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beepbeeprichiellc · 6 years

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Hard as Ice

It was cold inside the rink, colder than anticipated. Pulling at his jacket he averted the knowing glare of Beverly, her I told you so smirk getting on his very short nerves. The two teams were already on the ice, looking like a bunch of gorillas on skates. How they decided to partake in such a barbaric sport he would never know, all they did was punch and push and ugh, so stupid.

Richie was not amused with hockey.

Which is why it took Stan’s constant begging and Beverly’s promise for drinks afterward to get him to come. Ignoring their warnings of the chilly stadium he merely threw on a light jacket and sulked his way to the car. “Why are we here again?” He growled, walking up the stairs and taking a seat on the hardest bench ever. “This is hardly considered a sport.”

“We are here because Stan is a puck bunny.” Beverly explained.

“I am not!” The bundled up blonde shot back, “I promised Mike I would come and watch him play, that’s it. I’m not here because I wanna fuck the team!”

“You wanna fuck Mike.” Beverly corrected.

“Shut up!”

Usually Richie would get a real kick out of this, it was the perfect opportunity for some prime teasing but his bad mood kept his mouth sewn shut. He had met Mike on a few occasions, he seemed like a nice guy and Stan really did take a liking to him but he lost quite a few points when it was revealed that he was a hockey player. With a puffed out chest he invited all of them to their next game and Richie had told him flat out no. The other two however had different plans for their Friday night.

“There he is!” Stan cooed, pointing to a waving player on the ice. “Hey! Hi!”

“Oh my god, you are adorable.” Beverly jested, elbowing her friend in the elbow. “I have never seen you so smitten.”

“Smitten?” Richie scoffed, “What are you from the 1950?”

“Alright grumpy pants keep it down.” She retorted with a scoff, “Don’t let our bad blood with hockey ruin a good time You like Mike, you said it yourself and you aren’t giving him a good chance with this attitude.”

Richie only huffed, sulking like a child beside his two best fiends. It was true, he did have terrible experiences with hockey players. One hockey player in particular, and it was enough to turn his taste sour. Ever since he has cursed the meat head every time the opportunity arises. Which in this god forsaken town, was more often than not.

The game started, and he could feel the vibrant excitement that radiated off of the crowd. Richie zoned out for a while, that was until a grip came to his forearm and nails dug through his jacket making him yelp. “Jesus Bev, what the fuck?” He snapped, pulling his arm from her. “Why are you-”

“Mike, look at Mike!”

And Richie did, just in time to see him hit the ice thanks to a very dirty play from another player on the other team. It was enough to make the trashmouth himself yell out at the ref, who was clearly blind as a bat. Looking over he was surprised to see that Stan was still very calm, a smirk curling around the corner of his lips. “Why are you chill about this?” Richie asked, slapping his friends knee. “Your boy is getting killed out there!”

“Eddie will get him.”

“Eddie?” Richie repeated, turning at watching as a smallish figure slammed his entire body into the same player that had done dirty onto Mike, shoving him into the wall and creating a horrific noise. When he skated away the other player looked like he was going to explode, the referee still obvious to it all. This happened three more times, each hit more violent than the one before. Finally the player had enough, throwing his stick to the ground as well as his mitts. Eddie was more than ready, skating over to the man and tackling him to the ice right then and there.

“Eddie is the enforcer, keeps the other players honest.” Stan explained, the sound of the refs whistle crying out for the fight to stop but there was no slow down to Eddie’s punches, each one landing true. Surprisingly he took them as well as he dealt them out. Eventually his own team came to pull him off, his voice ringing out as a warning.

“Touch my teammate again and you’ll have to leave in a stretcher.” He warned in a loud voice. “Got it?”

Eddie was sent to the penalty box, where he sat with a sideways smirk and bloody lower lip. The game continued on, but Richie couldn’t take his eyes off of the goon. There wasn’t anything special about him persay, in his bulky gear he looked like a duplicate rather than an original. Still, there was something about him that drew Richie in, some kind of dynamic that weighed Richie down to the spot. Eddie didn’t notice his admirer, that or didn’t care. Instead he turned his head and spat a clump of blood onto the box floor.

“Still dislike hockey?” Beverly asked, nudging him to gain some attention.

“Yes very much so.” Richie answered honestly, smiling the moment Eddie was released and immediately went to serve punishment to another rowdy player who had targeted another teammate.

“But I guess it’s not all bad.”

#it #it au #reddie #richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak #some stanlon #drabble #moodboard #moodboards #someone posted about eddie being a hockey player #and i just #got it #totally believeable #and awesome #a little ball of rage

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seidenbros · 2 years

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Tag Game

Thank you so much @spideyanakin for tagging me 💚

dynamic: post the names of all the files in your wip folder regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

1.I See Your True Colours - 1st Steddie fic I'm writing

When Steve finds Eddie and Dustin in the Upside Down, he finds apulse and carries Eddie out of there. After three weeks in the hospital Eddie finalls wakes up. His dreams have been guided by Steve reading LotR to him. Steve was there nearly every night, because only in Eddie's presence, he was able to get some sleep without being haunted by nightmares. Wayne of course realises there is something going on, and after what Steve has done for Eddie, he already considers him family.

2. Promises-Series | currently writing Part 4: Holy Diver

Eddie and you have been best friends since you were 10, when you were 15, you had your first date, admitted your love for each other, but then you had to move to NYC. Eddie never wrote you a letter, you weren't able to reach out, and pride kept you from writing him another letter (you'd left him one the day of your move, but he never got it). Now, 5 years later (taking place dright before and during season 4), you come back because you miss him, your best friend. You argue, but decide to talk about it a couple of days later, and that's wehn all hell breaks loose.

3. I'm Lost I'm Found in You - Witcher Modern AU

Geralt is a veteran and has his service dog Roach because of his PTSD. He needs to get away from the big city and moves in with Jaskier, a complete stranger, whose house is too big and quiet for him alone. While Geralt wakes up in the middle of the night from nightmares, Jaskier sits downstairs, plays the guitar and sings, which is calming for Geralt. Ciri lost her parents and the family that's taking care of her is abusive towards her, so Geralt and Jaskier take her in. They're both falling for each other, but... still a little scared about it

4. You'll Make Me Brave - Geraskier Crime AU

Found covered in blood right next to his father’s dead body, it seems to be clear that Jaskier killed the old man. Geralt, working this case as a Detective, had to figure out what really happened, which won’t be easy, seeing that Jaskier isn’t even able to speak at first. Was it really him? Or was someone else involved? Geralt is determined to uncover the truth.

5. Let's Just Close Our Eyes and Let Go - Geraskier Hacker AU

Jaskier operates under the name the Sandpiper and steals from the rich to give the money to homeless shelters, since he’s spent a lot of time on the streets after his family kicked him out after coming out to them. Geralt sees him play music on the street, has seen him a couple of times and finally finds the courage to ask him out. Jaskier takes him to his home: A small flat on top of a building where he has loads of plants. Plants that don’t even bloom at that time of year. Geralt see’s Jaskier’s magic (which Jaskier is completely unaware of). Vesemir calls Geralt since they had a break in their case. In front of Jaskier’s building, he tells him that Jaskier is in fact the Sandpiper)

6. Wherever You Will Go - Geraskier Hockey AU

Famous contemporary romance author Julian Alfred Pankratz is set to travel with the Kaedwen Wolves (who won the cup last year) to get to know how they interact with each other, learn about hockey, so that he can incorporate that in his next book. He’s a little nervous, but still excited, until he sees a familiar face among the players. The face that was the model for one of the main characters in his last book, because they’d nearly fucked in the elevator they’d been stuck in- Only that Geralt had made it clear that he was looking for something serious, while Jaskier is afraid of commitment.

7. Geraskier Your Name AU

Geralt and Jaskier wake up int he other one’s body every now and again. At first they think it’s just some kind of weird dream, until their friends ask them what the hell had been wrong with them the previous day. At first they’re both like “I do what I want”, but that quickly changes, because their behaviour has consequences for the other one, and they start to like each other or rather what they find out. And suddenly, Jaskier had to find out how to wield a sword, while Geralt needs to learn how to play the lute.

though the Witcher ones are currently on hiatus, because I can't seem to focus on them. I tried and I couldn't write anything down

I'm tagging (but no pressure): @tellhound @luteandsword @dancingwiththefae @ghosttownwherenoonegoes @jesskier @wren-of-the-woods @writingmysanity

#There are theoretically more Geraskier ones but there's not much #and I have two Geralt requests in my inbox #but I need to be in the right headspace to write them #and 2 pieces for Eddie #but nothing writting so far #tag game #stranger things #the witcher #geraskier #eddie munson x reader

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wastingstarlight · 5 years

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but i'm weak, and what's wrong with that?

pairing: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier rating: E word count: 3.9k tags: Exhibitionism, Voyeurism, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Hockey, Masturbation, Pining read on ao3

It’s an accident, Eddie swears.

He clicks a link Mike sent him to download his stats textbook and all of a sudden his screen is covered in popups.

He makes a strangled noise and frantically tries to click away, but only succeeds in clicking one of the tabs open. Thank fuck Stan is studying in the library because all of a sudden his laptop starts autoplaying, at full volume, a very explicit home video.

Eddie means to click away. He really does. But his eyes catch on the the man’s sharp hipbones, the angled planes of his stomach, the way his fingers—long and elegant, like a pianist’s—curl around his dick and Jesus, okay, it’s like his computer custom picked this video just for him because all of the blood in Eddie’s body is going straight to his dick.

Stats homework forgotten, he shifts his laptop to the side so he can palm at his dick through his sweatpants, eyes never leaving the man on the screen.

The guy’s face is out of frame, the camera trained below the waist. His dick is big; not the biggest Eddie has seen, but pretty damn close. And as if that wasn’t enough to get Eddie the rest of the way revved up, the man shifts back and for a heartbeat, Eddie catches a glance of the bright blue dildo the guy is riding on.

Fuuuuuuuck.

Eddie shoves his hand down his pants and starts jerking himself off in earnest, matching his strokes to the way the man grinds down onto the dildo.

He tries to hold out for Video Guy, but on one stroke the guy moans so prettily and that’s it, that’s all it takes—Eddie tumbles over the edge with a stifled gasp.

It turns out the man doesn’t take too much longer to finish and Eddie watches him cry out as come pulses onto his stomach.

Eddie is about to click away from the video when the guy leans forward to turn the camera off. Eddie doesn’t see his face or anything like that, but the camera shifts just a bit to the left and Eddie sees—

He pauses the video.

He rewinds.

He pauses it again.

On the wall behind the guy’s bed, there are two things—one, a poster of a pair of hockey players in Bruins jerseys sporting the numbers 63 and 37, and two, a purple and white Torrance University men’s hockey pennant.

Eddie’s stomach makes a sickening lurch. Because he’s seen those hands.

Because those hands belong to Richie Tozier—loudmouthed first-line center of the Torrance University men’s hockey team, all-around sarcastic asshole, and the guy Eddie’s had a crush on for the past three years.

And Eddie has to see him in class tomorrow.

///

“Eds! What’s happening, my dude?”

Richie slings an arm around Eddie’s shoulders and Eddie just about melts into the floor. Instead of doing something embarrassing, like leaning into Richie, Eddie shoves his arm away.

“Gross, keep your germs to yourself. Don’t you know it’s flu season? Have you even been vaccinated? You’re basically like a walking talking petri dish of disease right now,” Eddie says. He stalks towards a seat near the front of the class and sets down his bag before sliding into the seat.

Richie collapses into the chair right next to him and gets a look on his face before he licks his palm showily. Eddie is brought viscerally back to the way those fingers curled into a bedsheet.

“I don’t taste like a petri dish,” Richie says contemplatively. He reaches forward as if to bring his hand to Eddie’s mouth. “Here, wanna try?”

“No fuck you asshole,” Eddie hisses, smacking his hand away.

Richie laughs, eyelids crinkling at the corners. More students have started to file in and a few give them odd looks but for once, Eddie can’t bring himself to be bothered.

///

Eddie has known Mike since before they were born, technically—their moms attended the same prenatal class back in Derry. After Mike’s parents died, Eddie’s place had become just as much a home for him as his grandfather’s house.

Mike is the brother Eddie never had—the calm to Eddie’s storm, the voice of reason to Eddie’s panic. Eddie talks to Mike about everything.

Eddie does not talk to Mike about this.

It’s bad enough that Mike knows about Eddie’s frankly embarrassing crush on the most popular jock at Torrance. The last thing Mike needs to know about is the fact that that jock—who also happens to be Mike’s teammate, his linemate—is getting himself off on the internet.

So Eddie lets it stew for a few days.

Then he gets horny again.

And he knows Richie’s username now…

This time, Eddie comes with three fingers in his ass and Richie’s breathy gasps in his ears.

This is going to be a problem.

///

The thing is. The thing is.

What Richie’s doing could get him in trouble. Like, serious trouble, from the school and shit. So Eddie’s stuck—he could stay quiet and let Richie keep risking being caught or tell Richie what he’d seen and try to convince him into stopping.

When and where did his life go so wrong that Richie fucking Tozier’s sex life is now his problem?

///

Torrance hosts UMass for their first game of the season and Stan drags Eddie to the rink to watch.

For being a math major, and a diminutive one at that, Eddie knows a lot about hockey, all thanks to growing up with Mike. Way more than Stan, so it had been odd that Stan had been the one dragging him here, but Eddie can read Stan like an open book and the way he bats his lashes at Torrance’s captain, Bill Denbrough, whenever he thinks no one’s looking is positively incriminating.

He’d make fun of Stan if it didn’t hit so close to home.

The teams are neck and neck through all three periods and despite himself, Eddie is on the edge of his seat.

