minman

Luc Moreau didn't know if he'd make it to the VHL. There were other French players that he looked up to that made it to the VHL, Obuz Schneider Canet du Bocage @Grape and Conference Prince-de-Galles @UnkemptCL4PTP. They not only made it but thrived. Hoping to follow in their footsteps, he originally thought he'd have to get through the VHLe to make it to the big league. Those teams were close enough to home that he felt comfortable pursuing that goal. But then the VHLe disbanded and he was picked by Prague in the S96 draft. He knew there was the possibility of making the big leagues. So with his first full VHLM season for Luc, there were a lot of starts and stops as he learned what it meant to be a professional hockey player. In the following off-season, he was close to being able to be called up to Prague before S97. The GM @Tetricide said "stay and grow and crush it." So in S97, Luc loved his time on a stacked Miami team built by @Ricer13 to win the Founders Cup but Luc always had one eye on Prague. The disappointment of a first round VHLM playoff stung but Luc knew he was going to get called up to the VHL shortly thereafter and take the next step in his growth. For Prague in S97, they lost more games than they won and got fortunate to actually make the playoffs but you could see the rebuild in action. GM @Tetricide made some bold moves in the off-season leading to S98 with some aggressive trades. A lot of people saw the value in the Lucy Leitner @LucyXpher trade and the other Matteo Stefano @mmrs617 trade. Luc felt he was joining the team at the right time. Lucy's average draft pick in VHFL is very high and Matteo is coming into his prime seasons. This is now the time for Luc to grow with Prague as they re-establish themselves. There are stacked teams in the VHL but Luc sees the opportunity to continue to grow and learn what it's like to play with the best (virtual) players in the world. Players with twice the TPE will skate circles around him but he'll be taking notes and learning what it takes. In an interview, Luc said he wants to make as much of a difference as possible but knows this is the first serious year for Prague to build into contention. Last year's playoff circumstances was a mirage and he wants it to be clear that Prague will be ready to compete for the cup in 1-2 seasons. The window is starting to be cracked and Luc wants to be part of the solution, helping Prague return to the days where as recently as S90 when the Prague Phantoms swept the Los Angeles Stars and carried the Continental Cup around the rink. Luc is not here for the individual accolades, the Cup is all that matters.

@FiZi

1. @Oatex is going to be awesome with his track record and lineage. I'm actually hoping he can pass advice and wisdom to me! 2. Oh man - last season I was stuck at 400 being in the VHLM. And I should be at 600 tomorrow just in time for the start of my first VHL season. Been retooling to be more consistently offense focused. Got a bunch of advice from some of the veterans, including our very own GM, @Tetricide 3. I think we're going to have a good season with all the trades and signings. 4. Was surprised the order of my former Marauder teammates. I thought Tina Hughes would have been taken before Ryan Mantzz. Both are excellent and driven to earn. They will be on NY soon enough and helping them out. 5. What was Carolina doing thinking they could convince Mikko to sign and trading away Neces. But not sure Stankoven can help them now, nor the picks and their window is now. Probably a good trade for them without thinking about their window. 6. Catching up at home - travelled last weekend so a bunch of chores piled up.

@Scurvy

@Sen - sorry not "Hugh Campbell from the boys" - learning the team still!

1. It's dragging. Pro-Am is paused due to Simon technical support. WJC started a few days ago, so that's interesting. But if you weren't doing anything, sigh. Maybe we do a "play-in tournament" or something with the teams? 2. I did not. I really don't watch the live streams. I think I've watched one playoff day once. 3. They are solid players. I was hoping Prague would get one of them - the mock had that! 4. 19 is so far down - all the solid Miami ones are going to be 1st rounders/Top 6! 5. Right handed 6. Yes. It's a great environment. The trades in Prague have brought in some new blood as well - looking forward to participating in both. Different vibes, plus it'll be my first in VHL and we hope to be on the upswing.

@mmrs617

@GoodLeftUndone Good luck in the VHL Draft!

