Ninetyfourgoalie

Meeting Lofty Expectations
 
"With the sixth overall selection in the Season 39 VHLM Dispersal Draft, the Ottawa Lynx are proud to select Jerrick Poole!"  The words seemed surreal.  The Ottawa Lynx, the team who, even before the draft due to their control of five of the first seven picks, was considered a virtual lock to win the Founder's Cup, had chosen Poole as their top defenseman for a cup run.  For a guy who came into the VHL nearly unknown after failing to receive any significant attention from division one colleges after an unimpressive yet solid junior career, the selection meant that something was finally working out.
 
Fast forward a season.  After helping the Lynx to a Founder's Cup win, it was time to move on to the VHL after establishing himself as one of the top prospects in the minors.  With his draft position uncertain and the possibility of being selected virtually anywhere in the first round, it came as a relief when the Legion decided to take him fourth overall, their second of three first round picks.  Although it felt like a weight was lifted from Poole's back, pressure mounted once again.  The draft class, hailed as one of the best in VHL history, was littered with players likely to make significant impacts in the league.  As the fourth player selected, he couldn't just be good.  He had to be great in order to justify the selection.
 

Before things began to go well for Poole, it nearly appeared as if his dreams of being a professional hockey player were over.
 
Making his debut with the Legion in Season 40, Poole received plenty of minutes playing for a very young an thin team.  While their playoff hopes were nothing more than hopes before they even stepped onto the ice to begin the season, it was a chance for Toronto to showcase some of their young talent.  Poole would join Devin Sundberg and Tyler Cote as the team's leading scorers as they finished fourth in the North American Conference and firmly out of a playoff spot.  To cap off the season, Jerrick Poole was voted in as an All-Star after finishing eleventh among defensemen in points and second in blocked shots, a strong start to a career despite being well overshadowed by Mason Richardson, the rookie defenseman for the Express.
 
After Poole's Season 40 performance, it became clear that his potential was sky-high and very well could be a defining player of his generation.  Very few players even play in the VHL in their first season of eligibility, yet alone are named All-Stars.  But in order for this to happen, he would have to significantly improve upon his season and help the Legion make the next step in their rebuilding process, especially considering their relative lack of depth on defense.
 

Although physical play is often overlooked in the VHL, Poole has established himself as one of the more intimidating players in the league.
 
Already approximately a third of the way through Season 41, Poole continues to establish himself as not only a future star but one of the better, most well-rounded players in the VHL.  He is one of only two defensemen in the league with at least 20 points, 75 hits, and 50 blocked shots thus far, joined only by Calgary's Tony Stark, a VHL veteran who has had a very mediocre career up to this point.  One pace to score 65 points with 251 hits and 178 blocked shots, Poole is continuing to put up better numbers and is showing great improvement as a player.  While it is still far too early to say for sure, it is looking like he very well could be one of the top defensemen to ever play in the league by the time he hangs up his skates.

VHL This Week
Season 41 Edition 2
 
The VHL is back in action with the first games of the season being played this week.  Ten games in, we're beginning to see a clearer picture of where each team fits around the league although, at least right now, it isn't much different from what anybody would expect.
 
Announcements
 
Make sure to check out Edition 220 of the VHL Magazine!
 
The Preliminary Round for the Writing Ranks has concluded!  Judging by the submissions, get ready for some excellent writing ahead as the participants look to be named the best writer in the VHL.
 
The Season 40 Hall of Fame class has been announced!  The first inductee is center Kameron Taylor, who retired in Season 38 after a tremendous career with the Cologne Express.  Also inducted was Elijah Incognito, a defenseman who managed to win a Continental Cup with three teams - the Bears, Legion, and Reign.  Finally, JardyB10 was inducted as a builder due to his incredible contributions as a commissioner, simmer, and GM although that does leave plenty of room to manipulate things to his liking
 
Game Discussion
 
The first game we'll look at is the first one in the history of the new Stockholm Vikings.  Taking on the rebuilding Toronto Legion, this was a chance to give the new fans a win and that's what they did in very exciting fashion.  Midway through the first period, Toronto got on the board first with a Devin Sundberg powerplay goal.  It would be more than twenty minutes later before rookie Teuvo Ruutu scored the first goal of the franchise's history to tie the game up.  Despite the Legion continuing to barrage the Vikings with shots, the 1-1 score would hold up at the end of regulation.  Overtime would prove not to be enough to settle the score as the teams faced off in a shootout.  In the sudden death round, STO D1 scored the game winner to give the new fans a very exciting show.
 
