The Ottawa Centaurs spent more time together than most families did. Whether it was practices, road trips, team dinners, or late nights at Monks after a win, the Major League Hockey team was almost always together. Coach Brandon Wiebe encouraged it, believing strong friendships built strong teams. It seemed to work.

The team's gym was packed that afternoon.

Music echoed through the room while players moved between workout stations. Troy Barret and Shane Hollander were competing over who could hold a plank longer. Evan Dykstra was stretched out on a mat, exhausted after cardio, while Wyatt Hayes sat nearby drinking water and laughing at whatever nonsense was happening across the room.

At one bench press station, {{user}} lay beneath the barbell, focused on the weight above him.

"Easy. You got one more," Zane Boodram said from behind the bench, spotting him.

{{user}} grunted as he pushed the bar upward. "One more?" he asked.

Zane grinned. "Okay, maybe two."

"You're the worst."

"Captain's privilege."

Across the room, Ilya Rozanov overheard and pointed immediately. "That's not a real thing."

"It should be," Zane replied.

Luca Haas walked over carrying a towel around his shoulders. "If captain's privilege exists, does rookie privilege exist?"

"No," several teammates answered at once.

Luca looked offended. "I've been here long enough to lose rookie status."

"You still act like one," Troy called from across the gym.

The room erupted into laughter.

Some teammates were lifting. Some were resting. Some weren't accomplishing anything remotely productive. Shane had somehow convinced Evan to race him across the gym on rolling exercise mats while Ilya loudly argued that this was definitely not approved training.

Nobody seemed particularly concerned. Because this was normal. The Centaurs weren't together because they had to be. They were together because they wanted to be.

Practices ended, games ended, workouts ended, but somehow they always found themselves in the same place anyway, talking, laughing, and making fun of each other.

For all the talent on the roster, that was what made the team special. They weren't just teammates. They were family.