Laine

flashback intensifies

please don't make the same mistake I did

1) Welcome to Helsinki. You'll love it here! 2) I would say Hex Rose. He would help us become stronger down the middle of the ice and he's impressed me with his activity so far and he would be a great addition to the locker room. @Hex Universe 3) Honestly all the new rookies joining will be exciting. It gives me a chance to become a mentor and to have a bigger role on the team 4) I usually work out with Venus Thightrap, Jiggly Gumballs, Drew Minott and James Rose. We have a good little crew that gets together during the regular season. I also put on a Pro-AM tournament for VHL and VHLM players alike which helps give them playing experience and helps them meet new players. 5) I do play some football and swimming. Swimming in particular is great for staying in shape. 6) I'm excited for it. I could really care less if I don't anything, but I just love this organization and this team! 7) I don't know honestly... 8.) Best spanker @Spaz (I should know, that was painful.) 9) I really don't know. Everyone in the LR has great snacks so it would be hard to pick just one. It would not be off of Blade or Jubo though. I would be prepared to do some extra laps after that (even though I don't mind) 10) I put a 50 pound sandbag in @McLovin's hockey bag. I'm surprised he didn't figure it out after he fell over trying to pick it up. 11) Not me. Not sure who it could be. 12) One time I came in on a breakaway. I shot the puck and it bounced off the post and hit me in the face. I had to go get like 10 stitches to close the gash.

claiming for the 3rd and final week

Yeah, lots happening on my end as well. Many essays, exams and projects in the next little while for me as well. We'll get through this together bro.

EAOE!

Congrats Malmo!

Count me in

imagine fabricating fake rumours on a player to try and get him traded in the NHL

With all eyes on the D.C. Dragons and the Malmo Nighthawks competing for the Continental Cup, other players are training hard as offseason trade rumours swirl. One of these players is Patrik Laine. Laine, 19, had a breakout year, recording 31 goals and 67 points in 72 games along with 9 points in 7 playoff games. Helsinki this offseason is taking a bit hit. with Tony Bolonee, Jared Spaz and Hiroshi Okada all retiring. Helsinki has the prospects to fill the holes, but they are a team in a win now, with Ola Vikingstad, Valtteri Vaakanainen, Zamboni Driver, Erik Summers and Spencer Elsby all hitting their primes. This makes Laine expendable if Helsinki wants to make a better all around team. Just hours earlier, Laine's agent was asked about the trade rumours swirling the Finnish superstar. His agent didn't make a comment, which scary if you are a Helsinki fan. We managed to get in touch with Laine about his training and the inevitable trade rumours "I've been working a lot on my skating and stick handling for the most part. I'm working on every facet of my game but those are the two main ones I am focusing on." Said Laine, when asked about his offseason so far. "Lots of time left to get better but I've been seeing improvement. Can't wait for next season." Once we got the trade rumours, Laine struck a different tone. "You guys STILL won't give up these trade rumours will you? I've told you guys many times, I plan on being the best player I can be for Helsinki. If Jubo wants to deal me to make the team better, by all means he can but I'm focused on playing for Helsinki. We have a great cast and I wouldn't rather be on any other team. Like, even Scotty Campbell got traded. There is no turmoil behind the scenes like you all are reporting. Me and the team and management get along really well, so just give up the rumours already." Laine commented on next season and his new 3-year contract, which starts next season. "I like the contract I signed. It's a great deal for both sides. I got the cap hit low to keep us competitive, while Jubo gave me the term to keep me here leading up to my prime years. I'm excited for it. In terms of next season, I think I'll have a good season. I'm going to score a lot of goals, that's for sure. I'm focused on winning a Continental Cup and being the best player I can be. Jubo and Blade deserve a Continental Cup and it is my job to get them one." Lastly, Laine talked about his favourite moment from last season. "That's a tough one. In terms of off the ice, definitely acquiring Emi Rune. I had talked with her during the WJC a few seasons ago, she was a great teammate. I was really hoping that one day we would play on the same team so I was excited to see us acquire her. On the ice, probably my 8 game goal streak. I was scoring at will during that and it was a lot of fun. I would prefer to be more consistent with my scoring across the season though." (550 words)

