Gustav

It’s also important to consider the negatives of the affiliate experience. I’m auto-12 in the SBA and created a player there a while ago that I just have no interest in. I’ve got no problem with the SBA and I like a lot of its members—and I do sort of wish I cared a bit more. Even though I have to do literally zero work, my player is inactive because I just don’t ever think about doing the stuff and don’t have any enthusiasm for it if I do. I spent about a year actually invested in the EFL and had lots of fun there, so I’m very pro-affiliate in general. But I think there should be some questioning how we can get people to actually care that they’re in an affiliate league. Unfortunately, I’ve been on both ends of that and don’t know. I think my EFL time lined up nicely with all the time I had to skip virtual classes and hate myself over COVID and I just don’t have that time now that there are actual responsibilities in my life. But that can’t be all of it because I know there are lots of people who make affiliate leagues work well for them on limited time. I think we should look into the ways that the affiliate system works for those who use it and whether anyone who’s involved has ideas about how it could be more interesting.

Position: C Birthplace: Canada Height: 6'0" Weight: 240 lb. Drafted: S80 - 21st overall (Warsaw Predators) Username: @MetalToday Awards: S84 - Continental Cup S85 - Victory Cup S87 - Mike Szatkowski Trophy (Most Points) S87 - Brett Slobodzian Trophy (Most Outstanding) S88 - Scott Boulet Trophy (Top Two-Way Forward) A member's first-ever Hall of Fame player is always a special accomplishment, and the VHL hopes this holds true for Brendan Marner, a Warsaw lifer who spent most of his career right at the top of the league. Early on, Marner was hardly the league's betting favorite for the Hall of Fame--his agent had briefly appeared in the VHL with a S67 player and retired after S70--but having regained first-gen status ten seasons later, the Predators figured that he was as good a bet as any in the second round and chose to roll the dice on a player with very limited VHLM success. It would come as a surprise to all concerned that a Hall of Fame career was to follow. Though he took some time to make it up and would only play 7 seasons in the VHL, he fit in right away as a top scorer and breaking 100 points in five of those seasons. So, Marner's career can be viewed not only as a successful first for a member looking to make it big, but as a testament to beating the odds despite a long road to success. S79 (San Diego Marlins | VHLM): 62 GP | 1 G | 8 A | 9 P | -33 | 30 PIM | 74 HIT | 6 SB S79's Marlins team wasn't anything to be scared of, and neither was Marner. It's always difficult to make it as a rookie after the draft, and that was a lesson learned the hard way as Marner blocked almost as many shots as he had points (and he didn't block very many shots). One may speculate on a thing or two, but this could have been a reason why he would fall all the way to 51st overall in the S80 VHLE draft. Perhaps Warsaw saw something they liked a bit better, though, as the as-yet unproven prospect became an early second-round pick and a development project for the Predators. S80 (Bratislava Watchmen | VHLE): 2 G | 9 A | 11 P | -4 | 33 HIT | 80 HIT | 5 SB Having been drafted very late into the VHLE, it was clear that Marner wasn't expected to be the most valuable contributor in Bratislava. And whether it was through poor performance or poor line pairings or whatnot, his VHLM performance was largely repeated as he moved up a league. With the right coaching, anything is possible, though, and that's what anyone watching likely had in mind as was traded (for the only time in his career) to Rome for S81. S81 (Rome Gladiators | VHLE): 22 G | 50 A | 72 P | +8 | 64 PIM | 129 HIT | 23 SB Just when a GM might have given up, Marner started to turn things around with a point-per-game showing in his second post-draft season. Still not up to the VHL, Marner found the right time to turn on the jets with his contract year looming. Think about it--over six times the points as in the previous season, along with eleven times the goals, is something that shows up quite well on the scouts' radar. So, on the heels of steady improvement, Marner moved across Europe yet again in S82--but this time on his way to the big show. S82 (Warsaw Predators): 45 G | 55 A | 100 P | -2 | 112 PIM | 310 HIT | 83 SB Marner's rookie season was overshadowed by an unholy 131-point performance from London's Nils Godlander, but it was still one of