Eynhallow

Nice choice of subject matter and the text is easily read. You could have considered a logo swap. 6.5/10

1. How is off-season training going? What are you working on? Well, at this stage of my career, I am really not "working" on anything. I am trying to fight off depreciation, but, it seems, that is a losing battle. 2. Did you get a chance to go on vacation ahead of training camp? Yup, Isau returned to Northern Ontario and spent a fine few weeks fishing and generally chillaxing. 3. Who is going to be the breakout player on the Reign next season? A lot of this depends on how players are placed in the line-up and how much ice time they receive. In my opinion Anze Miklavs @McKelvie should really get going. There is no doubt that this player will establish some new records for Riga. 4. Do you prefer on-ice or off-ice training? I like to be on the ice. It is much cooler and more comfortable when you are working hard. Also, I just like to skate. 5. If you could ask one question in the next press conference, what would it be? This is a copy of a question that was asked elsewhere, but I like it: You have one 10 seconds left in the period, game on your stick to which teammate will you pass? 6. What is your favourite weather? Cool dry sunny autumn weather suits me just fine.

Remarkable Presser Question 2021 10 16 As you may have noticed from previous posts, Isau has a deep interest in the questions that members of the Fifth Estate have asked him during his career. What was the last earworm you had that lasted way too long ? About 100 years ago Germans coined the phrase “öhrwurm” or earworm to describe a song that gets stuck in your brain. Science has come up with other terms to describe this phenomenon such as “stuck tune syndrome” or “musical imagery repetition”. However, the image of a worm crawling about in one’s brain was macabre enough for it to stick. One of the triggers that produce earworms are songs that connect to events in one’s past or memories. That being said, the last earworm that I could not get rid of for days was the tune “From Red Deer to Margaree” done by The Grievous Angels and more recently The Skydiggers. Thunder Bay is two hours from sight We left the flat land late, late last night As sunlight rises in distant sky Says” Good Morning” to our tired eyes You grin at me and I know that it’s all right This reminds me of a time when we were first married and to make ends meet I was working and taking courses seemingly all over Ontario. Nikki came with me on most of these trips and I can still see her grin in the morning light. And, Ya, I knew it was going to be alright. Fortunately for us both, that lifestyle only lasted for a few very tiresome months. Do you think professional athletes should get to complain about their job ? The journalist who asked this likely had a very negative opinion about the salaries generated by professional athletes. In my opinion, if an organization feels that whatever you bring to the table is worth millions of dollars, then so be it. This is quite apart from working conditions. Professional athletes are still human beings after all and should be able to voice their concerns about their working environment. You have one 10 seconds left in the period, game on your stick which teammate are you passing too? My immediate instinct is to think, “Fuck that !”, and shoot. However, if I didn’t have a real opportunity to score I would dish to Justin Lose. That guy can score ! Players who are elite and who play to win always want the puck on their stick. It’s the same in many sports, good basketball players want the ball, football players want the ball when the game is on the line. How would you describe yourself if you had to use a quote from a movie? Gary Gaines (Billy Bob Thornton) in Frday Night Lights sums up how I approach every game, every day. He said “ Being perfect is not about that scoreboard out there. It's not about winning. It's about you and your relationship with yourself, your family and your friends. Being perfect is about being able to look your friends in the eye and know that you didn't let them down because you told them the truth. And that truth is you did everything you