Patrik Tallinder

1. Unfortunately, we didn't. It was a great season though
 
2. Hoping to get drafted somewhere fun and improve my player.
 
3. Don't take off the jersey during intermissions.
 
4. Not too much, I'll likely start tuning in for the finals.
 
5. ... Maybe next year!
 
6. I think his odds of winning the cup are, but he's still got a shot at Gretzky's record so I doubt he'd retire now.

Season 93 featured a Halifax team that managed to achieve the 5th best regular season record and point total in their 31 seasons of history.  With 51 wins and 106 points, the 21st finished 2nd in the VHLM, only 3 points behind the 1st place Ottawa Lynx, and were one of the deepest teams in the league.  At the time of their elimination from the playoffs, the 21st had 15 players with over 120 TPE earned and 8 players with over 190.  Over the course of the season, each and every member of the team exhibited exceptional growth and dedication to give Halifax the best chance to win.  Though the 21st suffered an unfortunate loss to the Saskatoon Wild in the Founder's Cup Semi-Finals, there is so much to be proud of for this team and some particularly special performances that need to be acknowledged.  So without further ado, here are the Halifax 21st Season 93 Team Awards!
 
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The Most Improved Player:
This award is for the player who makes the most significant individual improvement over the course of a single season. 
Of all the players on the Halifax 21st roster that haven't yet reached the 200 TPE cap, this first gen player earned the most talent points and really demonstrated his investment in the team and desire to improve every single week.  Beginning the season at only 55 TPE, he currently sits at 166 TPE having earned 111 since his draft day when he was picked 52nd overall.  The Halifax 21st are thrilled to welcome him back for a second season with the team in S94 and are excited to see his development continue!
 
 
The Most Creative Player:
This award is for the player who consistently demonstrates a high level of creativity throughout the season with written media spots, graphics, podcasts, or other creative endeavors around the team.
This season's winner is a first gen player who consistently impressed and surprised with new ideas, fantastic graphics, and some fun creative ideas within the team locker room.  Even before the season began, this player was designing jerseys and uniforms for the team.  Throughout the season, they produced high quality graphics, each one better than the last, often with fun and humorous details hidden within them.  These graphics weren't only for their own player, but for teammates as well.  They also initiated a creative poll to rename the team's arena which will be decided in time to begin our next season of play. This player will also be returning to the team next season and we're excited to see what new ideas they come up with next!  
 
 
The Leadership Award:
This award is presented to the player who demonstrates qualities of leadership and teamwork throughout the season, building up their teammates in the locker room, posting quality team-related content on the forum, and leading by example through individual dedication and consistency.
This season's recipient is a first gen who impressed many GM's in the VHLM before he was even drafted.  Demonstrating first a commitment to his own personal growth, he quickly exhibited an aptitude for leadership through a high level of activity both on the forums and in the locker room, often looking for ways that he could help improve the team and taking personal interest in the team's overall success.  Throughout the season, he remained very active on the forums, consitent with his updating and personal development, and was a positive force in the locker room-- supporting and ecouraging teammates, congratulating them on their individual successes, and showing interest in all activity around the team.  Though he'll be moving on to the VHLE after only one season with the team, he made a significant impact on the team culture in his time in Halifax and will always be a welcome presence around the team in the future.
 

Top Defender:
This award is presented to the defender who demonstrates excellence at their position, contributing to the team's success through a strong well-rounded game.
This season's recipient was the 3rd highest scoring defender in the VHLM and was 2nd on the 21st with 75 total points.  He was 4th in the league with 58 assists and finished the season with a +25 rating in 72 games played.  And while he was an incredible driver of offense from the defensive position, he also contributed 135 hits and 86 blocked shots.  He played significant time on the team's top powerplay unit while also being an effective penalty killer and was never a defensive liability on the ice.  After a single season with the 21st he is expected to be a highly sought after player in the upcoming VHL and VHLE drafts. 
 