the best the league has seen. Moving up to a higher level of competition seemed to bother him, well, not at all, and he posted his first 100-point season out of many right out of the gate while also adding a massive physical presence that was unforeseen to this point. It would have been fair before this point to view Marner simply as an unproven prospect who had begun to show signs of improvement, but all doubt would be cast away right from the start. S83 (Warsaw Predators): 35 G | 46 A | 81 P | +17 | 93 PIM | 233 HIT | 26 SB The term "sophomore slump" isn't one that should be dragged out for an 81-point season, so we won't go that way. Rather, this should be viewed as Marner finding his place on a team that was also trying to find its own. Regardless, Marner's solid play led him to only his second-ever net positive rating, and he still put up a strong two-way season with a respectable point total. S84 (Warsaw Predators): 33 G | 41 A | 74 P | +20 | 93 PIM | 174 HIT | 32 SB Marner's numbers took a slight dip in S84, but this wasn't cause for concern--and I doubt it was the first thing on any fan's mind--as the Predators took home the Cup in S84. Still above the point-per-game mark, Marner worked with top-of-the-league talent across his whole team on their way to first place. Still, the individual performance of his rookie season would not be forgotten, and it would serve as a benchmark for future seasons and the next half of his career that was to come. S85 (Warsaw Predators): 37 G | 63 A | 100 P | +36 | 70 PIM | 189 HIT | 28 SB Marner would come into S85 with a somewhat refined physical game, achieving a higher hit total with fewer penalty minutes than in S84, and if 100 points was a benchmark, he lived right up to it. Equalling his rookie season's point total, Marner would be one of the focal points of a Predators offense that didn't quite manage to pull off the championship repeat but still took home the Victory Cup as the league's best regular-season team. S86 (Warsaw Predators): 47 G | 66 A | 113 P | +33 | 99 PIM | 224 HIT | 60 SB Following a period of team success, Marner began to distinguish himself more from an individual standpoint over his last few seasons. S86 saw his highest point total yet, along with nearly 50 goals and a physical game that continued to redevelop from the slight dip it had experienced earlier. Though S86 saw no awards won from an individual or team standpoint, it was one of Marner's finest, and at this point he could claim to be able to sustain top-of-the-line success. S87 (Warsaw Predators): 47 G | 64 A | 111 P | +16 | 116 PIM | 241 HIT | 39 SB Marner's S86 and S87 were very similar, but it was in S87 when he would finally answer one of the few questions he had left in terms of his Hall of Fame chances: what about individual awards? The Predators were done winning championships, but this didn't mean that Marner was done trying to get them there. With a second season in a row above 110 points, and a still-increasing hit total, Marner led the entire league in points and was voted the league's most outstanding player for excellent performances on both ends of the ice. S88 (Warsaw Predators): 45 G | 61 A | 106 P | +1 | 138 PIM | 251 HIT | 56 SB Though S87 would be Marner's most distinguished season, S88 was not that far behind and saw a Boulet win to cap off a career striving to be the league's top two-way player. Again breaking 100 points, and again increasing his hit total, Marner closed out a career spent entirely with the Warsaw organization in style despite their first playoff miss since his rookie year. Career totals: 504 GP | 289 G | 396 A | 685 P | +121 | 721 PIM | 1622 HIT | 324 SB It would be remiss to neglect that Marner overcame adversity to reach the Hall of Fame. Three whole seasons spent developing, two in underwhelming fashion, could be enough to make many promising members disappear. Not only that, but with numbers dropping for a couple seasons after making it up, early-career pundits would have been hesitant to suggest that he would make it in even despite a strong rookie campaign. In both of these cases, though, Marner would prove the doubters wrong, first making it up and then stringing together an absolutely Hall of Fame-worthy four seasons to finish up. Despite missing two seasons, Marner retired at #90 on the all-time points list and commanded the second-highest point total out of any player from the S80 class. So, it is with sincerity that the VHL welcomes him to the Hall of Fame and hopes that those who feel stuck in building their player use him as a role model.

