HOF

Causing A Rift

Scotty Campbell, Leeroy Jenkins, Kevin Brooks. Aidan Shaw, Daisuke Kanou, Sterling Labatte. Almost always the most memorable players of a generation are those who were the best. Yet despite Odin Tordahl's offensive heroics, Remy LeBeau and Tuomas Tukio matching if not exceeding the accomplishments of Kanou and Shaw, and even some defensive dominance from Ryan Sullivan and Conner Low, you could make a strong case that the defining player of this concluding decade was Skylar Rift. Rift was not an untalented player by any means and one of the best goaltenders of his time. He has yet to be inducted into the Hall of Fame though, and is only a dark horse in his fourth season of eligibility and that's because for all his talent, Rift was synonymous with drama and controversy. One off-season in particular made a huge impact on the VHL.

You will have read about Skylar Rift in the earlier pieces of this series. One of the three great S31 goalies alongside Tukio and LeBeau, Rift was also a rookie goaltender for the playoff constants, the New York Americans, in Season 32, the only season during their run that they won a Continental Cup. In between older generational talent Benjamin Glover and the brief but excellent tenure by an all-time great in Alexander Labatte, Rift's one-season stop seemed a bit out of place in the bigger picture of New York's dynasty (or lack thereof), especially with him being the only champion of the three. Indeed, having won the S30 World Cup as back-up, then followed it up with the Founder's Cup with the newly-formed Yukon Rush after expansion in S31, the Cup win meant Rift became the youngest ever member of the Triple Gold Club. It wasn't thought of as much but alongside his immediate impact on a VHLM expansion franchise, it should have been a sign that Rift would make his mark on history.

His move away from New York was an uncommon one but fairly easily explained. Rift's player agent, New York GM Ryan Power wanted to step aside in favour of Chris Miller, agent of Calgary's star defenceman Ryan Sullivan. With Wranglers franchise goaltender Marius Henchoz having just retired, the move suited both sides, with the Americans expected to acquire a short-term fix in net of their own (it ended up being Labatte). Calgary GM Jason Glasser had acquired a goaltender to build for the long-term and though New York would end up defeating Calgary in the playoffs for the third straight season, the Wranglers could afford short-term losses as they were well-positioned for the future, or so it seemed.

The fact that Season 33 was the last year of Rift's entry-level contract didn't really bother anyone, since surely a young goaltender, seen as the long-term solution in a storied franchise with big ambitions, wouldn't just get up and leave. Obviously he did and collaborated with fellow free agent, winger Yuri Grigorenko, who himself had left Calgary a season earlier to sign in Helsinki, to land in Quebec, home of the just three-year-old Meute. The shocking off-season was sealed when the HC Davos Dynamo, under my new management, were in full firesale mode and dealt the young Wesley Kellinger for all of Quebec's picks in the S35 and S36 drafts. In a matter of a day or two, the Quebec City Meute went from zero to hero, or rather the new VHL villains.


If the whole NHL didn't know about this pair's plans, it would be a comparable situation

“I remember being quite stunned by all of it. As the General Manager of New York, I really wanted to make a play on getting Grigs but this big set of moves really complicated things for myself. As an opposing General Manager it didn't hurt my feelings to see Calgary suffering. Obviously it wasn't the end of the world for Calgary, but they definitely took a hit in the long-term with this move. Davos of course was entering the rebuild that we all knew was coming, and this group of picks would further help that. Meanwhile Quebec finally had a contender after pretty much being a non-factor since their creation. It was a huge move for a team that was able to take advantage of a few things and shake the VHL landscape.” - Chris Miller

“As a GM at the time I really didn't have any respect for the way Quebec City was built. They built their team with three players, the Valiqs, joining the team to give them a huge advantage to play together. They then got lucky again when Rift decided to make up a cheap excuse to leave Calgary through free agency to join them, and then was followed by another free agent Grigorenko. It really was a stroke of luck for Quebec to get two big free agents when most teams never get just one. Since they got all these players for 'free', it basically gave them leverage to just trade all their draft picks for one more player, Kellinger. I quite enjoyed stealing a lottery draft pick from them when I traded Tuomas Tukio to Quebec.” - Mitch Higgins

“It revealed itself in bits and pieces, but was at least on some level a surprise until the end. First, I assumed I was getting Rift back. He was the goalie, and it was largely unheard of for goalies to do anything like this, plus there was a value tied into the Sullivan trade where it just made sense to me that he was coming back. Then even when he first said he was going to FA, I was told I was one of the teams in contention, and also that if all else stayed the same he was going to return (at that time, I still believed he was returning). Other teams would have to outright improve to get him, which ultimately Quebec did, but it seemed to me like he intended to wait until all moves were made. I ended up making moves to get better as well, but by that point the decision had been made.” - Jason Glasser

“It was about 75 percent through the season once I realized that Jason had no clue that Rift's contract was set to expire that I began to ponder free agency. I made the commitment just before the playoffs started that if he didn't at all acknowledge the situation, I'd test. Whatever I told Jason after the the free agency period started was me milking it, and building drama towards the situation. Including me telling him that I'd like to see what was out there. I had zero intention of returning to Calgary before the playoffs started and I had made my decision.” - Skylar Rift

It is difficult to do the shock of this event justice even with the context. Effectively, Quebec did two things which are frowned upon in the VHL reputation-wise: signed multiple free agents at once and sold their future. It was well worth it as the Meute became instant contenders and ultimately won a Continental Cup in Season 35, the only to date by an expansion team, but in a league where people enjoy assigning certain images to certain teams, the Meute were the obvious bad guys. Whereas the Cologne Express built up from the ground and we seen as unlucky to miss out on both their targets in free agency who could have propelled them to elite status, Quebec quite clearly wanted to win by all means. Even before this off-season they were not much liked for having easy access to the three Valiq brothers (Alexander, Niklas, and Tomas) who all came from elite player agencies and, in the case of Niklas and Tomas, wanted to be drafted by the Meute because Alexander was there as the founding piece of the franchise brought in by his agent, GM Pavel Koradek. Following it up by winning an important draft lottery in S34 and securing the highly-touted Doug Clifford, then signing two star free agents in their prime and splashing assets to land the S33 first overall selection, Quebec looked increasingly like the spoiled and privileged kids on the block, and they loved it.

