animal74

Deathwalker moves into 2nd all-time in hits and 16th in PIM!

Thanks, buddy! Appreciate it!

Well, this is one birthday I will drink to tonight! I remember coming in to this strange new world of hockey sim leagues in S5 and loving every minute of it. I've said it before and I'll say it again - it's a testament to all the hard work and dedication put it by a lot of great people. Three leagues, 34 teams and a global reach. Betcha didn't see that coming in S1, eh? Happiest of birthdays, VHL! Soon, you can drive! P.S. Thanks for the TPE, as always!

Good luck in Cowtown, @Telkster!

Where's the "None of the above - I live under a rock" option for #2??

Keep up the good work! I have you on my VFHL team and I know I'm not the only one!

In his first season in the VHL, Druss Deathwalker of the Malmo Nighthawks let it be know that he had started a Hit List of the players taken ahead of him in the S77 Draft. Having nursed this chip on his shoulder for the last seven seasons, Deathwalker is now on the cusp of making VHL history. Early this season, he surpassed Chad Magnum @Corco to place in the Top-10 all-time for hits. A few games later he became just the 8th player in league history to record 2600 hits. Now, over a third of the way through the season, Deathwalker continues to climb the hits leaderboard, most recently passing Stockholm Vikings legend and HOFer Lord Karnage @boubabi for 6th all-time. He also became one of only three players in VHL history, joining Edwin Encarnacion @Tagger and Phil Marleau @Phil, to be in the Top-20 in both career hits and penalty minutes. Easily leading the league in hits this season with 171 in 29 games, Deathwalker is on track to record his second season of over 400 hits which would set a new all-time record and make him the first player ever to have over 2800 hits. How the final numbers turn out will remain to be seen. For Druss Deathwalker, the hits keep coming.

Great read @Arce! If anyone wants to read more about players like Tomas Jenskovic, Jochen Walser and Zach Arce, check out these links:

With the young Malmo Nighthawks trying to crawl back into the playoff picture after missing the post season for the first time in seven years last season, a timely hot streak by their most veteran player sparked a 2-0-1 run in the last three games. Druss Deathwalker is in his final season but he doesn’t show any signs of slowing down, especially not with Malmo desperately needing offense. In the last three contests, he scored seven goals and an assist for eight points to spur Malmo to take 5 of 6 points to get them within six points of 5th place Davos. After a dropping their last three games, the Nighthawks dealt European rival Moscow Menace an unexpected 3-2 loss, their first win against the Russian team this season after losing the first three games of the series. Deathwalker scored a power play goal and added an assist also with the man advantage to help Malmo to the much needed win. He also had six shots and led all skaters with eight hits to earn the 1st Star of the game. The next game saw him go off against the Vancouver Wolves, scoring all four of Malmo’s goals, including the 200th of his career in a 4-2 win. It was the first time all season that Malmo had scored four goals in a game and only the third time this season they had produced consecutive wins. It was Deathwalker’s first hat trick of the season and he was again named the 1st Star of the game as he also had a game-high 16 shots and seven hits and won all five of the face-offs he took. Trying to win three straight games for the first time this season, Deathwalker scored two third period goals including the tying marker on the power play against the D. C. Dragons but the Nighthawks couldn’t best former teammates Tui Sova’s hat trick or Taylor Mourning’s winning shootout goal and ended up losing in the shootout 4-3. Deathwalker’s three game total was 7 goals, 1 assist, 8 points, an even plus/minus rating, 27 shots, 20 hits, 7 blocked shots, 12 of 20 face-offs won, and 4 power play goals. Those numbers have vaulted him into various league-leading categories: 7th in Goals, 5th in Shots, T-2nd in Penalty Minutes, T-6th in Power Play Goals, T-5th in Hat Tricks, and he remains 1st in Hits. This is the first time this season that Malmo has scored three or more goals in three straight games and Deathwalker scored seven of those ten goals. He leads the Nighthawks with 16 goals, 27 points and 2 game-winning goals. It’s safe to say that Malmo will need Deathwalker to keep rolling in order to secure a playoff spot and give him one more chance to win a second Continental Cup. Many experts may feel this is impossible given Malmo’s roster compared to others across the league, but the young Nighthawks believe strongly that they are slowly improving and may have the players to compete right now. Time will tell. As will Deathwalker.

