dogwoodmaple

1. Probably 2000. Use my knowledge to make a ton of money in the stock market and with sports betting. 2. My taste in music 3. I sure hope so, but (spoiler alert) we fall short. 4. Before this, I would've said I had a decent shot. 5. That is tough. I feel like some of the best teams are incredibly deep so I'm not sure who will end up with the most. 6. I speak English fluently and a little bit of Spanish.

What started as a hotly contested game quickly turned into a rout, thanks to Warsaw absolutely dominating the final three periods. In the first period, Seattle raced out to a 1-0 lead thanks to a goal Sigard Petrenko. Bears fans around the world leapt for joy and hoped Petrenko's goal would open the flood gates of momentum for them in this must win game. Unfortunately for them, it did the opposite. Warsaw, having surrendered that goal, came out in the second period on fire, scoring three goals from Lamb, Marner, and Trunov. Their 3-1 lead was big enough, but they didn't take their foot off the gas. In the final period, they netted another pair of goals, salting this one away with a 5-1 blowout victory.

Game 76: Moscow Menace vs. Warsaw Predators Warsaw came into this game riding the momentum from their earlier victory over Moscow and it showed. They jumped out to an early 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Zach Kisslinger and B-WAR C1 and Moscow could never really get their footing. The Menace tried to get back into the game with an early second period goal from Henri le Massif, but that was erased thanks to DeGroot's goal for Warsaw later in the period. Entering the final period, Warsaw was up 3-1 and it was all but over. They added a pair of powerplay goals in the third to finish off the Menace by a score of 5-2. Incredibly solid performance in all phases from Warsaw as they win back to back games against Moscow today. 127 words

The Slice, a local pizzeria near the Iron Eagles' training facility, was recently purchased by forward Dogwood Maple. Maple had been discussing some various business opportunities with his agent in recent weeks before they decided to get into the pizza industry. "It just seemed like a great fit. The place is always packed, they're huge Iron Eagles fans, and they make incredible pizza. I just hope we're able to continue what they've built here," Maple told local media. The pizzeria has long been a staple when it comes to postgame meals or celebratory pints after big wins by the Iron Eagles and that looks to continue with a Vasteras player now at the helm. "We're not looking to change any of the charm that makes this place great. We just want to help them with whatever they need, financially, to remain one of the best pizza joints in the entire country. There are a lot of hungry Vasteras fans out there who have made this place one of their go-to spots and we only hope to continue that. Great pizza, great service, and a great place to watch local sports. What's not to love about that combination?" Dogwood added. 199 words

1. What wonderful careers! Sad that I couldn't lace 'em up with them in Vancouver, but they will certainly be missed. 2. Yours truly! 3. That's really hard to say. I think one of our strengths was our depth and I feel like any given night could feature an elite player. 4. I'll say Puk! MVP baby! 5. It'll be Fuhr's time to shine 6. I'm stumped.

1. The weather. Being from the American South, I absolutely loathe the heat and humidity that I was born and raised with. The crisp fall days and snowy winters in Vasteras are a welcomed change. 2. The camaraderie in the locker room. I've been in a lot of different sim league locker rooms and Vasteras stands up there with any of them. Great teamwork, great discussions, and just a really good time in Iron Eagles land. 3. Our success. We were fortunate enough to have a really good squad this season and I'm excited to see how far we can go. We definitely have all the pieces to make a deep run. 4. The roster balance. We have depth at just about every position and that balance really takes some of the pressure off. If I have a bad game, I know that someone will pick me up. None of us have to worry about carrying too much weight or doing it all ourselves. 5. Finally, the logo and mascot. What could be more formidable, more amazing, and more fun than being an IRON EAGLE? Just a great combination of mascot, logo, and location. Our fans have really adopted our team and some of the merchandise that I've seen around town is absolutely incredible. (214 words)

1. I think Puk will. Incredible season from an incredible player! 2. Yes. But it will be close down the stretch. 3. Absolutely. Those numbers are going to explode next year. Hardware incoming! 4. I think it's a good rule, but I do worry about the impact on the E league with this change. 5. I'm excited to suit up as a Wolf! 6. The future

This was Davos Dynamo domination from the first puck drop. The onslaught started just a few minutes into the first period, thanks to the first of two goals from Zeedayno Chara. Chara netted a pair in the first, giving Davos all the breathing room they needed. They didn't let up on the aggression, though. Davos were determined to put this one to bed early and that's exactly what they did in the second period with a goal from Vinny Detroit. That extended their lead to 3-0 and clinched the victory. For good measure, Detroit doubled up and found the back of the net again in the final period for the final goal of the game. Just an utter blowout by Davos here, 4-0.

