dstevensonjr

You should be cheering for the Leafs this round, it's the difference between owning the 17th overall pick and the 29th-32nd overall pick.

Ouch, pair of 6-0 losses. Tough sim day.

Harry Callahan looking to make a sudden impact after being drafted by VHLM's Ottawa Lynx Harry Callahan was born and raised with one obsession: his love of hockey. Harry was born to a single mother, Linda in Madison County, Iowa, and raised in San Francisco, California. He has one older brother, Taylor, who is one year older than Harry. Right from the ages of 3 and 4, Harry and Taylor were on the ice together learning the game that they loved. The Callahan boys attended Glengrove Public School together, where they remained inseparable. When the opportunity came for them to play organized hockey together, they leapt at the chance. While Taylor was a star in his own right, it was Harry who began to shine brightest. Playing a year above his age group to play with his brother, Harry lit up the scoreboard his first season, leading the league in goals and points. Off the ice, the bond between the Callahan family was very strong. The Callahan's spent most of their relaxation time together playing Monopoly, watching movies, and taking road trips. Most road trips in the car were spent driving with the windows down and singing along loudly to terrible boy bands, much to the delight of the boys. It was these trips together that were the highlight of their summers before the winters brought non-stop hockey for the boys. Every time they were on the ice together, there was their mother Linda in the stands, supporting the boys through every practice and every game. The boys strong sense of devotion to the game came directly from their mother, who did everything that she could to make sure that her boys were as happy as they could be. As they moved forward through Peewee hockey, it was clear that the Callahan boys were destined for greatness. Now 11 and 12 years old, the Callahan's terrorized players in the league with their blend of offensive prowess and physical play. Despite having to be reminded multiple times to tone down their physical play, the Callahan's continued to lay big hit after big hit in their games. Their growing reputation as enforcers on the ice led to a couple of suspensions, but allowed them to have a presence on the ice that caused hesitation in their opponents as they wreaked havoc on the ice. As the boys continued to grow taller and larger, it allowed them to use that physicality to forecheck hard, create turnovers, and capitalize offensively. Playing Bantam hockey together at the ages of 13 and 14, the boys began to realize that their love of hockey might not lead to a future playing professionally for both of them. While they had always dreamed of continuing to play together as long as they could all the way to professional hockey, it was becoming clear that this was not going to be the ultimate end to their sports careers. In the first year that Taylor joined high school, he chose to focus on playing basketball leaving Harry to continue on his hockey journey alone. While this was difficult for the brothers to end their hockey playing together, they remained as close as they had ever been. Harry was in the stands for every basketball game, and Taylor was in the stands for every hockey game, with Linda watching both boys every chance that she had. Harry attended Gran Torino High School in Fontana, California, where he was a B+ student and a multi-sport athlete. Playing Right Wing for the hockey team, Linebacker for the football team, and Catcher for the baseball team, he was the first student in school history to win a Championship in three different sports. Harry captained the hockey team to a strong 14-1-0 record during the regular season, finishing with 14 goals and 7 assists, sending his school to the High School State Championship tournament. Harry continued to lead his team all over the ice, scoring at key moments and hitting everything in sight. It was Callahan who netted the title winning goal in double overtime to win his final high school game before preparing to enter the VHLM Draft. As the days counted down before the draft, the Callahan's convened in their family home, hoping to hear Harry's name called early in the draft. It was the same home that Taylor had heard his name called in just one year earlier in the NBA draft. While both boys were overjoyed to take the next steps in their sports journeys, it was their mother Linda who was truly ecstatic to see her boys accomplish so much. Though the family was going to be spread out all over North America, the bonds that they had forged over the span of 18 years would ensure that they would always be connected. The Ottawa Lynx drafted Harry Callahan in the 5th Round with the 43rd Overall pick in Season 88. After speaking with Callahan, he admitted that he was happy to be joining a team coming off of a VHLM Championship win and three straight division titles.