claiming for a 2nd week

1) 3 Terrible years. At least it gets made up for at the end. 2) I don't usually procrastinate surprisingly. Whenever I want to do something, I just sit down and do it or make time for it if I need to. 3) Keep playing the game. I want to play the game I love for as long as I can before my time is up. 4) Skating laps is personally my favorite, but weightlifting is a close second. 5) Humor usually gets a smile or laugh from me. Seeing people happy also makes me smile. 6) Probably Brownies. The recipe I use is really good so I tend to make them as a treat for myself and my family every once in a while. 7) Knowing if they hold grudges or not seems like something that could tell me a lot about someone. 8.) either The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger or To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I've read both of them in the past year and enjoyed both of them. 9) Stadium Arcadium - Red Hot Chili Peppers Mothership - Led Zeppelin By The Way - Red Hot Chili Peppers A Night at the Opera - Queen Hotel California - The Eagles 2112 - Rush 10) I don't really have a prized possession honestly. I do have things that I find valuable in that sort of way, but I can't seem to remember any of them. 11) I don't think I would redo anything either. Everything happens for a reason and even my mistakes can teach me. 12) I remember once I was debating with one of my classmates about an answer in math (he did the wrong steps and thought he was right) and kept trying to convince me he was right. I look at him and said "I would agree with you, but then we would both be wrong". The class erupted at that moment and it got even louder once the teacher confirmed I was right. Good times, good times.

Since I don't really have time to finish and release all of them, I will be releasing the remaining sigs periodically in groups of 5. I already have some done so I'll post them here. Don't worry, I have not forgotten about this and I will continue to work on them in my free time. All of them will for sure be released in the near future. @BOOM @JigglyGumballs @Hex Universe @jaredc7 @Crstats23

Glad to see some new faces up there this time! Thanks to everyone who voted and makes the VHL a better place for all of us!