Next, we'll dig deeper into a game between the consensus weakest teams in the league right now - the Dynamo and Bears.  Early in this one, it was all Davos, outshooting Seattle and putting the puck past Niklaus Mikaelson twice to take the early two goal lead at the  end of the first period.  But the Bears would not back down, cutting the lead in halflate in the period on a Rift Pajodcast shorthanded goal followed by, ironically, a powerplay goal by DAV C2.  The score would remain tied through the end of the second but it certainly appeared as if the Bears had stolen the momentum.  Just five minutes into the third, Simon Tremblay would help give the Bears the lead as the team would not look back, clinching the win on Brady Stropko's score at the midway point of the period.
 
Finally, we have a matchup between the two teams expected to meet in the Continental Cup Finals, the Americans and Reign.  The Americans would dominate the first period, outshooting the Reign at more than a 2-1 clip but were held in check by goaltender Mike Szatkowski Jr. and heading into the second period, the score was all knotted up at 0-0.  Putting another dagger into the will of the Americans, Robert Gow III helped give Riga the lead less than two minutes into the second period.  Robert and Robin Gow would each score a goal in the second to put the Americans down by 3.  In a clear display of the Americans' struggle, they were again manhandled in the third, outshot 16-8, as Slaeter Fjorsstrom clinched the 4-0 win with an early powerplay goal.
 
TPE Earning
 
Head to the VHL Magazine, where all you have to do is select a series of numbers to win free player store cash or TPE!  More details can be found in the magazine and make sure to check back each week to see if you've won!
 
If you participated in the VHL Fantasy Hockey Leagues, make sure to claim your points here!
 
Be sure to keep your eyes on the VHL Fantasy Zone, where you can earn uncapped points for correctly predicting the winners and score of selected games.  Make sure to get in your predictions for the VHL Pickem and Predict the Score tasks for week one!

EEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Season 40 Draft: Best Ever?
 
Three all-stars.  A Sterling Labatte Trophy Candidate. These are some of the milestones already reached by the season 40 draftees.  With a major influx of players from this draft to the VHL for season 41, it's about that time to begin drawing conclusions and deciding if this truly is one of the greatest drafts in the long history of the VHL.  Judging from everything already accomplished by this class, it would be difficult to argue that they can't be the best this league has ever seen.
 
 
Current TPE totals of Season 40 draftees graphed as a function of overall selection.
 
Amazingly, there are already 20 players from this draft who no longer meet VHLM eligibility requirements and 17 with more than 200 TPE.  One of the most noteworthy aspects of this draft is that, despite the insane quality, there are virtually no major surprises in terms of players significantly exceeding or failing to meet expectations.  In fact, the top five draftees in both current TPE and TPE gained since the draft are the top five selections.  In addition, of the 21 players who have earned at least 100 TPE since the draft, only four were not taken in the first 17 picks while the top five in this category were the first five selections.
 
Of course, the big takeaway from this draft are the big five, two of which went to the Express while the other three are on the Legion.  Cologne's Thomas O'Malley and Mason Richardson both are closing in on a ridiculous 600 TPE while Toronto's Tyler Cote, Jerrick Poole, and Sachimo Zoidberg have between 423 and 452.  Without question, these players are the building blocks for their respective franchises' futures and with four of them already having a season of VHL experience under their belts, it would not be a stretch to say that they all are potentially future Hall of Famers.  As a whole, the Express and Legion were the clear winners of this draft although what the Express snagged in terms of extremely high quality, Toronto was able to find in quantity as they also picked up Shadhu Rathod Jr. and Jaime Hill with their second and third round picks.
 

Mason Richardson was not only one of the best rookies in the league last season - he was one of the best players.
 
While there were no major disappointments, there were a few gems found late in the draft.  By the end of the second round, picks were very hit-or-miss with a number of selections of players who have shown little to no improvement since draft day.  Following the selections of Bobby Ricky and Griffin Simons by New York and Davos, Vasteras, now the Stockholm Vikings, grabbed defenseman Wesley Matthews with the 20th overall pick.  Although he was moved to Quebec in a package deal that netted a number of future draft picks, he has come into his own and with 280 TPE, is unquestionably a player who will be making some noise in the VHL.
 
With the 23rd overall selection, though, the Titans may have found the steal of the draft.  With available players becoming less and less of a sure thing, they grabbed King Czar III, a defenseman that many general mangers had questioned leading up to the draft.  Helsinki would not end up regretting this pick as he would go on to earn more points since the draft than any non-first rounder aside from Wesley Matthews since the draft.  Currently in his rookie season in the VHL, Czar III has scored seven points in ten games for the second place Titans.
 

