JHS

BERN, Switz.- They say he's little more than a shadow, roaming the streets, halls, and ice rinks in the city of Bern at night, in search of the points he has been denied. Others say he is truly a real person, a citizen of Bern, who has been for so long forgotten by the world he has faded into the background of a city that once chanted his name in the streets. In either case, the legend of the man they call "Atticus Finch" was long forgotten by the beginning of the season, but strange happenings have occured to the point where the superstitious beliefs that the citizens once held have been revived. The other night, at the arena where the local hockey team, the "Bern Royals" play, his name reappeared above the locker where his things once stood, and even creepier than that, a few spectators reported they had seen a person who looked like him on the bench. According to the Royals, Atticus used to have a penchant for going missing, especially in the clutch. In fact, there was even an article written about it last season. But this time, It seems as though he has well and truly become a ghost on this earth. It used to be that he would go missing for games at a time, and although many people said they had spotted him on the ice for a second or two, he never made an impact anywhere in those periods. However, enough time has passed without him being seen that leading investigators say he has become one of the most elusive men in Bern. Labeled "The Ghost" by the people of Bern, searching for him has become a sport, and telling children about him has become almost like a fairy tale to the young ones. Nothing has been heard from Atticus Finch since last season. When the Bern Royals GM and the rest of his players were reached for comment, there were a few different reactions, but the feeling was the same: none of them know who he is. The other day, a man claiming to be Finch came to the Hockeynews outpost in Bern, and offered to give an interview about the current season. However, because none of the reporters there knew who Finch was or believed him, they declined on an interview. According to those reporters, he tried to claim that he was "A real hockey player, playing for the Bern Royals" and that "He wasn't a ghost, and tried to talk to plenty of people, its just that nobody cared to listen".He was also claimed to have stated that "every time I tell someone who I am, they don't believe me and say that I'm just a legend. I swear to god I'm a real person, please, someone's gotta listen to me. I'm going insane here". These words are obviously those of an impostor, and although they have no merit in an article and do not deserve to be printed here, I feel as though the type of insanity around the legend has grown so large that an example must be shown. At any rate, it seems as though this "Atticus Finch" is returning to hockey here in Bern, and so it will be watched with eager eyes for the rest of the season to figure out who the hell this guy is

The Hockey Times Bern, Switzerland- Breaking news out of Bern this morning, as it was discovered that Bern Royal's defenseman Atticus Finch had been rescued by local authorities late last night. Finch, who had not attended a team practice since midway through last season, had unknowingly been kidnapped and held captive by a local gangster group. The group, who refused to comment on the situation at all, had been holding him there in order to win large amounts of money by betting against Bern. Finch, who has obviously been affected greatly by the situation, was interviewed by a police interrigator, however due to his state of mental depreciation all he could do was mumble gibberish like "Scout, it's a sin to kill a mockingbird" and "That boy might go to the chair, although the truth has been told." Robert "Bob" Ewell, the man accused of leading this gang of criminals, had only this to say about the accusations: "I didn't attempt to kidnap nobody nohow." Ewell, who is from the same Alabama county as Finch, went away muttering something about "that damn Jem" and cursing the entire Finch clan. Atticus Finch is currently recovering in Bern General Hospital, but Bern Royals management say they will continue to honor Finch's contract through the season if he chooses to play, despite it technically having ran out after the season prior. Official statement from GM Sachimo Zoidberg stated: We're glad to have Atticus back in the Bern family. Obviously, his health and safety come first, but when he has recovered we will welcome him back to the team with open arms if he chooses to return." It must've been a harrowing experience for all of his friends and family. As the details and story of the event unfold we will be releasing it to the viewers. That's all from us here at The Hockey Times, goodnight Hockey Fans.

I like most of the people here, and I hate all the fighting that our two leagues tend to do. Not to be biased or anything, but I have noticed that VHL'ers do a lot more of the trash talking than we do. Those of us who are on the SHL will defend our league if people deride it. The only way to stop it is to cut out the stupid ass threads like this one and start carrying out any discussions on another league's qualities with maturity and respect.

