dogwoodmaple

let's go!

1. Probably Malmo? Not quite sure but I think they might've taken the crown. 2. Sometimes the best trades are the ones teams didn't make. 3. That's hard to say - maybe our GMs? They're always pushing the right buttons. 4. Oh gosh that's impossible to pick. We have so many great choices and everyone brings their own dose of energy! 5. ME!!!! 6. Payne, but I just flipped a coin.

1. VHL to Atlanta! 2. I love the team we have, so I don't know of any moves 3. I'm expecting massive fireworks, league wide! 4. We finally got some consistency under our belts 5. Goodness I have no clue how much TPE I'll end up having. But I'm going to grab each one I can! 6. ...unlikely.

Oh, how I have longed for the day to be in charge of this league. And finally after all this time, that day is upon us. My first act as Commissioner is to officially bow out of the mayoral race and tomfoolery that befell the wonderful city of Vancouver. Luckily there was a provision in the city's by-laws that allowed me to vacate the position if I was ever named Commissioner of VHL. But straight to business! There's change in the air and boy is it wide sweeping. First, I'll be tearing the roof off of every arena in the league and mandating all outdoor games. Rain? We play. Snow? We play. Ice storm? You guessed it, we play. It will add all sorta of excitement to the games, the crowd, and the entire league. It also means the players will have to deal with the adversity of the constantly changing conditions. Of course, this will be an expensive endeavor, especially since we're dealing with ice, but we've recently entered into a league-wide endorsement deal with a multi-billion dollar company who will fund this. I'm not at liberty to discuss the details of this partnership, but needless to say it is enormous for VHL. Next, we're increasing the size of the goal. I can already hear goalies and defenders complaining, but I could not care less. Offense drives this league and more goals means more excitement which means better ratings and more money for everyone. Get ready to hear those goal horns go off on a regular basis and some spookily high scoring games. We're talking kicking the extra point after a field goal type numbers here. Plus, since we're asking the fans to sit through outdoor games, the least we can do is put on a show for them. Next, a completely revamped powerplay. In an effort to get players to actually follow the rules, we'll be adding Double Trouble to all powerplays. That is, when someone commits a penalty, not only will their team be down a man for the allotted time period, but the opposing team will also be able to add a player on their side. It will incentivize rule-following but also create extra excitement and make every one of those situations that much more important during the course of a game. Next, we're bringing the VHL to Atlanta, the greatest sports city in the country. Rabid fans, fantastic infrastructure, and the best airport in the world make it an easy decision. I haven't decided which team is being voluntold that they're moving, but it is absolutely going to happen the day I take office. There's a level of untapped potential that just cannot be ignored with the Empire City of the South. And to prove to the rest of the league that mean business and am truly doing this job for the betterment of the league, I will not be taking a salary for my entire tenure. It's all about advancing the league and improving the experience for players and fans alike. That will be my one and only goal and with the changes I've outlined, the VHL will be in the best place in its storied history. 533 words

Game 265: Moscow Menace vs. London United Turn away if you're a London fan, this one wasn't pretty. Moscow dominated form start to finish and it didn't take long for them to take a stranglehold of the game. Tomas Sogaard scored for Moscow just two minutes into the game. That was followed up by Ronan Lovelle who scored a pair of goals to extend the Moscow lead to 3-0 at the end of the first intermission. And those same players added to the onslaught in the second period with Lovelle and Sogaard each scoring yet another goal, which gave the Menace a whopping 5-0 lead. London managed to score two goals of their own in the last half of the final period, but the damage was already done. Just a complete and dominant victory for Moscow in this one.

Game 263: Prague Phantoms vs. Riga Reign What a game here between Prague and Riga! Prague got the scoring started in the first period thanks to Velociraptor Greg, but Riga was quick to answer with a pair of goals of their own to take a 2-1 lead. Sadie St-Louis and The Frenchman were the goal scorers for the Reign as they were able to stifle the Prague momentum. In the second period, both teams' offenses were held at bay before Riga scored a clinching goal late in the third period. Prague managed to score with just a few seconds left in the game, but that cut the deficit to one with not nearly enough time to force overtime. Valiant effort from Prague, but Riga was just too much.

