Eynhallow

I also really like the reflection in the glass. Great idea. As usual an excellent logo swap and nice choice of font. Easily read. 9/10

1. So our season came to a close in the first round. How disappointing was it to go like that? As much as it was great to finally make the playoffs, I was disappointed that we couldn't make a deeper run. Maybe next season, however, our window is closing fast what with regression and all. 2. Why do you think that we were only able to win once in the postseason? Our biggest wealknes, which was evident all season and which was exposed in the playoffs was our inability to score more goals. 3. What do you feel you need to improve personally going into next season? Personally, I will try to counteract regression. Likely no real improvement, but little deterioration. 4. Are you hyped for the draft? I can't say that I am as I don't follow it so much. 5. What are your plans for the offseason? Consider this whole regression business. Maybe write an article about it. 6. Ketchup or mayonnaise on your fries?

Claiming Week 3

Another season has come and gone for Isau DaMoose. Another disappointment after being bulldozed by the Warsaw Predators. In the Reign's first appearance in the playoffs in three years they were only able to manage 1 win. The Reign’s inability to score a lot of goals was exposed at this time. Isau had a season which saw his point production reduced from the previous season despite a distinct increase in his skill level. Again, something that was difficult to comprehend as he played solid second line minutes as he did in the previous season. Going forward, Isau, personally, will experience regression for the first time. In so far as the team is concerned, the Reign’s management will have to find a solid goaltender and some scoring punch in order to be successful in Season 80. So off to another long off-season of early tee off times and long workouts. Hopefully the Riga Reign can make a bigger splash in the VHL next season.

Logo swaps are truly excellent. I like the concept of celebrating the team's leadership as well. Nice clean cuts and a good choice of font/color making the text easily read. Nice work. 9/10

I love the background. I also like the serious expression on the player's face. My only suggestion would be to try to make the player's name stand out a bit more. Nice work. 8.5/10

1. Well, we're down 3-1 in our series against Warsaw. Is there any changes in our game that we have to make to put a comeback into play? Pretty much a moot point since we bowed out so quickly without much of a roar. 2. What direction do you think we should go in next season? With Driver retiring, we need a starting goalie if we want to contend. A goalie is essential. However, we need to score more as well. 3. What's a good trash talk to use in game 5? I would have said "Bring it On!!". But given the circumstances, "Good Luck the rest of the way" would be more appropriate. 4. Would you rather chop down a tree using only a golf putter or empty a swimming pool using only a mug? Depends on the size of the tree or the swimming pool. I have likely chopped down a few small trees with my putter already. 5. Would you rather eat a whole banana or a whole orange? (including the peel if that was confusing) Orange all the way. 6. Would you rather have a squirrel as a pet or a fox as a pet? A fox definitely.

