#this has sidney crosby energy
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there he is… supporting women’s basketball
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Decisions, Decisions | Sidney Crosby
summary: you begin to prepare for the birth of your baby and the chaos that ensues when Sidney learns about his child.
request: yes/no
warnings: swearing, legal age gap (reader is 23!)
word count: 3.32k
authors note: Luna told me to carry this story on so I did. I decided to make it into a three part series as I don’t know how to end this off (so let me know what you want to see) but I didn’t want this part to get too long. Regular italics are flashbacks and these bold indented lines are how many weeks pregnant the reader is.
previous part | final part
It had been three weeks since you learnt you were pregnant.
10 weeks
You felt sick most mornings but he never noticed.
Sidney played oblivious to the fact that he had slept with you acting like that night had never happened.
Your belly has started to grow but it still wasn’t noticeable “you know peanut the size of a prune?” Connor laughed as he had been reading up about his future niece or nephew “I’d like peanut to let me keep my breakfast down.” You pointed out looking at your brother on the FaceTime call.
Connor had to admit that his heart broke for you going through his alone “he should know.” The hockey player pointed out hinting to the father of your baby.
It made you roll your eyes “until he talks to me I’m not telling him anything.” You mumbled fiddling with the end of your shirt.
The minute you learnt about the pregnancy you called Connor “hey I can’t really-“ he cut himself off the second he heard the sound of you crying “you okay?” Connor asked quickly growing alarmed.
You could barely breathe “I’m pregnant Con,” you announced feeling yourself growing sick at the realisation of what was happening.
Thankfully your brother was there to calm you down “he doesn’t know,” you added hyperventilating as your eyes went wide “who are you talking about?” Connor sat on his bed as he didn’t think you were with anyone at that moment.
“Sidney fucking Crosby.”
20 weeks
You were able to keep Sidney unaware of your baby as you had opted for wearing large sweaters which nobody cared about as it was December.
Sidney had stopped arguing with you as much as he picked up that something was off when you lost the energy to fight him “do you want to know the gender?” Your OB asked as she was staring at the ultrasound screen.
The older woman had a soft spot for you after you let it slip that the baby daddy didn’t know about his child “yes-no-maybe?” You shrugged watching the screen as you didn’t know what you wanted “yes, yes I do.” You finally settling on an answer.
She laughed taking the pictures for you “you are the proud mother to a baby girl,” she announced as you thought you’d be happy to hear that, you dreamed of having a daughter since you were young.
But now that it was a reality you couldn’t help but grow nervous thinking about her not knowing her father.
Surely this was going to be the push that you needed to tell Sidney the truth.
25 weeks
The day had finally arrived, not for you to give birth, but for the rematch against the Blackhawks. This time in Chicago.
You begged Connor to keep his mouth shut but as you watched him cross check Sidney, you knew your request had fallen on deaf ears.
Connor practically had smoke coming out of his ears he was so angry “should have kept your dick in your fucking pants.” He spat as he shoved his finger into the older man’s chest.
Sidney wanted to laugh as the rookie took him on “your sister tell you about everyone she sleeps with?” Sure Sidney knew that you were close to your brother but surely this crossed a line.
The Blackhawks player sucked at his teeth “she tells me about the ones who don’t step up.” Connor pointed out as he hit the older players shoulder before he skated off “what the hell is he talking about?” Sidney muttered to himself as he locked eyes with you on the bench.
He was definitely going to talk to you about it now.
From the moment the game ended you were trying to avoid Sidney, that worked until you got back to the hotel “y/n wait!” The Canadian called out as he saw you walking to your room.
Your legs tried to move faster as you tried to hold onto your notebooks that were in your hand “hey!” Sidney grumbled as he grabbed your hand spinning you around in the process.
The books slipped from your hand landing on the ground with your favourite ultrasound picture sliding right in front of Sidney’s feet.
You felt your heart drop as the boy leaned down to pick it up “is it mine?” His voice was soft as he looked up to see that the colour had drained from your face.
Sidney would have been panicking but this was like the final piece of the puzzle of the words that Connor had put into his head “Sid-” you sighed looking down at the ground “is this child fucking mine y/n!” The hockey player raised his voice causing you to step back with tears welling in your eyes.
Part of you felt like you needed to sit down “if you’re asking if it’s from that night then yes.” You mumbled as you nodded letting your hand slip under your sweater as you felt a kick.
Peanut had been enjoying her active moments during her fathers hockey games “and you didn’t think it was important to tell me?” Sidney let out a dry laugh as he ran his fingers down his jaw.
It was surprising that nobody was seen in the hall as you two had this conversation “you didn’t exactly make it sound like wanted to know about it.” You pointed out as you tucked your hair behind your ears.
The morning after you woke up to an empty bed, actually an empty apartment.
Sidney had slipped out whilst you were fast asleep “sorry y/n,” he mumbled pressing a kiss to your forehead.
There were no two ways about it, Sidney felt disgusting thinking about what he had done. You were this young beautiful girl who had her whole life ahead of her but here he was trying to screw it up. He thought you were beautiful, the kind of girl his parents would want him to bring home. Most of all he loved how you spoke to him, no girl that he’d ever met had that sent him back the shit that he gave you.
Four months ago when his mom came to town and finally got the chance to meet you it took her four minutes to realise that her son was in love with you.
And that was the reason he left. Sidney told himself he that he was doing the best thing for you, because deep down inside if he continued to tell himself that the life of a bachelor was for him then maybe he’d forget about you.
But that wasn’t what went through your mind as you were left hurt with no sign of life from the older boy.
Your pride got in the way and stopped you from ever asking him why he left you that night.
Sidney’s eyes pierced your soul as he contemplated telling you why he left “I had a right to know about this child,” he pointed out crossing his arms.
You scoffed as you rolled your eyes “just like I had a right to know where you were in the morning?” Your words hit him like a slap in his face.
When he remained silent you nodded pushing past him “look I don’t expect you to understand this or be on board.” You announced trying to be mature about the fact that you were growing his child in your belly “but I’ve survived this far and your daughter doesn’t need you if you’re going to not really give a shit about you.” You added tapping his shoulder as you watched him stare at the ultrasound picture in his hand.
With that you decided to leave him as you walked to away “daughter?” Sidney furrowed his eyebrows letting his thumb rub over the image of the baby “you’re gonna be a girl dad.” You nodded leaving him alone in the hall.
Tears formed in his eyes as he realised what his actions had meant for him.
Sidney was going to have to change things quickly.
26 weeks
Sidney sat in the cafe as he patiently waited for you to arrive “hey y/n,” he was clearly nervous as he saw you walk in.
You were wearing your new favourite sweater that had PITTSBURGH printed out in big bold yellow letters on the grey material “hi,” you mumbled awkwardly standing there as he clearly going for a hug “what did you want to talk about?” You asked sitting down in your seat.
He took in how gorgeous you looked even with no makeup on and your day five hair in a messy bun “look I want to be apart of our child’s life.” Sidney confessed softly not wanting possible fans from around him to hear what he had to say.
Your eyes went down to the menu “c’mon y/n I deserve a chance.” The hockey player reached out to place his hand on yours “how do I know you’re not going to leave one day when shit gets too hard?” You placed your hands on your lap still clearly hurt about what he had done all those months ago.
It had made you feel stupid offering your body up to someone in the way you had done for him only to then watch him leave before the sun came up “all I’m asking for is a second chance.” Sidney pleaded as he let his hands wrap around his coffee cup.
Connor’s voice was in your head reminding you of the fact that you were scared to do this alone “one chance, you fuck it up and you’re out Crosby.” Your warning reminded him that you were mad at him and that despite there being a child inside of you it wasn’t going to make everything okay.
“I won’t let you down Bedard.”
“I’m not the one you should be promising that to.”
28 weeks
Now almost everyone knew about your baby after one of the rookies saw you in nothing more than a vest and leggings when he walked into your office unannounced and let it slip to the rest of the team. The comments and questions were quickly shut down when Sidney threatened them all with extra laps, which of course you greatly appreciated.
But that didn’t matter as you were sat in the doctors office alone staring at the forms that you had to fill in “sorry I’m late,” Sidney’s loud entrance caused all of the expecting fathers in the waiting room jaws to drop.
He sat in the seat next to you as he placed his hand on your knee “I started thinking that you weren’t going to come.” You confessed drawing a smile from his lips “you lack faith in me y/n,” you wanted to hit him but you couldn’t when your doctor stuck her head out of her office “nice to see that the dad is joining us.” She sent you a wink as you walked into her office.
Sidney felt like a nervous wreck as he watched you pull your sweater over your belly “you’ve seen a whole lot more of me before Sid.” You pointed out sending him a smile which quickly left your face as the cold gel hit your stomach “felt that before y/n,” Sidney matched your teasing tone as you stuck your tongue out at him.
Your OB laughed as she watched the interaction between you two “want to see how peanut is doing?” She asked pulling your attention away from the boy in front of you.
The hockey player raised his eyebrows “peanut?” He cocked his head “hey you weren’t ever when I voted-” you were cut off when your baby popped up onto the screen.
“Peanut is perfect.”
30 weeks
Sidney had spent the last two weeks learning all about your child as he watched you begin nesting “should we get both?” Sidney asked holding up two different car seats.
A laugh left your lips as you shook your head “she does not need two car seats or two strollers.” You crossed your arms feeling like his wealth was truly showing.