1. We're 14 points back of a playoff spot with a bit less than half a season left, so we need to build on some recent success in order to get a run to the playoffs. I'm not really sure what to expect in terms of whether we're in a position to add at the deadline, or more to keep an eye on the future. Coming off a lot of postseason success recently, it might be part of the development cycle to retool a little. 2. I've been moderately pleased with my rookie season so far individually. I like that I've been able to contribute offensively, but I'd definitely like to improve on my defensive side significantly. Being a -15 is not great at all, so I'm going to work on getting better in that area. I'd also like to improve my discipline, as being second on the team in PIM's is costly. 3. Being drafted by and playing first for the Ottawa Lynx is special, and they're always going to hold a place in my heart as my first home in the VHLM. 4. It's been great to watch so far, I love this time of year. 4 playoff games every night to watch is truly a treat. I cheer for the Leafs (hometown team), have done so painfully for a long time. Last night was about as fun as it's been in a long time. I don't really hate anybody, but obviously not the biggest Tampa Bay fan in the world right now. I let the Leafs make me miserable most of the time, so no other teams need to do it. 5. As a die hard Leafs fan, it pains me to say this, but I think it's absolutely Boston's to lose. They do a lot of things well, be it high end scoring, depth scoring, excellent blue line defending, and of course that brick wall in net. After such a historic regular season, it's going to take something special to knock them off this year. 6. Give me pizza and chicken wings every time, with a Dr. Pepper to wash it all down. Especially while watching the playoffs!

This was awesome (and not just because I got a shout out in the article)! Really nice design for the article, and lots of cool information. Well done!

The word count for this not including the titles for each section and the intro is 1600+.

