JCarson

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.

1. would have been nice to get Ironhide 100 points 2. Lets say Riga, just because i think the EU is the better conference 3. Us losing to Moscow, we should have won that 4. Within the ability to control, I would like to see additional stats gathered 5. Felicia Hardy of course 6. Winter, much better sports 7. Yes, the half time show sucked 8. I will say Popcorn

Definitely agree that we lack a number of stats that would help in defining a defensive minded defender. Anything that picks up the ability of a player to get the puck back when their team doesn't have it, along with any stat that links to the ability to get the puck out of your defensive zone would be great additions. Hits and blocks only provide minimal context to what is a much larger set of skills. Would like to see how an expanded data set could provide contest to proving a hall of fame career for a defensively minded player. It is my opinion that we overweight points attained in looking at hall of fame induction. I give this article a 9 out of 10.

Gustav again doesn't disappoint. Long, stats driven, well written. I am starting to get concerned that Gustav may need a different form of entertainment. Running statistical models to prove or disprove anything within a fake hockey world and apparently enjoying it, well lets just say that isn't normal. Yet weirdly I enjoy reading it and all the varying comments, which tells me others also enjoy it. I give this article a 10 out of 10.

An experiment in player building. With my first player, London United forward, Molly the Cat, I relied heavily on the advice of my son who recruited me into the league on how to build a good player. I will admit that his advice was sound, and Molly the Cat had a wonderful career. With Felicia Hardy I have taken what I have learned, through my first player and through reading several communications that have been published (Thanks Gustav) and have put in some of my own time and research. I also decided that I didn’t want to stick with the goa focused player and have built with a skating/passing mindset. Again, I think the career of Felicia Hardy has gone well so far, in three seasons they have accumulated 225 points which is slightly higher than a point per game pace. Most of which have been assists. Now I have found myself with a fairly solid stat base with primary stats of Defense at 96, skating at 92, Puck handling at 91 and Passing at 92. Without focusing on scoring that provides a good base to player productivity. So I am now looking at where the remainder of my TPE goes prior to me starting to bank to cover depreciation. I have decided I am going to experiment and start putting into leadership and discipline to see how it impacts my players penalty minutes and impact on the ice with other players. Again, as those TPE really aren’t assisting in building anything it won’t be a drastic loss if the allocation amounts to nothing. So let the experiment begin.

I have been thinking about a comment I made on a media spot that came out earlier this month. The main media spot had to do with how teams have entered and managed the rebuild process and how the actions of their GM’s lead to problems. It was a good article and if you haven’t read it, you should. Especially if you are thinking about becoming a GM any time in the future. Find link below: https://vhlforum.com/topic/154595-when-to-rebuild-a-cautionary-tale-ft-la-prague-dc-helsinki-london-and-warsaw-and-maybe-you-next/ The comments although relevant to the topic overall did stray from the original article and it is where those comments landed that I want to focus on. Particularly the topic of should we have an evaluation process for VHL GM to help maintain competitiveness and player engagement. I am going to take the stance that there should be an evaluation process and discuss the methodology that I think could be used. Any evaluation of a GM needs to look at several different factors and not purely look at end of season outcomes. I would expect that this evaluation be done by multiple individuals and would include input from the commissioners, the other GM’s and a representation of the team’s players (potentially the team captain). Evaluation Point 1 – adherence and support of League rules, measured by Commissioners and potentially moderators (pertaining to impact on Discord). GM’s should be leading the way on adhering to the rules of the league and supporting others to do the same. Violations here should be grounds for warning once (depending on the rule) and termination if violated multiple times. Evaluation Point 2 – engaging in GM specific activities like Trading, Free Agency and Drafting. I am not suggesting we should evaluate how well someone did as that can be subjective, what I am discussing is how engaged in the process. Are they actively looking to improve their team, trying to make deals, seek out players and doing the work to position themselves for the draft. This would be evaluated by the Commissioners and other GM. Evaluation Point 3 – impact on player engagement. This would be measured by looking at locker room activity and player support on discord. One of the main goals of the GM is to engage their players, to assist them when they have questions and to remind them of things they may have forgotten. This assist in keeping players engaged and active. I think this is where I would have the team captain provide input on behalf of the player Evaluation Point 4 – engaging with others involved in the VHL process. Mainly this includes working with the Simmers to ensure that the process runs smoothly. Making sure line changes are completed in a timely manner, particularly at season beginning and with backup goalie requirements. But also includes making sure trades are communicated so that those line adjustments can be made within the sim engine. Simmer, GM and commissioners would provide input here Evaluation Point 5 – Competitive performance, although this should never be the sole reason for removing a GM from their position. it must be considered in the overall performance, as it is in reality. You can have an engaged, hard-working, player focused GM who is liked by their peers and is compliant with all rules but there comes a point where they can’t produce a competitive team then they aren’t fit for the job. There you have it, my system for evaluating GM on their role with the goal of maintaining a competitive and engaged VHL experience. I know it is not perfect, but I think it is better than doing nothing like we do now.

