Ozzy Batty

First off, let me start this off by being upfront and honest, I am going to post this in all of the sim leagues that I am a part of. I hope that doesn’t break any rules. Please let me know if that is the case. It is not my intention to do that, but sometimes, well…you can read along and we can go from there. I want to thank the people who run sim leagues. I want to thank my teammates and the friends I have made in the leagues. I want to thank everyone involved in keeping these leagues running without pay and sometimes, having to deal with disgruntled and unhappy people. I know that sometimes it is a thankless job…and I want to make it clear, THANK YOU!! Thank you for the countless hours that you have given to the league’s success. Thank you for doing everything you can to make these leagues a great experience. Thank you for giving us a place to escape from real life and just sit back and enjoy some fake sports. I don’t want to go into too much detail, so I will give you the quick-hit summary, of why I am wanting to say this. I want to provide the people who make all of this happen see how much it matters to us, the players. Over the last 3 months I have had some pretty tough challenges in my life. Some of them added unusual levels of stress in my life, while others caused outright fear….and some others were a mix of a multitude of feelings and emotions…some good….and some bad. Unexpectedly I lost my job after my position at the company I was working out eliminated my position. This was completely out of the blue….joining a virtual meeting to do a supposed “check-in” and it being over in 5 minutes after hearing that dreaded news. I knew I was going to be eligible for unemployment, but it was no where near what I had been getting paid. Ironically, this ended up being a blessing in disguise because I was able to find a job with a company that, at times, I don’t even believe is real. I was offered the new job 4 weeks to the day that I had lost my old one. But the ensuing 4 weeks were filled with anxious moments as I got rejection email after rejection email. During this 4 weeks I had a knee operation that was supposed to be pretty routine. But, as is normal in my life, nothing was routine. I had complications and ended up with a severe infection that required me to be admitted to the hospital over a long weekend to have antibiotics pumped into my system. As I will still recovering from that my wife and I took my Dad on a already-planned vacation where walking without being able to walk was in itself something interesting. I returned home and felt like life was finally going to get back to normal when my life, and the lives of my friends and neighbors here in western North Carolina were turned upside down by Hurricane Helene. What was supposed to be some wind and heavy rain ended up being a deluge of, not inches, but feet, of rain that destroyed homes, roads, infrastructure, places of employment, and sadly, even took lives. I wasn’t sure when or how life was going to return to normal after that. But the response was overwhelming as people, organizations and government agencies rushed in to provide aid and support. So what does all of this have to do with sim leagues? Throughout all of this turmoil and chaos I had one refuge…there was one place I could escape to, even if it was for only a minute or two. I was able to pop into a sim league, maybe not all I am a part of, but as many as I could. I told them I was alive. I told them that life was crazy, but I would be back. I was able to look at how the team was doing, how the league tables looked. I was able to think about something besides the never ending chaos that was whirling around me. Life is slowly coming back to normal. My participation in the sim leagues is slowly increasing back to its pre-chaos levels. My teammates are still there, my leagues are still there….my life away from “life” is still there. So Thank You for providing this refuge and doing what you do. Now, lets play some fake sports!!

Man, what a busy few weeks! I went back to Mississauga and got my old room back. I have a great view of the park near our practice arena. It is a corner room so it also is a little bit quieter than most of the other rooms in the complex. I like it that way. I like to have the time to read and unwind. I know most of my teammates like to go out at night to enjoy the nightlife where ever we may be. But for me, give me a quiet park and a good book…yea…that is what I enjoy. Leaving home was tougher this time. I had met someone, a girl named Kelly. Well, she is not a “girl” per se. She is a student at the local university. She is studying to be a teacher. She loves literature, especially Shakespeare. I am not sure what will happen in this relationship, but I like talking to her. She lets me “nerd out” and enjoys talking to me about history. So that is another reason I like the quieter rooms, I can talk to her. We try to talk every day that I can, but sometimes the internet isn’t that good, so I write to her. I think she is pretty special, so I guess we will see. But back to the hockey! Well, I am not sure about how I should feel about this season. We started off really strong. We rocketed to the top of the Eastern Conference and it looked like we had a solid hold on it as the season progressed. But then we hit a tough patch have now dropped to 3rd. Now, it is only by 3 points, yea, the top of the conference is tight, but we have still dropped. I am hoping that we continue to keep it close. I mean, yea, if we end the season in 3rd place we would make the playoffs. But I think it would be awesome if we are able to win the conference on our way to the championship. The reason I have mixed feelings about this, yea, it sucks that we have dropped to 3rd, but as the team’s position got worse, I started to get better. I didn’t want to spend another season in the VHLM to garner any personal accolades. But I am not going to lie, it is pretty cool to see your name up in the Leader Board. When it is coupled with team success, the personal success is like icing on the cake. So while I am enjoying seeing my personal success, I would gladly swap it for a couple of more team wins. I know we cant do that, but as far as I am concerned, it would be fine if that could happen. I know the season isn’t over so there is still a lot of stuff that can happen. But I would prefer to get the team back on top of the conference before the season is over and then to make a run for that title! Yea, lots of hockey left to play so let’s make the best of it!