As someone looking for stupid ways to spend my last contract money, this is actually a surprisingly helpful thread. I would have assumed the same thing.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! You may have noticed that the VHLM is currently hiring for two GM openings, in Houston and San Diego. We'd like to thank everyone for showing their interest and we think we're ready to welcome in our new hires so they have time to work with this offseason. First off, we've seen @AJW in a couple different runs as GM of Houston, so it seems like a natural fit to welcome him back, doesn't it? We'd like to do just that. We hope AJ can make his experience with the Bulls into even more positive experiences for the Bulls of the future! The VHLM is a place for newer members as well, so we've been blessed with a few applicants who haven't yet had the chance to GM. One in particular has stood out to us as someone who's been active around the league up to this point and has ties to the Marlins. Without further ado, we're appointing @Mysterious_Fish GM of San Diego! We're excited to see what can be brought to this franchise. Thanks to everyone who applied for these openings! As always, we're happy that people would like to work with us to make the VHLM a better place. I hope this continues well into the future and that we can make this a great season! @VHLM Commissioner

I'll take Marner because I'm bored out of my mind this week and could probably hammer it out pretty soon. That way the stuff we were waiting on will be done and others can grab the ones for this season.

Stop trying to discredit Vandelay’s HoNB before I even write it smh It is fairly obvious that goalers are a little too good, but something I find interesting is that this happened at the same time that scoring numbers are (I think) still pretty reasonable—not up to where they were in the good old days, of course, but we’re not struggling to end up with 100-point scorers like we were for a bit in the late S60s-early 70s. But yeah, goalers should be nerfed a bit. Even putting aside any preference for what we want numbers to look like, I feel that the position has lost a bit of parity that could be regained with an adjustment.

Damn, just when you think you know everything. I do think it would be worth it to mention Milo at some point, maybe in a weaker season as far as more recent players are concerned. I don’t think it’s a question of whether he’d deserve it over someone from S80-something, more so one related to whether the other inductions of the era justify it (which I think they do) and whether the other players on the ballot deserve it immediately (which is very situation-specific).

I don't think it's absolutely necessary that I earn everything possible, every week, but what I do think is that it was really stupid on my part that I just...have not been on top of depreciation with Vandelay. I took the first hit on purpose, but perhaps it would have been nice to grab a Jagr every season thereafter (and I missed the first percentage-based fighter too). Cut to this offseason, where it just didn't occur to me that it was the offseason and that I could have bought a Jagr again, so that maybe I might lose a little bit less than 300 TPE. Wouldn't that be nice? The difference really wasn't much, actually, because I don't think I lose all that much compared to that after I ball out on all the uncapped TPE the player store has to offer (I've used my full doubles week already, with two PT doubles weeks on the way, and you may have noticed that I've written a media spot this week. This article only gets me uncapped TPE from that 4x5 package. To the player store updater, whoever you even are these days, I salute you). Of course, I'd still be able to buy most of the stuff with a fighter purchase, and that would be pretty sweet. But I think I'll be OK. Between what I had banked and what I'm able to buy, Vandelay currently sits at 750 TPA. And by the time the deadline rolls around, I think I'll be able to doubles-and-uncapped-package my way to close to 900 again. Hopefully that's what's LA needs to succeed, and hopefully this is just a minor speed bump for my last season in net.

