Cornholio

Thanks for the tag lol, it was a good read -- congrats to OD & damien on this exclusive honor at this present moment! Only if I had come in here earlier pre-kids.... probably could've done something closer to a HOF-caliber player.

Legit? Kickass

London United center That Dude has been putting together a strong season -- however, over the past 10+ games or so, Dude's PPG rate has slowed up considerably as of late. "I think that's a part of the game, the long grind of the 72-game regular season. You come out guns blazing... then teams start to figure you out and what your team is generally trying to do. You've got to continually reinvent yourselves and try different thing sin order to maintain the same level of success. Mental fatigue is also a part of it - taking this many losses through the season has a toll on the mind. We're trying to keep it light in the locker room as much as possible, but sometimes you can't quite ignore the writing on the wall if you know what I mean." That Dude currently leads the United in goals scored, assists, points, PIM and Hits. Not quite the hardest thing to do when the roster is only six actives deep in terms of skaters and you're at least 200 APE ahead of everybody else, including the goaltender. "At this point, I'd just like to break 100 points once again, set some personal bests and help our goaltender Tater Tot break the record for most saves in a single season. It has been hard trying not to take one for the team... but basically nobody has been trying to do that, so we just let the puck fly and let Tot take care of it. It takes hard work and effort, but we're determined to break a record, one way or another this season."

Not late!

Oh hey I finally made it in time for another post

IDK IF I WANT TO DO THIS

That Dude has been enjoying his long offseason vacation, hanging out in South America. This is a stark opposite to last season when he went straight to work after encountering his first offseason without a postseason. “I’ve been busting my ass off long enough, it’s time that I treated myself to a retreat. I mean, everybody’s eyes are trained on the good teams while everybody else is basically pushed to the side. Long offseasons sucks too. Burn out and fatigue is a real thing and you’ve got to do some self care so you come back ready and focused for another grind. But you’ve got to do something to kill time and this time around, I decided to check out the great Amazon rain forest. I’ll get back to the grind whenever I’m ready and the team knows that I’m always good for it. I just posted my first 100-point season and I look forward to making that a regular thing for the next four years of my career in London. I hope that the squad comes back next season with a few more pieces that can actively contribute. But I’m not going to stress myself out over this though. It’s a front office thing and they’ll take care of it.” Until next week, lads!

That Dude recently made London United history when he hit triple digits in the points category, becoming the first player in franchise history to accomplish this feat. “This is something that I’ve always wanted to accomplish. I thought I’d have been able to do it in the Minors but I was robbed of that opportunity. Then when I fell to London, it came with mixed feelings: I’d have to slowly work my way up as opposed to being given the car keys early on. Either pathway works in the end, but it’s the grind that is different. i was also expecting a breakthrough season last year but that didn’t transpire. So I was starting to get a bit worried — was I a bust? Did my game not translate to the VHL well? Should I retire? Those thoughts were flowing through my mind last season — but I had to give this one more shot and see if I couldn’t get things going. To be the first player, that’s a big deal and also surreal at the same time for myself personally.” Now that Dude has broken the 100-point threshold and redeemed the team’s faith in him for that “lifetime contract offer” — Dude hopes to make it a regular thing while helping lead London through its ongoing rebuild.

London United first line center That Dude is starting to pick up heat -- through 58 games of the season, Dude has picked up 87 points (32 goals, 55 assists) and he would need just 13 more point through the last 14 games to hit triple-digits -- something that he has aspired for since coming into the VHL community. "It is nice to see that my hard work and diligence is showing itself. It's rather unfortunate that our London squad has fallen off the tracks in terms of trying to compete for the playoffs. Especially after coming into the season and kind of keeping track with Prague and the other fringe postseason teams. But now we're just focusing on how to close out the season on a good note. As for myself, I'm just trying to find opportunities to succeed. I had a brief stint through the season where I was struggling to make plays, but that's always been a part of the regular season grind. You have good days, you have bad days, you have good stretches and you have bad stretches as well. The team has asked me to really embrace the role of enforcer. And I've done just that to the tune of a Top-10 ranking in hits speaks volume to my improvements since my first few years in the league. The fact that I find myself just outside the Top-10 in both assists and points means that I think we're doing good things. Even though myself, I admit I might not be the best passer on the squad. Perhaps that's something that we can focus on in the offseason if that's genuinely in the best interest of the team as a whole. As long as I'm able to hit 100 points this season, I'll consider this a personal success and focus on improving for next season both individually as well as a team."