Oh wow, so much has happened! Yea, I got really sick so I missed out on the draft and training camp, but I am back on the mend and am back on the ice. Yea, that is so crazy as well! I was told initially that I had accumulated “too many points” to stay in the VHLM, and then I was told that I was still under the point threshold so I was going to have 1 more season in the M. I know that after my career in the M is over that I will be joining the Oslo Storm for a season or 2. After that I will be heading to the Moscow Menace, so it is nice to be heading back to Europe. But what until then? Like I said, I was sick and wasn’t able to watch the M draft. I wasn’t sure where I would go and even though I had been in the M for a season, it was as a Waiver Signing, so I was going to be drafted for my final season in the M. My family decided to not watch the draft as well. They didn’t want to know where I was going before I found out. I went to bed, hoping I would feel better in the morning without any idea of what was going to happen next. I had talked to some of the teams, but I think the confusion about my eligibility made teams unsure about wasting a draft pick on me. On top of that, some of the teams had seen a turnover in their leadership, so the people I had talked to may have moved on to bigger and better things. So I really had no idea where I was heading next. I talked to my parents and they were really curious about where I wanted to go. In all honesty, I wanted to go back to Mississauga. I wasn’t sure if that was even a possibility, and even if they wanted me to come back. They were one of the teams who had a leadership change so I didn’t know the new Manager that well. Added to that is where they had their first selection in the draft. They didn’t have a selection until the 8th pick and according to all of the mock drafts, I would be gone before then. Needless to say that when I woke up the next day, feeling a little better I may add, I was so shocked to have about 15 missed calls from Mississauga Canada! I nervously called back and woke up the new manager before he excitedly told me that I was on the board when they were ready to make their selection and he told me, “We just had to bring you back.” I was so excited that I almost dropped the phone! We made arrangements for me to fly back to Mississauga as soon as I felt well enough to meet my new teammates and to reunite with my old ones. I went into the lounge to share the good news with my family. I know that all of the teams in the VHLM are good and positive environments, but there is something about being able to go back to a place that I know and feel comfortable in. Plus I get my old locker back! Now, lets win that championship!

What an off-season it has been! It feels just like the regular season at this point. I had expected to spend a quiet few weeks at home, that is until I got the call that I had been selected to represent Team Steel in the Junior Showcase Tournament. So once again I packed my bags and jumped on a plane to head off to our training facilities. I called Mom and Dad once I got there to tell them I was at the team complex and let them know that I didn’t know where we would be playing the games at. But I would call and let them know how we were doing as the tournament progressed. I figured that I would be spending my time practicing and playing the tournament games. And yes, the practices were definitely intense! Hopefully we can translate that success from the practice arena to the tournament games. The thing that I didn’t expect…well…I had hoped would happen…is to hear from the scouts for the VHLM teams. Since I was a waiver signing for Mississauga I will be entering this season’s draft. It is odd to be considered a new draftee after playing a season in the league, but that is the way things are done. I actually had played the whole season with the Hounds and actually would love to go back there, but we never know how the draft will play out do we? While I was expecting the calls from the VHLM scouts and general managers, I dint expect to hear from VHLE staff, let alone VHL scouts! But I have gotten calls from scouts and other staff from those 2 leagues as well. I guess since I can be drafted by teams in those leagues even though I will not be playing in those leagues next season makes sense. That way they own the rights to me once I am ready to move up. One of the questions I invariably get asked is how quickly do I want to get to the VHL. My answer is always the same…when I am ready to contribute and wont be a liability on the ice. I completely understand that team needs will dictate all of this. But, all things being equal, I want to stay at each level as long as I can to be able to know that I wont hurt any team that I am playing for. What does all of that actually look like? I have no idea, but I 100% trust those who are in the front offices of the various teams to know when is the best time for me to make any changes in what level I am playing at. Speaking of which, is it acceptable for me to say that I am nervous about this tournament and next season? I had a great season for my rookie season. I think I ended up 4th in total points and was amongst some league top-rated players in being there. Will I be able to replicate that success next season? Will I be able to contribute to my team’s success in the WJC tournament? If I don’t have that level of success but we are more successful on the ice, then I am fine with that. I want to improve my team’s play and want to see us succeed. But will the front office, will the fans, be okay with me not putting up the numbers I did last season? I hope so because I think it will be a challenge for me to put up those numbers again. I hope I can, especially if they translate into more victories. Everyone knows you cant win if you don’t score, so that is what it is all based on. I don’t want anyone to think that I doubt myself, but I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself because that can be a problem within itself… The off-season is ongoing and the fun…and work..never stops! Time to enjoy the ride!!

Happy Birthday!

I will throw my hat into this ever-growing list of applicants EDIT: I currently would like to withdraw my name from consideration at this time. Thank you

Lets Go!!

Thanks!!! Looks fantastic!!