The boy placed the box back on the stand “peanut deserves whatever she wants,” he pointed out as he made you laugh again “our daughter is gonna wrap you around her finger so tight it’s gonna hurt.” You smiled as you placed your hand on his shoulder looking at the one stroller you preferred more “peanut should get this one.” You added pointing at it.
He nodded picking the box up as he followed you to the next section “her and her mom already do,” Sidney mumbled to himself as he referred to your earlier comment.
You spun around furrowing your eyebrows “you say something?” You asked causing his eyes to go wide “nope.” Sidney was quick to shake his head desperately hoping that you didn’t hear what he said.
31 weeks
The last six weeks were spent for Sidney trying to win you back “I’m just asking for one meal!” Sidney complained as he had been trying to persuade you to go to dinner with him for the last fifteen minutes “look Sid the last thing I want is to wear some uncomfortable shoes and try to fit into a dress that would have fit me pre peanut.” You pointed out as you knew what the hockey player would plan.
It made the boy frown “what do you want to do then?” He asked wondering if that was how low you thought of him.
You pursed your lips together as you thought about it “pizza and a movie.” You also wanted a bubble bath but that didn’t feel like something that you should mention to Sidney especially after the last time he saw you naked you ended up with a baby in your belly.
It didn’t even take him a minute before he nodded “you got yourself a deal Bedard,” Sidney had to admit that it sounded peaceful having a movie night with you before little peanut was born.
31 weeks
Sidney walked into your apartment with a smile as he held the three boxes of pizza “didn’t know which one you wanted so I went with your favourites.” He explained as he placed the white boxes on the table “you don’t know my favourite pizza Crosby,” you pointed out knowing that it was not going to be something he’d just pick up on.
Instead the boy smirked “got Hawaiian because you’ve been craving pineapple, margarita because of your cheese craving, and pepperoni because who doesn’t like pepperoni?” Sidney looked proud of himself as he turned around to see that you were staring at him in awe “what?” He furrowed his eyebrows when you kept silent.
Surely it had to be the pregnancy hormones that made you think he was kissable in that moment “nothing,” you shook your head deciding to go for a piece of pizza instead as you hoped it would make your brain forget about the boy who stood next to you.
32 weeks
The moment Sidney’s parents learnt that they were going to be grandparents they were on the next flight into Pittsburgh “your mom already loves me Sid,” you reminded him as you watched the Canadian wipe his palms on his pants “I’m worried about what she’s gonna do to me.” Sidney mumbled feeling like he was going to throw up.
You sighed turning to let your whole body face him “look we have survived this long acting like we have it together so let’s just continue doing that?” You proposed as you wrapped your hands around his hoping that it would calm his nerves.
Sidney blinked his eyes as he thought about kissing you “right that was probably stupid of me to even suggest that.” You mumbled quickly retracting your hands as your eyes went wide.
He was quick to act as he hooked his fingers under your jaw bringing his lips to your own. At first you were shocked that he kissed you but then instead you just melted into the kiss groaning as his tongue slid across your lower lip “we’re here!” Sidney’s mother called out causing the two of you to jump away from each other.
Well that was a conversation for another day.
33 weeks
To say you were irritated was putting it lightly.
Alex had called you at almost midnight saying that Sidney was drunk at some bar flirting with a girl. The blonde had picked up on the car rides you were taking with Sidney as he took you to your doctor appointments, he knew Sidney was the father of your baby and he didn’t even have to ask “he’s back there.” The reason why he had called you was because Alex didn’t want Sidney screwing up the relationship that he had with you “Sidney!” You grumbled ready to hit him.
Your were in your leggings and some old training camp shirt that Sidney had given you “hey baby,” the boy smiled as he held his arms out so that he could hug you.
What he didn’t expect was that you’d reach out to slap him instead “I’ll let you deal with him,” the girl mumbled shaking her head as she left figuring that there were easier battles to fight than one that involved the pregnant woman.
The boy poured his lips as he cupped his cheek where you had hit him “what was that for?” He asked letting out a gasp as you pulled him through the crowd of people to the door “can you please grow up Sidney?” You begged wanting to have this conversation with a sober Sidney.
That seemed to do the trick as he nodded finally realising how sore his cheek was “you’ve got a hit on you Bedard,” he complained feeling his jaw throb.
You crossed your arms “what the hell was that Sid?” You asked as tears formed in your eyes.
Tonight you should’ve been watching reruns of the bachelor, not trying to deal with your drunken baby daddy “just wanted to have a fun night before the baby came,” Sidney confessed not seeing how stupid he sounded.
It took everything in you not to hit him for a second time that night “you don’t get to do things like that anymore,” you shook your head feeling like the biggest idiot in the world “to think that I thought you’d actually want me too.” You let out a laugh as tears formed in your eyes.
Sidney’s expressions softened “y/n,” he reached out to grab your hand but you were quick to pull away.
All of those memories preparing for peanuts arrival, the moments shopping, trying to build her crib together, seeing her little body grow in each scan, the way you’d grab Sidney’s hand and place it in your belly the second she kicked, all felt like they were getting thrown down the drain in that very moment.
So with all of the respect that you had left for yourself you tucked your hair behind your ears “I’m going to go and stay with my parents for a bit,” you had mentioned before that you wanted to go up to your families lake house before Peanut was born so that you could get some time in the sun beforehand.
Sidney nodded “thought you wanted me to come with you.” You had offered to bring him along as everyone was desperate to meet the man who your child was going to call her father.
You sniffled as you shook your head feeling a tear roll down your cheek “figure your shit out and when you do you know where to find me.” Your words weren’t nearly as harsh as they could have been when you placed a kiss on his cheek before you walked off leaving Sidney all alone on the street.
For some reason this really felt like he had fucked up this time.
#crosby x bedard sister!#Sidney Crosby imagines#Sidney Crosby x reader #sidney crosby#Sidney Crosby x!dad#hockey imagine#hockey imagines#oneshots#imagines#nhl imagine#nhl oneshot#amber writes fics
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What's the secret to Sidney Crosby's success?
Always eat a strawberry PB&J on game day… and have unwavering dedication, unparalleled work ethic, and exceptional talent.
With Sidney Crosby appearing in his 1,200th NHL contest on Saturday in San Jose, I wanted to ask how his game-day routine has evolved in the years since that first one to help keep him playing at such an elite level.
Because as Mike Sullivan said, that’s not an easy thing to do – and it's a testament to Crosby’s drive, his will to win, his desire to be the best, and his willingness to put the time in and make the sacrifices so that he can continue to sustain that type of play.
At first, Crosby laughed good-naturedly – because we all know how superstitious and routine-based the captain is – and half-joked that there might not be much there. Most of it has stayed the same, particularly his on-ice warmup routine heading into puck drop. "Whether it’s preparing for a game or just a typical game day, (my routines) just allow me to feel good about going out there and doing what I need to do," he said.
But there has been a tweak here and there to the captain’s preparations now that he’s 36, particularly when it comes to what he does in the mornings. Unless the Penguins have the day off before a game, the morning skate is always optional – and in recent years, Crosby has chosen to stay off the ice.
“You look to conserve that energy a little bit more,” he said. “As much as I like getting on the ice in the morning, it’s good if you can just take that opportunity to do other things and still get a little bit of sweat – get ready for the night, but still conserve some energy at the same time. It's always a balancing act.”
Instead of skating, Crosby will take his stick and gloves and find a quiet area of the rink to do some solo stickhandling, which helps him loosen up a bit. He’ll also take part in the first soccer game of the day with Bryan Rust, Jake Guentzel, Erik Karlsson, Marcus Pettersson, and Rickard Rakell. Sometimes, Noel Acciari will join them, depending on if they do 3-on-3 or 2-on-2.
“We’re just kicking it around, but it can get pretty intense,” Crosby said before adding with a grin, “Sometimes, I wonder if I expend more energy in soccer than I would in morning skate. It just depends on the day, maybe.”
After grabbing lunch to go, when he gets home in the afternoons, Crosby’s nap has gotten shorter as he’s gotten older. “I used to sleep like, two and a half hours when I was younger. But a little harder to do that now,” he smiled. But Crosby still isn’t a big coffee drinker, since natural adrenaline gets the job done when it comes to waking up. “I feel like I get pretty amped up, so I don't need that. I’ve had some caffeine before, and I don’t think it’s good for me,” Crosby laughed.
When it comes to the food Crosby fuels himself with, on a game day the players have the same menu available to them both at home and on the road for their breakfast, lunch, and pregame meal/snack, so he sticks to his routine for those … down to the strawberry PB&J that HBO filmed him making during their 24/7 Penguins/Capitals Road to the Winter Classic series.
But Crosby doesn’t eat as much steak the night before games compared to his early years in the league, especially on the road. “That changed a little bit. Other than that, as long as it's somewhat healthy, I just try to make sure I get a good meal,” Crosby said.
There’s obviously a lot more that goes on behind the scenes, both inside and outside of a game day, that Crosby does to set himself up for success.
“All the subtle things he does – for me, that's the most impressive aspect of his overall body of work. A lot of it goes unseen,” Sulivan said. “That's why I've always said on so many occasions that it's not by accident this guy's as good as he is. Yeah, he's talented, he's gifted, and all of those things, but he maximizes every opportunity that he has to be at his best. I think that commitment, in my experience of being around the game, has been unmatched by any other player I've seen.”
