I still love it, even when it sucks.

as someone who‘s only been tangentially following hockey over the last few years and mostly international tournaments as opposed to the NHL, could i interest you in giving me some nicoleno lore? sell me on the ship, i‘m interested!

also: hang in there! 🥰

this is so sweet oh my god thank you so so much <3

i would actually be honored to sell you on the nicoleno ship because it's the best thing i discovered on the internet this year.

first of all, the protagonists.

nico hischier, litteral disney prince, kind, soft spoken, so damn polite and yet oh so fierce when it comes to hockey. insane player. good humor too. has a close friends group he spends a lot of time with during the off-season. loves his family. strong sense of responsability. loyal to his team to the very end. hockey nerd 101.

ryan leonard, outspoken, full of puppy like energy. eager to prove himself worthy. all smiles and loud laughter. doesn't shy away from the hate and pressure of hockey because he loves the sport so damn much. complicated relationship with his brother for sure. cocky but in an endearing way because he starts fights he cannot win and looks like he could use a hug from time to time. stupidly good memory so sometimes surprinsingly smart on topics you wouldn't expect him to be ?

how did they start ? well in my head it started on a dating app, both under false profile and when they realised who they really were it was too late because the spark was like instant when they met. nico tried to fight it in the early stages, thinking it was a bad idea to date another player, a younger one at that, but ryan is just too good to refuse. they fall in love with each other without even noticing, meeting in hotel rooms on the road, in nico's flat in new jersey. it's stolen kisses when they meet briefly, shared calendars to maximize their time together as much as they can, endless facetime calls while they do other things.