SlapshotLegion

(I found this Theme Week kind of funny because I used to do articles like this all the time on VSN.) SEATTLE - “Sort of ironic that I ended up here out of all places, eh?” Jacques Lafontaine was wearing a Seattle Kraken jersey, a smile on his face as we interviewed him. Recently picked up in free agency after finishing his last season in Vegas, where he had a breakout year, Lafontaine found it ironic that his latest stop in his NHL journey would be the city he used to dread playing the most. Seattle fans were certainly shocked to see Jacques Lafontaine, who they were used to seeing on the other side of the ice with the Wranglers, now skate with the newest NHL franchise. “I remember cursing his name every time we went against him,” a Seattle Bears fan commented online on Twitter. “Still can’t believe I’m going to have the chance to cheer FOR him. If he’s anything like he was in the VHL, us Seattle fans are going to have a really good time.” That’s right, the young VHLer who first showed up as a small, skinny 16 year old is still going strong in the professional hockey world. Jacques has had an interesting NHL career. Shortly after leaving the VHL at age 23 (due to the league’s max season rule), the young goaltender transitioned into the NHL by joining the Vegas Golden Knights as a third-string goaltender. Over time however, he climbed up the ranks and had a stand out year as the B goalie in Vegas’ goalie tandem. Jacques finished with a regular season record of 28-9-2, with a good save percentage of 0.922 as well as a GAA of 2.66. He has proven himself to be a solid option in the NHL so when Seattle offered the now 27 year old Lafontaine a four year contract, he accepted. “Yeah, it’s a great opportunity. This is the type of break I’ve been working towards; now it’s just up to me to make sure I use this chance to the best of my ability. You don’t get a chance like this every season. I’m glad the Kraken organization chose to trust in me.” Jacques Lafontaine said in a press conference. “Calgary has been a home away from home but I’m excited to play in Seattle. From what I remember, the fans were great for the Bears and I’m looking forward to seeing what it’s like being a Seattle goaltender. I’m not sure if the Flames and Kraken will have as strong a rivalry as the Wranglers and Bears did but I am expecting the biggest reaction coming from Calgary fans when I show up. It’ll be weird playing on the other side of the Saddle dome ice but it is what it is. It’s gonna be fun, for both me and the fans of both sides.” Lafontaine has been looking strong and the team is confident that he is NHL starting material. After all, for both Seattle and Calgary fans (“It’s gonna be weird hearing Cow Town fans cheer against me for sure,” Lafontaine remarked.), they know what Lafontaine can do. The question is, will he do what they know he can do?

Graphic: Very cool! Can I just start off with appreciating the caption? I thought that was pretty fun. Great use of black and white and good job with incorporating the logo well with the jersey. Making it actually mesh with the jersey is an excellent touch. I love the colours used in the text and by making it black and white, you opened up a lot more possibility for text font colours because you don't have to worry with it contrasting with the player as much. Font styles were pretty neat and good use of shadow to differentiate the two. My only real problems are that I think "The Red Menace" text should have a shadow to give it more of a separation from the player photo. That way it adds a bit of depth, so it doesn't look plastered on there. I'd also say try not to blur the logo as much as it kind of looks too glowy. Don't know if that was intended or not but I'd recommend turning it down. Other than maybe working more with the player render and adding to it, that's about all I have to say. Great work! 7/10

Review: Love this Graphic! You did a lot well! I love the idea of making it black and white yet only highlighting the blue on the player. It was a really good artistic choice and it made the blue stand out that much more. I love the swirl lines going on in the background, they fit well with the entire graphic. Font choice was great too and I am actually curious as to where you found that font and what it's called because I'm thinking of using it myself. My only real complaints would be probably making it a bit more hi-res; I get that sometimes graphics are better small on this site but it just looks a bit too small for me. Could just be a preference though. This second one isn't even really a problem, just something I think would be cool. See if you could play around with the opacity or blending of the swirls a bit. I don't know what it'd look like but I just think it would be cool to experiment with that. 8.1/10, looks great!

