Toast

1. Looks like we're doing great! Nice to be on a small win streak so far. As long as we keep working I think we'll have a really strong second half of the season. 2. Braun is performing fine! Seems to be all over the ice with some strong offensive and is demonstrating some defensive success too with hits and blocks. 3. Going to have to give that to @Big Newff! Bill is making a push for goalie of the season and hopefully keeps up the strong play. 4. Just need the players to keep doing what they can to earn and update their players so that everyone is performing the best they can! 5. We need players to stop fighting at practice and focus on winning games! 6. Never hungry in the morning no matter what the important meal of the day is. Supper for sure

Media was absolutely shocked when a quiet practice morning turned into heated words and fists being thrown A face just begging to be punched HOUSTON, TX - Things got out of hand for the Bulls when teammates had to separate star goalie, Bill Nye the Puck Stopping Guy and the newly acquired Lloyd Braun after an argument broke out between the two. It was hard to hear what caused it all but it seems the disdain from Braun towards Bill Nye has been brewing for many years. “I used to see this guy on the TV and on videos online,” said Braun. “He’s just here for another few clicks online and doesn’t respect the game. I’m not someone who is afraid to share what I think and he didn’t like that. I don’t mind trying to sort out our differences with how we did this morning.” The Houston Bulls acquired Braun alongside Phil Strasmore from the San Diego Marlins for a handful of picks as the Bulls look to continue their conquest to lead the VHLM. With the team’s strong play so far it seems this altercation between teammates isn’t going to be something that management gets involved in as they’ve already announced neither player will be benched or see a punishment for what happened during the practice. “Sometimes things can get a little heated even between teammates,” said the Houston head coach following the practice. “It’s clear that Lloyd has been carry a grudge for some time and we just hope that the boys can focus on what’s most important here at the halfway point of the season. We shouldn’t even be talking about things like this during practice.” “I don’t owe him an apology,” said a confident Braun. “Sure, he’s playing well in the crease but just about anyone could with the talent that we have on this team. I’ve already had to bail him out five different times now! If it wasn’t for me his save percentage would be in the gutters and no one would both giving him interview time or attention on the highlight reels.” While it’s clear that these two players do not get along, the results on the ice are saying otherwise. Braun has been quite the team-first defender since arriving in Houston and does have five shots blocked in his eight games thus far with the team. He’s also got five assists recorded and six points total with the team. “I need to show to the VHL teams that they can count on me on the ice,” said Braun. “There is no way that Bill Nye is going to be anything more than a celebrity taking his 15 seconds of fame in the net so I need to focus on where my career is going to take me. I know that I have what it takes to be one of the best in the game and I will be damned if I’m going to let some old man ruin all of this for me. I’m looking forward to this season being over.”

Well another Sunday has rolled around so it’s time to write one of these .com articles and hopefully build the ol draft stock! After a brief stay in San Diego, Phil and I were flipped to Houston for a package of picks. It’s nice to be able to help out the team however we can but it would have been nice to stay on the team to see how things played out as our players got better. Things are looking good in Houston though and I’m hoping that these wins are going to keep coming and the team will be able to take control of the league! I’m surprised with Braun’s performance so far but that may just be due to the level of the players at the VHLM level? I’m still trying to wrap my head around the new attributes in the update portal since it seems I have been building up my defense forever and yet the offense keeps coming for ol Lloyd. Ah well, I can’t complain about my player actually performing! Thanks for reading my ramblings for the week, VHL. Take care of yourselves!

Working title. According to my Scrivener it has been roughly a year since I stopped writing media for Phoenix Dawson and a whole lot has changed in the league since then. I’m excited to be back this time with Lloyd Braun to hopefully hit some new goals and stay active this go around. I know I’ve been saying this since Burnt toast came around but I’m sure with some work I can get back to the days of my teens when I was posting threads asking for help on finding a job… that’s actually out there somewhere. With this player the goal was to max earn. Finally hit TPE heights that I never did with Wolfe, Smyl, or any of the guys that actually had a shot of hitting some decent numbers. Well… that was until I went and claimed welfare on my first week last week because I was on a trip to Toronto. Whose idea was it anyways to create a new player in this league just before leaving on vacation anyways? Well, before I left I happened to acquire Spartan’s player in another league and that gave me the itch to see what is going on around here and sure enough that was all it took to get me back on the create a player page of the index. I’ve always felt that VHL’s index is just incredible and makes getting involved in this league so easy as a player. The part I always struggle with is reserving the time to actually talk with my team and be more vocal in the Discords that this league has. I’m always a ping away but with an endless list of servers to keep up with, the VHL ones always seem to take a hit for that unfortunately. Sorry for that, Marlins! When I created my player their were M GMs posting within minutes. It was strange to see the “reply with hashtag” system, but hey, whatever works. What sold me on the Marlins was seeing Frank in the thread shortly after the post from Jacob. Still seeing the familiar faces on the league after all these years is what’s the best thing for me. I love seeing all these people sticking around as well as all of the new faces enjoying the league as well. San Diego has been great so far! While we clearly have some work to get through I’m confident that there will be more people joining up with us and I’m hoping that the season will start turning around for the group. We have a great group of people on the team and I always seem to find my way to follow Phil around everywhere no matter how many times I try coming back. I’m hoping that Braun will end up being one of the better defensive guys in the league when all is said and done and that is going to take me some time to try figure out how the new attributes work but it seems that we are on the right path for a rookie! It’s good to be back and I look forward to seeing how things go this time around.