More importantly, neither Grigorenko, Rift, or Kellinger were really expected to move at this stage in their careers. Rift, as mentioned, appeared to be set as a Wrangler for life and written confirmation wasn't required for the public to think of that: goaltenders simply didn't leave contenders. Kellinger, the first overall pick in a stacked S33 draft, was seen as the lone future piece for a struggling Davos team, not an asset to quickly cash in for draft picks like some veteran with a season or two left. Of course, Kellinger was not all too happy with the Davos situation and would not provide guarantees that he would stick around for a protracted rebuild, which eventually benefited from the draft picks acquired for him. Yet the public didn't know this, much like they didn't know that Grigorenko, having already been a high-profile free agent a season earlier, wouldn't stick around with his second team. It wasn't just any team either; the S33 Helsinki Titans were one of the greatest regular season teams of all-time and were dreadfully unlucky to not make the cup final. Despite that, Helsinki was still expected to compete for a while and it didn't make sense, on the surface, for Grigorenko to jump ship. Perhaps he wouldn't have if Rift and Kellinger (on the trade market) weren't readily available to not simply add to an existing cup contender, but create a new one.

“I wanted to pick one of the two expansion teams. I knew that immediately when I tested. I liked Kendrick and Cologne however they already had a goalie and the "core" in Quebec felt more ready to compete sooner. However as anyone close to the situation knows I left the decision entirely up to Grigs. I had been in talks with both Koradek and Kendrick about doing what it takes to acquire Kellinger, and I was in talks with Victor as well as he was oh so happy about what I was doing because it severely made selling Kellinger a million times easier. Ultimately Grigs decided Quebec. I'm happy he did. Not just because I eventually was able to win a cup with both Kyles [Dowd and Snow, agents of Tomas Valiq and Kellinger respectively], a curse I was happy to break. But because there was no way I was going to stick it out a whole career. I never wanted Quebec to be some long standing run. It was meant to be what it was, a quick few seasons shot at glory with the scumbag goalie and his free agency friend, while trading all the assets for a up and coming elite player in Kellinger. We came, we conquered, we competed one more season and then it all blew up.” - Skylar Rift


The Meute were rather pleased with themselves

The Quebec City Meute ended up going to the playoffs for three seasons with Rift on board and one more unnecessary push following his typically shocking retirement by acquiring Tuomas Tukio. In Season 35, it all came together and Rift claimed his sole Aidan Shaw Trophy as well as the Daisuke Kanou Trophy as playoff MVP, thus helping both the Yukon Rush and Quebec secure their maiden championships, while taking the post-season plaudits. For Grigorenko and Kellinger, there wasn't much individual glory as the Meute never really found the balance to allow their enormous offensive talents to truly take the league by storm. Grigorenko retired with two Continental Cups but no individual awards and thus no case for the Hall of Fame, while Kellinger got his second cup later when he himself ironically turned his back on Quebec and left for New York in free agency along with Tukio. In another case of “funny how life works”, Kellinger's final season, Season 40, wound up being with the Cologne Express as the Americans could no longer afford his salary.

What is often forgotten is that Season 35 was also when Quebec won their first playoff series. They didn't make the final in Seasons 36 or 37, stymied by a new storyline, Remy LeBeau and the Toronto Legion, but they also didn't make the immediate impact in Season 34 either. No, despite their regular season prowess, Rift, Grigorenko, the Valiqs and co found their antidote in, and it could only be them, the Calgary Wranglers, who refused to die with the departure of their franchise goaltender. Instead, they turned to Davos, who benefited so much from being able to pull off the Kellinger trade, and dealt for the retiring inactive goaltender Satan and their own former captain Alexander Chershenko. While Satan was there merely to fill a gaping hole, though Calgary's playoff success was eerily similar to S33 champions Riga's with the inactive Jehovah, it was Chershenko's rekindled chemistry with Volodymyr Rybak and Clark Marcellin which led a Cinderella run for the Wranglers. Calgary finally found a way past New York and then defeated Quebec in a dramatic Game 7, before finishing off a hat-trick of Game 7s with a loss to, of course, the Helsinki Titans. Both Rift and Grigorenko's former teams finished the season better than the Meute, and while this is largely forgotten due to Quebec's ultimate success, it was still a nice vindicating moment for the rest of the league.

“Continental Cups are great, but a moment that will be remembered in Calgary forever was the final whistle at the end of the season 34 North American Conference Championship. Having Rift leave the team the way he did and then to take him out of the playoffs with our own hands, I mean I don't want to say we were vindicated in that moment because we ultimately did lose to Helsinki in the finals, but don't think for a second that wasn't a motivating factor in that series. The players felt it, the coaches felt it, the fans felt it. We wanted that series, probably more than we wanted the next series and the cup, which is probably why we lost the next round. We had won our cup. We did the job we set out to do and were treated to a hero's welcome back home even without the title.” - Jason Glasser

That effectively covers the events of the bizarre and unexpected S33 off-season. The fall-out was immense, with the Meute forced to defend themselves against an onslaught of aggrieved self-proclaimed victims who couldn't sign free agents. In a league where high-profile free agents are a rarity, seeing two sign for the same team generally doesn't sit well with VHL members and so Rift and Grigorenko got some ire as well. For Rift, this seemed to be his natural habitat, as he donned the moniker of “Two-Face” and made sure to issue nothing close to an apology to Calgary, instead focusing the attention on himself and how revolutionary and dramatic a move he made. If you don't believe me, the man himself has not altered his position six seasons on.

