Archive of Our Own ^beta

Buzzfeed Sports ✅ @BuzzFeedSports
We're officially halfway through this year's #NHL season, so let's relive last year's 20 top moments: From #Chicago's Conrad Bennard with that unreal wrap-around goal, to #Ottawa’s Hollander & Rozanov's now-iconic Stanley Cup embrace and more trib.al/jHEhdhEU85S

Jolien @benchminors
Replying to @BuzzFeedSports
Yeah I’m not even an Ottawa fan but that kiss made me emotional

Gay Hockey News @hollanovupdates
Holly and Roz kiss at number 1 yep exactly! exactly! finally some good fucking journalism

emmy 🏒 @emmyeatsice
Replying to @hollanovupdates
Kind of reheating Scott Hunter’s nachos but ok

sugarplum haasy @rightwingerchaos
Far from me to praise Buzzfeed but that little 20 top moments list hit so hard… like yes that stanley cup kiss was one of those sports moments you can show to people who don’t even watch hockey

duncan @leftcoastblues
Replying to @rightwingerchaos
Sad that it can’t happen again with that new rule change tho

sugarplum haasy @rightwingerchaos
Replying to @rightwingerchaos @leftcoastblues
wait wdym

NHL Public Relations ✅ @NHLPR
The NHL announced a new rule change set to take effect this season. nhl.com/news/nhl-announces-rule-cha…

NHL

National Hockey League announces mid-season rule change

MANHATTAN - The National Hockey League announced today a minor amendment to the Rule Book that will be implemented during the current season.

The change was reviewed by the League’s Board of Governors, NHL General Managers and the NHL/NHLPA Competition Committee and has been provisionally approved for in-season application. Updated language will be reflected in the next official Rule Book revision.

Rule 75 – Unsportsmanlike Conduct 

75.1 Unsportsmanlike Conduct – Players, coaches and other team staff are responsible for their behavior at all times and must take the necessary care to prevent disorderly conduct  before, during or after the game, whether off or on ice. Officials are authorized to penalise anyone who fails in upholding these standards. 

NOTE: Misconduct directed at an official shall be addressed under Rule 39 - Abuse of Officials.

75.2 Minor Penalty - A minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct may be assessed under for the following examples: 

(i) Any recognizable player who is observed using obscene, profane or abusive language targeted at anyone.

(ii) Any player who displays unsportsmanlike physical conduct including, but not limited to pulling another player’s hair, biting another player, grabbing hold of another’s face mask or any similar actions. If this results in injury, an NHL Official may apply Rule 21 - Match Penalties.

(iii) Throwing objects onto the ice from the bench, penalty box, or any off-ice location. 

(iv) Sitting on the boards with skates exposed during play. 

(v) Deliberately removing or altering a jersey in violation of uniform rules, whether or not an altercation occurs. Penalties may include a minor for unsportsmanlike conduct and additional time.

(vi) Engaging in excessive public displays of affection (PDA) on the ice, including kissing another player on the mouth, excessive and prolonged hugging between two persons, or other intimate contact, which is prohibited during games or celebrations. Such actions may result in a minor penalty for unsportsmanlike behavior.

Willa @rozwhore
being Ilya Rozanov must be what being in hell is like because what do you mean your husband just transferred to your team and you win a cup and the NHL nearly immediately bans PDA on the ice specifically for you and your husband

Sasha @rozanovtopia
Replying to @rozwhore
He is certainly Stronger than me because I’d already be crashing out on twitter

Willa @rozwhore
Replying to @rozwhore @rozanovtopia
I’d become the fucking joker

Graceeee @BarrettBabey
well you know some moments go down in history and others age into policy updates i guess it’s fine

riri @boodslut
crying at how homophobic the league is, they saw two gay stanley cup kisses and immediately said “never again”

ruby @ruuubeee
Replying to @boodslut
Actually are other players not allowed to kiss their wives now during stanley cup celebrations???

riri @boodslut
Replying to @boodslut @ruuubeee
No lmao it explicitly says “another player” they might as well just have amended the rule to “hollander and rozanov are not allowed to kiss each other”

toronto sufferer @guardiansaremycurse
Hollander and Rozanov should sue idk how they would do it but they should sue

Joseph @cenzforlife
and when i say that they should instead instate this ban on PDA in Hayden Pike’s house

Hayden Pike ✅ @HaydenPike
Replying to @cenzforlife
Do you have an off button?

amelia @amskates
Omg they are completely deranged

amelia @amskates
Replying to @amskates
banning “excessive and prolonged hugging between two persons” oh so like what teammates do after every goal?

