Cross Check

Amelia Green is an assistant coach for the NHL’s Denver Goldminers. While on a terrible date with a misogynist who belittles women in sports, she excuses herself, hides in the bathroom, and decides to order dessert to go. On her way out, she’s stopped by Grant, who’s now an NHL rookie for the visiting DC Stars. Grant recognizes Amelia and tells her he overheard her date’s offensive comments. He reveals he is a huge admirer of her college playing career. Grant explains he is at the Italian restaurant as part of a pre-game ritual and invites Amelia to join him. Citing her strict no-fraternization policy for men in the league, Amelia agrees to a brief work conversation. After Amelia leaves with her dessert, Grant watches her walk away through the restaurant window.

Before the game against the Goldminers, Grant sits in the visitors’ locker room, contemplating sending an Instagram message to Amelia. His teammates—including Ethan Richardson, Maverick Miller, and Hudson Hayes—tease him, assuming he’s texting someone about a hookup. Their goalie, Liam Sullivan, voices his disgust. The conversation is shut down by their coach, Brody Saunders. During warmups, Grant stares at Amelia on the Goldminers’ bench, and her lips twitch with a smile as Grant offers her a nod. After the Stars win, Grant approaches her and mentions he follows her on social media. She states she won’t follow him back due to a conflict of interest and insists he call her “Coach Green” on the ice, to which he retorts that he will save “Amelia” for the next Italian restaurant.

Three months later, Amelia meets with her best friends, Sienna Washburn, a VP for an NFL team, and Lainey Bodewell, a VP in the NBA. Amelia reflects on the difficulties of being the first female coach in the NHL. While her friends discuss dating athletes, Amelia insists they are on her “avoid list” because of their egos and superstitions. However, she finds herself thinking about Grant and the Goldminers upcoming game against the DC Stars in Washington, DC. She’s confused by her feelings for him because he doesn’t fit her negative stereotypes about hockey players.

A year later in Washington, DC, Amelia goes for a run at the National Mall, reflecting on her contentment with her career-focused life and decision not to have children, despite a series of disastrous dates. She nearly falls into the Reflecting Pool and is caught by Grant, who is also out for a run. Initially hesitant to break her professional rules, she agrees to jog with him after he respectfully offers to keep his distance. During their run, they discuss Grant’s teammate, Emmy, the first woman to play in a regular-season NHL game, and their respective paths to the league. Amelia shares her dream of starting a hockey camp for girls, and after Amelia’s stomach growls, Grant invites her to a local sandwich shop for lunch, offering to sit at a separate table.

A year later in Washington, DC, Amelia goes for a run at the National Mall, reflecting on her contentment with her career-focused life and decision not to have children, despite a series of disastrous dates. She nearly falls into the Reflecting Pool and is caught by Grant, who is also out for a run. Initially hesitant to break her professional rules, she agrees to jog with him after he respectfully offers to keep his distance. During their run, they discuss Grant’s teammate, Emmy, the first woman to play in a regular-season NHL game, and their respective paths to the league. Amelia shares her dream of starting a hockey camp for girls, and after Amelia’s stomach growls, Grant invites her to a local sandwich shop for lunch, offering to sit at a separate table.

In their group chat, the “Professional Stick Handlers,” Grant’s teammates discuss a stomach bug, which Liam blames on Ethan. At a sandwich shop called Pete’s Café, Grant and Amelia share a meal. Amelia declares her meatball sub the best she has ever had. They play “Would you rather?” and discuss what they would do outside of hockey, with Grant revealing he studied biochemistry and would have attended medical school. Grant asks about Amelia’s life, and she recounts her history with the sport. While he silently acknowledges his growing crush on her, he remains respectful of her professional boundaries.

Amelia and Emmy participate in a photoshoot for the league, bonding over the challenges they face as women in a male-dominated sport and agreeing to support each other. Later, Amelia posts a photo of them together captioned “women in sports,” which Grant likes—his first social media interaction with her. On an impulse, she sends him a direct message teasing him. They have a brief, friendly exchange, and he ends the conversation by calling her “Amelia,” noting that her professional rules don’t apply online.

Grant hosts a meeting for his team’s book club with Maverick, Ethan, Riley, and Connor. His teammates notice that a popular influencer named Betsy Buchanan has started following him on Instagram. Grant, however, is completely uninterested, as he is preoccupied with his feelings for Amelia. He internally acknowledges his crush and accepts that he must be content with just being her friend. He leaves the meeting early, citing poor sleep due to stress about the upcoming trade deadline.

Grant gets ice cream with his younger sister, Hannah, a professional figure skater, who teases him about his love life. While they are out, he receives a direct message from Amelia about potential trade deadline moves, and Hannah notices him blushing and smiling at his phone. Later, while they talk in his car, Hannah observes that Grant has a dimple that only appears when he’s truly happy. That night, Amelia sends another message stating that she considers them “casual friends.” Grant is so pleased by this development that he takes a screenshot of the message.

In a series of direct messages, Grant confides in Amelia about his sadness over Emmy Hartwell being traded. He also reveals a secret: Emmy and their team captain, Maverick, are dating. Amelia offers Grant emotional support, advising him on how to navigate his feelings about whether or not the Stars plan to keep him on their roster. Grant decides to speak with the team psychologist, and Amelia encourages him, saying more men should cry. When he says he has her back, she responds, “That’s what friends are for” (71).

On the morning of the season’s final game against the DC Stars, Amelia feels unusually nervous. She runs into Grant at her favorite coffee shop, where he comically recounts having been kicked out of his hotel room by his roommate, Ethan. They sit and have coffee and a croissant together, and Amelia directly addresses their relationship, stating that it can only ever be a friendship. Grant agrees, assuring her that being her friend is “more than enough” (76). Before he leaves, he takes a bite of her croissant and licks the crumbs from his lips. Amelia feels her attraction to him growing.

During the final period of the game against the Stars, with the score tied, Amelia devises a winning offensive play based on a fake shot to a backhand finish. Her team executes it perfectly, securing the victory. After the game, head coach Jude Hunter tells Amelia that he expects other teams will try to hire her in the off-season. Afterward, Grant waits for her near the visitors’ locker room and praises her strategy. He stuns her by revealing that he recognized the play as the exact move she used to score in a tie game against Princeton with 15 seconds on the clock at the Frozen Four when she was a college player—a detail he remembered from watching her old highlight reels. Impressed by the depth of his admiration, Amelia listens as he promises to stay in touch during the off-season.

Throughout the off-season, Grant and Amelia’s friendship deepens through direct messages. At his agent’s suggestion, Grant changes his social media handle to @GrantEverett and reveals he has an upcoming campaign with Bauer. He sends Amelia a video of his drills, and she provides him with honest, constructive feedback on his stick handling. They continue to chat casually about their summers, including their respective birthdays—his on July 10 and hers on August 27. Their conversations build anticipation for their first game against each other in November.