“I essentially screwed Calgary and tested free agency because I was sick of having to help run a team. Going into Calgary, Jason had a reputation as a top flight GM in the VHL. As a friend of his from the site, I figured I'd have a blast playing with Calgary. Once I got there I learned that Chris [Miller] had been doing the lines and helping Jason with some other minor GM things. Throughout my first and only season in Calgary I began to question Jason as a GM. He was smart, savvy, and was excellent at scouting prospects for drafts. However he didn't feel as committed as I thought he would be. He had a busy life, time on multiple sim leagues and it left absences. He wasn't a big contributor in the locker room or from a team spirit perspective and I ended up actually drafting for Calgary the off season after I was traded, as he wasn't able to be present. It is no secret that I was worn out from GMing after stepping down from New York. In order to be a good GM in this league it can take a lot out of you, and while I wouldn't call myself a great GM, I certainly felt I did a capable job in New York. But it was exhausting.

The other reason would be that I saw an opportunity to make it more enjoyable for me to play as a goalie. It did, for a period, although I still retired early. I felt like the drama of a key player bailing on a team, and shaking everything up was interesting. It doesn't happen really that often in the VHL, mostly because it leads to ruined GM/player relations for the future.” - Skylar Rift


How Rift saw himself

Grigorenko was quieter and less interested in the limelight; in all likelihood his second defection wouldn't have been thought of as much if he had signed separately from Rift. He didn't though and the collaboration annoyed a sufficient amount of people for the low-profile Yuri Grigorenko, as evidenced here, to forever be tied in VHL history alongside the infamous Skylar Rift. For the Russian winger, a second overall pick and a two-time cup a winner, this was undoubtedly the defining act of his career.

“Grigorenko had said that he wanted to test and potentially look at going elsewhere, and as a fellow pursuer of him, it would be fairly hypocritical of myself to say I was disappointed with him. He had every right to do it and obviously the situation was a pretty nice one in Quebec. Rift is definitely a little more tricky. With that being said, he wasn't offered a contract beforehand and again, when you hit free agency, you have that right. With that being said, I think I would have rather seen him stay in Calgary as I felt a little bad about the fact that Rift stayed there only one year after being traded to the Wranglers for Sullivan.” - Chris Miller

“Grigs never really bothered me, I mean skaters had gone to FA all the time, and with the Kellinger deal it made a lot of sense for him, it was just so unheard of for a goalie to do it that I never really saw it coming until I felt the knife. You don't have your franchise goalie up and leave and then just suddenly get over it. Fortunately, the actions of players in the Devise agency are not necessarily the actions of the agency itself, because its other players (Rauno Pajari and Logan Laich) as well as the agency itself are good guys. Rift, though, was never setting foot in the city of Calgary again. To this day there are fans out there who would throw things at him if he ever tried to attend a Wranglers game, and while I can't officially condone that behaviour, let's just say I might not happen to see it, intentionally.” - Jason Glasser

Was it the defining act of Rift's career though? After three teams in just five seasons, winning all he could, and then abruptly retiring midway through his fifth season, it's obvious that Skylar Rift would not be content with your average VHL career. Even in the rollercoaster that he enjoyed in the league, however, betraying a team and hitting a free agent as a still young franchise goaltender has to be the highlight of a career built upon breeding haters and controversy. Arguably no other player in the same situation would be willing to pull off a move like that, let alone involve another free agent, another team, and directly influence an all-time famous blockbuster trade. Due to the impact on Quebec, Calgary, Davos, to a lesser extent Helsinki, and even ostensibly untouched teams like New York, Riga, and Cologne, Rift's one decision may have well been the most influential of a generation.

“This was one of the pieces that defined it, I wouldn't say the single defining act because Rift made a career out of being a goalie that a team couldn't rely on in the long term and the Wranglers weren't the only team he did it to. Retiring early and leaving Quebec in a scramble (albeit one which they managed a solution to) was probably a bigger defining act as far as the league on the whole. Also, lest we forget the fact that Rift was with New York prior to the trade as a designated player, linked to then-GM Ryan Power, and was looked at as a long term solution there. He ultimately failed on three separate occasions to be reliable for multiple seasons for any team. That trend, more than any of the individual acts on any of the individual teams, defines the career of Skylar Rift.” - Jason Glasser

Where to end this? The only logical place would be with some final thoughts from the two people whose failure to have contract talks in advance caused one of the most dramatic off-seasons in VHL history. Are there any lingering regrets over their actions leading up to and during that off-season? Before asking them the questions, I figured that it wasn't likely. Turns out I wasn't far wrong.

“I would do something differently, but that thing would be not trading for him in the first place. I'd have kept Sullivan, maybe still dealt him if New York still needed a GM because it would be hard to want to deny an opportunity but I'd figure out some different piece to get. If anything, it would have possibly shortened the career of Clark Marcellin, and maybe hastened the arrival of Martin Brookside, if a goalie could be acquired by no other means. I know that some blame lies with me, Rift had mentioned extensions a few times, but I've always been a GM who separates the season from the business, and even now I negotiate that sort of thing when we're not in the midst of games. It's too much of a distraction to the franchise to be dealing with multiple fronts, and it doesn't allow for the full focus to be put on results where it belongs.” - Jason Glasser

“As much as I want to sell members on playing with me and having a good experience in the league, and team first and yada yada. Fuck all that shit. This league is about one thing. Your own enjoyment. If anything I feel BETTER having done what I did. There was a time when I was on Calgary that Jason was under some grand illusion that he would GM the Wranglers and keep them competing/relevant for an extreme amount of time. If anything, I feel my actions led Jason down a darker path, a path which, spoiler alert, could see his time with the Wranglers as GM be up sooner than later. Does it suck when a player does something like that to you? Sure. But a good GM works through it. I feel my actions proved Jason has been worn out from the position, and he scrambled, built a team to compete for a couple more season and then hasn't been able to get any real semblance together since. Even losing ANOTHER player to free agency after he traded for them.” - Skylar Rift

Don't leave these two alone in the same room. History-makers on opposite sides of the barricades rarely make for happy reconciliation stories.