Claiming Week 2

Thought-Provoking Presser Questions Some time ago I released the first of these media spots in which I try to deal with some of the interesting presser questions that have been posed. I enjoy going through the various pressers just to see how imaginative the questions can get…….or the alternative. Leading off are a few questions asked by Eldredman @Eldredman of the San Diego Marlins. How did you end up in the position you currently play? This is interesting because in many cases, I think, the position chooses you as opposed to the other way around. Your set of unique skills may be best utilized in a position that you would not necessarily consider. Wendel Clark comes to mind. Wendel played as an offensive defenceman with the Saskatoon Blades during his two year Junior career. On joining the Toronto Maple Leafs he was quickly converted to a forward where he experienced great success. Red Kelly is another example of this. Kelly played defense for the Detroit Red Wings earning first-team all-star honors six times in a seven-season stretch from 1950-51 to 1956-57. After being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs he became a center where finished sixth in NHL scoring in 1960-61 and cracked the top 10 in Hart Trophy voting twice. Do you have any game day superstitions? Athletes are generally superstitious, but hockey players are the worst. Sid Crosby was voted the most superstitious player in the NHL. He takes the same roundabout route avoiding visitors in the locker room. He sets up his stall the same every game, tapes his sticks the same way every game, and eats a PB&J sandwich at 5 p.m. sharp EVERY. GAME. Jocelyn Thibault would pour water on his head six and a half minutes before a game. Brendan Shanahan wore his junior hockey shoulder pads in Detroit, listened to Madonna pre-game. Karl Alzner taps his stick exactly 88 times before the national anthems conclude. Dressing “the Right Way” is a familiar superstition. This superstition is quite common for most players as they are in the locker room getting dressed for the game. A lot of players say that they have to get dressed in the same order every time because they believe that doing that pre-game ritual every time brings them the good energy they need for the game. A well known goalie by the name of Patrick Roy, would lay out each piece of his gear on the floor and get dressed in the same order every time before he would head out of the locker room. That certainly worked for him !!! Brent Seabrook, defenseman for the 2013 Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks, had a laundry list of superstitions and was considered both the most superstitious player on the team as well as the most difficult to room with on the road. Seabrook’s meticulous habits mostly involved different eating and sleeping routines, including eating seven Hershey’s kisses before every game. The most mysterious, however, was his habit of reviewing nine words over and over in his head prior to each game – words that only he and the Blackhawks’ mental skills coach knew. Why is the Sky blue? Ya, well I thought this question fell into the same league as “Why are oranges round?” and “Why do puddles have bottoms ?” However, on further research it appears that there is a scientific reason. According to NASA sunlight reaches Earth's atmosphere and is scattered in all directions by all the gases and particles in the air. Blue light is scattered more than the other colors because it travels as shorter, smaller waves. This is why we see a blue sky most of the time. Of course ancient people did not have NASA around so they came up with a myth. Long long ago, when Queen Athena ( Zeus's daughter) was born, Zeus blessed her with two boons for when she came of age. After almost 15 years, Athena was told to think up two things to ask for. The poor girl couldn't make up her mind. You see, Athena wasn't what you would now call the goddess of wisdom and war, at 16, she was much more selfish and over- confident. And I bet you can't guess what she asked for in the end! 1) To have a city in Greece named after her( Athens) 2) To have all the people of the world see her face every day of the year.( what you are seeing are only her eyes) Thus, The sky is blue, just like the color of Athena's eyes… Thank-you to youloser1337 @youloser1337of the Minnesota Storm for the following two questions: What is the most inspiring thing you have seen / done? Several years ago I went to visit my homeland, Scotland. My wanderings took me to the Isle of Skye where I went on a hike to the Quiraing. Talk about mystical. You could almost hear the spirits talking to you. Which NHL arena would you love to see a home game at? This seems to be a straightforward question/answer, but it really isn’t. Every NHL arena is loud, vibrant and filled with energy. Back in the day I was able to see the Toronto Maple Leafs in Maple Leaf Gardens on a somewhat regular basis (my high school had box seats). The Gardens rocked on a regular basis, but when the Habs came to town the place was insane. I would like to, once again, see the Leafs and the Habs at Scotiabank Arena preferably during the playoffs. That is unlikely to happen unless I win a lottery….a BIG lottery. I would like to acknowledge hylands @hylands of the Malmo Nighthawks for the following: Did you grow up watching hockey or have you recently gotten into it ? I think that the answer to this in large part is determined by the culture in the area in which you grew up as a child. In small town Northern Ontario ( < 1000 pop.) there were no gyms for basketball, no movie theatres, frequently no high speed internet….anyway you get the idea. One thing that stands out in these hamlets was the outdoor ice rink and the baseball diamond. You were pretty much expected to play both of these sports. If you couldn’t afford