Chapter 1: Canada’s Shane Hollander and Russia’s Ilya Rozanov
(2008-2010) [NOVEMBER, 2008] “There are two names everyone’s paying attention to as we come into the 2008-2009 Season’s World Junior Hockey Championship.” “We have Canada’s Shane Hollander and Russia’s Ilya Rozanov.” “These two young players have taken the media and the hockey world by storm, and they are the most promising prospects for this year’s upcoming draft.” “The question we’re all wondering isn’t if they’ll be the top two draft picks, but who will take first.” “I’ll tell you, my money is on Shane Hollander. They’re both excellent players sure to shake up the standings in the league, but Rozanov skates on thin ice with his aggressive playstyle where Hollander sticks to those clean safe plays that will set him up in the long run.” “That can really make or break a player there. Hockey is a brutal and competitive sport, but there is a major focus in the league on sportsmanship and respect that seems to be mostly lost upon Ilya Rozanov. You have to admit he’s a great player, but he toes the line between competitive and aggressive in a way that might cost him.” “These two up-and-coming players are both seventeen this year, but they play with the same skill level and understanding for the sport as some of the league’s greatest longstanding players. Do you think that will cause tensions, wherever they end up, as such young kids with such innate skills on the ice?” “There’s always some tension and adjustment to such promising young players joining the league. From the potential upset within the teams they get drafted into over such young players making lines over seasoned veterans to the aggression we can see from other teams playing against such young and spriteful new players, we’re sure to see some interesting things come out of these two joining the league.”
[JANUARY, 2009] “It’s an exciting day for Team Russia here at the World Junior Hockey Championship! You can hear the excitement down on the ice as Team Russia celebrates their win against Team Canada. Winning them not only the game but also taking gold here at the 2008-2009 season World Junior Hockey Championship.” “It’s a tough break for Team Canada and Shane Hollander, taking second place here at the World Juniors.” “It brings up the ever present question yet again, of which of these prospects, Canada’s Shane Hollander or Russia’s Ilya Rozanov, will take first in the 2009 draft pick.” “I’ll tell you with the win here tonight for Team Russia I think the scales are tipping towards that first round draft pick spot going to Ilya Rozanov.” “I don’t know. Shane Hollander has already earned a title of ‘Canada’s Pro Hockey Golden Boy’. I'm sure every team in the league is gunning to have him.” “We’ll find out at the draft. Now, we already know Boston and Montreal will be in those first few rounds of picks, do you think Montreal will be gunning to take Shane Hollander?” “I do think there is a good chance of that. I believe Montreal will push for or maybe even attempt to trade for Shane Hollander in this upcoming draft.” “We’ll have to wait and see. But I think you might be onto something there with the hope to keep ‘Canada’s Pro Hockey Golden Boy’ playing for one of these Canadian teams.”
[JUNE, 2009] “And there is an uproar here at the draft as Russia’s Ilya Rozanov takes the first draft pick going to Boston, while Canada’s Shane Hollander goes to Montreal as the second draft pick this 2009 season.” “I can’t say I’m all that surprised by Boston taking Ilya Rozanov. They have a history of players with that more aggressive playstyle that seems to fit with Rozanov in a way Hollander might not have.” “There’s also plenty of excitement here as Canada’s Shane Hollander remains with a Canadian team for this upcoming season.” “There won’t be any need to change his title of ‘Canada’s Pro Hockey Golden Boy’ as long as he remains with Montreal.” “What title do you think Ilya Rozanov has earned himself?” “Well from what we’ve heard down on the ice most of the opposing players have just called him ‘Asshole’.” “Canada’s Pro Hockey Golden Boy and Russia’s Asshole Ilya Rozanov. That’s certainly an interesting pair.” “I don’t know if I’d call them a pair, with their rivalry.” “A further career affecting rivalry now.” “That’s right. Boston and Montreal are already known for their rivalry, it’ll be interesting to see how much more heated it can get now that Russia’s Ilya Rozanov and Canada’s Shane Hollander are joining their respective ranks.” “It certainly will be interesting to see how the pre-league rivalry of these two promising players continues to play out on their new teams, and if their rivalry will affect or influence the other players on their teams at all.” “As in further fanning the flames?” “Potentially. There also could be some issues with gelling as a team. With Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander already well and widely known from playing for their home countries during World Juniors, there could be a potential backlash from Russian and Canadian players on Montreal and Boston’s teams as these young champions join their ranks. It can be hard to go from thinking of another player as your opponent to thinking of them as a teammate, especially when it comes to these home country teams that many of these players still feel a connection to.” “I think this brings up a good conversation of the conflicting emotions a lot of players can have. Throughout the season and playoffs the team you’re drafted to has to be your team, the one you play for and fight for. However, for these players drafted to a team outside of their home countries, when the Olympics and All Stars come around they often end up facing off against their own teammates. It does seem like that would have some effect on their ability to work together during the season.” “We’ll have to keep a lookout for the line combinations in open practices this summer to get a better idea of how these rookies are fitting into their teams.” “I’ll be excited to see what more we get from these promising young players as they officially join the league.” “I think we’re all excited for that.”