Top Forward:
This award recognizes the team's top offensive player.  Like the top defender award, it is presented to the player who plays the strongest and most consistent all-round game at the forward position, contributing to the offensive and defensive success of the team.
This season's recipient finished with the 4th most individual points in the VHLM with 85.  He finished 7th in goal scoring with 35 and 8th in assists with 50 across 72 games played.  He led the team in both the points and goals categories and continually drove offensive production with 385 shots on goal-- more than 100 more than the next highest shot producer on the team.  He led all Halifax forwards with 25.67 minutes of icetime per game, 14 shots blocked, and 141 hits over the course of the season.  With his solid two-way game, he was a highly effective contributor for the 21st on both special teams units and could be relied upon in all situations, evidenced by his time on ice.  After a single season with the 21st, he will be eligible for the VHL and VHLE drafts and will likely be taking his talents to Europe next season where he is expected to continue his meteoric rise.  
 

The Bryn Yrwy Award:
Named after Bryn Yrwy, the franchise's all-time leading scorer with 405 points in 288 games with the Halifax 21st, this award honours a player who has played parts of at least two seasons with the franchise and has exhibited a high level of play throughout their time with the team.  
This season's recipient played for the 21st in both S92 and S93 and racked up 104 points in 144 games as a defender.  Announcing his retirement at the trade deadline this season, his contributions to the franchise and in the locker room will be greatly missed as he pursues other gainful endeavors.  Finishing his career with the 21st, he ranks 6th in franchise history with 268 blocked shots and was a stalwart defender for the team throughout the past two seasons.  Though he leaves a hole in the Halifax roster for next season, he will always be welcome around the team-- provided he returns at least one pair of shoes to the GM before he leaves!  Congratulations on a great career and best of luck in the future!
 
 
Season 93 SuperSailor:
This award is like the weekly SuperSailor honor, but is presented to a player who best exhibits SuperSailor qualities throughout the full campaign.  A SuperSailor is involved not only in the locker room as a good teammate, but also on the forums as an ambassador for the team, and also demonstrates effective play on the ice.
This season's SuperSailor finished the season with 73 points in 72 games and ranked 2nd among the team's forwards in scoring.  He was the league's top centerman with a 58.84% win rate across 1990 faceoffs, and contributed balanced offense with 31 goals and 42 assists.  And while he had a strong season on the ice for the 21st, this player was also active in the locker room daily, interacting with teammates (even with a significant time zone difference) and was consistently active on the forums throughout the season.  In many ways he was an unsung hero on the team, at times overshadowed by the weekly accomplishments of his teammates.  Despite not being named as a weekly SuperSailor this season, he was a worthy candidate each and every week and was a positive contributor in every respect.  As a draft eligible player, he may be among the first names called in this offseason’s drafts and will be an important member of any team he joins in the future. 
 
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Before concluding, I'd like to extend a special thank you to our outgoing AGM, @Will3.  He has contributed so much to the team in his role over the past few seasons and was particularly instrumental in helping put together such a great team this season.  I was very fortunate personally to have his help as AGM this season as he very reliably and effectively continued his tasks week after week to help the team improve and was always a pleasure to interact with.  I wish him all the best as he continues to seek out new management opportunities around the VHL world!  
 
And that concludes the S93 Halifax 21st team awards.  Congratulations to all of the award recipients for their significant achievements this season and contributions to the team, and a heartfelt thank you to all Halifax players for making Season 93 such a success! It has truly been a pleasure to have each of you as members of this team in my first season as GM and I look forward to seeing where the VHL takes you next!
 
 
Claimed for 5/12/24

1. I'm hoping we win the cup!
 
2. I don't think so, the playoffs are very unpredictable and any team can make a run.
 
3. I think Webber has been consistently phenomenal this season.
 
4. Despite my 2nd answer, playing Ottawa would be a fun series.
 
5. Skiing with family.
 
6. I want to say the Canes but man does Florida ever look strong again this year.

The VHLM Season 93 is in the books and the playoffs are just around the corner.  Coming into the campaign, the Halifax 21st hoped to position themselves well for a run at the Founder’s Cup, and a 2nd place overall finish accomplishes just that.  With 106 points and a 51-17-4 record, the 21st trailed Ottawa by 3 points in the race for the Prime Minister’s Trophy as the best team in the regular season, but they won’t mind missing out on that hardware if they can make good on the promise of their roster to contend for the league’s ultimate prize.   
 