the equipment, the community found it for you. This is still true today. There are communities in which hockey is the ONLY sport available for both boys and girls. For me I grew up playing and watching hockey. There weren’t too many Saturday nights that didn’t find me in front of a TV somewhere. Do you enjoy rivalries within sports, or do you not care for them? I generally agree with rivalries in sports. As I alluded to earlier, in Toronto, when the Habs came to town, insanity reigned supreme. Rivalries bring out some of the best performances from an athlete. Unfortunately, sometimes rivalries can bring out the worst in both players being overly aggressive and fans resorting to violence. This has been carried to extremes in the United Kingdom where hooligan firms have sprung up with the sole intent of creating mayhem, particularly when a close rival was visiting. This chaos has been responsible for severe injuries and even death. Any books that you would recommend? So, OK, not a very complex question. Just toss out a couple of titles (whether you have read them or not). I, for one, don’t think it is that simple. For example, if I were to suggest “Species of One” by Matt McMahon, people might think that I am an extremely sensitive person. Or ”Wuthering Heights” might lead people to believe that I was a classic intellectual. My EReader tells me that I have read about 475 books and have spent some 2500 hours reading them. They are books that range from Louis L’Amour to Jane Austen, classic fiction to the history of bootlegging. A better question might be to provide a “playlist” of books. That way the underlying message as to who you are might be a bit more accurate. Thanks to my friend and Habs fan Ledge and Dairy @Ledge and Dairy from the Riga Reign for this one: The team is having a NO; GOD PLEASE NO moment, do you think we will be able to turn around the situation? Ledge is referring here to the fact that Riga, who had been in first place, is now in third and being chased closely by the fourth place team. In the past few seasons the Reign has had a playoff spot snatched (dare I say stolen) from them at the last moment. In fact last season it came down to the number of goals scored or some such stat that determined the wild card berth. I reflect once again on my pet whine, the ridiculous results frequently rendered by the sim engine, STHS. Last season, on paper, Riga certainly had enough horsepower to make the playoffs. But, for some unknown reason ALL of our Big Guns performed at an underwhelming level. My own player, Isau DaMoose was getting second line minutes and a few power play minutes. BUT, when you looked at the index, on several occasions, his Time On Ice was actually less than that of fourth line players. How is that even possible !!! Time to look for a new sim engine or retweak STHS so that it rewards players for grabbing up all that TPE. The results and generated stats have to be a little more consistent for them to be realistic. Greg_Di @Greg_Di of the Calgary Wranglers came up with this one: If you could give one piece of advice to a rookie before the playoffs, what would it be ? This is a frequently answered question. And the answer is simple enough. Being able to do it is another thing. My advice would be “Relax. Enjoy the moment. It doesn’t come very often.” Peace @Peace of the Toronto Legion must have been hungry when he asked: Hotdogs over a campfire or a barbeque? My “go to” method would be to cook the hotdogs on a charcoal grill. That way you get the control of a barbecue and the smokiness of a campfire. BUT my true answer would be “at a baseball game”. It has been a very long time since I was able to see one despite the fact that The Jays have been back in Toronto for a month. Peace also posed this question: How do you keep yourself entertained on the VHL now that we've missed the playoffs? I have been a proponent of some kind of off season activity for those of us who did not make the playoffs. There is the lottery tournament. But I think there should be something more. If a player misses the playoff, the lay off is a very long period of time. The time it takes to sim the playoffs plus the off season. I think that the league loses some players during this time. So, from the point of view of retention, I think there should be some kind of other tournament introduced. Perhaps an over/under 500 TPE with a few EXP points thrown in to sweeten the deal. diamond_ace @diamond_ace and Domg5 @Domg5of the Prague Phantoms collaborate on the questions in their pressers. Do you prefer outdoor hockey or arena hockey? As a kid growing up in Northern Ontario, we only played on natural outdoor rinks. When I moved to The Big Smoke for high school we played on outdoor artificial ice surfaces. I really didn’t play on arena surfaces on a regular basis until I was 19 years old. So, ya, I like playing hockey outdoors. But that comes with its pitfalls, mostly related to weather. If it snows you have to manually clear the ice surface on a regular basis, sometimes as often as every 20 minutes or so. The other weather related problem can be the temperature. At -20 degrees C, or colder, it can be a little uncomfortable. Do you think it's better to build a team with good trades and good signings or building it with the draft over a few years? I am not a GM, nor do I have anything to do with team management. That being said, I think I would want to build my team with a blend of the above. Building from within via the draft is essential. But tempering that group with some veterans, or acquiring role players through a trade is important as well. For example, let’s say you need a left wing, but there aren’t any of any quality available through the draft. Then it becomes necessary to trade to fill out your roster well. Word Count = 2109 Claiming for Weeks of Sept. 5, 12, 19, 26

