JCarson

I am always interested in discussion on the Hall of Fame positioning, especially with players that I was on he cusp of. Knowing names but not really facing any of them as I was in the lower leagues with my first player. This article reminds me of one by Gustav as he talks about those just not good enough to make the Hall of fame. But looking at the perspective of regular season versus payoffs is an interesting perspective. I give this article a 9 out of 10. Fun ready, well written.

This is a great article, it proves again that base statistics don't always line up with the value we give them. Once you get past looking at the total number and start moving down to looking at value of each (Hit, Shot block, whatever stat you want to discuss) you get a much more rounded view. It would be interesting to see if the chart of top defender and top forwards would change if you measured based on your ratio of effective to ineffective hits, obviously you would need to look at players needing a minimum number of hits to be included. I think you may see some unique situations come out that may change how players are evaluated. I give this article a 10/10. Well done.

A case for most improved, yes I know we are only at game 22 of the season. But by the time you finish reading this you will understand what I am saying. Davos is having a great start to the season and the offensive output has been squarely focused on the second line. League wide currently the top three spots are held by Johnny Tsunami with 39 points and then David Pastanap and Mina with 35 points each. None of those names are ones that you would expect to see at the top of the points chart. They have come out of nowhere to be the best offensive line in the VHL so far. Hands down, no question. All of them are on pace for season best totals but one is standing out ahead of the rest. David Pastanap is in their 3rd season in the VHL. Over their first 2 seasons they have had the following stat line Season 96: 8G, 15A, 23P, 36+/-, 109 SHT, 8 PIM, 16HIT 4SB, 3GW, 1PPG Season 97: 18G, 25A, 43P, 15+/-, 216 SHT, 21PIM, 41HIT,10SB, 4GW, 6PPG Now let's look at where we are at game 22 of season 98. 13G, 22A, 35P, 10+/-, 6PIM, 18HIT, 4SB, 5GW, 3PPG Everyone this is after 22 games. I will repeat that, this is after only 22 games. This player has turned a corner and is having a breakout season. Right now, this is the player that the league needs to be watching. Who knows where this season will take David Pastanap but if this keeps up they should be an easy choice for most improved. (Potentially other awards on top of that.)

1. I would most like to visit London 2. No it was a horrible surprise, how dare we do well 3. I think the NA has more strong teams but i think the EU has the stronger teams 4. Outside my own player, I think I am watching the breakout season of Johnny Tsunami right now. 5. I have never paid attention to if they did or not 6. I have no idea at this point 7. No, I'm Scottish I don't wear green to celebrate the Irish 8. I would have to say pie.