The Athletic NHL ✅ @TheAthleticNHL
In its latest rulebook update, the NHL quietly added a ban on PDA on the ice. Is this merely coincidence or a response to Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov’s now-iconic Stanley Cup kiss?

Nora 💫 @noranotes
Replying to @TheAthleticNHL
I am hoping praying and also assuming that that question is rhetorical

The Athletic

In its latest rulebook update, the NHL quietly added a ban on PDA on the ice. Is this merely coincidence or a response to Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov’s now-iconic Stanley Cup kiss?

By Christian Ferraro

-

The NHL has updated its rule book mid-season. While this is not the first time this has happened, it is certainly the first time that doing so has raised this many eyebrows. The League did not issue a press release, hold any media availability or press conference and seemed to be content to draw absolutely no public attention to the change. Instead, the update quietly appeared on the NHL’s website, along with a memo sent to teams.

The change pertains to Rule 75, governing unsportsmanlike conduct. A new subsection was added, explicitly listing “excessive public displays of affection (PDA) on the ice”, which apparently includes “kissing another player on the mouth” and “excessive and prolonged hugging”, whatever that might mean, as conduct now subject to a minor penalty. 

Surface level, this addition is framed quite broadly, now sitting alongside existing prohibitions against abusive language, unbecoming physical conduct such as pulling or biting, throwing objects onto the ice and sitting on the board with skates exposed. The League also maintains that this change is about professionalism and game decorum.

But the timing has raised immediate, and obvious, questions.

Everybody remembers how last season ended with one of the most widely shared scenes in recent NHL history: Ottawa Centaurs players, and married couple, Ilya Rozanov (C) and Shane Hollander (C) embracing and kissing at center ice moments after winning the Stanley Cup. This image has since transcended hockey. It appeared on front pages, led highlight reels and was cited by advocates as a rare, highly visible moment of queer joy in a sport that has historically struggled with inclusion.

Now, less than a year later, the NHL has formalized a rule banning precisely that type of on-ice celebration.

Of course the NHL has pushed back strongly against any suggestion that this rule change is meant to be targeting Hollander, Rozanov or any other individual players. They have clarified that the intent was not to limit any player’s personal expression or single out specific individuals.

Still, several players and team staff contacted by The Athletic said that the optics and the timing were impossible to ignore.”

“It’s hard not to connect the dots”, said a spokesperson for HFE, an inclusion-based initiative spearheaded by the New York Admirals’ Scott Hunter. “You can fight, you can scream at each other, hurl abuse at refs, pile on top of each other after a goal, but kissing is the problem? That’s new.”

It’s worth noting that this change comes midway through the season, where after 41 games the Ottawa Centaurs are leading both the Atlantic Conference and the Eastern Division with a nearly unprecedented 33 wins, 4 losses and 4 overtime losses. “You start to think that the League is preparing itself for another Ottawa win this year, and don’t want a repeat of the headlines.”

Montreal Voyageurs player Hayden Pike described the rule update as “weird” and “confusing at best”, noting that hockey celebrations have always been inherently physical. “I don’t know what’s excessive. A hug after a goal? Jumping your teammate after winning the Cup? That’s literally every celebration I have ever been a part of. It’s strange.”

The ambiguity of the wording has also placed officials in an uncomfortable position, as applying these penalties are up to their discretion. Referees are instructed to apply “common sense,” according to internal guidance reviewed by The Athletic, but multiple sources said there was little clarity on how this rule is expected to be enforced.

From a historical standpoint, the NHL has rarely added language explicitly regulating affection between players. Previous conduct rules have focused on safety, respect toward officials, and maintaining order during play. This update stands out not only for its subject matter, but for just how specific it is.

“It’s unusual to see the league codify something that previously didn’t exist as a problem”, said a hockey insider. “When you write it down, you’re explicitly saying: this is an issue now.”

