sterling

Joined: July/August 2007
Positions Held: Grader/Updater, Moderator, General Manager of Bern, VHLM Commissioner x4, Yukon Rush GM, Halifax Founder , GM of Davos , VHL commissioner, VHL Lottery Manager 
 
This should be one of the easiest HOF articles I've written and likely my last (barring some oldie gets into the Hall of Fame in future seasons). I'm not entirely sure how active Smarch AKA Connor Low (not to mention a bunch of other notable players) is on the boards anymore, but what I can attest to is that he stands as one of the least heralded and most important members in the history of the league. If you go through the list of his players and accomplishments, you'll see that he's been on a lot of teams with me. The reason for that is that we're good real life friends, having known each other since high school. The other amazing thing is that we've both been involved in the VHL almost since we left high school. Indeed the VHL is older now than The LastOlympian was when he first joined. Almost no one else around these parts has been here as consistently in those 12 years than Smarch and he didn't get elected as a builder until recently.
 
In the early days of the VHL, Smarch was mostly known as a strong journeyman. He had a handful of worthwhile players that were generally active, but not spectacular. I often times convinced the GM of my team to pick him up via the draft or through free agency because I knew he was a dependable member. The likes of his first few players (Tommy Brown, Barron Von Jonsson, Max Weinstein) were steady, but not spectacular. He was well regarded in the early days as a dependable grader for many years and later on an updater in the olden days when updating was a very labour intensive task. His other notable accomplishment was in our long-lasting PTI podcast that spanned for a few years in the early days of the league. Smarch always would come and go, taking breaks sometimes during seasons in the careers of his players or taking a hiatus between players. Sometimes he'd make a player (Robin Big Snake lol) and flame out. He was never truly an elite member until Connor Low emerged.
 
If you want more information on the highlight reel career of Connor Low you can find it listed under the players section of the Hall of Fame. He truly was one of (and arguably the greatest) defensemen of all-time. During much of Connor Low's career, Smarch was a VHLM Commissioner - a role he played many times and over many seasons. He was one of the most consistent commissioners ever and he was held in high regard in this role. He parlayed this into stints as General Manager with Bern, Yukon and Halifax, as well as being a successful General Manager of Davos in the VHL. I'd argue Smarch is most well known though for his time as one of the VHLM Commissioners - an often unforgiving and challenging role in those days of the VHL It was a role he had to share with another member (and in his case several different other members) adding to the complicated nature of the position. Smarch was eventually promoted to a full-fledged VHL Commissioner around the time I left the VHL. He also became one of the shortest lived commissioners despite being one of the most productive ever.
 
A short Hall of Fame builder article can't encapsulate over 12 real life years of VHL lore. The unfortunate truth is a lot of Smarch's accomplishments have been forgotten as the league has evolved. At times he's been one of the most active members in the league, and at other times he's disappeared for seasons at a time. As you can see though, the breadth of his positions held in the VHL, and the success of his individual players tells us that he's been an integral part of the league since it's inception. I was always fortunate (for the most part) to share a lot of memories in the VHL with Smarch as our players almost always followed similar career timelines. I can say that he was also always one of the best teammates and hardest workers around the boards. One such example is when he offered to switch positions with Connor Low - a move that somewhat tarnished the player's legacy in terms of stats, but that's the kind of guy Smarch is. He's a good teammate and a large part of the fabric of what has made the VHL so successful for so many years.
 
So here's to you Smarch and your lousy weather! And finally,  I would be remiss if I didn't personally thank you for your tireless and dedicated work for the league over the years.
 

Joined: July/August 2007
Positions Held: Grader/Updater, Moderator, General Manager of Bern, VHLM Commissioner x4, Yukon Rush GM, Halifax Founder , GM of Davos , VHL commissioner, VHL Lottery Manager 
 
This should be one of the easiest HOF articles I've written and likely my last (barring some oldie gets into the Hall of Fame in future seasons). I'm not entirely sure how active Smarch AKA Connor Low (not to mention a bunch of other notable players) is on the boards anymore, but what I can attest to is that he stands as one of the least heralded and most important members in the history of the league. If you go through the list of his players and accomplishments, you'll see that he's been on a lot of teams with me. The reason for that is that we're good real life friends, having known each other since high school. The other amazing thing is that we've both been involved in the VHL almost since we left high school. Indeed the VHL is older now than The LastOlympian was when he first joined. Almost no one else around these parts has been here as consistently in those 12 years than Smarch and he didn't get elected as a builder until recently.
 
