Cross Check

As the sexual encounter moves from the table to the floor, Grant internally reflects on his love for her. Later, over breakfast, Grant gives Amelia her birthday presents: A Dashboard Confessional record and a set of matchsticks shaped like the Stanley Cup. The gifts move Amelia to tell Grant she loves him for the first time. He reciprocates, confessing he has loved her since they met, and they commit to their relationship despite their fears.

In September, Grant’s teammates tease him in their group chat about Brody becoming his brother-in-law. Later, Grant surprises Amelia by taking her to a secluded house he wants to buy for them. He shows her the private pond that can serve as a hockey rink in the winter, explaining that the house will give them a space to live together without hiding their relationship. Amelia joyfully agrees.

In October, Grant and Amelia are settling into their new house. Grant wants Amelia to attend a Halloween party hosted by Ethan, but she’s hesitant about being seen with players. To maintain their secrecy, Grant arranges for Emmy to invite Amelia so they can arrive separately.

Amelia attends the party. Grant suggests they get tattoos at a station set up at the event. He plans to get a badger tattoo for her Wisconsin career and an hourglass to symbolize “how time stopped the minute [he] laid eyes on [her]” (631). Amelia decides on seven stars for each season she has known him. They sneak into a closet for a sexual encounter before going to get their tattoos. They agree to add a new star to her wrist every year.

In December, the DC Stars host a “Heroes and Legends Night” (636), where players are encouraged to wear the jersey of an athlete they admire. Grant decides to wear Amelia’s authentic, game-worn college jersey. Before the game against the Sea Crabs, he surprises her with it in the visitors’ hallway. Deeply touched, Amelia recalls scoring a hat trick in that specific jersey. They make a wager on the game: The loser must wear the winner’s jersey to bed.

Amelia’s team beats Grant’s team by four goals. When she arrives home, Grant is waiting in their bedroom wearing her college jersey, turned backward so her last name is on his chest. They have sex and fall asleep together. She reflects that he will always be her hero.

On the day of the Olympic roster announcements, Coach Saunders informs Amelia that she did not get a position on the men’s coaching staff. Shortly after, however, she meets with Darcy and Brenda Lovesmith, the Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations for the PWHL, along with other PWHL executives. They offer Amelia the head coach position for the US Women’s Olympic team, which she accepts. Meanwhile, Grant learns he has made the US Men’s Olympic team. When they meet at home, they joyfully celebrate that they will both be going to the Olympics in Italy together.

During the Olympics in Italy, an article is published online containing photos and videos of Grant and Amelia, exposing their relationship to the world. An angry and shocked Coach Saunders confronts Grant. Grant meets secretly with Amelia in the women’s bathroom inside the hotel fitness center. Amelia is devastated, convinced the scandal will destroy her career. She argues that as a woman in a male-dominated field, she will face the harshest scrutiny and be blamed for the situation. She tells Grant they need space and must not be seen together for the rest of the Olympics.

Distraught after his conversation with Amelia, Grant stops eating and sleeping. Concerned when he doesn’t answer their messages, several of his DC Stars teammates fly to Italy to surprise him in his hotel room. Grant reveals to the group that he and Amelia have been dating for two years and live together. The teammates advise him to respect Amelia’s request for space, focus on the upcoming gold medal game, and deal with the fallout later.

Amelia is also in emotional turmoil, struggling to eat and sleep. Emmy, the US women’s team captain, tells her that the players fully support her. Amelia channels her energy into her work and successfully coaches the US Women’s team to a gold medal victory over Canada. During the on-ice ceremony, she feels sadness that she cannot share the biggest moment of her career with Grant.

For the men’s gold medal game against Canada, Grant is still heartbroken but resolves to play his best. The game goes into sudden-death overtime. Coach Saunders puts Grant on the ice, and he scores the winning goal, securing the gold medal for the US. During the celebration, he sees Amelia watching him from the stands. She gives him a sad smile before turning and walking away, leaving their future uncertain.