The last time Halifax won 51 games in a season was back in Season 78 when they had 54 total wins. In the 31 season history of the team, Season 93 ranks as the 5th best in franchise history and for a team that has occupied the VHLM basement in recent history and has yet to win their first Founder’s Cup, the success of this regular season is an opportunity for hope. Of course, nothing can be taken for granted—it's hockey after all and anything can happen—but the 21st have good reason to be proud of their regular season effort and cause to hope for playoff success. 
 
Up and down the lineup, the 21st were one of the deepest teams in the VHLM this season. With 72 games played, the Halifax 21st had 9 players with over 50 points on the season, including all 4 of their regular defensemen and 5 of their top forwards. Leading the way, Maple Dogwood @dogwoodmaple, Pierre Marc Bouchard @Gaikoku-hito, and Alexandr Novotny @Patrik Tallinder were all over a point per game and ranked among the league leaders in important stat categories. Dogwood would finish the season ranked 7th overall in goals, 8th in assists, and 4th in the league in total points with 85. Novotny would finish with the 4th most assists with 58 and was the 3rd highest scoring defensman with 75 total points. Bouchard ranked 1st among all centers who had more than 30 faceoffs taken with a 58.84% win rate in the circle with 1990 faceoffs taken across the season. Add this invaluable utility to his 73 points in 72 games and you see his incredible value to this Halifax team.  
 
Heading into the playoffs, there is still headroom for the 21st to improve. To break the 4th wall for a moment, at the time of writing, 6 players have reached the 200 TPE limit for the VHLM while the team has 10 forwards, 4 defenders, and a goaltender at or over 110 TPE—most over the 130 mark. If the 21st can make a run deep into the playoffs, there is still opportunity for this team to improve significantly as every player on the roster has been taking big strides this season. If they remain dedicated, this could be a greatly improved team as they go deeper into the playoffs.  
 
Morale is high as the regular season draws to an end and this is a team that truly believes in itself. The road ahead will be difficult however as Ottawa, Saskatoon, Houston, and even Las Vegas all come into the playoffs as legitimate contenders. Mississauga and the defending champion Philadelphia Reapers are also teams that cannot be overlooked and underestimated. Once the playoffs begin, the regular season matters very little—anything can happen. It’s what makes this part of the season so exciting and sometimes heartbreaking. The 21st will be hoping that they’re on the right side of history this time around and that they can finally put it together as a franchise and win their first Founder’s Cup. As the only team left in the VHLM yet to win the coveted trophy, that victory would mean a great deal to these players and this franchise as it completes it’s 31st season of play.  
 
For first season general manager, Lexie Leitner, this is a great opportunity for the Halifax 21st, “It’s difficult to win in the VHLM and with player turnover every season, it’s difficult to stay competitve for multiple seasons in a row. Right now, we have an amazing team and I’m so proud of each and every one of our players. They’ve done an incredible job all season to get to where we are, but we all know the work isn’t over yet. I believe in our players and I know we’ll get their best once the playoffs begin”. 
 
The playoffs are set to begin on either Thursday or Friday this week and first round matchups should be announced later tonight.  It is expected that Halifax will be taking on the reigning champion Philadelphia Reapers in their first round matchup as the 3rd seed against the 6th seed, with the winner of this series taking on the winner of Saskatoon and Mississauga. The regular season has been enthralling, but the playoffs is what every team plays for and it’s going to be exciting to see how it all plays out!
 
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Claimed for week ending 5/5/2024

After Halifax clinched a playoff spot last week, captain Andrew Skilton @ace_five_ decided to take the team out for dinner at the highest-rated restaurant he could find in the city and treat them all to some fine dining. He worked his magic and got them a reservation for 20 for the following evening to celebrate the accomplishment – the first goal of the season being complete. Andrew knew it was going to be a new experience for most of the team, considering the average age of the team is just over 19, with most being 18 or younger. 
 
