KC15

Well, I'm following up with my PBE commish, at least. That is not ok in my book. It was great exposure and I recreated in the ISFL just because it got me thinking it was time again and hearing the great stories jazzed me up.

Wondering what I should write for a VHL.com article and earn my capped 2 TPE and then it suddenly dawned on me. I’m watching a stream of commissioners from six different sim leages: PBE, SHL, EFL, GFSA, SCFL, and ISFL. It was fantastic! The second one I have watched so far in a continuing series. Really insightful. Some really great ideas for improving the leagues were being shared both by the commissioners and by the chat. It was fun. Seeing how there are so many people who are in multiple leagues and that this is one big community. It has spurred new recruits from one league into another and strengthened that league in the process. My question is – where was VHL? I love this league, but I terribly missed our being present – the exposure, the fun, the sharing of ideas. I don’t remember VHL being represented in the first video cast either Please, even if it can’t be the VHL commissioner, how about the VHLE or the VHLM commissioner? Or a GM? Or someone? 174 words

Review: Solid article. Always good to get the perspective of someone new to management. Thought the color coding made it very easy to follow the interview and know who was speaking at every turn in the conversation. Could smooth out some of the sentence structure, but solid nonetheless. Always wonder if it's appropriate to comment on things like that, but is it really a review otherwise? Example, The other difference is that in management you are working pretty much 24/7 which a lot of players wouldn't be able to handle that type of commitment. This would be smoother without the "which" and split into sentences. "The other difference is that in management you are working pretty much 24/7. A lot of players wouldn't be able to handle that type of commitment." Small difference, but stack those up and you have a better piece. 7.5/10

Review: Nice article. The well-chosen shot of DC sets the tone right from the off. Loved the weaving together of narrative and player's perspective. 7.5/10

Success in Juniors To say Luc Tessier is struggling in his sophomore year in the VHL would be a very big understatement. The young defenseman tore through the VHLM where it seemed no defenseman could keep up with him. A hit would be coming and Luc would dart by. A defenseman would try to take away his puck and Luc would flip his stick, deftly lift the puck over the defenseman’s outstretched blade, pick it up again without missing a glide of his skates and wrist it into the net for yet another goal. But not this year. Goal Scoring Dries Up Tessier’s stats as a rookie VHL centerman were respectable. 18 goals and 19 assists for 37 points on a young and rebuilding team – not bad. And Tessier expected that early “success” to continue. He didn’t expect to be a 40 goal scorer and top the leaderboards, but he is only on pace to notch 17 goals this season – one less than in his rookie campaign. This is partly due to his recent draught. In the last eight games, Tessier has managed to net only 1 goal. One goal in EIGHT games! Tessier is beyond discouraged. 17 goals on the season would have to be considered an unmitigated disaster – especially since it would be taking a step backward from his rookie campaign and in spite of working harder on scoring than anything else (other than defense). More Helpers, but … Coaches, in an attempt to lift Tessier up and boost his confidence, have tried to focus Tessier’s attention on improvements in the rest of his game. For instance, last season Luc managed a total of 19 assists. This season he is on pace for 32 helpers which is getting close to doubling his output from just one season ago. Coaches correctly point out that this is concrete evidence of improvement in his game. Tessier grumbles and counters that it isn’t that he is seeing the ice any better or making any more accurate passes, but that his teammates have just gotten better and hitting the net – unlike himself. And it is true that players from last year have all gotten better while Davos’ GM @GustavMattias has brought in some excellent new talent that have the Dynamos from Switzerland firmly in second place in the European Conference only 3 points behind the conference leaders, Malmo. Shot Efficiency Lagging Tessier’s teammates may be getting better at hitting the net, but he knows that he is not. A decrease in scoring can sometimes be explained by a different role on the team. A guy could be cast in the role of playmaker and that would seem to be the case with Luc’s skyrocketing assist total – until you look at his shooting stats. He may be earning more assists, but he is also shooting more than last season. A lot more. In S78, Tessier put 193 shots on goal. Thus far into S79, he has already put 97 pucks on net which puts him on pace for 240 shots for the season. That’s an approximate increase by 25% and yet his goal production is down. Why? Because Tessier is wildly inaccurate. 29 games in Tessier’s shooting percentage is an abysmal 7.2%. To put that in perspective as if 7.2% isn’t obviously sub-VHL performance, this rate puts him only above one Davos defenseman for worst on the team and a full 2 points behind his rookie numbers. Tessier Responds So, with such a dismal performance thus far, what is Tessier to do. His one comment for this article was in response to that question, “My performance is down. No doubt about it. No excuses. But what am I to do? There is only one answer. Keep working. Always keep working. Watch the film. Listen to coaches and veteran players. Do the reps. Rinse and repeat until I am performing to the level I know I am capable of. And then keep working.” 658 words

