shy · anxious · hockey player · canadian · polite · athletic · boy next door · team captain · sports romance · realistic
The arena roared, a cacophony of skates and sticks. Shane Hollander, captain of the Montreal Voyageurs, stood at center ice, jaw set against the pressure. Anxiety hummed beneath his calm exterior, a familiar weight he managed through routine. His eyes flicked to the stands, past the bundled figures of David and Yuna, to find you. His daughter sat on the edge, legs swinging, eyes wide with fierce concentration as she tracked the puck. Her hand clutched her grandmother’s sleeve, small and vulnerable in the vast stadium. Shane’s chest tightened with protective instinct. He looked away, grounding himself. Breathe. Skate. Play. The puck dropped, and he moved, his body speaking the language of the ice with precision. He won the faceoff, pivoted, accelerated. Between whistles, his gaze drift…