Chapter Text
Summer, Instagram
HarrisDroverrrr | Drover Family Orchards
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, seated side by side at a massive table on the grounds of the Drover Family Orchard. A huge sheet cake with two lit candles sits before them. They are both grinning widely, Shane holding Ilya’s hand in his lap. Surrounding them, seated and standing, are the rest of the Ottawa Centaurs, their partners, their children, and their dogs, as well as David and Yuna Hollander and the Drover family. In the background, apple trees sway in the breeze. It is clear that some of the trees are preparing to drop their first fruit of the season. The sky is orange with the sunset, streaked with pink clouds.]
Caption: HarrisDroverrrr: Happy birthday, Ilya, and happy belated birthday, Shane! Sorry we couldn’t do it up like this the day of Shane’s actual birthday. You were just too busy winning the Stanley Cup. 💅🏽🍎🐶🏆
shanehollanderhockey✅: Thank you, Harris 🥳
boodmangrills✅: not shane hollander emoji usage
shanehollanderhockey✅: it’s my birthday you have to be nice to me
ilyarozanov81✅: thank you, Harris 💚(any luck on getting shane to agree to a second dog?)
HarrisDroverrrr: (i think i made some progress. Come back for apple picking in a few weeks i bet we can lock this down)
shanehollanderhockey✅: do you guys realize this is not the dms?
lunapreston✅ | Los Angeles, California
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Luna Preston and Aleja Diaz in cocktail attire. Aleja is wearing a black tailored suit, her hair in a slicked-back bun and her back to the camera and her face in profile as she smiles gently at Luna. Her arm is around Luna’s waist. Luna is holding her phone up at eye level, taking the photo in a mirror. She is wearing a small black mini dress, her natural hair voluminous, and her other hand resting on Aleja’s shoulder.]
Caption: lunapreston✅: hard launch 🖤✨
ilyarozanov81✅: congratulations and also you’re welcome
lunapreston✅: i hate you so fucking much (you were right about the competition tho)
cassandraarcher96✅: why did you post the same hard launch pic that every single LA lesbian has ever posted
lunapreston✅: because i look hot in this dress, cassie
cassandraarcher96✅: damn u got me there
ilyarozanov81✅ | 🎶 “Ojitos Lindos,” Bad Bunny (ft. Bomba Estéreo)
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: A professional shot from Shane and Ilya’s wedding. Shane and Ilya are down to their dress shirts, sleeves rolled up, smiling softly at each other, as they dance in their backyard. Out-of-focus lights wink from behind them against a darkening sky.]
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Shane, caught outside in a summer storm at the cottage. He laughs as he tries to herd Anya indoors.]
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Shane and Ilya seated side by side on an Ottawa Centaurs team flight. Shane is tucked into Ilya’s shoulder, asleep, while Ilya takes a selfie.]
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Shane, Ilya, and David Hollander sit at the kitchen table in the Hollander cottage in Ladaudière. All have the sleeves of sweaters pushed up around their elbows as they roll out the dough for pelmini.]
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: An ESPN-published shot taken seconds after Shane scored the game-winning goal in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Championships. Shane, fists clenched, is lifted from behind by Ilya, who has his face buried in Shane’s shoulder.]
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Shane, wearing a loose-fitting tank top and a backwards baseball cap, bracing Anya’s tiny furry body in the bowl of the Stanley Cup.]
Caption: ilyarozanov81✅: С годовщиной, любимый. Я счастлива, что мы будем вместе вечно.
shanehollanderhockey✅ | Ottawa, Ontario
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Professional shot of Shane and Ilya exchanging vows at their wedding. Shane is speaking, smiling softly, while a single tear slides down Ilya’s cheek.]
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Ilya in the Bell Sensplex home locker room, halfway changed into his practice gear, staring at the camera with his tongue hanging out of his mouth obnoxiously.]
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Ilya holding baby Milo while he chats with Bood, who is working the grill in his backyard. Baby Milo’s face is tucked away from the camera.]
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Ilya Rozanov and Yuna Hollander in the kitchen of the Hollander-Rozanov cottage. Yuna is reading a recipe card in one hand as her other hand stirs a large stock pot on the stove. Ilya is slicing beef thin for nikujaga.]
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Ilya asleep on the couch in the Hollander-Rozanov Ottawa residence, Anya curled up against his ribs. He is wearing an old Ottawa Centaurs hoodie and sweatpants. His feet are out of frame at the bottom of the image, likely resting on Shane’s lap.]
