Advantage

In which @Advantage accidentally offered me a $1 bonus, which I purposely accepted, which made the portal look like we were in cap trouble.
 
 
Expansion was the name of the game back in the day. S65 saw the founding of the Moscow Menace franchise, along with two additions to the VHLM in Houston and Philly. I'd played for Houston and was fairly intrigued when I saw that the big league would be expanding again right in time for me to join it. The Malmo logo looked cool, the limited impressions I'd had of inaugural GM Advantage seemed positive, and I just really liked the idea of being a team's history rather than simply adding to it. They were also one of a handful of teams to actually scout me, which is something I don't care about as heavily now but did as a first-gen. 
 
In the days leading up to the draft, I had a good time taking in the new member experience. I remember @MubbleFubbles writing a mock draft that said some nice things about me, and I took that idea and made what's still one of my favorite articles ever--my own mock draft, 50 picks deep, that taught me everything I needed to know about every player when I was writing it. I really knew nothing ahead of time about who was going where, but correctly speculated on a bunch of things. Some that I'm proud of were Julius Freeman over Shane Mars to Vancouver at #2 overall, Apollo Hackett to Riga at #16, Edward Vigneault at #33, and Rhys Chism at #39--oh, and my very own Jerry Garcia, 7th overall to Malmo and the first player ever to be drafted to the Nighthawks.
 
My mock was weirdly accurate with Malmo picks in general. I ended up joining Rusty Shackleford (@K1NG LINUS) and Nacho (@Nacci25), picked 17th and 37th overall in both my article and the actual draft. Also of note were goaltender Juan Jaundice (@Jus) and monster goon MORPHEUS DESTRUCTIOUS (@Abaddon), as well as Blake Laughton and @Grape, my VHLM teammate and the only other member of Malmo's inaugural draft class to be active today. I knew some of these people already, and the time that all were active was enough for me to get to know the rest. Our locker room was super active and a really fun place to be in general, removing quite a bit of the doubt that many players have when they leave the M. But of course, we were an expansion team that finished last in S66. Garcia played just-OK and wasn't really anything special despite having lots of empty space on the roster to stand out from.
 
These trends would continue in S67, where the team got marginally better and so did Jerry. Worse, we already had a couple of our S66 picks go inactive. There was some sort of foundation built, at least (we drafted @Phil's Phil Marleau and @fonziGG's Michael Johnson, players that stuck with us at forward and in net for a while)--and we figured it wouldn't be too-too long before things started going the right direction.
 
And go the right direction it did in just the next season--not only did we pick @OrbitingDeath 's Condor Adrienne (the best defenseman of the generation) at #1 after winning the draft lottery, but @Beketov's Matt Thompson (the best player of the S60s) signed with us in free agency for his last season. A few things happened in S68 that were really nice. First, Garcia had his best season on defense. His stats (60 points, 154 hits, and 150 SB) may not mean a whole lot to anyone used to the standards of the S90s, but they were pretty solid for that time and got me nominated for the Jake Wylde Trophy. And though the vote had solid support, it fell one short of winning. I still haven't won an individual award not named Campbell, and this was the closest I ever came.
 
But I digress--S68 had a whole lot more going on as far as the team was concerned. We went from the VHL's basement all the way to the top, finishing first place in the standings and taking home the Victory Cup in just our third season of existence. At some point in our first few seasons--and I think it was here--Advantage became the first VHL member to ever hit 1000 wins as a GM. All of that was cool, and we carried that success into the playoffs, where regular-season MVP Thompson played so well--shooting at somewhere around 20%--that it drew accusations of sim rigging and the strongest demand for live sims up until that point. That's the reason why we have live sims today, actually--it's not a special event as much as it's proof that the simmer isn't cheating.
 
The playoffs went very well, and we made the finals with the chance of becoming the earliest championship winners of any expansion team in the league's history. The finals had been simmed live before S68, so doing them this way was as much common practice as it was the result of peer pressure. So, we did them live--and although I never once believed that the sims were being rigged, the people who thought they were certainly had something to laugh at when we got swept by Seattle (whose core by this point was made up of multiple players who used to be my own first-gen players in the M). It was my first finals, and would remain so for quite a while.
 
After S68, my player success (and my team success) declined steadily. I don't remember a whole lot about S69-71 as a player, to be honest--S69 was my best run as a VHLM GM (as I'll talk about in a future article), and I remember S70 being absolutely dominated by Moscow. Also during this time, Garcia somehow acted as Condor Adrienne's kryptonite. He didn't even steal stats, either, because his totals went down a little bit even as I kept adding to his TPE. But after S71, Advantage stepped down, @FrostBeard took over as GM and started the team's first rebuild, at the start of which he was gracious enough to give me a fair deal to move Garcia out to the Davos team I was then running. That's also a future article, but the long story short is that I made Jerry a winger and enjoyed a couple seasons of being half decent on my own underachieving team before retiring. 
 