Arriving first, just after Skilton and 20 minutes early, was newcomer Phil Sakic @Phil. Ready to impress and maybe trying to assert some dominance, Sakic took a seat at the head of the table. Coming in together not too much later were management icons @LucyXpher and @Will3. They casually took a seat while making some small talk with Sakic. Entering with some laughter and light ribbing were big guns John Season @dylanjj37, Maple Dogwood @dogwoodmaple, and Pierre Marc Bouchard @Gaikoku-hito, who showed up just before the reservation time together, with Season dethroning Sakic and taking the head of the table. Right on time, in strolled Connor Simard @Alex99 and Jon Webber III @Webberj, who were coming out of a light jog and checking their watches to make sure they weren’t late. Tommy Shelby @Will was next to enter the restaurant, fashionably (literally) late as usual without a care in the world. He sat right in the centre to make sure he could hear and speak to everyone equally. As everyone was getting their drink orders in, some loud laughing could be heard at the entrance as Dustin Moore @Maxx and Alexandr Novotny @Patrik Tallinder made their way in. A fist bump could be seen as the two came around the corner grinning at each other. Trickling in after that were Aanarsi Reingaard @Laine, Ty Duke @TheDuke, Captain Nugget Jr. @Captain nugget and Dorji Khan @Oddpurplefly, who each quickly took their seats and called over the server to get their drinks in, which of course had to be the most expensive ones on the menu (that they could legally drink of course). Last but not least, in running came Robin Sierra @ethanjaeda apologizing profusely and explaining that they went to two of the wrong restaurants before arriving. Apparently, they’d been left out (or they accidentally removed themself) from the group chat saying where the restaurant was. 
 
Finally situated, the team ended up having an amazing dinner of steaks, salads, seafood, and drinks until each and every one of them was completely stuffed. They chatted about their individual accomplishments throughout the season as well as what they’ve been able to accomplish together, bringing the 21st out of the basement of the league and making the team a force to be reckoned with. There was talk about the beginning of the season when they couldn’t seem to score more than two goals in a game, to now being the highest-scoring team in the league. Robin Sierra finally let Skilton know that they dyed his laces with glow-in-the-dark ink back on April Fools Day, to which Andrew was baffled he hadn’t figured out yet. Everyone had a good chuckle about the ridiculous story that Saskatoon defenceman Bollos de Trueno @Thunder22 put out trying to disparage management. Even Lucy and Will had a laugh about that one, whether it was through their teeth or not was undetermined. By the end, Dogwood had revealed that the Jelly Coin extravaganza was finally over. They would never be getting their money back, but the investigation had finally come to a close. 
 
At the end of dinner, Skilton tapped on his glass and asked for some silence at the table. He stood up from his chair with his glass in hand and said, 
“I just want to thank each and every one of you for the season that we’ve had. We couldn’t have made it this far without the hard work and dedication of everyone. While we’ve had some ups and some downs, we’ve been able to band together and put up some outstanding numbers for this club. I want to thank Lucy and Will for putting together this group and pushing us to our highest potential. You’ve given us all an opportunity to shine on this stage, knowing that in doing that, you won’t end up seeing us for too long as we make our way to the VHLE and ultimately, the VHL. You’ve made the experience for a new guy like me one to remember, and I’ll carry that through to the end of my career and beyond.” Some cheers of ‘Here here!’ were shouted from various points of the table at this statement. Skilton continued, “It has been an honour and a pleasure to call myself the captain of this squad and I’m proud to call you all brothers and sisters in arms. Now, this isn’t the end of the road, the playoffs are a whole new game, but I’m confident that if we continue what we’ve been doing all season long and trust in each other, we’ll be hoisting the Founder’s Cup in no time! So let’s make a toast, to the best locker room in the VHLM, the Halifax 21st!”
 
As those words were spoken the team erupted in a cheer, clinking glasses and chugging what was left in them. The restaurant staff had to come over and quiet the team because they were disturbing the other patrons. Understanding they were maybe overstaying their welcome, the team began departing. They all decided to take a walk at the pier and take in the ocean and the namesake of the team. Of course, the group can’t go anywhere without causing some sort of havoc, so Phil Sakic was sent to the end of the pier after being told that if he looked straight down into the water he could see the remains of the last ship to dock at Pier 21 before it caught on fire. Unceremoniously, Sakic was shoved into the chilly waters by his teammates, who let him wade a bit before helping him out and handing over a cheque for a new suit. They all had a laugh and began breaking off to head home and get some rest for the upcoming playoffs.
 
