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hockey-fics · 4 years

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Hockey Players are Bad News ~ Matthew Tkachuk

Summary: Growing up your older brother Taylor Hall taught you many life lessons, but one he made more clear than the rest: don’t even think about dating a hockey player.

Warnings: Language (if we’re still counting that)

Word Count: ~3,800

A/N: We’re just pretending Taylor Hall didn’t move to Ontario as a kid and stayed in Calgary in this.

You were no stranger to hockey. You had never played the game yourself. But when your older brother Taylor got involved in hockey it seemed like the whole family did as well. He was good, but you would never neglect to mention the role your parents had in him getting to where he was. Beginning with the fact that every winter your dad would maintain a rink in the backyard of your childhood home in Calgary for Taylor to practice on. And practice he did, on the rink almost any chance he got. It was in the backyard where you learned to skate as a seven year old. On the few occasions that Taylor, then thirteen, would take the time out of his practice to coax you around the homemade rink, picking you up every time you fell.

You were only thirteen when Taylor was the first pick in the NHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers. But your family didn’t become less involved in hockey. Things were just quieter after that. With a six year age difference between yourself and Taylor he had always been overly protective and the distance didn’t change that in the slightest.

You made frequent trips to Edmonton and he would come back to Calgary when he had a couple days off. You stayed just as close as you both got older, perhaps you had even gotten closer. And when he went to New Jersey and then eventually to Arizona you still talked just as much, just over text and calls and facetime.

He had come back over the summer but now it was late in August and he had gone back to Arizona to really focus on his training for the upcoming season.

Sitting in your friend’s house you look at the Tinder profile on your screen, Matthew. From the first picture you knew more about him than his profile would provide. Matthew Tkachuk. Right wing for the Calgary Flames. Calgary Flames. Despite the fact that you were born in Calgary after Taylor was drafted by the Oilers you developed a strong distaste for the team from the city you otherwise adored. Not even to mention the reputation Matthew carried with him. But the longer you sat there staring at the profile and flipping through the pictures the more you found yourself intrigued by him. And so eventually you swipe right, your screen flashing to the match screen. Quickly tapping the side button on your phone you let the screen go dark, leaving the situation alone for the time being as you focus on the TV show you were watching with your friend instead.

It was only three days later when you met Matt at a restaurant downtown. The date lasted hours, ending with you two walking around the dark downtown streets just talking. You hated to admit it but the date you had assumed would be terrible was quite the opposite. Matt was charming and funny, he held the door open for you and paid for dinner. He asked you questions about your childhood while you skillfully avoided any talk about your older brother. He told you about playing in the NHL and you nodded along like the inside information was all brand new to you.

When you finally ended up back at your car you stood by the driver’s side door, looking up at Matt with a soft gaze, hoping he would kiss you. The reality of the situation was that you assumed the date would have been over much earlier and ended in his apartment. But now you were just hoping he would kiss you goodnight and ask you to do it again. And you knew it was bad news. Because the stories Taylor told you as you got older got gradually wilder and always ended with the same message ‘don’t even think about going out with a hockey player’. Especially not one like Matt.

But your stomach still erupted with butterflies when Matt kissed you that night. It was in the way he placed one of his hands on the back of your head and the way he pulled back slowly, gazing down at you with a smile before dropping his hands from you and stepping back. And it was him asking you to text him when you got home safe, watching you till you were safely in your car before heading down the street to where his own car was parked.

And text him you did. That night and the day after and the next day too. You exchanged so many texts over the next couple days and each notification from him made you happy in a way you couldn’t explain. No Tinder date you had been on before had ever ended like this and you definitely hadn’t expected to have the best Tinder experience of your like with hockey player Matthew Tkachuk.

Your second date was mini-golf and ice cream. You picked a flavour you hated and Matt traded you his even though you were pretty sure he didn’t like the one you picked either. Your third date was to the zoo. You tried to contain your excitement but only made it to the penguin excitement before exclaiming how cute they were, while Matt spent most of the time watching you instead of the animals. Your fourth was drinks and arcade games at the Rec Room. You had a couple too many drinks and even though you were trying to beat Matt in a game or two you could barely stop giggling long enough to focus properly. Your fifth was a walk in the park, late fall leaving the leaves a beautiful colour. And you held hands in public for more than a couple seconds, through your entire walk. After that day you started to intersperse your dates with just hanging out, almost always at Matt’s apartment.

You two had been seeing each other for two months when Matt finally brought up what you had been dreading. Hall was a common enough last night that Matt had never asked about it. You were sitting on Matt’s couch, your legs curled up beside you as you lean against him, eyes focused on the movie playing.

“Will you come to one of my games?”

Slowly you turn your head to look up at him, forcing a small smile. You knew you needed to tell him. You were pretty sure he wouldn’t care, but as soon as you told him it was real and that meant you would have to tell your parents and Taylor. Telling him was pushing a snowball down the hill, the avalanche at the bottom would come from everyone else you had to tell.

“Matt,” you say, sitting up straighter so you could look him in the eyes.

“Yeah?” He furrowed his eyebrows, eyes glancing down your body, taking in the way you had pulled back from him. “Do you not want to? You don’t have to.”

“No,” you laugh, shaking your head. “It’s not that.” Taking a deep breath you try to figure out exactly which words to string together to bring this up. “You, uh, you know Taylor Hall, right?”

Matt’s confusion only becomes more evident as his eyes squint slightly, nodding slowly. “Yeah...why?” there’s an edge in his voice now, uncertain and already on the defence.

“He’s uh...my brother.”

You watch Matt go through what seems like ten different stages of processing before he finally says anything and all he manages to mutter is, “what?”

“My brother,” you repeat, knowing he didn’t really need you to say it again, just needed more time to process.

“Why didn’t you tell me that? Were you planning on telling me...ever?”

“Ever?” you repeat, pulling back further to turn your body towards him. “Matt, it’s only been a couple months. I though...when this started I thought it would just be a sexual thing. I didn’t expect this, I was assuming you were on Tinder just to hook up.”

Matt glances away from you for a second. “Well I kinda was,” he admits, looking back at you. “But then, I don’t know, I liked you more than I thought I would.”

“So I didn’t think it would matter.”

“It doesn’t,” Matt says, reaching over and taking your hand, gently pulling you closer. “Doesn’t change anything, I just don’t know why you wouldn’t tell me.”

“Because if things keep going like this I’ll have to tell my family,” you whisper as he pulls one of your legs over his lap so you were face to face.

“And?” Matt asks, hands on your waist.

“And they won’t be happy. Taylor is...protective. He’s made it very clear that getting involved with a hockey player is bad news.”

Matt’s lips curl into a smirk as he looks up at you, listening to your explanation. “Am I bad news?”

Rolling your eyes playfully you press your hands onto his shoulders, about to push yourself off him. “Matt,” you whine, knowing he knew that’s not what you were saying.

Suddenly Matt pushes himself forward, one arm around your back as he lifts you up and drops you down onto the couch on your back. “Well am I?” he asks, hovering over you.

Giggling you run your hands around to the back of his neck. “Yes, you’re awful.”

Matt chuckles, leaning down and kissing you. “Guess you like bad news,” he whispers against your lips.

“I’m a sucker for punishment.”

Telling your parents about your relationship with Matt went surprisingly well. After some trepidation about the whole thing they finally came around after having him over dinner, seeing how happy you were around him. Four months, it had been four months. And everytime your parents broached the idea of telling your brother about your relationship you shut it down as quickly as they brought it up. The time would come, you just weren’t sure when.

“It’s disgusting,” Matt complains about the piece of gum he asked for after you took one for yourself. Bubblemint. “Who even came up with it?”

Giggling you shake your head, glancing back over your shoulder at him as you walk up to the door of your parent’s house. “It’s good, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Something is wrong with your tastebuds,” he laughs, stepping inside after you. Your parents had invited you and Matt over for dinner, an almost weekly occurrence at this point.

Just as you're about to call out and tell your parents you were there you see Taylor come down the hallway, the wide smile on his face fading almost immediately. A surprise visit. They didn’t happen often, not with Taylor being down in Arizona now. But whenever he had even a couple days off he would spend most of the time travelling up to see you.

“Hi,” you say, feeling every nerve in your body firing at once. “You’re home.”

“What’s going on?” Taylor questions, his eyes drifting over your shoulder to where Matt was standing.

Taking a deep breath you look over, watching as Matt steps around from behind you to stand at your side. “I didn’t mean for you to find out like this,” you mutter.

“Find out what?” Taylor snaps.

“I-,” you begin, turning your head to look up at Matt, eyes wide with panic. “I, we’re...I’ve been seeing Matt.”

“Seeing?” Taylor questions, eyes squinting, jaw clenching.

You feel Matt slip his arm around your waist and you immediately tense up, knowing that it wasn’t going to end well. “We’re dating,” Matt tells him bluntly.

Taylor watches Matt for a second in disbelief before stepping forward, his hand grasping at Matt’s arm yanking him away from you. “Don’t touch her.”

Matt chuckles with a cold tone, shaking his head. “Too late for that.”

“Matt,” you scold a second before Taylor reaches forward, shoving Matt back against the wall.

“Don’t you dare talk about my sister like that.”

Reaching over you grab Taylors arm, pulling him back away from Matt. He does so easier than you were anticipating, looking down at you with a look of such disapproval you wanted to simply vanish from his sightline. “Matt, go home,” you say quietly, not able to look him in the eyes. Not able to own up to the face that you couldn’t stand up for yourself, for your relationship.

“Y/N,” Matt pleads, trying to get your full attention. He was just as aware as you were that asking him to leave in this moment had meaning.

“Go home, Matthew,” you repeat, using his full name to let him know you weren’t about to argue about it.

You wait till he walks out the front door before you turn your attention to Taylor. But you don’t know what to say, where to begin.

“What the fuck?” Is all Taylor says before there are tears in your eyes.

Not only had Taylor always been a protective older brother he was also the favourite child. Nobody would say it, but you knew it. He was a star in the highest league of his sport, he made incredible amounts of money, he had this whole perfect life. And so you had grown up striving to live up to that, to his standards. To make him and your parents proud of you. But now, standing there under the harsh gaze of your older brother you feel yourself crumbling.

“Taylor, I-,” you begin, your voice breaking slightly. “Please don’t be mad.”

“Matthew Tkachuk. Are you serious, Y/N? All the times I told you to stay away from hockey players and then you go out and start dating...him?”

“I didn’t think, I don’t know, I didn’t think things would get serious.”

“Why did you even want anything with him?”

Shrugging you wrap your arms around your body protectively, blinking away your tears as you stare down at the ground. “I thought he was cute and then we went on a date and I just, I really like him, Taylor.”

“You say that now but in a month or two when you find out he’s been cheating on you then that’ll change.”

“He’s not,” you begin, trailing off as you shake your head. “He wouldn’t.”

Taylor scoffs and rolls his eyes, arms crossed over his chest. “You don’t know, Y/N. You don’t know the way guys act on roadtrips. Just because he treats you well when he’s with you doesn’t mean that continues when you’re not together.”

“I...I don’t know what to say, Taylor. I like him, a lot.”

“You don’t love him,” Taylor states but it’s a question and you know it. He needs to hear you confirm it.

“No,” you whisper, shaking your head. “It’s only been four months.”

“Good,” Taylor mutters.