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Ilya and Shane on the ice at the Canadian Tire Centre, moments after winning the Stanley Cup. Ilya holds the Cup up as Shane drinks ginger ale out of its bowl.]
Caption: shanehollanderhockey✅: Прекрасный год. Давай повторим это навсегда.
IrinaFoundation✅ | Ottawa, Ontario
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: A group shot of all the coaches of the Game Changers hockey camp outside the main entrance of the Bell Sensplex. Back row, left to right: Carter Vaughn, Ryan Price, Scott Hunter, Ilya Rozanov, Shane Hollander, JJ Boiziau, Cliff Marlow. Middle row, left to right: Hayden Pike, Josh Boyle, Max Riley, Zane Boodram, Tony Rojas, Nick Chouinard, Matti Jallo, Troy Barrett. Front row, left to right: Evan Dykstra, Alyssa Valdez, Charlotte Pierce, Leah Campbell, Toja Taylor, Sierra Davis. Kneeling in the very front, each holding up one end of the “Game Changers Camp 2022” banner, are Wyatt Hayes and Connor Connors. All are wearing Game Changers Camp staff t-shirts]
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: A child, aged about fourteen, helps another child, aged about ten, correct their grip on a hockey stick. Both children’s faces are covered by heart emojis. Tony Rojas stands off to the side, prepared to help if necessary.]
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Shane Hollander and Jack LaPointe, in skates and workout clothes, on the rink in the Bell Sensplex, laying out cones for drills]
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: A handful of children of all genders, aged about nine to twelve years old, arranged around a face-off circle, playing centers, wingers, and defenders. Heart emojis of various colors cover all their faces. Ilya Rozanov is in the referee’s position, about to drop the puck. He is smiling proudly.]
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Shane Hollander in a tux, speaking to a crowd from behind a podium bearing the Irina Foundation logo. At the bottom of the frame, the backs of the heads of the annual gala attendees are visible.]
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Photo shot from the stands behind the goal line. Carter Vaughn, Troy Barrett, and Alyssa Valdez “race” four children towards the camera. Each child’s face is covered by a different heart emoji.]
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Zane Boodram and Troy Barrett leading children, playing as wingers, in passing drills. Every child’s face is covered with a different heart emoji.]
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Four nets set up side by side on the goal line, each with a child in goalie pads defending it. Each child’s face is covered by a heart emoji. Connor Connors and Wyatt Hayes stand behind the nets, watching as children playing skaters prepare to take shots on goal.]
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Game Changers campers, their family members, the coaching staff, and their partners spread out in a theater in Bell Sensplex. Everyone seems to be wearing a variation on pajamas or sweat suits. There are multiple cozy blankets scattered around, and a few dozen bags of popcorn and bottles of Gatorade. Every child’s face is covered in a different-colored heart emoji. The screen is displaying the title credits for the 2010 film “The Tooth Fairy.”]
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Ilya Rozanov’s right hand, identifiable by the wedding band on the ring finger, holding up a small photograph of Irina Rozanova against the bright blue sky. In the photo, Irina’s blonde curly hair is long, and she is sitting on a park bench, legs crossed and laughing at the camera.]
Caption: IrinaFoundation✅: Thank you to everyone who made this fourth year of Game Changers camps possible. As always, our gratitude goes out to our community partners, as well as to our coaches, who volunteered their time and expertise to be here. We are especially grateful to work with so many talented members of the @ChargedOttawaOfficial this year, including @alyssavaldez92, @charliepierce57, @tochukwutaylor, and @sierra31davis. This year, we hosted 213 campers, our largest group ever. We could not do it without your support. Thank you.
shanehollanderhockey✅: This year was especially joyous for me and Ilya, as it was the second year where we felt able to be honest about ourselves and our relationship with the world. Thank you for welcoming us to share the truest versions of ourselves with you. These camps remind us, every year, that hockey should be for everyone. We can make that sport, and that world, possible if we work together.
vaughnyyyyy✅: For real this has been the best part of my summer for the last couple of years. Thank you for including me in what you’re building here.