In what was a rare rebuilding year for the Malmo Nighthawks, the green hawk crested crew’s run of six consecutive playoff appearances ending in S83 as they wound up 7th in the European Conference with 55 points and a record of 23-40-9. There were definitely bright spots as four rookies contributed significantly and gave a glimpse into the team’s bright future. The passing of the torch commenced as veteran Nathaniel Minion retired at the end of the season and captain Druss Deathwalker will play his final season in S84. Here are the S83 Team Awards as voted by the Malmo players and management: Condor Adrienne Award (Best Defenseman) Dabnad Shaw @Dabnad The rookie defenseman was a stalwart for the Nighthawks’ shorthanded backend, sacrificing his body every game to make a difference. He led the team in blocked shots (174) and penalty minutes (148) both Top-10 numbers in the VHL. He also had 208 hits and chipped in offensively with 38 points. His value was reflected by being second on the team and third in the league in average minutes played per game. Rookie of the Year Igor Molotov @Dom The hulking Russian center was expected to produce when drafted 3rd Overall in the S83 draft and he did not disappoint. He was second on the team in goals (29) and assists (45) and tied fellow rookie, Mason Jones, for the team scoring lead with 74 points, which also tied them for third in the VHL rookie scoring race. He also led the Nighthawks with a -3 rating and 18 power play points. Unsung Hero Igor Molotov @Dom Although he didn’t necessarily fly under the radar, but perhaps he was a bit overshadowed and tried to avoid the spotlight, Molotov was also selected as the team’s Unsung Hero. He did a little of everything for the Nighthawks and his attention to detail on the ice and doing the little things helped bolster his success. Most Energetic Nathaniel Minion @Minion Winning this award for the second year in a row, Minion’s non-stop motor was evident again in S83 as he led Malmo forwards in ice time and in faceoffs, one of only eleven players in the league to take over 3000 draws, winning 53.13% of the time. His energy and chatter in the locker room will be missed as he retired at the end of the season. Most Gentlemanly Druss Deathwalker @animal74, Mason Jones @Masu Chan Mason Jones was definitely a gentleman on the ice as he only took one minor penalty all season and had the least amount of hits on the team with 14. He was also gentlemanly with puck distribution as he led the Nighthawks with 53 assists. Deathwalker on the other hand has never been mistaken for being a gentleman on the ice but his longevity as Malmo captain and his influence in the locker room cannot be denied. Most Valuable Player Druss Deathwalker @animal74 Being the most seasoned player on the roster, Deathwalker helped bring along the young Nighthawks and his experience was more valuable than most outside the team realize. But he also led on the ice, pacing the team in goals (36), shots (386), hits (313), and tied for the lead in power play goals (8). Nighthawk of the Year Druss Deathwalker @animal74, Igor Molotov @Dom In a tie between the future and the past, the exploits of both Deathwalker and Molotov have been documented well already. Both are leaders on and off the ice and respected by their peers and they will set the tone for the team next season. 3-Stars Award Druss Deathwalker @animal74 In his seventh season with the Nighthawks, Deathwalker showed no signs of slowing down. He scored 36 goals, the second highest total in his career and authored his third consecutive 30+ goal, 70-point season. He had four game-winners, eight power play markers, and a shorthanded goal and was a consistent force every night. He led Malmo with six 1st Star selections and 15 selections overall. Full 3-Star standings below: Player 1st 2nd 3rd Star Points Total Stars Druss Deathwalker 6 4 5 310 15 Miroslav Tsarov 5 4 4 270 13 Barry Taffe 5 2 5 240 12 Igor Molotov 3 5 4 230 12 Mason Jones 1 2 6 130 9 Obi Adesanya 0 5 3 130 8 Nathaniel Minion 1 3 1 100 5 Rhys Trenton 0 2 1 50 3 Dabnad Shaw 0 2 0 40 2 Other Nighthawks: @PadStack @atw2592 @DeeGoat @Barry @Lemorse7

We beat Moscow!!

