eternal optimist
pairing: shane/ilya rating: t wordcount: 5.6k
It was important, his mom had told him. Kids would be looking up to him. He didn’t know who all he was reaching, but he did know that he’d be one of the only people that looked like him they would see. There still aren’t that many Asian players in the league. Whatever he’s done, his whole career has been about setting an example. About making sure he’s someone people can point to fifteen, twenty years from now and herald as an example of a successful Japanese-Canadian hockey player. A story to tell little Japanese-Canadian kids and something concrete for the naysayers. Proof that people who look like him have talent, have the ability to succeed. Proof that they’re worthy of being in the rooms. It’s a lot. Some days, Shane wishes he didn’t have to be bigger than himself. But events like this still mean something, even if they stopped meaning much to him years ago. It’s a good thing for him to show up. If the photos reach even one kid, that’s one kid who maybe feels less alone, less hopeless about their future. or, shane attends an event for asian professional athletes
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