to Edmonton for Sam Gagner, a 2020 second-round pick, and a 2021 second-round pick.

two seconds is a little pricey for a guy who is very bad defensively and isn’t a superstar offensively, but also the Oilers desperately need players who can score when McDavid and Draisaitl are off the ice. Athanasiou should help with that a tiny bit. I give Edmonton a grade of “not great, but mostly forgivable” and I give Detroit a pat on the back and a supportive “attaboy!” re this trade

Ottawa trades Tyler Ennis to Edmonton for a 2021 fifth-round pick.

decent low-cost pickup by Edmonton

Buffalo trades Evan Rodrigues and Conor Sheary to Pittsburgh for Dominik Kahun.

I’m puzzled. I was under the impression that Rodrigues and Sheary were both pretty good. so’s Kahun, I guess, but did Buffalo just want to shed salary? am I missing something here?

Dallas trades Emil Djuse to Florida for a 2020 sixth-round pick.

who

New Jersey trades Louis Domingue to Vancouver for Zane McIntyre.

trivial. no further work performed.

Philadelphia trades T.J. Brennan to Chicago for Nathan Noel.

hey! T.J. Brennan’s still kickin’ around! neat!

Montreal trades Nick Cousins to Vegas for a 2021 fourth-round pick.

hey, sure, why not.

Columbus trades Markus Hannakainen to Arizona for a 2020 conditional seventh-round pick.

trivial. no further work performed.

Anaheim trades Daniel Sprong to Washington for Christian Djoos.

I hope Sprong can earn a permanent NHL job some time soon and retroactively prove me right for wanting the Leafs to draft him back in 2015

Anaheim trades Korbinian Holzer to Nashville for Matt Irwin and a 2022 sixth-round pick.

Holzer was a sub-replacement-level defender for the Leafs five years ago. how on Earth is he still in the league and why is anyone trading for him?

Los Angeles trades Derek Forbort to Calgary for a 2021 conditional fourth-round pick.

♫ some things you do for money / and some you do Forbort bort bort ♫

hope you liked that joke because it’s the only thing I can think of to say about Derek Forbort 

Columbus trades Sonny Milano to Anaheim for Devin Shore.

Devin Shore plays the same position as Sonny Milano and is older, more expensive, and not a clear improvement. not sure why Columbus would make this trade, but it doesn’t really matter all that much

San Jose trades Barclay Goodrow and a 2020 third-round pick to Tampa Bay for Anthony Greco and a 2020 first-round pick.

wait a minute Tampa Bay traded WHAT for Barclay Goodrow?!

Chicago trades Erik Gustafsson to Calgary for a 2020 conditional third-round pick.

yet another trade that makes me shrug my shoulders and say “hey, sure, why not”

Calgary trades Brandon Davidson to San Jose for future considerations.

“future considerations” is a lovely euphemism for “nothing,” don’t you think? I wish it had more applications outside the sporting world

New Jersey trades Sami Vatanen to Carolina for Frederik Claesson, Janne Kuokkanen, and a 2020 conditional fourth-round pick.

say it with me now: hey, sure, why not

Toronto trades Jordan Schmaltz to NY Islanders for Matt Lorito.

trivial. no further work performed.

Three-way trade between Chicago, Toronto, and Vegas: Chicago receives Malcolm Subban, Slava Demin, and a 2020 second-round pick from Vegas; Toronto receives a 2020 fifth-round pick from Vegas; and Vegas receives Robin Lehner and Martins Dzierkals.

this is a great trade for Vegas. they’re a dominant team at 5v5, but their undoing this season has been wretched goaltending from Marc-André Fleury and Malcolm Subban. Robin Lehner’s been much better than those guys, obviously, so it makes perfect sense. I feel much better about my earlier prediction that Vegas would make the 2020 Stanley Cup Final now.

in addition, I’m impressed that Stan Bowman was able to recognize that his team stinks and, therefore, holding onto Lehner past the deadline would’ve been pointless. congrats to him.

from the Leafs’ perspective, getting a fifth-round pick for eating a little bit of salary ain’t bad either.

Edmonton trades Joel Persson to Anaheim for Angus Redmond and a 2022 conditional seventh-round pick.

trivial. no further work performed.

