Renomitsu

1. The start of season roster is set with training camp opening up today. How are we looking? Eh, I'm just an old veteran with equally old bones. We're looking good but sore, as always. Thankfully I had a fair amount banked so we should be okay. 2. What number do you wear for the Legion (or your VHLM team if you're a prospect) and why? Hm, I think I wear #29. I wanted a nice prime number to wear, as I generally have throughout my career. There were some nice ones already being worn or retired though. 3. In honour of his recent passing, what is your favourite Gene Hackman movie? If you haven't seen one (or don't know who he is), then just name the most recent movie that you watched (but know that we'll likely have to sit down and discuss why you haven't seen one lol). The French Connection is a classic, and probably heralded an era of antihero-style movies that find themselves commonplace nowadays (and really over the last 40-50 years at this point). 4. What's your opinion on the coming salary cap decreases in the next two seasons in the VHL? Neutral. We love for money to flow in the VHL, but I think this is important to ensure 1) all good players don't congregate to single teams as the player pool ebbs and flows, and 2) to adjust to said intermittent drops in player base to avoid contraction or excess money in the player pool. 5. What song should we be playing when we come onto the ice for our home opener this season? I dunno. "O, Canada" seems like a natural opener, but I'm sure that's not what you're asking. 6. You're making a pasta dish with one noodle shape, one sauce, and one protein. What's your combo? I'm a traditionalist. Give me some penne with arrabbiata sauce and maybe some chicken -- but honestly, the pasta/sauce combo is enough to make for an excellent dish.

1) I'll be honest, I have no idea about the vast majority of the NHL. Even though he's called "The Great One" and he holds virtually all relevant records of note, let's still call Wayne Gretzky underrated since there are no words that can really describe his level of dominance. 2) Hmm, I don't have one go-to snack, but a classic is probably those peanut butter filled pretzel nuggets from Trader Joe's. 3) CHICAGO ONLY pls and thanks Questions 1) What's your player's most important pre-game ritual? And across all of sports, which one is your favorite in real life? 2) Do you follow sports other than hockey? Who's your team for these other sports (if applicable)? 3) If you could immediately fluently speak another language, which one would you pick and why?

Remains to this day the only team I have ever GMed (and designed, founded, etc.) in a sim league, and likely the only team I will ever GM!

1: Where do you think the Chicago Phoenix will finish in the standings? Frankly, I don't think we'll finish in the top three of our conference - we just haven't been consistent enough. We have some good wins, but the persistent success I expect from a team that'll end with home ice just isn't there. 2: Do you think the Oilers can pull off the comeback? Why or why not? Yep, it's 3-3 now and effectively a best of one with all of the momentum in favor of the Oilers. 3: Has you player been playing up to expectations? Why or why not? I don't think so. Wanted to be well over a point per game but I'm not sniffing anywhere close to the top ten in points. 4: Have you gone to a fancy restaurant lately? If not, are you planning on going to one? Nope. I'm paying off my loans completely then celebrating after. 5: What team do you think has the best chance to beat the Chicago Phoenix and why? Bleh, unfortunately Toronto or someone. We have a few teams that I think would defeat us in a series across the league, though we do at least have a chance against anyone. 6: Why do you think the Panthers are struggling right now? Is it going to be their downfall? I mean, they're now without any momentum whatsoever and probably got a little complacent without the necessary mental fortitude to handle the series appropriately. It'll set them back more than just this season if they lose the finals.

1. I think it's certainly possible. Do I think it will happen? If you think I could realistically predict STHS in the post-99/40 era, I've got a bridge to sell you. 2. Naturally, all of the blame has to go to coaching. Just kidding! Sometimes it's an issue with my build, sometimes it's an issue with the teams we're facing (ie a hard part of the schedule), and other times it's just STHS doing its thing. 3. I mean, if the Oilers manage to go all the way and complete a reverse sweep it almost certainly has to go to McDavid. Otherwise, I dunno. I was going to say the Panthers goalie but he kinda let in juuuust a few goals yesterday, so that's out of the picture. --------- 1. I'm about to move to Philly but am not originally from there. What should I know about their sports fans? 2. Who's your favorite VHL user? Give them a shout out here! Why are they your favorite? 3. What do you think about the duration of the season? If you were to keep the number of games the same, would you want it to be shorter? How much shorter, and why?