could. There wasn't one more thing you could have done. Can you live in that moment as best you can, with clear eyes, and love in your heart, with joy in your heart? If you can do that gentleman, you're perfect!” We all strive for perfection, pro athletes seemingly more so because they are expected to perform at the top of their game each and every time out. What is the most important part of being a good teammate? Wow!! Where to begin on this one. There are many traits that make a good teammate: A.) Develop real relationships You don’t have to be best friends with everyone on your team, but developing a relationship with each of your teammates and knowing them off the ice will strengthen your relation and communication when it counts. B.) Be Willing To Play Any Role Great teammates are willing to do whatever it takes to help their team win—even if it might not be a role they initially envisioned themselves performing. C.) Lead By Example Actions speak louder than words. You don’t have to be a “rah-rah” guy to be a great teammate, because how you carry yourself says more than anything. Examples of actions that have a positive impact on those around you include: You’re one of the first in the building/park and one of the last to leave. You hustle back on defense and are consistently ready to perform your role on that end. You stay engaged on the bench and support your teammates. You encourage all teammates, not just your closest friends. You listen to the coach when they speak and are able to execute the game plan they outline. D.) Always Have A Positive Attitude Mistakes happen. Great teammates stay positive when they make mistakes themselves or when their teammates come up short. Are they encouraging a teammate who makes a mental error to forget it and focus on the next play, or simply chewing them out? And when a teammate scores a great goal or makes an awesome play, are they giving praise and energetic feedback or simply acting like nothing happened? Players might not think these little details matter, but the truth is they form the foundation of successful teams. E.) Go The Extra Mile Perhaps the biggest foundation of being a great teammate is setting a great example for the other athletes on your team. With that in mind, great teammates must be willing to work hard on improving their game outside of mandatory activities. Hard work is contagious. If your teammates see how hard you’re working, they will want to do the same. Don’t wait for someone else to set the example. You show up to the training camp in terrible condition, what is the excuse you use? There is no excuse in this day and age for not showing up to training camp in the best possible condition. There are so many other guys out there that want a job, you just can’t take whatever talent you have for granted. Gone are the days when hockey players, in the off-season, hit the links as much as possible and worked on their “Molson Muscle” !! What inspired your username ? So, ya, I have an odd username. Eynhallow is a little-known, uninhabited isle in the Orkney archipelago, just north of Scotland’s mainland. It is known as a place of pilgrimage and ritual, folklore and ghosts. You would be hard-pressed to find Eynhallow on a map as the isle is quite tiny measuring a mere 0.29 square miles. You can only visit Eynhallow on one day a year when the Orkney Heritage Society organizes a summer trip to the island. Even if you had your own boat, landing would be extremely dangerous due to the tidal channels surrounding the place. Abandoned in 18541, it is thought that Eynhallow housed an 11th century monastery. Eynhallow has its fair share of mysteries. Orcadians grew up listening to stories about the haunted island. According to legend it was under the spell of mythical sea trows – evil Norse spirits who would make the island vanish into thin air should anyone attempt to set foot on it. Others were told more fantastical stories about the finfolk, or mer-people: watery shape shifters who only came on land in summer. How do you come back after a bad game? In a recent interview Connor McDavid said that after a really good game he was restless. When he had a not so stellar outing he slept like a