Jerry Garcia would eventually finish his career with 420 points (an amazing coincidence). He never won a Cup or an award and was never really the top player on any of his teams. He doesn't even come close to making my own Hall of Not Bad series. In fact, I believe that he was the worst player to ever reach 1500 TPE back when 1500 TPE actually meant something. But even though his TPE total was his most impressive number, that's still representative of over a year of work that I put into making him what he was, and I have no regrets about it (not even the part where I built Passing over Scoring). Jerry taught me that I could make it in the VHL as more than just a flashy new kid, that I could earn with the best of them and build a player that most people still respected even when that didn't show up on the leaderboard. And I hope no one who played with him regretted it, either. There were lots of players drafted after 7th overall in S66, but none of them can say that they were Malmo's first choice--and I like to think Malmo wouldn't have had it any other way.

I totally forgot what day it was and sat here shocked for a good few minutes. 

I have been feeling pretty idealess for a while when it comes to writing topics and while I had other “series” that I ran in the past (and ultimately dropped) I have wanted to look at the infamous Hall of Very Good talents who were just not quite great enough to be in the VHL HOF, but still found their way on the ballot for a number of years.  This isn’t going to be some major deep dive into their entire career, but rather a simple reflection on their career and perhaps touching on some of the reasons they should and/or shouldn’t be in the HOF.
 
I don’t necessarily think I will discover many talents where we all of a sudden look at them again, and consider putting them back in the HOF, as I do think the BOG does a good job generally with this aspect.  With that being said, I think it’s cool to shine a light on some of the great players that shaped our league, that are perhaps not remembered as well as those who graced the VHL’s version of Cooperstown.  Without further ado, I bring you to our first player…Nikolai Lebedev.
 
Hall of Very Good - Nikolai Lebedev (S25-31) – @probably not noah
 
RS: 504 GP, 318 G, 335 A, 653 P, +280, 771 HIT, 63 GW, 1.30 P/G
PO: 61 GP, 29 G, 32 A, 61 P, +9, 74 HIT, 4 GW, 1.00 P/G
 
Accomplishments
S28 Brett Slobodzian Trophy (Most Outstanding Player)
S28 Lemieux Trophy (Most Points in VHL)
S28 Joe Malone Memorial Trophy (Most Goals in VHL)
S28 Dustin Funk Trophy (Most Improved Player)
One Continental Cup (S28)
Member of Triple Gold Club
4th All-Time in Seattle Bears Goals
6th All-Time in Seattle Bears Points
 
Season-by-Season Finishes
Goals - 1st, 6th, 9th, 9th
Assists - 6th
Points - 1st, 8th
 
All-Time Rankings
Goals: 65th
Assists: 311th
Points: 122nd
P/G: 94th
 
If we handed out the HOF based on a single season, Nikolai Lebedev would have a pretty strong argument for his tremendous Season 28 campaign.  Heck, it pretty much built his entire resume that earned him a ticket on the ballot from S32 to S35, before he was swiftly removed when the Board of Governors did its rehaul of the ballot.
 
Lebedev was a consistent player who never once had below a point-per-game, which is a pretty impressive feat even in an era where it was easier to have a consistent talent like that.  His rookie season was his worst offensive performance with a still very respectable 74 points in 72 games, to lead all rookies.  While his Season 28 tally was a dominant 128 points, taking the scoring race by 4 points over Hall of Fame pivot, Leeroy Jenkins.  Capping off that impressive year in style, Lebedev would score the GWG in the deciding Game 6, the only one in a tight 1-0 win.
 
Nikolai doesn’t exactly jump off the board when you look at his all-time placements, but a lot of that has to do with his seven season career.  Unlike many of the VHL’s best players, he only played 504 games but was an offensive juggernaut throughout those seasons, finishing top ten in goals four different times.  With that being said, one has to remember that this was only an eight team league at the time, and the top teams typically fielded no more than two lines of players, meaning it was a lot easier to be in the top ten than it is in the present day.  With that being said, Lebedev still has a pretty eye popping 318 goals and 653 points in 504 games, and while there are definitely players that fall closer to the HOF line (Tyson Kohler comes to mind), Lebedev still ranks among non-HOF players as fourteenth all-time in goals.  Add his tremendous hardware and consistent overall play, and Lebedev showcases just how solid he was for his seven year tenure in the Victory Hockey League.
 
