animal74

Toronto Ends S89 on a High Note The Toronto Legion ended their last game in S89 with a 5-3 victory over the Vancouver Wolves. It was a small moral victory as hockey victories were far and few between for most of the season for the Legion. Except for a morale-boosting 10-3-0 stretch in the second half of the season, Toronto went 16-34-9 the rest of the way including winning only three of their final 11 games. Defense wasn’t usually the problem as they were led by a strong defense and Joel Castle @animal74 in net and the Legion ended up tied for 5th in goals against. They had the worst offense in the league though as proven by their 2.11 goals scored per game including being shutout 11 times. But despite the losing record, Toronto brass believe they are in a position to improve significantly next season due to a peaking core of Mac Atlas @v.2 , Dens Oden @Snussu, Tater Tottingham @Trunkxolotl and Castle, productive veterans Phoebe Bridges @PhoebeIsQueen, Jimmy MacElroy @Xflexz and DJ Fire Dragon @Firekiss, the development of rising stars Jimi Jaks @kelvi and Bobby Bob @Baby Boomer, and numerous prospects in the pipeline not including another high pick in the S90 draft. They also have holes to fill from retirements and GM @Moon hopes he can add talent through free agency and trades. Now is the time for the Legion to take the next step and make the playoffs. The culture and leadership is in place, but the play on the ice must improve. Happy 16 VHL! I also just wanted to add some thoughts regard the VHL turning 16. I've toured memory lane a couple of times when the VHL turned 14 and also 15 but I wanted do it again. The VHL continues to be (I hope for everyone) a vibrant, progressive, inclusive and friendly community where everyone has the chance to put on their imaginary skates and be a player (or manager) and have some fun. Like most things in most cases, the more effort you put in, the more enjoyment you receive. I’ve had a blast creating my players, interacting on the forums and Discord with all of you, and documenting the VHL’s rich history. And I look forward to doing it for years to come. I am currently in the middle of my fourth player’s career (Toronto goalie Joel Castle) and I’ve also managed D Gunnar-Rune Rorvik (Seattle), LW Ondrej Ohradka (Calgary, Prague) and RW Druss Deathwalker (Malmo). Over the course of my VHL career, while I don’t have any HOFers, I’ve won two Continental Cups, three Founder’s Cups, one World gold, three World Juniors gold, and one Junior Showcase Tournament gold. I’ve also briefly held one VHL record and had one jersey retired. I've played for a total of five VHL franchises and have enjoyed my time with all of them. These experiences have all been special to me and I’ve had fun striving for these goals. But none of this happens without the BOG and the rest of the hard-working VHL community. So, once again I want to thank all of you for contributing to such a fantastic league. Happy 16 Birthday, VHL! Here’s to 16 more!

Woo 7th overall! A nice comeback after last season.

Toronto Legion Press Conference (2 TPE for answering all six questions) 1. The season is almost over. How will we fare in the last six games? 2. After only allowing 5+ goals in three of the first 55 games, we had four 5+ GA games in our past 11. What happened? 3. We will lose three Legion teammates to retirement - Quinn Clark @axtron, Alex Bridges III @Oatexand Weenuk Warrior @KnightRiley. Any parting words for them? 4. You get a week to yourself this summer anywhere in the world. Where do you go and what do you do? 5. What will be your favorite memory of S89? 6. Would you rather - hang glide off a mountain, skydive from a plane, or cliff dive into the ocean?

I'm more ancient than you! Ha ha. Happy Birthday VHL!! Oh, how our baby is all grown up!

