dstevensonjr

Is that a 7, or a 5 and a 2?

Six!

5 golden toques

4 pounds of back bacon

Three French toasts

Transaction ID: 8A0917896C206282F

Two turtlenecks.

Well, this is an amazing surprise! Thank you for writing this article about me!!

Howdy! Good luck everyone!

As the puck gets ready to drop on Game 1 of the Toronto Legion and Chicago Phoenix series, we sit down with Legion Rookie Harry Callahan. Media: What do you think will be the toughest part of playing the Phoenix in the first round? HC: Shutting down their best players is going to be hard for sure. Sundin and Gaming have both had very good years offensively, and both deserve any accolades that they get. Chicago has also received very good goaltending from Artyomov, so breaking through there will be hard for sure. Media: What is the path to winning this playoff series? HC: I think that our focal point needs to be on playing our game that has made us successful this season. With our strength in net and on the back end, if we can play tight hockey and slow down the best players for Chicago, I think we can have some success when they're not on the ice. Drawing the minutes against their best and winning the minutes against the rest is a recipe for success. Media: You tied for the best plus/minus on the Legion roster this regular season, is there anything specific that you worked on for that, and do you think you can continue that into the playoffs? HC: My largest priority this past off-season was improving my defense and puck handling attributes to try to not be a defensive liability making the jump to the VHL this season, and I think that it definitely helped. I've been fortunate to play with a couple of offensively gifted players who help drive the play, so I can focus more on being a stronger defensive contributor with them. Media: Speaking of your linemates, Mac Atlas and Jimi Jaks finished 1-2 in points on the team this season. How can you better capitalize offensively to keep pace with those two players? HC: I think that my role at the moment is to be the support player with those two, the chances will come with that as well. I'd still rather focus on improving defensively, while allowing them to be very strong at the offensive end of the ice. Anything that I can add to that is a bonus. Media: After a successful regular season, do you expect to be in the running for VHL Rookie of the Year? HC: I hope to be a finalist this season, but realistically there seems to be a runaway winner for RotY this year. Axle Gunner had a great season offensively for Moscow, and looks like the deserving winner this year. Just to be in the mix to be a finalist is fortunate this year if that happens. Media: Thanks for meeting with us today, good luck in the playoffs. HC: Any time, it was a pleasure!

1. I can't very well go ahead and predict us to lose, that would be very uncool. I will say that we pull it off in a tight 7 games. The regular season series was as tight as can be, the playoff series very well could be as well. 2. I'll take the easy answer and say that our captain and leading scorer from the regular season, Mac Atlas will score the first. Selfishly, I'd love to be the first one to score though. 3. I'll give myself a B+. I would have liked to have contributed more on the offensive side, but being able to play top line minutes and be a positive defensively is something that I'm happy with this season. 4. I think we're capable of going all the way for sure. Our defensive and goaltending strength should play well in the playoffs, I think we're right there with the best teams. 5. I got a GameBoy Colour when I was younger from my grandpa. He wrapped it in a big box of towels to keep it hidden, so it was an awesome surprise. 6. More time would be great! Somehow I don't think that's an option, so I'm hoping for some books and some new shoes!

OT wins in both elimination games! High drama!

1. I'm not draft eligible, but I'm currently playing for the Toronto Legion. I hope to remain a Toronto player for my entire career! 2. I'd add more point tasks that are similar to the trivia that encourage league researching to continue to learn about the VHL. I'd also have a league wide thread for daily puzzles like Wordle, Gordle, Puckdoku, etc. Maybe even a competition for team players to compete against other teams. 3. Definitely the pizza. A good pizza is a difficult to top in any setting, especially one that comes from a charity drive. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Do you think that Alex Ovechkin's slow goal scoring start this season is a concern that he may not make it to Gretzky's total? 2. What do your next 3 seasons in the VHL (E or M as well) look like? Are you locked into one team, or will you be a free agent before the 3 years are up? 3. If you could add 1 attribute to the player set on here, what would it be and why?