So this is how my first season in the VHLM ended…with a whimper instead of a shout. When I left my home in Bath to seek my fortune in North America as a part of the VHLM little did I realize how the season would progress and finally end. I joined the Mississauga Hounds because I felt that I would have a great opportunity there. The team didn’t have many forwards, I don’t think there was even a Center on the team when I joined. But I feltit would be a good place to start my career. If I got lucky I might score some goals and help them win some games. Even though I had joined before any games were played, I didn’t have much of a basis to build from. But that didn’t stop me from working. I spent so much time on the ice, getting to the arena when it opened and closing the doors as it was being locked up for the evening. I had blisters on my hands from practicing so long. But over time, they turned in to callouses. I felt my legs getting stronger and my eyes, as impossible as it seems, got even a little sharper. Finally, it started to pay off. My partnership with my teammates, Clapbomb Bardownski III and Konstyantyn Shevchenko, took the league by storm as we accumulated 333 points. To be part of this scoring threat was beyond my wildest dreams. The craziest part of all of this is that I ended up 3rd on the league points leader board. I felt like we were unstoppable…especially after the additions the team management made at the end of the season. Looking back on the season, before the playoffs began…I felt we were in with a chance. The season started slowly for us. But the team started to come together as the season progressed. The team management slowly added more and more players. With each addition, we got just a little bit better. The wins started to outnumber the losses and we ended to season on a strong run of victories. The locker room was excited, we knew that we had gotten good enough to win…the question was if we were good enough to win in the playoffs. We felt we were…but we all know those questions have to be answered on the ice so we settled in to do what we knew how to do…play hockey. We sadly lost in the 1st round of the playoffs…I really felt we could pull off a 1st round shock, but it wasn’t meant to be. But for me, I ended the season with an unbelievable 114 points. I scored 43 goals, 71 assists and had 4 game-winning goals. What comes next for me, I don’t know. But for now, I will head back to Bath and spend some time with my family. I don’t know if I will ever be able to top the season I had…but it will be fun to try… They say I am a top-5 draft pick…some even say I will go 1st overall. I don’t know about all of that. There is still a lot of hockey left to be played…it just sucks we are not a part of it… Between you and me though…I would trade all of my success to win the championship…accolades are nice…but trophies are so much better. Word Count: 565

Appreciate the shout out. Im just trying to be the best teammate I can be....everything else is icing on the cake

1. Massive boost. We are trending upwards like a rocket. Hopefully that will carry over to the playoffs 2. I think we did good...but who knows...we could have done even better 3. Anything is possible...but I think a 2nd round exit is realistic 4. I think you have done great. No suggestions on how it could have gone better 5. Continuing to improve. As the saying goes....practice, practice, practice.... 6. Yes! Oh, it wasnt a yes or no question? Ah hell, I will still stick with Yes...love all kinds of ice cream, on a cone or in a bowl.

When I decided to join the Mississauga Hounds as a waiver signing I had no idea I would become part of the league’s most potent scoring trio. Left Winger Clapbomb Bardownski III, Right Winger Konstyantyn Shevchenko and myself are responsible for an outstanding 325 points! I currently lead in points with 112 (42 goals, 70 assists) with Bardownski close behind with 108 points (37 goals, 71 assists) and Shevchenko pushing us to be even better with 105 points (49 goals, 56 assists). This goal scoring trio has accounted for almost 70% of all of the points the Hounds have scored this season. I have no idea what the post-season will look like for us…I hope we can pull off a shock or 2. But no matter what, this has been 1 hell of a season to be in front of the opposition’s net. It looks like Shevchenko will be going up and that Bardownski will, more than likely, be with the Hounds next season. But for me, who knows where I will end up. But I can say that this season has been one to remember and I cant wait to see what happens next! Word Count: 195

1. Great to see the additions! Looks like things are definitely trending upwards! 2. I think all of them are. I know it wont impact our seeding, but I think the success will show that the lines and strats are our best fit 3. I guess I need to decide am I going to be a scorer, or a set-up player. I dont think this balanced mind set will be sustainable 4. I think it is a combination of things, team need, the number of players in each position, what kind of earner the person is. I dont think there is a 1 answer for all situation for this 5. I think the opportunity to discuss things...not only about the team, but how things are going with the season and stuff 6. 22. Yes. I am a vet and I try to help raise awareness of veteran suicide. There are an average of 22 vets a day who take their own lives, so I wear 22 to remind people that 22 a day is 22 too many.

Miami Marauders vs Philadelphia Reapers: Game 267 With every point needed by the Philadelphia Reapers to help secure them a playoff spot, this game was a good opportunity for the Reapers to show why they deserved a spot at the playoff table. Unfortunately things didn’t go as planned as they fell to defeat by a score of 5-1. The game was for all intents and purposes over by the first intermission as Miami had a 4-1 advantage. The fact that the Marauders were able to score 2 short-handed goals in less than a minute set the stage for the final outcome. Interestingly the fact that the 1st period saw the flurry of scoring, it also only saw 1 penalty, against Toby Cook from Miami for Holding Stick. The shots were also heavily in Miami’s favor as they outshot the Reapers 38-17. Miami took almost as many shots in the 1st period (14) as Philly did in the whole game. The Philadelphia Reapers are fighting to make the postseason, but results like this will make it more difficult for them to hold onto that vital 4th spot in the Eastern Conference. Word Count: 183