Steve

Well it finally happened. The season is over and preparations for the playoffs begin. Such a good feeling knowing that the team played hard and got into the big show seeded in third place. The LA Stars had a great second half and pushed through the games with the desire to beat whoever we played. As a team, I believe this was the most points the team has scored. Having the best defenseman in the league really helped the team. Alex Letang was a leader from the first game to the last. Jeffery Pines has always been solid as a rock and just added to the success of the team on many levels. Several players had career highs. Stamen, Letang and Merrick all had amazing seasons with personal highs in several columns. Not to single out just those three, every player added something that created the winning environment needed to succeed. To all the teams that made it, good luck. To the ones that didn't, it will come in time. Good luck to everyone.

Review: This is a fun graphic to look at. I am not sure what stock you used for the background but that frozen person kinda throws me off. I like the text. You really did a nice job with the shadow effect on the text. Only wish it was not behind the render. The render looks okay but I think you could have work with it a bit more for some detail/ highlights or something. It just looks a little flat. The logos at the top could have been made part of the frozen theme. Really it sounds like I am picking it apart but I love the concept and your color palette of blue and gold never gets old. Great job. 8/10

Review: I really like player promo graphics. I love the theme and it looks good overall. One of the things that stands out is the text formatting. I think it is hard to arrange that much text but maybe centering all the lines of text would have made it more organized. The dark text could maybe be a bit easier to read. The render could be a bit cleaner around the edges but it's not a huge issue. It looks good and I love that it is a Letang project. 8/10

1. Last time we played Chicago in the playoffs we swept them. What can we do to ensure victory again? Play hard and stick to what works. 2. Merrick, Stamen, Gucci and Letang have all had amazing years, who is your team MVP? Merrick lead the team in points but I think Letang would get my vote. Huge lift to the team. 3. What do you do to ensure the locker room remains a positive place (discord or the fictional locker room)? Just be active and talk to your team mates as friends. 4. Does your player have any secret talents? Merrick and make fart sounds with his arm pits. 5. If your player had to play another sport, which sport would they play and why? Competitive checkers. What a edge of your seat sport that is... 6. If your player had to work a non-sport related job, which job would they do and why? I would be some tech nerd playing games and sims on my pc.

1. The NA is in a tight race to the finish. Who doesn't make playoffs of the bubble teams? Toronto will be at home in the basement followed by one of my favorite teams, NY. 2. Who's gonna win the NA? That's a hard one. Seattle is known for their hard nosed play at the end of the season. Chicago or Seattle. 3. How is your players performance matching up to your expectations? Far beyond what where I set the bar. This could be Merrick's best season of his career. 4. How was your summer? Hot as hell but the rink keeps you cool. 5. What is your favorite beverage during a game? I like a good cold beer, most of the time. 6. What about after? I really like beer after the games too.

Well this season has been a thriller from the beginning and continues to be just that, a thriller. We, the LA Stars, have lost a few in a row and now have won a few. The roller coaster ride just never ends. With just 14 games left, at the time of this article, we are within striking distance of a couple of teams ahead of us. We will give it our all to move up and have a proper showing in the playoffs. Now if we could just keep the teams ahead of us from winning, we would have a much easier time. We have a few tricks up our sleeves yet to be revealed. One of them has something to do with hiring Tonya Harding's husband. Not sure how that would go but if it works, I am good with it. I think our whole team has set personal highs. Standouts are of course Letang and Stamen. Really good to see them playing a good honest game with good results. The LA Stars might not be on anyone's short list to win the cup but we are going to give it our all to reach that goal. The team really wants to send Alex off with a cup. A fitting end to an amazing team mate.

Review: You have all the required elements to make an outstanding graphic. Render is large, which is more my style, the main text looks really good to my old eyes. The team text is a bit hard to read but not a big issue to me as the render and name are the focal point. Your color palette choice is very contrasting but in a good way. I would, in the past, not be a fan of this mixed bag of colors but you really make it work. Good stuff. 9/10

Review: The cover song is great. The sig also is a fine looking project. I am not a huge fan of the RGB offset but this was done with a bit of thought and works really well. Amazing how good you can make such a small sig look so good. Render effects are appealing and just add to the overall look without distraction. Text was very well done. Overall, both the sig and song were well thought out. 9/10

1. Bring back the trivia end of the season payouts. Yes, I am a tpe whore. 2. Adjust the prices or attributes of the regression aids in the player store. 3. Looks like others have commented on more options when it comes to the player page. I would like to see more stats. 4. Player page awards should include WC and WJC awards.