End of Part 34
Special thanks to Chris Miller, Mitch Higgins, Skylar Rift, and Jason Glasser

Top 25 List
 
Current Record Holder:
Scotty Campbell - 11
Since Season 5
 
Updated as of Season 92

Up to date TPE leaderboard can be found on the portal: https://vhlportal.com/players/tpeleaders
 
Below leaderboard encompasses the leaders who played most of their careers prior to the weekly cap increase from 9 to 12 TPE (S58):
 
Blue = Hall of Famer
 
Top 20 All-Time TPE Earners - old weekly cap
 
1. (S42) Lord Karnage - 1,561
2. (S45) Phil Hamilton - 1,459
3. (S31) Tuomas Tukio - 1,400
4. (S37) Tom Slaughter - 1,326
5. (S33) Odin Tordahl - 1,311
6. (S40) Mason Richardson - 1,307
7. (S31) Kameron Taylor - 1,303
T8. (S31) Remy LeBeau - 1,301
T8. (S43) Hans Wingate - 1,301
10. (S28) Alexander Labatte - 1,300
 
11. (S40) Thomas O'Malley - 1,287
12. (S52) Rhett DeGrath - 1,286
13. (S53) Franchise Cornerstone - 1,276
14. (S27) Alexander Chershenko - 1,273
15. (S24) Benjamin Glover - 1,269
16. (S48) Unassisted - 1,249
17. (S54) Markus King - 1,234
18. (S52) Fabio Jokinen - 1,224
T19. (S35) Matt Bentley - 1,221
T19. (S48) Tyson Kohler - 1,221
 
Top 20 First-Gen TPE Earners - old weekly cap
 
1. (S31) Remy LeBeau - 1,301
2. (S30) Ethan Osborne - 1,212
3. (S33) Niklas Lindberg - 1,125
4. (S24) Daniel Braxton - 1,122
5. (S38) Don Draper - 1,011
6. (S23) Mitch Higgins - 1,010
7. (S19) Phil Gerrard - 994
8. (S20) Lars Intranquilo - 956
9. (S32) Anatoli Zhumbayev - 935
10. (S40) Jody 3 Moons - 931
 
11. (S37) Travis Boychuk - 926
12. (S18) Tarik Saeijs - 913
13. (S17) Cam Fowler - 900
14. (S43) Jorma Ruutu - 876
15. (S19) Kristian Carlsson - 844
16. (S16) Jardy Bunclewirth - 841
17. (S33) Karsten Olsen - 829
18. (S25) Vladimir Boomchenko - 824
19. (S15) Patrick Bergqvist - 822
T20. (S18) Mathias Chouinard - 801
T20. (S40) Jerrick Poole - 801
 
Top 20 First-Gen TPE Earners - new weekly cap (pre 9 season careers (S80))
 
1. (S63) Ryan Kastelic - 2,000
2. (S66) Julius Freeman - 1,741
3. (S63) Julian Borwinn - 1,725
4. (S78) Alex Johnston - 1,613
5. (S70) Jaxx Hextall - 1,565
6. (S67) Lincoln Tate - 1,546
7. (S66) Jerry Garcia - 1,541
8. (S67) Rayz Funk - 1,512
9. (S73) Dakota Lamb - 1,509
10. (S67) Hulk Hogan - 1,500
 
11. (S69) RJ Jubis - 1,469
12. (S73) Jeffrey Pines - 1,461
13. (S68) Raymond Bernard - 1,454
14. (S66) Charlie Paddywagon - 1,453
15. (S67) Scott Greene - 1,444
16. (S72) Alex Letang - 1,440
17. (S73) Groovy Dood - 1,436
18. (S63) Joseph McWolf - 1,434
19. (S69) Patrik Tallinder - 1,433
20. (S63) Dan Wilinsky - 1,431
 
Top 20 First-Gen TPE Earners - new weekly cap (including 9 season careers (post-S80)
 
1. (S83) Leandro Goncalves - 2,151
2. (S63) Ryan Kastelic - 2,000
3. (S84) Molly the Cat - 1,922
4. (S81) Daniel Janser - 1,868
5. (S82) Brian Payne - 1,818
6. (S66) Julius Freeman - 1,741
7. (S63) Julian Borwinn - 1,725
8. (S83) Jake Thunder - 1,677
9. (S85) Jesse Teno - 1,667 *still active
10. (S78) Alex Johnston - 1,613
 
11. (S70) Jaxx Hextall - 1,565
12. (S86) Lachlan Summers - 1,564 *still active
13. (S81) Alexandre Leduc - 1,562
14. (S67) Lincoln Tate - 1,546
15. (S86) Leonard Triller - 1,542 *still active
16. (S66) Jerry Garcia - 1,541
17. (S83) Siyan Yasilievich - 1,528
18. (S84) Dogwood Maple - 1,517
19. (S67) Rayz Funk - 1,512
20. (S73) Dakota Lamb - 1,509

Top 25 List
 
Current Record Holder:
Gabriel McAllister - 461
Since Season 61
 
Updated as of Season 92

Awards
Continental Cup
Victory Cup
Vladimir Kostka Trophy
Howe Trophy - Phil Gerrard
Tretiak Trophy - Andreas Bjorkman
Sam Pollock Memorial Trophy - Tyler Owens
Messier Trophy - James Bencharski

Roster
C - Phil Gerrard [A]
C - Lasse Milo
LW - Kevyn Hesje
LW - Markus Jenstrom
LW - Tukka Reikkinen
D - James Bencharski [A]
D - R.J. Stafford [C]
D - Clint Guite
D - Ronan O'Keefe
G - Andreas Bjorkman

All Stars
C - Phil Gerrard
C - Lasse Milo
D - James Bencharski
D - R.J. Stafford
G - Andreas Bjorkman

Article coming soon!