Toronto goaltender Joel Castle raised his stick in the air as the final buzzer sounded in the Legion’s 61st game of the season, a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Wolves. Toronto’s Jimi Jaks @kelvi scored his 30th goal of the season at 13:48 of the third period which held up as the game winner. For Castle, the win was his 20th of the campaign setting a new single-season career-high. With 10 games left, and Toronto on a surge during this final third of the S89 season, Castle will undoubtedly increase that career-high along with games played. Playing at his current level, he’ll also set career-highs in GAA and SV% both of which he’s been among the league’s leaders all season. It is small consolation to the team and their fans though as S89 will be their fifth consecutive losing season - well out of the playoffs. But there is hope, especially if Castle and his young teammates keep developing into a core that can compete long-term, then the pain may just be worth it.

Thanks! Just stole it from someone else!

Although being one of the lowest scoring teams and in the bottom of the standings generally doesn’t do your players any favors when the VHL Awards nominations come around, the Toronto Legion have a few players that may garner some attention with some being legit and others more of the darkhorse variety. Jimi Jaks, C @kelvi – Dustin Funk Trophy (Most Improved) Already 10 points ahead of last season (his rookie year), Jaks has been red-hot lately with 22 points in his last 14 games. If he keeps up that pace, that would give him 78 points which would be 35 more than last season which is plenty to garner attention for the Dustin Funk Trophy Bobby Bob, D @Baby Boomer – Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy (Top Rookie) Currently sitting in 5th place in the rookie scoring race with 30 points, Bob is in a pack of four rookie defensemen all trying to chase Jasper Davis. Bob has as good a chance as any of the other blueliners as he’s among the rookie leaders in plus/minus, PPG and GWG. Joel Castle, G @animal74 – Aidan Shaw Trophy (Top Goalie) For the entire season, Castle has been in the Top 5 of starting goalies for SV% and GAA, usually in the Top 3 and currently sits tied for 1st for SV% (0.934) and 2nd in GAA (2.32). Historically, those are Aidan Shaw numbers but his wins total will hurt his chances. Due to his brilliant stats, he could also have an outside chance at the Greg Clegane (Lowest GAA), Scotty Campbell (MVP), or Brett Slobodzian (MOP) Trophies depending how the league views his performance compared to Toronto’s place in the standings.

Toronto Legion Marching On Over halfway through what has been decidedly their third consecutive season of a massive rebuild, the Toronto Legion have finally been playing at a level they thought they could achieve at the beginning of S89. After lounging at the bottom of the league for the first half of the season once again, largely due to an inability to score, the Legion just capped off a 13-game stretch where they were one of the hottest teams in the VHL, going 10-3-0 over that span including wins over top teams such as Seattle, Calgary, and Riga and two victories against the VHL’s number one team, HC Davos. It was a total team effort by the Double Blue as every skater has scored during the run. Of specific note was the play of the defense core of Tater Tottingham, Bobby Bob, Jimmy MacElroy and Quinn Clark, all of whom have scored two or three goals and nine or ten points in the 13 games. All but three players have scored a game-winning goal and all but two have had at least one multi-point game. The offense has been led though by second-year center Jimi Jaks who has already eclipsed his rookie numbers and currently leads the team with 26 goals and 53 points. He took his game to another level during this streak as he scored 11 goals and 10 assists for 21 points. He also led the team with 85 shots, four multi-goal games, including one hat trick in a 4-3 win over Seattle, and six multi-point games. His on-ice brilliance garnered him four 1st-Star selections, which also led the Legion, and five 3-Star selections overall, second only to goaltender Joel Castle. Phoebe Bridgers was second in scoring over the 13 games with 5-6-11 and three multi-point games. Forwards Mac Atlas and Dens Oden each had nine points. Legion leading scorer Jimi Jaks 12 of the 13 games were won or lost by one goal including two victories in overtime. In such close games with no room for error, the Legion relied on star goalie to keep the puck out of the net. As he has been most of the season, Castle was zoned in only allowing 27 goals during the streak while facing over 34 shots a game giving him stats of 10-3 with a 2.07 GAA and 0.940 SV%. He was named the 1st Star there times and earned three other 3-Star selections. Goaltender Joel Castle While the streak shot the Legion into a more favorable position in the standings, they are still sitting in last place in the North American Conference (although only one point behind Chicago) and 13th place overall. They are nine points out of a play-in spot but with only 16 games remaining in the season, their play cannot slip at all in they want to sneak into the playoffs. Everyone must continue to contribute offensively and Castle has to be near-perfect. They have a chance but is it too little too late? At least Toronto is finally realizing their potential and it bodes well for GM Moon that his plan is starting to come together and if nothing else, the team’s confidence will only increase going into S90. Mentions:

Good luck, Behrens!