And that’s because Crosby’s passion for the sport is something else that’s remained the same.
“I love it just as much as I did Game 1,” he said. “It’s a lot of hockey, and just grateful I’ve been able to play this long.”
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every few days i see hockey(?) liveblogs from you (I enjoy the enthusiasm even if i have no idea whats going on). What are the main teams you're following? is it just hockey?
this is so sweet, thank you for the support even if youre a little lost! it is just hockey! but i got plans to get into baseball when it starts in february (go pirates and cubs!) but a little too wordy vomit under the cut about my teams :)
my top team is pittsburgh penguins. for better or worse (and usually worse)—i will be there for every game and saying we're so back after one score when we're down by 5. i will defend them until my last breath, theyre the team ill always put on when having to choose between which ones are currently on. its not a hockey team, its sidney crosby building an ice family with his 5 and counting partners and being known for his banana bread and kind heart and fat ass while literally being the inspiration for over half the players in the nhl because hes been wonderful since he was a rookie. its 18 years of love and friendship despite the odds and how theyre so open in loving and supporting their teammates while hockey culture is filled with toxic masculinity. its the narrative loving and hating us, its sidney being gods most loveable and tortured lamb, its geno whos hilarious and dramatic with a heart of gold, its tanger and his greasy hair, its the babygirlifying grown men AND rooting for the old underdog who are in the 4th spot for the playoffs in their metro area despite our powerplay being a joke and our star players ages (late thirties isnt old by any account but for a high energy physical contact sport?? average retirement is 25-30 instead while 13 of our guys is 30+ and playing some of their best hockey)
after that i really like the leafs despite them being the leafs! theyre a blast to watch (sometimes) and theyre a big third period game, for better or worse. so its always exciting (sometimes unfortunately)! auston matthews is my top favorite from them, hes absolutely remarkable and doesnt get the credit and appreciation he deserves. but i also love the other players, mo, willy, and mitch all especially have a place in my heart :) third fav tosses around with who i can catch a game from most to be honest since a lot of times they overlap too much. im fond of the wild because their goaltender (flower!) was ours for forever. kraken is a blast and has lots of old penguin players too. avalanche is fun to root for when ive seen some games :) im less familiar with all of them but hockey is a fun sport to just throw yourself into and learn as you go so its never been an issue!!
teams i hate is anyone who won against my special guys in the last month tbh HFIFJ but i REALLY hate the chicago team, flyers, and vegas knights. chicago is.... a lot of bad shit off ice and has so many controversies—from their name and jerseys to players being abusive and cover-ups of sexual assault from coaches. just hate them and anytime i see those jerseys and remember theyre allowed while flower was threatened with a lawsuit if he wore his helmet (was designed specially by an indigenous artist to honor flower's indigenous wife and their kids during native american heritage month).... god i just get too pissed, theyre number one for who i despise. flyers are the biggest rivals to the penguins so it makes more sense (but also fuck the capitals and canes for personal grievances. also still mad at the canucks) vegas golden knights just annoys me so much with how theyre still calling themselves the misfits and i associate them with flower leaving so!!!
sorry for the little. word vomit lol but !!! if you ever want to get into hockey, please dm me! im no expert by any means and i know me throwing names out there is intimidating but i promise its fun once you get into it and you dont need to know much to just start watching! for me its great to have something to look forward to every week and watch something happen as it actually happens and liveblog—it kinda feels more like a loose community experience that i never got because of my health issues and disability! its also just fun to be dramatic (screaming its so over when scored on /celebrating a goal) over something thats kinda... not that important. (important for the players and fans ofc but it doesn't change anything in MY daily life outside of how i feel which is refreshing!) sports in general kinda encourage those big emotional responses and it can be great catharsis and silly if you let it be :) and the fan community here can be so welcoming if you just fully ignore twitter and the straight white angry men on it <3
come look at gifs of people calling a 36 year old babygirl and the excitement of a goal celly. come watch funny videos and clips and at how *our* captain wore tiny little shorts and a white shirt to get dunked in a water tank for charity. come and slowly learn how much shit the players put up with as rookies and have the happiness of hindsight at what happiness their futures would hold and why me saying 18 years of love and friendship despite the odds is so big because thats genuinely so rare (only 127 retired players in all of nhl history has accomplished this). come get emotional at poetry over getty images hockey pictures and relish in the delight that is finding art everywhere you go. come see people say that sidney needs to get knotted up and mpreg debates in who will abort that thang or not. take my hand and become a hockey fan, i prommy its not scary—not even during the 'who the fuck is this' stage <33
#oooohhh you want to be a fan of the pittsburgh penguins retirement home so bad......#like im obviously biased for my reference and i became a fan at such a fun time (the west coast road trip that turnt the season around)#but even for a loss its so fun to be part of. genuinely one of my favorite things in the world is that ive set at least 2 hours every other#day to just sit down and engross myself in something i love and look forward to its genuinely one of my biggest acts of self care :3
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NHL99: Sidney Crosby, icon of his era, never strays from his greater mission
It was 2016 in Minnesota and an aggravated coach Mike Sullivan was searching for the captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins following a loss to the Wild. Sullivan needed to speak with Sidney Crosby and was walking briskly on the event level of Xcel Energy Center.
Then, he stopped in his tracks.
Around the corner outside of the Penguins’ locker room, Crosby, minus his jersey but otherwise still wearing his equipment, was sitting on the floor. Speaking with a child in a wheelchair, Crosby sat so that he could better make eye contact. He often does this. Sullivan executed a U-turn while his captain sat with the child for 20 minutes, a scene that unfolds countless times across North America every season.
Thousands upon thousands of people have flocked to arenas for decades to watch Crosby play hockey since he was a boy. Crosby’s greater mission, though, has always been to comfort the sick and unlucky among us with an uncommon grace and thoughtfulness that is uniquely his own.
“There’s never been anyone like him before,” former Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said. “And there will never be anyone like him after.”
The widely held belief that the world of professional sports doesn’t showcase any authentic role models is inaccurate so long as Sidney Patrick Crosby walks among us.
“You always hear that saying,” Bobby Orr said. “You know, that so and so is a better person than he is a player. Well, the great thing about Sid is, he’s one of the five greatest players in history. There’s no question about that. But he actually is a better person than he is a player. Now, think about that. I love him.”
At 35, Crosby is the hockey chief of the world, and he lands at No. 4 on The Athletic’s list of the greatest players of the modern era of the NHL. He has won three Stanley Cup championships, two Olympic gold medals, has registered 541 goals, 1,469 points and, quite remarkably, has lived up to every bit of the hype. His legacy is perfectly safe. He simply keeps going at this stage because he loves hockey and is obsessed with winning. Mike Babcock once called him a “serial winner,” which is the perfect description of Crosby. On and off the ice.
On the ice, he is a living legend. The massive legs, the impenetrable ability to protect the puck, the greatest backhand ever, the cannon-like burst of speed through the neutral zone, the rare playmaking ability, the tenacity, the intelligence, the determination, the precociousness as a teenager, the longevity as a thirty-something and the ability to score goals on hockey’s biggest stage are all indelible trademarks of his greatness.
The mythology of Crosby off the ice, however, may be even more worthy of inclusion in the history books and it is very much rooted in reality. He’s not just an ambassador for hockey, but an ambassador of kindness.
“He was like that even as a little boy,” said Troy Crosby, his father. “He was getting so much attention when he was little, and then as he became a teenager. It could have gone to his head. He could have gotten a big ego. All Sidney ever cared about was taking care of other people.”
It was evident from the very beginning.
Crosby made his NHL debut on Oct. 5, 2005, in New Jersey. It was a zoo after the morning skate. Hockey was back after a year-long lockout, Crosby’s debut was being made in the New York area against Hall of Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur and it was Mario Lemieux’s 40th birthday. While he was the center of attention, Crosby, who had turned 18 two months earlier, wasn’t concerned about himself.
“He was giving these interviews and there were people everywhere” said Tom McMillan, the former Penguins’ vice president of communications. “But he noticed, in the hallway outside of the locker room, that his mom was being surrounded by reporters. He was worried about her. She was fine, but he was worried about her. So he comes up to me and says, ‘Hey, can you make sure my mom is OK?’ From the very beginning, he was worried about everyone but himself. He never changed.”
Including his salary and endorsements, Crosby has earned in the neighborhood of $200 million in his career. His father isn’t the only one who says Crosby hasn’t changed. His teammates agree. Team employees agree. Even living legends like Orr agree.
There is a simple explanation for this, Crosby insists.
“I don’t think money ever gives you the vehicle to treat anyone differently or to be disrespectful,” he said. “I get to do what I love to do and I’m very appreciative of that. I don’t take that for granted one bit, regardless of what my pay is. I get to do what I love. The least I can do is treat people well along the way.”
Crosby’s legend in the Penguins organization is such that his contributions to society draw biblical comparisons.
Literally.
“I always say that he’s like a child of God,” former Penguins broadcaster Paul Steigerwald said. “That’s how I’ve always seen him. He has a certain light in his eyes that I always notice. He’s a genuinely good soul. People often give credit to a person’s parents for raising a great kid. I totally get that and they did a great job. But I also see a natural soulfulness to Sid that is innate and not necessarily learned.”
‘No child is ever left behind’
Charles Barkley once made considerable headlines for a Nike advertising campaign that stated, “I am not a role model.”