In the early days of the VHL, Smarch was mostly known as a strong journeyman. He had a handful of worthwhile players that were generally active, but not spectacular. I often times convinced the GM of my team to pick him up via the draft or through free agency because I knew he was a dependable member. The likes of his first few players (Tommy Brown, Barron Von Jonsson, Max Weinstein) were steady, but not spectacular. He was well regarded in the early days as a dependable grader for many years and later on an updater in the olden days when updating was a very labour intensive task. His other notable accomplishment was in our long-lasting PTI podcast that spanned for a few years in the early days of the league. Smarch always would come and go, taking breaks sometimes during seasons in the careers of his players or taking a hiatus between players. Sometimes he'd make a player (Robin Big Snake lol) and flame out. He was never truly an elite member until Connor Low emerged.
 
If you want more information on the highlight reel career of Connor Low you can find it listed under the players section of the Hall of Fame. He truly was one of (and arguably the greatest) defensemen of all-time. During much of Connor Low's career, Smarch was a VHLM Commissioner - a role he played many times and over many seasons. He was one of the most consistent commissioners ever and he was held in high regard in this role. He parlayed this into stints as General Manager with Bern, Yukon and Halifax, as well as being a successful General Manager of Davos in the VHL. I'd argue Smarch is most well known though for his time as one of the VHLM Commissioners - an often unforgiving and challenging role in those days of the VHL It was a role he had to share with another member (and in his case several different other members) adding to the complicated nature of the position. Smarch was eventually promoted to a full-fledged VHL Commissioner around the time I left the VHL. He also became one of the shortest lived commissioners despite being one of the most productive ever.
 
A short Hall of Fame builder article can't encapsulate over 12 real life years of VHL lore. The unfortunate truth is a lot of Smarch's accomplishments have been forgotten as the league has evolved. At times he's been one of the most active members in the league, and at other times he's disappeared for seasons at a time. As you can see though, the breadth of his positions held in the VHL, and the success of his individual players tells us that he's been an integral part of the league since it's inception. I was always fortunate (for the most part) to share a lot of memories in the VHL with Smarch as our players almost always followed similar career timelines. I can say that he was also always one of the best teammates and hardest workers around the boards. One such example is when he offered to switch positions with Connor Low - a move that somewhat tarnished the player's legacy in terms of stats, but that's the kind of guy Smarch is. He's a good teammate and a large part of the fabric of what has made the VHL so successful for so many years.
 
So here's to you Smarch and your lousy weather! And finally,  I would be remiss if I didn't personally thank you for your tireless and dedicated work for the league over the years.
 

Joined: July/August 2007
Positions Held: Grader/Updater, Moderator, General Manager of Bern, VHLM Commissioner x4, Yukon Rush GM, Halifax Founder , GM of Davos , VHL commissioner, VHL Lottery Manager 
 
This should be one of the easiest HOF articles I've written and likely my last (barring some oldie gets into the Hall of Fame in future seasons). I'm not entirely sure how active Smarch AKA Connor Low (not to mention a bunch of other notable players) is on the boards anymore, but what I can attest to is that he stands as one of the least heralded and most important members in the history of the league. If you go through the list of his players and accomplishments, you'll see that he's been on a lot of teams with me. The reason for that is that we're good real life friends, having known each other since high school. The other amazing thing is that we've both been involved in the VHL almost since we left high school. Indeed the VHL is older now than The LastOlympian was when he first joined. Almost no one else around these parts has been here as consistently in those 12 years than Smarch and he didn't get elected as a builder until recently.
 
In the early days of the VHL, Smarch was mostly known as a strong journeyman. He had a handful of worthwhile players that were generally active, but not spectacular. I often times convinced the GM of my team to pick him up via the draft or through free agency because I knew he was a dependable member. The likes of his first few players (Tommy Brown, Barron Von Jonsson, Max Weinstein) were steady, but not spectacular. He was well regarded in the early days as a dependable grader for many years and later on an updater in the olden days when updating was a very labour intensive task. His other notable accomplishment was in our long-lasting PTI podcast that spanned for a few years in the early days of the league. Smarch always would come and go, taking breaks sometimes during seasons in the careers of his players or taking a hiatus between players. Sometimes he'd make a player (Robin Big Snake lol) and flame out. He was never truly an elite member until Connor Low emerged.
 
If you want more information on the highlight reel career of Connor Low you can find it listed under the players section of the Hall of Fame. He truly was one of (and arguably the greatest) defensemen of all-time. During much of Connor Low's career, Smarch was a VHLM Commissioner - a role he played many times and over many seasons. He was one of the most consistent commissioners ever and he was held in high regard in this role. He parlayed this into stints as General Manager with Bern, Yukon and Halifax, as well as being a successful General Manager of Davos in the VHL. I'd argue Smarch is most well known though for his time as one of the VHLM Commissioners - an often unforgiving and challenging role in those days of the VHL It was a role he had to share with another member (and in his case several different other members) adding to the complicated nature of the position. Smarch was eventually promoted to a full-fledged VHL Commissioner around the time I left the VHL. He also became one of the shortest lived commissioners despite being one of the most productive ever.
 