Despite being a third round selection, King Czar III has been impressive thus far.
 
While it will be a long time before any significant conclusions can be drawn from this draft, one thing is for certain.  This draft class has the potential to go down in VHL history as the greatest ever.  With the superstars at the top and a horde of strong players, the season 40 draftees will be making their presence known over the coming seasons.  These players are the future of the VHL and all eyes will be on them to usher in a new era of the league.

People are underestimating Shadhu Rathod Jr His the next big thing in VHL

Absolutely superb. Is Cologne not ready or did you just forget to link?

Only issue I've found: Poole's first name misspelled.

If you go around the boards to player pages, you'll notice the entire set of Season 40 has been added to the applicable player pages. With some help from Boubabi I have gotten an entire set base done up here with card flip effects for everyone to enjoy and see in one place. I want to thank Boubabi and all of the PC crew (Jackim, Frank, Noah, 701, and Kesler) they did a fantastic job! I realize we are late on the season, but we had a delay and then had to replace most of the PC crew halfway into the season. We will be getting started on the Season 41 set soon, and it should be up before the start of the playoffs in Season 41. Without further adieu...here is the cards!
 
North American Conference
Calgary Wranglers
New York Americans
Quebec City Muete
Toronto Legion
 
European Conference
Cologne Express
Davos Dynamo 
Helsinki Titans 
Riga Reign
Vasteras Iron Eagles
 
 
Note that the players team locations and the subtext was made for the "start" of Season 40. Now to give everyone a heads up for next seasons cards, we will also be doing where players are at the time of season start. We only do active players as well. The "rules" for our active players is someone who has updated within the last month of the time I go through and compile an active list. So if you want a PC done for you with a set just keep updating every weekish and you'll be done. Enjoy everyone! 

VHL This Week
Season 41 Edition 1
 
Welcome back to VHL This Week!  With the VHL Entry Draft, All-Star game, and World Cup all completed, Season 41 is right around the corner!  After a disappointing finish to the season, will the New York Americans come back to win it all?  Will Riga repeat as champions?  Or will we see a new team break out and be crowned VHL champs?
 
Announcements
 
Congrats to the United States, who pulled off a win over Scandinavia in the World Cup!
 
The Season 41 Draft has been completed!  Unsurprisingly, goaltender Niklaus Mikaelson was selected first overall by the Seattle Bears.  Drafted second overall by the Stockholm Vikings was defenseman Jack Kowalski followed by center Gifford Shock, selected by Davos.  Click here for the full results!
 
Season 40 Awards have been decided!  New York Americans forward Wesley Kellinger was named MVP - take a look at the rest of the awards here!
 
Make sure to check out Edition 219 of the VHL Magazine!
 
The Writing Ranks are underway!  If you signed up, be sure to get your submission in for Round 1 by the deadline tomorrow December 8 at 11:59 PM EST!
Game Discussion
 
With no VHL games taking place this past week, we'll take a look at two exciting matchups - the World Cup Finals and the VHL All-Star game!
 
First, we have the World Cup Finals between the United States and Scandinavia.  While the USA was considered an early favorite, the fact that they faced Scandinavia for the gold medal was quite surprising.  Despite the game's final score, this was a game totally controlled by the United States from start to finish.  The first period was perhaps the most dominant for the favorite, outshooting Scandinavia by an incredible 17-1.  But it wasn't until there were less than six minutes remaining when James Faraday found the back of the net after a quick faceoff win by Tom Slaughter to put the USA ahead by a score of 1-0.  It took more than 20 minutes for the next goal to be scored as Scandinavia nearly held the United States scoreless in the second frame before Jerrick Poole picked up the puck off a shot which missed the net and took a quick shot that found its way past Kimmo Salo.  This would be the final goal of the game as the United States held on for the dominating 2-0 victory and the World Cup win.
 
Next we have the Season 40 VHL All-Star Game between the North American and European Conferences.  As expected, this was a high scoring affair with an exciting finish.  The first period was one marked by very even, offensive play from both teams.  In total, seven goals were scored by seven different players as Europe found itself ahead 4-3 when the horn sounded.  The second period was kicked off by Niklas Lindberg and Brennan McQueen of Europe, who each scored their second goals of the game to give their team a commanding 6-3 lead.  While Odin Tordahl got one back for North America, Brennan McQueen completed a hat trick to put Europe back up by three.  By the end of the second, Europe looked to be in charge with an 8-5 lead.  Less than a minute into the third, Thomas Landry picked up a goal for North America to get the hat trick but that goal was quickly erased by Wesley Kellinger's goal only nine seconds later.  But the United States would buckle down following this goal as they cut Europe's lead down to 1 goal with just five minutes remaining.  With both teams battling right down to the wire, Conner Low finally put the pack past Eggly Bagelface with less than a minute remaining to tie the game at 9 and force the game into overtime.  But North America would ride its momentum, denying any opportunities for Europe and just over four minutes in, Odin Tordahl picked up the game-winner and hat trick in his final game of his career to give North America the Season 40 All-Star game victory.
 