1. Let's just say we've had some good sims. What's the best way to keep that momentum going through the whole season? Head down, keep the feet moving. Well, not literally head down. Good way to get crushed by one of those goonish D-men. 2. It turns out that the Big Gustav Moves did not stop after the offseason ended, as we just traded for forward Addison McLaren from Toronto! It does come at a cost, though--all of our high picks are gone. Is this worth it? Not my place to second guess management. My job is to play the best center I can and focus my energy on on-ice strategy - not roster moves. 3. It occurred to me that I never announced this season's captains. Though we have two captains from previous seasons still in place, one spot remains open! Who would you call the leader of our team (among players not named Taro)? Doesn't it have to be Reinhart? 4. What's something you hope to accomplish in the next 10 years? Win a Cup! 5. You can instantly master any one language. Which do you pick and why? Welsh. Don't know if it is due to ancestry or whatever, but as I stepped foot in Cymru, I felt "home". 6. Who's your favorite historical figure? Well, gotta be Jesus, but on a non-religious note I'd say Martin Luther King, Jr. is way up there. Oh, he was a pastor, so not so non-religious. lol

Not sure I'm on the ping. Can you add me if necessary?

Review: One of the best pieces I've read when you look at it from the perspective of putting all the elements together. The writing is really topnotch. Longer descriptive sentences written with enough skill to stay punchy and easy to read in spite of their length. The use of color helps draw our attention to the important player and facts without its use being so constant as to be gaudy. Strong research into granular detail like how many hits a defenseman has notched over the seasons and how consistent they have been. Great analysis about a great team. 9.5/10

Review: Not going to lie. I'm a sucker for a list, but this one sets itself apart by choosing names that set their players apart. And it is undeniable that naming is huge in sim leagues, so this is spot on for relevancy. Also love the layout - so easy to whip through and even some appropriate graphics along the way. Thanks. 8/10

1. Our first week or so of sims hasn't been remarkable, but it has brought us some wins, which is more than we've been used to lately. What are your first impressions for this season as a whole? I've been on vacation and kind of missed what is going on. Have to say I love being in first place even if it is early. 2. How do you feel about your individual production so far? Underwhelmed to be honest. But can you really double your performance in on year. Goals are basically flat. Assists have skyrocketed though so that's good. FO% also climbing. 3. What's your best hot take for this season, unrelated to Davos? The new league VHLE will fold. 4. Have you been watching the Olympics? If so, what have you seen? Nope. 5. What's an underrated YouTube channel you think everyone should know about? I don't know if it is underrated, but I like SwitchUp. 6. What's the last thing you ate? Some beautiful ribs at my favorite KC BBQ place - Jack Stack.

