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Dear Readers,
First, a round of applause for my sharp-eyed readers — because it certainly wasn't me who caught this one.
It has been pointed out to me — by people who were clearly paying closer attention than their author was — that I have been sending Aunt Nancy, Uncle Aaron, and the girls to live in Dryden, Ontario in several chapters, with Chapter 32 (Canadian Thanksgiving) being the most egregious offender.
For those unfamiliar with Canadian geography, Dryden is a lovely little city of about 7,000 people situated roughly 5,000 kilometres northwest of where the Haydens were always supposed to live: Toronto.
In my defence, both cities are in Ontario. That's where my defence ends.
I'd like to think that in my version of events, Aunt Nancy simply nodded along politely as Michael flew in the wrong direction for Thanksgiving dinner, Aaron quietly updated Google Maps, and the cousins were too young to know any better. It's fine. Everyone eventually got their turkey.
Going forward, the Hayden family will be correctly and permanently residing in Toronto, Ontario, where they belong and where, frankly, the flight makes a lot more sense for everyone involved.
As for Chapter 32, I am treating it like Fight Club. What is the First Rule? We do not talk about Chapter 32. What is the Second Rule? We do not talk about Dryden. Ever again.
Thank you to my wonderful readers for catching what I missed, and for your patience and willingness to suspend not just disbelief, but apparently also your knowledge of Canadian geography.
— CCTW
(P.S. — No Haydens were harmed in the making of this geographical error. Probably.)
Is anyone else still pinching themselves? I woke up this morning, checked the medal count just to be sure, and yep—it's still there. I even turned off my phone and turned it back on again like it was a malfunctioning router. Still there. The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games will forever be remembered as the year the Stars and Stripes didn't just fly—they absolutely soared over the ice while doing a victory lap and humming "Born in the USA."
We've all grown up with the "Little Brother" complex when it comes to hockey. We're the scrappy neighbors who play "soccer on ice" while Canada treats every puck drop like a sacred religious rite handed down from Tim Hortons himself. But this week? The hockey gods decided to trade in their maple syrup for some high-octane American espresso—and they liked what they tasted.
The Double Gold: A Script Even Hollywood Would Reject for Being "Too Unrealistic"
It's one thing to win a gold medal. It's another thing entirely to sweep both the Men's and Women's divisions against the undisputed titans of the sport. Somewhere, a screenwriter is furiously deleting their "underdog hockey movie" draft because reality just made it look boring.
The Women's Triumph: Watching Megan Keller bury that backhander in overtime was pure, unadulterated magic—the kind of moment that makes you leap off your couch and terrify your pets. There's something so poetic about a 2-1 victory: it's tight, it's stressful, and it makes the victory taste that much sweeter. And Hilary Knight? She continues to prove she's essentially a superhero in skates. Someone check if she has a cape under that jersey.
The Men's Masterpiece: Then came the men. Jack Hughes scoring the "Golden Goal" 46 years to the day after the 1980 Miracle on Ice? You can't write that. Seriously, if you pitched that to a producer, they'd throw you out of the room for being "too on the nose." Connor Hellebuyck wasn't just a goalie; he was a brick wall built by pure American stubbornness, turning aside 41 shots like he was swiping left on bad dating profiles. "Nice try, Canada. Next."
The "Anthem Motivation" Factor
Let's be honest: there was a little extra lightning in the atmosphere this time around. After the frostiness earlier in the cycle—the boos during our national anthem and that general "we own this game, eh" swagger—it felt like our teams were playing with a "FAFO" level of intensity usually reserved for action movies.
There's a certain quiet joy in watching a stadium go silent after you've been told you don't belong there. We didn't need to shout; the scoreboard did all the talking for us.
The "What If?" Factor
Now, looking at the dejected faces on the Canadian bench, you almost—almost—feel for them. They played their hearts out. And honestly, looking at their roster, you have to wonder if things might have gone differently with a bit more veteran grit. Maybe if Michael Stewart had been out there patrolling the blue line and providing that steady presence, we'd be looking at a different color medal today. There's always that one piece of the puzzle that feels like it's missing when the pressure hits the boiling point, right?
A New Era (With a Side of Waffle)
To our friends up north: We still love you. We still want your syrup. In fact, let's call it an even trade—you hold onto Justin Trudeau and consider Katy Perry a permanent gift from us to you (no returns, no refunds), and we'll just keep these two gorgeous gold medals as a token of your appreciation. Everyone wins!
It’s a beautiful day to be a hockey fan in the USA. Let’s keep this feeling going all the way to the closing ceremonies!
🇺🇸🥇🥇🇺🇸
Hi everyone,
For the hardcore hockey fans, you’ll be glad to hear the story is now shifting firmly into regular-season play. From here on out, expect a lot more game action and a much heavier focus on the grind: athletics, systems, execution, and performance. I know many of you have been clamoring for this turn, so I hope it delivers what you’ve been waiting for.
