solas

You look around the league and you see the same commonality in all of the logos......They all reflect their city or team in some way. But when it comes to Mexico City’s logo, that isn’t the case.
 
When you look at the Mexico City logo it looks to be an indigenous chief, holding the letters that spell out the team name. Nothing to do with Mexico. 
 
Mexico needs a new logo that reflects the rich culture of Mexico, something that makes sense. The colour scheme of the team are fine as is, but we need a more representative logo. This logo just doesn’t sit in line with the rest of the logos in the league. 

Player Information
Username: scoop
Player Name: Taylor Mourning
Recruited From: Returning
Age: 21
Position: RW
Height: 75 in.
Weight: 200 lbs.
Birthplace: United States of America

Player Page
@VHLM GM

At least for the Premier League this is just chickens coming home to roost. 

Seattle receives:
Frank Funk Jr

Toronto receives:
Phoenix Dawson


This trade has been accepted by all parties and is pending league approval.

Poopy Peepants jesus fucking christ Jordan

Glad Jeffrey Pines is intentionally tanking Penguins team

Dear diary,
It’s late. I read a book today. It was nice. It really made me think about how tiny decisions can really snowball in your life to end up having a huge impact on the big picture of things. I think that applies to the Phoenix just like everything else.
 
Of course, last season could have gone very differently. Had each individual person not joined us, had we not run the lines that we did, had we lost touch with each other - it all could have come crashing down. But it didn’t.
 
Well, I guess it kind of did, but the best place to start when sharing a thought is the beginning.
 
Geoff probably didn’t think twice when he started the first count. He was giving us a game - a small exercise, like when you’re on a long drive as a child and look for signs with words beginning with each letter of the alphabet from the backseat. October 14 was the day that Geoff sent the first signal.
 


On October 14, our first counting streak began and ended. It should have been a sign that Hogan, our AGM of the time, would be bad luck in time to come when he ruined the first streak.
 
The game is simple. We send a number, the bot gives a tick, the next person counts. On October 14, it was season 74. We beat the Seattle Bears 4-1 that day.
There were only a few rules. First, don’t send two numbers back to back. That ruins the streak. Second, vote for the bot and collect saves. They come in handy even when you don’t think you’ll need them. Mistakes happen. Third, no typing while someone else is typing. Similarly, if there’s a speed count happening, don’t intervene. Fourth, and most importantly, don’t kill the count.
 
It took us a while to really refine our rules.
 

 
Eventually, after some of our teammates got tired of ruining the count on purpose, we started getting the hang of things. We ironed out our previously unwritten rules and decided to stop using math. It’s too difficult anyway.
 
Season 75 was a breakthrough season for us in #counting. It brought us closer together, something to do, something to be proud of. We used the momentum from speed counting and group think sessions to push us through the season. Chicago’s playoff run was a complete surprise - and I just know that it happened because of the #counting channel. The vibes were too good for Simon to overlook.
 
Then, on December 27, we played in the wildcard series against (you guessed it) the Seattle Bears. We swept them. It was glorious.
 
And then Hogan reminded us that he was, in fact, still in our locker room. We had somewhat forgotten he was there since he probably muted the server after he left the AGM position. We pondered about him now and again, and little did we know that he would return with a taste of spiteful revenge.
 
After we swept Seattle, Hogan arrived.
 


None of us were glad to see him.
-----
At the end of the day on January 20, the first day of Season 76, we had already surpassed our previous record.
 

 
It was a good feeling. The energy was different this season. We’d established our brand, the fire cat, and figured out a way to knit ourselves together as a team into one, flowing unit. We managed to come together, despite the player movement. Winter and Oferson joined us, their eyes on a cup. That’s not to say that the rest of us had our eyes anywhere else - it’s what we all wanted, to raise a cup in glory.
 
But we had to stay focused. We finished the regular season first in the North American conference, third overall. By that point, we had nearly doubled our counting streak.
 
And, well, we all know how the season ended. Chicago took home the cup after a brutal faceoff with Warsaw.
 
I attribute that win to the counting channel. There are no other teams in the VHL that can gather so tightly around one tiny, little thing. There are a lot of things that we share as a team - pet photos, silly stories, music recs, and sometimes a picture of a well-cooked meal. You never know; when you have a well-developed community of people, it’s hard to know what’s going to come next.
 