"Lasse Milo followed in the footsteps of his agent and became Mr. Vasteras" -@sterling, VHL 30 in 30 #27 "[HoF teammate Tukka Reikkinen] and Milo benefited from being the only good players on their teams." -@.sniffuM, A Muffin's Take on a S20s VHL Dream Team "Very similar stats [to Tyson Kohler, subject of HoNB #5], though Milo has a Beketov and a cup..... why isn't Milo on the ballot lol" -@Victor, S62 BoG Hall of Fame Discussion --- "Jardy and Kyle argued that Fyodorov would have been a Hall of Famer had he stayed active. You can make that argument about Kronos Bailey today. The thing is, Fyodorov might just be anyway." -@Victor, Not in the HoF: Evgeni Fyodorov --- Ah yes, the S20s. I've been here less than 30 seasons, and our subjects were drafted over 40 seasons before me, so this is a deep dive as far as I'm concerned. It's our earliest ever HoNB, with a couple extending into the later S40s but none before that. There are a few reasons for this--in cases like Alexander Pepper (HoNB #1) and Shawn Glade (#2), we were talking about players that I remembered personally, and in each of the others (Boeser/Holik/Kohler), the article was about someone who I'd seen discussion about in BoG. Here, the only time either name in our title was mentioned in BoG in my time was in the S72 discussion thread, which I don't remember at all and most certainly did not cause me to learn any league history. I came across Milo's name on our all-time stats spreadsheet, and even though some of the places where his name has been mentioned on the forum are threads that I've been through before, I still more or less learned all about him over the past couple days as I went back and actually paid attention. But anyway, Lasse Milo. @PensFan101 (who made the HoF as a builder in S30) was the first GM of Vasteras and remained in that role until S14 as the longest-tenured original VHL GM. He'd lead a Scotty Campbell-centric team to the VHL's first ever championship and helped to create a unique team identity that made Vasteras (despite its long-standing curse) a favorite for many dedicated VHLers. It was following a strong personal connection to the franchise that it came as no surprise to the league that Milo, PensFan's player, came to Vasteras in S23. As stated above, Milo led the league in assists (in S27) and won a rare championship with the Iron Eagles (in S26). Save for one season partially spent in Seattle, he was a career lifer, racking up four seasons above 100 points--including that Beketov-winning season in S27 with a total of 147. It's no stretch of the imagination to say that he was a great player, but the Hall of Fame requires players to be taken in the context of their eras. And the S20s were an era of great players--the S23 class also featured @Squinty's Leeroy Jenkins, who broke 800 points and a remarkable 2100 hits, while S26-28 held four players in the top 15 all-time in points. I think we can (and should) do our best to separate the early S20s from the late ones, but even when we do that, there's quite a bit to consider. With that being said, it would be remiss to neglect Evgeni Fyodorov in this article. Many times Milo is brought up, so is Fyodorov, and for good reason. Part of the draft just two seasons earlier than Milo in S21 (and making it up to the VHL in S22), Fyodorov was attached to one of the VHL's most important historical anecdotes. This was also covered in a VHL 30 in 30, but as a short recap, Fyodorov was created by a controversial member who provided one of the league's most impactful changes--facilitating the VHL's move from its old forum to this one--and very soon after flamed out completely. Built to perfection, Fyodorov continued to be a great player through his agent's inactivity and even through his own depreciation, breaking 100 points three times and never falling below 85. Like Milo, Fyodorov does have somewhat of an awards cabinet, winning two championships in S23 and S25 and sharing the Brooks trophy for the league lead in goals in S26. Though his agent would check in later as @fyo, the league has never seen another player from one of its most short-lived members to be deserving of remembrance years later. Usually, my HoNB articles have focused on one player's chances at induction, but these two are similar enough that I think they both deserve to be evaluated as players with a chance. Both have been part of championship-winning teams, and both have an award. Really, the only difference is that Milo has an extra season, giving him a lower point rate (because of a slower start) but higher point totals. I think Fyodorov makes up for this with, well, a higher point rate, but I would also say that there's some intangible stuff that I'll talk about later. Although we're talking about two players, not in HoNB fashion, we'll do the same thing to compare them to the rest in HoNB fashion by comparing them with others in the same era both in and out of the VHL Hall of Fame. We'll skip Leeroy Jenkins, who I mentioned earlier, and S25's Ansgar Snijider, for the reason that both were huge as two-way forwards and I'd rather not need to compare players based on an added level of "let's figure out how much