When Richie scores the game-winning goal with less than thirty seconds left in regulation, Eddie is the first on his feet to cheer.

///

The decision is made for him on Tuesday.

Stan is in class for the next three hours, so Eddie has the dorm room to himself. He’s bored and done with his homework, so if he checks in on Richie’s site, well, sue him.

Eddie sees Richie has a livestream scheduled in half an hour.

Eddie can’t let Richie do a livestream in half an hour.

A recorded video is one thing, but a livestream? What if the camera moves the wrong way and catches Richie’s face in the shot? What if someone walks in while he’s filming? What if, what if, what if—there are too many what-ifs. Eddie is a good person, goddammit—he’s not letting Richie throw his life away.

Face burning, Eddie exes out of the tab, shoves his feet into his sneakers, and tugs on his windbreaker.

///

The men's hockey house looks different in the light of day. Quaint, almost, or as quaint as a glorified frat house can be.

Before Eddie can talk himself out of it, he knocks on the door. Someone shuffles around inside and Eddie shoves his hands in his jacket pockets while he waits—fall in Maine was settling in fast.

The door swings open and there’s Richie, wearing a ratty old band t-shirt over dark grey sweats that Eddie knows for a fact are featured in several of his videos. “Eduardo!” he beams. “To what do I owe the—”

“Trashmouth69,” Eddie blurts out.

Richie’s jaw goes slack, and Eddie has the distinct pleasure of watching all of the blood drain from Richie’s face.

“I…” Richie starts weakly.

“Shove it, Tozier,” Eddie says, pushing past Richie and into the house. It smells like stale beer and AXE body spray. From the quiet and the fact that Richie had a livestream planned, he assumes everyone else is in class.

The door closes and when Eddie turns to face Richie again, he still looks a bit pale but he’s recovering fast.

“How did you—?” Richie starts.

Eddie interjects again because that’s not a route he wants to go down. “What do you think you’re doing?” he starts, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “If I found it, do you think scouts won’t? What if the school hears about it? Do you think they’d let you keep your scholarship if they found out you were filming pornography on school property? There are like, literal rules about that, okay? Jesus Christ, Richie.”

“Okay,” Richie mumbles like he hadn’t even thought of the possibility, because of course, he hadn’t. Richie is many things—quick-witted, infuriatingly pretty, good at hockey—but he is not good at thinking things through.

Richie tugs at the hem of his shirt and looks at Eddie with big stupid doe eyes, made larger by those comical glasses. He looks so genuinely remorseful. Eddie hates him.

“If you needed someone to get off in front of you could have asked,” Eddie says, tightening his arms around his chest.

“I— What?” Richie asks faintly. He looks like he’s gotten the wind knocked out of him.

“If—fuck, man, it’d be safer than posting shit on the internet okay? So…if you need someone to watch you get off…” Eddie says. This is a bad idea. This is such a bad idea.

Eddie watches Richie’s throat constrict as he swallows.

“I…Are you fucking with me?” Richie asks suspiciously.

“Yeah, right; I offer to watch all my friends jack off,” Eddie rolls his eyes as Richie starts to scowl. “No, asshole—I’m not fucking with you.”

Richie catches his bottom lip between his teeth and nods once.

There’s a bit of awkward silence.

“Does that, uh. Does that offer start now?” Richie asks hesitantly.

Eddie blinks. He’s really doing this, huh?

“Only if you cancel your livestream,” Eddie says decisively. “And delete your account,” he adds after a pause.

Richie scrambles into action, a flurry of movement again. Eddie follows and is led up the stairs and into Richie’s room. It’s odd to see the entire thing and not just the snatches of the bedspread.

Richie has his laptop open and seems to be busy doing what Eddie told him to, so Eddie takes the time to glance around a bit.

The Bruins poster and Torrance men’s hockey pennant are still on the wall above Richie’s bed. His side of the room is about as messy as Eddie expected it would be: laundry is vaguely piled in the vicinity of a hamper; his desk is covered in stacks of paper; clean clothes appear to have been folded, but never put away; a bag of hockey gear is shoved against the one free wall. There’s a bi pride flag in the pencil holder on Richie’s desk. The other side of the room looks just as cluttered, but it’s a more put together sort of chaos. Richie’s is just, well, chaos.

By the time Eddie returns his gaze to Richie, Richie is looking at him with those doe eyes again.

“How do you wanna…?” Richie asks and Eddie shrugs jerkily.

“Uh, you get in bed I guess and I can sit in the chair? I don’t fucking know, man; you’re the one jerking off,” Eddie says with a bark of a laugh that he knows sounds more shrill than anything else.

“No, yeah, that sounds good,” Richie says. He gets into bed and then just waits, watches carefully as Eddie takes off his windbreaker and folds it over the back of the chair before taking a seat in it.

“Well?” Eddie says. “What are you waiting for, Trashmouth?”

“You’re sure about this?” Richie asks again.

“Yes, Jesus Christ, just fucking start already oh my God,” Eddie says, but there’s a little piece of him that’s thrilled by the way Richie had asked for consent at every step of the way.

“Okay, okay,” Richie mumbles. He takes a breath before tugging his shirt off over his head and Eddie is treated to a closeup view of Richie’s hockey-defined abs. Eddie kind of really wants to lick them.

Richie’s hands drop to his sweats and he hesitates before tugging them down and kicking them off. Richie isn’t wearing any underwear because of course he isn’t and for the first time, Eddie comes face to face with Richie’s dick. It’s just as massive in real life as it is on a computer screen and Eddie’s mouth waters.

There’s a click as Richie dribbles lube from God knows where into his hand and then just like that he’s jerking off. There are a few experimental strokes to get himself warmed up and then he glances at Eddie and the gasp he makes cuts through the heavy silence and goes straight to Eddie’s dick.

Eddie fights to keep his face impassive even as his dick throbs.

If he’d thought watching Richie jerk off on screen was difficult, watching him jerk off in real life without being able to touch himself or Richie is pure fucking torture.

Eddie manages to make it through the whole thing without coming in his pants—which he’s honestly very proud of, thank you very much (though he had come close when Richie had fondled his balls near the end and had punched out a whine that made him sound like he was dying).

It’s not as awkward as Eddie had thought it would be, after, mostly because Richie doesn’t let it be.

Eddie makes it back to his dorm room with just enough time to get himself off furiously before Stan makes it back from class.

///

It becomes a thing.

Richie jerks off.

Eddie watches.

Eddie goes home and jerks off, and pictures Richie’s hand on his dick instead of his own.

Rinse and repeat.

Eddie is thriving. Really.

///

“You’re being weird,” Mike says before taking a massive bite of his meatball sub.

“I’m not being weird. You’re being weird,” Eddie frowns. He pokes his pasta around his tray with his fork.

Mike rolls his eyes. “Dude, I’ve known you for twenty years and I’ve never seen you this picky about Italian food.”

Eddie scowls at his fettuccine alfredo.

They’re both quiet for a few moments as they eat, but it’s a familiar sort of silence.

“Have you ever, like…done the whole friends with benefits thing?” Eddie asks finally.

Mike blinks slowly. He finishes chewing before speaking. “No,” he says finally. “Why, are you finally over your Tozier-shaped crush?” He pauses and then his eyes go wide and he grins. “Are you gonna ask Tozier to be your fuck buddy?”

“What—no! Gross!” Eddie sputters and Mike just laughs, that bastard.

“Cause he’d probably say yes, you know,” Mike says slyly.

Eddie feels his cheeks heat up. “That’s not funny,” he mumbles.

“I’m not kidding,” Mike counters, nudging Eddie’s foot gently beneath the table. “He talks about you all the time, dude.”

“He—what?” Eddie blinks.

“All our conversations lately have either been about practice or you. When did you guys start spending so much time together anyway?”

“We have a class together,” Eddie says faintly. Richie talks about him?

“Right,” Mike replies. He shrugs. “Anyway. Don’t break his heart or whatever. We’re playing Minnesota this weekend.”

“I’m not gonna break his heart, ‘cause I’m not gonna ask Richie Tozier to be my fuck buddy,” Eddie hisses.

Mike smiles and takes another bite of his sub.

///

After his conversation with Mike, Eddie starts noticing things he hadn’t before.

Sometimes, after he jerks off, Richie asks Eddie to stick around for a while. To do homework, play video games, whatever. At first, it had been frustrating because that meant he had to leave his own dick unattended to, but Richie beams at him with those big stupid blue eyes and Eddie is helpless.

He doesn’t know how it happened, but somehow he’s started spending more time with Richie than with Stan or even Mike.

For as much as he acts like a fuckboy, being around Richie is so easy. His jokes are lewd at best and downright offensive at worst, but he picks up on what makes Eddie smile through his shrieks of disgust and narrows in on them. And he’s funny—like, actually, genuinely funny.

Eddie doesn’t know what to do with that information.

He goes to more hockey games in the next month than he has all last year, and he tells himself it’s because the team is actually good this year and because he’s there to support Mike, but he knows it’s not true.

When Richie roars in celebration after netting a slick bardown through the BU goalie and Eddie feels butterflies in his stomach, Eddie knows.

Something's gotta give.

///

The party is loud and boisterous, already spilling out into the street. Stan is stuck like glue to Eddie’s side. He was the only reason Eddie was out in the first place—Eddie had been on the fence about going out tonight, but then Stan said he was in and, well, that only happened once in a blue moon, so here they were.

Eddie pushes the way through the crowd and makes his way to the kitchen where he snags them a couple of beers.

“Eddie Spaghetti!” a voice booms and goddamn, did Richie have a tracker on him?

“Hey, Rich,” Eddie says, turning to face him. He’s greeted by an arm slung around his shoulder and a wet, smacking kiss on his cheek.

“Gross,” Eddie says, scrunching his nose, scrubbing at his cheek, and wiggling away.

“Stan the man,” Richie grins, turning his attention to Stan instead. Stan fixes him with such a scowl that Richie doesn’t even try to come close. Richie shrugs and nudges Eddie. “Bro, I need a beer pong partner and you’re the best there is. I’ll pay you in alcohol.”

It’s true; Eddie is the best there is at beer pong. Well, maybe after Bev. Richie, though, is hopelessly bad.

“Liquor, not beer,” Eddie says finally. “And the good shit, too—not whatever you heathens think passes for vodka.”

“Nothing but the best for you, sweetheart,” Richie drawls.

Eddie’s stomach swoops pleasantly at the pet name and, with Stan in tow, follows Richie deeper into the hockey house.

///

They win.

They win, and Richie picks Eddie up and spins him, squeezing him tight before settling him down.

“You’re a fuckin’ beaut, Eds,” Richie says, beaming down at him. Richie’s breath smells like cheap beer and for a heartbeat, Eddie thinks Richie is going to lean down and kiss him.

Someone grabs Richie’s shoulder and tugs him away, and the moment is gone, but Eddie is left with his heart pounding in his throat.

///

It’s too much. It’s all too much, and Eddie is at the end of his rope. It had been a bad idea from the beginning, and now he’s losing sleep over it because whenever he tries to close his eyes, all he can think about are the little noises Richie makes when he twists his hand just so.

So the next time Richie texts him, Eddie goes so far as to show up at his door before blurting out: “I can’t do this anymore.”

Richie has the good grace to look dumbfounded. “I—”

“I’m sorry,” Eddie interjects, blood rushing to his cheeks. He takes a step back. “I have to go. I’m sorry.” He turns on his heel and flees.

///

9:52 PM Richie: is everything okay? Richie: eds? Richie: fuck, man, tell me what’s wrong so i can fix it Richie: please let me know that you’re okay

1:31 AM Richie: i’m sorry

///

Mike corners him in the library about a week after The Incident. “Remember how I told you not to break Tozier’s heart?” he says.

Eddie narrows his eyes. “I told you, I—”

“Eddie. C’mon. I’m not messing around. I don’t know what happened and you clearly don’t want to tell me and that’s fine, but he missed an actual empty net today at practice. An empty net.”

Eddie shifts uncomfortably in his seat.

Mike sighs. “I know Richie isn’t your problem, but he’s kind of mine, and if there’s anything you could say just to…give him closure maybe? I don’t know, but just…think about it, okay?”

Eddie is quiet for a moment before he slumps. “Okay.”

///

Eddie takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly before knocking on the door.

“It’s open!” a voice calls and Eddie tests the handle, turns it, and lets himself in. Bill is sprawled out on the couch in the living room and he gives Eddie a quick smile.

“Richie’s in his room,” he says knowingly and Eddie feels heat creep up his cheeks.

“Um. Thanks,” Eddie says before fleeing.

Eddie steels himself again before knocking on Richie’s door. There’s no going back now.

Richie’s voice is muffled. “Bill I swear to fucking Christ I would rather rip my own balls off than play Mario Kart with you right now.”

“It’s Eddie,” Eddie says with a wince.

It’s silent for a heartbeat and then there’s some scuffling and Richie is tugging open the door. His hair is even more of a mess than usual and he looks, well, soft in dark grey sweatpants and a Torrance men’s hockey shirt.

“Oh,” Richie says. He nudges his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Eddie replies. “Do you, um, have a minute?”

“Yes, sure, sorry let me just—“ Richie says, motioning for Eddie to come in before shoving some laundry into a hamper and kicking a pair of sneakers under the bed.

Eddie closes the door carefully behind himself.

“So, um,” Richie starts. “I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable,” he breathes out like it’s all one word. “I shouldn’t have assumed that you were still okay with what we were doing and I should have checked in more often and if I’d known you weren’t having a good time I never would have—“

“Rich,” Eddie says, dropping his gaze to stare at his toes. “If I wasn’t having a good time, I would have stopped you. I was just, uh, more into it than I let on?” He clears his throat. This is happening. “I, um, was. Really into it. Watching. But it was hard after a while to just watch and not touch, so.” Eddie shrugs. “But. Yeah. I didn’t want to make things awkward. Which I’m totally doing right now anyway.”