“Why?” you mutter, voice wavering.

“Because it’ll be easier to break up with him if you don’t love him,” Taylor explains easily.

Furrowing your eyebrows you shake your head. “You don’t get to decide if I break up with someone.”

“No, I don’t,” Taylor replies, stepping away from you. “But I can tell you what you should do. And you should break up with him.” He turns around after that, walking back towards the kitchen and leaving you standing alone in the hallway. Should. All your life you had been doing what you thought your parents and Taylor would approve of, what you thought they would say you should do. But you had never hated the idea of what Taylor would say you should do quite the way you hated this.

After a few minutes of thinking you walk through the house, finding your parents in the midst of a hushed discussion with Taylor, falling silent the second you enter the room.

“Hi,” you mutter, walking slowly to the kitchen island, placing your hands on the edge of it as you stare over at your family.

“Hi sweetheart,” your mom replies, voice gentle and tentative. “I sent you a text earlier, I guess you didn’t get it.”

Pulling your phone from your pocket you look at the notification she was talking about. A warning that Taylor was there, suggesting Matt didn’t come with you right away. To just tell Taylor alone, give him some time to process it. But of course it had only come five minutes before you walked through the door, not having taken the time to read it. “No, I didn’t,” you tell her, putting your phone back away and turning to face Taylor. You’re suddenly hit with a wave of emotions, feeling like you just might burst into tears. Every other time Taylor had come home you had been greeted with a huge hug, with smiles and laughter. You felt like you were going to break under the stare he was giving you now. “I’m sorry,” you whisper to him.

“I just don’t want you to get hurt,” Taylor tells you, his gaze softening as he realizes you were on the verge of crying, knowing you well enough to be able to read you.

“Any guy could hurt me, Taylor. Am I just never supposed to date anyone?”

Out of the corner of your eye you catch sight of your mom grasping your dad’s forearm, gently pulling him out of the kitchen. Giving you and Taylor space to have the conversation alone.

“He’s not just any guy. He’s plays in the NHL, he’s young, he’s rich, he’s famous. He has so many women interested in him because of that. It’s just different.”

“Would you?”

“Would I what?” Taylor asks, eyebrows furrowed as he shakes his head in confusion.

“Cheat on your girlfriend because of all that,” you clarify, stating it unflinchingly, challenging him.

“No.” Taylor sighs, tapping his fingers against the countertop he was leaning on. “But it’s different.”

“It’s not,” you snap. “It’s not different. It’s not different just because you’re being overly protective. You don’t get to decide what Matt would do. You don’t even know him, you haven’t even given him a chance.”

“I do know him,” Taylor retorts quickly.

“No, you know of him. You know him on the ice, you know how he plays hockey. You don’t know him as a person, as my...boyfriend.” It was the first time you were officially using that label. Boyfriend. Even though it had been almost four months and the understanding was there that he was your boyfriend and you were his girlfriend you had never found yourself saying it out loud.

Taylor shakes his head, stepping away from the counter. “I clearly can’t change your mind so I’m going to let this go for now so we can have dinner as a family but just know that doesn’t mean I approve of it.”

Turning your head you watch as Taylor walks out of the kitchen to find your parents. And for a few minutes you just stand there, speechless, motionless, like you couldn’t comprehend anything that had just happened. But when your parents come back into the room you try to push it all away. Because Taylor was right, he was back for a short amount of time and even though things weren’t great with you two you needed to let your parents have their time to be just that, parents.

The dinner passes by slowly and you try to stay engaged in the conversation. But it doesn’t take much for your mind to be pulled to other thoughts. To thoughts of Matt. At first simply worried about him being upset. But your worry begins to merge with Taylor’s words and suddenly you’re concerned about so much more. Other people. Would Matt cheat on you? Would he have left tonight, upset at you and called someone else? Someone who wouldn’t tell him to go home.

After dinner your parents move on to dessert before then convincing you to stay for a little longer to visit. And by the time you manage to get yourself out of there it’s almost 11 and you had yet to hear from Matt. You texted him at 10:30, getting nothing more than a ‘delivered’ to signify it had even gotten to him.

After the night is over you walk outside, getting in the Uber you had ordered. Matt had driven you both there, anticipating you would end up back at your apartment or his. It didn’t matter where but you two were supposed to be together all night.

When the Uber pulls up in front of your apartment you climb out, feeling an emptiness in your chest. You had never felt such disappointment from your brother. You had never pushed someone away so coldly like you had with Matt. Walking up to the lobby door you open your purse, fumbling for your keys at the bottom.

“Y/N.”

Spinning around quickly you watch Matt jog up towards you, only now noticing his car parked in one of the visitor spots. “What are you doing?” you exclaim, your eyes taking in his appearance. Ruffled hair, heavy eyes. “Why didn’t you answer my text?”

“Sorry, I fell asleep,” he admits. “I didn’t think you would be there that long.”

“You were sleeping in your car?” you ask in disbelief.

“Well I wasn’t planning to. But you try spending five hours in your parked car with nothing else to do.”

“Why?...Why didn’t you go home? Oh my god, have you just been here this whole time? Matt, what the fuck? You’re such an idiot.”

“Well I did go and have dinner a couple hours ago,” he mutters sheepishly. “I was just worried...I don’t know, I just needed to talk to you, to see you.”

“You were worried...worried about what?”

Matt looks around, not making eye contact with you. He seemed suddenly flustered, panicky. Stepping closer you reach over, sliding your hand into one of Matt’s. “What were you worried about?” you whisper.

Matt finally looks down at you, squeezing your hand as he pulls you a little closer. “Losing you,” he says quietly, reaching over and pushing a piece of your hair behind your ear, his hand slowly dropping back down to his side.

You’re speechless for a few minutes, doing nothing more than staring blankly up at him. Taylor’s words suddenly didn’t seem as loud, didn’t carry as much weight. Because the way Matt was looking at you, the vulnerability in his words, you felt like you could trust him completely. “You won’t,” you finally manage to get out, letting go of his hand and wrapping your arms around him.

Matt’s arms circle quickly around your waist, pulling you into his body till you're balancing on your tiptoes, clutching at him like you were trying to physically prove he wouldn’t lose you. “Can we go inside now? It’s cold out here,” you whisper.

Matt moves his hands from your waist to the backs of your thighs, suddenly scooping you off the ground. “Matt,” you shriek in surprise, grasping onto him tighter as you wrap your legs around his waist. “Put me down,” you giggle, looking into his eyes.

“Fine,” Matt huffs, slowly lowering you back to the ground. “But only because we’re going to pick it right back up when we’re inside.”

Shaking your head you roll your eyes playfully, fishing your keys out of your purse. Grabbing Matt’s hand you pull him along behind you into your apartment building, glancing back in time to see him smiling as he watched you. And seeing the way he was looking at you, so enthralled by you, only cemented your knowledge that maybe for the first time Taylor wasn’t the older sibling with all the knowledge.

A/N #2: I’m not going to ignore the fact that waiting for someone outside their apartment could be a huge red flag. If that ever happens to you and they don’t leave after you tell them to. Call. The. Police.

#matthew tkachuk #matt tkachuk #matthew tkachuk fic #matthew tkachuk fanfic #matthew tkachuk imagine #m. tkachuk #hockey fanfic #hockey fic #hockey one shot #Hockey Fanfiction #nhl fanfiction #nhl fic #nhl fanfic #nhl imagines #nhl one shot #matthew tkachuk one shot #hockey imagines

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seatostars · 3 years

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2021 NHL Draft (11-20)

SPOILERS!

11. Arizona - FORFEIT

12. Columbus - Cole Sillinger (C)

I’m kind of surprised he went this late because all I’ve heard about in terms of rookies for the last several weeks have been the top 4 + this guy. I’m happy for these kids that they’re all going to go to Columbus together and won’t be alone in the rebuild.

13. Calgary - Matthew Coronato (RW)

Another kid who doesn’t look happy! But it sounds like Calgary is getting quite the scorer. He’ll get to play with some pretty good US players there at least. And Calgary has its own vibe! It’s not Philly, but I’m sure it’s fun if you want it to be. Canada isn’t that bad, guys. Sheesh.

14. Buffalo - Isak Rosen (RW)

Hm. Moved up. He was projected to Dallas so it’ll be interesting to see who we take instead. I hope it’s not Lysell because I heard he’s a pain in the ass. You watch. It will be. Good luck being a bigger pain in the ass than Tyler Seguin, kiddo.

Dallas WE DROPPED? Wow. Nill really doesn’t think much about this draft, eh? What did we get from Detroit? It better be something good. STOP LETTING YZERMAN FLEECE YOU.

... Okay, so apparently he DOESN’T hate this draft. Picks #23, 48, 138.

15. Detroit - Sebastian Cossa (G)

Ah, yes. They were like we need a goalie. And Dallas was like go for it, we got lots of those. Sounds like he’s really good, so good for Detroit. They are becoming scary! Good ole Stevie Y. Oh, interesting. Trains with Hartsy. Hm.

16. NY Rangers - Brennan Othmann (LW)

Oh, look! A Pickering kid! Nice. And he moved up! Good for him. Apparently his mom set him up with a new home gym and a nutritionist, and it paid off. The moms are just killing it in this draft. “Shout out to mom, Paige.”

17. St. Louis - Zachary Bolduc (C)

THAT IS A LITTLE BABY CHILD. He looks max 15. And his first language is French? Montreal is going to be so pressed haha. Another kid who really jumped up ladder. Good for him!

18. Winnipeg - Chaz Lucius (C)

Another USNTDP kid looking miserable to go to Canada. Couldn’t they at least try to look happy? Not for Canada, but for their teammates? Pretend, dudes.

...did that grown-ass old man with white hair just say “Chaz Delicious”?!

19. Nashville - Fedor Svechkov (C)

It’s weird that the Preds pick is in and they’re chatting and now interviewing Yzerman. WHAT IS HAPPENING?

A Russian! He dropped a little but apparently this is a “steal” because his game is complete. And he’s learned English already! Interesting.

Edmonton Move down, get #22 & 90

20. Minnesota - Jesper Wallstedt (G)

Aw, they have the Kurvers kids there. Good job little man! :) I figured Minnesota was moving up to snatch up the goalie. It made the most sense. I would say I’m surprised he fell down so far but it would’ve been more surprising for him to go as high as he was projected, honestly.

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maybe-seggy-will-be-our-always · 4 years

Video

youtube

A Transcript (lol)

Okay, so this got kinda long but here is my try at a translated transcript of this interview. I cropped Freddie’s part (sorry Freddie:/) but did most of the rest. It’s obviously not word for word and I did a bad job at inserting when they laugh and whatever but let me tell you! The entire thing is so lighthearted and Leon and Freddie’s interactions are drenched in sarcasm! This was so much work but so much fun so here you go @konecnynerd! Everyone who’s only interested in reading the ASG part or the Leon exclusive part might want to skip down to the very bottom, I tried to mark the different sequences! But let me tell you, the entire thing was so entertaining and I love their friendship so much, they are always a blast to witness!

They talk about the Battle of Alberta and the All Star Game in the end!

Goldi: You’re both a bit lazy in regards to social media I’d say but your dog, Leon, seems to be an omnipresence!

Leon: Ha, yes of course! That’s the only reason why I am on social media.

Goldi: How do you have such a small dog? What do you say, Freddie, do you know him (the dog)?