Good clean render. Good logo sway. Not much I don't like other than perhaps making the font a little more legible. Nice work !!! 9/10

I am a big fan of black-and-white. I like the simplicity. The smoke background certainly adds to the overall effect. Possibly enhance the text. Nice work. 8/10

1. We have, after a tumultuous season, clinched a playoff spot! How does it feel to finally be back in the postseason? Or for some, to represent the Reign where it really matters? As I have only played for one team in the VHL, all I can say its about F*#king Time !!! After the sim engine foibles of the past couple of seasons I am certainly glad to be here. 2. As AGM, one of my duties is helping out with the scouting, and I always appreciate the input of our team members. Is there anyone from this draft class who stands out to you? I would help you with this if I could. But I must admit to not paying very much attention to the current draft class. 3. After all is said and done, who is our MVP this season? Gotta be Cabe. Leader in so many categories. 4. How did you do on predictions, if you did any? Were there any surprises this season? I did participate in the predictions. However, I chose somewhat poorly....oh well.... 5. With the upcoming draft tournament, what is your favourite VHLE name and logo? Istanbul Red Wolves. I gotta see a game in Istanbul... 6. A certain hot topic on the forum recently is the best dipping sauce for chicken nuggets. What's yours? Some kinda BBQ.

Hayes was drafted 60th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2008 and played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Florida Panthers, Boston Bruins and New Jersey Devils across seven NHL seasons, producing 109 points in 334 games. He last played professionally for the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2018-19.

I like what you are trying to do here. The monochrome red works well. My only suggestion would be to outline the text in "Elsby" to make it stand out a bit better. Great Work. 9/10

As a former Reaper, I like the scythe. Very good logo swap, I like how you blended in the folds in the player's jersey. Also, great title, I like the humor !! Great work !! 8/10

RIGAREIGN PRESSER!!!!!! 1 the team is having a NO; GOD PLEASE NO (yes this is a the office reference) moment, do you think we will be able to turn around the situation? Technically, there is no reason why we can't pick up the pace. I have a lot of faith in my team mates to step up. However, shades of Christmas (Seasons) Past where STHS has robbed us of playoff spots. Anything can happen with this damned sim engine. 2 With the trade deadline ending in some days, do you think that Riga will make any moves or the team will remain the same as always? I am not sure that trading away assets at this point will do us much good. We have tried that in past seasons and the moves have been mediocre to say the least. No offence to the players involved, but there just wasn't much chemistry. 3 Which player would you love to see with a Riga Reign jersey? ( it can be a real life player but also a VHL player, your choice) Doug Gilmour and/or Wendell Clark. Both skilled guys that play with heart and grit. 4 If you had to pick a song for the goal horn of RIga, which song would you pick? Sam Cooke - A Change is Gonna Come 5 If hockey had never existed, how would your life be like? I gotta admit that it would be somewhat boring. 6 If you had to choose, in which other country would you like to move to? St. Lucia.....in a heartbeat. Great weather, 1% unemployment, low crime rate, english speaking......etc.

OK, I get it. Do you want that I should submit another suggestion ??? Or will my over/under 550 TPE Tourney idea be good enough ??