Don't worry, this is the last outdated graphic, we're going to Bears players soon and yes, this is pretty rough https://imgur.com/a/ohcjbdW

1. How do you feel about the Winter Olympics coming to your home country? Will you be competing in the ice hockey event with the host team? 2. How’s life with the Marauders? Are you enjoying your time there? 3. When your time in the VHLM ends, are you planning on going to the VHLE to make history in a new league or to the VHL to establish your name among the big leaguers? 4. If you had to choose, would you rather make the VHL Hall of Fame or break a VHL record? By the way, we’re assuming if one happens, the other doesn’t. 5. Out of curiosity, which VHL team interests you in terms of getting drafted by them? 6. If you had to switch sports, which sport would you switch to and why switch to that particular sport?

SEATTLE - Sigard was trying some new gear for a change of scenery. Goalie gear, in fact. Just for the fun of it, Sigard Petrenko decided to join in a beer league game and ended up wearing the pillows for one of the team. It was a very interesting match. And by interesting, I don’t mean that Sigard Petrenko did well. I mean interesting as in he pulled an Andre Racicot type of performance. Except, he was not playing in a major hockey league, of course. It was almost sad seeing the struggle Petrenko had in between the pipes. Let’s just say that it’s for the better that he is a forward. “I’ve never tried being a goaltender before. My whole life, I’ve been blasting shots against them. Someone gave me the idea to try being on the other side and... yeah, that was definitely an experience. I mean, I’ve always appreciated my goalies and the bravery they have to face all of those pucks but now I think I’ve gained an entirely new appreciation for them. Like, I’ve blocked shots before but I can’t imagine the agility and vision you need to block 20, 30, or even 50 or 60 shots a game. Heck, I only had 13 shots against and I let in 5 goals.” Yes, despite his tendency to block shots sometimes, Sigard displayed ineptitude in between the pipes. Lack of flexibility; he could barely get into a decent butterfly without folding his legs like a folding chair. Lack of technique; if the shot was higher than his waist, he probably couldn’t stop it. Thankfully, the beer league team he played in front of was able to carry this sad excuse of a goalie’s behind through the game, winning 7-5. The only difference was that the other goalie faced 30 more shots. After getting showered in bullet-like pucks, Sigard took off the mask, thanked everybody and headed to his local Dick’s Sporting Goods in order to buy goalie gear. Will Sigard make the switch one day? From what we saw, hell no.

Review: Very cool concept for a graphic! I love the night vision effect you put on the player. It is such a cool idea to have and you executed well! I also appreciated the coding jargon you put on the side. (Hello World!) It is a very neat look and I think it was executed well. The logo was put neatly on the jersey and I do have to commend you for that. I thought this was very creative. My one problem is that the player is not really the focus on the graphic and the player doesn't really stick out. The most the player has going for it is that it is centered. Maybe add a spotlight effect in the center? Brighten it up so we can see the player better? I'm not sure. Cool idea, looking forward to more! 7/10!

Review: Welcome to the show indeed! Very nice and simple graphic. The name swapping worked out well and I do like the scanline effect you have over the photo! Great use of outer glow as well and I love the background! The sparks from the ground effect is very eye catching and intense and I love the RGB separation you used for that glitch like effect on the steam. Really adds a lot to the character graphic. My only real complaint is that some of the letters do look really wonky on the back of the jersey and I wish you would have done more with the player render itself. Other than that, I love it! 7.5/10! Welcome to the show!

6. I think we're set to rebound back quickly! After this season, we'll have a great young core to build around and eventually win championships with. Seattle will return to the top! 10. Oh thank god, dasboot has always had reliable players and I'm glad I have them as a teammate again. It'll be an honour winning alongside him and the others. 11. I never thought it would be possible to get BarzalGoat on Seattle but somehow Bana did it. 12. Aksu Maronen is insanely good and I am so glad we have him backstopping us. Seriously, getting him was an absolute steal. Solid tendy, great teammate, and just an overall calming presence. We know he has our back. 16. Definitely will be ready for next season. Em Em Flex has always been a great goalie to compete against and I can imagine that he'll be tearing up the VHL with Maronen soon! They will be the deadly duo in the crease and I am all for it. No pucks are getting past that duo. 18. Well, I have tried covering his Sour Patch Kids in salt back in Mississauga so we can probably pull that here in Seattle too. Another thing I've always wanted to try was take his Boston Cream donuts and fill them with mayo instead of the Boston Cream.