I had this idea in my head to see how VHL members were doing both in and out of the VHL across 2020. Feel free to join the thread. When 2020 first started, I wasn't aware of the VHL or the existence of sim leagues as a whole. I was just in school, doing sports and doing well in all my classes. I ended up getting my Bronze Medallion and Cross during January-February. Heading into March, I was excited because spring football was right around the corner and I had been training all winter to prepare. Little did I know that the next 9 months would be like nothing I've seen before. I got an email on Thursday, March 12th saying that my school would be closing starting on March 23rd. I seen it coming, especially with the rapid surge of COVID-19 across Canada and the first case being discovered in Manitoba less than 24 hours earlier. My initial thoughts were "eh, 3 weeks inside (Spring Break as well) this won't be too bad." and I went along with it. Once those three weeks had expired, the lockdown was extended indefinitely. This crushed me. I have the traits of both an extrovert and introvert but I prefer to be in-person than online. I still communicated with my friends online but things just didn't feel right. I wanted to see my friends and I really couldn't wait. A day after I turned 16 in May, I discovered the VHL while browsing on Reddit for NHL 20 faceoff tips (YES, THAT IS ACTUALLY HOW I GOT HERE). I didn't make an account right away, but wrote down the site. On May 26th, 2020, exactly 2 weeks after my birthday, I created my VHL account. Lots of teams sent offers, such as the Kings, Rush and lots of others, but there was just something about Houston that stood out to me. It was S72 and they weren't doing so good. Their GM at the time, @Sonnet, offered me first line minutes right out of the gate which was a huge thing that swayed me to Houston. I signed a 1 year deal with them and discovered that Houston was a great place to be. I met many VHL members that I would consider good friends in Houston, particularly @MattyIce, @DreMin15 and @KnightRiley. Heading into June, I decided I should tell some of my real life friends about the VHL, as I was really enjoying my time. I told @JigglyGumballs, one of my football and hockey teammates and a very good friend of mine, about this site. He joined in June and was generally confused at first. but I helped him though it and he has been with me through my entire VHL journey. I really owe him a lot for what he has done for this community as well. As my summer break began, I began to write and dedicate a lot more time to the VHL. I have a lot of writing talent so my article were a go-to. These not only helped generate more user content in the community but also helped me improve my writing. I ended up getting a lot of attention for these are articles as they were hit after hit. This couldn't come at a better time as well, as July 2020 was the month of the S73 VHL Draft. My articles, activity and player after a relatively short development time helped me end up a projected first round pick in the draft. At that point, I was just wondering where I would go. Calgary and London were constantly keeping up to date with me, and Seattle, Chicago and a few other teams had reached out. One of those teams who reached out was Helsinki. They had the 9th pick in the draft, and I wasn't projected to go until 12th. Their GM, @Jubo07, had reached out to me and said they had interest, but I really didn't hear anything else besides that. Heading into draft night, I knew Helsinki was still on the table, but London had made a big move to jump to 11 and possibly grab me. Helsinki ended up picking me up at 9 which actually confused me. I was an unproven first gen who had heaps of activity and potential but within such a short window. I really thought they had taken a chance on me. Once I talked with Jubo, he told me that it was a no-brainer and welcomed me into the VHL with open arms. I still thank him for giving me and opportunity like that every single day. There was also the VHLM dispersal draft. There was a slight conflict there as I had intentions of going up, which caused teams to pass on me (I was projected to go 2nd overall I believe) and instead went in the 5th round to the Miami Marauders, a 2nd year expansion team led by GM @Ricer13 who had almost knocked off the top-seeded Minnesota Storm the season prior. After insight from Jubo, I decided to stay down for S73, but also cleared the air that there was no ill intent with my claims to go up. I listened to my GMs, as they knew a lot more than me. I had a solid S73 in Miami and continued my summer tear of articles, including my famous (or imfamous) Top 50 series. We had a solid team, but ended up losing in the Founder's Cup Finals. It was still a fun season nevertheless as Miami was a very good LR to be a part of during S73. An underrated part of my S73 experience was the friends I made in the Houston LR. Even though I was now a Miami Marauder, I still kept active in the Houston LR that year as Minott, Jiggs and Matty were still there and a new GM in @rjfryman. There is one person that I met in Houston during S73 that I owe a lot to both in the VHL sense and a real life sense. That person is @BladeMaiden. She was awesome from the moment she stepped into the Houston LR and kept everyone active and positive. Her and Matty told me some valuable life lessons and other things that I still remember and follow by to this day. I am very appreciative for that and this is a moment to me that shows the VHL isn't just a hockey sim league. It is a community. Heading into September, everything was looking up again. COVID Restrictions were getting better, I was on my way to the Helsinki Titans and I had a lot of friends on the site. However, I was going to have another set back. One of my family members passed away just a few days into September. This caused me to step away to recover before school started on September 8th. By the 6th, I was back and ready to go. My first two seasons in Helsinki have been a blast. We have great management with both Jubo and Blade in the front office and I have had the pleasure to play with some very good teammates who are also amazing people. My 3 year contract in Helsinki starts during S76 and I am really excited for the season ahead. School so far has caused me to be busier and without time for my articles, but I still made time for the VHL community as by this point, the community was very close to my heart. September, October and November as a lot of the same as I would get weekly articles out, but just not like the ones I had during the summer. I still enjoyed what I did, also working for VSN across the summer helped. As December rolled around, my schedule got a bit looser and I got around to ideas that I have had for a bit. I decided within the first week of December that I wanted to do something for the VHL this holiday, and I decided to make sigs or write for members who wanted them. I haven't exactly finished those yet, but I plan to get them out in the next little while. Heading into 2021, I am excited for both my future in school and sports but also my VHL future. This is a special community that has been close with me since I join. I'm really hoping that this momentum I gained in 2020 will continue into 2021. With school starting again on Monday and hopefully COVID restrictions going away within the foreseeable future, I am really hopeful that things might be back on track for me, but with a great community with me. Feel free to write your own responses in replies. I really want to see how the rest of the community was doing during 2020. (1477 words)

For sure, lots of Laine vs Letang matches upcoming!