God this is so embarrassing.

When Eddie finally glances up again, Richie’s eyes are dark. Eddie’s stomach flips.

“You wanted to touch?” Richie says quietly.

“Yeah, Jesus, Rich, you’re fucking hot, okay?” Eddie retorts, cheeks blazing.

“So you’re saying I could have been getting you off this whole time?”

Oh.

“Oh,” Eddie breathes. He closes the distance between them, tangles a hand through Richie’s hair, and drags him down into a kiss.

It’s messy from the start and Richie licks into Eddie’s mouth desperately, drawing a whine from deep within Eddie’s chest. Richie’s hands run down Eddie’s sides then toy with the strip of skin just beneath the hem of his shirt.

Eddie breaks the kiss to gasp when Richie’s hands travel back to knead at his ass.

“Is this—” Eddie’s breath hitches as Richie presses a kiss beneath his ear. “Is this happening?”

Richie chuckles, breath hot on Eddie’s neck. “Do you want this to be happening?”

Eddie thinks about it—actually really stops to think about it. It doesn’t take too long.

“Yes.”

///

Eddie shows up to his lunch date with Mike the next day with two purpling hickeys on his neck and Mike doesn't even bother trying to hide his grin.

#reddie #eddie kaspbrak #richie tozier #it chapter 2 #reddie fic #what do ppl tag stuff as idk #mine #ft gratuitous bruins references #my writing #w: reddie #w: fic #w: it

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martinnecas · 5 years

Text

Quick Guide | Carolina Hurricanes: Meet The Team - Opening Night 2019-20

New season means a new quick guide to the roster

2018-19 season

This took me a couple of days to put together so please appreciate it

Want to know how to pronounce a players name?

Click this link!

*All gifs made by me*

Forwards:

☞ Sebastian Aho™️ #20

Yes there is another “Sebastian Aho” from Sweden but he’s usually in the AHL (Bridgeport/Islanders)

Born: July 26, 1997 (22 years old/Leo) from Rauma, Finland

6′0, Centre, 35th overall CAR 2015

Nicknames: Fishy, Seabass, Sepe, Sebu

He’s the face of this franchise and the only player on this team that the Canadian media knows about

Is being held against his will in Raleigh because he wants to play for Montreal if you don’t know the actual story MTL sent him an offer sheet that he signed because he wanted the money and knew Carolina could pay it, but you know how Habs twitter can be.

Possibly the messiest Hurricane

Who’s my daddy?!

Spirit animal is a lion, hear him roar

Avid coffee drinker

Baby face

Painted a picture of his cat one time

☞ Ryan Dzingel #18

Born: March 9, 1992 (27 years old/Pisces) from Wheaton, Illinois

6′0, Centre, 204th overall OTT 2011

Nicknames: Zinger, Dizzy, Dzingel Bells, D-pingel

Played with the Ohio State Buckeyes for 3 seasons, recorded the first hat trick in Big Ten history against Xichigan

Traded to CBJ Feb ‘19, signed with CAR as a free agent summer ‘19

Might need glasses, he squints like that ^ a lot

Golfs... A L O T

Wants to produce for the team so he can stay here in Raleigh and make it his home ♥︎

Jeep guy

Looks uncomfortably similar to Tripp Tracy

UNC fan

☞ Warren Foegele #13

Born: April 1, 1996 (23 years old/Aries) from Markham, Ontario

6′2, Left Wing, 67th overall CAR 2014

Nicknames: Foegs, Foegdaddy

Best friends with Andrei Svechnikov and Dougie Hamilton

Duke fan

Accidentally broke Osh*e’s collarbone but TJ and C*p fans will claim he tried to murder him

Spirit animal is a tiger, also hear him roar

Very easily scared

Duke fan

☞ Erik Haula #56

Born: March 23, 1991(28 years old/Aries) from Pori, Finland

6′0, Left Wing, 181st overall 2009 MIN

Nicknames: Hauls, Haulsy

Moved to Minnesota in 2008 to play hockey in boarding school

Played for the University Of Minnesota Gophers for 3 seasons

Signed with MIN in 2013, was picked up by the VGK in 2017 as a free agent in the Expansion Draft, then traded to CAR summer of 2019 (for Nic Roy & draft pick)

Suffered a pretty bad knee injury in the 2018-19 season

CAKE

Got married this past summer ♥︎

Currently living in Calvin de Haan’s old house

☞ Jordan Martinook (A) #48

Born: July 25, 1992 (27 years old/Leo) from Brandon, Manitoba

6′0, Left Wing, 58th overall 2012 PHX

Nicknames: Marty, Marty Man, Marty Party

Signed with PHX/ARI in 2012, traded to CAR in 2018 (for Krüger)

Raw chaotic dad energy

Doesn’t like corndogs and has a very high pitched scream

His wife gave birth to their first son last season before he got his downstairs fixed in the offseason

LETS GO SVECH

Spirit animal is a dolphin because he has a great impression

There is so much more I want to put on here but you should really just follow his Twitter

☞ Brock McGinn #23

Born: February 2, 1994 (25 years old/Aquarius) from Fergus, Ontario

6′0, Left Wing, 47th overall 2012 CAR

Nicknames: Ginner, Brock McWinn, McPing, the new Mr. Game Seven (that one is kind of a joke though), Big Cock Brock

Single handedly defeated evil not only once but twice on April 24th, 2019, earning him the nicknames “Brock McWinn” and the new “Mr. Game Seven”

Has two brothers who also play professionally; Jamie (NHL) and Tye (AHL) McGinn

Co Owner of the Roanoke Rail Road Dawgs with his brothers and father

His daddy is Bob

Has a high probability of burning his whole house down

Used to be a fighter, but he didn’t fight anyone last season

Thor

Was 3rd in the league with most MsS Post (10) in the 2017-18 season earning him the nickname Brock McPing

☞ Martin Nečas #88

Born: January 15, 1999 (20 years old/Capricorn) from Nove Mesto na Morave, Czech Rebublic

6′2, 12th overall 2017 CAR, “He plays, like, Centre”

Nicknames: Neči, Marty, Nacho, Marto

Your 2019-20 ****** ****** winner

He’s here to fix out PP units, quote me on that

Little hockey stick chain ^

Is known for falling while scoring

Is it avocado or avocaydo?

Hidden talent: Belly dancing

Almost killed the entire team with a golf club last season

Don’t mess with him

Just won the Calder Cup with the Checkers :)

☞ Nino Niederreiter #21

Born: September 8, 1992 (27 years old/Virgo) from Chur, Switzerland

6′0, Right Wing, 5th overall 2010 NYI

Nicknames: El Nino

Was the highest drafted Swizz born player until Hischer in 2017

Signed to the Islanders in 2010, traded to Minnesota in 2013, then traded to Carolina in January 2019 (for Rask)

Was about to take a nap when he was traded

Just when canes fans almost lost hope, Nino showed up and saved our season

When he came to Carolina, someone gave him sweet tea and he really liked it

Was voted best dressed by a couple teammates

Loves the surge

Supports women’s hockey

☞ Jordan Staal (C) #11

Born: September 10, 1988 (31 years ago/Virgo) from Thunder Bay, Ontario

6′4, Centre, 2nd overall 2006 PIT

Nicknames: Stallsy, Jordad, Gronk

Arrested at his brother’s bachelor party

Won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 2009

Jordan is the youngest out of the other brothers (Eric, Marc) in the league (NHL) 3rd brother is the youngest and is now a coach

Signed with PIT in 2006, traded to CAR in 2012 (for 8th overall pick, Brandon Sutter and Brian Dumoulin)

Named Captain in the 2017-18 season, became Alternative Captain in 2018-19, is now Captain again in 2019-20

Great at dad jokes

☞ Andrei Svechnikov #37

Born: March 26, 2000 (19 years old/Aries) from Barnaul, Russia

6′2, Right Wing, 2nd overall 2018 CAR

Nicknames: Svech, Mother Russia

Svech is ready

“Just win every game”

Wears #37 because that’s what his brother, Evgeny Svechnikov (DET), wears

Russia = Cold, Raleigh = Hot

Apparently his biggest talent outside of hockey is… magic?

Best friends with Warren Foegele and Dougie Hamilton

Likes to shovel the ice during practice

Me?

Terrible at golf..

.. I mean like really bad

☞ Teuvo Teräväinen #86

Born: September 11, 1994 (25 years old/Virgo) from Helsinki, Finland

5′11, Left Wing, 18th overall 2012 CHI

Nicknames: Turbo, Teukka

Shortest Hurricane

Began with CHI in 2014, traded to CAR in 2016 (along with Bickell for 2nd round pick)

Won the cup with CHI in 2015 (Along with van Riemsdyk)

Has the worst sense of smell ever

I mean come on.. pumpkin? toothpaste?

I could keep going with this I don't know what’s wrong with his nose

Most likely the messiest Hurricane

Would dump Sebastian on the side of the road after 100km

Gets scared REALLY easily

His sisters plays hockey over in Finland (and is pretty good at it too)

☞ Lucas Wallmark #71

Born: September 5, 1995 (24 years old/Virgo) from Umea, Sweden

6′0, Centre, 97th overall 2014 CAR

Nicknames: Wally

My daddy!?

His spirit animal is… a horse?

^ He enjoys watching horse racing

*Straight face* “Snacks!? Candy!?”

Deal with it

Showed up to a U12 and U18 team practice to work on skills with kids

Owns a pug named Lovis

Defense

☞ Joel Edmundson #6

Born: June 28, 1993 (26 years old/Cancer) Brandon, Manitoba

6′4, 46th overall 2011 STL

Nicknames: Crop Top King, Eddy

Won the cup in 2019 with STL and partied in a crop top

True Canadian, ate poutine out of the cup

Traded in September 2019 to CAR (along with Bokk for Faulk and draft pick)

Going to strengthen our PK I promise

Finally, an enforcer

Forgot to take his skate guards off during his CAR preseason debut in front of 18,000 people

Is a barbie girl, living in a barbie world

☞ Haydn Fleury #4

Born: July 8, 1996 (23 years old/Cancer) from Carlyle, Saskatchewan

6′3, 7th overall 2014 CAR

Nicknames: Fleurs

Beat his little brother Cale (MTL) during his NHL debut

Best friends with Trevor van Riemsdyk

Has the cutest dog named Kobe

Won the Calder Cup along with Nečas :)

If you want to giggle watch this

Has the worst witch cackle you will ever hear

Apparently the best golfer on the team

Big Duke fan

☞ Jake Gardiner #51

Born: July 4, 1990 (29 years old/Cancer) from Minnetonka, Minnesota

6′2, 17th overall 2008 ANA

Nicknames: Gards

Played for the University of Wisconsin for 3 seasons

Traded to TOR in 2011, signed as a free agent to CAR in summer 2019

Has the cutest baby

Denied several offers from other teams mtl to play with us instead

Hands down had the best Halloween costume two years ago

☞ Dougie Hamilton #19

Born: June 17, 1993 (26 years old/Gemini) from Toronto, Ontario

6′6, 9th overall 2011 BOS

Nicknames: D-Ham, Doug the Thug, well his real name is Douglas so I guess Dougie is technically a nickname

Tallest Hurricane

Both of his parents are Olympians, brother also plays professional hockey

Started with BOS in 2012, traded to CGY in 2015, then traded to CAR in 2018 (Last remaining player from the huge Hamilton, Ferland & Fox for Lindholm and Hanifin trade)

Best friends with Andrei Svechnikov and Warren Foegele

Porche guy

Grew out a mullet because his hair salon couldn’t take him as a walk in

Jack Edwards complained that he was wearing a number retired from the Whalers so he taped a 6 over the 1 in 19 to make 69

Goes to children's hospitals dressed as woman characters

Lowkey shootout king

Floss

Another Duke fan

Wears the same blazer to every road game

☞ Brett Pesce #22

Born: November 15, 1994 (24 years old/Scorpio) from Tarrytown, New York

6′3, 66th overall 2013 CAR

Nicknames: Pesh

“I play defense bro”

Played for the University of New Hampshire for 3 seasons (2 of those seasons with van Riemsdyk)

Pretty ^

Wears 22 for his dad

He’ll break your ankles

Fortnite squad

Brought his wonderful brother on the mentors trip

Allergic to cats

☞ Jaccob Slavin (A) #74

Born: May 1, 1994 (25 years old/Taurus) from Denver, Colorado

6′3, 120th overall 2012 CAR

Nicknames: Slav-o

The second ‘c’ stands for captain

Faith and family

Played for Colorado College for two seasons

Adopted a beautiful baby girl with his beautiful wife

Has an instagram for his two dogs

His daddy is “Robert”

Not afraid of snakes at all

☞ Trevor van Riemsdyk #57

Born: July 24, 1991 (28 years old/Leo) from Middletown, New Jersey

6′2, Undrafted

Nicknames: TVR, Riems

Agreed to terms with CHI in 2014

Won the cup with CHI in 2015 (along with Teräväinen)

Was picked up by the VGK in the 2017 expansion draft

The next day traded to CAR (for 2nd round pick)

James van Riemsdyk (PHI) is his older brother

Played with the University of New Hampshire for 3 seasons (2 of those seasons with Pesce)

He’s too tired to be scared

March Madness

Best friends with Haydn Fleury

Pride representative for the team

Goalies

☞ Petr Mrázek #34

Born: February 14, 1992 (27 years old/Aquarius) from Ostrava, Czech Republic

6′1, 141st overall 2010 DET

Nicknames: Mrazzle Dazzle, St. Petr

Moved to Ottawa at age 17

Signed with DET in 2014

Was HUGE for them during the 2015 playoff run

Traded to PHI in Feb ‘18, signed as a free agent with CAR in July ‘18

Stylish

He had custom hats made for every player on the team

Always has Peter Griffin in his helmet design

Signature move: Poke Check

☞ James Reimer #47

Born: March 15, 1988 (31 years old/Pisces) from Morweena, Manitoba

6′2, 99th overall 2006 TOR

Nicknames: Optimus Reim, The Statue, Reims

Debuted with TOR in 2010, traded to SJS Feb ‘16

Signed with FLA as a free agent summer ‘16, traded to CAR summer ‘19 (for Darling and a 2020 6th round pick)

Has two kids

Really good swimmer

You may recognize this famous goalie meme, that’s right, that's him

Optimus Reim helmet art

He looks so much like Weston from Love Island USA

Honorable Mention

☞ Julien Gauthier #44

I’m including him because everyone expected him to make the team as he did phenomenal in the preseason (playing all 6 games) but due to cap space (and our horrid pp units), he was sent back down.