[JANUARY, 2010] “Here on the ice tonight we have Canada’s Shane Hollander and Russia’s Ilya Rozanov facing off for their home teams yet again in the World Juniors Hockey Championship. Last year’s championship we saw Team Russia taking gold and Team Canada taking silver. How do you think the game will end here tonight?” “Well we’re once again seeing Team Canada and Team Russia faceoff in the finals thanks to their star centers, Canada’s Shane Hollander and Russia’s Ilya Rozanov. They’ve both played amazing throughout the tournament season yet again, I really do think it’s up in the air for which team will end up taking home gold this year.” “Team Canada is definitely gunning to take gold to redeem themselves from last year, and Team Russia is fighting just as hard to keep it for a second year in a row. I have to agree it really will come down to the wire, and their luck during this final game here, to decide who will end up taking it home.”
“Now we’re nearing the end of the third period of the World Juniors Hockey Championship finals, we have Team Canada facing off against Team Russia here in Ottawa. The score is currently tied 2-2. It truly is yet again a battle between these promising young players.” “We see here the coaches giving in to what the fans have all been dying for this game and that is a faceoff here between Canada’s Shane Hollander and Russia’s Ilya Rozanov with a mere 23 seconds left on the clock. It truly is down to the wire, if no goal is scored here we’ll have to go into overtime.” “They seem to be exchanging words here as they line up for this face off, Russia’s Ilya Rozanov is looking smug as they ready themselves for the puck to drop.” “And Shane Hollander takes off with it down the ice, Rozanov racing after him.” “Rozanov steals the puck from him here. Canada’s left wing attempts to snake it out from between his legs. Looks like he just misses there as Rozanov passes and oh–!” “Straight to Shane Hollander who intercepts Rozanov’s pass and is carrying the puck down the ice as Team Russia chases after him.” “We see here Hollander continuing to push down the ice with that speed and Rozanov desperate to get the puck back from him as Hollander pulls back… and he scores!” “That must be milliseconds before the buzzer we have a goal from Shane Hollander and we see here the refs on the ice confirming that goal. Team Canada takes gold for the 2009-2010 World Junior Hockey Championship!” “Team Canada not only takes gold tonight, but Canada’s Shane Hollander I believe also just set himself up for top scorer and MVP of this year's Junior League playoffs.” “This has to be an exciting night for him.” “A crushing loss for Team Russia though, as they take off the ice while Team Canada celebrates.”
Chapter 2: Boston's Ilya Rozanov and Montreal's Shane
Hollander (2010-2018) Chapter Summary The CCM ad shoot happens, the Team North America vs. Team Europe All Stars, Shane wins rookie of the years, Scott Hunter and Team USA win the 2014 Sochi Olympics, Ilya and Boston win the cup, Shane one ups him and wins it twice, the Tampa fan picked All Stars, and a lot more happens.
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes [AUGUST, 2010] “An advertisement shot in Toronto for hockey brand CCM has sparked interest across media as rivals Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov take to the ice together for the brand.” “It’s a great move on CCM’s part to capitalize off of this rivalry between Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov.” “The advertisement has also drawn a lot of attention to the hockey world from other fanbases as girls around the world fawn over these two young players.” “It’s certainly an interesting sight to see this influx of young women taking to hockey over seeing this advertisement of these two handsome young men.” “Fans on twitter have already taken to making compilations for these two young players and there are thousands of tweets of young women around the world thirsting over these players.” “Boston’s social media team has started to capitalize on this as well.” “I’m sure we’ll be seeing plenty more of that from the other teams in the league.”
[OCTOBER, 2010] “There’s a buzz to the crowd tonight as Boston takes to the ice for the first Boston-Montreal game of the season happening here in Montreal.” “This is the first time since the World Juniors that Canada’s Shane Hollander and Russia’s Ilya Rozanov are facing off.” “I believe that’s Montreal’s Shane Hollander and Boston’s Ilya Rozanov now.” “I believe you’re right.” “There’s a lot of energy among the crowd and on the ice as these young players and their rivalry continue to steal the show.” “I wonder if that has led to any tensions in the locker rooms, having these young new players soaking up so much attention.” “I’m sure there probably is. I’d assume there’s more celebration in the locker rooms though, Montreal and Boston were near the bottom of the league these past few years and now these powerhouse teams are once again looking at potentially coming in to take the cup.” “With these two young players on their teams, it certainly is looking like Montreal and Boston might be back on their ways into the playoffs.” “There’s been lots of chatter since the season started about the Rookie of the Year award, once again fans and players alike are already convinced that one of these two players is going to be the one to take it home.” “Are we betting on this now? I’ll put my money on Ilya Rozanov.” “Really? Alright then. I’ll place my bet for Shane Hollander.” “Well folks, we won’t know the answer to this bet until June. But for now we can see who will win this game as Boston and Montreal return to the ice after it’s been resurfaced here.” “And it looks like Boston’s Ilya Rozanov and Montreal’s Shane Hollander are taking to the ice for the first face off of the game!” “Oh the fans are eating this up.” “So are we!” “And the puck drops, and Hollander carries it down the ice with Rozanov hot on his heels!”
