thadthrasher

1. I would say that unless anything significant changes, then absolutely. With a point gap that wide, it has to happen. 2. I'm a Penguins fan living in an area with a lot of Flyers and Capitals fans. So, that's tough. 3. Red velvet cake all the way. It's the best. 4. Honestly, I have no thoughts, because I don't have any idea what the theme week is. I'm sure people are still complaining about it though. 5. Sure. I don't think it would hurt anything to offer that. 6. No, never. Now, my doctor would say, "yes" as well, especially when she sees my latest cholesterol count.

Upon reading the biography of the newly signed Miami Marauder defenseman, Titus Cunningham, you would quickly discover that he's not your average hockey player. He didn't grow up in an area where hockey was prevalent, nor did he know anyone who played hockey. Part of how he discovered hockey has to do with an old truck and an even older man. It was one of those moments in time where as the moment was happening no one could have guessed what it would have led to. Now, we read this with the understanding that Cunningham is set to be one of the greatest defensemen in VHL history. Here's one of the ways that hockey became a part of Titus' life. Titus had stepped off the bus just in time for his dad to be driving by on his way to his second job at the butcher shop, just outside of town. His father rolled up and said, "Billy Stevens needs a hand. Head over now, I told him you'd be coming." At only 12 years old, Titus said, "Yes sir," and headed down the road. Soon, he was standing in Billy's yard as the old man shuffled out of the trailer surrounded by mounds of junk, everything from old sofas and TVs to cars that hadn't run in years. Billy noticed Titus eyeing up the old 1974 Chevy C10, "Ehhh she's a beaut, ain't she." Titus nodded calmly. "I'll tell yer what Titus, you help me clean up this junk over the next few weeks and I'll pay you enough cash to take this truck off my hands." Without hesitation, Titus began lifting. On the side, Titus picked up a few other small jobs, hoping he'd get enough money to buy the classic truck off old man Billy. He helped his uncle with removing the back side of the holler of wild boar, built a dog house for Ms. Catherine the closer to dead than alive 1st-grade teacher, and even found himself at Mr. Cartwright's farm cleaning out stalls. As the time came when the yard was cleaned up, or at least as cleaned up as a yard in the holler could be, Titus promptly handed cash over to Billy. "Is this all you got?" "Yes sir, it is." Billy handed back half the cash and the old man hopped in the truck, flipped the visor down and grabbed the keys that fell. As he handed them over to Titus he said, "Now, what in the world are you planning on doing with this truck, anyways?" "Simple sir, I'll fix it up, get my license as soon as I can, and I'm headed to Columbus." As the years went on Titus continued cleaning up yards around the holler. It was easy money and often led to him finding old parts that fit the truck. The parts weren't always perfect fits, but good enough to get the old thing running and moving. The simple idea of visiting a city kept Titus' motivation high, and as each week, month, and year passed, that dream came closer and closer to reality. Finally, Titus had the truck in near perfect condition, enlisting the help of the holler's almost always drunk mechanic, Mr. Johanson, who mostly was no help at all. The final repair came just in time for Titus to take his driving exam and get the license he's wanted since he first laid eyes on the '74 C10 in Billy's cluttered yard. He easily passed the driving exam, stopped by his house, and grabbed the cash he had saved up over the years, and headed straight for Columbus without telling a soul. Little did Titus know, that's when his life would really change. It's on this trip that Titus sees Nationwide Arena It's on this trip that Titus watches his first hockey game. It's on this trip, in the old man's truck, where he falls in love with the sport that would change his life. --- 662 words Claiming 2/2/25

S97 Donation Transaction ID: 8B291221K08047915 Doubles Week (Claiming week of 2/2) 5 uncapped TPE (Claiming week of 2/2) 1M Player Store