Here are 7 things I'd change to improve Vancouver Wolves games 1. Raffle off $1,000,000 every home game to one lucky fan. Not only will it be incredibly exciting and newsworthy, but it will make coming to Wolves games even that much more exciting. Plus, we have the money, why not use it for the good of the community and potentially change some lives in the process? 2. Make concessions much, much cheaper. Hockey games are a great place for families to spend time and learn the game with one another, but it can be prohibitively expensive when you account for the price of food and drinks. A family of four getting dinner, a beer or two for the parents, and some snacks is just too much money. Especially in this economy! 3. This one is controversial and I'm sure won't happen, but what about shortening intermission by just a few minutes? It would save game length, make the action much more palatable for the fans, and increase the overall speed. There may be issues with player safety, which certainly aren't to be dismissed, but it might be an overall victory for the league and for the fans if it were to be wildly implemented. 4. Eliminate shootouts altogether! If the teams are still tied and would normally start a shootout, force each team to have a 1 on 1 fight, best of five, to determine which team takes home the victory. Shootouts can be too random sometimes and adding in the fights will be a hell of a watch for the fans. Plus, it would increase the importance of having an enforcer on the team who can really hold their own should the situation call for it. 5. When a powerplay happens, allow the shorthanded team to randomly select a fan from the crowd to replace their penalized player. Some might say "why wouldn't they always do this, isn't having some random body better than being a man short?" Of course not! There will be wastes of space all over the ice, not to mention some poor kid having to lace them up and skate against professional hockey players. Tell me that's not the most fun idea you've ever heard? 6. Make the coach who is losing at the time drive the Zamboni! It's humiliating and will provide the opposing fans the ability to hurl tomatoes, lettuce, and other rotten fruit at the poor coach who has to man that post. Plus, it will take away from important gameplanning and adjustments that the coach would otherwise be doing. Plus, on the off chance it's the Wolves coach having to do the dirty work, I'm sure he'll make quite the spectacle out of it so it's fun for everyone in attendance. 7. Last but certainly not least, I think we should have a penalty box for the opposing team that randomly opens up to a tunnel and drops the opposing players down into a holding cell beneath the arena. They won't know it's coming, so it'll be quite the startle. Plus, It will take them a while to get back up to the arena, which would be an advantage for the Wolves. 532 words

1. No, but I have no doubt that we'll turn it around! 2. Biggest surprise has been our inconsistency so far. 3. The main disappointment is that our offense seems to go missing in action all too often. 4. Just more consistency and focus game in and game out. 5. STRENGTH is our depth! 6. WEAKNESS is that we can't seem to string a bunch of wins together!

With the season more than a quarter of the way finished, Dogwood Maple of the Vancouver Wolves sat down with the Vancouver Herald to discuss the season. Q: When it comes to the Wolves as a team, how do you feel about the start to the year? A: We had a really rough first few games, but now we're in the middle of a hot streak. We've won four in a row and have really turned on the jets as of late. I'm honestly not sure anybody can keep up with us right now. We're second in goals scored in the North American Conference and have really flexed our offensive muscles. Q: What about you individually - do you think you're on the shortlist for any awards? A: Awards are always secondary for me. I'd trade an MVP trophy for a title in a heartbeat. I've definitely been playing well so far an I really feel the connection with my line mates. We can anticipate each other's moves on the ice which is incredibly important for scoring goals. The best thing about us right now is that we have an absurd amount of depth. Goals and assists can come from anywhere on our roster and while that might hurt my award chances, it'll be a huge benefit come playoff time. Like I said, I want another trophy and our current roster composition will put us in a position to give that a real run. Q: Who do you think is your biggest competition on the way to a deep playoff run? A: It's gotta be the Bears. Not only are they the best team in the conference right now, but they've absolutely had our number the last few years. It's going to take a gargantuan effort to get past them in the playoffs, if it comes to that, but I think we're up to the challenge. Heck, maybe we're due for a win against them in primetime! Q: How has your fanbase helped you so far this season? We always hear great stories about the raucous crowds in Vancouver. A: Oh man where do I start? Not only are there always sellouts at Vancouver Arena, but they get LOUD. This isn't a quiet crowd, these folks get after it. I always hear comments from opposing players about how difficult it is to come into our arena and win and I think our fans are the reason for that. They make it incredibly tough on the opposition night in and night out. Q: Now that you're one of the veterans on the team, how has your role changed from when you were just a rookie? A: When I first got called up, I didn't know anything. I didn't know how to be a good leader but most importantly I didn't know how to handle the ups and downs of a long season. Now, I can really stay grounded for the entire season and not get too high or too low. It also helps with my leadership ability as I can set a good example for the younger players. Just have to go out every day and show a good example for everyone. If you do enough good day after day, you'll be in a great spot overall. 545 words

Game 146: Toronto Legion vs. Prague Phantoms It didn't take long for this one to get ugly for the Toronto Legion. Less than five minutes into the game, Prague took the lead thanks to a Faith Hope Love powerplay goal, which was just the beginning of what would become an onslaught. Roughly a minute and a half later, Perry Laperriere found the back of the net, extending Prague's lead to 2-0. But that wasn't even half the damage the Phantoms unloaded in the first period. The Legion did manage one goal, but Prague scored a total of five in the first 20 minutes which gave them a 5-1 lead over an outmanned Legion squad. The Legion's defense did well keeping the Phantoms out of the net the rest of the game and even managed to score a pair of goals themselves, but the damage was already done with that first quarter blitz. 5-3 final for Prague.