(1042 Words)

The Hounds would have benefited from a slightly better TPE distribution in the S69 draft. Ironically, BigHARDCORE32 would go to Saskatoon--but sadly would never earn again.
 
 
#4 in this series covers the beginnings of my time as a VHLM GM, and I like to think that my last article does a good job of covering some of what happened with some of my more notable first-gens. But the players I had put their time into growing and developing did so in hopes of seeing it pay off on the scoreboard, and seeing as that's work I put in as a GM as well, it's fair to us both to tell that story as completely as I can.
 
I've covered S66, in which I did what I could with what I had with no real plan other than to pull a couple wins out of my hat and put together a respectable season. But all good things must come to an end, and trading away my first-round pick that season led to me a bit light on assets in S67. It was here that I decided to take my management strategy that was "what the VHLM should be" and turn it into "what the VHLM actually was" and tank for as much as I could in future seasons.
 
None of this was to say that I checked out or that I stopped caring about people who played for me. I wasn't in the business of losing games for draft position, just in the business of getting rid of anyone who was worth anything for quantity of picks. Of course, the latter led to the former naturally, but I'd still try to field the best lineup I could make in every sim. Plus--and too many people don't realize this--having good players to trade away in the first place necessarily means that you have to have put in the time to help them get to that point. So, while my notable S67 draftees (Keven Foreskin/Jeff Downey/Jaxon Walker) all finished the season in different places, I'd still push them to be the best they could be while I had them. I still stayed on top of waiver signings, and I like to think that the Hounds stayed a good place for new players even when we weren't winning. Some new names that signed with me despite knowing they wouldn't win a championship included Nate Telker (@Telkster's precursor to HoNB #8 subject Brendan Telker), Balentine Kidd (@TukTukTheGreat), Yeet Dabberson (recreate of my former AGM @Radcow), Block Buster (@Banana2311), and one of my favorite locker room additions in Jacob Perry (@Liberty_Cabbage), who ended up as a lower-end role-filler for a few VHL teams. While none of these players became VHL superstars, all made me glad to have them and I like to think we were a good place for them at the time.
 
But the "not much" that was S67 turned into a competitive season in S68. First off, the draft was awesome. The Hounds headed into the draft with the #1 overall selection--which I traded straight-up for #2 so I could pick @Beaviss, but not at #1 like he wanted (a move that I kind of cringe at today but one I found funny in the moment). We followed that up with a string of picks that would define both that season and the next. First, we brought back S67 signing Balentine Kidd at #9 (because smart places promote from within). The second round saw Jerry Wang (then the second VHL player ever to be named Jerry, after mine a few draft classes earlier) and @ColeMrtz, a returning member who stayed fairly active for a bit and briefly made it as a VHLM GM. In the third, we picked first-gens Guy Sasakamoose (@Cxsquared, an underrated longtime Riga defender) and Patrik Tallinder (another underrated longtime Riga player managed by the recently returned @Patrik Tallinder). Our string of good picks would continue all the way until our selection of @Ricer13's Kris Rice at 43rd. Funnily enough, that last selection only happened because I traded up in the draft intending to select a player who I was surprised was still on the board...and then found out that the player I had my eye on had already been picked. Who could I have had instead of Ricer, you ask? None other than the biggest one-hit wonder I've ever seen--Sven Nyckel, who joined the league, dropped a 2300-word media spot, and disappeared immediately after the draft. Luck works in weird ways.
 
We were pretty good, but after having depleted the entire roster, we were still mostly just a solid core lineup. We had holes on defense and at center, and I did my best to fill them. This was first addressed when I traded for @DizzyWithLogic's Finnegan MacBurn (who would unwittingly benefit us by going inactive right at the cap, at a time when such a player didn't have to be released. I don't want that to be the main point of Dizzy's time with us, though, because he was a great person to have around when active). I'd also never had a huge recreate signing yet, but this would finally change when none other than @Beketov signed with us at the deadline with future Hall-of-Famer and perennial Boulet winner Mikko Lahtinen. It's also worth pointing out that my original Houston roots still ran deep--our hole in net was filled by signing Aleksandr Aleksandrov, managed by my former teammate in @aleks. We had a legitimately good team--maybe not quite on top, but very good and a sneaky threat to make a deep playoff run.
 