baby. I think after a lacklustre performance it is best to get on to the next game, or the next period or shift. You can learn from mistakes, but you can’t dwell on them. What do you hate most and love most about your current car? Well, I have a Mustang and I love the handling and torque, But why did Ford ever put in a back seat. It is so tiny that only a very small child could fit back there. If I ever managed to get into the back seat it would likely require the “Jaws of Life” to get me out !! Who's one of your favourite breakout candidates for this upcoming NHL season? Don’t you just love the way these young guys can light it up ??? My candidate, if I had to choose just one, would be Kirby Dach of the Chicago Blackhawks. The Chicago Blackhawks center scored 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in 18 games after missing most of the season with a wrist injury. Dach will benefit from skating on a line with elite right wing Patrick Kane, Who's your favourite gfx artist? I am so remarkably unskilled at graphic design, I could literally pick any one of hundreds. However, recently, a design artist by the name of Mike Kus has certainly caught my eye. I really like how he incorporates his message in the medium. Take a look: If you could add any superhero to your roster, who would you add and why? I think I would have to go with Iceman. His super powers include cold and ice manipulation, solid ice battle form. These factors seem to be fitting with a hockey player. One of the first X-Men, Bobby Drake is exactly as you’d imagine for a teenager with power over ice – chilled, outspoken, and incapable of hiding anything. Perhaps one of the bravest as more than the others, he’s willing to put himself between his friends and danger. Iceman can freeze anything around him including objects and his body. He can freeze an enemy’s blood as well as any moisture in the air. Iceman’s ‘cold’ powers are so strong, he once stopped a nuclear explosion. What is one thing you miss most about life before Covid? To be perfectly honest, the Covid pandemic did not affect me as much as it did others. Sure, I have to wear a mask when required. And I had the hassle of getting two vaccinations. But I was able to spend most of my time at the cottage. Really the only thing I really missed was the ability to go to one of the islands to soak up some winter sun and sand. Stay safe !! What color scares your player the most? I didn’t realize that this was a phobia (chromatophobia). In fact there are names for fears of various colors, for example phodophobia is the fear of the color red and xanthophobia a fear of the color yellow, just to name a couple. Really though, colors are unsettling when they are out of normal context. Think about how the sight of a red green sky or a deep red lake might affect us. It could be pretty upsetting. Other items that can be scary or repulsive because of placement of color are things like green teeth, orange hair, black toenails, purple skin, gray milk, and of course, green cheese. What's your worst "stupid driver" story? This really isn’t story about a “stupid” driver, because it involves Nikkii Starr and she is nowhere near stupid. She would be offended if she were referred to like that !! Anyway, back in the day I had a 4.6L Mustang that had a standard transmission. It was time to teach Nikki how to drive a stick!!! Things went OK until we decided to turn around on an icy country back road. There was enough room, but the torque of the Mustang just spun the rear wheels when we were trying to get over the crown of the road. No biggie, right ??? I told Nikki to ease the car in and out of reverse while I got out and rocked the car. Well, I rocked that thing until I couldn’t push anymore. The hollow exhausts were just roaring as Nikki hammered the gas time after time. Finally a local resident whom I am sure we woke up came and helped me get the car squared away and back on the road. I asked Nikki what she had done and realized that she had never put the car in gear.,..just revved the hell out of it in neutral. A good workout !!! Thanks again for reading my wee offering. Hope you will read the next installment as well. Word Count: 2075

