Phil

I have not published an article in many years. As a player agent, I invest my time in scouting my next potential client, or focusing on developing my current one. Hi! I’m Phil Knight. I’m an inducted Hall of Fame Builder and have brought multiple Hall of Fame players into the league. I fish talent exclusively out of England. I am taking time away from all of that this week to write this article on the biggest rivalry this league has an ever will see. What makes this the undisputed greatest rivalry in VHL history was the simple fact that it it wasn’t one fuelled by hate. It was just two of the greatest players the league has ever seen, somehow outdoing each other week in, week out, season after after. To tell you more, we need to go back to Season 18. The Toronto affiliate, the Brampton Battalion, had even to this day, one of the best VHLM teams of all time including Cedric Pollack, Peyton Nydroj, Greinke, Biggie Shakur and David Walcott. But most pivotal to the team, was the goaltender Aidan Shaw. Shaw had an incredible season, leading them to the founders Cup, but not before putting up this ridiculous regular season stat line: 65-5-0 / 0.923 SV / 2.77 GAA / 4 SO For the VHLm, those stats are truly incredible, especially with the level of competition. Season 18 was considered the “Super Draft” which I am pretty sure to this day contained the highest number of future Hall of Famers. Now what’s interesting here is that despite drafting him at 2nd overall, Toronto had deemed Shaw not good enough to play in the majors, which he clearly refuted through his play AND for the first and only time in VHL history, 2 goalies were drafted at 1 and 2 overall. Who was the goalie that got drafted higher than the one whose name is the Top Goalie Trophy? None other than Daisuke Kanou. Unlike Toronto, Davos immediately slotted Kanou into the starting spot. They had a weak, shallow team but Kanou still managed to have a winning percentage. In his second season, he really increased his statistics and helped Davos into the playoffs with a stat line of: 46-11-7 / 0.916 SV / 2.34 GAA / 1 SO Meanwhile, Shaw was having his Rookie season, and a very decent one on a seriously young and promising Toronto team. He put up fantastic regular season numbers but ultimately Toronto got demolished by the strongly offensive Calgary Wranglers 29-29-6 / 0.911 SV / 2.87 GAA / 5 SO Season 20 is where the rivalry really started to become solidified. Despite Season 20 being widely considered a super offensive scoring fest, these two were such standouts in the goaltending department. Kanou put great numbers: 50-10-3 / 0.922 SV / 2.12 GAA / 10 SO Playoffs: 14 GP / 8-6-0 / 0.937 SV / 1.91 GAA / 2 SO Davos finished 2 points ahead of Shaw and the Legion. They met each other in the finals and had a gruelling 7-game series. Kanou won the Playoff MVP with 7 votes - the other vote going to Shaw. Shaw was the best goalie in the regular season and had a great playoff run, it just wasn’t enough to beat Kanou in the finals: 50-13-3 / 0.929 SV / 1.98 GAA / 7 SO Playoffs: 11 GP / 7-3-1 / 0.930 SV / 1.87 GAA / 0 SO I could write for years on the back and forth that these two went, season after season, but I think the stats speak for themselves. Here are the stat lines from their careers: Shaw: Regular Season: 452 GP / 315-110-24 / 0.923 SV / 2.06 GAA / 52 SO Playoffs: 61 GP / 29-29-3 / 0.918 SV / 2.23 GAA / 5 SO Kanou: 583 GP / 388-144-46 / 0.920 SV / 2.26 GAA / 48 SO Playoffs: 70GP 38W 26L 6OTL 0.928 2.17 Watching this back and forth every season for 7 seasons was truly something special and exactly what made me fall in love with the league. Having my first client, Phil Gerrard in Seattle was infuriating because we could never win while those two were in the league, a fact proven when Phil in his last season, the first season after Shaw and Kanou’s retirement, went to Vasteras and won the Continental Cup - their first and only other one since Season 2. Regardless this rivalry was such a positive thing for the league and something I doubt we will ever get the privilege to experience again

Strasmore’s done it again. The poor bastard started off the night trying to be responsible and so he was doing laundry. However, while tidying up he came across a lost bottle of spiced rum. He decided to finish it and it was delicious - he had no regards then, however, this morning he woke up with a pounding headache. Unfortunately for him, no grave was given to him for practice so he still had to get up at 4:30am to go to practice. So he has decided to be grumpy for the rest of the weekend. it will probably be to his detriment but he is set in his ways. Maybe if you’re playing against the Wranglers this weekend, you give him a wide berth.

Ohhh thank you! well I like my steaks raw and unsullied so I guess I would stick with chicken fried chicken!!

1. It’s a good theme. There have been some great rivalries in the history of the VHL. This might be harder for newer members to do but you can create a rivalry out of thin air so I guess it’s all good. 2. Let’s go with Vancouver. They need to be taken down and we are the ones to do it!! 3. Strasmore just needs to do his job and create turnovers so we can head out on the counterattack 4. Definitely the top of the blue line, right side. On the powerplay. Heck yes 5. I’m rewatching Suits because I’ve never seen the last season. The couple leading up to it were so weak I lost interest. But the first few are really good so I figured i would start fresh 6. what the heck is chicken fried steak? How can you fried a steak with a chicken?

