Gustav

tbf I'm the same way with relationships. I've given legitimately helpful advice despite never having been in one myself.

Assuming that the starter is always healthy, backup quarterback. Can't get any better than that. No. I'd rather earn a bit less and feel like I'm doing something with my life. Really anywhere that's completely culturally different from where I am. It's one thing to read about how people live elsewhere, but it's another to experience it firsthand and participate in it. 1. What's your favorite TV show? Have you ever rewatched it? 2. What's your favorite non-hockey team? 3. What are your VHL plans for next season?

I'm going to say right at the top--I don't really care if the team is good or not because I don't really track my progress in the VHLM. I didn't with Taro at all, and I don't really plan to with Vandelay either. That's just the unfortunate reality of dealing with recreates. As a member of the community, I care that the VHLM functions and I care that it helps people. I also believe that it's my obligation to play a part in that wherever I go--I haven't been the most active on Discord since signing in Ottawa, but I like to think I'll be around in whichever server I end up in to help out the rookies. Without further ado... Halifax 21st: How is Halifax first in alphabetical order? I'm a big fan of Sam and Jardy, and it seems like this team will be right on top next season as they're swimming in picks. Getting a Founders' Cup would be nice (as I don't have one yet), but a roster that's going to be as full as this one might push Vandelay into a 1A/1B type of situation (as ANY VHLM team with 2 active goalers should be running anyway). That could be a bit of a drawback, but again, doesn't really matter. The biggest drawback would really be sacrificing my dignity to play for the team I used to shitpost incessantly about. Houston Bulls: My first-ever team! I'll always have a bit of a soft spot for them, so I can't be opposed to this one. I'm familiar enough with Moon and Arce, and they've got a good team, though one that could take a step back next season. I wasn't a fan of the whole draft pick rule-dodging thing that happened a long time ago, but that's far behind us at this point and I'm cool with the team. Las Vegas Aces: It's possible that they're keeping two goalers next season, which would make this largely irrelevant. That said, this is the first time the artist formerly known as Tagger has been a GM in my time here, and I'm interested in seeing how he does it. Mexico City Kings: Loser is a current former teammate of mine, as well as a fellow S75/84 draftee, and there's some level of mutual respect for that reason. Both of their goalers are moving up, and they're not super loaded with picks, so this could be a good fit for Vandelay should he end up there. Miami Marauders: I'm cool with Ledge, and the team is losing both of its goalers. They're in a very similar situation to Mexico City--so it would be cool to go here as well. Mississauga Hounds: Talk about a depleted roster! Things should fill up quite well this season, though, as the ton of picks this team has outside the first round (in which they somehow have none) is ridiculous. Should Vandelay fall to the 2nd, or should the Hounds choose to trade up, of course I'd love to play for them! They're the team I used to run! Ottawa Lynx: I signed with Ottawa this season, and they're a good place! I'd return, but I don't think I'll be drafted if Shaun King stays down. If not, though, the net is wide open...though with only a 4th in this draft, I doubt it's happening. Philadelphia Reapers: I'll be honest and say that I don't think I know @Masu Chan at all--so, hello! I hope you're doing well! Philly looks nice this season, but it seems they'll take a step back this season as many of their players will graduate and they don't have a pick until the 4th. So, Vandelay is likely never going to end up there--just as well, I suppose, as I've still got 3-year-old memories of the beef between Philly and Houston. San Diego Marlins: I think Frank is an interesting person, and it's cool to have another team run by someone as established in the league. San Diego also has a bunch of picks, and should be able to make some things happen this season--though I'd be signing up for a 1A/1B setup, for sure, they've got a chance to make things happen. Saskatoon Wild: I believe I've at the very least interacted with @BrutalBoost before, but not really enough--so, hello to you too! Unless Vandelay ends up in the second round, he won't be going here, but they will be losing both goalers on the roster in the offseason. Though probably not a contender, again, that doesn't matter much to me. And this concludes another edition of Unnecessarily Long VHL.com Articles with Gustav!

I'm looking forward to the summer! I have some big things planned--I finally get to do something relevant to my career, I'll know where I'll be next year, and I'll have time to do things I love with people I care about. It's likely the last real "summer vacation" I'll ever have, so even though I'll be busy, I'm going to try to make it count!

I made this out of interest in one specific team situation, not to criticize a management style lmao To clarify: I don’t believe that it’s wrong to not sell and to try to compete with what’s there, so long as that’s backed up by solid management thereafter. The seasons ahead will determine whether or not that’s the case—I make no judgment yet.