Crosby is a role model, and he knows it. He embraces it.
“I’ve been around a while and I’ve met a lot of people,” Rutherford said. “I’ve never met anyone like him. He only does things for the right reasons. And he cares about people so very much. Other players of his stature don’t always act like this. But he’s different. And you see it most when it comes to the way he treats children.”
The Penguins are the NHL’s oldest team, thus, many players have children. During the Stanley Cup years in 2016 and 2017, it was commonplace for Matt Cullen’s children to be hanging on Crosby after playoff wins, as they would naturally gravitate to the best player in the world who just happened to be the nicest guy in the room.
Crosby, in fact, has been known to have spirited mini-sticks games with Nikita Malkin. And yet, his treatment of children isn’t confined to the children of his teammates.
One story lives in Crosby lore.
It was Jan. 11, 2014. The Penguins had just won in Calgary, 2-1, in the weeks leading up to the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. After the game, the Penguins departed to their bus on a frigid Alberta evening.
While sitting on the bus, Crosby noticed a handful of teenagers standing behind a fence, which was located on a steep hill beside the Saddledome. They were chanting Crosby’s name and had signs wishing him well in the Olympics.
Upon seeing this, Crosby, dress shoes and all, sprinted up the steep, icy hill. He not only signed all of their jerseys but talked hockey with them for a few minutes before slowly coasting back down the hill.
“I’ll never forget seeing that,” Steigerwald said. “Who else does that?”
Not many people would do such a thing, it can be presumed. But Rutherford saw it every day while he was the general manager of the Penguins.
“The way he treats children is the single most impressive thing I’ve ever seen in my career,” Rutherford said. “When you see those groups of people who want autographs, you have to be careful. A lot of those groups have people that are there every day and looking to sell autographs. But I’ll tell you this about Sid: Never, not one time, has he ever passed by a child who wanted an autograph. No child is ever left behind. I’ve seen him sign autographs and then get on the team bus. Then, he sees a kid pop up who didn’t get his autograph signed. So, he always gets off the bus and makes sure the kid has an autograph and a picture with him. He understands the effect he has on people, but he’s the farthest thing from arrogant you could possibly imagine.”
Crosby is a regular at the UMPC Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital. While the Penguins do occasionally orchestrate team visits that Crosby naturally takes part in, he’s a regular at the hospital. He does so on his own time.
No cameras. No reporters. No attention.
“I’ll be honest with you,” Troy Crosby said. “That’s the way he wants it. It means a lot to him to spend time with kids, just him and the kids. He doesn’t want people knowing about it and he goes to lengths to keep it that way.”
Crosby seems miffed when others are blown away by his character. To him, to be polite, generous and thoughtful is simply natural.
“Treating people the right way has always been important to me,” Crosby said. “Whether it’s your teammates, people you see at the rink, fans, kids, whatever. You’re supposed to be good to people in life. You’re supposed to be respectful. So, that’s what I try to do every day. It’s always been a very important thing to me.”
On May 31, 2007, the Penguins made Crosby, then 19, the youngest captain in NHL history at that time.
The move seemed simple on the surface. He already had become the world’s greatest player and, as a teenager, had just claimed the Hart and Art Ross trophies. His maturity level was uncommonly advanced. He was already a rock star in Pittsburgh.
Easy choice, right?
“Not necessarily,” Crosby said. “It was quite uncomfortable, to be honest. I had never been a captain before.”
Say what?
Well, it makes sense. Crosby was only 16 and 17 when he played his junior hockey in Rimouski. In his younger days of hockey, he always played in older age groups because of his advanced performance. This was very much a new experience for him.
“I tried to learn things from other captains I had in the past and other people who had been captains,” he said. “But at the same time, I wanted to be my own person. I wanted to lead in a way that was natural to me. And you never stop learning. I’m still learning to be a captain to this day, honestly. But I think it was probably a good thing for me, looking back. It helped me grow.”
So did the presence of a fellow icon in the locker room.
Lemieux and Crosby played together in only 26 games before a heart condition forced the oft-injured Lemieux to finally retire for good. On the ice, they only had a few magical moments together, as they rarely played on the same line. Lemieux was slowing down and at the very end.
But before he left, he taught Crosby a few lessons.
“More than anything, he taught me how to stay calm. He was so, so even keeled,” Crosby said. “It didn’t matter what the score was, good or bad. Mario was always the same. He always looked the same, spoke the same. I watched him a lot and I saw how level-headed he was. I think that probably comes to him more naturally than it does to me. I’m probably more emotional than he is. I’m an emotional player. But he taught me how to find that sweet spot. Getting to play with him for a handful of games was a big deal for me.”
Crosby, many will tell you, is the best captain they’ve ever had.
“He’s unreal,” said one of the newest Penguins, Ryan Poehling. “When I got traded to Pittsburgh last summer, I had a text from him a couple of hours after the deal. I remember thinking that it was pretty incredible that Sidney Crosby is reaching out to me that quickly. Then you get to know him, and you immediately realize that this is a special person, that he’s different than anyone else. You can’t fake it. You’re born with what he has, the way he treats people.”
Nowadays, it’s understandable that young players would place Crosby on a pedestal. He’s not only one of the greatest players of all time, but he also treats them as equals.
What might be more noteworthy is that, even when Crosby was essentially a child, he had the respect of his locker room from the beginning.
“He was 22 when I signed in Pittsburgh,” Mike Rupp said. “He’s the best player in the world, this hotshot that everyone is talking about. I had absolutely no idea what to expect. … I could tell you so many nice stories about Sidney Crosby, and they’re all true. But what I realized right away was that, more than anything, Sid didn’t want to be treated differently than anyone else.
Given who he is, Crosby can’t possibly be one of the guys. It doesn’t work that way. He’s Crosby.
And yet, he is one of the guys.
“He just wanted to have fun. Wanted to play mini-golf on the road. He had that little kid smile. He wanted to play the handheld video games on planes,” Rupp said. “He likes to be one of the guys. I think what I’m saying is, he’s not a nerd. He’s not an introvert. But he wants nothing to do with the spotlight because he’s so damn humble. He’s the ultimate captain.”
When you’re a superstar in Pittsburgh, you have certain privileges. Lemieux and Jagr had their share of coaches fired. Some were certainly deserving, of course. But Crosby would never do such a thing. It simply isn’t his way.
He doesn’t demand his friends play with the Penguins. This, in no way, is a typical superstar.
“I was Sid’s GM for a long time,” Rutherford said. “And I can tell you, he never once complained to me about anything. He never once told me to fire anyone, or to trade anyone, or to get anyone in a trade. Never.”
Not until he was asked, anyway.
“Here’s how much respect I have for Sid,” Rutherford said. “At the end of each season, whether we had won the Cup or not, he and I would get together. I wanted his thoughts on certain players on the team and around the league. But he’d never tell me to get someone. He’d never be pushy or demanding. I’d ask him questions about people, and he would answer in his own very polite, very special way. That’s just the kind of man he is.”
Those who coached Crosby often had similar stories.
“He was a dream to coach,” Recchi said. “His relationship with Sully, you know, it’s really special. Those two have a bond. But for all of us on the staff, it was incredible coaching Sid. He asks you lots of questions. He wants your opinion. He’s not going to walk into your office and tell you what to do, or tell you what’s wrong. He asks so many questions and he loves feedback. Not many stars are going to be quite like that.”
Crosby has stated that he’d like to play for a few more seasons, perhaps until he is 40.
It’s unknown precisely when he will walk away or what he will do with his life once he hangs up his skates. Many in the hockey world hope Crosby will remain involved with the NHL in some capacity.
The hockey world, after all, couldn’t possibly be the same without him.
“He just makes you smile when you see him,” Rupp said.
Crosby entered our lives more than two decades ago, a child then. A man now.
A very, very good man.
“He’s just a nice person,” Steigerwald said. “A nice, nice person. The best of the best.”
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fill for @habsfic mini fics prompt — nick/cole/sidney crosby - Leadership Core
Crosby gets traded to montreal, and has to deal with seeing Nick and Cole in love and both in the leadership core, and navigate what he's feeling about the subject.
“They’ve got a lot of energy, don’t they?” Sid remarked to Marty from where they were standing in the corner of the dressing room.
He found himself spending a lot of time with the head coach and he wasn’t sure which was more to blame: them being old friends or if Sid still didn’t know where he fit with the rest of the team. He was the oldest player, by far, which wasn’t all that different from the Pens on paper but the energy surrounding the team certainly was. Nick clearly ran the room and Sid could see the confidence he wore now that he’s gotten a few more years as captain under his belt. And you could feel the way the rest of the guys, just a few years younger than Nick himself, all gravitated toward him—looking to him for help or praise.
It was nice for Sid to be the one observing that dynamic from the outside for once. But it meant he had to relearn how to be a teammate, almost.
“Oh come on, you’re not that old, Sid.” Marty laughed.
“I’m closer to the head coach’s age than our rookies.” He said plainly, watching said rookies being picked up and carried by Cole who was at least 6 inches shorter.
“Hey, now you’re calling me old.”
-
There was another thing Sid wasn’t quite used to after leaving the Pens.
Like walking in on their captain and one of their alternates kissing in the weight room before practice.
“Oh, sorry,” Sid awkwardly tried to escape but he’d already alerted them to his presence and they broke apart. Nick clearly looked embarrassed and avoided eye contact but Cole just beamed at him, all his boundless energy focused on him, “Hey, Sid.”