Born: October 15, 1997 (turning 22/Libra) from Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec

6′4, Right Wing, 21st overall 2016 CAR

Nicknames: Goat, Gauths, Jules

Big boy

Bilingual (French/English)

Cute accent

His uncle played 554 games in the NHL (Denis Gauthier)

Both his father and grandfather were professional bodybuilders

That explains his muscles

The best thighs in the league (not up for debate)

Also won the Calder Cup this past season with Haydn Fleury and Martin Nečas

Head Coach

☞ Rod Brind’Amour #17

Roderick Jean Brind’Amour

Born: August 9, 1970 (age 49 years/Leo) from Ottawa, Canada

6′1, Centre, 9th overall 1988 STL

Nicknames: Rod the Bod, RBA

Played with Michigan State for one season

Started with STL in the playoffs of ‘88, traded to PHI in ‘91, traded to CAR in 2000

Captain of the 2006 CAR Stanley Cup winning team

Played 20 seasons, 1,484(GP) 452(G) 732(A) 1,184(P)

Became head coach for the 2018-19 season

First year as HC broke the team’s 9 year playoff drought and brought them all the way to the ECF

Is known for his extreme workouts

Still in better shape than 98% of the league

Could very well still lace up and play better than 80% of the league

Lives rent free in W*lson’s and Reirden’s heads

Gives the best post-game speeches

President & General Manager

☞ Don Waddell

I really just wanted an excuse to put this gif in here

Coached the 1998 DET Stanley Cup winning team

Named Pres. & GM of CAR in May ‘18

Owner

☞ Tom Dundon

Lives rent free is Habs fans minds

Estimated net worth is $1.1 billion?

Majority owner of TopGolf (55%)

Chairman of the Alliance of American Football

Purchased 52% of CAR in January 2018 for $420million

Likes to hang around team/fan events

Stays in the same hotel as me lol

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reddielibrary · 6 years

Text

fic finding

Once again, we need your help with some fic finding requests. As always, each separate request is labeled with a number to help you identify them. Please give us the title/author or even a link if you can identify it. There are a lot more under the cut.

1. can you help me find a fic that’s set in the 40s and reddie are gangsters or a part of the mafia or something?

2. Hey I read this a WHILE back but I can't find it now. It was a fic based off the movie The Lake House with Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves except the main characters were Richie and Eddie.

3. Do you happen to know the name of that reddie fic where they're in college I think and Richie is scared of storms and Eddie comes over to distract him?

4. please help me find this fic where it takes place the summer of 89, like the movie but pennywise doesn’t exist, and bowers keeps terrorizing richie and eddie all the time and eddie gets mad at richie for it, then they fall in love and then eddies mom finds out and sends him away to his uncles house near a farm but his uncle is gay too and later takes richie and eddie to a broadway show??? please anyone

5. Please do You know a fic where Richie is a famous rockband singer and Eddie a painter bestfriend with ben

6. What's the one where Richie and Eddie go to prom, but get kicked out by some teacher, so they go to the quarry where the Losers throw them their own prom?

7. can you help me find that one fic where the losers run away and then eddie gets kidnapped by someone who wants to get the reward money???

8. Looking for a friends-to-lovers fic in which Bev helps Richie come to the realization he’s in love with Eddie causing him to be awkward around him and blow up at some guy that’s gotten too close to Eddie?

9. I have been looking for this one shot about Richie and Eddie driving by a church and Eddie sees that a sign with something homophobic on it and starts crying and Richie takes him there at night to take a picture in front of it with him (which leads to Richie to come out) and they kiss just when Ben takes the picture.

10. can you help me find a fic? it’s one where rich is a prostitute and eddie solicits him for cuddles instead of sex?

11. Can you help me find a fic that was posted like really recently. Richie was in a band but he was an alcoholic so it split up and Eds was the manger and they dated but because of Richie they broke up. And now they have a reunion tour with the band.

12. what’s that one fic where reddie has sex in bill’s kitchen lmao

13. Did you know the reddie fic where Richie waited something like 3 hours for Eddie for their first date and he's super sad because he thinks Eddie thought he was joking but wasn't?

14. There was one reddie fic where richie and eddie worked as hitmen and richie owned his own business and they both were millionaires but I can’t find it anywhere it’s like money, murder something

15. I’m trying to find this story where Eddie and Richie meet on an anonymous app where they can hook up can don’t know each other? Also Richie works at a bar that Eddie goes to and they flirt but don’t know they are hooking up on the app?

16. hi i’m looking for a fic where richie broke up with eddie by a note and didn’t talk to him for like five years and then they had to see each other again for bev and ben’s wedding in hawaii and they had to share a room and stuff.

17. A fic where the losers were all friends until high school, Richie overheard Eddie's mum saying something about Richie that caused the losers to stop being friends. Eddie and Mike pared off and the others stayed together. Then a few years later Richie and Eddie are roommates in college?

18. do you know the fic where Eddie is always out late at nights and Richie thinks he’s cheating on him but eddies really just got another job to buy a ring to purpose and Richie breaks up with him because he doesn’t know

19. There was a soulmate au where richie was with either stan or bill and eddie was with the other. (i'm pretty sure it was a tattoo they would see if they were soulmates) + i also remember they all run into each other and realize theyre with the wrong person, and go eat at a diner(?) together.

20. Hey do you know the reddie fic where Eddie is an ice skater and Richie is a hockey player?

21. Hello! Apologize in advance if you've answered this one, but I'm looking for a fic where it's based around superpowers? And the losers find this glowing thing (not sure) and it makes them pass out or something. I can't remember much else. It was really cool but I forgot the name of it!

#reddie #fic finding

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crosbytoews · 6 years

Note

So Leafs/Hawks fan here: I listen to the Steve Dangle Podcast and on today’s episode, Jesse (the producer) brought up that Kaner has 58 points and is top 10 in the league in scoring, and Adam seemed to be very dismissive of this fact while Steve at the very least acknowledged it and nodded as if he was impressed. Adam’s reaction pissed me the hell off, because here’s Kaner dragging this carcass of a team (AGAIN) and once again being dismissed by fans of other teams. (TBC)

Same anon: The Leafs have a lot of forward depth on their roster, yet none of them, not even Matthews, have as many points as Kaner. They have each other to fall back on, whereas Kaner has been the playmaker and offensive drive of the Hawks’ offense. It just seems unfair that Leafs fans have their heads so far up their asses that they can’t acknowledge when other players are doing great and I say that as someone who’s been a Leafs fan for a very long time and gone through the rebuilding process.

Same anon: think after everything that’s happened the past few years, somehow I feel like Kaner is getting the recognition from his peers and seemingly the league, but the fans either refuse to acknowledge it or ignore it in favor of their favorites. I just want some Hawks and specifically Kaner loving lol

he definitely doesn’t get enough credit from hockey fans. the nhl instagram will post an impressive goal from him and all the comments will be tasteless “she said no” jokes. disgusting

fans of the sport should be able to recognize talent even if the player isn’t on their team’s roster. kaner makes amazing plays every night and doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. a lot of these scorers have been on hot streaks but are gonna dwindle down. i fully believe patrick kane is one of the elite players who can consistently score throughout the season.

i’m glad hockey players (and eddie o, who nuts over him every night lol) recognize that he is one of the greatest american players of all time but hockey fans are too invested in their teams and themselves to recognize that this is an all-time great. sucks for them!

(also you’re right the blackhawks have some outstanding players that aren’t talked about enough in the league. like does anyone who’s not a hawks fan realize how huge [talented wise lol] alex debrincat is?)

#patrick kane #chicago blackhawks

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biggy-habes · 5 years

Text

Jonny Haber’s Day Off (Part II)

I woke up the next day feeling refreshed. At peace. The exact opposite of the previous morning. I had the entire day ahead of me. In the back of my mind the dread of returning to work the next day lingered. I felt like I had to make the most of today. So I grabbed some hiking gear and loaded Fennie up in the backseat. We were heading to Letchworth Park. For those not familiar with this area, Letchworth is a state park about an hour away. It is respectfully known as the Grand Canyon of the East. The Genesee River cuts through it, creating beautiful cascading waterfalls. The weather was sunny and mild and perfect for a long hike. Still lethargic from yesterday's walk through the trails, Fennie slept practically the entire drive. But once we arrived at the entrance to the park, he perked up. As we drove through the winding turns, he kept his nose out the window. He could not wait to explore these new smells! I decided to start at the Lower Falls and work our way up. The trail leading to the river was a decent 3/4 mile hike. When we got to the water, Fennie started to pull hard. Now he has never been much of a fan of water. You would think that taking a bath was worse than when his nuts got snipped. He created a scene at the pet store that I take him for his baths. It was like he wanted the store employees to think that I waterboard him. For the record, I DO NOT WATERBOARD FENNIE! He just hates water! He makes the most pathetic look when he has to go as far as to go pee in the rain. But for some reason he REALLY wanted to check out this friggin water! The flowing river created waves on the shore that he felt were a threat and he needed to bite the SHIT out of them! He would never get in above his knees. Dogs DO have knees, don't they? Well, anyways, that is where the water was. But he would dip his face in the water in order to bite the crest of the waves. And I sat there watching him, and thought to myself "You malingering ASSHOLE!"

As we started venturing back, I started to remember how a group of us rugby players would head to an area like this in Stony Brook for the day to cook some meat and drink cheap beers. And it dawned on me that I was not too far from where I went to college. I haven't stepped foot in that area since I was still in the service. Fennie was starting to slow down and was panting pretty hard, so I felt that perhaps we could save the rest of the trails for another time. Instead, let's take a trip down memory lane. I always remember the drive to Alfred being peaceful and serene. College was a very confusing time for me and I would use the drive to contemplate my wants out of life. Driving through the farmland brought back the familiar country smell. Soon I could see the white steeple signifying that I was entering Alfred Station. I passed the banquet hall where the rugby team had their social. Past the packie that would sell me gallons of Skol vodka despite my shitty fake ID. Past the hill that I had to climb to get to my dorm at Alfred U. I came up to the old Delta Sig house, which has since been taken over and painted pink. I banged a right and entered the campus that contained 2 of the greatest years of my life. Alfred State. Home of the muthafuckin PIONEERS!

As I drove around the loop of the campus, the memories came in waves. The 77 steps leading to Peet Hall...a treacherous hike for any drunken resident. The gymnasium where I had decided to "toss the gloves" during an intramural hockey game and, not aware at the time that my target was on the wrestling team, I proceeded to get suplexed onto the floor. At the top of the hill stood the Mackenzie dorms. This is was my turf from 1997-1999. This is where I went through 4 roommates. This is where I met my good friend Ed (oh there will be more on Eddie in later stories. He is a character!) And this was where my friendship with Johnny ("Tits") and Matt ("Squirrel") began. After reminiscing for a bit I walked over to the track, location of the annual Naked Mile. I ran this twice. First time was as a rookie on the rugby team. All rookies were expected to run it. The 2nd time…well, that was just for shits and giggles. Young Haber LOVED to get drunk and run around naked! After walking around for a little bit I left Alfred State and decided that it was time to pay a visit to the old rugby field. Now you will notice that I mention rugby a lot in this story. Well, this is because rugby played a significant role in my college life. I have never been known for my athleticism. My grandfather was a 3 sport athlete at Boston College and went on to play a year as a center in the NFL. I inherited his size and his passion, but the athletic gene unfortunately did not get passed down to me. In High School I played football, taking the position that brought my grandfather fame. Although I was a Varsity starter both my Junior and Senior years, I will never be known as a stand-out player and the name "Haber" will never be uttered in the halls of Greece Arcadia. When I went to college, I had tossed around the idea of trying to make a spot on the football practice squad. But it never blossomed into more than that. One night, while waiting in line for a beer at the TG house, a large group of loud, brash guys in purple jackets walked straight in and went up the stairs to the 2nd floor with arms filled with beer. I did not know who they were, but they seemed like the kind of guys that I wanted to be part of. As they walked past me, I read the back of their bright purple jackets and in bold white lettering it read "ALFRED RUGBY". I followed them upstairs, where they gathered around a keg and proceeded to drink like there was no tomorrow. One of them, just a bit larger than myself and wearing a backwards purple hat, had been challenged to a chugging contest. When he heard the word "Go", he pinched his cup and in one complete gulp he finished his beer. I had never seen anything like that! So after he collected his High 5s from the other ruggers I went up to talk to him. I cannot tell you exactly what was said, but I remember telling him that I wanted to see what this whole "rugby" thing was all about. He told me to show up to practice on Monday. On the front of his beer-covered jacket in white stitching was the name "BooBoo". I give this guy credit for introducing me to one of the greatest experiences of my life. Now, just like with football, I was not a GREAT rugby player. I was big enough to play on the front row, but again, I would never describe myself as "athletic". Despite the fact that my conditioning was shit and my balance was on the same level as a 4 year old, my heart and my grit got me a position as a starter as a rookie. Now, let me tell you, being a rookie on the rugby team was tough! You come to rely on the bonds that you create with your fellow rookies. This is where I really became close friends with Tits and Squirrel.