NY Rangers trade Brady Skjei to Carolina for a 2020 conditional first-round pick.

I dunno if Brady Skjei moves the needle enough to be worth giving up a first-round pick, but it’s far from the most egregious asset management I’ve ever seen

[andrewuttaro]

New Look Sabres: GM 42 - EDM - Thirsty Thursday

3-2 OT Win

When I was an undergraduate in college there was this special night of the week called Thirsty Thursday. A lot of my classmates created their schedules, so they had no classes on Fridays creating a prolonged weekend for all the activities Animal House taught you college students do. Thirsty Thursday was the beginning of that debauchery. Specifically the mid to late evening as the party people dressed to the nines emerged from their dorms, already tipsy, and climbed into Ubers, Lyfts and Cabs to go to the skankiest clubs and try to cross the border into Canada. Niagara Falls is pretty lit on the other side in case you weren’t aware. The Buffalo Sabres had themselves a bit of a Thirsty Thursday yesterday. This time however I’m excited for the consequences. I drew attention to GM Jason Botterill’s planned 5:30 radio appearance before the game against Edmonton so that when it was called off it seemed cowardly. Not that my lone tweet riled up an angry mob like the gif I used implied, but the timing seemed… well very bad. Dalton Smith was put on waivers the day before after an embarrassing affair on New Year’s Eve against Tampa and it all seemed for nothing: as if our GM had no clue what he was doing and now he was hiding from facing the fans. In reality perfect setups like that never happen. When WGR550 was told Botterill couldn’t make his regular radio hit the negativity around the team right now would naturally make you think of that dodging the press theory. Us wild and crazy optimists hoped against hope he was busy working on… dare I say… a trade!? The whispers came in as game time approached and Thirsty Thursday kicked off with a three-way (Normally something reserved for the end of the night if you know I mean). At about 6:40 pm the team announced a 2020 fourth round pick had been acquired from the Montreal Canadiens for Marco Scandella. The next part unfolded when the team announced at about 6:50 pm that the same 2020 fourth that was yielded from the Scandella trade was going to the Calgary Flames for RW Michael Frolik. No salary retained or conditions, it was essentially Marco Scandella for Michael Frolik.

Set aside all your newfound appreciations for Scandella, even his revitalization was to inflate his trade value. Not to be harsh but he won’t be missed; especially when Jeremy White’s Super-Secret Sabres Source (SSSS) then tells him they’re not done, and they want to bring Lawrence Pilut up from Rochester. This humble blogger says good and good. Scandella for Frolik constitutes a wash in terms of salary if not a little bit more taken on by Buffalo. However, if it gets Pilut back up to Buffalo and or Colin Miller out of buying tickets out of town then it’s a win in my book. In spite of how few trades we saw in the last five months of 2019 it does make a lot of sense that this is the prelude to bigger trades. One can only hope. I hope this analysis of it is outdated by the time I post it. Although we all thought the Jokiharju trade was the prelude to a bigger trade that never came so it could go both ways I suppose. All this figuring out distracted me from the actual game unfolding. I looked up and suddenly the Sabres were down 2-0 to the Oilers at home and certainly a blood bath was to ensue if another egg was laid in downtown Buffalo. Then as soon as I had that thought Thirsty Thursday ticked up again, but this time with some good clean action: Marcus Johansson disposed an Oiler along the wall in the offensive zone and went around behind the net. Johansson got it to Curtis Lazar who tapped it in past Mike Smith in net. It was now 2-1 and Jason Botterill had that much more cover to come out and face the press in the first intermission like we hadn’t gotten three hours earlier while trades were unfolding.