Titus Cunningham - The Boy from the Holler When people talk with Titus Cunningham for the first time, they often walk away with a bit of a puzzled look. It's not because Cunningham is strange, nor is he at all peculiar. He's your average young man from the hollers of West Virginia. Sure, he has a big build and quickly catches most eyes when he walks into a room, but beyond that, there isn't anything special about Cunningham. What tends to draw a puzzled look from most folks though is the fact that Cunningham plays ice hockey. That may not seem strange to you, but to his fellow West Virginians, it's practically unheard of. Cunningham grew up deep in the hollers of the West Virginia wilderness. Where he comes from life is slow, simple, but often difficult. His hometown had no red lights but did have a small post office, a grocery store that looked more like a vegetable stand with a few snacks, and miles of forested road that led into and out of the holler. Needless to say, this was not the town where the young men grew up learning about ice hockey. Which, of course, is what leads many to look at Cunningham with a hint of puzzlement and perplexion, "How in the world did you end up playing hockey?" After Titus turned 16 and got his license, though that never stopped him from driving around the holler since he was 12, he took the old truck he bought off one of the townsfolk and decided to drive up to Columbus, OH to "see what the city was like." Of course, he was utterly surprised at the business of the city and found himself quickly lost. Turn after turn came and gone, and finally, he ended up driving right next to the Nationwide Arena, and that was the first time he saw this sport of hockey. He found a spot, bought a ticket, and quickly found himself in the stands for his first-ever hockey game. This was a move that would change his life. Titus' parents were completely blown away. First, they were livid that he'd left the state, let alone the holler without letting them know what he was up to. But, to then come back and ramble on and on about "hockey," and "pucks," it was too much. The only saving grace for Titus was when he explained that when problems arose on the ice they settled it the old-fashioned way, with fists. His father always wanted to see Titus take a liking to sports, especially football, so this would have to do. The problem though was that there was no hockey anywhere near Titus. Yet, this didn't stop the young 16-year-old from trying. He devoted any free moment he had to getting into even better shape, learning the rules and rhythm of hockey on the family's sometimes working computer, and driving clear up to Columbus on the weekends to try his hand at ice hockey. It was during one of the many trips to Columbus that Titus met a retired Victory Hockey League player, Napolean Dynamite. Dynamite had hung up his skates a few years before this initial meeting and took up coaching as a way to stave off his boredom. At one of the practices that Dynamite led, he noticed that Titus carried a unique personality and play style. Cunningham was no-nonsense, hyper-focused on his performance, and never shied away from asking for pointers from others. Due to his size, and his personality, he was a natural defenseman. No one seemed to be able to make their way around him, and the kid could read passes like a picture book. He was intelligent with cycling the puck, keeping it in the offensive zone, and wasn't afraid of rotating up to the net for scoring chances. However, Cunningham's strength came at laying out the body of opposing players, making bullet-like passes to his forwards. It was obvious to Dynamite, and everyone else watching, that Cunningham was determined to be the best defenseman around. What gave Cunningham the advantage here was not just his size and strength, though being 6'4" and 225lbs certainly helped, it was the fact that he was from the holler. Life in the holler wasn't easy, and it quickly made men out of boys. No one in the holler had anything they didn't earn, which included everything from the clothes on their back to the countless nights spent in the small-town sheriff's cells to cool off. All of it, good or bad, was earned. This instilled in Cunningham a work ethic and drive that folks like Dynamite hadn't seen in years. It made him unique, it made him desirable, it made him an asset like none before. It wasn't long after meeting Cunningham that Dynamite began talking to his old VHL buddies about this kid. "Titus the Titan is a freakin' menace, GOSH!" Of course, this caught the attention of @Ricer13, the manager of the Miami Marauders who made it a point to give him a call. After some simple pleasantries and introductions, Ricer got straight to the point, "Son, I know you've never played on a real team a day in your life, but I've seen the videos of your game and practices and you've got something special. I'm looking to add another defender to our roster, what do you say to signing with Miami for the remainder of our season? I can get you here tomorrow morning for practice." Titus sat on the front porch of the Cunningham home, overlooking the small creek a few hundred feet ahead of him, raised his eyes to the rolling West Virginia mountains above, and with the thick West Virginian holler accent said matter of factly, "Lord willin', and the creek don't rise."

