Fire Tortorella

1.) Good defensive depth is always good and is apparently especially hard to come by this season. I don't see how this does anything but help this team moving forward fo rthe rest of the season.
2.) Wumbo is certainly playing and is lucky to be in the Prospect All-Star Game. Looking forward to playing in the VHL next season.
3.) It's always nice to recognize individual players who are succeeding, so I don't see how this can hurt anyone. Would be interesting to have locations that used to have VHL or VHLM teams host these games in the future.
4.) I'd say they're instrumental to the team's success. Every team needs both star and depth players and it seems like everyone on the Predators is chipping in this season.
5.) More and more I think the refs are instructed to create as much drama or keep the games close as much as possible. I used to think it was just conspiracy non-sense but there are way too many primetime games that seemingly come down to the last drive and are aided by suspect at best calls. I don't believe the NFL is necessarily pushing for one team to win over another, just to keep the game as close and interesting as possible.
6.) I've barely watched the olympics this year but like to just watch different random sports. I watched some type of long distance speed skating that was 16 laps, watched some biathlon, and a little curling and bobsled as well.

So, let's talk about The Meta. This has been at the top of everyone's mind over the past season or two. I know saying "it's being worked on" in the BOG is only a satisfactory answer for so long, but I can really say that thanks to the dedicated work of a few BoG members and Blue Team, things really have started to move on this in the past week or two. The fine details are still being ironed out, but I'm extremely hopeful that something will be put together to implement next season.  Let's talk about real life balance and VHL life. One of the things @Peacetouched on in his stepping down post is not having the patience to deal with VHL related drama/people given real life circumstances. I don't know their real life circumstances (nor do I need to know, it's not my business) but I can 100% back up what they're saying. The prime reason I stepped down from being commissioner way back when and why I stay out of the day to day running of league related things is I can't believe the handholding and immaturity of some members of this site. I'm not calling out anyone specifically (especially since my Blue Team days were way back in the day with a different member base), but given my "advancement" in real life, I just could not be bothered dealing with VHL related drama. Not trying to put words in Pearce's mouth, but I think that's the overall jist they were getting at.

So, let's talk about The Meta. This has been at the top of everyone's mind over the past season or two. I know saying "it's being worked on" in the BOG is only a satisfactory answer for so long, but I can really say that thanks to the dedicated work of a few BoG members and Blue Team, things really have started to move on this in the past week or two. The fine details are still being ironed out, but I'm extremely hopeful that something will be put together to implement next season.  Let's talk about real life balance and VHL life. One of the things @Peacetouched on in his stepping down post is not having the patience to deal with VHL related drama/people given real life circumstances. I don't know their real life circumstances (nor do I need to know, it's not my business) but I can 100% back up what they're saying. The prime reason I stepped down from being commissioner way back when and why I stay out of the day to day running of league related things is I can't believe the handholding and immaturity of some members of this site. I'm not calling out anyone specifically (especially since my Blue Team days were way back in the day with a different member base), but given my "advancement" in real life, I just could not be bothered dealing with VHL related drama. Not trying to put words in Pearce's mouth, but I think that's the overall jist they were getting at.

Some things I've found when messing with the spreadsheet:
 
- You cannot add to strength without adding to scoring or faceoffs, which is not ideal at all for some defensive builds, especially defensive defensemen.
 
- As @Beketov noted, you cannot add to leadership without adding to discipline, which is useless to a player that wants to play physically. Maybe have, "Physical Captain," and "Finesse Captain," which add leadership to another attribute?
 
- Banking hard into one of the Hybrid Attributes majorly slows your progress in STHS attributes, while spreading out into multiple Hybrid Attributes that raise the same STHS attributes provides much faster growth. This effectively eliminates the meta, as you will have a stunted growth in scoring without also adding to the Hybrid Attribute that increases passing.
 
- An imbalance favoring goaltending will likely exist, which will need to be addressed eventually.
 
@BOG, I'm challenging you all to mess with this new system. Look for cracks, look for holes, look for things that you feel hinder builds. The more I play with this, the more I feel this is it, this is the way we eliminate the meta builds. Let's work this out as best we can and give our devs more time to implement it. 
 
Let's do this!

1.) Hm, that's a good one - there are now a good number of "minor" tasks to earn 2 TPE each. The only thing we don't have is a social media type tasks (a certain number of tweets, whatever instagram calls it, etc...), but I don't see that being much different than a vhl.com article.
 