Sid just gave him a nod back before he snuck past them to get on the stationary bike. He tried not to watch them from where he was cycling, but the room was still empty with just the three of them and there wasn’t much else to grab his attention.
They chatted while they did their stretches, their heads stuck together like they were lost in their own world. Nick would reach out and casually touch Cole, a hand on his arm or back. And it looked so close to any regular touch between two teammates that it made Sid pause.
-
A few months into the season Sid felt like was really part of the team now. He knew all the inside jokes, every single nickname that the guys liked to throw out. He didn’t feel shocked to see himself in the uniform anymore; he was a Hab.
And though he felt like he should decline since he was solidly in the veteran category of the team, Sid liked going out with the guys. Montreal had always been his favorite road city and it was somehow even more fun for him now that he played for the home team.
“Siiid.” Cole always said his name that way, even when he wasn’t tipsy like he was right now. He invaded his space, jumping to get an arm around his shoulders, in a way that Sid was grateful for. His first day in the room, one of the first thing Cole said to him was teasing him about his old style skates. It was nice.
Right now, he was squishing his way into the booth next to Sid, making a seat for him that wasn’t really available. Cole was undersized (the nice way of calling a guy short, in the league) but his presence was impossible not to notice. The guy didn’t shut up, but nobody ever seemed truly annoyed with him. Nick, quiet as he was, certainly wasn’t. Sid could see why they worked together, in their own way.
Cole didn’t get up while he tried to bully Slaf into grabbing another drink for him, his leg was practically on top of Sid’s lap.
“Is he like that with everyone?” he asked Kaiden. The three of them were the alternates, which was sold to him as Kaiden and Cole swapping off at home and away while he provided a more stable presence with his experience alongside Nick. Really Sid should know the answer to that question by now, after spending this much time with the team, but he still wasn’t sure.
Kaiden peered around Sid to look at Cole, “Yes… and no.”
“What?”
“Cole’s cole.” Sid felt a tinge of annoyance bubble up in him at him. He liked Kaiden, it was easy being on the leadership group with him and he made a pretty good plane buddy. But he wasn’t making any sense. “I think he’s a little different towards you than the rest of us, though.”
He was ready to sit with that and think about it. He’d wonder why or try to pick out what the exact differences were. But Cole finally stopped his yammering with the younger guys and apparently had been listening to their conversation.
“Yeah, cause I think you’re hot.”
Sid almost bit on his tongue, his eyes frantically searching for Nick where he was standing off somewhere else, talking to one of the rookies probably. He’d been called hot before, by other men too, but not like this. Not by his teammate who was dating their captain. Nick caught his eye and raised an eyebrow at him, or maybe him and Cole.
Cole just laughed though, his hand squeezing the space between his shoulder and neck. Sid hadn’t even felt his hand move to rest there.
“Don’t worry. Nick thinks you’re hot too.”
#*writing#rpf talk#posting here for non discord users hehe#but join us and write some comment fic~~#hrpf
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OKAY in honor of 6/9 I present to you my angst creation. I’ll drop in 3 parts throughout the day bc it’s kinda long and itll build the slow burn. This first part is just ~setting the scene~ but the smut and angst comes in the following parts -🍒
PART 1/3
So it’s the beginning of the season and the Pens are hosting a sort of gala in partnership with a hospital in Pittsburgh to raise money for their staff and patients. Because he’s coaching now and is a worldwide legend, they need him to be in attendance and give the keynote speech. Obviously age gap Sid is incredibly excited when he hears about it. Given the kind of guy that he is, maybe he visits the hospital and likes to spend time with the kids there. Or maybe he’s sentimental because that’s where the twins and Cash were born. Either way, when he finds out he can’t wait to tell his lady, especially so he can see her in a beautiful gown.
In my mind reader has some badass job, maybe she’s a human rights lawyer, maybe she’s a surgeon..idk something cool and essentially makes age gap Sid the trophy husband. She’s in the home office, concentrating on the computer when Sid walks in to behind her chair and bends over to wrap his arms around her and kiss her cheek from behind. “Babe.. there’s gonna be a gala” he says in between kisses down her neck. “That’s great babe, but im busy” reader is not sharing his energy at first because retired Sid is soooo domestic but bothers her all the time. He misses having something to consume his identity. “But you know what that means” he grins into the crook of her neck and she mumbles “what” as she scrolls. “We have to get a babysitter and you get to wear a sexy dress” and his arms snake downwards and she squirms. They both look at each other with excitement because damn, they love being parents and their family is perfectly complete now with Cash but boy have they missed getting down and dirty pre Cash and especially pre twins.
So in the coming weeks before the gala Sid spends his spare time (which he has plenty of) getting fitted for the most delicious suit and reader picks out the sexiest slinky black dress to wear. We are talking a one-shoulder, silk, black gown with a very suggestive slit up the leg, of course with red bottomed shoes, red lipstick, and a designer clutch. Reader is a bombshell of course and when the day arrives, she has a glam squad get her ready at home and Sidney is banished to the spare bathroom to shower and get dressed. He’s obviously waiting downstairs for her with a single red rose because he’s age gap Sidney Crosby and he has to spoil his lady and get the mood set, after he drops the kids off to a neighbors/family friend’s house for the evening. When reader descends down the stairs it’s the movie moment: she is serving all the looks tonight and age gap Sid is a starving man. His jaw loosens and eyes widen, he almost drops the rose. “What? Do I look okay?” Reader obviously plays into his reaction because she thinks it’s fake but with Sid, it never is “holy fuck” he mutters under his breath. When she reaches the bottom he grabs her and pushes her against the wall, savoring her for a bit. They make out like teenagers for a sec but as soon as Sid’s hard-on presses into her, she has to push him away because she knows they’ll never get out the door and she can’t wait to hear Sid’s speech tonight.
So Sid drives them in rover and they look like a fuckin movie, with his one hand on the steering wheel and other clasped in her hand in her lap. Every once in a while at a red light he’ll pull her hand over and pepper kisses on it. When they arrive, reader goes to the bar and Sid gets caught up in greeting donors and that’s when the drama starts. Of course the rookies are lined up ready for a drink at their first real event with the team. And some of them are more excited to get drunk than others. There’s one in particular who has had a few too many scotches and is nursing his fourth of the night at the bar when reader walks up. She politely says hi and orders her dirty martini, but rookie has other ideas. He swoops in and immediately introduces himself and grabs her hand and kisses it; Sid notices from across the room immediately and if reader could see him, she’d see that his fists were tightening because he has never liked rookie—he thinks he’s arrogant and doesn’t work hard enough. Sid can’t break away for a few minutes but he watches from afar and by the end of the interaction, he’s fuming…jaw tightening, cursing under his breath. He just has to stand there and watch rookie flirt all over his perfect wife. But the longer that he watches them, the more his anger fuses into a different type of jealousy, because for a second he wonders if reader wishes she was with someone younger, like rookie. But by the time this thought has crossed his mind, his current conversation he was roped into ends and he watches reader lean into rookie and whisper something, with her hand going up to cup his ear so nobody around can hear. And that’s when Sidney breaks, and he storms over to her and so rudely, yet warranted, intercepts their conversation and drags reader away to sit down at their assigned seats/table for dinner. “What the fuck is that” is spits as they walk and he possessively wraps his arm around the small of her back, dangerously far down. His mind is going to the worst—when in reality reader was being sassy and was leaning in to dramatically tell rookie to go fuck himself for trying to flirt with a married woman, nevertheless Crosby’s girl. She doesn’t have time to explain herself because sid cuts her off “I don’t even want to fucking hear it but we’re dealing with this when we get home”
All throughout dinner Sid scowls and is short with his responses. When it’s time to give his speech is stares at reader the whole time, pinning her with his dark eyes and his jaw clenched. He is so beyond pissed about the interaction because he doesn’t fully realize what happened, and he’s emotional thinking about how reader could be with anyone, but especially someone like rookie. Sid drags her out before the event is even over because as soon as he’s sober enough to take her home, he’s going to leave. Reader is buzzed, borderline drunk, and she’s upset because she hasn’t had a chance to explain herself and what happened but sid is so stubborn and isn’t giving her the space to elaborate. It’s silent in the rover for a good few minutes until sid rasps out to break the silence “I don’t want to fucking hear it. But tonight you’re gonna learn that you’re mine, you belong to me, you carry my children, you sleep in my bed, you wear my ring on your finger. Only mine” or something else insanely possessive and slightly toxic. Reader knows that they have an incredibly healthy relationship and is immediately turned on.
Now…cherry anon speaking: I am more of a reader of smut than a writer. But I imagine that as soon as they walk through the door, they’re ripping off each other’s clothes. Like, sid literally rips her beautiful designer gown and she is just in shock but he growls something like “I’ll buy you a 1000 newer, more expensive dresses but you’ll have to earn it” and is frantically pushing her down to her knees and obviously she needs him in her mouth just as much as he needs her mouth on him. They fuck right there in the entry hallway and then on the stairs and then finally in their bedroom. It’s a mixture of sid taking charge and then reader asserting her dominance, she obviously has to take charge once they get to the bedroom and tease him while she rides him. And then he takes her once last time and is saying things irrationally emotional like “he’ll never fuck you like I do, he’ll never give you kids like I do, he’ll never get to cum in you like I do, his cock could never make you feel this good” and that’s when reader truly gets a feel for what Sid is thinking. So after she leads him to the shower and they have passionate shower sex and they’re muttering sweet things to each other and once they’re done, they both feel so much better. They end up snuggled up with each other in bed and reader explains how she was actually telling rookie to fuck off and sid ends up laughing. He also tells her a little bit more about his insecurities and she helps affirm him and is also like “babe… we’ve been together for so many years, we have three perfect kids and you have a massive cock…If I wanted someone else I would’ve already left but why would I when I have YOU’ and he’s such a smiley babe and they fall asleep spooning but not before sid can mutter “Thank GOD the kids aren’t home. We should do this more often”
-
HOLY SHIT ANON THIS IS PERFECTIONNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!
