OblivionWalker

Hello everyone! I am the new GM of the VHLM’s Mississauga Hounds and I am in need of an agm. Someone with some experience around the league would be great but any applicants will be considered equally. Looking forward to finding someone to work with!

I’m super excited for this opportunity. I loved my time in Mississauga and hope to be able to give that to my players. Let’s do this!

Aka what happened to me at work on Sunday.

Damn. Gotta throw in my hat for the Hounds.

Distressing news today out of Seattle: defenseman Slava Kovalenko apparently collapsed at a team practice today and just before the playoffs are due to start for the Bears. Sources say that Kovalenko came around quickly and was observed to be able to talk and stand on his own, but an incident of this nature surely has fans worrying about the young defender. "Hopefully it's nothing major." one fan noted when asked on the street about their feelings on the matter. "Sometimes people can just faint but if something is going on, then hopefully the doctors can get it under control, and he can keep playing." Kovalenko's agency, Oblivion Sports, declined to comment, calling such reporting "spurious and irresponsible" until all the facts are known. Whatever may be happening with Kovalenko, everyone at VHL News would like to extend our well wishes for a speedy recovery and indeed, that whatever may be ailing him would pass quickly. Kovalenko has been an outstanding addition to the Bears this season and the team will surely require his help going into the playoffs. A note that has just been handed to us states that Kovalenko is currently resting at home and seems to be in good spirits. Please feel better soon, Slava. (word count: 208)

As Slava listened to their coach going over the drill that they would be working on in practice today, he couldn't shake a strange feeling that seemed to be creeping over him, like his limbs were starting to become leaden, heavy, slow. He'd never known a sensation like this before and wasn't sure what to make of it. Was he sick? Did he need some air? He wasn't sure and there must have been something strange his face was doing because when Nathan Ecker glanced back at him, he stared for a moment. "Dude, are you okay?" he whispered, and Slava had just enough time to shake his head no before the world went sideways and then completely black. The next thing he knew, he was half reclined on someone (he could feel their knees pressing against his shoulders and there were some smelling salts right under his nose. "Ugh." he groaned, his eyes opening as he was trying to turn his head away from the powerful aroma. "Sorry kid but you need to smell them." King Kisslinger said bracingly and that's whom Slava happened to be resting against at the moment. "You were white a sheet and just keeled right over. Nathan and I were able to keep you from hitting the deck, but you need to smell those salts and get your brain right again." The smelling salts were pretty awful, but if that's what Slava needed to do to prove that he was awake again then so be it. Had he fainted? Like actually? He must have, if he'd gone from standing up to literally laying down on the ice with the entire team gathered around him. After taking a few good whiffs, they were finally moved away from his face, and he heaved a sigh of relief. "Do you think you can sit up?" Nathan asked and Slava considered that for a moment. "I can try." he said honestly and with King's help, he was eased into a sitting position that he was perfectly able to maintain on his own. Was that what fainting felt like? Slava had no words to describe it, no frame of reference for it until now. He'd never experienced feeling that weird in his life and he never wanted to again, honestly. "Do you have a history of fainting?" their coach asked, and Slava shook his head slowly, trying not to move very much. He still felt off but definitely not like before. "No, this is the first time this has ever happened to me." he said honestly, and the coach patted his shoulder in what Slava figured was meant to be a soothing gesture. "Well hopefully we have some answers for you soon. The team doctor is on his way to the arena as we speak and he'll want to take a good look at you, maybe even have some blood tests run." Slava wrinkled his nose. He hated needles with a passion but if that was what needed to happen in order to understand what in the hell had just happened to him, he would deal with it. King and Nathan helped him up to his feet, slowly, heading over to the door off the ice with his arms around them. He was okay and holding steady, but Slava knew it was a precaution because if he bit it again with no one else around him, he could seriously hurt himself on a surface as hard as ice. He wasn't going to protest or give anybody a hard time. If anything, he was just grateful for the help. They took him to the small medical section and got him into a chair. Ahsoka came in with a bottle of orange juice for him in case it was something like a blood sugar low and Slava took his time, sipping the entire bottle. He definitely felt better, and the others seemed to be easing up too. "At least there's some color in your face now. You were as white as the case for my airpods." Nathan joked weakly and Slava winced. He of course had heard about how pale people could get sometimes and "stark white" wasn't a good look for anybody. "I never want to feel that weird again in my life." he said fervently and the team doctor, Doctor Wallace, chuckled from the doorway. "Well hopefully we can figure out what's going on with you, Mr. Kovalenko. Everybody else out." The rest of the team filed out and after a cursory examination, Doctor Wallace seemed inclined to think that it was indeed low blood sugar and sent an order for Slava to go Harborview Medical Center to get some blood drawn to check his A1C levels. "Sometimes big fellas like you have to really be careful when it comes to what and how often you eat." the doctor told him. "If you're used to smaller portions, it can feel like you're overeating, but you need more to keep you going. As soon as the results come in, I'll call you. For right now, someone is going to go with you to Harborview and then get you home. Rest, make sure you hydrate and definitely eat something." With Nathan at his side, Slava headed over to Harborview, got his blood drawn (which thankfully didn't take long, and the technician was very good, it only pinched a little) and then back to his apartment. At first, Slava wasn't sure all the fuss was necessary but when the chills hit a couple hours later, he was glad he was at home. He curled up under a large Mississauga Hounds fleece blanket his baba had made him when he'd been drafted by the team and even ended up dozing off for a couple hours. Mindful of his instructions, Slava drank a lot of water and also tried to eat a very balanced lunch with plenty of protein and fiber and vegetables. Doctor Wallace called him in the midafternoon, as Slava was dozing through "Fellowship of the Ring", one of his comfort movies. "Your A1C is low." he said immediately as soon as Slava answered. "Probably has been on the decline for a little while and it finally caught up to you. The team dietician is going to come up with some meal plans for you and send them over. Fortunately, this is something we can correct right away and there's no reason it has to interfere with your life. I'm going to recommend that you keep some snacks and juice, maybe even some of those protein shakes in a bottle at the bench so you can have something mid game." It was a sound suggestion and Slava made note of some things to buy to have on hand at home. "Fainting can feel really scary but fortunately there's nothing seriously wrong with you. We'll get this squared away." "Thanks, doc." Slava said gratefully. "We'll get you on the meal plan and then, if nothing else happens, check you in three months and see where you are. Everything willing, you'll be at normal." With that settled, Slava managed to stay awake for "The Two Towers" and was a quarter of the way through "The Return of the King" when his phone notifications started going crazy and he frowned, pausing the movie. He groaned as soon as he saw the news headlines. Someone had found out about his fit. Wonderful. (word count: 1236)

