Hello, everyone. To make this intro short, I'm a huge hockey and Arrow fan, so there you go. Hockey AU.
The Starling City Arrows dressing room was full of anticipation as the players were just about finished getting ready for the game ahead of them. It was game six of the Stanley Cup finals and if they won it, the Cup would be theirs. They were even more hyped, because they were playing home at Star Arena in front of their amazing fans.
Team captain Oliver Queen just finished lacing up his skates and stood up to put his jersey on.
He looked at it. Dark green with a flying arrow on the front. He looked at the white "C" on the jersey. Suddenly he felt a rush of pride and responsability go through him. He let out a breath and grabbed the jersey from the hanger. He put it on and sat back down on the bench. He saw his teammate and assistent captain John Diggle approach him. The tall black man sure had respect on and off the ice, just like Oliver, but when he was on the ice, the opposing players sure had their radars on. One of Diggle's hits could easily send them flying. Oliver liked John from the get go and the two had become really good friends.
"Hey, man. You ready to bring The Cup home tonight?" Diggle asked as he sat down to Oliver's right.
"Yeah. And I'll do everything I can to make it happen."
Dig smiled.
"That's the spirit, captain."
"Alright, fellas. Listen up!" It was coach Lance. The man had his way with the players and they held him in their highest regards. He was strict and could be almost intimidating for some players at times, but always wanted the best for the team. At this moment assistent coach Wilson was standing next to him and they both had serious looks on their faces.
"This could be it. This is it. What better way to win the Cup than on home ice? Go out there and outperform them. Outskate them, outscore them, run them out of the building with hits, but don't get carried away. We need to stay out of the sin bin. If the refs don't blow the wistle after a foul on one of ours, don't get all heated and don't retaliate on their players for fouls. I have faith in you, boys." After his speech he left the dressing room.
"Okay, boys, you heard him, you know what to do. It's go time, GO GO GO!" Coach Wilson told them.
The dressing room was filled with their "Let's go Arrows" and they formed a line with Oliver at the front.
They walked to the rink and waited for the annoucer. Oliver gave way to their golie Ray Palmer.
"Ladies and gentlemen here at Star Arena. Here are your boys. So STAND UP and give them your loudest welcome!" The PA said and the already loud arena exploded. It sent chills up the players' spines. They really had the greatest fans in the NHL.
"In the crease tonight number 40, Ray Palmer!" Ray stepped on the ice, waved at the fans with his glove and headed to the net to start his pre game routine.
"Yoooooour captaaaaain. Number 17. Oliveeeer Queeeeen!" When Oliver skated on the ice, he waved to the fans as well and his eyes began scanning the sector he knew his girlfriend was sitting in. There. He smiled at her, waved and winked at her. She was jumping up and down with joy waving her flag that said '#17, I'm your girl'. She loved seeing him play. Oliver started skating around their half of the rink and smiled to himself. He loved having Felicity at his games.
The whole team was on the ice now an formed a circle around Ray in the net.
"Alright guys. Coach pretty much said it all, no need for repeating. Just play your best, everybody." Oliver said to his team. They hit their sticks against the ice in unison and did one more lap around their D zone.
After that, only Oliver's first line remained on the ice, rest of the team went sit on the bench.
Oliver took the face off and won it, passing the puck behind him to Diggle. John passed it ahead to one of the wingers, who brought it into their offensive zone. Oliver banged his stick and recieved the pass. He shot the puck and...the goalie stopped it with a glove save. The crowd clapped.
The first period was almost over and The Arrows were trailing 0:1. Oliver won the draw in their D zone and knowing his defensmen had the puck, skated ahead. One of his wingers, Floyd Lawton, got to the puck and the Arrows had a three on two. Lawton looked to the right side and passed to Oliver, who faked a slapshot one timer and passed it back to the blue line to Diggle, who hit the puck with all his might.
The red light behind the net went off and the arena was filled with the home crowd's cheering. 1:1 with twenty seconds left in the first. All the players on the ice skated to John and hugged him.
Not much was said in the dressing room during the intermission. The coaches told the to watch out for the third line's wingers and that was pretty much it.
The game was more dramatic in the second period with chances to score on both sides. Felicity almost ate her fist during the two minutes that Oliver was in the penalty box. Gotham played the powerplay really well, but Ray erased all their chances. The crowd was chanting his name after an incredible desperation save he made with his glove.
Six minutes after that, the crowd exploded again when the newest addition to the Starling roster, Roy Harper, scored a beautiful goal on a breakaway. 2:1.