#my asks#age gap!sidney#🍒 anon#sidney crosby#j's hc#anon writings#< gonna start tagging that bc you guys write me fics like every day#nhl blurb#hockey imagine
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Slapshots and Contracts Blurb:
The arena buzzed with energy as the Penguins faced off against their rivals. Isabelle "Izzy" Noir, known for her tenacity as well as her fierce loyalty to Sidney Crosby, was seated in the stands, cheering on her husband.
Amidst the cheers, a disgruntled fan began harassing Izzy, hurling inappropriate comments her way. Sidney, on the ice, caught wind of the situation. His protective instincts kicked in.
Without missing a beat, Sidney sent a puck flying over the boards, landing near the unruly fan. The move garnered attention and a fine from the league, but it also sent a clear message.
In the post-game press conference, reporters bombarded Sidney with questions about the incident.
Reporter: "Sidney, can you explain what happened with the puck incident?"
Sidney, with a sassy smile: "Well, you see, I thought the guy needed a souvenir. I'm all about fan engagement."
Reporter: "The league fined you for that move. Any regrets?"
Sidney, with a twinkle in his eye: "Regrets? Nah, it's just a small contribution to the NHL's fine fund. You're welcome, fellas."
Another reporter, probing: "Was it in response to the fan harassing your wife?"
Sidney, raising an eyebrow: "You bet. No one messes with Izzy. She's my MVP."
Reporter, persistent: "But was it the right way to handle it?"
Sidney, leaning in, protective: "You know, sometimes you gotta send a message. Fans should be passionate, but there's a line, and he crossed it."
The room fell into a thoughtful silence. Sidney, with a smirk, wrapped up the conference with one last quip.
Sidney: "I'll take the fine if it means keeping my queen safe. Now, if anyone has questions about the game, feel free to ask. I've got lots to say about our performance tonight."
And with that, Sidney left the room, leaving the media with a mix of amusement and admiration for the captain who didn't hesitate to defend his family, even if it meant facing the league's consequences.
#sidney crosby#sidney crosby x you#sidney crosby x reader#sidney crosby imagine#nhl x reader#nhl imagine#nhl#pittsburgh penguins
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Helloooo💙 for the fic ask:
✈
💀(take it as a compliment - because i went to a local game and the refs were hot and i thought of you)
👀
💋
thank you 💕 these are such fun ones!
💀 if you had to write an alternate ending to [take it as a compliment] how would you end it?
refs are so underrated!! the angry tension, the enemies to lovers, the forbidden romance of it all. so glad to have infected you with ref brain worms <3
so 'take it as a compliment' was only ever going to end one way, i.e. with some variation on a very sappy happy ending. that said, i did consider ending it on a kind of outside pov epilogue. i decided against it in the end, but i do still have several thousand words of tk trying to figure out why sid no longer refs their games while claude trolls him relentlessly. i might post it as a follow-up some day but for now a small section--
Travis begins with Google because where else.
They've got a red-eye back to Philadelphia, and he's still banned from the card table for "cheating" so it's not like he's got anything better to do. He pays the extortionate $20 for in-flight wi-fi and settles in for some research.
Sidney Crosby is still alive and still an active NHL officiator, which means Travis can rule out a few of his more wild theories. He didn't actually think Claude would hire an assassin or something, but if there was anyone who would, G's got the exact right kind of don't-give-a-shit energy.
Travis isn't wrong, though. A bit of time on the NHLOA website shows that Crosby hasn't officiated a Flyers game since the previous season. Given that he's based in Pittsburgh, it's unusual.
Reddit agrees with him. Or at least, a few Redditors in a random thread from last month have made the same observation. Weird, they call it. Travis reads through a few of their explanations with mild interest.
It's Gritty. suggests an account named JD1812, which Travis thinks is unlikely. It had taken him a few years of snooping, but he did once catch sight of the guy in the Gritty suit taking a smoke break. He's definitely just a balding dude, not, like, some eldritch monster.
Possibly a personal conflict of interest. If he started dating a player's sister or something they wouldn't let him ref those games, suggests another account. It's such a hilariously bizarre idea that TK has to laugh. He can't even begin to imagine anyone dating humourless, sour-faced Sidney Crosby.
There are a few more proposals. Reddit user TrueNorthStrong69 thinks that Crosby was taken off for bias, but that's also laughable; the NHL's never taken a ref off for being biased in its whole hundred-year history, it's not going to start by taking pity on the Flyers.
Travis reaches the end of the thread none the wiser. Really though, it's not like fucking Reddit was going to have the answer.
He closes the tab and shuts off his phone. Further up the plane, he can see the top of Claude's ginger head over one of the headrests. Travis narrows his eyes and glares. Fuck Claude and his secrets, he's going to figure this one out.
👀 what’s a fic written by someone else that you REALLY wish you wrote yourself?
hmmm i don't tend to think of fic as something i wish i wrote because if i did write it, it'd probably be very different. let's see...
i stumbled across confidence man by blaahaj recently which completely blew me away. i have a long fawning comment in my drafts that i need to actually post - the author has such a knack for nuanced, interesting but still very hockey-bro characterisation; it's gorgeously written; and the romantic italian (lmao) setting is catnip to me. the reason i mention it though is that the premise is genius, and as someone who's been playing around forever with a million different variations on a sports media guy/player au, i was very struck by how perfectly the author slotted the lead (in this case m tkachuk) into his sports media au role. it's hard to get aus right like that, but when you do mwah it can make for such a fab twist on the established character dynamic.
really though there are so many fics and authors i could mention here. this is such a fantastically talented fandom and i so often read a fic and come away thinking 'oh wow the writer did x so well, i really want to try that out myself.'
💋do you have any guilty pleasure ships that you really want to write for but are scared to?
not really! i don't think i've ever felt particularly guilty about liking a ship. there are a ton of ships i'd like to write for at some point in the future, but really the main hindrance to my writing is just time 😭
(✈ i will leave for the next ask....)
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we had a breakdown over some Unwholesome slutty sid content yesterday so here’s some wholesome content from the athletic on sid
It was 2016 in Minnesota and an aggravated coach Mike Sullivan was searching for the captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins following a loss to the Wild. Sullivan needed to speak with Sidney Crosby and was walking briskly on the event level of Xcel Energy Center.
Then, he stopped in his tracks.
Around the corner outside of the Penguins’ locker room, Crosby, minus his jersey but otherwise still wearing his equipment, was sitting on the floor. Speaking with a child in a wheelchair, Crosby sat so that he could better make eye contact. He often does this. Sullivan executed a U-turn while his captain sat with the child for 20 minutes, a scene that unfolds countless times across North America every season.
Thousands upon thousands of people have flocked to arenas for decades to watch Crosby play hockey since was a boy. Crosby’s greater mission, though, has always been to comfort the sick and unlucky among us with an uncommon grace and thoughtfulness that is uniquely his own.
“There’s never been anyone like him before,” former Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said. “And there will never be anyone like him after.”
The widely held belief that the world of professional sports doesn’t showcase any authentic role models is inaccurate so long as Sidney Patrick Crosby walks among us.
“You always hear that saying,” Bobby Orr said. “You know, that so and so is a better person than he is a player. Well, the great thing about Sid is, he’s one of the five greatest players in history. There’s no question about that. But he actually is a better person than he is a player. Now, think about that. I love him.”
On the ice, he is a living legend. The massive legs, the impenetrable ability to protect the puck, the greatest backhand ever, the cannon-like burst of speed through the neutral zone, the rare playmaking ability, the tenacity, the intelligence, the determination, the precociousness as a teenager, the longevity as a thirty-something and the ability to score goals on hockey’s biggest stage are all indelible trademarks of his greatness.
The mythology of Crosby off the ice, however, may be even more worthy of inclusion in the history books and it is very much rooted in reality. He’s not just an ambassador for hockey, but an ambassador of kindness.
“He was like that even as a little boy,” said Troy Crosby, his father. “He was getting so much attention when he was little, and then as he became a teenager. It could have gone to his head. He could have gotten a big ego. All Sidney ever cared about was taking care of other people.”
Crosby made his NHL debut on Oct. 5, 2005, in New Jersey. It was a zoo after the morning skate. Hockey was back after a year-long lockout, Crosby’s debut was being made in the New York area against Hall of Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur and it was Mario Lemieux’s 40th birthday. While he was the center of attention, Crosby, who had turned 18 two months earlier, wasn’t concerned about himself.
“He was giving these interviews and there were people everywhere” said Tom McMillan, the former Penguins’ vice president of communications. “But he noticed, in the hallway outside of the locker room, that his mom was being surrounded by reporters. He was worried about her. She was fine, but he was worried about her. So he comes up to me and says, ‘Hey, can you make sure my mom is OK?’ From the very beginning, he was worried about everyone but himself. He never changed.”
