CowboyinAmerica

1. Who's been impressing you in practice recently? Have you ever tried practicing at forward with two guys on your line, and one of them is a literal Forest? More props to Groovy Dood. 2. Who is your favourite member of the league not currently on the team? Favorite is always a strong word, but I do think it'd be fun to play on a team with Advantage. Always been against him, never with him. 3. What is your favourite colour? Dragons red, of course! Has to be. 4. Do you watch any sports other than hockey? I've always been a fan of polo. I'll also dabble in dressage once or twice, but if forced to choose between the two, I'll say neigh. 5. Who do you think has been the MVP of the season so far? Tallinder makes sense by me. Big lead in points, and Riga has been scorching. 6. How are you coping with the pandemic? Coping is probably the right word. Getting by, even if it definitely isn't fun.

Washington, D.C. -- If there's one word that defenseman Lance Flowers would describe his first season as a Dragon, it's "average." After seemingly every win, the Dragons follow it up with a loss. Flowers isn't putting up poor stats, but he's not on any leaderboards either. And the team seems to be relatively coasting along, currently sitting third in North America but only by one point. "I think we're still getting settled in a bit, and that means some inconsistency," Flowers said. "I'm still not backing off that I think this team can win a title. But it's clearly taking some growth to get there." That back-and-forth trend started in the very first two games of the season: The Dragons won 3-0 over a strong Helsinki Titans team, only to follow it up with a 5-2 loss against the Seattle Bears. In fact, it's become a running joke in the Dragons locker room that every two games are destined to end 1-1, come hell or high water. But the upcoming stretch offers a chance for the Dragons to break out. They play three straight games against second-year expansion teams coming up, as well as in four of their next six. If the Dragons are able to take, say, 9 or 10 points during that stretch, it could put them right back on track to being a serious contender. "And I think I need to step up my own play," Flowers added. "I've been doing solidly offensively and defensively, but I always think I can be doing more. Now's the time to prove it."

D - Micheal Gary Scott @Banackock

G - Stone Wolski @Hylands

More than worthy to take the mantle. Congrats!

No worries! I'm going: F - Phil Marleau One of these damn seasons selecting him is gonna work. @Banackock

Nope I selected Jubis above, need another pick

D - Jeff Downey @Hylands

F - RJ Jubis @Banackock

? I mean, I agree for obvious reasons. But the devil's advocate argument, Gow was also a year younger, on a solid TPE pace, and the goalie hatred I don't think had fully set in yet. Plus, yeah, I was leaving given that the team was built around S40 players entering their final season. A good article though, agree that it's a fun look back!

F - Benny Graves @Hylands

Now I'm just planning out what my moves are. Plain B is a body check, right B a stick slash, down B a skate stomp...

I seem to have stumbled in to this weird room... 1. What do you think about our s74 draft? We'll see how it pans out long-term, but seem to have good value with our picks. Hope our new players are having a good time! 2. What are your goals this season? It's all about the winning, baby. I came to D.C. to win a title, and hope we're able to accomplish that. 3. Do you have any superstitions before a game? Before I put on my protective cup, I just smear a little bit of jelly on the inside. Don't knock it until you've tried it. 4. Who will be our breakout star this season? I'm predicting a Goalie of the Year for Wolski this season. You heard it here first. 5. Any thoughts on who the winner is of the draft? Vancouver would be the obvious one, but for a team that needs active bodies, I really like what London's building as well. 6. What do you think this team is lacking? Experience. It's a new world in the conference finals and VHL finals, but we won't know how we do until we get there. And I think we'll get there.

But I love this one too, appreciated!

Off to the Dragons Washington, D.C. -- It's the beginning of a new era for defenseman Lance Flowers. Following a six season stint with the New York Americans, who drafted him second overall in S68, Flowers is set to head to his first new team in the VHL. And today, he announced who that destination would be: the D.C. Dragons. An expansion team in S68, the Dragons have made the playoffs in three of the past four seasons, but are still looking for a little help to get over the top into their first finals appearance. Flowers is hoping he can be that piece, slotting in to the team's first top defensive pairing alongside fellow S68 draftee Luciano Valentino. "D.C. had just about everything I wanted. A place where I can make an impact, play defense, a new location for my agency, and most importantly, win," Flowers said. "It really appeals to me to try and bring these D.C. fans their first VHL championship. I hope we get there." It's still early in the offseason, but D.C. projects to be a solid playoff team in North America this season, perhaps even a favorite. With the S72 expansion teams still on the rise, and New York and Vancouver rebuilding/retooling, there's an opening. But especially going up against a Seattle team that has won four titles in six years, success is far from certain. "It's going to take work, but I've never shied away from that," Flowers said. "And I wouldn't be here if I didn't think this team wasn't willing to put in the work as well. I'm feeling good about D.C., and excited to see how it all plays out."

Fair. Could have always given into my long-standing offer that I'd GM if I'm allowed to bring back Vasteras...

Just saw this one, and wanted to note because I agree - there's definitely precedent for this. Take a look who's awarded the title for S43 Seattle. (Which I have no idea how he was awarded another GM job after going AWOL on both Davos and Seattle, but I digress.)

Sure I'm in

Son of a bitch. @Doomsday really got me by .04?