Jason Glasser
@diamond_ace
 
Joined: Season 19
Notable Players: Lars Intranquilo, Clark Marcellin, Martin Brookside
Positions Held:  VHL GM, VHLM Commish, VHLM GM, Mag Writer, Grader
 
I have known Jason for quite some time.  We have been in several leagues together and while this was one of the first where I saw what kind of member he was, I appreciate the fact that we have gotten to experience so many different ones together.  See, Jason was like how I used to be.  When I first caught the bug to do these sim leagues, I did as many as I could and that was something Jason did too.  On top of the many football leagues I saw Jason take part in, he was also a very active contributor over in the SHL and was a GM for a significant period of time there.  
 
I think in some ways, he did take on too much at times.  He always wanted to help a league thrive and would take on big roles and eventually they do add up.  In the Victory Hockey League, he immediately set out and became a grader and VHLM GM.  For those that knew Jason, you will know how terrific of a writer he was (so terrific that he will likely correct my grammar mistakes in this article) and it was a breath of fresh air reading his articles at times.  His dedication to helping leagues grow is a big reason why he is an inductee into the Victory Hockey League Hall of Fame.  He was a tremendous VHLM GM and played a big role in a lot of members being active and staying in the league.  I remember hearing it from Jericho before I really talked to either of them all that much.  At the time I stayed pretty distant, but it was impressive what he did with the Ottawa Ice Dogs.  
 
Jason's most notable VHLM GM run was with the Ice Dogs from Season 20 to 25.  In these six seasons, Glasser led Ottawa to two Founder's Cups and he was awarded the Jack Reilly Trophy twice for his work as the top executive of the VHLM.  Jason would later take on the role of Oslo's GM in Season 43, and kept the title for three seasons.  However, his success was far less significant as he had already started distancing the league at that point and took the role to try and help retaining numbers with the league needing some more stable General Managers to help keep rookies around.
 
After Jardy's successful GM run in Calgary, Jason was given the role as his first player, Lars Intranquilo, was becoming one of their more well-developed players.  Taking on the role in Season 26, Glasser would continue with the Calgary GM spot all the way until Season 41.  This sixteen year run as General Manager is the longest single run as a General Manager in Victory Hockey League history, and while some have questioned if he stuck around too long, Glasser managed to keep the Wranglers competitive for the majority of that entire run.  Over that span, Jason won one Continental Cup and three David Knight Trophy's, which were awarded to the league's top executive.  
 
I'd be lying if I said that my entire time playing under Jason in Calgary was smooth but he generally kept a strong locker room and had a great group of guys that supported him along the way.  We helped with lines, filling in at the draft if he couldn't be there and generally were very hands-on in helping him run the Wranglers.  While for some, this may hurt his value as a top GM, he got his players involved in a way that very few General Managers feel very comfortable doing, and still found success.  
 
For some, his GM run is the reason he should be inducted.  For me, while it is certainly a great accomplishment in some respects, I feel his overall contribution to various league activities and generally consistency are the reasons he should be inducted.  He consistently put out strong articles whether on the boards or through the magazine, which he was a long-time member of.  He also graded for quite some time and was one of the more detailed and meticulous graders in the league.  He found success as a GM in both the VHLM and VHL, and still was able to contribute in other jobs like VHLM Commish and in some international tournaments as well.
 
While he never made a player that got inducted to the VHL Hall of Fame, both Marcellin and Brookside found success in the league and were under consideration at times.  Intranquilo largely disappointed in the sim despite at one time being the most developed first generation player in league history.  With that being said, Lars still managed to have a strong career defensively and physically hitting the 1000-1000 club for hits and blocked shots.
 
Jason Glasser has been a member here for nearly 40 seasons and while he is not as active as he used to be, he is still who I think of when I think of the hand that runs the Calgary Wranglers.  We used to stay up and do online poker tournaments while discussing the VHL and he always had pride when talking about that organisation and the league as a whole.  While it took some some for Jason to be inducted, it was a pleasure to be a part of the voting committee to put him in.  Jason was a strong BOG contributor for many years and while we didn't always agree, he was always diplomatic and passionate when debating his side.  I really do hope he one day returns to this league as we could use more people like Jason Glasser.  Hard working individuals who while they take too much on, still do everything they can to help a league survive.  Hats off to you Jason on finally being inducted, and I am honoured to be able to write (and soon be critiqued) your Hall of Fame article.

Article coming soon!

Awards
Founder's Cup
Prime Minister's Cup
Vladimir Boomchenko Trophy - Diego Jokinen
Ryan Sullivan Trophy - Diego Jokinen
Benoit Devereux Trophy - Vernon Von Axelberry
Jack Reilly Trophy - Robbie Zimmers

Roster
C - Rudi Ying
C - Peter Quill
C - Rask Rowe
LW - Rusty Trombone
RW - Takashi Fujimoto
RW - Slava Aleksei
RW - Harambe
RW - Riley Harper
RW - Nino Gisler
D - Felix Savard
D - Diego Jokinen
D - Luca Volkov
D - Dexter Lane
D - Aksel Syndergaard
D - Ay Ay Ron
D - Emil Martinov
G - Vernon Von Axelberry
G - Revan Gotze
G - Alexander Wolf

