Eynhallow

So, how long has it been for those players who were on teams that did not make the playoffs ? Quite a long time, weeks, in fact. Not only do they have to wait out the post-season, but the off-season as well. In my opinion, this can lead to inactivity in a major way. Our Retention Group should really take a serious look at this and perhaps throw in some kind of tournament or other for those players who don't make the playoffs. As well, the focus should be on those players who are active, but not at an elite level. I see where games like "Town of Salem" and the like start up during this time and, I guess the lottery tournament engender some interest. Yet, I am concerned that we lose some players because they are not directly involved in some kind of sim. It's like their player just stagnates for a month or so. Just my opinion............

I like what you are trying to do here, but I think that the background is just way to busy. As well, I find the font a bit hard to read. Keep up the nice work though. You certainly have a talent. 7.5/10

Firstly. gratz to you and your teammates for winning the Founder's Cup. I like the nice sharp render and the very effective logo swap. This is a little different than the usual sig-type graphic, but I love it anyways. You can feel the excitement of carrying the Cup for a victory lap. Good stuff. 9/10

Thanks for the shout out @Ledge and Dairy and for the pressers. 1. We are 2-1 after the first day of the lotto tournament. Are you following it, or is it just completely unimportant? I would likely pat a bit of attention to it, but I am only near a computer for a few hours a week, so other stuff, like paying bills, take precedence. 2. The World Juniors and World Cup are right around the corner. Are you involved, or just rooting for your team from the sidelines? I have not been invited to participate, so once again, I will observe. 3. Did you expect Warsaw to dethrone Seattle as Continental Cup champs? Given SHTS and our experience with it, nothing can be expected (other than the unexpected). 4. If you had to go one place as an offseason vacation with friends or family, where would you go? I would likely go on a fly-in fishing trip into northwestern Ontario. Some nice resorts and huge fish. 5. What is your favourite late-night snack? Cheese and peanut butter sandwiches. 6. What small sport or game would you like to see make headlines on sports channels and magazines? I would like to see lacrosse get more coverage.