Though many VHL members of the past decade remember Chicago as a perennial contender and one of the top teams of the mid-late '70s in the NA conference, a new member today might raise an eyebrow at the roster. In stark contrast to traditional practice, the Phoenix chose not to rebuild and watched as one superstar after another--Jean Pierre Camus, Matty Socks, Lee Xin, Christian Mingle, among others--dropped off the map. Left with only a small handful of players, and an even smaller handful of active ones, the situation in Chicago dipped down in S81 and crashed hard in S82, as a 6-win season and a -232 goal differential proved historically bad--without the usual bad-team mountain of picks to show for it. So, what's a GM to do? The current situation is a lot to deal with, and some smart moves need to be made to turn the team around. Some things have been done, many of which I like--dependable players, and potentially future core members of the roster, are already in the prospect system--but with the roster being as depleted as it is, are those things enough? A GM's worst nightmare is preparing to win inadequately and seeing the team fall in on itself after a couple seasons (I should know), and Chicago must be able to get beyond that and remain competitive without throwing everything else in the garbage. Let's take a look at the roster, shall we? I'd like to work something out. Disclaimer #1: This is simply an opinion piece. Take this with the old radio doctor "this is not legitimate advice" thing. Disclaimer #2: Please take "Chicago should draft/trade for/sign this player" as "Chicago should draft/trade for/sign a player like this, and here's an example of a thing that could realistically work". I shouldn't need to say this, as someone who has no reason to tamper someone to go to Chicago, but you never know. Active Players On the Roster: Sunrise van de Schubbekuteveen | S79 | LW | 530 TPA | @Thunfish Though Schubbekuteveen (which I almost spelled correctly without looking!) put up great numbers this season, there's a big reason why--he was the only active player on the team this season, and one of only two above 300 TPA (with the other being just barely so). Though some may see him as a remnant of the fall of the empire, he was a smart pick in a thin S79 class who has legitimate second-line potential on a competitive team. ...and that's it. Active Prospect Pool: The Board Game Clue On Skates | S82 | C | 466 TPE | @MubbleFubbles I haven't talked about Clue since my mock, where I mistakenly assumed we were dealing with a first-gen member. Spoiler alert--we're not, and Clue's development has certainly lived up to the agency's reputation. The franchise's top prospect should continue to impress for seasons to come. Bo Johansson | S82 | D | 435 TPE | @Shindigs Johansson was originally drafted by Toronto, but moved out to Chicago for a solid price this season. Though it's one thing to say that the team giving up what's presumably a lotto pick, and what may end up being #1 overall in S84, was a lot--and you'd be right (and I don't disagree)--it's another to consider the player they got in return, and Johansson could be something special. With the import of a highly active member of the community, the team could have a gem on its hands both on the ice and off. Julia Waffles | S78 | D | 383 TPE | @Edustava We'll be real here--no, I don't see Waffles amounting to much in the big league. We're too late in her career for any superstar status to be reached, but she is right on the brink of breaking the VHLE TPE cap and there could be a fill-in spot on the roster in the near future. Seymour Butts | S82 | D | 351 TPE | @fonziGG It's strange to think that Butts is the second-best defender in the pool, but he is--and the veteran presence provided by Fonzi is a nice foil to the newcomer in Shindigs. It will be interesting to see how things work out roster-wise when both hit their primes, but that's a very nice problem to have (if a problem at all), and Chicago should have a future core in place already. Nagy AL | S82 | D | 315 TPE | @bigAL It's interesting to see the former-commish curse take effect, and that it did--only earning 17 TPE since the draft, Nagy AL seems to be headed toward bust territory. For the purposes of this article, I've assumed that he is out of the picture, but there's still potential for him to get back into it, and that would do nothing but help. Freddy Freeze | S82 | G | 