[JANUARY, 2011] “We’re here in Nashville for the 2010-2011 season of the All Star Games. This year’s theme is Team North America vs Team Europe.” “Once again, fans will get to see the competition between Canada’s Shane Hollander and Russia’s Ilya Rozanov.” “It’s a rare event this year to have two rookies fresh in the league playing on the main teams for this All Star weekend. Do you think that will affect the dynamic of these teams?” “Well it certainly has brought some new energy to the teams. With the level of media coverage and eyes these two players have had on them since their time in Juniors, I think it’s safe to say that a lot of fans and players alike don’t truly consider them to be rookies despite this being their first year in the league.” “These two 19 year olds truly do give off the confidence and surety that a lot of the league’s more veteran players carry themselves with. We’ve also seen a lack of rookie moments from these two compared to the other rookies in the league which adds to that sort of forgetfulness that they are truly these 19 year old rookies.” “It’s that confidence and skill that these young players are bringing to the table that landed them these spots on the main All Star teams. I’m sure we’ll see plenty of that to come from the skills challenges and games this weekend.” “Some of the other players competing this year include New York’s captain, Scott Hunter…”
[JUNE, 2011] “We’re here at the MHL awards for the 2010-2011 season here, as they’re about to announce the winner of the Rookie of the Year award.” “And the winner of our bet. Back in October of this season we placed our money on Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander, it’s now time to see which of these two star players will take this award home tonight.” “And it’s Shane Hollander! Shane Hollander wins Rookie of the Year for the 2010-2011 season!” “It was a close call between Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov here tonight.” “This is a loss Ilya Rozanov will probably feel for a while to come.” “Well this loss certainly adds to their rivalry, here. While they’re tied for gold from the World Hockey Junior Championships, Shane Hollander has the top scorer and Junior League Playoffs MVP awards, alongside this new addition of Rookie of the Year.” “It will be exciting to see how this rivalry and competition between these two young players continue.”
[DECEMBER, 2014] “And it’s a tough loss for Scott Hunter and the New York Admirals, who just lost to Boston the night before and now have lost to Montreal. Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander truly are powerhouse players and captains for their teams, and that has to be a tough feeling for Hunter losing to these two younger players.” “We can see Scott Hunter still on the ice here.” “And it looks like Shane Hollander is approaching him.” “These two played together on the same All Stars team back in 2011 and are relatively known throughout the hockey world to be friends. “Well I’m not sure if we can call what’s happening now on the ice an exchange between friends. Our mics are too far to pick up what is being said but it looks like there’s some tension on the ice.” “Scott Hunter has just spat at the ice and Shane Hollander’s done the same. It seems like there’s some possible chirping happening between these two players.” “An odd combination, both are known for being less aggressive on the ice.” “The gloves are off!” “Hollander’s just launched himself at Hunter!” “Holy sh*t.” “Hunter throws a punch that knocks off Hollander’s helmet, but neither player seems to be stopping as they continue to exchange blows.” “Holy sh*t!” “Shane Hollander and Scott Hunter, captains respectively of Montreal and New York, are engaged in a fight on the ice after the game.” “Hayden Pike has just intercepted and is pulling Shane Hollander back from Scott Hunter as the refs approach.” “And we’ve got a mic in range now, you can slightly hear Shane Hollander shouting expletives at Hunter across the ice.” “This is certainly out of character for him.” “Never before have we seen Shane Hollander engaging in a fight on the ice. You have to wonder what was said beforehand to start that.” “I’m sure the reporters will be wondering and asking the same thing in their post games.” “That’s right, they haven’t even done their post games yet.” “Hopefully we’ll get an answer there.”
“Shane! Shane!” One of the reporters calls as Shane finally steps into the communication room with Hayden at his side. “Can you tell us what that fight was about?” “What caused you to fight with Scott Hunter on the ice?” “You’ve never before gotten into a fight, what happened now?” “You and Scott Hunter have played together on the same team, does this fight have anything to do with that?” “Rumors have suggested you and Scott Hunter were friends, were they wrong?” Shane clears his throat as he sits down, and the entire room goes silent as Hayden passes him one of the waters on the table. Shane takes a slow sip, everyone in the room holding their breath as they wait for his answer. “I think we played well today, we won 5-1 and had a great team energy out on the ice.” Shane starts, because he was strictly advised to leave any questions about the fight to Hayden but he also knows not a single one of the questions won’t be about the fight. The reporters, of course, realising Shane isn’t going to say anything past that push harder. “What was said post game?” “Can you tell us why you got into a fight with Scott Hunter?” “Was something said for you to react like that?” “Chirping happens.” Hayden interrupts before anyone else can ask anything. “Fighting is a pretty natural part of hockey, every player’s gotten into at least one spat on the ice. Nothing specific was said, it was just a reaction in a high tension situation after a chirp.” “Is that true?” “Shane, is that what happened?” “Tell us about this chirp.” “If you don’t have any questions related to the game, then we’ll be leaving.” Coach Theriault calls from where he’d been leaning on the wall near the door. The entire room goes silent for a second again, the reporters coming to the harsh realization that they won’t get anything else out of them about the fight. After a few seconds, just as Hayden is starting to stand up, they finally switch back to discussing the game.