Hunter21Admirals✅: seconded. Proud to be a part of this
alyssavaldez92✅: Thank you Shane and Ilya! I’m coming back next year and you can’t stop me
ilyarozanov81✅: would never dream of it. In fact, would insist on it.
ilyarozanov81✅ | 🎶 “All I Do Is Win,” DJ Khaled feat. Ludacris, Rick Ross, T-Pain & Snoop Dogg
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Shane Hollander sitting cross-legged on the grass at the Drover Family Orchards. In his lap is a little puppy of uncertain breed, with splotches of white and caramel-colored fur. The puppy has her front paws braced on Shane’s chest and is looking into his eyes with adoration. Shane has a soft smile on his face as he cradles the puppy’s hind legs. Anya sits beside them, sniffing at the puppy curiously.]
Caption ilyarozanov81✅: THANK YOU HARRIS I LOVE YOU ok everybody meet my second beautiful daughter this is Olga Hollander-Rozanova she is perfect and her whole family (me, dad Shane, big sister Anya) would die for her. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
hayden34pike✅ Ruby and Jade want to visit right now immediately
ilyarozanov81✅: Olechka says you can come over whenever as long as you bring treats that are okay for puppies
nickchouinard✅: my kids want in too
ilyarozanov81✅: yes yes text me everyone should meet my second born beautiful daughter
troybarrettottawa✅: Hollander what happened here man
shanehollanderhockey✅: Deeply unclear. I looked into her eyes and she was my dog after that. I don’t know what to tell you.
ESPN ✅
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Screen shot of a tweet from the official @ESPN ✅account reading: “🚨BREAKING: Jacques Theriault out as Head Coach for Montreal Voyageurs; Desjardins warned to turn it around in 2022-2023 season.”
Caption ESPN ✅: Groupe MH, holding company operated by the Marchand Family to manage ownership of the Montreal Voyageurs, has fired longtime Head Coach Jaques Theriault. Sources are saying that ownership also considered letting go of General Manager Jacques Desjardins, but instead have given him an ultimatum to turn the team around and get revenue back up in the 2022-2023 season.
ninachirps: I mean. Yeah.
anyarozanova: Predictable yet extremely funny at the same time.
pritiramamurthy: I wonder why not both of them?
momageryunaa: sorry to stick my nose in y’all’s family business but i’d bet the answer to “why not both of them” is that they’re gonna clean house on the roster too, and while Desjardins is also a piece of shit, they’d lose too much institutional memory if they got rid of both the 15yr head coach and the 13yr GM
momageryunaa: but if i was one of your AGMs and wanted a raise and a promotion next year i’d definitely be Paying Attention
allieallieoxenfree: Shane Hollander I hope you are on a beach somewhere holding a cocktail with the tiniest umbrella in it
SportsIllustrated✅ | Dalhousie, Québec
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, both in shorts and linen button down shirts, stroll along a pebble beach. Hollander is wearing his sunglasses, but Rozanov’s are tucked into where his shirt is unbuttoned to the fourth button. An adorable lighthouse stands on a rocky outcropping in the background. Overlaid on the bottom half of the image is text reading: “They have had an unprecedented year changing the NHL. What’s next for Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov?”]
Caption SportsIllustrated✅: Last November, Ottawa Centaurs Captain Ilya Rozanov C and his husband and teammate Shane Hollander C went on Cassie Archer and Luna Preston‘s podcast @GayGirlsGoalsPodcast to clear the air on their eleven-year love story, and what it means for the NHL. Sports Illustrated had Cassie and Luna catch up with the Stanley Cup Winners to reflect back on the year since. Link to full story in bio.
lunapreston✅: Just so everyone knows, SI reached out to interview Hollander and Rozanov, and they said they’d only do it if SI had me and Cassie do the interview. These are guys who lift as they climb.
uhhmeliuhh: how is it that we keep hearing the sweetest things about these two i swear to god
serafinacallais: guys omg “‘For a long time all I ever wanted to do was play hockey,’ Hollander says, gazing out over the water. ‘Ilya showed me that I could want more than that.’”
maddiemoooo: I feel like that lady in “when harry met sally” like “i’ll have what she’s having”
marie_chan_78: “Rozanov continues, ‘When we -- the league, the players, the coaching staff, whoever -- have only a certain idea of who can be a hockey player, it’s not just exclusionary and discriminatory. It is also bad for the sport. We keep talented people out, and so the game loses the chance to improve. Don’t you want as many talented players, with as many different experiences as possible, on your ice? On your rosters? In your rooms? Don’t we all want to be pushed to be better?’”
marie_chan_78: i love him SO MUCH UR HONOUR THAT’S MY CAPTAIN
hasansingh234: One of those ideas that we all know but sometimes needs to be spelled out for… some people.
allieallieoxenfree: LMAOOOO close enough to a tiny umbrella cocktail beach I’ll take it
MontréalVoyageurs✅ | Montréal, Québec
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: A white man stares directly to camera, his face stoic and inscrutable. He wears a Voyageurs staff polo shirt, and has a no-nonsense haircut. His arms are folded across his chest. Text in Voyageurs blue overlays the bottom half of the image: “The Voyageurs welcome Michael Hill as our new Head Coach.”]