Deathwalker gonna give the fans something to cheer about alright!

F - AJ Williams G - Dusty Wilson @Shindigs

Claim #2

LOL! Might have to pin this line. Awesome!

Betting on a couple of old rivals: D Jan Hlozek F Druss Deathwalker @Shindigs

D Max Torq

D Battre Sandstrom F Vasile Lamb @lll If I miss one tomorrow I'm still here just camping with little service.

Great job @Alex! Congrats to @Dom and @Masu Chan from keeping Malmo from being shutout! If Tucker was a finalist for the Boulet, Deathwalker should have gotten a sniff. Just sayin'.

Thank you everyone for your patience with our technical difficulties. I hope you enjoyed the Awards Show tonight! Congratulations to all the winners and thanks to the Commissioners and GMs who work so hard to make the VHLE a success! This is animal74 on behalf of VSN saying thank you and good night. Take care, everyone!

Top Executive The VHLE is like the middle child. They don’t get babied like the VHLM but they also don’t get the brand new clothes and shiny things first like the VHL. This makes managing a VHLE team a unique experience, one that requires patience, shrewdness, and knowing when to strike while the iron is hot. Speaking of iron, the Iron Eagles did just that, after missing the playoffs the past two seasons, they gathered talent and experience, became the league’s best team and made it to the Finals for the second time. Unfortunately, they lost the Cup but set records along the way. Congratulations, with 5 votes, to @Dil , your Top Executive of Season 83! Runners Up: @FrostBeard (2), @KaleebtheMighty , Instanbul (1)

Regular Season MVP This is always a super close vote and this season may be one of the closest as many players put forth valiant efforts to lead their teams to victory. In this case, the S83 MVP led the VHLE’s top team in scoring with 87 good for third in the league. They led the Iron Eagles in goals, assists and points and had 14 more points than the next closest teammate, the second-most of any team. Congratulations, with 3 votes, to Phoebe Bridgers, your Regular Season MVP of Season 83! @GrittyIsKing Runners Up: Eldon Escobar (2), Orion D H Chiester IX (2), Jake Thunder (1) Finally, Top Executive!

Playoff MVP The Playoff MVP this season was a unanimous choice as not only were they the playoff goals (6), points (15) and shots (106) leader, it was the timing of the goals that made him so valuable to the eventual Cup winners. His two game-winners came in Bratislava’s first two wins to keep them in the first series against Instabul. The first came in double-overtime in Game 2 to tie the series 1-1. The second game-winner was scored early in the third period of Game 5 to turn the momentum in the Watchmen’s favor still down 3-2. The MVP also scored the first goal and threw 14 shots on net in the pivotal Game 7 to help push Bratislava to the overtime victory. In the Finals, they poured in 2-5-7 in five games including assisting on the last two game-winners to ensure Bratislava took home the Cup. No one was more clutch. Congratulations, with 8 votes, to Alf Larsson, your Playoff MVP of Season 83! @ng1291 Next up, Regular Season MVP!

Top Goaltender In a year where goaltenders across the league stonewalled shooters with record efficiency, many VHLE records were set in S83 including wins and GAA in a season. While this netminder surprisingly only led league goalies in assists, they were a close second in many categories as they posted career-bests in wins (33), GAA (2.04), and shutouts (5). Even though winning this award will be special, this runner-up from last season already won the most important trophy by backstopping their team to the Renaissance Cup. Congratulations, with 7 votes, to Orion D H Chiester IX, your Top Goaltender of Season 83! @Donno100 Runner Up: Augustus Kennedy, Oslo (1) @InstantRockstar Next up, Playoff MVP!