2.) For a long time, my answer was Philadelphia - obviously that's not the case anymore. Now, I'd like to see some more Southern Expansion in the US with Nashville (although that's not really that "southern" by US geography), Tampa Bay, etc...or maybe we go back to Hartford?
 
3.) The standings are very tight right now - Prague and Malmo are right in front of us, but Moscow is right behind us as well.
 
4.) Not sure - I haven't paid too much attention to my big league team this season, but I'm going to be paying close attention now!
 
5.) Philadelphia Flyers....but it's a love/hate relationship right now. Favorite player on the team is Sean Couturier - was an underrated player for years, but now he gets the respect he deserves.
 
6.) Does walking indoors count? But actual answer is going to be grilling/drinking with friends.

So I'm really liking the new trivia system - the immediate feedback on getting a question right/wrong is tremendous and allows someone like me who got one of the questions wrong to use the new game recap way of earning TPE to earn an extra capped TPE.  Something we'll have to think about with trivia - obviously the old way of doing trivia was basically one person per team posting results in the locker room - how do we feel about teams keeping "trivia banks" with the questions and right answers? There's almost no way you can tell me this isn't happening, and I don't know how you really enforce it at this point, but with point 1 above, just seems really over the top and against the spirit of the rules. Oslo - "We don't talk about Oslo" - it's not going well. A quarter of the way through the season we're comfortably in last place and have already begun selling off our assets for future seasons. Due to last year's team not playing the backup in enough games, I only get to play 40 or 42 games this season, and I'm already at 26...so something I was looking forward to (playing in the VHLE) has been....not great.

So I'm really liking the new trivia system - the immediate feedback on getting a question right/wrong is tremendous and allows someone like me who got one of the questions wrong to use the new game recap way of earning TPE to earn an extra capped TPE.  Something we'll have to think about with trivia - obviously the old way of doing trivia was basically one person per team posting results in the locker room - how do we feel about teams keeping "trivia banks" with the questions and right answers? There's almost no way you can tell me this isn't happening, and I don't know how you really enforce it at this point, but with point 1 above, just seems really over the top and against the spirit of the rules. Oslo - "We don't talk about Oslo" - it's not going well. A quarter of the way through the season we're comfortably in last place and have already begun selling off our assets for future seasons. Due to last year's team not playing the backup in enough games, I only get to play 40 or 42 games this season, and I'm already at 26...so something I was looking forward to (playing in the VHLE) has been....not great.

The forum content battle was (sadly) lost years ago.

Was going to write this about 2 hours ago, but got distracted on Youtube watching James Hoffmann videos about burr coffee grinders and cheap/moderately expensive espresso machines....so this is going to be even less researched and off the cuff than usual. Oslo so far is doing average, and Wumbo is doing average. I'd guess the Storm are somewhere around "hockey .500" and my stats are relatively average. I've had a couple of games that were good, and a couple of games around a .900 save percentage. Warsaw seems to be doing average as well. I'd guess we're a little above hockey .500 considering the last sim was 3-0. Our roster is a little light so I'm kind of surprised by that, but that seems to be the case around the league this season. My real quick point on the light rosters is that this is an issue that comes up from time to time due to the cyclical nature of some of these draft classes but is now more pronounced due to the VHLE. I'd wager it's something we'll take a look at in the BoG but I'd caution against any moderate/large changes without multiple seasons of numbers to draw conclusions from. I did the new game recap PT earning for the first time and it was pretty fun and easy. I think it's a mroe "fair" way to earn TPE than the old method of trivia, which was basically finding a buddy or LR that posted the answers for you. I'd definitely recommend this method of earning TPE to anyone who needs a way to cap and doesn't feel like reviewing or doing a fan590 or whatever these have been called since like S30.

