IamMOOSE

It’s been a struggle this season in the VHL. I’ve struggled to stay active, communicate in chat, even look at the league stats overall. I did start a new job in January so obviously some time has been devoted to that but I know that isn’t it. It’s the passion. It’s the drive to cap every week, to appear on a podcast, to write an article, submit a graphic. We’re midway through this regular season and I feel like a ghost of my own making. After last season I felt I had no place in the VHL anymore. I was frustrated, I was angry, I still am in some ways. I’ve done a lot of damage to my reputation in this league and whatever side you fall on that doesn’t matter any more than anything I could say about it. It is what it is. I came back with the idea that I would finish out my contract in Vancouver and see what to do from there. That’s still my goal but frankly I’m struggling. Since returning to the league I’ve drifted, trying to find some thread that I could latch onto and maybe rebuild that player and member that was a positive member of this community and it’s nowhere. No thread, nothing uplifting, no comfort. I’ve spoken out to some friends in the league about how uncomfortable it’s been to try and almost reintegrate into being a regular member again and it’s been uncomfortable. That’s the word, uncomfortable. I’ve felt out of place in every situation, from my old home in the Vegas LR to feeling almost excommunicated from San Diego, to even my teammates in Vancouver. And that’s not a run at anyone or any team. It’s internal. I can’t seem to get to a place where I can be a part of the room again so I just check to see if King did anything in the games and evaporate into the walls as if I were never there. I’ll be finishing my final season in the EFL much the same way. Unlike the VHL, I honestly haven’t really tried to be a part of that league since I capped. The VHL is hockey, it’s meant to be where I want to be, surrounded by others who have a passion for the sport and I can feel comfortable. I don’t and it’s on me and I know that. I don’t know where that spark can come from though, where to reignite the fuse on my passion for the VHL. I don’t know what to do.

The title kind of says it all doesn’t it? Theme Week. It’s been around a long old time and its had its ups and downs but beyond that you have to wonder when it’s time for a change. It was a post Monday that sparked this topic for me and while I have yet to really deep dive into it with other more veteran members, I have stopped to think about Theme Week and what it is versus what it could be. For those unaware, on Monday, Quik made a post regarding next week’s Theme Week as is pretty customary each season but unlike other seasons, he’s asking for ideas. “A quik peek at the Season Schedule will tell you that next week is Theme Week. If you're new and don't know what that means, it's a week where all Point Task submissions that are "on theme" qualify as a doubles week worth 6 Uncapped TPE. Well, let's pretend that the BOG is stumped on new ideas, and we are reaching out to the general population of the VHL to assist us in coming up with something to use as theme week for this season, and future seasons, as well. The only caveat is that the theme needs to be something that can be applied to both graphics and written/podcast form. So, VHL, what do ya got?” I did make a suggestion but I wanted to touch on a different point here. Is the idea of a Theme Week straining the concept itself? It’s an odd thought but after 76 seasons and pedestrianly maybe 50-60 Theme Weeks, I imagine the pool is running thin for ideas and I can’t blame the league for that. It’s actually a point of sympathy from me when it comes to the Blues and while I’ve seen some creativity in the form of donation drives and Christmas events (I’m counting it stay with me), it’s not really sustainable, especially in today’s world. I would love to pick the brains of some long term members of the league to see how Theme Week has evolved and what their stance is on it, but from the eyes of a First Gen in my 5th season (4th full) I can honestly say I think we could do with a refresh on it. For me, and this isn’t really a pitch piece so much as a dart board for everyone, myself included. I’d like to see a cycle where some seasons it’s Theme Week, others it’s a Donation Drive, maybe another season it’s a recruitment tally or something, some special TPE driven tournaments. I don’t necessarily have the answer for it but I’m interested in the conversation. I felt bad seeing that post Monday because I feel that situation of not having a launching point for content. I could be reaching and this could’ve been just a genuine new idea for Theme Week and if so Oof. But to me it really read more as, “Hey members we’re out of ideas, what do you got?” So in the spirit of either or, what do you guys think about Theme Week and what, if anything would you like to see in the future?

Influencers. Write an Article/Media Spot or create a Graphic commemorating someone in this league past/present that has influenced you or inspired you to be a part of the VHL. For Graphics you post with a short description of why you picked you who you picked, obviously for articles/media you include something about why you chose them as your influence.

Congrats Spence!

This is brilliant Gorlab. Seriously excellent stuff.

Guess I gotta hear this other announcement???