This happy little team doesn’t exist in an alternate reality. That reality doesn’t appeal to me.
 
In that reality, our counting streak is not as high as it is now. (I'd flex on all y'all but I can already hear gorlab telling me not to reveal my whole hand.) In that reality, Hogan never ruined our streak. He never ignited our fury to return to the ice with a vengeance focused entirely on proving ourselves, rebuilding. In that reality, our new teammates from season 76 don’t feel like they fit in. In that reality, we are disconnected. No matter what lines we run, it never works. In that reality, we aren’t a team.
 
I suppose that last part could mean a lot of different things. Maybe that all the people are there and just can’t connect on the ice. Or it could be that, because we never started counting, we never created a team brand, never rallied behind firecat, never established our visibility. Or maybe it’s that the Chicago Phoenix doesn’t even exist.
 
Either way, that reality doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun. In season 76, we didn’t just write franchise history, we left our mark on the team for what it looks like to be a part of something bigger than yourself. We proved the importance of having something behind which your team can rally. Most of all, we proved to ourselves that we were good enough - not just lucky enough, like we heard all through playoffs in season 75 - to show up and finish the deal.
 
Yeah, I think this reality is a pretty good one. Of all the realities I could be conscious of, I guess I’m glad it’s this one. There aren’t many realities where I could write over 1000 words about counting in a discord server.
 
- fishy
 
(a little over 1000 words, claiming weeks ending 4/18 & 4/25)

so here is a hastily-done signature instead.  Also, what if Vasteras was still around?  I'd probably be playing for them which is the idea behind this signature.
 

1. These questions are going up on a Wednesday; are you generally good about not procrastinating, or are you the type that gets everything done in the last minute?
No way, I procrastinate all the time.  I guess it depends on what I'm working on though, sometimes I get the inspiration to work on something earlier - but if it's work, it's usually done in the last minute.  That was true for me throughout college.

2. What's your drink of choice? Doesn't have to be alcoholic, but it can be.
I don't drink alcohol very often but if I do, I guess I'd go with a Corona.  If it's non-alcoholic that's a tough decision because there's a lot more to choose from.  I like flavored lemonades, I had a blackberry lemonade recently that was good and the peach lemonade at Wendy's is nice too.  I might go with a smoothie too, if that counts.  I mostly drink water though to be honest.

3. Chicago's been at roughly .500 for the last handful of games, what do you think we need to change to get back to form?
Stop allowing so many shots on goal.  Or at least JPC needs to play better in net, I feel like we let in too many goals in general.

4. What the hell is Warsaw doing this year that's making them so good?
I mean they were good last year and now without a strong Moscow team in their conference there's nothing holding them back, plus they've still got a well-built roster.  So I think maybe a part of it is them staying strong (maybe even getting better) compared to their competitors.

5. If you could redesign any logo in the league (VHL or VHLM), which would it be and why? What would you do differently?
I feel like my answer is pretty obvious here - I don't want to beat a dead horse so I'll try to be brief, I'd redesign Mexico City's logo to be actually accurate instead of dated and stereotypical.  Or even just a generic "Kings" logo, that'd be better than what they currently have.  On a lighter note, I'd also say Philadelphia and LA are two logos that I'd want to change.

6. It's alternate universe theme week! Which alternate reality would you like to live in most?
To be honest I feel like most alternate realities that come to mind from like, movies/TV/books would all be worse to live in than ours.  Probably because a fantastic world with no real problems wouldn't make for a very interesting story.  (I'm sure there's probably at least one story like that that's interesting, but I can't think of one). I would, however, like to live in an alternate reality where the Vasteras Iron Eagles still exist, and maybe you could be reading a media spot about that sometime soon 👀 

Malmo receives:
Gino DiGiannantonio
S78 WAR 1st
S79 WAR 1st

Warsaw receives:
Chris Hylands


This trade has been accepted by all parties and is pending league approval.

rly glad that calgary vs chicago wasn't on fantasy zone score predictions this week

That Warsaw game, fucking hell.  I have to laugh at the first period.
At least there's some nice stats for our forwards!