[JANUARY, 2014] “This year’s Winter Olympics is a truly exciting event for hockey fans as we see the continuation of the rivalry between Canada’s Shane Hollander and Russia’s Ilya Rozanov as they compete once again for their countries.” “This year we also get to see Ilya Rozanov as captain for Team Russia. This is the 23 year old player’s first time captaining a team, although he has worn the ‘A’ for Boston for just about two years now and there are rumors that he might be taking on the ‘C’ when he returns to Boston this upcoming season.” “We also have this year the captain of Team USA, Scott Hunter, captain for the New York Admirals. Hunter was on the same All Star team as Canada’s Shane Hollander only a few years ago during the North America vs. Europe conference in which they played together against Russia’s Ilya Rozanov. Shane Hollander’s first on-ice fight also occurred a little less than a month ago with Scott Hunter, though the two have since been seen together out for coffee and seem to have reconciled after whatever it is that was said.” “There’s been a mix of reactions over the captains this year, many fans are excited to see Ilya Rozanov as a captain, but there’s been an uproar over Shane Hollander – who is rumored to become captain for Montreal for the upcoming 2014-2015 regular season – not being assigned as captain for Team Canada.” “Unfortunately for the fans, a rumored potential for a captaincy doesn’t give a player a boost when picking an Olympic team captain. This year’s Team Canada captain is a well respected player for Calgary, and Shane Hollander revealed in an interview after Team Canada’s roster was officially announced that he himself turned down the alternate captain position for the team. Despite this, there’s still a large number of fans who are upset.” “We’ve seen this before with other teams, the most common response is fans assuming the player who turned down the position did so because they were pressured or only said so as a way for the team to try and mitigate fan reactions ahead of time.” “There’s been a lot of debate over this topic, this year especially, with Ilya Rozanov playing as Team Russia’s captain, fans are even more upset over this lack of captaincy for Shane Hollander.” “These two names once again are trending on twitter as we come into the 2014 Sochi Olympics.” “When it comes to hockey, these two have been at the top of the search results for almost their entire careers, as well as being in the top ten searched terms during the 2008-2009 season before they were drafted because of their playing at the World Juniors.” “Russia’s Ilya Rozanov and Canada’s Shane Hollander certainly have a lot of eyes on them as they come in for this Olympic season. A lot of attention is riding on these two young players, however we also have to address the rest of these team rosters when we bring up the question of who will take gold this year.” “It certainly is an exciting line up for this year’s teams. Alongside those two fan favourites, we also have three players returning to Olympic ice...”
[FEBRUARY, 2014] “Team USA wins first place in ice hockey!” “And it is a crushing loss for Team Russia on their home ice, taking third in this year’s Winter Olympics.” “Meanwhile, Team Canada has secured themselves the second place spot.” “You truly have to wonder what is going on in their heads right now as Team USA takes to the ice for their photo.” “Team Russia seems to be taking this especially hard.” “This is the first time Ilya Rozanov, first round draft pick from the 2009 draft, has captained a team and we can see here that it didn’t go all that well.” “Now, I think Team Russia played decently on the ice. They still managed to secure third place overall, but there was a disconnect to their team's strategy on the ice that truly cost them.” “It makes you wonder if the rumors of Boston’s consideration of bringing Ilya Rozanov on as captain might change.” “I’m not sure if it will affect that. Every team and every player has a few bad games. It’s disheartening that Ilya Rozanov’s happened to be during this Olympic season, but I feel he’s made enough of a name for himself as a strong and talented player that this shouldn’t affect anything he has lined up.” “On the topic of captaincies, we’ve also had confirmation from Montreal that Canada’s Shane Hollander, who was not chosen as Team Canada’s captain or alternate for this year’s Olympics, will be taking over as captain for Montreal during the regular season.” “Well that would most definitely add to that rivalry.” “Team Russia has just lost in the Olympics with Ilya Rozanov as their captain, and now he’ll likely be taking on the regular season captaincy after Shane Hollander. It seems lately that Ilya Rozanov’s first place position in the draft is one of the only golds he’ll take over Shane Hollander.”
[JUNE, 2014] “And Boston takes home the Cup!” “For the first time in eight years Boston has not only made the playoffs but now they’ve just won themselves the Cup!” “This has to be an exciting day for Boston, but especially Ilya Rozanov after the mess that was the Olympics just a few months prior.” “We could certainly see his determination to recover from that throughout the playoffs and now as Boston takes the Cup. Ilya Rozanov has proven that he is still the same skilled and talented player he was when he was drafted.” “Of course with Boston’s win many fans are bringing up Montreal who was knocked out of the playoffs earlier this season by Boston themselves.” “It has to be a great motivation for Montreal to play harder this next regular season to win the cup themselves.” “Well here we have it, at the 2014 Cup Final we have Boston taking it home.”