This is a question I got a lot in the pre-draft process and I certainly understand why. General managers wanted to know how dedicated I would be, how long I would play, and what I had in mind for my player's career. I was as honest with them as I could: I want to make the Hall of Fame. Is that a reasonable goal? Probably not. You can only control so much with your player when it comes to individual and team success, but I like to aim high. I figure all I can do is work as hard as possible to put myself and my team in the best possible position to win trophies. So when it comes to my career? Yeah, I'd like to be a Hall of Famer. To win multiple championships and start a dynasty for my team. To take home individual awards, trophies, and individual accolades to fill my trophy case. Again, that might not be reasonable but that's my goal. It's the kind of goal I won't be disappointed if I miss out on, to be honest, because it's a lofty one. But at the end of my career, if I ended up having a good time with my team(s), met lots of great new folks, and did the absolute best job that I could, I'll call it a successful career.

1. I want to take the single-game goals record 2. Hot, humid, and mosquito-filled 3. I usually just have a cup of coffee 4. Probably....none? I don't play a lot of mobile games 5. Red! Sports teams and has always been #1 6. I played basketball this weekend

Whether it's scoring, passing, or even blocking a shot for his teammates, it certainly appears that Vasteras' rookie Dogwood Maple. Well you can apparently add animal rescuer to his list of accolades. It all started with the City of Vasteras being mired in the worst drought in their entire history. It hadn't rained for 81 days and temperatures had been constantly rising, which led to the disaster. On Friday, the forecast called for precipitation and the population was overjoyed. But that joy quickly turned to shock as the rain came on Monday and did not stop. It was a constant deluge for seven days and quickly went from a small amount of water to devastating floods. One area of the city that was hit hardest was the Vasteras Zoo, which is in one of the valleys in the city and unfortunately a target for rushing flood waters. When Maple heard the news about the impending flood, he raced into action. He got in his boat and went straight to the Zoo. By the time he got there, the waters had already started to rise and many of the employees were desperately trying to save the animals. Luckily for them, and the animals, Maple did not come alone. He lined up an armada of boats to head down there and help. The entire Vasteras roster showed up as well as hundreds of people from the community that he rallied together. They brought boats, ATVs, ropes, and were even able to convince the military to send in rescue helicopters. When the rescuers first arrived, they split up into groups and each one was tasked with saving a certain group of animals. Maple and his Vasteras teammates went to the large mammal enclosures, while members of the community handled the reptiles, primates, birds, and other small animals. "We just wanted to save as many animals as we could. It sounds like the flood hit the zoo harder than any populated areas, so that's why we came down. Just trying to help out any way that we can." Maple said. Their rescue efforts were not in vain, either. At the end of the rescue operation, every single animal was accounted for either by transporting that animal out of their location or by making sure the floodwaters could not invade. The group stayed on location for 36 hours until the waters finally started to recede and the property cleanup could commence. "I know that this community would do the same for me if my house was being flooded or on fire or anything like that. That's what makes this place so great. We always look out for one another no matter what the circumstances are. And this was definitely not a one-man operation. Without the community, it would have been devastating. I'm just thrilled that it worked out," Maple further elaborated. As a show of thanks, the Vasteras Zoo is offering free admission to anyone with a Vasteras Iron Eagles ticket stub all season and has partnered with the club for various sponsorships, zoo improvements, and other growth opportunities. For his part, Maple has dedicated $1 million to help with the zoo cleanup and has vowed to continue his donations throughout his playing career. (539 words)

Game 223: Philadelphia Reapers vs. Ottawa Lynx This game was the definition of momentum swings from the very first drop of the puck. In the first period, Ottawa scored a pair of goals to jump out to an early 2-0 lead, thanks to scores from Kevin Kirkpatrick and Alexandre Forgues. That lead was shortlived, however. Philadelphia came back with a fury in the second period and score five unanswered goals to take a stranglehold of this game. All the momentum the Lynx carried after the first period had evaporated and Philly was firmly in control. It was a 5-2 game entering the third, but the Reapers weren't done yet. They scored two more goals to end the game with a 7-2 victory. 115 words