Jason Botterill spoke for about seven minutes saying a lot of things you might expect: Michael Frolik will bring even strength scoring, he’s won a Stanley Cup, has playoff experience and what not. Perhaps the most important things Botterill said is the special teams have to be better. He said that Frolik could help on the penalty kill and could be a bit of a rover on the wing. Botterill spoke to greater roster competition as something of a rationale for seeing as many players publicly want out. Assuming this isn’t the only move to be made its just refreshing to hear that the GM does understand what’s going on. The Dalton Smith Fiasco will probably be pushed under the rug 1984 style and that’s probably the only way to handle it at this point but pushing forward the point that there is in fact a plan here will allow some optimism, however scant, back into the fanbase. Once again, assuming there are more moves coming this move helps. The move itself is more or less whatever. If you get what Frolik was in years past then maybe he’s not just another piece to be traded at the deadline. Getting Frolik was one of those rumors from months ago and evidently the conditions on this Thirty Thursday were just right to make it happen. Conditions were not just right in the second period and apart from a slash on Jack Eichel and the Sabres taking over the lead in shots on goal, nothing really happened. Then it creeps into your head, like I hear it does for the party people at some point in the early morning hours on Thirsty Thursday, that all this momentary excitement could just melt away with nothing truly rewarding coming from it unless… unless you kiss that hot little number down the bar. It was unlikely another trade would happen as the clock ticked past 9pm last night but the clap-back Sabres awoke again. As an early offensive push unfolded in the third period for the home team they began cycling the puck around in the Oilers’ zone. Zach Bogosian took a shot that Sam Reinhart redirected in for the 2-2 equalizer and… well what do you know: Reinhart’s 100th NHL goal. For a moment try not to think about the impending second coming of the Reinhart contract drama and just savor what Samson does and who Samson is. But just like most things with this team, darkness follows close behind and Victor Olofsson was escorted out of the game after a weird fall all on his own just after he got the secondary assist on the equalizer. No new word on that today either mind you, just Scott Wilson getting called up because you can’t let us get too high, right?

The third period went on and the Sabres threw everything and the kitchen sink Zemgus Girgensons at Mike Smith. Nothing went through and we found ourselves in overtime. To Ralph Krueger’s credit most of the Sabres overtime periods have been tight possession affairs like they should be, even when they’re losing efforts. The same happened last night until an absolutely bonkers ten seconds about a minute into the extra frame. Jack Eichel went end to end, like from behind the Linus Ullmark net all the way to Mike Smith’s mouthguard on the other end. Along the way he drew a penalty when Oscar Klefbom hooked him on his final approach. That was good for a penalty shot but before the play was even over Jack almost scored on the rebound. This Thirsty Thursday was about to see it’s last act. That hot little number down the bar I mentioned earlier, that was Jack mother fucking Eichel, and we kissed his greatness to cap off the night. He took the puck, skated in and snapped it far side past Mike Smith, 3-2 Sabres in Overtime! And so the inebriated masses stumbled out of their rides in the wee hours of the morning; still concerned about their future but sated for just a time until the next party comes. Hopefully more parties to come then sadness they hope.

Like, Comment and Share this blog now because some of you will not like what I say next. The game on Saturday was moved to 1pm in the afternoon because the Buffalo Sabres organization shares an owner with the Buffalo Bills and is therefore allowed to be self-aware. You probably already knew that. To those of you whom pointed to that move as a sign of the Pegulas caring more about the Bills I’d just ask you to take a deep breath, maybe play your favorite video game and relax. There is good evidence that theory is true, but the Buffalo Bills also happen to be in the playoffs for only the second time in twenty years. Forgive the whole City around you if they want to focus on that team when they come on at 4:35 tomorrow! I know its 90s night… or afternoon now tomorrow, but please, let good things be good. Enjoy yourself a little bit. The Florida Panthers will be a challenge and then they’ll be off for four days, hopefully while Botterill is making more trades and Michael Frolik is getting his Visa figured out so he can actually come and play. Then its six games leading into the bye week of varying difficulty but mostly difficult. I would guess even if the Sabres miraculously won eight straight going into that break they still might only crack the top three in the Atlantic Division given the spaces between games. Nonetheless the tide of this dissent into another lost season we’ve been experiencing since before Christmas can be reversed this month. It will likely take more work on the part of the GM even though the deadline is still several weeks away. Yesterday’s Thirsty Thursday events were not enough for me to fully get back in the conductor’s chair of the hype train but whether it be for hoped for trades or just the first Buffalo Bills Playoff win since I was in diapers I can enthusiastically say right now: Let’s Go Buffalo!

Thanks for Reading.

P.S. According to NHL PR that OT Penalty shot goal by Jack Eichel made him the first player in Buffalo Sabres history to do such a thing. That is some kind of surprising stat.