To remind everyone Felicia Hardy’s goal for this season is to get 100 points and preferably 100 assists. This series is going to do a game by game recap of their progress towards that goal. The last entry in this series looked at games 1-6 where by the end Felicia has 12 points, 1 goal and 11 assists. To track against expectation Felicia should have 8.34 points to stay on pace for 100 by the end of the season. This entry will look at games 7 through 16. Game 57 Davos versus London – Target 9.73 points The seventh game of the season saw Davos had another strong offensive outing, winning 5-4 in regulation. Offensive output was spread evenly across both lines. Felicia put up 2 assists to bring them to 1 goal and 14 assists on the season. Game 66 Davos versus Malmo – Target 11.12 points The eighth game of the season was a close affair that went to overtime. Davos was able to be victorious with a 3-2 win. Davos second line put up a strong showing getting all the points. Felicia was held off the scoresheet, maintaining their 1 goal 14 assists. Game 72 Davos versus Warsaw – Target 12.51 points Game nine of the season was another close battle seeing Warsaw come out on top in a shoot out. Davos first loss of the season saw Felicia assist on the first goal of the game by Antonia Bucatini. This brings Felicia’s totals to 1 goal and 15 assists. Game 81 Davos versus Riga – Target 13.9 points Game ten was another close low scoring game. Davos edged Riga 2-1 in this defensive battle. Felicia assisted on the game winner by Gianfranco Del Rocco in the third period. This puts Felicia’s season totals at 1 goal and 16 assists. Game 85 Davos versus Helsinki – Target 15.29 points Game eleven saw a more open game compared to the last 3 with Davos accumulating 4 goals. Even though offense was up Felicia was held off the scoresheet. Season totals remain at 1 goal 16 assists. Game 93 Davos versus Prague – Target 16.68 points Game twelve resulted in a shootout loss for Davos, with the final score being 4-3 for Prague. Felicia opened the scoring at 0:30 into the first period on the power play. The play went as designed with Antonia Bucatini winning the faceoff back to the blue line, Felicia let off a slap shot, Gianfranco Del Rocco went to the net (expecting to tip it) but the puck sailed straight through catching the top left corner. This puts Felicia with 2 goal and 16 assists on the season. Game 104 Davos versus Calgary – Target 18.07 points Game thirteen ended as Davos first regulation loss of the season. Calgary came out strong putting up 5 goals to take the game 5-3. Felicia had 1 assist on the night. On the season that puts Feleica at 2 goals 17 assists. Game 113 Davos versus Malmo – target 19.46 points Games fourteen saw Davos rebound from their first regular season loss by putting up 5 points of their own in this 5-1 win. Malmo had a hard time keeping up with Davos on this night. Felicia put up 2 assists during this one to bring their season totals to 2 goal and 19 assists. Game 121 Davos versus Moscow – Target 20.85 points Game fifteen unfortunately saw Davos on the losing end. Moscow pushed ahead 4-2 to take the match. Felicia was able to get 1 assist on the night on Davos’ second goal. This brings Felicia’s season totals to 2 goals 20 assists. Game 127 Davos versus London – Target 22.24 points Game sixteen was another high scoring affair against London. Not anywhere near the 10-2 thumping earlier in the season but a 6-3 win is still impressive. Davos second line put up most of the offense with Johnny Tsunami putting up a 4 goal and 5 point game. Felicia did put up one assist to bring the season totals to 2 goals and 21 assists. With 2 goals and 21 assists, for a total of 23 points Felicia is right in line with the target of 22.24 points at this point in the season. it does seem that their early strong start added some buffer and that things are beginning to slow down. We will see if their line can push back and increase the offensive output to start putting some points on the scoresheet but for now things are on pace.

Articles and Media spots that expand the players life outside of the direct confines of the VHL are always fun. Positioning the story as a letter to a brother is a great way to keep it personal. Well done all around. It is very easy to build off of this as a series which will make doing media spots easy. I give this media spot a 9.5 out of 10, great work. Keep going, looking forward to the next installment.

I always like to see articles based on numerical analysis. When it is someone newer to the league it is even more impressive, 1st couple days into the season is probably too early to get a good review but definitely keep it up. I'll give this article a 9 out of 10 because i want to encourage the write to keep going, Have fun, keep building your player and read everything you can on player building. I know the Mexico Discord server has some great info. Keep going.

n a prior article I discussed the goals of Felicia Hardy for the remainder of her career. This article series is going to look at an analysis of what is going on during games and how that will impact their ability to achieve those goals. Let me summarize the goals for reference: 1) 100 point season 2) 100 assists in a season 3) A Championship Obviously the third goal is a singular yes/no response so this series will focus on how Felicia is doing at achieving the first two goals. as a point of reference to accomplish a 100 point season Felicia will need to maintain a 1.39 points per game pace. As of the point this article is being written, HC Davos Dynamo have taken part in 6 games. Game 8 Davos versus Helsinki – Target 1.39 point Davos first game of the season was a shootout winner, ending 6-5. Felicia was named second star for her efforts. Putting up 1 goal and 2 assists on the night it was a great way to start the season. Season points 3 (1 goal 2 assists) Game 18 Davos versus Chicago – Target 2.78 points Davos second game of the season was another win for the Dynamo, ending 5-4 in regulation. Felicia had 2 assists in the match adding to their great start. Season Points 5 (1 goal 4 assists) Game 25 Davos vs Vancouver – Target 4.17 points While the first 2 games of the season were high scoring affairs, the third game for Davos was a strong defensive effort. A 3-1 win added to Davos success. Felicia Hardy was kept off the scoreboard in this one. Season points 5 (1 goal 5 assists) Game 31 Davos versus London – Target 5.56 points After a more defensive game Davos exploded in this one. A 10-2 win over London had both lines showing what they can do on the scoreboard. Felicia added 4 assists on the night. Season points 9 (1 goal 8 assists) Game 40 Davos versus Moscow – Target 6.95 points Davos fifth game of the season was another defensive battle. After losing to Moscow in the season 97 playoffs Davos was hoping to get a little revenge to start season 98. Davos came out on top of a tight 2-1 game. Felicia assisted on the game winner in the second period. Season Points 10 (1 goal 9 assists) Game 46 Davos versus Malmo – Target 8.34 points Davos sixth game of the season was their sixth straight win. A 3-1 regular season win had Davos outshoot Malmo 48-21 in this one-sided affair. Felicia was named first star for her efforts putting up a 2-assist night. Season points 12 (1 goal 11 assists) The first 6 games for Felicia have shown that her training is working. They are sitting well ahead of the required target to meet the 100-point season and 100 assist season. We will continue to monitor the progress over the season and hopefully will be able to celebrate at the end of the season.