Isau Damoose Interview With Gale Force Gale: Welcome back, Isau. Another season older and, dare I say, wiser ? Isau: Well, thanks Gale. It is always a pleasure to appear on your show. So, ya, another season older. Retirement is starting to loom in the future. About the wiser part...well...I am not so sure about that. Gale: Eliminated from the playoffs by a tie breaker decision. What’s up with that ? Isau: Yup, we were tied with Malmo with 76 points each. In the case of a tie like this, the best position was given to the team with the most wins. Malmo had 35 wins as compared to the 32 wins we had in Riga. Gale: Where did the wheels fall off? Isau: I don’t really think “the wheels fell off”. I think we have to do a better job in the close games. For example, we had a league leading 12 overtime losses. Had we been able to win just 6 of those games, 50 percent, we would have been well into the playoffs. Gale: How about your own season, any high lights or low lights? Take your pick. Isau: I guess I had a pretty good season. Management assigned me second line minutes with some exposure on the power play. I managed to put up 41 goals and 40 assists. 81 points is a huge improvement over the paltry 51 points I got in Season 77. I attribute some of my success to improved training, but most of the cause for improvement came from the Reign’s management team who awarded me a big increase in ice time. Gale: You failed to mention the large number of hits, Isau … Isau: Ya, it seems that I gooned it up a bit. 266 hits led the team by a fair margin. It came as a bit of a surprise to me. Along with that came an unwelcome increase in penalty minutes. 111 PIM is quite a lot !!! That’s like almost a penalty a game, maybe a bit less. Gale: I doubt that “goon” is the right word. I mean you were in only one fight, Which you lost by the way. As compared to the 7 fights in which Matt “T-Bone” Thunder @Matt thunder was involved. Isau: My boy, Matt. He isn’t a goon either. Maybe more of an aggressive enforcer. Gale: What are your plans for the off-season ? Isau: I did not go back to Swords this year. The covid regulations were just too stringent. So, I basically turned into a gym rat. I wanted to develop some strength, increase my faceoff ability and improve my passing. Of course, I still work on all those other player attributes as well, but not as my primary focus. Gale: All work and no play ? Isau: Not quite true. I discovered that Latvia has fab beaches. I like sitting in the sun or swimming in the Baltic Sea. This is Jurmala Beach. It’s about 20 km away from Riga, so relatively close. It also features spas and mud baths if you are interested. GaiL: Amazing, who would have thought such great beaches existed in Latvia. How do you get out there ? Isau: Ya, well, I was under some pressure by the training staff to try and avoid unnecessary injuries so I sold my venerable Kawasaki Ninja H2R. I replaced the bike with a far more sedate and safe car. I guess age is catching up with me. However, I know what I am going to spend some of my retirement bonus on !!! Gale: On that note, I know Riga is pretty secretive about this, but did you experience any significant injuries this season? Isau: I guess I have been blessed with the ability to heal quickly, so the bumps and nicks one gets while playing a physical game seemed to not bother me too much.. With the number of hits, I gotta say, sometimes I was pretty badly bruised and looked forward to a day off. Gale: And so, how is Nikki (Starr) ? Isau: Ya, just great. She seems to really like it over here in Europe. She has taken on a number of causes. The latest one being an endangered species...European Mink, I think. Gale: Have you any aspirations for Season 79 ? Isau: First and foremost is to make the playoffs. I speak for all my teammates in this regard. We have paid our dues, have enough talent and desire, not only to just make the playoffs, but to go deep as well. Personally, I don’t see my position on the team changing significantly. So, given a couple of good line mates my personal goal would be to get to the 100 point mark next season. Gale: Do you see any big changes to the Reign for next season? Isau: Not really. I think GM Hedgehog @hedgehog337 want to keep together the core of the team, most of whom arrived in the VHL at the same time, so were are all about the same in terms of growth and maturity. One pressing need will be in goal, Calvin Harvey is about to retire, leaving us without a true Number 1 starter in goal. We haven’t had much success in drafting a goalie who has conscientiously added to his attributes over the several seasons it takes for a goalie to mature. If we are going to compete, I think there would have to be a deal made for a starting goaltender. Gale: Wow! With a 100 point season and over 200 hits, would there not be a few who would take you in the Fantasy Hockey League ? Isau: Well, that would be pretty cool, but really my focus is on the team as a whole. If my success translates to success for the Riga Reign, then I am all in. I have great confidence in the Reign’s management group as well as my teammates. We should be OK. Gale: As always, Isau, it has been a real treat having you on for this short time. I wish you and the Reign the best of luck next season. Thanks. Isau: Thanks Gale for having me on your show. And thanks for the good wishes. Hopefully luck will not play a big role in our success next year. Word Count: 1042 Graphis: 5

I like what you are trying to achieve here. A simple approach is often very effective. And , of course, you can't go wrong with using a photo of Sid !!! You might consider a logo swap to really finish this off. 7.5/10

Very nice. Crisp photo showing the dynamic of a goalie in action. Logo swap looks great. Lots of player info both statistical and personal. 9/10

1. Does it hurt a little more after watching Malmo do well in the playoffs? No it doesn't hurt just a little....it hurts a lot !!! There are still tear stains at my spot in the locker room. OH...and ya....I am also royally pissed off. 2. Who on the Reign do you think would grow the longest playoff beard? Gotta be Matt Thunder @Matt thunder. I envision him with a Joe Thornton type beard. 3. Is there anyone in particular you think management should be watching for the upcoming draft? No one in particular. It seems to me that we should be developing a goalie for the future though.... 4. What is your favourite potential VHLE franchise? Berlin. Central Europe and historically significant. 5. For those of you watching the Euro2020, who's your pick to win the championship? Italy or England. Tough call. 6. If you were suddenly arrested for no reason and your face was flashed all over the news, what would your friends and family assume that you did? Muahahaha. They would think that I was just being my obnoxious self.