Transaction ID: 20510626001125632 Free Week Doubles Week 5 Uncapped TPE

1. @Banackock F - Mikko Lahtinen F - Valtteri Vaakanainen F - Robin Winter D - Randy Marsh D - Cinnamon Block G - Dark Spyro 2. @Prout F - Red Lite F - Uhtred F - Lee Xin D - Alex Letang D - Chicken Wing G - Ajay Krishna 3. @rjfryman - Group Manager F - SS Hornet F - Andrew Su F - Timothy Brown D - Matty Socks D - Tim Waters G - Woody McPine 4. @Berocka F - Chris Hylands F - Jim Bob F - Groovy Dood D - Latrell Mitchell D - Ziarie Anigbogu G - Jacques Lafontaine 5. @Matt thunder F - Benny Graves F - Gary rush F - Onde Sandstrom D - L D - Griff Manzer G - Rara Rasputin 6. @IamMOOSE F - Patrik Tallinder F - Ola Vikingstad F - Patrik Laine D - Roque Davis D - Cowboy Prout G - Jean Pierre Camus

F - Pateik Laine G - Jean Pierre Camus @Matt thunderfinal pick.

Nope

@Matt thunderIf you mean Randy Marsh he's been picked too lol

-Moved-

Already selected by Berocka @Matt thunder

Yay! It worked!

@Matt thunder @Matt thunder @Matt thunder @Matt thunder @Matt thunder @Matt thunder Matt, you're close to cutoff, don't get skipped again bud. No DQ teams here!!! REEEEEE!!!! REEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!

It’s a bit late for a season preview in any capacity but there’s a lot to be said for this upcoming season when it comes to Vancouver Wolves’ Center Kevin King and maybe more crucially, VHL Member IamMoose. For those unaware of how we wrapped up the postseason and offseason for King/Moose, controversy surrounded the camp as responses to resim efforts, some generally poor comments, and a ban from some poorly chosen words on a podcast spiraled into a scenario where without the aid of his former Vegas GM Spartan, Moose had walked away from the league. Coming back however, Moose seems to be back on stride, hitting his note for capping for this week and picking up where he’d left off a couple weeks previous. Sources close to the camp have said there’s still a lot of hesitation to what to say or post but those jitters should pass with time. For IamMoose, it’s a return to general production as a content creator and a positive influence on the forum. Moose had this to say regarding his hopes to get back to the member he was before s75: “I’m disappointed with how much all this affected my player’s growth and development but that’s the place we put ourselves in. When it comes to the rest of this season, I want to get back to where I was before the start of last season. I’m not gonna make excuses for it at this point, I want to believe that those who interact with me most in this league will give me an opportunity to kind of reset and fit back into the conversation. I understand some members were/are upset with me and that’s unfortunate. All I can offer at this point is my content and my attitude as it is today versus what it was at the end of last season.” For King it’s another new season with another new set of challenges. Coming off a huge season where the Dustin Funk nominee recorded 94 points including 37 goals, it will be King’s mission to find consistency in his third season as a Wolf. King’s career has been plagued by streaky runs, often with a major goalless and even pointless drought. I’ll be King’s second full season under 2nd line Center, likely winged by some combination of Onde Sandstrom on the right and either Jesper Norberg or Venus Thightrap on the left. King and Sandstrom have shown chemistry in the past, so it’s a stable 2nd line that is only complimented by the left side. King will look to match and exceed his previous season’s totals stating, “I’d like to hit the 100-point mark but realistically as a 2nd line Center I’m not expecting the world. I’d like to get back to that 35+ goal mark and especially my game winners. I think the value for me right now is getting great players Sands and Norby going. I’d like to be the kind of player rookies like Sosa & Zolnek can go to for advice on builds. This season is about building that foundation for me.” We did approach King for comments regarding Moose’s actions from late last season to which he responded, “Moose is one of those guys who’s gonna say maybe the wrong words. I wouldn’t call him a bad guy, you just get to a point where you understand he’s got his opinions and his way of thinking. I don’t always agree with it and how he presents it, that’s just him though.” Beyond anything that happened to end last season or opposing views from not only the player, member, and community, King & Moose both echoed in agreement that it was time to move on to the new season. We will be curious to see not only how King/Moose move forward but if there are any new additions to the arsenal this season.

Dear San Diego, I wanted to take this time to reflect on my tenure as the Assistant General Manager of a storied but still somewhat young franchise that took a chance on me. I served as the AGM for 2½ seasons and had amazing memories from both players, our forever GM@InstantRockstar, and the other GMs of the league who helped along the way. When the job first became available midway through season 73, I was hesitant to jump on the opportunity but had support from some teammates and friends of this league to take a shot on it. @Viperxhawks19 had gotten to where he needed to step away and with history already there, some awkward but professional sounding messages, and some helpful nudging from Viper and Spartan I got the chance I was looking for. Of course, we had no picks in that upcoming draft so the learning curve was less trial by fire and more fire. All of the fire. But nonetheless, we managed to grab a few solid prospects like @Prout and @DragonFire420 and trucked through an admittedly poor season. The expectations were nonexistent for s74 but we were determined to if nothing else give those new recruits a reason to stay on and I’m proud of that at least. Season 75 was better. We got an incredible group of superstar VHLers. Prout returned as captain, we brought on amazing people like @Tate, @fromtheinside, @BOOM, @Phil, @Rayzor_7, and so many more that I’m missing. We made the choice early to build up to the powerhouse rather than begin with it and found ourselves in the latter part of the season on the most incredible win streak I’ve seen since joining the league. We may have come up a little short in the “Conference” Finals but from the Boom Shack, to Prout hounding me for Trivia Answers, to the amazing VHL Draft that saw damn near the whole team go in the first 2 rounds, I am proud of the team IR & I put together. Obviously, San Diego has seen a big shift with the induction of @thadthrasher & Prout as new GM/AGM, respectively. I was in the midst of my own issues at the time so I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate them both on their positions and wish them the best going forward. I genuinely don’t know where to end this piece. I could go on, but I think the value is in the best parts of what it meant to be a part of the organization. I want to thank Rockstar and the members of San Diego for giving me a chance to be a piece of history for the franchise. Thank you, MOOSE