1. We were just shaking some rust off. Flush it and move in to the next one! 2. I think we'll continue to have depth from top to bottom during the season. 3. Nah, way too early to worry. We'll get it right! 4. I think we should force them to only play with three skaters at all times. 5. ME!!! OF COURSE 6. Footsteps!

Game 46: London United vs. Riga Reign If you like high scoring affairs, this was the game for you. It didn't take long for Riga to seize control of the game, as Vaslie Lamb scored a goal just six minutes into the game, giving the Reign an early 1-0 lead. Sergey Preobrazhensky followed that up with yet another Riga goal, this time in a shorthanded fashion just a few minutes later. London was firmly on their back foot and needed to answer back to have any chance. Luckily for London, Adam Rage stepped up to the plate and scored for the United, cutting the lead to 2-1. The first period fireworks continued as Riga followed that up with yet another goal, followed by a matching goal from London. By the time the horn sounded to end the first period, Riga held a 3-2 lead with both goaltenders feeling discouraged. The next twenty minutes were much calmer, with both defenses settling in and preventing any goals. When the third period came around, though, Riga put any chance of a London comeback out the window with two more goals, which sealed the victory for Riga, 5-2.

Game 36: Calgary Wranglers vs. Seattle Bears This was a ack and forth affair that had a little bit of everything between the Wranglers and the Bears. In the first period, Calgary got out to an incredibly fast start tanks to goals from Leandro Goncalves and Landon Wolanin, which gave them a 2-0 lead. Seattle's defense answered the bell after this early onslaught, however, and stopped the bleeding there. They kept Seattle out of the net in the second period and were able to keep the game within arm's reach entering the final 20 minutes. Seattle made the most of their opportunities in the third period, scoring back to back goals and tying the game at 2-2 with 12 minutes left in the game. Just as it looked like Seattle would storm all the way back and take control of the game, Calgary's Daniel Janser broke their hearts with the game-winning goal. 3-2 was the final with the Wranglers coming out on top.

In a stunning turn of events, Vancouver Wolves forward Dogwood Maple was elected as the new Mayor of Vancouver last week. There were some rumblings that Maple might be eyeing a career in politics, but many thought he would wait until his playing days were over to pursue it. When asked about his unlikely electoral victory, Maple was absolutely flabbergasted "I didn't even put my name in to qualify! I honestly have no idea how this even happened. I mean I guess I'm popular among fans, but this is just hard to believe. When the City Council called me I thought it was a prank. I legitimately hung up on them the first few times they called. Finally they had to send someone to my house and tell me in person with the certified results. And of course the media has had a field day with this. There were rumors that I would be retiring from the Wolves or that I didn't love hockey any more. Just absolutely crazy type stuff." Maple, however, was quick to dispel these unfounded rumors. He announced on twitter that he had no desire to retire or quit playing hockey and that was still his number one priority. He even sent a formal letter to the City Council announcing his intention to not accept the role of Mayor. That's where things got a little problematic for the star forward. "So I sent this letter to the City Council telling them that there was some kind of mistake and I definitely would not be the next mayor of Vancouver. I informed them that I never even put my name in the running and it had to be a prank or something. That's when I was informed that I am required by law to take the oath of office and spend at least some time as mayor. There are only avenues for resignation after you become mayor and there are no ways to invalidate the voting. They literally sent a police officer to my house who was going to handcuff me and haul me off to City Hall for the swearing-in ceremony," Dogwood explained. He was given a temporary reprieve due to the season opening game as he was able to call in a favor downtown. "They told me that because the city had made such a hullaballoo about the opening series that they couldn't afford for me not to be out there, so the police officer just took me to the City Council's office where I met with their attorney. We spent all day going over old case law and statutes to determine if I could delay this at all to give me additional time to play this season out. The conclusion was....that there was no conclusion. My attorney is continuing to talk to theirs to try and see what we can do. I absolutely do not want to be the Mayor, let me be clear about that," Maple said. Although Dogwood has cast doubts on his interest in the mayoral race, some opposing fans and rumor mongers are wondering whether or not he did this to try and boost his presence around the league. That remains to be seen, but this story is far from over. 535 words

1. I think it's clearly the Vancouver Wolves! We're ready to roll into the season. 2. I was sad to see him go, but I always trust our GMs to do the best for our franchise. 3. There's no doubt that this trade was a massive win for Vancouver. It could be enough to get us back to the finals 4. That's hard to answer, but I know GMs can get creative with lineups. 5. Definitely a prudent move by our front office to bolster our depth, no doubt about that. 6. Equally deserving!

