#enter smith 20

[billsharks]

"Because you're the reason. Swear it." — Madeline Miller, The Song of Achilles

he plays with joy btw

[holdabug]

thinking about the richard celebrini, PR management of it all. this man works in sports, he knows the power of a narrative, the reality of a story. he's seen exactly what the media does with athletes they deem arrogant or ungrateful or too intense, and he looked at his kid, who was always going to be a star, and knew he had to get ahead of it.

because mack is not traditionally arrogant or ungrateful but he's smart and self-interested. he's practical. he knows exactly how to parse through team politics and he's uncaring of sob stories or tales of triumph. he’s five steps ahead of everyone off the ice and ten steps ahead on it. he knows the shortcomings of everyone he plays with and against. more than that, everyone can tell.

but you can’t be that player in the media: motorized intensity, lethal precision, cruelty without intent to harm.

enter smith, 20.

enter all-american, boyishly charming william charles patrick smith of the comiskey white sox. he’s beautiful enough to be liked by the media without true effort, mack is too, but he’s clever enough to be beloved.

he’s grown up studying decades of sweat and tears sports heritage, of lineage, of family legend. he’s watched enough rom coms and sports biopics, seen miracle on ice with childhood fascination. he knows narrative. how to craft intrigue by withholding enough details. how to stir the mind with flashes of intimate knowledge. he comes from colleen comiskey-smith. all praise be to rick celebrini, blacksmith of athletic fortitude, but he’s no colleen.

not only does will brings the balance mack needs in his hockey, in his life, he brings the story.

[likedumberanddumber]

[are you going non verbal?]

vs

[I'm sitting next to you, looking at you and start talking to you asking you questions until you reply because I won't let you spiraling]

[pvckdrops]

mackcelebrini: Until next time boys

The last time Macklin Celebrini won a team trophy, he was 14 years old. On a line with Cole Eiserman and Brodie Ziemer, they led Shattuck St. Mary’s 14U team to their first national title in 5 years. [x]

[luvsikfairy]

the "you need to be proud" moment...

i'm going to be so for real. i'm stuck there in that small stolen moment of them making their way off the ice at the period end. i wonder what it was like.

maybe mack was playing it down, being his humble self, thinking of the game and the team and the gameplan for the next period, not allowing himself to relish in the moment. and then there's will, at his side, encouraging him to be proud of himself, to allow himself to be smug, to bask in the glory of it even if momentarily instead of denying himself that pleasure in favour of shouldering responsibilities that are heavy for his young shoulders.

i don't wish to enter smith 20 it all, really. but rick was in the crowd, watching his son get his 100th. mack was on the ice trying do more as always. and there was will, by his side, encouraging him to be chalant, to rejoice in his achievement instead of dismissing the moment by being self-effacing. and i just...

it all comes down to enter smith 20, i fear.

i will never get over this.

[smithebrini]

‘Enter Smith, 20.’

Whoever the writer was, they deserve a raise.

[moon-drunk-8]

"oh macklin's trending must be because of the game...wait is that-" *gunshot*

[meowriimo]

tara asking rick how mack maintains a balance and rick saying "the way he's gonna contribute the best is if he has fun" 🚬🚬🚬