Lebedev would play 434 of his regular season games with the Seattle Bears; a team that the user was pretty familiar with over his time in the league with multiple players.  To this day, Lebedev sits 4th all-time for Seattle Bears players in goals, 6th all-time in points and even 2nd in Game-Winning-Goals.  While I do agree with the decision to have not put him in the Hall of Fame, his dedication and consistent strong play (and even playoff heroics) made him someone who deserved to have their number retired by the organization and sadly that seems to have been missed.  While perhaps not the highest profile player in team history, he absolutely was an important one in the contribution to the franchises overall history.

I have been feeling pretty idealess for a while when it comes to writing topics and while I had other “series” that I ran in the past (and ultimately dropped) I have wanted to look at the infamous Hall of Very Good talents who were just not quite great enough to be in the VHL HOF, but still found their way on the ballot for a number of years.  This isn’t going to be some major deep dive into their entire career, but rather a simple reflection on their career and perhaps touching on some of the reasons they should and/or shouldn’t be in the HOF.
 
I don’t necessarily think I will discover many talents where we all of a sudden look at them again, and consider putting them back in the HOF, as I do think the BOG does a good job generally with this aspect.  With that being said, I think it’s cool to shine a light on some of the great players that shaped our league, that are perhaps not remembered as well as those who graced the VHL’s version of Cooperstown.  Without further ado, I bring you to our first player…Nikolai Lebedev.
 
Hall of Very Good - Nikolai Lebedev (S25-31) – @probably not noah
 
RS: 504 GP, 318 G, 335 A, 653 P, +280, 771 HIT, 63 GW, 1.30 P/G
PO: 61 GP, 29 G, 32 A, 61 P, +9, 74 HIT, 4 GW, 1.00 P/G
 
Accomplishments
S28 Brett Slobodzian Trophy (Most Outstanding Player)
S28 Lemieux Trophy (Most Points in VHL)
S28 Joe Malone Memorial Trophy (Most Goals in VHL)
S28 Dustin Funk Trophy (Most Improved Player)
One Continental Cup (S28)
Member of Triple Gold Club
4th All-Time in Seattle Bears Goals
6th All-Time in Seattle Bears Points
 
Season-by-Season Finishes
Goals - 1st, 6th, 9th, 9th
Assists - 6th
Points - 1st, 8th
 
All-Time Rankings
Goals: 65th
Assists: 311th
Points: 122nd
P/G: 94th
 
If we handed out the HOF based on a single season, Nikolai Lebedev would have a pretty strong argument for his tremendous Season 28 campaign.  Heck, it pretty much built his entire resume that earned him a ticket on the ballot from S32 to S35, before he was swiftly removed when the Board of Governors did its rehaul of the ballot.
 
Lebedev was a consistent player who never once had below a point-per-game, which is a pretty impressive feat even in an era where it was easier to have a consistent talent like that.  His rookie season was his worst offensive performance with a still very respectable 74 points in 72 games, to lead all rookies.  While his Season 28 tally was a dominant 128 points, taking the scoring race by 4 points over Hall of Fame pivot, Leeroy Jenkins.  Capping off that impressive year in style, Lebedev would score the GWG in the deciding Game 6, the only one in a tight 1-0 win.
 
Nikolai doesn’t exactly jump off the board when you look at his all-time placements, but a lot of that has to do with his seven season career.  Unlike many of the VHL’s best players, he only played 504 games but was an offensive juggernaut throughout those seasons, finishing top ten in goals four different times.  With that being said, one has to remember that this was only an eight team league at the time, and the top teams typically fielded no more than two lines of players, meaning it was a lot easier to be in the top ten than it is in the present day.  With that being said, Lebedev still has a pretty eye popping 318 goals and 653 points in 504 games, and while there are definitely players that fall closer to the HOF line (Tyson Kohler comes to mind), Lebedev still ranks among non-HOF players as fourteenth all-time in goals.  Add his tremendous hardware and consistent overall play, and Lebedev showcases just how solid he was for his seven year tenure in the Victory Hockey League.
 
Lebedev would play 434 of his regular season games with the Seattle Bears; a team that the user was pretty familiar with over his time in the league with multiple players.  To this day, Lebedev sits 4th all-time for Seattle Bears players in goals, 6th all-time in points and even 2nd in Game-Winning-Goals.  While I do agree with the decision to have not put him in the Hall of Fame, his dedication and consistent strong play (and even playoff heroics) made him someone who deserved to have their number retired by the organization and sadly that seems to have been missed.  While perhaps not the highest profile player in team history, he absolutely was an important one in the contribution to the franchises overall history.