Reveiw: I love this article - my kind of humor and formatted so it was super easy to scan. I mean, lines like this are too good: "If and when they reply by offering you an invitation for an interview, read: ''2. refuse to take interviews'' part above and continue from there." Nice to see an alternative to the useful kind of advice - though if you read it right (think opposite), you have great advice. 10/10

Review: This is almost too easy to write. This seasonal offering is always brilliant. So much thought put into it from the names of the awards (c'mon "The Timex Award - takes a licking, but keeps on ticking, for the most hits received can't be beat) to the pouring over stats to find the right players. Also, has Tessier embarrassed enough that he will be working on his Faceoff skill. 10/10

1. We've made some BIG moves since the last time we talked here, bringing in Patrik Laine from Helsinki and acquiring the rights to free agent Gunnar Odinsson. Do you agree with our decision to try to turn things around this season? Absolutely! Let's see what kind of a step forward we can make. Then we can assess where we are at for next season. 2. Speaking of Odinsson, what's one thing you'd say to our friend @BOOM about why we're the place to sign over anyone else? Speaking as a Frenchman, would have to say the unlimited cheese offered at the team training table. Now it's all Swiss and no French, but it's still pretty dang good. 3. I've hinted that there's one more big move on the way this offseason--what do you think it is? Wrong answers only. You are trading away that bum, Tessier. Clearly a bust. 4. As there's no trivia in the offseason, what do you do instead? Do you do an extra .com task or try reviewing? Do you skip your last 2 TPE entirely? I usually review when short 2 TPE. 5. Today it was announced that bigAL will be taking over as the VHL's third commissioner. How well do you know Al? Do you think he's the right one for the job? Played with him in DC. Awesome choice! 6. With VHLE GM applications open--would you like to be a VHLE GM? If so, why do you think you'd be a good fit? If not, who would you like to see get a job? Not me. Just was chosen as the new minor league GM of the California Firehawks in the PBE and that will keep my hands full. How about my pal from the Marlins @Mistxh J

Happy 14th birthday, VHL! Can't wait until you are 50!

Dear Mom and Dad, It feels kind of strange writing to you in English, but since you asked me to do so in addition to our weekly phone conversations so that you can practice your English, I guess it is ok. I mean, it’s more than ok – I am happy to help out. It is just that I am not sure practicing English with your non-native English speaking son is as much help as other things could be. But it does help me, too, as I try to get better communicating in this very difficult language. One of the things that really throws me for a looper (Is that the right idiom? My roommate, TheCheese, isn’t around right now to ask, so …) is the spelling. There don’t seem to be any rules at all and you just have to memorize so much. I had a journalist who was learning French tell me that it’s our language is the hard one to spell, but she was really just talking about how you have to learn how a sound is spelled since it is different in different languages. But in French, once you learn that, it remains constant. But I use this as an example: GHOTI is a legitimate way to spell the English word “fish” by using the way those letters sound in some words, but not all. Here is how that works. The GH can sound like “f” in words like “rough”. The O can sound like a short “i” in words like “women”. And the TI can sound like “sh” in words like “nation”. And while we are at it, what is up with how “gh” together is sounded. It can be “f” as in rough. It can be “ow” as in bough. And it can also be “oo” as in words like through. My head hurts! Anyway, I should talk a little about the season just passed since that is what occupies most of my time over here and it would be great for you to get comfortable with the English way of talking about this great sport. It would help you understand the articles you are reading online and if you watch any of our games on SkyNet, it will also help understand the commentators. That is, if the broadcast is coming out of England. So, a huge highlight for me is that I was just named to the VHL All-Rookie team! They only name a starting 6 players so I was nominated as one of only three forwards. Of course you know that I scored the most goals of any rookie this season – not the most points, you understand, but the most goals. I am really happy about that, but it also means I have to work on my playmaking and passing skills to truly be better at my chosen position. Another thing I need to work on is my faceoffs. I led the VHLM the season before coming up, but apparently I was dead last in the VHL in my rookie season. I expect to struggle early on as I get used to the higher level game, but that is absolutely embarrassing! Coach says not to worry about it and to concentrate on improving some other parts of my game first, but I can tell you – I will be taking a lot of extra faceoffs whenever I can get an experienced center or a coach to give me pointers. I’m also watching lots of film of Taro Tsujimoto. Well, I had better get this in the mail so I’ll stop here. Je vous aime beaucoup, tout les deux. Je vous téléphonerai à midi (temps français) comme d’habitude. Votre fils, Luc 616 words

