Spartan

G - Ben Dahl @Otaznik

F - Igor Molotov @dogwoodmaple

D - AirRig GoodBrandSun @Otaznik

F - Vinny Detroit @dogwoodmaple

@dogwoodmaple is skipped. Considering he made up his pick quickly after the last one, I'll give him some leeway here. Next skip will be a DQ F - Vasile Lamb @Otaznik

Tbh I've felt that we'd have a down season every season since S80, it just never comes. Maybe we aren't as dominant in the EU but somehow we find our game for the playoffs and make a respectable run. We'll see how it shapes out, but you're right in that it'll depend heavily on our second unit and if they can hold their own for a full season.

D - Hammar Voss @dogwoodmaple

Amazing writeup, and I'm thrilled to have won the awards that I did! Hoping for another fantastic season with a great group of people, this time finishing the season as cup winners

Roster post 1. @FrostBeard F - Sirdsvaldis Miglaskems F - Hulk Hogan 2 F - Brendan Marner D - Scoish Velociraptor Maloish D - AK92 Wit da Hoodie G - Art Vandelay 2. @Otaznik F - Nico Pearce F - Zach Kisslinger II F - Nils Godlander D - Jake Thunder D - Erlantz Jokinen G - Boris Tzesar 3. @Spartan (GM) F - Vasile Lamb F - Vinny Detroit F - Igor Molotov D - Hammar Voss D - AirRig GoodBrandSun G - Ben Dahl 4. @dogwoodmaple F - Daniel Janser F - Tomas Sogaard F - Perry Laperriere D - Tavish DeGroot D - Max Torq G - Xavier Booberry 5. @MubbleFubbles F - Saku Kotkakoivu F - The Board Game Clue on Skates F - Nezuko D - Brian Payne D - Hari Singh Nalwa G - Brandt Fuhr 6. @NSG F - Ronan Lavelle F - Florida Man F - Alexandre Leduc D - Bo Johansson D - Biggie Cheese G - Henry Tucker Jr Good luck all!

It's been 84 years, but we're finally at the start of S86! That means that it is also time to announce Moscow's leadership group for the upcoming season, in addition to another special announcement. Let's get right into it! First Alternate - Hammar Voss - @BOOM Generally in deciding captains, Moscow prioritizes both seniority and activity/leadership. In a slight sidestep to that policy, Moscow's newest player receives an A for a few reasons. First, Voss is coming in as the defacto leader on defense, stepping up to the tall task to be the replacement for Hard Markinson and support a slightly younger defenseman in AK92 wit da Hoodie. Voss has already been vocal in the locker room and has meshed well with the team and is a great cultural fit with the team. Moscow went into the off-season with uncertainty if just 1 great defenseman in AK92 was enough, and now they've got two of the best young, up and coming defensemen in the league. Voss will help shape the future, and therefore received an A. Second Alternate - Sergey Preobrazhensky - @Bulduray_1 Going back to seniority, it was basically a slam dunk choice to select superstar center Sergey Preobrazhensky to be the second alternate on the team. Sergey has played his entire career with Moscow since the S81 draft, and has proven to be a consistent and unfazed performer when on the ice. His play and persona reminds me heavily of The Seabasstard whose jersey was just retired, a quiet yet steadfast person who leads by example and plays an underappreciated role on our team. He played a large role in acclimating youngster Tomas Sogaard to the VHL, and now the duo are poised to be one of the top center-winger duos in the league. Captain - Kyosti Karjalainen - @UnkemptCL4PTP The most veteran member of the team after Papa Emeritus, Kyosti bleeds the black and gold. He's been a consistent second liner through his career, welcoming rookies to the league and helping new teammates adjust as they usually feature stints on the second line. While his numbers aren't the flashiest, he consistently produces offense for the team and gives the team confidence regarding the second unit. In the locker room, he will sit down with management to discuss the state of the team and question future plans, showing commitment and passion. We're very lucky to have him on the team, and we're extremely happy to name him as the new captain of the Moscow Menace! --- In another announcement that I don't think has gone anywhere formal other than a VHL.com article, @Brandon has been appointed as the new AGM of the Moscow Menace, replacing the legendary STZ. He's already played a large role in this past offseason by driving the plans for the future and getting involved in various offseason phases. He's been a great help and has had some great ideas to give me and the team some different perspectives. We're very excited to have Brandon as our AGM moving forward! Congrats to all! Moscow Moscow Moscow

1. I think the expectations are the same as last season, if not with more pressure this season - that this group wins the cup. The rookies have grown a bit and we still have one of the best goalies in the league. It'd be a disappointment to lose. 2. I think every set of struggles deserves concern, but concern oriented towards identifying and resolving the issues we have. There's no point overreacting to slumps, but we do have to make sure we're trying out bests. 3. I could definitely see Alexandre Leduc leading the team in scoring now, he's been a veteran of the league and keeps getting quietly better. I think he'll break out this season. 4. I think the simple answer would be Biggie Cheese, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Pierre Emile Bouchard step up either. The youngster has put in a lot of work and seems like he's ready to carve out a larger role in the defense room. 5. I'd say myself, Leduc and Fuhr have a decent shot of getting a nice chunk of the awards. We all had some great seasons, but I think other folks like the rookies who were sort of just tossed into the fire should also get recognition for their efforts.