Caption: MontréalVoyageurs✅ We are proud to welcome Michael Hill as our new Head Coach. Prior to coming to Montréal, Hill was an Assistant Coach with the San Jose Sharks. He retired as a Left Wing skater with the Edmonton Oilers after a storied ten-year career.
alexschofield987: huh. Okay.
tricia.sandoval: i guess Brandon Wiebe was a rookie coach
montrealjennie: there’s no way they can all be brandon wiebe.
izzylevesque: genuine question did they pull a guy form the SF bay area bc they have gay people there
allieallieoxenfree: they got gay people in montreal and that didn’t seem to help
maddiemoooo: wait how did san jose even do this year i wasn’t paying any attention to the western conference
Izzylevesque: They went 32-37-13
maddiemoooo: how is that so bad and still better than the voyageurs record
pritiramamurthy: so is desjardins gonna let him actually clean house
NHLTradeTracker ✅| Montréal, Québec
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Text on screen presented graphically in the NHL branding. The heading reads, “Trade Announcements: Montreal Voyageurs” over a series of bullet points:
- Gilbert Comeau RW: Traded to Tampa Bay for 5th and 6th round draft picks.
- Paul Gagnon C: Traded to Dallas for 4th, 5th, and 7th round draft picks
- Karl Olsson LW: Traded to Vegas for 3rd and 4th round draft picks
- Harrison Roy D: Three way trade: Roy to Vegas, Sam Kessler RW to San Jose, 3rd and 4th round draft picks to Montreal.
- Patrice Drapeau G: Traded to Chicago for AHL prospect Clay Tillis G and 4th round draft pick.]
Caption: NHLTradeTracker ✅: Heavy trade day for Montreal Voyageurs.
cassandraarcher96✅: Hearing that the culling at Montreal isn’t over yet; Stedlund, Andropov, Couillard, Wilson, and Berkes all apparently being shopped around, but this list represents the players the owners wanted to get rid of the most, and they want those draft picks bad.
shiv-ohn: ok is it just me or are some of these guys going suuuuper undervalued? Like if I was Drapeau in particular I’d be offended.
alexschofield987: yeah most of them were there for at least two of the Hollander Stanley Cups.
montrealjennie: that’s the thing isn’t it. They were the hollander stanley cups.
hollanova69: idk if Olsson is going undervalued. What did he do this year other than get swung on by a rookie that one time.
hollanova69: ok michael hill go off king
printsessasofia: Damn trading your captain is fucking cold
printsessasofia: to be clear he deserves it this is just ruthless
tricia.sandoval: u luv 2 see it
montrealjennie: Good. Get them tf out of here. We can handle a couple of rebuilding years if it means we don’t have raging homophobes on the team.
Matty589: Isn’t it more important that we play good hockey?
izzylevesque: well it’s not like they were doing that either.
hayden34pike✅ | CN Sports Complex
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Hayden Pike and JJ Boiziau stand side by side on the ice. They are wearing the pants from their practice kits, but their jerseys are in the home game colors. Hayden’s bears the C on his chest, and JJ’s the A. They are both smiling at the camera, looking determined.]
Caption hayden34pike✅Honored to serve as Captain of the Montreal Voyageurs this year, especially alongside my buddy JJ. We’re going to build the team that this city deserves.
jeanjacquesboiziau✅: Let’s get it, Montreal.
montrealjennie: Ok yes this feels good this feels hopeful.
shiv-ohn: lmao turning to shane’s best friends and being like “fix it please”
shanehollanderhockey✅: Congratulations, guys. Proud of you both.
hayden34pike✅: Thanks, Cap
jeanjacquesboiziau✅: Thank you, Capitaine.
RoseLandryOfficial ✅| 🎶 “Sunlight,” Hozier
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Rose Landry, along with a few fellow Hollywood A-Listers, stand alongside several people employed as crew members, stage hands, hair and makeup artists, and animators. Rose and the other actors are wearing SAG-AFTRA t-shirts and baseball caps, while the crew members wear IATSE t-shirts and baseball caps. They are all on the sidewalk in front of the main offices for Universal Pictures. Many of them have their fists raised in the air.]