1. Today, the Warsaw Predators took home the Continental Cup, making them this season's champions! Do you have an opinion on who you would have preferred between them and Seattle, their opponents? Definitely happy Warsaw won. I have emotional ties to Poland having majored in Polish at university (for all of one year) and I don't like dynasties unless I am on them. lol 2. We've entered the draft lottery tournament! Do you think it's realistic that we can improve our chances somewhat with a good run here? Of course. Our success is always realistic. 3. What are your predictions for this offseason? Do you think we take it slowly and try to continue what's been a gradual but promising development, or do we make some big moves and try to turn the corner into "good team" territory? Given we just landed Patrick Laine, I'd say we are going for bigger moves. 4. Anyone who's talked to me any longer than 5 seconds knows that I like to complain about my job. What's your worst work story? First non-lawn mowing job I had was working in a factory for $2.65/hour in the heat of Kansas City with no AC. Sweat dripping off all day long. Mind numbing work. BUT, it did teach me the value of education. lol 5. Do you like your water cold or at room temperature? I personally hate it if it isn't cold, but I know a few people who would disagree... Cold, colder, coldest. 6. You have until the start of next season to make your player the league's most-recognized name. What do you do to make that happen? Begin a social media blitz that publicizes my stunts like sky diving out of a plane in full hockey gear to land on top of the Davos hockey rink.

1) Who/what should the Davos mascot be? A mountain goat. A Swiss mountain goat of course. 2) Davos is going to do three warm up games to spread out the love of the vhl where do they play them Australia. 3) why did you pick that place for q2 To honor Berocka for putting this presser up. 4) do we miss Gustav Are you kidding? I didn't sleep the whole time he was "dead". 5) where would you like to go on holiday. Wales. Love that place. 6) what is the coolest thing you have planned for the back half of the year Not a lot of plans, but psyched for a little vacation back to Kansas City for seeing friends, 5 Royals games, BBQ-paloooza, and sundries.

With the Seattle sweep of Chicago and Warsaw up 3-2 on Prague, the Cup Final is just around the corner. With the season drawing to a close, it’s perhaps time to take one last look back at Luc Tessier’s first year in the VHL. Setting the Stage Tessier came up after just one season in the junior circuit and just a handful of TPE over the cap. There was no third league at that time for him to continue growing in and it is a bit doubtful he would have gone there anyway knowing that he could be of some help with the parent club. Performance vs. Fellow Rookies By all measures of personal performance, S78 would have to be called a “banner year” for the HC Davos’ newest centerman. Let’s start with his performance against his fellow rookies. Tessier finished fourth overall among rookies in points. This he accomplished by notching 18 goals and 19 assists in his inaugural season in the VHL. He may have been fourth in points, but he was by far and away the top goal scorer. His 18 goals are 4 more than second place Jan Hlozek and a full 8 more than top point man, Hard Markinson. Of course, both Hlozek and Markinson are defensemen. Performance on Team Tessier’s 18 goals were good for fourth on the Dynamo and his 19 assists made him fifth in that category. That’s not lighting the league on fire, but it’s a very fine performance for a first-year man. An aspect of his game that Tessier will really want to improve is faceoffs. He won just 42.8% in his first year which put his third out of three active centermen. Tessier just equalled number 2, Jim Allen’s, TPE at the end of the season, however, and Luc is likely to improve upon his teammate’s performance in the circle in the S79 campaign. Performance vs. Guy Lesieur My first player, Guy Lesieur, enjoyed solid success in the league so it is always interesting to me to compare his and Luc’s rookie starts. Both came up after just one season in the juniors so the comparison on this basis is very even. Lesieur notched 12 goals and 10 assists in his rookie season. This is respectable, but Tessier eclipsed both of those marks – goals by a margin of 6 or a 50% improvement on Lesieur and assists by 9 almost doubling Guy’s tally. So, definitely a much better opening campaign for Tessier. Off-Ice Considerations Whereas performing on the ice is the real goal, it is also worth taking a look at off-ice considerations when evaluating a rookie season. As a rookie, you also have to find your footing in the organization establishing relationships with management, teammates, and the fan base. All this is going well too. Tessier seems on the same page with his GM and is enjoying the locker room camaraderie with the rest of the Dynamo squad. Davos may not have enjoyed the success the team had hoped for at season start, but everyone knew it would take 2-3 years to become truly competitive. Tessier’s rookie season with the squad has him already looking forward to the start of S79 533 words