Back in the US, Amelia meets with Darcy, HR, and representatives from the NHL’s conduct review board. She is suspended for eight games for “unethical behavior.” Furthermore, she is forbidden from having any contact with Grant; if she violates this, her contract will be terminated. Believing her career is on the line, Amelia goes to the house tells Grant they need to end their relationship. Grant offers to retire from hockey for her, but she refuses, fearing he would eventually resent her for the sacrifice. They agree to part ways, with Grant promising to find her in 10 years after he retires.

Grant and Brody have a video conference with the NHL commissioner, Brad Hollis. The commissioner informs Grant that due to his good reputation, he will only receive a one-game suspension. Enraged by the blatant double standard, Grant accuses the commissioner of sexism, stating that Amelia’s punishment is harsher simply because she is a woman. He vows to find a way for them to be together and to ensure Amelia gets the recognition she deserves. After ending the call, Brody comforts Grant and expresses his support.

Grant dedicates himself to finding a way to be with Amelia. With the help of his teammates, he researches the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA). His college acquaintance James, who practices contract law, connects them with Henry Dawson, a sports contract law specialist, who suggests they petition the league to add an addendum to the CBA. The addendum would create a new bylaw explicitly permitting relationships between individuals on different teams, as long as no professional conflicts of interest are involved. Grant and his teammates spend hours drafting the proposal.

During her suspension, Amelia isolates herself and falls into a deep depression. Her friends Lainey and Sienna fly in to see her, joined by Emmy, Piper, Lexi, and Madeline. They clean her apartment, cook for her, and offer their support. They reveal that Grant has been fighting for their relationship by petitioning the NHL to amend the CBA. They also tell her that his proposal has gained support from other players who are concerned about the league’s overreach into their personal lives. The news gives Amelia a renewed sense of hope.

Believing the bylaw will not pass, Amelia goes to the house to collect the last of her belongings. Grant arrives at the same time to do the same. As they are having a final, heartbreaking conversation, they both receive text messages from Emmy: The bylaw has passed. Grant calls Brody, who confirms that the league approved the addendum due to overwhelming anonymous support from players across the league. With the rule change effective immediately, they are free to be together. They joyfully reconcile.

With the bylaw approved, Grant and Amelia can finally be a public couple. For their first official date, Grant arranges a surprise picnic in a park. He brings her a sandwich from their favorite place, Pete’s, and a slice of key lime pie flown in from the Denver restaurant where they first met. They celebrate being able to show affection openly, no longer needing to hide their relationship.

On the morning of the last regular-season game between their teams, Grant shows Amelia the five notebooks he has kept over the years. In them, he has meticulously documented every detail she has ever shared with him—from her favorite foods to her pet peeves. He explains that for every day they are together, he writes down the thing he loved most about her. Moved, Amelia realizes the full extent of his devotion.

Grant and Amelia host a barbecue at their house for their friends and teammates. Grant gives a speech thanking everyone for their support and celebrating their community. As they prepare for their teams to face each other in the Eastern Conference finals, Grant and Amelia make a bet: The loser has to get a tattoo of the winner’s choosing. Grant proposes that if he wins, she must get a sun on her ring finger, because she is the center of his universe. She agrees, adding that she will also get a “g” and a breadstick to commemorate how they met.

Three years later, Amelia is coaching her girls’ hockey holiday camp when Grant arrives with their friends. He interrupts the drills to give her a USA jersey with her name on it, revealing that she has been named the head coach of the men’s Olympic hockey team. Grant has declined his own roster invitation so that media coverage will center on her historic achievement rather than anything else. He emphasizes his support by wearing a jersey that reads “Mr. Green.” While their friends take over coaching the camp, Grant affirms their life together—they are content without marriage or children for now, focused on supporting each other’s careers. He shows Amelia a new “Mr. Green” tattoo on his wrist. Overwhelmed with joy and feeling deeply supported, Amelia embraces her historic new role.