CowboyinAmerica

This is why I'm super excited, have no idea how this is going to go. Excellent article man.

Apparently not. I've been rooting for Wisconsin all Tourney (go Big 10!), but didn't have the balls to actually select them in my bracket.

Because he's S35 and doesn't have a choice. (Unless he also wants to fight the power.)

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Wooooo! Now that season's over, thoughts on when lottery might be?

I remember when Bentley was created and thinking, "Damn, there goes my chances at best defenseman." Olsen's career didn't exactly turn out that way, but a pleasure competing with you for a bit nonetheless.

Very interesting. Considering I still predict Delicious as a near lock to Riga, I can see any one of these happening. Looking forward to this draft (and lottery) a lot.

Makes me think of a good question though: Is it for sure we're moving back to a 4 team playoffs for the VHLM? If so, there will probably be more sellers at the deadline who actually have legitimate players, so I think the Trade Deadline may actually increase in importance.

Minot, ND – With the end of the VHLM season only a couple of days away, analysts are already wondering who will be named the Season 42 Sakic Trophy winner for the VHLM’s MVP. A number of front-runners have been named, notably Kyle Kingma and Sam Teibert, the league’s two highest point producers. For Minot Gladiators goalie Hans Wingate, however, the choice is obvious. “It absolutely has to be Vogon Jeltz,” Wingate said to reporters following a recent game against the Lynx. “If there’s any argument, the voters obviously don’t know what they’re talking about. Wingate argues that the award voting should come down to the literal meaning of Most Valuable Player. While Kingma’s Oslo and Teibert’s Brampton squad have a number of other players who would have stepped up in the stars’ absence, Minot has very little else on the table, yet will finish over 100 points on the season anyway. “Before our recent waiver spree, who did we have?” Wingate said. “I’m decent, but without Jeltz, I’m basically Skovsgard on Moscow. Ryan had nobody else to pass to. Jeltz carried this team, man. He’s the only reason we have the record we do; nobody else had that type of impact.” It remains to be seen whether Wingate’s rant will have any affect. However, especially considering that Minot has not had a Sakic winner since Season 15, awarding the trophy to Jeltz may be a nice way to let the team ride off into the sunset.

You look like a man who should settle down with a nice, cheap kitchen.

Appreciate the addition, but poor puns are something I appreciate and Minot much about.

A tough omission to be sure, but that Season 37 when you finished 10th in assists, 5th in hits, third on your own team in goals just barely lost out to 2 MVPs and the single season team record holder in goals.

No Wingate either. It'll be fun that, by the time I reach the VHL, both VHLM franchises my rookie goalie has played for will no longer exist. And apparently this is Post 1,000. I don't really do post parties, but here's a corgi

Entering Season 43, the Minot Gladiators will be no more. It may be a shame, but it’s not exactly a surprise. One of the more commonly-ridiculed VHLM teams, the Gladiators have not won a Founder’s Cup since Season 19, the longest active losing streak among VHLM franchises. And with Brampton the presumptive North American Conference favorite in Season 42, the Fightin’ North Dakotans may ride away into that sweet sunset without a recent title. But it’s not all bad in Minot. In fact, there have been some great times for the Gladiators, and many former Minot stars have become legends in their own right in the VHL. This is not a time for sadness; this is a time for happiness. And with that in mind, let’s look back at the all-time first line for 42 seasons of Gladiators hockey. I’m taking some liberties with positions, some don’t jump down my throat. (And also, the underlines are links to player pages!) The All-Time Minot First Line Center: Frank Ricard (S14-S17) Awards: S15 Minot championship, S15 Sakic Trophy, S15 Dionne Trophy, S15 Yzerman Trophy Many VHL fans may remember Ricard as a second round flame-out for the Calgary Wranglers, but for Minot fans, he remains one of the most memorable players in franchise history. Seeing as how he got close the VHLM TPE cap, but never exceeded it, Ricard spent four seasons in Minot with varying success. His peak had to be Season 15, when he led Minot to the second of its three franchise championships. With 81 goals and 104 assists, he won what is (unbelievably) the most recent Sakic Trophy for the Minot franchise. Winger: David Knight (S10) Awards: S10 Minot championship, S10 Sakic Trophy, S10 Oates Trophy David Night is a Hall of Famer. David Henman is a Hall of Famer. And in between, for the Knight agency, was this guy, who seemingly nobody wants to remember, even his own agent. However, following two thoroughly forgettable seasons with the Calgary Wranglers in S8 and S9, Knight was demoted to Minot in S10. That’s where he showed what he could truly do. With 70 goals and 157 points, Knight won the franchise’s second of three Sakic Trophies (S3 Alec Miller was the first), and his 87 assists were good enough to lead the league, giving him the league lead in that category as well. Plus, of course, the team won its first ever Founder’s Cup. Naturally, Knight retired after the season to make way for Henman, but Minot fans will always wonder what could have been. Winger: Vogon Jeltz (S42) Awards: None... yet. Why am I including a player who hasn’t even finished the season yet on this list? One look at the stats should paint a decent picture. With 126 goals through 66 games, Jeltz is already seventh all-time on the single-season goals list, and it’s entirely conceivable he will pass fourth (Tyrone Williams – 135) by season’s end, giving him the most goals in a VHLM season since S24. He's also first in single-season goals in Minot history already. Jeltz has provided the offensive firepower that has largely escaped Minot in recent seasons, and it’s likely that Minot fans will remember him as the last great star of the franchise. Defenseman: Till Lindemann (S31) Awards: Bourque Trophy (S31), Oates Trophy (S31) The Minot franchise hasn’t had much to get excited about in recent seasons, but the three-year playoff streak between S29 and S31 stands out as one of the highlights. Syracuse’s Finals run in S30 may be the most profitable year, but the most talented single season belongs to defenseman Till Lindemann in S31. In the first season after the franchise moved back to North Dakota, Lindemann was an all-around force, leading all players in assists (107) and hits (359) while finishing third in shots blocked (147). Defenseman: Giddy McFly (S7) Awards: Bourque Trophy (S7), Oates Trophy (S7) Even though Minot did not win its first championship until Season 10, the early years of the franchise are still chocked full of memorable players. Take, for instance, Giddy McFly. Although he was later turned into an unremarkable winger in the pros, McFly thrived as a defenseman in the VHLM, winning the franchise’s second Bourque Trophy and second Oates Trophy, while being the first (and only until Lindemann) to do both in the same season. His +62 plus/minus was also a record high for defensemen at the time. Goalie: Mattias Backlund (S22-24) Awards: Sawchuk Trophy (S22) Mattias Backlund is somewhat of a VHLM goaltending legend in his own right, as he is one of only three goalies (Pavle Buric, Gunnar Skovsgard) to have won multiple Sawchuks. But while his S21 victory in Ottawa may have saw him finish with a better record, his Season 22 in Minot was his finest masterpiece. Backlund’s .911 save percentage registered .018 higher than his closest competitor, and he held six shutouts in a season when not even a single other goalie had more than one. However, Minot inconceivably did not stick with Backlund going forward; he lost his starting job to Carlos Vasquez in S23 and Alexsander Osiak in S24 while still on the roster. Minot will miss its Gladiators, but they will live forever in our hearts.

3-2 Toronto

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Good advice. I've been mentioning on update threads when I see new people not taking training camp, I'll do the same with practice facility as well.

Oh I'm not worried, wasn't being sarcastic either. Think it's totally possible I slide out of the lottery. I'll be good and work hard no matter where I end up.