Review: Always enjoy reading how someone got into the league and hearing a little about what it means to them. Felt like this was a fairly tight 514 words without a lot of filler to make it to the limit. Nothing distracting in the article to drive one off the main path. 7/10

Review: Nice article with succinct recaps, but the highlights covered well. It's a little thing, but appreciated the logos for the opposing teams flanking the title for each section. Sorry to have had my Marlins go down, but well told. 9/10

1. We ended the season with a 4-win streak and a run of very good sims, saving ourselves from finishing last and finishing in 15th instead, ahead of Vancouver! What's the very first thing you do to celebrate? I can appreciate the fact that we did not come in last, but Luc Tessier does not "celebrate" 15th out of 16th. I can celebrate that our future looks brilliant and we won't be 15th for long. 2. In the very last game of the season, we took down Riga, playing spoiler to someone's season as they would have made the playoffs had they picked up even one more point. Is this a feel-good moment for us, or does it not matter? Is it just a feel-bad moment for the Reign? I think there is a measure of feel good as it means other VHL teams can't really take us for granted and they know we won't quit in any game at any score at any place in the standings. 3. The playoff teams are set! Chicago/Seattle/Calgary/New York/DC in North America, and Warsaw/London/Prague/Helsinki/Malmo in Europe. What's your early cup prediction? DC Dragons over Warsaw in the Cup. That will shake the league up. 4. What's the best way you've seen someone get harmlessly pranked? Can't beat the classics. Shaving cream in the skates at a practice - never a game - is hard to top. 5. What are your favorite things to do on a long car trip? Totally not asking because I need ideas. Sing. Discuss life hopes and dreams. Plan a trip. 6. I always feel weird whenever I get a press conference up after Tuesday or so. Does it matter to you when in the week ours goes up, or should I stop worrying about it and keep it up as usual? I'm always totally off on when I answer these and for what week, but that's ok with me. Still get to see the creative questions and still earn the same precious TPE.

1. With the trade deadline come and gone, big-league rosters are finalized. Were there any moves you feel we could have missed out on? For our stage of development, I think we are in good shape. Do you realize we have 3 of the top 10 rookies in the league? 2. The team goes out to compete on Survivor (if you've never seen it, picture a game where you compete in challenges, find your own alliances, and vote others out of the game while trying to stay in it yourself). Who's the first person you vote out? I would refuse to vote a teammate off and get DQ'ed and kicked off myself. 3. The NHL is down to its final four teams! Who's your favorite out of those who are left? Montréal 4. With the E league putting a couple team names out for a public vote, what do you prefer? Paris Revolution or Guardians? Berlin Steel or Foxes? Paris Révolution 5. The Olympics are back this year! Which (summer) Olympic sport is your favorite? Baseball 6. You get an hour to yourself in an arcade. How do you win as much as possible? I don't even know what the choices are. Not going to win much. lol

Claiming Week 2 of 2 [Week ending 6/27]

To be clear, I'm not accusing anyone of any sympathizing for the Nazi cause. It's just a terrible idea to have a tank logo for Berlin (or probably anyone really) and am satisfied that we've had a chance to have a conversation and all agree it's off the table.

Glad to hear from an actual German about the horrible idea of a tank logo for Berlin. Listen to him. WWII, Holocaust, Nazis. This gets picked and I may be exiting the VHL. Seriously, I cannot even believe this got out of the room it was discussed in so that it was put to a vote. Very, very disappointing. And it's winning by a 2-1 margin. I am so sad for the league.