Freddie: Yes, Bowie is super cute of course! Uhm… Personally, I did not meet him yet but am excited about my first encounter with the small guy (sorry, didn’t know how to translate this!) And when Leon looks the other way I’ll see what I’ll do with him but yes… It’s nice for Leon to have a loyal friend when he’s alone.

Leon: The best friend I’ve ever had! (Aw don’t shade Freddie like that!)

Freddie: Aha… After such a short time you say something like that.

(Okay but they’ve been talking like the entire time!)

Cut to the N.ICE intro woosh woosh swish

Goldi talks about N.ICE Showtime and introduces Leon and Freddie (Freddie doesn’t know about Leon joining them)

Cut to them golfing and their trick shot challenge and I’ll just point out some highlights:

Leon: Did you catch that (on camera)?

Leon: Boahh Junge (which is something that transcends translation

Leon: Jausa!

Leon: Jau Ciao!

They recreate their goal

Leon: Aw that rolled to the other side – poor you (in a very soft voice but he says “Du arme Sau”, which is uh “You poor pig” literally)

Leon: Backhand is always better.

Cut to the Freddie only interview (but I’ll skip that, tell me if anyone wants that?)

They talk about golfing, how training during Covid looks for the Kölner Haie, college hockey, the progression of the DEL season, and Leon visiting him or Freddie visiting Leon

Leon joins them and Freddie is not really surprised

Freddie: Sadly I can’t see him… Ah now

Leon: Ahhhh

Goldi: Can you hear us?

Leon: I can hear you!

Freddie: Is that a playoff beard or what?

Leon: Yes, I’m already letting it grow! (Goldie cackles) What about you? (Low blow leon aha)

Freddie: (Is offended but is laughing)

Goldi: So after hearing the season will be progressing you just thought you know what, I’ll just let it grow…?

Leon: Hah, I’ll just let it grow from now on.

Goldie: Was that something NHL PR gave you? A stick on beard for interviews to advertise the playoffs?

Leon: Maybe everything gets a bit hurried along if we push it like that (with the beards).

Goldi: Yeah, that’s it. So I’ve heard… You lastly talked a week ago or something, did he (Freddie) at least congratulate you properly for officially being top scorer?

Leon: Mnnnnhh yah, but then had to say something dumb in the end again. A no-go I thought (laughs). But that’s Freddie as we know him and that will probably never change.

Goldi: Now, you were so punctual… (Freddie interrupts) Sorry, what did you want to say Freddie?

Freddie: Something I wanted to add. I didn’t congratulate (him) obviously but didn’t want to be rude so I said something dumb – to balance it out.

Goldi: I think you’ll be able to cope. Who’s the better golfer between the two of you?

Both laugh

Freddie: By now I’d say me

Leon: Freddie took two lessons with a coach where he chipped the ball 25 m and suddenly he thinks he’s Phil Mickelson. But no, Freddie is the best, for sure.

Goldi: Freddie, what do you say?

Freddie: Uh

Goldi: What do you think (mumblemumble) Will you be able to meet in the summer like planned? Will there be a moment for you to overlap? Anything planned?

Freddie: Uhm, I thought, well, Leon has to say something on that matter, but they might be off in September, then I think we’ll manage (to meet up) for sure. But that’s Leon’s call.

Leon: Uh yah, so. I myself don’t know how it’s going to progress here. But I think for sure that I’ll be able to go home for a month or a few weeks after the season. And maybe the DEL will be starting off then too and I can cheer on Freddie in Cologne!

Freddie: (I don’t know what he said here exactly but) You’ve been saying this for years but you never managed until now!

They talk over each other a bit

Goldi: Because you’re usually back (in Edmonton) by now then?

Leon: Yes! Because I then have to… Usually I only see some of their practice games but I really want to see a game in the Köln Arena… sorry LANXESS Arena again.

Goldie: Now…

Leon: Otherwise Freddie is going to be mad!

Goldie: So you both are not that big on Instagram, you’re both a bit lazy in regards to social media (so that’s just the opening sequence again!) I’d say but your dog, Leon, seems to be an omnipresence!

Leon: Ha, yes of course! That’s the only reason why I am on social media.

Goldi: How do you have such a small dog? What do you say, Freddie, do you know him (the dog)?

Leon: The best friend I’ve ever had! (Aw don’t shade Freddie like that!)

Freddie: Aha… After such a short time you say something like that.

Goldi: That’s what I was getting at. Leon, I heard you play (he said “zockst” which is usually used for like video gaming) with him sometimes, you put down a ball and then the dog chases it while you play. You said he’s the best defense man, as a joke. That reminds me of street hockey as kids, when you played with the Tiffels brothers, so Bowie is a Tiffels replacement.

Leon: Haha, yeah I just wanted to say. It’s almost the same, they (Tiffels brothers) also chase the ball (Freddie laughs) and I just thought to myself “man, what’s up with Freddie”. No, Freddie and I used to play at…

Freddie: Kirschplatz.

Leon: Kirschplätzchen, we always brought a goal and rollerblades and always took 6 or 7 other boys and then… played them 2 against 6 and the 6 boys always had a 9 point lead in advance and we always won 10:9.

All laugh

Goldi: I always love when you tell that story because you’re still excited about it today.

Leon: Amazing! The feeling… insane!

Freddie: I’ll just add… My brother went with us all the time too. And we had a theory. I became such a good ice skater because when we were thirsty… my parents lived maybe 800 meters from there… I always was the one who had to go get water because I was the fastest of us all.

Leon: Dominik and I just chilled… we relaxed.

Freddie: And I sprinted, always thinking how fast can I be home, maybe I learned something from that (as a skill).

Leon: Mh, I think so Freddie!

Freddie: Thank you!

Goldi: Ah yes, Old school in early childhood… brings quality when you’re older.

Freddie: yeah for sure.

Leon: Like the Russians.

Goldi: In the USA it (the season) will resume, here in Germany we’re a bit worried but what unites us a bit maybe is how the NHLPA had a say in the process over there and helped discuss how that would work, in Germany we don’t have that, what I don’t like because I think there always should be a player’s representative present to listen and maybe voice their opinion. What’s your opinion on that. Leon, regarding the NHL and DEL and Freddie, here in Germany?

Leon: I’ll just start off now. I find it important. Of course I understand the business part of it all and of course that’s part of it, the owners and stuff. But in the end the boys, the players are the ones who present the game to the fans and that’s why I think the players should have the right to have their own opinion and having things just bypass them. And, as I said, that players, who represent the game, are able to voice their opinions and have a say in things. And I think they are great about that in the NHL.

Goldi: So that means there’s a selection of players, for example Connor McDavid, a friend of yours, and you’re not part of it but there’s certain players who attend meetings, that’s how it is in the NHL?

Leon: Yesyes! But the players who are in that committee, like Connor, they always report back to us and want to hear what we have to say and have millions of conference calls and what-not. They want to hear opinions of every single player. What we have to say plays a role like that.

Goldi: So what do you say Freddie? Especially looking at the DEL, regarding planning or the idea of a players union?

Freddie: I can only agree with Leon, I like how the NHL does that. We don’t have something like this here in the DEL. But that’s what we are trying to change right now. I’m still new, relatively new in the league but especially the boys who have been playing here for years, they have so much experience and know everything about hockey and I’d find it extremely valuable if they could join in on the discussions. Because in the end we are the product and it’d be reasonable to let them talk too in order to make the product better. And I don’t know why anyone would exclude that knowledge, the knowledge of the players.

Goldi: That’s what I think too, interesting that you’d both agree. And you, Freddie. Were you excited to maybe being able to play in the World Cup, with a not too stable season in Cologne. Maybe you would have been able to see Leon too, what Leon might now have wanted (the sarcasm has to be pointed out here, they love each other okay) Were you excited or did you know after the cancelation of the DEL that the possibility of a World Cup was slim?

Freddie: Well, after they canceled the DEL it was practically clear they’d cancel the World Cup too. Generally, yeah Cologne had a shit season and I personally wasn’t on top of my game either. So I couldn’t be sure I’d be playing. Would it have been the case I of course would have been super exited about that! Niederberger said that, the World Cup is like the icing on the cake at the end of the season. We know the boys for years and it’s just great together for Germany. Great fun at the end of the season. And go into summer break after.

Goldi: Before I say goodbye to you and talk to Leon for a few more minutes, what do you say about his season. He sounds great! Playoffs with Edmonton, Top Scorer of the League, All Star Team, re-live the Battle of Alberta, that’s what we’ll talk about later! The hate in this duel! And so on… What do you say about his season? Are you happy for him

Freddie: Yes, for sure! Insane season! We texted, when we were younger, that’s just, you look up to all those best players of the world and try to catch up to them and it’s so crazy that he’s now on top of that list. That’s sublime. And just a great thing. I already told him, he can be so proud of himself and yes, probably I am also proud of him, yes. Even if that maybe sounds a bit dumb (dude what no! be proud of your bro!)

Leon: Thanks brother. (In the softest voice, what)

Goldi: But that’s nice. Normally, we as hockey players, don’t say things like that as often but that’s nice that it can be like that. And not only you are proud but the entirety of hockey Germany can be proud.

Freddie: And the crazy thing is… I’d say we’re best friends and I am so close to it (him) , that’s why Leon is normal to me but so far away for others and that’s… again cool and so different in a way.

Goldi: Cool.

Freddie: (Jokingly, but who are you kidding with that voice) I’ll start crying soon. (pretends to cry)

All laugh

Freddie: Sign me out! For today.

Goldi: It’s not that bad.

Leon: Ciao!

Goldi: Thank you for your time! I’ll talk to Leon for a bit now. Have a nice summer and I hope your golfing skills progress so we can test who’s better at it.

Freddie: Thank you. We can then make anther video and we’ll see who’s the better (golfer).

Goldi: That’s how we’ll do it!

All say their goodbyes

Goldi: I’ll try to sign him out.

Freddie: Yeah, kick me out.

Goldi: Or you’ll hang up that might be easier, ah found it.

Freddie: Just do your thing.

Switch to Leon only interview (and that’s probably what you wanted to see^^)

Goldi: That’s how it is in life, you’re out in a second. You’re still in Canada. Did you ever entertain the thought of coming back home or did you think that might be to risky, maybe they’d resume earlier than anticipated?

Leon: Yeah sure, I of course thought about going home. But somehow it didn’t work out and the days just dragged along and the reason why I didn’t fly home… oh now there’s Bowie…

Goldi: Oh he’s there now?!

Leon: (Picks Bowie up) and yeah, I didn’t know when we’d go back to playing so I didn’t want to fly all the way to Europe just to have to return to Canada two weeks later. That’s why we decided to stay here.

Goldi: Did you chose the dog after your beard? They look kinda similar even through the bad screen.

Leon: I’m trying to recreate his look right now.

Goldi: Looks kind of the same. Do you have the opportunity to skate on ice right now in Canada or is it just work outs? Do you have different opportunities over there, like the Swedes for example?

Leon: Yes, I’m currently at my girlfriend’s parent’s house in Ontario, close to Toronto and luckily I found a small rink and have been on it for the last few days. The first two days complete “Hackstock” (stiff and everything) but we’re getting there slowly.

Goldi: That feeling you’re talking about, going back on the ice, totally stiff and feeling like you don’t have any puck control, is that the same for the Top Scorer of the NHL?