I started driving towards the outskirts of Alfred towards Jericho Hill, where the rugby field was. I drove past the practice field, where I was able to imagine all of us scrimmaging. Punk would be running into a crowd of bodies, turning to scream "GET THE FUCK UP HERE AND RUCK IT OVER, YOU FUCKERS!!!". Mild-mannered BooBoo would become possessed and would run through anyone brave enough to stand in his way. And Squirrel would be way out at the opposite end of the field, dropping any kick that would come his way. Jesus CHRIST he had some hands of stone! I turned down the gravel road leading up to the game field, and eventually I was able to see the purple covering of the goal posts. I let Fennie out of the car and as we started to walk around the field, I recalled me getting my ears taped on the sidelines. Me stepping foot on the pitch for my first rugby game. All of the hits. All of the scrums. All of the sweat and blood that soaked into the soil. The sound that is made when large bodies violently collide. The smell of mud, body odor, and processed alcohol seeping from pores filling the air. And then, a feeling of sadness and grief overcame me as I started to think about my friend Squirrel. It was time to pay him a visit. I have gone to see him since the funeral. I wiped the tears from my eyes and headed back to the car. It was coming up on 4:30. Plenty of time to go see my old friend.

Mattie lived his entire life in the small town of Owego, NY. All his life he had wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father and be a firefighter. I cannot tell you the number of times he would turn down an all-night binger because he was on call for the Volunteer Campus EMS. However, when he was not required to stay sober, he seldom was. Squirrel was loud and obnoxious, but he could easily become the life of the party. I never really saw him get angry. He was cool and easy going. Together, him and I wreaked havoc on Tits, never missing an opportunity to cut him down or pull a prank on him. One day we trapped him in a broom closet and proceeded to blow baby powder under the door until he agreed to go to the Rugby House (aka "The Alamo") for a party. He LOVED finding ways to get in trouble. He was not a very big guy, but that never stopped him from constantly talking shit. After leaving a party at TG (we spent A LOT of time there!!) he passed someone passing by with his girlfriend wearing a baggy white dress shirt. Squirrel turned and shouted "Hey, Jerry Seinfeld! Nice puffy shirt, ASSHOLE!"

Squirrel's weakness was women. After hooking up with a girl at St. Bonaventure, her and her friend decided to make an impromptu visit. Later that night they took turns writing some of the funniest, most hateful shit in Sharpie on his door he had ditched her at a party. We spent the rest of the night scrubbing his door clean. After graduation we had all gone our separate ways, but we still managed to keep in touch. A couple of years later we met back up to play in the Alfred Rugby alumni game. As the years passed, the conversations became sparser. Squirrel went on to become a firefighter like he had always dreamed about. He became a husband and a father. When The Facebook became big we were able to reconnect and would share stories of our lives or talk about old memories. When Amanda and I were planning our wedding, Mattie was talking about flying to the Keys to attend the ceremony. And when all of that came crashing down, he would call me to make sure that I was hanging in there. I took one last look at the field that contained so many terrific memories. There will always be places where you just feel a sense of peace and reflection. It is a bit ironic that the pitch that hosted such ferocity on Saturdays would become such a place of contentment. As it turns out, another place of mine is the Arcadia football field house. When I would have my crackups in my 20s, my friend Schworm would always know that if I went missing, that is where he could find me. Anyways, I had to go. It was time to go pay my old friend a visit.

After Amanda and I split up I had taken a job in North Carolina. Still reeling from the difficult breakup, I had walked into the basement of the Research Department on a chilly, dreary day and sat down to take a few minutes to catch up on Facebook when I heard about Squirrel. There was a post regarding a fire in Owego during the night. There was a casualty. But no. It couldn't have been him. But I am sure that he must be pretty shaken up. I should probably try and reach out to him. Before I got the chance to, I was interrupted by a message from an old mutual friend, Wendy. Matt and Wendy grew up together. She let me know that the casualty was Squirrel. It did not process at first. That couldn't be right! He was a good firefighter! He was had a family! But then the reality started to set in. I went in to the office of the head of my department and explained what had happened and that I needed a couple of days off. That night I packed a suitcase, asked my father to let me borrow $200, and I drove through the night to New York. I shared a room at a run down Red Roof Inn with my friend Ed (my suite mate from college. Man, I cannot WAIT to get more into him some other time! He is a goddamn character!) So anyways, the next day me and Ed, who had become a volunteer firefighter and was decked out in his uniform, met up for breakfast with Tits and shared old stories over some eggs and bacon. I have not seen Ed in a few years, and Johnny for at least 20. We carried on like nothing had changed. We were missing the loud voice and dramatic flair of Squirrel.

Now when I tell you that Mattie had died a hero, I am not sure if you quite understand. He was a loved and cherished member of his community. He had a tight group of friends. He did all that Dad shit. But he NEVER let that part of him that made HIM get away. He was still known for drinking a bit too much shitty beer and run his mouth any chance that he got. Owego is a very small town, and I think that everyone in that town was present to say their "Goodbyes" to Matt. There were Police, EMS, and Firefighters from Syracuse all the way to Pennsylvania there to pay their respects to their fallen brother. There were so many people there for his Last Call that they filled the auditorium and streamed it in the Gymnasium so that everyone was able to be present. The occasion was somber but the ceremonial pageantry was breathtaking. Squirrel had the tendency to be a bit of an asshole. But this was the ceremony that Mattie deserved. My old friend is my fucking hero. I love and I miss the fuck out of that guy!

I pulled into St. Patrick's Cemetery, and the part of me that grew up Catholic turned off the radio out of respect for the souls. It was not hard for me to find Matt's gravestone. Fennie was wiped out from all of the walking the past 2 days and he was perfectly content with sleeping in the backseat. I sat down in front of the gravestone marked Matthew Porcari. I talked to him like 19 year old Whimpy would talk to his fucking homey Squirrel. I caught him up on my life. I told him funny stories. About the death of my dad. And how I was struggling trying to cope with my grandmother's passing. And how much I fucking missed him. How I wanted to be sitting at a bar sharing these stories. I will never find a friend like him. He had the ability to be a complete jackass. But he was the guy that made you laugh and knew just what to say when life took a shit on you. He was the guy that would make sure that all of his buddies had a great time. He will always be my brother. I shed a few tears, and saw that the sun was starting to go down. I had a good 2 hour drive back to Rochester, so it was time to say "Goodbye" and that I would see him soon.

By the time we got home Fennie and I were beyond exhausted. I had to return to work the next day. I was not sure what sort of reaction I would face. Despite the need for the time off to reflect on what has been happening in my life, I felt guilty for making my coworkers pick up the slack of my little break. And to be honest, I was embarrassed! A mental breakdown is never pretty. And to have it take place in your workplace, ON A GODDAMN CRISIS LINE, is not very cool. But when I got back to work, it was just another day. There were a few people who pulled me aside to ask if I was OK. And I truly appreciate that. I have to be honest, I work with an INCREDIBLE group of people. They were completely understanding. They could not believe that I was able to take all of this and still show up to work and do my job. I have been conditioned to take what life throws at me and find a way to absorb it and keep moving forward. However I never gave myself an opportunity to address it all. But being outside and in nature, just myself and my best friend-slash-companion-slash-Ryde or Die, it gave me a chance to process all that has happened and all that I have to look forward to. I did not take turning 40 very well. But it is gone. I am now looking at 41. It is time to figure out a way to get back to living. L-I-V-I-N-'. It is time to evaluate my relationships and my role in them. It is time to figure out the person that I am wanting to be. I have seen a lot of unbelievable people fade out of my life and a lot of them are never coming back. Some of them I can only talk to in spirit. I am not promised another 10 years. I am not promised another year. Is this the kind of person that I want to be remembered for? And if not, then what I am going to have to do to get to that person?

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junker-town · 5 years

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Sports movies that would be more fun to emulate in real life than ‘Field of Dreams’

Photo by Charles Ommanney/The Washington Post via Getty Images

MLB wants to emulate ‘Field of Dreams’ next season, and that’s fine. But if we’re being honest, big league adaptations of these movies would be even cooler.

I’ve never seen Field of Dreams. It’s probably fine? From what I gather it’s sickly sweet with a lot of I Love You Dad-type stuff engineered to exploit our too-human hearts.

The effect is apparently pretty strong, because Field of Dreams is still revered 30 year after it was released. So much so that Major League Baseball will try to bring the movie to life by making the Yankees and White Sox play in an Iowa cornfield next season.

If you build it …@Yankees. @whitesox. THE Field of Dreams. August 13, 2020. pic.twitter.com/RuBpS04BgG

— Cut4 (@Cut4) August 8, 2019

Ignoring the fact MLB’s promotional image implies Aaron Judge, Gleyber Torres, Tim Anderson, and Yoan Moncada are ghosts walking out of the cornfield, and therefore will have shuffled off this mortal coil by the time the game is played, this could be fun! Baseball is a goofy sport that is enhanced when played in goofy places. Why not!

But it does get us thinking: What famous sports movies would be even more fun to replicate for a one-off event? Here are some of our ideas. Go ahead and tell us yours via your nearest comment section and/or Twitter account. Being realistic awards you no bonus points.

Eddie (1996)

Pretty sure everyone reading this has had this fantasy. Take a vocal fan out of the stands, let them coach the Knicks, and if they win the fan gets to keep the job until the Knicks lose again. There’s no risk to a cratering team. In fact, the changeup might help break the loop of hope and letdown (and hope and letdown) that the Knicks have been stuck in for 20 years. — Louis Bien

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)

I want this. I want this, like, yesterday. How have we gone 15 years without someone trying to take the world of professional dodgeball by storm with professional wrestling-esque characters, overwhelming production values and all the pageantry it entails?

The best part is that since this is a one-off event we can totally get Jason Bateman to do commentary and stick Chuck Norris courtside. I’m almost upset I’m sharing this information here, because I know some wealthy industrialist is going to steal this idea. — James Dator

Nacho Libre (2006)

First off, yes, wrestling is a real sport. The action might be slightly scripted but the moves are real. Imagine a random cook in a monastery becoming a luchador. It’s an underdog story for the ages. He even fights for a great cause: so the orphans in the church can eat better quality foods. It’s a heartwarming story filled with adventure and danger, mostly from the fear of having their bones broken from getting power-bombed. Picking a random person and making them a part-time luchador is an event worth watching. Especially if one of their first matches is an eight-person battle royale. Sign me up for the chaos. - Vijay Vemu

Teen Wolf (1985)

I just want to see people get eaten. — Christian D’Andrea

Air Bud (1997) or Treasure Buddies (2012)

The Air Bud archives, including its spinoff series Air Buddies and Santa Paws, is more voluminous than the Police Academy and Mission Impossible franchises put together. And you really couldn’t go wrong picking ANY of its 14 installments. SO MANY GOOD DOGS.

For the sake of brevity, I’ll narrow it down to two: OG basketball-playing Air Bud, which still holds up 22 years later, and which seems like the most logical choice if we’re talking about replicating it in real life. (Here’s one suggestion for the starring role.)

The other is Treasure Buddies, which I have never seen and technically isn’t a sports movie but gets the nod based on a Wikipedia description that belongs in a museum:

The Buddies find themselves on an Indiana Jones style adventure.

Yes, please. — Sarah Hardy

Over the Top (1987)

Don’t you want to win an arm wrestling championship? — Russ Oates

The Sandlot (1993)

The Sandlot — or more specifically Sandlot 2 (2005), where girls exist and play sports — is truly the only answer here. Since about age 7, all I wanted to experience was playing baseball at the sandlot, and that hasn’t changed as I’ve gotten older. Just make sure James Earl Jones is present. — Kennedi Landry

Brink! (1998)

Brink! is a Disney Channel original movie about extreme in-line skating and how capitalism exerts its influence on our passions. But the X-Games already exists, so we don’t need to bring skating to life, we just need ... more milkshakes to the face.

Pup ‘N Suds forever. — Michael Katz

Like Mike (2002)

I need to see a 4’ tall child dunking on NBA Players. — Tyson Whiting

Ed (1996)

In this film, Matt LeBlanc (who is basically channeling Joey, because what else is he going to do, he is Matt LeBlanc) winds up as an errand boy for a professional minor league baseball team. One of his errands has him cross paths with the titular Ed, a chimpanzee who, it turns out, is really, really good at playing baseball for unsaid reasons. Hijinks ensue. This film has everything — a fart-off, some light animal torture, a magical coin (?), and yes, a meta Friends reference — all of it terrible. In fact, we called it the worst sports movie ever made.

But am I going to sit here and pretend it wouldn’t be awesome to play minor league ball with a farting monkey? No, reader. I am not.

— Ryan Simmons

Slap Shot (1977)

Nobody wears a helmet. Fighting, while not exactly legal, is certainly encouraged. As is putting on the foil. Winning captain has to strip down to his jock strap. Don Cherry would spontaneously combust, leaving a technicolor apparition muttering about “Old Time Hockey” for all eternity. — Paul Flannery

White Men Can’t Jump (1992)

Blacktop basketball, Jeopardy!, and undefeated Wesley Snipes drip. This movie has everything anyone could ever want in a movie, and also two-on-two basketball should be an Olympic sport. — Michael Pina

Brewster’s Millions (1985)

Quasi-sports movie with Richard Pryor portraying a pitcher for the Hackensack Bulls and John Candy serving as his catcher. I’d happily work to spend $30 million in 30 days and have no assets to show for it to inherit $300 million. — David Fucillo

Space Jam (1996)

There is no better time to do this than the present. With talks of wanting to raid Area 51 and kick it with aliens, we can surely assemble a group of five extraterrestrials, have them take the talents of guys like Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, or other NBA stars, and do a live-action remake of the original Space Jam. Only difference is that LeBron James replaces Michael Jordan. — Harry Lyles Jr.