I like the way you did this as a newspaper article and photo.. The font is spot on for a newspaper and the photo is what one could realistically expect. Having played with Driver, I wish him the best of luck running that big, ol' Zamboni. 9/10

Ya, I gotta say, this certainly made me smile. I like the way you worked a hockey player into that vacation type background. I would imagine the beverage isn't Gatorade. I probably would have liked the whole thing to be a bit sharper, but that is a minor thing. 8.5/10

1.) Our inability to score more has come back to bite us in the ass once again. 2.) Vancouver. The STHS gods seem to be smiling on them, not us (as usual) 3.) The Cologne Express. There is a certain romanticism about trains. 4.) Of course it is RED. 5.) New Orleans and Swords. 6.) Now that The Jays are gone, I like the Tampa Bay Rays.

Life After the VHL It is interesting that this topic came up as Isau DaMoose approaches retirement. Having had his first taste of depreciation Isau began to ponder his future, both in the VHL short term and his long range plans for retirement. Iasau and his partner Nikki (Starr) recently discussed this very issue as well. They concluded that money would not be an issue, so they could do pretty much whatever they wanted. Nikki was also tired of saving lemmings and sea otters so it was decided that she would return to Canada (Swords) and establish a home base for them both to enjoy upon Isau’s retirement. Nikki asked Isau, “So what are you wanting to do first when you get back to Swords ?” “Chillax on some of those Northern Ontario lakes.” replied Isau without any hesitation. “Ya, go fishing with some of my buddies and see if we can’t track down a few of those elusive walleye.” “The next thing I want to do is buy a new car. The piece of crap car that I bought to replace my motorcycle has seen better days. My cousin, Dancer (McDangle) didn’t treat it very well in my absence.” Nikki enquired, “Do you think you are going to play some post-career hockey?” This question brought Isau’s thought train to a halt as he considered his response, “I don’t think I will want to play truly organized hockey. I think it would be a bit of a disappointment after having played at such a high level for as long as I have. However I wouldn’t object to a little spontaneous pond hockey. That would be a lot of fun with no expectations other than to do just that HAVE FUN.” “You can’t just fish and wait for the pond to freeze, Isau,” observed Nikki. “Oh, surprisingly, I haven’t seen a lot of Canada and Western United States.” replied Isau.” So that’s another thing on the agenda. Just jump into the pickup and head west. See where that takes us.” “Or maybe we should plan this a bit better !” “Well, Isau,” Nikke said nostalgically, “ you have had a pretty damned fine run. What do you think you will miss the most when you leave the game?” Again, after a thoughtful pause, Isau replied, “ I think it will be training camp. I will miss seeing all the guys getting ready for the upcoming season. When you are younger, you look forward to see what your off-season improvements will do for your game. You try to learn from the more experienced players. There is an aura of hope as the new season approaches. ASs you get a bit older, it is always good to see who our new stars will be and how they will fit into the lineup. But most of all, the camaraderie that evolves as the team comes together. I think it will be a tough transition, at least for the first year or so.” And so it is that Isau and Nikki have mapped out their future for Life After the VHL. Word Count: 512

Thoughts After 25 Games OK, so the Riga Reign has played 25 games thus far. We are sporting a very underwhelming record of W:12, L:12, OTL:1 for a total of 25 points. Despite having won the last three games, the Reign are languishing in fifth spot in their conference, only one point ahead of sixth place Davos. Granted the Reign is only 3 points out of third place,but the season has that feeling of seasons past. We are going to struggle to make the postseason. Then, at the very last moment, the STHS Gods will rear back and somehow cause the Reign to, once again, come up a day late and a dollar short. Our Goals Against is very reasonable, but, as in past seasons, the Achilles Heel of the Riga Reign is the inability to score more often. Management in past seasons have traded for elite goal scorers both in the forward positions as well as defencemen, but all to no avail, Those elite players, generally, had very average season’s with the Reign. Maybe it’s the Baltic Sea air, or maybe it is the exciting Riga nightlife. Lets hope for a better outcome this season.

Nice choice of color. I like how the text fades from red to orange. The render certainly captures the intensity of the game. Nice work. 8/10

Nice work with the Finnish flags and the matching color palette. The text is a bit hard to read with the blue on blue. Maybe a different text border color choice. Overall great work. 8.5/10

I am quite underwhelmed. Seems to be a retake on previous years. We lack consistency at both ends of the ice. “Let Me Clear My Throat” - D J Kool I gotta go with Condor Adrienne. I think the chemistry was more or less the same with whomever I played. Grenada, St. Lucia. Scotland Is there any other ?

I use Lucky for beer can chicken. For human consumption:

Great parity

Isau’s Thoughts On The Early Season So, on to another season. I really didn’t look forward to this one as much as I had in the past as Isau was not going to get any better due to the dreaded depreciation. Having said that, and I know this is quite early to make predictions, if Isau keeps producing at his current pace he should end up with 39 goals, 45 assists for a point total of 84. That would be better than last season. Getting only 30% ice time doesn’t help Isau’s point production either. Moving on to the Reign as a team, we are plodding along in the middle of the pack using a bot goalie. I still don’t get it though. How does a bot goalie get to be selected as one of the three stars. Damned good bot !!!! There are 5 teams, at this point, within 3 points of third place in the conference. Malmo and Moscow seem to be the front runners and are duking it out for first place. I expect both these races to be very close all season. Hopefully Riga will make the playoffs, but without a goalie, how far can they realistically be expected to progress ?? Time will tell.