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Rose Landry’s first SAG-AFTRA membership card, issued to her after her work on Little Girl Lost when she was eight years old.]
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Rose Landry posing for a photo with Fran Drescher, President of SAG-AFTRA, at the 2022 SAG-AFTRA awards. Both are in formal gowns.]
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Rose, her boyfriend Darren, and Shane Hollander sitting around the fire pit and smiling at the camera at the Hollander-Rozanov Lanaudière cottage.]
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: A two-on-two game of sewer ball on the grass by the patio at the Hollander-Rozanov cottage. Ilya is playing with Rose, while Shane is playing with Svetlana Vetrova. Ilya is reaching out to stop Rose from tripping as Shane and Svetlana laugh. Anya Hollander-Rozanova is also chasing the ball. Olga Hollander-Rozanova can’t quite keep up but looks happy to be there nonetheless]
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Svetlana Vetrova and another woman sit side-by-side at the end of the dock at the Hollander-Rozanov cottage. Twilight has fallen. The unknown woman, whose black hair is styled in a pixie cut, and Sveta both have their backs to the camera, but Sveta is hugging the woman’s arm while peeking over her shoulder to smile at whoever is taking the photo.]
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Rose sitting on the floor of cottage’s kitchen, cuddling Olga close as Olga licks her face.]
Caption RoseLandryOfficial ✅: Happy Labor Day Weekend! I’ve been a proud labor union member since I was eight years old, and have been so grateful for the protection, advocacy, and solidarity of SAG-AFTRA and our fellow entertainment industry unions for my whole career. Congratulations to my friends and colleagues in IATSE for your successful strike authorization vote in October 2021, and congratulations on the settlement you reached with the studios earlier this year! Thankful to unions always, but especially when they get me a long weekend off to visit my loves 💛🖤
ilyarozanov81✅: You are very bad at sewer ball
RoseLandryOfficial ✅: It’s not a real game who cares
ilyarozanov81✅: me. I care. We lost to Hollander and Sveta because of you.
shanehollanderhockey✅: Should be used to losing to me by now
RoseLandryOfficial ✅: you guys scared darren with this shit i had to explain that it was flirting
HarryHolmbergHockey✅ | Canadian Tire Centre | 🎶 “...Ready for It?” Taylor Swift
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Leaning against the wall in the public lobby of the Canadian Tire Centre, clearly waiting to be mounted, is a framed poster-sized reproduction of the Front page of The Ottawa Citizen from the morning after Game Five of the Stanley Cup finals. The headline reads “Ottawa Centaurs Bring Stanley Cup Home for the First Time in Franchise History,” over a photograph of Ilya Rozanov, home kit jersey soaked in sweat, helmet and gloves removed, beaming as he hoists the Stanley Cup over his head on the ice of the Canadian Tire Centre. Kneeling in front of it, hands pressed together as if in prayer as they glare at the camera, are Harry Holmberg, Jack LaPointe, Blake Young, and Luca Haas. LP’s baseball cap is on backwards and Young’s sunglasses are on despite the fact that they are all indoors.]
Caption: HarryHolmbergHockey✅: r u ready 4 it?
blakeyoung55✅: BABY LET THE GAMES BEGIN
CentaursOfficial✅ | Ottawa, Ontario
[PHOTO DESCRIPTION: From left to right, Zane Boodram, Ilya Rozanov, and Shane Hollander stand in the home locker room of the Bell Sensplex. They are wearing workout clothes, but over them, have the black and red jerseys of their home game kits. Ilya’s jersey has the C over his heart, and Bood’s and Shane’s both have the A in the corresponding spot. Bood’s tongue is sticking out the side of his mouth as he holds up his right hand in a ‘rock on’ gesture. Ilya is beaming wide, his laugh lines deep and cheeks round, right arm draped around Bood’s shoulder and left hand buried in Shane’s hair. Shane’s smile is small and proud, his left hand pulling the shoulder of his jersey taut so the A is fully visible.]
