From: Eliza R. Shapiro
To: Nicole R. Haught
Subject: All-Star Weekend
Congratulations again on your All-Star selection!
Below you will find your itinerary for the weekend of 27 Jan-29 Jan (NOTE: all times are local Toronto times):
Friday 27 January:
3:00 PM: Hotel check-in at Fairmont Royal York (one room reserved for players/families unless otherwise requested)
5:00 PM-6:00 PM: Media availability
7:00 PM: CEWHL All-Star Skills Competition
Saturday 28 January:
6:00 PM: 3v3 Tournament
Game 1: AB/BC Division All-Stars vs. MB/SK Division All-Stars
Game 2: ON/QC Division All-Stars vs. Maritime Division All-Stars
Game 3: Loser of G1 vs. Loser of G2
Game 4: Winner of G1 vs. Winner of G2
Sunday 29 January:
3:00 PM: CEWHL All-Star Game—Western Conference All-Stars vs. Eastern Conference All-Stars
We look forward to seeing you in Toronto.
Sincerely,
Commissioner Shapiro
Nicole double-checked her email from the commissioner as she dragged hers and Waverly's suitcase down the hallway to their hotel room, re-familiarizing herself with the schedule for the next few days. She still couldn't believe she was here, not only for All-Star Weekend, but participating in the event as well.
With four total, the Blue Devils had had the most participants selected to the Western team—Nicole, Jenna, Miller and Shae. Nicole found herself slightly relieved that Shae had been chosen as well this year, because she could only imagine the attitude she'd receive from the woman, as if Nicole had been trying to one-up her all along.
When she'd gotten the itinerary emailed to her just after Christmas, she'd immediately hoped that Waverly could find a way to join her for the weekend so that they could do all the stupid touristy Toronto stuff together. Gus had assured the girls that the rink could manage without them for a few days, though she and Waverly were both skeptical of leaving day-to-day maintenance in the hands of Robin, Champ and Wynonna.
Nicole had planned a couple outings for the pair, based around the league's itinerary. They'd gotten in late Wednesday night and spent a couple days in a cheap motel just outside the city, and spent all day Thursday sightseeing in Toronto before attending the Raptors game against the Celtics. (Waverly had surprised her with the tickets for her birthday).
She replied to a couple of texts from teammates back home wishing her luck while Waverly opened the door to their suite, revealing the king-sized bed and luxury amenities that the four-star hotel had to offer. Her girlfriend looked like a kid in a candy store, looking around the room and oohing and aahing at every little shiny thing it contained.
"Nicole, look at this view!" She squealed, peering out the window to look at the bustling cityscape from their room on the 13th floor. It had been the same thing Waverly had been saying since they arrived, but Nicole reminded herself that her girlfriend had never even so much as left Purgatory and found her excitement endearing. She stationed herself right behind Waverly at the window, wrapping her arms around smaller girl and resting her chin on her girlfriend's head.
"It is something huh?" Nicole mused, "But I think I've got a better one right here."
"Is that so?" Waverly spun herself in Nicole's arms to nuzzle into her neck.
"Mhm." She hummed, pressed a kiss to the girl's head, "Thank you for coming with me."
"Thank you for inviting me." Nicole watched the smirk grow on Waverly's face as she eyed the bed across the room. "God, look at that bed, I bet it's really, really comfy."
The thought was enticing to Nicole, knowing that there was absolutely no possibility of a certain someone interrupting them. She loved Wynonna, but having a few days alone with Waverly was a much better prospect.
"I've got an hour before media day starts, why don't we test it out?" She said more than suggestively, and well Waverly didn't have to be asked twice as she led the two across the room, barely making it to the bed before any and all articles of clothing were hastily discarded.