Awards
Continental Cup
Vladimir Kostka Trophy
Howe Trophy - Matthew Pogge
Tretiak Trophy - Matthew Pogge
Messier Trophy - Scotty Campbell
Francis Trophy - Scotty Campbell

Roster
C - Scotty Campbell [C]
LW - Jon Clarke
RW - Jonathan McKelvie [A]
RW - Nevets Detroit
D - Markus Lidstrom [A]
D - Thor Ljunggren
D - Dean MacIntosh
D - Tommy Brown
G - Matthew Pogge

All Stars
C - Scotty Campbell
LW - Jon Clarke
RW - Jonathan McKelvie
D - Markus Lidstrom
D - Thor Ljunggren
G - Matthew Pogge

Awards
Continental Cup
Vladimir Kostka Trophy
Howe Trophy - Matthew Pogge
Tretiak Trophy - Matthew Pogge
Messier Trophy - Scotty Campbell
Francis Trophy - Scotty Campbell

Roster
C - Scotty Campbell [C]
LW - Jon Clarke
RW - Jonathan McKelvie [A]
RW - Nevets Detroit
D - Markus Lidstrom [A]
D - Thor Ljunggren
D - Dean MacIntosh
D - Tommy Brown
G - Matthew Pogge

All Stars
C - Scotty Campbell
LW - Jon Clarke
RW - Jonathan McKelvie
D - Markus Lidstrom
D - Thor Ljunggren
G - Matthew Pogge

Pavel Koradek
 
Joined: September 3, 2010
Member Number: 5,096
Positions Held: Graphics Grader, VHL & VHLM General Manager, (unofficially) Logo Designer
 
On March 7, 2011 I wrote a Media Spot about the young first-gen forward Pavel Koradek. It was the second part of a simple trade quite popular at that time, where a good sig-maker would make you a signature in exchange for a Media Spot. There was no doubt Koradek was one of the VHL's best sig-makers and so I tried to do his graphic justice with an article which not unreasonably predicted great things for the Davos rookie. It's fair to say that Koradek far exceeded those expectations, and not just on a player level.
 
The VHL has always prided itself on a selection of excellent graphics people and so it says something when a new member immediately stands out as a particularly strong sig-maker as Koradek did. He may not have been the greatest graphics maker to join the league, as this is after all a question of taste, but he was objectively very close. More importantly, unlike many talented members from that area, Koradek did not stop at earning a guaranteed 6 TPE a week and receiving regular acclaim – he made a significant effort to radically change the VHL's image for the better. The vast majority of the VHL and VHLM team logos which can be seen around the league were designed by Koradek, with only a couple VHL logos changed since they were introduced around Season 24. The same goes for the VHL and VHLM logos themselves, which gave both leagues a cleaner and more professional identity. On a visual level, and that can not be underestimated in the VHL's enduring appeal, Koradek's contribution has been probably greater than everyone else's combined.
 
Quiet and reserved throughout the career of Pavel Koradek, it would have not been a surprise if the multitude of logos had remained Koradek's only meaningful contribution to the VHL. Of course this wasn't the case as he officially consolidated his place in VHL lore by becoming an expansion GM alongside Joey Kendrick in Season 30. In addition to designing another two logos for both the Cologne Express and his own Quebec City Meute, he then went on establish the Meute as a credible VHL franchise, leading them to a Continental Cup as early as Season 35. Although it would be probably even unfair to say that the Meute's image as the league's pantomime villains was established by Koradek, as that is arguably largely the work of his successors, nonetheless his very practical use of the free agency and trade markets made the team a few enemies early on. With an expansion franchise there was a very strong possibility that things would go horribly wrong, especially with someone in charge who was unproven outside of a few seasons in the VHLM. Koradek proved any critics wrong and moulded the Quebec City Meute we know today, an achievement which can not be understated.
 
In the process of creating a good team in Quebec, Koradek also made his name with another Hall of Fame player, the goal-scoring defenceman Alexander Valiq, the only blue-liner in VHL history to score 300 goals. Two Hall of Famers out of two is an impressive achievement for anyone and it's notable that Koradek is only remembered for his great players as a mere footnote after acknowledging his contributions with the logos, the VHL's graphic-making community and establishing the Meute. It was pleasing to hear after his induction that Koradek has managed to use his time as the VHL's graphic guru to progress in the real world, which just shows that this sim league doesn't have to be a mere pastime and contributing here can also mean contributing on a much larger scale. He may not have been the most outspoken member, but I don't think anyone can deny that Koradek deserves any success he got and gets in the future for his time in the VHL.

S54 Training Camp -10 TPE

Awards
Continental Cup
Devon Marlow-Marta Trophy
Daisuke Kanou Trophy - Niklaus Mikaelson & Brady Stropko
Grimm Jonsson Trophy - Phil Villeneuve

Roster
C - A.C. Savage [A]
C - Rift Pajodcast
LW - James Faraday [A]
LW - Wolfgang Strauss
RW - Brady Stropko
RW - Jakub Rhinehart
D - Phil Villeneuve [C]
D - Nicklas Karlsson
D - Pablo Escabar
D - Borje Samuelsson
G - Niklaus Mikaelson

All Stars
LW - James Faraday
D - Phil Villeneuve
G - Niklaus Mikaelson

Awards
Continental Cup
Victory Cup
Vladimir Kostka Trophy
Howe Trophy - Phil Gerrard
Tretiak Trophy - Andreas Bjorkman
Sam Pollock Memorial Trophy - Tyler Owens
Messier Trophy - James Bencharski

Roster
C - Phil Gerrard [A]
C - Lasse Milo
LW - Kevyn Hesje
LW - Markus Jenstrom
LW - Tukka Reikkinen
D - James Bencharski [A]
D - R.J. Stafford [C]
D - Clint Guite
D - Ronan O'Keefe
G - Andreas Bjorkman