And then we lost right away, with an embarrassing series against Yukon featuring practically no scoring. We were shut out twice by my former player Block Buster, including a 1-0 Game 5 to end it all. It would be best not to dwell on that too deeply, though. We had all the draft capital in S69 that we did in S68, and this time I had players returning. Before making a single selection, I had Rice and Tallinder up front and MacBurn on defense. All would spend just about all of S69 fully capped, and we were ready to get down to business.
 
Here's the thing--so was Saskatoon. Where we had #5, #8, and #11 in the first round (our maximum of three first-rounders!), they had #1, #2, and #3. Where we were picking at #20 and #22 in the second, they had #13 and #14. And that meant a lot when there were exactly 19 active players in the draft and we only half-hit on two of our first-rounders. The Wild would go 5 for 5 with their early selections, while our two seconds, two thirds, two fourths, fifth, sixth, and two sevenths translated to zero players who meant anything and our first round essentially just amounted to the solid choice of Jimmy Spyro (@DarkSpyro), who under us would blossom into a capped goaltender and well-known member. That was really disappointing, but the core we had in place already was still enough to make our roster look good. And as it turned out, a good roster in a season with a thin draft class is powerful.
 
Because of all of these circumstances, Rice, Tallinder, and MacBurn absolutely exploded in S69. I reached out to San Diego and traded for Will Clarke (the last player I remember @Will managing before his current one), and we looked pretty good to go. But, again, so was Saskatoon. They went on a run managed by GM @Peace that I've never seen in any league of the VHL since, winning game after game and carrying a crazy undefeated streak deep into the season. Nobody could figure them out, not even in overtime, and they were destined to be the Cup champions.
 
And then we took them down.
 
50 games into the season, and the Wild had just been figured out. And while this was just once, it was a flicker of hope. Across all my time as a GM, there isn't a single game I remember better than this one.
 
Saskatoon also had a full roster where we didn't, and my solid reputation as a GM combined well enough with our regular-season success that we had a super strong pull on recreates at the deadline. Kyl Oferson (@Nykonax), Ola Vikingstad (@Dil), and Roque Davis (@Josh) all signed with the Hounds and had earned well enough to serve legitimate purposes in the playoffs. We beat Saskatoon again before season's end (and so did Mexico City--the Wild only lost 4 times, and it was twice to each of us). But it wasn't the win-50-games-in-a-row situation that it once was for them. They were still easily favored on paper, but we had a fighting chance and the balance of power had been somewhat adjusted.
 
That wasn't before we got past the Kings, though. We'd finished second overall in the standings, but they weren't too far behind and were the only team that could realistically pose a threat to us before the final (we blew past Ottawa in the first round and I had to look at the index to even remember that). That said, we did have to go through them. We'd done better with recreates, though, and Nyko volunteered to obsessively test-sim for me behind the scenes. This led to a fairly decisive series win in which I got cocky and set all the strategy sliders to zero for the game that closed it out.
 
And then there were two. You get one guess as to the other, and it was the team that hadn't lost a game in the playoffs yet.
 
And we took it to Game 5!
 
That's about all I'm going to say about the S69 finals. You know what happened and you know I didn't win it. But we still handed the Wild their fifth loss of the season and could claim that we were more of a speed bump to them than anyone else. I wasn't even disappointed! Luck wasn't on our side in the draft, but the players I'd hoped would get a second good look in S69 did end up with that chance and it was only because of a weird combination of not having active players to pick that the chance wasn't better. It was my best season as a GM to that point, and it would remain the deepest I've ever taken a team in their playoffs.
 
This was, of course, the VHLM, and what that meant was that after a couple seasons of buying, it was time to burn down the team again. S70 was uneventful, underwhelming, and unmotivating--and that would also be when I moved up to GM Davos not long into the season. That is, obviously, a collection of stories for another time. Functionally speaking, my time as a VHLM GM spanned 4 seasons between S66 and S69. I never won a Cup and I never won the top GM award, but I sincerely believe that I was one of the M's best of the time. Now that Gustav 30 in 30 has closed its book on what I did in Mississauga, I hope you'll agree.
 
