Rating:

Explicit

Archive Warning:

No Archive Warnings Apply

Category:

M/M

Fandoms:

Heated Rivalry (TV), Game Changers Series - Rachel Reid

Relationships:

Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov, Shane Hollander & Ilya Rozanov

Characters:

Shane Hollander, Ilya Rozanov, Hayden Pike, Yuna Hollander, David Hollander, Jean-Jacques Boiziau | J. J. Dagenais, Cliff Marlow | Cliff Marleau, Farah Jalali, Coach LeClaire (Game Changers), Olivia Pope, Olivia Pope & Associates

Additional Tags:

Original Character(s), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Protective Ilya Rozanov, Protective Shane Hollander, Explicit Sexual Content, Sad Ilya Rozanov, Angst, Anxious Shane Hollander, Author doesn’t really know hockey, POV Ilya Rozanov, POV Shane Hollander, Jealous Ilya Rozanov, Jealous Shane Hollander, Shane Hollander Leaves the Montreal Voyageurs | Montreal Metros, Fuck the Montreal Voyageurs, i wrote this instead of writing a book, Boston Bears | Boston Raiders Player Shane Hollander, in this fic hockey is in the closet, Angry Sex, Shane Hollander Loves Ilya Rozanov, Ilya Rozanov Loves Shane Hollander, My Kink Is Inserting Black Women Characters in Everything, Late-Stage Capitalism Haunts This Fic, Harper Stern Haunts This Fic, Ilya Frontline Defender, Shane Apologist, Commissioner Crowell will burn in hell, no beta we die like Ilya Rozanov's chill after being introduced to Shane Hollander's freckles, is it olivia pope yes it is, Minor Original Character(s)

Language:

English

Series:

Part 3 of Inspired By... Hollanov

Stats:

Published: 2026-04-08 Completed: 2026-05-08 Words: 40,558 Chapters: 4/4

Going Broke and Broken

Summary

In January 2017, the Montreal Voyageurs ceased to exist. The owner and GM vanished after embezzling $600 million into a crypto scheme, forcing the franchise into federal bankruptcy and immediate dissolution. Contracts were voided overnight. Shane hadn’t spoken to Ilya since the tuna melt incident. Now, with no team, Shane could end up anywhere, on opposite sides of the country, or in the same locker room as Ilya.

Fic inspired by Halt and Catch Fire by mashawisotsky

Chapter 1

Chapter Notes

Okay, so I wrote this in two days. I’ve been a little obsessed lately, with Industry, with the downfall of the Voyageurs, and with the idea of Ilya and Shane on the same team.

This was also inspired by the quiet brutality of financial collapse--> like those stories of colleges or institutions going bankrupt overnight, and this New York Times article, “The Cryptocurrency Scam That Turned a Small Town Against Itself”, about a banker who destroyed his own community through a crypto scheme.
And, of course, Harper’s short The Voyageurs.

I also think, generally, we don’t hate the Voyageurs enough. This is my contribution to that.

Timeline: after Shane and Rose break up, but before the All-Star Game.

Translation at the end of the article.

No beta reader for this one, so please be kind.

Monday

Shane woke up at 5:30 a.m. and received an email marked “important” at 6 a.m. There was no practice that day, but a mandatory meeting at 8. At 7 a.m., Shane received a text from Farah.

Chapter End Notes

There will be a sequel (but not right now). I have to finish my WIP "Future Tense", and one already written that still needs proofreading... so just subscribed, and it will be nice to be surprised when the sequel drops.☀️

As you can see, I’m using my academic leave to write… just not the book I need for tenure review, crying in junior faculty.😭

As always, I moderate comments. If you notice anything that doesn’t make sense grammatically or with punctuation (not plot-related), feel free to point it out ( mentioning not-for-publication comments.

I tried to use fancy workskin for the article and text, but I failed.

🩵I love kuddo, and enjoy comments

Chapter 2

Chapter Notes

I know I said summer, but I could only think about it on my NY-SFO flight.

Translation at the end of the article.

No beta reader, all vibes.

Wednesday

Ilya was not listening, nor was he looking at Coach LeClaire. The team was at the practice rink, ready for scrimmage, split into several groups of three. He caught fragments from LeClaire: welcoming Shane, trying new combinations, something first line, second line, center, something about a chance for the Cup, something about...whatever.

Ilya was nodding and humming, but he was not listening.

All he could think of was the vision of  Shane standing on top of him, jerking off on his face, pulling his hair, asking him to pull his tongue out, and coming in his face.

He was nodding, but his mind was still in his house, on the very couch he was still cursing last week since the tune melt fiasco, but last night  Shane made him repeat, “Only my name.”

How exhilarating it was to be claimed by Shane fucking Hollander, to be on his knees, to see the possessiveness in his eyes, the same Ilya had felt in the club when he saw him with Rose, but this time Shane claimed him, told him he would be on a very tight leash, and Ilya had never thought he would like it.

He was starting to get hard, so he tried to steer his mind toward less explicit parts of the last 24 hours, but it only made him harder. Pushing Shane into the mattress that morning, fucking him hard, making him scream his name, all of it still burned, even standing here.

What made Ilya harder was Shane using the right sink in the bathroom this morning, brushing his teeth, putting a kiss on his cheek with a “Thank you” when he saw that Ilya had woken up early to move all his toiletries from the guest bathroom to the ensuite.

What made Ilya harder was thinking about Shane organizing his belongings in the free spaces he had made—right sink and right side of the walk-in closet.

What made Ilya harder was thinking of the way Shane put on moisturizer, briefs, cologne, deodorant, a T-shirt, and one of Ilya’s hoodies.

What made Ilya harder was thinking about how, while he was prepping coffee and making eggs, after Shane was done making his strange smoothie, he had kissed Ilya's neck and said, “I have to see the medical staff, we have to leave in 30 minutes.”

What made Ilya harder was thinking about the kiss Shane gave him in the car before they left the house, and he said, “I like you,” and Ilya answered, “I like you too.”

What made Ilya harder was thinking about his hand brushing Shane's hair while driving and trash-talking other teams.

When they arrived at the practice rink and the locker room, Shane sat next to him because he had made sure to tell the facilities team that “for better integration, it would be good that Hollander’s locker was next to mine.”

When Marleau hollered in the locker, “Fuck, Roz, now are you giving Hollzy your rags?” when he spotted Shane with his Bears hoodie, “What? You want him to come here with his Voyageurs hoodie? All he owns is Voyageurs shit and button shirts,” Ilya answered, and St-Simon said, “Absolutely not, captain,” and turning to Shane, “Don’t worry, Hollzy, you’ll get your own next week.”

Ilya was not listening. They could have told him he was moving down to the third line; it would not have ruined his day. He did not even need to look at Shane, because he knew he was there.

Do not stare. Do not stare. Do not stare. That was all Shane had been repeating to himself since they made it to the rink, from the parking lot to the locker room. He was a professional; trades were part of the job, and being functional immediately was too.

He was focused on LeClaire's words. They would try different combinations before tomorrow’s home game against Pittsburgh—Shane at center on the second line, and Ilya as his left wing on the power play.

Shane was not staring, but his mind kept drifting. He could still feel the aftermath of Ilya, who had made him come twice that morning. He had woken up as the little spoon, discovered that Ilya was not a morning person, cranky and somehow cute about it, and also that he should have bought a house in Montreal instead of a condo, because a basement pool, like Ilya's, was fucking great.

His mind was drifting because—what were they? Could he ask the question? They were roommates. Ilya had agreed not to see other people. But what were they? Should he ask the question? Could he? Had he coerced Ilya with hot sex to agree on monogamy? Damn—how would they hide this secret?

After practice, the locker room was a minefield. It was always the least sexy place on earth for Shane, overstimulating and loud, but now, seated next to Ilya, his mind kept drifting back to the Toronto locker room, the CCM shoot.

Breathe in, breathe out, he told himself. He rushed to the shower, not that a practice shower was ever enough for him, he would shower again at home. Home. Ilya’s home. Where he lived now. His home? He made a mental note to Google it later. "Serious situationship." "Committed situationship." "Monogamy situationship in the closet."

They were walking in the parking lot toward Ilya’s car, Ilya purposefully bumping his shoulder against Shane, because he could not square him into a wall and kiss him.

When they were in the car, Ilya’s hand on the console, Shane rubbed his thumb on his, and Ilya said, "We still have yesterday’s food, but we can go eat at a restaurant if you want." He fixed the road before him; he had an unease that maybe Shane would be scared, wouldn’t want to be seen with him, yes, they were on the same team, but it had only been 24 hours, maybe it looked like too much for a date, and they were already in this nameless something. Ilya should not ask for too much. "Yeah, could eat something, do you know a good Korean spot? Feel like eating ramen."

Are we on a date, or just teammates eating together, Shane could not decide what they were. They were in a very fancy Korean restaurant, where Ilya clearly had his own habits: he was greeted by name and shown straight to a booth.

“It’s St-Simon who brings the team here, he’s good at knowing all the places,” Ilya had said.

“I think we are good for tomorrow game” Shane said.

“You’re not mad to be on the second line?”

“No… a little, but I can still score more than you.”

“Little brat.”

“We’ll be on the same line on power play, I like that.”

“Me too.”

“So what things are good to do in Boston?”

“Instead of spending time in bed?” Ilya said, his voice low.

“Pervert. Yes, besides that...Even if I like it.”

“I know you do, little freak...I like to go see movies.”

“With the team?”

“No, alone, or with my friend Svetlana.”

“Oh, the friend who used to fuck you...like hanging out with her like a date?”

“No, like friends. And we don’t fuck anymore, and we won’t.”

“Okay, so movies. What else?”

“Sometimes I rent a house in Martha’s Vineyard. Really quiet, beautiful. A little bit like your fortress of solitude.”

“You know about my cottage?”

“Yes. I watched the ESPN feature...better than sleeping pills.”

“Asshole… why don’t you buy it if you like it?”

“I don’t have a real estate fetish like you… but if I had a reason to go more often, maybe with someone, I could see myself getting one.”

“I would like to see it.”

“We’ve got three days off in February, we can go.”

“Okay. I’m going to the bathroom.”

“Need help?”

“Later,” Shane said, and he winked.

When Shane came back, Ilya was firing off an email to his travel agent. He needed a Martha’s Vineyard house, full service, in one month. He was already picturing every room where he could fuck Shane.

“I’m ready to go home,” Shane said.

“Getting the check”

“I already paid.”

“Ohhh, generous. So you took me on a date, Hollander.”

“Technically, you were the one who proposed going to dinner? I just paid.”

“You sure know how to sweet-talk. Very romantic,” Ilya grinned.

They made it home. The new shoe rack was at the entrance, placed by the housekeeper. They dropped their practice bags and kissed, passionate but lagging, like resuming a conversation.

“Thank you for dinner,” Ilya said.

“You’re welcome,” Shane answered.

They went to the bedroom, took a too-long shower that involved kissing and touching. They were ready for bed.

“We’re wearing glasses?” Ilya said when he came back to the room, and Shane was reading a book.

“Yes, for reading.”

Something new unlocked in Ilya. He crawled on top of Shane. Shane went to remove his glasses.

“No, you keep them,” Ilya said, kissing Shane. “Shirt off.”

Ilya kissed more of Shane, his neck trailing to his stomach, and removed his briefs. Went to sit on the edge of the bed.

“On your knees.”

This was what Shane loved the most: watching Ilya watch him, taking Ilya in his mouth, listening to him breathe, feeling Ilya's hand in his hair.

"You're so good at it." "Look at you taking me deep." And Shane went faster, spitting all over, spit crawling out of his mouth, his glasses fogging. He wanted to see Ilya reach the point, the one where he wasn't the one in charge, the one where he was all under Shane's spell and couldn't control himself. When Ilya grabbed Shane's head and started fucking it and speaking in Russian, he knew he was there.

He stood from the bed, harder, harder, reaching the back of Shane's throat, choking him, and came, panting, "Shane, Shane." "You killed me, Shane," he said, falling onto the bed.

Shane was catching his breath on his knees. Ilya was out of his mind, but he wanted to take Shane in his mouth, too. He reached for him, to make him stand, ready to go on his knees, only to discover that Shane’s stomach was full of cum, he had come from sucking him. Ilya’s mind went wild. Shane Hollander would be the ruin of him. He looked at him; the little brat was proud of himself. So Ilya licked it, licked Shane’s stomach, and then kissed him. "Sit," Ilya said.

He left for the bathroom, came back with a warm cloth, and cleaned Shane.

“Are you going to see your father this summer?” Shane asked, his head was on Ilya's chest

“Yes, he’s sick, dying.”

“Like cancer sick?”

“No, he’s forgetting…dementia.”

“That’s sad.”

“Yes… You want to watch a movie?” Ilya asked, changing the topic.

"It's 10. We've got a morning skate tomorrow and an afternoon game."

"You’re so boring, Shane."

"You like it."

"I do."

They turned off the light, Shane turned his back to Ilya, and Ilya wrapped his arm around Shane's waist to spoon him.

"Goodnight, Shane," pressing a kiss in the back of his neck.

"Goodnight, Ilya."

Thursday

Reynolds: “Good evening from TD Garden in Boston, you’re watching ESPN, I’m Mike Reynolds alongside Darren Cole, and tonight the Bears host the Murres in a game that already carries weight far beyond the standings. The Montreal Voyageurs are gone, collapsed after the embezzlement scandal that has shaken the league, and we’re now hearing from multiple sources that former players are having a difficult time adjusting in their new teams, dealing with financial losses that follow them well beyond the rink.”

Cole: “That’s right, and it’s starting to show across the league. This isn’t something players can just compartmentalize. And as things are getting worse, in Canada, the response is escalating, with growing calls for a federal commission that would investigate not only the Voyageurs organization, but the broader system that allowed it, including public subsidies to hockey infrastructure, junior systems, and development programs.”

Reynolds: “And right in the middle of all that tonight, you have one of the star former Voyageurs captains, Shane Hollander, now in Boston, with Rozanov. Rozanov centers the first line with Connors on the left and Marlow on the right, while Hollander centers the second line with St-Simon on the left and Carmichael on the right.”

Cole: “Rozanov’s line establishes control early, winning the first draw against Varga, building possession through Marlow along the boards, and Rozanov finishing his own rebound to give Boston the early lead. Hollander’s line plays a more controlled, slower game, working through the neutral zone with support from St-Simon and looking to Carmichael as a shooting option. Two centers, two rhythms, separate roles.”

Reynolds: “Pittsburgh answers with discipline, Bishop leading clean breakouts from the back end, moving the puck quickly to Petrov on the wing, and you can see the Murres trying to impose a physical edge, especially on Rozanov. Bishop steps into him along the boards with a heavy hit, and Rozanov responds immediately, dropping the gloves in a short exchange before the linemen step in.”

Cole: “There’s still no interaction between Rozanov and Hollander, no overlap in their shifts, and if there’s any kind of relationship to read into, it’s not visible yet. Pittsburgh stays in the game, structured and patient, and eventually Varga ties it in the third period, getting his stick on a point shot from Bishop and bringing it to 1–1.”

Reynolds: “ We are late in the third now, Boston goes to the power play, and for the first time all night, Rozanov and Hollander share the ice. Mike, I was not waiting for it, but it seems like Hollander takes position at the center, Rozanov moves to the left side, and Carmichael sets up on the right, and the puck moves through Hollander.”

Cole: “Rozanov controls it cleanly and sends it right back without hesitation, and Hollander finishes the play immediately. Wow, how little adjustment there is between them despite being their first time playing together.”

Reynolds: “Boston is now taking the lead 2–1, Rozanov is picking up the puck at center ice after Marlow clears the zone and sending it into the empty net for his second of the night, bringing the score to 3–1.”

Cole: “And that’s the final horn. Boston wins it 3-1. Look, the story coming in tonight was all about Hollander, how does a two-time Cup captain handle dropping to the second line? And the answer, Mike, was on that power play. Pure chemistry. That sequence didn’t look like a first game together. That looked like they’d been running it for years.”

Reynolds: “And you know what, Darren, the Voyageurs collapse reshaping the league, nobody saw this as a side effect. But here we are.”

Cole: “Two generational players, same ice, same sweater. That changes the Eastern Conference picture. Hunter and the Admirals have been the story in New York all season, but with Montreal gone? The field is wide open in ways nobody saw coming.”

Reynolds: “If tonight is any indication, Boston just became the team to beat in the East. That was big hockey.”

Cole: “The Hollanov Storm. I don’t think the rest of the league is going to like what that looks like when it’s fully running. Tonight was just a glimpse.”

"You played so well, honey," his mom said. His parents had made the trip for his first game in Boston. They were staying at a hotel, and Shane felt a small, quiet guilt that he was relieved, they hadn’t asked to stay with him, and he got to go home to Ilya.

His mom was not thrilled about the second line, of course, she wasn’t, but between the situation, what was being said around the league, the press response to his first game, and the fact that Boston wanted him doing press with Ilya, she had come around. "He could be your wing," she said.

"Yuna, he just arrived, he can’t take the captain’s place," David said.

"I know, I know. Just saying."

"Mom." Shane said. "It’s good. The press is good, LeClaire mentioned the second ‘A’, and the team is solid. I’m happy with it."

"And you're still okay at Rozanov's place?"

"Yeah, it's good. Big house, quiet, gym, pool, he even has a private chef. She's been adapting the meals to my performance diet," and he fucked me so good every morning, and blew me to sleep, and cuddled at night.

"Good. Don't rush it."

"I thought you'd be the one telling me to buy the apartment and move out," Shane said.

"Normally, yes. But the optics aren't good right now. Are you following the Canadian press?"

"Not really. Trying to stay focused on hockey."

"There's been a lot. A lot of coverage about the team, your former teammates."

"Why? We didn’t steal anything."

"We know that," David said. "But the public doesn’t separate it that cleanly. And some of your teammates didn’t help."

"They lacked…" Yuna paused. "Frugality." Shane had seen on Twitter that Drappeau had been ripped apart, after an article about the janitorial team losing all their savings and moving in with his daughter at 51, one day before Drapeau was spotted with a new sports car worth 200 thousand dollars in San Francisco.

"Drappeau?"

"Yes. And Shane, real estate is public. People are looking for someone to blame, the Côtés are gone, and you’re visible. You’re an easy target," Yuna said.

And Shane knew what she meant. It was the reason, part of the reason, he’d bought a sensible car, and also didn’t talk money with his teammates, the sponsorship, the Asian stereotype. Maybe the public would be mad at it, but he knew that the most vile comments would come from a specific subset of Québécois players.

"So no penthouse."

"We can still sell the Montreal apartment, that won’t raise eyebrows. But for now, low profile on spending."

"No Porsche," Shane said.

"No Porsche."

They continued to talk about the Voyageurs shitshow. For once, David knew more about this hockey affair than his mom. They said their goodbyes and promised to come to his February home game.

Shane arrived home at 9 p.m. and sent Ilya a text

Shane: Home

He went for a shower, lost in his thoughts. He told me he loves me. Yes he said it to the others guys too but still he technically said it. Ilya said at the end of what was the best and most fun hockey Shane had ever played, Ilya told him "I love you". Okay, yes, he told it to everyone leaving the ice, with a fist bump, but Shane could swear, almost, not 100% but maybe 87.45%, that he said "I love you" to him differently.

For one thing, he was sure Ilya only said   "love you" to their teammates, but to Shane he said "I love you" with the pronoun, not that Shane was feeling being a literary expert but when he fist-bumped Shane and said "I love you", he felt different, not teammates-like. And he kissed him too, yes, it was the classic dramatic kiss, European style, after Shane’s goal, but still, he kissed him on his helmet and looked at him with eyes that went beyond "I like you"; that level was already unlocked. So, 87.45%, maybe 88%.

The missing percentage was Shane being aware that he had been completely galvanized by Ilya’s pre-game speech. Shane was a captain, a good one, but not a speech captain. Ilya, on the contrary, stood in the middle of the locker room and delivered a speech with a ratio of fucks per word never heard before, and damn, he was so charismatic, so hot, and the whole locker room was watching him with respect, with admiration, and Shane had wanted to wreck him, to drop on his knees for him, to have him screaming his name, to have him fucking on his face, to have him big-spoon him and press kisses into the back of his neck.

