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Dear Scott,
I’ve rewritten this so many times. I’m a mess so sorry if it’s hard to understand and doesn’t make sense.
Congratulations. You’re an incredible player, you’ve given everything to the game, and it brings me so much joy to see you holding up that cup. You’ve deserved this for a long time, and I’m so glad you got that moment.
Thank you for using that moment the way you did. I’m so happy for you, you looked happier than I’ve ever seen you. Your partner is clearly madly in love with you, the way he looked at you made my heart stop, you both just looked over the moon.
Your team’s reaction was incredible. I don’t know if you even saw but they were cheering you on, they adore you. It makes sense- you’re a great person, you’ve done a lot for them, of course they love you. I was sat watching with my parents. They’re both very happy for you, too. I think I’d assumed everyone would be bad when this finally happened, and seeing so many people you love and so many people I love be nothing but proud is an indescribable feeling. It gives me hope- hope I’ve never felt before.
I honestly don’t think I can put into words how grateful I am. Being the first must have been terrifying, I can only imagine what you were feeling in that moment. But I’m so glad you did it- and I’m so glad it’s you. All round good person, stanley cup winning captain Scott Hunter. I couldn’t ask for someone better, and I couldn’t imagine someone more deserving of this freedom.
Thank you.
I hope one day I can be as brave as you were.
All the best,
Shane Hollander.
Scott wipes his eyes with the back of his hand and tries to swallow the lump in his throat.
He’d had his suspicions about Shane- he'd always followed the Scott Hunter playbook so well. Few social events, no girlfriends, no answers to questions about his private life, no social media presence.
Shane’s been careful in this email- no ‘me too!’. But Scott’s spent his whole adult life desperately searching for signs he’s not alone, and this time he hasn’t had to search. It’s right there, right in front of him, and it’s yet another wave of relief. There is someone else. There is someone who will benefit from this.
He knows he’ll probably be on the receiving end of some really horrible things. He knows the usual mix of chirps thrown his way will be replaced by an array of homophobic, lewd references to anal sex and blowjobs. He knows it will make him angry. He knows it will make him sad.
But at this moment he just doesn’t care. How could he? When he’s got Shane Hollander, undoubtedly one of the greatest players the world has ever seen, thanking him- how could he care about anything else?
Scott did this for himself and for Kip, but he also did it for Shane- and for the others. He hopes when Shane’s time comes, it’ll be a little bit easier. He hopes he’ll spend just a little bit less time debating it. He hopes it’ll feel a little less impossible.
He’d never set out to be a trailblazer. He’d never set out to be the first anything. He had always imagined waiting until retirement to get this. It felt like something he had to earn. But he’s madly in love, and it turns out the stories are right- love makes you do strange things.
Hi Shane,
Thanks for making me cry again.
I hope you get it one day, too.
Next time you’re in New York you should come meet my boyfriend Kip- I haven’t introduced him to many hockey players, and I want to show him the good guys first.
Scott
Shane Hollander is one of the good guys. Not because he’s gay- because he’s never stooped to the lows this game so often drags people to. He’s had no scandals, he’s not a fighter, he’s not a slur hurler. He’s a good man. And Scott hopes one day, he’ll be the one sharing a kiss after winning the (what would probably, by then, be his tenth) cup.