Luck of the Irish (2001)

This Disney Channel classic has a description as follows: “A teenager (Ryan Merriman) must battle for a gold charm to keep his family from being controlled by an evil leprechaun.”

Do I need to explain anything else? — Whitney Medworth

Blades of Glory (2007)

It’s really hard for me to comprehend why we haven’t seen an all-male figure skating pair since this movie came out more than 10 years ago, but hey, I’m not in the movie business. Not only was this a highly underrated Will Ferrell film in my humble opinion, the sports world deserves to see two men complete the Iron Lotus (successfully, I feel like I need to add) on live television, dammit.

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— Morgan Moriarty

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hockeyfun · 8 years

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Sebastian Aho #2

Requested by @brooke5bb: Hey! Could you write about Sebastian aho where you meet his teammates and wags maybe at a team skate or something? And make it super cute? Thank you!!

Warnings: Mention of wags who can be a bit mean

Word count: 1729

Author’s Note: So I tried my hardest to make this filled with cuteness. I enjoyed writing it a lot! I hope you like it! Also finding out who wags are on the Carolina Hurricanes was difficult because everyone is is private on their team lol. And lastly I google translated a little Finnish into here so my apologize if it is wrong lol! Enjoy thank you so much for your patience and please request a again :D

In all honesty you should probably have been freezing. You were on ice for God's sake but you couldn't feel anything but warmth. Being with Sebastian Aho was the cause of the warmth throughout your body. The Carolina Hurricanes, Sebastian’s team, was having an open skate for the players’ friends and families at the PNC Arena. Sebastian asked you to come. You and Sepe had been going casual for a while, but this was the first time he really asked you to hang out with him involving his hockey life. It was also the first time you'd met all his teammates and their families. Sure you were nervous but you were more than anything excited. This was the next step in your relationship with Sepe. It wasn't just hanging around one of your apartments anymore. It was more. It means he saw more with you. You were enough to bring around. That was why you weren't as nervous as you were excited.

Sebastian was holding your hand as he led you around the rink. The smile on your face never leaving. You and Sepe were pretty much the first ones on the ice. As more time passed more players and families appeared. You didn't really notice them because you were so preoccupied with Sepe and skating. "You're getting better," Sebastian said to you as he slowly let go of your hands to show you didn't need his help. You tried to take one more step towards him when all balance was lost. If it wasn't for Sepe standing right in front of you to catch you, then you probably would have been face first flat on the ice. You looked up at him and smiled, "don't let go again," you commanded him. His face filled with love. "I won't," he promised. You stood their gazing into his eyes. The warmth that flooded through the both of you could have melted the ice. So many unsaid words were being passed between you two in those few seconds of intimacy.

“Aho,” you heard Sepe's name being called. You two instantly broke apart but not without him slipping his hand in yours and helping you keep your balance. You looked up to see Justin Faulk was the one who hollered at Sepe. “The team is getting a picture," he smiled while informing the Finnish player. Sebastian nodded his head. After an awkward moment of silence of you waiting to be introduced to Justin, you couldn't hold it in any longer. You put on your biggest smile and stuck out your hand. You introduced yourself to Justin. Justin gave you an amused smile. "Hi, I'm Justin. It's nice to finally meet you," he mentioned. You rose your eyebrows in surprise and looked over at Sebastian. "'To finally meet you?'?" You questioned. His cheeks began to heat up as he looked down at you. Justin just laughed at your little exchange. “Most of the girlfriends and wives are by the benches. I’ll introduce you to Chloe,” Justin told you. Sebastian offered his arm to you and helped you skate over to the bench.

Justin quickly introduced you to Chloe. You were also super excited to meet her. The rest of the team started calling for Sebastian and Justin. Sebastian gave you a quick kiss on the cheek and skated over with towards his teammates. When you moved your attention to Chloe she was smiling at you. She linked her arm through yours and began to walk towards a group of other girls. “I’m going to warn you some of the woman can be a little… what’s the word… mean?” she said warned you. Your face must have said everything because Chloe was quick to put your mind at ease, “No, no, they aren’t like mean-mean. Some women just take a longer time to warm up to new girls. And it isn’t your fault. It is just because they see woman come and go a lot and they don’t want to get attached,” she tried to clarify. Honestly it didn’t help though. It made you scared that you might be one of those girls. You and Sebastian were in a great place but maybe your relationship was in the “honeymoon” phase. Chloe grabbed on to you realizing what she had just said and what doubts it brought to your mind, “No, no, that doesn’t mean you are one of those girls. I just meant that some of the woman here think like that. You and Aho are going be together for a long time. I can tell. He is so happy and in love. I know we just met but I’ve known Sebastian for a while. The beginning of the year was hard for him to transition but when he started seeing you, his happiness grew. It was wonderful,” she commented. You didn’t realize how big you were smiling until your cheeks started to hurt. “Thank you,” you replied to Chloe. She laughed as if she didn’t do anything to deserve the thank you.

You were introduced to more of the families, wives and girlfriends. You took a real liking to Chloe and Joanna Bozek (Eddie Lack’s girlfriend). All the women were nice but some woman were like Chloe explained earlier. It didn’t upset you as much as you thought it would because Chloe told you every time that you’d be around long enough for them to get to know you. Although nothing is promised in life, you couldn’t help but feel she was right. You and Sebastian had a wonderful relationship. Don’t get yourself wrong, the two of you had some problems, you weren’t perfect. Though your relationship was pretty darn close. He treated you amazing. He made sure every moment was filled with emotions. There was rarely a moment not filled with laughter and love. Sebastian had a great sense of humor and lucky for you it was kind of a quirky/silly sense of humor. You two fit like two pieces of a puzzle.

Sepe skated over to you. You didn’t see him at first but he saw you. You were laughing at something someone had said. You looked beautiful as he saw your face filled with happiness. He was smiling when he reached you on the bench. “Hey,” you heard the Finnish boy call out to you. He was wearing the soft smile you’ve grown accustomed too. He was leaning over the railing of the bench. He looked peaceful and content. Something that made your heart leap. "Hey," you softly responded. He quickly perked up as if he just got an idea and jumped over into the bench area with ease. Now he was standing right in front of you. "I want to show you something," he announced. You nodded your head, "okay." He grabbed your hand and led you down the hallway leading away from the ice. "Where are you taking me?" You laughed. He stopped in front of a red door that clearly was labeled with locker room. "I want to show you my locker stall," he sheepishly told you. He opened the door and pulled you in. The room was empty. He walked you over to where his locker was. Aho 20 you smiled at it. "But to be truthful, I really just wanted to get you alone," he said as he pulled you close to him. You smiled up at him, "oh really?" He was smiling as he leaned down to kiss you. The kiss was a happy one. It was filled with giggles and smiles. You quickly broke apart from Sepe when you both heard the door opening. In came some of the players and their families. "Hope we didn't interrupt anything," one of them said. "No, no you didn't," you responded way too quickly. One of the woman laughed as if she knew what was going on. Usually you would have been extremely embarrassed but you looked at Sebastian to see his cheeks were starting to get red. You tried to hide your laugh. Teuvo Teravainen said something to him in Finnish. Sebastian gave a quick retort which caused Teuvo to laugh. "Hey, Teuvo," you said. Since the two young Finnish boys roomed together you would consider yourself friends with Teuvo. "Hei," he responded with the Finnish word for hello. You rolled your eyes in response. Teuvo was determined to teach you Finnish. The language honestly made no sense. Every time you complained to Teuvo about how you'll never understand their native language, he responded that if you had to meet Sepe's family then you'd have to know some of the language. Because of that it didn't make you frustrated or mad. "Will you take a picture of me and Sepe?" You asked Teuvo. You handed your phone to him. You had Sebastian sit in his locker stall and sat down next to him. You placed your legs over his lap and then cuddled into his side. You looked over at the camera and smiled. A couple pictures were taken, then all the sudden Sepe gently grabbed your face and turned it towards his. He then leaned in for a kiss. It was a sweet and short one but one that took your breath away.

"You guys are annoying," Teuvo said as he handed you your phone. You smiled in response. Sebastian and you looked at the photos. All of them were adorable, but the one where you and Sepe were kissing was the cutest. "That's my favorite," he commented. You looked up at his big brown eyes, "me too, should I post it on Instagram?" You asked. He nodded his head. You looked down at your phone again and pulled up the Instagram app. "What should the caption be?" You absentmindedly asked Sepe. "I don't know. Something about the team and then something about having a good day with your boyfriend?" He nonchalantly said. You let out a small gasp. "Boyfriend?" You asked for clarification. He sheepishly looked down at you with his warm brown eyes. "Yeah, if you want?" He responded. "Oh my gosh! Of course I want that," you squealed. You excitingly wrapped your arms around Sebastian. You tightly squeezed him causing him to laugh. You felt his lips on your ear, "hyvä," he whispered to you which meant good in Finnish. And you responded with the same word. "Hyvä."

#nhl #nhl fanfiction #nhl imagines #nhl one shot #nhl imagine #nhl oneshots #hockey #Hockey Fanfiction #hockey one shot #hockey one shots #hockey imagines #finnish hockey #Carolina Hurricanes #hockey drabbles #nhl drabble #sebastian aho #hockeyfun

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bloonstuff · 7 years

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I was tagged by the wonderful @noorasevas. Thank you! <3

rules:

always repost the rules

answer 11 random questions posted for you

create 11 new ones

tag 11 people

1. What makes you feel smart?

When someone asks me a question and I’m able to answer it in a well articulated manner. I second guess myself a lot and my mind is often a jumbled mess. To be confident in my answer, answer someone correctly and be understood, that makes me feel smart.

2. What compliment do you wish people would give you more often & why?

I’m trash for compliments about anything I’ve written, drawn or made. I’ve gotten some of the loveliest comments on my recent fics and the idea that I’m able to move people with my words just floors me.

3. If you had 3 lives and each life had to be completely different who would you be in each? Where would you work? who would your friends be? Where would you live? Why?

In one I would be a pro ice hockey player. I’d probably look like Kris Letang or Erik Gudbranson. I’d be dating Eddie Lack on the DL. My friends would be my old college team mates who I wouldn’t see often but we’d still be super tight. And also my current team mates, obvs. I’d live in Canada, so probably play for Vancouver? That’s where I met Eddie and our relationship has been difficult since he was traded. </3

In the second one I’d work for Siv in Norway. I feel like she’d be a good boss and I could enjoy a nice work relationship with Henrik (if he still works there? it’s fine if not) without being hella creepy or stalking him. I’d also be able to speak Norwegian fluently and wouldn’t have to use a VPN to watch Skam.

Finally, number three. I would be a drag queen. I’d be an all round queen. I’d be able to act, sing, lip sync, tell jokes and dance. I’d even be able to sew. Then I’d go on RPDR and slay the competition. My friends would be my drag family from before the show and all my drag sisters from the show. I’d be particularly friendly with my favourites. I’d travel around doing the BOTS tour and meet all my adoring and wonderful fans and seeing beautiful countries.

4. What are 10 things that make you happy?

My family. My Pets. Skam. The abundance of other shows I watch. Music. Fresh cups of tea. Spending money on things I don’t need. Having people actually interested in what I have to say. Representation.

5. What are things that make you jealous of others and why?

People who aren’t crippled with anxiety. People who aren’t afraid to fall in love. People who are attracted to people in every day life. People who can sing. People who can dance. People whose lives aren’t dependent on other’s. People that know what they want to do with their lives and how to achieve it. People who don’t procrastinate. Is that enough?

6. What is your sleep ritual?

At the minute it’s get into bed around 11:30pm. Scroll on social media (mostly Tumblr rn) until 2/3am. Put on an audiobook to fall asleep to. Wake up to audiobook around 4/5am. Turn off audiobook. Go back to sleep.

7. What is something you’re proud of yourself for and why?

My winning personality. Oh, and modesty.

8. What is your best self care tip and why?

Realise that sometimes you just need to take time. I see people beating themselves up so often for needing time. Or having to put themselves first. Understand that it’s okay. Oh, also... buy yourself shit. That always makes me feel better.

9. What is something you wish people knew about you and why?

I love getting to know new people and making friends. Just because I don’t initiate it very often because I’m too socially anxious, doesn’t mean that I don’t want to. I want people to know that so I can make more frans. My ask box and dms are always open! Haha.

10. What is the best compliment you’ve ever given someone and why?

Falling in love with them. I mean, have you met me? Dude was lucky af.

11. How would you describe the colors red blue and yellow to someone who is blind?

I wouldn’t. That’s too much responsibility and I wouldn’t be able to do them justice. Maybe I’d Google it. Google should know how to describe them.

My Questions:

If you could be a character from one show transplanted into another show, who would you be and which shows would they be?

What song accurately describes how you’re feeling right now?

If you were trapped on an Island, what wild animal would you hope to befriend?

What are your three best traits?

What are your three worst traits?

What are three traits you wish you had? Why?

If they created an Olympic sport just for you, what would it be and why?

Do you believe in ghosts? Why?

What is the last thing you ate?

What are three films you always recommend to people?

If you could have have any job, live anywhere and own any pet in the world, what would you do, where would you live and what would you own? Why?

Uh, you don’t have to do this because some of you have probably been tagged by others or just don’t wanna but please tag me if you do so I can read your answers! <3

I tag: @evakoorhelm @blueblackpages54 @noorasevas @cheekyeven @reasoniwantyoutostay @hjertetssunnegalskap @evak-malec @deatheater-hearmeroar @isisisak @coolauntskam

#tagged #about me

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thrashermaxey · 6 years

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15 Fearless Forecasts for 2017-18: Results and Lessons Learned

With the regular season now over, it’s time for me to face the music on the 15 Fearless Forecasts I made right before the 2017-18 season kicked off. Rather than just listing the results, I’ll talk about lessons that can be learned from my correct and incorrect predictions and the logic I used in making them. That way all of us – myself included – can use the results to make better fantasy decisions going forward.

