Chapter Text
The problem, Shane muses in hindsight, is that he commits to things too hard.
He puts his all into everything. He wouldn’t be who he is without it.
The fact that he can’t resist a challenge, even if it’s stupid, is more of the problem than anything else.
It’s not something he likes to make known. He has a certain image to upkeep. His team never lets him hear the end of it.
It starts like this:
SPRING 2015
The roster for the night lands in Shane’s hands as he finishes strapping his helmet on.
Nothing unusual for Game Six in the Eastern Conference Finals versus Boston. The Voyageurs are coming in hot off of three consecutive wins. One more win and they’re going to the Stanley Cup finals.
He makes a noise in the back of his throat when he reads the bottom of the page.
Media:
- Mic’d Up: #24 Captain Shane Hollander (1C)
“Keep it clean this time,” Monica, the social media admin, says as she runs the cords of the mic pack down the back of Shane’s jersey.
“I’ll try my best.” Shane rubs the back of his neck a little sheepishly, adjusting the cords.
“I mean it, Shane. Family-friendly broadcast.” She gives the mic pack a quick tap. “All set. Get on out there.”
“Thanks,” he throws over his shoulder as he steps back into the locker room.
“Capitaine!” J.J. crashes into him, slinging an arm over his shoulders. “Tell these fuckers how it’s done.”
“Watch the mic, J.J.,” he says, as J.J. goes a little pale. “I don’t want Monica getting pissed at me again.”
“Cap’s the feds!” Comeau slams a hand down on Shane’s shoulders, and a chorus of groans goes up from the locker room.
“Alright, alright. Listen up,” Shane says. “Yes, I’m mic’d up tonight. You know what that means?”
Heads nod around the room.
“Play clean. Psych them out. Don’t get goaded into fights. Let them get sloppy. They will not stop us from putting pucks in nets.”
“What about Rozanov?” Hayden asks.
“Let me handle him,” Shane says evenly. “Give him nothing. I don’t care if he says he was fucking your mom last night. I don’t want to see stupid penalties. We’re going all the way, boys. The Bears are going down tonight.”
The Voyageurs cheer as they follow him out onto the ice.
The Bell Centre roars as they skate out for warmups, the red-and-blue crowd on their feet. Shane tunes them out as he kneels on the ice, working his hips and knees out.
He takes his turn with Hayden, chipping shots at Drapeau and gliding out to the edges of the rink.
By the third round, he’s waiting by the Voyageurs bench as Rozanov skates up to the red line, showering him in snow.
“Ready to be destroyed in your own house, Hollander?”
“F–eff off, Rozanov.” Family friendly broadcasting. Family friendly broadcasting.
Rozanov laughs, the grin on his face more a baring of teeth than anything else. “Your little win streak will die tonight.”
“Fat chance.”
“What, will you wow me with pretty skating? Delicate stick handling? Hollander, it takes more than this to win games.”
The thought of every text Rozanov sent him before this game flits through his mind before he forces himself to focus. “That pretty skating is going to beat you to the Cup.” He almost tacks on asshole to the end of the sentence, and then remembers the mic again.
Rozanov grins again, tongue flicking out across his incisors. “Prove it.”
“I don’t need to prove anything to you, Rozanov. Win a game first.” With that, he skates back toward the blue line, quickly absorbed back into the rhythm of warm-ups, still feeling the heat of Rozanov’s gaze on his back.
“Little bit of pre-game chirping going on here, as we tune into Montreal Voyageurs Captain Shane Hollander’s on-air mic.”
“I think he’s feeling the pressure tonight, with three wins for the Voyageurs in this series. If they can keep the momentum up, Hollander will be captaining the first Voyageurs squad to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals in over a decade.”
“And you can tell Rozanov’s really trying to push those buttons. Hollander doesn’t seem to be taking the bait, but we’ve seen how these things have played out in the past with Rozanov.”
“He is certainly an agitator, but he’s got the skill to back it up. It’s a bit of a surprise to see the Boston Bears, reigning champions, top of the Atlantic Division, on the back foot here. If they can push through tonight, they’re still going to have to take it to Game 7. And the Voyageurs are not going to just let them have it.”
