HOCKEY IMAGINES: BOOK 2 // REQUESTS CLOSED

#40: KAAPO KAKKO - #24 NEW YORK RANGERS

A/N: Hey guys! I would greatly appreciate it if you read the authors note at the end of this, it is really important. 

I hope you all enjoy this imagine...

Growing up I always heard that I was the classic 'winter baby'. Being born in the month of January, living up in north of Alaska for the most of my life, and also being a professional snowboarder, you could say that I quite literally have ice in my veins. I grew up on the slopes and mountains in my backyard, spending dawn to dusk on them practicing and just riding for fun. When I realised just how much fun I was having doing it, I knew I wanted to make a career out of snowboarding and I did just that. I worked hard to get noticed by sponsor's to get them to help pay for everything, I signed up for contests and won the majority of them, I made videos and posted them on YouTube, Facebook, anywhere that could get me noticed by big companies. My parents helped pay for travel expenses to get out to the competition's, boards and equipment to get the latest editions, anything that would help me be the better self I could be when it came to snowboarding.

All that hard work I did finally paid off when I got calls from Burton, Red Bull, Vans, Oakley and many more offering to sponsor me and for me to wear their stuff so my large following would then in turn wear their stuff too. I then made it to the US team, making it possible to compete in the next Olympics for the United States. My dreams I worked so hard for are finally upon me and I couldn't have been any happier than I was in that moment.

That was until I met Kaapo Kakko, an incredibly adorable Finnish ice hockey player, who had my heart from the first look at him. The moment I met Kaapo, life only seemed to get much better for me. And I remember it like it was yesterday and not six months ago.

"Do I have to go?" I groan as I climb into the backseat of the car, my brother already sat eagerly waiting for me.

I hear him chuckle from beside me, giving my shoulder a nudge with his own. "Yes, you are being honoured by the New York Rangers tonight and you are dropping the puck so yes you have to go."

I groan again, sliding further down until my back is against the bottom of the seat and my knees pushed against the front passenger seat. I really don't want to go to this game, I would rather much sit in my room and edit some videos of my recent trip out to Australia and shredding their mountain courses. But instead, I have to attend tonight's ice hockey game between the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs. To be honest, I was surprised when I got the call from the Rangers management asking if I would like to come spend the day hanging around the arena and meeting the team as well. In that moment I agreed because I was so excited and in shock, now I just want my bed and to be curled into a ball with no distractions. I mean, I am not that big of fan of ice hockey. Yes, I will watch it if it is ever on but not religiously like my brother, Jason, does. When I told him about the phone call, he begged that he would be my plus one and I agreed. I need someone here who has some knowledge of ice hockey, thankfully Jason knows everything.

We arrive to the famous Madison Square Gardens Arena home to the New York Rangers. I climb out of the car, fixing my Vans toque on my head before looking up at the magnificent arena in front of me. OK, maybe this will be pretty spectacular and fun to do. I follow the security into the building, Jason trailing behind me with his mouth hung open and eyes wide as he takes everything in. I bet he is loving my status now with this pretty cool experience, rather than constantly telling me what I am doing is pretty dangerous and I could get injured badly. I keep telling him I won't and I never have, maybe the odd few bruises here and there but never no broken bones or concussions, knock on wood.

"So you'll meet the team before the game, you'll get your picture taken with them and we have supplied you and your brother with a jersey each." The assistant says as we follow her down the hallways. I nod my head, feeling nervous about meeting twenty or so guys. My brother laughs at me when I get nervous at things like this, he always says, 'You can shred down a mountain in the backcountry, fly ten feet in the air, and go on national television and you don't get nervous or miss a beat. But meeting a bunch of new people gets you nervous?' And I will always answer with a simple, 'yes' because I am comfortable doing that, yet meeting new people? No, that makes me nervous.