For each of the 15 forecasts, I’ll assign a grade of:

HIT – the forecast turned out correct

CLOSE CALL – I was almost correct and had sound logic

MISS – I was incorrect but some aspects of my logic may have held true

AIR BALL – I was wrong in my prediction plus with most – if not all – of my accompanying logic

Without further ado, let’s dive in!

1) At least 15 defensemen will score 50+ points

Result = HIT (19 tallied at least 50 points)

Seeing that 19 had 50+ points might make this seem like not such a fearless forecast; but remember, over the last six years there’d only been 9, 5, 9, 11, 12, and 9 who tallied 50+ points, so a jump to 15 was indeed a bold prediction. Plus, any “at least“ scoring forecast is always vulnerable to injuries.

So why the increase, and can we count on it being the new normal? The number of rearguards who averaged 3:00+ of PP Time didn’t rise (19 this season and last), but fewer averaged 2:30-2:59 (14, versus 17 in 2016-17). That suggests I was correct about more teams embracing the idea of using just 1D on PP1, and, as a result, that lone D factoring into scoring slightly more. But I think the key in this prediction was the peak age factor, as when you look at those who scored 50+ this season, 15 of the 19 were age 23 to 28, which is in the sweet spot in terms of production.

I was also correct about the number of 40-49 point d-men dropping (11, versus 14 in 2016-17 and none had 46-49 points) due to the same factors. I’d look for a similar pattern next season as well, so keep that in mind when making your keeper selections and assigning rankings for next year’s drafts.

2) No Sharks forward will score 60+ points

Result = MISS (Joe Pavelski finished with 66 points after a nearly point per game second half, and Logan Couture posted a steady 61 points)

Not even a major injury to Joe Thornton and weak early season for Pavelski (24 points in his first 38 games) was enough to make this prediction come true, as Pavelski surged in the second half and Couture was a steady eddie all season, which was enough for both to finish above 60 points. Even still, Pavelski’s scoring rate dropped for the second straight campaign and this is Couture’s third straight season in which he’s scored at a lower rate than his prior four, so I was at least onto something.

Also, despite this being a miss, there were lessons to be learned, namely once again that age matters in fantasy (Pavelski and Couture are both post-peak), as does the loss of a long-tenured member of a team (in this case, Patrick Marleau). But my thinking that the departure of Marleau would adversely affect San Jose’s PP turned out to be incorrect, as its PP conversion rate improved year-to-year.

3) Patrick Sharp will outpoint Alexander Radulov

Result = AIR BALL (Radulov more than tripled Sharp’s meager output – 72 points to only 21)

All I can say is when you aim for the fences, sometimes you not only swing and miss but also split your pants in the process. I was way off both in thinking Sharp could be resurrected in Chicago and Radulov would be a flop in Dallas. Instead, Sharp looked completely washed up, and Radulov – fat wallet notwithstanding – played his heart out and meshed well with Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn.

The lessons to be learned are that although some players can excel despite being older than 30, for the most part once an over 30 player starts to see his production wane it’s very difficult for it to bounce back. Exceptions can include a player who is plugged into a new, much different and reviving situation (like what’s occurred with Eric Staal in Minnesota) or one who is a truly generational talent (ala Jaromir Jagr for Florida in 2015-16).

With Radulov, chances are there won’t be too many directly analogous situations in the future, as normally players don’t head to the KHL for nearly a decade before returning to the NHL. But I suppose what I learned with him is you shouldn’t automatically assume players – even ones with enigmatic histories – are going to phone it in once they ink a lucrative deal.

There’s also a lesson here about coaches, as Ken Hitchcock had long been someone whose skaters underperformed due to his defense-first style. In fact, as I noted he had a previously unwavering track record of top players doing worse during his first year at the helm versus their previous season for the same team. However, I failed to give proper weight to the fact that in his later seasons in St. Louis he’d shown signs of refining his coaching style to embrace offense, plus he chose to come out of retirement to get back into coaching. So although a coach’s past tendencies merit consideration, don’t assume the worst, especially if there are signs to suggest the worst is no longer a likely outcome.

4) More than half of all teams will have a goalie appear in 60+ games

Result = MISS (only 12 teams had a goalie play in 60+ games)

When the dust settled, the number was essentially in line with previous seasons (the average had been 11.5 in the past six campaigns, with a high of 13 and a low of eight). What I overlooked is goalie injuries are real and strike starters every season. Plus, despite there being no Olympics and each team getting a week off, squads these days are simply choosing not to overwork their netminders.

I also fell into the trap of looking at non-predictive stats in a predictive way, most notably that in each of the past two seasons nine of the top ten netminders in terms of number of appearances were on squads that made it to the playoffs. Although a fact that wasn’t something which influenced whether a team would choose to play one of its goalies in 60+ games. This is in contrast with my correct prediction of 15 or more d-men scoring 50+ points, since that was based on observable trends and peak ages. Be sure not to fall into the same trap as me – forecasts need to be tied to predictive stats or trends, rather than hunches or – even if factual – non-predictive data.

The small saving grace in terms of this forecast was my added note that poolies shouldn’t expect to see more than the usual 5-8 goalies appear in 65+ games, as indeed the number was five.

5) Nikolaj Ehlers’ goal total will be higher than Justin Schultz’s point total

Result = HIT, but with an asterisk (Ehlers had more goals (29) than Schultz had points (27); however, had Schultz played in all 82 games and scored at the same pace his point total would’ve been 35)

I give myself credit for nailing that Schultz’s 2016-17 scoring pace would crater; however, I fell into the trap of putting Ehlers on an unrealistic fantasy pedestal. I figured if Ehlers performed as well as he did last season without any PP1 time, surely the team would opt to put him on PP1 and, between that and his natural career progression, the goals floodgate would open. But his PP1 time never materialized; and although he upped his goal total, it was only from 25 to 29.

So why is it that Schultz failed this season while Radulov succeeded, after both signed contracts in the offseason? For one, Radulov changed teams, which provides added motivation. Also, the concerning data I cited regarding Schultz in making this forecast (poor finish to last season; too much of his 2016-17 production tied to PPPts) was predictive, versus my “data” about Radulov being speculative. And although Kris Letang didn’t stand in the way of Schultz’s success as much as I figured, the fact that Letang was healthy for the entire season (and I’d noted that Letang had never failed to play 70+ games in two straight full seasons) did cast a shadow which hadn’t been there for much of 2016-17.

The major takeaway is that for every presumed breakout, only a few materialize. Also, no matter how talented a player – like Ehlers – might be on paper or in the minds of poolies, opportunity will have the most direct influence on whether (and, if so, the extent to which) a player actually breaks out.

6) Antti Raanta will finish in the top five in SV% among 40+ appearance netminders

Result = HIT (he finished first)

I’m especially proud of this forecast, not only because Raanta ended up being tops in the entire NHL among 40+ appearance goaltenders, but also because far more pundits jumped on the preseason bandwagon for Scott Darling, the other “graduating” back-up. Yet when the dust settled Darling was a major disappointment and Raanta was the best goalie in hockey once the calendar turned to 2018.

How did things go right for Raanta, but not Darling? For one, Raanta’s past data was culled from 94 career appearances (78 starts) spread over four seasons, compared to Darling’s 75 career games (64 started) in three seasons. Also, all of Darling’s games had been for the then powerhouse Blackhawks, who could make a netminder look better than he really is. Raanta, on the other hand, had played the past two seasons for the Rangers, who, although a playoff team, didn’t have as vaunted of a blueline as the Hawks did in the previous three seasons. Lastly, Darling walked into a situation where although it was presumed he’d be the #1 guy, Cam Ward was still lurking in the wings, whereas the Coyotes showed their commitment to Raanta by trading away Mike Smith and not re-signing Chad Johnson.

Also, this is another example of the stats I used to help make this forecast (i.e., only seven netminders since 2013-14 had both a better GAA and SV% than Raanta, and five had finished in the top five in SV% at least once during that span; although Arizona gives up lots of shots, Raanta had been among the best in EV SV%) being predictive stats. It also didn’t hurt that going into the season Raanta was set to be a UFA this summer; and even though many a player in that same situation has laid an egg, quite a few have found that to be added motivation to play even better than they might normally.

7) Alex Pietrangelo will outscore Zach Werenski by at least 15 points

Result = HIT (Pietrangelo tallied 54 points in 78 games, i.e., 17 more than Werenski’s 37 in 77 games)

This is another one of my prouder hits, what with Pietrangelo having outpointed Werenski by only one in 2016-17 and many going into the season touting Werenski as a young star on the rise. I saw things differently, and it turns out I was right both in terms of my prediction and my logic in making it.

What it boiled down to is Pietrangelo having more value than was evident from his 2016-17 season-long scoring, as he posted 18 points in 20 games once Mike Yeo stepped in as coach. Plus, although I noted above when referring to Ken Hitchcock that some coaches can and do indeed change their ways, Yeo’s MO of leaning heavily on one d-man is among the most well-established patterns in hockey. Between those two factors I saw bigger and better things from Pietrangelo, and sure enough he delivered despite a second and third quarter where he produced only 18 points in 35 games.

Meanwhile, working against Werenski was the cloud of the dreaded defenseman sophomore slump. But even beyond that there was the objective reality that Seth Jones was quietly emerging as “the guy” in Columbus in the last quarter of 2016-17. So just as Pietrangelo’s late season trends were key, so too were those happening in Columbus.

The major takeaway here is to be careful not to value players based solely on season-long totals. Also, don’t be sucked into thinking every upstart player is on a fast track to becoming a phenom, especially if they have other at least equally talented players breathing down their necks.

8) Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will combine to score fewer than 160 points

Result = MISS (they raised their combined total from 177 in 2016-17 to 178, although Draisaitl did see a decline in production)

My reasoning in making this forecast was Edmonton needing to focus on being a more all-around team in order to mount a serious challenge for the Cup. But a funny thing happened – the Oilers didn’t come close to qualifying for the playoffs. So once the season was a lost cause, McDavid, who actually stood at a not so jaw dropping 69 points in 58 games, went into beast mode over the last quarter of the season (39 points in his final 24 games).

But in truth, my basing the forecast on the Oilers being a lock for the playoffs is less of an excuse for me missing this prediction and more of a flaw in the prediction itself, since yet again it was an example of a forecast being made on an assumption rather than on sound, predictive logic. There was some solace to be found in that Draisaitl’s production fell, in part because the Oilers did indeed separate the two more so than last season. Even still, Draisaitl showed he can produce in his own right, and had the team’s PP clicked at anything close to a normal rate this would’ve been a huge miss.

Thus, again the takeaway is to base forecasts on predictive factors, not assumptions. And especially not multilayered and convoluted assumptions, as doing so amounts fantasy FPS, with the FPS standing for “fancy play syndrome.” Although in competitive leagues you do have to outthink your opponents in order to prevail, what that means is thinking smarter, not necessarily thinking fancier or using layer upon layer of non-predictive logic to reach a flawed conclusion.

9) Peter Budaj will start more games for the Lightning than Andrei Vasilevskiy

Result = AIR BALL (Vas started 64 games, tied for fourth most among all NHL netminders)

Technically Budaj got hurt and missed three months; but even a healthy Budaj would’ve done nothing to derail Vasilevskiy’s superb season. I still think my reasoning wasn’t entirely flawed – I just mistook the Bolts bringing in Budaj as a lack of confidence in Vas, when in truth it was as an insurance policy. What this also underscored (as did St. Louis continuing to turn to Jake Allen, even amid a superb season from Cater Hutton) is golden boy goalies will get every chance to succeed before being pushed out of the picture even temporarily. Or to put it another way, there are just some situations where a back-up will always stay in that role no matter how well he plays and/or how poorly the starter fares.

What factors can exist which suggest a starter might be vulnerable to losing his gig as the #1 guy, other than via injury? Contract status, including seasons he’s signed for and money he earns, is probably the #1 factor. There’s also the past glory factor, which some could argue led to Cam Ward staying the starter or at least remaining in the starter picture for as long as he has in Carolina, despite his Stanley Cup winning season now being more than ten seasons ago. But there’s also the flip side to that, namely the “young phenom” factor, where a young anointed starter stays in that role even if/as he falters. Another factor is playoff experience, since if a back-up has never even tasted playoff action or not met with success, it’ll be more difficult for him to supplant a starter despite stellar play. The converse also holds true, where a starter who has a superb playoff record is more likely to keep his gig even if he’s being outplayed by a back-up in the regular season, to help him work out any kinks before the second season.

10) The Winnipeg Jets will score the most goals of any NHL team

Result = CLOSE CALL (their goals improved by more than 10% from 246 to 273, finishing second in the league, up from seventh last season but nevertheless behind league leading Tampa Bay)

My logic was sound, but in the end Tampa gelled even more. What are the takeaways? If a team – like the Jets – has a mix of veterans who always produce, players already in or just now entering their peak, plus young talent who could break out, chances are they’ll be a success offensively, especially if – as I noted – their previous season’s PP clicked at what looked to be a lower rate that it should’ve.

I was also correct they’d pass all six teams who finished ahead of them in goals last season. What that means it it’s equally important to examine which teams might see their offense falter and why (whether due to too many older player, having overachieved the prior season, trying to become a more balanced team in order to be built for the playoffs, etc.).