A short Hall of Fame builder article can't encapsulate over 12 real life years of VHL lore. The unfortunate truth is a lot of Smarch's accomplishments have been forgotten as the league has evolved. At times he's been one of the most active members in the league, and at other times he's disappeared for seasons at a time. As you can see though, the breadth of his positions held in the VHL, and the success of his individual players tells us that he's been an integral part of the league since it's inception. I was always fortunate (for the most part) to share a lot of memories in the VHL with Smarch as our players almost always followed similar career timelines. I can say that he was also always one of the best teammates and hardest workers around the boards. One such example is when he offered to switch positions with Connor Low - a move that somewhat tarnished the player's legacy in terms of stats, but that's the kind of guy Smarch is. He's a good teammate and a large part of the fabric of what has made the VHL so successful for so many years.
 
So here's to you Smarch and your lousy weather! And finally,  I would be remiss if I didn't personally thank you for your tireless and dedicated work for the league over the years.
 

Joined: July/August 2007
Positions Held: Grader/Updater, Moderator, General Manager of Bern, VHLM Commissioner x4, Yukon Rush GM, Halifax Founder , GM of Davos , VHL commissioner, VHL Lottery Manager 
 
This should be one of the easiest HOF articles I've written and likely my last (barring some oldie gets into the Hall of Fame in future seasons). I'm not entirely sure how active Smarch AKA Connor Low (not to mention a bunch of other notable players) is on the boards anymore, but what I can attest to is that he stands as one of the least heralded and most important members in the history of the league. If you go through the list of his players and accomplishments, you'll see that he's been on a lot of teams with me. The reason for that is that we're good real life friends, having known each other since high school. The other amazing thing is that we've both been involved in the VHL almost since we left high school. Indeed the VHL is older now than The LastOlympian was when he first joined. Almost no one else around these parts has been here as consistently in those 12 years than Smarch and he didn't get elected as a builder until recently.
 
In the early days of the VHL, Smarch was mostly known as a strong journeyman. He had a handful of worthwhile players that were generally active, but not spectacular. I often times convinced the GM of my team to pick him up via the draft or through free agency because I knew he was a dependable member. The likes of his first few players (Tommy Brown, Barron Von Jonsson, Max Weinstein) were steady, but not spectacular. He was well regarded in the early days as a dependable grader for many years and later on an updater in the olden days when updating was a very labour intensive task. His other notable accomplishment was in our long-lasting PTI podcast that spanned for a few years in the early days of the league. Smarch always would come and go, taking breaks sometimes during seasons in the careers of his players or taking a hiatus between players. Sometimes he'd make a player (Robin Big Snake lol) and flame out. He was never truly an elite member until Connor Low emerged.
 
If you want more information on the highlight reel career of Connor Low you can find it listed under the players section of the Hall of Fame. He truly was one of (and arguably the greatest) defensemen of all-time. During much of Connor Low's career, Smarch was a VHLM Commissioner - a role he played many times and over many seasons. He was one of the most consistent commissioners ever and he was held in high regard in this role. He parlayed this into stints as General Manager with Bern, Yukon and Halifax, as well as being a successful General Manager of Davos in the VHL. I'd argue Smarch is most well known though for his time as one of the VHLM Commissioners - an often unforgiving and challenging role in those days of the VHL It was a role he had to share with another member (and in his case several different other members) adding to the complicated nature of the position. Smarch was eventually promoted to a full-fledged VHL Commissioner around the time I left the VHL. He also became one of the shortest lived commissioners despite being one of the most productive ever.
 
A short Hall of Fame builder article can't encapsulate over 12 real life years of VHL lore. The unfortunate truth is a lot of Smarch's accomplishments have been forgotten as the league has evolved. At times he's been one of the most active members in the league, and at other times he's disappeared for seasons at a time. As you can see though, the breadth of his positions held in the VHL, and the success of his individual players tells us that he's been an integral part of the league since it's inception. I was always fortunate (for the most part) to share a lot of memories in the VHL with Smarch as our players almost always followed similar career timelines. I can say that he was also always one of the best teammates and hardest workers around the boards. One such example is when he offered to switch positions with Connor Low - a move that somewhat tarnished the player's legacy in terms of stats, but that's the kind of guy Smarch is. He's a good teammate and a large part of the fabric of what has made the VHL so successful for so many years.
 