1: We're now 10 games into the season and sit at 7-3-0. Is this something you expected, or not? If you're in the E or M, how's your team doing? Well, we're unfortunately in a bit of a rut these last few games. I was hoping we would continue our run on high quality wins but the sim hasn't been our friend the last 3-4 days. I expect we'll bounce back. 2: Do you have a dream location you'd like to live in the future? If so, what is it and why? Actually, I'm strongly considering living in Chicago or coming back to Charlotte after fellowship. I'm headed to Philly in just a few weeks and am also considering there as it's rather close to home and the program for my soon-to-start fellowship is world class. It's also a bit closer to home for me, so we'll have to see what I decide on. 3: What do you think about the Calgary Wranglers win streak? Do you think they'll make the playoffs, or are they going to fall off? I think they'll probably make the playoffs but won't have quite the strong streak they've had to start the season. 4: Who do you have winning the Stanley Cup, the Stars or the Oilers? Why? I thought it was the Panthers, who I think will win the cup. I don't know anything about the NHL though so my guess is completely uneducated. 5: Who do you think is going to get the playoff MVP for the NHL? Do you think it will be a hard decision, or very easy? Connor Mc-whositwhatsit if the Oilers win. I've been hearing too much about him for that not to be the case if the Oilers get it done. 7: Do you speak any other languages? If not, is there a specific language you'd like to learn? Yep! I speak Spanish and can sign (ASL) on a basic level. I would also like to learn either Arabic or French most likely next.

1: Who is one player on Chicago (besides your own) that you think is going to have a good season and why? Lionel Colberg! He's one of our alternate captains and doesn't quite get enough support despite being an already-accomplished player in his few seasons. 2: Is there any player you would like to call out before the season starts on another team? Start the trash talking! Yeah! @Doomsday I'm calling you out! You're too awesome to be here, get outta here 3: Who is going to be the most underrated player on Chicago (besides your own) and why? Our very own @DankTurtle. He's an elite center who just so happens to be playing second line because I'm a free agent signing, and I'm hoping he doesn't get less consideration for awards because of his line. Let him cook. 4: Who do you think is going to win playoff MVP in the NHL and why? I don't know any players in the NHL really (I don't follow hockey, if you can believe it), so I guess that Connor McDavid guy. 5: How do you like to spend your free time? A little bit of gaming and playing music, for the most part. I also really enjoy reading a variety of genres. 6: What is one team in the VHL you're looking forward to playing and why? The Calgary Wranglers. They've been blessed by the sim and somehow turned up to a 28% successful goal percentage on their shots in our one game, so like... huh?

1: Who do you think is going to get the first overall pick in the VHL this season? (There's a few teams that will be at the bottom). I mean it would be pretty sad if the LA Stars didn't get the first overall pick given how miserably they did this season, but really their odds vs the field aren't that great in reality. 2: What is one area that the Chicago Phoenix are lacking in? Hm, not sure - we have a reasonably diverse and talented roster and are pretty close to the cap. Maybe a future center? I have no idea. 3: Who is your favorite teammate on the team so far and why? @Doomsday and I go way back. I'm pretty sure it's him. 4: What is the best gift you've ever received? Why was it the best? Honestly? A rice krispie cake in the shape of a kidney when I turned 30. I was on NICU and my wonderful intern made it for me. The thought and effort that went into it was incredible. 5: Who do you think is going to win the Stanley Cup out of the remaining teams and why? New York, I guess? I dunno. 6: If your player is going to win an award this season, what award do you think they'll win and why? Well, I had a shot at getting the MIP but didn't quite do it. That's okay though, we'll just try to win it all next season and that's consolation enough for me.