Heading into the 3rd period of a game that would define our season, we were trailing 4-2 to the Moscow Menace. We had heaps of talent and had won the conference during the regular season, but were a mere 20 minutes away from elimination. All of sudden, things started to shift in our favour. "Helsinki's power play will go back to work here, with Lagesson in the box for holding. Vikingstad wins the draw back to Rune. Rune takes a slapshot...save....rebound....SCORE! HIROSHI OKADA AND THE TITANS ARE WITHIN ONE!" "Helsinki will get a power play here with 5:30 to go in the third. Absolutely have to score here. Vikingstad wins it back to Elsby. He feeds it to Laine but that one wasn't in the wheelhouse. Laine back to Elsby....shot on net AND THEY SCORE! ELSBY WITH THE SHOT, IT LOOKS LIKE OKADA GOT A STICK ON IT AND WE ARE TIED AT FOUR HERE IN HELSINKI!" Using our special teams to crawl out of a 4-2 hole and tie the game. We weren't done yet, and me, being a franchise player, decided to attempt to put the game away. "3:30 left to go here in Helsinki. 4-4 is our score with Okada scoring back to back power play goals. Faceoff is in the Helsinki zone. Vikingstad wins it back to Elsby. Elsby back to Vikingstad. HERE'S A LEAD PASS TO LAINE IN ALONE. LAINE..........SCORES! PATRIK. LAINE. THE TITANS ARE BACK IN FRONT 5-4 WITH 3:14 TO GO IN THE THIRD PERIOD! ABSOLUTELY UNBELIEVEABLE!" "HEY, WE GOT THE LEAD, BUT WE AREN'T DONE YET. LET'S FINISH THIS GAME!" I yelled, trying to instill confidence in my team. We appeared to have done the impossible. However, one controversial call would change our season forever "This one shot into the Moscow zone and icing looks like the call. We got a penalty on the play. I think it is going to Laine here, but for what? Looking at the scoreboard I don't see anything wrong on the play, he's just finishing his check. Let's see what the refs call it. "Helsinki #29, Two Minutes for Holding the Stick" "THAT'S A BULLSH*T CALL AND YOU KNOW IT!" I yelled, venting my frustration as I skated to the penalty box. Sitting in the box was probably the most painful thing. I knew the call was a bad call and I was frustrated. I was hoping that the penalty kill would come up big, which was perfect up until that point. Unfortunately, it didn't stay perfect for long. "Walking in is Lahtinen. SCORE! Mikko Lahtinen and the Menace tie the game up 5-5 with 1:32 to go." I slammed my stick in the penalty box, shattering it into two and skated back to the bench. I was surprised when Coach Jubo told me to go back out for the next faceoff. I was confused by the decision, but I didn't go against it. Just when I thought things couldn't get worse, they di "Menace preparing for one last rush here with 25 seconds to go. Letang passes it out to Davis. In with speed comes Davis. Across to Lahtinen. Shot by Lahtinen, SCORE! THE MENACE SCORE WITH 15 SECONDS TO GO! IT LOOKED LIKE THE SHOT WAS GOING WIDE BUT IT WENT OFF LAINE IN FRONT AND THE MENACE LEAD 6-5 WITH 15 SECONDS TO GO IN THE THIRD. UNBELIEVEABLE I felt the puck go off me and when I heard the shock in the crowd I knew what happened. I didn't even waste my time. I skated right to the bench, sat down, and put my head down. I had costed my team the entire season. 15 seconds later, the final buzzer rang. Season over. I got off the bench and went and shook hands with the Menace. I had some good friends on the Menace, like Alex Letang for example, so it was cool when I got to shake hands with them and see them move on. When I got to Mikko Lahtinen, he could kinda see the look in my eyes. He had scored 4 of the 6 goals that eliminated us. But he pulled my head up and told me something that blew my m "Good series, Laine. I know it is tough to lose, especially like that, but keep your head up. You'll go through a lot of losses like this across your career, but you just gotta keep going. You'll be back next season. Take care of yourself, you'll be elite next year for sure." That was a great piece of advice. I thought about it for a moment and then responded "Yeah, good luck in the next round as well. Go win it all." I said. I really did mean it when I said it to him. I finished the rest of the handshake lines and made my way to the locker room. It was a really quiet locker room. I made my way to my stall and sat down. All I felt was just this overwhelming feeling of sadness but also anger. I sat there for about 15 minutes before I had the strength to take my gear off. I remember the instant I got up to take my gear off. I removed my helmet and Spencer Elsby, one of our Top 4 defenders came up and gave me a hug. I hugged back of course. He had become one of my best friends in Helsinki and was only a year older than me. Throughout the time being, Rune, Vaak, Driver, Summers, Vikingstad, Helminen and the rest of the Titans slowly came over as well. I guess they could see my frustration and held off for a little bit when we first enter the room. Eventually, Coach Jubo and AGM Blade came down the locker room. We had all taken our gear off and were awaiting the media by this point. They talked to us for a bit about how it was tough to lose and everything like that. It made me upset seeing them sad, especially since we had lost in the finals both of the seasons prior to this. I really wanted to win the two of them a ring, they deserve it. As I was making my way towards the door to go to where the media would meet us, Jubo and Blade pulled me aside and took me into their office. I won't lie, it was really nervous going into their, especially after you were a part of 2 goals that ended your season just hours earlier. I sat down and listened as they spoke. "That was a tough end for you, Laine. We were watching from up in the press box. We just wanted to make sure you are alright after that." Jubo said "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just.....really frustrated and upset." I replied "Well, even though it was a tough loss, we were pleased with the development we saw in your game this season. You took strides in your offensive play, improved defensively and we seen the gradual improvement in your skating." Blade said to me. "I just attempted to work as hard I can for you guys. I love playing for this team and I feel bad for costing us the season. I love this team and I love you guys." I said, my tone did seem a little sad though. "Hey, keep your head up high, kid." Jubo said, "We may have lost in a tough way, but we fought all the way to the end. A year is not a failure just because you fail to get the job done. You had an excellent year and I love your passion for this team. We loved the improvement we saw with you and I want you to be ready to go next season, alright kid?" He smiled at me as he said this. It instilled a bit of confidence in me. "Your leadership ability in the locker room was also evident. Me and Jubo have been talking over the entire season about this, but we think you are already a superstar, and you are only going to get better next year. Your first 30 goal season, almost a point/game across the entire year and even a point/game playoff run. You have a lot of positive things to look back on across this season. Keep your head up for me. We can't wait to have you back next season, Laine!" Blade added, with a smile on her face as well. "Thanks guys. I just feel like I let you down. However, this doesn't mean I am done. It just means I gotta train that much harder this offseason." I said, lifting my head up and smiling as well. "That's the spirit, kid! Now get out there, you got some media interviews to do." Jubo said "Thanks guys, I'll be sure to keep you up to date during the offseason." I said "Any time you want to come down here to train, feel free to. We'll be waiting for you." said Blade. I gave them a wave and walked with Elsby down to the media room for interviews. The interviews were a whole lot of nothing, just the same old generic questions over and over again. Not to say I don't like doing interviews, but I like some interesting questions. After the session, I made my way back to the locker room and pick my stuff up. I met Elsby, Vaakanainen, Spaz and Driver at the back of the building. We were going to train at my place during the offseason leading up until the ProAM tournament I hosted after the playoffs. It is going to be a long offseason, but Helsinki, the team, management and the fans motivate me to work that much harder. (1630 words, good for 3 weeks)