Whether the League’s problem with players kissing comes down to optics, public attention, or discomfort within league leadership remains unclear. What is clear is that the moment Hollander and Rozanov shared last June still looms large, not just within fan circles, but institutionally.

juniper @hotmesswarrior
You can take the homophobic commissioner out of the NHL but you can’t take the NHL out of the grasp of the homophobic commissioner IT SEEMS

Alison DiSwagRentis @nosila444
Replying to @hotmesswarrior
These "league officials" would do well to remember that Hollanov already accidentally got rid of one commissioner just by being hot and correct and gay

the tortured pussy department @taylorsnhl
Trying to keep up with hockey right now genuinely feels like being a clown clocking in for a shift at the circus what the fuck am i reading

Jonas Smith @JSmith_7
This shit is not actually enforceable is it now

Tara  🏹🐎 @tarantulaaa
Replying to @JSmith_7
No idea but I’d like to see them try

mads 🏒💔 @goaliegirlie
Can’t believe giving your husband a little kissykiss on the ice is now just as forbidden as straight up biting another player

syd @slapshotsecrets
Replying to @goaliegirlie
I hereby implore Ilya Rozanov to start biting people

Ottawa Centaurs ✅ @OttawaCentaurs
Replying to @goaliegirlie @slapshotsecrets
See here's what we’re not going to do

syd @slapshotsecrets
Replying to @goaliegirlie @slapshotsecrets @OttawaCentaurs
sowwy

Steven Lindemans Reporter @SLindemans_CentaursBeat
Just got a chance to talk to Shane Hollander about the rule update before the game. He said “We’ll adjust", and declined to elaborate.

Viv @catparent
Replying to @SLindemans_CentaursBeat
Alright and that’s the most ominous sentence i’ve ever heard from him

Ellie 🩷🏒 @snelliee
Replying to @SLindemans_CentaursBeat
oh I just know he's fuuuuuuming

Steven Lindemans Reporter @SLindemans_CentaursBeat
Also just managed to catch Rozanov, who said “No, I didn’t know my marriage would affect the rulebook.”

Sportsnet @Sportsnet
When asked ahead of the Ottawa Centaurs' first game after the controversial no PDA rule change, an NHL spokesperson reiterated that the upcoming rule change is about “professionalism” and is not meant to target individual players.

bren @brenstweets
Replying to @Sportsnet
Yeah nothing screams professional like grown men fistfighting on the reg but god forbid they give each other a hug

rip (rest in piss) montreal voyageurs @rebecca_jones
oh this league hates joy so bad

talia @femmenomenon
Rozanov keeps referring to Hollander as "коллега" to reporters lmfaooooo

Willa @rozwhore
Replying to @femmenomenon
Wait what does that mean

talia @femmenomenon
Replying to @femmenomenon @rozwhore
Coworker 😭

Janie from the block @cuckoohockey
Oh I actually hate them why are they acting Like That

Joan of Snark @elllistaylor
Replying to @cuckoohockey
I can't watch what's up

Janie from the block @cuckoohockey
Replying to @cuckoohockey @elllistaylor
Hollander just scored on the PP and Rozanov nodded at him from halfway down the ice not even a stick tap or nothing

Tara  🏹🐎 @tarantulaaa
Replying to @cuckoohockey @elllistaylor
I KNOW like why are you five feet apart? it's giving cole sprouse

Kian @gaymayflower
Nobody dares to touch each other during this fucking game welcome to the monastery boys

NHL clown patrol @leagueofbozos
Replying to @gaymayflower
Read all about the new and clever ways that the NHL is reinventing catholicism

Ottawa Centaurs Watch 🏹🐎 @EyeOnTheCens
The Centaurs just won the game and they are all shaking hands instead of celebrating

NHL PDA Patrol @NHLPDA
Welcome to the NHL PDA Patrol, a fan-run account to make sure that the new no PDA-rule is enforced fairly, and isn't used to single out or target gay players.

NHL PDA Patrol @NHLPDA
#Pittsburgh players Corby and Mitrov hugged for approximately eight seconds today after a goal. No penalty minutes served.

Luca Haas ✅ @LucaHaasSchwiiz
Replying to @NHLPDA
👀👀👀

NHL PDA Patrol @NHLPDA
#Ottawa players Haas and Dykstra hold hands throughout warmup. No penalty minutes served.

NHL PDA Patrol @NHLPDA
#Boston players St.-Simon and Marlow hug each other for forty seconds after a goal. No penalty minutes served.

Jonah @rozanderluvr
Replying to @NHLPDA
Oh they are taking the piss

NHL PDA Patrol @NHLPDA
Not PDA-related but the New York Admirals have taken to the ice with pride tape!