SEATTLE - Sigard Petrenko was given the A. That was something he did not expect. While he did know he was projected to be a big part of the Seattle Bears’ future, being an Alternate Captain was one of the last things he was expecting. “Yeah, I knew that I wanted to be here and that they wanted me to be here, and I think it wasn’t a secret that they are expecting me to be better than I am now but I did not expect them to give me a letter. It’s an… incredible honour.” Erlantz Jokinen was named as captain and fellow rookie Vinny Detroit will also be an Alternate Captain. “Yeah, those two definitely deserve it. Jokinen is a great leader and is a role model for us all. Vinny is a hard-hitting and a hard-working player. I think that both choices were excellent. It’s an honour to receive the A. Let’s just hope I can also play a big role on the ice. I want to lead by example if I am supposed to help lead this team towards the future.” Sigard Petrenko said when asked about the captaincy choices. “However, letter or not, we’re all working hard and coming together to build another great team. Even if this is a one time thing, I still hope I can help this team rise up to the top. If I have to play a lesser role, so be it. If I have to play a greater role, so be it. I am willing to be anything the team needs to be. And I think I speak for everyone when I say that.”

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1odwEA2n5D0FpT3-6KzfvFjF2spUvDwXd/view?usp=sharing

It's an honour wearing the A for this team! Go Bears!

Review: Solid graphic! Very basic but that is never a bad thing. Simple graphics can be better than very detailed graphics if done correctly. Having the logo being the focus of the graphic instead of putting a player name is very cool and I thought that your choice of picture and pose was great. For feedback, I would say maybe try having a background outside of a black background. Maybe you could try searching up "blue abstract wallpapers" or backgrounds and find something to add. The black makes me feel like it's a void. I appreciate the effort to add an effect of sorts to the player but I found it to be very messy and unappealing. Keeping it plain works too or maybe even making it black and white. Still, solid first graphic, can't wait to see how you improve! 5/10 (sorry but keep at it and you'll definitely get way better in no time! you definitely show the willingness to improve!)

Review: Definitely one of the finest graphics in this forum. I love painted look of the graphic. I know I normally say that about your graphics but I continually find myself loving your unique style of graphics. The background also looks very artistic and unique. In my opinion, that background is one of the most fitting backgrounds for the painting style you graphics typically has. It looks very unified with the player render. I also love how you choose to have different colouring styles for sections of the face, it really sticks out in a good way. Honestly, I have no real bad things to say. The font looks amazing and very angelic; the graphic as a whole feels otherworldly. If I had to rate it, this would definitely be a 12 out of 10 for sure.

SEATTLE - Sigard Petrenko has kicked off his first season in the Victory Hockey League. The young winger has been given quite a big role on the team and is trying to prove he can keep that role. Seattle is planning to push for the future and Sigard hopes he can be a part of that push. So far, Sigard has done fairly okay but he hopes he can round out his playing style quickly and get used to the VHL pace right away. “It has been an interesting time, that’s for sure. This is a team full of great guys and I’m glad I get to play alongside them. Aksu Maronen has been a stud in between the pipes, having Erlantz Jokinen as a fellow member of the class of season 79 has been great, Pekko Viitanen, Frank Funk Jr., fellow rookie Vinny Detroit, and many more. It has been a fun ride so far and we are hoping to get better together and show the league what we’ve got. Sure, it’s been a shaky start for me but I’m hoping I can grow even more in this league and prove to the staff that I belong here.” The team is looking towards a bright future. That much is certain. But for Sigard, his main concern is whether or not he will be a part of that future. First impressions are important and Sigard will be looking to make a good one this season.

https://imgur.com/a/CqOuPrU Yup, I have a few Hounds graphics saved so apologies! Here's Luke Spinelli in the good old black and blue!

