Victor

Quik loves me.

Just Night and Taylor in this article. No one of the 6 in the next part.

As more and more players join the VHL and vie for a Hall of Fame place in an age of extreme parity and lower career stats, team accolades seemingly mean more than ever. A number of Hall of Fame hopefuls such as Jake Davis @Josh and Joseph McWolf @McWolf, not to mention a number of active players, might be wondering whether a Continental Cup might make or break their chances. Fortunately, of the 121 players in the Hall of Fame as of S70, 16 never won a championship. It's not a lot, but it's a bit of hope. In the first part of this 2-part Media Spot, I will look at the first 10 to do it. Petr Shirokov @nibbz The tragic near-misses: To be honest, Shirokov didn't give himself the best chance at a cup by only playing 4 seasons. He was always the star player on the underdog teams, coming closest to the holy grail in S3 Game 7 with a Helsinki team that had no business being there, in his only trip to the finals. How he got in anyway: By retiring early, Shirokov was one of the few players available for the inaugural Hall of Fame induction in S5. To be fair, he did carve out a very solid career of helping the league's also-rans get to the playoffs. Amstel and Hamilton experienced their best seasons with Shirokov, and the S3 Titans were far from a powerhouse and were making their first playoff appearance. Did the lack of cups hinder his chances? Not particularly, as per above – good timing and a niche of being the MVP of the underdogs. Maxim Desny @brooks. The tragic near-misses: Like Shirokov above, Desny didn't play for the cup favourites, instead spending all but 33 games of his 5-season career with a Helsinki team with a fair few issues. It was Desny who was the face of that S3 Titans team, and he helped them to another finals appearance in S5. There was a bit of sadness when rookie Dominik Stryker managed to backstop Helsinki to the cup in S6, right after Desny's retirement. How he got in anyway: In a league dominated by offense, Desny went against the grain by being a goalie whose stats might look weak today, but one who performed miracles for some limited Titans squads. For some context – in S3 he managed to thwart Scotty Campbell's Vasteras and steal 3 wins off Brett Slobodzian's Calgary, while in S5 defeating Christian Stolzschweiger and Stockholm meant a meeting with the powerhouse Campbell-led Seattle. Did the lack of cups hinder his chances? Desny's legacy was probably enhanced by the near-misses. The league appreciated his heroics and he was awarded playoff MVP in S3 despite never winning a cup. David Night @Knight The tragic near-misses: As the face of the short-lived Hamilton Canucks, Night had an uphill battle to claim a Continental Cup – Hamilton only played 6 playoff games in 6 seasons of existence. Later on, he'd be on the wrong side of some European conference finals – losing to Helsinki with Avangard in S6, and to Avangard with Vasteras in S7. Without a finals appearance, none of those really qualify as near-misses. How he got in anyway: Night was certainly one of the better defencemen of the first generation, but could have easily ended up on the outside looking in. He was helped by being future commissioner David Knight's first player and a bit of a media campaign to belatedly get him inducted. He certainly belongs in the HOF, but is one of the weaker defencemen in it. Did the lack of cups hinder his chances? Definitely, as evidenced by the fact he waited 10 seasons to be inducted in S17. He was probably the fourth or fifth best defenceman of his generation but in the end voters appreciated that he was handicapped by playing on weak teams. David Henman @Knight The tragic near-misses: There was a point in time when there was something known as a “Knight Curse” due to David and to a lesser extent Phil Knight @Phil, with David only winning a cup with the inactive player between Night and Henman. While Night never really came close, Henman had to wait a while for his Toronto team to grow into a contender and then finished his career by playing on two of the best teams to never win a cup – S16-S17 Toronto and S18 Madrid. How he got in anyway: Like Night, Henman wasn't the biggest physical presence on defence, but after a slow start, grew into an all-time great offensive defenceman. He helped open the door for a new generation of defencemen and no one held the bad luck of his era's Legion against him. Did the lack of cups hinder his chances? It probably stopped Henman from being first ballot, as the voting committee opted for some players who had been waiting around for a while. His stats were still enough to comfortably get in by his third season of eligibility however. Tarik Saeijs @frescoelmo The tragic near-misses: The Slovakian sniper Saeijs was part of a few teams which underperformed in the playoffs – first the high-flying Reign who got stymied by Davos in each of his first three seasons, then some ageing squads in Helsinki and Toronto. He only really came close once, when he joined the Titans after their S22 cup and helped them to Game 7 in S23, where they were upset by Calgary. How he got in anyway: Saeijs was one of the the best natural talents to grace the VHL, scoring at will wherever he played and whomever he played with. It's no coincidence teams' offensive units improved when Saeijs joined, and his 1.51 career point-per-game