Yeah, I think I have a problem. I don't want to write unless I find it interesting, and if I find it interesting I tend to go off about it...at least no one has to make sure I'm hitting the word counts 👁️

GM 83: Moscow Menace (1) vs Warsaw Predators (5)
REVIEW: In this entertaining regular season match between two European Conference teams, the Warsaw Predators demolished the Moscow Menace by a score of 5-1. An early power play saw Warsaw take the lead after a nice passing play resulted in Chicken Wing shooting the puck into the net for their 5th goal of the season. Two quick goals by Bogdan Trunov and Brendan Marner resulted in a 3-0 1st period lead. As the period was ending, Duncan Idaho put Moscow on the board, but that was the last time Moscow would menace the Predators in this game. A 2nd period short handed goal by Tynan Sylvester put the game out of reach and a 3rd period goal by Brendan Marner (their second of the game) was the final nail in the coffin. Tater Tot was excellent between the pipes for Warsaw, stopping 37 of 38 shots, while Papa Emeritus stopped a respectable 49 of 54 shots.
 
GM 88: Warsaw Predators (5) vs Helsinki Titans (3)
REVIEW: Unlike their previous game against Moscow, this match between Warsaw and Helsinki started as a close affair but ended with Warsaw taking home all 2 points. The Titans' Nico Pearce was the only goal scorer in the 1st period. The second period was filled with goals, as Flynn Remy put the Titans up 2-0 only a couple of minutes into the 2nd period. Chicken Wing then cut the lead down to 1, but Helsinki's Magnus Verlander quickly gave the Titans a two goal lead again. Towards the end of the period, the Predators were given a power play - Brian Moreau made them pay and once again reduced the lead to one. Whatever the Warsaw coach said in the locker room during the second intermission must have worked, as the Predators scored 3 unanswered goals (Zach Kisslinger, Bogdan Trunov, and Zach Kisslinger again) put Warsaw on top. Tater Tot stopped 54 of 57 for the win while Xavier Booberry stopped 47 of 51.
 

GM 83: Moscow Menace (1) vs Warsaw Predators (5)
REVIEW: In this entertaining regular season match between two European Conference teams, the Warsaw Predators demolished the Moscow Menace by a score of 5-1. An early power play saw Warsaw take the lead after a nice passing play resulted in Chicken Wing shooting the puck into the net for their 5th goal of the season. Two quick goals by Bogdan Trunov and Brendan Marner resulted in a 3-0 1st period lead. As the period was ending, Duncan Idaho put Moscow on the board, but that was the last time Moscow would menace the Predators in this game. A 2nd period short handed goal by Tynan Sylvester put the game out of reach and a 3rd period goal by Brendan Marner (their second of the game) was the final nail in the coffin. Tater Tot was excellent between the pipes for Warsaw, stopping 37 of 38 shots, while Papa Emeritus stopped a respectable 49 of 54 shots.
 
GM 88: Warsaw Predators (5) vs Helsinki Titans (3)
REVIEW: Unlike their previous game against Moscow, this match between Warsaw and Helsinki started as a close affair but ended with Warsaw taking home all 2 points. The Titans' Nico Pearce was the only goal scorer in the 1st period. The second period was filled with goals, as Flynn Remy put the Titans up 2-0 only a couple of minutes into the 2nd period. Chicken Wing then cut the lead down to 1, but Helsinki's Magnus Verlander quickly gave the Titans a two goal lead again. Towards the end of the period, the Predators were given a power play - Brian Moreau made them pay and once again reduced the lead to one. Whatever the Warsaw coach said in the locker room during the second intermission must have worked, as the Predators scored 3 unanswered goals (Zach Kisslinger, Bogdan Trunov, and Zach Kisslinger again) put Warsaw on top. Tater Tot stopped 54 of 57 for the win while Xavier Booberry stopped 47 of 51.
 

"Finally!" Matt thought to himself as he was sitting in the dressing room all in brand new London United uniform! It was the night of the very first game for Matt in VHL and he was mentally and physically prepared. The game was against Helsinki Titans. Helsinki Titans definitely was not the team to beat this season as they on paper would be on the same level where London was, so they were perfect opponents to start off the season. As Matt saw in the practices then the team will have to compensate their puck control and skating skills with the shooting skills and luckily they did! In a close game London took a victory with score 4:3. London kept it's momentum for two more games and then the first loss came against Malmo Nighthawks. The score was only 1-2 in favour of Malmo, so the whole team set their heads to win Malmo in the next game, but unfortunately, although the fight was hard and close, it ended with an overtime loss. So close, but so far. London had to more loses until getting another win. First week went quite the same way, back and forth with wins and loses, leaving London 3rd in European Conference and 5th in Overall standings. Matt managed to get 16 points in the 11 games they played and is tied up with his teammate Nils as the top Rookies of the season. First week has turned out well and Matt is happy for the great chemistry that he has found with his 2nd line-mates.

