Los Angeles

Los Angeles becomes the setting for a decisive early crossing in Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov’s story: the 2009 NHL draft brings their professional comparison into public view, while a hotel encounter leaves Shane unsettled by an attraction he has not yet named. The city’s significance lies less in its landmarks than in the collision it stages between sporting competition and private desire.

The 2009 Draft

In June 2009, Shane stood before photographers in Los Angeles after being selected second overall in the NHL draft. Ilya Rozanov, drafted first, was placed beside him for the photographs; a third overall pick, the American defenseman Sullivan, stood on Ilya’s other side. At the photographer’s request, Shane moved closer until Ilya’s arm brushed his, and camera flashes recorded the carefully arranged proximity.

The rankings sharpened a contrast already established at the World Juniors. During the preceding six months, Shane had become somewhat obsessed with Ilya, whose career seemed to mirror his own: both were captains, both had led their teams to championship victories, and both had been named league and playoff MVPs and scoring leaders. Their clearest difference was the medals waiting at home: Shane’s was silver, Ilya’s gold. The draft’s first- and second-place order gave that comparison a new public form.

The Hotel Encounter

After the exhausting draft day, Shane went to the hotel gym in search of a way to quiet his thoughts. The room was nearly empty, and he ran on one of its two treadmills without headphones, concentrating on the machine’s noise. He noticed only when another man stepped onto the treadmill beside him that he was no longer alone.

The encounter unsettled Shane beyond the immediate conversation. He wanted to touch Ilya back and wondered whether he wanted to kiss him; instead, he scrambled up and said he was going to bed. Ilya’s reply—that Shane would be seeing plenty of him—turned the rushed departure into a promise of continued contact. Shane waited until he was back in his own room before allowing himself to panic.

A Setting for Rivalry and Attraction

Los Angeles gathers the two men at the moment their careers begin to be measured against one another. The cameras, draft order, and shared record of hockey achievements make their competition legible to the public; the arm-brush during the photograph and the private disturbance that follows belong to a different register. The city thus marks both an external ranking and the beginning of Shane’s recognition that his attention to Ilya is not only professional.

The location’s narrative importance is concentrated in this juxtaposition. Shane has achieved the career milestone he pursued, yet being chosen second leaves him bothered, and the evening’s encounter redirects that unease toward Ilya. Los Angeles does not resolve the tension between rivalry and attraction; it gives both a first clear stage.