204 TPE | @G_Rush You may recognize this player's agent as the former agent of Gary Rush, who never cracked 800 TPE but who managed to put up 98 points in S76 (back when 98 points meant something). At the moment, Freeze is a pure welfare player, and therefore likely a career backup, but there's been some higher level of earning in the past and he could prove valuable if that ends up being reached again. ChickenLittle | S82 | G | 185 TPE | @LiningPolecat I'll admit that I was unfamiliar with both the player and the member when I started looking at the team, but I can at least report now that ChickenLittle is very similar to Freeze. It would be unfair to assume that this player represents the future of the franchise in net, but it's always worth it to explore the possibility. Yes, Chicago has a good amount of prospects! The past draft went well, as did their acquisition of Johansson. That's simply not going to be enough, though--having one forward in the entire pool won't do anything for the team if left alone. What's going to happen next season? To-Do List for S83: 1. Use that top-of-the-draft status for another forward. Some may disagree with this--yes, there's no goaler in the prospect pool that, at the moment, could be the eventual starter, and Chicago only has one first-rounder in the next couple drafts to deal with (which they could use on top prospect Brandt Fuhr if they want to), but a team needs one goaler and six forwards. Here, I have the Phoenix winning the lotto and going with Scotty Sundin (@fromtheinside), though even if they don't, Igor Molotov isn't far behind in TPE and would be just as good. 2. Trade up a few spots and get that goaler at a budget. I originally thought that Chicago could wait until S84 and draft a certain "work of Art", shall we say, with their presumably-early pick, but they no longer have a presumably-early pick. Currently, they own the S82 Chicago 2nd, which will be 17th overall, while netminder Augustus Kennedy (@InstantRockstar) is ranked 10th in the draft class. Goalers are generally not in demand as much as many other positions, and many teams got the player they were looking for with last season's group, so I can see Kennedy falling a bit, especially as the second-ranked goaler in the class. Now, I don't see him falling to 17, but Chicago can realistically give up a 3rd or two (we'll say a 3rd and a 4th) to move up to, say, 13th overall and get someone in net. For the sake of simplicity, we'll say it's the S82 3rd and 4th, because later rounds are a lot of guesswork without an actual mock (speaking of which, spring break is next week!) and I don't want to project players there at the moment. 3. Let the sun set. It is my opinion that Chicago should move out Schubbekuteveen as soon as possible. By the time the team has any hope of being good, he's either in his second-last or (even more likely) last season. Currently, he's probably worth about a 2nd--for the sake of good guessing and matching names to picks, let's say that 2nd is 24th overall this season and that the team drafts Svatopluk Puk (@Otaznik), a forward ranked 25th in TPE. 4. Make the team a great place to be, communicate the plan, and believe in it. S83 will not go well. Neither will S84, and, in all likelihood, neither will S85. Every player has a contract that's up before that point, and if the players don't know or don't believe in what's happening, they might be inclined to walk. Chicago simply cannot afford to lose anyone, and it must be understood that some level of pain must be endured before things turn around. Hopefully, everyone left will re-sign eventually--at the moment, that even includes Julia Waffles, who will be gone by the time competitive plans start to take hold but who will have room to run on the team. That's all well and good, but assuming everything goes as planned with the above, the team still has 4 forwards, 2 defenders, and 1 goaler who even stand a chance at contributing later on, and practically no picks in S84. What do they do to make that up? To-Do List for S84: 1. Scout well--REALLY well--and take advantage of a deep S84 class. Two 3rds and a 4th could very well mean three active players in what should better be known as "the S75 recreate class". We'll assume that Chicago hits on one of their picks here, and we'll say that said pick is a 150-TPE defender who earns about 110 TPE per season, both just above what one might expect from a generic 3rd. Deal? Deal. Bigger steals have happened, and I believe a good team can and will do better with a class like this, but we want to make safe estimates and I believe this is perfectly possible with three chances. 