I need to hear him say it again. Ilya was on his second vodka, he would stop at this one, not that he needed to drive, but he needed to be sober enough to fuck the shit out of Shane tonight. No rush. Slowly. He wanted to hear him beg for it. He was so beautiful on the ice tonight, his goal pure beauty, the way he had slammed into him and kissed his helmet. Ilya was infatuated. The fact that Shane had avoided him in the shower only made it worse; he had wanted to see him half-hard in the locker room, fully hard, and wanted him to lose his composure. At the post-game press, when they asked about the instant chemistry, he could have said, "We’ve been fucking for a year, I know the how many freckles he has and how he sounds when he’s about to come," but Shane had stepped in and talked about years of studying each other since the international junior cup, the respect for the game, and how "Rozanov opened his house to help me settle faster." Yeah, his house, and also Shane opened his ass, but that was not to be mentioned. Svetlana texted him two minutes later.

Svetlana: Why am I finding out that Hollander is your roommate from ESPN
Ilya: It’s been 24 hours.
Svetlana: 23 hours and 55 seconds too long to not text me

Now he was at Marlow’s apartment, post-game, takeout on the table, Carmichael going on about the media and the Hollanov Storm, and all Ilya wanted was to get Shane home and hear him say it again, "I love you." He knew it was an ice thing, but he wanted to hear it in their bed, the kitchen, the car, or the bathroom; he would take it anywhere.

Ilya was not brave enough to say it first. If Shane said it, he would say it back. He had already told him in Russian the night before; he had whispered it again that afternoon when he woke before Shane from their pre-game nap. He needed to hear it again. He would take it even if it only came after a game. The next one was in two days, then they were flying out tomorrow for the five-day road trip, and after that, the All-Star Game in Tampa.

At 9 p.m., he received a text from Shane.

Shane: Home

Ilya: Leaving now

Ilya arrived 30 minutes later. He was ready to find Shane in bed with his glasses on, reading a book, planning to talk a little before stripping him down, but what was waiting for him in the bedroom was better than his wildest dream.

Shane Hollander, naked, on his knees next to the bed. What followed was Ilya losing his mind. He edged Shane three times, made him beg for it, took him apart slowly before finally entering him, Shane on top and facing him, one hand gripping the headboard, legs wrapped around him. Ilya pounded into him as hard as he repeated praise in his ear. Every time Shane said harder, he gave him more. A drop of sweat fell onto Shane’s face, and Ilya kissed it away, not knowing where he wanted to put his mouth next, only knowing he wanted to hear Shane, wanted to feel him, wanted this, had always wanted this. Fuck. He needed to say it. So he said it in Russian. I love you. Stay with me. Never leave. Stay forever. And he came hard.

After cleaning up and kissing a little more, they lay in bed, Ilya on Shane’s chest, Shane playing with Ilya’s curls.

"The cross," Shane said. "Where’s it from?"

"My mom’s."

"She gave it to you?"

"No. It was the only thing my father didn’t throw away when she died."

"How did she die?"

"An accident. She swallowed a bottle of pills. I found her."

"How old were you?"

"Twelve."

Shane tightened his grip on Ilya.

"She was amazing. Funny, kind. I loved her. But she was so sad, and my father was, he was mean."

"She sounds amazing."

"She would have loved you."

"I’m sure I would have too." Shane paused. "So it’s just your father now?"

"For now. He’s not getting better."

"Was that your brother this morning? In the car?"

"Yeah. Always money."

"I’m sorry, baby."

At that word, Ilya’s heart missed a beat, or maybe two. He changed position, looking at Shane, at this beautiful and kind Shane, who lived with him, who brushed his teeth with a timer for 2 minutes exactly, flossed every day, had been here for 3 days, and was already leaving notes about house cleaning, sorting cabinets, and color-coding his clothes. Shane, who bullied Ilya into driving 5 miles under the speed limit and only playing something unbearably dull at the home gym. And he couldn’t keep it in anymore; all the cowardice and the fear left him.

"I love you," he said, and the fear came back when he saw Shane’s face change in stupor, but before he could say something else, take it back, amend it, soften it.

"Shit, I love you too."

***

They were flying to New York, the first stop of the road trip. Since the night before, they had said "I love you" more times than he could count, at least once an hour, and again in the car on the way to the airport. Ilya was a Shane-ologist; he could feel the anxiety before it arrived, knew when something was sitting wrong. When they were packing, Ilya went on instinct, as usual, and Shane, as Ilya knew, went methodically. "We need a luggage stand; it’s gross to put the bag on the bed." Ilya exhaled loudly but made a note to order one on the flight.

"Hey." Ilya took his chin. "What’s going on?"

"Nothing, I’m fine."

Ilya kissed the corner of his mouth. "Shane."

"How are we supposed to do this? The hiding, the road games, and with everything going on with the Voyageurs, I’m under more of a microscope than ever."

"Hey. Breathe. We're okay."

"How?"

"Before, we couldn’t even be in the same coffee shop. Now we’re teammates, we live together, and not by choice, the team asked, the league asked. Even your mom said don’t move out yet. Nobody’s looking at us like that."

"I know, but we still have to be careful."

"Promise I won’t suck your dick in the locker room."

"I’m serious, Ilya."

"I know. It’s okay, Shane."

"And on the road, nothing. We don’t touch each other."

"So you only love me when we’re home?"

"Stop it, I love you. Before, we saw each other every four months; now we live together. We can wait."

"And how am I supposed to go five days without kissing my boyfriend?"

"We waited months before. You’ll survive five days." Shane stopped. "Wait, boyfriend?"

"Yes? We live together. We said I love you. What else would you be?"

"Yes. Obviously, boyfriends" A beat. "Still no touching, no sexting."

"No sexting? Are you serious?"

"Yes. I changed your name, but I’m in the team group chat, and anyone could see. No sexting."

"So what am I supposed to do when you score, and I want to tell you exactly what I’m going to do to you later?"

Shane blushed.

"You save it. For later."

Of course, no sexting was never going to be an option for Ilya. He spent the time before boarding skimming the internet. On the plane, Shane sat next to St-Simon and Ilya, as usual, next to Marleau.

"What are you gonna do with your Montreal girl, Roz? No games there anymore," Marleau said. "Maybe I’ll make her move to Boston," Ilya answered. Then he sent Shane a link, an eSIM app, a different number they could use to text. Shane had it installed within fifteen minutes, and just like that, Lily and Jane were back.

Lily: 🍆💦💦😘
Lily: thinking about your tight 💢🥵
Jane:🤫
Lily: I love you
Jane: Love you more ❤️❤️😘
Lily: You don't need to win everything, sweetheart

The road trip was excruciating. And despite being the one who made the no-touching rule, Shane was the one hunting down dark stairwells and empty corners in every hotel just to kiss him for a few minutes. They played the Admirals that same night, a tight game, lost 2-1. Hunter played like his life depended on it. That night, Shane invited J.J. to a bar with his team, partly to smooth things over, partly for Ilya. The Voyageurs' collapse was only ten days old, and the bad feeling hadn’t gone anywhere, but J.J.’s team had no real rivalry with Boston, which helped.

"I heard the league made Drapeau hand over his car," J.J. said. "That’s insane."

"My mom told me we need to be more frugal."

"So, we’re playing broke now?"

"I mean, the staff lost everything."

"Man, I know, many of the janitorial and security staff were Haitians or people of color, man, I gave to their fund."

"They have a fund?"

"Yes, I can send you the link, but people from the league told me it should be anonymous, so check with your mom. I had one of my cousins do it for me."

"Why do they want it anonymous?"

"Because they don't want people asking for more, and I'm not sure the others from the Voyageurs, even if they have the money, will want to contribute for staff that is mostly 'la diversité du Québec,'" J.J. said, using his hands as quotes.

"I’m sure if he hadn’t lost so much money, Comeau would have contributed to the Côté bail fund. How much did you give?"

"I’m selling the apartment in Montreal, so I gave the amount the realtor told me I’d make after tax, 180,000 dollars."

He texted his parents and transferred J.J.’s link.

Shane: Mom, J.J. contributed to this fund. I want to, but it must be untraceable to me.

Mom: That’s great, honey, how much?

David: Very proud of your kiddo

Shane: The projected amount the realtor said I’d make from selling the apartment in Montréal.

Mom: That is very generous of you. I am on it.

The next day, they won against Brooklyn 3-1 in a morning game. They flew out that same afternoon to Philadelphia, and Shane went to dinner at Hayden’s house to spend some time with the kids. The house was smaller than the one in Montreal, but it was still a good neighborhood. They were making up for the losses, especially now that they were back in the U.S.—if they stayed and if their daughter wanted to attend college there, on top of the private school she was already attending.

Shane’s e-sim text with Ilya was full of blissful filth. Ilya would text him the most outrageous propositions, sitting right next to him in the locker room, watching him go red, on the bus, on the flight. Shane had to use the bathroom, running a fake shower twice a day just to jerk off. He could not wait to get home. They won against Philadelphia 2-1 and headed to Buffalo for the last game. Marleau took a bad hit and went down injured, hurting their play, but they still won 2-1.

The Hollanov Storm remained the top story in hockey, second only to the Voyageurs scandal. LeClaire kept them on separate lines and brought them together on the power play, except in Buffalo, where they played on the same line. Two goals from Shane, both assisted by Ilya.

***

When they finally got home, they were crushing into each other, kissing in Ilya’s car as soon as they reached their home garage. "Shane, it was torture."

"I know, you made it worse with your texts. I was dying."

"How many times did you jerk off?" Ilya said, his hand in Shane’s pants over the console.

"2 times a day,  you?"

"Four."

"Fuck, inside, we aren’t reaching the bedroom, the couch, don’t make me wait, Ilya."

"I won’t."

"Good, because I have a plug."

"What, when?"

"Before leaving the hotel in Buffalo."

"You traveled with a plug?"

"Yeah, it was crazy. I bought a box with a code, and I was scared someone would find out."

"I love you so much, I want you," Ilya said.

They finally made it outside the car.

"What is it?" Shane said, breaking their kiss, and pointed to a brand-new Audi Q5.

"It's for you, you need a car, and you're broke."

"You bought me a car? and I’m not broke, asshole."

"Yes, a boring, sensible, good-for-snow car, not a fun car, no Porsche, it's nothing," Ilya said. And Shane ran to him, kissed him harder, slamming him against the car.

"You’re gonna scratch it before you drive it," Ilya said, and Shane slid to his knees on the hard floor, sucking him hungrily, but Ilya couldn’t wait; he put him back to his feet. "Shane, I’m gonna fuck you here, and later fuck you slower inside, okay?"

"Yes, Ilya, yes."

"Wait here."

Ilya went to his bag, took travel lube and a condom. Went back to Shane, put his pants down, bending him over the car. "Fuck, Shane, fuck," Ilya said, removing the plug. Shane was full of lube, ready to welcome him. "Ilya, come inside, please."

"Yes, my love, yes." Ilya only had the time to put the condom on and slide inside Shane, not like usual, where time to open him was needed, 3 strokes and he was fully inside, Shane screaming his name. "I missed you so much, please, fuck me harder, Ilya," and Ilya started the rhythm, going harder. "Shane, I won’t last. You’re taking it so well."

"Yes, come for me, Ilya, come."

"Touch yourself." Shane braced one hand on the car and reached down with the other. Ilya didn’t let up. Shane came first, and Ilya followed seconds later, forehead dropping to Shane’s back.

"You came on the car before you even drove it."

"That was insane," Shane said, turning around, both still half-undressed.

"The realtor said the heated garage was a selling point. She wasn’t wrong."

***

The next day was a day off. After a night of coming four times, they kept it slow, long breakfast, everything the chef had prepped, no rush. Eventually they decided they needed air, and finally took the car out the way it was meant to be used. They sent a message to the team chat.

Shane: want to see Blade Runner 2049 tonight?

Ilya: it’s an action movie. not boring. Hollander is evolving

Cliff: fuck yes. loved the first one

St-Simon: in

Carmichael: can’t, plans with my sister.

Connor: same but make it my bed and takeout

Hammersmith: in

They went to the AMC, bought too much candy, popcorn, and a hot dog. Shane got a bottle of sparkling water and spent the entire movie stealing Ilya's popcorn. Ilya let him. They sat at the end of the row, and as soon as the lights went down, Ilya's hand found his thigh. After the credits, they both posted the same group selfie.

.@IlyaRozanov81 Hollander picked the movie. I paid for everything. Tickets, food, all of it. Sending the bill to @BostonBears 😒 Everyone says it’s amazing. It’s like Toronto teams, looks incredible, very shiny, a lot of money in it, but nothing really hits. The story is fine. Still prefer the first one. The memory thing… they spend a lot of time on it. But people who are losing their memory aren't that chill about it. Even if you’re a robot 🤨 Beautiful movie though. Also, AMC seats are not made for hockey players.

@ShaneHollanderHockey Blade Runner 2049 with the team tonight. It’s slow. Really slow. But not in a bad way, more like a long practice where you don’t know what it’s building toward until it clicks. You just sit with it. Every shot looks insane. Feels like you’re stuck in that world. What I liked most is it doesn’t overexplain thing. Didn’t expect to like it this much. 👍

The comments came fast.

“Hollanov film critics era”

“Boston is the most cultured team in the mhl”

“Rozanov hating as usual.”

“→ Sorry, can a man have complex thoughts 😌”

“I’m with Hollander, that movie was insane”

 

Still 8 p.m. Across Canada, every outlet is dropping the same headline.

Reuters "The Canadian government's public consultation on the future of hockey funding"
The consultation asks Canadians to respond to a series of questions, including: Whether public funds should continue to support professional and semi-professional hockey organizations; Whether eligibility for public funding should depend on financial transparency and protection of players’ earnings and retirement savings; Whether teams that fail to address discriminatory language, including racism and homophobia, should remain eligible for public funding; Whether Canada should move toward a more privatized, U.S.-style model of professional hockey; Whether public funding should be redirected toward grassroots, community-based, and youth programs

Montréal Gazette « Un référendum national sur le financement du sport lancé après trois jours de crise politique à Ottawa »
Après des débats particulièrement tendus, le gouvernement libéral a cédé à la pression et annoncé une consultation populaire dans 180 jours, ouvrant la voie à une possible refonte majeure du financement public du sport professionnel, avec le hockey directement dans la ligne de mire. (1)

Le Devoir « Charte des valeurs et argent public : le Canada appelé à trancher en cinq questions ».
Structurée autour d’une Charte de responsabilité du sport financé publiquement, la consultation propose une redéfinition des liens entre État et ligues professionnelles, dans un contexte de scandales et de remise en cause croissante de la légitimité du modèle actuel. (2)

CBC News “Canada to hold high-stakes vote on sports funding amid fallout from hockey scandals.”
Following intense parliamentary pressure, Canadians will face five referendum-style questions over the next 180 days on subsidies, tax breaks, and ethical standards in professional sports, as both camps prepare for a contentious nationwide campaign.

Toronto Star “Public money, private leagues: Ottawa’s referendum could reshape hockey economics across North America”With proposals targeting subsidies, transparency, and even salary structures, analysts warn the vote could ripple through the entire MHL system, increasing costs for Canadian teams and shifting financial pressure onto U.S. franchises.

Journal de Montréal « Hockey dans la mire : une consultation qui menace les subventions, les salaires et la survie économique des équipes »
Alors que les progressistes capitalisent sur une année de scandales, violence, propos discriminatoires, détournements de fonds, le vote à venir pourrait bouleverser l’économie du hockey, avec des impacts directs sur les équipes, les employés et les commerces locaux. (3)

TMZ Sports “Canada About to Decide Hockey’s Future, Voyageurs Mess Heads to National Vote”
The fallout from the Montreal Voyageurs collapse is now heading straight to the ballot box, and insiders say the entire hockey world should be nervous. In just 180 days, Canadians will vote on cutting public money, tightening rules, and even capping salaries across the league. With shared revenue across the MHL, sources tell TMZ Sports this isn’t just a Canada problem, if voters pull the plug, costs go up everywhere, hitting U.S. teams, player paychecks, and local arenas. Bottom line: one franchise’s disaster just turned into a country-wide decision… and the whole sport is on the line.

Followed by the political parties' statements

Liberal Party of Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
“We have heard clearly from Canadians that questions around public funding, accountability, and values in professional sport deserve a national conversation. This consultation is about giving people a voice. Our government believes in sport, in its ability to bring communities together and inspire young people, but also in transparency and responsibility when public dollars are involved. The consultation will allow Canadians to express where they believe the balance should lie. Over the next six months, we encourage a respectful and thoughtful debate. Our role is to ensure that this process is fair, informed, and reflects the diversity of perspectives across the country.”

Conservative Party
“This proposal represents a concerning overreach by the federal government into sectors that should be driven by markets, not political intervention. Professional sports leagues operate within complex economic ecosystems that generate jobs, investment, and growth. Punitive measures such as cutting funding, imposing salary controls, or attaching ideological conditions to financing risk destabilize an entire industry. Canadians are already facing economic uncertainty. The last thing they need is more government interference that threatens businesses, workers, and local economies tied to sport.”

Bloc Québécois
“Le Bloc Québécois s’oppose à cette consultation telle qu’elle est proposée, car elle ignore les réalités propres au Québec et risque de pénaliser directement ses travailleurs, ses entreprises et ses communautés. Le hockey et les activités sportives font partie intégrante de la vie sociale et économique québécoise. Les retombées pour les commerces locaux, les travailleurs et les familles sont bien réelles. Encore une fois, Ottawa impose une logique centralisée sans reconnaître les spécificités du Québec. Nous défendrons les intérêts du peuple québécois face à des mesures susceptibles de fragiliser notre tissu économique et culturel.” (4)

Québec solidaire
“Nous appuyons cette consultation, car elle ouvre enfin un débat nécessaire sur l’utilisation de l’argent public dans le sport. Mais pour nous, la question centrale est celle des valeurs. Si des fonds publics sont investis, ils doivent soutenir des espaces réellement inclusifs, exempts de sexisme, de racisme et d’homophobie, et accessibles à toutes et tous. Ce moment doit servir à repenser le sport comme un bien commun, et non pas seulement comme une industrie. Cela implique de revoir les priorités et de s’assurer que les ressources publiques soutiennent des pratiques sportives équitables, sécuritaires et représentatives de la société.” (5)

Progressive Coalition

“This consultation is long overdue. For years, public money has flowed into for-profit leagues while communities, especially in low-income regions, have been left without access to basic sports infrastructure. This is not a question of scarcity, but of political choice. We fully support these measures and will campaign to go further: redirect public funds away from profit-driven professional sports and invest instead in community-based, youth, and grassroots programs across all sports. Sport should be a public good, not a subsidy for private profit. Over the next three months, we will make that case clearly to Canadians.”

Across platforms, the reactions poured in, loud and clear, and the camps were already forming. Fans, players, retirees, rookies, prospects, and pundits were all weighing in.

Look, I get people are mad. But why are the rest of us paying for what Voyageurs owners and GM did?

You wanna cut funding? Fine. But don’t act surprised when salaries drop, and half the league gets squeezed.

Le point sur les “chirps” est essentiel, insultes racistes, sexistes, homophobes. Pourquoi le hockey serait au-dessus des lois ? (The point about “chirps” is essential. racist, sexist, homophobic insults. Why should hockey be above the law?)

If Canada wants to blow up their teams, fine. But don’t drag U.S. teams into it. Split the league.

We lost contracts, savings, everything. And now people say we shouldn’t even play? We didn’t run the books.

If subsidies go down in Canada, escrow goes up league-wide. That means less money for every player.

Moi, j’ai perdu ma maison pendant qu’ils étaient en train de boire du champagne avec de l’argent public. Oui, on va bien aller voter. (I lost my house while they were throwing parties with public money. Yes, we’re going to vote.)

Everyone acting shocked about chirps… you’ve heard it. Maybe it’s time it has consequences.

Canadian vote, but U.S. teams pay the price? Yeah, that’s not gonna fly.

Chirping is part of the game....

If this passes, young guys coming up are the first to get squeezed.

