With @C9Van and @SpartanGibbles.

Grader: 1/3 to each.

Jon has not taken kindly to Collin taking over the management position at Minnesota, as was all aware. This was what was heard in the locker room not too long before this happened. Jon was having a conversation with Igor when the event happened. At the time, Igor was pestering Jon, as he always was.

We're not sure how the conversation started (apparently the locker room security cameras weren't recording at the time), but boy do we know how it ended. The camera starts with Igor Volkov on the bench tugging at the untied skate laces of Jon Forty-one.

Jon: You know being free of this just makes it more appealing!

Igor: I mean, your skate laces are untied.

Jon eventually ties his skates, and then complains and mocks Igor for struggling

Igor: Er, so going forward, I know we'll be on different teams. At least Gibbles is a friendly guy and I can easily see him in management...

Igor hugs Jon Farewell, my friend.

Jon: You were my best friend. Honestly, the best part of Minny too.  But the fact you remind me of the Vancouver Whalers, you refused to learn how to tie your bloody boots and how fucking terrible this place is when winter comes round means I am genuinely god damn happy to be abandoning you. Hey, I did it already with Raiders, right? At least this one is by my hands.

Igor: Er, okay... Jon, you still want to be in contact? I mean, not to be rude or anything, but I genuinely enjoyed talking to you. It will be hard without you...

As he is saying this, Igor struggles with his own laces...

Jon: Indifferent. Continuing to be honest I could care less what happens. I would just take whoever picks me up off the list and replace it with Minnesota Chiefs instead since they let me drop low in the draft anyway but why beat a dead fucking horse.

He just folds his arms, what a prick

Igor: Please don't add me to the list... Er, so how do I personally not be on the list?

Igor is hoping not to get on Jon's bad side, as he's a bit scared of being on the revenge list.

Jon: Tell you what, I will give you a season to learn how to tie one boot. You do that, Minny and you are off the list. You fail, I will fuck you guys so hard...

Igor: interrupts Jon, why not learn right now? I mean, we'll still together here, at least.

Jon: Learn. By. Yourself.

Igor: How about this, bud? You tie one skate, I'll follow you on the other skate. Deal?

Igor pokes Jon to see if he heard

Igor: Oh and by the way, how will you check to see if I've learned at the end of the season?

Jon: I do not know. Probably whenever the last fixture we have is when we see each other?

Igor: Before we go though, you're not going to demonstrate one last time? At least for your own friend who will be terrified of being thunderdomed?

Igor looks at Jon with great concern, worried about what will happen.

Igor: I just don't want to end up on your target list, so as a friend, would you mind at least giving me a head start when it comes to learning this?

Igor: At the end of this, I'll buy you a pina colada! Anything!

Jon: No. We're done. You learn this by roughly the end of the regular season or prepare.

Igor: Prepare for what?

Igor offers to hug Jon one last time

Jon just takes it

Igor: Bud, if you're unwilling to demonstrate, then I'll just take Gibbles to explain... And I'm not sure if he'll be able to...

Igor is still hugging Jon, hoping he'd maybe give in and at least tie one skate so Igor can internalize what Jon's doing and not be thunderdomed by Jon.

Jon walks off

Igor sighs. He tucks his laces into his boots and walks off. To be honest, he has a bit of a mild fear of Jon now, having a pretty accurate guess as of to what Jon will do to him personally. He approaches the new coach, Collin Gibbles and asks for help with the entire situation.

knock knock, door opens

Igor: Collin, I need help.

Collin: What happened?

Igor: Gibbles, I know we started off as enemies, you on Anaheim and myself on Vancouver. And then became friends. But now I'm a bit terrified now that Jon has left us, though not for the reason you might be expecting. Jon and I played together in Vancouver and Minnesota, and now Jon has left under your management. Personally, I really enjoy having you as the manager and our captain. But no time for that.

You see, I was talking to Jon who threatened to put the entire team on his "list" if I didn't learn how to tie my skates by next season. He gave me a lot of anger for that and I asked for a brief demonstration before he left, and then he said "learn on your own" and he just left. You know very well that I'm unable to tie my own skates. He said that if I learned by the end of this next season, then the team would not be on his list and everything would be okay. Otherwise, prepare for a Daco-like situation, but worse. And that is not okay.

Igor: So Collin, as the captain, I'd like for you to demonstrate for me how to do this, maybe at first just tie them for me before working towards tying them on my own. That okay with you, bud? I know it's not much to ask for, but really, I'd take anything at this point.

Collin: Sure thing bud, as your captain it would be my honor. I'll tie them for now and we will work on getting it on your own as we go.

Igor: Thanks, bud. Igor hugs Collin You know how much this means to me, bud.