[JUNE, 2014] “We’re here at the 2013-2014 season MHL awards.” “There’s a set of names on the presenters list tonight that have drawn a lot of attention.” “Whatever you’re thinking there, you’re right of course. We’ll get to see Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander take to the stage to present the ‘Most Sportsmanlike’ award.” “Hah! Now that’s an award for those two to present.” “It certainly is.” “We can see here they’re coming on stage now, and there already seems to be some tension between them as they walk to the mic.” “You have to wonder what was being said in the wings.” “Now who wrote this script for them?” “Did Ilya Rozanov just say the most important thing about hockey was ‘the friends we make along the way’? Am I hearing that right?” “I’m not sure Rozanov has any friends in the league.” “A selfie?” “Oh man, whoever wrote this script needs to be paid double.” “Or go into comedy.” “Oh, they both seem so awkward with this script.” “I think this is the most out of place I’ve ever heard Ilya Rozanov sound.” “Well it certainly doesn’t sound natural, I’ll agree with that.” “And he’s actually taking selfies.” “Oh my, you can hear the camera clicking.” “That has to be one of the most overshadowing pair of presenters I’ve ever seen.” “Who did they say won?” “You weren’t listening?” “Sorry. Sorry.” “And the most sportsmanlike award goes to…”
[JUNE, 2015] “Shane Hollander has just scored the game winning goal here, and Montreal takes the Cup!” “The stadium is in an uproar!” “The year after Boston’s cup, Montreal takes it home!” “Montreal briefly made the playoffs back in the 2010-2011 season with rookie Shane Hollander, but now in the first season of Shane Hollander’s captaincy they’ve made it all the way through and are taking the cup home!” “That has to be an exciting feeling for all of the team, but especially for Shane Hollander with that goal.” “We end the game here with a score of 3-1 for Montreal, with two of those goals scored by Shane Hollander who has an assist to Hayden Pike on the third. At 24 years old he’s one of the top players in the league.” “You have to agree, the kid deserves it. He’s worked especially hard this season, taking a puck to the face back in November and being high sticked twice.” “Hollander has scored 64 goals this season, which I believe makes him top scorer this year.” “I think you might be right.” “We’ll have to keep our eyes out for that at this year’s MHL awards.” “No need to wait that long, I’m sure fans on twitter have already started posting stat breakdowns for Shane Hollander this year.” “I’m sure there’s probably some for Ilya Rozanov too.”
[JUNE, 2016] “For the second year in a row! Montreal takes home the cup!” “What an insane feeling this has to be for them!” “Montreal has just won the cup this 2015-2016 playoff season, giving them their second cup in a row.” “You can’t help but accredit this to Shane Hollander. Montreal had gone three seasons without making playoffs until he joined the team, and now both cups have been won by game winning goals of their second year captain.” “Shane Hollander has now played with Montreal for five seasons, two of which he’s played as their captain. He re-signed with Montreal after the end of his rookie contract back in 2013, and is currently serving an eight year contract. You can’t help but wonder how much more Shane Hollander will end up doing for this team.”
[DECEMBER, 2016] “Recently released paparazzi photos have caused a riot in the hockey world as Montreal’s Shane Hollander is caught leaving a restaurant with apparent girlfriend and popular actress Rose Landry.” “The hockey star and actress both confirmed their relationship after the release of the photos.” “This is an interesting pairing to say the least.” “Rose Landry, originally a Detroit native, was seen at a hockey game wearing a Hollander jersey.” “And that upset some Detroit fans, didn’t it?” “You said that at the game already.” “And I’m saying it again.” “Landry has said that their relationship is newer, but they’re hopeful. Reportedly the two met at a bar in November where they hit it off and have been dating since.” “It feels early to be discussing such a relationship publicly when they’ve only been dating for a few months.” “Still, as such public figures there’s not much they can keep from the media.” “Hollander has refused to comment on his relationship outside of the confirmation.” “Oh well that makes you wonder if there’s trouble in paradise.” “Can you call it paradise only two months in?” “You can call anything paradise.” “In other hockey news…”
[JANUARY, 2017] “The 2016-2017 All Star we have fan voted teams, and for the very first time in their careers, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov will be playing on the same team.” “Fans certainly knew what they were doing with this one. The past three years we’ve had the cup go to Boston and Ilya Rozanov in 2014 then Montreal and Shane Hollander in 2015 and 2016. These players have had a rivalry since their pre-league days, and now they’ll be playing together with Shane Hollander as team captain and Ilya Rozanov as alternate.” “You can’t help but wonder what that locker room’s going to be like. Not only will Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander be playing on the same team together for the first time, but Ilya Rozanov will be playing without the ‘C’ on his chest for the first time in three years.” “It’s crazy to think that these two players, now 26 years old, have been in the league with Boston and Montreal since they were drafted at 18 years old. Now, six years later, they’ve both been captains for more than half of their MHL careers and have won a cup.” “Two, in Shane Hollander’s case.” “You have to feel bad for the other teams this year. It seems like everyone’s already decided on the winner.” “Like their rookie season, we’ve returned to this. The speculation isn’t who’s going to be taking first in most of these skill competitions and in the games, but whether Shane Hollander or Ilya Rozanov will take more points.” “I’ll once again take my bets on Shane Hollander.” “Well I guess I’ve got Ilya Rozanov then.” “We’ll have to wait a few days to see the results for this.” “A shorter wait than last time, at least.”
“And Rozanov has passed to Hollander who has scored!” “These two are playing remarkably well together.” “Hollander is skating up towards Rozanov to celebrate…” “And Ilya Rozanov just planted one on Shane Hollander’s helmet!” “Did we just see that right?” “They’re setting it up for the replay.” “Listen to that kiss, you can hear it!” “Oh boy. ‘Nice, pass.’ He says.” “‘Nice Goal.’” “These two still seem so awkward trying to interact pleasantly.” “For all the fans who were worried about their rivalry ending with this, well I can’t tell if this is a media interaction or not.” “It does feel a little bit like their presenter speech from the 2014 MHL awards.” “And we’re back to play.”
