What Keeps Bringing Us Back?
NEW YORK - Forty five seasons. Think on that. It's pretty incredible when you think that a sim league like this has been able to not only survive, but thrive for forty five seasons. Comparing it to the NFL's 50th Super Bowl being held this season might seem a bit silly, but it just goes on to show the kind of history that the kind of longevity the Victory Hockey League has enjoyed will bring. Many people who have had players here can look back very fondly at the legacy some of them have grown to. As much fun and success as I enjoyed through the career of Thomas Landry, he's ultimately just a blip on the radar of the league, along with many other thousands who have taken the metaphorical ice for this league. Ultimately, I don't know if I'll ever truly recreate the kind of experience I had with Landry, which has made me really think lately. Why try? Why not truly hang up the skates, per se, and be done with it? Why do any of us begin again after such an enjoyable experience concludes? What is it that keeps bringing us back?
I'm sure some of you may have noticed that this is my 3000th post, and no, that's not a coincidence. I had planned on just doing a 590 to mark that, but I noticed my original article was running out of steam far before 500-ish words and this one had no trouble reaching it. Not entirely conventional, but has anything I've ever really done here been conventional to begin with? But, moving on, as I thought about who all to mention when commemorating 3000 posts, I noticed that I was answering my question as to why we keep coming back. Players' careers come and go, but the personalities remain. I'm not sure if I listed him as my recruiter, but my beginnings in the VHL are greatly owed to Advantage. Without him gambling on me, who knows if I ever really got going again here. I doubt I'd have had the same motivation elsewhere. But as much as Advantage got the ball rolling, it was cemented by STZ and the Season 33 Bratislava Watchmen. I had more fun there than I've had with some stops in the VHL, and that's truly a testament to how hard he's worked over the seasons and years. It also marked my first season playing with DT, whose player, Davey Jones, seemed to mesh perfectly with Landry, both in the VHLM and VHL. There's a lot of differing opinions on DT, but I've always been happy to share a locker room with him.
Yes, it's personalities like those that bring us back. Guys like Victor, Coach Reilly, Molholt, Jardy, Brovy, Boom and countless others who I had the pleasure to work with at Davos. It's old hat, I know I've said it countless times, but the community here is something special. When people do choose to move on from the VHL, their absences are felt and truly missed. Guys who have been gone for over two calendar years are still fondly recalled and missed, their accomplishments ingrained into the history and lore of the VHL. Other than this very league, I can only really think of one other league I belong to that went more than ten seasons. Many things combine to end these leagues, to quiet the heartbeat that drives it onward. But the VHL doesn't have that problem, because it's got us.
I've disappeared twice now, for varying and different reasons. But it's difficult to truly stay away, especially when you've got people here who wanted you to come back. People who insisted that it'd be more fun with you around again. The timing was right, life has calmed down, so now you're plagued with me again. I guess we'll see how it went in another 3000 posts or so.
Jethro Novacek is a writer for the MSFL Times, a mighty immortal publication that perseveres despite the fact that it's been dead longer than its entire existence. He enjoys getting lots of hits, polishing weaponry and the Victory Hockey League.
.png.ed69a7260a477fcf4feead7a0e4b7506.png)