Game 219: Houston Bulls vs. Las Vegas Aces For the fans who wanted a close game, they were sorely disappointed. The Las Vegas Aces jumped out to an early lead and rode that all the way to a massive 6-1 victory. The scoring started just 4:40 into the game as Fred Hampton scored his 25th goal of the season. Once that puck hit the back of the net, the onslaught followed. The Aces scored an incredible four more goals in the first period thanks to another from Hampton, a pair from Al Land, and one from everyone's favorite Ace, Juan Ceson. Houston managed to score one in the second period, but the deficit was too great to overcome. Las Vegas added a sixth goal for good measure in the final period, giving them a dominating and decisive 6-1 victory. (132 words)

Q - You're known as a player with a lot of very distinct pre-game rituals. Can you enlighten us? A - Well the first and most important one is that I always eat a ton of food before each game. I go to Waffle House and get the All-Star Special with a waffle, eggs scrambled with cheese, bacon, and grits. Hasn't done me wrong yet. Q - What about rituals in the locker room? A - Before any big game, we always switch lockers with the person to our right. It was a lucky charm we did in the playoffs and it sorta stuck around. Q - I also hear that you refuse to do something that most players swear by before the puck drops.... A - I'm not a stretcher. I don't stretch at all on gameday and I haven't since my high school days. Some people think I'm crazy for not doing it, but I have a very particular set of pre-game things that I do and that's not one of them. Q - Have you ever tried to convince some of your teammates to join you in these oddities? A - When I first joined the league, I did. But then I realized that everyone has their own little set of quirks and idiosyncrasies that makes them a special player. I respect any and all that my teammates partake in. Q - Last one - has that big Waffle House meal ever caused any intestinal distress during a game? A - Absolutely not. I've been eating Waffle House since I was a child and have an iron stomach when it comes to America's best breakfast. (267 words)

1. It's gotta be the members! Everyone I've interacted with has been fantastic. 2. ATLANTA!!!!! 3. I'm a big college football fan. 4. The best is that I'm near family...the worst is the heat and humidity. Just brutal. 5. Next season! 6. Scoring. If not that, then fights!

Happy birthday, VHL! From the moment I joined this league, I knew there was something different about it compared to the other sim leagues that I'm in. Just something about the other users, the site, and just the entire vibe. The first thing that stood out to me was the updating system. It's clean, easy, and really straightforward. As a new create, I was a little nervous about how all of the updating would work, but it could not have been easier. Inputting tasks, changing attributes, and checking my update history was as simple as possible. Not to mention that all of the stats are readily available. It's truly a one-stop shop for all things league related and really helped me not only with TPE, but also to learn about the league, other players, and even past history and award winners. Something else that really stood out to me immediately was the users. I have to start with the GMs because they've had the biggest impact on my career so far. Every single GM I've had has been the definition of helpful and supportive. I had seemingly millions of questions along the way since I literally has no clue how the league worked. And every singe time I had a question? They were there with a quick response, advice, and anything I needed. They never once complained about my incessant questions or shut me out. Whether it was about build, differentiating between capped and uncapped, or in-game strategies, every single question was answered. But outside of the GMs, the regular ole users were just as impressive. I immediately got to know many players on all my teams and everyone I interacted with was fantastic. Again, as a new create I was a little unsure of what the general vibe would be in locker rooms but I quickly found out how well everyone gets along almost immediately. And as much as I love the sim, the stats, and the easy updating, this league is truly defined by the users. This place is a direct reflection of the userbase and that's probably the best compliment I could give VHL. Another thing that's so impressive about VHL is the longevity. We'll be at Season 100 before we know it and the league simply continues to chug on year after year. There's seemingly never a major lull and the mod team does a great job of making sure that the league continues to grow and excel. That leads me to tip my cap to the history team or whoever it is who keeps up with all the records, stats, and awards. One of the best ways to learn about a league is to look at its history and that wouldn't be possible without all of the great nuggets, awards, and information that we can access at the drop of a hat. The fact that at one click, I can see who won MVP, Goalie of the Year, and even the individual points leaders from each season is incredible. The bottom line is that no matter what metric you judge VHL by, you'll come out impressed. The users, the general managers, the stats, the interface, everything. It's simply the gold standard for sim leagues. Here's to another 15 years! (544 words)