Swiss Central Gazzette (Marcel's stats/Daniel's stats)
 
Since our last report Marcel has played four games and Daniel five, with mixed results. Find our brief summary for your reading pleasure:
 
Marcel's Eagles continued their downwards trend and lost against the Rush 5-3. Certainly not the return to his native country Janser had envisaged. Geneva scored first but before the end of the period Bernier and Bushtit turned the game around. In the second period the Swiss team was able to tie the game with the only goal scored during the middle twenty minutes. The game was lost in the third, when Vasteras allowed three goals but only Elsby was able to convert for the Swedish outfit. The three stars were Laperriere (1g/3a), Lavelle (2g/0a) and Bushtit (1g/1a). Arpa (.903) decided the clash of two up and coming VHL star(t)tenders against Utonium (.865) in his favour. Vasteras' power play unit was decent (2/8) and their penalty kill flawless (2/2). This game was clearly lost on even strength and in the last period as well. Maybe the coaches want to revisit their offseason workout.
Marcel was noted with 0g, 0a, -4 and 2sb. Not the best evening for the Rotkreuz native.
 
In their second match, the Eagles faced the best team of last season, the Istanbul Red Wolves, in a 3-2 OT loss. At the 11:49 minute mark, Marcel intercepts Wilson's pass and after some tic-tac-toe'ing between him, Elsby and Martin, the latter had a wide open net and could not miss anymore. Blugers increased the lead by one with his first goal of the season. Wilson then made up for his blundered pass and cuts the lead down to one again before the intermission. In the second period, only Istanbul scored and the third was without any goals at all. The teams were not asked to put in an unreasonable amount of overtime in their day's work as it took Istanbul only 42 seconds to deliver the sudden death to the Eagles. Kman (1g/0a), Utonium (48 saves) and Wilson (1g/0a) were named the three stars of the game. Utonium (.942) stood on their head to help their team to win and out performed an also excellent Menace (.933) in Istanbul's net. Vasteras' power play was inefficient (0/3) while their box play was immaculate (6/6). Marcel caught up during the shake hands with Jones and Al, with whom he played last season in the VHLM.
Marcel had a 0g, 1a, +1, 2 PIM (Tripping, obviously no effect on the score), and 1sb record.
 
The third encounter was against Oslo Storm (with former team mates of Marcel's McMuffin and Teekirque) in a Nordic derby and ended in a 4-2 win. Vasteras hit the ground flying and scored four goals within the first twelve minutes. Elsby on the power play, Martin with a shorhanded goal, Bushtit and Bernier scored for a comfortable 4-0 lead and Wumbo had to vacate Oslo's crease in favour for Fletcher. This seems to have boosted Oslo's morale and they pulled one back before the horn. No goals were scored in the second period and only one by the Storm in the third. The three stars of the night were Elsby (1g/2a), Bushtit (1g/1a) and McMuffin (1g/1a). Utonium (.962) showed an excellent form and devastated Wumbo (.500) but could not touch Fletcher's mini-shutout (1.000). Both special teams excelled as the power play had a 50% success rate and the penalty kill was at 84.62% efficiency.
Marcel logged 0g, 0a, +0 and 3sb
 
In the fourth game the crowd could face the Swedish derby with Vasteras losing a tight game against Stockholm 2-0, a result which will please Bo Johansson, being a lifelong Vasteras antagonist. Stockholm took an early lead after less then two minutes played and increased the lead to two in the second period. After that they were content to nurse this lead home. Dahl (33 saves), Utonium (47 saves) and Lajeunesse (1g/1a) were named three stars of the game. Dahl showed a perfect game with a shutout but Utonium (.959) had an all-star-worthy performance as well. The power play was lack luster (0/3) and the penalty kill was ok (4/5).
Marcel had 0g, 0a, -1, 1 hits and 4sb to his name.
 
Daniel's Wranglers had a setback with three consecutive losses but recovered their stance with two straight wins.
 