Leon: Yes! I mean, of course! Especially the first 15 to 20 minutes feel like you’ve never been on the ice before. And you think, if we resume, I have no idea how I’m supposed to play in this league. But it’s all coming back fast.

Goldi: Coming back to you being Top Scorer of the League, really great and I am happy for you, and it’s for sure great publicity for German hockey. But overall, this season is for sure something you can be proud of! Not only are you Top Scorer (if they say that one more time I stg), you were at the ASG, Edmonton is in the Playoffs. Even with the shortened season, how satisfied are you?

Leon: Very! Mostly because we had such a successful season with the team and finally made people pay attention to us. We played successful hockey, which is very important and personally I am proud to having played such a great season. But still I think there’s a lot of room for improvement and without the entire team I’d only been half as good. Big thank you to the boys.

Goldi: Room for improvement, that’s what you always say. Someone who doesn’t know you might say that’s just a truism you say because it sounds nice but you are convinced that that is the case. You work your ass off even during the summers. Working and repeating important things. You’re not necessarily the person to compare yourself to others, you’re more one to say “I want to get better, what the others do is not my concern”. Do you think it’s part of attitude, that one does just always go on?

Leon: Yes, I think so for sure. In my opinion, even if it’s a cliché, you can always work on yourself and better the little things every day. That’s what I’m trying to do and that’s why I know I still have room to improve. Maybe in points or goals that’s not the case for me, no one knows that. But with the small things: Defense, bullies, penalty kill, power play and so on. The small things where I believe I can still get better.

Goldi: Getting better, that’s what I talked about to you last summer. I liked you (Oilers) getting James Neal into the team, then I think you did some good moves concerning the trading deadline, Yamamoto, who had been playing with you for a bit, who played a great season, who fit right in. I felt like you were pretty set for the playoffs but now with this big pause in between… Do you think that’ll be like a complete restart? Like you won’t be able to hold onto that good wave or do you feel like you’re still the same group that knows what they are doing?

Leon: Yeah, I for sure think that we’re still the same group and that we know that we, as a team, know we are were we are rightfully. Rightfully so in the playoffs. But of course the flow as a team and as an individual player might be a bit over and I think I’ll speak for everyone. Two and a half to three months have passed since we’ve been on the ice together and that’s (the flow) is getting a bit lost like that – you know that yourself Goldi – but the good thing is that that’s the case for everyone, for every team so there are no advantages for anyone.

Goldi: One more question, because I’m interested and I loved to see it – Battle of Alberta. It’s always talked about, Edmonton against Calgary, a lot of hate and aggression but I felt like that wasn’t as bad the last years. Now this year there was a messy move that, in my opinion, didn’t get punished in a way I believe it should have. From Tkachuk against one of your players. That brought back that rivalry in a way- where I saw you with a kind of grittiness, putting in even more effort – How much fun was that or was it over the edge and not good?

Leon: No, that was phenomenal. What it did for the entire World of Hockey (around the world). Amazing and I think, like you said, that this rivalry had been kinda lost over the years, this Battle of Alberta, because both teams didn’t have a lot of success and both teams didn’t have a big reason to give the other any grieve. That just was not the case. Now both teams fought for the playoffs, both teams were successful. Same, or similar standing in points and then something like that happens and things get unruly and yes, I think that was great for hockey, for the NHL and it definitely was a lot of fun being a part of.

Goldi: I’d imagine! And as a joke, you kind of took that with you into the ASG, when you’re “Kollege” (fellow player I guess) passed you the puck. Did you know you were mic’ed up or did you only realize after?

Leon: Haha, no I knew! For that weekend, that was only fun and games and we were all there for the same reason and it was fun. The funny thing was our first game after the ASG was against Calgary and it just continued as aggressively as before.

Goldi: Resumed to previous things!

Leon: Yeah.

Goldi: Last thing maybe. How does the plan for the playoffs? Are there any specifics? Or are there no tangible ideas yet?

Leon: No. NHL is still at the beginning stage of planning and we don’t know more than you all can read everywhere. I’d imagine we’ll be able to practice in small groups on the rink again the following weeks and from then on I think they’ll look from week to week how things go. How and when the season will resume

Goldi: Thanks for your time Leon! Good luck for the playoffs! Do your thing! Maybe we will be able to catch up in the summer, play some golf – did you play a little?

Leon: Yes, a few times! Last weekend I went two times so my game is getting better too.

Goldi: You still got some time!

Both say their goodbyes and out

—

I think I wrecked my wrist doing this lol

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houston-notlikethecity · 5 years

Text

A Hockey Life by Matt Cullen

Part 1

One of the worst parts about growing up was having to make a malt.

Don’t get me wrong, the ingredients are pretty simple. And I loved drinking them. But if I had to make a malt, that meant one thing: I lost a hockey match on our outdoor rink.

My father, Terry, built an outdoor hockey rink in our backyard. Me and my two younger brothers, Mark and Joe, spent every spare minute we had on that ice. We’d come home from school, change and hit the rink. Every birthday party was on the rink. We hooked up lights onto the roof and would play until it was dark and all we could see were the bright Minnesota stars above.

All I’ve ever known in my life is hockey. My earliest childhood memories were on that rink in Virginia, Minnesota. That’s all I really wanted to do as a kid, was be on the rink and play with my brothers and friends. There was nothing better in life. I know it’s the same story for a lot of guys, but that’s how I fell in love with hockey.

If we weren’t spending our night in the backyard, we were usually attending one of my father’s high school games. From my youth until I was 10 years old, my father was the hockey coach for the Virginia Blue Devils. And I imagined myself being a Blue Devil one day. But when I was in the fourth grade he took over as coach of the Moorhead Spuds.

(I remember being so mad. I didn’t want to be a spud. I wanted to be a Blue Devil! They had such a cool logo. What even is a spud? A potato? We’re going to be potatoes? It’s so funny thinking back at how upset I was at the time).

I still remember going to watch my dad coach. My friends and I collected programs and would tear out the pages. If our team won the game we would count down the final seconds and throw those pages into the air like confetti and celebrate like we just won the Stanley Cup. In between periods my brothers and I would play mini sticks with the team doctor in the hallway.

When we got home there was always one final chore for the night. We shoveled off the outdoor rink and flooded the ice so that it would be nice and solid for the next day. On the nights before a big game or tournament Dad would bring out a bucket of hot water. It was like we were Zamboni-ing it. It felt like big time. The ice would be super smooth after. The stakes were high.

And those tournaments could get pretty intense. My father, my brothers and me would mix teams for a 2-on-2 matchup. The losing team had to make the winning team malts and serve them to the winners.

So if I was making the malts, it meant that I had lost. But if I had won, then the losing team had to make malts for me and my teammate. The only thing better than the sweet taste of victory was the sweet taste of drinking that malt.

Part 2

In Minnesota, high school hockey is king.

We didn’t have NHL on the Fly or ESPN Hockey. The NHL was another planet. To kids growing up in Minnesota in the 80s, playing for your high school team was the dream.

My favorite moments were when my dad would let me in the locker room. I was in awe of the high school players and wanted to be them one day. For me, it was the equivalent of my children being in the locker room with Sid and Geno.

To us Minnesota kids, high school hockey was the NHL. And playing for the state championship was our Stanley Cup.

Every year my family would drive three-and-a-half hours south to the St. Paul Civic Center to watch the tournament, whether my dad’s team was in it or not. I remember it had clear boards and was filled with 15,000 people watching. It was the highlight of my whole year. It was like a holiday.

My best memories of my high school career at Moorhead was playing in that tournament. For a kid growing up around high school hockey, that was the ultimate. I played in the tournament during my sophomore, junior and senior years. Unfortunately, we never won the title, but we were runner-up twice and finished third the other year.

What sticks out most was my senior year. I was playing with my brother Mark and we had a good team. That year I started thinking that I was good enough to maybe play in college and maybe, someday, the NHL. We made the state tournament again that year. We faced Rochester in the semifinal and the game went into double overtime. I scored the game-winner to get us to the final, though we didn’t finish it off in the last game of the season.

Losing was tough. Obviously, I wanted to win. But I think losing in those games was good for me in the long run. Losing in the finals and never quite getting there, I felt like there was maybe more I had. I felt that this isn’t my big moment. There’s maybe more ahead. I don’t know why I thought that. I’m not sure where it came from. But going through my head during that defeat was that my big moment was still to come.

Part 3

I jumped over the boards at Maple Leaf Gardens and skated to the faceoff circle to square off against Hall-of-Famer Mats Sundin. It was October of 1997. Two years ago I was just a high school senior.

Now a member of the Anaheim Ducks, I was about to skate my first career shift in one of the NHL’s most historic venues. I lost the faceoff, a defensive zone draw. The Maple Leafs had a shot on net and the coach called me off the ice. It was a short shift, but I’ll never forget it.

Everything was so new to me. I was living in California on my own, the farthest I’ve ever been away from home. I was balancing all these new experiences from dry cleaning, being on the road and keeping up with an apartment. Not to mention learning how to play in the NHL.

Being a rookie in the league was a lot different back then. I was really quiet my first year, if you can believe that. We had an older group and the rookies were treated like rookies. We only spoke when spoken to. I came home from the rink one day and called my brother and I said ‘You won’t believe this, but I didn’t say one word at the rink the entire day. I was there for five hours, didn’t say one word to anybody.’

My welcome to the NHL moment happened on Day 1. Teemu Selanne walked into the room and took out his skates. He hadn’t skated the entire summer and his skates had rust on them. He threw them on and was the best player on the ice from the first day. I was thinking, 'This is crazy. This is a whole new level of hockey.’ I was on a line with Teemu that first year and he scored a career-high 52 goals - but believe me, it was no thanks to me.

I spent most of my four seasons in Anaheim skating alongside Teemu and Paul Kariya. And they taught me so much about the game.

Teemu was such a fun-loving, easy-going guy. He loved the game. He just played for fun and enjoyed it. Paul was super intense and serious, the ultimate pro. It was super cool to see both sides of them.

But the thing I learned the most that year was from Paul, who was also my roommate on the road during my time there. He taught me how to be a pro. He was super structured and detailed, trained like crazy. He showed me how much you have to commit, how much you had to put in to being a pro if you wanted to be good at it.

Paul would stretch every night before going to bed, so I started stretching every night. I think that was one of the biggest reasons I was able to stay healthy throughout my entire career and play until I was 42 years old. I stretched throughout my whole career.

Coming out of high school I was pretty green. I didn’t realize that in an 82-game season you should be working out. I didn’t do things like that.

I always think back to spots in my career and people that came across my path, I think it’s for a reason. I learned so much from Paul, who remains a close personal friend to this day. Without his guidance I don’t think my career would have gone where it did.

Part 4

My hockey career hit a crossroads in the summer of 2005. I was 28 years old and worried that my career might be coming to an end. My last year in Anaheim and the next year-and-a-half with Florida were unmemorable. Then the NHL lockout happened. I knew if I had another bad season, retirement might come earlier than I anticipated. You can fall off the map pretty quickly in the NHL.

Then came a dilemma. Two teams called me with a contract offer. One was my hometown team, the Minnesota Wild. The other call came from Carolina Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford.

Minnesota was my hometown and was offering more money. Carolina seemed a much better fit and I already had built a relationship with Peter Laviolette, who coached me with the U.S. at the World Championship.