the difference in hits sets them apart," and thankfully we have enough of a player pool to use others. Namely... Tuukka Reikkinen: a HoF player. From one Vasteras GM to another, we go from PensFan to Milo's teammate in @.sniffuM. Drafted 4th overall in S25, it's not at all controversial to say that Reikkinen deserves the HoF. 20th all-time in points, Reikkinen led the league in points twice, won MVP once, and took home two Cups. Oh, and he's our exception to the "we won't talk about players with lots of hits" rule--with over 1800 to add to this, he's our "very clearly a HoFer" benchmark. Felix Peters: a HoF player. An inspiration to HoF hopefuls everywhere, Peters, created by @gregreg, started in S24 and waited until S52 to make it in. Very similar to both of our subjects, Peters has one individual award (playoff MVP in S28) and two championships, and posted four seasons over 100 points. Finishing his career with 769 points, it's important to note that Peters was not a heavy hitter and is thus suitable for purely offensive comparison to both Milo and Fyodorov. Ignatius Feltersnatch: NOT a HoF player. A @sherifflobo create, Feltersnatch was one of the odd ones out in an otherwise generally storied agency. That's not to say that he wasn't still a really good player, though--starting in the unusually high-scoring S20 after one season down in the M, Feltersnatch never won an individual award, but does have a Cup win in S22. There's not a whole lot separating Feltersnatch from Fyodorov (only 7 points), but I've only come across one of those players consistently mentioned as a HoF candidate. To dive into the numbers a bit, here's this: Tracking both goals and points over the course of each player's career, it's easy to say that Reikkinen is a step ahead of the rest (hit totals notwithstanding). And if we look at career totals, of course, Milo appears to be a tiny step behind. He's really not that far off from the HoFer in Peters, but someone looking at these charts wouldn't necessarily be inclined to believe that Milo deserves much. A more interesting argument, really, is the one pertaining to Fyodorov (and even Feltersnatch), who put up points at a rate pretty comparable to that of Reikkinen and just don't have the extra season that would have been needed to hit the same total. Interestingly, the goals chart pretty clearly shows the best season for both of our subjects--Fyodorov's S26 and Milo's S27 are shown in the same place and show some of the steepest slopes on the graph. So, case closed, right? Milo and Fyodorov aren't on the ballot for a reason, right? If you're familiar with these articles, you'd know that my answer here is always a resounding "not really." It's pretty accurate to say that I spend part of this series making cases for players (as unbiased as I try to keep it overall), but at the same time I wouldn't drag out anything I thought was total bullshit. And in this case, I think there is a legitimate case to be made by digging into the numbers a little bit. One thing that I feel is ignored way too often is that the very beginning of a player's career is usually not as good as the meat and potatoes of it. This also, in my opinion, unfairly affects a player's HoF chances when looking at career totals. Why should someone who played a low-TPE rookie season in the VHL be punished for that season giving them a low point rate? Sure, Fyodorov had a 91-point rookie season, but wasn't that effectively following a 0-point post-draft season? With that in mind, shouldn't our points chart actually look like this? If you're wondering: all I did here was move Fyodorov and Feltersnatch over one spot horizontally, so their first season lines up with all the others' second seasons after the draft. I do prefer to show things the other way, because this is mostly just a plot of career totals while the other can tell you a bit about per-season performance as well, but my main point is that the start of a career affects quite a bit depending on how one chooses to frame it and I don't believe the BoG usually dives into this stuff. It was my biggest reason why I thought Jakab Holik might have a chance after all in HoNB #3, and it's a point that I think sticks out for Milo especially here. You'll notice that Milo's first two seasons flatlined somewhat, as he started with the lowest first-season total and followed that up with an even lower-scoring second season. From there, he's already at a disadvantage as far as those looking at career totals are concerned. Heck, he's about 100 points back of Fyodorov and Feltersnatch on our arguably-skewed first points chart. So, what happens if we look at that good bulk of Milo's career? I don't mean to reject strong rookie campaigns altogether, and I do believe that it's valid that the highest career totals tend to get the first attention, but the HoF has tons of players who didn't start off very strong and had a very solid rest of their career. I mentioned Milo's S27 and Fyodorov's S26 as two of the best seasons on here, so how much did that actually help? Let's see what happens when we chop off those first two post-draft seasons for everyone and just look at their last six: Milo isn't looking so bad, is he? And for that matter, neither is Fyodorov. Overall, Milo has the second-strongest "peak" period of all players here and outperforms Peters in both categories during the period of his career when both players excelled the most. Peters' first season (56 points) wasn't even all that different from Milo's (51) and it was only in their second season (81 vs. 43) that the point differential was substantially different in Peters' favor. So, with Peters' career total in points being just 30 higher (and his career total in goals being just 9 higher), are we really going to say that the difference in their second seasons alone, neither of which was particularly impressive on the grand scale of that player's career, is enough to draw the line between "in" and "out" of the Hall of Fame? I'm not quite sure that's fair. Similar arguments applied to Fyodorov already--those being that simply missing his first season, which shouldn't matter too much, hurt his career totals enough that he hasn't been heavily considered--but even removing the "head start" of sorts that was his 91-point second season, the peak portion of his career was just as good as anyone else's. I think there are a couple unconventional arguments that apply to Fyodorov, too--his agent's work at the time continues to shape the very identity of the VHL today, and the fact that he achieved top numbers with a lower-TPE, depreciating build certainly proved influential to those looking to make the HoF themselves. To what extent those arguments would influence one's opinion is up to the individual, but I think they're worth considering on some level. Something that negatively influences the chances of either is the fact that there were a good number of clearly better players. Reikkinen was one, for sure, but I've already mentioned that I didn't cover Jenkins or Snijider, and I'd argue that those are easily the big three of the early S20s. Plus, even though I'd say Feltersnatch is below both Milo and Fyodorov, it's at least close enough for me to say that there isn't a huge gap between either of our players here and the next available non-HoFer. On the other hand, what if this were a Milo-Fyodorov-Feltersnatch triple feature instead? The next-highest point total in the early S20s is Kevyn Hesje (under 700 points, and with all 8 seasons played), while HoFer Phil Gerrard played 7 seasons with a lower total than either 7-season player listed here (though he won significantly more awards and that's a discussion I'd rather not spend the time opening). Let's say we decided that everyone in this article measures up to the standards of the Hall of Fame--at what point are we then inducting too many? We already have three clear top choices from this era, and history says that it took some convincing for Peters to be a fourth. It would probably take a lot more convincing for us to bring that number up to 7. I do believe that Milo and Fyodorov both were good enough for induction, but I'm unsure about extending that title to Feltersnatch and don't consider getting that far very realistic. So, is Lasse Milo (and is Evgeni Fyodorov) a Hall of Fame player? I think so in at least the case of Milo, but I think it would have to be a long road to get to that point. I think Milo is the easiest one to induct because Peters offers the most direct comparison--and I also think that they couldn't be more similar as players. If Peters deserves it, then so does Milo. I genuinely have no clue how one could argue that the line is in whatever small space there is between those two. And it's not that Fyodorov is worse, it's just that the HoF doesn't have that easy comparison and thus it would be more difficult to say that we should go for it to an audience who mostly wasn't around in the S20s. Arguing for Fyodorov also should naturally bring Feltersnatch into the conversation, which I don't think would be very beneficial for Fyodorov's chances. So, I think that both players, but especially Milo, are going to be worth bringing up as the BoG prepares to not talk about them for the 20th season straight. Whether that goes anywhere...well, HoNB history says it won't, but a builder can dream. I'm not sure what the voting cutoffs are, but Lasse Milo was removed from the HoF ballot in S36 upon receiving 4 out of 9 votes (Feltersnatch was removed that same season unanimously). He has not made it to the ballot since, but has been mentioned a handful of times across articles and subsequent HoF discussion threads. I don't see Evgeni Fyodorov in any removal poll (or discussion thread), which suggests to me that he was removed before those were even a thing. Like Milo, he's been brought up in HoF discussion, but never voted upon in the modern era. Interestingly, every player in this article found their way to @Victor's All-Time International Teams article last month. Additionally, I'd recommend a look at @Corco's Memoirs of a Former Vasteras GM and @.sniffuM's A Stroll Down Muffmory Lane if you haven't had enough S20s Vasteras history. Previous HoNB articles: Volume 1: Alexander Pepper Volume 2: Shawn Glade Volume 3: Jakab Holik Volume 4: Bo Boeser Volume 5: Tyson Kohler