The Legion and Phoenix will meet in the North American Conference Semi-Finals to open up the playoffs for each team. Here's a look at the season series between the two teams, the skater stat leaders for each team, starting goalies, the last 20 games of the regular season for each team, and key players for both. Season Series Game 13: CHI 3-2 Game 48: CHI 5-4 Game 262: CHI 5-4 (SO) Game 326: TOR 3-2 Game 333: TOR 3-2 (OT) Game 343: TOR 1-0 Final records - Toronto: 3-2-1 Chicago: 3-2-1 Stat Leaders Toronto Goals: Mac Atlas (46) Assists: Bobby Bob (56) Points: Mac Atlas (88) Plus/Minus: Bobby Bob & Harry Callahan (+37) Penalty Minutes: Tomas Sogaard (120) Hits: Tomas Sogaard (268) Shots: Mac Atlas (539) Shot Blocks: Dens Oden (139) Game Winning Goals: Mac Atlas (10) Powerplay Goals: Harry Callahan (11) Chicago Goals: Scotty Sundin (49) Assists: Scotty Sundin (63) Points: Scotty Sundin (112) Plus/Minus: Scotty Sundin & Michael Shotter (+6) Penalty Minutes: Michael Shotter (133) Hits: PJ Daniels (206) Shots: Scotty Sundin (522) Shot Blocks: Sigma Freud (190) Game Winning Goals: Legacy Gaming (6) Powerplay Goals: Legacy Gaming (14) Starting Goalies Toronto Starter: Joel Castle Record: 42-21-1 Goals Against Average: 2.06 Save Percentage: .938 Shutouts: 3 Backup Goaltender: Evan Bihler (4-3-1, 2.89 GAA, .916 SV%) Chicago Starter: Ryan Artyomov Record: 32-18-14 Goals Against Average: 2.78 Save Percentage: .926 Shutouts: 2 Backup Goaltender: BOT (3-5-0, 3.48 GAA, .909 SV%) Last 20 Games Toronto Record: 13-6-1 Goals For: 60 (3.00/GM) Goals Against: 41 (2.05/GM) Chicago Record: 10-9-1 Goals For: 51 (2.55/GM) Goals Against: 60 (3.00/GM) Key Players Toronto The strength for the Legion was in the net this season, and that will need to continue in the playoffs. Joel Castle should win goaltender of the year in the VHL, backstopping the Legion to the fewest goals against in the VHL this season. Chicago The Phoenix will go as far as their MVP candidate forward Scotty Sundin can take them. Sundin had a remarkable season, and will be heavily in the mix to win the MVP trophy following a year that had them finish at the top of most offensive statistical categories for Chicago, and near the top of multiple categories in the VHL.

After a tough 72 game regular season, the Toronto Legion head into the S91 playoffs to face the Chicago Phoenix in the first round. The Legion finish the regular season with a record of 46-24-2 and 94 points, sitting in 2nd place in the North American Conference and 6th place in the VHL. The regular season saw many highlights, but without a doubt the largest highlight of the season was the 14 game win streak mid-season that propelled the Legion up the standings after a so-so start. Here's a look back at some of the big moments and performances of the regular season this year: The Streak We'll start with the big one. 14 straight wins (19.4% of the season schedule) represented the 2nd best winning streak in the VHL this season. A run in the middle of the streak included 3 straight wins over the Chicago Phoenix, who the Legion were battling for 2nd in the Conference at the time. The streak also included pairs of wins over D.C. and Warsaw, and a trio of extra time wins (2 in OT, 1 in the SO). This was a turning point in the season, as the Legion stayed hot after the streak, going 16-6-1 down the stretch. Captain Clutch Mac Atlas led the way for the Legion with 10 game winning goals, showing that he could be looked to by the rest of the team when it mattered most to get the job done. Atlas' 10 GWG's had him ranked 4th in the league in winners this season. His strong example led to almost every skater on the team chipping in with game winners this season (Callahan had 7, Jaks and Machado tied for 3rd with 6). A Trio of Rookie Performances Toronto entered the season with a trio of rookies this season, uncertain about how much they could contribute to the team right off the hop. Forwards Diego Machado and Harry Callahan, along with Defender Walter Fitzroy Jr. needed to help chip in with the core of veteran players, and they did just that. Both Callahan (55 points, 5th) and Machado (50 points, 7th)finished in the top 10 in Rookie points in the VHL, while Fitzroy Jr. (30 points) finished just outside the top 10 as well from the blueline. The Brick Wall Tandem The combination in net of Joel Castle and Evan Bihler helped backstop the Legion to the leagues lowest goals against total. Toronto gave up just 161 goals this season to lead the league. When the offense stumbled at times this season, the goalies were there to pick up the slack. Castle finished in the top 5 in the league in Wins and Goals Against Average, while having the best Save Percentage among starters, firmly earning a place in the league's elite netminders group. Blueline Blockers A large part of helping out the goaltenders this season was a blueline that stayed committed to staying in shooting lanes and blocking shots. The Legion finished the season with 3 defenders over 100 shot blocks, with Dens Oden leading the way at 139. Walter Fitzroy Jr. almost made it 4, finishing the year with 99 shot blocks. The four defenders were split between veterans and youngsters, Dens Oden (S83) and Jimmy MacElroy (S84) brought the experience, with Bobby Bob (S88) and Walter Fitzroy Jr. (S90) giving a youthful injection on the back end. Dynamic Duo The pair on the top line of Mac Atlas and Jimi Jaks paced the scoring attack for Toronto this season, finishing with 88 and 81 points respectively. They were also first and second in goals and shots on the team. The two S87 forwards will continue to be a large part of the offense heading into the playoffs. Hit Parade Tomas Sogaard led the way with 268 hits for a group that finished tied for 5th in the VHL in hits with 1302 total. Behind Sogaard were 6 Legion players with more than 100 hits (MacElroy - 191, Atlas - 186, Bob - 119, Jaks - 115, Callahan - 110, Fitzroy Jr. - 108). Top 10 League Leaders Here's a full rundown on statistical categories that Legion skaters showed up in the top 10 in the league: Goals - Atlas (t-7th - 46 G) Shots - Atlas (4th - 539 SH) Defense Points - Bob (10th - 66 PTS) Rookie Points - Callahan (5th - 55 PTS), Machado (7th - 50 PTS) Plus/Minus - Bob (t-6th - +37), Callahan (t-6th - +37), Jaks (t-8th - +35) Hits - Sogaard (6th - 268 HITS) Powerplay Goals - Callahan (t-10th - 11 PPG) Shorthanded Goals - Jaks (t-2nd - 2 SHG) Game Winning Goals - Atlas (t-4th - 10 GWG) Thanks for reading, and here's hoping for a long postseason run!!