#buffalo sabres #hockey #nhl #blog

[nohappinessleague]

1. Jack Eichel and Auston Matthews

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Jack_Eichel_-_Buffalo_Sabres.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Auston_Matthews_IMG_7890.jpg

A true, American showdown. Recently, Jack Eichel stirred up rumors of a budding rivalry between him and fellow American hockey player, Auston Matthews. In an interview with Mike Zeisberger of Postmedia, he commented on the tension between the Sabres and Leafs. “We don’t like them. They don’t like us,” Eichel said.

Both American players are physically dominating centers, but most agree that their play style differs on the ice. But what about their fighting styles? Too early to see, but Eichel points out that Matthews is no slack in the personality department. “I think Auston has a bit of a confidence and a swagger to him,” said Eichel in his interview with Zeisberger. “He’s got a bit of that ‘f— you!’ mentality in him. And that’s a good thing.” 

Hopefully this season, Matthews will bring that f—you mentality to the ice and drop the gloves America vs. America. I can only ask that they both don American flag bandanas for the fight.

  2. Brent Burns and Jordie Benn

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Brent_Burns_2016.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Jordie_Benn_-_Dallas_Stars.jpg

The real battle of the beards. Do you like a nice, clean cut beard, courtesy of Jordie Benn? Or something….a little dirtier aka whatever is on Brent Burns face? I know, it’s too difficult to decide. Let’s just have them finish this debate with the good, time-honored tradition of head butting each other until one passes out. Last one standing is Top Beard.

3. Taylor Hall and Ryan-Nugent Hopkins

https://flic.kr/p/94f4cG

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/Ryan_Nugent-Hopkins_-_Edmonton_Oilers.jpg/932px-Ryan_Nugent-Hopkins_-_Edmonton_Oilers.jpg

Call me a sucker for drama, but can you imagine? Tears flowing down both of their faces. Taylor Hall in his red Devils uniform desperately throwing shot after shot, while his former buddy, former teammate in orange blocks what he can? It is the start to an HBO special…or at least an Emmy-winning hockey feature.

4. Connor McDavid and Brandon Manning

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/482/19438702321_267c980607_b.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Brandon_Manning.jpg

This one is a bit more personal. In 2015, Brandon Manning of the Philadelphia Flyers tangled up with Connor McDavid, while the young Oilers superstar was flying across the ice. McDavid fell into the end boards, fracturing his left clavicle. The injury kept McDavid out for months, and there was some chatter that Manning purposefully tripped McDavid to injure him.

Well, that ‘chatter’ turned into something a little more substantial in 2016, when McDavid claimed Manning made classless comments about the injury during a game. The two players spent the entire game verbally jousting, and they carried the hostility off the ice.

McDavid, in a post-game interview with the press, said “I guess we can put the whole ‘if he did it on purpose’ thing to rest because what he said out there kind of confirmed that.”

Manning argued that McDavid must have taken his comments out of context, but the Oilers weren’t happy. The situation came to a head when Oilers Patrick Maroon took Manning down to the ice, with some suggesting that was the end of the feud.

But why the hell should the feud be done with now? After one measly fight? I want more fists, wrinkled jerseys, and @ing in post-game interviews. I want drama. Here’s to hoping McDavid is one of those never forgive, never forget types.

5. Mitch Marner and Almost Anyone Else (Excluding Zdeno Chara)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Mitchell_Marner_-_London_Knights.JPG

Auston Matthews seems like a kid who can handle himself pretty well. But Mitch Marner wasn’t taking any chances when Toronto’s prized hockey player got jumped by Rasmus Ristolainen of the Buffalo Sabres. He took the fight into his own hands, wrestling the dude to the ice. And by wrestling, I mean he basically koala-hugged Ristolainen to the ice. Innovative. Creative. Ballsy. I want to see more of Marner’s unique fighting style….just not against Zdeno Chara. I want a fight, not a massacre.

6. Phil Kessel and Evgeni Malkin

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/20/Phil_Kessel_2015-10-28_5.JPG/682px-Phil_Kessel_2015-10-28_5.JPG

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Evgeni_Malkin_2016-03-01.JPG

“Hey, you can’t have Phil Kessel and Evgeni Malkin physically fight! They are on the same team!” WRONG. I can and will do whatever I want. And I want these two to engage in fisticuffs.

