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“I mean, I don’t score all the time,” Knox, their lead defenseman, joked. “Maybe he’s onto something.”

“You’re all welcome to score whenever you want,” Briggs said, still wearing his blocker and glove. He looked about to chuck it at them. “If Gibbs or I score before anyone in this room, that person owes the whole team a round.”

“Deal,” Everett agreed, pointing to each of their goalies with both arms out. “I will buy everyone in this room a round for every goalie goal y’all score this season.”

“So generous with his money,” Novak teased. “We have to be winning a game to force the other team to go empty net to even give them a shot. Let’s try that.”

“Good plan,” Briggs said. “Which takes me back to everyone needs to score all the time.”

Henri sat back and watched in amusement as his teammates started yelling more and more outrageous demands about who should score and how to reward the next person to get a hat trick and a betting pool about how many goals they’d need to get in the playoffs. This was…this was really fucking good. This was a team that liked each other and had fun. He didn’t have a lot of experience with what made a good playoff team or what kind of team won the Cup, but he knew he’d rarely enjoyed a team this much.

He didn’t realize he had a goofy smile on his face until he happened to look across to where Everett sat. Everett was watching him, expression unreadable. Henri’s instinct was to wipe the smile away as though he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t have. He didn’t. Even though he was now grinning like a fool directly at Everett, he let himself enjoy the moment and let Everett know it.

Everett mirrored his smile. That nose-crinkling one that gave him a boyish look.

Henri looked away first. He could only stand to look into the sun for so long.

Vanessa (November 2023)

jfc Dylan you have a type

Dylan

I do not

I don’t even know what you’re talking about

Okay this is text so I don’t know if you’re being serious or a little shit

So let me just quote this post from a turkey fan blog

Sokolov and Baptiste have surprisingly similar styles. Both 6’3 and 200+ lbs, their stride-length and speed are nearly identical. Both centers shoot right, both slow the play down to control the game and find the perfect passes, and both have amazing accuracy. I have never seen so many needles threaded and pristine passes. It’s no wonder LHB has fit in so well on the top line with Everett and Novak—he completes the set in all the ways Sokolov did.

I’m…confused

You’re telling me we finally found a replacement for Alexei

Why?

DYLAN

???

Are you for real right now?

Yes??

You and I both know it’s not just the hockey.

They’re both tall, foreign, rugged men with dark hair and dark eyes who never seem to smile except when you’re around

And then there’s you, looking at them like they hung the fucking moon. Don’t think I don’t see it in your games.

Do I need to go on?

Please don’t

So are we really doing this again? bc we all know how it went last time