TPE Earning
 
Season 40 Prediction Points are up!  Make sure to claim your points and make your picks for Season 41!  Very easy way to get a lot of TPE.
 
Head to the VHL Magazine, where all you have to do is select a series of numbers to win free player store cash or TPE!  More details can be found in the magazine and make sure to check back each week to see if you've won!
 
Be sure to keep your eyes on the VHL Fantasy Zone, where you can earn uncapped points for correctly predicting the winners and score of selected games.  Check if you've won TPE from the VHL Finals Fantasy Zone task!

#Team40

The New York American forward is coming off of a Founder's Cup win in Bratislava and has been training hard this off-season in preparation for his first year in the VHL. He is set to play on a line with power forward sniper Xin Xie Xiao and thinks he has a very good shot at being the top rookie in S41 beating out stiff competition from his former teammates Sachimo Zoidberg and Oskars Harumpf, along with many other talented S40 draftees who are playing their first year in S41.
 
He was questioned by reporters after a training session with health guru Richard Simmons and was asked for his opinion on the recent S41 VHL Entry Draft and it's class of new VHL talent. 3 Moons answered with no reservations;
 
"Well, I think they've got a very tough act to follow in the S40 class. I've played with a few of those guys last season and there were some very good players like Gifford Shock, who I played with in Bratislava and Niklas Karlsson and Kyle Kingma, who I played with in Bern. Aside from a few special players like this, the S41 class is nowhere near as deep as my draft. They will find it very difficult to live in our shadow over the next 7 seasons." 

Don't forget your fellow Bostonian who's been teammates with you for both wins!!

*Credit to Rathod for this graphic

Victory Cup eventually

All of this applies for me too o_O

He does a good job.

VHL This Week
Season 40 Edition 9
 
Welcome back to VHL This Week!  Season 40 has come to an exciting end with the Riga Reign overcoming the favored Americans to win the Continental Cup!  Teams will now be focusing on preparing for the entry draft and gearing up for next season.
 
Announcements
 
The Riga Reign, who overcame a two games to none deficit to beat the Titans in the first round of the playoffs, managed to bounce back and ultimately win the Continental Cup!  Congratulations to the Reign on capping off an exciting playoffs with their win in five games.
 
The VHL Entry Draft will be held this Wednesday at 7 PM EST!
 
The World Cup will commence on Monday - get ready for players to compete for their countries and help to satisfy your off-season hockey cravings.
 
Make sure to check out Edition 218 of the VHL Magazine!
 
For all the writers, make sure to sign up here for the writing ranks that will be starting soon!  A great way to earn some extra TPE.
 
Game Discussion
 
This one will be a bit different - we will take a look at Riga's cup run that culminated in being crowned champions!
 
The playoffs did not start off especially well for the Reign.  In a matchup that pitted the young Helsinki Titans against the veteran Reign, Riga came out slow.  Helsinki would take game one in dominating fashion by a score of 6-3.  Coming off the disappointing loss, Riga looked to bounce back in game two but the Titans took an early lead off a Jackson Miler goal and the Reign were unable to recover, losing 3-1.  But Riga would finally realize something had to change and came out of the gates strong in game three where they won by a score of 3-1.  Game four was, without a doubt, an exciting one.  After the Titans took an early 2-0 lead, the Reign showed their opponents why that is widely considered the worst lead in hockey - by the end of the first three frames, the two teams were all tied up at 3.  55 minutes of playing time after the end of regulation, Robert Gow III finally found the back of the net and tied up the series at two games apiece.  Games five and six saw the Reign and Titans trade wins to force game seven.  In this game, after the Titans took an early lead, the Reign completely took over and dominated until the final whistle, winning 5-1 and advancing to the European Conference Finals.
 
In a stark contrast to their previous series, the Reign turned in one of the most dominant playoff series performances in the history of the VHL.  Each game was a display of pure dominance by Riga and after four games, they were able to easily dispose of the Express.  Outscoring their opponents by a total of 15 to 6, the Reign headed to the Continental Cup Finals.
 
