BOOM

How is your VHL team looking for the future?
 

 
Breaking down the graph
 
Before we get into it, I want to point out this is not taking into account players, a rosters age, etc. There are teams that have a young roster with little picks that could be on here, so just because your present team and/or future team could have less picks, it doesn't mean your team is screwed. Now that we got that out of the way, let me give you a quick rundown of what this graph is actually showing by explaining it if you don't understand. Point % is on the x-axis and how to calculate point % is take the amount of points your team earned (example: 65 for Chicago) and divide that by the maximum amount of points that can be earned (in this case, it would be 144 as there are 72 games played * 2 which is the maximum amount of points you can earn for a win). So, when people say you are a ".500" team, that means you have earned 50% of the possible points at that time. The "Draft Picks" is pretty self explanatory as it's just the amount of draft picks the team has in the next two drafts. Now that we understand the numbers and where they come from, we can finally get into the point of the article!
 
The "normal" teams
 
These are the teams that either had a good point % (good record) and not a lot of picks, or a bad point %, but a lot of picks. Also, keep in mind that the average number of draft picks is 8, so I would consider have "a lot of draft picks" at anything 10 or higher. Having little draft picks is technically 6 or lower. First, we'll look at the teams with good point %, but not a lot of picks. The teams that fall into this category would be: Malmo Nighthawks, Los Angeles Stars, D.C. Dragons, Toronto Legion, and London United. All these teams are fairly good (all were playoff teams), but they don't necessarily have draft capital for the future. This is OK, as it's completely normal, as to have a good team, you usually need to trade away futures to compete! I would also consider Chicago in this category, but they are kind of stuck in no mans land, where they were average and have slightly under average the amount of picks. They don't really fit in the "bad" team category, but don't really fit in the "normal" team category, but they're closer to "normal" than "bad", so it's a toss up where they should be. Next up, we have the teams with bad point %, but a good amount of picks. The teams that fall into this category would be: Vancouver Wolves, Riga Reign, Seattle Bears, and HC Davos Dynamo. These teams are all in the same in that most of them weren't that good this season (with the exception of Riga, they were average), but have lots of picks and a bright future ahead. They should be able to be towards the top of the standings in a couple of years with the amount of draft capital they have, they're having a good rebuild one could say.
 
The "good" teams
 
Moving on, these are the teams that had a good point % (good record) AND also have more than the average amount of picks (8) in the next two drafts. These GMs are able to find a way to be competitive, while at the same time still be able to have assets to make moves to become even stronger. These are contender teams, where in the near future, even next season, they could be winning a cup. These teams that fall into this category would be: Moscow Menace, Helsinki Titans, Prague Phantoms, and Calgary Wranglers. I want to give a quick reminder that this is NOT looking at players age, players, etc, this is just looking at point % and draft picks. Prague is losing multiple players to retirement and will basically be forced into a rebuild, despite fitting into this category. Regardless, these four teams are going to be contending for a championship very soon and their GMs should be considered some of the best GMs in the league. I just want to give a quick shoutout to @samx @Spartan  and @leandrofg, you guys are doing fantastic work and a trophy could be in the near future!
 
The "bad" teams
 
Last, these are the teams that had less or close to a 50% point % (average-bad record) AND also have less than the average amount of picks (8) in the next two drafts. These would include: New York Americans, Warsaw Predators, and Chicago Phoenix. Again, not always do the stats tell the tale, as New York had in the playoffs, and Chicago has a young team. Warsaw is really the only ones that "fit" into this category, however, these other two teams in NYA and CHI have to be included as well. These are the GMs that have found a way to have a less than optimal team, and also not have the draft capital to improve the team. If this team is not a young team, they could be in for a dark age, where the team unfortunately isn't able to compete and the assets to get them to compete aren't there.
 
Closing
 
I just want to say that this isn't trying to call out any GMs for how bad they are. I think every GM in the league knows what they need to do to win and is trying their best to get their franchise a W. I don't think in the long run anyone is trying to "lose", otherwise they wouldn't have a job. I made sure to include myself in the "bad" teams so that people wouldn't say I tried to keep myself out. Also, data doesn't always show where a team is heading! Prague although considered a "good" team needs to rebuild, but they've got a head start due to their old GM @Acydburn. It'll be interesting to see if any of Helsinki, Calgary, or Moscow end up winning next season, as they were considered the main three at the top! Thanks and I hope you enjoyed the read.
 