It’s Go Time After what seemed like a long offseason finally Season 98 is underway. It can only be described in one way, there is a general sense of excitement across the league. The HC Davos Dynamo locker room is no different. The excitement sits over everything, a looming presence. That said it is a slightly different locker room than last season, a little quieter with the oversized presence of Grimgor Ironhide being absent. The players took the opportunity to meet without management to discuss the season, to share goals and to bond before the games began. Many players shared the goals and targets they are looking at, individual bests, breakout desires, career goals and cup aspirations. Sitting in the room you can tell that this is a team that has something to prove. This is not something that management is telling them they should be striving for, this is player lead, player focused. The players are telling management that they are all in, this is the season. So, what are we expecting. Davos Forwards are promising us a season of fast paced, hard hitting, disciplined, high scoring offense. Over the offseason they have been working with coaches and specialists on skating, strength and overall conditioning. Davos’ defensive core has spent the offseason building strength and working on zone exits. If teams plan on being in Davos end, they will soon learn that it comes at a price. It will be a painful experience. We can’t leave the goaltenders out; they have spent the offseason with the goalie coaches working to hone their craft. Davos is ready.

1 I'm not against them overlapping but they should have 2 separate defined criteria 2 Goal is to get 100 points 3 Yes, I'm group 11, we are going very slowly 4 The great people 5 I was able to share something with my son 6 so he gets to lose with another team 7 i don't watch F1 but my guess is one of the drivers 8 sunny weather but cold sunny not hot sunny

Great article and as you noted the Hall of Fame induction was spot on. Both players had excellent careers and put their mark on the league. I am excited to see the next few seasons announcements as I joined the league in season 84 so they should start including players I am more familiar with. I am also very intrigued by drafts and seeing where people go, those that slide down the scale are the most intriguing. You can never know for sure what it means, what is going through the individual GM minds. Hopefully Bazooka Joe puts out a banger of a career and GM regret their decision. As I said great article, keep it up. 9 out of 10.

Looks like Toronto has made a number of changes to prepare for the upcoming season. As you noted change is never easy especially as the core of a team gets older and you can never guarantee how the newer players will fill in. Even if this year is an average year it still looks like there are a number of good pieced to build around so a rebuild will only be about picking up some key pieces and not doing a full restructure. Good luck in season 98. I give this article a 9 out of 10, great job

