Pucking Around

In Pucking Around, hockey jerseys not only identify the players of the Jacksonville Rays, but they also serve as a symbol of intimacy and emotional affection between the characters. The action of wearing someone’s jersey is portrayed as an act of flirtation early in the novel, and this dynamic is quickly established when Jake asks Rachel, “What’s it gonna take to get you to wear my jersey to a game?” (144). Ultimately, Rachel doesn’t wear Jake’s jersey, but her choice to wear Ilmari’s jersey to a game proves pivotal in the development of the group’s relationship, as well as in their ongoing struggle with the desire to make their relationship public.

Even without knowing the depth of the relationship between Rachel and Ilmari, Poppy’s comment on Rachel’s game attire reflects the underlying social significance of the choice, for the PR rep comments, “Kinnunen is just gonna die that you’re wearing his jersey tonight” (504). Significantly, Rachel reflects that she is doing so to support Ilmari’s Olympic bid, and that although “Jake is probably going to pout for a month […] it’s not every day you have Olympic scouts come watch you play. Ilmari has worked hard for this” (504). Likewise, Caleb’s own