Just separate it already, Canadian league, U.S. league.

At 10 p.m., every MHL player, staff member, and coach received the same email from Commissioner Crowell.

Subject: Urgent: Mandatory Q&A Canada Referendum

To all players, coaches, and staff,

Following today’s developments in Canada regarding the announced national referendum on public funding and regulation of professional sport, the League is activating its internal response protocols. We are aware of the gravity of this moment and are taking it seriously.

We have already engaged with external legal counsel and our strategic advisory teams to assess the full scope of potential impacts. A coordinated league-wide position and communication strategy is currently being finalized.

The actions of the Montreal Voyageurs’ ownership and management do not reflect the standards, governance, or integrity of this League. We will not allow the failures of a few to define or determine the future of professional hockey, nor the livelihoods of the thousands of people who dedicate their lives to this sport.

A mandatory League-wide Q&A session will be held tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. All players, coaches, and staff are strongly encouraged to attend. This session will provide an overview of the situation, outline potential scenarios, and allow for direct questions.

This moment requires unity. What is being proposed is not limited to a single franchise or market. It has the potential to affect every team, every contract, every career, and the League's structure as a whole. We do not use that word lightly.

We ask all members of the MHL to remain aligned, informed, and professional in the days ahead. Please do not speak to the media independently on this matter until a coordinated League position has been issued. The next 180 days will be critical for the future of our sport, and we intend to face them together.

Further details for the meeting will follow.

Commissioner Crowell

MHL Commissioner

 

 

Shane and Ilya only saw the email at 6 a.m. the next morning; they were too busy and had been locked in their bedroom.

“Fuck, Voyageurs fucking with our money, what the fuck,” Ilya said.

“The team chat is going crazy,” Shane said. Messages were flooding in. The salary ramifications were the most talked about, but people were also pushing to split the league between Canada and the U.S.

They logged into the meeting on different laptops: Ilya from the couch and Shane from the guest bedroom, at the desk. Like the meeting where Crowell had announced the death of the Voyageurs, it started with him reading a statement. The virtual conference was packed. It was supposed to be a Q&A, but it seemed only coaches and GMs could unmute themselves. Everyone else had to ask questions in writing.

Crowell started like this.

“If there was ever a time to be worried, it is now. But we cannot panic. I’ll be honest, the odds are not in our favor. We’ve hired a team, and the public is very much in favor of this proposal. This meeting is to remind everyone that getting out of this depends on all of us. That means no public statements about splitting the league. That would cost everyone more. As you know, one of the angles our opponents take is on aspects of our culture that can be labeled offensive, like chirping. In this moment, all teams and all players are asked to follow the rules. Comments that could be deemed offensive are being closely monitored. Every game is being watched, and material is already being used in campaigns.

We need to show that hockey is more than fights and physicality. It is about camaraderie, family, and sportsmanship. We will be strict on this point. We cannot afford certain publicity in the next 179 days. Referees have been informed. Penalty boxes and suspensions will follow.”

Without doubt, the first question in the chat came from Comeau.

Comeau (Toronto): fag offensive?

Fuller (San Francisco): “fucking Canadian” offensive too? because we could just get rid of them

Vaugn(New York): Definitely, you’re not broke enough, Comeau

Kent (Toronto): fuck you, Fuller

James (Buffalo): The Canadian team should go sell their  ass on OnlyFans and leave us out of it

From there, the chat descended quickly, invective flying across teams and borders.

Crowell cut in: “This is exactly what we were talking about. This cannot happen. You can all forget about salaries if this continues. Projections show a minimum 25% loss of income if the league splits or if the law passes. And that does not even count sponsors pulling out and media losses.”

After that, the atmosphere shifted. A woman appeared on the screen, standing in a large office with a team seated around a table. She was a Black woman, her hair parted cleanly in soft, controlled curls, wearing a perfectly tailored beige suit that looked expensive even on camera.

“Good morning. I’m Olivia Pope. Pope & Associates has been retained to fix this. Let me begin with something very simple. I am very good at what I do. For the next 180 days, you are not hockey players. You are exposed. Every word you say, every movement, every clip, every camera, every phone in an arena is part of a record being built in real time.

Racist language, sexist language, and homophobic slurs. You think it belongs to the game's culture. Outside of your locker room, it is a liability. Right now, the argument is being built against you. So let me make this very clear. You close your mouth, or you change what comes out of it.

From this moment forward, your public life becomes controlled. You post the safest, most neutral content possible. Team dinners. Movies. Training. Smiles. You become boring. That is your job now. Now, to address what I am already seeing. Mr. Comeau, you asked if certain slurs qualify as offensive. Yes, they do. In the last four years alone, there have been over two hundred documented cases of racial and discriminatory language tied to you on ice. He took my team 2 hours to compile them. That number is already circulating.

Mr. Kent, since you seem unclear as well, understand this. Words targeting sexual orientation are no longer tolerated in any form. Not on the ice, not on the bench, not under your breath.

Do not say them. Do not repeat them. Do not joke about them. Do not even say them alone in your bathroom.

Because here is what you are up against. There are thousands of people watching you. Not fans. Analysts. Activists. Opponents. People are clipping every game, isolating audio, reading lips, requesting mic’d footage, and slowing down video frame by frame.

Now let’s talk about behavior off the ice. If any of you think this is the moment to make a bad decision, to start a fight, to hurt someone, to create another headline, understand this clearly.

We are not cleaning that. We are here to know things. That is what we are paid for. If we find out, the league will find out. And when that happens, you are no longer a player. You are a liability. No suspension. No negotiation. You are gone.

You may think the owner and GM will protect you because you are scoring. They will not. Owners understand money. They understand risk. They understand when the political wind shifts. And when it does, they know exactly when to shut up, step back, and protect their investment. They will survive losing a cup, not that their franchise shareholder price is going to the gutter. You are on payroll, and should act like it. Because if you cannot understand when to do the same, you are expendable. The next 180 days will decide the future of this league, either help stabilize it, or you will not be part of what comes next.”

Kent (Toronto): She doesn't look like someone who really understands hockey culture.

Olivia Pope saw the message and answered without blinking. “You’re right. I don’t, and I don't care. But you know what I do look like? Someone with a direct line to every living President of the United States and the Prime Minister of Canada, in addition to both chambers. I look like someone whose job is not on the line, and whose retirement is not in ten years.”

Coach Williams (Toronto): Fuck, shut up, Kent.

The meeting was about to close when Shane and Ilya received a message.

Eliza Collins (MHL Ex Assitant): Please join this meeting  in 10 minutes using same device. The commissioner would like to speak with you.

Shane was downstairs in seconds.

“Why us? Do you think he knows?” he said

“How would he know? You were Voyageurs captain, you’re Canadian, that’s reason enough. Maybe he wants money. And me because I’m rich and hot.”

“Fuck, Ilya, maybe we weren’t careful. Fuck.”

“Breathe. Crowell has bigger problems than us right now.”

They logged into the meeting. Crowell had something on his face that was hard to place, almost uncanny. He was trying to seem warm.

“The Hollanov Storm. There they are.” Crowell smiled. “How are you both doing?”

“Good, sir,” Shane said.

“All good,” Ilya said.

“Good, good. I won’t keep you long…I know you’ve got practice. You’re both doing great out there.”

“Thank you, sir,” they said in concert.

“We saw the Instagram post. The movie, the team outing. You two together.” He nodded. “That’s good.”

“Thank you, sir,” Shane said.

“Very good. A lot of positive press, and God knows we need it right now. Our analysts ran the numbers… the rivalry-to-friendship arc is working. Especially given how different you two are.”

“You mean foreigner and bi-racial Asian?”

“Yes. Exactly that. Inclusion, integration, and former Voyageurs finding their footing in American teams. That’s the story we need. Hockey is one big family.”

“One big family,” Shane said quietly.

“So we want you to keep doing what you’re doing. You’re still hosting Hollander, Rozanov?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. Don’t change anything before the vote. Keep posting, the friendship, the outings, the movie. Laura from comms will walk you through the rest.”

“Good morning. Laura, MHL PR.” She didn’t waste time. “Your friendship is one of the only things working for us right now. You’re reaching audiences that don’t watch hockey but are key voters in Canada. We ran focus groups this morning: urban markets and women under 35. You two are testing extremely well.”

Ilya raised an eyebrow.

“It’s a few things,” she continued. “You’re both recognizable and attractive, you read well on camera, and together the contrast works. But the main thing is this: you come across as non-threatening. Approachable.” A pause. “Safe.”

“Safe,” Ilya repeated, amused.

“You have no record of problematic language, no past incidents, nothing circulating online that could be used against you. Even you, Mr. Rozanov, your reputation with women has not been marred by any stray incident or complaint, and you tested well with both men and women. Shane, you tested very well with all people of color demographics and white liberals. In the current environment, that puts you in a very small group of players we can actually build around because this bill is on a vote to people that don't care about hockey, but can be reached by people who are reliable.”

She clicked to another slide.

“That’s why we’re building partnerships outside sports media. Rotten Tomatoes wants to do content with you, movies, reactions, that kind of thing. It pulls in people who’ve never watched a game in their life.”

“So you want us to go to movies together and post about it?”

“Movies, dinners, everyday stuff. It has to feel natural, but consistent enough that people start looking for it.”

Crowell leaned forward.

“Let me be clear, gentlemen. For the next 179 days, we need both of you visible and visible together. Where Hollander is, you are. Where Rozanov is, you are. The kind of friendship that only this sport can produce, that’s what we’re selling.”

Shane waited a beat. "And after the vote?"

Crowell’s smile stayed in place. His answer came a beat too late.

“Let’s get through the next hundred and eighty days first. Then we’ll talk about what comes after.”

Translation:

1/ Montréal Gazette “National referendum on sports funding launched after three days of political crisis in Ottawa.” After particularly heated debates, the Liberal government yielded to pressure and announced a public consultation to take place over the next 180 days, opening the door to a major overhaul of public funding for professional sport, with hockey squarely in the crosshairs.

2/ Le Devoir  “Charter of values and public money: Canada asked to weigh in on five questions.” Built around a Charter of Responsibility for Publicly Funded Sport, the consultation calls for a redefinition of the relationship between the state and professional leagues, against a backdrop of scandal and mounting questions about the legitimacy of the current model.

3/ Journal de Montréal  “Hockey in the crosshairs: a consultation that threatens subsidies, salaries, and the economic survival of teams.” As progressives draw on a year of scandals, violence, discriminatory language, embezzlement, the coming vote could upend hockey’s economics entirely, with direct consequences for teams, employees, and local businesses.

4/ Bloc Québécois  “The Bloc Québécois opposes this consultation as proposed. It ignores Quebec’s specific realities and risks, directly penalizing our workers, businesses, and communities. Hockey and sport are woven into Quebec’s social and economic fabric. The benefits for local businesses, workers, and families are real and significant. Once again, Ottawa is imposing a centralized logic that fails to acknowledge Quebec’s distinct character. We will defend the interests of the Quebec people against measures that could undermine our economic and cultural foundation.”

5/ Québec solidaire “We support this consultation because it finally opens a necessary debate on the use of public money in sport. But for us, the central issue is one of values. If public funds are invested, they must support spaces that are truly inclusive, free from sexism, racism, and homophobia, and accessible to all. This moment must be used to rethink sport as a common good, and not merely as an industry. This means reviewing priorities and ensuring that public resources support sporting practices that are fair, safe and representative of society.”

Chapter End Notes

Fun fact: the Consultation in this fic draws on the real-life Charte des valeurs québécoises (2013–2014), proposed by the Parti Québécois, but flips its logic. The original Charter, framed through French laïcité (islamophobic), claimed neutrality while banning “conspicuous” religious symbols in the public sector, and was widely criticized as structurally racist for disproportionately targeting BIPOCs, especially Muslim women, Sikhs, and Jewish communities, while protecting Christian symbols as heritage. It ultimately failed after legal and political backlash. In this fic, the consultation is not about banning religion, but about managing the league’s public image around discrimination, funding, and alignment with broader North American norms.

I am not Canadian, but I have (as a scholar and as a person) a very niche interest in the liberal mythologies of countries like Canada and across Europe, how they often position racism as a uniquely U.S. thing, while obscuring their own histories and present realities shaped by slavery, colonialism, and genocide.

And yes feel like only Olivia Pope could save the MHL lol.

As always, I moderate comments. If you notice anything that doesn’t make sense grammatically or with punctuation (not plot-related), feel free to point it out ( mentioning not-for-publication comments.
 

See you in 10 days ( or before) 😘😘

Chapter 3

Chapter Summary

thanks to MarvelReader500 and Faithella who beta-read and edited this chapter.

Chapter Notes

178 days before the vote

Subject: Mandatory League Directive: “Hockey Is Home” Campaign

To all players, coaches, and staff,

Following recent developments in Canada regarding the announced public consultation on the funding and governance of professional sport, the League will implement a coordinated initiative over the coming months. This initiative will operate under the title: “Hockey Is Home.” As discussed in our recent meeting, the environment around our sport is currently evolving. Public perception, media narratives, and stakeholder confidence will play a meaningful role in shaping outcomes during this period. It is therefore important that, we remain intentional in how the League is represented. The objective of this initiative is straightforward: - To reinforce that hockey is inclusive, accountable, and reflective of the communities that support it. - To highlight the impact of players and teams beyond the rink. As part of this effort, the League will be coordinating a series of media features, including:

Ilya Rozanov (Boston) & Shane Hollander (Boston) on the Power of Friendship.
Scott Hunter (New York) on philanthropic work supporting orphaned youth.
J.J. Boizeau (Brooklyn) on Haitian heritage in Quebec hockey.
Carter Vaughn (New York) on sports initiatives in Louisiana and support of Black arts programs.
Hayden Pike (Philadelphia) on balancing life as a player and a father.

Additional features will follow. Participation in League-directed initiatives during this period is not optional and falls within the scope of existing contractual obligations. Players selected for participation will be contacted directly with guidance and scheduling. We ask that all messaging during this period remain aligned with League communications. More broadly, this is a time where visibility extends beyond the usual scope. As such, we encourage everyone to be mindful that interactions, whether on the ice, in public settings, or online, can be interpreted and amplified in ways that may not always reflect intent. If you are currently involved in community initiatives, charitable work, or programs that align with the above themes, please share them with the League for potential inclusion. Contact Laura Mercier with relevant details.

Commissioner Crowell

With an MHL-sanctioned love story bromance, Ilya and Shane enjoyed special perks at the All-Star weekend in Tampa. They were given two suites connected by a connecting door to better coordinate media appearances over the weekend. Betting laid on MHL money had never been so sweet and convenient. Shane and Ilya installed themselves in Ilya’s room. Shane only used his room card because "you never know if they checked the log and saw he never entered the room."

Shane was at the hotel bar, doing the rounds as captain of the East Coast team, when he spotted Carter Vaughn waving at him. "Captain, come here."

"Hey, nice to see you," Shane said.

"Where’s your best friend, Rozanov?" Carter asked.

"Oh, you know, surely waiting to make an entrance," Shane said instead of saying he had to take a little nap after I sucked the life out of him.

"Bet! This is my twin sister Anita-big-head, and her adopted brother Iro," Carter said, pointing to a beautiful Black woman with what seemed like a million very small long braids, and an Asian man, of the same age as Shane.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Shane," he said, shaking both of their hands.

"Don't listen to his stupid — my head is normal size, just fuller than yours, stupid. This is my best friend, Iro."

"Hey," Iro said.

"You both work around hockey, too?" Shane asked.

"Absolutely not," Iro and Anita said in concert.

"They’re bookworms, believe it or not. I’m the least successful of the twins," Carter said.

"Oh my god, you’re such a whining bitch, Kat!" Anita said.

"Oh, sorry to express my feelings, Miss Favorite Child," Carter said.

"They’re always like that," Iro murmured to Shane.

"Heard that it’s a sibling thing, I’m an only child, so don’t know," Shane responded.

"Oh, me too, we have two things in common."

"What’s the other thing?"

"We both have a Japanese mom; my dad’s also Japanese, though."

"Oh, cool, you’re from Florida?" Shane asked.

"No, California, but I moved to Boston for college. I met Anita the first day of class, and I’m still there," Iro said.

"I’m in Boston now, too."

"Yes, I heard it was a big mess in Montreal. Sorry about that."

"Definitely, so Carter, why’s your sister the favorite child?" Shane asked, teasing him.

"I went to the MHL, she went to Harvard. As if it wasn’t enough, she got a fancy prize, so got to meet the Obamas, took our parents and grandparents, and now she’s a National Book Award finalist. Try to be a twin with Maya Angelou," Carter said.

"She’s more of a Toni Cade Bambara, but good comparison," Iro said, laughing, and Anita put a kiss on his cheek.

"Oh, him. You know, in her best-selling book, he's on the dedication page 'for my brother from another mother' on the same line as me, the person she knew before knowing our parents."

"My little womb’s roommate, and as you can see, Shane, he took all the height gene," Anita said, and it was true. Carter was tall, taller than Ilya, while Anita was a petite woman, but they had the same face, in a different font.

"What’s your book about? I want to read it."

“Twin sisters from the South in the ’50s, white-passing. One disappeared one day. The other stayed and had a Black child. The one who disappeared chose to live her life passing as a white woman with a white husband. So it’s about the cousins, the daughters, how they meet, and how their lives are different.”

“It sounds amazing,” Shane said.

"And it's about us, it's a…" Carter started. "A metaphor. And in the metaphor, I'm the one going to the white life because I'm in the MHL instead of the NBA," Carter said.

"Oh god, I told you, it’s not about us! Come on, Kat, I went to Harvard, it’s the whitest place on Earth, literally," Anita said.

"Anyway, look, now I’m the face to save the MHL with Shane, and J.J. Harrison from Denver for the racial diversity things. Hunter’s for a Kennedy of hockey, and I heard Pike’s for not cheating husband representation. They even covered the Latino working-class demographic, and players with a lesbian sister in the PWNL," Carter said.

"Oh, you talked to Crowell and the PR?"

"He mostly talked, and I nodded. It wasn’t like a dialogue; it seems the MHL needs us to show the world it’s the most amazing progressive place on earth, what I understand is they don’t worry about the usual suspects of hockey fans in Canada, but they have to convince the liberal, working-class, non-hockey fan, women, people of color and LGBT if they want to win," Carter said and continued, "I did more interviews about reaching different urban demographics."

"This is so fucked up," Shane said.

"You know, not wanting to condone tokenization, but Iro and I survived Harvard because you know the way to navigate it. They’re using you, but even if it’s not an equal situation, you can use them too," Anita said.

"And you know the wind can change fast. From what Anita explained to me, if they win after the vote, they might not give a single shit about anything, so maybe it’s a good moment to ask for things," Iro said.

"Like a change in the league?" Shane asked.

"I don’t know how easy it’ll be, and even if so, do you want to give the league the power to open and shut things down? Maybe the things linked where you have power over it, you can use the resources to put them where it counts and where they can’t take it back," Anita said.

"Yes, transfer of wealth," Iro said.

"Big head," Carter said. "Oh, I’m seeing Scott; see you at dinner, sis? Fake brother, see you too," Carter said, going to Scott.

"Iro, if you don’t stop looking at those men, I’m snitching to Damian," Anita said.

"Who’s Damian?" Shane asked.

"My husband," Iro said, and Shane's eyes went wide, and he stumbled, "Your husband, you're, you have?"

"Breathe, Shane, yes, I’m gay, and I have a very beautiful husband, he’s Jamaican-American. We’re in Florida, so he’s spending the day with his family, but tonight we’re going for dinner. You should come," Iro said.

"Yes, come, fellow Bostonian, and bring your best friend... oh look, he’s here," Anita said.

When Ilya arrived next to the bar, he scanned the space, said hello, waved, but was looking for Shane. When he spotted him, there were two people at the bar, a woman and a tall Asian man, not a hockey player's physique, more a model's physique and face with glasses, perfect-fit t-shirt, looking like Clark Kent. He stayed behind and looked at them; they were talking and laughing. Ilya had perfect radar, and there was no way this man was straight. He tapped Shane's back. What the actual fuck, he was prepared for many things at the All-Star weekend, but not a handsome man hitting on his secret boyfriend and public best friend. So he walked over to end whatever was happening.

