oilmandan

Tiring of winning so much that we need a break. Taking the summer to enjoy life and come back and hard in the fall. Thanks to @Banackock and the Bears on another title win!

Tiring of winning so much that we need a break. Taking the summer to enjoy life and come back and hard in the fall. Thanks to @Banackock and the Bears on another title win!

Em Em Flex (oilmandan) has announced their retirement.

Tiring of winning so much that we need a break. Taking the summer to enjoy life and come back and hard in the fall. Thanks to @Banackock and the Bears on another title win!

GOING OUT AS A CHAMP.
 
Enjoy your summer and minor break brother. See you again real soon!! 

I feel like we should do a random piss test and start with one of the commissioners. 
 
What’s the drug and alcohol policy for league staff? 

Bears out seen partying after cup win. 
 
SEATTLE - The clock hits zero, the Bears win a thrilling game 7 and for the 6th time in their last 8 finals appearances, 15 playoff runs and 16 seasons, the Seattle Bears are your champions. The feeling never gets old for the management team and ownership. The players electrifying play and swagger still lights the city up like it's the first time. The fans never sleep. They always thirst for more and more. Despite this thirst and the undeniable reality that one day the streaks will come to an end, that's all they've been saying since this wave started back in S68. Gm Blake Campbell has went on the record after almost everyone and said "this is very special for us and we're going to enjoy it because it's hard to win in any of these top leagues. To think we'll be back again is a lot of work. You never know". While this statement has been true, somehow the Seattle Bears keep doing what they've been doing so good for so long and have once again found themselves wearing the crown on the throne of all thrones. 
 
Regular Season
We started hot and road the wave all season long. We had moments of things not working super good, but we didn't make too many line changes or moves. We knew what we had as a team and knew it was going to work. North America was incredibly weak. D.C Dragons thought they could contend but ended up soaking their flames with water and blew smoke all season. Chicago and the Phoenix rose from the ashes and put together a pretty decent season with all things considered. Their youth has cool chemistry. Toronto played really good and put together a team that took Seattle to 6 games - eventually losing to the cup champs which isn't too much of a bad thing. It makes the stinging a bit worse, right? Seattle ended up tying the Moscow Menace with a regular season record of 55-14-3. Moscow ended up winning the Victory Cup due to the tie breaker, but that shit is cursed. It really isn't and it would be nice to win it, but we tied records and points. We were both first. Why can't be share? This finish to the regular season was an ultimate way to set each other up for a meeting in the finals. Did I think we were 100% going to get there though? but damn, the thought of doing it was crazy. It had to happen!
 
Playoffs
We got the bye and ended up waiting for the winner of Chicago and the Dragons. Hilariously, Chicago won. Like holy crap. If this was the NHL, DC would be on their 7th GM by now. We ended up playing Chicago and I 100% knew it wasn't going to be a sweep. They had good chemistry and STHS also plays a factor. They had some good players and things were clicking. Their goalie also did a very good job. They took us to 5 games and should be proud of their season and excited for the future. Head over to the next round and Toronto had me sweating. I analyzed the shit out of lines, stats and patterns almost every sim and Toronto even had the 2-1 series lead at one point. I do believe Seattle was the stronger team, but Toronto had excellent strengths too. We ended up winning the next 3 though and sent them back to Canada in 6. Moscow was already waiting after sending Riga back to Latvia in 5. The showdown that people thought could happen... the bloody murder match all us sick fucks wanted.. (joking)... it was coming to a video blockbuster store near you soon... And what a damn series it was...
 
"Moscow was and is a very good team. You can see the first few games they came out flying. Think the Colorado Avalanche in the NHL. Fortunately, our goalie played a hell of a series and our players capitalized on moments to get the wins or close games. You can kick and pout and say "Well their goalie won the game for them and that's it". Sweet observation. Welcome to hockey and professional sports. This happens. As the series went out, I analyzed the lines, patterns and stats and we countered decently. Their shots weakened, their special teams disappeared and our team remained strong. However, despite that, they took a 3-2 lead. Again, the 3 things. I spent an hour with the guys in the LR telling them my findings. Blabbing in their my process, thoughts and what I was gonna do... Then we did it. 3-3 series. 4-3 win.
 
Moscow, you had a good season and I know it hurts to lose. Especially some of those who have been there the whole time chasing and are close to the end. It's hockey. It happens, but keep chasing."
 
TO THE BEARS
@dasboot @Jubis @Hogan @BarzalGoat @oilmandan @Banackock @Steve @SlapshotDragon @FrostBeard @ajwllmsn @Beaviss

It's shined up once again for you...
 
