fishy

sim of bubbles' life time - three wins, two shut outs, two assists, two first stars and a second star? she is a god

It’s been a while since I've actually done a 6-tpe point task, and it feels a bit odd. I became eligible for pension and I’m just coasting now. I’ve decided to come around again for theme week.

This article is going to include the following:
Swearing Links to articles that reference sex and other stuff that we’ve restricted since actually having a mod team
Read at your own risk

2007–I was just 8 years old, some folks here weren’t even a thought yet, and other dorks were, well, here. Starting a hockey simulation league. The league, for a long time, was just a bunch of guys–boys, really–bein’ dudes. When you look back through the forum for what this league was like, it looks like a whole different place, despite seeing names pop up here and there over the last 9 years. (Of note, this forum only started existing in 2013, so that’s the earliest content we’ve got.)

There are some real gems still living on the site for public consumption, and I want to share them. This article is just going to be a collection of random shit that you find when you search the word “girl” in the search, because what could possibly go wrong?

December 2013: What could go wrong, asking VHLers for advice?

Oh, how the times have changed. We have countless threads have been created just in the last year of people 1) asking for advice and 2) offering advice (hit up Berocka for all your legal needs). Podcast question threads galore, and not too much engagement on those. While the linked thread doesn’t have a whole lot of content on there, I’m sure that it gave the podcasters something to talk about, much more than asking what their favorite color is.

January 2014: People fight about a graphic originally made for Emma Watson that was supposed to be Al Watson

This interaction is hilarious to me. By the time I showed up, the graders were long (I think) gone, and thank god. Your content used to be evaluated by other people and the amount of TPE you got was based on that evaluation. Actually bonkers.

I wish I could see the original graphic, because based on context, I think Emma Watson was the render. We have an oldhead that I forget is an oldhead, STZ, making an appearance in the thread with the notable contribution, “lmao. stoopid.” iconic.

July 2014: The first mention of a female user that I find in my not-very-thorough search

Jamie appears to have come and gone, last seen 2017. A shame, I wonder what the experience of coming back would be like.
I will say there is one comment that aged exceptionally well:


Nice work, Devise.

This thread also features a young eaglesfan … not trolling? I didn’t know there was an era where that was the case.

Ultimately I laughed reading this thread because it began as someone being butthurt about things that weren’t personal, saying “get it all out there and off your chest” and then they’re the only person that’s mad. I lack context, so maybe there’s something I’m missing, but who cares. This article isn’t about accuracy, it’s about laughing at people in the past
 
—

I’m calling this article a wrap because I don’t want to continue sifting through the sexism and sexualization of women but it was a fun go. The league has come a long way in the past 15 years, going from calling people a girl as an insult, posting pictures of themselves and calling each other ugly, and talking about their genitals then saying no homo to letting folks of all genders intermingle without it being weird or uncomfy all the time. I will say, though, that the insults were way better in 2014.
 

sim of bubbles' life time - three wins, two shut outs, two assists, two first stars and a second star? she is a god

sim of bubbles' life time - three wins, two shut outs, two assists, two first stars and a second star? she is a god

sim of bubbles' life time - three wins, two shut outs, two assists, two first stars and a second star? she is a god

sim of bubbles' life time - three wins, two shut outs, two assists, two first stars and a second star? she is a god

sim of bubbles' life time - three wins, two shut outs, two assists, two first stars and a second star? she is a god

sim of bubbles' life time - three wins, two shut outs, two assists, two first stars and a second star? she is a god

holy crap Erlantz Jokinen is a beast, he scored a goal against Bubbles

songs as topic titles? that's a novel concept

What do you play? I was able to play trumpet through college--would certainly recommend even if it's not what you're studying!

In Concert Band, just general percussion instruments (Snare Drum, Timpani, Cymbals, and Marimba were my best ones)

In Jazz Band, I play drum set but also know how to play bass guitar

My first ever player... Season 1. 15 years ago..