1000+ words
 
 
 
 
 

Let's all have a beer together. 

Let's all have a beer together. 

Let's all have a beer together. 

Let's all have a beer together. 

I don't need any more TPE this week, but hello. I thought I'd get on the random thoughts train just because--I have things on my mind and I like putting them in nice places.
 
A week ago was my 5-year VHL anniversary. I still remember the day I joined. I was a super bored college freshman and scrolling through Reddit for way too long, putting off doing some assignment, and happened to come across the right post at the right time. I was a bit weirded out by the idea of talking to strangers and I had basically quit already when I got a couple emails that I'd been messaged ahead of the upcoming VHLM draft--sure, I welfared for a couple weeks at the start, but coming back on then was the reason why I stayed. That's why you scout people! Talking to some of you is weird. I'm a very different person than I was as an 18-year-old VHL noob, but the kids keep getting younger. I didn't think anything of it when I was 18 or 19 and learned that someone was 14 or 15--and I still don't really do that today, because I get that we'll get new kids all the time--but realizing last night that one of you was nine years old when I joined the league blew my mind a little bit.  I'm running another Town of Salem game, and sign-ups are open now! I'm not sure how clear it is that my games are open to everyone regardless of experience--and that those who have gained it are totally cool with you learning by playing. I do apologize if it's looked like an exclusive club to anyone on the outside, because that's never been the intent. People who have been accepted to my program will be visiting my campus in a week, and it gives me major VHL vibes in some ways. People a year below me generally know me and like me OK because I got involved in all the events to welcome them and I did my best as their TA last semester--and now I have the chance to positively affect a whole new year of people. We're fortunate enough to have a culture that encourages older students helping younger ones, and I hope that's something we do on this forum as well. But if you say we do, please either do it or get out. I don't have time for the fake stuff. Don't underestimate the depth of your relationships with friends. I'm OK, but I've had a lot going on in my head lately that's really weighed down on things and I recently decided to tell a couple people I trust about that. It's the first time I've ever made a point to sit down and do that with anyone and the ways I've been supported have been unreal--from things I didn't know existed being sent my way to a dysfunctionally communicative group chat randomly, magically, just so conveniently happening to suddenly have everyone available and willing to get together and have fun, I can tell that people I know actually care and that feels nice. Anyway, back to the VHL stuff. Vandelay had his last-ever disappointing playoff campaign and is now gone for good. Interestingly, Lazlo Holmes had a pretty solid end-of-year run with Halifax and I'll be interested in seeing what happens when next season rolls around. I still have no plans to have anything to do with the E, and I'm fully prepared to write about how I don't like the circumstances of that and be told I'm stupid for saying so for as long as long as it takes.

The Toronto Legion are off to the conference finals for the second consecutive year.  Their hope is to once again capture the Continental Cup, defending their title from the season before.  The feat however won't be easy, facing a D.C. Dragons team with insane firepower.  They have 4 players shooting at over 12%.  The hopes for the Legion squad is that this shooting percentage isn't sustainable, and they will have to really focus on their defensive game to shut the Dragons down.  While goaltending has been solid throughout, as has the firepower of stars Mac Atlas and Jimi Jaks, the series is still looking to be a tight one.  The two squads face-off in two days, and both find themselves in interesting territory with most of the teams that were ahead of them in the standings now being eliminated.  Can Toronto really defend their title?  Management feels like its possible.  After an abysmal regular season where the motto was simply "as long as we make the playoffs anything can happen" the team has rallied around one another and really ramped things up in the playoffs - as they've proven they could all along.

1. Did we kick some ass or what. How do you feel  going into the playoffs?
 
I'd prefer to be hitting some ass, but yes, Moscow should feel confident in the VHL Playoffs this season.

2. Do you think the coach will give us a pep talk before  we hit the ice?
 
I hope not, although as a VHLE player, I wouldn't be in attendance anyway.

3. Do you have any superstitions or have any special routine you do before a game?
 
Three hookers, a bowl of coke and 1 Gallon of Vodka. 