So here's to you Smarch and your lousy weather! And finally,  I would be remiss if I didn't personally thank you for your tireless and dedicated work for the league over the years.
 

Joined: July/August 2007
Positions Held: Grader/Updater, Moderator, General Manager of Bern, VHLM Commissioner x4, Yukon Rush GM, Halifax Founder , GM of Davos , VHL commissioner, VHL Lottery Manager 
 
This should be one of the easiest HOF articles I've written and likely my last (barring some oldie gets into the Hall of Fame in future seasons). I'm not entirely sure how active Smarch AKA Connor Low (not to mention a bunch of other notable players) is on the boards anymore, but what I can attest to is that he stands as one of the least heralded and most important members in the history of the league. If you go through the list of his players and accomplishments, you'll see that he's been on a lot of teams with me. The reason for that is that we're good real life friends, having known each other since high school. The other amazing thing is that we've both been involved in the VHL almost since we left high school. Indeed the VHL is older now than The LastOlympian was when he first joined. Almost no one else around these parts has been here as consistently in those 12 years than Smarch and he didn't get elected as a builder until recently.
 
In the early days of the VHL, Smarch was mostly known as a strong journeyman. He had a handful of worthwhile players that were generally active, but not spectacular. I often times convinced the GM of my team to pick him up via the draft or through free agency because I knew he was a dependable member. The likes of his first few players (Tommy Brown, Barron Von Jonsson, Max Weinstein) were steady, but not spectacular. He was well regarded in the early days as a dependable grader for many years and later on an updater in the olden days when updating was a very labour intensive task. His other notable accomplishment was in our long-lasting PTI podcast that spanned for a few years in the early days of the league. Smarch always would come and go, taking breaks sometimes during seasons in the careers of his players or taking a hiatus between players. Sometimes he'd make a player (Robin Big Snake lol) and flame out. He was never truly an elite member until Connor Low emerged.
 
If you want more information on the highlight reel career of Connor Low you can find it listed under the players section of the Hall of Fame. He truly was one of (and arguably the greatest) defensemen of all-time. During much of Connor Low's career, Smarch was a VHLM Commissioner - a role he played many times and over many seasons. He was one of the most consistent commissioners ever and he was held in high regard in this role. He parlayed this into stints as General Manager with Bern, Yukon and Halifax, as well as being a successful General Manager of Davos in the VHL. I'd argue Smarch is most well known though for his time as one of the VHLM Commissioners - an often unforgiving and challenging role in those days of the VHL It was a role he had to share with another member (and in his case several different other members) adding to the complicated nature of the position. Smarch was eventually promoted to a full-fledged VHL Commissioner around the time I left the VHL. He also became one of the shortest lived commissioners despite being one of the most productive ever.
 
A short Hall of Fame builder article can't encapsulate over 12 real life years of VHL lore. The unfortunate truth is a lot of Smarch's accomplishments have been forgotten as the league has evolved. At times he's been one of the most active members in the league, and at other times he's disappeared for seasons at a time. As you can see though, the breadth of his positions held in the VHL, and the success of his individual players tells us that he's been an integral part of the league since it's inception. I was always fortunate (for the most part) to share a lot of memories in the VHL with Smarch as our players almost always followed similar career timelines. I can say that he was also always one of the best teammates and hardest workers around the boards. One such example is when he offered to switch positions with Connor Low - a move that somewhat tarnished the player's legacy in terms of stats, but that's the kind of guy Smarch is. He's a good teammate and a large part of the fabric of what has made the VHL so successful for so many years.
 
So here's to you Smarch and your lousy weather! And finally,  I would be remiss if I didn't personally thank you for your tireless and dedicated work for the league over the years.
 

No.

Do you need a new button generated?

Should have added Phil then.

We could try it for a month to see the return, the rate’s not awful. You can give @sterling the information to pay and move forward with it.

Banned

Yes that’s correct. The last big batch of expenses were the logos that were around $500. We’ve got a healthy balance in the bank also.

I thought this was the too soon thread?

@sterling can I have $17 to renew my STHS ?

The day we banned Phil

@boubabi has been banned an additional 24 hours for continuing to spam/abuse the report function.

Now I disappear in part 3 ?

Yeah I'd like to write that one still.

Now I disappear in part 3 ?

Here's part 1: https://vhlforum.com/topic/63670-whos-still-around-from-old-cup-winning-teams/
 
Let's smash through a few more seasons then shall we...
 