Clark bled Blue and rocked the PP! Good luck with your next player @axtron!

You were a great teammate in Toronto @Oatex! Good luck with your next player!

It was great competing against you @UnknownMinion! Good luck with the next player!

Toronto Legion Press Conference (2 TPE for answering all six questions) 1. We are one of the hottest teams in the league right now going 8-2 in our last 10 games! What do you think has sparked this streak? 2. The Trade Deadline has come and gone and Toronto did not make any moves. Do you think this was the right course of action? 3. Which would you rather have - an individual award or your jersey retired? 4. We currently have two 20-goal scorers and two 15+ goal scorers. Do you think we'll end the season with four 20-goal scorers? 5. What have you like most about your game so far this season? 6. Summer is here - what's your ideal outdoor temperature for summer activities?

Wow! I think that's the first time I've beaten Summers ever! @kirbithan

Finally!

Going into his third season, Toronto Legion goalie Joel Castle knew he would have to take his game to the next level for Toronto to have a chance at making the playoffs after a couple of seasons at the bottom of the North American Conference. Castle has not only upped his game but he has been one of the best goaltenders in the entire VHL for the first half of S89. He is currently 2nd among starters with an amazing 0.934 save percentage and 4th among starters with a 2.33 goals against average. In fact, he has been in the Top-5 of those categories all season. He is also among league leaders with three shutouts. The problem is the Legion have been one of the lowest scoring teams in the league despite being 6th in goals against which has translated to only 12 wins for the team and 8 for Castle’s record. “I just have to push myself to be even better if we want to climb the standings,” said Castle after a team skate. “And the team is working on the offensive side of things. I can’t score goals, obviously, but I can stop even more to give us a better chance of winning.”

Commissioner Animal and His DreamLeague So I’ve been around the league a long time and as sometimes when you’ve been around someone or something a long time, a little pizzazz is needed to make things interesting and exciting again. Sometimes all that needs to change is the aesthetics – a different meeting place, a new outfit or just rearranging the furniture. And so, if I were Commissioner for a day I would add something I feel the league is sorely lacking – Color! We have so many amazing team logos and color schemes and superbly talented graphic artists and web designers in the league that are being under utilized. What grabs folks’ online attention today? Flashy graphics, videos and outstanding art. As commissioner, I would commence a Creative Marketing Taskforce and have them start on the following areas: Opening Web Page: I think a colorful intro webpage with stuff like scrolling team logos/scores, league news/articles, and even player/user quotes would make the league look more legit and attractive. From there one could go to the forum, portal, or archives. Lots of possibility here and, while I know our creatives are busy, if there’s TPE to be earned, something real snazzy could be whipped up. Player Profile Pages: To build on the ideas already put forth by @jhatty8 and @kirbithan, I’ve been thinking about player profile pages for a while. Player photos, jersey numbers, links to their bio, team color banners, etc., are all things that could be included to spice those pages up. I also think players of the past should get pages too so it’s easier to learn about the VHL’s rich history and the ones that went before and made the league how great it is today. Promotion: The league already has fantastic team logos/color schemes that match any pro leagues quality. With all the talent we have, I think we could use the richness of hues to make ad banners, and informative graphics to make our social media accounts even better and perhaps even merch! Archive Organization: Maybe this is a niche idea as I have been around a while and am a VSN History Writer and stats nut, but I think there are things that could be done to add value to the leagues statistical archive. Not to take anything away from @Victor and the wonderful and extensive job he’s done over the years to keep the league’s archive running. But he’s only one person. After that has been done, I’ll sit at my big commissioner’s desk, have a cup of coffee, throw the “Delete the VHLE” propaganda in the trash can as that can be the job of tomorrow’s commissioner and set out to complete my last task: Fix the Brett Slobodzian Trophy (Most Outstanding Player) Voting This has been a pet peeve of mine and I think there needs to be a revamping of the way the VHL votes on the Slobodzian Trophy. With all the members the league has, let’s harness that voting power to our advantage. There are always complaints about players being FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY so why not try a different voting system at least for a season or two. There would be an extended list of 10-20 nominees for outstanding player and then the ballots would allow for three ranked choices with corresponding point values: 5 points for a 1st place vote, 3 for 2nd, 1 for 3rd. This would allow a more inclusive voting process and quell the notions that teams or players are being favored and conversely, left out. With that finished, I would finish my coffee, gather my things, turn off the lamp on the desk and exit the office, ready for the next commissioner to use.