4. How do you feel about our chances in the playoffs? Will we go deep?
 
If so, please be considerate and lube up.

5. What does our coach like when it comes to music?
 
Russian Folk, Jazz flute and the Wiggles Greatest Hits Vol. 2

6. Do you feel good about your player? 
 
I haven't felt good about one of my players since Tordahl retired.

The playoffs have begun and for those sitting out the dreaded off season begins.  For those still fighting for Cup dreams each day brings joy or pain when the box scores drop.  For me in the E we only have one game a day, and its PAINFUL!!!!   I guess if there were two games, we’d be done much earlier than the M or VHL, but not sure if that would matter much.  
 
The current standings In the VHLE playoffs shows the two favorites, Bratislava and Cologne leading their series’ 3-1.  Bratislava ended the regular season hot and have kept their foot on the gas against a deadly Stockholm club.  Led by Eno Velvson (4-4=8), Karol Lamb @dlamb(2-5=7) and Pipo Papa @npuBeTthey hope to close it out tomorrow.  They can’t look past this Stockholm club though.  
 
Likewise, Cologne hopes to close out a relentless Rome club that has no quit in them. Cologne has relied on scoring stud Theo Alard (4-5=9) @InstantRockstar, Adi Dassler @BOOM, and George Richmond @badcolethetitan.  They have a deep roster and can score quickly and often if given the chance.  I predict they close it out tomorrow and will await the winner of Bratislava – Stockholm.  

Gianfranco Del Rocco Scouting Report

 
Gianfranco Del Rocco's only full regular season has come to an end and as the playoffs start it is an opportune time to reflect on how things went and what can be improved ahead of the next step into the VHLE. Having hit the threshold for training hours before the regular season started, Del Rocco wasn't able to improve during the season but that means that upon graduation from the VHLM he will have a chance to make some significant progress in the areas of his game in which he is lacking. That is, if the lessons from the S92 VHLM performance are learned...
 
What went well
 
Generally well-rounded game
With 31 goals and 33 assists in S92 and 38 goals and 40 assists across his whole 1-and-a-bit season VHLM stint, Del Rocco has delivered on his promise of being a well-rounded game. Decision making has largely been strong, knowing when to shoot and when to pass, which is a good foundation for future success.
 
Taking one for the team
Slightly more surprisingly, Del Rocco has also immediately taken to a more physical game in the VHLM, laying down 141 hits in S92 and putting his body on the line with 47 blocked shots. This is a side of his game we didn't see prior to the VHLM but is an encouraging sign in that he is not being complacent and is willing to adapt to the more demanding professional leagues than what he was used to in Italy.
 
Positive locker room presence
Based partially on name recognition, Del Rocco was named San Diego captain immediately upon arrival. Whilst not the loudest leader, preferring to let his on-ice contributions do the talking, it has been a pleasant experience without any controversies, a good confidence boost after moving to North America. There was also a healthy relationship with S93 draft rival and teammate Jean-Pierre Devote which bodes well for a sensible mindset throughout Del Rocco's VHL career.
 
What can be improved
 
Consistency
Throughout the season, Del Rocco has been incredible streaky, 1-2 good games followed by largely anonymous performances, which averaged out to around a point-per-game pace for the season. A good introspective look should be taken to understand how much of that will be solved by more training and how much is an attitude problem and needs some serious work.
 
Shooting efficiency
A 9.7% shooting percentage for the season is not a bad return but as an offensive-minded winger, we expect Del Rocco to deliver more efficiency on that end and convert more chances. This can be improved by prioritising higher quality shots and working on power and accuracy of the shots he does take. 50 goals should be the aim in the VHLE.
 
Bigger role on his team
The letter on his jersey added both pressure and credibility but Del Rocco was only sixth in team scoring in San Diego in S92. For a highly-rated prospect like Gianfranco we would expect a bigger role in his team's offense and whilst the Marlins were blessed with lots of quality forwards this season, Del Rocco has to step up going forward to make sure he doesn't just become one of the depth players.

@Subject056

My lawyers will be in touch. 

Rift is still one of my favourite players. Not sure exactly why, but thought I'd share that useless info with all of you. 