The chance to come home to Minnesota seemed too good of a dream to pass up. Going to Carolina would require a huge risk and huge leap of faith. I talked with my wife Bridget and we prayed. Something told me to take the risk and go to Carolina.

We had an interesting group. There were some unknowns like Eric Staal, Justin Williams, Andrew Ladd, even myself. There were also some older, veteran guys like Ray Whitney, Cory Stillman, Rod Brind'Amour and Brett Hedican. We had Martin Gerber in goal and a rookie, Cam Ward, as the backup.

Sports Illustrated picked us to finish 30 out of 30 teams. But everything came together in a way that I never experienced. We got off to a great start and things just worked out. I scored 25 goals and had one of my best years. We finished second in the East and added guys like Mark Recchi and Doug Weight at the deadline.

We opened the playoffs against Montreal at home and lost the first two games. It was awful. I was thinking our great season was coming to an end. We switched goalies and Cam stepped in and he was lights out. He played unbelievable and won the Conn Smythe.

We beat Buffalo in Game 7 to get to the Stanley Cup Final and faced Edmonton, a Cinderella team that was an eighth seed in the West. We had a chance to win the Cup on home ice in Game 5, but lost in overtime. Then we went to Edmonton and got pounded.

Game 7 was back in Carolina. It was the most fun game I’ve ever played in. The crowd didn’t sit the entire game, they stood the whole time. It was intense. I hadn’t experienced that before. I was nearly 30 years old, but I felt like a little kid.

We battled and held on for a 3-1 win, and you can’t even believe it’s actually happening. After Aaron Ward handed me the Cup, I did a quick twirl. There was a sold-out crowd in the building, but when I looked up all I could see was the Minnesota stars and the hanging lights on that outdoor rink growing up.

All those games I played with my brothers and friends, pretending to be playing for the Stanley Cup, and there I was, holding this trophy high above my head and living that dream.

Our families joined us on the ice for the celebration. And I remember all those times when things didn’t work out. Not winning Minnesota’s Mr. Hockey as the best high school player (with all due respect to Erik Rasmussen, of course). Not getting drafted in the first round.

And I remembered that feeling of losing in the state final my senior year, when I believed that my big moment was still to come. And this was it. This was the big moment I was waiting for. We reached the pinnacle of the hockey world: Stanley Cup champions.

And no one will ever take that away from us.

But what I really took away from that group of guys was leadership. There were a lot of good leaders on that team, and they all weren’t wearing letters on their jerseys. You see it takes a large group of leaders on your team to win.

And for some of those older guys, this was their only and last chance to win a Cup. You see how fleeting your opportunity is for winning a championship. They fought so hard for it. They put so much into it. It was eye-opening to see how much it meant to them.

I know I’ve said it before, but really do believe everything happens for a reason. Instead of playing it safe, taking more money and playing in my home of Minnesota, I took a chance on Carolina. I went into that year thinking it could be my last one in the NHL. And I ended it by lifting the Stanley Cup.

Part 5

There are few things I loved more than coming home after a game and flooding my own outdoor rink. I would drive home, put on my warm clothes, fill a thermos with some wine and go outside and drink it while I flooded the rink.

By that time I was back in Minnesota, having signed a contract with the Wild. My chance to come back home came true after all. And it seemed like the perfect time to go home, play out those three years, retire a Wild and live in Minnesota.

By that time, I also had a family. Three young boys of my own: Brooks, Wyatt and Joey. And for the first time in my life, it was my job to build the rink in the backyard. I had never done it before, but it was so fun. I felt like I was my dad.

I wanted to give my boys all the things that I had growing up, except now I’m the old guy flooding the rink. They were still very young in those years. Joey had just been born a few months before (I actually watched him being born on Skype from my hotel room while I was playing with Ottawa in the playoffs against the Penguins).

When I skated on that outdoor rink, it was the first time I had done so since I left my home in Minnesota in 1997. I was just as excited as the kids to be on the outdoor rink. It was the coolest thing. It certainly brought back a lot of memories, but mostly I felt my life coming full circle.

That included sharing in the Cullen family tradition of attending the Minnesota high school tournament. We actually saw a young Jake Guentzel skating there for Hill Murray on that ice sheet. I definitely didn’t think I’d see him scoring 30, 40 goals in the NHL alongside Sidney Crosby one day. It’s funny how it works out.

But those three years in Minnesota, it was really about family. We spent holidays at home with my boys and the entire family. It was a really special experience getting to play at home. I really enjoyed it. It gave the kids the experience of growing up on the outdoor rink.

It was during that time in Minnesota that they started to really love the game. For me as a dad, that was the ultimate to be able to share it with them.

Part 6

The phone didn’t ring on July 1, 2015, the annual start to NHL free agency. I had just finished two great years in Nashville, but my future was still unclear. I still wanted to play even at 38 years old, but I was pretty sure that it was the end.

That day came and went without a call. Then the next day came and went. Then the next week. Then the next month. Even so I continued to train and keep myself ready just in case an opportunity came up. At least I would be in shape and could make a decision for myself. I didn’t want it made for me because I was out of shape.

One day in early August, the phone rang. It was Jim Rutherford.

Bridget was out for a run. When she got back, I said, 'You’ll never guess who just called.’ And she goes, 'Was it Jim?’ It was crazy. She just knew.

As usual with these decisions we talked for a while and prayed on it. But we felt like we kept getting these opportunities and it would be crazy not to jump on it and give it a try. We took that leap and went to Pittsburgh.

The rest speaks for itself. We won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships the next two years, the first team to do so in two decades. It was a historical run.

I just pinch myself and think about how close it was to not happening. Those were probably the best years of my whole career and life with the Penguins. Going through all that with the boys and Bridget and that group of players, the whole organization, everything was perfect. It was beyond anything I could have ever imagined.

I certainly couldn’t have imagined it the way we started that first season, though. We had such a terrible start that nobody had any expectations. I remember my son Wyatt coming to me at Christmas and crying because we had dropped out of the playoff picture.

Then Mike Sullivan came and we made a bunch of changes. Things started rolling from there. It was a unique group. It was a special group. That first year everything came together, and we were having so much fun. We were like a machine, all the way to the Cup.

The second year it was the same group, but it was a totally different year. We had to really lean on each other the most that year. The expectations were high going in and it brought our group closer together. It was rewarding because we stuck together through so many ups and downs.

I’ll always have the Cups and those memories. But when I think back on those times what really stands out is watching my boys with those guys. A lot of the guys would come over to my house, Chris Kunitz, Nick Bonino, Sidney Crosby, Ian Cole, Marc-Andre Fleury, Phil Kessel, Carl Hagelin. We’d all have a couple glasses of wine and the guys would play mini sticks with the boys (the most intense games were between the boys and Patric Hornqvist; I know you’re shocked).

That, for me, was the coolest thing ever to watch. It was like the boys were part of the family. They’d come in the locker room after practice trying to avoid doing homework. They’d steal gum. One time, Joey hid in Ian Cole’s change stall. He jumped out and scared the crap out of him.

Those are the memories I’ll treasure, probably more than anything. Just seeing them around the room every day. I know the boys will remember it forever.

Part 7

I’ve been in a constant state of almost-retirement for the last few years. But coming into this last season, I knew that no matter what it would be the end. Even if we had won the Cup I would have been done. Playing those last few years really gave me the clarity to know this was it.

It was an emotional time, but I knew it was coming. It just felt right and I was really at peace with everything when it was over.

I felt like it was only right to retire in Pittsburgh with everything that the organization had given me and done for me. I’m so happy I came back and finished my last year in Pittsburgh. I wouldn’t trade that last year for anything.

I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting. More than anything I’m just so appreciative of everybody that helped me along the way. Looking back on it there are people that came into my life at the right time to lead me one way or teach me something. It’s not an easy thing to play for that long of a time. It takes so many people to step out of their way to help you, and I needed a lot of help!

And the friends I’ve made along the way, whether it was Eric Staal or Mike Fisher or Ryan Suter or Paul Kariya or the guys in Pittsburgh. There are just too many to name and I’m sorry if I left anyone out.

I just hope I had a positive impact with my teammates wherever I went. I tried to be the best teammate that I could be throughout my career, and be there for other people, try to be a good example.

But the biggest lesson I’ve learned from my 21 years and 1,500-plus games in the NHL is that you have to take a risk.

By my nature, that’s not me. I’m not a risk-taking guy. I think you’re given certain opportunities in life and if you’re willing to take a risk and throw yourself in all the way then special things can happen. For me, that was the case. We leaned on our faith a lot and took leaps of faith. Thank God we took those chances and opportunities where He was sending us.

I remember waking up in the middle of the night many times these last few years thinking, 'What am I doing? I’m 40 years old. I don’t think I can play another year in the NHL.’ After each time I signed the past few years I woke up in a cold sweat, not sure if I could still play.

Honestly, if I could play forever, I would. All I know is hockey. I’ve never done anything. I never wanted to do anything else. I don’t know anything else.

I may have skated my last shift, but I’m not hanging up my skates just yet. After all, there is a sheet of ice in Minnesota that needs to be flooded every night. That’s where you’ll find me, sipping my thermos. Maybe, even using the hot water to get the surface nice and smooth so the next day me and my three boys can have our own little intense 2-on-2 tournament with a malt on the line, skating in the open air, on the outdoor rink, under the hanging lights, under the Minnesota stars.

For me to be able to take them to the rink and play with them on the ice, as a dad, that’s as good as it gets. I couldn’t ask for more. That’s what I had as a kid and to be able to share it with my kids is my greatest joy.

It’s funny. When I was a kid, I used to hate making those malts. Nowadays, it’s not so bad.

[Whitney’s note - all images are from the original story. Please click through to the source, there’s also a video that goes along with this]

#pittsburgh penguins #matt cullen #PLEASE click through to the source #there are lots of great pictures

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autoprocomputerized-blog · 5 years

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Automobile Repair Frequently Asked Question

Answering Your Inquiries

As a prominent vehicle fixing resource in Edmonton, AB Computerized AutoPro - Auto Repair Edmonton is used to hearing some of the exact same inquiries from our clients. We've decided it's time to share those inquiries and our answers on the internet, so you have an active referral for typical auto repair service inquiries. As always, if you have questions that aren't responded to below, do not hesitate to connect to our staff members for more help!

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We get it. Nobody wants to spend their cash or time at the auto service center. Even though we like seeing our consumers and hearing how they are doing, we understand that the circumstances aren't always excellent. Vehicle repair services can be demanding, specifically when they seem to find out of no place. Our group has a way to assist our community in preventing these types of auto fixings. As well as the best part is that it enables our specialists to stay on par with our clients! The roadway to a healthy and balanced automobile involves routine upkeep. Follow a regular routine of visiting the automobile look for standard solutions and also repair work as well as we'll be able to prevent significant automobile repairs from striking ahead of time.

Do I Need to Obtain Repairs?

Your cars and truck have a problem, now truly isn't the moment for you to go to the car service center. Whether it's due to time constraints or a tight budget plan, some vehicle drivers choose to overlook troubles with their vehicles. This is one of the awful points that you can do. Vehicle problems don't disappear on their own, and also they will only cause even more damages the longer they are left unaddressed. You can conserve yourself a great deal of time and money by taking care of problems at the very first sign than by waiting. Repairs will certainly always be more straightforward and also more economical at first than if left alone for weeks or months!