1. Two seasons from now is my guess. we need more depth in order to compete against the big boys. 2. No shit? That’s amazing considering the number of great players that have come and gone through this organization over the two decades. I think I’ll break 100, but not much above that. 3. London, London and London. Ok maybe Prague too since my agent had a previous player there for a long while. 4. I’m I’m always rooting for a goaltender. Those kind of special seasons are always inspiring to see. 5. I sit with my imaginary friend Kirby. Kirby is so funny, insightful, he can swallow people and absorb their talents or even huff in air and float up there before transforming into a purple brick, dropping down and dish out concussions. 6. I’m more of a cat/dog kind of person. No need to go too crazy out here folks.

London United fourth year / first line center That Dude has his eyes on an ambitious goal: reaching 100 points in a single season. Through 33 games, Dude has racked up 53 points (21 goals, 32 assists) — putting him on pace for a 100-point season, which would easily top his previous high of 65 points (21 goals, 44 assists) set last season. “I’m glad that my hard work and perseverance is starting to pay off. It ain’t easy especially with the start I has to my career working my way up the ranks and file system in London with all the veterans and whatnot. But I’m glad to know that my game is starting to excel in itself. Sure, we don’t have much in term of depth which is giving everybody more opportunities — but you’ve still got to beat the other team, all six of them on the rink. That’s gotta count for something. I hope that 100-point mark can be accomplished as this is a huge deal for me. Hopefully I’ll be able to crack the Top-10 in points by the end of the season but we’ll see how things pan out.”

1.) As a team, it’s a bit disappointing. I was hoping we’d show a little more fight but I guess the lack of depth in general is killing us. But I’m enjoying my individual production though! 2.) Nah I’m good with everybody here in the VHL. Not actively invested enough to develop feuds with anybody 3.) The ability to take steroids- temporary attribute enhancing boosters for a few sims. That would be fun to see 4.) I’m a Champions fan. Just kidding that shit was good in the 1990s. I’m not too particular with brands, just looking for comfort and performance. 5.) I rest my eyes. It’s really important that I do this cause I’ll need my eyes on full alert during games. So every little second of relaxation on my eyelids counts. 6.) I’ll take the team out to a local abbey where I’ve grown fond of their fish and chips. Stuff that you can’t find in my home country of Iceland cause we don’t fry shit.

London United fourth year player That Dude has immediately taken on the role that he’s always dreamed of— being C1 on the team and a primary playmaker, something that has eluded him in both the VHLM as well as through his first three seasons in London. However it has come at a cost - London has just four forwards on the roster and 3 or 4 defenseman. The United has unfortunately had to resort to using bots to fill out some lines. “It’s cool that I’m finally getting my shot to lead the roster. But damn, there’s a lot of empty locker stalls here. Previously this place used to be full and lively - now it’s gone a bit quiet and there’s a lot of space. I’m happy to get my shot at shining, I mean - look what I did in the season opener - 2 goals then a +2 rating against Riga. I’m clearly doing something right, you know? I just hope that the lack of depth here is just a temporary thing as I believe we have a good number of players at the E level right now. Hope to see some of them work their way up the ranks and all that so we get some depth help here. In the meantime, I’ll just continue to make plays even if it’s by myself sometimes.”

1.) Congrats mate! we’ll miss you. Been busy with RL work/family/home and whatnot. 2.( Nah, I prefer the You-Ask-6, I-Answer-6 3.) BBQ sauce hands down. 4.) Everybody has their own truths and no one truth is more right than other. Something like that I think. 5.) My first car was a blue Dodge Neon. Pretty fun car to ride around in, but once my dad passed away and I had to transfer insurance from his to my name - I traded it in for a car that I actually wanted, a Jeep Cherokee. Fun car, had some fun ski road trips in that one. 6.) I grew up watching the New York Yankees and my favorite player naturally was Derek Jeter. Loved wearing that #2 but it’s a baseball kind of thing. Don’t have a particular number for hockey I guess.

