tcookie

1) I've been super underwhelming this season to be honest, one of my worst VHL seasons to date which makes no sense. It kinda sucks but at the end of the day Malmo is in a pretty good place so I can't complain too much. But I wonder where we would be if Rave was playing up to his potential. 2) I think we're doing great. Contending for first in the EU & Victory Cup, basically a few points back with a game in hand, you can't ask for much more than that. 3) For some reason it seems like Calgary has been our biggest rival in S97. It's weird to say that about a team in the other conference but we've played them 4 times already and always feels like they have our number. Maybe we'll get the chance to get them back in the playoffs. 4) Oh heck yeah, a tinted black or dark blue visor would be sweet. 7) I'm a Jets fan. There are a few specific players I follow but in particular I still love watching Patrik Laine score goals and want to see him reach his potential, which I think is extremely high. I've become a bit of an Oilers fan as well because McDavid and Draisaitl are so much fun to watch. 10) Well, Lucy the player canonically lived in Alberta with the huge backyard rink according to Lightbringer, so it works... I'll bring the Taco Bell actually, probably a cheesy hashbrown casserole that is one of my favourite things to eat

1) Absolutely the cup every season. Don't get me wrong if you're playing forward literally scoring 5 points a year it's probably kinda boring - I am all for the team but you do need to see some individual production to stay interested - but 8 cups in a row is wild. 2) I very much agree that the player takes more luck and the builder takes more work/effort which is more important, but that's why I'd actually say player. Builder seems like something if you are committed to the league you can accomplish it eventually, but the player takes effort AND the blessing of the sim. 3) Definitely right away. Nothing against the M, I usually enjoy my time there but it's all about the big leagues. 4) While they both sound pretty good, give me the travel. 6) Find the genie. 9) Anywhere in outer space, I don't want anything to do with the deep ocean.

That's awesome, thank you

Much was made in the off-season about Phillip Rave's contract situation with the centre eligible for unrestricted free agency coming off a 108-point season. Much to both the player and his team's delight, Rave signed a three-year deal to remain in Malmo, but the early returns on that deal haven't been what either party would have expected. Rave has struggled mightily to start S97. The back-to-back 40-goal scorer has just 3 goals in the first 15 games of the season and he's struggling along at a below-PPG pace, with 13 points in 15 games. On a more positive note, though, the Nighthawks have been playing pretty well once again to start the year off, with a 10-4-1 record that has them sitting second place in the EU. As long as his team is winning, Rave is happy, and the team success will take some of the individual pressure off of Rave as he hopes to find his game again as the season moves on. It seems unlikely that a player of his talents will continue to be held off the scoresheet with this kind of regularity.

3) I got to compete for a national championship (5-pin bowling) with the most fun team I've ever been a part of. We came just short - lost our gold medal match by just a few pins, but it was just a great experience. I made my second national all-star team & missed a perfect game on my last ball in one of the round robin matches, so I had a successful event from a personal standpoint too, but it was the team that made it something I will always remember. 4) Nothing special, but I am excited to have the Canada/USA world junior game on NYE again, it's been a while! 5) Probably 3rd in the EU, maybe 2nd? Good enough to be in a competitive position come playoff time which is all you can ask for! 6) Vancouver, Moscow, and Davos all look very strong. 8 ) I mean it's getting to the point where I need a new car, but definitely not a million dollar one lol. If I can split it up, I'd invest half, pay off the house, buy a relatively nice new car, make sure I'm debt free and travel with the rest 9) No pets. I wouldn't mind a cat or dog, but to be honest I'm a little worried life is just too busy to properly care for one!

With training camps and the holiday season both wrapping up, puck drop for S97 is upon us. Sixth-year Malmo centre Phillip Rave is excited to start playing games for real as the Nighthawks will once again try to dispel their pesky playoff curse. "It's been a busy off-season, training camp was nice to get back to some normalcy and now the season is right around the corner," says Rave. "Obviously there's no replacing Jacob Stone, but now we've got Lucy (Leitner) on the team, we've got Bret (Weier) and Narnia (Shaw) and just all these players that work hard, fit together well and just want to win. Couldn't ask for a better group of teammates." With 48 goals, 108 points and 562 shots on goal last season, Rave truly arrived as a star on the VHL scene last season, and he has designs on continuing to improve in S97. "I think even when you play well, when you are able to contribute at a high level consistently, there is always an opportunity to take something from your play that you can improve on. I think that mindset has played a big part in the player I've become and I don't want to get away from it."

1) I have Christmas dinner with my wife and her family on Christmas eve and then with my mom and sister on Christmas Day and that's generally it, try to have game night with friends at some point during the Christmas week as well 2) I do like eggnog 3) I live in Winnipeg, so I'm used to a lot of snow around Christmas time. The last three days the temperature has been -2, 0, and today +2 which, honestly, is ridiculous. The snow is melting on December 27th. It's nice if you have to be outside, but if anything is going to call out how real climate change is, the legitimate possibility of not having a white Christmas in Winnipeg at some point with this kind of weather should do it. 5) I am a gift giver for sure 7) I love to travel. If money wasn't an issue I'd definitely go on vacation. 10) Carol of the Bells is kind of a banger actually

Phillip Rave's off-season was a little more stressful than he's used to, but as he prepares to report to Malmo's training camp this week, everything has worked itself out just as well as he'd hoped. There was the matter of contract negotiations first and foremost this off-season, something Rave hadn't really experienced to the same level in prior seasons. Negotiating an entry-level contract is generally much more trivial, and when his first contract was up, he was still a young player looking for a break and Malmo was a clearly contending team, so there was little chance of anything conflicting on either side. This time around, the end of Malmo's window of contention appears much closer, and a rebuild was a legitimate possibility especially given the team's playoff track record. Plus, coming off an 108-point season, Rave had the track record to ask for more than he did the last time around, and was likely to find a large market for his services if he'd opted to test free agency. Then there was the matter of a GM change in the middle of the off-season, which postponed meetings with players as new management took over and had to formulate their own plan before communicating it to the team. But, at the end of the day, Rave got his wish. He's back in Malmo on a new three-year deal, and he's ready to go. "Circumstances ended up dragging that out longer than usual so it didn't feel like there was a lot of downtime for me this off-season. But now we're here, training camp is around the corner, the relationship with new management is great. Everything's worked out for the best and now I just can't wait to get back out on the ice."

1) I think it's great, honestly. The thing is I think something needed to happen if Malmo is to remain competitive past S97. Trading picks for one good player, or keeping the picks and using them, was not going to do it. Bringing in some prospects that you have a rapport with is smart. It's still going to be a bit of a tough task, but now there's a chance especially if the prospects develop well. 2) It's been good! Signing the extension with Malmo is nice, excited to get to play for this management team, and now we're at the World Cup. 3) I'm a little sad that I finished last year just shy of 50 goals so it would be cool to hit that milestone. But at the end of the day the ultimate goal is to get something done in the playoffs. Five years of great teams and we've done nothing in the post-season, we need to change that. 4) DF to 90 and then bank for depreciation, probably. Maybe a couple points into faceoffs. 5) We could go bowling, I like that suggestion. If it's five-pin I'll win honestly, doesn't matter too much but team bonding is very important, so it's a great idea. Maybe hit up the time honoured Malmo tradition of Taco Bell at some point... lol 6) I still need to finish shopping lol. Basically just hang out with friends and family.