Nicole barely made it to her assigned media location on time. She'd barely managed to get out of bed with Waverly with enough time to redress and get to the elevator, and once she'd gotten down to the first floor, she realized she'd left her player access badge in her backpack and frantically jabbed at the up arrow to get back to the room. This had earned a confused look from the woman still lying half naked in the bed as Nicole swept in and rummaged through her bag and ran out of the room just as quickly as she had entered it. As she jogged into the conference area, slightly out of breath and her Blue Devils jacket haphazardly thrown on, she saw Shae roll her eyes and barely heard her mumble something along the lines of "Fuckin' rookies".
She answered a few questions as a part of the Blue Devils group before each of them was approached by a different reporter. Hers was an analyst she recognized from the league's morning report show, a cameraman trailing behind him.
"Vance Kerr, CEWHL Network," the reporter extended a handshake in introduction. "For rookies and first-time All-Stars, you'll be partaking in the Get to Know You portion of media day. Your local fans may know who you are but this will be a good way to introduce you to the whole league."
"Makes sense, let's do it."
She'd been sent a list of questions to think her answers over beforehand so that she wouldn't be caught off guard on camera and knew what to expect.
The cameraman flipped on the camera, and Nicole flinched a bit at the sudden beam of light being shone in her face.
"Vance Kerr here in Toronto for the CEWHL's All-Star Weekend with the red hot Blue Devil's red hot rookie, Nicole Haught," he introduced, talking to the camera. She fought the urge to roll her eyes at his phrasing, not wanting it to show on camera. "Nicole, welcome. Tell me, how does it feel to be here at your first All-Star game in your first season?"
"It's honestly surreal, I'm just trying to take it all in. So many stars and so much talent in one place, I'm just happy to be a part of it."
"Well, your performance this year definitely shows you deserve to be here. How much are you thinking about taking home that rookie of the year trophy at the end of it all?"
"Not really. I've never really been worried about individual awards, as long as the team is winning and I'm doing my part that's all that matters to me."
"That's something I'm sure the organization and fans back home love to hear. I'm sure they know you pretty well back there in Purgatory, but why don't we let the rest of the league get to know Nicole Haught?" Nicole nodded in response. "First question: what's one thing you can't leave behind when you go out on road trips?"
"I've got a teddy bear named Duke, he's kinda a good luck charm, so he's always the first thing in the suitcase." She answered, remembering the slightly deformed bear with the missing eye she and Waverly had come across while stocking the store just before the season started. Both of them agreed that while he couldn't be sold in the shop, he deserved a loving home anyway, and Nicole took him in.
"And what about a dream vacation destination? Or a favorite you've had?"
"I've always wanted to go rock climbing in Nevada, or spend a couple weeks somewhere on a nice beach. Maybe a road trip down to Austin for tacos?"
"Certainly a lot to choose from," she elicited a chuckle from the reporter, who moved on again. "I take it that's your favorite food then? Tacos?"
"Yeah, easily."
"Hulu or Netflix?"
"Hmm, Netflix in general, but Hulu has my favorite show."
"Which is?"
"Golden Girls."
If she recalled the list of questions correctly, she knew what question was next.
"Single or taken?" (She'd remembered correctly). She'd remembered reading the list, thinking about how blatantly junior high that both the question and the phrasing were.
"Taken." She smiled anyway, thinking of her girl upstairs.
"Is it a bad boy or an ideal son-in-law?" The reporter was going off-script, and Nicole found herself caught kind of off guard.
"Sorry, could you repeat that?" She asked, making sure she heard him correctly.
"Bad boy or an ideal son-in-law?" He repeated, reading the question from the list in his hands.
Nicole decided to take the question in stride.
"Oh, well it's not an ideal son-in-law, but an ideal daughter-in-law." She smiled, choosing to ignore the fact that she'd literally just come out on a national news network.
"Perfect answer." He responded. "Last question: can you tell us who has the worst music taste on the team?"
"I don't know if I can say worst taste, but I can tell you the worst singers on the team."
"Please, do tell."
"God, they're gonna kill me, but it's gotta be Beth and Christi—Harris and Carlson. They should probably stick to hockey and leave the singing to Lizzo and Adele."