1. I'm surprised to see how well Braun is getting involved now. Started off a little slow but got some goals on the board this week despite going for a defensive build out of the gate. 2. I think it's just fine. It seems players are doing well enough if you max earn with the 12 plus any uncapped so raising this would get things out of hand. 3. Pedersen standing on their head to put up an early .915 save percentage! With a young team it's important to have a goalie who an steal some wins for us. 4. I would bring Alex DeBrincat to the Marlins simply because I'm an Ottawa fan and can't wait to see what the elite sniper can do! 5. "Melacoton" - Subwoolfer 6. Not really. I'm hoping to get a defensive guy going but with the lack of bodies on the team Braun can't help but get involved with the offense. I would love to see those hits climb a bit.

1. Although we had a slow first couple sims, we've been winning games since. What do you think is the reason for our upturn of winning? The team is meshing together well and I think it's the reward of us staying positive and working hard to improve. I'm sure we'll see the wins keep on coming. 2. What is the best thing you ate/drank this week? Currently on a vacation to Toronto to see some Blue Jays games so we've been going out for a few nice meals but nothing hits the spot better than a ballpark dog. 3. The NHL Entry Draft is this week, do you plan on watching it? It seems like the Sens might move the 7th overall pick and if that happens, no, I don't plan on watching. I'll just follow along on an app. 4. Where is one place you'd love to travel to? I'm very much a home body and would rather stay home and relax but if I had to choose somewhere it would be Switzerland. I have a friend out there who I should have visited years ago. 5. What is one thing about the VHL that has confused you? Coming back around this time I'm mostly just lost with the addition of the European league. It was announced when my activity was dropping so I'll have to see what its like to figure it out. 6. What is another hobby that you have? While it's a boring answer, all the rest of my free time mostly goes into video games. Approaching 1000 hours played in Destiny 2 now!

Lets go fish bots

Early Marlin gets the bread #jointhebigfish

Player Information Username: Toast Player Name: Lloyd Braun Recruited From: Returning Age: 20 Position: D Height: 75 in. Weight: 220 lbs. Birthplace: United States of America Player Page @VHLM GM

1. We're doing great so far this season! I'll say we land third. 2. Of course, everyone should just in case. 3. The biggest surprise to me is London. 4. Both! I do a run then some weights afterwards. 5. Starbs. 6. Pizza. I change up the toppings all the time but a fresh pizza is unmatched.

1. I should probably do some more research before deciding or just let someone tell me what to do. 2. No, I don't really care for the lottery tournament. It's a good idea to fill time for our teams but eh. A lottery stream would be just fine. 3. I definitely should have done predictions... I guess I'll go with Malmo. 4. The team announcements for the VHLE. They got some good brandings and nice management teams. Should be a fun league for all. 5. Soccer! With all the Summer Olympics hype in Canada from the Women's gold it makes sense Dawson would give this a shot. 6. Anything pop or something with high energy to get the motivation going.

Hello Miami, been awhile! 1. The top of the league has a lot of competition and the moves help Miami keep competing. As long as the team fights for another Cup I'll be happy with them! 2. Of course not because it's Miami! The team has a lot of momentum and it's important to keep on it. 3. Game 36 is long past at this point but a 30-12 record is fantastic! If the team keeps this going it'll be a fun post-season. 4. I rely on trivia so much. I absolutely hate grading people's work for TPE so this is a much welcomed return for me. 5. The team already has a ton of talent but if the opportunity came up to add some depth to the forwards that could be what the team needs to seal the deal. 6. Of course! Phoenix Dawson was recently traded to New York and I'm looking forward to seeing his career play out there.