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Computerized AutoPro - Auto Repair Edmonton -- of course! We are a highly-trained as well as granted auto repair work service provider in the state with numerous convenient locations in the Edmonton and Sherwood park-area. Select one that's most convenient for you and obtain the auto repair services your automobile needs to proceed running its finest!

#auto repair #auto repair edmonton #car repair #auto service

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cisnet-ca · 9 months

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Discover the power of AWS in Toronto with our transformative training.

Unlock boundless cloud potential with our AWS Training in Toronto. Elevate your skills, boost your career, and conquer the cloud. Enroll now for a brighter future!

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christabodhi · 5 years

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Darkness falls.... Swords clash.... Evil reigns. Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have just saved the rebel state from destruction by the mighty forces of King Galbatorix, cruel ruler of the Empire. Now Eragon must travel to Ellesmera, land of the elves, for further training in magic and swordsmanship, the vital skills of the Dragon Rider. It is the journey of a lifetime, filled with awe-inspiring new places and people, each day a fresh adventure. But chaos and betrayal plague him at every turn, and Eragon isn’t sure whom he can trust. Meanwhile, his cousin Roran must fight a new battle back at home in Carvahall-one that puts Eragon in even graver danger. Will the king’s dark hand strangle all resistance? Eragon may not escape with even his life.... -Christopher Paolini #Eldest #Eragon #christopherpaolini #christopherpaolinibooks #fantasy #adventure #medieval (at Edmonton, Alberta) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0o_oPDnSjU/?igshid=1h7py9rdbup34

#eldest #eragon #christopherpaolini #christopherpaolinibooks #fantasy #adventure #medieval

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hzcleski · 5 years

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dylan o’brien. cis male. he/him. ／ hal zaleski just pulled up blasting 6 god by drake— that song is so them! you know, for a twenty-three year old nhl player, i’ve heard they’re really crass, but that they make up for it by being so protective. if i had to choose three things to describe them, i’d probably say bruised knuckles, sharp turns in a worn pair of ice skates, and blood dripping from a menacing smile. here’s to hoping they don’t cause too much trouble!

nathan harold zaleski iii was born ( practically with a pair of skates on ) in toronto, ontario. he’s third in a line of hockey royalty that started with his grandfather nathan i, in the 70s and 80s ( most notably with the montreal canadiens ), then continued with his father nathan ii, in the 90s and 00s ( most notably with the detriot red wings ). both were legendary defenseman in the nhl with several stanley cup wins and a olympic gold medals to their shared name.

so, no pressure right? nathan iii aka hal, has spent his entire life training to play hockey. he could skate before he ever knew how to walk and was taught how to hold a hockey stick before he was ever taught how to hold a pencil. he was barely homeschooled so that absolutely nothing would get in the way of his training in his formative years, casually had living legends coming over this house for dinner every other week, etc.

his parents divorced when he was ten years old, which he handled remarkably well for a kid his age but he honestly...couldn’t remember a time when his mother and father ever seemed genuinely happy or even as if they genuinely liked one another.

after the divorce and a messy custody battle, hal wound up staying with his dad, who was traded to the new york rangers on the very last leg of his career. his mom moved back to poland ( where she was from ) and he and his dad moved to nyc. a couple years later, when hal was twelve, his dad officially retired from the nhl and soon after married the mother of sabrina miller. she and hal hit it off right away and even though their parents would eventually divorce, the two are still close and hal still refers to her as his sister.

hal and his father attended the 2010 winter olympics in vancouver and because of who his dad was, he got to be all up close and personal with team canada which was equal parts thrilling and nerve - wracking, but overall he had a great time and after that experience, he became more serious than ever about hockey.

he went back to nyc after the olympics were over and, thanks to ages and ages of endlessly begging his dad, finally got to attend “a real school”.

it was there that he would meet isabel nichols, an accomplished figure skater who...absolutely hated his guts. at first. the two grew on one another and began dating, which eventually led hal to propose when they were uhhhh. seventeen

she was training for the sochi winter olympics and wound up breaking off their engagement during the actual games. isabel sorta dumped him w/o any explanation whatsoever so it kinda came out of nowhere for him, and this was basically the event that turned him into the fuckboy that we all know and begrudgingly tolerate today!

so idk how getting drafted into the nhl works bc idk anything abt sports and looking it up on google just confused me BUT what’s important here is that when hal was drafted into the nhl, he first played defense for the edmonton oilers before being traded to, again, play defense the new york rangers about which is where he still is now.

so around this time is when hal and his dad have a HUGE falling out. it had basically been building up since the day he was born so when it finally exploded...whew! all of the pressure that his dad has put him under his entire life, all of the pushing and prodding and nothing he ever did being good enough...it was allllllll thrown out there into the open and they’ve never really recovered from it. hal’s dad is basically just a big sore spot for him that he doesn’t really talk about. ever.

back to hockey, he’s still a big fan favorite and considered to be kind of a golden boy type despite being known for getting into fights on the ice and racking up endless penalties. it’s the kind of rebellious edge that people LIVE FOR. it also helps that he is, in fact, a really talented player.

injured his knee during a game in late march of 2019 and he was out for the rest of the season in order to recover which KILLED HIM he was MISERABLE but he’s been given the all clear to play once preseason starts and he’s so excited that he’s practically counting the s e c o n d s until september 18th

he’s technically married to genesis iver buuuut as far as 99% of people know, they’re engaged with their january wedding date on its way! their story is kinda Messy bc that’s their brand but basically friends to lovers to husband and wife and they’re v in love so it’s super sweet and all.

fun facts !

born on december 31st which makes him a capricorn!

he was mostly raised by his nanny, angeline, so tbh he was never really that close to either of his parents. in fact he hasn’t seen his mom in person since she moved back to poland when he was ten buuut she does call him sometimes

also - hal speaks fluent ( canadian ) french! angeline was from quebec, so it’s actually his first language. little known fact! he knows a few words in polish too but he’s not at all fluent.

his english is very good but tbh that’s probably part of the reason why he never did so well in school besides the fact that it just wasn’t his focus and i’m kinda sad now that i think about this aw :(

he’s ambidextrous it’s v cool

freak of nature athlete who will literally go to the gym at 5am to get ready for his 7am practice and a big physically imposing guy soooo 0/10 probably do not try to fight him

tbh the only sport he cares about besides hockey is basketball he’s a raptors fan

kind of a hothead but he keeps it in check and tbh otherwise his personality is amiable and even kinda...goofy. basically, outside of his regularly scheduled fuckboy activities he tends to be chill and calm and he’s actually a very genuine person.

basically him and gen together can seem SO CONFUSING bc the two seem like complete opposites in every single possible sense of the word but idk that’s true love for ya i guess

a total Dumb Jock Stereotype™

he’s basically a golden retriever in a backwards snapback

#excessintro #i've been meaning to update this for SO LONG #it's a completely rewritten intro with a few small changes but nothing major so feel free to skip reading if it u already know hal #this is mostly for my personal reference tbh #but ofc #lmk if you wanna plot!#almost forgot about this so it's been in my drafts since the skeleton war

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timetravelingheart · 6 years

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My Side of the Fence Part One: A.M. Imagine

So this is my first post on here, even though I’ve had this blog for years! I’ve had this idea in my head for a while and decided to finally put it out there. I already have a few parts outlined, but I’m not sure how long this one will be just yet. Savannah Lane is my own creation; Auston Matthews and friends are obviously not. Feedback is absolutely welcome!

It was a beautiful summer day in August when they met.

Savannah Lane, Olympic gold medal figure skater, was enjoying an equally relaxing and fun beach day with a group of her friends from Toronto. After living in Edmonton to train for the past eight years, Savannah’s coaches opened their own training facility in Toronto, causing Savannah to relocate. She just finished moving into her apartment with a spectacular view of the lake, but still hasn’t had enough time to really decorate or make the place her own. But, it’s summer, and she has some time off before starting the skating season, so she figured why not reunite with some of her old friends and get a tan in the process?

“Hey Sav! We’re up!” Brian called, referring to the beach volleyball game that was currently in play. Wearing her favourite purple bikini, Sav pulled her long dirty blonde hair up into a high ponytail and ran over to take her position.

Ten minutes into the game and Sav and Brian were winning easily. Sav took a water break and decided to check her phone to see if Steph had messaged her yet. Stephanie was one of Savannah’s best friends since they were little tykes attending the same summer camp. Steph was so excited to introduce her to all of the friends she’s made with the Leafs and their significant others. Sav had already met Steph’s boyfriend Mitch multiple times over the years and he was always such a good friend to her. When Savannah decided on a beach day, she invited Steph, Mitch, and whomever else they wanted to bring along. Seeing that Steph texted that they were about ten minutes out, Sav smiled to herself, excited to finally see her best friend after a few months apart.

“You ready, babe?” Brian called. Sav rolled her eyes at the term of endearment, knowing that Brian was always a harmless, but absolutely shameless, flirt. “We’ve got them right where we want them!”

“Bri, we’re winning 12-2,” Sav laughed. “I think we can dial down the competitiveness a bit.”

“Says Canada’s reigning gold medalist in figure skating!”

Sav took a little curtsy, complete with a royal wave, before standing up straight and punching Brian on the shoulder. Kaitlyn Osmond and her partner Stephen started to shout obscenities at them, eager to finish this game and be done with the embarrassment.

Ten minutes later, Brian set Sav up for the perfect spike. Sav’s sculpted legs and insane core strength allowed her to gain height with the jump and spike the ball as hard as she could. Kaitlyn and Stephen both scrambled for the ball, ending up in the sand in a heap as the ball landed in front of them.

“Yeah!” Brian screamed, pulling Savannah into a big hug and swinging her around. “We’re number one! We’re number one!”

Savannah laughed loudly, a little embarrassed by his dramatics over a friendly game, but having fun nonetheless. Behind her, she heard unfamiliar voices hollering and cheering for her as well. Confused, Savannah turned around and spotted a group of very attractive, and very fit, men shouting, but her eyes searched for the one face she was dying to see. Green eyes scanning the group quickly, she spotted the beautiful blonde. Letting out a high-pitched squeal, Savannah and Stephanie both took off in a run until they had their arms wrapped around one another in a tight embrace.

“You’re here! You’re real!” Steph cried into Savannah’s neck.

“I am here! I am real!” Savannah laughed, squeezing her person back as tightly as she could without crushing the petite blonde.

“Hey Steph! Let the girl breathe and hug the rest of us, eh?” Mitch laughed as he reached over and pulled Savannah out of his girlfriend’s arms into his open ones. “How ya doing, little one?”

“I’m good, Mitchy! Looking a little bigger, I see,” Savannah remarked as she gripped his biceps jokingly.

“Oh, you know, I’ve been lifting a lot of weights this off-season,” Mitch tried to act tough as he flexed his arms for her. Steph rolled her eyes at her two favourite people and grabbed Sav’s hand in her own to pull her over to the group of hockey players who were setting up beach blankets and chairs on the sand.

“Everyone, this is Savannah! Sav, these are the people who are going to become your Toronto family while you get acquainted!”

Mitch quickly started naming the group of very large and very attractive young men who were seated on the sand, and some of whom Savannah recognized from the photos she had seen on Steph and Mitch’s social media accounts. Morgan, Zach, William, Kasperi, and Auston all stood up and shook her hand in polite greeting. Auston’s hand, the last of the bunch, lingered a little longer than the others, and Savannah had to shake her head a little to escape the allure of his attractive gaze. Careful, she thought.