1. I don't know much about it but I was really interested to learn! 2. I'm on Team USA and would've loved to take home the gold. We had a great run though 3. I don't think there's a huge difference, to be honest 4. Honestly? Not closely. 5. I sure hope it's Vancouver. I trust our GMs to put us in the best position possible. 6. TEAM. GIMME THOSE RINGS!!!!

1. Seattle, I guess? I honestly don't have a preference 2. I initially thought peanut butter, but jelly/jam is so versatile. Hard to beat some nice jam on toast for breakfast. 3. They were phenomenal as always! I was very proud to come away with some hardware 4. I want to win the team award for best job planning the championship parade next year!!!! Let's get that cup! 5. I have a feeling there'll be a trade? 6. I THINK I KNOW THIS ONE!! THE LETTER R?

1. I'm honestly not sure. We played really well, just had some unlucky breaks go against us in the series. 2. Definitely Seattle. They are playing great hockey right now and look like one of the teams to beat. 3. I'd tell them not to get too down because you have to be able to enjoy the good runs when they happen. They'll bounce back! 4. I love it when it happens! Makes it all feel that much more real 5. My goal is to just focus on my play as much as I can 6. I KNOW THIS ONE! THERE IS NO ATMOSPHERE

Game 87: London United vs. Seattle Bears London came out swinging in this game with the full force off their offense on display. Marcel Janser found the back of the net in the first period to give the United a 1-0 lead, but they weren't done. Molly the Cat also lit the siren barely three minutes later to extend London's lead to a commanding 2-0 as the teams started the second period. In the second, London continued their hot play as they scored yet another goal, but this time Seattle responded with a goal of their own to cut the deficit back to two goals. Unfortunately for the Bears, it was London's day and the United poured it on in the third period with two more goals. The final in this one was 5-2 as the Bears couldn't quite get close enough to make this a game.

Never satisfied with just his hockey career and always looking for the next business opportunity, Vancouver Wolves forward Dogwood Maple has entered the beverage business this offseason. "You know, I was thinking a lot about my future and how I may not have too many more years of playing at a high level. I want to be able to cash in on my connections while I'm still in the game and make sure to set up a future for my kids and grandkids. I've already got my toes in the restaurant and airline industries, but now I think it's time to launch a full leap into the alcoholic beverage industry. And I'm not going to discriminate - we're talking beer, wine, liquor, everything. With my restaurants, my potential partnerships within the sports community, and the VHL league as a whole, I feel like this is a great opportunity for me," Maple explained. His beverage launch actually began 24 months ago when he purchased 1,000 acres in Northern California for his vineyard. "I knew that wine wasn't just an overnight thing and that there had to be a lot of infrastructure in place before we could be successful, so I started buying land a couple of years ago to get the ball rolling. It's not that far of a flight from Vancouver so I'm able to go down there a lot. And when it comes to wine country, it's hard to beat northern California. Great weather, great soil, and just ideal for a vineyard. So we've already got that in place, so we should be bottling in the near future and with the marketing plan we've laid out, I fully anticipate that it'll be successful. The other big branch of this launch is beer. I've always been a fan of darker beer myself, so that's where my focus will be. Plus, with the dreary weather in Vancouver, there's nothing like a nice stout to warm you up. I'm talking about everything from dark ambers, coffee stouts, porters, if it's dark we'll have it." When it came to naming this company, it was an easy choice for the star forward. "Everything will be under the umbrella of 'Maple Mill'. There's a river and working mill on the property in California that dates back to the 1700s and I really wanted in integrate that into the branding. That's what the wine labels will feature as our official logo, as well. And I know what you're thinking - what about liquor? Well we already have some infrastructure for a thrice distilled vodka and floral gins that we're very excited about. No matter what your preferences are, Maple Mill will be able to offer a delicious beverage at a reasonable cost. And I'm also happy to announce that we've already partnered with the Vancouver Arena to serve our beer and wine for home games starting next season. A portion of the profits will go to the Vancouver Children's Hospital, as is the case with my business ventures, to make sure we are taking care of our area's most important residents," Maple said. No matter how much longer Maple takes the ice for the Wolves, one thing is abundantly clear - he's got his post-hockey life setup for him in a very exciting way. 545 words