1. How do you feel the team has been performing lately? Ever since Phoenix Dawson has arrived it has not been great. I'm hoping the team will find some chemistry and get rolling. 2. During toronto's firesale we acquired Pheonix Dawson, how do you think he will affect the team? I hope to be a positive addition to the locker room and eventually have a star player on the ice! 3. Currently we stand 4th in NA, and in a playoff spot, where do we go from here? We're going to compete and sneak into the playoffs where we will play a cinderella story and win it all. 4. The new VHLE GM's were announced and we're now a step closer to its inaugural season, are you excited for the VHLE? Not one bit! I love seeing the returning teams and the GMs were solid choices but I simply won't be interested until I have a player of my own there. 5. What's the worst feeling in the world, either physically or emotionally? Realizing you forgot something at home after leaving/recalling cringe memories. 6. What is heavier, a ton of bricks or a ton of feathers? Neither/both/a ton/something

Whew, I don't remember the last time I had to actually type one of these things out because I can usually crutch on affiliate claims. Ah well. Been quite the week! I never expected that I would win the NHL 21 giveaway and appreciate the powers that be fore having it to celebrate the anniversary. It's crazy that I joined this league when I was still in College and had no idea where I was going in my life. I did take quite the extended break but I appreciate all the memories I've gotten from this league and look forward to many more. I'm disappointed with the firesale in Toronto. While I am thrilled to be joining some familiar faces in New York, it was certainly discouraging to see star players one after another ask to be moved from the team or decide to move on. I think we definitely could have stayed a solid contender if everyone actually stuck around. Anyways, onto a new chapter and hopefully at the end of this career I will be able to add another cup to my history. It really feels like another curse might be starting though... for New York's sake I hope this isn't the case!

LEGION LEAD THE LEAGUE AFTER START A strong offensive start for the Legion sees them first overall. Can they keep up the pressure? TORONTO, ON - After a disappointing season, it seems most are pleasantly shocked that Toronto have come out of the starting gate with six strong wins in a row. The team is exceeded expectations and there has been strong play across the board. The one concern that seems to be growing in Toronto is if this will be something that the team can keep up. Those who remember last season, the Legion started off strong and put the league on notice but then faced some historic bad luck and found themselves on a serious losing streak with their game mojo in absolute shambles. This would lead to the team making some moves throughout the season and then in the following off-season would lose a lot of their star power which was highlighted by the team trading away their star prospect in Welch. Going into the season, everyone knew that Toronto had decent talent. More youth was added to the team but the team didn’t have a true star like other teams in the league. Regardless though, the Legion are dominating their competition with a six-game win streak and zero losses on the season so far. The team is being led by Scotty Kaberle on defense who is involved in every play on the ice it seems with his 11 assists and 12 points in his six games. He has also been putting it all out there on the ice with 20 shots blocked as well. On offense Toronto is seeing a lot of players step up. Addison McLaren currently leads the forward scoring with six goals and 11 points while Lester Green and Phoenix Dawson are also in the double digits with 10 points through the six games. “We really want to show the league that we have what it takes,” said Dawson. “Last season was rough for everyone in Toronto and to have such a strong start to the season is great for everyone. We just need to make sure that we keep focusing on our game to make sure that the strong play doesn’t stop. Last season we may have gotten ahead of ourselves and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do when we keep our focus on the game and hopefully get this streak up into the double digits.” Toronto’s big threat so far appears to be in Europe as Malmo are also undefeated and have the better goal differential with so few goals against. While Toronto is trailing in the goal differential they are leading the league in total goals at 32 so far. Another interesting thing to note is that of Toronto’s six wins only four have been regular and overtime wins while two were decided in the shootout. Both Malmo and HC Davos have had more success for 5 ROW so far on the season. It will certainly be interesting to see how the season continues to develop in Toronto.

1. Our roster is strong. We have quality players top to bottom. We're missing a star like we had in SS Hornet but I think overall this is fine as well. 2. I'm hoping this is Phoenix Dawson's season to really develop as a star. We'll need to see how things go as the season continues. 3. I'm going to say that we end up 3rd in the NA and make a run for the Cup this season. 4. Absolutely! We're starting off strong out of the gate right now. 5. I'm selfishly going with Dawson again because I want to see him really grow as a player. 6. Why not go with Dawson again. He'll just carry the entire workload!

Been here for many years and looking forward to where the VHL goes from here!

1. Those were some crazy records. I'm in Ontario so we can get heatwaves but nothing crazy like those numbers. I would go crazy. 2. Yes, thankfully! Got a new house last year with central air and it definitely gets a workout here. 3. Yes, we had some friends over for a BBQ this year. 4. Whoops, jumped ahead. It was nice to see people again as things seem to slowly be getting back to normal. 5. Both are great but I think a BBQ wins out. 6. Chips and beer!

