What are your top 5 WM plays (even if it didn't lead to a score)? Not specific date range :)
This is so hard because I have a few favourite goals and three overall favourite games. The Penguins game is in a league of its own, so I’m not even going to mention it here, otherwise we’ll be here all day.
My Favourite Willmack Games
March 30 — Sharks vs. Blues
This game is my all-time favourite Sharks game, bar none. Slap it on my forehead. Play it at my wedding. Play it at my funeral. Willmack were giving off vibes that remain, to this day, indescribable.
Do me a favour and watch this entire compilation. Run, do not walk.
This game gave us Mack eye-fucking Will across the cheer huddle. It gave us fandom trying to hire professional lip readers for their monumental bench conversations. It gave us “you need to be proud,” “stop looking at me like that,” “thank you,” and levels of yearning previously unknown to mankind. It gave us annoyed!Will when Toff dared to interrupt their dick-to-ass orbiting. Oh, and did I mention Rick was there? All of this, naturally, performed in the gorgeous Cali Fin jerseys. Seriously, find somewhere to watch this game if you haven’t. I promote it for free.99.
April 6 — Sharks vs. Blackhawks
This is another game that is very near and dear to my heart. First, we had Willmack flying saucers during warmups to copy Eky’s famous goal. Then came the national anthem shenanigans, which later led to Mack posting that famous picture of himself looking at Will to “Loving Life Again” on Insta. As if that were not enough, Colleen, Grace, and Rick were in attendance, sitting together, looking proud of their prodigies. Then, on the actual hockey side of things, Will recorded his 100th career point because, of course, this game also had to be historically significant. Mack was then caught looking turned on beyond belief by their goal, and later gave us clingy!Mack tripping Will for not paying enough attention to him. We got a full Willmack anthology in this one, folks.
April 16 — Sharks vs. Jets
Their last game of the season: the Sharks winning 6–1, the entire young core scoring, Mack breaking the franchise record—surpassing Jumbo for most points in a single season, and Will collecting Mack’s game-winning puck. Then Drandy interviewed Will and called Mack his “partner”, the Sharks sprayed water all over Mack, and Sharks media released that goofy compilation of team shenanigans as the credits rolled.
My Favourite Willmack Goals
There are so many, but these are the ones that immediately come to mind: First, the first win of the season, which was narrative cinema. And then, of course, we have the spin celly goal, which frankly deserves its own thesis chapter, along with the two beautiful no-look passes and this sexy crease goal. Sick and twisted levels of chemistry apparent in all of them.