The blues after stealing another VHLM GM without telling us until we ask Hello to you, VHL, and an extremely Merry Christmas to all! Another offseason, another time to start hiring. Let's get into the details. First off, we'll be saying goodbye to @Arce, who's leaving our ranks after some time spent with the Marlins. We always appreciate when someone with lots of VHL experience decides that they want to share some of that with those who don't have it, and Arce has been exceptional in this regard. Thanks for making San Diego a great place and we look forward to seeing who can move it forward! Speaking of, well, all of the things I just mentioned, we learned recently that @STZ will be moving on up to the VHL to reclaim his old position as GM of the New York Americans. There's no better candidate to reverse the curse than him, but that also means we've got a spot open in Houston. That's right, the Bulls are hiring too, and we'd like your help. Want to see your name in green? Want to welcome in a new wave of players (yes, it *is* in the works) when it hits? Want to manage your team to a championship, make close friends in the GM community, and help your team grow into the next generation of league talent? Want to be associated with Gustav? Now is your chance. All are encouraged to apply here! @VHLM Commissioner

This season marked the first time that anyone has started in net for 8 seasons straight in LA (and only the second time anyone has ever played 8 full seasons for LA). This means that, next season, Art Vandelay will be the longest-tenured member of the Stars ever. Of course, that's not super impressive--this franchise has existed less than 20 seasons and it's been even less than that where a 9th season is even possible--but it still means something considering the number of players that filter through the system. (Note: I'll have to give credit to @KRZY and Todd Cooke for spending a full career in the LA system starting next season as well) I never set out to be a lifer; it just kind of happened that way. As a goaler in a crowded market, there wasn't going to be much movement or many serious takers anyway, so the concept of team-hopping for championships just wasn't something I ever considered to be on the table. Most teams just already have their guy, and I was the guy in LA. Thankfully, Vandelay getting good lined up well with the team becoming competitive--I've never had a reason to think we weren't trying hard enough for me to extend or that my time was being wasted. That's not to say that things have worked out in the most objective sense, because zero cups and zero awards tend to say all that a lot of people think they need to hear, but we've at least had prospects of going places. Perhaps it would be nice if I didn't become noticeably worse in the playoffs, but you can't win them all. Currently, Vandelay is the winningest (and also losingest, but only if you count overtime) goaler in LA history. Barring our backup being pulled a lot, or a Louth Rule violation, I won't hit the mark for games played for all players, but I've got it for goalers and that's something that will stand for a while. I've been nominated for a few awards a few times, but I've never won them (or deserved them). I've also never led the league in anything, and in this age of "everyone is putting up the same sorts of numbers," I don't see myself in the HoF anytime soon. And while that's sad to think about, and I'm sure noobs will never even learn about Vandelay, I hope he's at least given you some memories and that I've done enough in my time with him for you to think of him as one of the faces of the Stars. One season left, and I hope we can enjoy it together!

