LucyXpher

Gritty gives his stamp of approval

Fish are friends... and sometimes food... but mostly friends

Great interview! I can't wait to see how our first games go tonight-- I'm super glad to have you on the 21st!

Of course! In the most respectful way possible!

No u!

Words

Glad you’re still around! I hope your health is okay though, the VHL is a better place with you here

When I learned to drive, I was always told to keep my eyes on the road and not to get caught taking in the view. I also get stressed out in traffic so I’d rather just wait at the destination than take my time getting there… but I’m still going to complain about waiting

That’s awesome! I’m glad you did, there’s not enough writing like this around here, so I love to see it!

This is beautiful

I need sims! At this point, I’ll take whatever STHS has to offer, this offseason felt way too long

October 14, 2024 - Riga, Latvia What's the opposite of nostalgia? The term "nostalgia" was first proposed in 1688 by Johannes Hofer to refer to the pain or longing associated with separation from family, home, and social environment. The term comes from two Greek words, "nostos" (return home) and "algos" (pain). In Homer's "Odyssey"-- and a lot of other ancient Greek literature-- two of the themes central to the story are those of "kleos" (renown or glory) and "nostos" (return home). As Odysseus sets out on his journey, he does so seeking kleos, glory, by accomplishing great deeds. By the end of the epic poem, however, Odysseus chooses to return to his family, setting glory and immortality aside for a simple life at home in Ithica. If nostalgia is the longing for home or for a return to familiarity, then perhaps it's opposite could be "kleosalgia", the longing for glory, that itch that impels anyone seeking greatness to leave the familiar behind, to subject themselves to discomfort for the chance of becoming immortalized. If nostalgia is a longing for a familiar place in time that has past, then perhaps kleosalgia might represent a longing for an unknown time yet to come. Yes, I'm trying to invent a word, and it is quite possible that I have lost my mind. When I chatted with Lucy Leitner a few season's ago, I asked her where she might be in five seasons' time. Her answer then as she was embarking on her first season in the VHLE was, "Raising the Continental Cup with Riga". If one can feel kleosalgia like they might feel nostalgia, then perhaps that was what Leitner felt as she left her home town of Houston to pursue hockey glory in Riga, Latvia. Though her future was unclear, the allure of kleos was too great. While I can't confirm yet that Leitner shares any kinship with Nostradamus, the prediction of a cup win with Riga in her near future was strikingly prescient. cosmic is a ringing row of payphones; dead channel doldrums and anachronistic prescience, Chiba city shrouded in a haze and shimmering, sodium-silver and almost painful In S95, the Riga Reign found themselves among the top teams in the European Conference for the second season in a row. Finishing 3rd in the conference behind rivals Malmo and Moscow, Riga racked up a 50-18-4 record with 104 points. That point total also granted the team the 3rd overall seed entering the playoffs, 3 points ahead of the NA leading Toronto Legion. Riga started the playoffs facing a tough Malmo team in the first round. Though Malmo has put together an impressive string of regular season performances, they have struggled in the playoffs in recent seasons-- a frankly unfortunate fate for such a strong regular season team. Indeed, they deserved better than to be swept by Riga after a competitive regular season series. In the second round, Riga would match up against HC Davos Dynamo who were coming off a shocking first round sweep of their own against the Victory Cup champion Moscow Menace. Through the first four games, Riga and Davos would battle to a draw at two games apiece, however Riga would find a way to win a tight game 5 by a 3-2 score. In game 6, the Reign would not be denied as they convincingly dispatched of the Dynamo by 6-0 score, punctuated by a Red Panda shutout. With the VHL's most coveted trophy on the line, Riga lined up against the Toronto Legion in the Continental Cup Finals. Red Panda would pitch a second consecutive shutout in a 5-0 game 1 win and Riga would go on to stake a 3-0 lead in the series. Toronto would storm back with wins of their own in games 4, 5, and 6, drawing even with the Reign and forcing an all or nothing game 7 for the Continental Cup. With everything on the line, the Reign once again jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the game. The third goal by Axle Gunner, assisted by Lucy Leitner and Kimi Raikkonen, would hold up as the Cup winner with the Reign winning game 7 by a 5-2 score. cosmic is the flicker of a strobing pulsar; monochromatic animation and the white word Solitude throwing shapes against the grain of a real-to-reel; anthropomorphic geometry gorged on starlight, godspeed As they hoisted the trophy and fireworks exploded through the arena, the Riga Reign stamped their names in the record books once again, claiming their first Continental Cup since S72, snapping the 3rd longest active Cup drought in the VHL at 23 seasons. Lucy Leitner seemed to lack the words to describe her emotions as she sat before the press later that night. "I just-- this is not something I expected at all in my second VHL season! It's an incredible feeling, like... yeah, it's unbelievable. I love this team!" In the playoffs, the team was led by Daisuke Kanou and Scott Boulet Trophy winner, Axle Gunner @Steve, who had 12 goals and 29 total points through 17 games. Notably, Gunner won the playoff scoring race for the second season in a row and captured a second straight Continental Cup, each with different teams. Shubham Anand @Will3 also continued a dominant season with an exceptional playoff, potting 11 goals and notching 27 points, while Kimi Raikkonen @mattyIceman had 9 and 26 overall. On the blueline, after being outscored by the understudy, Leitner, in the regular season, Skor McFleury @Alex capped off a Hall of Fame worthy VHL career with 24 points in the playoffs and Leitner finished a few points back with 20 overall. In goal, Red Panda @Lemorse7 pitched a .923 SV%, 2.55 GAA, and 3 shutouts as the team's starter in every playoff game, only losing 5 contests in total. From top to bottom, this Riga team was built to win playoff games. With a +20 goal differential in the playoffs, the Reign were strong both offensively and defensively-- a real testament to the aggressive management of @Lemorse7 who did an incredible job over the past two seasons of turning the team into a perennial contender. cosmic is an aphoristic fantasy; kleosalgia telecast in technicolor; lo-fi loops leaking through synth swells and a beat while aberrated Andromeda outruns the open road Chasing glory as ever, Lucy Leitner left Riga shortly following the parade and team celebrations to compete in the Victory ProAm offseason tournament where she would claim victory once again as a member of the Flora Vista Foxes. I was able to catch up with Leitner for a short chat after this most recent tournament win to check in on how things