yoooo im back its werewolf anon again
you liking natecale is actually so huge and great (that was me who asked LOL, i saw you tag something natecale and my radar went off) and immediately i was like let me add them up in here and then i thought of 1 million thoughts regarding the avs and wolves in the nhl
i think that its NOT uncommon for there to be teams with larger amounts of wolves, the whole sjs of it all is simply so weird HOW large the percentage of their team is wolves, and MORE SO, how close they are in age, which def increases the liklihood of snap bonding (temporarily) and is known to cause littermate syndrome (the number one example of this are Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, and Geno and Sid — flashback to when Geno was protecting Sid too much and it became a problem for the team). And its the way that GMMG is drafting wolves specifically and calling wolves up from the barricudas, and is now initiating some trades for vet wolves... and is bringing people in that Smith was known to bond with back in the day..
Anyways we know from national teams that having some sort of pack structure / temporary bond can actually really improve play and on-ice connection, we also know a lot of generational and best-of-the-best athletes are wolves. This brings us to the Colorado Avalanche, the best in the NHL in almost everything.
They drafted an enormous amount of top picks, this is where you usually accidentally get a lot of wolves your team, a la 2000s Pittsburgh, they had just somehow gotten EJ in the 2010-2011 season, and he was their only wolf on the roster. Then they drafted Landy, who EJ immediately attached himself to, and took under his wing. Then in 2013, they got Mackinnon, very famously a wolf — Nova Scotia is made up of wolves, something hockey kids used to get picked on for, but Crosby turned that around — and very famously known as Crosbys pup (both being made fun of, and being a little scared of). They just kept trading for the best players, drafting the best players, this includes Cale eventually. But we all know how important Landy is to that room. How much he changes the outcome of the game just by being there. That has pack leader written all over it.
He was like 20-something years old when he adopted a bunch of stray wolves on his team, Tyson, Nate, Cale. EJ was in no doubt second in the hierarchy, if not first because he could wholly control Gabe by a look and a scent. But what you see happening in colorado, despite how good they are, is they are constantly trading back members of the pack the organization traded away. The players claim they need them, getting rid of a wolf player has horrible impact on the teams play and the locker room vibe. We see them trade back for EJ, for Kadri, and they'll probably have to make more.
Anyways Joe Sakic said Cale Makar is an Av for life, and yeah, I think so, I'd like to see you try to pry him from my good friend Nathan Mackinnons fucking claws. The dogg (whch I think its safe to say the Dogg nickname is probably Nate taking control over something people used to make fun of him for in Juniors, because like I said NS is chalk full of wolves, and he doesnt quite mask a lot of his instincts enough for 17 year old hockey boys to not immediately single that out and bully him for it) is rubbing his scent all over cale, biting him all over the place. Try to take Cale Makar and the 8 bites on his calf from Nathan Mackinnon, try.
Hi werewolf anon!! Yeah if a puppy ship exists I probably have a lot to say about it I love natecale
Snap bonds and littermate syndrome are a big deal to me, I'm glad they're getting recognition here. It's a real problem. Much to be said about Sid Geno and Tanger's tenured trio record!! I would love to know more about baby sidgeno and how they came to be. My knowledge is more current but I've seen some amazing videos of young Squid growling and snapping on the ice. No wonder he's such a good mama bear now. Remind me to ramble about Sid and Kindy later actually, I have more to say with the kintone narratives
Wouldn't be surprised if the nova scotia boys had a pack bond too tbh Nate is incredibly fond of Sid as a mentor but I think he had to work through a crush in his younger years. That definitely plays into how he took on Cale as a rookie. The initial hesitation and doubt were defo projections of how he felt the need to prove himself to Sid and his team after the draft. Once he figured that out, not one to slouch on personal growth and self reflection, he's been a supportive packmate.
Cale balances that really well over time. Nate always throws himself headfirst into things, off and on the ice. Intense and snappy but that levels out into such a puppy vibe at home. He's a little neurotic because it's something to do, so he's gonna give it his all. He needs someone to pat his head and tell him when he's done, literally.
The dogg attitude is perfectly reflected in everything he has to say about Sid, Landy, or EJ, and now Cale. They can do no wrong in his eyes. He's kinda obsessed with claiming whether it's words or scent or biting. Those are his guys and everyone needs to know it. Especially with Cale
Important to recognize what Gabe being out meant to him, and how everyone handled it. Gabe needs to be bubble wrapped if you ask me. That ordeal should be a bright red flag for GMMG in letting all his little sharks bond but, oh well. Similarly I'm glad Mikko was at least able to come to Dallas when Carolina wasn't a good fit after his trade </3 Woes of trading wolves is sometimes they just don't fit in the established pack. Much to be said about Fleury, his bond with the pens and how that affected his trades
It's good to see that type of thing hasn't turned off most teams from acquiring rookie wolves though, even when they're butting heads with GMMG