You guys were amazing all season. The season we had and how the locker room was - how you guys were as players, members and teammates, is exactly how and what the VHL should be. You were loyal. You were committed. You were honest. You were hardworking. You were hungry. Not always have things been peachy, but somehow we have done what was needed to improve whatever the situation was. Never a stride of negativity. You guys seemingly had a lot of enjoyment. Hopefully you had fun. The absolute definition of champions. Everything that happened and all you guys did led us to a championship. 
 
Thank you guys for the season. I know I put countless hours into this to make it happen - BUT SO DO YOU! We were a team. We were some weird little online Bears family. I couldn't have done it without everyone of you and it was because of you why I did what I did and why I work as hard as I do. Without y'all, it wouldn't have happened. Congrats on your win. You all deserve it so much. YOU ARE CHAMPIONS BABY! You always will be Bears family.
 
DA BEARZ
 
 

Way to be Bears!!!!!!!!’ Champs again!!!!!!
 
 YA HYDKRYETW QSKTZKTW

Way to be Bears!!!!!!!!’ Champs again!!!!!!
 
 YA HYDKRYETW QSKTZKTW

GAME 7 TONIGHT 
 

Moscow and Seattle face off tonight in Game 7.
 
In what is already being dubbed as one of the most epic Continental Cup Finals series in VHL history, the S83 edition of the Finals between the Seattle Bears and Moscow Menace will conclude tonight with Game 7.
 
S83 marks only the second playoff meeting between these two teams, the only other time being in the S71 Finals when Seattle dispatched the then defending champions in five games. Moscow is looking to avoid becoming only the second team in VHL history since the S25-S28 New York Americans to loose four straight Cup Finals and in doing so avenge their S71 loss and win the franchise’s second Cup. Seattle, meanwhile, is seeking their first Cup since S77 after losing in the Finals in S78 and S79 to Warsaw and Malmo respectively. 
 
Neither team has played in a Game 7 yet in these playoffs. Moscow played in the league’s most recent Finals Game 7 in S80 when they fell to the Vancouver Wolves the first time in S80. Seattle’s last Game 7 was way back in S59 when they beat the Helsinki Titans for the Bears’ 7th Cup. They own a 3-1 record in Finals Game 7s.
 
This has been a seesaw series as the evenly matched squads have traded wins since the opening faceoff. They were tied for the top record in the league during the regular season with Moscow having the slight edge in offense and Seattle in defense. True to form, the series has been tight with four of the six games won by a single goal and three of those being decided in overtime with Moscow winning two of those three in extra time.
 
Each team has had their stars step up with different heroes every night. Moscow’s future HOFer Duncan Idaho @OrbitingDeath  leads the series with 8 goals, 15 points, 4 power play goals, 2 game-winners, 5 multi-point games and is tied with Seattle’s rookie defenseman Mikhail Kovalchuk @Banackock with 7 assists. AJ Williams @ajwllmsn leads Seattle with 5 goals and 10 points. Moscow’s Hard Markinson @STZ and Seattle’s Max Torq @Steve lead all blueliners with 9 points apiece.
 
Each goalie has faced highs and lows. Seattle’s Em Em Flex @oilmandan has by far been the busier goalie having faced over 45 shots a game compared to Papa Emeritus @Beketov of the Menace seeing an average of 10 less shots a game. Flex has made over 50 saves three times in this series but his best game was probably Game 2 when he stopped 60 of 62 shots to lead Seattle to a 3-2 win in Game 2 after a heart-breaking double overtime loss in Game 1. He kept the score 1-0 after the first period despite Moscow outshooting the Bears 36-5 in the period. Emeritus arguably had his best game in Game 5 making 34 saves and only allowing one goal in a 5-1 victory to give the Menace a 3-2 series lead. Seattle outshot Moscow 35-18 yet Emeritus shut the door.
 
Now the question remains: Who will win Game 7 and capture the S83 Continental Cup? Will Moscow’s legendary trio of Top-20 all-time playoff scorers (Idaho, Seabasstard @Seabass, Markinson) shake off the Finals curse that has shackled them the previous three seasons and finally win the franchise’s second Cup? Or will Seattle’s dynamic defense usher in perhaps a new dynasty for the Bears? 
 
We’ll find out tonight.
 
Bring on Game 7!

 

Russia has and always will be a bully. They wiped out millions of Ukrainians during the Holodomor and we can only hope this unprovoked attack doesn’t end up as tragically.
 
Hopefully this isn’t only the beginning. The world did nothing when Germany invaded Poland in 1939, and Hitler decided to see how far he could take it. Hopefully some country or countries do the right thing and step in before it’s too late. 

Russia has and always will be a bully. They wiped out millions of Ukrainians during the Holodomor and we can only hope this unprovoked attack doesn’t end up as tragically.
 