1. Definitely the goaltending. Joel and Evan were both fantastic, and were the primary reason for the streak in my opinion. 2. I hope so, with no head to head games left, we need to focus on winning our games and hope that we get help elsewhere. 3. Mac is definitely capable of getting there, would be nice to reach that milestone this season. If it's close at the end of the regular season, would love to see an ice time boost to get there. 4. We have this broccoli and cheese casserole that is absolutely delicious for the major holidays. 5. Definitely not the one that everyone is likely to say. I love Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You", and could listen to it on repeat. 6. Chocolate. I love me some Reese's.

The Toronto Legion have been scorching hot lately, with a 14 game win streak to show for it. Here's a look back at the win streak that ended with a loss to London: Win #1: Toronto vs. Seattle 3-1 Win #2: Toronto at Warsaw 7-1 Win #3: Toronto vs. Vancouver 3-2 (SO) Win #4: Toronto vs. Warsaw 5-0 Win #5: Toronto at Prague 3-2 (OT) Win #6: Toronto vs. Chicago 3-2 Win #7: Toronto at Chicago 3-2 (OT) Win #8: Toronto vs. Chicago 1-0 Win #9: Toronto at Malmo 2-1 Win #10: Toronto at Helsinki 3-2 Win #11: Toronto vs. D.C. 4-2 Win #12: Toronto at Moscow 3-1 Win #13: Toronto vs. D.C. 4-2 Win #14: Toronto at New York 4-2 The biggest thing that stands out to me is the defensive strength, having not given up more than 2 goals in a game on the streak. The Legion averaged 1.43 goals against per game during the win streak, compared to an average of 3.43 goals for per game. In total, the streak adds up to a scoring margin of 48-20 during the 14 games. The shot totals also reflect a team that controlled play with a 542-447 shot advantage (38.71-31.93 per game) during the run. The special teams were good, but not scorching hot during the streak, which is a good sign that this wasn't just a lucky special teams hot streak. The powerplay operated at 20.9%, with the penalty kill at 82.0% penalties killed. Toronto for the season has a powerplay at 19.9% and a penalty kill at 82.61%, so the numbers aren't a large spike from those. Now, for some individual player totals. I'll save the most notable for the end, as there's a large figure that backstopped this win streak. Here's a look at the skater totals for the win streak: As you can see, the win streak was driven by Legion Captain Mac Atlas, with the most goals, points, shots, and 1st stars on the team. Jimi Jaks kept pace in the points department at the top with 19 in the 14 games. Rookie Harry Callahan led the way with 4 game winning goals on the streak. In the crease, the heavy lifting was being done to keep the streak alive: Goaltender Joel Castle was a brick wall in net for 13 of the 14 wins, with Evan Bihler throwing up a shutout in their appearance to continue the excellent work being done by the goalies. Thanks for taking a look at this lengthy win streak with me!