Up against the favored New York Americans, the Reign knew they were likely up for a bigger challenge than they had to deal with in the Express.  Game one was a tight one that saw the Reign and Americans swap goals throughout the first two periods before tightening up defensively, resulting in a 3-2 victory for the Reign.  Game two was another tight one, with the score being tied for all but 7 minutes of game time.  But two late goals in the third period for the Reign was enough for them to secure the 3-1 win and take a commanding two game lead in the series.  But we all know how that lead turned out for the Titans in the first round.  In game three, Simon Tremblay got the Americans on the board first in the second period.  But after third period goals from Robin and Robert Gow, the Reign held on to win 3-1 and take the infamous 3-0 series lead.  For a moment, it seemed like the Reign very well could have lost the series after a blowout 4-0 game four win for the Americans.  But in game five, the Reign bounced back from a 2-0 deficit in the first period to force overtime.  Just six minutes into the extra frame, Jarkko Olsen put the puck past Brick Wahl and the Riga Reign captured the Continental Cup!
 
TPE Earning
 
 
Head to the VHL Magazine, where all you have to do is select a series of numbers to win free player store cash or TPE!  More details can be found in the magazine and make sure to check back each week to see if you've won!
 
Be sure to keep your eyes on the VHL Fantasy Zone, where you can earn uncapped points for correctly predicting the winners and score of selected games.  Check if you've won TPE from the VHL Finals Fantasy Zone task!

VHL This Week
Season 40 Edition 9
 
Welcome back to VHL This Week!  Season 40 has come to an exciting end with the Riga Reign overcoming the favored Americans to win the Continental Cup!  Teams will now be focusing on preparing for the entry draft and gearing up for next season.
 
Announcements
 
The Riga Reign, who overcame a two games to none deficit to beat the Titans in the first round of the playoffs, managed to bounce back and ultimately win the Continental Cup!  Congratulations to the Reign on capping off an exciting playoffs with their win in five games.
 
The VHL Entry Draft will be held this Wednesday at 7 PM EST!
 
The World Cup will commence on Monday - get ready for players to compete for their countries and help to satisfy your off-season hockey cravings.
 
Make sure to check out Edition 218 of the VHL Magazine!
 
For all the writers, make sure to sign up here for the writing ranks that will be starting soon!  A great way to earn some extra TPE.
 
Game Discussion
 
This one will be a bit different - we will take a look at Riga's cup run that culminated in being crowned champions!
 
The playoffs did not start off especially well for the Reign.  In a matchup that pitted the young Helsinki Titans against the veteran Reign, Riga came out slow.  Helsinki would take game one in dominating fashion by a score of 6-3.  Coming off the disappointing loss, Riga looked to bounce back in game two but the Titans took an early lead off a Jackson Miler goal and the Reign were unable to recover, losing 3-1.  But Riga would finally realize something had to change and came out of the gates strong in game three where they won by a score of 3-1.  Game four was, without a doubt, an exciting one.  After the Titans took an early 2-0 lead, the Reign showed their opponents why that is widely considered the worst lead in hockey - by the end of the first three frames, the two teams were all tied up at 3.  55 minutes of playing time after the end of regulation, Robert Gow III finally found the back of the net and tied up the series at two games apiece.  Games five and six saw the Reign and Titans trade wins to force game seven.  In this game, after the Titans took an early lead, the Reign completely took over and dominated until the final whistle, winning 5-1 and advancing to the European Conference Finals.
 
In a stark contrast to their previous series, the Reign turned in one of the most dominant playoff series performances in the history of the VHL.  Each game was a display of pure dominance by Riga and after four games, they were able to easily dispose of the Express.  Outscoring their opponents by a total of 15 to 6, the Reign headed to the Continental Cup Finals.
 
Up against the favored New York Americans, the Reign knew they were likely up for a bigger challenge than they had to deal with in the Express.  Game one was a tight one that saw the Reign and Americans swap goals throughout the first two periods before tightening up defensively, resulting in a 3-2 victory for the Reign.  Game two was another tight one, with the score being tied for all but 7 minutes of game time.  But two late goals in the third period for the Reign was enough for them to secure the 3-1 win and take a commanding two game lead in the series.  But we all know how that lead turned out for the Titans in the first round.  In game three, Simon Tremblay got the Americans on the board first in the second period.  But after third period goals from Robin and Robert Gow, the Reign held on to win 3-1 and take the infamous 3-0 series lead.  For a moment, it seemed like the Reign very well could have lost the series after a blowout 4-0 game four win for the Americans.  But in game five, the Reign bounced back from a 2-0 deficit in the first period to force overtime.  Just six minutes into the extra frame, Jarkko Olsen put the puck past Brick Wahl and the Riga Reign captured the Continental Cup!
 