Life is a tide. Ebb, and flow. Waves will crash, Bringing flotsam and jetsam To shore before leaving. Sometimes, the ruins Of a ship overcome Come floating along To the shore. Life is a tide. Wild and unpredictable. Waves overflow their bounds, Pushing past what is comfortable And bringing ruin to plans But such is the nature Of water. Life is a tide. But you are a river. No raging sea, No giant waves. But my life changed All the same With your arrival. Life is a tide. But we sit side by side, Content to watch the water And not be consumed by it In the end. Our water is ice, The flow our skating rhythm. Life is a tide. From you, I learned to Enjoy the journey. I don't try to control the water, I let it move around me. Life is a tide. A never-ending battle. But as long as you're beside me, There are no waves I will fear. No water That will overwhelm me. My river is mightier Than the sea. Though an ocean is between us, My thoughts are always Of you. And in dreams I wil sail To you. (words: 196)

Dear Anya, I can't believe you're going to be graduating from nursing school soon! It feels like you just started but I'm very proud of you and everything that you've been able to accomplish while you were there. Graduating at the top of your class is impressive and no matter how much you try and shrug it off, it's the truth. Give yourself a little credit, Anoushka. You've been working so hard, and you deserve every honor that's coming your way. The Bears are in the playoffs! We managed to come in second in our conference and I'm reasonably hopeful of our chances. It's a real change for me from last year, given where Warsaw was and it's a chance that we'll have to try and do our best to take with both hands (or paws, rather, since bears don't have hands). I think I can be reasonably pleased with how this season went for me. I didn't make it onto any kind of leaderboards but given where I was last season and how much my plus/minus went up this season alone, I feel like I'm at least on the right path and hopefully next season, regardless of how these playoffs go, I can continue to build on it. I do feel a little pressure to do well, given what Seattle traded to get me, but it definitely feels like the right place for me to have ended up and I'm always going to be grateful to my former general manager for being honest with me about the potential trajectory of the team and not wanting to have a good half of my career not go anywhere. It couldn't have been an easy decision to make but I do feel like he truly had my best interests at heart, and I could never be anything but thankful for that care and concern. You'll never catch me saying a bad word about Warsaw or the management. Just seemed like the timing was slightly off but who knows? Maybe I circle back before I retire and see what I can do. I think this off-season, I'm just going to take a break and go home, see you and mom and dad and everyone else. Especially with Baba having that little health scare, I just feel like it's more important for me to focus on home, on family rather than being in any tournaments or anything. Plus, I'm honestly just tired. The VHL is another level, and I think giving myself some time to refuel and recharge is going to be a good thing. I'm not sure why, but it feels like something is going to change. I can't say what's put that into my mind, but it's there all the same. Maybe I'm just picking up on energy around me too, but it's difficult to say for certain. All I can do though is try my best in whatever situations I may find myself in. I can't control everything, and I've learned that it's better to not even try. Take care of yourself, remember to eat and drink (yes, Sergiy told me about you skipping lunch last week to study for your finals) and please give Baba an extra big hug from me. Yours from the playoffs, Slava (word count: 546)

1. Honestly, none since neither of the two teams that I follow made it so I’m down to just see what happens. 2. Given how popular this legend is in the west, I’d honestly call them the Salt Lake City Sasquatch. 3. If I had to move a team, I might move Warsaw or Helsinki to Germany since my dad’s side of the family are from there. They settled in Frankfurt after World War II so their name would be something to do with the area. Questions: 1. Which NHL mascot would win a cage match and why? 2. What color scheme is overrated? 3. Who do you think will win the Continental Cup?