Ready or not, here he comes! - Sigard Petrenko I was drafted seventh overall by the Seattle Bears. When I was first drafted, I was in Houston finishing off a surprisingly solid season with the Houston Bulls. I was surprised that I was taken in the first round, especially considering how late I arrived on the scene. For those who didn’t know, I signed in the Victory Hockey League Minors halfway through season 78. Either way, the Bears organization was great to me from the start. They were very welcoming and told me how excited they were to have me. Of course, I was excited to be part of a Victory Hockey League franchise. I wondered what made them put such high hopes on me. Was it my decent goal totals? My physicality? Or maybe even my prior experience being an NHL draftee? No matter what the reason was, I knew that I had a role to play here. However, I did not feel nearly ready enough. I decided to take another development year in the Minors so I could improve and hone my skills before taking it to the next level. The Mississauga Hounds took me in as the 20th pick and we had a great run. I won’t touch on it much but we finished first in the regular season and were inches away from a championship. That team was a stacked and truly unified team. The VHLM championship was never my main goal, however. My main goal has always been to play in the VHL and win the championship in the big leagues ever since I joined the system as a fresh faced prospect. So I worked hard to get myself ready for the VHL pace this season. Yes, while many decided to join and play in the new Victory Hockey League: Europe, I aimed to play for the Seattle Bears in THE Victory Hockey League. Getting called up validated my decision to do so. I got bonuses to get my salary to the rookie cap, which I am really thankful for my General Manager offering. This means that I have more responsibility to be the top tier player they drafted me to be. Being a first round pick, bonuses, and just how connected this team is makes me feel like I need to do well for the team. And I plan to do exactly that. Of course, I am not expecting to become a VHL all-star overnight. Heck, I think I’ll be lucky if I’m even close to being an all-star at all in my career. But I expect that I’ll be good enough to be at least a second line player. This season is a chance for me to prove myself. So I think I'll either reach my goals or be a complete bust. All or nothing. The pressure doesn't make me nervous though. In fact, I think it makes it a bit more fun.

Congratulations Josh!

Review: Great graphic! Really liked the swirly, mix-y, sort of smudgy oil like filter. It gives it an interesting look and to me makes it seem shiny and bright. It is very well utilized both over the player and as an addition to the background. It is unique and makes this graphic stand out from others. I am a big fan of the colours being used, subdued and darker colours. It does not lack colours but it also does not attack your eyes with them. Very balanced and adds to the piece without having to resort to using the same colours as the jersey. The logo swaps look very clean, not just pasted onto the jersey. The utilization of the more line based logo over the block letter red one is very cool and I think it looks amazing, especially with the LA logo. My only real complaint is the font but those are subjective from person to person. Great graphic! 9/10

Review: I love the mosaic glass styled background for the player picture section! The font you used is unique yet it fits in really nicely with the template you are using. Stat cards are used a lot for graphics but this stat card looks very complete compared to some other stat cards. It actually feels like the stat section fits in well with the card and it is tame, allowing most of the attention to be in the visual image of the player. The fact that the stats are on the right also helps as most people tend to look left to right when examining a visual peace. My feedback would probably choose a pose that either reveals more of the face (I think the head tucked in looks kind of awkward) or a pose that is more dynamic and energy filled if you choose to keep the face hidden. Other than that, solid graphic. 7.8/10

1. Coming off a championship in the VHLM (against the team I was on, may I add), how are you feeling? 2. You had a stellar season this season with the Miami Marauders. What would you say was the key to you and your teams success? 3. Are you planning on playing on the E or the big leagues? Why did you choose the league you are going to?