TPE Earning
 
 
Head to the VHL Magazine, where all you have to do is select a series of numbers to win free player store cash or TPE!  More details can be found in the magazine and make sure to check back each week to see if you've won!
 
Be sure to keep your eyes on the VHL Fantasy Zone, where you can earn uncapped points for correctly predicting the winners and score of selected games.  Check if you've won TPE from the VHL Finals Fantasy Zone task!

VHL This Week
Edition 7
 
Welcome back to VHL This Week!  The most exciting time of the season is right around the corner as the playoffs are about to commence!  But before we get to the playoffs, there is a lot of important news around the league.
 
Announcements
 
Congratulations to all the playoff teams!  From the North American Conference we have the New York Americans with the first seed followed by the Quebec Meute and the Calgary Wranglers.  Out of the European Conference, the Express snagged the top seed with the Helsinki Titans and Riga Reign not far behind.  Good luck to each of the teams as we look forward to an exciting Continetal Cup race!
 
The end has finally come for the Vasteras Iron Eagles and this time it looks to be permanent.  Check out boubabi's video to for the unveiling of the newest VHL franchise!
 
Make sure to check out Edition 216 of the VHL Magazine!
 
For all the writers, make sure to sign up here for the writing ranks that will be starting soon!  A great way to earn some extra TPE.
 
Game Discussion
 
The playoffs are set to begin tonight!  The end of the season was full of excitement, especially with the tight playoff race in the European Conference that saw a minuscule six point difference separate the first seed from the third.
 
The first game we'll take a look at is a fairly obvious one - the final game played by the Iron Eagles.  At home, they faced off against the Dynamo in front of a packed crowd getting to see their team play for a final time.  The Iron Eagles got off to a fast start with a quick goal from Leon Litner followed by another late in the period from Dexter Morgan, playing in just his sixth VHL game.  Vasteras didn't look back, pulling off the 3-2 win despite a late charge by the Dynamo to cap off a dominating performance with a 39-15 shot advantage.  While it will likely be a bit strange for the VHL to move on without the Iron Eagles, it is widely believed that it's for the better.
 
The next one is a game with major playoff implications.  While this was not quite the final game for the Reign and Titans, it was a vital one considering each team ended the season with 94 points.  The game had a playoff atmosphere and the first period was tightly contested as the Reign finally scored the first goal of the game with less than five minutes remaining.  But just 19 seconds into the second period, the league's top scorer, Niklas Lindberg, broke the game open with a goal that would be followed by five more in the period - three from the Reign and two from the Titans which included the completion of Lindberg's seventh hat trick of the season.  The 5-2 score in favor of the Reign would ultimately be the end result as a total team effort would lead them over their conference rivals.
 
The final game is one that very possibly could be a Continental Cup Finals preview.  This was a very tightly fought battle between the Meute and Express that showed just why these are two of the best teams in the league.  The Express opened the scoring up in the first period with goals from Leo Tesla and Mason Richardson while keeping Quebec off the board.  But they couldn't mute the Meute for long as an Aksel Thomassen goal midway through the second brought the score to 2-1.  Ultimately, the Express would hold on for the 3-2 victory thanks in large part to a tremendous performance in net from Blaine Olynick.
 
TPE Earning
 
If you're looking for a nice point-earning opportunity, see if a job as the World Cup Commissioner is for you!  By organizing the exciting tournament, you can earn up to 10 uncapped TPE!
 
Head to the VHL Magazine, where all you have to do is select a series of numbers to win free player store cash or TPE!  More details can be found in the magazine and make sure to check back each week to see if you've won!
 
Be sure to keep your eyes on the VHL Fantasy Zone, where you can earn uncapped points for correctly predicting the winners and score of selected games.  Check if you've won TPE from the Week 6 Pickem and Predict the Score tasks and don't forget to submit your guesses for the first round playoff Pickem and Predict the Score tasks!

VHL This Week
Edition 7
 
Welcome back to VHL This Week!  The most exciting time of the season is right around the corner as the playoffs are about to commence!  But before we get to the playoffs, there is a lot of important news around the league.
 
Announcements
 
Congratulations to all the playoff teams!  From the North American Conference we have the New York Americans with the first seed followed by the Quebec Meute and the Calgary Wranglers.  Out of the European Conference, the Express snagged the top seed with the Helsinki Titans and Riga Reign not far behind.  Good luck to each of the teams as we look forward to an exciting Continetal Cup race!
 