It is Saturday evening, and I am sitting watching the Leafs/Avalanche game. Currently Toronto is winning 3-2 but is playing very sloppy and has just taken a second straight penalty. With the offensive power of the Avalanche there will be a good chance this will be bad news for the Leafs. (coming back to this I need to note that they did kill off the penalty) With the remainder of my weekend being very busy I need to get my TPE tasks completed tonight. So unfortunately, I am going to need to put together something without spending a lot of time putting it together. So, tonight’s Media spot will be another rendition of Random Thoughts. Thought 1, with most of the snow melted in the region I live in, I went and pulled out my smoker and did a roast for dinner. Served it with baked potato, broccoli and cheese sauce. I missed having smoked meat. I will say that again, I have missed having smoked meat. It is very tasty. I wonder if hockey players ever have the time to smoke meat. I bet they must go out and buy it as they don’t have the time in their schedules. Thought 2, it really feels like the drafts recently have been limited. Maybe I don’t have enough history to really judge the quality of drafts. Hopefully the draft quality and length changes as we approach season 100 and we have a resurgence of players. Thought 3, the decrease in the salary cap in the VHL. I expect this is needed to help spread the top players around the league so that things are more competitive, but it also feels like it is compensating for GM that are struggling with their roles. Thought 4, I started a media spot earlier this evening where I was going to go through the process of discussing the process of Felicia Hardy getting a pet, it was going to be a kitten, pure black. It was going to be a heartfelt piece, and I was going to try and include a picture but as I got into it, I found it difficult to get more than a couple hundred words. So, I abandoned the writing and went on to do an article about how Felicia Hardy started looking for a house in Davos. Before I continue with my thoughts I will provide an update on the hockey game. The Avalanche just scored their fourth, tying the game with just over seven minutes left in the game. Neither goalie is playing very well and the talented scorers on both teams are taking advantage of that. We will see what happens and who wins this wild affair. Thought 5, I am wondering what everyone’s favorite brand of potato chip is. I have found recently that a lot of brands have been lacking flavor. Not sure if they have done this on purpose or if I am losing my sense of taste but most chips now are flavorless. The one brand I still enjoy is Miss Vickie’s. Right now, I am eating a bag of their Spicy Dill Pickle and they are very tasty. Well those are my thoughts this evening. What are you thinking.

Feeling like home. It was 3 seasons ago that Felicia Hardy joined the VHL Davos Dynamo, they settled into a small apartment not far from the arena and that is where they have lived since. But in all reality, it has never felt like home. With some time during the offseason Felicia decided that it might be time to look at something more permanent. As they have never purchased property before they spent a significant amount of time discussing the options with some of the more established players on the team. Luckily one of the players was friends with a local real estate agent so Felicia reached out. Felicia was excited about the prospect of having their own place, one they could make their own. After an extensive discussion about what Felicia was looking for the Real estate agent went to work identifying options and booking tours. The Mountain house was the first tour, it was a nice place with many amenities, including a sauna. The big issue was that it was far from town and the arena, which would mean longer days. House in the City, was the second place they toured, it was not as nice as the mountain house but offered great city access, a rooftop terrace and plenty of storage space. It needed a few renovations but that didn’t bother Felicia as they could be done while they were on road trips. The last house they looked at was a suburban paradise. It was fully renovated, had plenty of land but wasn’t far from the city that it would cause issues. It had plenty of room to do everything that Felicia wanted to do but wasn’t too large that it would always feel empty. At this point Felicia hasn’t decided what they will do, should they choose one of the three properties that they have looked at or should they continue looking. Time will tell.

1. Both look like solid additions to the lineup, looking forward to playing with them. 2. Mocking Helsinki 3. I will have 100 points by season end 4. I predict 22 recreates 5. It is just TPE, I prefer neither 6. No other sim leagues, don't have time 7. I will say Neutral, not sure it has had any impact one way or the other 8. Only music I listen to is the radio while driving, so nothing to recommend there.

This is a fun article, many sports have had people who do multiple sports professionally. This by far is a unique combination as they are so different. I am less concerned about the player getting injured during a wrestling match and more concerned that they decide to throw an elbow during a game. Not sure many are going to take the option to line up for a fight against someone who might just drop them into a piledriver right there on the ice. Good luck with your career. I give this article a 9 out of 10. Keep it up.

All I can say is wow, there is a lot of information here and a lot of good suggestions. The fact that you are willing to share this information to the league instead of just to your locker room identifies how important this league is to you. Make sure you claim this for a number of weeks (I think 4 is the most allowed) you deserve the credit. It will be interesting to see if this because the next guide to player building over the next few seasons. I give this article a 10/10 just because you did it.