He's PST and works during the day so after 8 EST iirc

LOTS OF PUSHBACK

More along the lines of "next to impossible to convince the simmer to actually do this" unfortunately. Since roster changes are completely manual in the index/STHS, it'd be on the simmers for the most part to be handling these kinds of changes. We've already gotten a little bit of pushback with the current IA goalie change in terms of expected frequency that this would be used, so we don't want to implement something that'd be even more annoying for the simmers to deal with.

Tbh I'd say it was the opposite. Intervention mode last season in regards to draft picks, loosening a lot up this past offseason in regards to double shifting and incorporating some IA flexibility. And then whole waiver system being revamped makes life easier for everyone involved (even more once we get some of the kinks worked out with it).

Hello everyone, and thank you for taking the time to read this announcement. Moscow retired two franchise legends' jerseys just two seasons ago, and we already have two more phenomenal candidates and their jerseys to raise to the Moscow rafters. This season's nominees are quite special to me, and hold some franchise history as well. They are just the second and third players in franchise history to play their full careers on Moscow, and the first to do so under my tenure. While the salary cap does its best to ensure parity and force difficult choices, these two players made it clear that Moscow was their home - and here they would stay. Without further ado, lets get into the ceremony! --- Centers in the Moscow organization simply seem to become some of the most underrated, yet most successful players in the league. While Duncan Idaho's on-ice play and success stole the spotlight for most of S78-S85, it was also this player quietly playing an invaluable role at the center position. In 576 games, he scored 276 goals (2nd franchise history), 381 assists (2nd in franchise history), and 657 points (3rd in franchise history). In the playoffs, he has 48 goals (1st in franchise history), 69 assists (2nd in franchise history) and 117 points (2nd in franchise history). Don't let all the second place finishes fool you: without this player, Moscow would not have been nearly as successful as a team. He served as the captain for multiple seasons (breaking the captain curse, might I add) and was an alternate captain for numerous seasons before then as well. From a user perspective, I must say I've enjoyed seeing him get familiar with me and the organization. When we first drafted him, he had never played for Moscow - instead enjoying some productive time with Prague which I mainly associated with him. Even when we got to the first contract negotiation at the end of S79, I recall him being unsure with the team and wanting to wait for Hard Markinson to re-sign with the team. Once he signed, Moscow went on to two straight finals, and we were due for another contract negotiation. At that time, he said he wanted to stick around in Moscow for the rest of his career, which was a big jump from when he first joined the organization and was unsure. I'm just happy to have interacted with him for the better part of a year and a half, and to have just had a genuinely kind and passionate individual around the team. Please congratulate our first candidate: C - The Seabasstard - @Seabass --- Our second candidate might simply be the best defenseman of this era. Special players don't come around often, but Moscow has been extremely lucky to have so many on the team at the same time. One thing Moscow has never lacked from S78 through S85 was a defenseman who could anchor the team, both defensively and offensively. This candidate has a full trophy case, starting with the Stolzschweiger in S78, three Labatte Trophies over S81, S82 and S84, and a Valiq in S84 as well. He is 5th in franchise history in goals with 191, first in franchise assists with 505 (second place has 381), and first in franchise points with 696. He also holds the franchise record for playoff assists and points, with 89 and 126 respectively. His points total fell just 3 points short of tying the legendary Scotty Campbell in the playoffs. The user behind this player has been an absolute blessing to have around the locker room. He has served as my AGM for 5 seasons, helping me navigate the ins and out of the cap and giving me sound advice for roster moves and trades. Despite having a busy life and juggling the birth of his son, he's still found time to spend with us in the Moscow LR and has joined us to continue our gaming nights. He's been steadfast in his loyalty to the team and to me, and his patience through our struggles has been greatly appreciated. While he doesn't plan to recreate in the VHL for a little bit to take a short break, I know that when he returns, the league will be blessed with yet another phenomenal player. Whichever team is able to draft him will be extremely fortunate, and I can just hope that it will be us again. Please congratulate our second candidate and VHL HOF lock: D - Hard Markinson - @STZ --- Congratulations to both, and I hope you stick around the LR and continue to stay in touch. Wishing both of you the best in your sim league and irl lives, and I hope that we can team up again at some point in the future! (Obligatory @Beketov tag to add these banners to Moscow's retirement thread)

Maybe I'll record a podcast on the way home today, just for you Thunder

I think Dil deserves a 2 week TPE ban

I'm bored.

Hi, it's me! We received word that one of our GMs, @Moon, was getting poached from us to do amazing things in the VHL. Congratulations to him, and we wish him the best of luck in his new position as the Toronto GM. We had some great interviews for the last set of VHLM GM openings, and we kept a couple candidates on our short list in case this situation came up. We're very fortunate to have a quality candidate in the wings who graciously accepted this last minute position. Without further ado, please welcome the new Ottawa Lynx GM: We wish him the best in his endeavors in the VHLM, and hope that he too is not stolen from us before the season starts!

Congrats