ESPN ✅ @ESPN
#OttawaCentaurs players Zane Boodram and Nick Chouinard kiss on ice in protest of NHL PDA-ban: “My wife said it was okay”

NHL PDA Patrol @NHLPDA
Replying to @ESPN
Are you coming for my job pal

ESPN

Ottawa Centaurs’ Zane Boodram and Nick Chouinard kiss on ice in protest of NHL PDA ban: “My wife said it was okay”

By ESPN Staff

-

The limits of the NHL’s newly clarified stance on public displays of affection was tested on Saturday night in spectacular fashion. After the final horn of Ottawa’s 4-3 home win, Centaurs players Zane Boodram (LW) and Nick Chouinard (D) skated to center ice, wrapped their arms around each other and shared a brief kiss as teammates gathered around them. Officials did not intervene.

Cameras followed Boodram and Chouinard as they skated off the ice smiling, but sorry to disappoint, this moment was not the start of a new off-ice love story. Boodram later explained to ESPN that the gesture was deliberate and intended as a statement, not a reflection of a romantic relationship.

“My wife said it was okay”, he told reporters afterward, laughing. “She actually dared me to do it.”

The kiss appears to be a deliberate protest against the NHL’s recent rulebook update to Rule 75, which added “excessive public displays of affection (PDA)”, including kissing another player on the mouth, to the list of actions that could be penalized as unsportsmanlike conduct.

The NHL has not formally rescinded the change, but issued a statement shortly before the first games of the day began clarifying that enforcement of the rule is “discretionary.” No fines or penalties have been issued, and none are expected. The language, however, remains in the rulebook, despite players and player organizations openly questioning its purpose.

Boodram and Chouinard made sure there was no ambiguity about their intent.

“Of course we wanted to make a point”, Chouinard said. “We are a team. We love our captain and our alternate captain. We celebrate together, we hug, we jump on each other after goals. Suddenly being told we need to think twice about that felt weird.”

He paused, then added, “Also, Zane’s wife literally texted him ‘do it’ after warmups.”

According to multiple Centaurs players, the celebration was discussed jokingly earlier in the day and escalated once the league’s clarification dropped.

“We figured if they’re saying it’s discretionary and they don’t plan to enforce it, then okay — let’s see,” said Boodram. “Worst case, it’s a minor penalty. Best case, it proves how stupid and silly the whole thing is.”

Officials allowed the celebration to pass without comment, and no penalty was assessed.

The NHL has declined to comment on the specific incident, reiterating only its earlier statement that this rule “was not intended to target specific players” and that officials are expected to apply “common sense.”

When asked whether Saturday’s protest was meant to echo Hollander and Rozanov’s Stanley Cup embrace, Boodram enthusiastically confirmed.

“Of course”, he said. “That was a such beautiful moment. It really meant something to a lot of people. If the message now is that those moments are somehow unsportsmanlike, then we’re going to push back.”

Chouinard summed it up more simply.

“Hockey’s already violent enough", he shrugged. “Please let us hug.”

riri @boodslut
Those god damn Ottawa Centaurs... Try not to say familia challenge FAILED #LetThemHug

The New York Times ✅ @nytimes
Thirteen NHL-referees sign open letter, refusing to enforce the no-PDA rule: “Blatantly discriminatory” nyti.ms/3X9BUD45

ESPN ✅ @ESPN
NHL officially walks back controversial rule change

Shane Hollander ✅ @ShaneHollanderHockeyPlayer
Glad to hear I’m officially allowed to celebrate with my teammates again how we see fit.

Ilya Rozanov ✅ @Rozanov81
Replying to @ShaneHollanderHockeyPlayer
Come here then ❤️

ELI @rooooselandry
Replying to @ShaneHollanderHockeyPlayer @Rozanov81
sir this is a wendy's

Ben 🏹🐎@BennyQ
Replying to @ShaneHollanderHockeyPlayer @Rozanov81 @rooooselandry
the word "teammates" is truly doing some olympic level heavy lifting here

Ilya Rozanov ✅ @Rozanov81
I am going to score hat trick and kiss the husband at center ice today

toronto sufferer @guardiansaremycurse
Replying to @rozanov81
Not going to happen! I believe that Toronto will win!

toronto sufferer @guardiansaremycurse
I can't fucking believe that he scored a hat trick and kissed the husband at center ice today

Ilya Rozanov ✅ @rozanov81 🔁 toronto sufferer @guardiansaremycurse