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Tears burn my eyes as I read the interview’s headline: Beyond the Ice: Noah Ashcroft’s Most Personal Game Yet by Isla Wilde.

I’m faintly aware my phone is vibrating in my pocket, but all I can focus on is the magazine. I start reading the article, my brain threatening to short out in shock, relief, and immense pride.

I met the popular Noah Ashcroft in a downtown Seattle café between grueling two-a-day practices. He arrived in sweats and a hoodie, looking a bit nervous, but he offered me a charming smile nonetheless. His auburn hair was still wet from a shower, his skin flushed pink.

We chatted briefly about the rainy weather and the impending cool fall days before he made it clear he was ready to talk and pour his heart out.

By the headlines alone, you might be wondering what inspired a personal interview of this nature to even take place, and the answer was simple. It wasn’t the rumor mill or anything similar. It was Noah.

When his agent reached out requesting an exclusive with Elite Sports Monthly along with the topic Noah wanted to speak to, one could have heard a pin drop in the office. When I learned he had requested me specifically, I was honored, and I knew it was because of the interview I did with retired hockey player Leo McKnight, Lucas McKnight’s twin, following his decision to come out publicly alongside his now husband and wife.

It was an interview that explored not just identity but also the reality of loving more than one person in a world that rarely makes space for it.

Ashcroft had read it. And he was ready to share his truth with the world.

“Holy shit.” I wipe a tear from my cheek. “He actually did it.”

My blurry eyes continue to scan the interview.

Isla starts by asking him simple questions about how practice is going and how he’s feeling about the upcoming season after the Stormbreakers’ loss right before the series-winning game.

Noah: I’ve had some nerves, yeah, but we’ve got a really strong team that’s ready to go all the way this season. I’ve also been doing a lot of work on myself during the offseason, especially with my anxiety and mental health. And honestly, there are two people in my life who’ve helped me more than I can even put into words. With both of them by my side, I know I can overcome anything. Even missing a game-tying shot.

Isla: It’s nice to see you smiling while talking about that. I’m sure that had to be tough. Your face showed how much you were affected by the loss that night.

Noah: Nobody likes to let their team down, or the fans, especially the way I did. I still think about it often. But it happened, and as not only my coach and team but also my partners have reminded me, nobody is perfect. Even if I want to be.

Isla: That’s very true. And your answer is a great segue into why you’re here and what you wanted to talk about. You’ve been busy during the offseason.

Noah chuckles and smiles, a sweet blush rising to his cheeks as he looks down at his black coffee.

Noah: You could say that.

Isla: Please, elaborate.

Noah: As many people know, I’ve been married to my incredible wife, Quinn, for almost eight years now. We met in college, and in a moment, everything in my world shifted. I saw her and knew she was going to be my wife.

Isla: Sounds romantic.

Noah: It was, and I was lucky enough that she felt the same way. I got even more lucky that she supported my hockey career and has stuck by my side through all the ups and downs that come with being a pro-athlete. But unfortunately, I wasn’t the greatest of partners to her; I know that now. Hockey took over my life until the game and winning was all I cared about.

Isla: So how does that lead us to where you are right now and what you came here to talk about?

Noah: You mean, how did my shortcomings as a husband and partner lead me to deciding to come out as bisexual and also land the two of us in a poly relationship with another man?

Isla: That’s one way to frame the question.

Noah flushes a deeper red, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck before he speaks again.

Noah: The first person I ever loved came back into my life while Quinn and I took some time in the desert together early this summer. It was like fate, really, as if the world brought him to me and Quinn exactly when we needed him most. And, I think, when he needed us, too.

Isla: That’s beautiful. But it also sounds complicated. Please, tell me more. How did you first meet him?

Noah: I met him when I was in boarding school. We were two young men with dreams of playing hockey professionally. I was too afraid to come out, so we kept our relationship hidden. When it was time for us both to go to college, that fear was still there, and I broke things off with him in a way I wish I could take back.

Isla: So does all this mean you’re not afraid anymore?

Noah: I’m more afraid of what my life will be like without him and my wife in it and what it means for the future of people like me in sports if we continue to be afraid and deny the truth of who we are.