If I had to choose an underrated aspect of my game, I'd probably say my scoring ability. I'm not saying I'm a superstar scorer who can lead the team in goals and fill the net but sometimes I feel my physicality overshadows my scoring game. I see myself with Seattle. The VHLE is exciting and I may consider joining it in the future but my goal has been to play with Seattle and to see how I do with Seattle ever since they drafted me. They are a great team and I am hoping to learn a lot from my teammates, coaches, and all the other people in the Bears organization. Great group of guys so far, can't wait to see how I can fit in. For the playoffs, I like to ride the training bikes before games and allow myself to clear my mind. I find it easier to calm down while biking. Strangely enough, it's easier for me to calm down if I'm moving rather than staying still. I'm assuming it's because I get less distracted by my thoughts and small details I might notice around the room.

SEATTLE - Sigard Petrenko came to Seattle in order to find out what it was like. Being drafted to this team, the winger wanted to see the way of life in this big city. He ended up falling in love with it. Fresh from the VHLM, the Bears’ 7th overall pick is looking to impress in his first season of Victory Hockey League action. Looking to forgo the VHLE, Sigard will hopefully impress the staff enough to make his first ever big league roster. So, after the season ended and a few days of rest, Sigard packed up his bags in Mississauga and said his goodbyes to his teammates and friends. Then he flew out to Seattle to get adjusted to the city before training camp. After going around the city and visiting various places from Pike Place to the Space Needle, Sigard confidently told the media this is where he wanted to be. “I mean, it’s a great city to be in. The community is tight knit, especially the hockey one. I’m surprised it took the NHL this long to figure out what the VHL did; that this city is a hockey city. Lots of great places to go and visit and locals here always have a story to tell, whether it be about the sea, the sports here; anything. Seattle is bustling and I love that kind of environment. I’ve seen quite a bit of the city ever since I flew in and I can’t wait to play in front of and for Seattle.” Sigard Petrenko was invited to check out Kraken and Thunderbirds facilities. Then he attended the practices of local youth hockey teams and did a little bit of coaching there. While he is not a superstar, he was recognized from his time in the VHLM and for being the first round pick for the Bears. It was a first week of sightseeing and enjoying all that Seattle had to offer, from sports teams to restaurants to major landmarks. Sigard enjoyed every second of it and could not stop exploring the place. This place might be his new home away from home and he was excited to play for the Seattle Bears. He is determined to make the team and prove that he is VHL caliber. “I’ve seen a lot here and I’m excited to hopefully get my professional start here in Seattle. This city has a great history both in hockey and in city terms and I can’t wait to represent such a beautiful place. And I can’t wait to play in front of the fans here as well. It’s one thing to hear about how passionate Seattle sports fans are; especially in the case of the NFL. But it is a whole other story when you meet the fans in person and just observe how excited and passionate they are for their team. I’d say Seattle has one of the loudest sets of sports fans in the world. Of course, it’ll be an adjustment getting used to such a big city but I think I’ll really enjoy it here.” Sigard Petrenko said to a reporter on local news. “I can’t wait to hopefully be on the roster and Go Bears Go!”

SEATTLE - A press conference after one of Sigard’s personal training sessions happened. With the introduction of Victory Hockey League: Europe, there were some rumours floating around that Sigard may jump ship. Recently drafted, there were some lofty expectations placed on the young winger, especially considering his development year in the Victory Hockey League Minors. A first round pick is typically a hot commodity and Bears fans (Seattle, not the NFL’s Chicago’s bears) are hoping that their pick will pay off. Would another development year help ease some concerns? Or would another development delay and waste another year in Sigard’s contract? No matter what side a Bears fan is on, they are probably anxious to figure out what Sigard will choose. “What league are you planning on playing in? The E? The Big Leagues? Maybe even another league somehow?” One curious reporter inquired, addressing the elephant in the room that the other reporters were not brave enough to point out themselves. Sigard seemed poised and confident as he answered. “I knew somebody would bring this up. While I can't make any guarantees and it is subject to change if the organization chooses to, I think you might want to spell my name P-T-R-N-K-O because I have decided to forgo the E.”