London United skater That Dude is ready for his fourth season in the VHL. Why the change in his tune compared to being nonchalant his first three seasons? ”I was working my way up the ranks. The first two years, London had a whole bunch of vets so yeah, I was just finding my spot to squeeze in within the ranks and do my part. Those days are long gone— the vets of past days have parted ways with the team and I’ve stuck around long enough. Seems like I’m one of the alphas on the team right now, so might as well act the part.” In the Lotto Tournament which London finished 2nd — Dude seemed to show a more aggressive, efficient dimension to his game. Dude and the team hopes that this will correlate to a strong Y4. ”I thought I would make that jump in Y3 but it didn’t quite happen. There were some shuffling of the lines and I got the short end of it for a while. Not sure why or how that happened, but it sorted out by the end of the year and I think that my workouts are starting to pay dividends now. It takes time and patience, not always easy, but I think I’m definitely ready to make my presence on the VHL.”

That Dude of the London Unitedhas been quietly putting together a sensational tournament in the annual VHL Lottery Tournament - aka the Toilet Bowl spectacle for the teams that aren't good enough for the actual VHL postseason. Through the 10 lottery tournament games, That Dude has notched 8 goals and 7 assists for a grand total of 15 points in addition to picking up multiple Game First Star honors lately. What has changed? "I think my game is starting to click and the Leadership 101 classes that I've been taking appears to be working so far. Some of my comments to the team pre-game, during the game, and post-games seems to be crossing over quite well. They're responding to my messages, what I want to do and all that. You know, London and I decided to marry ourselves for the remainder of my career -- so basically I've got to make this my team. How can I do that? Get my folks to respond to what I need out of myself, out of them, and out of our cohesion, chemistry and all that. We had a down year last year, which sucked. It's not like we weren't competitive at all, but we just couldn't stand up against the big boys of the postseason. Next year has to be different and I've been inspired by this quote of sorts. If not you, then who? If not today, then when? So basically, yeah -- I think that this Lotto Tournament is hopefully a precursor of what we are capable of and we've just got to capitalize on this, hopefully win the Lotto Tournament, get a nice pretty drat pick and build upon our "postseason" success for next season. I'm heading into my fourth season, it's time to step up or shut up. And I don't intend on shutting up at all."

1.) Already busy with the school year starting (I work in the school system) so yeah, it's been crazy but good at the same time. 2.) To be quite honest, I don't pay attention lol. Unless somebody tags me in the LR on something that my player/team did - then I'll check it out. Other than that, just getting ready for next season already. 3.) I've been working on establishing myself as a leader of the squad, hopefully my charisma helps us play better. Might do a little investing into my penalty shot, you never know when you're gonna need it. Other than that, I should probably work on my physical attributes (skating/strength) to enhance my other abilities. 4.) Mainly my team's locker room. Otherwise I'm irrelevant around these here parts as my work commitments/RL stuff starts to build up and my sim time dwindles 5.) Interestingly enough, my little girl actually picked out my spirit animal out of a deck of spiritual animals talot cards -- it's an emu lol. 6.) That's a tough one upon first read. Then when I think about it- it's actually easy. I'd rather be unable to forget anything over forgetting all the wonderful moments/highlights that has taken place in my life.

That Dude has just completed his third full regular season for the London United. However this is the first time that Dude won’t be participating in the postseason. “It was a tough road this year and we knew that coming into S79. Unfortunate really, but at the same time, it wasn’t like this came out of left field during the season if you know what I mean. We battled, even came within reaching distance of the 5th seed but we’ve struggled with consistency and defense all season long.” However Dude did finally show that significant jump in on rink performance, nearly posting career highs all across the board (goals, assists, points, hits, shots, shots blocked). “I think that statement is a bit misleading. Sure, I improved my stats but that was more so a byproduct of my expanded role compared to my previous two years. I’m glad that London is trusting me a bit more. now I’ve got to figure out how those tea and crumpets work around here…”