are going leading up to S96. "Now that some time has passed, has it sunk in that you're a Continental Cup winner?" "Honestly, it really hasn't. I mean, I'm supposed to get my day with the Cup tomorrow so maybe it'll hit me then, but I feel like I'm still walking on clouds right now. Like, this league still feels new to me and we managed to go all the way... it's just surreal." "So do you have anything planned for your day with the Cup tomorrow? Anything special?" "Honestly, nothing crazy or over the top. I'm gonna spend the day with family and friends in Houston. It'll likely be pretty low key for a Cup celebration, but I'm looking forward to it." "Do you think coming off this win will make it hard to get ready for next season, or are you going to be ready to go when the season kicks off on Wednesday?" "Oh, I'm definitely ready! I've been training a lot this offseason and there's still parts of my game I want to improve. Winning the Cup doesn't take anything away from my motivation. I'm so ready to get back into games!" "Well, another big piece of news is that you signed an extension with Riga to stay with the team for another 3 seasons-- congratulations by the way! Was there ever any thought of forcing your way out and do you think the team can be competitive again next season?" "Thanks! I definitely had no intention of leaving. I've absolutely loved my time in Riga and, truthfully, I don't think I could see myself playing for any other team. I'm super excited to be here for the next three seasons and I think we actually have a real shot at going all the way again in S96. Management has done a fantastic job of bringing in amazing new players, even though we lost a couple from this past Cup run. We'll see what happens, but I'm optimistic!" "So when I talked to you a few seasons back, you predicted that you'd be holding the Continental Cup in 5 seasons time. Has that prediction changed?" "I mean, not really! I guess we kinda got it done ahead of schedule, but there's no reason why we shouldn't be competitive in S97 too. I want to win every season, so that's the goal at least." "Okay, last question for you: what motivates you to keep going on your VHL journey?" "Honestly, it's hard to put into words. I love the game, but lots of people love the game. I guess it comes down to wanting to leave my mark on the game, on my team, on the league-- just to be someone that makes the VHL world a better place, you know, for my teammates, friends on other teams, and anyone coming up through the ranks. I've been so lucky to get to this point and to have this success so early in my career. I guess we'll see how far we can go!" cosmic is the face of a hapless hero; the petrified complexion of a star-forged lumineer, stone-set and steely-eyed, staggered to the earth and dragged through holocene sands With S96 only days away, it will be fascinating to see if Riga has the roster to challenge for a second consecutive Cup and how their new additions will fit into the lineup. As for Leitner, heading into her third season now, the sky is truly the limit. Having already completed her ultimate objective to win a Continental Cup, it will be up to her how far she goes on this VHL journey and what new heights she can reach. (Right) Freedom Monument - Riga, Latvia ──•~❉᯽❉~•── Notes: So before anyone has a mental breakdown because I egregiously misspelled light in my title and even managed to make a graphic with the same error... it's not an error. No, actually, it's the most expensive word in history and also holds a Guinness World Record for being the shortest poem in existence. "Lighght" was written in 1965 by American poet, Aram Saroyan who was just 22 years old at the time and became well known for his minimal and experimental poetry. The poem received a $750 prize from the National Endowment for the Arts-- an award that quickly became the subject of controversy. As a publicly funded agency, the NEA received pushback from congress and taxpayers alike who viewed the award as a misappropriation of funds, deeming the one-word-poem unworthy of such a prize. One congressman was quoted saying, “If my kid came home from school spelling like that, I would have stood him in the corner with a dunce cap.” Over the years, the poem has gained notoriety for being a ground-breaking piece of literary wordplay, one that stirred up all kinds of reactions, positive and negative-- which, Saroyan would argue, was half the point. Saroyan took special interest in the look of words, highlighting in his work how even a simple misspelling could be enough imbue an otherwise ordinary word with additional meaning. The word "light", spelled correctly, is easily passed over in reading and one would scarcely give it a second thought. By doubling the "gh", Saroyan forces the observer to pause, to consider if the word's meaning changes, whether its pronunciation changes, and whether "lighght" is fundamentally any different than "light" as a signifier for the signified essence of light. In a way, it's really less of a poem than it is an image-- it's not really something that someone reads as there's no distinguished subject, object, or verb. Rather, it's something observed in totality, without a beginning, middle, or end. In a certain sense, one could read lighght to represent the precarious balance between existence and nothingness. On one hand, lighght (as an alteration of light) represents the beginning of existence-- the big bang, fiat lux. On the other hand, lighght is not a word that exists in the English language, at least not in that spelling, so it also represents nothing. cosmic is a compatibilist conundrum; a willful wednesday waltzing with the dimanche of a determinist demon; c'est la place, qu'est-ce que c'est la? Okay, something you should know about me is that I'm a bit of a poetry nerd and I'm genuinely fighting the urge to go deep into the weeds because interpreting the poem really wasn't what I set out to do with lighght. In truth, I hadn't planned to write a feature on Lucy Leitner this offseason. Riga winning the Continental Cup kind of forced my hand-- perhaps a little like that extra "gh" in Saroyan's poem. Too much of a stretch? Well, I'm gonna need you to bear with me here because I'm gonna be reaching for the stars with this next one. I write alot of poetry myself and I have a series of poems (about 70 of them) that I call "astro-gnomes". Gnomes in poetry are short little poems, somewhat like an aphorism or a proverb. My astro-gnomes are all four lines long and each one begins with the phrase, "cosmic is". Like a magician never reveals their secrets, I prefer when poets don't spoil their poems with detailed explanations so I'll just say that they're meant to explore the eclectic nature of the universe as we know it, including references to astronomy, astrology, science, nature, philosophy, art, pop-culture, mythology, literature, music, drugs even-- literally any aspect of existence was fair game. A few of those are featured in the article above, mostly because I've conjured some connection in my mind and felt like spicing things up to tie into the Lighght title. If they don't do anything for you, I will not be offended. ──•~❉᯽❉~•── LucyXpher October 14, 2024 2300 + words