@AJW @Spartan As a stats nut (and VSN History Writer), I would love to help out with stats, etc. more. Again, not to take anything away from Victor and others who have done stuff in the past, but I feel there is lots of data (Team Records, data cleanup, etc.) that could be gathered and cataloged that would add value to the league.

THIS ^^^^

Toronto Legion Press Conference (2 TPE for answering all six questions) 1. We've been playing better recently going 3-5-2 in our last 10 games with 20 goals for and 26 against. What do we need to do to keep trending up? 2. To steal from Theme Week, what's one thing you would change if you were the VHL Commish for a day? 3. Which is your favorite logo from the VHL/E/M and why? 4. In light of Independence Day, how many states have you visited (even briefly)? 5. Jimmy MacElroy @Xflexz currently leads the team in hits by a large margin with 103 hits. Will he surpass his career high of 147? 6. Also in light of Independence Day, what's the best fireworks show you've ever witnessed?

2-0 Legion! Finally a good sim!

Toronto Legion Press Conference (2 TPE for answering all six questions) 1. Unfortunately, we're on a 7-game losing streak. All but one of those games have been lost by 2 or less goals. What do you suggest we try to turn things around? 2. Everyone is contributing though, which is great to see! All Legion players have at least 2 goals and 11 points. Who's your early pick to lead the team in scoring? 3. If Joel Castle continues to be among the Top-5 in GAA and SV% despite few wins, should he garner a nomination for the Aidan Shaw Trophy (Top Goaltender)? 4. If you live in Canada , what are your Canada Day plans (July 1)? If not, what are your weekend plans? 5. The NHL Entry Draft begins tonight. Which player would you like your team to draft or what is a move you'd like them to make? 6. Hot dogs are the ultimate summer food. What goes on yours? Ketchup, mustard, relish, BBQ sauce, cheese, onions, chili, etc.?

Nothin'?

Ever since joining the Toronto Legion for the S87 season after a brilliant three-year stint in the VHLE, DJ Fire Dragon @Firekiss, has been a solid backup for fellow Canadian starter, Joel Castle. Like any young goalie, his consistency still could be improved but when he goes on a hot streak, he is just about unbeatable! For example, in a recent four consecutive game stretch, Fire Dragon went 3-1 and stopped 119 of 125 shots for an incredible 0.952 save percentage garnering wins over Malmo, New York, and Moscow. The crazy thing is his best game was a 52-save performance in a 2-1 loss to Riga. His three wins doubled Toronto’s season total to six. It was partially these insane streaks that led Toronto to resign him in the off-season. “What DJ can do when he gets hot is ludicrous,” commented net partner Castle. “He’s always ready to play and loves to come to the rink. He’s just such a chill guy and the rest of the team know that when he’s in the net, we not only have a chance to win but to see an outstanding show.”

F Daryl Dixon G Lachlan Summers @Pifferfish Back to you!