Including his salary and endorsements, Crosby has earned in the neighborhood of $200 million in his career. His father isn’t the only one who says Crosby hasn’t changed. His teammates agree. Team employees agree. Even living legends like Orr agree.
There is a simple explanation for this, Crosby insists.
“I don’t think money ever gives you the vehicle to treat anyone differently or to be disrespectful,” he said. “I get to do what I love to do and I’m very appreciative of that. I don’t take that for granted one bit, regardless of what my pay is. I get to do what I love. The least I can do is treat people well along the way.”
Crosby’s legend in the Penguins organization is such that his contributions to society draw biblical comparisons.
Literally.
“I always say that he’s like a child of God,” former Penguins broadcaster Paul Steigerwald said. “That’s how I’ve always seen him. He has a certain light in his eyes that I always notice. He’s a genuinely good soul. People often give credit to a person’s parents for raising a great kid. I totally get that and they did a great job. But I also see a natural soulfulness to Sid that is innate and not necessarily learned.”
Crosby is a role model, and he knows it. He embraces it.
“I’ve been around a while and I’ve met a lot of people,” Rutherford said. “I’ve never met anyone like him. He only does things for the right reasons. And he cares about people so very much. Other players of his stature don’t always act like this. But he’s different. And you see it most when it comes to the way he treats children.”
The Penguins are the NHL’s oldest team, thus, many players have children. During the Stanley Cup years in 2016 and 2017, it was commonplace for Matt Cullen’s children to be hanging on Crosby after playoff wins, as they would naturally gravitate to the best player in the world who just happened to be the nicest guy in the room.
Crosby, in fact, has been known to have spirited mini-sticks games with Nikita Malkin. And yet, his treatment of children isn’t confined to the children of his teammates.
One story lives in Crosby lore.
It was Jan. 11, 2014. The Penguins had just won in Calgary, 2-1, in the weeks leading up to the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. After the game, the Penguins departed to their bus on a frigid Alberta evening.
While sitting on the bus, Crosby noticed a handful of teenagers standing behind a fence, which was located on a steep hill beside the Saddledome. They were chanting Crosby’s name and had signs wishing him well in the Olympics.
Upon seeing this, Crosby, dress shoes and all, sprinted up the steep, icy hill. He not only signed all of their jerseys but talked hockey with them for a few minutes before slowly coasting back down the hill.
“I’ll never forget seeing that,” Steigerwald said. “Who else does that?”
Not many people would do such a thing, it can be presumed. But Rutherford saw it every day while he was the general manager of the Penguins.
“The way he treats children is the single most impressive thing I’ve ever seen in my career,” Rutherford said. “When you see those groups of people who want autographs, you have to be careful. A lot of those groups have people that are there every day and looking to sell autographs. But I’ll tell you this about Sid: Never, not one time, has he ever passed by a child who wanted an autograph. No child is ever left behind. I’ve seen him sign autographs and then get on the team bus. Then, he sees a kid pop up who didn’t get his autograph signed. So, he always gets off the bus and makes sure the kid has an autograph and a picture with him. He understands the effect he has on people, but he’s the farthest thing from arrogant you could possibly imagine.”
Crosby is a regular at the UMPC Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital. While the Penguins do occasionally orchestrate team visits that Crosby naturally takes part in, he’s a regular at the hospital. He does so on his own time.
No cameras. No reporters. No attention.
“I’ll be honest with you,” Troy Crosby said. “That’s the way he wants it. It means a lot to him to spend time with kids, just him and the kids. He doesn’t want people knowing about it and he goes to lengths to keep it that way.”
Crosby seems miffed when others are blown away by his character. To him, to be polite, generous and thoughtful is simply natural.
“Treating people the right way has always been important to me,” Crosby said. “Whether it’s your teammates, people you see at the rink, fans, kids, whatever. You’re supposed to be good to people in life. You’re supposed to be respectful. So, that’s what I try to do every day. It’s always been a very important thing to me.”
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🤡 😈 ✨ 🤲 🤲 🤲 🤲 🤲 🤲 -lis :)
🤡 What's a line, scene, or exchange you've written that made you laugh?
ahaha, Zhenya being a bastard to Coleman in the beginning of N'est-ce pas? I loooove writing bratty Zhenya.
😈 Has there been a point in a story where you did something just to be playfully mean to your readers?
Aw, jeez. So... I don't think my meanness is ever PLAYFULLY mean. Like, I think if I'm going for a I'm-going-to-hurt-you moment, it very much is going to BE an I'm-going-to-hurt-you moment, and not a "tee hee fooled ya, gotcha, playful playful" moment. I don't think that's the sort of writing I do. A VERY genuine "pain point" moment I INTENTIONALLY wrote was the "sid rewatches his public humiliation" moment in the die is cast!
✨ Give you and your writing a compliment. Go on now. You know you deserve it. 😉
I think I should be really proud that I can turn out satisfactory works on basically the first draft. I'd like to get better at drafting multiple times and refining my work, but I think I'm really good in a pinch!
🤲 Would you please share a snippet of a wip?
six??? you want six????
fine, I'll give you six!
01. From Crybaby:
It’s strange, in some way, to come back to this after his summer. The reporters can’t resist bringing up the Penguins’ ignoble exit to playoffs, their postseason’s tailspin into failure. It’s easier to think of his time back in Magnitogorsk—where he had a K stitched onto his jersey instead of a C, where the media asked him pointed questions in no-nonsense tones—than it is to think about the abbreviated NHL season that had followed.
It had been an odd year. The KHL had felt familiar and foreign all at once. Zhenya had become Malk once again, and Malk tore it up, almost two points per game. It had been fun to stretch out his old memories and readjust to the international ice size. He’d felt young again while living in his parents’ house, decorating the New Year’s yolka with them and skittering out of the way when Geoffrey, enormous and terrifying, bounded around corners and nearly took out Zhenya’s knees.
And then he’d gotten the call that the owners and the union had figured their shit out. He’d gotten on a flight back to Pittsburgh during a winter snowstorm, Moscow howling its rage at his departure. It had been a portent of the things to come: his concussion in January, his shoulder injury in March, and then the Eastern Conference Final, where Zhenya’s Penguins had been pushed to their knees by the Bruins.
02: From Thoroughbred:
“You smell,” Sergei hesitates, “low on suppressants.”
“I haven’t used them for years,” Zhenya says slowly. “They… I had an implant put in.”
CSKA had an implant put in, more like. They wanted all the benefits of omega scent and none of the odd chances that Zhenya might waddle into practice pregnant. The little raised scar on his arm has been Zhenya’s companion for the last four years—they’d put it in before they’d even let him on the pro team.
“They want to take the implant out,” Sergei says, and it’s brusque and matter-of-fact, like a father being put through an awkward conversation with his son about sex or puberty. Zhenya sees his own father, twisting his hands and staring at them after Zhenya’s omeganess had presented without doubt. “They need you on suppressants, and they can’t do that with the implant."
Zhenya frowns harder, but Vyas gives him a smile that could charm even a dying man, and Zhenya sets his jaw.
He’s uprooted his life for America. What’s a little more scarring along the way?
03: From a yet-unnamed SGKF entry:
Zhenya was at the bodega when he got the message. He fumbled with the two energy drinks in his hands to yank his phone out of his back pocket and swipe open the screen.
“Fuck,” he muttered when he saw the email.
New Booking, the subject line informed him succinctly. The body of the email was equally bare-bones.
Time: 11:30 PM
Location: The New Yorker Hotel, Room 286
Client Name: CROSBY, SIDNEY
04: From my "werewolves at world juniors" project:
“You know that Coburn is a wolf, right?” Jeff says haltingly, and oh, Sid knows.
He’s been watching Coburn ever since he arrived in Kitchener. He’s the tallest guy at camp, towering over everyone else like a giant, and Sid notices how his head tilts and twitches when he hears something all the way down at the other end of the ice.
“Yeah,” Sid says, nonchalant, but it’s not as good as he thinks it is, because Jeff drops his phone onto his chest and properly fixes a skeptical look on Sid.
“You’re not a dick about wolves, right?” Jeff asks, and Sid doesn’t know what to do with the tinge of protectiveness coating Jeff’s words.
05: From a way-on-the-back-burner project that's about werewolves in a dystopian version of the NHL:
“Hey!”
“Sid!”
“Cap!”
There’s a chorus of noise and then a dull impact right at the crown of Sid’s skull. The soccer ball bounces off of him and rolls toward where Geno is shivering.
Sid whips back around, but the team is all watching him, without a single wayward glance to rat out whoever kicked it at his turned back. He leaves the circle with his tongue bitten between his teeth and walks back over to where the soccer ball rests, inches away from Geno’s foot.
Geno doesn’t move at all as Sid bends down and picks it up. The winter wind bites at Sid’s fingers, and he winds up and chucks the ball back toward the rest of the team before jamming his hands back into his pockets.
“You know,” Sid says, looking from Geno’s sweatpants-covered legs, up his parka-wrapped torso, to his mummy-wrapped face, “if you played two-touch with us, it would probably warm you up.”
“No,” is all Geno says, and he turns back to the tunnel.
