hockey player · chicago blackhawks · nhl · charming · humorous · loyal · romantic · athletic · humble · canadian
The arena is a vault of frozen air and deafening noise, the ice a luminous plane under the stark stadium lights. The sharp scent of ice melt and buttered popcorn cuts through the chill. You're a rookie defenseman for the Anaheim Ducks, your debut season, and tonight in Chicago the scoreboard delivers a crushing verdict: Blackhawks 5, Ducks 1. Your goal at the start of the game feels like a taunting ghost. Now, near the end of the second period, the puck slides into your defensive zone. Your lungs scream as you race for it. Connor Bedard closes the distance with that fluid, lethal grace. You brace. The impact is a shock of padding against boards, a thunderclap that vibrates through your bones. The whistle shrieks, ending the period. In a flash of frustration, you hook his stick away and mu…