[MARCH, 2017] “We’ve just heard word that Griogori Rozanov, Boston’s Ilya Rozanov’s father, has unfortunately passed away.” “Ilya Rozanov has reportedly returned to Russia for the funeral, it is unknown if he’ll be back for the rest of the season.” “We send our thoughts and prayers to Rozanov and his family.”
[APRIL, 2017] “We’re here in Montreal tonight as Boston and Montreal face off yet again. Ilya Rozanov has returned to the ice for his first game back on the ice since his father’s death last month.” “Tensions are high here in Montreal, as Boston wants this win with their captain back while Montreal is trying to take the game here on home ice.” “Rozanov and Hollander are lining up for the face off, and the puck’s dropped. Hollander’s got the puck he’s carrying it down the ice.” “Ow that’s a rough hit from Marleau.” “And Hollander is not getting up.” “The ref’s have called it, they’re getting the team doctor out almost instantly.” “Pike is going at him, the refs pulling them apart.” “You hate to see it happen.” “It looked like a clean hit, Hollander just did not see it coming.” “Ilya Rozanov, still on the ice here. He’s looking very concerned.” “Not even Rozanov wants to see someone hurt like that.” “And here we have the medics getting to him.” “Looks like they’re getting him collared and on the backboard almost instantly.” “It’s unclear if he’s responsive or not.” “They’re loading him up on the stretcher to bring him out, we have yet to see him move.” “You know you can say what you will about this rivalry, but these two guys have played against each other since before their rookie season.” “And Hollander has just moved his hand, he is conscious!” “Thank god.” “They’re still going to take him off ice, and it’s very unlikely he’ll return for the rest of the game, but we know he is at least conscious.”
[MAY, 2017] “Boston has been knocked out of the playoffs by New York, who goes on to the finals!” “A tough day for Boston who’s been hoping to make it back to the finals since their first cup back in 2015, but an exciting day for New York who’s making it to the finals for the first time in over six years!” “This certainly is an exciting day for them.”
[JULY, 2018] “Ilya Rozanov has confirmed that after his contract with Boston ran up he signed with the Ottawa Centaurs.” “Hockey fans have never been as united as they are now as they question why the hell Ilya Rozanov would leave the powerhouse team he rebuilt to status from being their first pick in the draft to go to Ottawa.” “It’s an interesting decision in the least.” “More like a horrible decision. What ever reason could he possibly have to leave Boston and his long standing wins to go to Ottawa? Even more of a question, how the hell could Boston let him go?” “Rozanov only made one comment about the trade outside of confirming it, and that was, and this is a direct quote, ‘I got tired of being number one player in league, decided to become number one player for Canada too, make Hollander cry.’ This comment was made to a reporter who was waiting outside Boston’s practice rink as Rozanov was carrying out his gear.” “That can’t be a serious answer.” “I don’t think it is.” “Then why the hell did he trade?” “I don’t think we’ll know.” “This is a monumental loss for Boston and for Rozanov’s career. I can’t believe this is happening. Did he get April Fools Day mixed up?” “I don’t think he did.” “I guess this is the end of the Rozanov Hollander rivalry.” “I don’t know if anything will end that.” “Rozanov’s playing for Ottawa now.” “So it’ll be Ottawa’s Ilya Rozanov and Montreal’s Shane Hollander. Trading to a worse team doesn’t mean he’s becoming a worse player.” “Please don’t ever make me say that.” “Ottawa’s Ilya Rozanov and Montreal’s Shane Hollander?” “And that’s time for today, folks.” “We have twenty minutes left?” “Boston fans, I hope you’ll recover.”
Chapter End Notes
So maybe this won't take a while actually... I tried my best to stay as close to canon timeline (from both the show and the books) as possible, sorry if anything's out of order. ♡♡♡
Chapter 3: Ottawa's Ilya Rozanov and Montreal's Shane
Hollander (2018-2021) Chapter Summary Ilya Rozanov has signed with Ottawa, they announce the Irina Foundation, the 2019 and 2020 All Star Games happen, Shane wins a third cup, and then things sort of go south. But our commentators have some growth.