Hello and welcome to my theme week article. It's actually hard to believe the league has been around for so long and when you put a number on it.. 15 years is a huge achievement! Today I wanted to give some appreciation for some of the things we have today that make the gears move smoothly and keep everybody happy, time and time again
 
     Starting with expansion.. It's not easy for a league to grow and since I was part of one around the same time before all of this start with only a few thousand members it must have been a huge grind. Looking back at some of the franchises and how quickly things grew over the years it's been a joy to meet managers who can share stories from past ventures and learn about how far things have came since. That's one thing that definitely changed the league for the better and the more teams that were added only solidified things down the road for newer players trying to be the next big player.. If it was trying to beat a record from Season 1 or being a team leader on a newer established franchise.
 
Another thing that comes to mind is community, obviously having teams and a league will have a community no matter what but ever since joining over half of the league has been helpful throughout my career, I've had managers who wanted to see my player do better, some who like to chat and others that like to chill and enjoy the whole experience, no matter what at the end of each week if it's reactions or funny comments it seems like everybody wants to get along and has been ever since the start, definitely something that kept the league going during inactive times because it's almost like you've met a friend on here. 
 
Proper career length is next up and kind of because I haven't even played a full career myself so that means the 8 (now 9) seasons is perfect for anybody trying to have fun but not have to wait forever for noticeable differences in your performances night in and night out, not sure how long they were from the start but I honestly haven't heard anything different so that means whoever planned it out at the beginning definitely knew what they were talking about. All it takes is a couple of seasons of solid earning and you can be making your VHL debut, even as a rookie you can change a whole franchise down in the VHLM/VHLE but even when it feels like time is flying the VHL seems to fill a void for many, character after character and new stories are formed every season.
 
Constant updates is something I also love and they are almost everywhere, like notifications, league/team announcements, trades, drafts, events.. You name it, the league is always trying new things and implementing new rules, if you take a week off you better be ready to catch up! This is something more drawn by the community and thankfully the staff are on the same vibe because it feels like we've came so far in just a few seasons when you think about it! The best updates of all though are the simmed games and the simmers should be thanked more for keeping the flow of the league going consistently while doing a lot of background work in the process. 
 
The VHL bot on the forum and Discord. Pretty sure this is one of the newer updates with coding getting more reliable over the years and it's made a huge difference in how things work, starting with trades it seems like as soon as a few teams agree on a deal and the thread is released it always attracts attention and because it makes things a little big easier for both parties in that regard there's definitely been more deals over the seasons, especially at odd times, add in contracts, statistics, retirements and games it seems like the VHL bot wont be getting a break anytime soon.
 
Tasks have always been pretty solid and we've seen plenty of good ideas for media spots, vhl.com and graphics for the most part but the addition of reviews and recaps in the last little bit has really helped more members get involved and show off their skills in difference areas, even if you cannot do some of the stuff above they have even more options once you get more involved so nobody should worry about earning TPE each week if they're active. The best part about tasks on here is they are easy! That doesn't mean the requirements should be jacked up because I'm sure a lot of people are part of this league, it's a lot more chill and relaxed.. I know that's why I landed here, it just makes me still feel apart of something while being able to enjoy it at the same time. Lastly I think career tasks have improved since the last update and are a lot more memorable but they could still use a little bit more creativity to break them apart from point tasks, nonetheless they still are a crucial part to a career and give new and old players a little guide for their next step.
 
Now the last thing I want to talk about is the portal and I saved the best for last, not only does it has information everywhere and organized in a way to easily navigate through.. It's like another website where you can get lost have fun without being part of any discussions, kind of like a video game! Maybe for some of the noobs who haven't been able to get things down yet it could be confusing but once you figure it out it can also be very very handy like the player search for example, I go there to find recreates, first gens, check my draft class and find free agents, anything you may need for an article is waiting for you! I don't know how many times I've opened the portal and got an idea xD
 