S21 Toronto Legion @sterling @Victor @Bushito
Sterling and I (James Bencharski and Lars Berger) combined efforts for a second time here on a team built by David Knight. Several other repeat members here like Zero (J.D. Stormwall), McNeil (Voittu Jannula), and Cameron Davidson (nagger), but this was the first Continental Cup for Bushito, who continued making solid players after Peyton Nydroj and recently both got his first Hall of Fame induction and a Continental Cup as a GM.
 
S22 Helsinki Titans @Advantage @Renomitsu
A team with a similar makeup to some older Calgary and Riga teams, with two prominent members being Slobo and Kendrick. Cam Fowler was the first-gen of CoachReilly, a highly vocal member who is sadly no longer with us but remained very active until S50. Noah, inactive at the time and inactive now, got his first championship as Syd Drayson, and the reliable Renomitsu was a depth defenceman for the second time in his career. Adam Schultz was the first player of Frank, famous most for GMing Quebec as recently as S57. Last but not least, Malmo has just become the fourth team he's managed, but back in S22 Advantage was just starting out and got his first cup with Michael Angelo.
 
S23 Calgary Wranglers @JardyB10 @diamond_ace @.sniffuM
Jardy completed his career with a third cup in six seasons, now as GM, having built a team of fine members like Munk (Jeff Dar) and Spangle (Mathias Chouinard), among others. The long-term survivors here however are Jason aka diamond_ace (Lars Intranquilo), a key contributor to the VHLM then and in the year since, and Damien aka .sniffuM (Joey Clarence), who was on the player who created the famous snubbed censor. Damien has disappeared at times since, but has been VHLM commissioner and a Hall of Fame inductee and is back again in a more low key role at the moment.
 
S24 and S25 HC Davos Dynamo @tfong
A few repeats here, most notably Squinty, DGFX., and of course tfong with Kanou's crowning achievements. He is the sole survivor of these back-to-back winners, with Frank again missing the cut, while Koradek, present in S24 and the creator of so many of the current logos around the league, had a glorious but short time in the VHL.
 
S26 Vasteras Iron Eagles @Tyler @Phil @sterling @.sniffuM @Hybrid1486
Very impressive survival rate here, especially with the recent return of Phil, 40 seasons on from his first ever championship. The second and last Vasteras championship was the brainchild of Tyler, featuring in goal as Andreas Bjorkman, and Scotty, on his real last hurrah as RJ Stafford and featured Sterling, Pensfan, Damien's second player Tukka Reikkinen and provided a first championship for Hybrid (Clint Guite).
 
S27 Helsinki Titans - No one
A superbly fun team, but one that really hasn't aged well, with some of its key members long gone like Squinty, Koradek, Boragina, and Claudio. The closest thing to a survivor is Munk, but like in S23, his appearances recently have been far too sporadic to include as a current active.
 
S28 Seattle Bears @gregreg @InstantRockstar @Higgins @JardyB10
Greg built up Seattle's first cup-winning team after S17 on the core of the Seattle Six – Felix Peters (himself), Jarvis Baldwin (CoachReilly), Nikolai Lebedev (Noah), Mitch Higgins (Higgins), Radislav Mjers (Instantrockstar), and CAL G (Jardy). Jardy and Higgins continue to exist in lurk form as former admins/simmers, while the recent returns of Greg and IR have resurrected the active member count of this team.
 
S29 Toronto Legion @sterling @Beketov @Tyler
One of the more random cup winners in the VHL's past (the recent Toronto cup winners have clearly used this team as inspiration) gave additional cup rings to Sterling, Beketov, and Tyler, now Alexander Labatte, Jason White, and Connor Evans respectively. Apart from that, no notable new names won this season, with repeat appearances from Sandro and the Funks – a good VHL band name if nothing else.
 
S30 Calgary Wranglers @Victor @diamond_ace @Advantage @flyersfan1453 @solas @BYE
A decent retention rate here which makes sense how active this team was at the time. More cups came to Jason, Advantage and myself (Clark Marcellin, Ryan Sullivan, Alexander Chershenko), while the defence featured 3 still active members who won their first cups – flyersfan (Jim Gow) who went on to briefly commish, solas (Klaus Muller), a quiet creator of good to great players ever since, and Boom (Vladimir Boomchenko), who recently found himself burnt out again but has consistently come back to good effect in the past.
 
S31 HC Davos Dynamo @Phil @tfong @gregreg @Bushito @frescoelmo
Fittingly, we are getting more names who've stuck around as we get to the halfway stage of the VHL's existence. This was the team of the Knight brothers (David Smalling and Phil Rafter), Fong (again), Greg (again), Sandro (again), Bushito (for the second time, with Satan), and a first cup for frescoelmo, who's more famous for Tarik Saeijs than Emerson Byer but also seemed to reappear in the league recently.
 