Claiming Week 3

I really like the stylized filter that was used to give your player that "art" feel ans opposed to a photo. I agree with Venus (above) about the great use of contrast between the render and the background, Good use of text. Yup, this has it all. Fine work. 9/10

I really like the two renders involved and the combination of color and black-and-white. I think the text for the players last name needs to be a bit more defined and a logo swap could be incorporated. Nice work 8/10

Isau’s Post Season Thoughts Ya, well, another disappointing season for the Riga Reign. Again, on paper, the Reign had a better than even chance to make the playoffs, but, once again, the hockey Gods frowned on the team. This time they waited until the penultimate moment to snatch the playoffs away in some kind of tie breaker formula allowing Malmo to back into the last available playoff spot. On a personal note, Isau had a decent season: Season GP G A P +/- SHT PIM HIT SB GW PPG SHG 78 (RIG) 72 41 40 81 -10 415 111 266 22 6 14 0 77 (RIG) 72 23 29 52 8 224 52 114 17 1 4 0 Along with increased ice time, he managed a 29 point increase over Season 77. There is also a nice balance between goals and assists. His 266 hits led the Reign. This was a bit surprising as one would think that Matt “T-Bone” Thunder @Matt thunder would have walked away with that stat.. That number of hits was also good enough for 12th in the entire league. Areas of concern are the number of penalty minutes and Isau’s +/-. Perhaps a little TPE in the discipline area might be in order ?? Looking forward to Season 79. Eyn out!!

1. So the season ended with us just missing out on the playoffs. How disappointing was it not to get it done in the final game? Same old, same old. This has happened before so no biggie. At some point we will take off and fly. 2. The Reign lost out to Malmo via tiebreak. Do you think the VHL should pick another tiebreak instead of wins? No. Number of wins defines a better team....or at least a more deserving team. If there were another way of determining a tiebreaker, I am sure there would be issues with that as well. 3. What was the most positive thing of the season for you? Well, actually getting decent ice time as compared to the fiasco of the previous season. As well, an 81 point season with a team-leading 266 hits is a pretty good accomplishment. 4. Do you think that the Reign will have a shot of winning the draft lottery? Of course, but given our luck recently....who knows. 5. What are your plans for the off-season? No real plans other than to try to get to 800 TPE. 6. What makes something funny? "Funny" is in the eye of the beholder what is funny for one may not be funny for another. So defining what is funny is quite hard to do.

Claiming Week 2

I really like the concept and content of this graphic. There is great dynamism in the render which is also nice and crisp. The intensity of the moment is very evident in the goalie's eyes. Unfortunately the center of the graphic appears to be washed out. That would require a bit more work. Nice job overall 7/10

1. We're in the final stretch and hot on Malmo's heels. Can we make it into the fifth spot? At this time we are 2 points behind Malmo with a game in hand. Recently we have been either winning or taking points in every game played. The schedules have similar levels of difficulty. so, given recent experiences with STHS, my answer would be a firm "Maybe" 2. What's been the major factor in our good form over the past week? I think the recent trade has provided us with a winning formula. The question really is was this too little, too late ? 3. Are you feeling good about your game or do you feel you have more in the tank? I don't know if there is more in the tank so much as that Isau seems to be near the top of his current performance envelope. 4. In what areas have you seen the most improvement in your play this year? Isau will end up with 30 points more this year than last. That is an increase of about 60%. After 72 game Isau applied 114 hits last season. He will end up with about 230 hits this season. That is a 100% increase. 5. How difficult is it to be playing hockey in a cold rink when it's summer and the sun is shining? That depends on really how hot it is outside. A cool arena might be a relief. 6. Do you have any travel plans for the summer vacation? Personally, travel is still out (covid-related). As far as Isau is concerned. He will likely make his annual pilgrimage back to Swords.