mark and trophy case made up for his lack of playoff success. Did the lack of cups hinder his chances? Not really. No S18 player was dislodging the Kanou/Shaw juggernaught from the first ballot, but Saeijs got in on the second time of asking, alongside Anton Brekker who won a lot more championships. Jukka Hakkinen @James The tragic near-misses: For a more modern player, Hakkinen is quite an outlier among Hall of Famers. He only made the playoffs 3 times in 8 seasons and had just one 5-game appearance in the finals in his last season, where his New York was outclassed by the experienced Davos. How he got in anyway: Hakkinen's loyalty was very rare, as he battled through not having much of a supporting cast and often no starting calibre goalie to play out his entire career with the Americans. Despite this, he was constantly among the league's top scorers, a lone bright spark on a New York team going through a bad period. Did the lack of cups hinder his chances? Not just the lack of cups, but also any individual trophies of note. Hakkinen is probably the main glimmer of hope for anyone worried they don't have the hardware for a Hall of Fame career, although he did put up a lot of points. Daniel Braxton @Jericho The tragic near-misses: It doesn't get much more tragic than the story of Braxton and his goaltender, Benjamin Glover. In eight seasons, all but one played together in New York, the duo would make a remarkable five cup finals, a huge departure from the days of Hakkinen, but won none of them. There was a loss to Vasteras who would never win a cup again, then choking away a 2-0 lead for the first time in Continental Cup finals history in S27, then a loss to hated rivals from Seattle. The cherry on the cake was choking away a 3-1 lead for the first time in finals history in S31, losing Game 7 to Davos in what was Braxton and Glover's last ever game (Braxton having played in Davos the season prior). How he got in anyway: Braxton could console himself by becoming the first ever player to win 4 Sterling Labatte Trophies. His legacy has been superceded by a few other great New York defencemen, but he still features heavily in the best of all-time conversation, which meant he was an easy first ballot induction, finals curse be damned. Did the lack of cups hinder his chances? It hurts him in the conversation against other legendary defencemen, but his Hall of Fame case was sealed long before the Game 7 heartbreak in S31. Benjamin Glover @scoop The tragic near-misses: See Braxton above – only difference being that Glover never left New York. How he got in anyway: It wasn't as clear cut a case as Braxton, but Glover had proven himself as one of the top goalies of his generation, and ultimately going 0-for-5 in the finals was deemed bad luck and not an indictment on Glover's talent itself. Also, as one half of a nearly inseparable duo with Braxton, their joint induction seemed inevitable. Did the lack of cups hinder his chances? Again, not really, as he had the regular season stats to go in pretty comfortably. Unlike Braxton though, it's contributed to pushing him out completely of the greatest goaltenders discussion. Ansgar Snijider @Kyle The tragic near-misses: Snijider's career was a long build up to the ultimate heartbreak. After struggling to carry some poor Riga squads, he made it to the finals in his fourth season, as Davos lost to Toronto in a close-fought series. Chasing the cup, Snijider left Davos via free agency to go back to Riga, but ended up losing the Dynamo as they went onto finally claim the cup in S31. In S32 though, everything seemed to be going the Reign's way up until they had a 3-1 lead over New York, but the Americans came back to win in seven and end the league's longest cup drought of the time. That dubious title was passed to Riga, who would break their curse the very next season, but Snijider had retired at the end of S32. How he got in anyway: Snijider was, quite frankly, one of the best and most consistent forwards at both ends of the ice that the VHL had seen. It was never enough to be top scorer or MVP, or to win a Boulet, but he was in the conversation for almost his entire career. The lack of a championship seemed like a cruel joke given his talent. Did the lack of cups hinder his chances? That, and the lack of much of any silverware, helps explain why Snijider had to wait until S38 to get the call while fellow S25 draftee Tukka Reikkinen was inducted straight away in S33. However, it was very much a case of when, rather than if. Kameron Taylor @Kendrick The tragic near-misses: As the Cologne Express' first ever draft pick, Taylor's chances were directly intertwined with Cologne's progress, and the franchise did not quite get its break in its first decade. Taylor only ever made it to the conference finals, once with Cologne, and twice with Riga to close off his career. How he got in anyway: Taylor was a prolific scorer and lived up to the franchise player tag for the Express, even if it was the next generation that brought the cup home. Playing in a highly competitive VHL, Taylor was overshadowed by a few other greats of the time, but the numbers did the talking when all was said and done. Did the lack of cups hinder his chances? Even without being one of the better centers of his generation, helping build Cologne from the ground would have worked in Taylor's favour regardless. It wasn't a major consideration.