1. Excited to have an active AGM in place as we rebuild. Tet and you got it. 2. Exciting times. I'm still a First Gen about to play my first VHL season, so I'm looking forward to the uptrend for this team. We gave a lot but got great players back. 3. Dog Jagr was on my VHLM team - a bummer to lose him. We had a great run that Simon cut short this season. 4. I'm excited to be contributing at the "Show". Brigitta was strong as well. I'm just here to keep grinding away to get better. 5. Haven't seen much over there - I assume I'll start paying attention more now that I'm here 6. I'm helping Lucy out as AGM for the Foxes. Will be interesting be in two LRs!

@Rkhockey9

@thadthrasher

Transaction ID: 82P444887R911804M 5 Uncapped TPE Doubles Week 1mil Player Store

1. Yeah that will be a great finals. USA is cocky. Canada a wounded animal with a lot of pride, especially with Sid as their captain. Will be an intense game. 2. Yes. Injuries are going to happen. I do wonder if future Olympics/World Cups are going to have more contenders do the Petrangelo thing. 3. No. It still makes me mad at Simon and all the upsets. It feels like Simon changes for playoffs dramatically. Wasn't just us that feels like "what's the point". 4. Going to VHL for Prague - looking forward to helping their rebuild. 5. Not really. Given there are no injuries. I wouldn't mind an alternative tournaament/round robin, something to keep the teams that got knocked out paying. 6. Ketchup and ketchup only. Sometimes I try some garlic/smoked aoili but that generally only works with Sweet Potato Fries.

Luc was born and grew up in Paris, France. As a small boy, there was a lot of football playing in his neighborhood. With Les Bleus as perennial powerhouses, Luc went to many great games at the Stade de France. It was easy to just grab a ball and play in the park with the neighborhood kids. Luc played and loved to run around on the pitch but football never touched his soul. When he was 9, his parents brought him to an outdoor ice rink to skate. It was cold and he was worried about falling. But once Luc got steady on his feet, he fell in love with the speed of metal blades cutting the ice. His soul was touched. He quickly asked his parents for all the used equipment they could get to get playing ice hockey. They weren't rich parents, so they got what he needed since they could see the fire in his eyes. During the first season playing hockey, he found where he could shine. Given his endurance from chasing a ball, he could skate circles around others in the third period and learned to be clutch in those tight games, whether to score that critical tying goal or protect leads. Luc discovered that he loved to assist on a goal, as much as he loved to score, as well as a great defensive play. Coaches trusted him in all three zones. What drove Luc was one thing, winning. He'd ask teammates parents for video so he could watch what he needed to improve on. Luckily, the VHL had teams in Europe and he could watch how the best played the game. Luc begged his parents to take him to Davos or take the Eurostar to London to see live VHL games. There were many days of school where he couldn't keep his eyes open as he was tired from catching a Legion vs Bears game in North America on TV. He scoured the internet in the morning to see the box score for Wranglers or Americans stats to see his heroes efforts. Sometimes there would be clips available to watch. As he dove into following the VHL world, he saw French players, Obuz Schneider Canet du Bocage @Grapeand Conference Prince-de-Galles @UnkemptCL4PTPbreak into the league, shine, and win awards. Seeing France produce such great talent, Luc knew it was possible. He didn't know if he'd make the VHL, so he grinded it out in youth and junior leagues. Every season, he just focused on getting better and helping his teammates win games. Luc looked at being responsible in his own zone, grinding out on getting better at puck retrieval. Coaches and scouts saw the potential and the hard work. They played him on travelling teams and All-Star team. When he was 14, Luc was offered spots to two prestigious hockey academies. One in Stockholm and the other in Quebec. It was a hard choice as only a handful of Europeans each year were invited to that elite Canadien academy. But Luc chose Stockholm as it was closer to family and the time zone difference wasn't as great. The Swedish had developed a great program for getting the most out of each persons talent. And Luc learned to control his physical play and channel it more to the Swedish style of puck movement and control. This definitely unlocked more of where his innate talent was. Over the next two years at the Academy, Luc continued to hone his skills with the best Swedish and Finnish players. He also learned the meaning of really cold. Paris would be cold but nowhere near the winters in Scandinavia. As he turned 17, he looked towards the VHL minor leagues as the coaches, academy administrators, and his agent told him he was ready to take the next step. Not knowing if he'd be good enough for the VHL, the VHLe was his goal, so he could continue to play near home. Luc did know he'd have to go across the pond to play in VHLM before coming back to Europe, so he's glad he stayed closer to home for those few years so his parents could watch him play and be home for weekends and holidays. He knew how much his parents sacrificed and helped him follow his passion. Luc and his agent looked for a thoughtful GM to help him understand what it meant to develop in the VHLM to get ready for the VHLe. Luckily, @Ricer13 from Miami was the first GM that Luc talked to and it felt like a great place to move so far away from home and get established. The VHLM has its share of men playing and Luc took a bit of time to adjust. But even more dramatic coming from Stockholm was Luc enjoying the extreme benefits of Miami - the beach, the weather, the lifestyle, Cuban food, and of course the women. Luc was only 17 so Ricer definitely helped Luc understand how not to get in trouble with the fine pleasures of Miami. And being from Europe, Luc's pale skin definitely stood out. Luc is very thankful that @Ricer13 made several moves to retain Luc on the team for the M draft. After his initial half season in the M, they decided to disband the VHLe which was a disappointment. But then Prague drafted Luc, so he knew he'd go back to Europe when he made the VHL. Luc had visited Prague once and loved the architecture and food. After a promising S98, it's a shame Miami lost in the first round. Even enjoying the fruits of Miami, Luc continued to drive forward in getting better. He knew it was his last season with Miami as his talent level had capped in the M. So Luc is excited to go back to Europe and begin his VHL career. Striving to be the best teammate and help his team win their next Cup.

