Long story short: knowing that Moscow players have dominated awards ceremonies since the franchise's introduction to the league, in particular in S70, S74, and S76, I was curious to see if any franchise has matched the Menace for individual trophies in these past 12 seasons or who is closest if not. The results will probably not surprise you.
Score to beat: Moscow Menace
32 individual trophies since inception (S65) – excluding top GM
Lahtinen (10), Smitty (6), and Bernard (5) lead the way, but individual success has been a constant, from Jaguar and Randoms up front, through to Pavlov, Davis, and Tonn picking up the slack at the back more recently.
Let's have a look at what the other VHL franchises have achieved in that same 12-season timespan.
Calgary Wranglers – 3 trophies
The cut-off is unfortunate for Calgary as they miss out on the golden age of S61-63 in which the legendary quartet of Stopko, Johnsson, Canmore, and Louth picked up 13 trophies as the team made it to 3 finals, but it's been more of a low-key effort since then. Instead, the Wranglers only have Lafontaine's Clegane Trophies to their name, as well as Lahtinen's Funk before he exploded after his move to Moscow.
Chicago Phoenix – 4 trophies
Newcomers on the scene but already ahead of Calgary (in cups too now) in this timespan. Chicago is operating a trophy-per-season pace, with their most recognisable names in Downey, Camus, L, and Mingle all on the board. With the latter 3 and the likes of Socks and Xin about to enter their prime, the Phoenix may be rising even higher in the next few seasons.
D.C. Dragons – 5 trophies
The Dragons would have a big fat zero here just 2 seasons ago as they only had Eno's Top GM award from S70 to their name, but Wolski's big breakthrough in S75 vaults them up the list a bit, with Lesieur adding a Brooks the same season for good measure. That season with the finals appearance might be D.C.'s pinnacle at the moment but maybe some of their stars' breakthrough is just around the corner.
HC Davos Dynamo – 8 trophies
Huh, probably not as bad as you expected. Although scrolling through Davos' awards page is a depressing sight when you compare their last 30 seasons to the previous 30, the last 12 seasons has been long enough for two promising cores to rise and fall apart. First the young Dahlberg, Davison, and Smitty picked up some trophies in S65 and S68, then Davis and Hornet got the fans dreaming again in S71 and S72. Unfortunately, neither generation lived up to the promise in Davos.
Helsinki Titans – 18 trophies
The 12-season window here means Helsinki gets to make the most of their last great season in S66 – their most recent Continental Cup and a season in which 4 Titans picked up some individual awards. Borwinn led the way in S66 and accounts for 8 in total, plus a top GM since retiring that isn't counted. There's been a bit of a drought since Summers' Beketov in S71, but nonetheless a comfortable second place as we work down the alphabet.
London United – 0 trophies
Oof. London has been a slow burner for its first 4 seasons but with the acquisition of two of Moscow's finest in Lahtinen and Tonn, as well as some promising homegrown talent, the United will be looking to change the narrative in S76.
Los Angeles Stars – 3 trophies
To date, the punching bag of the class of S73 expansion, but also keen to turn things around after no playoff appearances to date. The Stars sit ahead of London, and tied with Calgary, ironically thanks to the 1-season cameo by much-loved Wrangler Sigard Gunnar in LA's first season.
Malmo Nighthawks – 20 trophies
It appears that Moscow's slightly younger brother is also the Menace's closest competition. The Nighthawks have gone about accumulating trophies in a slightly different way, with 16 of their 20 trophies won by Matt Thompson and of course Condor Adrienne. When Adrienne combined with Hylands and Sheilds briefly, they also managed to grab a championship.
New York Americans – 12 trophies
Like with Davos, probably a surprisingly good performance by New York, but I think we all knew they've had several good players who just didn't click as a team. Freeman, A Red Guy, Flowers, Jensen are some of the names on the list, who were unlucky to not go further in the playoffs. Red Lite's top rookie season will hopefully be the first step in the right direction.
Prague Phantoms – 5 trophies
Although GM Glasser broke a bit of a drought with a top GM award, as Prague won their first ever playoff games and the wildcard round in S76, Prague's only individual awards remain from S71. That was Brick Wahl's incredible farewell season in net, carrying a young team into the playoffs – they have fewer accolades but probably a more well-rounded team now.
