Rachel Reid’s 2020 novel Common Goal is a queer sports romance and the fourth installment in the popular Game Changers series. The story follows Eric Bennett, a 40-year-old veteran goaltender for the fictional New York Admirals hockey team who is grappling with his recent divorce, impending retirement, and a long-suppressed attraction to men. He meets Kyle Swift, a witty 25-year-old bartender and graduate student nursing his own heartbreak. What begins as a casual and emotionally cautious relationship evolves into an increasingly meaningful connection, prompting both men to confront their insecurities, established emotional patterns, and the 15-year age gap between them. The novel explores themes including The Necessity of Vulnerability in Intimate Relationships, The Search for Authenticity Beyond Professional Identity, and Overcoming Past Trauma to Build a Healthy Relationship.

A Canadian author and lifelong hockey fan, Reid sets her novels in a world that engages with the real-world evolution of hockey culture. By the time the events of Common Goal occur, the Admirals have already embraced their openly gay captain, allowing the narrative to focus primarily on the characters’ internal conflicts, without centering overt anti-gay bias as the primary source of tension. The story is grounded in contemporary social contexts, examining the power dynamics of age-gap relationships and changing expectations of masculinity in professional sports. Reid is a USA TODAY bestselling author, and her Game Changers series has been praised for its emotional depth and has contributed to the growing popularity of the LGBTQ+ hockey romance subgenre.

This guide refers to the 2024 Carina Press edition.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of sexual content, cursing, substance use, and antigay bias.

Plot Summary

Eric Bennett, the 40-year-old starting goaltender for the New York Admirals, faces increasing pressure in both his professional and personal life. After a brutal loss to Montreal in which he allows four goals and gets pulled from the game, Eric sits alone in the locker room, reflecting on the media’s constant speculation about his retirement. His personal life offers little comfort: His marriage to Holly ended over a year ago in a quiet, mutual divorce. Eric still wears his wedding ring out of habit and superstition. His teammate and close friend, Scott Hunter, the Admirals’ captain and the NHL’s first openly gay player, invites Eric to his engagement party with Kip Grady.

Kyle Swift, a 25-year-old bartender at the Kingfisher, a Manhattan gay bar, is also a part-time graduate student studying ancient art and architecture at Columbia. He has been dealing with an unrequited crush on Kip, a fellow bartender and grad student, for nearly two years, despite knowing Kip is devoted to Scott. Kyle volunteers to tend bar at the engagement party, hoping to keep busy rather than watch the happy couple together.

At the party, Eric leans against the bar alone, and Kyle strikes up a conversation. They discover overlapping interests: Eric has a Harvard degree in English literature and collects art, while Kyle speaks multiple languages and studies ancient art. Their chemistry is immediate, but Kyle notices Eric’s wedding ring and assumes that he is unavailable. Eric, meanwhile, is drawn to Kyle in a way that leads him to recognize an attraction to men he has not previously acted on. Scott’s public coming out two years earlier prompted Eric to reflect more directly on his own bisexuality, but he considers Kyle far too young and fears appearing as a midlife crisis cliché.

The morning after the party, Kyle’s roommate, Maria Villanueva, a close friend studying human services, pushes Kyle to move on from Kip. Kyle dismisses Eric as married and straight, and Maria jokingly dubs Eric “Dream Daddy.” Meanwhile, Eric, alone in his Murray Hill townhouse, decides he could use Kyle as practice in interacting with men he is attracted to.

Eric surprises his teammates by throwing a party for his 41st birthday, hoping Kyle will attend. Kyle nearly skips the event but decides that isolating himself from friends is worse. At the party, Kyle arrives wearing glasses and casual clothes, appearing noticeably different from his bartender persona, which catches Eric’s attention. Kyle has brought ingredients for a custom birthday mocktail, and they share a private moment admiring Eric’s art collection, including a large abstract painting called Guardian that Eric relates to his role as a goaltender. After the other guests leave, Kyle stays to help clean up and mentions his pattern of becoming involved with older, unavailable men. Eric invites Kyle to stay in a guest room. When Kyle undresses casually in front of him, Eric retreats to his own bedroom, recognizing the intensity of his attraction.

