Chapter 16
TRADE DEADLINE TRACKER: Vegas Aces Acquire Robert Piper from Utah
By Daniel Voskuijlen
The Vegas Aces have acquired forward Robert Piper from the Utah Hive in exchange for a future second-round pick and defensive prospect Zane Yusti.
"We're excited to add Robert to our group," Vegas GM Jack Hollistan said. "He's a high-motor player who can create offense and make the players around him better. He fits what we're trying to build here."
Piper will wear number 17 for the Aces and is expected to join the team in time for Thursday's game against Seattle.
March 7, 4:47 PM
Joel: Vegas.
Red: you saw
Joel: I saw.
Red: i was going to tell you
Joel: When?
Red: i dont know. it just happened
Joel: Trades don't just happen.
Red: joel
Joel: Forget it. Congratulations.
Red: dont do that
Joel: Do what?
Red: be cold about it
Joel: I'm not being cold. I'm being realistic.
Red: thats not fair
Joel: Isn't it?
Read 5:03 PM
March 7, 11:23 PM
Red: thanks for everything Vega
Vega: Don't be soft, Pipes. Go win something.
Red: i mean it
Vega: You're ready.
Red: am i?
Vega: Wouldn't say it if you weren't.
Read 11:41 PM
March 8, 2:14 AM
Red: cant sleep
Joel: New city.
Red: something like that
Red: vega didnt say goodbye at practice
Joel: Does he ever?
Red: no. but i thought. i dont know what i thought
Joel: You'll be okay.
Read 2:37 AM
March 10, 9:17 PM
Joel: How was first practice?
Red: everyone here is fast
Joel: You're fast.
Red: not like this
Joel: You'll catch up.
Red: maybe
Joel: You will.
Red: when did you get encouraging
Joel: Mistake. Won't happen again.
Red: there he is
Read 9:34 PM
ESPN — March 18
Coffey claims first world title with masterful free skate in Saitama
American lands high-value quad Lutz combination to overtake Japan's Kurosawa
SAITAMA, Japan — Joel Coffey is a world champion.
The 26-year-old American delivered a career-best free skate Thursday at Saitama Super Arena, scoring 218.
47 points to overtake overnight leader Yuki Kurosawa and claim gold at the World Figure Skating Championships.
His combined score of 324.91 gave him a 6.
33-point margin over Kurosawa, with France's Adam Deschamps taking bronze.
Coffey opened his program with a quad Lutz-triple toe loop combination that earned 19.
24 points with a GOE of +4.2, setting the tone for a skate that featured four clean quads total.
His quad flip at the midpoint drew a standing ovation from the Japanese crowd, and his level-four spins and footwork pushed his component scores to 95. 80—the highest of the competition.
"I left everything on the ice," Coffey said. "That's all you can do."
Kurosawa, skating last in the final group, needed 214.60 to overtake Coffey but managed only 211.33, underrotating his opening quad Salchow and stepping out of his triple Axel. The Japanese star was gracious in defeat.
"Joel was the best skater today," Kurosawa said through a translator. "I have no complaints."
Notably absent from the kiss and cry: pop star Milo Hayes, Coffey's boyfriend of three months. The two have been the subject of breakup speculation in recent weeks. When asked about Hayes's absence, Coffey was terse.
"I'm focused on the skating," he said. "Everything else is noise."
E! News — March 19
Joel Coffey and Milo Hayes Split Confirmed—and the Timing Is a Lot
It's officially over between Joel Coffey and Milo Hayes, and girl, the drama.
Sources close to the couple confirm the figure skating world champion and the "Gravity" singer called it quits just days before Coffey's gold medal win in Japan. Yes, the same competition where eagle-eyed fans noticed Milo was nowhere to be found in the kiss and cry.
"It was mutual," one source tells E! News, though Milo's cryptic Instagram story posted hours after Coffey's win (a black screen with just the caption "some people only know how to take") suggests otherwise.
The post was deleted within the hour, but screenshots are living forever on fan accounts and we have the receipts.
Neither rep has responded to our requests for comment. Coffey dodged relationship questions at his post-competition press conference, offering only: "Everything else is noise."
Okay, Joel. We hear you.
The pair first went public at a charity gala in Berlin back in December and had been serving couple content ever since—courtside seats at Lakers games, coffee runs in matching sweats, that one paparazzi shot of them holding hands in the West Village that broke Tumblr for like six hours.
No word yet on what caused the split, but we'll be watching Milo's next album drop very closely for clues. Stay tuned.
March 19, 2:47 AM
Joel: You watched.
Red: half the world watched
Joel: But you watched.
Red: congrats on gold
Joel: That's it?
Red: what do u want me to say
Joel: I don't know. Something.
Read 3:24 AM
March 23, 11:58 PM
Joel: Bite mark finally faded.
Red: good
Joel: Is it?