I may not have seen the part 1 that you're talking about, but I've seen numerous threads either here (The one that Gorlab started a few months ago, and then the whole SHL to Anal debacle) to the long thread that Checkmate posted as well as other VHL'ers throwing their 2 cents in there. I've read this whole thread, and saw all of those ones too, and based on the past shit between our two sites people should know better than to post something this actively shitting on the SHL. I'm all for speaking freely, and I think everyone's entitled to their own opinions, but you all know full well that many members of the SHL post here, and so it should be fairly obvious that if you word your post in a derogatory way there will be backlash

You'd hate my SHL Sig then, it's kind of a clusterfuck

Knowing that earns you points in my book

Read my sig discription

>be me >Come over to VHL to update my player for the first time in month >See this shitstorm of a thread >Fucknah.gif seriously though, you can't do the whole "VHL is more superior and mature" circlejerk and then start an obvious bait thread like this. Immature AF

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ma9I9VBKPiw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-Qu_wEksbw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anRkutaPS9w http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfTDdqhMocU

This is Schweet! Can I use it as my sig?

Daniel Merica GOAT Team USA Head Coach tbh

Damn bae

The Dream begins in Minot Atticus Finch takes off his earphones, stretches his legs, and looks around. After a 5 hour flight from Massachusetts, he had finally touched down in Minot, North Dakota. "So this is Minot" he thought to himself, taking in his surroundings as he got off the plane. "This is where I'll be living for awhile". Atticus Finch had just 2 days ago been signed by the Gladiators of Minot, and left the state he had been living in for the last 6 years of his life. It was jarring, this sudden change in his life. He had always been told he'd be playing in the minors someday, just one short step from the big leagues. But once you're there, seeing the skyline, being thrown right into the midst of a tight playoff race, the reality of the situation really hits you. He collected his bags, and caught a taxi down to his new apartment in downtown Minot. It was interesting, looking around at his new home for the first time. It was a dreary little city, Minot, and it seemed almost kind of sad. He made a mental note not to let it get to him. It's not like he would have time to think about the scenery once he officially joined the team anyway. The life of a hockey player is a fast one, he knew, and in his journey to becoming one of the greats, he would have stops in many little dreary sad sack towns like this one. It was actually good that this place wasn't interesting, because now he knew there would be no distractions as he threw his whole being into training and becoming a better hockey player. As the car neared the destination, much like he was nearing his own destination of the VHL, he realized then and there why fate had sent him to Minot. The only thing he had been missing thus far was 100% focus on hockey. He sat at the window, thinking about the past, the present, and the future. In a few short hours, he would be shuttled down to the Arena for his announcement and press conference. But right now he was content to sit in his recliner, down a jack and coke, and think. Ever since he had first donned the pads at the age of 12, his entire life had been hockey. He had been the best player on his team in grade school, prep school, and even perhaps his college team. But now, each one of his teammates, and each one of his opponets, were the best players on their respective teams. He would have to fight for his respect now, he couldn't thrive on reputation alone. He knew he had the talent, but the question was, could he compete? Would he be able to show this league that he could be one of the greatest players of all time? Only time would tell, but for right now, the dream begins in Minot.

