Off-Season Chris

@hockeyfannibal

Hockey photographer and fan. Arena addict, 32/33 NHL arenas📍 🌈 💗💜💙 Horror/Sci-Fi. Fannibal. Hollanov. Queer hockey fiction writer. Recovering cyborg. No favourite teams, just favourite players!

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Bluesky

gay

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Off-Season Chris@hockeyfannibal· 25d

I miss playing the guitar. The neuropathy in my fingertips makes it super painful to strum now, but maybe I could try to regrow some calluses...

My old band "Foxy Codon" (A group of girls on stage playing musical instruments)

Me. A girl in an Arizona Coyotes t-shirt playing an electric guitar onstage

Off-Season Chris@hockeyfannibal· 26d

#WIPSnips - next #HockeyFiction #Romancelandia #HockeyRomance #WriteSky #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

He sighed dramatically and ran a hand through the mop of dark curls on his head. Glancing around the crowded airport terminal, his dark brown eyes blinked away the remnants of memories with teammates that he'd gone to battle with night in and night out. The next time he’d see them on the ice, it would likely be as their opponent.

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Off-Season Chris@hockeyfannibal· 29d

#WIPSnips - rush #HockeyFiction #Romancelandia #HockeyRomance #WriteSky #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

He quickly and quietly began the hurried walk back to his room, and was nearly there when another door suddenly opened. He grimaced and tried to rush those final steps but it was already too late, and his haste only added to the guilt perception.

“Walk of shame!” a voice boomed, followed by a boisterous laugh. Of course, it was Berky.

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Off-Season Chris@hockeyfannibal· Jul 15

#WIPSnips - coach Whoo boy, you know there's gonna be a lot of instances when it's a #HockeyFiction and the coach is simply named "Coach" #Romancelandia #HockeyRomance #WriteSky #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

Alex felt he might have tweaked something during practice and stayed after for treatment. The trainer spoke to Coach, who gave Lucas a heads up that he might be starting that night. Lucas nodded, “I’ll be ready, Coach.”

Aiden saw them in conversation and dropped by Lucas’s stall on his way out. “Did Coach tell you you’re gonna start tonight?” The excitement in his voice made Lucas smile.

One instance of the word "coach" is highlighted in green

Off-Season Chris@hockeyfannibal· Jul 13

I was worried four a sec, looking for today's #wipsnips post! "Almost" which I've actually had in the past couple of snips... gotta find a fresh one for today #HockeyFiction #Romancelandia #HockeyRomance #WriteSky #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

Once Aiden and Mason were back in the car, leaving the rink to grab lunch, Aiden decided to ask. “Who’s Katie? Berky’s girlfriend?”

“Oh, she wishes!” Mason scoffed. He pulled the car onto the freeway and was about to turn on the radio. Then, noticing the crushed look on the younger man’s face, he explained. “She’s this blonde he’s been seeing on and off for what, almost a year now? I mean, he’s not at all committed to her and she knows that, but there’s not much she can do about it.”

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Off-Season Chris@hockeyfannibal· Jul 13

Unlucky! #SummerOfStories #WritingCommunity #WriteSky #WritingPrompts Definitely Aiden. He's my MC and I put him through all sorts of shit. But, that's bc I want the payoff to be the biggest and best for him, my sweet boy!

Mason grabbed a towel to dry his face. It impressed him that the boy would be so concerned about the effect of the night’s events on Mason, when it was obvious he was nursing a broken heart. “There’s no situation.” Mason studied the boy’s hunched posture, the sad tearful eyes and defeated demeanor, and felt a pang of sympathy. Poor kid. Berky really did a number on him.

Off-Season Chris@hockeyfannibal· Jul 12

#WIPSnip

“I'm not sure how to explain it, but he understands me. He truly understands me, and he accepts me for me. I—I've never had that before.” Having finished telling his story, Mason sat on the edge of his bed, looking down at his hands as he spoke the last few sentences. When he glanced back up at his roommate, there was a hesitant shy blush burning across his cheeks. For a second, Aiden saw the hopeful young man Mason might’ve been ten or fifteen years ago, before the wear of several difficult relationships had likely taken their toll.

Off-Season Chris@hockeyfannibal· Jul 12

Beat the clock! #SummerOfStories #WritingCommunity #WriteSky #WritingPrompts #HockeyFiction #Romancelandia #HockeyRomance

Mason was bent and waiting for the puck to drop, an offensive zone faceoff, when he noticed Sterling had slipped into the arena, taking a seat at the glass near the goal line. Their eyes locked for a brief second, and an imperceptible smile curled onto the doctor's lips. Nobody would notice besides Mason. At that moment, with a heat rising in his neck and face, Mason reached complete peace and clarity. The sounds of the cheering crowd faded into the background, his focus sharpened, and the puck dropped seemingly in slow motion. He saw his center send a pass between his feet to Mason’s waiting stick blade, and he one-timed it with a snap that beat the goaltender with less than 30 seconds in regulation.