Read 12:04 AM
March 30, 2:17 AM
Red: cant sleep
Joel: Same.
Red: why are u awake
Joel: Why are you?
Red: asked first
Joel: Thinking.
Red: about?
Joel: That sound you made. When I first pushed in.
Red: dont
Joel: Don't what?
Red: this. not at 2am. i have practice
Joel: You texted me first.
Red: i hate u
Joel: No you don't.
Read 2:52 AM
April 3, 6:22 PM
Joel: Saw your interview.
Red: which one
Joel: The one where you said you knew about the trade talks for two weeks.
Red: and?
Joel: Two weeks. You knew for two weeks and you didn't say anything.
Red: i didnt know it was going to happen
Joel: You knew it might.
Red: so?
Joel: So you could have said something.
Red: i dont owe you a heads up on my career joel
Joel: I didn't say you owed me anything.
Red: then what are you saying
Joel: Forget it.
Red: no. say it
Joel: I said forget it.
Read 6:41 PM
April 4, 11:58 PM
Joel: Interesting stat line tonight.
Joel: 0 points. Minus 2.
Red: i know what my stat line was
Joel: Just an observation. The competition must be different in Vegas.
Red: what does that mean
Joel: Nothing. Just that the Hive was a smaller pond. Easier to look impressive.
Red: fuck you
Joel: I'm sure you'll adjust.
Read 12:14 AM
April 9, 8:47 PM
Red: hey
Read 8:52 PM
April 12, 10:33 PM
Red: i know youre reading these
Read 10:34 PM
April 15, 2:17 AM
Joel: I'm sorry.
Joel: That was cruel.
Joel: I didn't mean it.
Red: then why did you say it
Joel: I don't know.
Red: yes you do
Joel: I was angry you didn't tell me.
Red: so you tried to make me feel small
Joel: Yes.
Red: did it work?
Joel: Red.
Red: did it work joel
Joel: I don't know.
Red: it did. for the record
Joel: I'm sorry.
Red: doesnt mean its okay
Read 2:43 AM
April 22, 11:15 PM
Red: playoffs start next week
Joel: watching when I can.
Red: okay
Joel: Red.
Red: yeah?
Joel: Good luck.
Red: thanks sparkles
Read 11:34 PM
May 2, 3:33 AM
Red: [image: his cock in his fist, bad lighting, sheets tangled at his thighs]
Joel: You could have turned on a lamp.
Red: are you serious right now
Joel: The angle isn't doing you any favors either.
Red: i sent you a pic of my dick and youre critiquing the LIGHTING
Joel: I have standards.
Red: i want to taste you so bad i cant think
Read 3:52 AM
May 3, 1:14 AM
Red: [image: lamp on now, his hand wrapped around himself, the flush spreading down his stomach]
Red: better?
Joel: [image: clean light from the window, his cock hard against his stomach, one hand resting on his thigh]
Read 1:47 AM
May 18, 10:47 PM
Joel: 2 goals tonight.
Red: i was there
Joel: You looked good.
Red: yeah?
Joel: Fast. Angry.
Red: always angry
Joel: I know. It's working.
Read 11:03 PM
June 4, 11:52 PM
Red: conference finals. can u believe it
Joel: Yes.
Red: i cant
Joel: I can. I've been watching.
Red: have you
Joel: Every game.
Red: even the 2am puck drops?
Joel: Especially those.
Read 12:17 AM
— June 22
Vice win Stanley Cup with 4-2 victory over Aces in Game 6
LAS VEGAS — The Miami Vice are Stanley Cup champions for the second time in three seasons, defeating the Vegas Aces 4-2 in Game 6 on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.
Mick Lehkonen scored twice, including the game-winner at 11:13 of the third period, and Alexi Zvedkin stopped 31 of 33 shots for the Vice (16-8 in the postseason). Elias Thornton had a goal and two assists and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
"This group is special," Lehkonen said. "We knew what it took. We'd been here before."
Miami took a 2-0 lead on first-period goals from Thornton (power play, 6:42) and Jake Oduya (14:17). Vegas responded with goals from Eero M?kinen (18:03) and Andre Villishinko (2:14 of the second) to tie the game 2-2 entering the third.
Lehkonen's winner came on a redirection of a point shot from Vic Bellman. Chad Frank added an empty-net goal at 18:58.
Zvedkin was especially sharp in the second period, stopping all 14 Vegas shots including a breakaway chance from Allen Zevchinko.
Vegas forward Robert Piper (0 points, minus-1, 12:34 TOI) had a shot hit the post with Zvedkin out of position at 8:47 of the second period.
"It hurts," Piper said. "We were right there. We just couldn't finish it."
Tyler Haskell made 27 saves in the loss.
The Vice went 4-for-4 on the penalty kill. Vegas was 0-for-3 on the power play.
"We'll be back," Villishinko said. "This isn't the end of anything."