The tension starts after a passionate verbal battle on the bench. No one is scoring. The Pens are down. Sidney Crosby is disappointed in everyone, including himself. Phil is muttering and making vague gestures to no one — throwback to Game 2 against the Senators or a classic Gollum scene in Lord of the Rings. Sully tries to calm down Malkin, but it isn’t working. Two-time Stanley Cup Champion Kessel just won’t shut up, and Malkin isn’t afraid to fight his own teammate. The stress escalates until the two talented Pens players are throwing punches like it’s the end of the world…or the Flyers have a chance for the cup. The fights concludes with both of them bloodied and smiling. They end the day with a nice snack of hot dogs and Coca-Cola.  

7. P.K. Subban and Patrick Kane

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/PK_Subban_-_Montreal_Canadiens_2015b.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/Patrick_Kane_-_Chicago_Blackhawks.jpg

I think this one is pretty self-explanatory. Blackface? Rape accusations? Assault? Generally acting like an idiot?

Someone needs to fight this little punk. Or as my friend Kerri ( @kerriannemarie)  likes to say “We want P.K. to fucking decimate the smoldering garbage shit pile in the middle of an underwater volcano that is Patrick Kane.” Who better than P.K. Subban, the defensive star whose team literally obliterated Patrick Kane’s Blackhawks in the playoffs?

8. Gary Bettman and Alexander Ovechkin/Nicklas Bäckström

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Alexander_Ovechkin_Russia_Olympics.jpg

There are monsters. And then there are people who won’t allow Alexander Ovechkin to represent Russia in the 2018 Winter Olympics. My only hope is that the straight-faced Nicklas Bäckström will finally snap and throw a punch that sends Gary Bettman back to whatever sick world he came from. Call me idealistic, though.

Honorable Mentions:

William Nylander and Alexander Nylander

Brother vs. brother, mano a mano. Who is the better hockey player? Who has the better accent? Most importantly, who has the better hair? These questions are best solved on the ice, fists flying.

Sidney Crosby and that Dude that Got his Finger Slashed Off

I can imagine it now. Sid the Kid skating up, learning down to whisper in Marc Methot’s ear. “I only got one finger? Well, how about a whole hand, eh?” Show Ottawa some real goon moves, Sid. Just kidding, violence is never the answer.

8 hockey fights I WILL see this season, even if I have to recreate in a video game (or incite) 1. Jack Eichel and Auston Matthews A true, American showdown. Recently, Jack Eichel stirred up rumors of a budding rivalry between him and fellow American hockey player, Auston Matthews.

#hockey #Hockey Fights #hockey season #nhl

[sashayed]

Hello #hockey fans. I have learned a lot about your sport since I became a serious fan 1 week ago, and now I feel ready -- since the #playoffs are upon us -- to provide my fellow #newbies with a guide to the teams involved!!!! Here without further ado, Rave Sashayed’s Super Accurate Guide to the Stanley Cup Playoff Matchups. Pick your favorite!!

Toronto Maple Leafs: Two dozen interchangeable blond teens named “Match Marstonder.”

Washington Capitals: One big yelling man (Russian) for scoring, one big yelling man (Canadian) for punching, one handsome yelling man (also Canadian) for making the other team’s goals not happen, and several others (Swedish ???) for yelling. They are all each other’s moms and they are my favorite.

WINNER: The power of narrative is generally on the side of The Big-Hearted Band of Misfit Teens, but also every 2016-17 indicator suggests that the Bad Guys Will Always Win, so the CAPS, probably.

Pittsburgh Penguins: A talented robot engages in bizarre rituals to help him lead an erratic parade of banged-up nice boys. One of them is a very beautiful French Canadian, but you will not see him in the playoffs because he got extra banged up :(, but you might see him in a suit in the audience SO who are the real winners here? Us, that’s who. On the other hand, this team made me want to sex this person, so maybe I specifically am not a winner.

Columbus Blue Jackets: The Columbus Blue Jackets could shut out every game they ever played and people would still be like “look at these scrappy little underdogs go!” I think this is because “Blue Jackets” is a very cute name for a team, like what your 4-year-old nephew would nickname a team that had a real, normal name.