Hopefully this isn’t only the beginning. The world did nothing when Germany invaded Poland in 1939, and Hitler decided to see how far he could take it. Hopefully some country or countries do the right thing and step in before it’s too late. 

Without looking, I’m gonna say a shutout and then injured?

47. Thoughts on the Bears season? We're slowly starting to turn it around!! Not bad I guess
48. How is your player doing? Bit of a sophomore slump, but we’ll turn it around 
49. Any suggestions you'd have to help the Bears? Sign an Evander Kane type to give us a boost 
50. How is your time on the VHL going? Not nearly as fun as it used to be. Lots of PC SJWs around now. Bans and suspensions being handed out like condoms on valentines. I’ll probably be suspended for that too lol. 
 
Ask 2
What NHL player would you wanna add to the Bears?
Other than VHL, what is your favourite sim league 

Dan Dan committed crimes against Em Em Flex. @oilmandan
 

I told you this wouldn’t trick them@Hogan

Probably will be increased though. Someone will be offended I’m sure. #VHL2k22
 

this team would win the cup i think

All-VHL Second Team
Henry Tucker @NSG - Aloe Dear @Renomitsu - Jerome Reinhart @MexicanCow123
Robin Galante Nilsson @RomanesEuntDomus - Battre Sandstrom @Acydburn
Em Em Flex @oilmandan

All-VHL Rookie Team
Otto Numminen @Otto Numminen - Baby Bob @Baby Boomer - Zach Kisslinger II @Kisslinger
Ryan Vidot @Enorama - Alessandro Nano @leafsman
Em Em Flex @oilmandan

Now that we have most of the player awards done it is time to honour the people who make it all happen with the David Knight Trophy which will be awarded to the leagues top general manager. Let’s meet the finalists:
 
Blake Campbell @Banackock - Who through a series of trades shaped Seattle into a cup contender.
 
Kris Rice @WranglersSuck - Who’s patience with his roster is starting to pay off and Calgary is a true force.
 
Jeffery Pines @rory - Has taken Los Angeles from a lottery team only a few seasons ago into a solid roster that’s ready to compete.
 
Dominic Gobeil @Dom - Malmo’s GM has managed to stave off a rebuild and has Malmo right back at the top of the European Conference.
 
Dakota Lamb @dlamb - only taking over a few seasons ago, Lamb has built upon Warsaw’s legacy in all the right ways and has built a very solid roster.
 
The bragging rights and the David Knight Trophy goes to…
 

After a very small S80 rookie class due to the introduction of the VHLE, we saw some of the highest TPE rookies enter the VHL ever this season. With that we saw some very impressive point totals from rookies with 5 rookies having seasons in the top 10 all-time for rookies with, Omi Aberg @osens (10th), Nathaniel Minion @Minion (9th), Baby Bob @Baby Boomer (7th), Zach Kisslinger II @Kisslinger(6th), and Otto Numminen @Otto Numminen (4th). Alongside this, Em Em Flex @oilmandan had a remarkable season in the crease for Seattle with 39 wins, a 0.918 SV%, and a 3.25 GAA. 
 
Which rookie is taking home the Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy this season? Your winner, and top rookie of the VHL, is…
 
 

Stop giving tpe away like it’s a participation trophy. Up costs for attributes over 85, 90 and 95. Or do as other leagues do, use positional archetypes with capped attributes in some categories. It’s a good start. 

70. What are your overall thoughts on the Bears season? I think we did good. Would’ve been better to win it all though
71. What are your overall thoughts on how your player did? Good for a rookie, should be in consideration for rookie of the year, but not much faith in the voters
72. Who do you think wins in the next round - Calgary or Vancouver? Can neither win? That would be great 
73. Who wins between Moscow and Malmo? I like Moscow. We’ll go with them 
74. Of the two you picked, who wins the cup? Moscow would be my choice 
78. What's something you're looking forward to? My kid being born in the next month or so 
 

I was torn on how I should handle donations this year. Watching British Columbia struggle with the droughts, fires, rain and floods was extremely difficult. There’s also many other good causes to donate to and of course, you’d like to help them all. This year I’ve chosen one that has hit home for me and many in this league! 
 
My girlfriend had a strange feeling, they found a mass, was eventually diagnosed with Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma in 2020, completed Chemotherapy with her final round being on Halloween of 2020 and has done check ups since! It was her 1 year appointment today since being given the green light and all is still good.
 
I clicked out of the page but can provide receipts, as well as a couple pics of my $50 donation to the Alberta Cancer Foundation - which directly allowed me to send the money to the Cross Cancer Institute where my girlfriend received her care. 
 