Happy birthday! Glad I found this place

Game 137: Cologne Express vs. Stockholm Vikings It was quite the back and forth game between Cologne and Stockholm where the goals were flowing early and often. Cologne got out to an early lead thanks to a pair of first period goals. First, Dens Oden received a pass from Ashton Komaryk and slotted it home just past the goalie. With less than a minute left in the period, Alessio Simeoni was able to find the back of the net and make the score 2-0 right before intermission. Cologne continued their offensive attack in the second period when they made it 3-0, but Stockholm would not go down without a fight. They answered back with a pair of goals themselves thanks to Rustyov Dusterov and Charles Williams. The Vikings clawed their way back into the game and it stood at 3-2 entering the final period. That's when the Cologne decided to slam the door shut on any comeback hopes. The express scored three straight goals to push the lead to 6-2, before Stockholm added a late goal for a final of 6-3.

When Dogwood Maple arrived at the Vasteras training facility last week, he fell victim to a prank by his fellow Iron Eagles teammates. When he went to his locker to retrieve his stick, he found that it had been replaced by a pool noodle spray painted black. It was even taped up like his actual hockey stick. Despite protestations from Maple, his teammates refused to produce the real stick and forced him to practice with the pool noodle. Needless to say, things did not go well for Maple at the practice and subsequent intrasquad scrimmage. While his teammates were lighting up the goal siren, Maple could barely even make contact with the puck the entire time. To make matters worse, this just so happened to be one of the practices where the media was invited to photograph, video, and conduct interviews with the players. The following day, the front page of the Vasteras Journal featured a full-length picture of Maple falling on the ice with the pool noodle in hand, which was quite the laugh to the entire Vasteras roster. The following day, the entire locker room was plastered with the front page picture and even led to Maple getting a new nickname from his teammates - Noodle. (207 words)

1. I think these are great moves for us. The future is incredibly bright and I'm excited to join the team soon! 2. That sounds like a championship winning combination to me 3. Working and spending time with my family, but we're planning a beach trip soon 4. I love a good pulled pork sandwich. Add in some lemonade and we've got a party 5. Not at the moment! You've done a good job of keeping engagement and interest at a high level 6. Miserable. 90F+ every day with high humidity. Summer is the worst season by far.

In a shocking turn of events, Vasteras Iron Eagles rookie Dogwood Maple was detained at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport when attempting to fly back to Vasteras for practice. Maple had returned home to his native Georgia for long weekend visiting family and apparently misplaced his passport during the stay. Assuming it was still in his bag, he made it all the way to the international terminal at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson before realizing he must've left it at home. "It's so embarrassing...I've only been back and forth to Europe a few times so I'm not an incredibly experienced international traveler. One thing I'm going to do from here on out is triple-check for my passport," he told local media outlets. What made matters worse, was shortly after Maple attempted to check-in to his flight, there was what turned out to be a false alarm of a suspicious bag being left at one of the international terminals. One of the TSA agents found this to be too much of a coincidence, so Maple was detained for four hours while they verified that he had nothing to do with said bag and was, in fact, just a hapless traveler. The good news for Vasteras fans is that Maple was able to locate his passport and head back to Vasteras later that day. (216 words)

1. So far, so good. It's taking a bit for me to get in my groove, but I think things are going really well to start. 2. Right now, it was offensive vision. I need to make sure I'm in full control of the offense when I'm on the ice. 3. Every team we beat is satisfying. No prisoners. No mercy. 4. Consistency, for sure. I'll have a great game and then a couple bad games....need to get way more consistent. 5. THE IRON NEXT 6. Catch up on TV, walk my dog, and read a good book.

@ThePerfectNut

G - Papa Emeritus

Geneva Rush vs. Oslo Storm Talk about a comeback! Oslo raced out to a 3-0 lead in the second period before Geneva woke up and chose violence. It started with Jack Quill who scored the first goal for the Rush, followed by two more from Cole Caufield Jr and Eldon Escobar, respectively. But just tying it up wasn't enough for Geneva as Oslo could feel the momentum drain from their side. In the final period, it was more of the same from Geneva as they netted two more goals, thanks to Bobby Rockwell and another from Caufield. That made the score 5-3, which was all the room Geneva needed to clinch the incredible comeback victory over the Storm. Oslo has to feel like they let this one slip right out of their hands.