"Well, thank you Nicole, and congrats on the All-Stars, and good luck going forward."
"Thank you."
Once the camera had turned off, Vance informed her that the segment would air in the morning on his show, just as the event coordinator had announced media availability had ended, dismissing the players to head toward the arena for the Skills competition.
Mid-Season Storylines
As we head into the All-Star Break, CEWHL analysts reflect on some of the on-ice storylines that have defined the season so far.
Toronto Not So Triumphant: The Toronto Triumph, once a perennial playoff contender, have not performed to anywhere near that level, and questions are circulating if they are entering rebuild territory. The retirement of Eleanor Wilkins and the free agency departure of Erin MacLeod have changed the makeup of this once powerhouse in the Eastern Conference. All reports coming from the Toronto management say that the team will be looking to make big moves before February's trade deadline to make a push in the competitive ON/QC Division, but will it be too little, too late?
Too Early to Call Defensive Player of the Year?: The St. John's defense has been stellar to this point, thanks in no small part to the play of veteran defender Georgette Thayer. Thayer leads the league in blocked shots and +/-, and her influence has spread throughout the team, propelling the Ice Dogs, who have allowed the fewest goals in the league, to the top of the Maritime Division.
Finally the Year for Pressman?: The number one overall pick from five seasons ago already has all the numbers to put her in elite company, but the one thing Shae Pressman lacks is a ring to go with it. Playing on an under-performing Purgatory (previously Vancouver) Blue Devils team has hindered the star's attempts to get to the pinnacle of the league's success. Pressman, whose contract was set to expire this past offseason, was persuaded to stay with the team following a historically abysmal season and through the relocation by being named team captain. The five-time All-Star (including captaining this year's Western Conference squad), said that she wanted to stick it out, and it looks so far that that was the right decision. Pressman has played no small part in the team's turnaround, but playing with a fortified roster and unexpected talent has rejuvenated the Blue Devils franchise as they look poised to go for it all this postseason.
From Last Overall to ROY (or MVP)?: The deadliest and most exciting line in the CEWHL is also the most unlikely. Randy Nedley has assembled a line comprised of his two number one overall picks—Jenna Boardman and Shae Pressman—and centered it with the last overall pick in last June's draft. The head coach has said of his outstanding rookie: "She's a worker, she's worked hard to get here, but she's smart and she sees the game better than anyone I've seen in a long, long time." Nicole Haught's rise from obscurity to stardom has been rapid, unexpected, and exciting to watch. She leads all CEWHL rookies in goals and assists, and has seen an uptick in her production since being promoted to the top line. Haught and Boardman continue to lead Rookie of the Year conversations, but some league analysts are beginning to see Haught as a real contender for league's Most Valuable Player.
Friday, January 27
The next morning, she and Waverly chose to go down to hotel breakfast in one of the restaurants, even though staying in bed and ordering room service had been more than tempting. With All-Star events not taking place until late in the afternoon, they had a few hours to themselves, which they had planned to fill at the Royal Ontario Museum.
Waverly was going on excitedly about how she was looking forward to the Egyptian Mummies exhibit when Nicole caught a glimpse of someone she hadn't expected out of the corner of her eye.
What on Earth was she doing here?
"Wynonna?" Waverly asked once she'd also spotted the woman, looking just as confused as Nicole felt.
"What're you doing here?" Nicole questioned.
"Oh, you know…Just in the neighborhood."
"All the way across the country?"
"A girl can't come visit her sister and her best friend on their vacation?"
"It's just a little weird, don't you think?" Nicole noted, still confused, but mostly skeptical.
"Yeah, why wouldn't you just come with us if you wanted to…" Waverly trailed off, someone approaching the table seeming to answer her question.
"Good morning, Miss Haught, Miss Earp." Doc tipped his cap to the two seated at the table, "Lovely morning isn't it?"
"Mhm, yeah it is." Nicole answered, teasingly eying Wynonna who was looking a little like she'd just been caught doing something she wasn't supposed to. "Are you guys here for breakfast, too?"