2. Be patient, and repeat S83's Step 4. I believe that one of my shortcomings as Davos GM was going for it all before the team was truly ready. This is not the time to compete yet! Chicago should not be burning their picks to make things happen in S84. The team will continue to not be good, but the players need to develop and develop well. This season will be fairly quiet. So, one gap filled, and we've got a lineup of 4/3/1 by S86. To-Do List for S85: 1. Go back to forward with that first pick! The Phoenix will again be at the top of the draft class, and this time with a full arsenal of picks at their disposal. We're going to assume here that their 3rd and 4th are inconsequential, but that they hit on their 1st (which we'll assume to be a 350-TPE forward who earns 140 TPE per season) and their early 2nd (which we'll assume to be a 190-TPE defender earning 120 per season). 2. Explore the mid-level FA market. This is something that can be done in S84, too, but it's more realistic to think it would happen in S85. No, a high-end player who goes to free agency to win a championship is not going to move to Chicago in S85--because Chicago is not winning a championship in S85. But it's more than those players who become free agents--often, teams just can't afford to keep everyone, and there are also times when people move because they feel like it. Though no big names will be landing in O'Hare, there exists the possibility that someone around 500-600 TPA, who could be a serviceable player, would find their way to the team with the promise of ice time this season and competition next season. I'm not going to assume this happens, and as such I won't project it, but it's an option that should not be neglected. 3. Rinse and repeat on "ya gotta believe". The team probably won't be last place by this point! That's worth celebrating, and I don't mean that sarcastically. If the believing has happened well enough, everyone will be excited for what's to come. What's to come, you ask? To-Do List for S86: 1. Defense in the draft, for once. Butts and Johansson will age at the exact same time, and they could also present questions about cap space down the road. This is not an immediate concern, but having a solid player to back that up will help. As this will also be an early-draft pick, despite the fact that steps were taken in S85, we'll make the same assumption that the player is 350 TPE and earning 140 per season. Since this is the last season I'm going to project, I'm not going to say anything about the other picks. 2. Do whatever it takes up front. We'll say for now that Chicago gets one 900-TPE player and one 600-TPE player. Whether that's done completely through trades, or free agency, or a combination of both (I think most realistically, they can at least end up with the 600-TPE player after two seasons of trying in FA, but they'll likely have to buy the 900-TPE player as more established teams still have an edge in the FA market). This puts them at one big buy--hypothetically, a 1st and a 2nd are given up. If all this goes according to plan, Chicago has a fairly young team in S86 that looks like this (with rough TPE estimates): The Board Game Clue on Skates - 926 TPA S86 buy - 900 TPA Scotty Sundin - 802 TPA S86 FA - 600 TPA Svatopluk Puk - 490 TPA S85 1st-round draftee - 490 TPA Bo Johansson - 895 TPA Seymour Butts - 777 TPA S84 3rd-round draftee - 370 TPA S86 1st-round draftee - 350 TPA Augustus Kennedy - 618 TPA Freddy Freeze - 408 TPA ...a highly competitive 6-4-2 lineup, with the vast majority of players in their 5th season or earlier, which is perfectly cap-compliant at a cost of $39.5 million. Will this happen exactly according to plan? Absolutely not--that would involve a whole lot of luck and a whole lot of skill to pull off. There will be bumps in the road, and it's entirely possible that we won't see Chicago be a good team until S87 or S88. There just aren't enough assets to go around, and it's going to take a long, long time to rebuild. But it's fun to speculate, and it will be a story for the ages if they manage to pull it off just as well as this or better. Oh, and I used a spreadsheet for all my projections. HERE IT IS FOR ALL YOU NERDS. 2,422 words | good for 4 weeks