@Dom

"...you could make a strong case that the defining player of this concluding decade was Skylar Rift. Rift was not an untalented player by any means and one of the best goaltenders of his time."
-VHL 40 in 40 #34: Causing a Rift
 
"#SabotageHoFChances
#RiftDon'tDeserveIt"
-@Devise; Can Quebec Repeat?
 
"My second vote is a toss between [S52 HoFer] Felix Peters and Skylar Rift. The reason I say that is because Rift had the same W's as Moher and Bagleface and did it in 70+ games less with a better Sv % and GAA. But maybe the low games allowed those numbers to be good?"
-@Kendrick, S41 HoF Discussion
 
 
Most non-HoF players from the S30s likely wouldn't be recognizable to members who have joined in the years since. Heck, most players who are in probably aren't known to the VHL's modern generation. It's a sad reality, but it's one that speaks to the sheer depth of the league's history and suggests that there's always a little bit more to discover if you think you've learned all you need to learn about the VHL. The S30s had it all--building on a rich history that had been developed as the league established itself in its first three decades, the community moved to its current forum, experienced its most insane statistical season ever in S36, and had another great decade that prompted the fantastic 40 in 40 series. It also featured a player who was involved in all three of those things, and one that even the newest of the new may have seen mentioned: Skylar Rift.
 
Skylar Rift, of course, is the namesake of the VHLM's Playoff MVP trophy, and a player who late S60s players could infer was created by @Devise--S64's JB Rift was the league's top goaltender by far in S67 and one of the more underrated players of that decade. Though players of the S60s knew Devise as a well-regarded GM and simmer, Rift's already-linked-at-the-top 40 in 40 article sheds some light on a side that newer members never saw--one shrouded in a controversy that made Rift a villain in his time. Having started his VHL career in S31, he made it up in S32 and immediately won a championship in New York. That was short-lived, though, as he'd be traded to Calgary for the third season of his rookie contract. Having made it to a starting position on a team with a bright future, one would think that Rift's career was set. He had other ideas, though, and in extremely abnormal fashion, abruptly left for Quebec in free agency. The situation went a bit deeper with the revelation that Rift had set up his move with fellow free agent Yuri Grigorenko, burning bridges around the league and catapulting the still-new Meute to high-level competition for the first time in their existence. While with Quebec, Rift won another Cup, but the damage was still done--most VHL fans saw Quebec in a negative light, and the league's first ever championship from a non-original franchise was viewed negatively across the board. Rift would do two more things of note with the remainder of his career: put up great numbers in the all-time crazy S36, where many single-season scoring records still stand today, and retire early--potentially blowing up his HoF chances.
 
In his time, Rift stared across the ice at quite a few great goalers. Let's look at a few.
 
Tuomas Tukio: a Hall of Fame player. Also, another drop in the bucket for the @Higgins agency and arguably the greatest goaler of the S30s. Tukio was a fellow member of Rift's draft season and played in the VHL both before and after Rift, putting up a full 8-season career mostly spent in Helsinki between S31 and S38. Winning one Cup to Rift's two, Tukio made up for it in an individual sense by winning MVP twice, Slobodzian twice, and Shaw twice, as the league's uncontested best in both S37 and S38. Tukio's career numbers are fantastic and would be great even in today's inflated era--359-114-37 with a 1.99 GAA and .925 SV%. He'd end up retiring top all-time in wins and currently sits in second.
 
Alexander Labatte: a Hall of Fame player. One might guess that Labatte was a @sterling create, and one might be right. The lesser known of the two Labattes to make the HoF, Alexander was still an incredible player. First making it to the VHL in S28, He spent his career team-hopping more than the face of a franchise ever does, playing for four teams despite a championship, three Shaws, and an MVP campaign in S33. His career statline is just a shade below Tukio's in every category, but not by much--his 335 wins are currently fourth all-time.
 
Remy LeBeau: a Hall of Fame player. The first player ever created by @OrbitingDeath , LeBeau was the start of something special. A member of the S31 class just like Tukio and Rift, LeBeau was a Toronto lifer who stuck it out through a disappointing rookie contract and turned on the jets with his team as they improved. Winning the Shaw twice, along with a Kanou and a Cup in S37, LeBeau's unfortunate rookie circumstances may have lagged his rookie numbers a bit, but he was every bit as good as the others once he found his footing and was eventually inducted on the first ballot.
 