That Dude recently made headlines (yeah right, who was paying attention) when he decided to sign a five-year contract offer from the London United. What is the significance of this? It virtually guaranteed that Dude, a third-year forward in the last of his three-year rookie contract deal, will remain with London for the remainder of his eight-year VHL career (only if he makes it that far, and only of London doesn't trade him away for an apparent upgrade). "London pulled the trigger on me in the S77 Draft. They could have easily gone with somebody else or traded the pick away for an apparent upgrade/other considerations, but the United organization wasted no time in adding me to their veteran-laden roster at the time. I truly appreciate that and it makes one feel wanted if you know what I mean. Then to commit to my development all those three years that we've been together. Sure, there was a period of time earlier this season where I was relegated to just the fourth-line center duties which sort of ticked me off. When we met with the front office, I wasted no time in sharing that thought and the organization immediately took care of it and ensured that I got more playing time and opportunities to contribute to the team success, which I know that I'm definitely capable of. Got straight back up to the second line in addition to holding on to my fourth line duties and my production has picked up. We're seemingly doing better ourselves as well, which is a welcome sign. So with all that said, I felt that I was ready to stay a little longer -- when the five-year deal materialized, that was something that I couldn't turn down as I've always envisioned myself as a loyal guy, a one-team kind of player unless something horribly went wrong. The organization wanted to build around me, which I greatly appreciated as well. So I'm looking forward to cementing my London legacy with a long list of achievements. Let's get it done London!"

London United third year forward That Dude has been putting together a career year (in spite of it being only 2/3 way through S79 as I type this one up right now).... in all statistical categories except the +/- category. After remaining close toward the team lead in scoring, it appears that Dude has fallen off the pace, ranking fourth on the team in goals, points and fifth in assists. He also ranks second on the team in hits. That largely has to do with That Dude being relegated to the fourth line center duties although he's gotten opportunities on both the power play and penalty kill situations which has helped to keep his point-per-game pace alive. "We're starting to make a few more strides up the standings. While it isn't quite what I would personally prefer -- but we're in this together as a team and we simply have to do whatever it takes to help the team win. If that means me doing mopup duties or whatever, I'm perfectly okay with it. Our team still has a shot at the postseason and we've been slowly but steadily making up ground on Prague Phantoms for the fifth/final postseason spot. We definitely can do it, just got to keep on hustling on both ends of the rink and eat into our goal differential. As for myself -- I'm in a contract year, so I've got to hustle and really showcase my talent/skills to the best of my abilities. I'm practically playing for a job next season, every game from now onwards."

1. I think that all of us are starting to click together as an unit, which is a really nice feeling. Our potential has been there the whole time, we just needed to put two and two together. 2. I haven’t picked up any hardware in my agency’s time here. Hopefully I can snag one with That Dude. 3. I think that whatever we have been doing recently is working, so leave it as it is. 4. Probably a lame ass comedy film that flops in the box office/on streaming platforms ‘cause of the script writing and the unappealing ness of That Dude as the leading actor. 5. I’d go with having a second schlong. Would be pretty cool to see a threesome in action with my two phallus organs. Yeah, that was a weird answer. 6. I’d go with Flash’s speed. EZ breakaway goals all day long!

That Dude and his London United teammates are trudging along this season -- they've accumulated just 31 points through the first 32 games of the season which isn't exactly what they are accustomed to over the last two seasons. But these United teammates aren't quite out of the postseason yet, finding themselves just five points out of the 4th/5th playoff ticket in the European Conference (currently held by Warsaw Predators and Prague Phantoms). "It hasn't been an easy year by all means. I've been saying this the last few weeks or so but we knew that we would need to battle and fight even harder this year than we have over the last two years. We have less starpower and the players are generally a little younger/less experienced. More of the load of the team has fallen on some individuals' shoulders, myself included. I've sort of taken on the role of the enforcer of the team this year, dishing out the most hits of all London folks. That's something that I've never envisioned myself doing -- but it was a necessity for the best of the team. Sure, that means me picking up more penalty minutes -- but if that shows our team my heart and willingness to lay it all out on the rink for my homies, then so be it. What I want to do more is to help our team win games. That's always been my main objective. It's been a long season, but we're all trying our best, battling along. Doing what my team management feels is the best for me in order to positively contribute."