Off-Season Chris@hockeyfannibal· Jul 12

#WIPSnips - extra Trying not to post a snip I've already shared! #HockeyFiction #Romancelandia #HockeyRomance #WriteSky #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

Berky nabbed first star of the game and enjoyed the extra accolades by his teammates who’d been impressed with his fight. Frankie had joined the boys in the locker room, and offered to teach Berky some pointers. “Nah, not planning to do anything like that again,” Berky joked. Puppy clapped him on the back, “Yeah, Coach practically had a coronary watching you drop ‘em with that guy.” They were still laughing when Aiden quietly came over.

“Berky, you really didn’t have to do that… but I appreciate that you did.” Aiden offered a sincere smile. The handsome forward was going to sport an ugly shiner around his left eye for his troubles. Aiden felt humbled by the sacrifice.

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Off-Season Chris@hockeyfannibal· Jul 11

Bliss! #SummerOfStories #WritingCommunity #WriteSky #WritingPrompt

Aiden sighed, peacefully. It had been a long while since he’d woken up in his own bed next to somebody else, and it felt good. Even better than good, because it was someone he actually wanted to wake up next to. Someone who hadn’t agreed to leave before the sun came up.

Off-Season Chris@hockeyfannibal· Jul 11

Spine hurts terribly, but I had fun tonight. Also finally got to unload all of these #HeatedRivalry hockey bracelets I'd made!

Pile o' hockey bracelets, Heated Rivalry themed

Off-Season Chris@hockeyfannibal· Jul 11

#WIPSnips - attack In hockey, we have attackers, so that's what you're getting! #HockeyFiction #Romancelandia #HockeyRomance #WriteSky #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

With two minutes left, the opponents pulled their goalie for the extra attacker. It was six on five for 20 seconds or so in Lucas’s defensive zone until Lappy got possession of the puck and selflessly passed to Berky who had sped down past the center red. The forward caught the pass on his forehand and landed the empty netter to complete his hat trick. Fans cheered and hats rained down onto the ice. The Ravenstags would pull out a nice win for the home crowd.

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Off-Season Chris@hockeyfannibal· Jul 11

Let's go, babes! #HeatedRivalry

The front of Fingerprints, one of the official release watch party hosts

Off-Season Chris@hockeyfannibal· Jul 9

#SummerOfStories #WritingCommunity #WriteSky #WritingPrompt Berky is THE fashionista of the group. I love describing wardrobe choices for my characters, but Berky exudes the most confidence. He's so fun!

Berky fastened his cuffs and buttoned up his black and charcoal gray plaid vest. He looked very sharp in his new three-piece suit and he knew it. The Ravenstags were playing in the Big City the next two games and most guys made it a point to bring their best outfits for this particular road city.

Leaving his hotel room to head to the game, he got into the elevator with Lappy who was also looking quite nice in a deep purple dress shirt, silver tie and gray slacks. They looked each other up and down before grinning and bumping knuckles. “Look good, feel good, play good, eh?”

Off-Season Chris@hockeyfannibal· Jul 9

#WIPSnips - keep One of the early moments between Lucas and Aiden... #HockeyFiction #Romancelandia #HockeyRomance #WriteSky #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

“I just wanted to thank you for the puck,” he said sincerely, “It was very thoughtful of you.”

Lucas blushed and looked away. He chuckled softly, “I dunno if you’re the sentimental type, but figured I’d give you the choice to keep it if you wanted…” he trailed off, his eyes circling back to look directly at the defenseman. “I sometimes think about what it would be like to go through a trade, and how hard that would feel. Losing your friends and everything that was familiar to you just like that… I mean, I wouldn’t know how to feel.” The sadness had settled to someplace far away in his eyes, and Aiden resisted the urge to console him.

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Off-Season Chris@hockeyfannibal· Jul 7

#WIPSnips - quarter Ok so, it's a bit of a stretch, but I'm going with "quarterbacking", which is something they say in hockey, but it's still sports-related lol #HockeyFiction #Romancelandia #HockeyRomance #WriteSky #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

The ‘Stags got their first power play towards the end of the second period, with both teams tied at one goal each. Aiden had still practiced special teams with the guys during morning skate drills, so there wasn’t any rust; he felt more than comfortable quarterbacking the first unit. After a few passes back and forth to his forwards, the opposition seemed hesitant to him and, reading a miscue in coverage, he aggressively cut to the inside just above the circles and released a shot that deflected off a defender’s stick and beat the goaltender five-hole.

Power play goal!

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Off-Season Chris@hockeyfannibal· Jul 6

🥹🥹🥹 #ThatsMyBoy

Screenshot of Christian's sweet reaction to my Insta story celebrating his new contract where I've reposted the Avs announcement and added text: "Hell yeah, back in the West!"
His reply: "Back where I belong !! Excited to see you around !!"

Off-Season Chris@hockeyfannibal· Jul 5

It took months, but I finished it in time for his birthday which just happened to coincide that season with a Canucks game in LA. We didn't get to talk, but I gave him the book, and was rewarded less than an hour later with a photo in my Insta DMs. I burst into tears.

Off-Season Chris@hockeyfannibal· Jul 5

in ANA, which I NEVER do bc LA fans were the WORST. But Christian saw me at the glass for warmies, with my camera, and gave me the hugest surprised smile. After all this time, he *remembered.* Okay, I was going to be a Kings fan.