Player Information Username: thadthrasher Player Name: Titus Cunningham Recruited From: Returning Age: 19 Position: D Height: 76 in. Weight: 225 lbs. Birthplace: United States of America Player Page @VHLM GM

Hello VHL, This post serves as my announcement of my resignation from Recruitment, GM of the New York Americans, Board of Governors, and as one of the VHLE Commissioners. Allow me a moment to explain: On October 8th, 2020, I found myself with a lot of time on my hands. I was working part-time and earning my Master's degree while living in a world that was dictated by COVID. I saw an advertisement on one of Thrash94's videos for the VHL and I quickly joined. I came in eager to learn, eager to earn, and eager to make Hall of Fame-worthy players. I dove headfirst into the VHL community and loved every minute of it. Eventually, I applied to be a GM for Team USA in the WJC and since then I've managed in one way or another. I became a GM for the San Diego Marlins, then the Stockholm Vikings, and finally the New York Americans. In all of that, I helped manage various off-season tournaments as well. That escalated to me taking a position on the Recruitment Team, and being asked to work as a Commissioner for the VHLE, which I happily accepted. While all of that was going on, my personal life and career were taking off. My wife became pregnant, we moved back to our home state, and our family grew. I finished my Master's, and started working full-time, and the time that I had to devote to the league dwindled more and more over time. This year though has been a tipping point. As some of you know, my mother struggled with addiction my whole life, and in April that struggle caught up to her and she passed. Then, my wife and I endured the hardship of losing two children through miscarriage. Those events led us to grow much closer, and it made me realize just how precious the time I have with my family is. It's only here temporarily, and it can vanish in the blink of an eye. Those hard moments were, well, hard. But, there have been so many good things to happen in my life this year, most of them revolving around increased work responsibilities. While I love my work, I don't have the luxury of a job that runs 9-5 and is off on the weekends, so the free time I do get is rather limited and decreases more and more. All of that being said, I want you to know that I am not making this decision because I'm burnt out, nor because I've lost interest in the VHL. It comes down to the fact that I just don't have the time I used to when I first started, and I can't devote the way I want to the thing that I seem to be lacking. My goal, at this time, is to finish out my career with Dynamite and then...well, who knows? Maybe I'll take a season or two off completely and lurk every once in a while, or maybe I'll make another player and ride the pension/welfare train for a while. I don't know. What I do know is that I'm thankful for the time I've had here, and for the friends I've made.

Yoo!

Ayyy

I'm sad that I missed day one. First time I've ever missed!

I can certainly get behind this idea! #LetsGoPens

Honestly, this is a great write-up. I hope to take NY to it's former days of glory, one step, season, trade at a time. We're getting there!

NEW YORK AMERICANS PRESS CONFERENCE S91 has begun! How are you feeling now that we are a few games into the season? What are you hoping to see your player excel at this season? Does your player prefer a tucked-in sweater, or a loose and hanging one? Tell us why. What hobby does your player have that keeps their mind free of the stress of a busy schedule? If your player could only read one book for a year, what would it be and why? Your player has one chance to prank the GM of New York without getting caught. A) Do they take that chance? B) If so, what is the prank?

Done

NEW YORK AMERICANS PRESS CONFERENCE The S91 VHL Entry Draft has come and gone, and we used our highly esteemed 1st overall pick to snatch up Callum Gary Yannick Janser @Daniel Janser. Explain why this was a good or bad decision. Being a member of a team going through a rebuild is tough. How do you manage to keep the joy of playing the game in the midst of many tough losses? As we enter into a new season in the VHL, tell us about your favorite VHL season and why it's your favorite. Does your player have any final plans before the season begins? What are three songs that can be found on your player's playlist? What's your favorite part about living in New York?

I appreciate the apology here, especially a public one. Real life will always mean more than what we do here, so never be afraid to say "I'm too swamped for this." You don't owe anyone an explanation on that end. I hope things have calmed down for you, and I hope to see you return to some semi-active status at least.

S91 Donation Transaction ID 4AV8991065227545T Doubles Week (Claiming week of 10/22) 5 uncapped TPE (Claiming week of 10/22) 1M Player Store

Napoleon Dynamite - OV