S32 New York Americans @Victor @Tyler @.sniffuM @InstantRockstar @Devise
Here a random collection of members combined to good effect, but then how can you go wrong with myself, Tyler, Damien, and instantrockstar? At least, if it's S32. The mastermind behind this was Devise however, in just his second season as GM ever, winning his first championship with rookie goaltender Skylar Rift. There will be much more of him to come.
 
S33 Riga Reign @Hybrid1486
A bit of a relapse here, with a few previously prominent members like sherifflobo and Corco now long gone – although Corco's last player Boner only retired a couple seasons ago. However, Felix Leiter was Hybrid's player so he is representing this team today. Not much more to say about this one.
 
S34 Helsinki Titans @Higgins @der meister @Hybrid1486
Higgins built a team of first-gens in his first run with Helsinki and many are only recently inactive in the VHL. That's a list that includes STZ (Ethan Osborne), who went on to GM both Helsinki and New York, Tylar (Brody Hodgson), who would win a few cups with Helsinki in a few more incarnations as Marcel Faux and Sami Zayn, and fever95 (Anatoli Zhumbayev). One first-gen who is still around is der meister (Till Lindemann), although he has not recreated since Casey Jones retired in S64. Finally, there was a second straight championship for Leiter and Hybrid.
 
S35 Quebec City Meute @Kyle @Devise
A much hated team, built through free agency and being able to acquire all 3 Valiq brothers retains two members – Kyle, who was one of the Valiqs, and Devise, who was the league-altering free agent in Skylar Rift. Otherwise, Koradek and Squinty have long gone as above, while Jericho famously won his first championship with Wesley Kellinger, but has also been inactive since the mid 50s.
 
S36 HC Davos Dynamo @Victor @Velevra @Trifecta @Molholt @Quik @BYE
My crowning achievement as GM has a few members still kicking around, even if you discount the recent departed Boom (Odin Tordahl). My partner on defence was Shane Baker, which was Velevra's first player, he's since made a number of good players including a Hall of Famer in Apollo Skye and one of the more unlucky current players in Veran Dragomir. Da Trifecta got his first cup as Davey Jones and continues to pop in, as does Molholt, more famously the GM of the threepeating Toronto team about a decade later, but first time winner with Jarkko Olsen here. Finally, Quik was inactive at the time but got another ring to his name with Matteo Gallo, my first draft pick as Davos GM.
 
S37 Toronto Legion @Green @xDParK
The star of this Toronto team was Remy LeBeau and this was Green's first-gen, who has won many cups with his numerous players since. It appears Adam Warlock was his last player for a while but he still pops in and history suggests he'll be lured back in sooner rather than later. On the other hand, xdPark largely disappeared after Chico Salmon retired, but has only recently come back and might be at his peak VHL form. A notable member who would definitely still be here if he wasn't banned is boubabi, then on his first player Niklas Lindberg and a far cry from the outspoken member he became.
 
S38 HC Davos Dynamo @Victor @Velevra @Trifecta @Molholt @JardyB10 @frescoelmo
Davos won the last of the three straight Toronto vs Davos finals, and it was a similar team to the one which triumphed in S36. The main changes were Tordahl and Gallo being replaced by Naomi Young (Jardy) and Felix Zamora (frescoelmo), both of whom are in that strange semi-active limbo state at the moment but we'll class them as active for now.
 
S39 New York Americans @sterling @Smarch @tfong @Tyler @Advantage @BYE
A great team built around known, low-risk names, many of whom are still around in some capacity. Sterling and Smarch went back to their days of winning together, with Smarch on his finest player in Conner Low. Fong (Xin Xie Xiao), Tyler (Milos Denis), and Advantage (Brick Wahl) all featured, with another appearance for Tordahl – overall it's little surprise this team won.
 
S40 Riga Reign @flyersfan1453 @Positivefan036 @Phil @Molholt
And we'll end the second part of this on the first champion from the 40s. This was the first combined triumph of the Gows, with Phil helping out on defence. Molholt and boubabi also made appearances on their first players' swansongs in a dominant playoff display. Again, no new names to speak of though.
 
That's another 1,500 words so that's a wrap for Pavlov too. I might revisit this concept in 3 weeks' time.

Some time ago I recall I briefly looked at past cup winners in the VHL and checked to see how many members of those teams are still active in the league. From memory this was a VHL.com article and probably about 20 seasons ago now. So, in the absence of any other ideas, I'm going to do this again, just in a bit more depth. Here goes, lord help me.
 