11) A Carolina forward will score 75+ points

Result = MISS (Sebastian Aho scored at a 68 point pace – highest among any Hurricane player)

I think I bought into offseason hype, as nearly all pundits had Carolina as a breakout team in the East. In doing so, I failed to account for the fact that no Hurricane forward last season topped even 2:16 per game on the PP or 17:05 non-shorthanded minutes under the same coach who’d be at the helm for 2017-18. Simply put, those are not normally the kind of conditions which will lead to a player topping 75 points, no matter how skilled he might be.

So this wasn’t a case of using non-predictive stats in a predictive way, or fantasy FPS. It simply boiled down to ignoring reality and deployment, and the limitations those create on scoring for even the most already talented or up and coming hockey players. Whether in making predictions like these or simply valuing players in general, you have to look under the hood at teams/coaches to see if their ice time philosophy is one that will make it plausible for 75+ point scoring to occur.

12) Milan Lucic will score fewer than 40 points

Result = HIT (he finished with a mere 34 points)

While it wasn’t exactly rocket science to predict that Lucic might not shine for the Oilers this season, to have predicted a drop below 40 points was indeed bold, as not only did he finish with 50 last season he’d only once been below the 50 point mark since 2008-09 and had topped 55 in three of the previous four full campaigns. He also had a big fat contract that seemingly guaranteed he’d get prime minutes with top tier linemates.

But the key in making my prediction is sometimes those things simply aren’t enough to ensure a player can produce. Beyond that, some rough-and-tumble, fire-in-the-belly players seem more vulnerable to slowing down even in their 20s, especially after signing big contracts. That’s not always the case, but it’s something that occurs often enough to warrant concern and attention when drafting and valuing those types of players.

13) Alexander Wennberg will finish within the top three among NHL forwards in assists

Result = AIR BALL (Wennberg’s production dropped like a stone, and he had fewer assists on a per game basis than he did not only last year but two seasons ago)

My mistake here was in looking at stats in a vacuum and failing to fully consider both circumstances and players, plus putting too much weight on the “magical fourth year” factor. Wennberg did have strong numbers trending in a direction that suggested he would do even better for 2017-18; however, much of those numbers were due to him being a #1 center more by default than by design, and also by virtue of him having been deployed with less talented players, ala Brandon Saad and Nick Foligno. Essentially, Wennberg had been functioning as a placeholding top line pivot and, once displaced from that role by Pierre-Luc Dubois, saw his stats come back to earth with a crashing thud.

So how can one avoid making the mistake(s) I did? Focus on depth charts and see if a player’s success is occurring because of a situation which is on tap to change, rather than due to his own pure talent.

14) No player from the Metropolitan Division will have more goals than Anders Lee

Result = MISS (Lee did finish with the third most goals in the Metropolitan Division, but a total of nine behind Alex Ovechkin)

Although Lee finished well behind Ovi, I still feel pretty good about this forecast. After all, Lee improved from fourth to third in the division, and his goals per game rate increased from an already high 0.42 to an even greater 0.487. Not bad for someone many had pegged for regression this season due to his lack of proven track record and 17.8% personal shooting percentage in 2016-17.

My logic was sound too, in surmising that Lee would see more PP Time, plus I correctly noted that his chemistry with John Tavares would lead to those two staying together. Those, plus Tavares’ motivation to score both in general and due to his impending UFA payday, would only help Lee’s role as a sniper.

15) Neither Jake Guentzel nor Conor Sheary will outscore Evander Kane

Result = HIT (Kane finished with 54 points in 78 games, versus 48 points in 82 games for Guentzel and 30 points in 79 games for Sheary)

I nailed this one both in terms of result and reasoning. Say what you want about Kane – and there’s plenty you could say – but when push came to shove in terms of playing for his NHL future he appeared in a career high 77 games and posted his second highest point total. Coincidence? Nope. Let this be another lesson to never underestimate how well one can suddenly play when a paycheck is at stake.

As for Guentzel and Sheary, my key logic was that neither would find room on PP1, as Patric Hornqvist might not be as “sexy” of a fantasy name these days, but he’s an all-important “mule” for a Pens top unit, leaving the more diminutive Sheary and Guentzel with PP2 scraps. Couple that with the reality of many productive rookies – including on the Pens – not living up to the hype when it came to their sophomore season, and it shows that poolies should not ignore the dynamics of the squad a skater plays for and longstanding team dynamics that have met with success and thus unlikely to be rethought.

* * *

The final tally was six Hits, one Close Call, and three Air Balls, which, considering these were “fearless” forecasts, is a pretty solid result and an improvement over last season. How did you fare in your voting? The five “Hits” finished second, third, fourth, tied for fifth, also tied for fifth, and 12th in your votes, with the Close Call finishing first. So hopefully you followed your instincts, since they were pretty solid!

I hope you enjoyed reading the original forecasts and this look back in review, and as had as much fun as I did along the way. But let’s not lose sight of key fantasy lessons we learned from (or were underscored by) these forecasts. With a stick tap to Tom Collins and his weekly column, here’s a rundown of the top 10 (in no particular order) takeaways:

1) When making forecasts, you’ll tend to succeed more (or fail less) if you base them on predictive data as opposed to speculative or coincidental data.

2) Don’t underestimate the motivation for players to suddenly step up when they need to earn a UFA contract, and by the same token for players without a solid track record to come back to earth with a crashing thud once they get paid.

3) Age matters in fantasy hockey, and peak ages for forwards, defensemen, and goalies are important. But there can and will be variations, with some staying productive for atypically longer but others (especially rough and tumble players) not only entering their post peak earlier but seeing their scoring drop more precipitously.

4) Beware of players who could be doing situationally – and, thus, temporarily – well, rather than as a result of pure talent.

5) Tandem chemistry should always be factored into player value, especially the lesser value player.

6) Winning in fantasy is indeed based on using sound logic and outthinking your opponent; but beware of falling into the trap of “fancy play syndrome,” where you get too clever for your own good and end up making unsound decisions.

7) Late-season trends should be given added weight over season-long trends provided that the late season trends better represent what will likely be the “new normal” for the affected player(s).

8) Buying into hype is dangerous, since it often means paying an inflated price and then having to hope the hype is real just to “break even” in terms of value given what you paid.

9) Making predictions for goalies is extra tough because of the team influence factor; about the only sure bets are goalie injuries will always happen and “golden boys” will get a much longer leash.

10) When teams are jumping aboard trends (like 1D on a PP1), factor that into your ratings but don’t go too overboard since you never know when winds might change or shift direction.

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-home/cage-match/15-fearless-forecasts-for-2017-18-results-and-lessons-learned/

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Terrific how a good deal in Chicago sports activities has modified due to the fact that 2009

The byline on the tale you are studying closing regarded in those pages in October 2009, before the Yankees-Phillies World Series. The odds of it ever acting here again were not accurate at the time, but if a truth show mogul may be elected president, Northwestern could make the NCAA match and the Cubs can win the arena Series, who’s to doubt the existence of miracles?

Said byline ran above a tale suggesting Yankees skipper Joe Girardi continually would be welcome in Chicago, his Peoria history, Northwestern pedigree and phrases of Cubs service offsetting his ties to the dreaded House of Steinbrenner. but Joe became now not coming to Chicago to manage the Cubs anytime soon, no matter the entreaties of Mr. Wanna-Be Cub David Kaplan.

Jay Cutler was right here then, six weeks into his first Bears season, with extra actuality than hypothesis greeting the notion of Cutler because of the lengthy-sought solution to the group’s quest for a franchise quarterback. Numbers could make a case for him as first-class Bears QB ever, however, given the team’s bleak history at the position, it is like spotting the pleasant shortstop to come out of Greenland. Moreover, Cutler as pleasant-ever is a difficult sell to individuals who uninterested in his slouchy, pouty, I’m-so-positioned-upon-ness after maybe eight video games, irrespective of what the numbers say.

The numbers additionally say he persisted 3 well known managers, 3 head coaches and 33 or so offensive coordinators for the duration of his mediocre run here, which can also be barely perplexing. regardless of; he is now someone else’s enigma, or might be. The first-class aspect successor Mike Glennon has going for him, besides $18.5 million guaranteed, is that he is not Jay Cutler.

The Soul of a Chicago sports activities Fan

Growing up a Chicago sports activities fan is a humbling dependancy.

I have been hooked from the day that my dad first took the circle of relatives to a White Sox game on the vintage Comiskey Park, when my young sister, who become used to watching the games on a black and white television with snowy UHF reception, uttered, “Look, the sport’s in shade!” I have truly been hooked considering I witnessed my first Blackhawks sport at the for the reason that torn down Chicago Stadium. In a preceding article, I tried to explain the ephemeral power that song has on our soul – specifically, the power to transform our emotional kingdom and produce us to another vicinity. For higher or worse, sports has a comparable transformative capability.

Developing up, my dad shared season tickets for a yr or two to the Chicago Blackhawks hockey video games. It changed into at some stage in this period that I was capable of revel in the genuine beauty of hockey (at the side of 20,000 raucous fanatics). The momentum of the sport can flip in an immediately; a tough check or shielding play frequently means extra than an excellent offensive pass or shot. That is what I like about hockey. greater than any other game, it’s the seemingly minor elements that have so much impact on the present momentum and the ultimate result. Plus, the antique Chicago Stadium (even then it was antique having been built in 1929) literally shook with every notable pass or stellar defensive play. It actually shook even extra while the home team scored, aided through the endless baritone pitch of the massive three,663 pipe Barton organ that would sign an intention. Like a song membership, the Chicago Stadium become a sensual temple that provoked the senses, addicted the patrons and begged them to are searching for better and better ranges of pride.

Unluckily, the Blackhawks couldn’t win the Stanley Cup. Although that they had outstanding groups in my childhood heyday of the past due the 60s and early 70s, with gamers which include Bobby Hull, Tony Esposito, Stan Mikita and Pit Martin, they didn’t win the Cup. Maximum memorable and heartbreakingly, they lost game 7 at domestic to the Montreal Canadiens in 1971 after being ahead in the game 2-0 late in the second length. A fluke goal from the middle line by using Jacques Lemaire whizzed beyond Tony O, cut the result in 1 intention, and gave the Canadiens the aforementioned momentum they desperately needed. They ultimately beat the Hawks three-2 to win but another Stanley Cup.

Paying attention to those games at the radio as defined with the aid of the brilliant play-through-play work of Lloyd Petit, I was emotionally spent. I used to be now not only a fan of that factor, but a member of the crew, my emotions rising and falling faster than that Jacques Lemaire shot. I was simplest eleven years old but regularly felt that my emotional dedication handed that of Maximum of the players or management.

Sadly, over again, being a Chicago sports fan will pressure you to the emotional depths. it is not simply the countless failure of my cherished hockey team, however a collective failure to “win the big one” by using the majority of the Chicago sports activities teams. Yes, it is true that the Chicago Bears, beneath the tutelage of Mike Ditka, broke the streak inside the 1985-1986 season. however, allow’s not forget about that the Bears must have gained as a minimum two more Fantastic Bowls inside the 80s. Thank you, Charles Martin of the Packers, for frame slamming Jim McMahon in 1986 and crushing any hopes of a repeat Great Bowl victory. And it is actual that the Chicago Bulls won large within the 90s beneath the professional steerage of Phil Jackson and the wizardry of Michael Jordan. But, let us not forget about the 1975 Western Conference finals when the Bulls stole domestic court benefit, went up three games to 2, but misplaced the subsequent video games to the eventual champion Golden state Warriors.

The Cubs deserve a whole bankruptcy of their own, however, allow me just mention more than one years and names: 1984, Leon Durham; 2003, Steve Bartman. Sufficient Said.

As for my different favorite group – the White Sox – at the least, they snapped their long drought with the aid of winning the sector Collection in 2005, the primary time for the reason that 1917. but, the 1983 playoffs, featuring names like those of Britt Burns, Tito Landrum, and Jerry Dybzinski will for all time hang-out long-tenured Sox enthusiasts.

however, back to hockey. In 1991, my wife and that I had just moved from Chicago to San Antonio. for the duration of the Blackhawks sudden playoff run at some stage in the 1991-1992 strike-shortened season, culminating in a go to to the Stanley Cup finals, we might watch all of the playoff video games on the nearby sports bar. There has been the no different place to get the tv feed. It became our routine. Every other night time the Hawks might play, and we’d meet at the bar directly after paintings, experience a cold beverage in the blazing South Texas heat and scream and shout for a victory. For eleven directly playoff games, the Hawks did just that. Until they reached the finals towards the Pittsburgh Penguins. 20 years eliminated from the dashed desires of ‘seventy-one, I sit in an overseas city’s sports bar, mentally taken lower back to those very identical days. I have reverted to that eleven-year-vintage child whose Each respiratory moment, whose Every emotional ebb and glide, revolves around the success of his hockey team.

In place of names like Jacques Lemaire, Ken Dryden, Henri Richard and Yvan Cournoyer stealing my desires, names like Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr bedevil my truth. On the best facet, Belfour, Roenick, and Chelios have replaced Esposito, Hull, and Mikita. The exclusive names, although, do now not produce an exceptional end result. In sport 1, the Hawks squander leads of three-zero and 4-1. I implore Eddie Belfour to hang onto the p.C. but to no avail. Off a rebound, Mr. Lemieux rankings the game-triumphing intention with 10 seconds left to rally the Penguins to an unbelievable 5-four victory. Pittsburgh uses this preliminary game 1 momentum to sweep the Hawks four games to none and win the Stanley Cup (Although the Collection becomes absolutely closer than the score may imply).

Chicago loses again and I’m devastated another time. I swear off my dependancy. In spite of everything, how foolish is it to allow one’s soul ride on the wings of a sports group? I stay genuine to my pledge and live off this drug. Then spring training, or mini-camp, or pre-season starts of evolved anew, and i fall off the sports activities wagon to be forever haunted with the aid of a ultimate 2nd score from an opposing crew.

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