"As a matter of fact, we are."
"You should join us. We haven't even ordered yet." Waverly invited.
Doc thanked the pair and pushed a nearby table next to the one occupied by Waverly and Nicole and pulled out the seat for Wynonna to sit.
"I didn't even know you were in town, Doc." Waverly noted, sipping from her mimosa.
"When Sheriff Nedley was selected to coach the Western Conference at this weekend's festivities, he requested that our training staff come along as well, and the league granted that request."
"That's amazing."
"Mhm, and where did Wynonna Earp come into this?" Nicole probed, Wynonna shooting daggers at her.
"Why, I invited her of course." Doc explained. "I found it quite a lovely opportunity to spend some time away from Purgatory together since we are—"
"—best friends." Wynonna interrupted, elbowing him in the ribs.
Doc looked at her quizzically for a moment, meeting Wynonna's warning stare, but agreed with her in the end.
Nicole pulled out her phone with the intention of texting Wynonna a message, something along the lines of "Dude, Waves and I both know you're sleeping with Doc", but the sheer number of messages and notifications that had taken up her phone screen were alarming. She opened just a couple from her group chat with Finning and Powers, and was more than a little lost.
Shan: DUDE!
Shan: YOU ICON!
Vic: Proud of you you stupid little lesbian
"What's wrong Nicole?" Waverly asked, sensing the shift in her demeanor.
"I, uh…I'm not sure," she answered, opening up her Twitter after the surprising number of notifications she had received. Before she could even get to her mentions, Nicole saw her face plastered all over her own timeline, attached to the interview she'd given yesterday.
Oh.
"Bro!" Wynonna exclaimed, causing the few restaurant patrons to turn their heads toward the table. "You're trending on Twitter."
"I see that."
"You're kinda a gay icon now, look." Wynonna said as she showed her the top tweets under the trend, most of them freaking out and obsessing over her comment about Waverly in that interview. It was kind of funny, if Nicole was being honest, and it seemed harmless enough, so she decided to just take in this newfound celebrity.
"Now, why on earth would Miss Haught be a gay icon?" Doc interjected, Wynonna snorting with laughter from beside him.
"You're kidding, right?"
"No," Doc shrugged his shoulders, still not understanding. Waverly reached her hand across the table to take Nicole's hand in hers, trying to give him a hint. "Oh, you mean to tell me that you two are romantically involved?"
"Yes Doc." Nicole chuckled, bringing Waverly's hand up to place a kiss on her knuckles.
"And, that would make you an icon because?"
"She gave an interview yesterday where the reporter asked if she was dating a bad boy or an ideal son-in-law, and little miss Girl in Red said that it wasn't an ideal son-in-law, but an ideal daughter-in-law."
Waverly cooed, endeared by the way Nicole had so boldly said that on a major network.
"Well then, congratulations are in order, Miss Icon." Doc raised his glass of water to salute her.
meena (pxck_bxnny)
"nOt aN iDeaL sOn-iN-LaW, bUt An IdEaL DAUGHTER-IN-LAW" ! I think Nicole Haught just became my favorite hockey player
28 Jan—11:30 AM EST
Rachel (racheLGBTs)
Not a huge hockey fan, but Nicole Haught laughing in the face of heteronormativity is SO important
28 Jan—9:45 AM MST
✨queen (sammybabyyyy)
If God hates the gays then why do we keep WINNING
28 Jan—1:37 PM EST
PURGATORY BLUE DEVILS (bluedevilsCEWHL)
OUR STARS SHINE BRIGHT! Nicole Haught tallies 1G and 2A, and Shae Pressman scores a hat-trick to help the Western Conference All-Stars defeat the Eastern Conference 7-5.
29 Jan—9:30 PM MST
PURGATORY BLUE DEVILS (bluedevilsCEWHL)
That's OUR captain! Shae Pressman has been named this year's All-Star MVP
29 Jan—9:35 PM MST