The third period started with The Arrows still in the one goal lead, but after three minutes of play they had a two on one, wich Ray managed to save with his pad, but before he could catch the puck, third player came in and put it in the net on a rebound and the score was tied at two.
As time was running out, both teams became more cautious in their end. Neither of them wanted to fall behind. But Gotham did. Ten minutes to go Floyd Lawton gave the goalie no chance and gave The Arrows the lead back with a wrist shot that sent the puck in the top right corner of the net.
Three minutes on the clock and Gotham players were desperate to tie the game. Oliver was skating with the puck by the boards, when suddenly he got cross checked to the head. He fell on the ice, rolled to his back and remained still. The whistle went off and Diggle was immidiatelly in front of the player who'd done that to Oliver. He wanted nothing more than hit him, but Roy dragged him away.
"Common, Dig. We can't lose you. A fight would be two minutes plus ten. We need you."
Oliver's team mates were standing around him along with some of Gotham's, including their captain Dick Grayson, who was apologizing for his player's action.
The Arrows' team doctor Barry Allen was kneeling next to Oliver.
Up in the crowd Felicity was looking down at the ice with wide teary eyes and hands covering her mouth. Her boyfriend, her love was lying there on his back after a nasty hit to the head. The player who'd done it, Jason Todd, had already left for the showers with the whole arena booing at him.
On the bright side, she could see Oliver was communicating with the doctor. She just hoped he wasn't concussed, or otherwise injured.
Then something amazing happened. The home crowd started chanting "Captain Ollie, captain get up" and Felicity joined and yelled those words on top of her lungs.
When Oliver heard the chants, it gave him the strengh he needed.
"Well, you're not concussed, but take it slowly." Barry told him.
"Thanks, doc. Dig, Roy. Help me up?" Oliver said to his team mates. He slowly sat up and Roy and Dig slowly helped him to his feet and skated with him to the bench holding him one from each side. The people were clapping and chanting "captain captain". Felicity was jumping and screaming with joy that Oliver is Alright.
So The Arrows had a powerplay for the rest of the game. That was most promising.
The referee dropped the puck in The Arrows' offensive zone, but they lost the face off and Gotham players cleared the zone. After an offside the Gotham coach took a time out and both teams were listening to their coaches' final instructions.
"Alright, Diggle and Harkness nothing gets past you two. Harper, Lawton. You keep the puck on their end. It would be best to score another one. Queen, are you good to get out ther?" Coach Lance asked Oliver.
Oliver lifted his head to the crowd and saw Felicity with her banner.
" A hundred percent, coach."
"Good. Get this done, guys. The Cup is ours."
The buzzer signaled the end of the time out and the players took their places for the face off. Oliver managed to win it and the final minute of play began. Harkness passed the puck to Roy and he passed to Oliver. He passed to Lawton, who gave the puck back to him. Oliver picked up speed and crossed the blue line. Thirty seconds left. Oliver deked around the opposing defensman and found himself alone in front of the goalie with the other D man too far away to stop him. He faked a shot with the leg kick, brought the puck to his backhand and back to his forhand at the very last moment and scored.
The noise that followed was deafening. Felicity was screaming and waving her banner madly. It was clear. With twenty seconds left to play and a two goal lead, The Cup was theirs.
Oliver took the congratulations from his bench and took the face off again. He lost it, but it didn't matter.
The final siren went off and the players in green flooded the ice. The Cup was brought on the ice and when Oliver lifted it above his head and looked at Felicity who was smiling at him with tears of joy falling from her eyes, he couldn't be happier.
The team took the group photo with the Stanley Cup and Oliver skated to the bench and waved at Felicity to come down. He explained to the guard who she was and he let her pass. She was standing on their bench now.
"You were great, Oliver." She said smiling brightly.
"Thank you, Felicity. Come here."
Felicity stepped on the ice carefully and the two of them kissed. Oliver took Felicity's hand and slowly took her to the center ring. He waited until everyone had their turn with the Cup and took it again. He put it beside Felicity and stood next to her and posed for the cameramen.
"Best moment of my life. I'm standing here with the two most precious things in my life so far." Oliver said.
Felicity smiled, gave him a gentle peck on the check and put his hand on her stomach.
"Three." She told him.
Oliver's eyes went wide.
"Seriously?"
She nodded Yes.
"Five weeks."
Oliver hugged her.
"I love you so much." He said, looking in her eyes.
" I love you too, baby daddy." Felicity said and the two of them laughed.