I am not one to go out for dinner very often, I learned to cook fairly well myself but luckily married a woman who is an excellent cook. Most chain restaurants can’t put out a meal as good as she can. Why would I ever pay more money for a meal to get worse quality. So, when I do go out, I tend to choose a restaurant that serves a type of food that I don’t typically make (seafood is a big choice here) or something that has some cultural linking that I am not familiar with or don’t typically have the ingredients for in my fridge or pantry. Outside that I am looking for one thing in particular, a place that has an experience that I am not going to do at home. Last night I experienced that. It was my wife’s birthday and so was looking for something that would be unique as part of that celebration experience. I remembered that my wife had gone to an independent restaurant in the city we live in with a friend of hers a little while back. She enjoyed it and I thought it might be a great place to take her back to. The name of the restaurant is Langs. It specializes in Korean BBQ and Hot Pot. It is an all you can eat establishment where you cook everything at your table either through a specialized grill built into your table or within a soup pot that is kept hot through an induction element built into the table. We chose to do the hot pot. The waitstaff set us up with a pot of broth (we chose chicken, it also came with ginger and lemongrass) and then took our order for meats. While we waited for the meat to arrive, and we chose several options including beef, chicken, pork, pork belly and shrimp, we also ordered pork and shrimp wantons. We then went to the refrigerated cabinet and got our vegetables. There were so many options. There was also a spice and sauce bar. With everything delivered we started making our soups, cooking the meat in the broth and then bringing it into individualized soup bowls. The interesting part was that as we cooked the meat and vegetables in the broth it continued to flavor it making it tastier as the meal went on. It was a fun and tasty experience, and I would recommend it as something to try if you can. Now that I have talked about my dining experience, I would like to challenge the VHL community to discuss some of their unique experiences. What have you had that others might enjoy, what places have taken the concept of a restaurant beyond just eating food and have made it a dining experience. I would like to hear about all the experiences that are out there that I might have the opportunity to experience and enjoy. Thanks everyone who offers up something to this topic, I am looking forward to reading your entries.

1) I haven't really been paying attention to the trades 2) Dream vacation would be a quiet cabin in the woods with nobody around. 3) Don't really have one. 4) No, I think GM players should be like anyone else. 5) I am on the Sour Grapes so I will choose them. 6) Yes, I watched it 7) Yes, it is my wife's birthday so I will be doing things with her. I'm relatively boring so probably alligator or frog.

We still have some time before season 98 begins but Felicia Hardy is making sure they use every moment they have, to focus on their game. Like many players Felicia has several goals that they would like to achieve in their career. Goal 1: Point per game over their career. Felicia Hardy is looking at putting in a full 576 game career and the goal is to have a minimum of 576 points. Currently Felicia has played 216 games and has 225 points. If Felicia continues at their current pace this goal should be achieved. Goal 2: 100-point season. Felicia is hoping to have at least one season in their career where they get 100 points, through their first 3 seasons the highest points so far is 82, so there is still need for improvement if this goal is to occur. Goal 3: 100 assist season. Not only does Felicia want to have a 100-point season, but the ultimate goal is also to have 100 assists in a season. Currently Felicia has only 73 assists in one season so it will be significant work to get to 100. Felicia isn’t afraid of a little work. Goal 4: Winning a Championship. Every player who steps on the ice in the VHL has this as a goal, but not every player believes that it can be a possibility. Davos has been improving every year and has a great chance at doing a strong playoff push this season. A championship is an option. So this is where Felicia Hardy is, as they look at the remainder of their career.

This is an interesting article. Having put a max earn player forward once and am part of the way doing it a second time it can be difficult to watch as your team and player fall short and there is nothing, literally nothing you can do about it as you have already max earned. I think around season 4-5 it becomes the toughest as that is when you have to start watching and prepping for depreciation. To spend almost 4 years building only to maintain what you have already achieved. I am not sure there will ever be a good solution to this issue. it will continue to suck. I give this article a 10 out of 10 because I understand.