Shane turned, and Ilya was coming over to them. "Hello," he said.

"Hello, I’m Anita."

"I’m Iro."

"Hello, Ilya."

"She’s Vaughn’s sister, and he’s her best friend," Shane said.

"We saw you last year, Ilya," Anita said.

"Me?"

"Yes, at Martha’s Vineyard. We were with Scotty at my brother’s house in Oak Bluffs."

"You didn’t say hello."

"Listen, I was already plugging along, living on my brother’s generosity on vacation, and you didn’t seem very good at cultivating people wanting to say hello in their time off," Anita said.

"So you’re enjoying yourself?" Ilya asked to Shane, a bit tense.

"The weather’s nice, good break from Boston," Iro said.

"You live in Boston?"

"Yes, I’m finishing my Ph.D. there," Iro said.

"At Harvard, he worked on Japanese women who came to the U.S. in 1900," Shane said.

"Oh, you know a lot already," Ilya said between his teeth.

"Ilya, you should come to dinner with us tonight, and we should definitely hang out in Boston," Anita said.

“Maybe,” Ilya said, meaning absolutely no.

In the afternoon, they did press together; their team won the games, and everyone was talking about the Hollanov duo. Back in their hotel room for a shower and a nap before dinner, Shane asked, “Are you coming to dinner with me?”

“Dinner with your friend Iro?” Ilya said.

“And Anita.”

“And you’ll sit next to him so that fine man can touch your arm.”

“Oh god, Ilya, do you think all handsome men are after me?”

“Oh, so you acknowledge he’s handsome?”

“I have eyes,” Shane said.

And Ilya stepped closer to him. He was only in briefs next to the bed, and he walked again until his nose touched Shane’s. “So, Hollander, tell me where your eyes were, in addition to watching handsome men.”

“You’re so jealous,” Shane said. “So I can't talk to handsome gay men.”

“Oh, he’s gay? He told you that?”

“Yes, but I guess you’re so perceptive you knew.”

“So, a handsome gay man’s touching my boyfriend at the bar at the All-Star.”

“What are you gonna do, tell Crowell?”

Ilya grabbed Shane’s chin and kissed him hard, desperate, pressing his hips forward and wedging one leg between Shane’s. “Let me remind you,” he breathed against his mouth.

Shane was breathing hard. He brought his hand up to Ilya’s shoulder and held his gaze, steady, unapologetic.

“Show me,” Shane said

Ilya pushed Shane onto the bed.

Ilya yanked at Shane’s belt, fingers clumsy with urgency. “Clothes off. On your stomach.” Shane didn’t hesitate. Ilya pressed one hand to the back of Shane’s head, the other firm on his hip. He was usually patient, the kind who liked to make Shane wait and hear him beg. But tonight was different. Tonight, he needed to reclaim something. He wanted all of Shane, every part, and he wanted Shane to remember who gave it to him.

“I'm going to fuck you,” Ilya murmured against his skin, “and you won't think about anyone else.” Shane's breath caught. Ilya moved down his body slowly, deliberately, then pressed his tongue against him. Shane cried out, his whole body shaking. “God. Ilya.” Ilya felt something settle back into place inside him. He reached for the lube, worked one finger in, then two, slow circles. “So good for me, my love,” he said quietly. “Only I give you this.”

“Yes,” Shane gasped. “Only you. Ilya, please. Fuck me.”

Ilya pulled his fingers free and pushed inside him in one slow, full stroke. He kept his pace controlled, deliberate. Shane arched beneath him. “Harder,” he breathed. “Ilya, harder.”

“They handed you right back to me,” Ilya said, low and fierce. “You’re mine. Say it.”

“Yours,” Shane managed. “I’m yours. More, give me more.”

Ilya drove deeper, pressing him into the mattress. “I’ll give you everything,” he murmured, lips near Shane’s ear. “Sweetheart… So good, my Shane.”

Shane was breathless, undone; Ilya’s grip tight and sure. “Only yours,” he whispered. He was close now, barely holding on, words spilling out of him without thought. “Ilya, it’s so good, you’re my first, you’re my last, only you, I love you.”

Something broke open in Ilya’s chest. He pulled Shane closer, arms tight around him, still moving, needing to hold him and wreck him at once.

“God. Yes. Ilya.” Shane cried out as Ilya drove into him.

Shane came first, shuddering, and Ilya was slowing when Shane said, voice wrecked, “Don't come yet.” He pulled Ilya out of him and sank to the floor on his knees, looking up with half-lidded, sex-drunk eyes, mouth open and waiting. Ilya stripped the condom off. Four strokes were all it took.

“God,” Ilya breathed. “Fuck, Shane. I love you.”

Still trembling, he lowered himself to the floor beside Shane and kissed him slowly and deeply. He gathered himself on his fingers and pressed them past Shane's lips.

Ilya kissed him again, softer this time. “You still going?” Ilya said asked.

“Yes,” Shane said. “We’re going.”

“Oh, for me to witness you being hit on?”

“No, because we’ll have a nice dinner with Anita, Iro, and his husband.”

“He’s got a husband?”

“Yes.”

“And you knew all this time?”

“Yes.”

“Everyone listen, Shane Hollander’s an asshole, making me jealous to have hot sex.”

“It’s hot.”

They had a great dinner with Anita, Iro, and Damien at a Jamaican restaurant, and afterward joined Hunter, Marleau, and Vaughn at the hotel bar for a last drink before going to bed, before their 5 a.m. flight to Columbus.

Back in Boston, four days later, on their way to the practice rink in Shane’s car,

“You know, I was thinking about what Anita said about using the MHL to do things, not just be used,” Shane said.

“You want more free tickets for the movie theater, sweetheart?”

“No, I can pay for that, but I think... You know, with Russia and the MHL, they can speed up things. I’ve looked online, you can have an Alien with Exceptional Ability Green card. It can be very fast, like some people got it in 3 months, and you’ve got money.”

“Special ability, like to make you moan pretty?”

“Shut up, I’m serious, like being the second-best player of the MHL.”

“Second-best player, wow, Shane.”

“But seriously, we should ask for it.”

"So we are racketing MHL."

"No, mutual beneficial relationship."

ESPN “More Than Teammates: Hollander and Rozanov Redefine Partnership in Boston Win”

TSN “Hollanov Chemistry Continues to Reshape the MHL Narrative”

Rotten Tomatoes Blog  “Hockey Stars Hollander & Rozanov Spark 40% Traffic Surge After ‘War for the Planet of the Apes’ Rewatch.”

Bon Appétit  “From Dumplings to Som Tam: How Hollanov Turns Casual Hangouts into Lifelines for Small Restaurant Owners”

The Boston Globe (Arts)  “From Ice to Image: Hollander and Rozanov Spotted Repeatedly in Boston’s Contemporary Museum Photography Section”

GQ Style  “Off-Duty Hollanov: How MHL Players Hollander and Rozanov Mix Tom Ford Tailoring with Everyday Sportswear”

Tampa Bay Times “From the Rink to the Table: Hollanov Draws a Crowd at a Local Jamaican Restaurant”

Eater Boston  “Eat Like Hollanov: The Duo’s Favorite Spots Across the City”

Bon Appétit “Are Hockey’s Hollanov the Internet’s New Accidental Food Critics?”

NBC Boston  “Children’s Hospital Visit by Hollander and Rozanov Goes Viral for All the Right Reasons”

South End Community News “‘They Tipped 100%’: Local Waiter Shares a Hollanov Story.”

The Atlantic  “Hollanov and the New Language of Male Friendship”

GQ Sports  “Soft Power on Ice: Why Hollanov Matters Beyond Hockey”

Vulture  “From Locker Room to Letterboxd: Why Hollanov’s Film Takes Are Taking Off”

Psychology Today  “Beyond the Game: How Team Sports Like the MHL Cultivate Camaraderie and Positive Masculinities--The Hollanov Effect”

The Guardian (Sport) “From Hypermasculinity to Marketability: Are Millennial Hockey Players Being Rewritten?”

Bloomberg (Sports Business) “The Economics of Likability: Why Leagues Are Investing in Millennial Athlete Personas”

Jacobin “The Managed Athlete: How Leagues Package Millennial Players for Consumption”

not me googling “what is the MHL” because of ilya rozanov 😭

I came for anita vaughn discourse and now i know what a power play is. this is how they get you

Hollanov didn’t post, didn’t speak, just sat and listened. idk that feels more intentional than half of these “activations”

Ilya gives “i don’t care if you like me” energy and shane gives “i hope you feel included” energy and somehow it works

Every small restaurant hollanov go to suddenly has a line around the block… that’s real influence

tipped 100% AND posted nothing about it… yeah that’s different

or… maybe they’re just normal men who like movies, books, and tipping workers well?

hollanov discourse is so funny because half of you are like “PR plant” and the other half are like “they healed masculinity”

canada really said we export hockey players AND soft power now

j’ai jamais regardé un match de hockey de ma vie mais maintenant je suis investie à 100% ( never watched a single hockey game in my life but if hollander is there i guess i’m tuning in)

ils vont dans des petits restos de quartier, posent des questions, écoutent… c’est pas juste de la consommation, c’est une manière d’être

so there’s a federal investigation, a financial scandal, and a national vote in canada coming up… and the timeline is vibes??

this is textbook diversion i’m sorry. scandal → hollanov content → public forgets

this is literally crisis PR 101: give the public something soft, likable, and distracting

After the strike of 10 full days of media coverage, they received a text from Laura, who had now moved from email to direct texting.

Laura (MHL PR): Very good last week, btw. Engagement is strong, image is great. Keep going, but nothing from you guys in 4 days? everything ok?
Shane: Hey Laura, thanks. Yeah everything’s fine
Shane: Just been a bit complicated lately on our end
Laura (MHL PR): Complicated how? Anything I should worry about?
Ilya: No, nothing like that. No scandal, no problem for league
Shane: It’s more timing / logistics
Ilya: Summer is coming and I have to go back to Russia soon
Shane: And with his status here not being permanent, it makes things… tricky
Laura (MHL PR): Tricky how?
Ilya: If i leave, i don’t know how easy it is to come back
Shane: So it’s hard to commit to anything long term
Shane: Or even short term tbh
Ilya: Russian media already don’t like this kind of visibility, don't want to be caught on a politicized problem, you know, all the positive masculinity.
Shane: We were talking about the campaigns you mentioned
Shane: Appearances, outreach, all that
Ilya: I can’t really do that if I might not be here
Shane: Or stay here
Shane: We don’t want to start something for the league and then drop it halfway
Ilya: Bad look
Laura (MHL PR): …okay i see

The next day, Ilya received an email.

From: Laura Mercier, MHL PR
To: Harrington & Cole LLP; Ilya Rozanov
CC: Stephen Finch, Pope & Associates
Subject: EB-1A Filing — Ilya Rozanov (Expedite)
Dear Counsel,
I am writing regarding Ilya Rozanov, a Russian national currently in the United States on a P-1A visa for an athlete. We need to proceed immediately with filing his EB-1A petition under the extraordinary ability category, with premium processing. Timing is critical on our end. We would appreciate your guidance on all available options to expedite adjudication and subsequent steps. Our team is ready to provide full supporting documentation on an accelerated timeline, including league distinctions, media coverage, and letters. All invoices should be sent to MHL.
Stephen Finch (Pope & Associates) is copied here to coordinate on the final push after Form I-140 is approved.
Ilya, the firm will follow up directly with a list of required materials. Please prioritize this.
Please confirm receipt and advise on immediate requirements.

Best,
Laura Mercier
Director of Communications
MHL

Seven days later they submitted his EB1A application with premium processing, and three days later he was approved. With a little help from well-placed politicians and Pope and Associates’ contacts, within 25 days his adjustment of status was filed, biometrics done, and the green card interview waived. His green card was in his mailbox early March, two days before a weekend he planned for he and Shane at Martha’s Vineyard.

The house Ilya rented was perfect; they split the day into two parts: a lazy morning, lunch at home, and an afternoon of walking and visiting local attractions. They met again with Anita, who was the special guest at the literary festival, and Iro and Damian were there too. Carter came only for one day, for Anita’s talk. Shane and Ilya crossed the threshold of popularity after this event.

BuzzFeed Culture  “MHL Players Hollander and Rozanov Were Spotted at a Black Literary Festival for Anita Vaughn—Yes, That Oak Bluffs—and the Internet Has Thoughts”

The New York Times (Books) “At Oak Bluffs, a Historic Haven for Black Intellectual Life, Anita Vaughn Draws a Crowd—Including Hollander and Rozanov”

Essence “In Oak Bluffs, a Historic Black Cultural Haven, Hollanov Show Up for Anita Vaughn and Black Women Writers”

Publishers Weekly “Literary Prodigy Anita Vaughn Headlines Black Literary Festival as Hollander and Rozanov Appear in Audience Alongside Carter Vaughn”

Vulture “‘You Can’t Just Become Someone Else and Be Done With It’: MHL’s Hollander and Rozanov on Anita Vaughn’s Novel”

Sports Illustrated "More Than a Sighting: How Shane Hollander’s Friendship with Anita Vaughn Reflects a Changing MHL Culture”

The Guardian (Culture) “Between Boston and the Admiral: How Shane Hollander and Anita Vaughn Redefine Cross-Industry Friendship”

Vox “A Wasian Hockey Star and a Black Literary Icon: The Politics of Friendship Between Shane Hollander and Anita Vaughn”

Page Six “From Actress Rose Landry to Author Anita Vaughn: Does MHL Star Shane Hollander Have a Thing for Women in the Arts?”

DeuxMoi “Spotted: MHL Star Shane Hollander and Literary It-Girl Anita Vaughn—Are They the Next Millennial Power Couple?”

Us Weekly “Shane Hollander & Anita Vaughn: From Friendship to Something More? Why Fans Are Obsessed”

Barstool Sports “Serious Question: If Anita Vaughn Dates a Bears Guy, Is She Pulling Up in Boston Colors? Carter Vaughn Not Talking”

You are under a spell, people, Ilya and Shane have been in love since rookie year, I can prove it, click on my Tumblr

Oak Bluffs is not a backdrop btw. If you don’t know why that matters, log off

The fact that they showed up for a Black woman writer and didn’t make it about themselves… yeah, I’m paying attention

I’m sorry but a MacArthur Fellow and an MHL star?? That’s not a couple, that’s a crossover event

They’re either just friends or about to become the most insufferably perfect couple alive

She has more degrees than the entire Boston team combined, I’m crying

This is not a couple, this is a syllabus

Hollanov at a Black literary festival AND dating rumors with Anita Vaughn… this feels like a thinkpiece forming in real time

I hate that genuine moments like showing up for Anita Vaughn are now being read as crisis management

A Wasian Canadian hockey player and a white Russian national sitting at a Black literary festival for a MacArthur Fellow… this is not a real sentence

Hollanov are one handshake away from Obama at this point 😭

The fact that Hollander is Canadian Wasian and now his closest circle is like… writers, artists, WOC… yeah Boston changed that man

Crossing the border and suddenly you have diverse friends, go to museums, and read books… Canada we need to talk

No but people from Quebec are like “he always had range” and everyone else is like ???

Hollander definitely has a type and it’s “woman smarter than him,” I respect it

Imagine your twin sister went to Harvard, is a literary prodigy, MacArthur Fellow, and now might be dating the best player in the league… Carter Vaughn strongest soldier

Y’all laughing but if my sister dated a Boston player I would also say no comment and go train

Someone zoomed in on Ilya’s book and it was full of post-its… oh he’s serious

Ilya reading like it’s a playoff strategy report… tabs, notes, everything

Hollanov are either genuinely like this or the most committed bit in sports history

I opened this app and saw hockey discourse next to literary theory… is this post-racial America or late capitalism doing improv

Not the whitest sport producing men that Black Twitter is actually defending… what era are we in

From athletes reading it’s Rich Dad, Poor Dad or some “alpha mindset” book… and now it’s literary fiction at a Black festival with annotations?? yeah the simulation is broken

In mid-March, Shane’s parents came to Boston to visit. He had discussed with Ilya about them going to a hotel, but Ilya had told him it would be more suspicious than inviting them to stay with them. Of course, they would need to reorganize their house for deniability, as Shane was paralyzed at the idea of telling them he was gay. He was sure that his parents would figure out quickly the how/why of his chemistry with Ilya, especially if they came to stay with them for a week. His mom was known to mind everyone’s business, especially Shane’s, as if it were an extension of her own.

Shane sent them the address, but his mom said they had other friends to see and the house was too far outside the city, so they would stay in the hotel. Shane guiltily feigned disappointment and paid for the best suite in a charming boutique hotel, but invited them to dinner the next day, a day without a game.

"You’re buzzing," Ilya said. Shane was pacing through the living room, the kitchen, and the entrance in preparation for his parents’ arrival, looking for incriminating signs: lube, condoms, underwear. The bathroom was not on the same side as their bedroom, but just to be sure, he checked that the door was closed and locked, and had moved some of his clothes to make his supposed room look more lived-in.

Ilya came closer to him and wrapped his arm around him to make him stop. "Shane, breathe, it’s going to be okay."

"Yes, okay," Shane said.

His parents arrived five minutes early with a bottle of wine. Shane went to open the door.

"Honey," his mom said, taking him in a hug.

"Son," his dad followed, hugging him too.

"Mom, Dad, how was the drive?" Shane said.

"Oh, we took a taxi, bought fine wine that we’d like to enjoy with you," his dad said.

They removed their shoes at the entrance and followed Shane inside to the living room, taking a seat on the couch.

"Mrs. Hollander, Mr. Hollander," Ilya said, coming into the living room.

"Rozanov," his mom started, but his dad shot her a look. "Ilya, nice to formally meet you, you can call me Yuna," she said, and gave him her hand. Shane's dad did the same. "Nice to meet you, call me David."

"Great, hope you’ll like the food," Ilya said.

"You cooked?"

"No, the game planning was too much, so the chef did. Shane said you like chicken parmesan and tiramisu," Ilya said.

"It smells very good," Yuna said.

"It’s reheating now, it’ll be ready soon. Do you want something to drink?" Shane said.

"Why don't you give us a tour of this amazing house?" Yuna said.

"Sure, yes," Shane said, looking quickly at Ilya as if to say, I told you, thank God I prepared for this.

Shane gave them a tour of the house. His parents were impressed. The basement pool was the highlight for his father, and his mom loved the garden.

"When people say roommate, they don't really think about this. It's so big, it could be three different apartments," his dad said.

His mom added, "I can imagine the maintenance cost. Honey, are you pulling your weight? It's not like he can't afford it, but you can too."

"Yes, I am covering the chef’s salary now. It makes sense because she has to do separate meals and prep," Shane said.

"Good," his mom said.

They joined Ilya in the dining room, and, as Shane had planned to avoid an awkward situation, he arranged it so that Ilya was seated next to his Mother and he was next to his father.

"So, Ilya," Yuna started, "how did you and Shane become such good friends?"

"He never left his socks in the living room and always cleaned up after himself; good roommate," Ilya said.

"Thank you," Yuna said. When Shane and David shot her a look, she added, "What? We raised him well."

"The press only talks about you two, like you’re everywhere. And I didn’t know you were into literary festivals. If I’d known, I would’ve come. I love Anita Vaughn, she writes in The New Yorker, you know," David said.

"I’ll tell her, Dad, but it’s not like I’d ever read her before," Shane said.

"Honey, a hockey book. Now I can open the New York Times without seeing you both in the lifestyle and culture section. I never thought there could be more than when you were with Rose," Yuna said.

“Happy to beat super star Rose Landry,” Ilya said, with all the tone of double meaning directed to Shane.

"The league was really serious about ‘Hockey is Home.’ Laura was even in the group chat with us, monitoring how many times we were doing things," Shane said.

"It was good that you expanded your taste and had fun, Shane. You enjoyed it at least?" his dad asked.

"Yes," Ilya and Shane answered at the same time, and Shane bumped Ilya’s foot under the table.

"It's very good, honey, because the news isn't good. Even my friends who are very much hockey fans are for the proposal," his Mother said.