I have been feeling pretty idealess for a while when it comes to writing topics and while I had other “series” that I ran in the past (and ultimately dropped) I have wanted to look at the infamous Hall of Very Good talents who were just not quite great enough to be in the VHL HOF, but still found their way on the ballot for a number of years.  This isn’t going to be some major deep dive into their entire career, but rather a simple reflection on their career and perhaps touching on some of the reasons they should and/or shouldn’t be in the HOF.
 
I don’t necessarily think I will discover many talents where we all of a sudden look at them again, and consider putting them back in the HOF, as I do think the BOG does a good job generally with this aspect.  With that being said, I think it’s cool to shine a light on some of the great players that shaped our league, that are perhaps not remembered as well as those who graced the VHL’s version of Cooperstown.  Without further ado, I bring you to our first player…Nikolai Lebedev.
 
Hall of Very Good - Nikolai Lebedev (S25-31) – @probably not noah
 
RS: 504 GP, 318 G, 335 A, 653 P, +280, 771 HIT, 63 GW, 1.30 P/G
PO: 61 GP, 29 G, 32 A, 61 P, +9, 74 HIT, 4 GW, 1.00 P/G
 
Accomplishments
S28 Brett Slobodzian Trophy (Most Outstanding Player)
S28 Lemieux Trophy (Most Points in VHL)
S28 Joe Malone Memorial Trophy (Most Goals in VHL)
S28 Dustin Funk Trophy (Most Improved Player)
One Continental Cup (S28)
Member of Triple Gold Club
4th All-Time in Seattle Bears Goals
6th All-Time in Seattle Bears Points
 
Season-by-Season Finishes
Goals - 1st, 6th, 9th, 9th
Assists - 6th
Points - 1st, 8th
 
All-Time Rankings
Goals: 65th
Assists: 311th
Points: 122nd
P/G: 94th
 
If we handed out the HOF based on a single season, Nikolai Lebedev would have a pretty strong argument for his tremendous Season 28 campaign.  Heck, it pretty much built his entire resume that earned him a ticket on the ballot from S32 to S35, before he was swiftly removed when the Board of Governors did its rehaul of the ballot.
 
Lebedev was a consistent player who never once had below a point-per-game, which is a pretty impressive feat even in an era where it was easier to have a consistent talent like that.  His rookie season was his worst offensive performance with a still very respectable 74 points in 72 games, to lead all rookies.  While his Season 28 tally was a dominant 128 points, taking the scoring race by 4 points over Hall of Fame pivot, Leeroy Jenkins.  Capping off that impressive year in style, Lebedev would score the GWG in the deciding Game 6, the only one in a tight 1-0 win.
 
Nikolai doesn’t exactly jump off the board when you look at his all-time placements, but a lot of that has to do with his seven season career.  Unlike many of the VHL’s best players, he only played 504 games but was an offensive juggernaut throughout those seasons, finishing top ten in goals four different times.  With that being said, one has to remember that this was only an eight team league at the time, and the top teams typically fielded no more than two lines of players, meaning it was a lot easier to be in the top ten than it is in the present day.  With that being said, Lebedev still has a pretty eye popping 318 goals and 653 points in 504 games, and while there are definitely players that fall closer to the HOF line (Tyson Kohler comes to mind), Lebedev still ranks among non-HOF players as fourteenth all-time in goals.  Add his tremendous hardware and consistent overall play, and Lebedev showcases just how solid he was for his seven year tenure in the Victory Hockey League.
 
Lebedev would play 434 of his regular season games with the Seattle Bears; a team that the user was pretty familiar with over his time in the league with multiple players.  To this day, Lebedev sits 4th all-time for Seattle Bears players in goals, 6th all-time in points and even 2nd in Game-Winning-Goals.  While I do agree with the decision to have not put him in the Hall of Fame, his dedication and consistent strong play (and even playoff heroics) made him someone who deserved to have their number retired by the organization and sadly that seems to have been missed.  While perhaps not the highest profile player in team history, he absolutely was an important one in the contribution to the franchises overall history.

I have been feeling pretty idealess for a while when it comes to writing topics and while I had other “series” that I ran in the past (and ultimately dropped) I have wanted to look at the infamous Hall of Very Good talents who were just not quite great enough to be in the VHL HOF, but still found their way on the ballot for a number of years.  This isn’t going to be some major deep dive into their entire career, but rather a simple reflection on their career and perhaps touching on some of the reasons they should and/or shouldn’t be in the HOF.
 