06: Aaaaaand.... since I'm low on "things I actually have drafts for," I'm going to go with a scene from a "sid and geno in rimouski" draft I started (barely) but might not make it to the ACTUAL "sid and geno in rimouski" fic I want to write:
“My friend,” he said, his French broken and stilted, “you want to say hi?”
He gestured with his beer, and she frowned as her eyes followed.
Geno was in the corner of the yard, near to where some of the older boys were smoking. Geno didn’t smoke but he was used to the smell in a way that Sid wasn’t, and he looked older, cooler as he lounged up against the tall fence.
He was talking to another girl, though, just as pretty as the one next to Sid.
“He looks busy,” the blonde said, and her fingertips pressed so incredibly gently against Sid’s thigh.
It felt good. It felt so good, and Sid wondered if he should let her. She was eager, and maybe she would have found them a dark corner and gotten on her knees, and maybe Sid could have closed his eyes and leaned his head back and lost himself to the sensation.
Her hand slipped just slightly up, and Sid’s soft dick warred with his drunk head.
“My car,” she began as she tilted her head, ever closer. Her lips were red.
“Sid,” Geno said, and Sid jolted away.
Geno crouched down to look at him, moving so fast that Sid got dizzy watching all six feet of him crumple. He reached out with one of his huge hands and plucked the beer from Sid effortlessly.
“Too little,” Geno told him. “Not for you.”
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It has to be Thursday somewhere right?
Dream Threesome:
Taylor Swift and Sidney Crosby
love that energy
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How Many Shots It Would Take For Me to Hook Up With NHL Captains
Brad Marchand: 9
I also have a feeling he says “you like that” every two seconds and that’s a turn off like shut up you’ll know if I like it
Kyle Okposo: 5
He’s a guy
Mikael Baklund: 3
He has a nice smile
Jordan Staal: blackout
homophobia is ugly
Gabriel Landeskog: 2 for confidence
I’m not immune to blonds
Boone Jenner: 4
Me four shots in would make me think he looks like the ravens kicker Justin Tucker
Jamie Benn: blackout
many reasons but he doesn’t go down so I won’t either
Dylan Larkin: 2
He just has really good energy
Connor McDavid: 4
He could pull me but I think he trauma dumps after a hookup
Aleksander Barkov: 3
He looks unassuming and is 6’3 so
Anze Kopitar: 8
He’s not for me but that’s just me
Jared Spurgeon: 5
I know nothing about this man but could be convinced to know more
Nick Suzuki: 3
He’s cute
Roman Josi: stone cold sober
Nico Hischier: 2
he’s ugly hot and he seems a little shy so that just about does it for me
Anders Lee: 4
It’s mostly bc he’s 6’3 and that would make my just about drunk brain go weeeeee
Jacob Trouba: 8
Idk man the vibes are off
Brady Tkachuk: 7
Boss baby I just can’t
Sidney Crosby: 3
Look I don’t like the pens (caps fan) but I’m not immune and ignoring the Pittsburgh of it all…I can be persuaded
Logan Couture: when I’m at the point where I start saying “I’m not even that drunk” sooo
Brayden Schenn: 5
This is at the point where any man taller than me is hot and I want them immediately
Steven Stamkos: 6
He’s just too generic, he does nothing for me but 6 shots in I wouldn’t say no if asked
John Tavares: sober not even a question
Quinn Hughes: 4
This is at the point where my mind confuses ugly hot with hot
Mark Stone: 7
Alex Ovechkin: 2
my daddy issues take a horny turn when I drink
Adam Lowry: 3
He looks like a frat guy and then tends to be my type when drinking
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🐺 ⚔️ ❄️ 🐀 for the hockey asks!
🐺 Build a NHL starting line up (3F, 2D, 1G) based on a really weird criteria for comedic effect (e.g. guys with names that sound like Dylan).
it will only consist of captains. they must compete for Ultimate Captain
Sidney Crosby, Gabriel Landeskog, Aleksander Barkov (specifically bc he is the only other person i know of who spells his name that way, and i think he followed me on twitter once upon a time)
Jared Spurgeon, Roman Josi
goalies can't be captains (boo!) but Flower has the correct energy for this team
⚔️ What is goaltender interference? (Wrong answers only).
answered this previously: when you try to give a goalie a hug but some guy shoves you out of the way and makes you sad
❄️ What is your most and least favorite thing about winter?
i love snow!! i hate when its negative a thousand and i have to go outside
🐀 What is the funniest thing you’ve ever heard a hockey player say?
Duhaime saying "For him to do this at 50, it’s special.” about Flower the other day was so fucking funny, esp with Kaprisov saying "“I don't feel like he's 39 years old, he looks 18"
honorable mention for the ever classic "its only game, why you have to be mad?" from Ilya Bryzgalov
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🪽💣👑 :)
another great trio of questions let's gooooo
🪽 Name a NHL player whom you would: Sacrifice to the Gods, Do Hard Crimes With, and Save the World With.
Sacrifice to the Gods: Nikita Kucherov. with his great stats and big body, he's exactly what hungry gods would want to devour
Do Hard Crimes With: Roope Hintz. he has the vibes that he'd be down for anything and have fun doing it!!
Save the World With: Quinn Hughes. huge tragic hero energy, he would get the job done, even if it meant sacrificing himself (he already does this for his team)
💣 Blow it up: pick one NHL team. Change its name, mascot, logo/colors. Tell me why you chose the new elements.
okay obviously for me this has to be Chicago. their new color would be light blue and red to match their flag. their new name would be either the Huskies or the Brawlers based on the poem "Chicago" by Carl Sandburg: "Hog Butcher for the World/Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat/Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler,/Stormy, Husky, Brawling, City of the Big Shoulders."
👑 If you could add an award to the NHL awards, what would it be and who would be its inaugural recipient?
in the vein of the Hart/Lindsay award, I think there should be an award specifically for best playmaking! I think the players should vote for it and it wouldn't focus on just goals/stats but more on who is really pushing their team further with their hockey IQ etc. I can't pick just one recipient but the first nominees should be: Nathan MacKinnon, Mitch Marner, Sidney Crosby. Leon Draisaitl and Jack Hughes are definitely up there too.
ask me a (Kinda Weird) Hockey-ish question
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Sidney Crosby - general reading.
This is a request from one of my followers. A reading for Canadian ice hockey player Sidney Crosby. I have to admit I am no sports fanatic, and I am not even fan of sports. I know nothing about ice hockey players. So I am doing a reading here based on no knowledge about this person. But let’s give it a try anyways.
God of the underworld: This person is looked upon as a God in his field. A ten. The chosen one. Or whatever you choose to call him. A very talented and dedicated person in what he does. He understands his duty, he sees his responsibilities both as solo and as a teamplayer. He is very much appreciated by his team.
Reward yourself: he has been giving a lot of himself and sometimes he forgets it is equally important for him to be rewarded and appreciated from time to time. This balance of giving and recieving is important.
Ground yourself: this is about being aware and mindul of his presence. Stay grounded in whatever you do.
Call your spirit home: this is not unlike the previous card. It’s about remembering your place, your people, your home. Remember who deserves your utmost attention…sometimes it can be oneself. Give yourself the time of the day to pat yourself on the shoulder and say : good job!
When it comes to love: willingness: he is able to compromiss if the end result is love. But again he is reminded here: love yourself first. To be able to gove of yourself, to love someone else, you must start with yourself. Honeymoon: this doesn’t neccessary mean a honeymoon but more as a metaphore to spend more time with your loved one/partner. Enjoy eachother. Spend time together. Bring love and playfulness back to your relationship.
Page of wands: A positive and upbeat card, the Upright Page of Wands brings both good news and good vibes. Not only are these things coming you’re way, but they are coming quickly. It is a card full of hope and ambition, with an aspect of newness to it. Perhaps Sidney is soon to begin a new adventure or journey.
Nine of swords: but he has some self doubts and fear. Similar to the other fear cards, this card is not an indication of negative events actually happening, just that his fear and anxiety levels are so high they are making him feel that things are worse than they are. In short, he may be making mountains out of molehills. It represents stress, burdens, negative thinking. That is why it is important for him to focus on self love and grounding. And also rewarding himself.
8 of wands: The Eight of Wands signifies a time of swift action, rapid progression, and forward momentum, encouraging him to seize opportunities and anticipate swift outcomes. The great storyteller, Aesop, might have believed that slow and steady wins the race, but the Eight of Wands begs to differ. Movement, travel, and exciting projects are in store for those visited by the Eight of Wands. So again, this indicates some exciting news. This card often surfaces in readings when you’re expecting visitors or good sign of new energy into your life.
6 of swords: The Six of Swords tarot card represents overcoming obstacles and moving forward. The battle has been won and now is the time to unwind and recharge your batteries. I don’t know much about hockey games, maybe there has been some challenges and tough matches lately? And he has or is about to overcome these challenges?
5 of pentacles: It is a bit difficult to shine a positive light on the Five of Pentacles card. It’s one of those cards that not many people desire in reading. It represents sickness, poverty, and general struggle. But effects are transient, not long-term. So this is about a temporary lesson. Sometimes you have to lose to win big? That might be the case here.
I hope you enjoy this reading. And please keep in mind that this is done for entertainment purposes only. I use tarotcards and oracle cards actively in my readings, as well as my intuition. Energies come and go, what is relevant for today’s reading might change in a few weeks time. But some aspects will always remain constant and the same. Thank you.❤️
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