Chapter Text
The season doesn’t start exactly as Sidney intended for it to. He returns to Pittsburgh a couple of weeks prior to training camp after a long summer of swimming, working out, and spending time with his family. He decides that it’d be best to have a conversation about the head coach situation with Mario before training camp starts rather than during it.
Sidney has been receiving a few concerned text messages about the fact that Therrien is still their coach after the state of their last season. His team isn’t looking forward to enduring another practice with the guy, let alone another whole season. Mario had reassured Sidney that Therrien was absolutely on his way out and yet here he is, back in Pittsburgh with the start of the upcoming season looming nearby, and there has yet to be any changes to the current coaching staff roster.
He waits until a week before training camp to go to Mario about it. He starts the day by playing a game of driveway street hockey with the Lemieux kids for about an hour before heading inside to get down to business. Mario is inside making lunch for himself and the kids when Sidney comes inside. The omega isn’t looking forward to this conversation, but it has to be had. Mario is like family to him at this point. The fact that Mario is part of the ownership of the Penguins complicates their relationship in times like this, though. It’s unavoidable.
“Kids wear you out?” the older man jokes.
“Oh, yeah. I always gotta play goalie, you know how they are,” Sidney replies with a light chuckle.
“You know you love playing goalie,” Mario replies knowingly.
Sidney rolls his eyes. “Anyways, I have to talk to you about something.”
Mario raises his eyebrows.
“Yeah? What about?”
“Well, you know the situation with Therrien. You told me that he was on his way out last season but he’s still here. What happened?”
“You’re really concerned about him, huh?”
“Um, yeah. It’d be one thing if it was just me who he has problem with, but the team hasn’t exactly turned a blind eye to the way he treats me. They don’t like it. It’s getting kind of hard to rally after a loss when Therrien is the guy who’s trying to pep them up.”
“It’s become that serious?”
“It’s been that serious since the middle of last season, Mario. This isn’t going away. We want to win the Cup, and the team doesn’t see that happening with him as head coach. I’m sorry.”
Mario sets a slice of bread down on the counter to level Sidney with a serious look.
“I’m not sure if I can do much more at this point, Sid,” the older man admits.
“You’re…what?” Sidney stammers. “You told me you were going to take care of it last season! You promised!”
“I only have so much power, Sidney. I can’t just make executive decisions like this.”
“Is management even looking for a replacement?” Sidney asks.
Mario doesn’t say anything for a moment. “Not very seriously, no,” he finally admits. “They’re pleased with his current performance as head coach of the Penguins. They see no reason to replace him.”
“No reason to replace him?” Sidney exclaims. “What about that fact that he’s lost the complete confidence of his whole team? That’s not a good reason to get him the hell out of here?”
“I did everything I could, Sid!” Mario replies, his voice raising to Sidney’s level. “There’s only so much I can do! They heard my concerns but aren’t convinced that they need to make the change.”
Neither of them say something for what feels like a full minute.
“I guess I’m gonna have to go to them directly then, huh?” Sidney says finally.
Mario sighs.
“I can’t guarantee how that kind of meeting would go, but…that might be the best way to get them to understand the situation,” Mario replies.
Sidney rubs at his forehead, frustrated, because this whole situation just got a lot more complicated. Management is going to look at him like he’s crazy when he goes in there and essentially demands that they fire the current head coach that they’re “highly satisfied with.”
Sidney heads up to his attic after making himself a sandwich with what may be a little too much filling, especially considering the season is about to start. Screw it, he thinks, what the team nutritionist doesn’t know won’t hurt her.
He settles onto the couch and flicks on the TV to the Disney channel, a guilty pleasure of his that he’d rather die than let anyone on the team find out. Some of the TV shows, while certainly ridiculous, are admittedly a bit funny. He places the plate with his sandwich on it down on the coffee table, heading into his kitchen to grab something to drink. There’s Gatorade in the fridge, Gatorade that he’s technically not supposed to have when he’s not actively working out or playing, but he doesn’t care. His sweet tooth is rearing its ugly head, triggered by the stress brought on by all of this management drama.
His phone rings from the coffee table as he’s making his way back into the living room. He picks it up once he sees Geno’s name.
“Hey, G,” Sidney says, holding the phone with one hand so he can grab hold of his sandwich with the other.
“How talk with Mario go?” the alpha says, getting straight to the point. He and Sidney had kept in close contact over the summer and Sidney hadn’t even attempted to hide his stress over the Therrien situation.
“Not well,” Sidney admits. “I honestly expected something to have changed, even if it was just a little. But it hasn’t, and it seems I’m gonna have to do this myself.”
“Mario not help?”
“Mario can only do so much,” Sidney replies, finding himself reiterating what Mario had told him repeatedly less than an hour ago. “They’re convinced there’s no problem. The only way to convince them there is one is if a player says something, it seems.”
“Should have one of the vets do it,” Geno says, disapproval at the stress this is going to put on Sidney clear in his voice.
“I’m the captain, G,” Sidney replies, sighing heavily. “Plus, the whole reason this problem with Therrien and the team is happening is because of me.”
“Not because of you,” Geno retorts. “Because of Therrien. If Therrien not be asshole, this not happen. You not able to control other people.”
“I guess.”
“Am right, Sidney, believe, I best,” Geno says, joking lightly. It gets a light chuckle out of the omega.
“This is true,” Sidney agrees.
“You talk to new players already, yes?” Geno asks, switching topics. Sidney chews and swallows the bite of sandwich in his mouth.
“Yeah. Lovejoy is excited. Cooke is well, Matt Cooke. Ready to stir up some trouble.” Geno snorts at that remark as if in agreement.
“Gotta watch that one,” Geno says. “He trouble.”
“I trust that you’ll take care of that,” Sidney says matter-of-factly.
“Oh yes, take most care,” Geno agrees, and Sidney can practically see him physically puffing out his chest even over the phone. “Oh! By way, I pick you up tomorrow, we go shop for coat?”
Sidney rolls his eyes, taking another bite of his sandwich. Geno has been pestering for the past month about making sure he gets a winter coat that’s warm enough for the cold weather. It seems Sidney complained about being cold last season once too many times, because now the alpha refuses to let it go. Geno has decided that they’d be going winter coat shopping together before the season starts, and Sidney can’t find it in himself to be annoyed. It’s sweet, really, the constant mother-henning. Sidney can’t help but think that the pair of them are slowly moving toward something. What that is, he isn’t sure, but he can’t ignore that he’s recently been letting the big Russian oaf get away with a lot in the “care of Sidney Crosby” department. If Geno wants to make sure Sidney is in a sufficiently warm coat for the winter and has decided he must be a part of the decision process, then who is Sidney to throw a fit about it, really?
“Yeah, okay, G,” Sidney agrees, still chewing. “Pick me up at noon, I’ll be waiting.”
“Will be there,” Geno says seriously.
“And no speeding on your way here!” Sidney exclaims. The way that Geno drives that little sports car of his around makes the omega nervous.
“No speeding,” Geno agrees, but it sounds more teasing than sincere. “Promise.”