VHL Awards : Theme Week I think I may have delivered a suggestion about revitalizing the Mikka Virkkunen Trophy some time in the past. Originally, I found it odd that there wasn’t a Lady Byng Trophy or it’s VHL equivalent. But, on looking a bit harder, I found The Mikka Virkkunen which had been retired after Season 58. I could not determine why this happened. Perhaps some of our more senior members would be able to shed some light on this. My thinking, though, was that it was too hard to define the criteria for winning the trophy. There wasn’t an easy quantitative measure as there is with the Kevin Brooks Trophy, for example. From what I can gather from the Virkkunen winners, it seems that the criteria were very few penalty minutes, few hits and yet a point producer. Well, OK. But doesn’t that sort of sound like the Pansy Trophy, or as I suggested before, maybe the Madonna Trophy. I , for one, am not so sure that I would want/like to be the Madonna of the league though. So, if this trophy, or another iteration of it, were to be rejuvenated my suggestion would be that the GM, AGM or designate would select one player from each of their respective rosters and submit that name to a trophy selection committee to decide on the eventual winner. The criteria would have to be varied. The player selected must have a meaningful point contribution, have a relatively low number of penalty minutes and, yet, have a significant number of hits. That means that the player is aggressive and, yet, his hits are generally clean. To give you an example of such a player, let’s take a look at the top 10 players (points) from the Riga Reign for Season 78. Player Name GP G A P +/- PIM HIT SHT% SB GW (75) C - Cabe McJake 72 39 48 87 -3 61 111 10.32% 29 7 (75) D - Linus Zetterstrom 72 16 70 86 0 20 25 9.04% 176 1 (75) RW - Justin Lose 72 37 45 82 -7 17 67 8.22% 27 6 (75) C - Isau DaMoose 72 41 40 81 -10 111 266 9.88% 22 6 (75) RW - Artair McCloud 72 30 36 66 -11 16 42 6.8% 42 4 (74) D - Matt thunder 72 8 52 60 -17 189 218 3.98% 137 1 (77) D - Jan Hlozek 72 14 36 50 -8 26 73 8.54% 115 2 (75) LW - Addison McLaren 39 14 20 34 -6 78 181 8.33% 22 1 (73) D - Han Jae Kuk 39 5 28 33 -7 24 43 6.25% 80 0 (73) RW - Oh Sens 33 12 11 23 6 43 35 9.68% 8 1 In my model, Justin Lose would be the nominee for the Riga Reign. He has 82 points, only 17 minutes in penalties and still managed 67 hits. My player, Isau DaMoose, although very close in terms of point production would not be considered because of his goon-like tactics with 266 hits and 111 minutes spent in the box (contemplating his sins, no doubt !). In addition, there also should be some kind of recommendation by whoever submits the players name which would indicate the players activity level and contributions to the team in ways that cannot be quantitatively measured. With this dimension, I think, one would get an overall feeling for a player that is the most sportsmanlike both on the stats sheet and in the locker room. Now, I realize that determining a winner for this award would be very difficult and open to controversy due to its subjective nature and how well the player is written up for the panel to judge, but, in my opinion, it would be a worthwhile effort and give some recognition to those builds that are truly team and league oriented. Thanks for reading my wee suggestion. As always, one hopes that these things are taken, at least partially, seriously, and if not, hopefully it will provoke a bit of thought. Word Count 679 Claiming Week of Aug. 29 due to ongoing multi-week claim

OK, thanks again.

Maybe throw in a few EXP points ?? BTW, I think you guys do a great job overall, so please don't take what I write as anything more than the ravings of a hockey fanatic.

OK, sorry about that. I will repost it next week as I am in the middle of a multi-week. Thanks.

That already exists, has for a few seasons now. Non-playoff teams enter the lottery tournament. Very little hype. I agree that you don't want to detract from the playoffs, but I still believe that more must be done to keep people interested and involved. This is not just about player activity, but, also retention.