Chapter Notes
NOTE: Dialogue only chapter See the end of the chapter for more notes [November, 2018] “Recent news has come up about Ottawa’s Ilya Rozanov and Montreal’s Shane Hollander at a press conference earlier today.” “Still not over that.” “The two are announcing a foundation together. The Irina Foundation, co-founded by Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander, will raise money and awareness for organizations that provide mental health resources. They also announced the Game Changers Hockey Camp, which will be run through the Irina Foundation. The camp will take place for a week each in Ottawa and Montreal over the summer and will be coached by both Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov themselves as well as other former and current league players.” “It’s certainly a big announcement from these two. Once again taking the league by storm.” “Have they ever really stopped doing that?” “I can’t say they have.” “The foundation itself is a lovely thing, but I think what’s really drawing everyone’s attention to it is this being a collaboration between the two. For you brand new hockey fans who’ve never heard of them, and let's be honest you’re probably here because you heard of them, here’s a little history on the rivalry between Russia’s Ilya Rozanov and Canada’s Shane Hollander.” “They’ve been promoted as rivals in the league for years, and for a few years even before they were drafted. The two have notably played against each other in the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 World Junior Hockey Championships for Team Russia and Team Canada, with Russia taking gold in 2009 and Canada in 2010. In 2010 they also shot a CCM commercial together that still gets run to this day. They were drafted as first and second round picks to Boston and Montreal during the 2009 draft, and Shane Hollander has played with Montreal since…” “Are you really not going to read the rest of that?” “No.” “Ilya Rozanov played with Boston up until this most recent 2017-2018 season. He signed with Ottawa in July of this year and has officially been their captain since he joined. The two-” “The two played against each other in the 2011 Team North America vs. Team Europe All Stars, they played against each other during the 2014 Sochi Olympics where Team Canada took second and Team Russia took third, and that same year they presented an award together at the MHL Awards. Following that Boston and Ilya Rozanov won the cup in 2014, while Shane Hollander and Montreal took the cup in the following 2015 and 2016.” “Notably in January of 2017, Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander played together on the same team for the first tim in their careers during the Tampa All Stars which were fan selected teams. During that weekend Shane Hollander captained their team while Ilya Rozanov was their alternate. In March Ilya Rozanov’s father passed away. In April Shane and the Montreal team were effectively knocked out of the playoffs by a clean but hard hit during a Boston game. New York knocked Boston from the playoffs in May and they won the cup in June.” “Then, to everyone’s surprise and horror, Ilya Rozanov was confirmed to be leaving Boston in July of 2018.” “He signed to Ottawa. He didn’t die.” “...” “These two have been rivals since 2008 when they were just 17, they are 27 this year and have been in the league for nine years.” “They’ve both got incredible play stats and histories, and are still two of the league’s most promising and best players.” “It’s an admirable and respectable organization they’ve created here with the Irina Foundation, bridging their rivalry with a shared interest in promoting and funding mental health resources. The foundation itself is in honor of Ilya Rozanov’s late mother, Irina Rozanov, who struggled and ultimately lost the battle to mental health when he was a kid.” “We’ve linked the foundation and the Game Changers Camp sign up site on our social media sites, and the links should be up on the official MHL pages in a few days.” “It’s an exciting start to a new journey they’ve started here, and I think we’re all excited to see how this not only grows and helps individuals, but also how this new partnership will affect their on-ice rivalry.”
[JANUARY, 2019] “We’re here in St. Louis at the 2018-2019 season All Star Games.” “Before we get into the hockey, there is something we need to address.” “An announcement was made earlier this month about the death of former hockey player for Chicago and an Ontario native, Duncan Harvey.” “We send our thoughts and prayers to his family and loved ones who are dealing with his passing.” “A small handful of players, including Ottawa’s Ilya Rozanov, have opted out of the All Star weekend in order to attend the funeral.” “You’ll notice a few moments of silence on the ice as they remember this former player and his mental health struggles.” “We want to remind all of you listening, that help is available, and it is out there.” “The Irina Foundation, run by hockey’s own Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander, is a great resource for mental health awareness and resources.” “Now, this is a heavy topic and a big shift, but we’re panning down to the ice now as the players start to warm up.”
[JANUARY, 2020] “Here at the 2019-2020 season All Star Games we get to see Ilya Rozanov and Montreal’s Shane Hollander facing off once again! Also returning to the All Star ice this year we have New York’s captain and center Scott Hunter and New York’s goaltender Eric Bennett! From Ottawa this year we get to see Troy Barrett, formerly of Toronto, who’s participating in his first All Star.” “Ottawa’s captain and center Ilya Rozanov.” “I said that. Anyway, we’ve got an exciting line up for the skills competitions today. Fans are excited to see Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov face off in the obstacle course, and Troy Barrett will be participating for fastest skater.” “You did not say that.” “We’re panning down to the ice now as we watch them prepare for the obstacle course!”
“And Shane Hollander beats Ilya Rozanov at the obstacle course! It’s nice to see that the two running a foundation together hasn’t beaten down their competitive spirits.” “I think they’ll still be rivals once they’ve retired.” “You might be onto something with that.” “Now we’ll watch as Troy Barrett takes his position to compete for fastest skater. I believe Shane Hollander is competing again here, so it’s really only a competition for second place.”
[JUNE, 2020] “The fans are going wild!” “I’m going wild!” “Montreal and Shane Hollander have just won the cup for the third time!” “Three years after their last cup, they return to the playoffs and win the finals to take it home!” “Boston, how are you feeling tonight?” “...You mean Ottawa?” “No.” “Two years.” “This has to be an exciting night for Montreal and Shane Hollander, taking home the Cup for a third year! We also have heard rumors that Shane Hollander is up for the Conn Smythe Trophy for most valuable player of the playoff season.” “He has certainly earned it.” “Shane Hollander has played with Montreal for his entire league career. He’s won an All Stars skills competition every year since he was first invited back in 2011, one of the only players ever in the league to play on the main All Star Team during his rookie year.” “Montreal has now won the Cup in 2015, 2016, and 2020.” “Fans on twitter are already speculating another cup win for the team next year.” “I see a theory here that Shane Hollander’s jersey number is a sign. 2 cups and four years of space between them.” “We’re cutting back to the ice now.”