I may be biased but I am going to start by giving this article a 10 out of 10. Not because I like the content but more from the fact that I think it is the healthy response. How many times do we hear about the burnout of individuals and they step back and just disappear. I expect it is because they held out too long, feeling guilty for stepping back and so when they do finally let go, or are forced by life to let go it is completely. If we could only recognize that taking a step like this early can allow us to stay connected and mentally healthy while still giving us the time we need to get through life, it allows a balance. Change isn't easy, take the time you need.

This is a great article, purely opinion so it doesn't define anything, but it does give a perspective on the teams and how taking a different course of action might have ended with a different result. I like the fact that it kept to a hockey analysis and wasn't a direct attack on the GM's as individuals. The comments tend to lead to the question of GM quality and should that indicate a reason to fire, similar to a real hockey franchise. I have suggested before that GM's should be evaluated, based on all aspects of their job (retention, locker room activity, trading, drafting, free agency, etc. However I do believe there is one area where immediate termination should exist, ability to follow rules. With rule following we shouldn't be seeing repeated offenses (even on use of back up goalies) and team punishments (reduced draft odds, loss of picks) season after season. There comes a point where this has to stop. Article gets a 9 out of 10, again just my opinion so it doesn't mean anything.

1. I believe special teams will be key to us winning 2. I expect Vancouver will be the NA champion 3. I think it is fine as it is. 4. I am competitive, I can't let Jacob do better than I do. 5. Last one was named after a comic character 6. Sorry have no idea what this is about. I know you are referring to Basketball but I don't pay attention 7. The Niagara Ice Dogs of the OHL has Bones, a white dog as a mascot 8. Players nickname is Black Cat. I bring teams bad luck.

In every player’s life there are games that define them, games where they step up and produce at a level, they never knew they could. Sometimes it is not a game but an entire season or even a playoff series. For one VHL player that time is now. Game 7 of any series naturally becomes one of those time to step up and shine and the players on Moscow and Davos, Riga and Malmo, and Seattle and Vancouver are facing that right now. Game 7, the time to shine, the time to become the team hero, the fan favorite and potentially the Most Valuable player in the league. This article will look at some potential options for each of the game 7 teams: Moscow- with many excellent options to choose from which could be easily justified I am going to pick someone who tend to be just outside of the top performers. A potential game maker to note is Jillian Woods. Davos, again another team with players who can step up when needed, but in this instance, I am going to suggest the game maker will be perpetual team production leader Antonia Bucatini. Riga, as the European conferences underdog, the fact that they are this far into a series against Malmo means that many have already stepped up in this series. The only game maker that can bring Riga to a winning position is Rad Panda. Malmo, like Moscow, this team is loaded with strong performers day in and day out. Any one could step up to secure game 7 and the series. As such I expect the game maker to be superstar Lucy Leitner. Seattle, the North American Play in winner is faced playing a strong Vancouver team. A team approach has allowed them to hold on so far, but they will need their stars to step up. The Game maker I am choosing is Eric White Jr. Vancouver, North America’s top team in the regular season had players who put up amazing seasons. To close this series off they will need that to continue. The player who has the best ability to step up and steal this is their Goalie, Soju.

From the desk of Peter Elliott Nes, Private Investigator. This report is being released while I am undercover on assignment in the city of Moscow. With the playoffs in full swing the allegations regarding game tampering are at an all time high. For some reason the number of allegations and rumors surrounding this one series have comes in at an alarming rate, one I must take seriously. As such I am in the city of Moscow to watch the final game in the Moscow and Davos series. Because this report is going to be forward looking it will be vague, as I can’t give away what I am particularly looking for, but rest assured I will be watching. What I want to discuss is the preparation work that I have been allowed to do in preparation for this game and that which the league has done at my request. The league, myself, and my staff are taking all allegations seriously and are doing everything we can to ensure this game goes off without issue. First, I have been given permission be the VHL to set up video surveillance equipment in the halls of the arena, just outside of the locker rooms of both teams. Anyone moving within 50 feet of either locker room from any of the entrances will be recorded and identified. The goal of this is to keep track of all individuals who enter these rooms to ensure that only approved individuals enter. Second, I have hired additional security to monitor the player entry points to the arena. We have also arranged group transportation for each team to control and coordinate the arrival of both teams in a safe and secure manner. Additionally, the league has arranged specific hotel accommodations which have been kept secret. The goal of this is to ensure that nothing stops both teams from arriving at the arena on time and in peak condition. Third, the game equipment provided by the league has been in a secure and guarded room waiting for the game. The pucks, the nets and referee equipment has been secured so that nothing can impact these items for game time. The Zambonis have been inspected to ensure no tampering has occurred. Fourth, all video equipment that will monitor the game has been inspected and tested. Goal line cameras, blue line cameras, overhead cameras, referee tablets and team bench tablets have all been inspected and tested. All have been found to be in prime condition and ready for the game. Lastly the league has not announced the officials for this game to ensure that no undue influence can be put on the officials. Enough evidence exists to conclude it is more than rumor, but it appears that in a prior season one of the linesmen in a key game got notified that his family had been abducted and that they would only be returned if his calls favored one of the teams. It was later identified that nobody had been abducted but that was only determined after the game had been completed. Similar precautions are being taken across the league with all the remaining games but as I have noted the number of rumors pertaining this game are at an all time high and so I will be here to ensure everything runs smoothly. I wish both teams good luck and promise that I will do everything in my power to provide a fair game.