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The Vocabulary of Exile by thesevenpercent
Fandoms: Heated Rivalry (TV), Game Changers Series - Rachel Reid
23 Mar 2026
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Summary
At twenty-one, Ilya Rozanov is the Soviet Union’s most perfect weapon, a soldier of the Red Machine who has spent three years locked in a silent, jagged war on the ice with Canada’s golden boy, Shane Hollander.
When the Montreal Metros claim him as a "wasted" mid-round draft pick, the rivalry transforms from a professional grudge into a desperate lifeline. On the final night of the 1988 Calgary Olympics, he risks everything, his family, his career, and his safety, to start a new life in the West. Forced into a high-stakes billet under the roof of his bitter professional rival, Ilya must navigate a world where freedom feels like a new kind of prison.
As Ilya struggles to adapt, the crumbling Soviet empire reaches across the ocean, searching for leverage to help pull him back.
OR: What if Ilya fled Russia in 1988 to play for the Montreal Metros?