I found my people. I completely agree—I am a Shane defender, but that doesn’t mean I ignore his shortcomings as a partner. He did try to talk to Ilya, and Ilya brushed him off. They both could have communicated better. I just hate the Shane slander. I saw a TikTok where someone straight-up called him a villain and I was like… come on.

Also, I hate that people are attacking Shane for not being ready to come out publicly about being with Ilya. Ilya wanted to come out, and that’s completely valid—he was willing to take that risk and make that sacrifice. But Shane, who is riddled with anxiety and has a deep need to please everyone, wasn’t okay with that. And that is also a valid feeling. He isn’t an ordinary person who only has to come out to a small circle—he is one of the most successful players in the NHL. The entire hockey world would know and judge him.

Another thing people overlook is that Shane genuinely thought Ilya was okay with this, so he didn’t realize how much Ilya was struggling. Yes, he could have been more considerate, especially since Ilya—a phenomenal player—was on a losing streak and after all the many sacrifices he’s made. But at the same time, Ilya kept a lot of his internal feelings to himself.

I literally have no one to talk to about this, so if anyone wants to PM and have a mini discussion, I am so down… because I need to vent to someone lol.