We are well into the second half of the season and it looks to be a fight to the finish for the top spot in our conference. Seattle looks typically strong and there are four other teams that are in striking distance of either first or second place. LA Stars hope they are the ones at the top. We some good team work and a string of wins, it is possible. LA has a really good balanced team that has had flashes of brilliance and stretches that didn't really go very well. We keep at it and play each game with intensity lead by the amazing Alex Letang and with the breakout season Stamen is having, finally, we look to finish strong. Actually just about every player on the team has been playing really good hockey and have been on the score sheet several times. It is always good to see the scoring spread out. Solid team with great players.

1. I sand that rough patch right out of there. Come back stronger. Work as a group. 2. I don't remember what or who I picked for awards but I am sure I am way off. 3. I think we are in the top 3 teams for sure. We should put up a good showing in the playoffs. 4. I would teach that teamwork is very important and whatever happens in the showers has to be kept a secret. 5. I sleep, shower and eat. 6. After the game I shower, eat and sleep. Easy routine to follow.

Review: Well you really cranked it up to 11 on this one. I actually like this design and think overall it's really fun to look at. Not sure I want to over analyze this project too much but I like the format and the text looks like it is working. I like all the effects you ran this through with the render's face being the focal point. Good job at pushing the limits. 8.5/10

Review: Not a bad start. I am not a fan of the short format but I have seen some amazing sigs in that format. It looks like your design is solid but just not completed. Good effects and really nice sizing of the render. I will point out the obvious. Can't read the text though it looks like it would fit in really well. Logo swaps are almost a must if you are going to show this much of the render. Your formatting is off a tad as it is very heavy on the right side. I would say overall you have good skills but like the title suggests, you didn't finish it to your liking. Great start 7/10

I use Affinity Photo. I don't really use any preset processing but I use a ton of noise/denoise. I go through phases where I run with one thing for a bit and then try something new. Thank you for your review.

The LA Stars are in their rough patch of the season. It's not horrible and we are still winning games but not at the pace earlier in the season. It seems every team has their ups and downs so we are just riding it out. It should, in theory, swing a bit more in our favor as we play out the rest of the season. I see us peaking more towards the end of the season, which would be the best time. Our defense is tough as hell. Alex and Jeffery are good leaders for the rest of the team. Stamen is looking like the player he really is and Merrick is showing his age but still hanging in there. The team just needs a bit of puck luck and we will get some wins strung together. It's a fickle game we play and the smallest of things can change the outcome of any game. You just have to believe in the leaders and go out and do your best for the team. The locker room is very optimistic about the rest of the season.

1. We sit on top of the NA thunderdome, how do we stay there? Well I would think it's going to be the typical up and down season but I hope through hard work we stay at or near the top. 2. Who is our biggest competition? At this point, just about everyone below us. 3. What makes us different from the Stars of past seasons? I think we are much more balanced. Good offense, good defense and we have a great goalie. 4. Which VHL mascot would win in a battle royale? Anyone of them that carries a sword or gun. 5. Which player would win in a battle royale? I think Pines would be a top choice for me. 6. What's the funniest thing you've heard on the ice? A Toronto fan yelling that they will win the cup.

Review: Well, modern art is a good title for your project. I don't really attempt this style but I think some work was involved with your project and that should be highlighted. I like the rambling render and all the abstract elements to this graphic. I wish you did a logo swap, I think that would have really made it relevant. It's a wild project. I like the effort. 8/10 @TXC

Review: Good to see members make different graphics and see what they have in their toolbox. This graphic looks fairly good with a few issues that you will learn as you go. One thing I do like is the background. For a wallpaper, it isn't too busy, which is good. The logo feels small but stands out nicely with the shadow you threw on it. The text is just bad. Chopping letters seems lazy or maybe resizing isn't something that you felt was needed. The lightning bolt looks to be low res and could have had some effect on it to make it not look so flat. 7/10 @Mr Bohannan