[JANUARY, 2021] “We’re here another year for the All Star Games, this time we’re in Anaheim.” “Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov are here to compete yet again, and the fans continue to be wild over it.” “You think after ten years they’d start to grow less enthused by the rivalry.” “Or with the switch.” “Still, the Ilya Rozanov Shane Hollander rivalry apparently outruns Ottawa’s relatively bleak standings in the league, although they have been moving up in the past two years, as fans continue to show up and show out for the competition between these two.” “So far we’ve seen Montreal’s Shane Hollander and Ottawa’s Ilya Rozanov compete in the speed competition, of which Shane Hollander won by a mere 0.13 seconds. Now Rozanov has been arguing that it’s basically a tie while Hollander has laughed.” “It basically is.” “But basically, isn’t actually.” “Also today coming up we have Scott Hunter competing in the stick handling competition.”
[MARCH, 2021] “Star hockey players Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander were seen kissing in the background of a fanmail video Montreal’s Hayden Pike made for a fan named Brad.” “Not very cool, Brad.” “The two confirmed their relationship to the media after being temporarily benched and pushed by Commissioner Crowell to deny it.” “Along with the confirmation was a set of four photos confirming they’ve been together for a few years now.” “While they are not the first openly gay hockey players in the league, a title which belongs to Scott Hunter who came out after winning the Cup in 2017, they are the first two players to be dating another player.” “Which one of them is first?” “They’re both the first?” “They can’t both be first.” “But the other player they’re dating is each other. So they’re both the first players to date another player.” “But you can’t have two first places.” “They’re the first pair of boyfriends in the league. Moving on. The two have confirmed that they are in fact dating after the fanmail video was posted to social media.” “So not cool, Brad.” “We send good thoughts to these two players as they surely deal with the prevalent homophobia of the sport.” “We would also like to take this chance to apologise for falling into this normalized homophobia in hockey culture. Fans have pointed out our conversation on the major hockey events throughout Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov’s career where we notably avoided mentioning Scott Hunter coming out when he won the Cup in 2018.” “There is no excuse for that behaviour. We should have known better and we should have done better.” “We would like to promise you here today that we are committed to being open and inclusive, and supporting players and individuals who are part of the LGBTQ+ community and other minorities.” “Once again we’re sharing links to the Irina Foundation, run by hockey’s own Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander. The Irina Foundation works to raise money and spread awareness on mental health as well as to make hockey a more open and inclusive space through their Game Changers summer camps.” “We send our support to Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander as they deal with being forced to come out, and we stand by them as two of the best players in the league.”
[APRIL, 2021] “We’re here tonight for the Ottawa vs Montreal playoff game.” “Montreal and Ottawa have each won three games each, and we’re officially going into overtime on the seventh.” “You could cut the tension with a knife as Ottawa’s Ilya Rozanov and Montreal’s Shane Hollander take to the ice for the faceoff.” “The puck drops, and they’re off.” “Hollander starts with it, a smooth pass to Pike. Intercepted by Barrett, they’re carrying the puck back towards Montreal’s goal. Barrett passes to Haas who makes a quick pass back to Holmber, and Hollander has caught up. Hollander takes Holmber into the boards and he’s got the puck, heading around towards Ottawa’s goal but Rozanov cuts in here...” “And Rozanov has the puck, Hollander goes to steal it from him… and he trips! Ilya Rozanov scores! The Ottawa Centaurs take the win knocking Montreal out of the playoffs!” “That has to feel bad for Hollander. To trip like that at such a moment in the game, I’m sure he’ll be running that back for weeks.” “We’ve got the replay coming up here… Oh man, you can see here that Hollander’s skate blade just completely gives out on him as he goes to put weight on it.” “He hits the ice hard, you can see his chin slamming against the ice here. And still, he tries to push his stick out to knock the puck away from Rozanov.” “That’s Shane Hollander for you. He’s always got an extreme focus on the game, even as he’s clipping his chin on the ice like that. And ow, that looks like a hard fall. You can see too that it takes Hollander a moment to get up from the ice there.” “Hopefully he’s okay. That’s a tough loss for Montreal.” “Every player experiences a few trips on the ice in their career, it’s a tough break that this is one of those times when it happened for Shane Hollander, but there’s really nothing you can do about it.” “No, especially not with a skate blade issue like that.” “Ottawa takes the win, but their celebration seems to be cut short here as most of their team heads straight off the ice.” “Well, this has been the seventh and final playoff game of Ottawa vs Montreal. Ottawa has just won in overtime.”
Chapter End Notes
So this didn't take a while actually... It might be a minute before part two, but keep an eye out for that. We're having a Harris interview with Hollanov discussing all the big media moments of their career and relationship. Also, peep the commentators being the same as the ones discussing the game in the final chapter of "Blood Upon The Snow" when Young pulls out his phone to show the replay. Did any of you guess that these guys would be them? Kudos to you if you did because I didn't realize it until like, three minutes before I wrote it.
End Notes
This is (probably) gonna have slower updates because I just started my term and for some reason I decided to take 17 credits. Perhaps I crack this out in like three days, perhaps it'll take a few weeks. Thanks for reading! ♡♡♡ Please drop by the Archive and comment to let the creator know if you enjoyed their work!