The loss of a parent is difficult, I lost my Mother to Ovarian Cancer 22 years ago. There are always reminders of her and it will always hurt. In your one response you note: I have had 10 years of sitting on this and while when I was 18 it didn't even hurt that much, there was rationality that I knew it could happen as my dad was 3 times a week attending dialysis and I knew anything could take it over the line, not to mention something as devastating as pneumonia can be. I blame myself as well as I went to visit him and didn't press him to change the hospital and move even though it was clear that nothing was being done. So there is that. I want to suggest that you ponder something. At 18 even if you had said something, the chances of you providing enough information, evidence, conviction (whatever term you want to use) to convince your father , or the medical system that you knew more than they did and that making a change may be the best option, is very limited. You can continue to carry the guilt of being silent with you or you can forgive yourself and come to the realization that it by no means was your responsibility. At 18 you were still very much the child in the situation. If the other adults involved in the situation didn't see and respond to what was going on, some of which are trained medical professionals (doctors, nurses) than how at 18 are you to be held responsible. To put it another way, I have always connected to the scene in Good Will Hunting where Robin Williams sits with Matt Damon during one of the counselling sessions and just repeats "It's not your fault". Whatever the situation we as humans tend to blame ourselves for things that happen to us, we can logically (or maybe better put illogically) make up some story of how if we didn't fail, if we were only better, we could have changed the course of history. When in reality there were limitations on what we could have done in the situation. And so we carry guilt. I am just suggesting that you consider forgiving yourself and moving forward. It won't resolve the pain but it will help you move forward. I am going to step outside the context of my above statement to just note the other side. I don't give anyone a free ride either, there are so many people who have choices ahead of them, that can influence their futures who take no responsibility and play the victim. These people need to grow up and realize their life isn't happening to them. There is a huge difference between someone who is dealing with the impacts of an illness and a death versus those who don't or won't do what is necessary to improve their lives.

It is that time of the offseason where I sit and ponder options for my next series of media spots. I hope you all enjoyed the exploits of Peter Elliott Nes, Private Investigator as he researched the goings on in the VHL. He was sad that he was unable to come to any formal conclusions but was happy that his investigations into the playoff seemed to have dissuaded any wrongdoing. But time moves on and it is important to move onto something new to keep my interest. I have several thoughts for media spot topics, let’s look at some of those. First, I could do a multiweek review of ex-Davos player, Grimgor Ironhide, to see if his move to Helsinki will finally get him the 100-point season that that has up until now been elusive. This series would look at game reviews and point progressions to see if in fact the 100 point season is in play. Second, I could do a series looking at the lowest TPE player on each team and see how they fit into their teams and if they are making a positive contribution. This article would look at placement on lines, time played and productivity at their position. Third I could do a series of articles about places my player visits while on the road, looking at restaurants, tourist attractions, cultural events. It would become a guide to visiting VHL cities, a best of the best. Well those are three potential options for the season 98 media spots, I haven’t decided if I will go with one of these or find something else.

The sound of silence. Season 97 has come to an end, not just the regular season but also the playoffs. Seattle took the VHL Continental Cup with a goal by Rin Kagamine in overtime of game 5. Las Vegas took the Founder’s Cup in 6 games. Each team rightfully took time to celebrate as a team and with their fans. Well deserved, noisy, boisterous, celebrations. But now even those have subsided. With all the celebrations now over a hush has descended upon the VHL. If you have ever lived beside a large body of water and have had the chance to watch the fog roll in, then you know how it feels. Silence sits heavy right now. Now don’t get me wrong there are plenty of activities going on as the teams get ready for season 98. Draft decisions are being made, trade opportunities are being investigated, free agent options are being analyzed. The VHL back offices are in full swing, but that is it, it is all back-office work, being done in private, a secretive hush that is just out of ear shot. Like a white noise machine, it adds to the feeling of silence that exists. Every now and again something slips out of the silence, an announcement but then the roaring sound of silence descends again. The players are in full training mode, gym workouts, nutrition plans, specialized skill development with offseason coaches, everything is locked behind closed doors, a secret to be revealed at just the right time. Every now and again a member of the media catches a glimpse of a couple players together or a well-respected coach and tries to move in for an interview, tries to make a big reveal but is always shut down with a very general answer. “We are working on some on ice skills, skating, puck movement, shooting, passing, you know some things to make next season better. Just trying to bring things together.” And the player fades away into the arena, which is a media free zone, to continue working on something with someone or maybe even many someone. Nobody knows for sure but the silence. The fans wait, offseason again. No games, limited media coverage, a looming day in the not-so-distant future, the first day of the next regular season. Although it is not that far ahead, it is still a wait, a chance for the stillness and silence to sit heavy in the room. In the silence is a small glimmer of hope, the dawn of a new day, a day where hockey will break forth and the silence will cease. The sound of skates on ice, of pucks and sticks, of bodies hitting boards. The faint glimmer of the siren sounding the next game, the next period, the next goal. In the silence the league waits for now, but soon the fans will roar, and the sound of silence will disappear, and the sound of hockey will resound again. For now, enjoy the silence for what it is, the collective breath that will usher in the next season.