1. Yeah. That Spanish Moon Moth guy? What a jerk, shaking my head. Just kidding, happy to be here and I'm excited to see what we can do in the next couple of seasons! 2. I think we'll finish top 2-3 in our conference for sure, and make a deeper run than expected - I'd be very pleased with the finals this season and suspect we have the talent and management to do it. 3. I've gotta agree - the Americans have definitely surprised me the most. 5. I just got back from vacation over to the beach! I went with my residency crew, which is about to split across the nation. 7. I don't; I'm a big fan of poke, Tex-Mex, sushi, Indian food, and general seafood - and yeah, I get three of these are very seafood heavy but something like steamed crabs is very distinct from my first or third option. 8. I do love a reverse sweep and am sad to see Carolina couldn't pull it off :<

1. Psh, surprised that a team coached and led by Bana won? Come on now. I wasn't born yesterday. The guy's a known winner. 2. Chicago, of course! Why would anybody else? 3. I'm personally a nay, but I can see the appeal of having pineapple on pizza. It may not work for me but I'm not going to go out of my way to stop others from enjoying it if that's their thing. ----- 1. If you're a student/currently without employment, what job would you enjoy working in? If you're currently employed, are you in the job you want to stay in long-term, or do you have different aspirations? 2. Who's the best remaining team in the NHL playoffs? And if you think they're the best -- are they also the same team who's most likely to win the Cup? 3. If you had the option, would you want VHL seasons to be longer or shorter (in duration or number of games)? Why?

1. Usually something like the Boulet is limited to a select few players on 1) a good team and 2) with really high checking, so you can play the odds a little better. Doesn't mean it's perfect, just comparatively easier. 2. I'm not in the business of calling other players out. But that Spanish Moon Moth guy? Yeah, should've played better. 3. Yes and no. Not pleased that I'm not in a long-term relationship, but very pleased with my professional accomplishments to date. ------------ 1. The NHL playoffs are under (I think). Who are you rooting for, and who do you think is going to win? 2. If you're in Canada, which USA state would you want to live in? If you're from the USA, what Canadian province would you want to live in? If from Europe, what other EU country would you want to live in -- and if you're from any other continent, what other country within your continent would you want to live in and why? 3. The offseason is a relatively lower-energy time in the VHL. What's one change you would make to the offseason (even if just for one offseason)?

Pshaw, it's gotta be Prague. Not biased at all. I'm a pretty boring guy when it comes to controversial takes. I think that soapy cilantro stuff tastes terrible though. My guess is some random Texas city would end up getting a VHL team, so let's say Dallas I guess. I'd also want to think about maybe Orlando or Miami, Philly (for the VHL in particular, I know the VHLM team exists), or Boston. For the EU I think there are a ton of different countries - would love to see a Germany-based team and would also like the Bern Royals to make a comeback. ------- 1. What team would you recommend an impressionable, NHL-naive future fan root for? And if you name your hometown or personally-preferred team, what would be your second choice? 2. Who's your favorite VHL member? Why? 3. If you could make one fundamental change to the hockey rules, what would it be?

1. In some weird way I think Davos/NY have potential to form a rivalry. They're franchises that were both legendary back in the day, had a long period of irrelevance, and in recent seasons have come somewhat back to relevance. They should form a rivalry just to see who forms a dynasty next between the two of them -- even if its dozens of seasons from now. 2. I... don't know what this means as someone who, after a decade of sim hockey, still does not know anything about hockey. 3. I'm definitely going to prank @samx and it's going to involve dino nuggets in some way shape or form. --------- 1. Your player gets an offer to play on the top line for their nation/national region. What do they say, and why? 2. For vets, who was/is your most successful player? For first gens, are you going to go the full 8-9 seasons or are you planning on retiring before all of the regression has set in? 3. If you could play a career either a) at the same length with 1% regression instead of the current regression starting with the sixth season or b) with a couple of additional seasons (ie 11 total), but all of them have half of the normal regression starting with your sixth, which would you choose?

