when jack first starts off in the nhl, the hardcore fans think they know him.
before, on the ice, he was a rough player who would run over anyone who tried to stop him from scoring. he made a beeline for the goal whenever he got the puck, and yeah, he made passes, but always with the intention of the puck returning to him. he had to be the best. he was the best. off the ice, he was solemn and quiet and looked much older than his seventeen years. during interviews, he gave short, clipped answers and finished up as soon as he could. when fans met him, he kept up general, polite conversation, but it sounded rehearsed and he never smiled. he’s just serious about his game, they thought. his hockey attitude follows him off the ice. it’s what makes him so good.
but as he makes his presence known in the nhl, years older and grown comfortably into his skin, they realize that they were wrong. they didn’t know jack zimmermann at all. they knew a boy on the verge of breaking, who was barely holding himself together for years. because this, the real jack zimmermann, looks nothing at all like that boy in the minors. jack is smart about the way he plays, and uses his speed and strategy over his strength in order to get the puck in the goal, even if he’s not the one that puts it there. he knows that he’s part of a team, not just one man on the ice. jack is serious on the ice, but not overtly so. he smiles and shakes his head with a laugh when a teammate bumps or chirps him. during interviews, he still seems a bit uncomfortable because press just isn’t his thing, but when he’s asked a question, he gives thoughtful answers and never rushes to finish. he gives them his respect and his time.
and when he meets the fans, he gives them wide smiles, asks them how they liked the game, or how their day is going, or if he sees that they have another team’s jersey on, he’ll give them a few chirps. he signs things and spends too long high-fiving kids and taking pictures after an away game, so long that someone more times than not has to come and drag him to the bus.
that is the real jack zimmermann that the fans didn’t know before. one that loves his job so much that he doesn’t make it seem like just that. one that greets fans enthusiastically, if a little awkwardly, and is amazing with kids. the smart, fast, thoughtful, and kind hockey player is not the one that they saw when he was younger, but it’s obvious that it was always who he was meant to be. they see clearly what going to samwell did for him, and how it saved not only his career, but his life.
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