The first match was against Vancouver and ended in a 2-0 heartbreak loss. The teams neutralized each others offensive efforts for the majority of the game, until the Wolves scored with less than six minutes left in the game. Ricer did what most coaches would do in this situation and pulled Klamasteris to get the additional attacker. Unfortunately the risk did not pay off and Vancouver scored on the empty net. To absolutely no-one's surprise Sales (37 saves) and Klamasteris (39 saves) were named 1st and 2nd star, complimented with Jerome Reinhart (1g/1a), who scored the game winner. Apparently, Calgary needs more Reinharts in their line-up. As mentioned the clash of the titans took place between the pipes and Calgary's Latvians stellar performance (.975) was outshone by last season's Shaw and Clegane winner Sales' shutout. The Wranglers did not allow a goal in the two box play situations they had to master, but could not convert a single one of their four power plays either. In such a tight match it is not far fetched to say that this cost them the game.
Daniel was noted with 0g, 0a, +0, 1 hits, 1sb and FOW of a disappointing 34.62%
 
In the second game Calgary was matched up against Toronto (with former Reapers team mates of Janser's, Sanderson and Ixazaluoh, in the lineup), a team which has yet to lose and lost 4-1. The Legion came hot out of the gate and and scored two goals in the first and another pair in the second without being scored against. Early in the third, the Wranglers were able to react. Daniel wins the draw in front of his own net and sees Nasherov going off like rocket, he times the pass perfectly and takes all the defenders out of the equation. The Calgary forward is now on a one-on-one with Lindbergh and denies his fellow Swede the shutout with a nice deke. Unfortunately, no further goals were scored and the Wranglers had to concede the game. Fire (1g/0a), Nylen (0g/2a) and Lindbergh (22 saves) were declared three stars of the game. Klamasteris (.920) put yet again a remarkable performance on the ice, but was outdone by Lindbergh (.957). Calgary's power play was subpar (0/2) while the penalty kill was very good (6/7).
Daniel recorded 0g, 1a, -1, 3 hits and a 53.66% face off win rate.
 
The third encounter was against the LA Stars and was lost 4-3. Calgary was first on the board with Eagles' goal after 2:07 minutes played. However the Stars replied with a deuce before the end of the period, making it 2-1 LA. In the second period, both sites scored a goal apiece. This time Perry succeeded for the Alberta team. The third period also saw a 1-1 tie with Reinhart finding the back of the net for her squad. LeMassif (2g/0a), Reinhart (1g/1a) and Fairchild (1g/1a) were given the honours of the most outstanding players this night. Klamasteris (.918) was once more the rock in the surf for his team and outperformed Rasputin (Russia's Love Machine) (.903). Calgary's lackadaisical penalty kill (3/5) was only topped by their inexistent power play (0/5). It is more than likely that the poor performance of the special teams cost Calgary the game.
Daniel logged 0g, 0a, +1, 2 PIM (Holding, lead to a goal), 4 hits, 2sb and a FOW of 45.95%
 
In the fourth match, the Wranglers faced the Dragons in a 4-1 win. Calgary scored two goals in the first six minutes. Nasherov in power play and Reinhart on even strength netted the puck for the Wranglers. D.C. was able to reduce the Albertan's lead by one before the end of the period, though. In the second period, neither team was able to bury the puck, so it stayed a one-goal-game. At 50:11 minutes, Daniel loses the draw in the Dragons' zone, but the orphaned biscuit is picked up by Johnson, who one-times it. The puck looks as it would go wide but Nasherov deflects it mid-air, against Taffe's lateral movement and scores. Reinhart's shorthanded goal not a minute later is the cherry on top. The tree stars were awarded to Reinhart (2g/0a), Vaughn (42 saves) and Nasherov (2g/0a). Vaughn (.977), who started instead of Klamasteris this match showed that he can be relied on to jump into the breach and clearly played Taffe (.889) against the wall. The Calgary power play was effective (1/2) and their penalty kill unit was top notch (7/8 and one goal scored with one player less on the rink). 
Daniel had 0g, 1a, +2, 3 hits and a 57.14% face off efficiency
 