I don’t necessarily think I will discover many talents where we all of a sudden look at them again, and consider putting them back in the HOF, as I do think the BOG does a good job generally with this aspect.  With that being said, I think it’s cool to shine a light on some of the great players that shaped our league, that are perhaps not remembered as well as those who graced the VHL’s version of Cooperstown.  Without further ado, I bring you to our first player…Nikolai Lebedev.
 
Hall of Very Good - Nikolai Lebedev (S25-31) – @probably not noah
 
RS: 504 GP, 318 G, 335 A, 653 P, +280, 771 HIT, 63 GW, 1.30 P/G
PO: 61 GP, 29 G, 32 A, 61 P, +9, 74 HIT, 4 GW, 1.00 P/G
 
Accomplishments
S28 Brett Slobodzian Trophy (Most Outstanding Player)
S28 Lemieux Trophy (Most Points in VHL)
S28 Joe Malone Memorial Trophy (Most Goals in VHL)
S28 Dustin Funk Trophy (Most Improved Player)
One Continental Cup (S28)
Member of Triple Gold Club
4th All-Time in Seattle Bears Goals
6th All-Time in Seattle Bears Points
 
Season-by-Season Finishes
Goals - 1st, 6th, 9th, 9th
Assists - 6th
Points - 1st, 8th
 
All-Time Rankings
Goals: 65th
Assists: 311th
Points: 122nd
P/G: 94th
 
If we handed out the HOF based on a single season, Nikolai Lebedev would have a pretty strong argument for his tremendous Season 28 campaign.  Heck, it pretty much built his entire resume that earned him a ticket on the ballot from S32 to S35, before he was swiftly removed when the Board of Governors did its rehaul of the ballot.
 
Lebedev was a consistent player who never once had below a point-per-game, which is a pretty impressive feat even in an era where it was easier to have a consistent talent like that.  His rookie season was his worst offensive performance with a still very respectable 74 points in 72 games, to lead all rookies.  While his Season 28 tally was a dominant 128 points, taking the scoring race by 4 points over Hall of Fame pivot, Leeroy Jenkins.  Capping off that impressive year in style, Lebedev would score the GWG in the deciding Game 6, the only one in a tight 1-0 win.
 
Nikolai doesn’t exactly jump off the board when you look at his all-time placements, but a lot of that has to do with his seven season career.  Unlike many of the VHL’s best players, he only played 504 games but was an offensive juggernaut throughout those seasons, finishing top ten in goals four different times.  With that being said, one has to remember that this was only an eight team league at the time, and the top teams typically fielded no more than two lines of players, meaning it was a lot easier to be in the top ten than it is in the present day.  With that being said, Lebedev still has a pretty eye popping 318 goals and 653 points in 504 games, and while there are definitely players that fall closer to the HOF line (Tyson Kohler comes to mind), Lebedev still ranks among non-HOF players as fourteenth all-time in goals.  Add his tremendous hardware and consistent overall play, and Lebedev showcases just how solid he was for his seven year tenure in the Victory Hockey League.
 
Lebedev would play 434 of his regular season games with the Seattle Bears; a team that the user was pretty familiar with over his time in the league with multiple players.  To this day, Lebedev sits 4th all-time for Seattle Bears players in goals, 6th all-time in points and even 2nd in Game-Winning-Goals.  While I do agree with the decision to have not put him in the Hall of Fame, his dedication and consistent strong play (and even playoff heroics) made him someone who deserved to have their number retired by the organization and sadly that seems to have been missed.  While perhaps not the highest profile player in team history, he absolutely was an important one in the contribution to the franchises overall history.

I have been feeling pretty idealess for a while when it comes to writing topics and while I had other “series” that I ran in the past (and ultimately dropped) I have wanted to look at the infamous Hall of Very Good talents who were just not quite great enough to be in the VHL HOF, but still found their way on the ballot for a number of years.  This isn’t going to be some major deep dive into their entire career, but rather a simple reflection on their career and perhaps touching on some of the reasons they should and/or shouldn’t be in the HOF.
 
I don’t necessarily think I will discover many talents where we all of a sudden look at them again, and consider putting them back in the HOF, as I do think the BOG does a good job generally with this aspect.  With that being said, I think it’s cool to shine a light on some of the great players that shaped our league, that are perhaps not remembered as well as those who graced the VHL’s version of Cooperstown.  Without further ado, I bring you to our first player…Nikolai Lebedev.
 