The Complete Backstory of Isau DaMoose Allow me to preface this article with the following: I had already started on this effort before I realized that a biography was no longer a career task. So, it has been “converted” into a Media Spot. The intention is to fill in the holes that my series of “Moose Tracks/Droppings” missed. I very much enjoyed creating this piece of mostly fiction. From the point of view of literary integrity and authenticity all of the places and their history mentioned are real. In fact, I have visited each and every one of them. Nikki Starr is a real person whose name I have changed to protect the innocent. Gail Force is totally a fictional character. Hope you enjoy the read. Sioux Lookout and Gargantua Isau Damoose was born May 24, 2004 in Sioux Lookout. He was blessed with a loving mother and a hard-working father both of whom worked very hard to make life a pleasant place for little Isau. In 2007 the DaMoose family expanded with the birth of Isau’s brother Charon. Judging from his name it was widely believed that Fred and Doris DaMoose secretly wanted a baby girl. Work became scarce in Sioux Lookout and so, in 2012, Fred decided to move his family to the remote settlement of Gargantua on the shores of Lake Superior where he would fish during the milder months and trap beaver during the winter. Growing up in a remote area of Northern Ontario has its own special set of challenges. Fortunately Doris took education seriously and managed to keep the boys inside long enough to provide them with a sound foundation in literacy and numeracy. Isau and his brother listened to various hockey broadcasts on the radio. As well, Hockey News was delivered on a regular basis. After a particularly good fishing season skates and hockey sticks arrived for Christmas. Isau, Charon and a few friends cleared off the snow on a section of a local beaver pond and began to play hockey. Bummer’s Roost Fred was always looking to the future and for more lucrative work and,so, in 2014 he moved his family to another small hamlet called Bummer’s Roost where he went to work on a forestry project for the provincial government. At this point in his life Isau had not played on a real hockey team. Nor had he played on a rink. There were enough boys and girls in the area to assemble a hockey team, the Bummer’s Roost Smugglers. The Smugglers played a series of exhibition games with the other small hamlets in the general area. The play consisted mostly of a group of children chasing and hacking at a puck with a considerable amount of falling and crashing into the boards. Even at this rudimentary level Isau enjoyed the game and tried to improve each and every time he went on the ice. Fire River As the provincial government changed, the funds which paid Fred disappeared. He subsequently found work trapping beaver for the CNR. The Damoose family moved to the hamlet of Fire River where Isau began to play for the Fire River Dragons. Here he had the opportunity of playing for Coach GG, an elderly European gentleman who favoured skill development. This was quite different from the typical Northern Ontario philosophy of crunching opposing players against the boards in hopes that they would not get back to their skates. Isau’s skills in skating, shooting and teamwork increased at a rapid rate. There were definite challenges in playing hockey in such a remote area. The “local” teams were situated kilometers apart and were only accessible by rail. During the long trips to Oba (The Warriors), Peterbell (The Tinkerbells) and Jogues (The Jokes) Isau worked at developing his academic skills which his family held in high regard. Education was delivered on a weekly basis when the CNR’s “Education Car”, staffed by an itinerant teacher, was dropped off on the siding. Students below the age of 16 were required to attend and get their weekly assignments. For most this was a highlight of the week. It was during this time that Isau developed a love for the outdoors. Hunting and fishing were amongst his favourite activities. The Fire River location provided ample opportunity for both. Fred, being a lifelong outdoorsman, carefully taught his sons the intricacies of fly-fishing and deer hunting. He stressed conservancy at all times. Any game taken should not be wasted as it would help fill the DaMoose pantry. Swords Fred had been trapping beaver for the CNR so that the water trapped behind their prodigious dams would not wash out the railbed. Fred was too efficient. There were too few beaver to pay a trapper and so he was released by the company. Fred found work with a lumber company that was operating south of Lake Nipissing. So