The end has finally come for the Vasteras Iron Eagles and this time it looks to be permanent.  Check out boubabi's video to for the unveiling of the newest VHL franchise!
 
Make sure to check out Edition 216 of the VHL Magazine!
 
For all the writers, make sure to sign up here for the writing ranks that will be starting soon!  A great way to earn some extra TPE.
 
Game Discussion
 
The playoffs are set to begin tonight!  The end of the season was full of excitement, especially with the tight playoff race in the European Conference that saw a minuscule six point difference separate the first seed from the third.
 
The first game we'll take a look at is a fairly obvious one - the final game played by the Iron Eagles.  At home, they faced off against the Dynamo in front of a packed crowd getting to see their team play for a final time.  The Iron Eagles got off to a fast start with a quick goal from Leon Litner followed by another late in the period from Dexter Morgan, playing in just his sixth VHL game.  Vasteras didn't look back, pulling off the 3-2 win despite a late charge by the Dynamo to cap off a dominating performance with a 39-15 shot advantage.  While it will likely be a bit strange for the VHL to move on without the Iron Eagles, it is widely believed that it's for the better.
 
The next one is a game with major playoff implications.  While this was not quite the final game for the Reign and Titans, it was a vital one considering each team ended the season with 94 points.  The game had a playoff atmosphere and the first period was tightly contested as the Reign finally scored the first goal of the game with less than five minutes remaining.  But just 19 seconds into the second period, the league's top scorer, Niklas Lindberg, broke the game open with a goal that would be followed by five more in the period - three from the Reign and two from the Titans which included the completion of Lindberg's seventh hat trick of the season.  The 5-2 score in favor of the Reign would ultimately be the end result as a total team effort would lead them over their conference rivals.
 
The final game is one that very possibly could be a Continental Cup Finals preview.  This was a very tightly fought battle between the Meute and Express that showed just why these are two of the best teams in the league.  The Express opened the scoring up in the first period with goals from Leo Tesla and Mason Richardson while keeping Quebec off the board.  But they couldn't mute the Meute for long as an Aksel Thomassen goal midway through the second brought the score to 2-1.  Ultimately, the Express would hold on for the 3-2 victory thanks in large part to a tremendous performance in net from Blaine Olynick.
 
TPE Earning
 
If you're looking for a nice point-earning opportunity, see if a job as the World Cup Commissioner is for you!  By organizing the exciting tournament, you can earn up to 10 uncapped TPE!
 
Head to the VHL Magazine, where all you have to do is select a series of numbers to win free player store cash or TPE!  More details can be found in the magazine and make sure to check back each week to see if you've won!
 
Be sure to keep your eyes on the VHL Fantasy Zone, where you can earn uncapped points for correctly predicting the winners and score of selected games.  Check if you've won TPE from the Week 6 Pickem and Predict the Score tasks and don't forget to submit your guesses for the first round playoff Pickem and Predict the Score tasks!

As long as we get a solid goalie I'm cool

The Start of the Dynasty
 

Gifford Shock (left) and Rift Pajodcast (right) celebrate Pajodcast's cup-clinching goal in S43.
 
By the end of S48, the record books were soaked with new ink and white-out from the constant record-breaking by the dynamic Toronto Legion. Through eight seasons (S41-S48), the Legion dominated their way to five Continental Cups, four Victory Cups, seven Devon Marlow-Marta trophies, and a multitude of individual awards. Here is the beginning of the story.
 
Despite only originally having one first round pick in the eventually elite S41 draft, genius GM Tyler Edgar managed to wheel and deal his way into having the 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 8th overall picks, on which he used to select franchise players Niklaus Mikaelson (1st-Goaltender), Rift Pajodcast (3rd-Center), Gifford Shock (4th-Center), and Jakub Rhinehart (8th-Defense). These young stars would join a young core of Ed Grr, Jerrick Poole, Tyler Cote, and Sachimo Zoidberg; with assumed core pieces Devin Sundberg, Shadhu Rathod Jr., Jaime Hill, and Danny Schneider being traded in order to get the S41 picks. Such a controversial decision to reload the prospect pool so quickly was met with mixed reviews from the rest of the league, but Edgar persevered.
 
In the first season of the eventual dynasty (S41), the young Legion clawed their way to a surprising 43-25-4, 90 point record, in which they snuck into the playoffs as the final seed, beating out the eventually-depressed Calgary Wranglers by one point, in a dramatic Game 72 showdown that ended in a shootout, with Gifford Shock beating Martin Brookside high glove to euthanize the Wranglers' season. In terms of the regular season, the Legion were lead offensively by their top line of Tyler Cote (47-41-88), Rift Pajodcast (13-68-81), and Sachimo Zoidberg (39-35-74), who were able to physically and emotionally dominate in all three zones, with Rift Pajodcast eventually taking home the Stolzschweiger trophy as the rookie-of-the-year.
 