"I mean, we’ll definitely vote yes for two of the questions," his dad said.

"Really?" Ilya said.

"Of course. The slur thing that goes on in chirping should have been a common rule. I couldn’t use those words in my job, so why should players who are workers and asked to be protected as such be able to say it and call it just chirping?" David said.

"Enough of hockey," Yuna said. "So, Ilya, tell us about you. I already know all the stats and career highlights. Were you in Russia for Christmas?"

"No, I am going for the summer. Christmas isn’t the same there. It’s New Year's that’s big. I couldn’t go this year," Ilya said.

"You spend it with your family? I remember your father was at the draft." Yuna said.

Ilya tensed. Here it was, the subject he had not wanted to talk about. He had wanted to make a good impression because even if he did not know how he and Shane would figure things out, now that he was a permanent resident, he could see a path. He did not want them to know that the secret boyfriend, whom they had hated before because of his reputation and who was perhaps a good host and charming, grew more miserable every time he went home, with a father who forgets about him more each year.

"Yes, I have a brother and a niece, and my father," Ilya said. "He’s sick, so I have to go take care of him."

"I’m sorry about that. Is it age-related?" Yuna said.

"Dementia."

"This is terrible. My father had Alzheimer’s, and it was very difficult for all of us. I’m sorry, kiddo," David said.

"And your Mother?" Yuna asked.

Shane jumped. "Mom," he said, looking at Ilya, saying silently, "You don’t have to answer. I’m sorry."

"She died when I was twelve," Ilya simply said, without further mood-killing detail.

"Really sorry," Yuna said.

"It was a long time ago," Ilya said.

"Doesn’t make it better," Yuna said, as though she understood.

"If you want to spend a North American Christmas this year, come to Ottawa with Shane. I have good vodka," David said.

They continued talking, and things inevitably returned to hockey. Yuna had something to say about every team and player, and was more ruthless than he was. Ilya thought that she and Svetlana would make terrific hosts for a hockey show.

"This is Hunter’s year, I can smell it," Yuna said.

"You’re supposed to support us, Mom," Shane said.

"I do, honey, I do, and I thought you would all go far, but New York has the thing, the same thing that Ilya had in 2014, and you in 2015," Yuna said.

"She’s a witch," David said.

"Stop or I’ll curse you," she said.

After dessert and tea, Shane called them a taxi, and they said their goodbyes. His mom hugged him. "I’m happy you’re okay. I’m so proud of you, so resilient," Yuna said.

And to his surprise, Shane’s parents hugged Ilya on their way out, David telling him, "You’re a great roommate and friend, Ilya."

"Thank you, David," Ilya said.

Finally alone, Shane took Ilya in a tight hug. "I am happy you met them, and that they like you," Shane said.

"I am happy too."

"Would you mind if I tell them this summer, when we go to the cottage?" Shane said.

"We?"

"Uh, yes, I thought... sorry... I got ahead of myself. I thought you’d spend some time here in the summer, even just one week, and we’d go to my cottage together," Shane said.

"Okay, I want that."

"And I’ll tell them," Shane said.

"You want that?" Ilya said.

"Yes, I’m not ready to be out, but I want them to know. The three of you are the people I love the most on earth," Shane said.

"I love you," Ilya said.

"Let's go to bed."

***

The dissolution of the Voyageurs meant that the league had to reshuffle the entire game schedule and add games between teams in the two Eastern and Western Conferences. It was after a game against Toronto, back in the locker room, Ilya bragging about his 3 goals and demanding that anyone pay him $1000 per goal, that he snatched his phone and answered in rapid Russian. Shane noticed Ilya’s face going gray and white. He hung up and stayed still, not moving, not even breathing.

“Everything okay?” Shane asked low.

“I have to go home, drive.”

“What happened, Ilya?”

“No, not now, Shane, I need to leave now.”

Ilya packed his things and did not even shower; Shane rushed to do the same.

“Yo, Roz, you okay? Where are you going?” Marleau shouted. The locker room noise went low; everyone could see their captain was not in his body. People were shouting, looking at Shane. Shane just made a sign he did not know, just said, “Driving him home,” and, following Ilya, made a sign to their teammate: “I am texting you.”

Ilya did not talk during the drive; when they arrived, he went straight to the bedroom and started packing.

“Talk to me, Ilya, where are you going, what is it?”

“My father, he’s dead.”

“Oh, oh, I’m sorry, Ilya, do you want to sit?”

“No, need to go, book a flight, and call Svetlana to come with me.”

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“No, you don’t have a visa, and even if you did, I don’t want you to go there.”

Ilya continued packing things automatically.

Shane stopped him, physically made him stop. “Look at me, Ilya, stop.” Ilya stopped and stayed still. Shane put his hands on both sides of his face, and Ilya sobbed. Shane enveloped him in his arms. “I’m here, I’ve got you, I’m here, Ilya.”

“You go to the shower, okay, and I’ll take care of the rest.”

“I need to go.”

“I know, but there’s no flight now. You’re going to the shower, change, and let me do this for you. I love you, go to the shower.”

Shane took Ilya’s passport from the drawer of the nightstand table and went to the kitchen with his laptop. He first put both of their post-game meals, which the chef had prepared, in the microwave, then searched for a flight to Moscow. He found a semi-private option, a private jet with 8 seats, 2 available, a direct flight from Boston to Moscow leaving at 9 a.m. He did not know how long Ilya would need, but he looked for a round trip with a return in one week.

He texted Svetlana. He had not texted her since the party they had before flying for the All-Star game. They had had a party at the house; Svetlana came, and on her way out around 1 a.m., she hugged Shane tightly and whispered in his ear, “I am so happy I finally met you, Shane,” and put a platonic kiss on his mouth.

Shane: Hey, Ilya’s brother called, their father passed away. He wants you to go with him to Moscow. Booking flight now, can you send me your passport info, please.

Svetlana called instantly.

“Hey.”

“Hello.”

“How is he?”

“Bad.”

“Not talking?”

“No, but he’s in the shower now, I’m taking care of him.”

“Okay, good, yes, I’ll go with him, of course, just texted you my passport info.”

“Okay, I’m doing the booking, and I’ll meet you at the airport tomorrow morning.”

“Okay... don’t worry, Shane, I’ll look after him in Moscow.”

“Thank you, wish I could go with him.”

“I know, he knows too.”

He booked the flights for Ilya and Svetlana and formed a group with some of the team's players on the team.

Shane: Hey, just a heads up, Ilya’s dad passed away. he’s flying to Moscow tomorrow, at least a week. He doesn’t want to talk about it right now and he really doesn’t want it in the media. Keep it tight please
Cliff: Fuck… ok. Tell him we’re thinking of him
St-Simon: Of course, we got it. No one says anything
Carmichael: Shit, I'm sorry I'll make sure the room stays quiet
Connor: Yeah no leaks, let him know we’re here

He then wrote to Coach Le Claire.

Shane: Good evening Coach, Ilya’s father passed away, he’s flying tomorrow morning to Moscow, could be for one week but he’ll confirm later.
Coach: Thanks Hollander, was worried about how he left. Don’t worry, we’ll keep the info locked down and will follow up with the GM. See you tomorrow.
Shane: Yes.

Ilya came to the kitchen.

“Go sit on the couch, I’ll bring the food and a Coke. Flight’s booked, we’re leaving at 6 and Svetlana will come. Don’t worry, I talked to the coach and the team, and it won’t be public.”

“I don’t deserve you.”

“Yes, you do, you deserve me and more. You deserve everything,” Shane said, kissing him.

He brought the food to the living room. “I’m going to shower, I stink. You can start eating; I’ll be quick.”

“I’ll wait for you.”

Ilya ate only half of his food, drank his water, and did not touch his Coke.

“Want to go to bed?” Ilya said.

They went to bed, Shane set his alarm for 5 a.m., and turned off the light. Ilya, his back to Shane, grabbed his arm and said, “Hold me.”

Ilya stayed one week in Moscow. When he came back, they locked themselves in the house for 24 hours, just the two of them. Even though they’d spoken every day, Ilya told him how things had gone south with his brother and how he’d decided to cut him off. They’d missed each other so much. They fucked three times, slow at first, then with rage and passion. At night, they sat on opposite sides of the couch, their feet touching.

Shane said, “You know… I talked to Anita and Iro yesterday. We went to dinner.”

“Oh, your prodigy girlfriend.”

“Stop.”

“How are they?”

“Good… actually, I talked to them, and I think we could do something. Use the MHL PR to start something that lasts… something good. For us. Like a foundation.”

“You want us to play good Samaritans?”

“I was thinking about hockey. The MHL isn’t serious about inclusion… You know that. But we are.”

“Yeah.”

“So we could run summer camps. For all kids… girls, boys, any income.”

“Young.”

“Yeah, young. Anita and Iro said the real impact is making sure people like us don’t disappear before they even get a chance. Right now, they quit because of all the shit.”

“Yeah… so it’s not just the hyper-traumatized with dead mothers or the boring obsessives who survive.”

“Exactly.”

“And mental health, too. That’s something we care about. For your mother… I was thinking we could call it the Irina Foundation. If you like it.”

“You thought of all that while I was gone?”

“Yeah… whatever happens after the vote, I want us to have something that’s ours. More than PR.”

“I want that too. What should I do?”

“Honestly… I already talked to my mom. She’ll send the papers over.”

Ilya smiled. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Shane said.

***

March 27, 2017 / 123 days before the vote

Reuters (Toronto/Montreal/Santiago) The MHL suspended Dallas Kent
The MHL suspended Dallas Kent amid allegations of drug use and sexual assault tied to a Toronto party, renewing scrutiny over rape culture in professional hockey and long-standing claims that leagues shield players. Kent has been suspended but not removed. Canada’s Progressive Party called for a federal investigation and expressed solidarity with the women who came forward.

Toronto Star "Rape Culture and Silence: Why the Kent Case Feels Familiar"

La Presse "Accusation d'agression et culture du silence dans le hockey"(Rape allegations and the culture of silence in ice hockey)

Journal de Montréal "Suspendu mais pas expulsé: la ligue protège-t-elle ses joueurs?" (Suspend but not expel: is the league shielding its players?)

Boston Globe "Rozanov and Hollander Launch Irina Foundation for Mental Health"
In a moment that stood in sharp contrast to the ongoing turmoil surrounding the MHL, Boston Bears captain Ilya Rozanov and star player Shane Hollander announced the launch of the Irina Foundation, a mental health initiative named in honor of Rozanov’s mother. In a rare public statement, Rozanov shared that his mother struggled with depression and died by suicide when he was young, describing the foundation as both a personal commitment and a long-term investment in the future of the sport.
Directed by Yuna Hollander, Hollander’s mother, the foundation will focus on expanding access to hockey through summer camps for youth from diverse backgrounds in Boston and Ottawa, Hollander’s hometown, while also providing financial support to mental health organizations. The launch was marked by a high-profile gala attended by A-list actor Rose Landry, alongside a wide range of players from across the league, including Scott Hunter, Carter Vaughn, Hayden Pike, and former Voyageurs player J.J. Boizeau. Players from the PWHL were also present, including star forward Karen Stoller.

MHL Statement
“We take these allegations seriously and have placed the player under suspension pending further review.”

“The MHL was proud to have Commissioner Crowell present at the launch of the Irina Foundation, alongside Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, two of the league’s leading players from the same draft class, whose continued leadership on and off the ice reflects the best of the game. The initiative also highlights a growing commitment across the league, with MHL players contributing their time to community programs in both the United States and Canada. Together, they demonstrate how hockey, as a global family, can give back and support communities beyond the rink.”

From: Pope & Associates
To: MHL Executive Committee
Date: March 28, 2017
Subject: Daily Tracking — Voting Intentions

Against the proposal: 35%
In favor: 65%
Selected public sentiment indicators (compiled from media commentary and Twitter reactions):

Everyone knows this is how it works, suspend and wait for it to pass.

People are acting like allegations equal guilt.

La ligue protège encore ses vedettes. (The league is protecting its stars again.)

Il faut une enquête indépendante maintenant. (We need an independent investigation now.)

At least some players are doing something good with that foundation.

This is the first time I’ve seen someone in hockey talk about suicide like that. That matters.

Men don’t need mental health programs, they need discipline.

Convenient timing with everything going on in the league.

Enfin un projet qui sert à quelque chose.  (Finally a project that is actually useful.)

C’est rien de plus que du marketing (This is marketing, nothing else.)

— Abby Whelan
Senior Advisor, Pope & Associates

April 28, 2017 / 91 days before the vote

Reuters (Montreal/Ottawa/Washington) Côté siblings extradited as tax investigation widens across MHL
The three Côté siblings have been extradited to Canada from Chile, where they had been residing with their families in a private compound. Through their legal counsel, they have begun cooperating with authorities and provided a list of MHL team owners allegedly involved in years-long tax evasion schemes. According to sources familiar with the matter, the list includes ownership groups tied to teams in Vancouver, Toronto, Las Vegas, Buffalo, and Dallas. Several of those owners have publicly denied the allegations, describing the Côté siblings as “unreliable actors” attempting to take down the league with them.
The developments come as MHL Commissioner Crowell is under investigation over allegations of favoritism related to financial decisions benefiting the Voyageurs organization prior to its collapse. In the United States, federal authorities have expanded their scrutiny, with the Internal Revenue Service launching a full audit of multiple MHL-affiliated entities. A growing number of U.S.-based teams are reportedly expressing support for a potential restructuring or split from the league, citing reputational and financial risks.

CBC News "League Under Pressure as Financial Allegations Grow"

BuzzFeed Canada "Seattle Players Face Backlash Over Blackface Photo"

Condé Nast Traveler. "48 Hours in Montreal with Hockey’s Most Unexpected Pair"

Sports Illustrated. "Scott Hunter Expands Philanthropy for Orphaned Youth"

MHL Statement
“The MHL is cooperating fully with Canadian and U.S. authorities in all ongoing investigations and reviews. The league rejects any suggestion of favoritism in its governance or financial decisions. We remain committed to ensuring that all processes are applied fairly and consistently across all member organizations. The MHL will engage transparently with relevant authorities, including in relation to any audit processes, and will continue to strengthen its oversight and compliance frameworks.”

From: Pope & Associates
To: MHL Executive Committee
Date: April 29, 2017
Subject: Daily Tracking — Voting Intentions

Against the proposal: 40%
In favor: 60%

Selected public sentiment indicators (compiled from media commentary and Twitter reactions):

If they have a list, release it, enough protection.
This is turning into a media circus around hockey.
Ça commence à faire beaucoup là. (This is starting to be a lot.)
People are too sensitive about this picture, it's just a costume party guy
Montréal le vrai symbole de la crise. (Montreal is becoming the symbol of the crisis.)
Scott Hunter is doing more for the league image than the league itself.

— Abby Whelan
Senior Advisor, Pope & Associates

The Athletic  “Opening the Door”: Inside Commissioner Crowell’s Office as Hockey Faces Its Defining Vote
By Daniel Price — New York

The MHL offices in New York occupy a quiet floor that feels deliberately removed from the noise below. Commissioner Crowell’s office reflects some restraint, no trophies or framed jerseys. The space is functional and austere, with a desk cleared to essentials and a wall of muted screens cycling through the same headlines: Voyageurs, funding, referendum, crisis.

Those headlines, however, no longer move in a single direction. What began with the collapse of the Voyageurs has widened into something far less contained. In recent days, the League has faced renewed scrutiny following the suspension of Dallas Kent, amid allegations of drug use and sexual assault tied to a Toronto party—an episode that has reignited longstanding criticism around rape culture in professional hockey and the perception that leagues protect their players. At the same time, the legal situation surrounding the Côté family has expanded beyond the initial scandal. Extradited from Chile, the siblings are now cooperating with Canadian authorities and have reportedly provided names of multiple ownership groups allegedly involved in tax evasion schemes spanning years and multiple franchises. Investigations have since extended across borders, with U.S. federal authorities initiating audits of MHL-affiliated entities, while questions have begun to surface about governance decisions at the League level, including those involving Commissioner Crowell himself.

Crowell does not speak like someone attempting to outrun the headlines. If anything, he treats them as fixed points, immovable in the short term. His argument is not that the scrutiny is misplaced, but that it is incomplete. The League, he suggests, is being seen through a narrowing lens, one that captures its most visible failures and repeats them until they appear definitive.

There is, he acknowledges, no denying the reality of what has fueled this moment. The allegations, the investigations, the structural questions around accountability. But what he resists is the idea that they constitute the totality of what the League is or has been. As scrutiny intensifies, the MHL has moved to increase visibility around a different set of stories—players’ community work, cultural presence, and personal relationships that extend beyond the confines of the sport. The contrast is stark, and for many, suspicious.

Nowhere is that tension more visible than in Boston, where Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander have, almost inadvertently, become central figures in a parallel media cycle. What began as recognition of their on-ice chemistry has expanded outward into a broader cultural moment, one that touches on questions of masculinity, race, and visibility in ways that hockey has rarely occupied.

Coverage has not remained within the boundaries of sports journalism. Major outlets have interpreted their presence through multiple lenses: performance, identity, marketability, and even ideology. Beyond formal media, the response has been even more diffuse. Their appearances in local restaurants, museums, and community spaces have generated attention precisely because they resist the usual markers of performance. A hospital visit circulates not because it was promoted, but because it was observed. A restaurant becomes a destination after a quiet visit. A literary festival in Oak Bluffs, where they appeared for author Anita Vaughn alongside Carter Vaughn, produces not a single narrative but dozens—some focused on cross-racial solidarity, others on cultural curiosity, others still on speculation and projection.

For some, this reads as a meaningful shift, an example of how athletes can exist within broader cultural spaces without dominating them. For others, it is indistinguishable from strategy, a soft counterweight introduced at a moment of institutional vulnerability.

What is difficult to ignore is that this moment has drawn in audiences previously disconnected from hockey. Individuals encountering the League through literature, food culture, or social media discourse find themselves, often reluctantly, learning the language of the sport itself. The boundary between cultural engagement and sports fandom becomes porous, not through deliberate outreach but through proximity.

Crowell does not claim authorship of this shift. He does not describe Rozanov and Hollander as products of a League initiative, nor does he attempt to fold their visibility neatly into the campaign currently being deployed. Instead, he presents it as evidence of something that has long existed without recognition. The League, he suggests, did not create these dimensions of its players’ lives; it simply failed to make them visible.

That failure, he admits, was not insignificant. For years, the assumption was that the game alone was sufficient representation. What happened beyond it—community engagement, cultural presence, personal relationships—remained secondary, visible only to those already within the League’s orbit. In the current environment, that absence has consequences. If the public image of hockey is now shaped disproportionately by its most negative elements, it is partly because no broader image was offered in parallel.

The question of accountability, however, cannot be resolved through visibility alone. The allegations surrounding the Côté family, and the widening scope of investigations tied to ownership and financial governance, introduce a level of scrutiny that extends beyond perception into structure. That scrutiny now reaches Crowell himself, with suggestions of favoritism linked to decisions involving the Voyageurs organization prior to its collapse.

When this is raised, he does not deny the existence of relationships within the League, nor does he position himself outside them. Decades within hockey have produced familiarity across ownership groups, executives, and players. What he rejects is the implication that such proximity alters the standards by which the League operates. The failures that led to the current situation, he says, are not aligned with those standards and are not something he will defend.

The closure of a franchise, he emphasizes, is not an isolated event. It produces legal ramifications, financial instability, and human consequences that extend across contracts, workplaces, and communities. Those outcomes, in his view, are precisely why such a situation cannot be repeated.

It is in this context that he situates himself within the sport. Hockey, he notes, has been a constant since he was six years old. He played, he remained within its structures after retiring, and eventually moved into leadership.

Against this backdrop, the League’s current campaign appears less as a reinvention than as an exposure. Whether that exposure is read as transparency or as strategy depends largely on perspective. The timing ensures that both interpretations will persist.

What remains unresolved is not the existence of these competing narratives, but their interaction. The League is attempting to broaden its image at the exact moment it is being scrutinized most intensely, while new controversies continue to emerge alongside older ones.

As the meeting concludes, the screens in Crowell’s office continue their silent loop. New headlines join the old, but none replace them. Whtih the vote remains months away, investigations are ongoing and the public conversation is showing no sign of narrowing.

