****

Rick Nash had never hung out much with Tyler Seguin before, so it was weird when the superstar forward for the Dallas Stars magically got ahold of his number and sent him a friendly text wishing to hang out. Sure they knew one another and they’d met a few times, mostly via the All-Star weekend, however Rick didn’t know Tyler and Tyler didn’t know Rick. And all Rick had ever told Tyler was how much he loved Golden Retrievers.

The Rangers’ forward walked up Tyler’s house in Dallas. It was the massive mansion, which used to be owned by Mike Modano. He took a deep breath, unsure what to expect. Then he knocked on the door four times. He had chosen to wear a short-sleeve blue hoodie and jeans.

Almost immediately after the knocks, the door swung open and a flash of golden leapt up at him. Rick gasped and braced himself as the thing hit him and knocked him onto his back. He felt a tongue licking at his face and heard the sound of a dog slobbering.

“Nikita!!” a voice snapped. “Nikita, down!” There was a clap of hands and the dog backed off of Rick, who scrambled to his feet, brushing himself off.

Nikita, the dog, barked at his owner and the ground shook temporarily under Rick’s feet. The hockey player for the Rangers blinked and looked at the trees and bushes, which swayed. There wasn’t a breeze, but he shook his head. He turned back to the door to see that Tyler was standing in the doorway. He was wearing a black shirt, black jacket and dark denim jeans on. Nikita was behind him, trying to get by but finding it impossible to do so. And Tyler wasn’t going to budge.

“You’ll have to excuse Nikita, he loves people,” the Star stated, smiling.

“It’s alright. When did you get a golden retriever? I thought you liked labs and had two?” Rick questioned.

“Cash and Marshall are with my sisters, they’re still around. I just got this loveable little guy though. He was a gift from Jamie.”

“Odd, but okay.”

“Come on in, we can sit and chat and hang out. Nikita will calm down then...hopefully.” Tyler shot his dog a playfully glare.

Nikita gave another softer bark this time. But it was still enough to started the Ranger. He’d never heard a bark like that before. He was tempted to ask Tyler about it but he thought better of it and kept his mouth shut.

The younger man led the thirty-one year old into the main living room and they both sat down on the couch. Nikita sat beside his master’s legs and Tyler patted him on the head. He let his tongue loll out of his mouth and he panted with happiness, looking from his owner to the guest.

“So, who’s the goldie?” Rick asked.

“This is Nikita, my new canine companion. As you heard he does have a sharp bark that is worse than his bite. But don’t worry, he’s a friend to everyone who doesn’t try to kill me or hurt me. You know the deal.” Tyler smiled and laughed a little bit.

Rick laughed as well. He had nothing to worry about. “I shoulda brought my goldie here, Nashy.”

“Nashy?” Tyler inquired, raising an eyebrow at his friend. “You named your dog after your nickname?”

“It wasn’t my idea. Personally I blame Zuccs. He’s the one who named the dog, calling him Nashy. I wanted to name him Buster or Butch or Roscoe...but nope.” Rick shrugged. “So he’s Nashy.”

“Cool story bro.”

“So you’re from Brampton?” Rick asked, trying to kickstart a conversation.

“Yeah, I am. I wonder why the two of us have never met before or hung out?” Tyler pointed out.

“Well, seeing as how busy you normally are…” Rick stated, looking to the side.

“Yeah, it’s not easy being a superstar, eh?” Tyler remarked, chuckling. “And having the responsibility of caring for a dog...three dogs most of the time. Thanks Jamie Benn.” He laughed harder.

Rick shook his head and stated, “Hey, nothing wrong with liking dogs and having three of them. At least you don’t own like ten dogs.”

Tyler winked at Rick. “Then I’d be a Crazy Dog Man...like the opposite of a crazy cat lady. No, I would never do that, not as a talented hockey player.”

“Yeah, true. So what you want to do then?” Rick asked. “Are we just going to sit here and talk about dogs...or…?”

“Nah, we don’t have to. We can do something else. You want anything to drink?” Tyler questioned, getting to his feet. Nikita got up with him, looking up at him, curiously. Where was his owner going or what was he doing?

Rick leaned back into the couch and shrugged. “Maybe just a beer, if you have any.”

“What kind?” Tyler smiled at him.

“I’ll have a Bud Light on the rocks please!” Rick remarked. “And thanks.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll be right back with that.” With that, Tyler Seguin vanished into his kitchen.

Notes

So I learned that Rick Nash AKA: Nashy is from Brampton...I didn't know that and now I do and well, at least I like someone romantically from Brampton now. Haha. Not named Tyler Seguin. :P
Nashy and Seggy! :)
I like Nikita's superbark too much. XP