Captains: In Season 96, the Halifax leadership includes three notable up-and-comers in the VHLM ranks. As as standout performer on the S95 Halifax roster, Steven Nichols (A) @SlyDigi returns in S96, once again in a leadership role as the 21st look to improve this time around and build for the future. Nichols was one of a few bright spots on last season's roster and the 21st will look for him to take another step forward and build on a very successful VHLM rookie campaign. Pelayo Bolivar (A) @SMYLS4 is another rookie standout who really turned heads at the Junior Showcase Tournament this offseason. The 24th overall pick in the S95 VHLM draft has been making huge strides in his development as of late and will be an important player for Halifax this season and next. The captain of the Halifax 21st this season is new acquisition, Xhekajs middletoe (C) @Xhekajsleftankle, who was traded to Halifax from San Diego in the days leading up to the draft. Middletoe, or Xhektoe, has been an incredible presence in the Halifax locker room through training camp and was brought to Halifax precisely to infuse some life in the locker room and punch to the Halifax forwards corps. Forwards: John Babydeer @Bobo Pelayo Bolivar @SMYLS4 Ty Duke @TheDuke Devin Johnson @Homealonetwo Michael Lee Jr @blueredlover Steven Nichols @SlyDigi Jay Sikes @JaySmacksss Hater Tottingham @Trunkxolotl Xhekajs middletoe @Xhekajsleftankle Defense: Boris Bone-Breaker @RileyL Cysteine @Bea Petr Novak @LastGoon007 Kazuma Satou @Spartan Mikko Tuomala @flyersfan345 Goalies: Chad Powers @Big_Dyl Jon Webber III @Webberj Graphic by @Bobo - Inspired the Halifax home jerseys this season!