What has changed is not the volume of scrutiny, but the number of lenses through which the League is now being seen.

May 9, 2017 / 80 days before the vote

Reuters (Toronto/New York/Washington) Former Voyageurs player arrested in fentanyl case
Former Voyageurs player Gilbert Comeau was arrested in a fentanyl trafficking case spanning the U.S.–Canada border. Authorities cited gambling and credit card debt as contributing factors. The FBI has requested increased oversight of MHL private charter flights and warned of possible restrictions, as a growing number of U.S. teams consider splitting from the league.

New York Times "Debt, Drugs, and a League in Crisis"

Sportsnet "League Calls Comeau Case Isolated Amid Security Review"

Journal de Montréal "Nouveau scandale: le hockey hors de contrôle" (New scandal: Hockey spirals out of control) 

TSN "Racist, Homophobic Language in Philly-Buffalo Game Sparks Outrage"

ESPN "Carter Vaughn Expands Funding for Black Arts and Youth Sports"

La Presse "Avec J.J Boizeau l’héritage haïtien du hockey québécois gagne en visibilité" (With J.J. Boizeau, the Haitian contribution to Quebec hockey is gaining recognition)

MHL Statement
“We are cooperating with U.S. authorities and reviewing all security protocols.”

From: Pope & Associates
To: MHL Executive Committee
Date: May 10, 2017
Subject: Daily Tracking — Voting Intentions

Against the proposal: 33%
In favor: 67%

Selected public sentiment indicators (compiled from media commentary and Twitter reactions):

The FBI doesn’t get involved for nothing.
Still one guy, people are overreacting.
C’est rendu international, c’est grave. (This has become international, it’s serious.)
Toujours les mêmes excuses: cas isolé. (Always the same excuse: isolated case.)
Meanwhile some players are actually investing in communities and no one talks about that.

— Abby Whelan
Senior Advisor, Pope & Associates

May 19, 2017 / 70 days before the vote

Reuters (Montreal/Ottawa/San Francisco) Former Voyageur Drappeau sidelined after altercation in San Francisco
Former Voyageurs player Drappeau, now based in San Francisco, is expected to be out for at least six weeks following an altercation outside a bar in the city’s Castro district. Witness accounts circulating online allege Drappeau used a homophobic slur before being assaulted by an unidentified man. The MHL has not confirmed the allegations. No police report has been filed by either Drappeau or the other individual involved. The incident has drawn attention given San Francisco’s reputation as a historically LGBTQ-friendly city, further feeding ongoing debates about culture and conduct within professional hockey.

Le Devoir "Le hockey à la croisée des chemins" (Hockey at a crossroads)

Journal de Montréal "Drapeau agressé après des propos homophobes présumés" (Drapeau assaulted after alleged homophobic remarks)

ESPN "Hayden Pike Speaks on Fatherhood and Being a “Girl Dad”"

Sportsnet "Marleau’s Life Beyond Hockey Highlights Family Ties"

MHL Statement
“The MHL is committed to fostering an inclusive environment for all players, fans, and communities, including LGBTQ+ communities. At this time, no formal complaint or police report has been filed in relation to the reported incident. Should a report be submitted, the league will review the matter and take appropriate steps in accordance with its policies.”

From: Pope & Associates
To: MHL Executive Committee
Date: May 20, 2017
Subject: Daily Tracking — Voting Intentions

Against the proposal: 36%
In favor: 64%

Selected public sentiment indicators (compiled from media commentary and Twitter reactions):

Every week there’s something new, it’s exhausting.
People only focus on the negative and ignore everything else.
Deux réalités du hockey s’affrontent. (Two realities of hockey are clashing.)
Il y a du progrès, mais trop lent. (There is progress, but too slow.)
This feels less about sport and more about politics now.
Why did the media make it like Drappeau is not the victim here? Out for 6 weeks

— Abby Whelan
Senior Advisor, Pope & Associates

May 30, 2017 / 59 days before the vote

Reuters (Ottawa): Shooting at public hearing raises systemic concerns.
Hugues Côté was shot at during a public hearing; his life is not in danger. The suspect, Léo Colineau, a 20-year-old AHL player in his third year from Chicoutimi, played for the AHL team owned by the Voyageurs. The case has raised questions about disparities in relocation and support between MHL and AHL players following the franchise collapse. Léo Colineau was arrested and placed in detention.

CBC News "From Prospect to Suspect: Léo Colineau and the Voyageurs Fallout"

Journal de Montréal "Un jeune de Chicoutimi abandonné par le système?" (A youth from Chicoutimi let down by the system?)

National Post: "Violence Raises Questions About Hockey’s Development Structure"

TSN "Calls Grow for Mental Health Support in Minor Leagues"

ESPN "Programs Expand for Young Players Facing Career Instability"

MHL Statement
“We are deeply saddened by this act of violence and are cooperating fully with authorities.”
“The MHL is committed to improving support systems across all levels of hockey.”

From: Pope & Associates
To: MHL Executive Committee
Date: May 31, 2017
Subject: Daily Tracking — Voting Intentions

Against the proposal: 40%
In favor: 60%

Selected public sentiment indicators (compiled from media commentary and Twitter reactions):

They helped the main league players and left the others behind.
This is tragic, but people are connecting dots that shouldn’t be connected.
Deux poids, deux mesures, c’est évident. (Double standards, it’s obvious.)
Il a été abandonné par le système. (He was abandoned by the system.)
You can’t turn every tragedy into an argument about the league.

— Abby Whelan
Senior Advisor, Pope & Associates

June 6, 2017 / 52 days before the vote

Reuters (Boston): Stanley Cup win marked by historic on-ice moment
The Admirals secured the Stanley Cup on Tuesday night, but the defining image of the celebration quickly shifted beyond the game itself. Captain Scott Hunter, long regarded as one of the league’s most visible philanthropic figures, publicly came out during the on-ice celebration, kissing his boyfriend, Christopher, in front of teammates, cameras, and a national broadcast audience.
The moment, widely shared across social media and broadcast networks, has been described by some commentators as unprecedented in men’s professional hockey. It has also intensified ongoing debates about the culture of the sport, as the MHL navigates a period of reputational crisis and heightened public scrutiny ahead of the national consultation vote.

ESPN "Scott Hunter Redefines Hockey’s Public Image"

CBC News "A Historic First for Hockey, and a Cultural Turning Point"

New York Times "A Championship, and a Kiss That May Change the Game"

Out Magazine "A Kiss on the Ice: Hockey’s Long-Overdue Queer Moment"

Them "Scott Hunter’s Stanley Cup Celebration Is a Breakthrough for LGBTQ Athletes"

Xtra "“We’ve Been Here”: Queer Fans Claim Their Place in Hockey"

Fox News "Sports or Statement? Debate Erupts After Stanley Cup Celebration"

National Post "Hockey at a Crossroads Between Tradition and Social Change"

New York Post "Stanley Cup Win Overshadowed by Controversial On-Ice Display"

Le Devoir "Un geste d’amour qui transforme le hockey" (A gesture of love that is transforming hockey) 

MHL Statement
“The MHL stands for hockey for everyone and celebrates all players and all forms of love. That moment on the ice was a powerful and genuine testament to the openness of hockey culture today. The MHL is proud to see our game reflect the diversity, dignity, and love of all those who are part of it.”

From: Pope & Associates
To: MHL Executive Committee
Date: June 10, 2017
Subject: Daily Tracking — Voting Intentions

Against the proposal: 45%
In favor: 55%

Selected public sentiment indicators (compiled from media commentary and Twitter reactions):
This is hockey, not about lifestyle, keep that private.
He’s a great player but this shouldn’t be the headline.
This is a historic moment, whether people like it or not.
Seeing that on the ice matters for people who never felt included.

— Abby Whelan
Senior Advisor, Pope & Associates

***

June 6, 2017 / Boston

They had been watching the Cup Final at their house with the team, their friends, and Shane’s parents, who had come to visit. His mother had already said it was Scott’s year. After the final buzzer sounded, Shane and Ilya started moving to set up the barbecue. They were a little farther from their guests, no one really looking at them. Ilya was touching Shane’s hand, a little mischievous, when they heard Marleau say, “What is he doing?”

They looked up and watched Scott fucking Hunter kissing a man live at center ice, after he had kissed the Cup and shaken Commissioner Crowell’s hand.

Ilya was speechless. He turned to Shane, still standing there, and Shane said, loud enough for Ilya to hear but not for the others who were shouting in surprise and exclamation, “Marry me.”

Chapter End Notes

Anita and Iro are two of my OC that are recurrent in all my fics.

Iro based on character from Bryan Washington novel Memorial

and Anita's novel on The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

See you in 10/14 days-ish

Chapter 4

Chapter Notes

thanks to MarvelReader500 and Faithella who beta-read and edited this fic!

June 16, 2017 / 42 days before the vote

Reuters (Ottawa/Montreal): Crowell Deposition Shifts Blame in Côté Trial as Commissioner Denies League Knowledge
MHL Commissioner Crowell testified Wednesday at the Côté siblings’ trial, rejecting allegations that the league had prior knowledge of the financial schemes under investigation and placing responsibility squarely on the defendants. Speaking under oath, Crowell described the siblings as having “misled multiple stakeholders over an extended period,” and stated that the MHL had operated without awareness of the alleged misconduct. He also dismissed claims of institutional favoritism, asserting that league governance processes had been followed.
In a notable moment during the deposition, Crowell characterized himself as “among those affected by their actions,” framing his role as that of a participant who had been deceived rather than complicit. He added that he continues to “have full confidence in the league, its ownership, and its players.” His testimony came two days after a widely broadcasted cultural moment at the MHL Awards, where MVP Scott Hunter publicly came out and kissed his boyfriend, Christopher Gardy, during the Stanley Cup celebration. The affectionate display generated significant positive attention for the league.
Crowell’s deposition unfolds against the backdrop of an escalating legal and reputational crisis, as well as a national consultation vote in Canada now 42 days away.

ESPN "Crowell Testimony Draws Line Between the League and Scandal as Pressure Mounts"

CBC News "Crowell Says MHL ‘Knew Nothing’ in Côté Trial as Questions Persist"

The New York Times "At Center of Hockey’s Crisis, Commissioner Denies Knowledge and Claims Deception"

The Athletic "Crowell Positions Himself as Victim in High-Stakes Deposition as Vote Looms"

Fox News "Hockey Commissioner Blames Rogue Actors, Rejects League Complicity in Court"

Le Devoir "Devant le tribunal, Crowell nie toute connaissance et rejette la faute sur les Côté"

Liberal Party of Canada, Office of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau:
“We are closely monitoring developments following Commissioner Crowell’s deposition. Canadians must have access to all relevant facts ahead of the national consultation vote. Transparency and accountability are essential. While the MHL’s willingness to cooperate is a constructive signal, we remain cautious pending further disclosures.”

New Democratic Party:
“Crowell is trying to save himself. Claims of ‘knowing nothing’ points to a broader culture of avoidance at the top of the league. Canadians should not accept selective narratives from powerful institutions. We need real accountability and stronger oversight.”

Conservative Party of Canada:
“Commissioner Crowell demonstrated restraint and responsibility under pressure. This is a politicized attack on a major industry. The focus should remain on the Côté siblings and not on undermining a league that supports thousands of jobs and reflects core free-market values. The institution is not on trial.”

Bloc Québécois:
« Crowell est utilisé et puni par Ottawa dans un contexte politique qui dépasse son rôle. S’il a commis une faute, c’est peut-être d’avoir été trop proche du Québec dans un système dominé par Ottawa. Son témoignage représente un rare signe d’empathie de la direction anglophone. »
(“Crowell is being used and punished by Ottawa in a political context that goes beyond his role. If he committed any fault, it may have been being too close to Quebec within a system dominated by Ottawa. His testimony represents a rare sign of empathy from anglophone leadership.”)

From: Pope & Associates
To: MHL Executive Committee
Date: June 17, 2017
Subject: Daily Tracking — Voting Intentions

Against the proposal: 48%
In favor: 52%

Selected public sentiment indicators (compiled from media commentary and Twitter reactions):
If Crowell “knew nothing,” then what exactly is leadership for? You don’t get to be in charge only when things go right.
Two days after Scott Hunter gives the league its most human moment, and now this? Feels like two completely different leagues.
“He was a victim too” is not the argument they think it is.
Honestly, I still trust the players more than the executives.

— Abby Whelan
Senior Advisor, Pope & Associates

***

June 26, 2017 / 32 days before the vote

“By the authority vested in me under the laws of the Province of Ontario, and in the presence of these witnesses, I now pronounce that Shane Michael Hollander and Ilya Gregorivitch Rozanov are married,” Svetlana said.

Shane couldn’t explain how he had gone from dating Rose Landry and being absolutely not gay, to living in Boston and marrying his archrival-turned-roommate-turned-PR-operation friend, long-time fuck buddy, Ilya Rozanov. Oh yes, he could explain. Scott Hunter.

When Scott had that dramatic kiss on the ice, everything that followed afterward made it easier. The media burst open with the story, and with the MHL being in such deep trouble, the organization had jumped at the opportunity for positive publicity. The MHL was so close to blasting Harvey Milk and Marsha P. Johnson speeches at every game.

Shane didn't waste any time. “Marry me” had been the first thing on his mind as he had watched Hunter kiss Kip. But what should he have said? Saying “I love you”—check. Ilya being protected from being sent back to Russia—check. Living together—check. Buying a house together—double check. Being public—check, check, check. Knowing him for almost ten years—so much check. So really, when he thought about it, it had been a very well-processed reaction. And Ilya had said “yes.”

They had babbled something like, “We need to check a problem in the garage, be right back.” They went to the garage, closed the door, and made out for a good two minutes.

“You’re crazy, Shane.”

“Yes, I am. I want to marry you. We should do it now.”

“Marry!? We need paperwork first.”

“No, I mean come out. Everyone we care about is here,” Shane said. “It’s efficient. No need to repeat it.”

Shane was a man with a plan and efficiency, and it had been a very efficient and sensible choice. Rose, Svetlana, Anita, Marleau, St. Simone, J.J., Hayden, Jackie, Iro, Yuna, and David were all there. Did they have an extra guest list? No.

“You want to do it now?” Ilya had asked.

“Yes. We don’t need a big wedding or to go public. We can have a private ceremony.”

“Okay.”

They had kissed again. “You’re so hot when you make big decisions," Ilya said. "I’ll take care of you tonight.”

“Oh yeah, can’t wait,” Shane had said. “Fuck,what are we gonna say?”

“Easy. We’re together, we love each other, we’re gonna get married, you’re invited. Don’t run your mouth,” Ilya had said.

“We should add something like, we want to share this with you—”

“Oh my God, Shane, too much PR. Be polite. Let’s go.”

They had gone back inside. Everyone had been in the garden, the discussion ongoing.

“We’re doing this,” Shane said.

“Let’s fucking go,” Ilya said.

And Ilya shouted, “Listen up, everybody! Shane and I are together. We're boyfriends. We’re in love and we’re getting married. You’re invited.”

Shane said, “We’d like to have you there. We just made the decision. I’m gay.”

“To be clear, he asked me, and I’m bisexual. Any questions?”

Everyone stayed silent for a moment, and then Hayden said,

“Fuck, so after all this time, you couldn’t say it last week? Now I fucking owe Marleau $500.”

“Make the money rain, baby. I fucking knew it,” Marleau said.

“I’m not paying. I couldn’t factor in the Scott Hunter reveal,” J.J. said.

Shane looked at Rose, then Anita, Iro, and Svetlana; the ones who knew. They made signs that they hadn’t said anything. Yuna and David walked toward them.

“Thanks for letting us know,” David started.

“Finally,” Yuna finished. “We’re proud of you, and happy.”

“You knew?” Shane said.

“Honey, I know you spend a lot of time with hockey players, but not everyone’s this oblivious,” Yuna said.

“You two are not subtle at all,” David continued.

“You were holding hands under Ilya's jacket last week at the theater,” Yuna said, laughing. “And Shane, this is the perfect opportunity. Now we have to act quickly with sponsors.”

“Mom, tomorrow, please?”

“Sure,” she said, and hugged him.

“So you knew about it too?” Shane asked J.J. and Hayden.

Before answering, Jackie sent him a look while she kissed Shane on the cheek.

“We thought you had an unreciprocated crush on him,” Hayden said, “and because I kept talking about it with J.J., Jackie sent me a Hollanov subReddit post and it all made sense.”

“In March you were wearing his T-shirt. You never wore other people’s clothes because they felt strange,” J.J. said.

“And you bet on us?”

“I was definitely rooting for you to tell us in May,” Hayden said.

“I said July at the summer camp,” J.J. added.

“I can’t believe you both thought you were discreet,” Svetlana said.

“I said nothing, but please, Ilya ordered for Shane at every restaurant,” Anita interrupted.

“Or when Shane was ‘discreetly not discreet,’ shooting eyes at Ilya every time he passed the third vodka, and Ilya stopped drinking,” Rose added.

“Oh my God, that was so fucking cute,” Iro added.

They both realized that the whole Hollanov-sanctioned “bromance” had made them publicly friends, but had soft-launched their relationship for the people closest to them. The ones who actually knew how they were as “friends.”

The plan for their ceremony had been very well organized by Yuna and Farah. Everyone had understood that everything had to happen before the vote. Shane and Ilya’s contracts in Boston had been secured for five years, with no-trade and no-movement clauses, but they knew that MHL's progressive stance could vanish after the vote, no matter the result. They needed a full system of support so the league couldn’t backtrack afterward.

The day after their coming out, which had surprised no one, Yuna had sent both of them her master plan.

From: Yuna Hollander
To: Shane Hollander, Ilya Rozanov, Farah Jelali
Date: June 7, 2017
Subject: Roadmap

Boys and Farah,

Below is the roadmap of what’s important and when. We have a good window of opportunity, but we cannot waste it.
Ceremony
The ceremony will be held on June 26 at Shane's cottage before Game Changers Camp. This way it will be easy to explain the presence of all of your hockey guests. Ilya has sent all the paperwork and forms for us to obtain the license. Shane, you told me Svetlana will officiate, please see the attached certification.

Immediate Actions (This Week)
Shane and Ilya, you need to speak with your GM and coach. Farah can be there if needed, but I think you can handle it.
You should also speak to your teammates (the ones you are sure will not be traded before next season). Start with the ones you trust the most, then inform the rest.

PR & Media Coordination
Farah will contact Pope & Associate, letting them know the day of the wedding.

The July 6 feature needs to be as mainstream as possible. Interview, pictures, and some wedding photos. Sarah Khalidi at GQ is a great journalist; I’m sure she will handle this well.

Post-Wedding Strategy: 10 days of you going MIA.
After that, you need to be ready for a full media presence: interviews and appearances for 10 days leading up to the vote.

Love you both,
Thank you Farah.

Yuna Hollander
Executive Director
Irina Foundation

Now they were at the cottage, under the tent installed for the wedding. An hour earlier, they had exchanged vows. Jade and Ruby were the flower girls, while Rose stood with Shane, and Marleau with Ilya. They had written their own vows. Ilya went first.

“Shane… I know some people might think this is fast. That we’ve only been public for a few months. But you and I, we’ve known each other since we were eighteen. In fact, we’ve lost time. Too much of it. And maybe we needed all of it. The distance, the bad decisions, the stupid ideas… everything that brought us here to this moment. With the people who matter. You’re the best thing that’s happened in my life. You made me brave. You made me believe I could be more, that I could do anything. You made me feel safe. You loved me with care, with passion, and always with a kind of beautiful craziness that only you have.

You’re the best teammate I’ve ever had, sorry Marleau. You made my heart larger, fuller. You gave me space to be kind to myself. You didn’t just change my life, you extended it. I’ve loved you since I was eighteen. And I’ll love you until I’m a hundred.”

Shane took two deep breaths before starting. He let out a shaky breath.