In first round of the playoffs, the Legion faced off against the heavily favored New York Americans, who still managed to succeed even without Hall of Famer Odin Tordahl. The Americans took both games 1 and 2 and were rolling into game 3, outscoring the  Legion 9-3 at that point. Though in the third game, the Legion woke up and rolled their way to a 4-1 win. Games 4 and 5 were a similar affair with the Legion upsetting New York in overtime both games, winning by scores of 4-3 and 3-2. With a chance to grab a 3-2 series lead and a chance to close the series on home ice, the Legion faltered and stumbled, losing 5-2, with Zoidberg being ejected in the 2nd for a homoerotic lewd gesture to referee Daniel Braxton after a blown call. In the elimination game at home, the Legion climbed their way back from a 3-0 deficit in the second to win the game 6-4 and force a game 7, with Tom Slaughter and Tyler Cote both scoring hat tricks. At Madison Square Garden, under the spotlight, rookie goaltender Niklaus Mikaelson shined, shutting out the explosive Americans through 60 minutes, however his offense provided him little support, scoring no goals in regulation to send the game to overtime. In the first minute of the extra frame, scapegoat Milos Denis rang the puck off the crossbar on a 4-on-2, which gave the Legion a 3-on-1 the other way, where Sachimo Zoidberg rifled the puck over the shoulder of Brick Wahl after receiving a pass from Rift Pajodcast, sending the upstart Legion to face the Quebec City Meute in the second round.
 

Niklaus Mikaelson led the Legion to an unexpected victory over the New York Americans in the S41 playoffs.
 
Once again the underdog, the Legion managed to squirt out to a 1-0 series lead in triple overtime from a Jerrick Poole goal, which in hindsight must have spooked the Meute, as they came out flat in game 2, losing 3-1, giving the Legion a 2-0 series lead heading back to home ice. Despite dominating possession, Brock Waldron stood tall in the crease and was able to give the Meute the support they needed, as Quebec City won 2-1. Game 4 was a very different story however, as the Legion absolute rocked the Meute, 7-2, with Sachimo Zoidberg scoring four goals in the first period to bury Quebec City early. Brock Waldron was the story again in game 5, as he was able to single-handedly save the Meute from elimination, being the 1st star in a 1-0 win. But Brock couldn't save the Meute for long, as the Legion pummeled the Meute on the powerplay in game 6, scoring 4 PP goals en route to a 5-1 victory, with Rift Pajodcast exploding, scoring two goals and two assists after having a very quiet playoffs before that. And just like that, the underdog Legion were in the cup finals against the heavily favored Helsinki Titans.
 
The Legion definitely looked to have some jitters in game 1, as they gave up two early goals, and were never able to bounce back, losing the first game 4-1, Tyler Cote scoring the lone Legion goal late in the 3rd period. Game 2 was a better effort for the Legion, but the more experienced Titans were able to prevail in overtime on a Jake Wylde slapshot goal. The Legion jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in game 3 in Toronto, Zoidberg scoring both goals. The Legion were able to keep the Titans at bay for most of the game, however late in the 3rd, with the goalie pulled and six skaters on the ice, James Faraday banged home a rebound to cut the the lead to 1 goal with 1:53 left in the game. Rattled from the goal, Toronto defenseman Jerrick Poole fumbled a puck behind the net with 1:10 left in the game, which let Jackson Miller bury the wraparound to tie the game. Still in shock from giving up two goals in such a short time frame, the Legion opened up the overtime period slow and sluggish, and the Titans capitalized, with veteran Willem Janssen scoring on a breakaway three minutes into OT. Determined to not be swept on home ice, Niklaus Mikaelson shut-out the Titans and Cote scored twice to give the Legion a 2-0 win. After that is where the magic would run out however, as the Titans closed out the series at home, winning 4-2. The Legion may have lost the battle, but the war had just begun.

I'm glad you're in on this diamond_ace.
 
Also, while I don't mind adding in the odd picture that is a link to something on the internet, if I am going to be required to do anything graphical at all then I am out.  I can't do any of that stuff, which is why I have only ever done Media Articles.

This is, after all, a WRITING contest, so of course we must include non-writing components, because everyone likes it better that way.

... and the defense 
 
*hangs head in shame*