@Kavadar

Was quite the fun season but Simon will Simon in the playoffs.

@ELF_SH0ES

1. Not Mahomes - so I guess it'll have to be Eagles 2. Continuing to grind out the skills and get better at all parts of the ice. 3. Yes I'm curious to see how hard they play. Curious if two players on the same NHL team hit each other and one gets injured. That'll be amusing and interesting to see how they treat it moving forward. Pietrangelo already whimped out for the 4 Nations - and he gets hammered for it. 4. Curious if Halifax can take it now that we're out. SDM already got knocked out in 7 and we got knocked out. Halifax was best team in regular season, let's see if Simon doesn't screw them as well. 5. Not yet - going skiing next week! 6. Mind? I guess you can lose your mind. Can lose your head.... Can lose your soul.... Not sure. Curious on the answer!

@Bubba and @courtjestr19

@thadthrasher

1. Steal for the Lakers unless there really are issues with Luca that might not be fixable. Can Lebron smack him around? 2. Depends on the dynamic. If Miller has lost the room, then trade Pettersson. JT seems like a really intense person. Though to be honest, you just ask Hughes who he wants around - so he doesn't go to NJ when he can be UFA and join his brothers. 3. Good - we should be confident but not over confident. Simon can roll the dice, see VHL playoffs last season. 4. We should be. We have the depth now, we have the top talent to match up with the high powered Halifax team (which owned us most of the season, sadly). 5. I did VHFL this year so I cared more and I'll be joining the VHL next season, so curious how my Prague team is doing on their rebuild. 6. I don't think so, since we don't want to encourage people doing some but not too much that would cause promotion to VHL. I prefer to push for excellence in the league. It's tough, but it's a development league. Now should individual teams celebrate great contributors, sure. Not sure about a team hall of fame, but it's good we have records, etc.

1. He should be, as he's 20 points and 2nd in the league in +/- on one of the top defensive teams in VHLM. So definitely! 2. San Jose Sharks. Hates Las Vegas Knights (yes intentionally not calling them by their official name) - and yes, I was there at Game 7 with the 5 minute major/comeback! 3. Carrot Cake - I never knew how good it was until cake shopping for our wedding. Oh my god is it good! 4. I think it was interesting, getting to know more players in the league. I did feel bad for suggesting Mississauga would lose their top scorer and captain though. 5. Oh that would be fun - again to get to know other players. 6. Definitely. I despise 4 cheese pizzas. Just give me some mozzarella for a base on the pizza and lots of sauce. probably why I like Chicago deep dish!

@koty_k - Congraulations on becoming Miami's All-Time Leader in PIMs and Hits

@Blutch - a chance for a Founder's Cup Repeat??? @ace_five_???