Hockey player in Los Angeles Kings away gear. Smiling at my camera and flashing a thumbs up

Off-Season Chris@hockeyfannibal· Jul 5

#WIPSnips - bench #HockeyFiction #Romancelandia #HockeyRomance #WriteSky #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

Frustrations were high during the next game. Alex was pulled after the 4th goal against, not because his play was bad, but Coach was attempting to wake up the offense. He tapped Lucas Hutchinson on the shoulder, “You’re in, kid.”

Lucas took off his Ravenstags cap and replaced it with his goalie mask, punching his fist into his glove hand. “Let’s do this,” he breathed. Aiden had been sitting in front of him at the defenseman end of the bench. He reached out to tap the goalie’s pads with his stick blade as the young goalie took the ice, “Go get ‘em, Hutch.”

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Off-Season Chris@hockeyfannibal· Jul 3

#WIPSnips - out Pardon the eff bomb; they're hockey players, after all. #HockeyFiction #Romancelandia #HockeyRomance #WriteSky #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

“What the fuck happened to you?”

Aiden was in the hotel elevator, heading back to his room, when the doors had opened and Hoff walked in. His eyes had instantly zeroed in on the younger man’s neck.

“Oh… uhh, I fell.”

“Yeah, right onto somebody’s mouth. Hate when that happens.” Hoff smirked and allowed the blushing defenseman to push past him out of the elevator and into the hall.

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Off-Season Chris@hockeyfannibal· Jul 2

#WIPSnips - knock I've got the present tense, but this snip with the past is better. #HockeyFiction #Romancelandia #HockeyRomance #WriteSky #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

By the end of the meal and several glasses of wine later, the boys were ready to check out the club they’d heard about. Aiden excused himself to return to the hotel, taking a raincheck on the club. Getting out of the elevator, he noted that the hall was empty. Good. A few quick steps brought him to the door with “306” in gold lettering, and he knocked before he could talk himself out of it.

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Off-Season Chris@hockeyfannibal· Jul 1

Other birb!!!

Lola the falcon held by her trainer. Her wings are open and down bc she is cooling off after a "hunt"

Off-Season Chris@hockeyfannibal· Jul 1

Birb!!!!

My hand in a leather glove upon which a Harris' hawk is perched

Off-Season Chris@hockeyfannibal· Jul 1

#WIPSnips - scarf #HockeyFiction #Romancelandia #HockeyRomance #WriteSky #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

Berky chuckled, reaching over and flipping the end of Puppy’s scarf. “Different look for you, Puppy. Classing it up! I like it!”

Puppy blushed, but didn’t say anything more. Berky studied his expression. The stormy blue eyes were calm and mysteriously content. There was something very different about his friend, and it wasn’t just the new outfit. There was a quiet sort of confidence that he hadn’t seen before in the anxious way Mason often was, nor in the cocky attitude Puppy flashed after a good game. It actually made Berky happy for him. If there was anything Puppy deserved, it was this.

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Off-Season Chris@hockeyfannibal· Jun 30

#WIPSnips - tournament Oh Lucas! ☺️☺️☺️ #HockeyFiction #Romancelandia #HockeyRomance #WriteSky #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

It was almost midnight when Lucas’s phone finally rang. He was lying on his couch watching a holiday baking tournament, but not really paying attention to what was happening on the screen. He jumped up when the phone rang, Aiden’s name on the caller ID.

“I almost thought you’d been delayed or something, you should’ve landed hours ago,” he started.

On the other end of the phone, Aiden’s laugh came through. “Well, hello to you too!”

Lucas stopped mid-sentence and gave an embarrassed chuckle, “I’m sorry. I was just worried.”

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Off-Season Chris@hockeyfannibal· Jun 29

#WIPSnips - water #HockeyFiction #Romancelandia #HockeyRomance #WriteSky #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

Aiden stood under the spray of hot water, thinking about everything that had happened in the last 24 hours. It was his first trade and he’d been advised not to let his mind think about his old team not wanting him. “Instead, consider there’s another team that saw something they like in your game and were willing to give something up to get you.”

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Off-Season Chris@hockeyfannibal· Jun 27

#WIPSnips - root I have an "uproot"? 😅 #HockeyFiction #Romancelandia #HockeyRomance #WriteSky #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

The first practice with his new team behind him, Aiden was feeling pretty good about things. The guys seemed nice, Coach told him he’d give him every opportunity to succeed, and he was thankful to have Puppy helping him with some of the off-ice logistics. Trades weren’t easy. Often without warning, you have to pick up your life, leave behind a team and a group of guys who had been your brothers, and move to a new city—sometimes a new country even. It was hardest on older players who often had spouses and children to uproot, but that didn’t mean it was easy for anyone else.

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Off-Season Chris@hockeyfannibal· Jun 27

It's crazy that the draft board has changed to digital, when it used to iconically look like the left photo... I feel old. I was there in person for the draft in 2010.

Off-Season Chris@hockeyfannibal· Jun 27

My buddy who just gifted me this lovely jersey, texted me earlier and said it was a good thing he didn't go with Olen! 😅