Igor sets his foot on a raised platform just outside of the rink, indicating that he's ready for Collin to tie them.

Igor: After this, I'm going to warm up some and then hopefully we'll be ready to train this team.

Collin: Sounds good. He takes a lace in each hand and gets the laces nice and tight so they don't come loose That should be good for today, go get warmed up and well begin some drills in just a bit.

The door opens back to the rink.

Igor: Thanks. Igor warms up, ready to play for his friendly captain. As he skates, Igor judges how Collin tied them. The knot was apparently twice as good as what Jon had done. This prompts him to ask.

Igor: You know, why did I never get you to tie my skates earlier?

Collin: Hard to say my friend, must have just never come up, haha.

Igor: Yeah, maybe my other teammates were more willing and I never had enough of an issue with them to resort to asking you. Who knows? I mean... hopefully the fact that I'm unable to tie my skates doesn't make me any less worthy in your eyes, right?

Collin: Definitely doesn't make you any less worthy. Everyone has their strengths and talents. As a team we have to work together to make them work as a unit.

Igor hugs Collin

Igor: Thanks, bud. I trust you with my skates. This means a lot to Igor. He'd rather have someone competent tie them for him than be struggling on the ice, as was evident for most of his career. Hopefully with Collin's assistance, Igor can let go of some of his fear of his skates untying.

Collin gives Igor the thumbs up gesture.

Igor: And in the case my skates do untie (or I struggle learning), you've got my back, right? Jon really wasn't that way with me...

Collin: Definitely, Can't have you going around on loose skates. Puts you and everyone else at risk and we wouldn't want that.

Igor: Yep, thanks. I remember what, my first game here, where my states untied in third period or something, and no one did anything about it?

Collin: It's a shame, but even if it happens again, you team will be here now to help. And if worse comes to worse we'll get someone to design another system with buckles or Velcro. Use the old human spirit and ingenuity.

Igor: Maybe it was because we first met on rival teams and you didn't exactly trust me yet? I don't know. Took me a while to start seeing you as a friend, of course.

Collin: Once you are so used to seeing someone as a rival it takes time to find some common ground

Igor: Yeah, it does. I don't know if you've tied my skates before actually. Might have been once or twice in past seasons, but I don't remember.

Igor is definitely feeling a lot more comfortable around Collin now than he was before he became the captain and manager. Perhaps he trusted other teammates more than Collin?

Igor: Anyway, did you ever tie my skates before now...? Igor wonders if Collin ever remembers tying them, or if this was his first time. I ask because I'm trying to jog my own memory. Maybe you tied them in the middle of a game, but I don't know.

Collin: I'm sure if you asked mid game, I definitely would have helped you out.

Igor: No way I would have back then. I guess I was too used to my skates untying at that point.

Igor reflects for a bit

Igor: I wonder if you saw me as "the guy with continuously untied skate laces" or something... yeah, sorry about that. I might come across as a bit stubborn, but mostly I guess I was too embarrassed to admit that I did need help.

Collin: Not a problem my friend. We all have things we need to learn to grow.

Igor: And this is why it's great to have you as team captain. Actually come to think of it, there was a time recently where my skate laces might have gotten caught in your skates or something, bringing both of us down? Could have been someone else, but I seem to remember that.

Collin: I think I remember it too, maybe I need to to work on watching where I'm skating more too, haha.

Igor: Yep. I don't know if that was the time where you decided, jeez this guy needs to learn or what. I know at that point I decided that I need to be more active in asking for help. I trusted a few of my teammates, but now with more of my teammates less willing or even refusing to tie my skates, I guess I had to reach out to you.

Igor reflects for a moment

Igor: Actually, yeah. I remember skating away in embarrassment, but that was the time you held me on the shoulders or back I think to stop me, and in a friendly tone decided to reassure me that in that moment, you would tie them. That could have been the only time you tied my skates prior to this time. I seem to remember now...

Igor stands in silence for a while

Igor: What was going on through your mind when you decided to help out in that moment, if I don't mind asking?

Collin: I was always raised to help those around me. Can't be part of a team if you are not willing to help one another out when they need it most.

Igor: Well, thanks. Meant a lot to me. I think in that moment, I had a changed perception of you, and I was more willing to reach out in the future. So I did.

Igor finishes his drills. He prepares to get off of the ice.

Igor: Hey Collin, you want to instruct me later in the evening? I often like to go down to the rink with a buddy to practice and train more skills. Actually I kind of have to because, you know, my skates.

Collin: Quite possibly, I know at the moment I need to hit the showers after that practice and get some shut eye soon.

Igor: Night, Collin. Igor hugs Collin I just like to train at somewhat weird hours, though I can adapt to your schedule if need be...