Preface
And even worse, that he would do it for a man
Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at https://archiveofourown.org/works/94188816.
- Rating:
- Teen And Up Audiences
- Archive Warning:
- No Archive Warnings Apply
- Categories:
- Gen, M/M
- Fandoms:
- Heated Rivalry (TV), Game Changers | Heated Rivalry - All Media Types
- Relationship:
- Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov
- Character:
- Ilya Rozanov
- Additional Tags:
- Social Media, Book 6: The Long Game (Game Changers), Ilya Rozanov Loves Shane Hollander
- Language:
- English
- Stats:
- Published: 2026-10-08 Words: 1,194 Chapters: 1/1
And even worse, that he would do it for a man
Summary
“I wasn’t accusing you,” the reporter says, and Ilya’s shark smile grows even wider, and Harris thinks, uh-oh.
Notes
This is a take on unfair advantage and will probably make more sense if you've read it first.
- Inspired by unfair advantage by elumish
And even worse, that he would do it for a man
“I wasn’t accusing you,” the reporter says, and Ilya’s shark smile grows even wider, and Harris thinks, uh-oh.
“I see,” Ilya says, sounding sharp and cruel and like nothing so much as a very large cat playing with something caught and struggling under its paw. “You think Shane Hollander—three time Cup winner, Conn Smythe Trophy winner, Olympic medalist, who loves hockey more than any person who has ever sat in this room—you think he decided to trip, so that I can make it to playoffs? I may not have as many Stanley Cups as him, but I hardly need him to win my games for me, and I surely don’t want him to.” He smiles. “But please. Tell me your proof that Shane Hollander is throwing games for me.”
The reporter doesn’t answer.
Harris opens his mouth. He doesn’t manage to get any words out into the crackling silence.
“If I thought Shane Hollander was throwing games for me,” Ilya says, “the only thing that would stop me from bringing him to a hospital to make sure he hadn’t been concussed would be Yuna Hollander beating me to it. If any of you think that is who he is after all of these years, you should find a new job, because you are the shittiest reporter in the whole sport.” He looks straight at the reporter who spoke. “I think you should not come here again.”
And then he stands and walks out of the press room.
–
Tremblay: Welcome to a very special episode of Ottawon’t They. It’s, uh—
Wilson: Fuck, I don’t know, midnight?
Tremblay: Midnight-with-a-question-mark, and if you hear me get very quiet abruptly it’s because my kids are sleeping and my apartment is fucking small and I would like to not have them wake up.
Wilson: This is what you get for having kids.
Tremblay: This and the miracle of having to keep buying new goalie gear. Why the fuck did my daughter decide she wants to be a goalie? She should have picked something cheap, like, uh.
Wilson: Ref?
Tremblay: You know, actually, I’ll pick goalie.
Wilson: Anyway, as you know, we don’t usually do special episodes outside of batshit trades and major injuries, but we have to talk about the Ottawa-Montreal game.
Tremblay: Ottawa won, Montreal lost, Ottawa’s going to the playoffs. What we really need to talk about is the press conference after the game.
Wilson: I’m giving context.
Tremblay: Literally nobody listening to our weird midnight podcast episode doesn’t know the context.
Wilson: Okay but on the off chance that this breaks containment: as you all know, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov were recently outed as being with together, romantically—
Tremblay: Fuck Brad.
Wilson: —fuck Brad—which is the only reason that it is even remotely relevant that the game was won by Shane Hollander tripping.
Tremblay: Look, that is a vast misrepresentation of what actually happened. Hollander tripped, yes, but it’s not like he tripped and shoved the puck into his own net. There was a breakaway, he tripped, he didn’t stop it, Ottawa scored. Hollander’s not the only fucking player on Montreal.
Wilson: No matter how much it feels like it sometimes. But you’re right. But I think it’s fair to say that if Hollander hadn’t tripped—
Tremblay: Then we don’t know what would have happened. You can’t prove a counterfactual.
Wilson: Either way, Hollander tripped, Ottawa won, and then one of the reporters in the media scrum afterwards—
Tremblay: Dan Skelvin.
Wilson: —Dan Skelvin, from the Ottawa Tribune—basically accused Hollander of intentionally throwing the game so that Ottawa could make it to the playoffs.
Tremblay: Not to Hollander’s face, to be clear. He said it, or at least strongly implied it, to Ilya Rozanov, which might have actually been the more batshit choice, all things considered.
Wilson: I think I might actually prefer to imply to Shane Hollander that Shane Hollander might be cheating than say it to Ilya Rozanov.
Tremblay: No, you wouldn’t.
Wilson: No, I wouldn’t. I love you, Shane Hollander. Please come play for Ottawa. I’m sorry I implied it was your fault Montreal lost. Even if I’m happy Montreal lost.
Tremblay: Anyway, Rozanov sort of—actually, you should just listen.
–
Posted 6 hours ago
[Video of a woman with short maroon hair sitting at a desk. There is a Ottawa Charge flag on the wall behind her.]
Woman: Look I’m going to be honest here, I don’t usually talk about men’s sports, because I don’t care. But I’m just going to say it: I think Shane Hollander should sue the everliving fuck out of that man for implying he would ever throw a game. And even worse, that he would do it for a man.
–
Posted 2 hours ago
[Compilation of Shane Hollander’s best hits, with a feminine rage punk pop song playing over it. It ends with Shane raising the Stanley Cup once, twice, three times, with the voiceover: And even worse, that he would do it for a man.]
–
Posted 1 hour ago
[Compilation of a different set of Shane Hollander’s best hits, with the same feminine rage punk pop song playing over it. It ends with Shane raising the Stanley Cup once, twice, three times, with the voiceover: And even worse, that he would do it for a man.]
–
Posted 43 minutes ago
[Compilation of a different set of Shane Hollander’s best hits, with the same feminine rage punk pop song playing over it. It ends with Shane raising the Stanley Cup once, twice, three times, with the voiceover: And even worse, that he would do it for a man.]
–
Posted 31 minutes ago
[Compilation of a different set of Shane Hollander’s best hits, with the same feminine rage punk pop song playing over it. It ends with Shane raising the Stanley Cup once, twice, three times, with the voiceover: And even worse, that he would do it for a man.]
–
Posted 18 minutes ago
[Compilation of a different set of Shane Hollander’s best hits, with the same feminine rage punk pop song playing over it. It ends with Shane raising the Stanley Cup once, twice, three times, with the voiceover: And even worse, that he would do it for a man.]
–
Posted 14 minutes ago
[Compilation of a female gymnast’s best hits, with the same feminine rage punk pop song playing over it. It ends with her standing on podiums winning medal after medal with the voiceover: And even worse, that he would do it for a man.]
–
Posted 12 minutes ago
[Compilation of a female rugby player’s best hits, with the same feminine rage punk pop song playing over it. It ends with her winning an Olympic medal with the voiceover: And even worse, that he would do it for a man.]
–
Posted 2 minutes ago
[Compilation of a different set of Shane Hollander’s best hits, with the same feminine rage punk pop song playing over it. It ends with Shane raising the Stanley Cup once, twice, three times, with the voiceover: And even worse, that he would do it for a man.]
Afterword
End Notes
reporter: i wasn't accusing *you* of cheating
ilya: and unfortunately that is why i will have to kill you
ilya: :)
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