Gabe Martin has a simple life plan: get into the NHL and win the Stanley Cup. It doesn't include being the first out hockey player or, worse, getting involved with one of his teammates. But things change.

Dante Baltierra is Gabe's polar opposite-careless, reckless... shameless. But his dedication to the sport is impressive, and Gabe can overlook a lot of young-and-stupid in the name of great hockey. And Dante has a superlative ass in a sport filled with superlative asses.

Before Gabe can figure out how to deal, a tabloid throws him out of his comfortable closet into a brand-new world. Amid the emotional turmoil of invasive questions, nasty speculation, and on- and off-ice homophobia, his game suffers.

Surprisingly, it's Dante who drags him out of it-and then drags him into something else. Nothing good can come of secretly sleeping with a teammate, especially one Gabe has feelings for. But with their captain out with an injury, a rookie in perpetual need of a hug, and the race to make the playoffs for the first time since 1995, Gabe has a lot on his plate.

He can't be blamed for forgetting that nothing stays secret forever.