After being eliminated from the VHL postseason, Vancouver Wolves forward Dogwood Maple was unsure of how to spend the rest of his time this offseason. "Obviously my first reaction was just being downright mad. We made such a fantastic comeback not just in the regular season, but in this series as well. When it was 0-2, I know a lot of people gave us up for dead, but not anyone in this locker room. We knew what kind of squad we had and that we were just too good to be swept. So it wasn't a surprise at all to us that we were able to square the series up at 2-2. Social media and the networks were going crazy, but we weren't the least bit in awe or shocked. But we also knew that deciding games would always be coin flips so all we could do was give it our best shot. When we came up short, it was devastating and we all definitely needed time to heal from that. After a few days, I finally decided how I'd spend the rest of the postseason," Maple explained. Dogwood wouldn't be going on vacation or relaxing by a pool somewhere. He'd be running. "People were surprised at first, which I totally understand. I told them I wanted to run all the way from Vancouver to my hometown of Atlanta, Georgia to take my mind off of hockey. I'd poured so much of myself into the sport this season that I just had to take a break," Maple said. Many of his teammates thought he was out of his mind and his coaching staff tried to put a stop to it. They were worried that he would be injured or just run himself out of shape for the coming season. They even resorted to calling him Forrest Gump, who famously went for a run one day and didn't stop for months. "I laughed when I first heard the Forrest Gump jokes. It's a great movie and I'm a huge Tom Hanks fan. But this was all about me just trying to clear my mind. I couldn't have just sat around my house or the team facility and watch the rest of the playoffs on television. It would've been too painful for me, so I have to do everything in my power to do literally anything to take my mind off it." Maple's journey took him all the way down the California coast, across Arizona and New Mexico, into Texas and finally into the American South. When Maple finally crossed the state line to bring himself into Georgia, there was a huge parade waiting for him by people who had been following his run for months. "It really was awesome to get that kind of support in my home state. To know that there were people out there who were supporting me from across the country was just incredible. I honestly don't think I could've finished the run without all of those folks." When Maple finally made it to Atlanta, there was an enormous crowd waiting for him at City Hall which quickly turned into a massive block party. And fortunately for Maple, Delta Air Lines was one of the companies represented in that celebration and they graciously offered to fly him back to Vancouver, first class. "I'm glad they offered," Maple said, "I couldn't have run all the way back." 569 words

This was a bittersweet season, there's no doubt about it. For the first third of the year or so, we were absolutely lost. We couldn't score, we couldn't defend, and we just could not scrape together any points. But then, something clicked and we turned into a completely different squad. We strung together wins, we were playing with unity and pace, and we finished the regular season in absolutely spectacular fashion. Never once did we give up hope, which was especially important as we fell behind 2-0 in the Seattle series. We managed to win back-to-back games, which forced a pivotal game 5, but victory lay just outside our grasp. Am I upset that we lost to Seattle? Of course. But am I proud as hell of our turnaround? You bet. A lot of other franchises would've folded at the first sign of trouble, but not Vancouver. We stuck together, rallied the proverbial troops, and finished with a season that all Wolves' fans could be proud of. We won't always win, but we will never give up and we will never run from a fight. All that's left to do is to come back stronger next season and give it another run! (202 words)

Game 71: Calgary Wranglers vs. Seattle Bears Just as Calgary got out to an incredibly fast start in the opening game, Seattle answered the call and did the same here in game two. Tavish DeGroot got the scoring started just 28 seconds into the game and was followed by Chip Stone who found the back of the net just a few minutes later. That was all the scoring in the opening period as Seattle took full control of the game. Both teams' defenses came to play in the second period, as neither was able to score, leading to a 2-0 lead for Seattle as play began in the third. Calgary showed some life, halving the lead with an early goal in the third period, but they could never find the equalizer as Seattle took this game 2-1.

Game 69: Calgary Wranglers vs. Seattle Bears In this much-anticipated matchup, it didn't take long for one team to grab the entire momentum in this series. In the first period, Calgary scored not one, not two, but three goals to race out to a 3-0 lead. The trio of goals were from three different players: GoodBrandSun, Gonclaves, and Wolanin, which just shows how deep this Wranglers team is. The Bears managed to claw one back and enter the second period trailing 3-1, somewhat stopping the bleeding. In the second period, however, it was more of the same for Calgary. Lloyd Braun found the back of the net, giving Calgary a 4-1 lead and salting this game away. The two teams traded a goal each in the final period, but the damage was already done. Calgary takes this one by a score of 5-2.