That's actually really interesting--I knew I was doing well but had no idea Taro was all-time backpack material.

Somehow I never saw this despite being pinged in it. Which, ironically, goes along with what I’m about to say. I’m still what I (and most people) would call pretty darn active, and I still enjoy the league. But I’m no longer waking up and immediately checking the forum…ok, that’s a lie. I still do that a lot. But I’m no longer sitting in class looking at VHL stuff rather than listening, and I’m also no longer spending unhealthy amounts of time on Discord/the forums or losing sleep to crank out my latest point task. I used to do that sometimes, and that’s not something I’m proud of. But that’s because the VHL was my life, and there wasn’t much I looked forward to otherwise. I think what’s said here about wanting to be part of a group and wanting to feel accepted is quite accurate. My life, everything-wise, has improved a ton over the past year. I no longer hate it. Real-life me is accepted and appreciated, something I can’t honestly say I had a year ago, and I don’t depend on my online persona to feel that way anymore. So, yeah, maybe I’ve faded out a bit, but it’s for all the right reasons. For me, that didn’t even happen consciously, but it might have to for some people. Reflecting like this, and recognizing what you want to change, is healthy.

ID: 20957015185892381 Doubles Week (claiming week ending 3/20) 5 Uncapped $1 Million

I spent a good half hour wondering what I should write my article on, between last night and this morning, and then I realized...the season is about to end, so why not put out my usual--and favorite--thing around this time? That's right, it's time for me to look over the index--complete this season with a shocking revelation on my part! That shocking revelation is this: I had no idea London was actually good this season. As someone who is no longer a GM, and someone who's having a fairly busy semester, I suppose I'm under less of an obligation to keep track of what's happening--but I spent all season just kind of assuming that they were an average-below average team, in much the same way as the last however many seasons. I only learned that they were on top of the EU conference (though, to be fair, that likely has something to do with the engine going haywire under all the meta stuff) when I got to my first bullet point on this list, that being... -The top 4 players in +/- (and 5 out of the top 6) all played for London. This despite the fact that London was 3rd in the league in goal differential, and Vancouver's was over double theirs. I didn't bother checking, but I feel like this means one of London's lines is really clicking, while the other isn't nearly as much. Let's get on with the other stuff! -The goal leader among defensemen shouldn't even have a chance at winning the Valiq. Leading all defenders in both shots and goals was DC's Ryan Vidot, who scored 30 goals on 439 shots. Completely disqualifying him from consideration (I should add--IN MY OPINION), however, is his relatively low point total (66) and atrocious +/- (-70). Further, his shooting percentage was a below-average 6.83%. Goals don't tell the whole story! -Weirdly enough, one of the leaders among defensemen in shooting percentage finished with similar offensive stats. Recently banned Cabe McJake finished second at his position in shooting percentage among those who took at least 100 shots, with a 10.57%, putting up 28 goals and 61 points. The difference from Vidot? Had McJake continued his pace and put up 30, he would have done so on 155 fewer shots. -Home-ice advantage is a real thing in Riga. The Reign recorded 22 of their 38 regulation wins (about 58%) at home, along with 3 of their 4 shootout wins. This was the most extreme difference I could find for any team, home or away. Finally, something that blew my mind... -Bad team number inflation for defensive stats (hits and SB, but especially SB) is always present, but the league has literally NEVER seen a case like this...Chicago's creed (yes, that's lowercase), a 283-TPA inactive player with 78 DF, absolutely blew away the all-time league record for SB in a single season. Since S37, the record has been set at 325 by Tyler Owens, but creed managed to put up...

I wasn't the biggest fan of the hybrid attribute idea when we were talking about what to do in the first place, but I also don't hate it. I think the way it's been built addresses a few issues (build diversity and "the only way to build is just to 99 everything") while also taking care of meta stuff. I went through the hiring thread expecting to have one or two names in mind, but instead I have four or five. Let's just say that it's going to be hard for the league to mess this up! I can't say I've paid super close attention to trades (the biggest news IMO was Arpa just up and retiring on Riga), but any deadline where I recreate must be a successful one. I've always wanted to do a "rivals" week where you pick a team/player/person who you would call a rival of yours and do a task on them. I think it would be really interesting and I've pushed for it in the past--but nothing yet. Maybe some time in the future! This is a tough one because I'm putting up career numbers...but scoring is also WAY up across the league and I don't like it. Last I checked, I was at least on the leaderboards and in the top however-many in a few categories, so I like that...but I think the surge in offense takes away some of the meaning there. I heard he POSTED A MEME in GENCHAT. The monster.

I'll admit I wasn't a huge fan for much of the process of creating it, but I'm optimistic about what it can bring. It's good to see that we won't have to be so divided over the meta issue anymore. ...though I feel like we'll see people trying to figure out the most meta way possible to build under the new system. Hopefully it works well enough that we don't have to deal with a whole new group wrecking things. I'm actually not playing anything at the moment. I was into Victoria II over winter break, but then Mac had an update and the game was no longer supported on my new software. I guess I don't need that anyway because it's been a busy semester. Probably Star Wars before Disney trampled all over it. No idea what I'd say now honestly. 1. With the end of the season coming up, how do you feel about the way your player has performed. 2. If I had to guess, I'd say that the changes to the meta and the attribute system are going to lower scoring significantly. How do you feel about the current level of scoring? Is it too much? 3. What's your favorite thing you own that doesn't cost a lot of money?

It depends. You wouldn't be super sought after IMMEDIATELY if you recreate at the deadline, but you'll be drafted reasonably high if you earn consistently enough. Any competent GM would know you're a recreate. If someone makes an offer that says "welcome to the league", just don't sign with that team. I think this depends on what you tell GMs before the draft. If you earn consistently enough but don't necessarily max out every week, I think the late 1st-early 2nd (and this highly depends on the draft class and who else is in it) would be a fair place. If you at least promise consistency, that's where I think you'd end up realistically. It's also possible that you'd be drafted a bit higher, but in cases like that you'd be going to a team that considers picking you (as a member) a bonus, separate from your player. Things like promising loyalty (or even just saying "I'd be willing to re-sign if the team is competitive") can also move you up, while doing the opposite could move you down in the draft. In the end, it's much more about YOU and what you get out of it--how you choose to enjoy the league and the satisfaction it brings you--than it is about where you get drafted or how GMs see you as a player or as a member. Try not to worry about the little stuff and just live your life.