Season 1 Vasteras IK @Quik @Smarch
This was a team led by the original commissioner Scotty Campbell and the original long-serving GM, Pensfan101, whose first player was Thor Ljunggren. But the two members who remain are Smarch, back again for his umpteenth player, and another former commissioner, who was Tommy Brown at the time, and Quik (Matthew Pogge), one of our current commissioners, who was missing for about 30 seasons but has been at the peak of his powers for around 2 years now. Not gonna lie, two members still active from the original cup winners is mightily impressive.
 
Season 2 Calgary Wranglers @sterling @Smarch
Going down the OG Wranglers rosters is like a who's who of VHL legends. Scott Boulet and Brett Slobodzian are two names which stick out here, but haven't been with us for many years (Slobo's last player retired around S40). But we do have another appearance for Tommy Brown, as well as the first cup for Sterling Labatte. Sterling might be playerless for now going on 15 seasons, but remains the a regular presence in the admin forum, always available to ban Phil, and is still the custodian of our donations bank.
 
Season 3 Calgary Wranglers @sterling @Smarch @Beketov
Pretty similar to the season above, with a couple key additions though. Joey Kendrick won his first championship – he only left the VHL in the past year, albeit in acrimonious circumstances. There was also a maiden Continental Cup for the famous S1 first overall pick Robert Sharpe, who began his road to redemption as Beketov and remained in the league since, now being our other commissioner. The fact the two commissioners in S66 won cups within the league's first 3 seasons is kind of mind-blowing.
 
Season 4 and 5 Seattle Bears - No one
Despite being perhaps the most star-studded team in history, from what I can see no one remains in the VHL 60 seasons on from Seattle's back-to-back championship. Scotty Campbell, Alex McNeil, and Dustin Funk largely fizzled out in the 20s, with a few failed comebacks since then but I don't think any more recent than S40. Everyone else on these teams has been gone even longer than that.
 
Season 6 Helsinki Titans @Quik @TheLastOlympian07
A few repeat names from Seattle like Campbell and Matt Defosse, and a handful of other great members here, perhaps most notably Zero, appearing in net as Dominik Stryker, famous for creating the VHL 20 in 20 series which did also sadly seem to kill his activity in the league. There was a second cup here for Quik, now on his second player Branden Snelheid, while on defence we have Shawn Howard, who you might be surprised is TheLastOlympian, who's disappeared at various times in the league's past, but still kicking with player names beginning with Shawn.
 
Season 7 Avangard Havoc @tfong
A stupid team name and a weird roster, but this was actually the Davos franchise's first championship. Probably the most famous player here was Christian Stolzschweiger, but he never recreated anything of note. We also have Fabian Brunnstrom, which was Sandro's first player and he made many more before leaving the league at some point before S50. But the mainstay here is Terence Fong, who won the first of his cups in S7 and the thirteenth just last season with Toronto.
 
Season 8 Calgary Wranglers @sterling @Smarch @BluObieZ @harvey
Lots of recognisable names here: we have another cup for sterling and Smarch (now Max Weinstein), while future commissioner David Knight won his first. David is still MIA but his brother Phil is back with us. Robbie Zimmers also won his first cup – he's now on his alleged last player, although I feel like he's promised that for at least 5 players now. And in a shocking twist, Ace Lightning had a player in the S67 draft after a near literal decade absence but I think he's just retired now which is a shame.
 
Season 9 Toronto Legion @Quik
Kevin Brooks and Mike Szatkowski are the first two names on the list and they have been immortalised in trophy names. Brooks was also the VHL's founding member back in July 2007, while Mike was still around as late as S50 or so. We have another championship for Quik, but it looks like he is the only one still around from this great team.
 
Season 10 Riga Reign @tfong @harvey
No one new here, as second cups came to Lightning and Fong, but too many repeats of old school members on this squad like the Funks (Zak Rawlyk and Brandon Rush), Slobo (Layken Heidt), and Kendrick (Torsten Schwarz). Nothing else to add here really.
 
Season 11 HC Davos Dynamo - No one
The original 3-line VHL roster, about 55 seasons ahead of its time. Sadly, despite the depth, it doesn't look like anyone has stuck around 10 years on. This was the last hurrah of Scotty Campbell, now a GM and playing as Tomas Jenskovic, while notable first-gens here included Zach Arce (Islandersfan) and James Platts (nagger) who were pretty iconic VHL members in the 20s.
 
Season 12 Seattle Bears @Beketov @Tyler
A second cup here for Beketov and Sandro, while Sebastian Ball kept reappearing in the VHL, most recently as Tyler Cote in the early 40s. A new name that's stuck around though is Tyler, then Pavel Dubnikov and remarkably still around and liking any Chelsea-related posts I make. He's also famously a cup drought breaker as GM with both Vasteras (S26) and Davos (S61).
 