I ended up writing more than I thought but the idea was open and gave a lot of options to write about, hopefully this is on par with what the league was looking for.. That's all for now, thanks for reading

honestly couldn't write a better description of @solas if i tried

honestly couldn't write a better description of @solas if i tried

Random Members from the past 15 years
VHL HQ, Somewhere in Canada
 
So, I guess it's theme week this week? I think it's pretty cool that this is still a thing, scheduled every season. It replaced the old way of having random doubles weeks every few months, whenever the Blue Team felt like one was needed. Originally, that was supposed to be once a season, typically in the off-season, but then they became more sporadic, probably due to TPE inflation (Queue a back in my day segment from some of the old farts around here). There's probably a ton of different ways I could look back at the last decade and a half, and how the VHL has impacted my life and many others. There's probably some really fun, crazy stories that I've forgotten. But that's not what I'm here for. I'm kinda feeling like just going through the memory bank on members I've known throughout the years, so I'm going to list a bunch of random people, some may still be here, many won't be, and talk a little bit about them from what I can remember.
 
Beketov @Beketov The man is basically part of the furniture at this point. Been here since Day 1, and hasn't taken a day off, since, which - if you know, you know how incredible that is. He's given his heart and soul to this league and is, for my money, the greatest member it's ever had Scotty @scotty Basically Neo from The Matrix, he brought us to this whole new world, run by the truly tyrannical Simon T. Made the greatest builds ever in a time where only a few members were able to actually max earn. Without Scotty, who knows how long before we move on from simming games on the NHL series, or if it ever happens? Brooks @brooks. Was basically my best internet buddy for the longest time. I remember skyping with him all the time back in the day. He was the OG graphics god on this site that everyone tried to catch up to, which I think led to all the great GFX people we've had throughout the years. Catch22 Kind of a random member to remember, I think his name was Cory? I do remember talking to him on MSN a lot, he was a pretty chill guy. marshall @marshall_222 (idk if that's actually him or not) I actually didn't interact with marshall too much, but IIRC, he was like best friends IRL with Catch22, and he made some really good players, too. tfong @Baozi He likes food and is probably a little too thirsty, but he's a good dude and gamed the welfare system perfectly Phil @Phil He joined after the initial member boom. Pretty sure he just thought it was some lame thing that his brother did, but ended up becoming such a great member. He's also from Toronto and a huge Leafs fan, so for that alone will always be one of my top members. JeffD @JeffD Another member that was a Day 1, left for a long time, then came back and became a prominent member. I actually didn't know him too well during his first go around, but when he came back it was easy to see what a great sense of humour he's got and what a good person and friend he is. Built the greatest dynasty that never dynastied in Chicago, and I will stand by that til this place shuts down, maybe in another 15 years? fishy @fishy Honestly, I wasn't sure what to make of fishy at first. But then we started to talk a lot more and interact. Definitely one of the bravest, smartest, caring people I know, and I'm proud to call them a friend. I honestly can't say enough about them and the impact they've had on the VHL. Solas @solas Another older member, I didn't really know much about him until we were on Chicago together. He's got a lowkey sense of humour, like the quiet kid in class who will throw out a line randomly and have everyone in stitches. Great dude with an impeccable taste in music. Muff @.sniffuM Another member with a huge heart, the lovable muffin man known for having a discord profile picture of Klay Thompson as Patrick Star from spongebob - if that doesn't encapsulate who Muff is, then I don't really have any better words to do it. Always had great stories, and always cared about everyone he talked to. frescoelmo @frescoelmo One of the funniest dudes I know, and also super chill. Sometimes I wonder if he's actually just The Dude IRL, drinking creamy White Russians all day, worrying about how a rug ties his place together. Victor @Victor The original eager beaver, he was so young when he first joined, I'm pretty sure he's still a teenager. He's another member who has put a lot of time into the foundations of the league, as it is today, and even though he deserves to take a back seat and just chill, still works pretty hard as VHLE Commish. Jardy @JardyB10 If Vic is the OG eager beaver, Jardy is 2.0 - he came in and just soaked everything about the VHL up like a sponge, created one of the best first gens of all time, and shot to the top of the league. He's another guy I used to talk to on MSN a lot, which probably says more about how old we are than it does about the league. Also, his profile pic here is one that I made him like 10-12 years ago, which is pretty wild lol PensFan101 @PensFan101 As his username probably gives away, he was a big Pittsburgh Penguins fan. He also had a league that predated the VHL, called the DHL. TBH, I'm not sure what happened with him, I think he left around the mid teens in VHL seasons? nibbz @nibbz The original shark of a GM, he's probably the reason for a lot of the obscure rules you'll find in the rule book, as he was always looking for loopholes to exploit. Beaviss @Beaviss Was one of my best friends here for a long time. He was always looking for ways to improve the league, and without him, we don't have 16 teams, or a third league, or a lot of stuff that makes it tick, nowadays. Noiles He always felt like the little brother of the league? I remember him being kinda dorky and a little intense, but not in a douchey way. Dil @Dil I owe him a podcast still, which I will get to one day. Other than the fact that he thinks we have this Indian bond, he's a smart and funny guy who's grown up a lot since he first joined the league and pissed everyone off. Josh @Josh IDK, he's the nerd that got duped into taking over working on the portal for no money. For really, though, great dude even if he's a Jets fan. Zach Warren I honestly have no clue who this is, I was just going through the HOF Builders and saw they were inducted. No article either, so...  
At this point, this is well over 1100 words, so I'll be using it to claim doubles from theme week and triples for the league's anniversary. Dope.