“I love you, Ilya. I love you so much that it overpowers my anxiety, my fear and my meal plan. I love you more than hockey. And yeah, people might think this is sudden, but it’s not. It’s just the first time they’re seeing it. All I want is to spend the rest of my life waking up next to you, reminding you to drive under the speed limit in your stupid sports cars. I love that I can talk to you about everything and anything. That I always find you, on the ice and off it.That your heart is so kind, so big. That you came into this life with so many reasons to be hard, but you never were. You always had that light in your eyes, and you let me in. You carved the most beautiful place on earth for me. A place in your heart.”

They didn’t wait for Svetlana to say anything. They kissed, soft at first, then laughing through tears as the room filled with sobs and applause.

Svetlana smiled, letting the moment breathe.

“Woow” Rose said through tears, fanning her face.

Svetlana raised her voice gently. “By the authority vested in me, I now pronounce you spouses.”

Coach LeCLaire and his wife were there, Carter, Scott, and Kip too. Ilya had spilled out earlier that this day was possible because of what he had done. Scott had taken out his phone to record and said, “Could you repeat that for me?” One of Anita’s cousins, a very busy and cool DJ from Chicago, had come for the music. The party was going well when phones started to buzz.

Reuters: Anonymous Leak of 200+ Recordings Appears to Show Crowell Discussing Player Files, Coercion, and Draft Interference

An anonymous source has sent more than 200 audio and video recordings to major media organizations in the United States and Canada, in what could mark a significant escalation of the crisis surrounding the MHL.

The material is currently under forensic review by a cross-border consortium including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Globe and Mail, CBC News, Toronto Star, Los Angeles Times, ProPublica, The Athletic, Le Devoir and Radio-Canada. They appear to show Commissioner Crowell in private conversations across multiple locations linked to the Côté siblings.

While the authenticity of the recordings has not yet been fully established, several excerpts reviewed by Reuters and partner organizations are already circulating online.

In one segment labeled by investigators as “56,” a voice identified as Crowell appears to describe maintaining “files” on players and teams, suggesting the information could be used as leverage. The same recording includes remarks about MVP Scott Hunter, in which Crowell is heard saying he “kept quiet” and “fit the demographic.”

Other recordings reviewed by the consortium appear to show Crowell discussing efforts to influence team decisions. In one, he references discouraging a franchise from drafting two Black players, stating that the league had already met its “diversity” needs through a prominent Asian player, widely interpreted by analysts as a reference to Shane Hollander. In the same exchange, he expresses concern about the sport “changing,” drawing a comparison to tennis following the rise of the Williams' sisters.

Additional excerpts appear to connect Crowell to prior league controversies. In one recording, he references having prior knowledge of allegations involving player Dallas Kent, including claims that compromising material was sent to a potential victim. The recordings do not independently verify these claims, and Reuters has not confirmed the underlying events.

Several segments also touch on political relationships. In one, Crowell appears to describe receiving assistance from individuals associated with the Conservative Party of Canada in Toronto during a previous crisis involving Kent. In another, he references private donations to figures linked to the Bloc Québécois, in discussions framed around tax policy and regulatory conditions affecting Quebec-based teams. These claims remain unverified and have not been substantiated by independent documentation.

The leak follows a tense moment during Crowell’s recent deposition at the Côté trial. One of the brothers had reportedly shouted, “we will not go down alone,” according to individuals present in the courtroom. Investigators are examining whether the recordings may be connected to individuals within the Côtés’ network.

The MHL has not issued a formal statement on the recordings but confirmed that an emergency executive meeting will be held.

Journalists involved in the forensic review caution that the material is extensive, fragmented, and still being authenticated. However, if verified, the recordings could raise significant questions about governance, player privacy, and potential coercion practices within the league.

Liberal Party of Canada, Office of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau:
“We are deeply concerned by the nature and scope of the reported recordings. These revelations, if confirmed, are profoundly troubling and raise serious questions about governance, accountability, and the protection of individuals within professional sports. Canadians must have access to all relevant facts ahead of the national consultation vote.
Our government expects full and immediate cooperation from the MHL and any individuals involved. Transparency is not optional in a moment like this. It is essential to maintaining public trust. While we acknowledge that the material remains under verification, the seriousness of the allegations requires that institutions demonstrate openness and responsibility at every stage. We will continue to monitor developments closely and will not hesitate to consider further measures if warranted.”

Conservative Party of Canada:
“We will not base conclusions on unverified leaks or selectively released material. That said, the allegations being reported are serious and deserve a thorough and impartial review. If wrongdoings are confirmed, those responsible must be held accountable.
At the same time, it is important to avoid conflating allegations against individuals with the broader integrity of an industry that supports thousands of Canadian jobs and communities. The MHL remains a major economic and cultural institution. We caution against politicizing this situation or using it to advance broader ideological agendas. Our focus is on facts, due process, and ensuring that any response is measured, responsible, and grounded in evidence.”

Bloc Québécois:
« Nous rejetons catégoriquement les allégations laissant entendre un quelconque lien entre notre formation politique et les propos attribués à Crowell. S’ils ont été tenus, ces propos sont faux. Il ment. Nous demandons que toute la lumière soit faite, mais sans récupération politique ni amalgame. Le Québec mérite le respect, et non d’être mêlé à des allégations sans fondement. »
(“We categorically reject any allegations suggesting a link between our party and the remarks attributed to Crowell. If they were made, they are false. He is lying. We call for full clarity, but without political opportunism or conflation. Quebec deserves respect, not to be entangled in unfounded allegations.”)

New Democratic Party (NDP):
“This is exactly what happens when powerful institutions are allowed to operate without oversight. We have been warning about accountability gaps in professional sport for years. If these recordings are authentic, they point to a deeply concerning culture of coercion, exclusion, and abuse of power at the highest levels. This is not just about one individual; it raises broader questions about how institutions protect themselves at the expense of players and the public. We are calling for independent oversight mechanisms and a full examination of how these practices were allowed to persist.”

“Too urban”?? Say it with your chest next time.

They really sat there smiling through diversity nights while blocking Black players behind the scenes.

You’re telling me careers got killed because of race AND sexuality?? Burn it all down.

Le Québec qui utilise le français pour exclure des non francophones.. une fourchette trouvée dans une cuisine. ( Quebec being used to exclude non-French-speaking players, a fork found in a kitchen.)

So Crowell really thought he was in the billionaire club?? You’re a salaried exec.

Tampa. Needs. To. Be. Investigated. Yesterday.

How the hell do you talk about Shane Hollander like that and still think you deserve that job??

The hypocrisy is wild. Diversity campaigns on TV, discrimination behind closed doors.

From: MHL Players’ Union Executive Committee
To: All MHL & AHL Players
Date: June 26, 2017
Subject: URGENT: Player Union Emergency Response

Following the reported release of recordings and documents involving Commissioner Crowell, the Players’ Union is activating its emergency response protocol effective immediately. We have mobilized all available internal resources, including a dedicated team of 15 staff members (legal, compliance, and player advocacy) who will begin reviewing the material continuously over the coming days. Our objective is to move as quickly as the media cycle, while ensuring that your rights, privacy, and professional interests are protected at every stage.

At this time, we ask all players to take the following steps tonight: Contact your Union representative immediately; Notify your agent; Consult your personal legal counsel before responding to any media inquiries.

Do not engage publicly or privately with press requests, social media speculation, or third-party outreach without guidance. We understand the uncertainty and concern this situation may create. Please be assured that the Union will defend and represent every player. An emergency all-player meeting will be scheduled within the next 24 hours. Dial-in details and secure access information will follow shortly.

A 24/7 confidential hotline is now active for any player seeking immediate support, legal guidance, or to report concerns. We will continue to communicate as more verified information becomes available.

Stand together. We have your back.

MHL Players’ Union Executive Committee

The MHL crashed their wedding at 10 p.m. Within twenty minutes, all of the guests who were involved with the MHL in any capacity — or even adjacent to it — were gathered in the same central area, chairs moved aside, phones out, texts flying. Farah was there, fully in active mode. Yuna went inside to get Shane’s laptop.

“I’ve got the website with the audio. It’s his voice,” St. Simon had said, and he played an audio clip of Crowell talking about Kent being a good guy, about those crazy puck bunnies, and how their good friend in Ontario had helped him.

“Fuck, do you think he’ll say things about players’ personal lives?” Carter asked.

“I’m sure everyone online is trying to find which gay player he was talking about,” Ilya said.

“Fuck,” Shane said.

“We have a plan. We’re safe,” Ilya said, kissing Shane neck.

“Hollander, Rozanov, I need to go back to the hotel. There's an emergency meeting with all GMs and coaches. Fucking Crowell. I guess… happy wedding, see you next season if there's something left of the MHL,” Coach LeCLaire said.

Yuna came back. “Shane, Ilya, listen we have to act fast. All the audios are online. It’s just a matter of time if he talked about you too, someone, somewhere will post it, and we’ll lose momentum,” Yuna said.

“I’m talking to the journalist at GQ. Her piece is ready. She can post the online version tomorrow first thing, before print,” Farah said.

“Damn, that’s quick. I thought we’d have time.” Shane said.

“Now you both still control the timing. But once it’s out and with everything in the audio, it might just get lost in the noise,” Yuna said.

Ilya looked at Shane.

“Okay. We’re doing it,” Shane said.

“Okay. I’ll talk to the photographer, see if he can work overnight and send two pictures to GQ,” Yuna said, going after the photographer, who was packing.

They thought the MHL crashing their wedding would make everyone leave, but the party continued. The DJ was playing more ambient music. It was a very hot summer night, still around eighty at 11 p.m., and phone chargers were plugged in everywhere. People were sending links, messages, tweets. Information from the files started to be compiled by relentless blogs and subreddits, working as fast as the FBI and journalist consortiums. The AHL player, who had been blocked from being drafted, was identified as Marco Duke, playing in Minnesota.

The guests started leaving at 2 a.m.

“You two, turn off your phones for the next twenty-four hours. If there’s an emergency, we’ll call the spa. Enjoy the first day of your married hockey life,” Yuna said, pulling them into a hug before leaving.

June 27, 2017 / 31 days before the vote

GQ The First Husbands of Hockey: Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander Marry as the MHL Explodes

by Sarah Khalidi

In a twist no one could have imagined, Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander, now unofficially dubbed the first husbands of hockey, got married on the very night the MHL imploded following the Crowell revelations. Their wedding, held at Hollander’s architectural cottage in Ontario, was interrupted not by scandal itself, but by the relentless buzz of notifications. Guests, many of them players, including Boston Bears head coach LeCLaire, found themselves pulled into the unfolding crisis as the league unraveled in real time.

For years, the Hollanov duo had been the subject of endless speculation. Their bond was often dismissed as a carefully managed PR friendship. But to many in attendance, the truth had been far more obvious, and far older.

“It was always there,” one guest said. “You just had to be willing to see it.”

From their rookie season, distance and rivalry had complicated their story. Rozanov’s ties to Russia made any public relationship nearly impossible, while Hollander’s career kept him moving across North America. But a series of events shifted everything: Hollander’s move to Boston after the Montreal Voyageurs fallout, Rozanov securing permanent residency in the United States, and, finally, the possibility of being seen together without hiding. Those close to them were not surprised. Rose Landry, a close friend and Hollander’s former partner, said the two “made you believe in anything.”

Author Anita Vaughn, once rumored to be involved with Hollander, described them as “two souls meant to be together.” Scott Hunter, whose now-infamous on-ice moment helped catalyze a broader shift in the league, was also present. “I did what I did on the ice for me and Kip,” he said. “But I never thought the impact would be this close to me. Shane told me he proposed to Ilya the night he watched me kiss Kip. I’m deeply honored.”

Longtime friends and former Voyageurs teammates Hayden Pike and J.J. Boizeau echoed a similar sentiment. “When you start seeing it, you can’t unsee it,” Pike said. “Maybe a lot of us just didn’t want to admit what was right in front of us, that they loved each other.” Svetlana Petrova, daughter of a legendary Boston goaltender and a close confidante of Rozanov, added that “no one made Ilya more open, more himself, than Shane Hollander.”

For their part, Hollander and Rozanov rarely speak about themselves without turning the focus back on each other. “He’s a softie,” Hollander said of Rozanov. “The best person I know. Biggest heart.”

Rozanov didn’t hesitate to respond in kind. “What can I say? He’s the most beautiful man in the MHL, the best player, and the love of my life.” Their wedding took place just three days before the start of the Game Changers camp of the Irina Foundation, which they launched together. The foundation, directed by Yuna Hollander, reflects their shared commitment to extending their impact beyond hockey.

“Having the privilege to work with my son and his husband, two of the best players in the MHL, who are using their platform to inspire others… it’s more than I could have wished for,” she said. “Though I’ll admit, they can both be very intense. In their own ways.”

The full story in our next print version with exclusive photos

 

From: Olivia Pope
To: MHL Executive Committee
Date: June 27, 2017
Subject: Emergency meeting

Emergency meeting has been scheduled in two hours with league leadership and club ownership. Attendance is required. Dial-in details to follow.
Situation overview:
Following the Crowell disclosures, the League’s ability to maintain a consistent communications position has materially deteriorated. Media, digital, and stakeholder narratives are fragmenting and are no longer responsive to centralized messaging.

External counsel should be engaged immediately to assess exposure and preserve privilege.
Voting outlook:
In favor: 62%
Against: 38%

Please note that a meaningful portion of previously secured stakeholder alignment has been lost, particularly among ownership groups and sponsors.

Olivia Pope
Executive Director, Pope & Associates

***

June 28, 2017 / 30 days before the vote

Elijah Pope: Cleaning up after white boys running after ball, instead of running for office.
Elijah Pope: Do you have to be that mediocre?

Constant distant overseeing had always been her father's interpretation of parental love. And what could she say?

It was the first time she had accepted a major league contract. Usually, she stayed in her lane and focused on political scandals, CEOs preparing to go public, and high-level political crises. However, she owed Fitz a favor. Always Fitz. She knew nothing about hockey and had no interest in learning. This wasn’t about the sport; this was about the combination of her two favorite specialties: political and narrative problems. She didn’t need to know the number of shifts; Huck was there for that.

Now she had to clean up after men chasing pucks instead of winning elections. Men who stood in front of her as if they were smarter, when most of them couldn’t even read their own contracts. Usually, it was a few skeletons in the closet, but here? With hundreds of players, coaches, and staff, everything was there. Sure, there was cheating, which was almost irrelevant unless you were running for governor in Utah. Beyond that, though, there was sexual assault, domestic violence, racism, and homophobia.

For the first time, she actually felt something—for the few Black players, and for the even fewer Asian and Latino ones. The league had its “safe” face. Hunter. In her career, it was not often that she was handed a spin this perfect. But the Hollonov had been a gift: a genuine friendship that needed no media training, only the right framing. It also reminded her why she should never work with a major sports league again. In Capitol Hill circles, people would never have failed to clock the two of them as a couple. A narrative — that was the greatest weapon. And what a narrative it was for the new 'unproblematic' MHL: rivals to friends, friends to lovers, lovers to husbands. Now, even their wedding would still not be enough to bury the Crowell mess.

It’s not like she didn’t know what Crowell was, a racist bigot trying to play nice behind a fake smile. Olivia had survived boarding school, the Ivy League, Washington, several Supreme Court justices, senators, and a rigged election. She could tell who was who.

She also had an endgame. She wasn’t a white hat for nothing. It was clear Crowell had to go. They already had enough to push him out. Leadership had planned to wait closer to the election, but now they had no choice. He would be replaced by Evans, Fitz's friend, but more Bobby-boy. She still couldn’t stand Bobby-type libertarian tech moguls, their lack of ideology draped in pure streams of capital, half-baked pseudo-psychology, and half-read books. But given the depth of the mess they were in, that was a problem for the future. In all honesty, she had been paid to fix this crisis, not hockey, which she still didn’t care about.

At least Bobby-boy, for lack of strong political commitments, had an end goal that required him to be publicly fierce liberal, ready to step in. The perfect Justin Trudeau of the MHL.

She poured a 2005 Meursault into her largest wine glass and started making calls.

There was a crisis to fix.

MHL Statement
June 28, 2017

The MHL announces that, effective immediately, Mr. Crowell has been removed from all functions and responsibilities within the League.

Mr. Evans Browne has been appointed as Interim MHL Commissioner to oversee League operations during this period.

Further updates will be provided as appropriate.

 

New York Time "Hollander and Rozanov Wedding Overshadowed by Expanding MHL Scandal"

What was meant to be a private celebration quickly became a defining moment for hockey, as Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov confirmed their relationship and marriage on the same night the MHL was thrown into crisis following revelations involving league executive Crowell.

The couple married at Hollander’s cottage in Ontario in front of their teammates, coaches, and close friends. Within an hour of their wedding, the hockey world was shaking as recordings linked to Crowell surfaced online, triggering a league-wide emergency response.

Since then, the situation has escalated rapidly.

Crowell is now under formal investigation, with authorities in both Canada and the United States opening inquiries. Law enforcement agencies are expected to execute searches of his office, while the MHL has already revoked his access to league systems in order to prevent any destruction of potential evidence.

The fallout has extended well beyond league offices.

An AHL player identified in the recordings as having been subjected to discrimination has announced plans to sue both the MHL and his team. Additional players, through the Players’ Union, have indicated they are prepared to take collective action, including a potential strike, should new league policies not be implemented in response to the scandal.

The recordings themselves continue to surface in fragments online. In one widely circulated clip, a voice identified as Crowell references knowledge of “gay things in Mexico” involving Hollander, raising concerns about surveillance, privacy violations, and the tracking of players’ personal lives.

Another segment suggests Crowell was aware of at least fifteen players allegedly using performance-enhancing drugs, further widening the scope of the investigation.

Civil rights organizations have also entered the situation. The NAACP announced that two African American AHL players, Da’Shaun Washington and Curtis Wallace, intend to pursue legal action against the MHL, citing discrimination and systemic failures within the league.

Meanwhile, political figures have begun to signal awareness of the moment’s cultural weight. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was spotted the day after the revelations wearing rainbow socks marked with the numbers 81 and 24, Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander's numbers, an apparent gesture of support that quickly circulated online.

For many observers, the convergence of these events have transformed what could have been a personal milestone into something far larger: a reckoning for the sport itself.

As the MHL faces mounting legal, institutional, and cultural pressure, the image of Hollander and Rozanov newly married, standing at the center of a collapsing system, has already begun to define this moment in hockey history.

 

Ilya and Shane had been dead to the world for 24 hours, following Yuna’s advice. They hadn’t slept at the cottage, as they had guests staying there and a cleaning crew arriving first thing in the morning.

Instead, at 4 a.m., while still very drunk, a car came to pick them up and drove them to a private luxury spa cabin. They slept as soon as they arrived, and when they woke up, it was to pure bliss.

“Good morning, husband,” Ilya said.

“Good morning, husband, we need to brush our teeth,” Shane answered.

"You're so romantic."

The bathroom door conveniently faced the bed. When Shane came back from the bathroom after Ilya, he found his husband fully naked, legs spread. Ilya was slowly stroking himself. The view sent a hot shiver through Shane's body and he reflexively leaned against the bathroom door as his knees went weak. He felt like running to the bed, skipping everything, and begging Ilya to let him ride him. Shane put the towel he had wrapped around himself on the chair; he was now naked too. Ilya had surely seen the urgency in his eyes.

"Don't. Stay where you are,"

"Ilya, let me."

"Not yet."

"Don't tease," Shane said, starting to touch himself.

"Don't touch yourself," Ilya told him. "Look at me."

And Shane watched Ilya stroking himself slowly. "Tell me what you want."

"I want to come, to suck you, for you to touch me, for you to be inside me," Shane said. "Let me."

"No, tell me more."

"I want you, all of you."

Ilya shifted to sit up straighter, tapping the space on the mattress between his legs, giving Shane his cue. Shane rushed to the bed and took Ilya in his mouth.

"Yes, slowly, we have time. Go slow, my love."

Shane took his time, but Ilya was already close to coming.