 

Read my other articles for the full Gustav experience (hi Berocka):
 
#1: Lightning Glory Gonna Be My Name
#2: Can't We All Just Get Along?
#3: Who Needs Cybersecurity Anyway?
#4: The House That I Built
#5: Can We Fix It?
#6: American Beauty
#7: The Kids Are Alright

1. Phil always has phenomenal players, and Sakic will be no different.
 
2. I think it's a pretty good trade, there are definitely steals to be found in the fourth round and to move down a few spots to acquire that pick is a good tradeoff.
 
3. I don't think so, we have a really strong and quickly improving group.
 
4. I'll say Saskatoon, they'll be a tough out in the playoffs for sure.
 
5. I jumped a wooden fence when I was a kid, and my shoelace got caught on a loose screw near the top of the fence and it pretty much hung me upside down for a second before I dropped on my head lol
 
6. I'll say Miami, they've got a pretty nice organization.

This week, the Halifax 21st are recognizing John Season @dylanjj37 as their SuperSailor. Season, who is expected to announce his retirement this week, has played 131 games with the 21st and has racked up 92 points in those games as a defenseman. Over the past two seasons, he has been a leader in the locker room and on the ice, contributing to the team's culture and helping to lead them through a difficult season 92. In his past 5 games, Season has scored 3 goals and added 2 assists, really elevating his game as of late to help propel the 21st to within 3 points of 1st place overall.
 
In his career, John Season has played 203 regular sason games with Halifax and Las Vegas, scoring 38 career goals and 74 assists. As Halifax pushes for the playoffs in season 93, John Season looks to return to the playoffs for the first time since his rookie season and add to his total of 5 playoff games played. Though he probably flew under the radar in the eyes of some scouts and managers, Season managed to carve out a successful individual career at the VHLM level with his excellent defensive ability. While not the most versatile player, his exceptional puck disrupting abilitiy allows him to stop plays dead in their tracks, recover the puck, and move it up the ice to convert defense into offense. As of this week, he has matched his career high in points (46) with 13 games left to play.
 
As the regular season draws to a close and the playoffs begin, John Season looks to finish his career strong. With the Halifax 21st seeking their first Founder's Cup victory in their 42 season history, perhaps Season can be among the first to hoist the trophy wearing the Halifax blue and white.
 
Congratulations to John Season on being named this week's SuperSailor and for a terrific career!
 
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BOAT GANG

Halifax, Nova Scotia
With a record of 24-4-0 in their last 26 games, the Halifax 21st are cruising.  Last week, the 21st clinched a playoff berth for the first time since Season 90 and are chasing the Ottawa Lynx for 1st overall, trailing by only 3 points.  While Halifax has more wins than Ottawa with 42 in 56 games, the Lynx have managed to pick up points in 6 overtime or shootout losses and and have only lost 9 times in regulation.  The margin between the league's top two teams has been quite slim this season.  Halifax leads the league with 188 goals for, while Ottawa has been the top defensive team, only allowing 107 goals against.  In terms of goal differential, the Lynx are top in the league with a +57 while the 21st have a +56.  Down the stretch, these two teams will meet 3 more times, with their last matchup coming in the final game of the regular season, potentially setting up a big game to clinch 1st in the league.  
 
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The Halifax 21st find themselves in their favorable position due to the outstanding play of their whole team.  Top to bottom, they've received big contributions from every player and the statistical leaderboards reflect that.
 
As the team's leading scorer, Maple Dogwood @dogwoodmaple is currently tied for 3rd overall in league scoring with 72 points in 56 games.  He's been a threat every time he touches the ice for the 21st and has consistently produced since the first games of the season. Of players who have taken more than 30 faceoffs this season, Pierre Marc Bouchard @Gaikoku-hito leads the league with a dominant 58.76% in the circle over 1484 faceoffs.  Bouchard has also picked up his scoring pace recently and is 3rd on the team with 22 goals and 55 points.  
 
The team currently has 9 players with over 40 points on the season, including all 4 of their defensemen, 3 of whom are top 10 in scoring by defensemen this season.  Alexandr Novotny @Patrik Tallinder leads the way at 3rd overall with 58 points, Dustin Moore @Maxx sits in 7th among defenders with 49 points, and team captain, Andrew Skilton @ace_five_, is 9th with 46 points.  The team's 4th defender, John Season @dylanjj37, is only 3 points behind with 43 and ranks 15th in scoring among the league's defenders.  The 21st have benefitted all season from a dominant blueline that has found ways to contribute offensively in addition to shutting down the opposition.  
 