Week 2 (pretend I posted this on the 6th; I'm an idiot)

Welcome back, my friends, to the show that never ends! That's right--I've recreated! Art Vandelay is set to make a big difference in net for...well, somebody (hopefully), and I'm excited for what's in store for myself and the rest of the league as I watch a third player grow and develop. I've talked before about my thought process in creating a goaler--and in fact I think this would be the third article I use to talk about it if I were to mention it again here--but I have some other thoughts related to it that I'd like to put out there because the others don't quite cover it. First, this is the first time in a few real-life years that I get to go through the early stages of my player's career without some sort of predetermined career path or conflict of interest--which is why I named this article what I did (it's actually a phrase from one of my favorite slower songs ever, from a hopefully familiar-looking album. Fun fact--the singer/bass player on that album went on to be a member of the first band I linked). I'm not a GM anymore! I am in this for me, and I am updating primarily for my own player's success. I have no idea where I'll be drafted, and I have no real idea what I plan to do at that point. I think a fair collection of career path-related goals for me is as follows, for any GM who cares enough to read this: I do want to play up as soon as possible...if I get starting time. It's no secret that I'm not a huge fan of the existence of the VHLE, and if I were a skater, I'd want to move up right away no matter what, but as a goaler I can't say that only 8 games in my rookie season is something that sounds appealing. At that point, why not see myself play more and avoid a season of depreciation along the way? Somewhat related to the first point, but not really--I'm OK with playing for a rebuilding team at the start so long as the team is able to improve with me. In other words, please run your team better than I ran Davos and I'll be happy. I've never tested free agency before, and I signed career contracts with both of my prior players. I will NOT be signing a 6-season extension in my third season with Vandelay... ...but, I'm also not in the business of screwing over teams for no reason (and I realize the FA market is far more limited at my position than anywhere else). If I believe in your team's ability to compete for some length of time, I will be very open to sticking with that team for said length of time. If you manage to compete for my final 6 seasons, you very likely have me for those 6 seasons--just not all at once. I don't have any super strong feelings for or against any teams in particular. Some (one in particular starts with a D, ends with a D, and has an "AVI" in the middle, but that's not the only one) I could certainly see myself playing for, and others (which I will keep to myself) I'm a bit less enthusiastic about, but I've never been one to try to strong-arm my player into going one way or another. And yes, there's another point. I have this weird little nerd hypothesis that goaler success kind of varies by season, and that season may be a predictor of success. For example--S63 saw Kriketers and Pepper as the high-TPE guys who dominated the league forever. The second they retire? It's S64's Brick Wahl winning league MVP in a completely unprecedented season. The second Wahl retires? S68 players win the Shaw in four consecutive seasons. A Red Guy retires early, but Raymond Bernard lasts until S75...the third season of the career of one Jean Pierre Camus and the start of Chicago's rise to competitiveness. S76 is the start of the prime for S73 players...and guess which season wins each of the next three Shaws? Camus would win another later on as well, but as the only goaler left from S73. The trophy would change hands to S75 players in S79, and then back again once, but by that point players from S75 and S73 were both at complete builds and their season effectively made no difference. Players from S75 are gone after this season, so that leaves...what exactly? My prediction is that S79's Papa Emeritus and Em Em Flex will turn out to be fine, fine players in the next part of their careers--look for both to break out this season now that a lot of the top end has been removed. More or less, what I'm saying is that your success as a goaler may be influenced by the abilities of the league's other goalers. If you're at 600 in a room of 400s, you'll be fine, but if you're at 600 in a room of 900s, you might have an issue. Per this hypothesis, S80's power trio of Booberry/Lindbergh/Davis might be at a slight disadvantage, though I wouldn't anticipate that being too extreme. A group who might really be at a disadvantage, though, is the goalers from this season's draft class--Pearce, Utonium, Wumbo, and Dahl (maybe--we'll see, but maybe Arpa did the right thing in retiring after all). Just think--they'll have four seasons without the two from S79, but only two without the three from S80 due to the VHLE rule shift. Until the last two seasons of their careers, the top of the goaler market will be fairly saturated. But Gustav, you're two seasons behind the S82 players! You're going to be terrible! We'll see. I feel like this might not be that awful for me. I'll have four seasons--basically the second half/prime of my career--without S80 in the way, and by the time that hits, my build will be just about complete. When the S80 players retire, I think I'll at least be above two S82 players in terms of TPA, with the difference being negligible between myself and the others (assuming I'm able to TPE whore as hard as I always have). Everyone's best seasons will (in my opinion) start at this point--but I've got two more at this level than everyone else. That's not to say that the S82 class won't catch up TPA-wise to S80 and see the same thing happen to them; that just doesn't really concern me as I'm focused on my career after S80 has come and gone. And that's not even to say I'm right about any of this! I haven't looked into it, I haven't run any numbers, I've just paid attention to who's on top and I have some theories about why. 1,150 words | good for 2 weeks