15 Years of the Victory Hockey League. I mean, I feel like that short sentence says so much already. But what does it mean to me? Not a whole lot to be honest. 15 years ago this week, I would have been working my final summer job before heading off to college. I was excited about being about to finally make a Facebook account because I had an edu email address. And personally, I was struggling with who I was.
 
I was bullied a lot from first grade all the way until I graduated high school (ages 6 to 18 for the non-Americans). Near the end of my high school days, I started to get bullied for an assumed sexuality that I did not identify with. This meant that as soon I was out of that environment and could get a clear head, a lot of thinking was done. That summer I came to identify as being bisexual. Over the next year and a half at college, I changed that to being a lesbian. And just a few months ago, it developed once again and my gender changed from female to non-binary. In the real world, I still go by she/her pronouns and have slowly started to incorporate they/them. (So either one you call me personally is fine.) But this meant that I could use the internet to test it out. To see how it felt and to find out if it really was me or not.
 
When I joined the VHL only a month ago (boy time does go fast), I, as someone who has spent over 20 years on the internet in male dominated spaces, was hesitant to even give a whiff of being anything other than a straight cisgendered male. Also, as most if not all of you are, I too am a hockey fan which means I also understand how toxic fans can be both in real life and on the internet. I was worried about coming here and not knowing if I would be safe and was going under the assumption that there would be no female presence on the whole site. Man am I glad that was proven wrong.
 
What surprised me though, and made me feel safe right off the bat, was the fact that I had the chance to set my pronouns on my profile. I had not seen this in many spaces online outside of the big social media sites. So when I was given the chance, I took it. I figured I was an anonymous nobody who was checking out something that I could always just walk away from. It then came to my attention, thanks to @Shindigs, that this was a recent change made in the VHL. And not only that the option was given, but that the Code of Conduct has been re-written to be more inclusive. I also spoke with @fishysince it seems that they were the catalyst that kicked off these changes so I do want to thank them for being so brave and taking that first terrifying step that the rest of us get to safely follow.
 
Now, I can’t speak at all to what the league was like prior to these changes since I was not here nor do I dare to dig through the forums to find anything unsavory that may remain. But I will speak as someone who was hesitant to be open at all. When my player’s name was mentioned in their first ever article, the author used ‘he/him’ pronouns. Now, of course male is pretty default in this environment so I get it. But what made me realize that the VHL was different, was that someone commented that Jesse Teno’s pronouns were ‘they/them’ and the article was updated. So simple and easy that it makes it seem like child’s play.
 
I know I haven’t been here long, and I know I have a lot of learning still to do. But I do think that if the VHL can be as inclusive as it is, if not more, over the next 15 years, then I think the diversity will grow. If people like me and others who are different can find a home here, then the VHL will get through another 15 without issue.
 