Riga Reign – 18 trophies
The starting point of S65 just misses off Podrick Cast's prime, but still takes in the last 10 seasons of the playoff streak, driven by Kriketers (8 trophies) and Tate (6). Guest appearances from McWolf, Eagles, and Tallinder ensure a well-rounded performance from the Reign who are fittingly in a tie with the long-time rivals Helsinki and will like their chances of adding to the list with the new generation.
Seattle Bears – 16 trophies
An interesting mix for the Bears as with S65 you the end of the Thompson and Kovalchuk era, as well as the weirdly successful S66 for Samuel Gate, as the Bears tanked and Shane Mars famously won top rookie. After that, each of the S67 mainstays of Funk, Hogan, Sundqvist, and Stark picked up awards, Funk of course more than the rest, but Seattle's main work was done in the playoffs, not the awards ceremony.
Toronto Legion – 13 trophies
Fortunately for Toronto, our cut-off point picks up both Arroyo's magic in the last cup win in S65, as well as Rift's coming-of-age in S67, with a few other names like Tzuyu and Dragomir sprinkled in between. Since S67, the Legion have only won two trophies – Magnum's Boulet and Merrick's Szatkowski, with both players having since moved on.
Vancouver Wolves – 17 trophies
The Wolves moved from Quebec at the same time as Moscow came into the league and have gone through a few cycles without ever rebuilding. They seem to win a cup just before their core hits their prime (S67, S74) with a Louth winning playoff MVP, and then various core players pick up some awards in the time in between (Palo, HHH, Freeman, Downey, and Su being good examples). No one stands out but it's been a solid team performance over these 12 seasons.
Warsaw Predators – 3 trophies
Just behind the Phoenix in large part thanks to Chicago trumping Warsaw in the finals, but the Predators are on a good streak, picking up an award in each of the past 3 seasons. Lamb, Krishna, and Mitchell also form the spine of the squad and the Predators will fancy their chances of overtaking Chicago and increasing the gap from LA and London.
So, for a nice digestible list at the end, we have confirmed that Moscow has double the individual trophies of most other franchises since coming into existence and a healthy margin at the top. The current top 6 is as follows:
Moscow – 32
Malmo – 20
Riga, Helsinki – 18 each
Vancouver – 17
Seattle – 16
That's roughly what you would expect based on which franchises have been most successful in that timespan. It will be interesting to see how the S74 expansion teams look to gatecrash the list and whether Moscow's star power will remain as prominent under new management.
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Long story short: knowing that Moscow players have dominated awards ceremonies since the franchise's introduction to the league, in particular in S70, S74, and S76, I was curious to see if any franchise has matched the Menace for individual trophies in these past 12 seasons or who is closest if not. The results will probably not surprise you. Score to beat: Moscow Menace 32 individual trophies since inception (S65) – excluding top GM Lahtinen (10), Smitty (6), and Bernard (5) lead the way, but individual success has been a constant, from Jaguar and Randoms up front, through to Pavlov, Davis, and Tonn picking up the slack at the back more recently. Let's have a look at what the other VHL franchises have achieved in that same 12-season timespan. Calgary Wranglers – 3 trophies The cut-off is unfortunate for Calgary as they miss out on the golden age of S61-63 in which the legendary quartet of Stopko, Johnsson, Canmore, and Louth picked up 13 trophies as the team made it to 3 finals, but it's been more of a low-key effort since then. Instead, the Wranglers only have Lafontaine's Clegane Trophies to their name, as well as Lahtinen's Funk before he exploded after his move to Moscow. Chicago Phoenix – 4 trophies Newcomers on the scene but already ahead of Calgary (in cups too now) in this timespan. Chicago is operating a trophy-per-season pace, with their most recognisable names in Downey, Camus, L, and Mingle all on the board. With the latter 3 and the likes of Socks and Xin about to enter their prime, the Phoenix may be rising even higher in the next few seasons. D.C. Dragons – 5 trophies The Dragons would have a big fat zero here just 2 seasons ago as they only had Eno's Top GM award from S70 to their name, but Wolski's big breakthrough in S75 vaults them up the list a bit, with Lesieur adding a Brooks the same season for good measure. That season with the finals appearance might be D.C.'s pinnacle at the moment but maybe some of their stars' breakthrough is just around the corner. HC Davos Dynamo – 8 trophies Huh, probably not as bad as you expected. Although scrolling through Davos' awards page is a depressing sight when you compare their last 30 seasons to the previous 30, the last 12 seasons has been long enough for two promising cores to rise and fall apart. First the young Dahlberg, Davison, and Smitty