1. Nah, I'm going to be sleeping. I worked the last 12-13 nights in a row and am really not about to wake up in the middle of the day to look at the not-sun 2. Oh man, where do I begin? The vaccine-autism thing, something about jet fuel melting steel beams, lizard people, flat Earth... 3. Ooh, ooh! The New Coke thing from the 80s is kind of interesting. Make a worse product temporarily to increase demand for your primary product. I still don't think it's true since they did make New Coke for like... 20 years, but I could totally see a sleep-deprived marketing department thinking that'd work. 1. What are your thoughts about AI? Are there any fields that you think it really shouldn't touch ever? What fields do you think it'd be most useful for? Are humans doomed to become lazy, uncreative folks reliant on AI? 2. @Enorama's offering lessons in League of Legends. Does your player take him up on his offer? 3. What do you think goes in to being a perfect draft pick for a franchise (outside of just earning the most TPE)?

So wait, the $150 I was spending per month to pay Josh to make Aloe Dear a Hall of Famer just went straight to his pocket???

1. I don't really know. I work so many major holidays that a lot of them have frankly lost meaning for me - and I don't usually get the weekends during or surrounding these holidays off either. 2. Usually the VHL. I don't think, conceptually at least, I should really be having the most fun in any of the minor/semipro leagues because my goal is to live out a player's dream of making it to the pros! 3. Uhh, I probably would choose not to teleport! You didn't say anything about being able to teleport back. --- 1. Happy Easter -- if you celebrate it! Did you celebrate, and if so, how? If not, how was your Sunday? 2. We know being a pro VHLer takes a lot of dedication. What's the longest consecutive number of hours you've stayed up in any context, and what came of it? 3. You just got promoted at your job! What does that look like for you, and are you going to enjoy your job more than your last one?

Prague, Czechia - After a miserable rookie season where they managed just 25 points in 72 games and a pitiful -19 plus-minus, Spanish Moon Moth is on a road to relevance -- or at least is trying to. Through ten games, the winged hockey player has scored exactly ten points and is managing 4.5 shots/game. And while his shot blocks (8) and hits (5) aren't impressive by any means, it's been good enough to finally manage a net-even plus-minus. Unfortunately, being one of the team's top two lines also means added pressure - and the Phantoms have managed 14 points thus far, putting them in a tie for first place. As we've often seen from the past, however, an early start does not necessarily portend good end-results for a VHL team of any tier - the pros, E, or M. Though some fans may try to rest easy with a plus-12 goal differential, early-season schedule can skew hopes high or low disproportionately. Let's have the season go another 30 games or so and we'll be able to see if we should truly be excited about the Phantoms. In the meantime, the phans in Prague are just going to enjoy a good start.

1. What's poppin', Prague?! This week is season start week! How excited is your player? My player's... kind of excited? I don't think we're making waves this season but I'm going to try my best to show out and bring us some success. 2. What has your player been working on in the off-season? Mostly a bit of scoring and defensive attributes. I'm trying to figure out how much checking I want to do in-game. 3. What are some interesting things your player learned in Training Camp? No comment. Gotta keep it a secret for all of the other teams, remember?! 4. Welcome to the Phamily, Rip Wheeler @ScottyP! The team has recently made a trade involving Wheeler and is eager to see him play. What are you thoughts on the trade (link)? It makes sense if we're trying to win a season or two from now rather than this season/in 6 seasons. I'm fine with it. 5. Do you have any Easter...or perhaps April Fool's plans? Nope, I'm working all the dang time. 6. What is one of your all-time favorite movies? Ooh, I really loved the Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse movie (the first). I haven't had a chance to see the second but I really enjoyed how they sort of let the creative team go free for that movie.

1. I think we did an awesome job! Love me some Ferk, and all of our other prospects look pretty promising. I wouldn't pick anything else specific in this draft, especially given our position. 2. Tet is just the worst according to @samx so I expect us to win the championship, thanks. 3. I'm not going to lie, I am a bit worried about the next 2-3 seasons after this one. We're going to have a rough patch for sure, so we had better bulk up in the draft so we can win a championship before I retire. 4. I think so. He's a pretty clear top 3 player for multiple seasons in his career, which normally secures HoF at some point. Whether or not he makes it first or second ballot remains to be seen. 5. Yep, I take an allergy pill every morning (fexofenadine). That's probably not going to change any time soon. 6. Spring break? Spring break? No such thing for residents hahaha