All Stars
C - Phil Gerrard
C - Lasse Milo
D - James Bencharski
D - R.J. Stafford
G - Andreas Bjorkman

C - Wesley Babiy
LW - Arcturus Mengsk
LW - Pietro Maximoff
LW - Lucas Zhukenov
LW - Conrad Jenkins
RW - Bogdan Podarok
D - Biggu Kyanon
D - Felipe Rodriguez
D - Bobby Digital
D - Theo Matsikas
G - Ariel Weinstein
G - Jakab Holik
 


 
C - Thaddeus Humbert
C - Sean Blacker
C - Essian Ravenwing
RW - Shawn Muller
RW - Tyson Kohler
RW - LeAndre St. Pierre
D - Phil Hamilton
D - Jeff Hamilton
D - David Hamilton
D - World B. Free
G - Hans Wingate
G - Greg Clegane
 


 
C - Sir William Covington III
C - Travis Gowceny
C - Kai Roberts
LW - Jordan Maverick
RW - Diana Maxwell
RW - AK47
D - Shayne Gow
D - Titan Kronos
D - Chuck Goody
D - Zach Voss
G - Apollo Skye
G - Ryan Price
 
Awards
Most Valuable Player: Jordan Maverick (USA)
Top Forward: Jordan Maverick (USA)
Top Defenceman: Biggu Kyanon (WOR)
Top Goaltender: Hans Wingate (EUR)
Breakout Star: Apollo Skye (USA)
 
--------------------------------------------
 
Top 10 Tournament Scorers
1. Jordan Maverick (USA) - 20
2. Kai Roberts (USA) - 18
3. AK47 (USA) - 16
4. Aleksi Koponen (SCA) - 15
T5. Phil Hamilton (EUR) - 14
T5. Tyson Kohler (EUR) - 14
T5. Max Molholt (SCA) - 14
T6. Bogdan Podarok (WOR) - 13
T6. Niels Skovsgaard (SCA ) - 13
7. Unassisted (CAN) - 12
 
--------------------------------------------
 
Final Standings
1st(Gold) - World
2nd(Silver) - Europe
3rd(Bronze) - USA
4th - Canada
5th - Scandinavia
6th - Mercenaries

Awards
Founder's Cup
Prime Minister's Cup
Skylar Rift Trophy - Lukas Muller
Vladimir Boomchenko Trophy - Lukas Muller

Roster
C - Alexander Thrower
C - Josef Adeline
C - Lukas Muller
LW - Miguel Pettyfer
RW - Beaver Beaverton
RW - Daryl Dortch
RW - Kaylan Noffke
RW - Kevin Jalopski
D - Aleksei Fedorov
D - Aksel Syndergaard
D - JourneyMan
D - Lil Gow
D - Roman Sokolov
G - Astrid Moon
G - Vernon Von Axelberry

OMG 

Awards
Continental Cup
Devon Marlow-Marta Trophy
Daisuke Kanou Trophy - Niklaus Mikaelson & Brady Stropko
Grimm Jonsson Trophy - Phil Villeneuve

Roster
C - A.C. Savage [A]
C - Rift Pajodcast
LW - James Faraday [A]
LW - Wolfgang Strauss
RW - Brady Stropko
RW - Jakub Rhinehart
D - Phil Villeneuve [C]
D - Nicklas Karlsson
D - Pablo Escabar
D - Borje Samuelsson
G - Niklaus Mikaelson

All Stars
LW - James Faraday
D - Phil Villeneuve
G - Niklaus Mikaelson

Awards
Continental Cup
Terence Fong Trophy
Scotty Campbell Trophy - Sandro Clegane
Aidan Shaw Trophy - Sandro Clegane
David Knight Trophy - Steve Smeall
Grimm Jonsson Trophy - Pietro Maximoff

Roster
C - Sir William Covington III
C - Kai Roberts [A]
LW - Pietro Maximoff [C]
LW - Jordan Maverick
LW - Vincent Virtanen
RW - Shawn Muller
D - Jeff Hamilton [A]
D - Titan Kronos
G - Sandro Clegane
G - Ilya Kopralkov

All Stars
C - Sir William Covington III
RW - Shawn Muller
D - Jeff Hamilton
G - Sandro Clegane

Founder's Cup
Prime Minister's Cup
Benoit Devereux Trophy - Rhett DeGrath
Jack Reilly Trophy - Bogdan Podarok
 
Roster
C - Mario Lee
C - Johnny Styles
LW - Austin Hickey V
LW - Conrad Jenkins
LW - Die Domi
LW - SkateFast McChunky
RW - Sami Zayn
RW - Motherfucker Sharpe
RW - Crash McClannahan
D - Izidors Balders
D - Fabio Jokinen
D - Xander Finn
D - Grigory Kopralkov
D - Dope Fiend
D - Brent Hardy
D - Tomas Syndergaard
D - Aksel Syndergaard
D - Roman Sokolov
G - Rhett DeGrath
G - mist4ke
 
Top Prospects
LW - Austin Hickey V
LW - Conrad Jenkins
LW - SkateFast McChunky
RW - Sami Zayn
RW - Motherfucker Sharpe
D - Fabio Jokinen
D - Xander Finn
D - Tomas Syndergaard
D - Aksel Syndergaard
D - Roman Sokolov
G - Rhett DeGrath

Founder's Cup
Skylar Rift Trophy - Jack Kraken & Elijah Dotran
Jack Reilly Trophy - Conner Low
 
Roster
C - Chris Fekete Jr
C - Kody Taylor
C - Fesler Klintos
LW - Jack Kraken
LW - KYLO
LW - Die Domi
LW - Adrian Kharlamov
LW - Leif Tresler
RW - R Truth
RW - Daryl Dortch
RW - Kevin Jalopski
RW - Kaylan Noffke
RW - Ryan Bucheler
D - Elijah Dotran
D - Misha Tobolsk
D - Alexander Kachur III
D - Friedrich Muller
D - Keith Sampson II
D - Nikolai Jakov
G - Rhett DeGrath
G - Sam Wall

Jardy Bunclewirth

Joined: March 24, 2010
Member Number: 13,232
Positions Held: VHL Commissioner, League Simmer, VHL & VHLM General Manager, Moderator, Media Spot Grader

It's fairly straightforward to differentiate a good first-gen from a bad one these days. Generally it's clear-cut before the draft which new members can be expected to stick around and which ones are just going through the motions, but this wasn't always the case. Technically speaking, “first-gens” existed from the VHL's first season but it's quite simple to pinpoint the exact moment when the term became popular. Shortly after Season 16, it evolved from the commonly accepted “new Jardy”.

