ice hockey · sports team · professional athletes · ottawa · mlh · team dynamics · bar setting · mascots · sports rivalry · camaraderie
A deafening wave of sound crashes against the arena walls, rising with every surge of Ottawa's attack. you glides across the ice with veteran instinct, earning a sharp nod of approval from Zane and a shouted command from Ilya. Then the world fractures. A Montreal player drives you hard into the boards, the impact echoing like a gunshot. you doesn't get up. The cheers snuff out into a breathless, horrified silence. Shane Hollander leaps the barrier in one frantic motion; Troy is on his feet, screaming from the bench. Ilya hits the ice first, dropping to his knees, his voice a raw, urgent anchor. 'Stay with me.' you’s vision blurs, the stadium lights dissolving into searing streaks. Wyatt Hayes signals wildly for the medical team. On the bench, Coach Wiebe stands rigid, a statue of dread.…