On authenticity, I’ve borrowed liberally from real games from this era, then adjusted names, sequences, and specific plays as needed to serve the story. If any of you were at the actual games that inspired these sections, I’d genuinely love to hear your memories or impressions in the comments.
We’re also a little over halfway through the book now. The foundation is laid, the lanes are defined, and from here on out the consequences start arriving faster and with less mercy.
Shout-out to Roadrunner for flagging an important character detail before it slipped through the cracks. That kind of attentive readership and engagement is exactly what helps keep the story tight and internally consistent, and it’s very much appreciated.
Thanks, as always, for reading and for the thoughtful feedback.
CCTW
The University of Michigan Wolverines Men's Ice Hockey Team roster and staff for the 2010-2011 season.
COACHING & MANAGEMENT
Coach Fred Benson (Head Coach)
Bob Huntley (Assistant Head Coach): New role.
David Turnbull (Defensive Coach): New hire. Replaces Frank Piper
Henrique Samuelson (Forwards Coach): New hire. Replaces Sam Gardner
Chris Jenkins (Head Athletic Trainer)
Wendy Miller (Assistant Trainer)
Rolf (Rink Maintenance)
GOALIES
Josh Hayes (Starter): Returning. Promoted to starting goaltender.
Bob Thomas (Backup): Returning. Previously the scout team goalie.
DEFENSEMEN
Michael Stewart (Junior): Returning. Offensive defenseman.
John Reilly (Junior): Returning. Veteran offensive defenseman.
Chris Nolan (Rookie): New.
Joey Montador (Rookie): New.
Ian Pratasky (Sophomore): Returning.
Brian Smith (Sophomore): Returning.
Don Farr (Junior): Returning.
Randy Pierce (Junior): Returning.
FORWARDS
Shawn Cason (Senior): Returning. Center.
Henry Black (Senior): Returning. Two-way Center.
Ron Zonk (Senior): Returning. Power Forward.
Brad Eddings (Senior): Returning. Veteran Winger.
Kerry Simpson (Senior): Returning. Veteran Winger.
Peter Stromach (Junior): Returning. Center.
Victor March (Junior): Returning. Winger.
Bobby Vickers (Sophomore): Returning. Winger.
Alex Trammel (Sophomore): Returning. Center.
Sergio Valens (Sophomore): Returning. Sniper.
Tim London (Sophomore): Returning. Defensive forward.
Paul Snider (Sophomore): Returning. Defensive forward.
Rick Moore (Rookie): New. Winger.
Jake Sloane (Rookie / Scout Team): New. Forward.
Happy New Year!
I posted the first installment of Defenceman: Parallel Ice (Non-Canonical Saga) last September, and let me tell you—it's been a learning experience. The kind where you learn things about yourself you didn't necessarily want to know. Sometimes the feedback stings like a slap shot to the ankle, even when it's completely deserved. But honestly, the overwhelming support has made the growing pains worth it. Sort of. Mostly.
The best decision I made—and I'm recognizing this from my position flat on the ice, metaphorically speaking—was admitting "I need help" and accepting Nuclearstranger's and Dookie's offer to edit the story. My heartfelt thanks go out to both for volunteering their time, patience, and probably questioning their life choices more than once.
I've been forthright from the start that I use AI to augment and polish the story. I know—for some of you, this is an abomination and not "real literature." I get it! Fortunately, there are so many great authors out there that you don't have to waste your time reading my drivel. See? I can't even spell "drivel" correctly without help.
As New Year's approached, I made a resolution to improve my technique and embrace better writing tools. There are some incredible options available, and after much research (read: falling down multiple internet rabbit holes), I selected one.
Novelcrafter provides multiple AI assistants that actually understand my writing style instead of fighting it. Prior to this research, I had no idea just how different one model's capabilities were from another's. Continuity continues to be my nemesis—Cold Creek wrote three prior books' worth of lore to wrangle—so the "Codex" function acts like a smart encyclopedia, keeping track of every character, timeline, and location in the story. The planning tools help me map out arcs and chapters, so ideally you'll be reading tighter, more coherent stories going forward. Ideally.
The downside? Over twenty hours so far of importing files and generating unique character, location, and lore records. Anyone who's ever implemented a SAP solution will understand—you have to conform to Novelcrafter's methodology, not the other way around. Will it be worth it? Too soon to tell. I can say that Chapter 23 is more organized and, I hope, better written than previous chapters. Low bar? Maybe. But I'm clearing it!
So that's it—just wanted to share my well wishes and keep you informed about what's changing for 2026.
All the best…
CCTW
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