As a former Reaper, I love the jersey and how the logo was applied. Good use of directional lighting. I liked the choice of colors and I think the text is just fine. Great sig. 9/10

Looks pretty good overall. The blurring kid of grows on you. Perhaps you could include some text about the player (name, position) Nice work 7.5/10

1.) Again, I wonder about the STHS system. We are playing a bot goalie and it was one of the three stars. I expect that the Reign will make the playoffs, but we will need a goalie upgrade to go any farther than the first round. 2. ) Malmo looks pretty stacked. 3,) That is hard to say what with depreciation and all. Isau should do as well as he did last year as I was able to earn as much as the depreciation was. However with only 30% ice time, I don't expect any big numbers. 4.) I am a traditionalist, and so like the current logo. 5.) Oooooh !!! My very own question. The answer is "Not very well." I don't think I can balance depreciation with TPE earned this season. 6.) Trevor Zegras, Anaheim Ducks

Well, a new season is about to begin. Thank God for Training Camp. That offset the depreciation a little bit. I have to admit that I did not earn enough TPE to totally offset the amount that Isau was depreciated, but it was close. What does that mean ? Well, given the lineup in Riga, where there have been few changes, I expect that we will challenge for a playoff berth and, hopefully go a bit further than a paltry 5 games. There are still some big question marks on the team. The largest being a goalie. As of this writing, the Reign has 3 prospect goalies, but, I don't think one who has the ability to perform in the VHL. We are also desperately short of left wingers. These issues will have to be addressed fairly shortly. I did notice that the management had made an offer to Free Agent Rara Rasputin, but it might not be the best one on the table. According to the STHS index there appears to be a number of quality goalies available. It is difficult to determine the direction management will take in this matter. I believe that the Reign will have to trade in order to fill out their roster. Looking forward to puck drop. Go Reign !!

Another outstanding graphic. I really like the muted colors that are present throughout. Good choice of font. Easily read. Great talent !!! 9.5/10

Great choice of person on which you based your graphic. Not your usual. I like the background. Again, a departure from the usual. As a suggestion, perhaps you could make the descriptive text under the AGM's name a bit more easily read. Good Stuff !! 8.5/10

1. How is off-season training going? What are you working on? To be honest, faced with "depreciation" I am kind of working on everything....or nothing...depends on how you look at it. 2. Did you get a chance to go on vacation ahead of training camp? Ya, I did. Hung out at a cottage on Northern Ontario. Just chillaxed for a couple of weeks. 3. Who is going to be the breakout player on the Reign next season? I expect Jan Hlozek @Bojovnik to really step up this year. He had a great minor league career and should do well at the VHL level. 4. Do you prefer on-ice or off-ice training? Any time I can be on the ice I'll take it. Dry land training really is a drag. 5. If you could ask one question in the next press conference, what would it be? How does one deal with depreciation ? 6. What is your favourite weather? I mostly like Spring/Fall weather where it is sunny...not too hot, not too cool.

Claiming Week 4

Ya, another interminably long off season. Even though the Reign made the playoffs, we bowed out with a whimper after just 5 games. So, here I sit at my cottage in Northern Ontario watching the leaves start to change. I am thinking that I guess I should put all my toys away and get back to Riga in order to prepare for next season. But I really don't feel like it just yet. Maybe in a week or so. I read Red's @Red article about depreciation and find myself in the same boat (more or less). Both Isau and Cabe McJake are on the same team. In fact we even play the same positions. So, how to deal with depreciation ? I gotta say first that is depreciation a lack of "appreciation" ? So my efforts would be appreciated less ? In any event, perhaps depreciation will give me an opportunity to rebalance some of the attributes where I foolishly put TPE. TPE that could have been used more productively elsewhere. For example, maybe 61 in Checking is a little high. And why do I have TPE in the area nof penalty shots. I have never taken one. And so the slide into obscurity begins.

Very stylistic graphic. I really like the render and your choice of font is also really good. Easily read. Great work. 9.5/10