WINNER: The Rust Belt

New York Rangers: Speaking of names, every Rangers player’s name was created by a Captcha generator, which is why we all have to pretend that “Ty Ronning” and “Jesper Fast” are regular things to call human beings. Spry 74-year-old Henrik Lundqvist leads this team, wearing a suit.

Montreal Canadiens: The Canadiens are also called “The Habs,” which is short for “Les Haberdashers,” because of their distinctive homemade fur hats. Carey Price, the only goalie permitted to ride a horse onto the ice nightly, has never said a single word aloud and communicates by glaring. These people traded PK Subban and then tried to be like “ohhhh we’re still friends” but I will never forgive them.

WINNER: Carey Price Has Done Nothing Wrong Ever In His Life

Boston Bruins: These dudes make me nervous. At any moment I feel they could travel to Toronto and shove all the Maple Leafs into lockers.

Ottawa Senators: INEXPLICABLY not called the Ottawa Otters??? ???? ????? ??????????? what the fuck

WINNER: SenOtters

Nashville Predators: PK IS HERE!!! PK IS SPEAKING!!! EVERYBODY SHUT UP!!!!! PK Subban chooses his game day Löoks based on “a show I used to watch, Boardwalk Empire.” The Predators are my favorite team that I don’t care about.

Chicago Blackhawks: No offense, but gross.

WINNER: PREDATORS

Minnesota Wild: Lumberjack strippers.

St. Louis Blues: I have never heard of these people.

WINNER: There are no winners here.

Calgary Flames: These guys are precious. One of them is named “Johnny Hockey.” One of them charmed me via Bananaphone. I’m a huge Calgary Flames fan, probably.

Anaheim Ducks: Once before I knew anything about hockey I was at trivia & there was a question about who played the Kings at Dodgers Stadium and someone was like “Ugh whatever, just put ‘The Mighty Ducks.’” This was the correct answer and we were all thrilled and surprised to discover they are a real team. (We did not win the trivia night.) 

WINNER: FLAMES, but maybe all of us if these two let a dog do the puck drop again.

San Jose Sharks: The Sharks have a CAT MASCOT based on a CAT who RAN ONTO THE ICE and was ADOPTED by one of the PLAYERS! The Sharks are my sweet and special boys for this reason and no other.

Edmonton Oilers: Is “Oilers” is the grossest possible name a sports team could have without being openly racist? Probably, and even if it isn’t, I hate it.

WINNER: SHARKS

#hockey for ts #hockey #extremely knowledgeable sports guides #choose your fighter

[yourbloodisthenewblack]

Words honestly cannot express the whirlwind of emotions that I currently have towards the fact that PLL is ending today. I’ve spent the better part of my late teen/early adult years growing up with this show, and today it’s finally time to say goodbye to this paramount chapter of my life - a chapter that has, quite honestly, helped me develop and shape myself into the person that I am today. Because even though it was just a show, every single one of those girls has taught me incredibly important things that I will carry with me, always.

Through Alison. I’ve learned that people can and do change, and that there’s good in everyone. I’ve learned that there can be so much more behind the facade a person puts on, and that everyone has a backstory behind why they are who they are, as well as how they became that way. Through Spencer, I’ve learned how to remain strong in the face of adversity, how to fight for what I believe in, and how to value my family above all else. Through Mona, I’ve learned not only that it’s okay to stand up for myself, but also how to be unapologetically badass while doing so. Through Hanna, I’ve learned to not let what others say define who I am and how I see myself when I look in the mirror. Through Aria, I’ve learned compassion and how to genuinely forgive others. And through Emily, I’ve learned the value of loyalty not only to those around me, but also to myself. Because she truly taught me how to be proud of who I am, who I love, and what I accomplish. 

I’m so grateful to have been a part of this incredible fandom. One that, yes, had its disagreements about many things, but ultimately one that remained united through the bond of the show’s core concept: friendship.

I’ve made friends and connected with so many incredible people around the world because of PLL, and we’ve shared moments and memories that will forever be engrained in my heart and mind. I cannot thank you all enough for that. Specifically though, there are a handful of you that truly made this roller coaster of an experience worth while.