A Wonderful New York Career After six seasons, the time has come – Lance Flowers is set to leave the New York Americans. Despite entering free agency, though, there aren’t any hard feelings about the Americans franchise as I’m taking off. In fact, the exact opposite. Although I didn’t know much about the franchise or its management before being drafted second overall all the way back in Season 68, I couldn’t imagine having a better home over the past several years. Through the ups and downs, being named captain, and the many, many streaks, it has been an absolute pleasure playing for this franchise. And with that, I have some people to thank. The first one is obvious: Thank you @Esso2264 for being a spectacular general manager for this team. Even without surmounting the crapshoot of the playoffs, I never had any doubt that he was doing everything in his power to make this team a winning environment. He always kept us in the loop with major moves, had realistic but strong expectations for this team, and wasn’t afraid to rock the boat if something wasn’t working. His GMotY is very well deserved, and I’m glad I got the opportunity to contribute to the strong team he’s put together. I know the rebuild will go well with him in charge, and I hope the next reign of Americans ends in a cup. The cavalcade of Assistant GMs that have come through New York have been great as well, including @dlamb currently and former AGM and current teammate @ColeMrtz. I encourage anybody drafted or signing here to buy into the system, because I strongly feel it will pay off. Among the multiple players I’ve had in this league, there are very few occasions where I’ve had the same teammate for six seasons, let alone two. It’s been fun being the core of the Americans with @.sniffuM and @studentized, us and others coming from that strong S68 to put together a winning team. I’ve always been a fan of being part of a rebuilding process, trying to build something out of nothing to reach the top. I’m glad that others were just as willing to put up with the highs and lows as me. A lot of other players have come and gone from the Americans over the time I’ve been here, way too many for me to list and tag here. From players I played with early on like @McWolf and @chillzone to some of the players on these newer teams like @TheFlash and @rjfryman, I’ve been lucky to be surrounded by awesome talent and even better people while I’ve been here. It isn’t always a given that you’ll have fun on whatever team you’re drafted to, but with amazing people joining us on this journey, I’ve certainly been lucky. And finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the member who was supposed to be my defensive partner over the whole course of my career: @Elmebeck. He was the American I talked to the most in those early days, and I could tell through all of my interactions truly a kind person. I was gone on a trip in Asia when he passed; I didn’t know until I was back a week later. And when I learned, it hit like a ton of bricks. Our highest highs would have been even better if he were around, and my thoughts continue to be with his family. It's been a ride, Americans. And no matter what happens in free agency and the final two seasons of Flowers’ career, I’ll always consider New York his home. Thank you for the six seasons of fun.

1. Well ladies and gentleman, that was the season. Game 7 heartbreaker. How was your playoff experience? It's a bit disappointing, not going to lie. I was hoping that this would be our season to break through, but it wasn't meant to be. 2. What do you see for yourself in the season ahead? It's likely to be free agency for me, so that's exciting. There's a lot of unknowns there, and it'll be exciting to see it shake out. 3. The draft is right around the corner, who is your pick to go 1st overall? (Warsaw won the lotto) Aloe Dear makes sense. Warsaw as an expansion needs just about everything it can get right now. 4. Our MVP this season, A Red Guy, is sadly retiring. Describe his career in 1 sentence. A great teammate that I'm proud to have played with these past six seasons. 5. Predict the Americans record next season. It'll be a time for rebuilding, but I think the Americans still get a decent amount of wins. I'll say that it's 25 wins for the Americans. 6. The NHL playoffs are down to 4 teams! Which team do you want to see win the least? (NYI, VGK, DAL, TBL) Living in Minnesota, there's definitely some residual anger against Dallas for stealing the North Stars. So I wouldn't be a fan of them winning.

Americans Out Again in 7 Calgary, AB -- For the second straight season, the New York Americans entered the playoffs as the third seed in North America, hoping to do some damage with an upset or two. And for the second straight season, while the Americans put up a good fight against the higher seeded Calgary Wranglers, they couldn't pull off the final Game 7 victory. This time, it was a 6-2 defeat that downed the Americans, a scoreline that's even more curious given that New York actually outshot Calgary 31-27 during the game. But A Red Guy's worst game of the season came at the worst time, and for an Americans team that is seeing multiple retirements, it's the end of the line. "I'm not sure it's really set in yet. This was our season to get it done, but ultimately, we just couldn't get there," said defenseman Lance Flowers. "I'm not angry, more just sad for everyone who put in hard work to try and get the Cup." Flowers is one of multiple players who has been with the Americans since the S68 Draft. Now, with the Americans looking poised for a rebuild and Flowers himself entering free agency, he's taking some time to reflect on his time as an American. "I've been proud to be a part of this team. I'll have more to say in coming days, but for now, just thank you to the franchise, the fans and everyone involved for believing in me."

1. Writing these questions, currently 3-2 down to Calgary. Say 1 nice thing about them. I went through the Calgary airport once. Tim Horton's is sweet. 2. What is one memory from this season that sticks out to you? The championship we're going to win. But for now, that hot start was pretty sweet, and such a change from the slow starts of seasons past. 3. What's the best bagel shop in NYC? See, I know you're not a New Yorker because you say shop, when the real answer is the food court outside a random office in the middle of December. 4. If you could be VHL commissioner for a day, what would be your first move? 16 isn't enough teams. We need 32 - let's see this puppy be a real NHL contender. 5. September is upon us! Anything going on in your personal life? (School, etc.) Well, I have all these plans to go out and do things and party and *immediately gets struck with COVID* 6. I'll stick with the last question being an NHL one. Nominate an NHL player who should win the Conn Smythe Trophy. (Playoff MVP) Having paid very little attention with the Blackhawks and Wild both being out, I'll say Varlamov because the Islanders winning would be great.

Oof. Back's against the wall.

Alright, we're in it here. I wouldn't be surprised if these teams go 7 similar to last season.