I've been in the league long enough that I'm familiar with everyone and wouldn't heavily factor in a personal connection to one GM or another in a decision like that. So, in the context of what's best for Vandelay's last season, I think DC is the team that's best set up for a one-time goaler rental. Probably a retriever of some sort. "Takes a licking and keeps on ticking" and whatnot--and has stayed loyal for years. I hope not, though if you go a couple generations back on one side you end up in a very redneck part of the US. So not mine specifically, but... To answer the second part, I don't actually know (and sadly they don't really like each other and don't talk about stuff like that). They were at the same college at the same time, so that's probably got something to do with it. 1. Whether or not it's Christmas-related, how are you spending today and tomorrow? 2. What's something the VHL should have an award for that it currently doesn't? 3. What would not work well as a goal song?

Give me my money back

Gustav

Merry Gusmas

What up

My longest article ever (by far)! I'm glad it's still appreciated. I'm also glad you're doing the smart thing and breaking it up into parts. I could have milked mine for 6 months of PTs if I were a bit smarter. One thing I learned there (and one thing I hope you're learning as well) is just how many players you'll come across that you didn't know existed that you really should know about--how many people who joined in the past few seasons know Rhett DeGrath or J.D. Stormwall (or even best-ever names like Conner Low)? It's surprisingly few and it's why writing about league history is so important. Not enough people care. Looking forward to the rest!

*Gustav noises*

Hell yeah, good for you (and it's always nice to see some real-but-positive stuff on the forums)! You've probably heard "the first step is admitting you have a problem" enough times, but it couldn't be more true and I think the fact that you've got the sense to make a change in your life despite your mind fighting against it says an incredible amount about the strength you've got. I think the VHL has done well in supporting you so far, and I like to think that's not just because we're nice people, but because you deserve it. One day at a time. Can't wait for the good-news updates to drop at some point!

Eyy

I suppose we all saw this coming, didn't we? Heck, it's Day 4, and we've seen this coming for a little while. We've had two Town deaths, yes, but both were covered up by the MEDUSA--which means I haven't publicly announced a single Town death this game. Meanwhile, we've had evils drop left and right, even killing each other. And even a TRAPPER did something! Usually, that never happens in VHL games. For the sake of formality, let's kill @Doomsday. He was, you guessed it, the MEDUSA and one of fairly few evils to have accomplished much. Heck, he was the only one to kill any Townies. Last will: Yes, this was the shortest game we've ever seen. Yes, for all intents and purposes, it was boring. Yes, this is still Page 4 of the thread. We wanted a game to end by Christmas, and now that Christmas is just a week away, we certainly accomplished that mission. I think it's also fair, though, to look at this in a couple different ways. None of the above should take away from the fact that this was one heck of a Town win. We also should never lose the importance of every chance we get to play ToS being a good break from reality and a nice, positive space where we can forget about all of our problems and get together on this weird little subforum in this weird little sim league and just have fun for the heck of it. It's why I thank all of you at the end of every game (as I'm doing here) for making a positive difference in each other's lives and letting them make one in yours. But anyway... CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNERS, THE TOWN! (yes, Town is green now. It's always been green and it took me until our Rainbow game to realize the real game doesn't use blue) @Adrest245 - VAMPIRE HUNTER @Advantage - INVESTIGATOR @Alex - COVEN LEADER @Berocka - VAMPIRE @Da Trifecta - HEX MASTER @Doomsday - MEDUSA @eaglesfan036 - VETERAN @GoodLeftUndone - SERIAL KILLER @Grape - CRUSADER @jhatty8 - MAYOR @Lemorse7 - TRAPPER @omgitshim - POTION MASTER @Ptyrell - ESCORT/VAMPIRE @Ricer13 - PSYCHIC @rory - JESTER @woog - TRAPPER See you next time! We'll see when that is, maybe sooner, maybe later.

Hi

Salem wakes up to the sound of Creedence Clearwater Revival and various firearms. You know what that means... Two players were killed by the VETERAN last night. @Ptyrell... ...and @Alex... In addition to being shot through the head, @Alex was found leg-deep in a bear trap. This has nothing to do with Shia LaBeouf, though--it's simply the first TRAPPER kill we've recorded in the VHL! I guess I'll be on time tonight. List of living players (7) @Adrest245 @Doomsday @eaglesfan036 @jhatty8 @Lemorse7 @Ricer13 @woog

The sky crackles and a bolt of lightning shoots down, hitting @Da Trifecta. The last thing I'd like to do in any game is modkill for inactivity, but it's in the rules and it isn't quite fair to other players to have to work around it. Trifecta was the HEX MASTER, so a very merry Christmas to the Town, I suppose. Now that that's out of the way, let's kill @GoodLeftUndone, the one who the town has actually chosen to remove. Based on what info has come to light, things have come together for the Town to lynch... Next day phase begins in the morning because the morning is Monday. I'm disappointed by that but it is what it is. James Cook ftw List of living players (9) @Adrest245 @Alex @Doomsday @eaglesfan036 @jhatty8 @Lemorse7 @Ptyrell @Ricer13 @woog