To Ally and Sara, I’m so happy to have found two people who not only share a love of both PLL and hockey as much as I do, but also share a hatred in the one thing that’s even worse than Marlene King’s plot holes; the Anaheim Ducks. Thank you for making the Oilers’ first cup run in over 10 years one that I’ll never forget. Liveblogging those games together was one of my favourite highlights of this year’s playoffs, and I can’t wait for next year. GO OILERS!!

To Jordan, thank you for being someone I can always count on to not only fangirl over Emison with, but to also headcanon every single possible femslash on this show. You’re an incredible writer and your imagination and creativity never cease to amaze me. It’s great to know that your stories will always keep the PLLverse alive.

To Kim, thank you for being my ride or die. No matter how many ridiculous arguments we seem to always get into, you’ve always had my back and when push comes to shove, you’re someone I can count on for anything. I’m extremely grateful for the endless amount of support and love you give me, and I will always be thankful to this show for bringing you into my life.

Tonight, PLL airs its last episode ever. And though the story ends, the memories, the lessons, and the friendships will resonate with us forever. And that, is immortality my darlings.

Thank you for a life changing seven years. I love you all. And, of course, DiLaurentis-Fields forever.

@addictedtoprettylittleliars @prettylittleliarsxxxx @never-a-tale-of-more-poe @wrensaysspencah

#pll #pretty little liars

[running-on-fanfiction]

Leon Draisaitl - You drew blood!

This wasn’t really request, but since Lisa over at @diaries-of-pucks-and-purses is writing a part two to her Matthew smuts ;) I thought I would pay her back! 

“Hey, Y/N I would like you too meet Joe. He’s our new trainer.” Leon said placing his hand on the small of your back.

“It’s nice to meet you Joe.” You said shaking the trainer’s hand. You and Leon were at yet another function for the Oilers. Normally, you loved going to these things, but tonight all you wanted was to be home with your handsome boyfriend Leon naked in your bed.

The Oilers had been gone on a week long trip, and just got back late last night. By the time you woke up Leon was fast asleep and you didn’t want to wake him. Yet, every time you looked over at Leon you couldn’t help up look at how his dress shirt hugged his body, or how his hair was freshly done making you want  to push his into the wall and kiss him.

“Um, Do you mind if I steal my boyfriend away for a minute? I just remember I forgot to tell him a message from his mom.” You smiled up at the two men as you placed a hand on Leon’s arm.

“He’s all your’s I need to go talk to McDavid anyways. It was lovely to meet you, Y/N. This one never shuts up about you.” Joe said.

“It was very nice to meet you as well. Thank you.” You smiled before leading Leon out to the hall.

“Is my mom okay? My sister?”

“Yes, that was a lie to get you out here.”

“What? Why? Y/N, that was a very important per-” You cut him off after you pressed your lips to his. You pressed your body to his making him groan into the kiss. Without anymore words you pushed opened the bathroom door and walked you two in locking the door behind you.

“I need you, and I can’t wait any longer.” You said before slipping off your underwear.

“So, glad you pulled me away.” He smiled before unbuckling his pant. He pushed you against the wall as your hand went into his pants and pulled out his cock. He smacked your hand away, before lifting you against the wall and sliding his cock into your wet pussy slowly.

“Fuck, Leon.”

He rested his head in the nook of your neck before he plunge into you again causing you to yelp. “Shhh.” He laughed as he kept his paced.

“I can’t help it. I’ve missed you inside ME.” you screamed as he hit your g-spot.

“SHHHH.” he laughed but this time covered your mouth with on off his hands.

You were a moaning mess and Leon was loving every bit of it.

“Are you close?” He asked but before you could answer you bit down on his hand as your eyes rolled back in your head. Leon, followed shortly after placing you back on the ground.

“Shit, you drew blood.” he chuckled as you were fixing yourself up.

“I did not, you big baby.” You joked placing your underwear back on.

“DID too!” He said once more fixing himself up as well before showing you his hand.

“Oh my god, I did.” You busted out laughing. “Told you I missed you.” You said placing a kiss to his hand after you cleaned it up.

“I forgive you, but just wait until we get home.” He said slapping your ass as you left the bathroom.

-Julianne

#leon draisaitl #leon draisaitl imagines #edmonton oilers #hockey imagines #hockey imagine #nhl imagine #nhl imagines #hockey smut