Eggly Bagelface: NOT a Hall of Fame player despite an all-time name. Created by @Corco, Bagelface spent six and a half seasons of a seven-season career with Vasteras before moving out to Helsinki for a final push. This was the era of GM goalers--Rift was one, Tukio was one, and Bagelface had not much choice but to backstop a cursed franchise. Regardless, he was one of the players that helped define the S30s for what they were, winning the Shaw in S39.
 
It's a wonderful thing that the S30s had as many great players in net as it did, but it also means that there was lots and lots of competition for Rift. Let's throw in some charts to put that in context.
 

 

 
Were it not for his short career, Rift could have been right up there with the best of them in the team-related categories. He maintained a win rate just a shade under Tukio's and had more shutouts by his fifth season than any of the others here. It's very true that Rift used his ability to pursue the best teams to his advantage, but it's also very true that this paid off. Where it didn't, interestingly enough, is in the case of LeBeau, whose slow start gives him a lower shutout total as well as a lower total win rate--something that shouldn't take away from his later career but something that also presents a very noticeable difference between Rift and someone already in the Hall of Fame.
 

 

 
Here are the percentage-based metrics for each player, which I've taken the time to normalize for your convenience. Rift's career averages (.923 and 2.12) are shown here as zero, while other numbers are shown relative to that average (for example, LeBeau's approximately 2.1 at the start of the GAA chart indicates his horrible 4.22 GAA as a rookie). We would expect that normalized SV% to increase, and the normalized GAA to decrease, over the course of a player's career, and that generally holds up in all cases here--indicating that we shouldn't have to worry about any massive outside factors that may have affected one player or another mid-career. There's again a clear separation between Tukio/Labatte/Rift and LeBeau/Bagelface, which really interests me in the same ways as above. We can pretty safely conclude that Rift maintained a Hall of Fame pace through his whole career, but it's pretty easy to say that Tukio and Labatte were "better" when it's considered that they played their whole careers out. What about LeBeau, though, who did the same but apparently clearly at a lower standard than Rift?
 

 
I hate making these charts because they take forever (I have to change the color of every bar individually because either Google Sheets doesn't work that way or I'm dumb), but they can be useful. This sort of format was where I went in HoNB #3 to suggest that Jakab Holik had a better chance than most people thought--take out his abysmal first season, and the rest of his career starts looking amazing--and I figured it would be nice to try it out here. I look at these charts in the context of finding out who stands out--look on the right for players who showed the most dominance in individual seasons, and look on the left for players whose career numbers might have been thrown off by one or two bad showings. In this case, Rift looks pretty average. He doesn't have anything sitting all the way on the right (and it's very important to point out that LeBeau is over there twice), and we can't say that he had a horrible rookie year either because everyone else we've talked about has at least one worse season. It might actually be worth it to dig into Bagelface without the rookie campaign in a small future article, but I don't think I'd have enough to support a full HoNB campaign on him and he's not the main focus here and I just want to finish writing today, so we'll leave that as an idea for the time being.
 
Rift was great; there's no question about it. It's not very often that a 5-season career gets a player two championships, an all-time great historical article, and an award named after them, but it's true in this case. I think the points for and against inducting him are pretty short and sweet.
 
The case for Rift is based on historical impact and pure talent. Rift was one of the best players of his time, for sure, and I think there's a layer of unquantifiable stuff that can be applied here. It's the Hall of Fame, and he was as famous as anyone in his time. If he truly was the "defining player" of the S30s, that's a lot of fame going around--that he backed up well on the ice. Plus, in terms of career pace, Rift outdid the HoFer in LeBeau easily.
 
The case against Rift is pretty obvious--he only played 5 seasons. We've seen that it can be really difficult to induct a player based on 6 or even 7 seasons, and in this day and age when we're considering players with 9, how could we ever go for that?
 
But was that 5 seasons enough, and is Skylar Rift a Hall of Fame player?
 