Hall of Very Good - Nikolai Lebedev (S25-31) – @probably not noah
 
RS: 504 GP, 318 G, 335 A, 653 P, +280, 771 HIT, 63 GW, 1.30 P/G
PO: 61 GP, 29 G, 32 A, 61 P, +9, 74 HIT, 4 GW, 1.00 P/G
 
Accomplishments
S28 Brett Slobodzian Trophy (Most Outstanding Player)
S28 Lemieux Trophy (Most Points in VHL)
S28 Joe Malone Memorial Trophy (Most Goals in VHL)
S28 Dustin Funk Trophy (Most Improved Player)
One Continental Cup (S28)
Member of Triple Gold Club
4th All-Time in Seattle Bears Goals
6th All-Time in Seattle Bears Points
 
Season-by-Season Finishes
Goals - 1st, 6th, 9th, 9th
Assists - 6th
Points - 1st, 8th
 
All-Time Rankings
Goals: 65th
Assists: 311th
Points: 122nd
P/G: 94th
 
If we handed out the HOF based on a single season, Nikolai Lebedev would have a pretty strong argument for his tremendous Season 28 campaign.  Heck, it pretty much built his entire resume that earned him a ticket on the ballot from S32 to S35, before he was swiftly removed when the Board of Governors did its rehaul of the ballot.
 
Lebedev was a consistent player who never once had below a point-per-game, which is a pretty impressive feat even in an era where it was easier to have a consistent talent like that.  His rookie season was his worst offensive performance with a still very respectable 74 points in 72 games, to lead all rookies.  While his Season 28 tally was a dominant 128 points, taking the scoring race by 4 points over Hall of Fame pivot, Leeroy Jenkins.  Capping off that impressive year in style, Lebedev would score the GWG in the deciding Game 6, the only one in a tight 1-0 win.
 
Nikolai doesn’t exactly jump off the board when you look at his all-time placements, but a lot of that has to do with his seven season career.  Unlike many of the VHL’s best players, he only played 504 games but was an offensive juggernaut throughout those seasons, finishing top ten in goals four different times.  With that being said, one has to remember that this was only an eight team league at the time, and the top teams typically fielded no more than two lines of players, meaning it was a lot easier to be in the top ten than it is in the present day.  With that being said, Lebedev still has a pretty eye popping 318 goals and 653 points in 504 games, and while there are definitely players that fall closer to the HOF line (Tyson Kohler comes to mind), Lebedev still ranks among non-HOF players as fourteenth all-time in goals.  Add his tremendous hardware and consistent overall play, and Lebedev showcases just how solid he was for his seven year tenure in the Victory Hockey League.
 
Lebedev would play 434 of his regular season games with the Seattle Bears; a team that the user was pretty familiar with over his time in the league with multiple players.  To this day, Lebedev sits 4th all-time for Seattle Bears players in goals, 6th all-time in points and even 2nd in Game-Winning-Goals.  While I do agree with the decision to have not put him in the Hall of Fame, his dedication and consistent strong play (and even playoff heroics) made him someone who deserved to have their number retired by the organization and sadly that seems to have been missed.  While perhaps not the highest profile player in team history, he absolutely was an important one in the contribution to the franchises overall history.

I have been feeling pretty idealess for a while when it comes to writing topics and while I had other “series” that I ran in the past (and ultimately dropped) I have wanted to look at the infamous Hall of Very Good talents who were just not quite great enough to be in the VHL HOF, but still found their way on the ballot for a number of years.  This isn’t going to be some major deep dive into their entire career, but rather a simple reflection on their career and perhaps touching on some of the reasons they should and/or shouldn’t be in the HOF.
 
I don’t necessarily think I will discover many talents where we all of a sudden look at them again, and consider putting them back in the HOF, as I do think the BOG does a good job generally with this aspect.  With that being said, I think it’s cool to shine a light on some of the great players that shaped our league, that are perhaps not remembered as well as those who graced the VHL’s version of Cooperstown.  Without further ado, I bring you to our first player…Nikolai Lebedev.
 
Hall of Very Good - Nikolai Lebedev (S25-31) – @probably not noah
 
RS: 504 GP, 318 G, 335 A, 653 P, +280, 771 HIT, 63 GW, 1.30 P/G
PO: 61 GP, 29 G, 32 A, 61 P, +9, 74 HIT, 4 GW, 1.00 P/G
 
Accomplishments
S28 Brett Slobodzian Trophy (Most Outstanding Player)
S28 Lemieux Trophy (Most Points in VHL)
S28 Joe Malone Memorial Trophy (Most Goals in VHL)
S28 Dustin Funk Trophy (Most Improved Player)
One Continental Cup (S28)
Member of Triple Gold Club
4th All-Time in Seattle Bears Goals
6th All-Time in Seattle Bears Points
 
Season-by-Season Finishes
Goals - 1st, 6th, 9th, 9th
Assists - 6th
Points - 1st, 8th
 
All-Time Rankings
Goals: 65th
Assists: 311th
Points: 122nd
P/G: 94th
 
If we handed out the HOF based on a single season, Nikolai Lebedev would have a pretty strong argument for his tremendous Season 28 campaign.  Heck, it pretty much built his entire resume that earned him a ticket on the ballot from S32 to S35, before he was swiftly removed when the Board of Governors did its rehaul of the ballot.
 