1. Slava has done pretty well this season! He went from 34 points last season to 54 so far and he also went from a -38 to a +28 so I'll take it for sure. 2. I would like to get his speed up a little bit, potentially put some more into passing as well. 3. Honestly, with everything I've had going on I haven't even really been following what's been going on so I'll go with the Jets, since they have the best current regular season record. Questions to answer: 1. If your player was a wrestler, what would their stage name be? 2. What's a piece of media that you've never been able to get into despite many others enjoying it? 3. What's been your favorite locker room to be a part of?

Olivia Walker's hands were steady as she taped the bottom of the box so it would be strong and hopefully withstand the journey across the sea. She'd collected so many things during her time in Helsinki and as she began to sort papers, make piles of what to keep, what to make sure she handed over to the general manager and what could be shredded, she couldn't help but think of that phone call that had started some things in motion for her. After the closing of the VHLE, she had been uncertain about her future, and she found herself there once again. She had taken some time to think about the trajectory of her life and come to the conclusion that she really didn't want to be a general manager herself. She saw what went into that as well as things from the sidelines and she was ready to face the fact that such things just weren't for her. Plus, she was tired. It had been so long since she had even been able to see her family and she could feel that her batteries were draining quickly. It was time for her and for the Titans to move on, but she didn't feel bad about that. More like it was just the natural progression for her and what needed to happen right now. Box after box was taped until her desk was emptied and she began to take everything out to the car she had been renting while living in Finland. Her family would be glad to see her and perhaps after some time she might return to being an assistant general manager or she might not, and this was the last ride. She felt like Helsinki was in a better spot than when she'd arrived, though, and that was a comforting thought. The small apartment didn't take long to pack up, with any useful furniture being donated to her neighbors, who had helped keep an eye on things when she was traveling with the team. She cleaned everything, made sure things were tidy before getting the key to the landlord. She had found a month-to-month arrangement and after verifying that the place was still in good condition, she was free to go. Olivia tried to think of what to tell the team but what was there to say? What could she tell them that they didn't already know? Perhaps she would think of something once things weren't so fresh and that was the best she was going to be able to do for the moment. It took a few trips to get everything to the mail center and on its way back to the States but things were moving and she did have to admit that she felt a little lighter, which only confirmed to her that this was the right call. Some might question it, might wonder why she would walk away but she didn't have to explain anything to anybody. This was what was right for her, and that was all that mattered. (word count: 508)

A new day seems to be dawning in Seattle and for the Bears, those days are filled with wins. Currently, the Bears are sitting atop a 13 game winning streak which sees them sitting second in their division and fourth overall. "It's definitely a good time to be heating up." said newcomer to the team this season Slava Kovalenko when asked for his thoughts about where his new team is. "I've always said that it's much better to end well than start well and I think things are really clicking into place for us. Our manager always puts in the work and that makes us want to perform on the ice when we're out there too. He's put some faith in us, and we need to make sure that we're proving it wasn't misplaced." For Kovalenko himself, this season has seen a drastic turnaround from his rookie season in Warsaw which saw him with a -38 and 34 points and the second most shots blocked in the entire league. This season so far in Seattle, he's a +24 with 49 points, very close to his goal of 50 for the season. It would seem that for Seattle and for Kovalenko, winning is the order of the day.

I love to see it.

Dear Rivushka, I just had some of the best news ever from Sergiy. WE'RE GOING TO BE UNCLES. He and Kara are expecting!! Of all the things that could be going well for me right now, that's pretty much at the top of the list. I can't wait to spoil our niece or nephew on the way and yes, I will make sure that the little bean has a jersey of both of our teams. Equal representation and all that. Things seem to be coming together for the Bears lately and it just feels like a lot of things are and feel a lot better to me after the move. It wasn't an easy decision for me or my former gm to come to but in the end, at least for me, I feel like it was the right call. It would've been great to play with you but maybe that's something we can make happen for at least a season before we hang up the skates. I really miss you, but I think we're both where we need to be for our careers and I'm more proud of you than I will ever have words for. я тебе люблю. Yours always, Slava (word count: 200 without the Ukrainian)