Trivia’s coming home!

render looks whiny af, so...it's perfect

going for that coveted 3rd in NA spot 🔥

Toronto receives:
Micah Adrienne
SS Hornet
S78 WAR 2nd

Vancouver receives:
Kate Upton
Wolf Weiss
Ziarie Anigbogu
S79 TOR 1st
S79 TOR 2nd


This trade has been accepted by all parties and is pending league approval.

1. Week 1 of S77 is in the books after 15 games the Phoenix sit 2nd in the NA conference and 5 games over 500, with a record of 10-5-0, what are your feelings about our teams play in the opening week?
I'm honestly not entirely sure what to think about Chicago this season. On paper, we probably have the best team in the league. Realistically, though, there are other teams who are proving to be really tough opponents this season. I'm hoping to see us get back on our feet and prove that we are back to compete for another season. 
 
2. As defending Continental Cup champions do you feel like there is some added pressure to succeed?
If I'm being completely honest, the season after a team wins the cup, I expect them to be utter garbage. That's just the cycle as I've seen it. Malmo won the cup S75, then S76 was at the bottom of the standings. It happens over and over again, so honestly, the fact that we have a kickass team and are actually performing is incredible to me. I can't speak to what other folks in the league are thinking, but I am definitely predicting that we'll hear a lot of shit talk about how we went from a Cinderella run in S75 to choking with a beastly roster in S77.
 
3.) How do you feel about your personal performance over the first 15 games of the season?
Socks hasn't been particularly excellent, but I think that's the name of the game when you have a roster as strong as ours. No one person is going to take home the awards for most outstanding performance because all of us are going to be sharing those points. I'm okay with that - winning as a team is way more important than individual success.
 
4. Being the one of the new guys in Chicago, everyone on the team has been recommending “Chicago Style” Pizza, which Pizzeria is the best in town?
 
I don't know, but don't ask the guy from CONNECTICUT (where even is connecticut? and why is it spelled like that? you can keep ur silly little ~new york style pizza~ because no one else wants it)
 
5. In a HUGE OT Win over the Rival Toronto Legion saw Robin Winter come in the clutch scoring a hat-trick all within 5 minutes, 3 unanswered goals, tying the game with just 2 minutes left on the clock and the OT Winner 40 Seconds in, what was it like watching this unfold?
Winter definitely carried morale for that game. That kind of performance is exciting 1) for the individual, because he deserves to be celebrated and 2) because, of course, we love to win
 
6. What skill are you focusing on improving the most right now?
I think teamwork, like last season, absolutely must be the top priority for a majority of this team. In season 76, we learned how our teammates played and got into a rhythm. Being able to trust your teammates & being willing to put team success over individual performance are two of the most important aspects of a championship-winning team.

Los Angeles receives:
S79 HFX 3rd
 
Halifax receives:
Jeffrey Pines
S79 LAS 1st

 
This trade has been accepted by all parties and is pending league approval.

Hello Members,
 
It's no secret that the VHL has been expanding rapidly over the last few seasons and an internal goal has been to eventually beat out the NHL for number of teams, which will sit at 32 once Seattle joins the league. With that goal in mind we have decided to bring forth the largest change to the league in decades, potentially ever.
 
Starting in S78 the VHLM will be disbanded with it's teams all being moved to the VHL, giving us 28 teams in total. This gets us close to our goal but not quite there so we will be also adding 6 new teams to the league, all based out of Europe to counter the 12 North American teams entering. This gives us 34 teams, thus beating the NHL and proving VHL dominance.
 
This would still leave us unbalanced of course with 14 teams in Europe and 20 in North America so we will also be moving Mexico, Houston, and Minnesota to Europe in order to balance the conferences. 
 
A general manager application will be opening shortly so that we can fill the vacant 6 spots and decide on team name and locations and more details will follow in the upcoming weeks. The @BOG and Blue team are very excited to finally hit this milestone with you all and we welcome your ideas regarding where teams should be placed and their logos.
 
Sincerely,
@Commissioner 

What if we took the VHLM and PUSHED IT somewhere else?
 

Hi Everyone,
 
After extensive discussion, the @BOG has approved a rebrand for the flailing HC Davos franchise. Rather than relegation to the VHLM, their attempt to escape the cycle of mediocrity comes in the form of a new logo and team name. They shall henceforth be known as:
 
 
Thank you for your time!

@AnthonyOuellet

Racism has announced their retirement.