“We’re definitely looking at an intense game tonight folks. With Oregan and Johansson out on injury after Game 5, they’re going to be fighting an uphill battle against a Voyageurs offense that has only gotten more hungry throughout this series.”
Five minutes into the first period, Shane slams harshly into the boards, keeping his eyes on the puck as he sends it over to Hayden. He squeezes out from under the Boston defenseman and cuts behind the net to meet Comeau.
The puck comes flying into his stick like a magnet and sails, with a flick of his wrist, over the goalie’s left shoulder.
The goal horn blares and the crowd are on their feet chanting “Óle, Óle, Óle!”
The Voyageurs crash into Shane, yelling chaotically in his ear.
“Montreal takes an early lead with a beautiful goal from Captain Shane Hollander– let’s take a look at how he and his teammates reacted in the moment.”
“[feedback] Fuck yeah, Capitaine—”
“Let’s go, Shane!—”
“Show ‘em how it’s done!—”
“HOL-LAN-DER! HOL-LAN-DER!”
“Well the team is certainly excited, but Hollander himself is cool as a cucumber. That trademark calm has been a pillar for the Voyageurs throughout this meteoric playoff run.”
“You can say that again. It’s been remarked on throughout these last seasons that Hollander is the kind of guy who leads by example, and you can certainly see that at play in this game. He’s all business, even after a beautiful goal like that.”
The early goal isn’t enough to stop the game from getting violent. Shane sees J.J. rocket into Marleau out of the corner of his eye and gets a sinking sensation in his stomach. Sure enough, their gloves go flying, and suddenly half of the players on the ice are brawling.
Rozanov skates up to the boards where Shane has distanced himself from the fight as the refs and linesmen try to cut through the chaos, just as Shane yells, “Knock it off!”
He holds his hands up in mock surrender. “Hollander, you do not need to yell at me. I do nothing for you to be so angry.”
“Not you—” Shane cuts himself off. “I told them we were playing clean today.”
“Boo-hoo,” Rozanov blows a raspberry. “Is hockey. It happens.”
They stand in silence together for a few seconds as the fight shows no signs of stopping.
Actually, that’s not entirely true. Both Shane and Rozanov look at their benches and glare down the guys who are looking to join the fray.
“Ugh, they are so slow,” Rozanov says, just as one of the linesmen goes tumbling to the ground. “More time to be dance partner, yes?” His signature grin is back, and Shane is avoiding looking directly at it. Rozanov glides closer, and Shane takes a step back. “You do not want to ice dance with me, Hollander?”
“No,” Shane deadpans.
“Too bad. You would suck at it. All that pretty skating going nowhere. Boring.”
Shane feels a tingle go up his spine.
Something in his brain whispers, Do it.
Before he can really think about it, his stick is propped up against the boards and he’s gliding back, in a spiral, doing a counter to face forward before he launches himself into the air off of his right leg.
One.
Two.
Half.
He lands on his left leg with a slightly harder impact than he intends, the blades of his hockey skates not made for this maneuver, but keeps the line going, power pulling as he circles back to grab his stick from the boards, right leg extended behind him.
“How’s that for pretty skating,” he says, a little breathless.
The surprise and heat in Rozanov’s eyes is familiar. It warms all the way to Shane’s core, and he has to fight off another shiver in his spine.
The silence in the rink is not.
The fight has stopped, the circle of players and officials all now staring at him.
Shane looks up, right into the lens of the Spidercam.
The feed of which is on the Jumbotron.
The stadium cheers, as the Voyageurs break into raucous hoots and Shane’s face goes bright red under his helmet.
“That’s a bit of a borderline check there on Marleau from Boiziau as Hollander takes off—puck is swiped by Rozanov—oh, it looks like the gloves are coming off again.”
“It does not look pretty out there, with gloves dropping all over the ice. The puck is lost in the scrum, since Rozanov sent it to St. Simon just seconds before the fight broke out.”