picked up some trophies in S65 and S68, then Davis and Hornet got the fans dreaming again in S71 and S72. Unfortunately, neither generation lived up to the promise in Davos. Helsinki Titans – 18 trophies The 12-season window here means Helsinki gets to make the most of their last great season in S66 – their most recent Continental Cup and a season in which 4 Titans picked up some individual awards. Borwinn led the way in S66 and accounts for 8 in total, plus a top GM since retiring that isn't counted. There's been a bit of a drought since Summers' Beketov in S71, but nonetheless a comfortable second place as we work down the alphabet. London United – 0 trophies Oof. London has been a slow burner for its first 4 seasons but with the acquisition of two of Moscow's finest in Lahtinen and Tonn, as well as some promising homegrown talent, the United will be looking to change the narrative in S76. Los Angeles Stars – 3 trophies To date, the punching bag of the class of S73 expansion, but also keen to turn things around after no playoff appearances to date. The Stars sit ahead of London, and tied with Calgary, ironically thanks to the 1-season cameo by much-loved Wrangler Sigard Gunnar in LA's first season. Malmo Nighthawks – 20 trophies It appears that Moscow's slightly younger brother is also the Menace's closest competition. The Nighthawks have gone about accumulating trophies in a slightly different way, with 16 of their 20 trophies won by Matt Thompson and of course Condor Adrienne. When Adrienne combined with Hylands and Sheilds briefly, they also managed to grab a championship. New York Americans – 12 trophies Like with Davos, probably a surprisingly good performance by New York, but I think we all knew they've had several good players who just didn't click as a team. Freeman, A Red Guy, Flowers, Jensen are some of the names on the list, who were unlucky to not go further in the playoffs. Red Lite's top rookie season will hopefully be the first step in the right direction. Prague Phantoms – 5 trophies Although GM Glasser broke a bit of a drought with a top GM award, as Prague won their first ever playoff games and the wildcard round in S76, Prague's only individual awards remain from S71. That was Brick Wahl's incredible farewell season in net, carrying a young team into the playoffs – they have fewer accolades but probably a more well-rounded team now. Riga Reign – 18 trophies The starting point of S65 just misses off Podrick Cast's prime, but still takes in the last 10 seasons of the playoff streak, driven by Kriketers (8 trophies) and Tate (6). Guest appearances from McWolf, Eagles, and Tallinder ensure a well-rounded performance from the Reign who are fittingly in a tie with the long-time rivals Helsinki and will like their chances of adding to the list with the new generation. Seattle Bears – 16 trophies An interesting mix for the Bears as with S65 you the end of the Thompson and Kovalchuk era, as well as the weirdly successful S66 for Samuel Gate, as the Bears tanked and Shane Mars famously won top rookie. After that, each of the S67 mainstays of Funk, Hogan, Sundqvist, and Stark picked up awards, Funk of course more than the rest, but Seattle's main work was done in the playoffs, not the awards ceremony. Toronto Legion – 13 trophies Fortunately for Toronto, our cut-off point picks up both Arroyo's magic in the last cup win in S65, as well as Rift's coming-of-age in S67, with a few other names like Tzuyu and Dragomir sprinkled in between. Since S67, the Legion have only won two trophies – Magnum's Boulet and Merrick's Szatkowski, with both players having since moved on. Vancouver Wolves – 17 trophies The Wolves moved from Quebec at the same time as Moscow came into the league and have gone through a few cycles without ever rebuilding. They seem to win a cup just before their core hits their prime (S67, S74) with a Louth winning playoff MVP, and then various core players pick up some awards in the time in between (Palo, HHH, Freeman, Downey, and Su being good examples). No one stands out but it's been a solid team performance over these 12 seasons. Warsaw Predators – 3 trophies Just behind the Phoenix in large part thanks to Chicago trumping Warsaw in the finals, but the Predators are on a good streak, picking up an award in each of the past 3 seasons. Lamb, Krishna, and Mitchell also form the spine of the squad and the Predators will fancy their chances of overtaking Chicago and increasing the gap from LA and London. So, for a nice digestible list at the end, we have confirmed that Moscow has double the individual trophies of most other franchises since coming into existence and a healthy margin at the top. The current top 6 is as follows: Moscow – 32 Malmo – 20 Riga, Helsinki – 18 each Vancouver – 17 Seattle – 16 That's roughly what you would expect based on which franchises have been most successful in that timespan. It will be interesting to see how the S74 expansion teams look to gatecrash the list and whether Moscow's star power will remain as prominent under new management.