June 22, 11:47 PM
Red: i cant
Red: we were so close
Joel: Im sorry.
Red: i keep seeing that last shot. the one that hit the post. i was right there joel i was right fucking there
Joel: Red.
Red: im sorry i just
Red: i dont know why im texting you
Joel: Because you needed to.
Red: yeah
Red: can you just
Joel: What?
Red: i dont know. talk. say something. anything
Joel: I'm here.
Red: okay
Read 12:34 AM
July 14, 9:23 PM
Red: started training again
Joel: Already?
Red: cant sit still
Red: hip feels okay. better than last summer
Joel: Good.
Red: hows colorado
Joel: Hot. Dry.
Red: sounds miserable
Joel: It is.
Red: good
Read 9:41 PM
International Figue Skating Magazine — October 12
Coffey unveils unconventional exhibition at Japan Open
World champion skates to Sleep Token's "Aqua Regia" in Tokyo
By Elise Nakamura
TOKYO — World champion Joel Coffey debuted a new exhibition program at Saturday's Japan Open, skating to an extended arrangement of "Aqua Regia" by British progressive metal band Sleep Token.
The program marked a departure from Coffey's typically classical repertoire.
The four-minute piece featured a quad toe loop, triple Axel, and three combination spins, but emphasized transitions and choreographic sequences over technical content.
Coffey's spread eagle into a delayed Axel at the program's midpoint drew sustained applause from the Yoyogi National Gymnasium crowd.
The song choice raised eyebrows among skating purists. Sleep Token's atmospheric sound—somewhere between Deftones and Massive Attack—is hardly standard competition fare.
"It's for seventeen," Coffey said in mixed zone when asked about the program's inspiration. He declined to elaborate.
Coffey earned 92.14 points for the exhibition (exhibitions are scored but do not count toward competition results). Team International won the event over Team Japan, 346.82 to 339.15.
Social media users quickly began speculating about Coffey's cryptic comment. Adding fuel to the fire: the program runs precisely 4:17, despite the original track clocking in at 3:56. Coffey apparently commissioned a custom arrangement to achieve the exact runtime.
Asked for clarification, Coffey offered only: "It's important."
Coffey returns to competition at Skate America on October 21-23.
October 12, 11:34 PM
Red: seventeen
Red: youre such an asshole
Joel: I don't know what you're talking about.
Red: "its for seventeen." 4:17 runtime. my jersey number
Joel: Coincidence.
Red: joel
Red: why didnt you just say something
Joel: I just did.
Read 11:53 PM
October 15, 10:17 PM
Joel: How's the hip?
Red: good
Joel: Liar.
Joel: You favored it in the third.
Red: you watched?
Joel: I always watch.
Read 10:31 PM
October 28, 11:42 PM
Red: 3 game losing streak
Joel: that sucks
Red: coach benched me in the third
Joel: I saw.
Red: said i was forcing plays
Joel: Were you?
Red: probably
Red: i dont know how to not force it
Joel: Yes you do. You just hate doing it.
Read 12:03 AM
November 8, 8:15 PM
Joel: Saw the Athletic piece.
Red: and?
Joel: "Plays like he's got something to prove."
Red: shut up
Joel: It's a compliment.
Red: its really not
Joel: You play like you're angry at the ice.
Red: maybe i am
Joel: Good. Use it.
Read 8:34 PM
November 22, 11:58 PM
Joel: You scored twice tonight.
Red: i was there
Joel: Second one. That deke.
Red: what about it
Joel: Filthy.
Red: yeah?
Joel: Watched it four times.
Red: just the goal?
Joel: What else would I be watching?
Red: my ass
Joel: That too.
Read 12:14 AM
December 14, 9:33 PM
Red: got an interview request
Joel: About?
Red: "being a role model for young players"
Joel: What did you say?
Red: no comment
Joel: Smart.
Red: felt like lying
Joel: It wasn't.
Red: wasnt it?
Joel: You can't be a role model for something you haven't figured out yet.
Red: and when i figure it out?
Joel: Then you decide.
Read 9:51 PM
December 25, 11:42 AM
Red: merry christmas sparkles
Joel: Merry Christmas, Red.
Red: what are you doing today
Joel: Skating. Natalia's making dinner. You?
Red: flew home. seeing dad
Joel: How is he?
Red: the same. worse. i dont know
Red: he called me bob today. thats his name
Joel: I'm sorry.
Red: yeah
Red: merry christmas
Joel: Merry Christmas.
Read 12:03 PM
December 27, 9:14 PM
Red: im in denver for the game
Red: can we meet after?
Joel: Can't.
Red: why
Joel: Competition prep.
Red: thats not for three weeks
Joel: Red.
Red: fine. forget i asked
Joel: It's not that I don't want to.
Red: sure
Read 9:47 PM
December 28, 2:18 AM
Joel: I do want to. That's the problem.
Read 2:34 AM