Bring it on!

1) Two words. Playoff Patty. 2) Probably my defense. I always take that part of my game up to the next level during playoff time. 3) Driver for sure. He's been a rock all year. 4) Helsinki during the postseason is a different animal. 5) Helsinki in 5-6 is a solid bet 6) Probably Chicago. They swept Seattle in the Wildcard Round which is no easy feat. 7) 8.) I don't get complemented that often, but I don't seem to remember any of them. Kind of strange. I vividly remember one of my teachers calling me the best student he's ever had and he had been teacher for 30 years. I took that to heart. 9) Surprisingly, I would give up taste. That means I could literally eat anything, but smell is important because if you smell a gas leak or something. Only reason why I didn't pick smell is that reason. 10) "You have to be yourself. That's the most important thing. Be yourself and say what you think" - Patrik Laine 11) A nice meal, hanging out with friends and family, and some sleep. 12) Pressure is a privilege. It separates great players from legendary players, especially during the playoffs.

Time to show em what we can do! LET'S GO TITANS!

Review: Wow. This is a very well put together video. I like the transition between the teams and the cup. The uniform designs are awesome. I feel like it would be a bit better if the highlights were a bit faster though. Either way, I love the way this video was put together. Very well done. 10/10

This is a well-written article. I love the breakdown for each of the players to show what the changes have done and the way they performed before. I also like how you displayed the net assets and picks lost/gained at the bottom. Overall, I think this is a very good article, definitely would recommend it to others, 9.5/10.

1) Solid overall team play. We've played good in all phases of the game and we deserve to win the division. 2) Hopefully a Continental Cup 3) Lots of classic Christmas songs 4) Just the togetherness and the unity that happens during christmas time. 5) 29 was the number I first got when I went to Tampere at age 14 so I've kept it with me all these years. 6) hmmm....I actually may need a bit to think this one through..I'm not sure because a lot of Titans fit multiple reindeer. 7) I would take super speed in a heartbeat. 8.) Spaz talks a lot but so do I so I'd say its between me and him. We like to chirp each other quite a bit. 9) The VHL. It helped make a year that has been difficult a lot more enjoyable. Also friends and family have made things easier so I owe them all my thanks. 10) Hopefully a return to normal life, but I wouldn't count on it. 11) GMs do not get enough credit unless they win a cup. Even when they do, it all goes to the players. 12) Probably a gaming section.