1st claim - 10/20/24

Sadie, this is an incredible write up!!! You clearly put a ton of effort and research into this to be able to say something about virtually every pick and all the off-season trading. Articles like these really breathe life into the league and I think they’re really huge for newer and first gen players. I know when I joined— and even still now— I get so excited seeing articles like this where someone has clearly taken the time to learn about other players and the happenings of the league, basically like a real journalist would. It’s the kind of thing that just makes me want to dive in more and keep going. Amazing job and thank you for everything you put into this. I know I’m not the only one who appreciates it!

I’m going to love following these all season, they’re so funny

Ethan I miss you Beautiful graphic though!

This was a fun listen! I think I may have even learned something

I didn’t join because of the creative outlet, but it’s definitely been a huge part of why I’ve kept going— that and the awesome people

I just wanted to say that I really enjoy reading your articles. That's all

idk hang it on your wall and remember that time we beat you in game 7?

1. Honestly, I haven't done much out of the ordinary lol. There's so much that goes on in the offseason, you kind of get busy doing all of that and maybe I should take some time to celebrate! 2. I'm not sure... I'm a pretty low-key person generally and I don't usually do any over the top partying. 3. lol nope. I'm definitely not going to stop training! There's still so much to do! 4. I think we have a great chance at repeating! Our team might even be better next season, though losing Skor McFleury is a big loss for sure. I'm pretty optimistic though. 5. Oh, you know, good game, better luck next time. I asked Skilton @ace_five_ to do a stick swap though... he said no. 6. Well the Sharks don't play til Thursday so no, probably not...

Ill do Bouchard!