I don't think so. I believe that the 7-season career Rift earned by staying down for a season would have easily been enough, but it's often the case that players with significantly shorter careers have to outpace the rest, and by a lot, to make it. He does do that to LeBeau on the surface level, but LeBeau's career was very unbalanced and very affected by his first three seasons. It just isn't enough to justify bringing Rift up to the same level. Maybe I'd have a different answer if Rift had played even one more season, but I just don't think there's enough of a body of work present here. The VHL will always be left wondering what could have been--Tukio and Labatte deserve all the credit as the best, but with a longer career, this article could very well have been about LeBeau as compared to Rift rather than the other way around. Regardless, Rift's "Fame" lives on as the namesake of one of the VHLM's finest awards.
 
Skylar Rift was removed from the Hall of Fame ballot in S44 with 6 of 12 votes, having received one vote for induction in S41. He might not be a Hall of Famer, but his presence in this series is very much warranted.
 
Previous HoNB articles:
Volume 1: Alexander Pepper
Volume 2: Shawn Glade
Volume 3: Jakab Holik
Volume 4: Bo Boeser
Volume 5: Tyson Kohler
Volume 6: Lasse Milo
Volume 7: Voittu Jannula
Volume 8: Brendan Telker

I think the VHL needs to implement a fine/suspension for this kind of cruelty! 

Thought it was gonna be boobs… @BOOM

I read every word and respect you for posting this.

I don’t expect anyone to read this but with what I am going through right now it needs to be said. 
 
If you don’t know I am a Financial Planner by trade, I hold my Certified Financial Planner designation along with several other credentials. One of those credentials is my Life Insurance License. No, I am not here to sell anything and won’t answer questions related to investment selection and trying to get rich quickly. 
What I would like to make note of is our society's aversion to insurance to the point it causes great harm. Right now, I am dealing with a widow, she is distraught over losing her husband. And she should be.  
 
She is also living with an immense amount of guilt. She asked her husband to go to the grocery store. She sent him on the errand that took him to the point in time where a drunk driver didn’t stop at a four way stop, instead blew through the intersection at over 100km (about 62.14 mi)/h into the side of her husband’s car killing him instantly.  
He left her with a mortgage, some other minor debt, 2 children under the age of 18, and the cost of his funeral. Add on to this he was the largest income earner in the family. In fact, he earned 60% of the family income. Seems tragic to most of us.  
 
I am going to get a little more detailed, the woman I am talking about hasn’t clued in to the fact that she is now facing a financial crisis on top of her emotional crisis. It is still too new to her; she is still too caught in her grief and guilt to understand what she will be dealing with. The woman is 31, her children are 2 and 5, the mortgage for the house they bought 5 years ago still has a mortgage of $450000. Her income alone will not cover her basic lifestyle let alone the added costs of the funeral. She is in a financial crisis. 
When her and her husband bought the house, I talked to them about ensuring that they had a risk management plan, putting insurance in place to deal with the issue of what happens if one of them dies, I talked to them again when each of their children were born, as they had now brought another life into the world and should consider how that child will be cared for if something happens to one or both of them. 
 
All three times I spoke with them she was willing to investigate options, to look at the costs and to see if they could afford it. Unfortunately, he in all three instances looked at me then looked at his wife and said the exact same thing all three times “The chances of anything happening to us are extremely small, I won’t pay hard earned money to an insurance company and get nothing out of it.” 
 
The reality is he is both correct and incorrect all at the same time. The chances of an individual in their late 20’s to early 30’s dying at least in North America is extremely small, most of those individuals who buy insurance meeting that criteria get no financial payout. Where I argue is they do get something, and that is piece of mind and risk protection if the extreme happens. In his instance the extreme did happen. For less than $20 a month (assuming a Term 10 policy in Ontario) he was not willing to consider how his family would be impacted if the unexpected were to occur. In his instance the unexpected did occur. 
 
So, I will get to my point. If you are an individual who has anyone dependent on you or if you have debt (mortgage, credit cards, etc.). If by you dying someone will be left with not only an emotional crisis but a financial crisis, I urge you to contact someone in your area and discuss how you can put together a plan that reduces or eliminates that burden. If you say that you love these people you will not leave them to face what is coming for this woman. 
 
My secondary note. If you are the type of asshole who decides to have a few drinks and get behind the wheel of a vehicle, please rethink your life. You do not get the right to impact someone else to this level. No excuses, just stop doing it.