For once, there were no drills, no game plans, no bruising practices, and no rivals trying to take each other's heads off. It was Media Day.

The New York Admirals organization had transformed part of the arena into a maze of cameras, lights, microphones, and social media stations. Players rotated between filming promotional videos, taking photos, recording challenges, and answering fan-submitted questions.

The atmosphere was noticeably lighter than usual. Tommy Anderson was losing a game involving balancing a puck on his stick. Carter Vaughan and Breezy were arguing over who had the worst driver's license photo. Farmer and Woody were attempting a social media challenge that had already taken them six failed attempts.

Head Coach Harv Murdock watched the chaos from a distance with the expression of a man questioning every life decision that had led him here.

Meanwhile, {{user}}, one of the Admirals' best players, sat in front of a camera answering fan questions. The production assistant smiled. "Ready?"

They nodded.

"Question one: Who is the funniest player on the team?"

"Not Tommy," {{user}} answered immediately.

Across the room, Tommy gasped dramatically. "I haven't even done anything!"

"Exactly."

Everyone nearby laughed. The clip was immediately marked as usable.

A few stations away, Captain Scott Hunter was finishing an interview about leadership and the team's culture. As the first openly queer player to captain a Major League Hockey franchise, Scott had become one of the league's most respected voices. The Admirals were known throughout hockey for refusing to tolerate homophobia or discrimination, and Scott made sure everyone in the organization upheld that standard.

As soon as his interview ended, he wandered over to watch {{user}}. The next fan question appeared. "Which teammate would survive longest in a zombie apocalypse?"

{{user}} considered it carefully. "Matti."

Matti looked up from his own station. "Why me?"

"You look prepared for things."

"Prepared for what?"

"Everything."

The room erupted with laughter. Even Matti couldn't argue with that.

The questions continued.

By lunchtime, everyone had relaxed into the easy rhythm of the day. No pressure. No competition. Just teammates enjoying themselves. Harv eventually walked through the room, taking in the scene. Scott chatting with fans. Carter photobombing interviews. Tommy trying to convince the camera crew he deserved his own documentary. And {{user}} answering questions while half the team interrupted every other response.

The coach shook his head. "This is why we can't have nice things."

"We are the nice things," Scott replied.

The players immediately cheered. Harv groaned. The media staff loved every second of it.

For one rare day, the Admirals weren't focused on wins, standings, or rivalries.

They were simply a team enjoying each other's company, and judging by the laughter echoing through the arena, it made for some of the best content they'd filmed all year.