 
@oilmandan I know you’re having a little one here soon and things may be a bit tight. Thanks for being a Bear, thanks for being a good dude and for your presence on the Bears and council throughout the years. Merry Christmas to you and yours!! 🎅🏼🎄 

@Ricer13
 
Welcome to the first in what could be a potential series of in depth trade breakdowns and what each trade led to for the respective team, today we’ll be looking at a season 76 trade between Calgary and Vancouver that shaped the future of both teams today. In order to make this somewhat digestible I’ll break down each side of the trade tree independently.
 

 
In this trade Calgary would acquire Riley Couture @Lilith_Lunar,Sheldon Juniper @fyrefly, and a S77 VAN 3rd, Vancouver would pick up a couple of draft picks in a S76 MAL 1st and a S77 CGY 2nd. With each branch an image of the trades will be included, the legend for the colours is below.
 
Colour
Meaning
Red
End of that branch (CGY or VAN still has asset/asset expired)
Yellow
CGY or VAN had asset prior to trading it
Orange
CGY or VAN drafted player prior to trading them
Light Blue
Asset appears in a trade elsewhere on the tree
Green
Asset(s) added to acquired asset in a trade
 
 
 Vancouver 
 
 
Vancouver would go on to use both the picks they acquired and add two significant pieces that would play a major role in their eventual season 80 Continental Cup. With the S76 Malmo 1st they would select Jivere Zolnek @Sixersfan594, who is still on the Wolves today and in 388 VHL games has 152 goals and 277 assists for 379 points in addition to their S80 Continental Cup Zolnek has also won a Beketov and Szatkowski trophy, both in season 80 where they had 87 assists and 133 points. 
  Vancouver also held onto the S77 Calgary second and with it they would select Gary Tarantino II @Garrett. Tarantino would then be traded to Chicago for a season 81 Chicago 3rd, which was then packaged with a season 81 4th and season 82 2nd to the New York Americans for Thadius Sales @thadthrasher who has a 0.916 SV% and 3.55 GAA in 28 games for Vancouver this season while picking up 19 wins.
 

 
 
 Calgary 
 
This is where things get complicated (Thanks to @Ricer13 trade addiction). In the trade Calgary received Riley Couture, Sheldon Juniper, and a S77 VAN 3rd. We’ll start off with the S77 3rd.

Prior to the S76 draft Calgary would send the 3rd to Malmo along with several other picks for a S76 MOS 1st and a S76 MAL 4th. In this trade the 3rd really wasn’t a main piece in the trade so I’ll wrap things up pretty quickly here as Calgary would go onto make 7 more trades with pieces acquired from the trade with Malmo and eventually Calgary would have 3 players (Green Gaming @Lilpfigher, Dan Dan @MMFLEX, and Pekko Viitanen @Xdjk93) play a total of 224 games, scoring a total of 83 goals, and 119 assists for a total of 202 points.
 

 
 
After playing 144 games for the Wranglers, Sheldon Juniper would be on their way to Vancouver along with a S78 Calgary 1st and a S78 LAS 3rd, Vancouver would use these picks to draft Aike Van Giersbergen @enigmatic and Zen Raider @bRaidsz respectively. In exchange Calgary would receive Andrew Su @Da_Berr and a S78 Vancouver 1st, Calgary would then use to select Alex Johnston @Alex_J32. Both these pieces would be traded as well, Su to Seattle for a S80 4th (Drew King @dking97), and Johnston to Helsinki. The trade sending Johnston to Helsinki was a big one as Johnston would be traded along with a S81 LAS 1st (Wattson Power @Tape-to-Tape), and a S81 LAS 2nd (Janet Snakehole @MattBake12) in exchange for Gustislav Nasherov @Vat, a S81 CGY 1st (Daniel Janser @Daniel Janser), and a S81 DAV 2nd (Ragnar Hagstrom @Grosgars). To date Calgary has gotten a lot of games out of this portion of the tree with a total of 388, during which they would record 126 goals and 170 assists for 296 points.
 

 
The final branch of this trade tree sees Calgary acquire 2 of their current core players in Nils Tallinder @Patrik Tallinder and Phil The Rock Johnson @Phil. After the initial trade of Riley Couture to D.C. for a S78 DCD 3rd, S78 DCD 4th, and a S79 DCD 3rd almost every trade saw Calgary add in another major asset to make the trade work. In summary, pieces that Calgary acquired in this branch combined for 794 games played, 209 goals, 363 assists, and 572 points.
 

 
 
As far as a winner and loser of this trade is considered it’s hard not to say that Vancouver won the trade as it directly led to them getting a player that contributed heavily to their season 80 Continental Cup. As far as Calgary is concerned this trade still contributes heavily to their young core and with their future being as bright as it is now only time will tell if Calgary can replicate Vancouver’s success.
 
Other players involved in the trade tree: