Eynhallow

Isau’s Pre-Season Thoughts “It has been a long off-season”, Isau thought on the verge of entering his second season with the Riga Reign. Yet the fast exit from the playoffs last season still left a bitter taste. Sure he had time to kick back, relax and to let all those niggling injuries heal, but Season 77 was not far from his mind. To that end he committed himself to improving primarily his defence. “You have a better chance of winning if you can keep the puck out of your own net,” he concluded. This commitment to defensive improvement seems to have resonated throughout the whole team as seen by GM Hedgehog’s additions of elite talent in acquiring James Rose and General Zod. Ray Shields is expected to lead the Reign offensively. Calvin Harvey is ready to go. Those players, as well as the core of sophomores, wil make the Reign a team to be reckoned with in the European Conference. “So, my blades are sharp and my sticks are taped,” thought Isau, “Lets drop the puck already !!!” Word Count: 177

Claiming for Week 2

Very nice graphic, BTW. I like the green overtones and your player had a hell of a first season.

Ya the file is 1.13 mB so a bit large. 1.) Compress/convert it to jpg. It gets down to 272 kB (I just did it) 2.) Resize.....

F - SS Hornet G - Jacob Tonn @chikn Back to you !!!

Just because........

D - Erik Killinger D - Tyler Walker Back to you @chikn

@fishy I hear ya !!! (and lotsa respect) I have been playing online games since JC was a choirboy and this aspect really hasn't changed. There, unfortunately, is no accounting for the varying degrees of aggressivity in the community at large. I am also uncomfortable with forum drama. In any event, rather than walking away I chose to do: 1.) Not get involved in the drama. I don't even read the threads. If someone tags me, I'll check to see what slanderous (but possibly true) things are being said, and then not comment. I can still enjoy the game without being embroiled in the negativity. 2.) OK, so if you absolutely MUST get involved, I try not to take sides. Look for the middle road. Try to straddle the fence and remain comfortable (OUCH !). That way you can act as a voice of reason. perhaps even a peacemaker. The more well known you are in any particular community the more influence you have.

Christian Mingle - F Ola Vikingstad - F @chikn You're up !

Unfortunately, when I cut and paste from Google docs, that's the way it appears...and I cannot unbold. Oh well, thanks for your input.

Transaction ID: 20561219400113112 5 TPE Uncapped Doubles Week 1 mil Player Store Cash

Very appropriate for this time of year. Although this has little to do with the VHL, I certainly appreciate its literary and historical (?) merit. "Beware the Ides of March" was originally penned by William Shakespeare and refers to a soothsayers warning to Julius Caesar about his assassination. Now, in casual conversation, the phrase merely refers to March 15. Anyways, I like the idea. 7.5/10

This is a really nice graphic. I particularly like the fact that you have included more than just one player. The text is nice and crisp. Even the drop shadow worked out well. I also like the balance you achieved with the two players and the jerseys. As mentioned in an earlier review, the only suggestion that I would have would be to work on a logo swap. 8.5/10

1. The draft was completed tonight! We have new players Jan Hlozek, Jere Suominen, and Kuba Flery 37 joining the Reign! How did we do? I think we did OK. Hlozek looks like he will develop into a good VHL D-man. Fleury is developing as well, but as a goalie he will see limited action. The jury is still out on Suominen as he isn’t maximizing his opportunities. 2. We recently brought in James Rose and General Zod to bolster our defensive depth. What do you think, after those moves, is our greatest strength? I think these were great moves. Kudos to Hedge @hedgehog337 for causing this to happen. We now have one of the best defense pairings in the VHL. 3. Who was the biggest steal of the draft? To be honest, its too early to tell. Sometimes you get lucky and a late round pick blossoms. He may have been overlooked because of low TPE due to his joining at a later date that some recreates. 4. If you had to guess, who would have the best hair on the Reign? Gotta be Cabe McJake @RedSus 5. What is your favorite movie quote? 6. What's the most ironic thing you've ever seen?

Going Home Going home, for most people, is something we are seemingly driven to do. What pulls us back to our roots. It could be, in part, the family that we have and the corresponding emotional ties. It could be reconnecting with old friends and colleagues. Perhaps it is revisiting childhood places and the memories that those places evoke. Or is it merely a general feeling of nostalgia? There is also a train of thought that suggests the trajectory of our lives is sort of like moving from one room into another with no room being the same. So we are driven to see what is beyond the next door. Whatever the cause, Isau decided to return to Swords for a visit during the off-season. After disembarking in Toronto from the airliner from Frankfurt (there is no direct flight to Riga), Isau collected his bike from long-term storage and was off to Swords. . On arriving in Swords, Isau immediately went to visit his parents whom he hadn’t seen for more than a year. The reunion was as these reunions go with Doris (Isau’s mom) checking her hockey player son for missing teeth and new scars. Somewhat later, after enjoying Doris’ “Fabulous Chicken Dinner”, Isau was relaxing with his dad, Fred, on the front porch. Both men were tipped back on old kitchen chairs, sipping some of the “Good Stuff” and appreciating the quiet dark evening. Fred asked, “So, do you think it was preordained that you would be playing hockey way over there in Europe ? I been thinking a lot about that stuff and it seems that life just sort of happens to us due to no fault of our own.” Isau replied,”Well, I guess it was in the cards that I would be playing pro hockey somewhere, but I don’t think that the location was ever engraved in stone. Also, in the string of time, we can learn from the past but it is already written as history so it can’t be changed. What we can change to a certain extent, is what we do with our gifts. That’s why I will be going back to Riga shortly to work with the development team to improve my skills. Dad, I think you got too much time on your hands and too little Wiser’s left in the bottle. Never heard you wax philosophical before.” Fred ruminated on this for a bit and said,” Isau, me and your mom worry about you a bit, being so far from home and all. Did you meet some good folks over there ? People that make you happy ?” “Of course,” Isau replied, “ The General Manager of the Reign, @hedgehog337, has been very helpful in teaching me about Latvian life as well as how to become a better player. Another player who is very active in the Locker Room is @Ledge_and_Dairy. He is knowledgeable and straightforward. The only knock would be that he is a Habs fan, but I guess you can’t really hold that against him. Nikki (Starr) is over there with me and she is very supportive. So, ya, things are going real well.” In subsequent days, Isau hung out with some of his old friends and reminisced about their youth and catching up on local events. Tommy “Tutone” Horn announced to Isau is his nasal drone: “A few weeks ago a biker dude with a "Rock Machine" patch rode his motorcycle into town. His throat was parched, so he parked his ride in front of the local bar and went in for a drink. He came out a few minutes later, and someone had stolen his bike. The locals were looking to see his reaction, they weren’t even discreet about it. The biker dude looked around at everyone and growled loud and clear: “I will walk back into the bar to get myself another drink, and if I don’t see my ride right in front of the bar, I will have to do what I did in Montreal a year ago after someone stole my bike. And trust me, I didn’t like what I had to do in Montreal a year ago.” After his confident speech, the man walked back into the bar. The townsfolk looked at each other in fear and got the motorcycle back. The burly biker finished his second drink and walked out of the bar, and got on his bike, but just before he left the bartender walked up to him and asked. “Hey, Dude, we know that we got you your bike back, but do you mind telling us what you had to do a year ago in Montreal?” The biker looked at him with an iron gaze and responded: “I had to walk home.” Isau groaned, “And that’s news !!!” “So,” enquired Tutone, “how’s Nikki doing ? I see she isn’t with you on this trip ?” “Yup,” replied Isau, “She is doing just great. Loves it in Riga and has become involved in a few Animal Rights activist stuff. She couldn’t make it back to Swords because she and her friend , Gail Force, had to go to a rally on saving the whales,...... or maybe it was lemmings> I kind of lose track of which critter she is currently promoting. But it is all good!” “Do you remember the time,” Tutone mused, “when we were playing shinny out on Maple Lake and that hockey scout dude who was fishing out there came over and fetched you off to Mexico to play hockey for the Mexico City Kings?” “Ya, that was quite the thing.” “So, all sun and senoritas, aye, Isau?” “Well it wasn’t quite like that. In Mexico hockey became a business.” With this last comment Isau realized that it was time to get back to Riga and the grind of training in preparation for the next season. He said fond goodbyes to his mom and dad, took one last look around and announced in his best Arnie accent, “I’ll be back !” As he was leaving Toronto Isau felt relaxed and fulfilled. He was ready to get back to Riga and recommit himself to developing his skills and to contributing to the team’s success in the upcoming season. Word Count: 1025 Claiming for March 21 and 28