The next morning, over breakfast, Eric tells Kyle he is bisexual, the first time he has ever said it aloud. Kyle is supportive and affirming. Eric confesses he wants to date men but has no idea how, so Kyle offers to take him to a gay bar. That evening, at a bar called Fortune, they scan the room together while Kyle tries to identify Eric’s type. When another man approaches Kyle, Kyle spontaneously claims Eric is his boyfriend to avoid the interaction. Eric reveals he has removed his wedding ring for the first time in years. Walking Kyle home afterward, they share a tentative first kiss on the sidewalk that becomes more intense. Kyle offers to help Eric with other “firsts,” on a casual basis.

During a road trip to Toronto, Eric comes out to Scott, who is supportive and says he thinks Kyle would be good for Eric. Back in New York, Eric invites Kyle to dinner at his townhouse. After the meal, they kiss, and Eric leads Kyle upstairs. With Kyle’s guidance, Eric engages in sexual intimacy with a man for the first time. Afterward, Kyle declines to stay the night, reinforcing the casual nature of their arrangement.

Over the following weeks, their interactions increase in frequency. They visit galleries and share meals, and Eric’s feelings deepen with every outing. During one conversation, Kyle reveals the backstory that shaped his attraction to older men: At 18 in his small Vermont hometown, he had a secret sexual relationship with Ian, his married, older male boss. When Ian’s wife discovered the affair through a private investigator, the scandal outed Kyle to the entire town. His parents sent him to New York, and Kyle has not returned to Vermont since. Eric recognizes parallels to his own situation.

At a charity drag show where Scott appears onstage, Kyle dances with another man to try to move on, but keeps making eye contact with Eric. Eric, consumed by jealousy, leaves the club. Kyle chases him outside, and they kiss desperately on the sidewalk. At Eric’s house, their physical relationship deepens further as Eric asks Kyle to teach him how to have penetrative sex. Eric asks Kyle to stay the night, and they fall asleep spooning. The next morning, Eric confides that he plans to retire at the end of the season, another major secret shared with Kyle before anyone else. In subsequent encounters, Kyle introduces additional elements into their sexual relationship, which Eric consents to and participates in. Both men become aware of their developing emotional attachment.

At the All-Star Game, Eric comes out as bisexual to Ilya Rozanov, a brash Ottawa star who has already guessed Eric’s interest in Kyle. Back in New York, Eric formally announces his retirement to his teammates.

On the day of his public retirement announcement, Kyle suggests they go hiking at Blue Mountain to avoid the media storm. They have an idyllic day outdoors, but when they return to the city, Eric tells Kyle he cannot continue their arrangement because he has developed feelings and believes the age difference presents a barrier to a long-term relationship. Kyle is furious and heartbroken, insisting he is not a child and that Eric is perfect for him. Kyle storms out, accusing Eric of being like every other older man who used him and then discarded him.

They do not speak for two months. Eric focuses on the playoffs while continuing to think about Kyle. The Admirals are eliminated in the first round, and Eric marks the end of his career. On the flight home, he recognizes that he wants to pursue a relationship with Kyle.

Eric goes straight to the Kingfisher, still in his suit from the arena. Kyle is initially distant, but in the storeroom, Eric apologizes and says he wants to pursue a committed relationship. Kyle expresses frustration that it took two months but acknowledges his continued feelings. They kiss, and Eric shares plans for their future: traveling to Greece together and buying the Kingfisher with Scott so Kyle can manage it. Kyle tells Eric he needs to finish his shift but agrees to come to Eric’s place afterward.

The Epilogue takes place months later, at Scott and Kip’s outdoor wedding near Bay Shore, Long Island. Eric and Scott have co-purchased the Kingfisher, Kyle is involved in running it, and Eric and Kyle have returned from a trip to Greece. During the reception, Maria finally dances with Matti Jalo, an Admirals player, fulfilling a long-running subplot. Kyle and Eric slow dance to “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” and express their commitment to each other. The novel closes with Kyle telling Eric he saved his best years for him.