Graphic by @Bobo Coming off of a lacklustre Season 95 that saw the team finish the regular season 1 point below .500, the Halifax 21st entered the offseason hoping to change course for S96 and beyond. In the week leading up to the trade deadline, Halifax GM Lexie Leitner traded the team's top two players away for future assets. The team's top scorer at the time, Mathias Gunnarsson @ThatCanadian, was shipped out to Las Vegas for an S96 LVA 1st and a S97 LVA 4th. Meanwhile, the team's rock-solid goaltender, Samuel Wazinski @samthemancub, was sent to Mississauga in exchange for fringe goaltender Gustav Larsson @azie as well as an S96 MIS 1st and a S97 MIS 2nd. Relying on waiver signings and a compliment of rookies, the 21st managed to scrape their way into the playoffs where they were dismissed in 5 games by the eventual Founder's Cup champion Philadelphia Reapers. Heading into the offseason then, Halifax had some draft new found capital to play with and a healthy fire to improve the roster for S96 and beyond. Halifax S96 draft picks at the beginning of the offseason: S96 MIS 1st (#8) S96 LVA 1st (10th) S96 HFX 3rd (24th) S96 HFX 5th (44th) S96 HFX 6th (54th) S96 HFX 7th (64th) Seemingly not content with the shape of their S96 draft prospects, in the week leading up to the VHLM dispersal draft, Halifax made seven trades, swapping mostly picks but also a few players. September 30th To HFX: S96 SDM 4th (#31) + S96 SDM 2nd (#11) To LVA: S96 MIS 1st (#8) To HFX: S96 SDM 3rd (#21) + S96 HFX 1st (#4) To OTT: S96 SDM 2nd (#11) + S97 MIS 2nd October 2nd To HFX: S96 MIA 1st (#6) + S96 LVA 3rd (#30) To SDM: S96 HFX 1st (#4) October 3rd To HFX: Xhekajs middletoe @Xhekajsleftankle To SDM: Victory Hockey League @TheHockey_pro + S97 HFX 5th + S97 HFX 6th October 4th To HFX: S96 HFX 2nd (#14) + S97 SDM 3rd To SDM: Michael Schmicael @K4L3B + S97 HFX 1st October 6th To HFX: S96 MIA 2nd (#16) To PHI: S96 LVA 3rd (#30) + S96 SDM 4th (#31) To HFX: S96 HFX 4th (#34) + S96 PHI 1st (#9) To MIA: S96 MIA 1st (#6) Okay, but after all those trades, did the 21st really come out ahead? What was the point of all that trading? Below are the total assets in and out for Halifax after all seven trades. IN - OUT S96 1st (#9) - S96 1st (#8) S96 2nd (#14) - S97 HFX 1st S96 2nd (#16) - S97 MIS 2nd S96 3rd (#21) - S97 HFX 5th S96 4th (#34) - S97 HFX 6th S97 SDM 3rd - D Victory Hockey League (171 TPE) RW Xhekajs middletoe (TPE:134) - LW Michael Schmicael (78 TPE) Looking at the revamped Halifax draft board gives a bit more perspective about what the team was going for with this flurry of trades. HFX S96 picks on draft day: S96 PHI 1st (#9) S96 LVA 1st (#10) S96 HFX 2nd (#14) S96 MIA 2nd (#16) S96 SDM 3rd (#21) S96 HFX 3rd (#24) S96 HFX 4th (#34) S96 HFX 5th (#44) S96 HFX 6th (#54) S96 HFX 7th (#64) S95 ProAm Draft pictured above - it took 6 days... Now with six picks in the first 3 rounds of what was considered to be a fairly deep draft, the 21st were poised to significantly improve their roster for S96. While a few 2nd and 3rd round picks may not seem like much to some, for GM Lexie Leitner, those picks would completely change the shape of the team's draft strategy: "I mean, most of the moves we made were manoeuvering, you know, just trying to see if we could get some picks in the range we wanted while also collecting an extra pick here or there. Through our scouting this offseason, we had a pretty significant list of players that we really liked and there were some potential gems on that list that we really didn't want to miss out on. So looking at our projected rankings for the draft, we went out and targeted picks in the range we thought we could get the players we wanted and I'm really pleased with how it worked out. We had excellent interviews with all of the players we selected in the first 5 rounds and we're really excited for the future here in Halifax!" Were there any players who you liked that you weren't able to select? "Of course! There's always great players that you miss out on and you can't realistically pick them all. Ethan Ashcroft @EthanSea611 is one that comes to mind, also Grog Strongjaw @Grog Strongjaw, Hank Smith @Jett88, and Tumbleweed Johnson @stupidtyler. There were also the players who signed with Halifax as waivers last season that we would have loved to have back like Bubbles @AJW and Ricky LaFleur @DarkSpyro." What was the strategy with the trade for middletoe @Xhekajsleftankle? Based on what you gave up, it seems that was a player you really wanted... "Well, it's always difficult trading away players from our team and we definitely don't take it lightly. We really appreciate everything Victory Hockey League did for us last season! The middletoe trade was mainly about bringing in a player that we really liked who we think can be a big part of our team culture over the next couple of seasons. It worked out for us that VHL had some family ties in San Diego so we felt pretty good about making that deal for both players and the team." Talk me through your first couple of picks. At 9th and 10th overall you selected Jay Sikes @JaySmacksss and Cysteine @Bea-- what did you like about them and why were they your top two selections? "I had excellent chats with both of them leading up to the draft and we knew going in that they were both likely to be on other teams' radar as potential high value picks in the second round. They're both doing very well in their development so far and fit well within the window of competitiveness that we're aiming for. We were very happy to reach a little bit to pick them in the first round before anyone else could. With only one defender on the roster, we also definitely needed to make sure we were able to get some good ones in this draft, so we're very excited to add Cysteine to