"Stop, I want to taste you," Ilya said, pulling Shane up and kissing him hungrily. He pushed Shane onto his back, trailing kisses down his body until he reached his cock, then pushed Shane's legs up and began kissing his hole. Moans escaped Shane slowly at first, but when Ilya started putting his tongue in and fucking him with it, the sound Shane made was scandalous. "Oh, fuck, Ilya, fuck, yes." His hand tried to reach for Ilya's head, but only caught Ilya's hand and interlaced their fingers. "This is so good," he moaned when Ilya entered the first finger. Shane tried to touch himself, but Ilya removed his hand and inserted a second finger. He placed a kiss on Shane's cock and reached for the lube on the nightstand. Shane pulled him in for another kiss, sucking on his tongue.

"How do you want it, dear husband?"

"Fuck the hell out of me."

"Flip over," Ilya said. Not only had they had time, but they had spent the last six months together. The morning before the wedding, they made the most of it, and Ilya was greedy for more. More of Shane, more of Shane telling him he wanted him. The past six months, far from calming his thirst for Shane, had only made him thirstier. Now he woke up every day with Shane pressed against his back, coffee in the morning, driving to practice, traveling, small kisses, time, and dates. He always wanted more. The crazy part was that Shane wanted more too, was giving Ilya the same. And now, Ilya wanted to see Shane with the ring on his finger, grabbing the sheet when he fucked him.

Ilya flipped Shane over, and Ilya teased his hole first before slowly entering him. "I have the most beautiful husband in the world. Look at you, taking me so well."

"Come on, come inside."

"Tell me you want it."

"I want it. I always want you. Please, come inside me."

Ilya obliged, pushing in. "You are so perfect, perfect."

And Ilya was pounding, faster and harder, and Shane begged for more, crying, "I love you. You fuck me so well, I'm close!"

"Yes, come only from my cock. Come, Shane."

Shane came, and Ilya followed after, crashing onto his husband's back and kissing him, out of breath. "I love you, I love you so much."
"Forever," Shane added.

They turned on their phones at 9 a.m. on the 28th. Since they hadn’t received any calls from Yuna, they knew the world was burning. Their phones in hand, they settled comfortably on the sofa in their large cabin, tucked into each other. Ilya was stretched between Shane’s legs, his back resting against the end of the sectional.

“Ready?” Shane said.

“Yup.”

And then everything flooded in notifications, group chats, alerts. Shane went on Instagram, Ilya on Twitter. They were both in the top nine trending topics.

THEY GOT MARRIED AND TOOK DOWN THE LEAGUE IN THE SAME NIGHT THAT’S MY OTP

Sorry but the “we’re just friends” crowd owes me reparations

HUSBANDS. THEY ARE HUSBANDS. SAY IT AGAIN. HUSBANDS.

MHL really said happy pride let’s expose crimes AND confirm the gay agenda

The way they went “we’re in love btw,” and then the league collapsed??? CINEMA

I need someone to check on every “it’s just PR” thinkpiece writer tonight

they soft launched for MONTHS and then hard-launched with a MARRIAGE AND A SCANDAL

Hollanov said we’re not doing situationship we’re doing APOCALYPSE LOVE

Imagine being homophobic and ALSO finding out your league is corrupt in the same hour

The way the group chat must have exploded like “congrats 🥳 also we’re suing the league”

I’m crying they really said vows at 9 and legal crisis at 10

NOT THE RECEIPTS DROPPING MID FIRST DANCE

Someone check on the dj he just wanted to play music not witness history

Hollanov believers, we ride at dawn (we were already riding since 2014 btw)

They said forced proximity trope but make it decade long slow burn into marriage

Honestly, shoutout to them for choosing chaos as their wedding theme

We need to talk about the MHL spying on players. this isn’t “scandal,” this is surveillance and abuse of power

Le problème n’est pas juste Crowell. c’est un système entier qui a permis ça pendant des années
(the problem isn’t just Crowell. it’s an entire system that allowed this for years)

On parle de “culture de hockey” mais c’est surtout une culture de contrôle et de blanchité
(we talk about “hockey culture” but it’s really a culture of control and whiteness)

You don’t get years of files on queer and poc players without a lot of complicity

“Progressive league” but poc and queer players are surveilled and discriminated against

Cette histoire montre à quel point la blanchité protège certains et expose les autres
(this shows how institutional whiteness protects some and exposes others)

Le fait que des joueurs doivent passer par le syndicat pour se protéger dit tout
(the fact that players have to go through the union to protect themselves says everything)

If even half of what’s coming out is true, this is one of the biggest institutional failures in hockey history

This is what happens when you turn hockey into a circus instead of a sport

Hollander and rozanov can do whatever they want but don’t expect fans to celebrate it

First it’s this, then it’s the league collapsing… maybe crowell wasn’t the problem

You can’t tell me this is a coincidence. league goes “progressive” and everything falls apart

Hockey used to be about the game. now it’s headlines and politics

Not saying crowell was right but at least there was order before all this chaos

NBA-ification of hockey was always going to end like this

Sorry but this isn’t what hockey culture is supposed to be

Crowell being removed doesn’t fix the fact the league lost its identity

Fans are allowed to feel like the sport they loved is disappearing

I’m not against anyone personally but this isn’t why i watch hockey

The more they push this lifestyle agrnda the more they alienate core fans

If the league cared about players it would focus on the game, not all this

 

They turned to the group chat.

Shane: Hello
Marleau: So they live!!!
J.J.: Welcome back fuckers
Ilya: We did it a lot
Pike: TMI
Shane: how bad is it ?
Scott: Your GQ coming out?
Scott: Players are so mad at Crowell that they’re suspending their homophobia
Carter: Bunch of hypocrites, they knew if Crowell could talk about Scotty, he knows about their cheating, second kids, and tax evasion
St-Simon: The internet is working hard
Marleau: Thanks god all I did was cheat on my cheating girlfriend

“I think we’re gonna be okay,” Shane said.

“Yes,” Ilya replied, leaning in for a kiss. “Let’s go back to bed. I’m not finished with you.”

“Thank God.”

"Maybe you will tell me what gay things you were doing in Mexico."

September 15, 2017 / 45 Days after the vote

The Washington Post: After Vote and Scandal, Hockey’s New Season Opens Under Scrutiny.

Forty-five days after Canada’s national consultation on hockey and one day after the MHL’s season opener in Boston, the league is attempting to move forward while still absorbing the consequences of one of the most significant crises in its history.

The consultation results offered a clear but complicated mandate. Canadians supported continued public funding for professional and semi-professional hockey, but only under stricter conditions: greater financial transparency, protection of player earnings and retirement savings, and the exclusion of teams that fail to address discriminatory conduct, including racism and homophobia. At the same time, respondents endorsed a shift toward a more privatized, U.S.-style model, along with increased investment in grassroots and youth programs.

The outcome has placed the MHL in a narrow corridor, expected to operate with public accountability while adapting to a more market-driven structure.

The reforms follow the leak of recordings tied to former commissioner Crowell, who has since been indicted and is awaiting trial, his passport revoked. The league faces multiple lawsuits, including cases brought by AHL players alleging discrimination based on race and sexual orientation. Several have already been settled.

In a related case, player Dallas Kent has been indicted and placed in detention after multiple complainants came forward; a development investigators have linked in part to disclosures contained in the recordings. Under an agreement with the players’ union, all materials previously held by Crowell are now under the control of authorities, with disclosure limited to matters of criminal relevance.

The legal reckoning extended further this week with the sentencing of the Côté siblings, whose case helped trigger the broader crisis. They were sentenced to eight years in prison after being found guilty on multiple counts, including fraud over $5,000, conspiracy to commit fraud, tax evasion and possession of proceeds of crime, in a scheme prosecutors said involved more than $600 million in missing funds.

The court also entered convictions for obstruction of justice and influence peddling, citing attempts to interfere with investigations and leverage political relationships. Judges noted that the siblings fled the country during the investigation and were later extradited from Argentina, a factor that weighed against them. Their assets are to be forfeited, though officials say affected players and staff are unlikely to recover most of the losses.

The fallout has not been confined to the sport. Several members of Parliament across parties lost their seats or were expelled following revelations linked to the recordings. In response, the four main federal parties reached an agreement to allow certain parliamentary votes to proceed anonymously, reflecting the political sensitivity surrounding the case. New funding measures have since been introduced, including caps on youth participation costs, expanded subsidies for families and investments in arenas in lower-income communities.

At the franchise level, the damage has been uneven. Tampa has lost an estimated 60 percent of its sponsors and replaced its general manager, coaching staff and senior leadership. The team’s owner has said he was unaware of Crowell’s actions. Other markets, including Toronto, continue to face commercial pressure.

The consultation has also altered the regulatory landscape. Discriminatory language on the ice can now carry consequences not only for teams but also for broadcasters, under updated Canadian standards. Television partners are pressing the league to strengthen enforcement, wary of potential financial liability, particularly as the MHL’s revenues remain below those of leagues such as the NBA.

Against this backdrop, the league has turned to a new commissioner, Evans Browne. Brown is a 48-year-old Canadian-American and former player with the Admirals. Originally from North Carolina, his playing career at age 31 due to an injury. He completed his MBA and JD at Columbia University and moved into front-office roles, including a Los Angeles franchise and later within the MHL’s international outreach operations.

His appointment, initially interim and now confirmed, makes him one of the youngest commissioners in major professional sports. Known for his media fluency and proximity to the Liberal Party of Canada and the DNC, Browne was reportedly considered for a federal sports ministry role three years ago in Canada. Supporters see him as a figure capable of rebuilding trust; critics describe the appointment as a calculated, image-driven move, and some view the role as a potential stepping stone in broader political ambitions, either in Ottawa or Washington.

However, Browne’s vision may face its greatest resistance not from outside scrutiny, but from within the sport itself.
Recent voter-file analysis of major North American leagues suggests that hockey, like baseball, remains one of the most politically conservative and demographically homogeneous sports environments, shaped in large part by a player base that is overwhelmingly white and embedded in similarly aligned social circles.

Data compiled from publicly available voter registration records shows that only about 5.6% of NHL players identify as Democrats, one of the lowest shares among major leagues, while nearly half (around 48.6%) are registered as independents, with the remainder skewing more conservative.

By contrast, the WNBA is overwhelmingly Democratic, with roughly 67.5% of players identifying as Democrats, and 42.9% in the NBA. Major League Baseball leans in the opposite direction, with more than half (about 53.7%) affiliated with Republicans. The comparison highlights a structural divide that, while other leagues have shifted alongside broader cultural and political trends, hockey’s player base, and by extension much of its internal culture, has not. The MHL remains more homogeneous, more independent-to-conservative, and less aligned with the diversity-driven messaging now being pushed by league leadership and sponsors.

For now, much of the public attention has shifted back to the ice, particularly in Boston. The season opener marked the first game of Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander as a married couple, a moment that has resonated well beyond the sport’s traditional audience. The cultural reach of the moment extended beyond the rink. A special wedding cover by GQ featuring Rozanov and Hollander sold out across the United States and Canada, with resale copies exceeding $200 online the following day. The feature went on to become the magazine’s most-read article of 2017, proving the extent to which their visibility has moved hockey into a broader cultural conversation.

Boston has seen a surge in ticket sales, merchandise, and sponsorship interest, buoyed in part by visible public support from team leadership. The contrast with other markets has been stark, with franchises still tied to the scandal struggling to regain footing.

Efforts are also underway to revive the defunct Voyageurs franchise. Local authorities are working to place displaced staff, while tech mogul Bobby Sacker is preparing to buy the franchise, with a potential return as early as next season under a structure similar to an expansion draft.

Beyond the immediate crisis, the league may be entering a broader period of change. Increased attention, driven in part by figures such as Rozanov, Hunter, and Hollander, has drawn new audiences to hockey, including fans previously disengaged from the sport’s culture, many of whom are women. In that context, officials from the American women’s league and Canadian organizations have begun discussions on launching a new North American competition tentatively named PWHL, reflecting a growing appetite across demographics.

For the MHL, the challenge now is less about surviving the crisis than defining what comes after it, under public scrutiny that shows little sign of fading.

 

***

He thought the office would have felt more luxurious from this spot, but Crowell had always lacked finesse. Evans would have changed the chair and the desk to something more minimalist but designed. He needed a rug and would ask his brother for some art from his gallery.

In his first interview as the youngest MHL commissioner, he checked all the right lexicon boxes: humble, honor, duty, at service. He had created this opportunity as he always did, since he was a child. He was your standard middle child in that he was often ignored. At seven, he decided to come up with a plan that would force his parents to acknowledge him. He was not as brilliant as Pipper, who went to Duke for undergrad like their father, and went to law school at Yale like their mother. Pipper was now a partner at their father's law firm and will take it over after their father retires.

Evans was not as artistic as his brother, Ron, the youngest child (naturally, the favorite of the three), who has the art gallery. He hadn't worked his way up to owning the gallery either. Their grandparents gifted Ron $100,000 and one year's rent, paid in full, for the retail space.

Evans was very good at hockey, and their parents loved hockey. In his family, no one became a professional athlete. His father's side had old Southern money; the choice of career was law, politics, and finance. His mother’s side was from Vancouver, and they included international art dealers, ambassadors, and writers; they also had a history of donating to the Liberal Party.

He was never going to be as smart as his sister nor as artistic as his brother, so he chose to be an athlete.

When his career ended, he did not mope. Instead, he pivoted quickly by making a plan, but he knew that becoming a coach and then an executive at MHL, which had very limited national exposure, would not cut it for his ambitious. Evans had something invaluable, in addition to his family's money—something that came with it: brotherhood. He grew up in a world where politics never separated people; only money did, and the type of money at that: new or old. Political consequences and realities were for ordinary people; politics was something you invested in, worked in, or studied, never something you chose your friends and acquaintances by.

Three years ago, at his childhood friend Bobby Sacker’s private semi-island in Florida, Bobby rambled about how he could not buy a hockey team. He loved hockey, he was a billionaire, yet the Québécois gang would not let him have the Voyagers, even though they were losing money in their others business. Bobby knew that being an Anglo was a major crime in the Côté siblings’ eyes, and his other crime was being richer than they were.

For billionaires like the Côtés, Bobby was the wrong kind of billionaire. He posted about social justice, had no family values, was a proud atheist, and was too much of a citizen of the world. Mind you, their differences were more superficial than anything else. Bobby was still a violent capitalist: he could fire thousands of people through automation, was anti-union, and would surely side with whichever political faction made him money if the political winds changed. But for the Côtés, the difference in style and image was simply too much.

"I need them not to be able to say no. I want it," Bobby had said, and Bobby always got what he wanted. What he wanted was to have everything he desired when he asked, still wearing a t-shirt and being portrayed as a cool billionaire. Evans had said that the only way the Côtés would let go of Montreal would be if the Prime Minister himself removed it from them; even death would not have made them sell. And then something lit in Bobby's eyes: "Maybe I can help with that."

Evans shot him a look. "Sometimes, you just need to give bad people the right opportunity to be their worst selves."

“And how do you do this?”

“I am a libertarian. I believe in choice and human potential. I was given a choice and used my full potential to build my company,” Bobby said.

“And one million dollars in seed investment from your grandparents,” Evans said, a smirk in his voice.

“Don’t be cynical. I do think that when you give people free choice and options, some people — let’s say the Côtés — when faced with the choice between steady money and high-risk opportunities, reveal their true potential. A bunch of dinosaurs blocking the free market with political ties have no place in the new century,” Bobby said.

Bobby had always cultivated this vision of himself as a cowboy capitalist. He called it the new Gilded Age of capitalism, and he believed he was among its new winners. In his eyes, the Côtés had already had their era and now needed to step aside or be swallowed by new ventures.

"Anyway, don't worry about this part. You'll know when to be ready. You'll make a great MHL commissioner."

"I don't want that, I want to do politics, in Canada or the U.S."

"Listen, the best you can be, even with your friendship with the PM, is sport minister in Canada, or Mayor in Vancouver,  but maybe if you became, I don't know, the face of something new, transformative, like inclusive MHL, you would have a shot for Governor or Congressman in the U.S… it would look good on you."

"You're making a lot of plans."

Bobby didn't say more; Evans thought it was a billionaire's drunken conversation.

Three years later, when the scandal broke in the news, Evans flew to Toronto to see Bobby. He wanted to know what the hell had happened and make sure he was not connected to anything illegal.

“I only facilitated things,” Bobby said calmly. “I asked people with choices and opportunities to contact them.”

“Crypto?”

“Yes. They could’ve exited early with profit, a solid forty percent. But given the choice, they fulfilled their potential and their greed scaled faster than their intelligence.”

Of course, the Côtés gambled money—not theirs; they could have used their trust fund, but they were your typical billionaires, they used the staff and players’ money. The rule of how to get rich: always use others: public or workers money, labor, and trust, but never your own.

“You set them up.”

“Market selection. Game theory, incentive structures, call it whatever you want. Nobody put a gun to their head. They were rational actors with effectively infinite resources. These people spent decades calling themselves titans of industry while blocking me from buying a hockey team they were already losing money on. They couldn’t even recognize that changing culture could become a profit margin,” Bobby answered and continued, "You 're still buddies with 43?"

"Yep, he's a bit busy, you know, being President."

"Ask him a favor, tell him you need Pope's help."

"Pope, like Olivia Pope? What the hell would she do with the MHL? She's in the business of kingmaking for the U.S. presidency and Congress."

"Ask him, Evans."

After one month of working with Olivia Pope, Evans understood why Bobby had told him to hire her firm rather than the regular PR crisis team. She broke Crowell and the rest of the executives in ways they never knew. At one meeting with a conservative representative of Florida to ask for help, Crowell made a comment about getting rid of her. The good senator of the sunny state cut him off, saying, "Don't even go there, Roger. Half of Congress will get rid of you before Olivia Pope."

Now Evans sat in his large office with his next goal in mind: five years at the MHL capped by a major image overhaul. First on his agenda was ensuring that the Voyageurs’ sale to Bobby went smoothly, then making sure the MHL could generate revenue rivaling the Baseball League. He had strong cards in hand: a new demographic of women and queer fans.

Five years at the MHL, just a brief stop before a run for Governor of the great state of New York. Arnold had done it in California: reshape the culture, or at least reshape the conversation around the culture.

During the five years before launching his run for governor, he would work to bury the old Southern-money image that, in a state like New York, practically screamed “slavery money” in flashing neon, while carefully separating his own legacy from his family’s—even as he would continue to rely on their influence and name when it suited him.

He and his wife, Marielle, did not have children, which could become an issue with family-oriented voters. Marielle would give an interview about supposed infertility problems rather than admit they simply did not want kids, which should soften the issue politically. She was an attractive, intelligent Hispanic TV anchor — an advantage with Hispanic voters and with audiences who already knew and trusted her.

If you asked him, Evans would tell you that he believed that all the isms were corrosive and bad for business. The league would be stronger and more profitable if it expanded its market to new demographics. He believed it, as he believed caramel ice cream was better than vanilla; either direction would not harm him. On a practical level, in the eventuality that the culture itself never truly changed during his 5-year tenure, he could still run on the aesthetic of change and ride that all the way to the governor’s mansion. A win-win either way.

Because at the end of the day, Evans Browne’s deepest belief was not in ideology. It was in Evans Browne.

Fin.
💕

💕 Check my new fic Counting Summers

Chapter End Notes

Thank you for reading! ✨✨
This was originally supposed to be a fun, cute one-shot
Montreal Voyageurs hate-train fic, but I got carried away exploring themes of social
commentary, liberal co-optation, pinkwashing, and rainbow capitalism (inspired by my
Bobby character, based on Bobby from Billions). Basically: new-style capitalists
vs. old-style capitalists fighting to take over the late-stage capitalist hellscape.

The Browne siblings are very much inspired by the family in
The White Lotus (the Thailand season).

The socks are inspired by something that has been living rent-free in my head:
Justin Trudeau wearing rainbow-striped socks with ‘Eid Mubarak’ marked on them at Toronto’s gay pride in 2017.

The data about player political leanings comes from this analysis of league-by-league
voter affiliation (2026): The Political Lean of Pro Sports.

The journalist consortium is loosely inspired by the global network that worked on
the Panama Papers: How a Global Network of Journalists Pulled Off the Panama Papers.

Thanks again for reading, and check out my new fics,Counting Summers, and Public Record where Shane is Mayor of Boston and they met later in life (10 years after the tuna melt)

I already have an idea for a summer fic too, so subscribe!