OK that's not as bad as I thought.

Wishful thinking.

If you treat it consistently (Riga either in or not in other locations, other teams either in or not in other locations), it shouldn't matter.

It's the first day of the S71 VHL conference finals, so a themed trivia week is here! Ground rules: - No revealing of answers in this thread - Head over to #trivia-hunt on Discord to learn how to find the answers. No revealing of answers there either. - No corrections allowed. First submission is locked in. Fill out the form linked below. 2 correct answers = 2 capped TPE 1 correct answer = 1 capped TPE https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfreyFLml2E_xj1CekAwNNte6M7e3o21PzeBjwvu648-epGBQ/viewform?usp=sf_link I am always taking question suggestions via PM, with 1 uncapped TPE going your way for each question that ends up getting used.

So Seattle, Vancouver, Riga, and Moscow in the semifinals - maintaining the status quo.

Note to self: don't take 10 penalties a game against Riga.

something something draft lists

1. Which of these players was NOT named top leader in S51? (Credit and 1 uncapped TPE to @Enorama) This week I tried to argue for the revival of the Grimm Jonsson Trophy which was thrown out in S58. I think it was good fun. One season it was by 4 different VHL captains - fittingly, S36, which @Doomsday and I were reminiscing about earlier today. S51 was a close second, the Jonsson shared between Zach Parechkin (his 3rd of 4 wins), Phil Hamilton (his 6th and final win) and Pietro Maximoff. Franchise Cornerstone would win it twice himself but he hadn't been drafted yet in S51 therefore is the correct answer to this question. Source: https://vhlportal.com/hof/awards/history/19 2. Who is the current holder of the most career hits in VHL history? (Credit and 1 uncapped TPE to @DollarAndADream) Apparently it's Dollar theme week, or specifically Zach Parechkin, as he has registered the most career hits in VHL history with a whopping 2,769. The answer does change to Theo Axelsson, who was 40 hits short in the regular season, when you add in playoffs, but this was clarified early in the week to be regular season only. Apologies for any confusion caused. Source: https://vhlforum.com/topic/347-vhl-career-stats-updated-for-s70/ 2 capped TPE goes to: Jubo07 @Jubo07 MMFLEX @MMFLEX Spaz @Spaz ng1291 @ng1291 Mike @Mike Erik Summers @Erik Summers enigmatic @enigmatic GustavMattias @GustavMattias Berocka @Berocka Doomsday @Doomsday Snussu @Snussu Lockdown Defense @Lockdown Defense solas @solas Barzalgoat @BarzalGoat Alex Bridges @Alex Bridges Tape-To-Tape @Tape-to-Tape McWolf @McWolf Spartan @Spartan STZ @STZ Anthony Matthews @Anthony Matthews Sonnet @Sonnet Proto @Proto a_Ferk @a_Ferk SweatyBeaver @SweatyBeaver jRuutu @jRuutu aye my name jeff @Aye my name jeff Jer_Lefebvre @Jer_Lefebvre Kachur @Kachur Cusemode @Cusemode KC15 @KC15 DMaximus @DMaximus Bob Helminen @Bob Helminen Poptart @Poptart Turner McHugh @Turner biggreen10 @Biggreen10 CrlineDijohn14 @CrlineDijohn14 DangerGolding @DangerGolding Enorama @Enorama Mongoose87 @Mongoose87 GRZ @GRZ jared @jared McLovin @McLovin domkey @Domkey flatl99 @flatl99 Zetterberg @Zetterberg Spence King @Spence King Knightriley @KnightRiley Kekzkrieg @Kekzkrieg Joe Exotic @Joe Exotic lastoneup @LastOneUp JBrew42 @JBrew42 Da_berr @Da_Berr twists @twists Jared Willis @Jared Willis Josh @Josh Ricer13 @Ricer13 DoktorFunk @DoktorFunk MexicanCow123 @MexicanCow123 bigAL @bigAL Walter Fizz @Walter Fizz Advantage @Advantage pennypenny @pennypenny Boragina @Boragina DrHexDex @DrHexDex Chillzone @chillzone - you then changed Parechkin to Axelsson for q2 but fortunately only 1st submission counts fonziGG @fonziGG Zyrok @Zyrok Velevra @Velevra bluesfan55 @bluesfan55 gorlab @gorlab DarkSpyro @DarkSpyro Esso2264 @Esso2264 animal74 @animal74 Motzaburger @Motzaburger .sniffuM @.sniffuM Corco @Corco Jacobaa19 @jacobaa19 Hylands33 @Hylands33 BigTittySmitty @BigTittySmitty Viperxhawks19 @Viperxhawks19 Zepheter @zepheter HearnNation67 @HearnNation67 MattyIce @MattyIce Seabass @Seabass rory @rory Acydburn @Acydburn Jackie4967 @Jackie4967 Mr_Hatter @Mr_Hatter Kyle @Kyle wcats @wcats TheFlash @TheFlash Cornholio @Cornholio DollarAndADream @DollarAndADream joeg @joeg Tate @Tate Greg_Di @Greg_Di Renomitsu @Renomitsu Brewins15 @Brewins15 Matt_O @Matt_O Jtv123 @Jtv123 Pengu @Pengu Studentized @studentized philliefan @Philliefan Garsh @Garsh rjfryman @rjfryman Anthony Matthews @Anthony Matthews Hogan @Hulk Hogan BrrbisBrr @Brrbisbrr Midnite @Midnite Telkster @Telkster Grape @Grape leafsman @leafsman okochastar @okochastar dasboot @dasboot flyersfan1453 @flyersfan1453 Legend0985 @Legend0985 Tagger @Tagger Sonnet @Sonnet Rayzor_7 @Rayzor_7 Nykonax @Nykonax - right at the buzzer 1 capped TPE goes to: TTtheT @TTtheT OrbitingDeath @OrbitingDeath oilmandan @oilmandan Kendrick @Kendrick UnkemptCL4PTP @UnkemptCL4PTP JeffD @JeffD David O'Quinn @David O'Quinn Jbeezy76 @Jbeezy76 Tbeez99 @Tbeez99 Gooningitup @Gooningitup