The boys tried to make room for Steph and Savannah to have a seat on their big blankets, but with their long and muscular legs, it was a tight fit and Savannah found herself consciously trying not to bump knees with Auston, who was sitting to her left. She also found herself trying not to stare at his sculpted chest as he sat shirtless in just his grey leopard print swim trunks. Distracted, it took Savannah a second to realize that someone was asking her a question. She turned away from Auston and looked across from her to find the voice, and saw William looking at her expectantly.

“Sorry, I didn’t catch that.”

“Steph said that you just moved back to Toronto for training. Are you originally from here?” William repeated.

Savannah took a second to stretch out her tanned, lean legs in front of her and rest back on the palms of her hands, not noticing that Auston was returning her once-over and trying to force himself to look at her face, not at her insane athletic body. His eyes went to her soft pink lips as she answered. “I’m from Kingston, so not too far from here. I used to come here all of the time though to visit this one,” she stated, nodding affectionately at her best friend.

“And now she lives here!” Steph squealed, moving quickly to wrap her arms around Savannah’s shoulders.

“Yeah babe, we get it, you’re excited,” Mitch laughed at his girlfriend’s antics, and swiftly ducked her swat, pulling her into his side lovingly.

“Well since you live here now, you’ll have to join Steph and the other partners at our games,” Morgan spoke up. “We might actually have a shot at winning this year with these young punks and John Tavares.”

“My dad is a huge Leafs fan, so believe me when I say that I have heard ALL about John Tavares,” Savannah laughed.

“And you’re not one?” Auston finally spoke up. He was happy his voice didn’t shake when he asked, because he could already feel himself starting to like this girl and suddenly felt a little nervous.

When Savannah hesitated, Steph laughed loudly. “Go on, tell them,” she said conspiratorially.

With all eyes trained on her, Savannah cleared her throat and looked down bashfully at her lap. “Well, I’m actually really good friends with Connor McDavid, so...” she cringed at the loud groans the men emitted and ducked at the sand that was thrown at her.

“Seriously? You’re an Oilers fan?” Kasperi half-shouted, as if she had betrayed him personally.

“Technically I’m a McDavid fan, but I also lived in Edmonton for eight years, so yes.” The men all groaned again loudly and shook their heads like parents disappointed in their child.

“I guess we’ll have to bring you to our games and change your mind,” Auston spoke with a determined air, eyes trained intensely on hers.

Sav inhaled, uncertain of what she was feeling with his eyes on her. “I guess so,” she almost whispered.

Steph, quickly taking notice of Auston’s sudden attraction to her best friend, had wheels turning and knew she had to act fast to ensure that Savannah didn’t run from his advances. Auston was a good guy, her boyfriend’s best friend, and even though he had a reputation for being a fuckboy (one he definitely earned in his first few years with the team), she could see the changes in him recently. He started to ask Mitch more questions about their relationship and how they make it work with their grueling schedule during the season, he stopped hooking up with random girls months ago, and started to really think seriously about finding someone right for him.

Savannah, usually a relationship girl, had recently sworn off long-term relationships so she could focus on this quad and gear up for the Olympics and defend her title. Her last boyfriend, who originally said he respected and admired her dedication to her sport, grew tired of the lack of attention and wanted Savannah to prioritize their relationship. When he brought this to her attention, Savannah told him that if he was asking her to put him before skating, he might as well pack up his things and go. So, he did. And ever since then, Savannah hasn’t even considered dating anyone else. Steph knows that part of that is because Savannah has been hurt and doesn’t want that to happen again, but she also sees the way her best friend is affected by Auston’s lingering gazes and subtle knee touches as they sit side by side on the blanket.

“Sav, you have to stay for the bonfire tonight!” Steph grabbed her hand, pulling Savannah’s attention away from Auston, her face flush.

“Yeah, definitely! You can hear Kappy’s awful country singing,” Morgan joined in.

“Hey! I’m not that bad!” Kasperi shouted angrily, throwing a beach ball at Morgan’s head, as everyone else laughed.

“You really can’t miss it,” Auston turned to her, his knee brushing hers slightly. Sav shifted to pull her legs to her chest, starting to feel herself being reeled in and needing to separate herself from him. Auston wasn’t sure what to make of her sudden movement, worried he might be coming on too strong, even though he hadn’t really done anything yet. He made a mental note to take it slowly with this girl, not wanting to scare her off.

Sav laughed lightly, trying to remain engaged in the conversation with everyone and not just with Auston. “You had me at country singing!”

A few hours and several beach volleyball games later, the guys started the bonfire and brought out their beach chairs to make a circle. Savannah had pulled on her denim shorts and loose striped tank, and had said goodbye to the friends she originally came to the beach with, promising several coffee meet-ups and city hang-outs. Walking back over to the group of hockey players, she sat down on a chair next to the fire and pulled her legs up to her chest again, rubbing her arms softly, hoping to warm herself up quickly. The sun had begun to set and there was a nice breeze in the air, and while Sav was enjoying the reprieve from the beating sun, she could feel goosebumps forming on her arms and legs.

Auston, who had been watching Sav from the moment she left her friends, quickly took notice of her actions and ran off to his car in the parking lot. Minutes later, he came back with two hoodies, one for himself and one for her. Wordlessly, he held both hands out to her and smiled widely. Savannah looked up at his smiling face, confused as to what was happening. When he started moving his hands with the hoodies, taunting her to pick one, she understood what he was offering, and while she loved the gesture, she still felt herself hesitating. Careful, she reminded herself.

Auston sighed. “They’re hoodies, Sav, not wedding rings,” he stated bluntly, causing the heat to rise to Savannah’s cheeks. Auston had essentially acknowledged the connection (and the tension) between them with one statement. Sav refused to acknowledge the actual statement and instead reached out for the grey hoodie and quickly pulled it on, laughing slightly as it swarmed her petite frame. It felt soft and warm; a well-loved sweater. She looked at the logo - NDTP - and cringed.

“I can’t believe you just gave a Canadian Olympian a team USA sweater!” she laughed, her eyes lighting up in a way that made Auston’s insides melt and core tighten. He was definitely a goner for this girl.

Mitch whipped his head from holding a marshmallow over the fire to look at the small commotion to his left and laughed at the sight. Auston’s face was pink with laughter as he sat in the beach chair next to a very cozy, and very conflicted, Savannah.

“You picked that one!” Auston argued, as he pulled the other blue Toronto Maple Leafs hoodie over his own head.

“So my options were a Leafs hoodie or a USA hoodie - both make me a traitor, Auston!” Savannah laughed, pretending to be angry at the 6′3 brunette who was quickly, and sneakily making his way into her heart. Auston reached over and pulled on the strings on the neck of the hoodie. Softly, he whispered so only she could hear, “You might not like this, but you look really good in my hoodie, even with that cute little crinkle in your brow as you pretend not to be grateful for the warmth.”

Savannah swatted his hand away jokingly, and pulled the hoodie over her legs as she curled up on the chair. “Yeah, yeah. Thank you for the hoodie, Auston.” Auston smiled broadly, feeling proud of himself that she finally seemed to be letting herself relax around him after her initial hesitation.

“You’re welcome, Savannah.”

Mitch stood by the fire, still watching the exchange between the two. He didn’t know Savannah as well as Steph did, but he knew Auston, and right now his best friend was showing more affection towards Savannah than he had to any other girl Mitch has seen him with in the entirety of their friendship. He looked over at Steph, catching her watching the two closely as well, with a knowing smile on her face. Mitch caught Steph’s eye and winked.

This was going to be fun.

#auston matthews imagine #auston matthews #hockey #hockey imagine #auston matthews writing #mitch marner #toronto maple leafs #auston matthews fan fiction

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healthyworthyofficial · 4 years

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10 Ways to Make Life With Hidradenitis Suppurativa Easier