1. I have been! Really don't care for either team in the Finals but playoff hockey is always enjoyable. 2. Tampa Bay has the higher quality team without a doubt so let's go with them. 3. Busy with work but still hanging around in the locker room. 4. Lottery tournament? Seems pretty unnecessary. Doesn't this make it easier for a mid-tier team to stockpile high picks? 5. Draft active people for the Discord. 6. I don't lol. I will tune back in once the Legion are playing but I've been pretty uninterested since our season ended.

1. There were no real surprises. I was disappointed with how the Boom deal played out but what had to be done was done. Hopefully we move on from here and get things going! 2. tcookie is a great member! McLaren offers a boost to our offense and is hopefully going to help us sneak into the post-season. 3. STHS sucks? Lol. The player chemistry might not all be there but things seem to be starting to click for us now. 4. Nothing really! I wish Dawson was playing better but there's not much to be done for that while he grows. Looking forward to the next three seasons in Toronto! 5. So far so good! I don't want to acknowledge it much further in case I jinx anything. 6. Honestly, probably not. I look forward to new faces in the Toronto LR but I only really focus on my player and team's performance.

Thank you Yukon for adopting me for a week. I know almost nothing about the VHLM these days but I need TPE! 1. This sounds like a great idea! It'll get your locker room more competitive and excited for the sims every day and it will be exciting to see who ends up with the most by the end of the season. 2. Thad has that star power and can turn anything into a legendary moment. The only initial thought that I have is some Shania Twain tune. 3. Phoenix Dawson and the rest of the Legion are not having a great season so far. My player is at 18 points which is decent for 35 games I suppose but I was expecting much more. 4. The VHLE is exciting to see all of the new teams that will come to the league. It's nice to see Victor as part of the team bringing this to life. I would love to have a player end up on Vasteras if they do come back! 5. Typically once a week on Fridays but this was a "f it" week and I ordered in twice over the weekend. Can I blame the pandemic? 6. Agree. Even in Winter I enjoy all of those things. It's hard to not enjoy a iced capp even if it's freezing! I understand people thinking this is crazy though...

LEGION’S STRUGGLES CONTINUE Are changes on the way? While back in the win column, Toronto finds themselves far back. Toronto, ON — Another week of struggling in the VHL for the Legion has the rest of the league wondering when the team will begin to make some moves in an attempt to not see the entire season goes to waste. At the beginning of the season there were expectations that the Legion would be able to be competition for Seattle at the top of the North American conference after the strong second half of the last season and strong showing versus the Bears in the first round of the playoffs. Now though, it seems that the team is experiencing quite a bit of trouble after losing 12 consecutive games despite getting off to a strong start. Toronto is currently being led by the strong play of SS Hornet who sees success in his play regardless of if he’s on the attack or defending in his own zone. The play of Erik Killinger has been strong defensively as well but the experienced defenseman has been getting his team into a lot of penalty trouble over the season as well. Toronto has been struggling to get depth scoring going as well and has continuously tried to flip lines around to get some sort of chemistry going. Asher Reinhart, Phoenix Dawson and Oh Sens are all players who wish their scoring would be better than what it’s currently at with only Reinhart above the 20 point mark in the 35 games played so far for Toronto. “It’s been incredibly frustrating,” said Dawson following the team’s most recent loss to Riga. “We have been putting in the work to improve our game but it just seems that no matter what we try we can’t get anything to click on the ice. The mood in the locker room is definitely a little off these days but we are going to do whatever we can as individuals to get better on the ice and hopefully have a strong second half to this season like last year year.” It’s expected that Toronto will be looking to make a move or two at the trade deadline to try to get them back into the picture, but at this point it’s going to take a lot of work for Toronto to climb back up in the standings. The Legion find themselves in second last through the entire league leading only the Wolves so far. After expecting to be competitive the Legion are not dealing with the reality that they have half the points of the league leaders in Seattle. Keep an eye on Toronto within the coming weeks as changes are sure to come. With Oh Sens set to retire and some extensions to come Toronto will likely continue to shuffle the lines and hope something works while also trying to find a trade partner to get some more offensive power on the team. The second half of this race is going to be interesting for the Legion and hopefully they will be able to figure out what works.

10/10 congrats on the great career! It's nice to get to be on the same team for this short time. Solid summary of your player's career! All the best with the next guy if you are recreating.

10/10 great look at some possible E franchises. Real blast from the past seeing all of these teams and I appreciate you putting all of the logos. Vasteras coming back will be fun!