our blueline!" At 14th and 16th you picked Petr Novak @LastGoon007 and Chad Powers @Big_Dyl. Tell me about those picks. "Novak was a player that our AGM @Oddpurplefly scouted and spoke very highly of. Needing another defender was certainly a factor in this pick, but also wanting to add more players in that window of competition who we are confident are going to be good for us on the ice and in the locker room. With Powers, we have full confidence in Jon Webber III as our starter this season, but we wanted to bring in our goalie of the future so that he can develop and be ready when this team is ready to compete for the cup. Powers was also another fantastic interview and I can't say enough good things about what I've seen from him so far!" With the 21st and 24th picks you selected John Babydeer and Pelayo Bolivar. What stood out to you about those two players? "I mean, I might sound like a broken record by the end of this, but these were players who really impressed us in the interview process and around the VHL community leading up to the draft. I was frankly shocked that Babydeer was still on the board at 21st so that was pretty much a no-brainer for us since we expected him to go in the 2nd round. Bolivar is a players I have absolutely loved so far and we even considered picking them much earlier in the draft. Of course, that would mean we lose out on one of the other fantastic players that we picked so we took a bit of a gamble that he'd still be available at 24 and it certainly paid off. This is where some of the pick trading came in since we were very intentional about gathering picks that we thought would put us in the best position to pick from our draft list. Bolivar was near the top of that list for us." After all these picks in the first three rounds, you only picked once in the 4th and 5th rounds. At 34th overall you selected Devin Johnson @Homealonetwo and at 44th you picked Michael Lee Jr @blueredlover. How do you feel about the potential of these two players picked later in the draft? "I'm ecstatic for both! Again, great interviews and both have been showing awesome signs of progress in the weeks leading up to the draft. I think both have the disposition needed to become great players in this league and I'm really excited to see how they improve on Halifax this season. Both Devin and Michael caught my eye in the Junior Showcase Tournament and I think adding them both to our locker room in Halifax is a huge positive for our team! I also don't believe in draft pedigree-- I don't care if a player is drafted in the 1st round or the 5th. If they put in the work and have the right disposition, they can very quickly become a top player in the VHLM and beyond. I still think of Dorji Khan @Oddpurplefly as a prime example of that from a couple seasons ago. He was a 6th round pick, 52nd overall, and he's now about to begin his rookie season for the Toronto Legion. Your draft number means nothing at the end of the day." In the 6th and 7th rounds you picked Jack Kidd @Jack kidd and John Giblin @Gibby28. Do you see any hidden value in these picks? "Like I said before, you really never know. We're going to work with both of them and see if we have something there. The first step will be getting them here to Halifax to see where they're at. I wasn't able to get in touch with either of them in the interview phase, but again, there's no reason they can't turn into great players if they are active and consistent in their development." And so, once the draft ended, you signed a couple of waiver defensemen to round out the roster. Tell me about Mikko Tuomala @flyersfan345 and Kazuma Satou @Spartan ? "I'm very excited about both because they're both acquaintances of players we just drafted. I'm optimistic that this will be good for team chemistry, player development, and the locker room culture since we have some built in familiarity on our team. Both also show a lot of promise and should really help us compete in games as everyone is still developing." You've spoken about this team as a developing team, so what do you think of the team's chances to compete this season? "Well, it's my expectation that we'll be at very least respectable. The goal for the regular season is playoffs and I certainly don't see that as being out of reach for us with the returning talent we have in Jon Webber III @Webberj, Ty Duke @TheDuke, Kokko Miskinen @MikkoKoskinensMistress, Steven Nichols @SlyDigi, and Boris Bone-Breaker @RileyL. Add all of our recent draft picks who we're hoping will develop well as the season goes on, and who knows what we can do after game 72. It's not hard to see that other teams might have a bit of an advantage over us on paper right now, but I think we're building well for the future and we're hoping to open a window of competitiveness that can last for multiple seasons." Halifax, Nova Scotia With 10 forwards, 5 defenders, and 2 goaltenders, the Halifax 21st have a roster that's brimming with potential. What remains to be seen is how much of that potential they can unlock in S96 and beyond. There is certainly some inherent risk in Halifax's draft choices. There were certainly some more well known players available who could be relied on to develop steadily through their VHLM career, but the team decided to go for budding talent instead, believing that by building a vibrant team culture first, they could eventually flower into a contender for the Founder's Cup. It's been well documented that Halifax is still chasing its first Founder's Cup after 33 seasons in the VHLM-- the only VHLM team yet to win it all. The journey to break that unfortunate streak begins now. There's new horizons for the Halifax 21st and the future is looking bright! ༻❁༺ LucyXpher for Halfaxa Press 10/09/2024 2100+ words