And just like that, Taro is gone--my first good player! I'd be shocked if I made the Hall of Fame, but could I at least get on the ballot? My life wouldn't be complete if I weren't able to face accusations of nepotism every induction. As I write this, I sit one point (and hopefully just one more sim) away from 700 for my career, and coincidentally also one point away from a career high. Had I been a S73 player and put up the same career stats? Who knows; I might be in. But recent number inflation may end up killing the dream for me--especially since last season was a (relatively) poor showing with just under 100 points (a sentence which I never thought I'd write 10 seasons ago). But all good things must come to an end, and so Taro must once again vanish into history. You've probably seen by now, if you're reading this article, that I have recreated as a goaler, in keeping with my prior thoughts on what to do when recreating time hits. My thoughts on the matter have not changed--meta-related changes are coming, I'd rather go with a player who won't be as severely affected, and it's also the one position I've never played! I'm looking forward to this career. As also stated earlier...things are going to change for me over the next however-many months, so I can't guarantee that I'll get to the top of the class and stay there like Taro did. But that's OK, and I'll do my best to stick around and enjoy it--because that second bit is what's really important.

I feel the same way! You've been through more in life than I have, but from my own experience...I had zero friends at school and absolutely no one to lean on there in my first few years. This was especially awful when COVID went down...already not having a life was taken to an extreme. I spent a lot of time here talking to people as a result. That can be viewed as me just being a loser and only talking to people online (which was partially true and also partially my fault), but I think the league is a wonderful support system when you need it to be and I credit many here for helping me get through a particularly rough time.

It's Reigning recreates

Looks like that's all I got--but that's OK. I'm in!

FIRST Someone make me S84 pls

Player Information Username: Gustav Player Name: Art Vandelay Recruited From: Other (I AM ETERNAL) Age: 33 Position: G Height: 66 in. Weight: 196 lbs. Birthplace: United States of America Player Page @VHLM GM

It's no secret--in my decade-plus as GM of Davos, I found very little success. I've written about it, you've memed about it. But is it still possible to dream it up with what I worked with in the 70s? It's Sunday and I have other things to do, so we won't be dealing with one of my characteristic 500-word intros. What we will be dealing with, though, is theme week, because that's not quite over... Players will be evaluated as follows: -They must have spent at least half a career in Davos (some exceptions are made for players who moved out during their fourth season with the team), and; -Placement will be based on overall performance with Davos specifically. Because this is rushed, forgive me if I miss something stupidly obvious. FORWARDS Taro Tsujimoto | S75 | C | @Gustav I don't vote for myself for anything official on principle, but there's no harm in including Taro in an article that doesn't count for much. From S75-S81, Taro was either the hot new prospect or the seasoned vet, improving steadily in his first three seasons and never looking back--since his second season, he's never finished under 85 points! Rarely has he been at the very top of the league in any category, but he's currently in the top five in points and assists and won MVP in S80. A central piece to the Dynamo's recent playoff runs, he's managed to carve out a career that's earned him respect--he sits at 300 career goals and is 10 points away from 700. Soren Jensen | S69 | LW | @Velevra I was surprised to put Jensen on the list because his career was typically characterized by awful sim luck. In a full 8-season career, he put up 462 points (only 42 more than Garcia and as a forward the whole time), and in fact only had one season above point-per-game status in S75. But, by what's on the list above, we've got what we need. Jensen spent almost the entirety of the second half of his career with Davos, and while he didn't show up as much as he might have been expected to on the scoreboard, he was a contributor and a high-TPE player who at least raised our expectations on paper. Team curse aside, it's possible that his impact may have been somewhat unseen--he recorded a net +18 on teams that really weren't all that great, and recorded about as many goals as assists with Davos. Luc Tessier | S78 | C | @KC15 Given how much Robin Winter and SS Hornet were supposed to end up doing in Davos in the early part of the decade, this one should be different as well. But sim luck is sim luck, and here we go to a player who dealt with bad sim luck in three of his four Davos seasons, rather than all of them. Last season, Davos' point leader was not Taro but Tessier, who put up a 106-point campaign en route to an almost-win of the Funk. It's also worth it to note that Tessier's time with Davos marked, well, basically my entire second competitive era, as the Dynamo would make the playoffs repeatedly with him as a rising star. He's now a well-recognized name around the league, and looks to continue to build off of recent success in Prague. DEFENSE Reylynn Reinhart | S77 | @Ricer13 What? The winger for Calgary? That's right, also the defender for Davos. Reinhart came around to a great deal of acclaim in S77 as a player who promised long-term involvement, a team-friendly build, and a powerful earn rate, and lived up to all three as the centerpiece of Davos' blue line in the late '70s. With two seasons above 90 points and one above 100, Reinhart would eventually leave Davos and switch positions, but not before picking up both the Labatte and the Wylde in S80 and cementing a place as the Dynamo's top defensive player of the decade. Tyler Walker | S73 | @Advantage This list wouldn't quite be complete without acknowledging the presence of Walker (and ADV), a former GM of mine turned former player in the mid-70s. Coming to Davos in a trade from Malmo, Walker would spend almost four seasons with the team and be an absolute fantasy monster during that time--for potentially the wrong reasons. You see, Davos was going through a rebuild, and for a brief period of time I held onto Walker thinking we'd be out of it with plenty of time to spare. Long story short, that ended up not being entirely true, and I eventually moved him out--but not before he put up some super impressive defensive numbers and made quite a few fantasy people happy. GOALERS Kunibuni UnGuri | S75 | @Berocka The longest-tenured non-Ahma player in Davos over the last decade is not Taro, who spent 7 seasons with the team, but UnGuri, who spent about 7.5. It would be wrong to pick anyone else, as the only other player who would even qualify here (Joakim Bruden) somewhat leveled off in #1A territory TPE-wise and spent parts of my first competitive era on the bench. But nonetheless, we can talk a bit about my only legitimate long-term #1 goaler and a solid AGM--though the sim luck never quite favored him, he saw Davos through thick and thin and currently has a chance at greater success prior to retirement in Seattle. Theme week done...and TARO OUT. It's recreating time!