Getting thru the morning has end up greater intricate on the grounds that I was identified with hidradenitis suppurativa seven years ago. I typically wake up to discover pus or blood on my pillow and/or sheets. I groan as I observe my arms, breasts, and groin vicinity to see what new lesions and boils have burst or formed. I may then spend an hour in my closet trying to determine out what to wear. What I virtually prefer to do is throw on some sweats so my lesions and boils aren’t aggravated, but that isn’t usually realistic, specially on the days when I want to go out in public or go to work. I may have a breakdown in my closet while my dog stares at me, waiting for his walk. After giving myself a pep talk and telling myself that I’m going to make it via the day, I settle on an outfit, then seize some pain medication in case the soreness will become too much. Then I forge on with my day. Hidradenitis suppurativa is a continual situation that causes lumps to form beneath the skin, usually in areas the place the skin rubs together, like the underarms, breasts, and groin, according to the Mayo Clinic. As all and sundry with the circumstance can inform you, these lumps can be agonizingly painful, and they can rupture or create interconnected tracts of abscesses below the skin. This illness appears to happen when hair follicles emerge as blocked, but experts don’t know the genuine motive in the back of these blockages, the Mayo Clinic explains. (They do be aware of hidradenitis suppurativa is no longer a end result of bad hygiene or infection.) There are pretty a few threat factors, though, such as biological intercourse (it’s extra frequent in female than men) and hormonal fluctuations. In my experience, I’ve discovered that my hidradenitis suppurativa tends to get worse earlier than my period. Age is every other hazard thing in that the sickness most regularly develops when girls are between the a while of 18 and 29, the Mayo Clinic says. (Symptoms once in a while emerge as less intense after menopause.) I was once 22 when I commenced to show symptoms. I was once extraordinarily lucky that a doctor at my nearby urgent care knew about hidradenitis suppurativa and was in a position to diagnose me within a year. Hidradenitis suppurativa takes a toll on both my intellectual and bodily health. I typically have to nap at least once a day due to fatigue, and I’m so uncomfortable with people bodily touching me because I feel embarrassed about how I look. Both the physical pain and the disappointment that my body will never look the same convey me to tears on a weekly basis. I comprehend I’m now not on my own in regularly feeling ashamed, anxious, angry, and sad. Dealing with all of this requires some stable coping mechanisms, and there are a lot of commonalities in how these of us with this circumstance handle it. So if you’ve these days been identified with hidradenitis suppurativa, right here are 10 small however impactful hints from humans who have been there earlier than you. We hope it helps. 1. Find a therapist, if you can. This sickness has taken a essential toll on my mental health. Going to remedy weekly offers me area to discuss about my emotions. I have additionally learned super coping techniques from my therapist, consisting of connecting with my physical being through body scans and navigating the guilt I sense when I want to cancel plans because of my illness. If possible, try to discover a therapist who specializes in chronic illness and/or chronic ache so they are higher in a position to help you and understand your experiences. 2. Take gentle yoga classes. Moving my body is really important to me, but workout can exacerbate hidradenitis suppurativa symptoms. This is particularly genuine for high-intensity activities, like cycling. I fell in love with biking training a few years in the past and would attend periods four to five instances a week. It felt so suitable when I used to be in the class, but in a while I would discover myself in intense bodily pain. I ultimately talked to my doctor, who recommended I strive some thing else. Most Popular For some time I struggled to locate an endeavor that didn’t make me experience worse. Enter restorative yoga. My friend took me to a class, and the teacher taught me how to listen to my body and only do poses that felt comfortable. I realized how to take breaks and go at my own pace. I left that type on such a high. Now I frequently attend restorative classes, and on my good days, I will even take a vinyasa class at a local yoga studio. 3. Meditate. I’ve been meditating on a day by day foundation for six months, and I’ve discovered it to be so beneficial. It helps me get in contact with my physique and grow to be more attuned to its needs. I additionally work via a lot of feelings throughout meditation sessions, like the health anxiousness that hidradenitis suppurativa has precipitated to end up greater intense. If I’m feeling overly anxious or in a lot of pain, I’ll meditate to ground myself. It reminds me that I am respiratory and will be okay. When I started, I would simply do a rapid five-minute session. Now I’ll both go to a classification (the Den and Unplug are two of my favorites in Los Angeles) or use the Headspace app for 10 to 15 minutes. I’ve additionally been able to locate drop-in, donation-based instructions all over the city. This is a exceptional way to supply it a attempt earlier than committing or spending a lot of money. 4. Connect with others who have the condition. I first shared my story in 2017, and I observed the response to be overwhelmingly positive. I nevertheless get emails weekly from other hidradenitis suppurativa warriors who say they feel much less alone because I’ve talked about the condition, or who favor to share a new coping approach with me. If you’re not prepared to share your story with the world, discovering any individual else who has hidradenitis suppurativa can nonetheless help. When I’m feeling in reality isolated, I’ll DM with other humans who have hidradenitis on Instagram. All of this reminds me that I am no longer hostilities this hostilities through myself. Krystle B., 38, is involved with hidradenitis suppurativa companies and finds that collaborating in activities with different humans evokes her and makes her sense much less isolated. “I have been a big section of giving back to the community via helping others who suffer from hidradenitis suppurativa,” Krystle tells SELF, including that she’s in her second year on the annual #Walking4HS committee in Edmonton in Alberta, Canada. “Finding other sufferers who also have hidradenitis suppurativa and connecting with them epic.… That immediately connection and aid machine was once life-changing.” It would possibly even help to connect with any individual who has any other persistent illness. My exceptional friend has Hashimoto’s, and whilst it’s very exclusive than hidradenitis suppurativa, she can relate to the fatigue and unpredictability. I find myself in deep conversations with her often, and they help preserve me going. 5. Surround your self with a sturdy support system. I’ve been absolutely lucky that my friends and household are, for the most part, supportive and understanding of my condition. They help with both my emotional and physical needs. My mom flies out for any surgeries or intense treatments, and my friends take my dog for a walk on truely awful days. My dermatologist is additionally a crucial phase of my assist device and continues to offer help and encouragement. Finding a professional who is knowledgeable about hidradenitis suppurativa is so important. At the hidradenitis suppurativa medical institution at UCLA, I’ve observed docs who understand more about the disease than I do, which hasn’t constantly been the case. I’ve additionally realized to advocate for myself and ask for assist, reminding myself that I do know my physique greatest and am not weak for needing help. Pooja P., 31, has additionally discovered that asking for assist has been immensely useful in coping along with her hidradenitis suppurativa. “The people who love us want to support us, but often don't know how they can help—they feel helpless, too. Asking for help can bring you even closer together, and in turn, make you feel less isolated,” Pooja tells SELF. She’s leaned on household and mates for all the pieces from accompanying her to physician’s appointments to stocking her fridge and washing her hair when she hasn’t been in a position to accomplish that. “There is nothing weak about asking for help,” she says. “On the contrary, there is extreme strength in vulnerability.”

6. Use very mild cleansers and moisturizers.

I’ve tried quite a lot of cleansers which can be made for sensitive skin, however they normally brought about intense burning ache when used on my lesions. Then my dermatologist advisable that I exploit an antibacterial and antimicrobial cleaning soap referred to as Hibiclens each time I bathe. It comprises a four p.c chlorhexidine gluconate resolution, which helps scale back the chance of an infection. This is particularly vital when taking a biologic that suppresses your immune system, which is a typical type of hidradenitis therapy. I additionally simply really feel actually clear and good after I exploit it as a result of it doesn’t irritate my situation. The Mayo Clinic additionally recommends utilizing antibiotic or antimicrobial moisturizers for further safety.

7. Create a wardrobe filled with cozy garments.

Having the fitting garments is so vital for making certain that I really feel comfy and assured. I've tons of joggers, sweatshirts with enjoyable sayings, tank tops, and looser shirts, too. I really like purchasing at Old Navy, Target, Madewell, and Walmart. Since my garments can get stained or moist simply due to my signs, I like to purchase issues which can be cheaper so I don’t really feel as dangerous after they get ruined.

8. Try to determine potential meals triggers.

Pooja discovered that nightshades (like tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers) made her hidradenitis suppurativa worse, so she avoids these meals. “If I do eat a nightshade, I will get a hidradenitis suppurativa flare within 48 hours, 10 times out of 10,” she says. But as she factors out, “Just because they were my trigger doesn't mean they are yours.” Research hasn’t clarified what potential hyperlink might exist between meals like nightshades and hidradenitis suppurativa flares, however a 2019 assessment within the International Journal of Dermatology means that nightshades are thought by some to have an effect on the skin-gut axis, or mainly, how the intestine and pores and skin are biologically related. Other meals which can be identified to set off hidradenitis suppurativa embrace dairy, pink meat, and meals with a high glycemic index, in accordance to the Mayo Clinic. While I haven’t discovered any meals that undoubtedly set off my hidradenitis suppurativa, if I’m feeling okay, I really like to get within the kitchen and check out a brand new low-glycemic recipe. On my dangerous ache days, cooking isn’t possible, however in any other case, I really like to know what’s in my meals. Cooking provides me an actual sense of accomplishment.

9. Use scorching water or a moist, heat compress to relieve itching and ache.

Starla M., 33, runs scorching water on areas of her physique which can be itchy. (I presently take antihistamines to cope with the itching, however I’m wanting ahead to attempting this method.) If I've a brand new boil or one that's about to burst, I’ll use a heat, moist washcloth to assist relieve the ache and swelling. I discover it particularly efficient when I've boils in my groin space since these have a tendency to turn into golf-ball sized and make it onerous to stroll.

10. Find a passion you are able to do even in your worst days.

Krystle says that on her dangerous days, she focuses on discovering issues to try this distract her from the ache. “On some of my worst days or when I'm recovering from , I enjoy Netflix in bed with my two Cocker Spaniel fur babies. I'm also obsessed with antiques and spend a lot of downtime surfing the web for amazing treasures.” Source link Read the full article

#anxiety #ChronicPain #depression #dermatology #hidradenitissuppurativa #mentalhealth #painmanagement #skin #SkinCare #skinhealth

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nhl-imagines-posts · 7 years

Text

Connor McDavid - Australia to Edmonton

Team: Edmonton Oilers

Requested: Yes: Could you did a Connor Mcdavid imagine where his gf is a Olympic runner and he thinks she is in Australia training with her running club and she send him a fake video saying she wishes she could attend the eberle wedding with him . When actually she is going to the wedding with the help of the eberle to suprise Connor

Edited: Yes

Word count: 809

Summary: He thinks you’re training in Australia but you surprise him at the Eberle wedding

“Hi Connor! I wish I could be there in Edmonton with you to celebrate the Eberle’s wedding, I’m sorry I have to be in Australia. I hope you have fun- not too much fun though, remember that I’m your girlfriend. Eat a slice of cake and catch the bouquet for me. Alright, love you, bye,” I blow a kiss to the camera before moving my finger off the recording button.

The Snapchat starts to play and I send it to Connor, knowing he’s probably on his phone at this current moment.

“He still thinks you’re not going to the wedding?” Hannah laughs, walking out of the bathroom and towel drying her hair.

“It’s part of the plan,” I join in her laughter, pulling her into a goodbye hug.

“Have fun in Canada, you traitor,” she teases.

I roll my eyes. “See you later, bud.”

I pass a few of my other teammates on my way out the hotel and to the car that’ll take me to the airport.

When we got the invitation for Jordan and Lauren’s wedding, Connor was absolutely ecstatic to take me to a wedding- I don’t know if it’s because he’d get to see me all dressed up or the message behind taking me to a wedding, but he was really looking forward to it.

I’ve never seen him more disappointed than when I told him I had my Olympic training that week in Australia.

I’m an Olympic runner representing my home country, America, which really brings out arguments between Connor and me during Olympic time since he represents Canada.

We both think our country is going to win because we have faith in our fellow athletes.

It either ends in unmentionable things or Connor sleeping on the couch.

I felt really bad seeing him mope around the whole week before I left and then learned training ended two days sooner than I thought, meaning I could get to Canada in time for the wedding.

Instead of telling him like a normal person, I wanted to do something special.

I was telling Leon about it and since he can’t keep a secret to himself, he told Jordan.

After that, Jordan texted me with a plan.

So here I am, in a car on my way to the airport that’ll take me back to Canada with just enough time for me to get ready and appear at the wedding to surprise my boyfriend.

“Hello?” I answer my ringing phone.

“Are you on the plane yet?” Jordan asks instantly.

“No, I’m in a car on my way to the airport.”

“Good. Ugh, I can’t wait ‘til you get here. All of the boys have been complaining about how he looks sadder than normal and keeps talking about you.”

I awe at my boyfriend’s obsession with me.

“Of course you would like it.”

I laugh at him. “I’ll be there in time for your wedding tonight, Jord, don’t you worry.”

“Alright, see you then. Bye.”

“Bye.”

~~~

I walk into the church, smiling politely at the other guests.

“Y/N!” A familiar voice cheers, grabbing me by the waist and lifting me into the air.

“Leon, stop,” I whine, smacking his arm. “You’re drawing attention to us.”

“You know how much I love to embarrass you,” he smirks as he sets me down, ruffling up my loosely curled hair. “You look nice.”

“Thanks, you don’t look too bad yourself,” I compliment.

“Wait, why are you here? You should be in Australia.”

“Well I wanted to surprise Connor-��”Oh right, Connor. We should go see him, he’s really pouty without you here,” the German tugs me by my hand into the pews, leading me down the aisle so we’re standing right next to two familiar boys. “Guys, look at who I found on my water quest!”

“Y/N,” Connor stands up quickly, pulling me into a tight embrace. “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be training in Australia.”

“I wanted to surprise you, I heard you’ve been really down in the dumps without me,” I giggle, stroking his cheeks.

“That’s an understatement,” Darnell stands up, pulling me into a hug.

“Sit next to me, tell me all about Australia,” Connor demands, sitting me down next to him so close that I’m practically on his lap.

He doesn’t let go of me for the rest of the ceremony, and it doesn’t change when we arrive at the reception.

“Can I go to the bathroom by myself?” I laugh, standing outside the women’s restroom.

“Is bathroom a code word for Australia?” My boyfriend raises his eyebrows teasingly.

He lets me go to the bathroom but as soon as I exit, he’s right back at my side.

We dance to the slow song together, watching Lauren and Jordan do the same.

“One day, that’ll be us,” Connor whispers in my ear.

“One day.”

Taglist:

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@scottish-kid

@jimjamjum001

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@derickbrass-ard

#connor mcdavid #connor mcdavid imagine #edmonton oilers #edmonton oilers imagine #nhl imagine #nhl imagines #hockey imagines

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