1. I actually sort of enjoy these things and cry myself to sleep when there isn't one available in a particular week. Yeah, that's how much these pressers mean to me. 2. I think we sort of had to expect that kind of regression after the offseason we had. But the lack of offense is kind of disappointing and I play a large part in that. Got to step up my game. Maybe a shuffling of the lines is in order? Who knows, something could really hit pay dirt? 3. Chicken wings from Buffalo Wild Wings. Yeah, we import that shit from America. 4. WAFFLES NO DOUBT 5. That's a fun question actually. I enjoyed GUTS - remember that shit when I was really young, had dreams and all that shit of being on the TV show myself. Also had the video game on Super NES platform... although I can't remember if I did ever beat the mountain. 6. The smell of freshly cut grass yard. Seriously, go try it out if you haven't done so or do not recall.

London United third-year forward That Dude has been working on a breakout year from a statistical standpoint thus far. After posting a measly 29-point and 39-point campaign through his first two seasons on a veteran-loaded London team, London has opted to go younger this year. With that in mind, it has correlated to an increase in playing time/role responsibility for Dude -- who has responded well. That Dude is currently on pace for a point-plus per game average (7G, 14A through 19 G). On top of that, he's also recorded 84 hits to date (on pace for a 280+ hit season), which would more than double his previous career high. Speculations among irrelevant people in the league have gone on record saying That Dude is apparently on PEDs, or Performance Enhancing Drugs. "All I'm hearing is that haters are gonna hate. This is all just progression at work. I've been busting my ass off each and every single week since being drafted in the S77 Entry Draft. Sure, I'm not a monster earner or a donor like some of the other folks from my class but I get every single capped TPE as much as I can. I've been working on fine-tuning my game, the techniques and whatnot the last two seasons. This year, the team management and I've decided that it was time for me to get to work on my body in the gym. Doing different things with my workouts and what not... I just think that the dividends are starting to pay off right now. Nice to have that feeling you know, progressing showing itself. I fully expect to post career-highs all across the board this year, then improve upon myself with each and every passing season from now onwards. Am I taking PEDs? I will neither confirm nor deny that speculation. You want to know the truth? Go ahead and test me, b*tches."

London United third-year forward That Dude chats on the team's practice rink with The Terrible Trivium and Hex Rose It's been an interesting career to say the very least. London United drafted That Dude in S77 at the 10th overall selection despite doing absolutely zero scouting on Dude at all whatsoever and Dude himself even saying pre-draft that he would refuse to play for any organization that did not reach out to him pre-draft. "Yeah, I know exactly what I said. London said that they did not even expect me to still be available at the 10th slot, so they had to jump on me. We hit it up right there post-draft and that helped soothe things over with me and my family. And um, I guess I'm still here today. Lucky for London." Through That Dude's first two seasons, he struggled to find playing time on a veteran-laden team and things were not easy at times. That Dude struggled to find personal successes when opportunities were limited. He shuffled time in between the third line and the second line, playing exclusively at the wing position as opposed to his natural center position. Even then, he was playing alongside veterans who dominated the puck and was the youngest player on the roster (Draft year wise) both of his first two years. "I only scored 29 and 39 points my first two years. Yeah, it was cool that we made it to the playoffs both of my first two years here in the VHL, but at the expense of my personal enjoyment and success if you know what I mean? I felt like it was Minnesota (Storm of the VHLM) all over again, me showing my talent only to get benched/shuffled to the lower lines 'cause of other folks like Brendan Telker who wanted more for himself. Here in London, it was folks like Lahtinen in my first year or uh, I forgot who last year but yeah you know where I'm going here." This year, That Dude finally has some S78 players on the roster -- winger Shane Lazeski and defenseman Sven Reikkinen. On top of that, there are 5 players from the S76 Draft Class (one year older than Dude) so That Dude is starting to feel like he is no longer the kid on the roster. Dude currently ranks second on the team in points (5G, 8A) and leads all United players in hits with 49 through 12 games, something that was missing from his game the first two seasons. "This year, I get the feeling that I'm starting to command more of the presence on the rink like a veteran does. It's a nice feeling to get that kind of respect amongst your peers. It's translated rather well over to my play on the ice, I'm starting to score and produce more plays. Leading the team in hits too. My plus-minus leaves a lot to be desired for, but I'm trying my damnded best. Somebody's got to become more vocal, be the leader on the team and I suppose if everybody's sort of standing around looking at each other -- I'll go ahead and take one for the team."