Lebedev was a consistent player who never once had below a point-per-game, which is a pretty impressive feat even in an era where it was easier to have a consistent talent like that.  His rookie season was his worst offensive performance with a still very respectable 74 points in 72 games, to lead all rookies.  While his Season 28 tally was a dominant 128 points, taking the scoring race by 4 points over Hall of Fame pivot, Leeroy Jenkins.  Capping off that impressive year in style, Lebedev would score the GWG in the deciding Game 6, the only one in a tight 1-0 win.
 
Nikolai doesn’t exactly jump off the board when you look at his all-time placements, but a lot of that has to do with his seven season career.  Unlike many of the VHL’s best players, he only played 504 games but was an offensive juggernaut throughout those seasons, finishing top ten in goals four different times.  With that being said, one has to remember that this was only an eight team league at the time, and the top teams typically fielded no more than two lines of players, meaning it was a lot easier to be in the top ten than it is in the present day.  With that being said, Lebedev still has a pretty eye popping 318 goals and 653 points in 504 games, and while there are definitely players that fall closer to the HOF line (Tyson Kohler comes to mind), Lebedev still ranks among non-HOF players as fourteenth all-time in goals.  Add his tremendous hardware and consistent overall play, and Lebedev showcases just how solid he was for his seven year tenure in the Victory Hockey League.
 
Lebedev would play 434 of his regular season games with the Seattle Bears; a team that the user was pretty familiar with over his time in the league with multiple players.  To this day, Lebedev sits 4th all-time for Seattle Bears players in goals, 6th all-time in points and even 2nd in Game-Winning-Goals.  While I do agree with the decision to have not put him in the Hall of Fame, his dedication and consistent strong play (and even playoff heroics) made him someone who deserved to have their number retired by the organization and sadly that seems to have been missed.  While perhaps not the highest profile player in team history, he absolutely was an important one in the contribution to the franchises overall history.

Happy birthday old man!

Greetings, citizens of the Victory Hockey League!
 
It is I, Jarl Doomsday, General Manager of the Stockholm Vikings of the VHLE and the newly appointed General Manager of Team Scandinavia. While today is as good as any other day to die gloriously in battle and join our fallen brethren in the halls of Valhalla, that is not what we are here to do today. Instead, I am here to announce the roster for Team Scandinavia, to recognize our finest warriors, our very best men, women, and reptiles. Scandinavia has a proud tradition of producing both hearty warriors and elite hockey players, and the players that make up our roster fall into both of these categories as the very best that our countries have to offer. Without further gala pageantry... the Season 92 edition of Team Scandinavia!!
 
Our axe...
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Our shield...
 
 
 
 
 
 
Our indomitable will.
 
 
 
Our warriors are assembled, the faith of our nations behind us. Now, we embark on the journey to the Season 92 World Cup, a long and arduous voyage by sea to a strange, foreign land called Portland, Oregon. No matter how difficult the trials of our journey may be, we are prepared to arrive stronger than we were when we left, more determined and focused to return from our quest with the plunder of gold around our necks. Be warned, those of weaker body and mind, for we are coming.
 
So sayeth Jarl Doomsday.
 
      
 
If you would like to join us on our journey and support Team Scandinavia or (foolishly) some other nation on Discord, you may do so here.

Yeah, let's get this over with.
 
Gustav has a good time talking to some very uncommitted people who have probably not changed their minds one bit. Inspiring the next generation of Gustavs is somewhat difficult.
 
But, in other news, Salem has gathered today to take care of @Adrest245. Votes were needed, votes were received, and the chair is kicked out from under yet another resident.
 
Whose fangs promptly fall out of his mouth.
 
One VAMPIRE after another has made Salem's life difficult. @Berocka has smelled like garlic since his first gig as VAMPIRE HUNTER back in S71, and it's finally paid off. None are left.
 
That also means that no one is left who opposes Town--its PIRATE, @jacobaa19, rides off with a VHL-record 4 kills. Only three townies remain, but that's enough.
 
 
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNERS, THE TOWN AND THE PIRATE!
 