Harry Callahan Rookie Experience After a rookie season in the VHLM in S88 for the Ottawa Lynx, Harry Callahan was drafted 17th overall with the first pick of the second round in the S89 VHL draft by the Toronto Legion. Following another season in the VHLM for Ottawa in S89 and one in the VHLE for the Bratislava Watchmen in S90, Harry Callahan made his debut for the Legion in S91. Personal expectations were high after being chosen early by Toronto, and were further heightened after an MVP season in the VHLE that saw Callahan lead the league in multiple statistical categories. Below is an interview conducted at the 2/3 pole of the VHL season: Mike Honcho: Thank you for joining me here today to discuss your rookie season in the VHL! Harry Callahan: Thank you for having me! MH: How do you feel that your first season in the VHL is going so far? HC: I've been pleasantly surprised so far with how everything has gone. I feel like I've fit in well in the league, and I haven't embarrassed myself, so that's always a bonus. MH: What would you say the biggest challenge coming into this season was in your mind? HC: I definitely found it daunting looking at the difference in TPE between myself and the rest of the VHL, especially looking at some of the top players having more than double my amount. I wasn't really sure how well it was going to go trying to close that gap bit by bit while trying to remain a productive player. MH: Has anything surprised you so far about the VHL? HC: Not so much a surprise per se, moreso just confirmation that it's an incredibly competitive league every night. There aren't any easy games, and it feels like anyone can beat anyone on a nightly basis. It has definitely reaffirmed my need to keep developing as much as possible to stay competitive. MH: How are you getting along with your new teammates in Toronto? HC: It's been a great room so far. I'm incredibly fortunate to be coming from a fantastic locker room in Bratislava last season with some amazing people, so it's been awesome having the same feel in Toronto this season. Definitely feels like a tight group from the top down, which is so critical to have as the season goes on and the games get more important. MH: Have you been happy with the level of success that the Legion have had this year so far? You're currently sitting in 2nd place in the North America Conference and 7th overall. HC: We had a bit of a tough start to the season in terms of wins and losses early on, but it definitely feels like we've righted the ship here and are playing some great hockey currently. It's going well right now, but nobody strives for things just to go well, so we need to keep pushing to be even better the rest of the way. MH: In terms of development, what have you seen so far from your player as currently developed, and what do you plan to focus on moving forward for the last third of this season? HC: I've been happy with how my defensive development has gone, I think that it was part of what I was most worried about coming into the season. I didn't want to be a big liability on the ice, and it's been nice to be able to not be a big negative out there. For the rest of the year, I'm going to continue to try and improve my defensive game, keep being a plus player who can chip in offensively. MH: What do you hope to see the rest of the way for yourself and your team? HC: For myself, just continuing on where I am right now. I'd love to be able to score some more and help out in that department. For the team, just gotta keep playing solid hockey and try and push our way into the elite group of teams above us in the standings right now. There's a lot of good hockey being played in the league, but it's important to keep looking up to catch the teams ahead rather than be afraid of being caught by the teams on our tail. MH: What would you say that your plan is for your future in the league? HC: I hope to have a long career in this league, and would love to have it remain in Toronto for a long time. I know that there are players who come in for a short time and then want to start their careers over again, but I'm hoping to see this thing all the way through to the end. MH: That about wraps us up here, thanks for joining me today for this look into your rookie season! HC: Thanks again for having me, it was fun! -------------------------------------------- Word count for answers only is 500+. Thank you for reading if you've made it this far.

1. I've had a few. I used to wear 61 because I'm a huge Rick Nash fan, but I switched to 88 a while ago. I'm a big Nylander fan, and it's my birth year. 2. I think that the best pairing would be Malmo and Stockholm from a geographic standpoint so that it would simplify call ups for Malmo. 3. Right handed in everything: shooting, writing, throwing, batting. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1. What is your favourite sports movie to watch? 2. Did you partake in any Black Friday deals, be it online or in store? 3. Do you participate in Theme Week each VHL season, and did you this season?

5 Uncapped TPE $1m Store Cash Doubles Week Transaction ID: 3J92322202556280R

1000+ words Media spot, claim #2.