In terms of forward depth, Tommy Shelby @Will has been an excellent 2nd line centerman for Halifax this season, pitching in 16 goals and 27 assists for 43 points to go along with a 51.47% rate in the faceoff circle.  He's picked up his pace as well since the season began and seems to be on track to push closer to a point per game by the season's conclusion.  Connor Simard @Alex99 has also been a versatile and effective player for the 21st, at times playing on the 1st or 2nd line.  Recently, he's shown good chemistry on the top line with Pierre Marc Bouchard and is up to 17 goals and 23 assists for 40 points so far this season.  2nd line sniper and Halifax veteran, Aanarsi Reingaard @Laine, is 2nd on the team with 24 goals and ranks 4th on the team with 53 points.  He hasn't replicated his 46 goal, 91 point pace from last season, but he's also hasn't needed to be the centerpiece of the team's offense and his point shares likely take a hit because of the talent around him.  With that said, his point per game pace puts him on track to have his second highest total in 4 VHLM seasons and he remains a constant goal threat with his elite scoring ability.
 
Dorji Khan @Oddpurplefly and Tyler Duke @TheDuke are players who have broken out recently for Halifax, with Khan earning his way into a top line LW spot and is up to 16 points on the season.  Ty Duke has locked down the 3rd line center position and has 14 points and a 51.39% in the faceoff circle.  Robin Sierra @ethanjaeda and Captain Nugget Jr. @Captain nugget have continued to make strides in their own right.  Sierra continues to flash his offensive upside, but has been a bit snakebitten with a 4.94% shooting.  Nugget Jr. has 19 points on the season and has played on all of the team's 4 lines at some point in the season, meshing well with a variety of linemates.  
 
The leaguewide plus/minus leaderboard is a who's-who of Halifax players with Dogwood, Season, and Reingaard ranking 1st, 2nd, and 3rd overall.  Skilton comes in at 8th, Shelby at 12th, and Bouchard in 20th, demonstrating the efficiency of the team in even strength situations.  While it's not a be-all-end-all stat, it is indicative of a team that succeeds in scoring more than they allow, which is kind of the point of hockey. 
 
In goal, with Samuel Wazinski @samthemancub out for the season on the IA reserve list, Jon Webber III @Webberj has taken control of the Halifax net and ranks 3rd among all goalies with 32 wins in only 44 games.  While his save percentage may not be where he'd like it to be at .898%, his GAA is a solid 2.30, good for 4th overall with 2 shutouts rounding out his portfolio.  Webber came into the season with something to prove and has quickly become a quality netminder on a team with championship aspirations.  Down the stretch, he could be a big contributor to this team's chances of claiming 1st overall and he will inevitably be an important part of Halifax's playoff run.  
 
We're down to the last week of the regular season and playoff games could begin as early as Tuesday or Wednesday next week.  Players will certainly be working overtime to prepare for the postseason and taking advantage of the limited runway left to improve.  In just over a week's time, the regular season will be history, for the Halifax 21st it's full steam ahead!  
 
 
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1,015 words
1st claim for 04/21/24
2nd claim for 04/28/24

This is actually really cool! It'd make a great shoulder patch on a jersey!

I tried my best lmao
 

I tried my best lmao
 

I tried my best lmao
 

You clearly missed the Geneva Rush (ex Yukon) in the VHLE, then

1. I think it'll just take consistency and staying focused. We have the team to do it, just need to put our abilities into practice.
 
2. I think Reingaard is having a really great season, so I think a little more league-wide appreciation is in order. 
 
3. I would love to see a team in Bern, Switzerland in the VHLE. Might replace Vasteras since Sweden has two teams.
 
4. Maybe a backup goalie, but I think Webber is doing phenomenal in the net so I don't think it's a pressing issue.
 
5. I had to do a midterm, so I didn't get to see it. I could see the sky get dark from the windows though
 
6. Always drinking a gatorade before the game so it kicks in by the time it starts.