Hello, and thank you for checking out my look back in the past at the best team of the decades for the VHL! Without much extra context, I'll be primarily basing this on regular season record and playoff success. Here we go! Seasons 1-9 Leading off with the first decade, I had to adjust the criteria a little bit due to limited records from the beginning. Based off of the Continental Cup winners in the first decade, the Team of the Decade for the naughts are the Calgary Wranglers, who led the way in the VHL with 3 Continental Cup Championships. This included winning back to back titles in the 2nd and 3rd season of the league. Seasons 10-19 The tens decade was one of parity, seeing six different teams win Championships in the 10 years. Riga Reign, HC Davos Dynamo, Seattle Bears, and the Calgary Wranglers all saw two titles in that span, making it difficult to crown a true best TOTD without any other context available. In my opinion, the honour goes to the Calgary Wranglers again, as they were the only team that was able to win back to back titles. It was the second such time that Calgary has gone back to back in their team history. Seasons 20-29 Now we get to the good stuff, as the twenties comes with a full complement of records to go with the winners. The twenties saw six different teams win the Cup again, but this decade arrived at that number in a much different way than the tens did. Of the six winners, only two of them had multiple occasions where they lifted the trophy at the end of the season. Those honours go to the Toronto Legion, who won twice in seasons 21 and 29, as well as HC Davos Dynamo, who led the way in the decade with three titles in the 20, 24, and 25 seasons. This was also a decade of favourites walking away as victors, as six seasons ended with the best regular season team hoisting the Continental Cup. Seasons 25-28 also saw the New York Americans make it to the final four times, unfortunately heading home empty handed all four seasons. The title of Team of the Decade for the twenties goes to HC Davos Dynamo, as they led the Championships race with three, while also appearing in two additional finals, and winning the regular season title three times. Seasons 30-39 The thirties saw the last Team of the Decade, HC Davos, get off to a strong start winning a regular season title and a league Championship in the first two seasons. It was a strong decade for overall league success, seeing seven different teams win Continental Cups and regular season titles over the course of ten years. This is one of only two decades that did not see a back to back winner of the Cup. The only multiple winners of the Cup were the New York Americans and HC Davos Dynamo, with the Amerks winning twice and the Dynamo winning three times. Similarly, the decade saw only three teams win multiple regular season titles, with Helsinki, HC Davos, and New York all winning the regular season title twice. Seasons 30-36 also saw an amazing run of 6 finals go the distance with a 7 game series, the only such run in VHL history. The Team of the Decade for the thirties is a repeat winner, with HC Davos Dynamo winning another three league titles, appearing in five total finals, and adding another two regular season titles. Seasons 40-49 The forties saw only 5 different teams win a regular season title, but managed to maintain the standard set by the thirties with 7 different Continental Cup winners. Two separate teams (New York Americans and Quebec City Meute) won the regular season title three times, while Helsinki won it twice to complete the multiple winners. The decade opened with 6 different winners of the Cup, before Helsinki went back to back in seasons 45 and 46. They would not be the only team to double dip, as the Toronto Legion won back to back titles in seasons 48 and 49. The Cologne Express managed to appear in three straight Cup finals from season 42-44 (winning in 42) despite not winning a regular season title in the decade. The Calgary Wranglers followed that up themselves by appearing in three straight in seasons 44-46 (winning in 44), also without a regular season title. Ultimately, this decade belonged to the New York Americans, who won two Continental Cups (both in years where they won the regular season title), and appeared in a third. Seasons 50-59 The fifties ended up being the repeat decade, with four different teams repeating as Continental Cup champs. The Toronto Legion won the title in 49 and 50, the New York Americans won in 52 and 53, the Helsinki Titans won in 54 and 55, and the Riga Reign won in 57 and 58. This decade also featured the two best regular season records of all time in the VHL, with the Calgary Wranglers setting a league record at 64-4-4 in season 51, only to have that record toppled three seasons later by the 66-4-2 Stockholm Vikings. The repeat nature of the Cups also limited the amount of different winners, as the fifties saw 5 different teams win the regular season title and 6 different teams win the Continental Cup. The Team of the Decade title goes to the Riga Reign, who won three regular season titles in a row from 56-58, as well as three Continental Cup titles (51, 57, 58) and another appearance (52). Seasons 60-69 Grooving into the sixties, the VHL saw a large amount of diversity when it came to titles. The regular season title was won by 8 different teams in the 10 seasons, with the Continental Cup experiencing a similar amount of changeover with 7 teams winning it all. Even with the multiple teams winning titles, there were still some repeats thrown in. The Calgary Wranglers (61, 62) and the Seattle Bears (64, 65) both had repeat regular season titles, while the Toronto Legion (64, 65) and the Seattle Bears (68, 69) both has repeat Continental Cup victories. In a decade with as much variety for teams appearing in the finals, you'd think that it would be difficult to narrow down a team that stood out of the crowd, but that isn't the case. The run from seasons 64 to 67 saw the Helsinki Titans appear in 4 straight finals, winning it all over Vancouver in a sweep in 66 (Vancouver got their revenge the following year, winning in 6 games over the Titans). Helsinki also won a Continental Cup in 60, in addition to their regular season title in 66. Seasons 70-79 The seventies were truly the decade of the underdog. This decade saw a record 8 teams win the Continental Cup after not winning the regular season title. More remarkably than that, the decade saw 6 teams win the regular season title not even make it into the final series. The Decade of Parity also became the first decade to not have a team win 60 games in a regular season, with the most wins (53) in a season coming from Moscow in 76 and Malmo in 79. This was the only decade to not feature a 7 game final, with all 10 series ending in 5 or 6 games. No team in the entire decade managed to win back to back regular season titles or Continental Cups, another testament to how difficult it was becoming to win in the VHL. If there was one thing that the seventies took from the sixties, it was Finals appearance domination by one team. The Team of the Decade nod goes to the Seattle Bears, who still appeared in five Continental Cup finals, winning three of them (71, 73, 77) before falling in 78 and 79. They also managed to win three titles without the aid of a single regular season title. Seasons 80-87 If the seventies were the decade of parity, the eighties have been the decade of dominance so far. In the eight seasons so far, two teams have combined for nine finals appearances. Those two teams being the Vancouver Wolves and the Moscow Menace. While Moscow has appeared in the most finals so far with 5 (80, 81, 82, 83, 85), they are unfortunately 0-5 in those finals. Conversely, Vancouver has appeared in 4 Finals (80, 81, 82, 86), going 4-0 in those appearances. Through 8 seasons so far in the eighties, we've seen 4 different teams win the regular season title, and 5 different teams win the Continental Cup. With all due respect to the other franchises, this decade has been owned and dominated by the Vancouver Wolves. With the most regular season titles and the most Continental Cup championships, this was the easiest of the decades to pick the Team of the Decade. Summary and Insights Team of the Decade Winners: 1-9 - Calgary Wranglers 10-19 - Calgary Wranglers 20-29 - HC Davos Dynamo 30-39 - HC Davos Dynamo 40-49 - New York Americans 50-59 - Riga Reign 60-69 - Helsinki Titans 70-79 - Seattle Bears 80-87 - Vancouver Wolves This was a fun project to tackle, and a great way to learn more about the league dating all the way back to the start. I came across some interesting trends along the way, listed below: - The team that held the best record in the regular season only won the Continental Cup 26 times in the 68 seasons that the information was available (38.2% of the time). Nobody should ever be afraid of being the underdog in a series, good things can happen just by getting into the playoffs. - The closest that we've come to a true dynasty in a multi-season run is with the Vancouver Wolves in seasons 80-82, winning both the regular season points title and the Continental Cup in the same season all three times (they defeated the Moscow Menace in all three of those finals). - The Continental Cup final series is almost always a good, deep series. Of the 68 finals played, 46 of them have gone at least six games (67.6%), with the majority of those series going the full 7 (52%). - Toronto Legion leads the VHL with 9 regular season titles (Calgary and Helsinki tied for second with 7 each) - Seattle Bears lead the VHL with 12 Continental Cups (Helsinki second with 11, Calgary third with 10) - Helsinki Titans lead the VHL with 21 Continental Cup appearances (Calgary and Seattle tied for second with 17 each)