What It's Like to be a Rookie in the VHL After having spent more than a season playing in North America and Mexico, moving to Eastern Europe was not without its challenges: language and diet just to name a few. However, there were other North American players in Riga and all the details got sorted. I mean the ice was flat, cold, hard and slippery. Hockey is hockey. For most of the season the Riga Reign were languishing outside the playoff picture looking in. Then, in a late season move, GM Hedgehog acquired some high end talent in the form of Ray Shields, Guy Sasakamoose and Oskar Lagesson. The latter two retiring at the end of the season. These veterans were able to carry the Reign into a wild card spot. Even though the Reign bowed out quickly, making the VHL playoffs provided valuable experience for the large number of rookies on the Riga roster. Isau’s rookie season was what one might call indifferent. His production resembled his production with the Philadelphia Reapers in their Founder’s Cup season: Goals: 20 Assists: 34 Points: 54 This was good enough for 8th on his team in scoring. In addition, Isau managed 122 hits which was 8th on the team. His lack of defence showed up in that Isau was a -19. Second only to Guy Sasakamoose. Isau has vowed to improve in this area during the off-season. At this time he has added +10 attribute points to this skill dimension. After the trade, Isau was moved, from his natural center position, to right wing. At this time he also lost power play minutes and, as a result, his late season production slowed down dramatically. However, Isau was just happy to be playing in Riga and tried his best at whatever he was assigned to do. He realized that, generally, rookies were at a distinct disadvantage in this league as they frequently play against players that are far more skilled and much further along in their careers. So, the big question after a first season in the VHL is “Where do we go from here ?” Personally, Isau will be trying to build his player in the most efficient and productive way possible. As well, I believe in the intangibles that come from participating on a regular basis in the Reign Locker Room and on the various Discord channels. As far as the team is concerned at the time of writing this review; GM Hedgehog has brought up three of the Reign’s prospects, including a goalie. Also, he is in negotiation with an elite defenseman. Hopefully he will choose to spend a couple of seasons in Riga. Although Riga does not have a particularly high pick in the upcoming draft, there is always hope that there might be a diamond in the rough that will come our way. In the meantime, before the next season begins, Isau has started his regime of eat, sleep and train. He is determined to be faster and more defensively responsible in the upcoming season. Go Riga Word Count: 508

Well, although that vid looks to be quite relaxing, it is still white on white up here and will remain that way for a while apparently (-23C yesterday a.m.). So to chillax I did out my headphones and shuffle through a bunch of my old vinyl.

Please count me IN. Also, @fishy , thanks for running this for as long as you did...appreciated and respect !!!!

@hedgehog337

Press Conference for Week of 03/07 1. The season's winding down, and it's almost draft time. Is there anyone that sticks out to you in the upcoming draft class? That’s a tough question as I don’t know what position we draft in. I assume it is one of the later picks and, I assume that we would be looking for a Dman, so I like TacticalHammer’s player Roif Fizzlebeef Jr. Not a lot of accumulated TPE at this point, but a steady 12 TPE per week and low enough down in the rankings where we migh have a shot at them. 2. Both of the World Cup and the World Juniors are coming up in the offseason. Is there a certain team that you'll be rooting for? 3. Are you more of a writer or more of a graphics guy? As you can likely tell from this presser (and, perhaps some of my other offerings (see the Moose Tracks Series)), I like to dabble in both. I really like creating articles or Media Spots that have some commentary as well as a visual or two. 4. If you could kill off any character in a current TV show, who would it be? I would have gladly throttled that little sh*t Joffrey Baratheon in Game of Thrones. Fortunately someone beat me to it and poisoned the self-centred, sadistic jerk. 5. If you had to be an inanimate object for a year, what would you be and why? Ya, a statue of Adonis so that people could admire my perfect body (cough, cough) and I could watch the crowds. 6. Who is the funniest guy on the team? This is particularly tough as I don’t regularly frequent Discord and not all of our players are particularly active in the forum LR. Given my disclaimer I gotta say Ledge @Ledge_and_Dairy is funny…..only because he is a Habs fan (JK, of course).