The last match of this article was against the New York Americans and ended in a 6-2 win for the Canadian team. The Empire State team came out swinging and scored two consecutive goals, which were answered in the same period by Kotkakoivu's marker in power play. The second period saw a single goal by Reinhart to tie the game 2-2. 5:29 minutes into the third, Daniel wins a face-off in the Americans' zone, passes the puck to Nasherov who relays to Eagles. The defender dishes it to Johnson. Phil cannot immediately control the biscuit but recovers it and passes it to Daniel, who has sneaked into the slot in the meantime. He sees the daylight, wristshots the disc and it goes bardown. This gave the Swiss talent an adrenaline kick, which was still surging in his veins when a mere minute later he was blindsided by Sosa, while carrying the puck into the NY zone. He did not wait for Johnson but settled the matter with his opponent upclose and personal with a haymaker which sent the American winger hit the floor. The Rotkreuz native was cheered on by team mates and crowd alike on his way to the sinbin, where he served his major for fighting. Luckily, the refs took into account that Sosa provoked the fight and handed him a major for fighting as well. Whether his goal was the game changer or his clear win in the fight, we cannot tell, but fact is that the Americans lost heart and allowed three goals by Johnson, Eagle and Perry and never made a comeback attempt. Kotkakoivu (1g/2a), Reinhart (1g/2a) and Johnson (1g/2a) made the podium that night. Klamasteris (.955) who recovered from the dreaded man-flu, was a class of his own and Karlsson (.854) never stood a chance to win this fight in the crease. Both special teams showed a flawless match with 100% efficiency each.
Daniel was credited with 1g, 0a, +0, 5 PIM (Fighting major, no effect on the score), 2 hits and a 47.06% win rate at the draw.
 

Sosa gets some.
The stats of the brothers in summary:
Marcel: 8gp, 0g, 2a, 2pts, -6, 10 PIM, 10 hits and 17sb
Daniel: 8gp, 2g, 7a, 9pts, +11, 15 PIM, 24 hits, 5sb, 1gwg and 52.68% FOW rate.
 
Please stay tuned for the continuation of the two Swiss' saga to conquer the VHL.
 
https://vhlforum.com/topic/115911-a-tale-of-two-brothers-premieres/
https://vhlforum.com/topic/115972-a-tale-of-two-brothers-two-sides-of-a-coin/
GM 17: Vasteras Iron Eagles vs. Geneva Rush (vhlportal.com)
GM 22: Vasteras Iron Eagles vs. Istanbul Red Wolves (vhlportal.com)
GM 26: Vasteras Iron Eagles vs. Oslo Storm (vhlportal.com)
GM 29: Vasteras Iron Eagles vs. Stockholm Vikings (vhlportal.com)
GM 33: Vancouver Wolves vs. Calgary Wranglers (vhlportal.com)
GM 41: Calgary Wranglers vs. Toronto Legion (vhlportal.com)
GM 44: Calgary Wranglers vs. Los Angeles Stars (vhlportal.com)
GM 57: D.C. Dragons vs. Calgary Wranglers (vhlportal.com)
GM 64: New York Americans vs. Calgary Wranglers (vhlportal.com)
1919 words

I can see where you're coming from and I don't completely disagree with it--I don't expect league policy to change to exactly what I want just because I talk about it a lot. That also applies to situations where a few loud idiots are being loud idiots (which probably does apply to the yam thing, whether or not you or I agree with how it's being handled).
 
The larger point I was trying to make--and I probably could have expressed it more clearly--is that while forum moderation has improved in that it's become more consistent and transparent, Discord moderation has stayed exactly the same and has many of the same issues that much of the community expressed a while ago. You're free to apply the "few loud idiots" label to that as you wish, of course, but I question where the line is drawn between "a few loud idiots" and "the community in general sees an issue they want to change". Votes are currently pretty split, so I'd imagine different people would see this different ways.
 
 
 
What constitutes spam, though? I've seen people be told to move out of genchat for bringing up music, movies, NHL news, food, and many other completely harmless topics that aren't hurting anyone. Sure, if someone wants to straight-up spam, as in, say, repeatedly post the yam GIF with no context to the surrounding conversation, then I can understand telling people to take it to the thunderdome. But I've also seen a lot that really isn't spam get classified as such for no good reason. Like, imagine if someone locked this thread because it was posted in the suggestion section rather than the general discussion one.
 
 
I guess I'm confused as to where the difference lies between "just people hanging out" and "what people feel a general chat should be", because to me those are the same thing. Also, going back to this:
 
 
Conversation when just hanging out should be spontaneous and flow freely. I'm not going to say "I'm going to respond to something Beav said by making a meme about it but let me go take it to the thunderdome", and neither is anyone else. Unless it's regulated to the extent that nobody wants to be there, people will always mess around in genchat and that will devolve into stupid running jokes/memes/whatever naturally. 