714 words for week ending  7/24

this reads like an infomercial

that's fine it'll force me to do other thingys

this reads like an infomercial

The VHL When I Was 15
 
Woooooo VHL Birthday! I haven't written a media spot in forever, but there's like a million TPE for it so figured it's worth. I joined the VHL on October 6th, 2018. I was just 14, but told everyone I was 15 because I thought that would make some sort of difference in their opinion of me. I quickly realised that was dumb, but I didn't confess. I just kept quiet about my birthday and age until my 16th birthday. So I ended up being 15 for about a year and a half, but no one ever questioned it.
 
If you ask anyone about me during that time, they'd probably say I was annoying, but not quite as annoying as @Dil. I genuinely don't know how anyone tolerated me back then though when I think of it (though does anyone now?). Looking back at old messages is insane. I tried to find some discord messages of mine, but unfortunately the great general chat nuke of whatever year has gotten rid of them. I'm also no longer in Davos discord but I'm sure whoever is there could find some content.
 
So let's see what else was going on my 15th birthday. It was Season 66, my 3rd in the VHL and I was playing for the HC Davos Dynamo. On May 10th, 2019 (my birthday), they played twice. Shockingly, they also lost twice. A close 4-3 loss to the Riga Reign, and a 3-1 loss to the Vancouver Wolves. My player, Elias Dogbird, scored 1 goal that today. I was also the GM of the Mexico City Kings in their inaugural season. We played the Houston Bulls and came out on top 4-3. Looking back on that Kings roster, I don't think anyone on it is still active in the league.
 
On the community side of things, @Enorama wrote a VHL.com article flaming some legendary names like Podrick Cast (not to be confused with future HOFer Codrick Past), Edwin Preencarnacion, and Kallis Kriketers. In the graphics department, I apparently spent my birthday making a beautiful sig, improper sizing and all (fixed for the formatting of this article).

 
Not to be outdone, @Enorama also released this masterpiece 3 days later:

 
It's crazy to think that I joined this league 3 and a half years ago, and even crazier to think that many people have been around longer than me. The fact that the VHL was created when I was 3 years old, and is still open is mindblowing, and I'm sure it's mindblowing to some of the boomers around here. A lot has happened in the time I've been here, including me being probably the most disliked person in the VHL for 3 seasons, a title I'm honored to share with the likes of gorlab and boubabi. A lot has changed over the time I've been here, a lot of people have come and gone, but VHL has consistently given me fun and joy over the years, and who would've thought some little hockey roleplay community I saw on reddit would turn into this. Cheers VHL, I'm looking forward to the next 15 years.
 
 

I think he's doing this as the new normal.

staff
1. mods
2. updaters 
3. bog
4. commissioner 
5. recruitment 
6. vhl gm
7. players
8. vhlm gm
9. admin
10. vhle gm
 
easy ranking here based off of usage rate, moda updates and bog have been very active lately, of course commishs should be #1 but a lot of time go unnoticed. becauae players kinda get to choose and shape their own legacy at first i see them above even M gms in the wanted column, admins again in the background but definitely putting in work
 
positions
1. winger
2. goaltender
3. defender
4. center
 
as we see here it's wings that takeover but im not about specifics here with what side, goaltenders seem to be very hot right now but very close is defenders since they will always be needed and will take the number two spot again. not sure why we don't see as many centers tbh since a lot of teams don't have a top 
 
players
1. jeffrey pines
2. condor adrienne
3. danzo clarke 
4. tavish degroot
5. baxter arcanum
6. bradley buzzer
7. antoine vermette
 
pines easily takes the top of the list with the most memeorablr moments and fantadtic displays on and off the ice, notably with the tournament he hosted many seasons ago, andrienne was a whole wave and don't think had any doubters throughout their whole career, clarke and degroot right now are killing it but close behind is friends from the past who just seem to get it
 
forum sections
1. games
2. point tasks
3. announcements
4. transactions
5. recruting central
6. fantasy zone
7. wall
8. general discussion
9. scouting 
10. world cup and junior
11. team pages