Season 13 HC Davos Dynamo - No one
A similar mix here to the S11 team, so the same end result – no remnants. Fayt Leingod however was Streetlight, who still has a player in the league (Samuel Gate) but went inactive around S63. It's happened before so he may yet return but for the time being no one is here to represent old Davos.
 
Season 14 New York Americans @sterling @Smarch @Victor
Sterling and Smarch win yet another cup, now as Grimm Jonsson and Baron Von Jonsson respectively. No one else on the team stuck around for that long really, apart from the goalie, Vase Trikamaki, who was the first player of a guy called Victor, who you might have heard of.
 
Season 15 Helsinki Titans @Quik @tfong @Kyle
An interesting mix here in this team GMed by Quik (now Matt Bailey), also featuring Fong (Ginzou Fujiwara). Another defenceman, Virgil Quincey-McDienenberg, who was the notorious Edgar, eventual Toronto GM and creator of questionable player builds all the way to S50 something. He is now present in the league in the form of Greg's player name Edgar Tannahill (Greg, Edgar, and Pensfan all hail from Owen Sound). Finally, the goalie of this Titans team was Izaak Muller, which was Kyle's first player. Kyle has been in and out of the league ever since and currently is one of the “in” times.
 
Season 16 Riga Reign - No one
One of the few Continental Cup winners without any Hall of Famers and yeah, I don't even know who to mention. Harvey Singh and Jesse Jussal (DGFX. and 8Ovechkin8) were probably the most famous members here, later making the Hall of Fame as Anton Brekker and Japinder Singh, as well as making the Athera twins, but this was all over by around S35. Apart from that, there's not much long-term impact from this team.
 
Season 17 Seattle Bears @sterling @Smarch @gregreg @Beketov
Sterling and Smarch win yet another cup together, now with Sandro, Streetlight, and Edgar too. Beketov also features as goalie Alex Young, while rookie Markus Strauss won the first cup for Greg, who after an extended absence is now back in the league. Greg would become Mr. Seattle and made his mark as the team's long-serving GM later on. Overall, pretty high marks for recognisable member names here.
 
Season 18 Calgary Wranglers @Victor @JardyB10 @Renomitsu
I remember getting to this team last time I did this and realising it was just me and Jardy left. I was Lars Berger, he was Jardy Bunclewirth and was about to become commissioner and then by some distance the VHL's longest serving simmer. Then after I came back recently Jardy disappeared so it was just me. But now Jardy has reppeared (although not yet recreated), but we also had a surprising return from Renomitsu, an unsung hero of this underdog victory and looking to be at his most active yet. So S18 Calgary is really a late bloomer of a team.
 
Season 19 Calgary Wranglers @Victor @JardyB10 @Quik
Pretty much the same as above, but the defence was radically improved in the off-season and that included getting Quik to essentially replace Renomitsu. Also a moment of silence for fallen friends, such as Zero (J.D. Stormwall), Matt Bentz (Mikka Virkkunen), and Alexander Sauve (Zach Manship).
 
Season 20 HC Davos Dynamo @tfong
Fong is holding down the fort for the Davos dynasty, with his most famous player Daisuke Kanou getting his first cup here. Otherwise, it's largely a repeat of names already mentioned before, like Brooks, DGFX., and Streetlight. We've also got one of my faves, Squinty – Patrick Bergqvist in S20 but probably most famous for his next player, Leeroy Jenkins – as well as Chad Murphy (RawEnergy), who I've actually ignored on a couple of occasions (Miroslav Ladic won in S8 and Leander Kaelin in S13), but was a pretty reliable VHL members for 25 seasons or so.
 
That pushes me over 1,500 words so I'll use this for 3 weeks for Cast and write about the next seasons for Pavlov shortly.

The day we banned Phil

The day we banned Phil

No, but as long as we let other people write history for us, we did @Beketov.
 
The original people would have been Scotty, Noiles and Brooks (amongst others). I joined a little while after the suspension of Sharpe, but I believe we were early teammates on Calgary.
 
Also, I can't take much credit for the 20 in 20 articles - they were mostly written by Zero. Some of the later ones were authored by Victor. And I did a few.

No, but as long as we let other people write history for us, we did @Beketov.
 
The original people would have been Scotty, Noiles and Brooks (amongst others). I joined a little while after the suspension of Sharpe, but I believe we were early teammates on Calgary.
 
Also, I can't take much credit for the 20 in 20 articles - they were mostly written by Zero. Some of the later ones were authored by Victor. And I did a few.

@sterling time for hosting renewal again 
 
Let's do $60 for 6 months this time instead of $30 for 3