Gather children and you shall hear, the story of a man who, without fear, would fight any asshole, regardless of height, and defend any teammate, black or white and London born, 'bama bred, Minot is where he now lays his head, He is a great man, and now you'll see, How this great he got to be. Childhood In the life of the man named Atticus Finch, things have never been easy. Born in Islington, London, he has always been a true brit at heart, but at an early age his family uprooted and moved to tiny Maycomb County, Alabama. At first, Atticus was nervous about making friends and felt lonely. However, that didn't last long, as his natural loyalty and charisma showed eventually, and the natural leader in him began to shine through. He always stuck up for the other children, especially those being oppressed by others, and while he was always a little bigger than the other kids, he never once used his size to bully. He used it to protect and defend. Originally, Atticus showed extreme potential in the sport of Footy, and everyone thought he might have a chance to go pro with it someday. However, that dream ended at the age of 12, when he grew to an astounding 5'10, 150 lbs. He was no fatty though, nor was he dumb, always giving his total effort in school and in athletics. Because of his size, he lacked the agility and speed he once used to dominate the school soccer field, but with the loss of that skill, he found that he had gained another: knocking people over. He put this to use in the neighborhood street hockey games, showing a talent for playing defense and keeping the puck out of the crease. His parents instantly saw his talent and enrolled him in ice hockey, and he got so good that they eventually sent him to St John's Prep in Danvers, MA for High School. High School Starting at St John's prep was tough for Atticus, at the beginning. He had grown to 6'3 by that time, and came to the school with a reputation for being a freak of nature. He was far from Alabama and his parents, and although his talent was obviously there, it seemed as though his head was sometimes back in Maycomb. Some of the coaches wanted to send him home, but the head coach, John O'Sullivan, saw the player that he knew Finch could someday be. He saw the example he set in the locker room and on the ice, the dignified way he carried himself, and the way he treated everyone in a way that made it impossible to dislike him. O'Sullivan trusted Finch so much that he gave him the Assistant Captaincy only halfway through his freshman year, after the last A had come to practice hungover.This seemed to be the spark that Finch needed to reboot his brain, and in the last 12 games of his freshman season he tallied 38 hits, 16 shots blocked, and a +6 +/-. He led the Eagles to the Massachusetts division 1 quarterfinal, where they eventually lost to Andover prep, 2-1. Emboldened by the success of his team and his freshman defenseman, he handed Finch the C in only his second year, charging him to lead a team that lost 7 seniors. He took the challenge well, but he could not carry an entire team, and they were defeated in the knockout stages. His junior season, however, looked to be different. Following the transfer in of one Jack Eichel, St John's won the division 1 title. His stats show how much he gave his team: He led the league in hits and shots blocked, as well as adding 20 total points. He continued his dominance his senior season, and again he helped win the division 1 title. At the end of the season, he won all league honors for the 3rd straight time, was named an All American for the second time, and was selected to Team Northeast in the bay state games. After being offered to scholarships to many different schools, he decided to attend Boston University and play hockey there. College Although Finch only spent 2 seasons as a member of the BU Terriers, they were 2 standout seasons. He was a main part of the Terriers team on their back to back trips to the frozen four, winning the whole tournament his freshman year. He was going to go pro after his freshman year, and for good reason. Take a look at an excerpt from a scouting report from that year: He would've jumped ship, too, had it not been for coach Jack Parker announcing his retirement after the coming season. Atticus wanted to leave, but Coach Parker had been like a father to him and he knew in his heart he had to do what was right. So he stayed, showing maturity to everyone on the team, because as one of the main pieces on the team, leaving would've crippled the team greatly. And although the team lost in the Frozen Four, his collegiate career ended with him leaving it all on the ice, taking a puck to the face in the last few seconds of the game to preserve a tie in the 3rd period, suffering a broken nose and leaving the game. His sacrifice was for naught, however, as the Terriers eventually lost the game in overtime. However, his willingness to put his body on the line made his stock rise greatly after that game. Pro Through an NCAA loophole as a result of him leaving after his second year of college, Finch was able to be picked up on the waiver wire for the latter part of the 40th VHLM season. On the night he was available to sign, his signature was hotly contested, and we interviewed a few team scouts on what they saw in him. Here are a few excerpts: "He's a natural born defenseman, that boy. Big kid, good body. He isn't afraid to put his body on the line when it matters. He has a swift pokecheck, and knows how to play the boards and make a smart interception. He reads passers like a book, too. Unfortunately, his puck handling is subpar, so you can't expect him to take the puck up the ice. He draws some comparisons to Bobby Orr defensively, but I don't see it. Orr could take it from behind his own net and score without passing. Finch couldn't even get to his own blueline without getting the puck stolen." "When I hear the name Finch, the first word that pops into my head is "awareness". His on ice mental presence is very good, and he never takes bad penalties. He has strength, and ability, but he's thinking so far ahead of the players it's like he doesn't even need those traits. That's what keeps his penalty minutes so low, what helps him net those goals and assists, and what helps him get those key interceptions. The main detraction I can think of is his speed, but speed can be gained, and it's not vital for a defenseman. He'll never win a footrace with another player, but his awareness is so advanced he's probably at the spot where the puck will be before the other player even realizes it. Speed is below a player of his caliber. An A+ prospect, really." "I hear all this chatter about his skill on defense, and yeah, it's definitely there, but I think people really tend to downplay his offensive talent. The same awareness that leads to interceptions also helped him get 30+ assists for BU last season. He can tell where his teammates are going to be, and hits them perfectly for some nice goals. There's nothing flashy about this player, he plays a strong fundamental game. That being said, he doesn't fight as well as a man in his role should. Sure, he hits hard and is a strong guy, but it seems all that muscle abandons him when it comes to 1v1 fisticuffs. If he really wants to be a true physical force in this league, this is a part of his game he must slightly improve. The VHLM reviewed Finch's case to join the league, and his attorney's presented the league with the loophole in NCAA policy that technically allowed the immediate joining of the league by Finch. It was then that Atticus revealed he had already chosen his team.... Atticus Finch was going to Minot. And with this, the legacy of Atticus Finch in the VHL had begun. Would he become a league legend, a name revered for years to come? Or would he be a bust, a player laughed at by the entire community? Only time, it seems, will tell.