You missed option C, bringing in a former VHL GM who is also a free agent and it might help convince them to sign, but also maybe one day you'll let them take over and also you met up once irl. @ContinentalCup036

Best goalie on the ballot for sure.

Happy Sunday VHL! As per last season's fairly low key announcement, the blue team and BOG decided to introduce the Fredrik Elmebeck Memorial Trophy in S70, but announced no winner in its first year of existence. This season after a bit of deliberation in the BOG, we have decided to let you decide who goes on the ballot. The criteria is pretty broad, but every member can nominate one other member who they feel demonstrated great work ethic, passion for the VHL, and/or made some notable contribution which in your eyes made them stand out in S71. Ideally don't nominate yourself but we'll allow it. Hopefully this helps us whittle it down to a few candidates to vote on prior to the off-season awards ceremony. To nominate a fellow member, simply fill out the short form linked here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScka6zunnkJ3PARS_8jsV0gHAkg8d0QedArhQ-oeoDPczKkeg/viewform?usp=sf_link @Members

Yeah, I think the Hall of Fame was very much a case of "OK this makes sense for those of us who are used to everything being spread across 3 different forums" but realistically, it's not a logical way to go about it. Also the league discussion pinned threads were getting out of hand. This can be arranged for everything held on forum. There's no archive of portal finances though, it either gets wiped each season or is hidden somewhere that only @Josh and @Will would know. Do agree that trivia being capped probably sits better with other capped tasks and not with uncapped fantasy stuff.

Wow @tfong you're a rookie are ya? Demoted from OBC!

I assume you've seen Corco's spreadsheets and just wont more info?

It's Calgary vs Vancouver so it must be headed for a Game 7.

If you try to recreate perfection you will only set yourself up for failure.

not sure they qualify as prospects then

changing votes get messy but we can manually track it in case enough people state their willingness to change their vote. So that's +2 for Adrienne @OrbitingDeath already voted for himself when it was Markus Nygren, unreal foresight.

Hi everyone, Beaviss has requested Nygren becomes Adrienne so it is thus. I guess it's a bit late for him though to make it...

@Grant and @Legend0985 hype