Remove discord. Return to forum chat.

FTFY

REVIEW: I know this was written a couple of weeks ago, but I really want to give you props @DC21 for writing this article. I am assuming you're a new member and not a returning member from this time period, but not many members who weren't around then would choose to go back this far into VHL history to write about. It's nice for those who weren't around then to learn about some of these VHL greats. This would also make a great series to keep reviewing and bringing to the forefront these older players.
 
9/10

I'm not commenting on the issues in the article (because I'm sure they're valid), but on the idea of the VHLE being broken....it's the second full season and the first "full" off-season (kinda) - if it was fully functioning perfectly I would have been extremely surprised. There are going to be issues that have to get sorted out that either weren't thought of originally or that have become apparent during what is essentially "live testing" this league.

It’s been some time. After I retired from the SBA I decided that I would retire my VHL player as well and take a break from sim leagues. I did some impressive earning and enjoyed the league my whole time, and being back in the SBA for what is now my second season, I am announcing that I am ready to recreate in the VHL.
 
I am not sure what position or build I going for, but all I know as of right now is that I will be creating at next month's trade deadline and looking to be a top earning prospect. I am unaware of anybody else who will be creating during that draft class but know that there will be a recreate better than so I’m not expecting to be the best prospect around. Even when I was maxing, I wasn’t the most discord or forum active as I preferred to stick to SBA functions and then claim welfare plus my VHL.com article, so I want to warn all my future coaches not to expect a lot of talking from me. I’m excited to see what happens and hope I fall in love with the league more than I already am.

It is my pleasure to announce the captains for the Season 82 Warsaw Predators!
 

 
C - Bogdan Trunov @qripll
Entering his 4th VHL season, Trunov is now a veteran on a very young Preds roster. Being vocal in the locker room and loud on the ice with his goal scoring, very proud to have Trunov as the 3rd team captain in franchise history. Served as an A last season.
 
A - Brian Moreau @weekz
Another returning captain, absolutely shattered his career highs last season with a 48-goal, 122-point season. One of the oldest players on the team, has seen it all and knows how to keep the team focused and on track. 
 
A - Zack Kisslinger II @Kisslinger
After going from steal to star and posting the greatest rookie season in franchise history, Kisslinger II has easily cemented himself as a leader on and off the ice. Committed himself to the future of the franchise, and is looking to improve as a sophomore. 
 
Congrats to all 3, and let's go Preds!

Reviewing: I think it takes a special person to succeed in sim leagues. Being a 29-year-old and a father, I don't have as much of the free time as I used to, but I know how to carve it out of my day in order to improve my player. A new person joining is less likely to take that time when they understand they have to take that time to improve their player. I don't know what the solution is, but your article brought up a lot of good points, but I think it boils down to the fact that a lot of people don't want to waste time doing this. Which can't be solved. 10/10

Get rid of discord. The site looks like a ghost town. #agendaz

In addition to what Spartan said, it also becomes extremely messy during the transition between GMs. I don't remember the particulars, but previously, if the team got the GM player "for free", then they weren't able to trade them away and receive any additional assets. If the player for the new GM was on another team, we'd have to find a way to barter a trade between the two teams that was "fair", and the majority of the time it wasn't fair at all to the team losing the player.
 
All in all, this led to a ton of messy transitions and one off rulings - it was impossible to create a fair blanket rule about the transitions because the situations of each team was always different.
 
Keeping the GM player not automatically attached to the team has made GM transitions 1000% easier and more fair than before.
 
This rule has been in the league for a while now - it's not a surprise. If you (as in everyone, not you in particular) don't think you can separate "you the GM" and "you your player", then you don't have to apply for a GM position.
 
This is also from someone who wasn't in favor of this change at the time, but it's proven to be a good one IMO.

Oslo Storm Press Conference Questions
1.) What are your goals for your player for the upcoming season?
2.) What are your goals for the team for the upcoming season?
3.) What is your favorite thing about the city of Oslo?
4.) What's an interesting fact about yourself?
5.) There's a new way to earn TPE - game recaps - do you think it's a good idea, bad idea, something you'll use?
6.) What's one thing you'd change about the VHL, VHLE, or VHLM?