“The only ones staying out of it are Hollander and Rozanov, in a bit of a surprising turn of events. You’d think these rivals would be taking the opportunity, but they seem quite civil out there.”
“You can tell that’s all Hollander’s influence. Man’s a pacifist, and he won’t let Rozanov get under his skin in a game this important.”
“We’ll tune into his mic as it seems like the captains are chatting after getting their benches under control.”
“[feedback]…slow. More time to be dance partner, yes? You do not want to ice dance with me, Hollander?”
“No.”
“Hollander is not putting up with Rozanov’s antics today, that’s for sure.”
“Too bad. You would suck at it. All that pretty skating going nowhere. Boring.”
“You know, I can’t tell if that’s a compliment from Rozanov or not—what is Hollander doing?”
“He’s dropped his stick but not his gloves—looks like he’s winding up for…”
“…”
“…”
“How’s that for pretty skating.”
“Unbelievable. Shane Hollander has just done what looks like a textbook double axel in the middle of this playoff game.”
“If it was a strategy to stop the ongoing fight, then it certainly worked. The home crowd here in Montreal is loving it. The Voyageurs are cheering on their bench, and the Bears are dumbfounded, much like their captain does on the ice right now.”
“Did anyone know he could do that?”
“It’s hard to see how he did it at all, in full kit. We’re seeing a replay of it now from the Spidercam.”
“…”
“Wow. Hollander gets a lot of credit for his hockey IQ, but he’s clearly been putting in a lot of work on his skating to manage that. Not a wobble to be seen.”
Shane spends the rest of the game in a haze, playing by pure muscle memory.
They win 4-2, with Shane getting two goals and an assist on Hayden’s goal. He comes back into awareness in the handshake line, meeting eyes with Rozanov, a promise of heat in his eyes.
Shane stands with the Prince of Wales trophy as his team celebrates around him, face solemn in all of the photos. They award him first star, and he feels nothing but a pit of dread in his stomach as cameras and microphones start coming out.
“Shane, we saw a decisive victory tonight for the Eastern Conference Finals. What can you tell us about tonight’s win over Boston?”
“We followed the playbook, and made it a goal to put pucks in nets. I think that’s what came across tonight.” Media training for the win.
“How is the team feeling heading into the Stanley Cup Finals? This will be Montreal’s first time in the finals since 1998.”
“We’re all excited and ready for the challenge. It’s an honor to be able to lead this team—all we can do is continue to put in the work.”
“Shane, what inspired you to give us that show of figure skating during the first period?”
Fuck. Shane peruses his brain for an acceptable answer.
“It’s nothing special, just something I pulled from cross training.” Okay. That’s fine. Maybe they won’t pursue it.
“From what we heard on the broadcast, there was some commentary from Captain Ilya Rozanov on your skating beforehand.” Or not.
Shane pauses for a moment, hoping the panic doesn’t show on his face. “It was a chirp, that’s all.”
The reporters lean in, cameras flashing.
“He set the tone,” Hayden says gleefully, gliding over from where he’s being interviewed as second star. “I’ve never seen the Bears so confused in my life. You should do that for all of our playoff games, Shane.”
“No way.” It comes out deadpan, hiding the growing anxiety behind it.
“Why not?,” Drapeau says, his third star interview having concluded. “If you play like that again after a little twirling, why not give us a show, captain?”
Shane pinches the bridge of his nose. “I will show you after the finals, alright? Let’s win the Stanley Cup first.”
Montreal Voyageurs @MontrealVoyageurs ● May 27, 2015
The highlights from last night’s action packed Game 6 against the @BostonBears!
Les faits saillants du match 6 d'hier soir contre les @BostonBears!
[Video Link: Montreal Voyageurs WIN Eastern Conference Finals!]
Mark @voyageursfan243 ● May 27, 2015
GO VOYAGEURS!!!!
eliza @montrealgirlzz ● May 27, 2015
I’m calling it now
They’re winning the Stanley Cup
Hockey Analyst @hockeyanalyst ● May 27, 2015
2G + 1A from Hollander to cap off this series—a great show of leadership in his second year as captain…🧵(1/16)
Violet @sk4tingf4n ● May 27, 2015
ok but HOW is hollander doing all that. dude is built like a tank
Dean Andrews @dandrews ● May 27, 2015
he is on the smaller side for a hockey player
Violet @sk4tingf4n ● May 27, 2015
[Link: Player Profile - Shane Hollander]
5’11” and 200 lbs is small to you??
Brad @bearshockeyi$lyfe ● May 27, 2015
They need to focus more on hockey not whatever pansy bullshit Hollander did in the first period
eliza @montrealgirlzz ● May 27, 2015
are you mad because your team couldn’t get it together after an incredible skater stunted on your captain and put up three points? grow up
SUMMER 2015
Figure Skating for Hockey Players: Episode 1 featuring Montreal Voyageurs Captains
[Video opens on an empty rink. Shane Hollander, Captain of the Montreal Voyageurs, skates in from the left side of the screen, dressed in compression gear. He comes to a halt by the home bench, facing the camera.]
SHANE HOLLANDER: Hello, everyone. It’s been a little bit since the Finals, and our wonderful social team reminded me that I promised to do this if we won the Stanley Cup.
[He runs a hand through his hair, looking at something behind the camera.]
SH: I didn’t think it would be such a big deal, but here we are. This is Figure Skating for Hockey Players.
[Video title flashes on screen. Camera cuts to Hollander standing in the center of the rink.]
SH: All of what I will demonstrate today is techniques I regularly practice, and have been doing since I was a teenager. This is not intended to be instruction. Please do not injure yourselves trying techniques you are not comfortable with. You should always warm up before getting on the ice—I did mine off camera.
SH: Since this is Figure Skating for Hockey Players, I will be doing this in hockey skates for the most part.
[He lifts his left foot off the ground, showing his black hockey skates to the camera.]
SH: There are a couple of key differences; hockey skates are optimized for speed and have shorter curved blades. Figure skates are a little longer, and have a toe pick, as well as distinct inside and outside edges. The exercises I am demonstrating today do not require the toe pick. However, it’s always important to regularly sharpen your blades and keep them in good condition, regardless of which type of skating you are doing.
[The camera begins to move and follow Hollander as he skates in a slow circle on his right leg.]
SH: First, I start with compulsory figures. These involve skating in specific patterns to create a shape on the ice.
[The camera tilts down, showing a perfect circle on the ice. Hollander steps off with his left foot, creating another perfect circle beside the first.]
SH: These are good for practicing control in your footwork.
[Hollander works through a series of compulsory figures, drawing circles, figure eights and other shapes on the ice.]
SH: Directional changes tend to be more important in figure skating, but it is a valuable skill to learn for hockey players as well. Being able to switch between going backwards and forwards can be critical.
[Hollander demonstrates a series of turns, with small labels popping up on screen next to him as each is performed, as follows: 3-Turn, Bracket, C-turn, Rocker, Counter]
SH: I’m sure you’ve learned some of these while learning to skate, but practicing them individually allows you to hone your dexterity to do things like this.
[The camera angle changes to show an obstacle course of various cones and barriers. Hollander twists and turns through the obstacles with stick in hand, moving the puck lightning fast before he flicks it into the net with a backhand shot.]
[The camera switches to show the home bench, where the alternate captains of the Montreal Voyageurs, Hayden Pike and J.J. Boiziau stand with a camera. Small labels pop up with their names and positions:
[#35 Alternate Captain Hayden Pike (1LW]
[#16 Alternate Captain Jean-Jacques “J.J.” Boiziau (1D)]
[The ice is once again visible as Pike and Boiziau start cheering, prompting Hollander to facepalm.]
SH: The second skill that I showed at the Conference Finals is called power pushes or power pulls. We know how to do these as hockey players, but drilling them like a figure skater will improve your speed with the skill. It really comes down to repetition.
[Hollander starts doing laps of the rink on one foot, going around forwards, then backwards, then switching directions cyclically.]
SH: If you ever lose a blade, you’ll be glad to be able to power pull so you don’t have to crawl across the ice.
[Hollander abruptly drops to the ground with a knee bent and one foot in the air, pretending he has lost a skate blade. He tucks the remaining skate underneath himself and squats upright before power pulling across to the home bench.]
SH: Those are the skills I generally drill, since they’re the most applicable to hockey.
[Behind the camera] J.J. BOIZIAU: Capitaine, why won’t you show us the real figure skating?
SH: I’m getting there, J.J., I have to switch skates.
[The shot wipes, now showing Hollander tying the laces of a pair of black figure skates.]
SH: As I was saying earlier, there are some skills you can’t practically use hockey skates for.
[Hollander finishes tying his new skates before stepping back out onto the ice. He glides forward for a few moments, coming to a neat stop in the center of the ice.]
SH: First you have spins.
[Hollander launches into a series of twizzles, traveling towards the camera]
SH: The ankle support of a figure skate is necessary for balance with maneuvers like these.
[Hollander shows off three types of spins: upright, sit spin, and a camel spin.]
SH: Especially when you start spin combinations.
[Hollander performs a camel spin before bending his extended leg back, tucking into his body. He releases his leg, gliding forward before he performs a butterfly jump.]
SH: I’m not quite flexible enough for all of the variations, but that’s the gist of it. Spins aren’t as important for hockey players, but practicing them teaches you a different sense of awareness of your body and the placement of your skates. It makes it easier to orient yourself when you get checked.
[Hollander skates back towards center ice, coming to a gentle stop.]
SH: Next are the jumps. There are six common types: the toe loop, flip, lutz, loop, salchow, and axel. There is also the Euler, which is called the half-loop. The first three all utilize the toe pick as part of the take off, while the last three use the edges of the blade.
[Hollander starts skating, gaining momentum.]
SH: I’m not a figure skater—I can only do up to doubles. A friend of mine taught me these awhile back, so I’ll do my best to show you guys.
[Hollander throws himself into a single toe loop jump, then a flip, working down the list of jumps displayed on the right of the screen.]
[Behind the camera] HAYDEN PIKE: F— yeah, Shane!
[Behind the camera] JB: Don’t distract him!
[Behind the camera] HP: Sorry, sorry.
[After doing all six jumps, Hollander does an Euler, then starts working his way through the double jumps.]
[Behind the camera] JB: Did you know Capitaine could do this?
[Behind the camera] HP: He showed the girls a little bit one time. I didn’t think he could do this though.
[Hollander finishes his round of double jumps with a double axel that is synchronized with footage from Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals on the left side of the screen. He wipes sweat off his brow before skating back towards the bench.]
SH: Those are the standards. There are a bunch of variations that I can’t name off the top of my head. Also, there are non-spinning jumps as well.
[Hollander winds up, skating a wide circle in a spread eagle before he leaps into a straddle split, landing lighter than it seems like he should, for a tall and muscular hockey player.]
[Behind the camera] JB: Tabarnak! Capitaine, why have you been hiding this from us?
[Hollander skates back towards the bench, tilting his head.]
SH: I haven’t? You guys know I cross train. It’s on my schedule.
[Behind the camera] JB: But not with all the jumps and spins!
SH: I can’t exactly do split leaps when we play hockey, J.J. It’s dangerous. [laughs] I did one jump during playoffs and suddenly everyone thinks I’m a f—ing figure skater. It’s just cross training. I’m not good enough at it to be a professional.
[Behind the camera] HP: If it’s just cross training, you could teach us.
SH: [laughs] It’ll take more than that to convince me to do this again. The playoffs were enough.
[The video begins to fade to black. Words begin to appear in the center of the screen:
PREVIEW OF EPISODE 2:
[Pike and Boiziau start putting their skates on and going out onto the ice.]
[The camera shows Hollander, Pike, and Boiziau arrayed in a row on the ice. Hollander initiates a pirouette, tucking his arms into himself and raising them above his head before dropping into a sit spin, then coming back up, arms gently outstretched. Pike and Boiziau attempt to imitate him, falling over each other in the process. The video ends just before both alternate captains hit the ice face first.]
Montreal Voyageurs @MontrealVoyageurs ● June 21, 2015
Our Captain always follows through!
Notre Capitaine suit toujours ses actes!
[Video Link: Figure Skating for Hockey Players: Episode 1]
jules @juliaaaber ● June 21, 2015
ok but tell me why he’s lowkey good
Violet @sk4tingf4n ● June 21, 2015
you’re telling me we could have had SHANE HOLLANDER, the prince of wasia, to represent Canadian figure skating and instead we have JJ LEROY
Violet @sk4tingf4n ● June 21, 2015
this is literally so unfair
Joe McLennan @jmclennan ● June 21, 2015
He’s always been an incredible skater, even when we were in mites.
Violet @sk4tingf4n ● June 21, 2015
2x Worlds Bronze Medalist & GPF Finalist Joe McLennan??? In mites??? with Shane Hollander???
Joe McLennan @jmclennan ● June 21, 2015
Yeah lol he comes by the rink whenever he’s in town.
Hockey Analyst @hockeyanalyst ● June 21, 2015
Hollander is a true athlete. Humble about his skills even while he shows mastery.
Brad @bearshockeyi$lyfe ● June 21, 2015
he should be focusing on hockey
~ alice ~ @shanehollanderstick ● June 21, 2015
Did we watch the same video? He just won the Stanley Cup, Brad.
STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS!! @voysareno1 ● June 21, 2015
Shane Hollander CARRIED his team through that playoff run
Milaaa @sk8grl ● June 21, 2015
this can’t just be cross training. he’s worked with figure skaters to build that routine.
isa @belltolls ● June 21, 2015
ikr like those figures were literal perfection
queen sara crispino @queensaraa ● June 21, 2015
and it’s familiar enough that he can teach it? man is a skating machine
Riya @grlplzslp ● June 21, 2015
this is asmr
First Cup Since 1998! @shanesboy ● June 21, 2015
right?? like i could fall asleep to this man quietly talking and skating in complete silence. it’s so peaceful
Dave @davenpuck ● June 21, 2015
It’s a little weird for a hockey player to be trying to teach figure skating
Hockey Analyst @hockeyanalyst ● June 21, 2015
All of the reasons you are wrong about this: 🧵
- He says it’s not an instructional video within a minute of starting.
Hockey Analyst @hockeyanalyst ● June 21, 2015
- He spends the entire first half of the video explaining why each skill is applicable to hockey and how he uses it.
Hockey Analyst @hockeyanalyst ● June 21, 2015
- Most of the skills he shows are fundamentals that are useful to any skater.
Hockey Analyst @hockeyanalyst ● June 21, 2015
- Despite being very competent at every skill that he demonstrates, he clearly states that he’s not a professional.
Hockey Analyst @hockeyanalyst ● June 21, 2015
- Based on how methodical he is about it, this is clearly part of his regular practice routine.
Hockey Analyst @hockeyanalyst ● June 21, 2015
- Shane Hollander is one of the best, if not THE best hockey player in the world right now. He’s downplaying his own skill in this video.
Hockey Analyst @hockeyanalyst ● June 21, 2015
7. In conclusion, Hollander is very good at what he does, absolutely deserves kudos for it, and you are a blind, inept loser.
eva | viktor’s girl @nikiforeva ● June 22, 2015
ok but why does this seem familiar? i could have sworn i’ve seen this before
jess @agameofjess ● June 22, 2015
girl it came out yesterday
eva | viktor’s girl @nikiforeva ● June 22, 2015
i know that
eva | viktor’s girl @nikiforeva ● June 22, 2015
that’s what i’m trying to figure out
Katsuki Yuuri Fan Club President @katsuki_fc ● June 22, 2015
is this what you’re looking for?
[Video Link: Warm-Ups with @y-katsuki - phichitchulanont]