Skimming through the forum recently, as one tends to do when one has been busy lately, I noticed that @Peace mentioned in his stepping-down post that there's a lot of drama going on in the league, a lot of immaturity, and just a lot that isn't worth dealing with. And more recently, I was reminded that that was mentioned (as well as further clarified by Peace) by @Fire Fletcher in this article in which he agrees with that point in general. In general? Sometimes I agree, sometimes I don't. Sometimes I think we're more toxic than we should be, and other times I think it's just that the league and its members don't conform exactly to what some person (not necessarily either of the two mentioned above, just in general) wants to see, and said person makes an issue out of things needlessly. But that isn't why I'm writing this up, because I also think that a point can (and should) be evaluated critically and that it's completely ordinary to not stand completely with or against it. Before I write this next part: this is also me speaking in general. It isn't necessarily about anything written above; what's written above just reminded me of a thing that consistently annoys me but that I've never written about. One piece of Internet advice that I've seen parroted in this league, but probably never actually followed, is "if you have an actual issue with someone, take it to DMs instead of fighting in public". That's all well and good, but it's said so an argument isn't the first thing other people say when they open up the forum or the Discord server. It isn't said because anyone cares whether the issue is resolved--and quite often I feel like no one cares whether the issue is resolved so long as it doesn't concern them. Too often, I've seen people hold grudges--one of the things that was specifically mentioned as a mark of immaturity--against others for their own immaturity. Which is kind of (or actually, very) ironic when you think about it. But does anyone ever send a DM to clear up an issue and talk it out? I don't think that happens much. People have messaged me to disagree with me on things, mostly just league policy things, but that's because those people want to understand my viewpoint and present theirs rather than get a personal difference out of the way. No one has ever messaged me to (much more nicely and indirectly) say "hi, I think you're an idiot and a terrible member of the league, here's why, and I want to know if you think those reasons are valid and if you think there's any way you can help me understand why you choose to do things the way you do". Yeah, of course no one will ever directly say it like that, nor do I think anyone should, but that would at least be doing something about an issue rather than just complaining and expecting me to change. I think that in general I'm a decently well-liked and respected member of the community, but I've certainly seen (and chosen to ignore) some mean things written about me when people think I'm not looking. I'm hard to offend, so I don't really care--but everyone thinks differently and someone else might be taken aback by something that could have been resolved with a message and an honest conversation rather than (potentially false and usually unwarranted) gossip and shit-talking. If someone has a personal issue with me, I invite you to tell me directly and in private, and let me know what you think I can do to earn your respect (and I will consider doing that if I believe you have a legitimate complaint). And I'd like to ask others to make the same offer, or at the very least to keep its spirit in mind. But in general...please do your part to clear up your issues. Even if someone else put them there, it's a mess that affects you and it only hurts you to not get rid of it.