he, moved his family to the ghost town of Swords which amazingly was able to field a Bantam/Midget hockey team. The Swords Slashers! Unfortunately many of the players on this team lived up (or down) to the team’s name and spent more time in the penalty box than on the player’s bench. This was a difficult time for youthful Isau. He wanted to be accepted by his peers and, yet, he wanted to play a skilled game. Self-discipline was the key and he learned the lesson well. This was a momentous time for Isau as it was here that he met the love of his life. Due to his upbringing Isau enjoyed outdoor activities. So, when he saw Nikki Starr on the banks of a rushing trout stream it was love at first sight. Nikki enjoyed Isau’s company and appreciated his kind, respectful demeanor. They became fast friends. Later, Nikki, when she was a bit older and had learned some rudimentary Spanish, would go to Mexico City to join Isau as he pursued his VHL career. They remain partners and best friends to this day. It was at this time as well that Isau became acquainted with Gail Force. Gail was a high school friend who later became an independent freelance sports journalist. She was destined to become the only journalist who Isau would allow to interview him and subsequently Nikki Starr. Her fireside chat style and attention to personal matters became synonymous with Isau’s interviews. Being located just north of the Muskoka region and close to the tourist trade of Lake Ahmic, Isau found work in the service industry. One day, after work, Isau and a few of his friends decided to play some shinny on the frozen surface of Maple Lake. This is when the Gods of Hockey spoke for Isau. Fortuitously an ice fisherman, Press Isobar, had noticed the boys playing shinny. Press was a hockey fanatic and was drawn to the shinny game like a moth to a candle. What he saw took his breath away. There was a young man swooping, dashing and gliding effortlessly over the ice. The puck bulged the twine convincing when he shot the puck. Press immediately recruited Isau to The VHLM where after just a few days joined the Mexico Kings. The next season, S75, found Isau playing for the Philadelphia Reapers. Although not a prolific point producer, he helped his team mates win the Founder’s cup that year. After his brief career in the VHLM, Isau was drafted by the Riga Reign 38th overall. His first two seasons with Riga were less than memorable in terms of production. In fact, during his second season, although Isau was playing second line minutes, his Time On Ice was sometimes less than that of a fourth line player. But enough of that rant. Isau is currently in his third season with the Reign and has developed his skillset to near elite levels. This is reflected in a greatly improved rate of production. Season GP G A P +/- SHT PIM HIT SB GW PPG SHG 78 (RIG) 58 32 34 66 -12 320 93 222 20 4 12 0 Of note as well is that he is leading his team in hits the closest being Matt Thunder with 168. Addy McLaren had 181 hits before he was traded to Toronto. In terms of point production, if Isau continues at this rate, he is on track for an 82 point season. A far cry for his 52 point effort the previous season. Given a recent trade Riga appears to be making a playoff run. It would be good for Isau’s career to experience some playoff action. Having just mentioned Isau’s personal stats, it is important to note that Isau firmly believes in what Sidney Crosby once said: “I play for the name on the front of my jersey, not the one on the back.” Isau is all in with regards to team concept. He has stated that he will do whatever it takes for the team to win. That, of course, does not preclude the occasional whine and a few rants with regard to STHS sim engine. Actions speak more loudly than words. Word Count = 1511 Claiming: June 27, July 4, July 11

Sorry Quik @Quik, but I am not enamored with this graphic. Firstly I can't make out the text behind Ovie. Maybe old eyes idk. Secondly, the render could use a logo swap. and finalyy, what is that halo over Ovies head ??? 6/10. Please forgive my overt criticism.

This suggests that I have (or want) a Twitter account.....which I do not !

Well...sorta...it would take about 18 hours to drive from one place to the other. Not really all that close.

Budapest is in Hungary....about 1 860 km from Nantes.

Mont St. Michel. Its in Normandie....not too far from Nantes.

I like the concept of an informational graphic. A couple of things though. You could make the graphic a bit sharper (good logo swap BTW). Also the font for Grapes' stats needs to be a bit more clear. Good to see my boy Hlozek hangin' tough. Nice work 7.5/10