It's a paradox in itself that Jardy was seen as the ideal first-gen when in truth, he was evidence of the extremely flawed recruitment and retention system. Picked in the third round of a mediocre at best draft, perhaps solely because Calgary GM Matt Bentz liked his player's name, Jardy was not active before joining a VHL team and his 0-point, little-ice-time performance with a terrible Bern team before the S16 draft was everything that was wrong with the VHLM. It's quite impressive that he ever stuck around and we're quite fortunate for it. From his first few weeks in Calgary (and their VHLM affiliate in Minot), it was quite clear Jardy was much more involved than the vast majority of fellow new members and inspired enthusiasm for his teams. The rise was meteoric, in Season 16 he was just a very active new guy who seemed to have the whole league on MSN, by Season 17 he was one of about three good writing graders and the GM of Minot, by the start of Season 20 he had won two Continental Cups, built a VHLM championship-winning squad, was league MVP and named a VHL commissioner.

By the time he was Calgary's GM and suddenly the league simmer in Season 23, Jardy was rightfully held up by the VHL as an example for any new first-gens of what can be achieved without 20 seasons of prior history. By this point there were so many more, less drastic, but nonetheless concrete examples of successful new members, but still Jardy reigned supreme. Perhaps it was his activity levels and success, both as a player and a member, which inspired other league veterans to promote activity among new members, or maybe it was simply a good period for league recruitment, but in any case Jardy became the flag-bearer for a new generation, which, more or less, stopped VHL stagnation and propelled it to another 20 seasons of existence and a much better 20 seasons than the first to boot.

In a way, it is a disappointment that I am writing Jardy's Builder article, as it is generally symbolic of a member's waning activity. In Jardy's case, that original spark, brighter than almost any I have witnessed here, has been on the wane for a long time, but he remains nonetheless an example of formidable longevity. Many newer members only know Jardy as the drunk who sims late or sometimes not at all and occasionally rants on various topics (a staple of his commissioner tenure), but the fact of the matter is he is the longest-serving simmer of the three in VHL's history. While scotty and sterling may have been more punctual and regular, they also didn't last as long, and in Jardy's now 20-season and counting run, any accusations of riggery have been either tongue-in-cheek or simply rare and unbelievable, for it is quite clear that he would never actually rig. That trust and a thick skin has allowed Jardy to maintain, with little objection, one of the most demanding jobs in the VHL for several real-life years.

I think it's fair to say that player success is far from the reason Jardy has stuck around or was so enthusiastic to start, for if anything, his original player Bunclewirth did not initially inspire a lot of confidence. That is, until he made it to the big leagues and proved the worth of additional VHLM development with three cups, a ridiculous point-per-game pace, and one of the greatest rookie season of all-time. An all-time great goaltender in CAL G followed, but it feels insincere to conclude this on Jardy's achievement in the sim. It's not a stretch to suggest Jardy and the example of Jardy contributed to the VHL existing for games to be simmed, not mention the actual act of them being simmed by him. I have been fortunate to keep in contact with him for a long time, from our time as graders and Calgary teammates, all the way through being fellow commissioners and now to living out a sort of post-active existence in the league. The constant positivity is and has been infectious, the stories and past events wonderful, and the VHL has undoubtedly benefited from the presence of Jardy over the years.

Awards
Continental Cup
Victory Cup
Devon Marlow-Marta Trophy
Daisuke Kanou Trophy - Edwin Reencarnacion
Kevin Brooks Trophy - Edwin Reencarnacion
Aidan Shaw Trophy - Blake Campbell
Mikka Virkkunen Trophy - E'Twaun Delicious

Roster
C - Thomas O'Malley [A]
LW - Edwin Reencarnacion
LW - Jorma Ruutu [C]
RW - Lloyd Light
RW - E'Twaun Delicious
RW - Evgeny Nezhmetdinov
D - Biggu Kyanon [A]
D - Thaddeus Humbert
D - Thomas Duddy
G - Blake Campbell

All Stars
C - Thomas O'Malley
LW - Edwin Reencarnacion
RW - Lloyd Light
D - Biggu Kyanon
G - Blake Campbell

Awards
Continental Cup
Devon Marlow-Marta Trophy
Daisuke Kanou Trophy - Zach Parechkin
Mike Szatkowski Trophy - Max Molholt
Alexander Beketov Trophy - Max Molholt
Scott Boulet Trophy - Zach Parechkin
David Knight Trophy - Mike Molholt
Grimm Jonsson Trophy - Zach Parechkin

Roster
C - Max Molholt
C - Kol Mikaelson
LW - Zach Parechkin [C]
LW - Marcel Faux
LW - Benjamin Zeptenbergs
RW - LeAndre St.Pierre
D - Francis York Morgan
D - Black Velvet [A]
D - World B. Free [A]
G - Hans Wingate

All Stars
C - Max Molholt
LW - Zach Parechkin
RW - LeAndre St.Pierre
D - Francis York Morgan
D - Black Velvet
D - World B. Free
G - Hans Wingate