Good day to you all! As someone who is a relatively new member here (still on my first player, came in for the S89 VHL Draft), there are some things that I have a firm grasp on, as well as some things that I mostly understand. Then there are the parts of the league that are still exceptionally foreign to me, one of which is the recruitment aspect. From what I understand and have read recently, the largest issues and gripes in regards to Recruitment that seem to exist are a lack of transparency in terms of what the responsibilities of the department are and how it operates in order to earn the TPE from that role, as well as an issue with quality of the work that is being done. I can't really speak to those specific issues because I'm not sure what the standard of work is supposed to be, so instead I want to focus on a more broad approach to the issue. Regardless of what the specific complaints are about how Recruitment is run currently, the issue that it boils down to is that everybody would like to see more people coming into the league, which is something that everybody can get on board with. I believe that the approach to successful recruiting revolves around a few things: - Understanding what makes the league successful, and in turn marketing that to people who aren't currently involved with the league - Having a wider reach of people to market to in an attempt to recruit them - Having quality marketing tools to then turn that reach into recruits - Compensating the Recruiting team fairly for their time The first item on that list is likely the most important: knowing what makes the league fun to be in, and how to convey that to people who have either never played in a sim based league, or who have done so previously but aren't any more. I believe that part of understanding this revolves around talking to members of the league who have recently joined to find out what they have enjoyed about the league so far, what they haven't enjoyed, and anything that they'd like to see changed or brought in. Part of this focus would also go to retention of new members rather than just recruiting, but would help give focus to what can in turn be the marketing focus to bring in new folks. To that end, I think that it would be helpful to have part of the Recruitment team be dedicated towards a "Retention" Department that would check in with first season members at the midway point of their first season, as well as at the conclusion of their first season with a mini survey or chat focused on the previously mentioned items. The second item on the list involves expanding the reach of the Recruiting department through multiple avenues to find a wider base of people to bring into the league. I'm not sure which ways are being used currently, but being an internet based league, I would think that there are probably corners of the internet that we aren't reaching. I would imagine that part of the push for more transparency from some members could be a report of what recruiting items are being posted/run in different locations each season to determine if there are other avenues that should be pursued. The third item on the list is based on the marketing tools that are being used to reach people in an attempt to recruit them. I myself am graphically/artistically challenged, which is why my theme week choice is an article and not a graphic. This is an area that seemed hotly contested because it is difficult and time consuming to come up with new and fresh graphics on a consistent basis that also serve the purpose to help recruit people rather than just be for specific players. Part of this section will tie into the next section, but the decision needs to be made about whether having a dedicated group who have to spend a lot of time designing these marketing tools, but are only compensated with TPE is one worth fighting over. In terms of a quantity aspect, maybe there needs to be a set amount of time that certain graphics are used as promotional before they are cycled out, or a set amount of new graphics at a time that can be used together before a new crop is needed. From the quality side, it's much more subjective because everybody has a different standard as to what they find acceptable. Speaking for myself, I don't expect to see high-level ads that would be comparable to a marketing campaign from a large company because that's not really who we are. That final item on the list comes down to compensation for the recruiting team for the time spent working on recruitment. While every job in the league is important, there is no doubt that there are some jobs that are more involved and time consuming. Paying someone to work with TPE is fine in the sense that it goes back into the league, but the time and effort put in must match what is being given. The expectation that these jobs be done at the same TPE rate that is given to other jobs that require a fraction of the time to do is likely an unfair one, and one that I've seen raised in conversations about the Recruiting role. The concession must be made that either we're okay with the status quo for the compensation for these jobs and the quality and quantity of the marketing work will remain relatively "low", or the large amount of time involved to do so much be rewarded in other ways. I'm not sure exactly how the financial situation with the league works, but I'm not sure that we want to get into a "which jobs should be paid with TPE, and which jobs should be paid with money" debate. This issue feels like the toughest to solve, but it may also be the most important. To summarize, here are a couple of points that might work: - Creation of a "New Member Chat/Survey" to determine that they've enjoyed, disliked, and would like to see changed about the league - Report from Recruitment on currently running marketing tools to ensure that nothing is being left on the table - Discussion on the amount of new graphics required, as well as how many new recruiting graphics are reasonably required - A review of the compensation for the Recruitment team to determine what is fair, both in their eyes and the members eyes Thank you for reading my article, I hope that it helps the issue!

1. I definitely think that it's early enough in the season to keep improving and close the gap with the top 2 teams in the division. 2. Our sacrifices to Simon have clearly paid off this season, it's important to know what the sim gods value in a sacrifice. 3. All three have been valuable contributors so far, which has helped offset some of the losses in the off-season. Nice to see that handsome gentleman in there working his way up the rookie scoring list. 4. Probably a Malmo jersey, I love the colour combination. 5. Absolutely! The combination of the defensive ability and being almost a point per game player should keep Sogaard in that conversation this season. 6. Leafs were in Tampa Bay earlier this year and dug out of a 3-1 hole to come back and win 4-3 in Overtime. The comeback was fun.