 To address some things mentioned earlier--I'll have things related to the MEDIUM role added to the official rule set soon. Those being the following:
Players may not use things known personally between them and someone in dead chat to confirm a Medium claim. I am not picking on Doom for having tried this in this thread, because it's been done many times before--but in the spirit of the game, confirming a Medium should be done with info that is strictly related to the game. I hope I can trust you guys not to do that moving forward and to not participate in it if it's brought up. This applies to any role--please don't directly copy-paste messages from Discord. I don't really care if you copy the text of an individual message, but copy-pasting names and time stamps along with it, especially if they're formatted, is too far. Dead chat has been changed in this game to reflect the actual role's mechanics (can talk only at night). It was my fault that I didn't specify this.  
In any case, thank you for playing this game as always, with an added thank you for putting up with some confusion caused by the Medium business and me being gone late last night.
 
 
Here is the game's spreadsheet, which I will probably have to update more extensively when I have time.
 
 
@Adrest245 - BODYGUARD/VAMPIRE
@Advantage - VIGILANTE
@Alex - BODYGUARD
@Berocka - VAMPIRE HUNTER
@Cartripp14 - MAFIOSO
@Dadam30 - SHERIFF
@Da Trifecta - DISGUISER
@Doomsday - INVESTIGATOR
@eaglesfan036 - LOOKOUT
@GoodLeftUndone - ESCORT/VAMPIRE
@Grape - GODFATHER
@jacobaa19 - PIRATE
@jhatty8 - VAMPIRE
@Lemorse7 - ARSONIST
@NSG - FORGER
@omgitshim - EXECUTIONER
@Ptyrell - LOOKOUT
@Ricer13 - CONSORT
@rory - JAILOR
@woog - MEDIUM

Gustav will have to move fast this morning, and probably also tonight. No formatting for you.
 
@GoodLeftUndone was staked by a VAMPIRE HUNTER--you guessed it, he was a VAMPIRE.
 
@Advantage, as Salem knows by this point, was a VIGILANTE who took himself out last night.
 
Last will:
 
Gustav hopes to be reasonably on time tonight but cannot guarantee it.
 
 
List of living players (5)

@Adrest245
 
@Alex
@Berocka
 
@jacobaa19
 
@rory

Hi. Gustav is getting undergrads drunk. 
 
Hatty was a VAMPIRE. I will move what’s absolutely necessary on Discord now and do the rest in a bit. 

Sad 😕  

Sad 😕  

I definitely wanted to kill Hatty but yeah took a shot.  Just felt like Adrest had been confirmed by LO and Woogs post made me pretty confident he was medium.   
 
I’m sorry @Doomsday 😑  

Starting to doubt vamps existence for the record

I'll elect not to say anything on game mechanics (one way or another) now, but we'll have to talk about metagaming later.
 
No one is voted out, but it isn't for lack of an...interesting...day.
 
Gustav will see you tomorrow morning!
 
List of living players (10)

@Adrest245
@Advantage
@Alex
@Berocka
@Doomsday
@GoodLeftUndone
@jacobaa19
@jhatty8
@rory
@woog

We haven’t gotten the mafioso and their was no kill when he was in jail, so I’d place my bet there lol. Don’t think we’re getting a vote tonight. If he’s not in jail he can still kill. 
 
 

Well that’s a good night.  I was going to shoot Trifecta just in case he didn’t get jailed.  So ultimately I didn’t take my shot since if jailed, it doesn’t use it.  Just didn’t want to risk it on anyone else. Well done @rory

It's Day 4, and the town has finally come around to its senses on voting someone out. The first lynching of Game 29 goes to none other than @NSG, who's survived up to this point on relatively limited info.
 
That could be suspicious or just plain difficult to sort out, but in this case, the town has lynched the FORGER.
 
Last will:
 
List of living players (12)

@Adrest245
@Advantage
@Alex
@Berocka
@Cartripp14
@Da Trifecta
@Doomsday
@GoodLeftUndone
@jacobaa19
@jhatty8
 
@rory
@woog

Genuinely I’m racking my head on what to do tonight.  May just take an opportunity on a gut feeling based on everything I’ve been reading. 

Really sorry for everyone asking for a claim from me, but I don't get home in time to reply here before it closes for the night. A little hard to claim when the thread is closed.
 
I am a townie and am still a little bit confused on this whole game and have been trying to read up on all roles to try to figure some things out. Really haven't gotten anywhere with that yet though tbh
 
 

Maybe I could have said that better, tone-wise. 
I simply meant that the momentum of the game is picking up, and since identities among those who survived last night aren’t much clearer, it should pick up more tonight and tomorrow. 
 
I’ve been useless and harmless. Tomorrow I’ll still be harmless. 
 

Interesting.  Your ominous “game is completely different tomorrow” tone doesn’t necessarily spark confidence.  Not to say you aren’t completely good, but it’s such a vague tone at this point about something definitive.