This is a really nice piece. I genuinely thought it was a custom sticker or shirt or something at first. Really smooth, looks handmade but also printed if that makes sense. I could see this being on a shirt or something. Love the center logo and the black background around it. The designs on each side are excellent quality and colorized properly as well. This is a 10/10 piece. If I had any minor critique it would be the white circle could be a little more faded to match the rest of the graphic but that is the most minor of minor find something to critique for the review point. Great Work!

It's a bit basic not gonna lie. Would liked to have seen a logo swap, I think that would've made this a great piece. I like the font style as it does compliment the piece without looking out of place. The render is solid, background is, there??? Overall I gotta give it a 6/10. It's still solid but I feel more could've been added.

2.) What skills have you been working on the most during the off season to improve going into S76? King: "I think the goal right now is Puck Handling to 99 and then Faceoffs up to 85 and Skating up too. Softly boosting Penalty Shots but it's a left over stat. 3. The Vancouver Wolves went into the S76 Draft with 3 1st Round Picks, Ultimately at the end of the night the Wolves traded one pick and selected both Robin Galante Nilsson and Jivere Zolnek in the 1st round. Both have also been officially named to the S76 Wolves Roster, what is your opinion on these two users ? King: "RGN is a hell of a player and a huge get as a member of the lockeroom. I had him on my list once upon a time in San Diego and you can see from his effort that he's a special player. I don't know Zolnek all that well but do know that there's history there for the member so I'm excited to see what that brings. 4.The Wolves are welcoming rookie from the S75 Draft , from the Mexico Kings @TMGSosa Jacob Sosa. With Sosa and @Sixersfan594Zolnek both joining the pro roster were now at 8 forwards. What do you expect from these two rookie forwards ? King: "Little bit of growing pains and with so many forwards they'll have to really push to get those numbers but I'm absolutely excited to see how they progress and what they'll bring to the team on and off the ice." 5.)Wolves are also ECSTATIC to announce the official signing of our S74 Prospect @Xflexznot@MMFLEXMarkus Emerson Jr Voted S76 VHLM Top Goaltender winning the Award "Benoit Devereux Trophy". How many Starts to you expect to see Emerson play ? King: "Gonna be Spyro's job but I could see him getting 20% maybe. He's got big game potential and while you'll never replace Jimmy Spyro I think Emm can pave a great career as our #1. 6.) Where do you see this years Wolves Squad ranking amongst the VHL, how far can this group go? With the star studded offense in Su @Da_BerrKevin King @IamMOOSEVenus Thightrap @BladeMaidenGregg Stallion @SweatyBeaver Norberg and Sandstrom @fonziGG@jpsd ALL SIX of these Forwards have 99 SC and are all 548 TPE+ players.... would you say this is a super team in this top 6 here ? King: "I don't think so yet. I think you have to see guys/gals like Thightrap, King, and Sandstrom take that final step of being consistent. I think with such a young group you gotta fins that balance of chemistry and skill and while I think big parts of the lineup have that, there's still work to be done." 8.)Which player on any team are you most looking forward to playing against and why? King: "I think the simplest answer here is @PatrikLaine. We were former teammates in Miami back in 73 and we give each other a tough effort every matchup so I'm always excited to see his name pop up in my schedule." 9.) The Wolves lead the league in total team Goals Scored as a Team last season, is this a realistic expectation of repeating this stat ? King: "Extremely High. I think though this offense is young I really believe that with some chemistry this team could have 4 100-point players this season."

D - Roque Davis D - Cowboy Prout @Matt thunderback up with two picks.

So deserved. @dlambis such a great lockeroom presence and makes everyone around him better.

I feel the Central/Mid West United States is pretty underrepresented. Aside from Chicago in the VHL and Minnesota (& borderline Houston in terms of Central) in the VHLM, the middle of the US is VHL-Less. I'd love to see a Kansas City or a Omaha team maybe. An Indianapolis franchise or even a Nashville or Louisville team.