A few suggestions: 1.) My pet whine. The STHS engine is just not realistic. Last season (I think) Isau (my player) was getting second line minutes as well as some PP time and PK time. However, in several games his actual time on ice was less than that of a fouth line player. How is that even possible. My suggestion...a different sim engine or a "retweaked" version of STHS. This might eliminate some of the frustration. 2.) The "off-season" or the time that there is no activity for those players whose teams did not make the playoffs can be pretty deadly. My suggestion: Have some other kind of simmed tournament to keep those players involved. It might me a consideration to have something like a <550 TPE tournament and a >550 tournament to keep those people active. 3. Bring back an iteration of the Lady Byng Trophy. I have spelled out my reasoning here.

VHL Awards : Theme Week I think I may have delivered a suggestion about revitalizing the Mikka Virkkunen Trophy some time in the past. Originally, I found it odd that there wasn’t a Lady Byng Trophy or it’s VHL equivalent. But, on looking a bit harder, I found The Mikka Virkkunen which had been retired after Season 58. I could not determine why this happened. Perhaps some of our more senior members would be able to shed some light on this. My thinking, though, was that it was too hard to define the criteria for winning the trophy. There wasn’t an easy quantitative measure as there is with the Kevin Brooks Trophy, for example. From what I can gather from the Virkkunen winners, it seems that the criteria were very few penalty minutes, few hits and yet a point producer. Well, OK. But doesn’t that sort of sound like the Pansy Trophy, or as I suggested before, maybe the Madonna Trophy. I , for one, am not so sure that I would want/like to be the Madonna of the league though. So, if this trophy, or another iteration of it, were to be rejuvenated my suggestion would be that the GM, AGM or designate would select one player from each of their respective rosters and submit that name to a trophy selection committee to decide on the eventual winner. The criteria would have to be varied. The player selected must have a meaningful point contribution, have a relatively low number of penalty minutes and, yet, have a significant number of hits. That means that the player is aggressive and, yet, his hits are generally clean. To give you an example of such a player, let’s take a look at the top 10 players (points) from the Riga Reign for Season 78. Player Name GP G A P +/- PIM HIT SHT% SB GW (75) C - Cabe McJake 72 39 48 87 -3 61 111 10.32% 29 7 (75) D - Linus Zetterstrom 72 16 70 86 0 20 25 9.04% 176 1 (75) RW - Justin Lose 72 37 45 82 -7 17 67 8.22% 27 6 (75) C - Isau DaMoose 72 41 40 81 -10 111 266 9.88% 22 6 (75) RW - Artair McCloud 72 30 36 66 -11 16 42 6.8% 42 4 (74) D - Matt thunder 72 8 52 60 -17 189 218 3.98% 137 1 (77) D - Jan Hlozek 72 14 36 50 -8 26 73 8.54% 115 2 (75) LW - Addison McLaren 39 14 20 34 -6 78 181 8.33% 22 1 (73) D - Han Jae Kuk 39 5 28 33 -7 24 43 6.25% 80 0 (73) RW - Oh Sens 33 12 11 23 6 43 35 9.68% 8 1 In my model, Justin Lose would be the nominee for the Riga Reign. He has 82 points, only 17 minutes in penalties and still managed 67 hits. My player, Isau DaMoose, although very close in terms of point production would not be considered because of his goon-like tactics with 266 hits and 111 minutes spent in the box (contemplating his sins, no doubt !). In addition, there also should be some kind of recommendation by whoever submits the players name which would indicate the players activity level and contributions to the team in ways that cannot be quantitatively measured. With this dimension, I think, one would get an overall feeling for a player that is the most sportsmanlike both on the stats sheet and in the locker room. Now, I realize that determining a winner for this award would be very difficult and open to controversy due to its subjective nature and how well the player is written up for the panel to judge, but, in my opinion, it would be a worthwhile effort and give some recognition to those builds that are truly team and league oriented. Thanks for reading my wee suggestion. As always, one hopes that these things are taken, at least partially, seriously, and if not, hopefully it will provoke a bit of thought. Word Count 679

Ya, that guy is pretty happy/excited. Your choice of graphic really captures that. I like the way you squeezed in a logo swap. Font for your text was chosen well and fits the overall look. Good Work 8/10