1. I think I might have been just right, if not a touch of a bust. I've already been traded once which is really unfortunate for a top 10 pick. 2. gorlab probably makes the best graphics of everyone. 3. Most likely Media Spots. I've never done graphics or podcasts. -------------------- 1. @Spartan was a GM in the VHL for a while and made FIVE finals but never won a cup. Is he cursed? 2. Who's your 'favorite' member in the league? How did you meet them? 3. Suppose you're a free agent. You have two clubs that reach out to you: one that's probably middle to lower end of the pack but has a bright future and a nice locker room, and one that's a pretty inactive locker room but are the favorites to win the cup for the next couple of seasons. Where do you go?

rekt

Awards voting has always been a point of contention for the Victory Hockey League. Back in the day, members would write lines upon lines espousing their one most-favored candidate for award X or Y, and it'd garner a bunch of views (relative to the size of the website, at any rate), and even within the last ten seasons folks have gotten a lot tamer with regards to getting upset during awards ceremonies. Members used to get really testy on the forum over one player or another getting AnFiByACiMo (if you know, you know). This season's voting is far more clear-cut. Nearly 43% of voters have come out in favor of AK92 Wit da Hoodie, Riga's forward-extraordinaire who's tied for the lead in points, but with a commanding 15 goal lead and over ten times the hits (as well as more shot blocks) than the second best forward. In the VHL's new era of hybrid attributes this is challenging to come by, though certainly not as homogeneous as the ol' 99/40 split of several seasons ago. The two goalie candidates -- Helsinki's Fuukka Rask and Calgary's Merome Dilson -- are both excellent in their own right with nearly identical 93.5% save rates, ~2.3 goal against averages, and between 2250-2300 shots faced with 5 or 6 shutouts apiece. If we're talking about outstanding players, unfortunately they seem to hurt eachothers' cases - so congrats on the very likely win, Hoodie!

1. Since I know overall very little about hockey outside of these little attributes we upgrade on a weekly basis, I'd probably pick "Beginner's Luck" as a team name in hopes of making more experienced GMs squirm. 2. I generally enjoy theme week, but my time available to be able to contribute to it is pretty limited. 3. I'm definitely enjoying having less to pay attention to - it's a nice break even though I generally really enjoy my time here. ----------- 1. What would you say are the biggest hockey stories of this VHL (or NHL) season to someone who doesn't regularly watch? 2. What do you think needs to happen for hockey to become as mainstream as things like American football and basketball in the United States? When do you think that will happen? 3. Do you participate in the league Discord? What channels are your favorites?

Prague, Czechia – With the retirement of Velociraptor Greg and the resignation of GM Acydburn coming just a week or two apart, the future of the Prague Phantoms remains in jeopardy. Its bimodal distribution of player ages – with the majority of their players living in the S84/S85 draft classes – leaves the team with some tough questions to answer in the next season or two. Namely, after S93 finishes, is the team going to pursue a retool for one last go at a championship, or is there going to be a further pursuit of a rebuild? Either situation leaves the team’s younger players in a bit of an awkward position. Indeed, currently the team’s prospects are a variety of sub-400 TPE players drafted 2-3 seasons ago, as well as Elle Aura Ashe, a 197 TPE winger from the same class as Spanish Moon Moth. It’s becoming readily apparent that the team was coming to a difficult crossroads even before their general manager stepped down. Now that the team is also in limbo from a leadership standpoint, do the future Phantoms stand a chance against the rest of the league? Will they be too late to claim important free agents and adequately scout? These will be the questions the incoming GM has to be able to answer – and fast.

1. Uh, I guess I'm mostly hoping that the team doesn't totally fall apart. New GM, bunch of players retiring these next two seasons... a little worried I'm going to be all alone here on Prague. 2. I dunno. Probably would add another Scandinavian team since they're relatively prolific in hockey. 3. Knights of Cydonia. That bass line is something else. ------------- 1. What's the most obscure/rare fact you know about hockey? 2. There have been a few punishments from the head office recently. What do you think about the Spirit of Competition ruling on Seattle? 3. If any one GM job suddenly became available, which opportunity would you leap for first?