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↪ luc-henri-sourit: It is hard to tell which Baptiste smiled more for this!

[Photo of Luc-Henri Baptiste being swarmed by his teammates on the ice, smiling around his mouthguard. Photo of Claude Baptiste being similarly swarmed by his friends at the bar and grinning.]

↪ gobblegoals: IT’S A TIE - HANG THEM BOTH IN THE LOUVRE!

Henri might never drink again. Being drunk had nothing on the high of winning a playoff game. At home. In overtime. If he could bottle this feeling up and save it for a bad day, he’d be set for life. They haven’t won the series—that will hopefully happen in two days when they’re back in Tennessee—but the team was buzzing in the locker room.

“One beer max,” Krzysztofek snapped. “It was a good game and a solid win. Nice goal, Baps. Great pass, Nover. Keep it the fuck up. Do not get drunk. Do not stay up late. Do not skip your post-workout meal and wind down. Lock it in, boys. The next game is a big one. Let’s make sure we show up.”

There’d been some half-hearted grumbling at the start of Coach Krzysztofek’s speech, but everyone had shut up by the end.

“Let’s save the celebrating until we’ve got something to celebrate, babes,” Dylan agreed.

Great encouragement from their captain, but it didn’t stop him from pounding Henri into the sheets that night as reward for winning the game for them.

abqturkeysnhl (April 30, 2024): ROUND TWO!! The Turkeys best the Tennessee Outlaws 4-2 to clinch the series. The Turkeys will face the Manitoba Aviators next week. Click the link to purchase playoff tickets. See y’all in May!

turkeytalk (April 30, 2024): The Turkeys haven’t made it past the first round since 2016. I forgot that the playoffs can be fun AND stressful at the same time!

↪ gobblegoals: i just hope sokolov is at home watching the playoffs — not participating like everyone assumed the storm would — and missing this team.

↪ turkeytalk: I’m sure right now he’s regretting the trade, but I think overall it’s a better fit for him. Besides, if Sokolov doesn’t leave, we don’t get Baptiste. If we don’t get the Baptiste-Novak-Everett line, we don’t make playoffs. I miss the Young Guns days when Sokolov was around and our current veteran core was a bunch of kids, but there’s something to be said about the maturity of this team now.

↪ gobblegoals: how do we feel about facing off against manitoba? Aren’t they a bunch of young guns? and top of the central division? they made short work of the mountaineers in round one…

↪ turkeytalk: It’ll be a challenge for sure. As long as everyone stays healthy and focused, we’ve got a chance.

70 MAY 2024

abqturkeysnhl (May 6, 2024): TWO FOR TWO! The Turkeys have won Games 1 & 2 vs. the Manitoba Aviators. Can they grab another win (or two ) at home?

↪ gobblegoals: IF ANY OF YOU MOFOS MENTIONS THE S WORD I’LL BLOCK YOU

abqturkeysnhl (May 11, 2024): The series is tied 2-2 after two tough losses at home. Can the Turkeys rally to grab another win on the return to Manitoba in two days?

↪ gobblegoals: i just know one of you guys out there said we would get the series sweep and i promise, i’m not mad at you. i’m just disappointed.

Henri had to keep telling his body to fucking relax, but every time the trainer worked the tight muscles in his quad, his whole body tensed, and he tried to squirm out of his grip. He was currently white-knuckling the edges of the massage table. Not ideal.

“I can’t work out the knots if you don’t let me,” Mark said. Mark was Henri’s favorite trainer, mostly because he was the most indulgent of Henri’s preferred postgame routine. Most of the guys liked to use massage guns and rollers, but Henri hated both. He was an ice bath and massage kind of guy, regardless of the injury, bruise, or muscle strain.

“Sorry,” Henri grumbled. He let out the breath he’d been holding and willed his leg to cooperate. “I’m not hurt, I swear. Just tight.”

“Hey, no need to explain. It’s a long season and an intense playoff format. All the guys are starting to feel it. I’ll do what I can to help, but please, for the love of fuck, make sure you’re eating right and resting. I hate it when I get guys who won’t take care of themselves. I’m not a miracle worker.”

He hit a spot that made Henri sigh in relief. There it was, the actual feeling of pain draining out of his body.

“You sure?” Henri asked. “That felt like a miracle.”

When Mark deemed he was ‘as good as he was going to get,’ Henri thanked him and wandered out to the gym. They had one more night in Albuquerque before they had to fly back to Manitoba for Game Five. Everyone was taking advantage as best they could. For a lot of the team, that meant spending the time with their family. For a few of them—Henri, Dylan, and a handful of others—that meant using the team gym. Their facilities were better than any of the ones available to them when they traveled.

Henri stretched his legs a little as he walked. Not as tight as before, but he would check his creatine, protein, and electrolyte intake when he got home. And review the last two games. They were fucking something up. They must be, to drop two games in a row. It was the power play, he thought. Seven chances between the two games and only one goal. That was well below their regular-season numbers. They’d scored on three of their four in the first two games, for fuck’s sake. That had to be⁠—

His brain short-circuited when he stepped into the gym. One of the trainers was leading a yoga flow session for the goalies, but that wasn’t Briggs or Gibbs’ ass staring Henri in the face. Henri was rooted in the entryway, watching Dylan shift out of downward dog. Henri shook his head and practically ran to the water fountain to make himself stop thinking about Dylan and his beautiful hockey ass.

It didn’t work. The image was branded on the back of Henri’s eyelids, and there was only one cure.

It took more patience than he knew he possessed to wait for the yoga session to end. Henri pretended to stretch but didn’t dare do any actual stretches (with his luck, he’d stop paying attention at the wrong time and pull something). As soon as they finished their final relaxation, Henri flagged Dylan down.