1) Always watched The Simpsons growing up, and I still watch a bunch of the older episodes, especially with them all now available for streaming. Haven't watched much of anything past season 13 or 14 though. 2) Definitely would be the ability to read minds. I think that it would be fascinating to know what other people are thinking, and it would have great real world applications (imagine being a judge who could read minds during trial or a hockey player who could know what other linemates are thinking for a play). 3) For viewing, favourite other sport is the NFL. I'm a Detroit Lions fan, but I'll watch pretty much anything. For playing, favourite other sport is baseball. Toronto Blue Jays for the hometown favourite team there. ---------------------------------------------------------------- New questions: 1) What was the first motor vehicle that you owned? If you haven't owned one, what would be your dream car? 2) Who is your favourite TV character of all time? 3) If you won a $50 million jackpot, what is the first thing that you would do with it?

1. It was definitely a rough start to the season for sure. Losing five in a row off the bat digs a hole that gets tougher to get out of as the season goes on. I think that it's encouraging that we've righted the ship a bit after that going 6-5-0 in our last 11 games. We need to cut down on the longer losing streaks after losing 5 and 3 in a row early on. 2. It's been a great start to the season for Mexico City, winning 11 of their first 16 games. We've got them coming up, in a couple of weeks, so that should be a fun game and a great test. 3. For the Lynx, I'd have to go with Celise Pereira so far. Leading the team in goals, assists, and points from the blueline is very impressive, especially when paired with the defensive impact being second on the team in blocked shots. 4. I think that we need to get more going offensively. We're right around where most teams are in terms of giving up goals, but we're lagging behind with the second fewest goals for. A renewed focus on improving offensively for our group could help us continue to get back on track early in the season. 5. As a Leafs fan, going to hope for longer than a 7 game postseason this year. Boston looks like they're going to be an awfully tough out for anybody, they've deserved their status as heavy favourites this season. Going to be interesting to see whether the Oilers powerplay can continue into the playoffs when it gets tougher to score on special teams. 6. Yearly tradition with the family to get together and have a big dinner. It's always nice to see everybody together in the same place, it doesn't happen much outside of the holidays any more unfortunately.

1. It was a good feeling to get drafted by a team with a solid history of winning the last few seasons, between division titles and a VHLM Championship win last season. I look forward to continuing that winning culture, both on the ice and in the locker room. 2. In terms of an individual approach, I'd like to continue to improve as a player in the skating and scoring departments to be able to contribute offensively. If I can improve significantly in those areas, I think that it's a good season individually. As for contributing to the team, I'd like to score some goals and be a positive presence in the room. 3. I have had fun so far, and I'm looking forward to the first season playing in the VHLM. The league feels like a great and welcoming place to be, with a lot of great people. 4. I always like to put my equipment on in the same order (always the left side first for each piece of equipment), it feels right getting dressed the same way each time. I like to hit the crossbar and both posts in the warm-up, gives a good feel for the stick. 5. Being able to make it to the VHL would be amazing, and the opportunity to play for anybody would be more than welcome. Coming from the West coast, I'd have to go with either Los Angeles or Seattle for a closer to home appeal. 6. I think that we've got a good team, getting out of the gate playing well will be imperative if we hope to repeat as league Champions. Having 3 players who hit 100 points last season is going to be a lot to live up to, but we're up to the challenge.

1. I'd say that the graphics or the podcast options would be my most disliked, mostly because I lack in the creativity department. I find it much easier to write than design or talk. 2. Definitely a white tiger. They're incredibly majestic looking. And come on, if not friend, why friend shaped? 3. I'm currently watching the new season of Ted Lasso each week, and I'm re-watching Fringe at the moment in my spare time. ----------------------------------------------- Questions for the next person: 1. If you could pick 3 NHL teams that you'd like to see change their jerseys and 3 teams that you hope never change them, who would they be? 2. What do you think is the best movie trilogy of all time? 3. Do you have anything particular that you collect a large amount of?

My Questions 1) If you could only listen to one band for the rest of your life, which band would it be? 2) What is your favourite sports moment of all time? 3) What is your favourite TV show of all time, and what is a show that you haven't seen that you'd like to?

Player Information Username: dstevensonjr Player Name: Harry Callahan Recruited From: Other (Email) Age: 19 Position: RW Height: 74 in. Weight: 210 lbs. Birthplace: Canada Player Page @VHLM GM