Caption: CentaursOfficial✅ Just making it official. Welcome to the leadership team, Alternate Captain Shane Hollander! See you soon at Training Camp!
blakeyoung55✅: BABY LET THE GAMES BEGIN LET THE GAMES BEGIN LET THE GAMES BEGIN
September, Bell Sensplex
“Okay, training camp, listen up,” Bood called out, his voice echoing across the ice. The rookies and AHL callups shuffled into silence, staring at him, expressions on their faces ranging from thrilled to terrified. The veteran players hung back at the edges of the group. “We are playing a split squad scrimmage. You have all been split into two teams, by me. Half of you get to be with Hollander, and the other half are with Rozanov. We are not picking teams one at a time, this isn’t fucking kickball. I split you up based on my own preferences and for my own entertainment.” Laughter rippled through the group, almost covering the squeak of blades on ice as the guys shifted their weight nervously.
Ilya craned his neck to look past Bood at Shane, where he stood a few feet away on the ice. Their practice jerseys didn’t bear the leadership letters on the chests, but Ilya could see it in the way Shane carried himself. Posture straight, but shoulders relaxed, his stick held casually to his side. Shane must have felt Ilya’s gaze, because he looked up, meeting his eyes and smiling softly.
“I’m gonna announce the teams, and then your captains are gonna tell you what position you’re playing. You may not get your own position. Roz and Hollzy might want to see you play something else. You may have noticed that this team now has a reputation for playing fast and loose with player positions; get used to it.” Bood raised his eyebrows and waited for an assenting murmur to go up from the crowd of new kids. “Okay, Hollander first --”
“Why him first?” Ilya cut in, just because he could.
Bood raised his eyebrows. “Because he doesn’t interrupt me, Cap.” Ilya made a show of rolling his eyes at the ensuing laughter. “Hollander, you get Barrett, LaPointe, Dykstra, Dillon, Hayes, Elliott, Singh, Rogers, and Ahmad. Roz, you get Haas, Holmberg, Chouinard, Boyle, Young, Brooks, Sullivan, Matthews, and Lin. If you didn’t hear your name, you’re playing next scrimmage. Go find your team or go to the stands with the coaching staff.”
“Okay, c’mere, c’mere, c’mere,” Ilya said, loudly, slowly skating backwards so his team wouldn’t crowd Shane’s. “Listen up. I will assign you positions in a minute, but first things first -- we have to beat Hollander, yes? He won Hart MVP a few weeks ago, and it’s made him cocky --”
“What about your Conn Smythe?”
Ilya glared at Luca, who was grinning. Little shit. “Yes, but Haas, I am grateful and humble in my victory, okay? If you can’t remember that I can just send you to Hollander’s team. But anyway, it is important to my honor that we do not let Hollander win.”
“I thought they were married,” Ilya heard Matthews, one of the AHL prospects, whisper to his buddy Sullivan.
“They are,” muttered Holmberg from his spot beside them. “This is just what they’re like.”
Ilya pretended not to hear the exchange, even as he felt himself grin wide. “Listen. I want Lin and Matthews with me on the first line -- Lin, your usual position is right wing, yes? Play that, let’s see how you do, and Matthews, you’re left. Then defending I want Sullivan with Chouinard, and Brooks, you’re in the net. I know this is just a scrimmage, but listen, this is critically important. If we do not beat Hollander, you are all going back to the AHL. Including you,” he added, pointing at the veterans.
Boyle rolled his eyes. “Can we just go to the box if we’re not on shift, or do you want to threaten us for not beating your husband some more?”
“Go, go.” Ilya waved them off. “Keep your eyes open, yes? Be ready to tell me what you see.”
Ilya had his rookies spread out on the ice, taking their positions. He exchanged a quick look with Chouinard, who nodded once, smiling wryly. As Ilya approached the face-off circle, he scanned Shane’s half of the ice, noting that Shane had had the same idea as he had -- both his wingers were rookies, and so were his defenders, because Hayes would be able to keep an eye on them like Chewy was watching Sullivan and Brooks. “Ready to eat shit, Hollander?” he asked, loudly enough for the whole rink to hear him.
“Fuck off.” Shane smiled at Ilya as he took his face-off stance. Ilya mirrored him, tapping his stick on the ice. “Sorry in advance for beating you.”
“Jesus Christ, will you both shut the fuck up?” Bood sighed, taking the referee’s position beside them.
“Nope,” said Shane, glancing up at him, popping the ‘p.’
“This is more fun,” Ilya agreed.
“You’re both so annoying.” Bood held out his hand, suspending the puck over the blue dot. “Try not to kill each other, okay?”
At that, Shane’s eyes found Ilya’s. “We’ll see.”
Ilya rapped his stick against the surface of the ice, gaze tracing Shane’s eyes, his lips. The line of his nose. His freckles.
The puck dropped.