Late at night, he lies awake. Wide awake. Each tick of the clock sounds to him like a church bell ring, each drip of that freaking leaky faucet sounds like a boulder plunging into a still lake. Irritated beyond believe, Strasmore gets out of bed. It's 1:00am. He has practice at 5:00. He's yet to fall asleep. What is one to do in this situation? A normal person would try the usual - a glass of milk, counting sheep, mindful meditation- but this is Strasmore we are talking about. He figures, if he can't sleep, them why not work out? So off he goes to his basement gym, wondering what drills coach and GM @Ricer13will put him through in a few hours. It will probably be skating and puck handling. He's definitely got an unhealthy love of puck handling. Okay, so then it's safe to work on chest and triceps. And so he did his warm up sets, he did his chest exercises, overlaying them, super-setting them, crushing them with his triceps. He works himself into a huge sweat. Now he's tired - and disgusting. He hops in the shower to rinse off. He changes quickly into his comfies and closes his eyes at 3:15am. His alarm goes off at 4:30am. He feels a little rejuvenated at least. Ricer, have mercy on us this morning - it's Friday ffs. Have a good weekend VHL

1. Oksar is undoubtedly looney. I would love to help him get into double digits for shutouts. In this day and age of VHL hockey, that is extremely tough but if anyone can do it, it's him! 2. I think we are still in 3rd. Not sure if we can rally for a 1st place finish at this point but as long as we win a playoff series, that really all I can emphasize at this point! 3. Basically not suck - everything. Line changes, communication, shot selection, player coverage - you know the basics. 4. He gets a good pump in the weight room. Either legs, chest, back or biceps. He likes to feel the blood pumping through him as he laces up!!!! 5. oooo hard question but Chocolate Milk. 6. I did not. IF it was the VHL all-star game then maybe, but who the heck cares about the NHL, lolers.

Claiming for this week. 2/3

Sass with Stras #16 Treat me like a joke and I'll leave you like it's funny. KnightTime Radio is proud to present an all-new Podcasting series!! Another epic journey in podcasting! Join me for some chill hangs, good vibes. Featuring a fantastic Bio from @sadie! Best of luck in your first season, Rookie! Sass with Stras Podcast Question Thread Songs: On the Wing - Owl City This is a division of KnightTime Radio. Run Time: 46.5 minutes

ffs then lose the puck once in a while so we can defend!!

Phil Strasmore's Autobiography If I had truly looked back on my life to this point when I decided to do an Auto Biography, I probably would have made the decision for someone else to write it for me. I keep telling myself that pain is an essential part of any success story, but I think that's just a way for us to cover up the hurt. Now I don't have the most tragic story and I've been blessed in many ways, but I was handed some pretty bad luck early on and it's my hope that telling me story can be used as a cautionary tale, if not an inspirational one. Now, let's begin. My parents died young. I only remember glimpses of memories - a smile from my mother, my father telling me to be strong, the smell of scotch on his breath and my mother's perfume - but as they are all I have, I cherish everything I can remember. I was raised mostly by my grandmother and looked up to my older brother. We both loved football and played it every chance we got. I always tried to get in on scrimmages with my brother's friends. Sometimes they would let me, other's not. When they did it would be punishing physically. When they didn't it would be equally punishing mentally. I would sit and watch, dejected and feeling alone. Other kids my age called me a freak. I was big, but it didn't mean I was invincible. That's why I wanted to play with my Brother and his friends. Despite them being two and a half years older, at least we were the same size. Well, my brother was bigger, but not his friends. So it went on like this throughout my schooling. The only "friends" I made wanted one thing - protection from bullies. I tried to stay out of it. I'm a player by nature, not a referee. I was glad to see the back of elementary and middle school and get into high school, where I could actually play football. And so the first day of Grade 9, I sought out the Phys-Ed teacher and asked about the football team. He couldn't really believe I was only in Grade 9. I looked 18. He took me by the shoulder into his office and walked me through some of his playbooks. He didn't even know I could run yet, but he had this unfounded faith in what I could be on the football team. I remember him asking me a few football questions and nodding along to my answers. He wanted me on the field the next week - 2 weeks before tryouts even started. He wanted to run an individualized combine for me. And so it was. I hate writing about the "heroics" of the story. So suffice to say that I crushed every challenge that he put in front of me - the sprint, the vertical jump, the agility ladder, the dummy push, absolutely everything. He told me to meet him in his classroom after school the next day. Upon my arrival, he hit play on the old fashioned TV and asked me to explain what the offense was doing. I remember it was an NFL game - a playoff game, the Pats versus the Giants. I explained the play the Giants were making and why it was always going to fail. He should me other clips he compiled, I just explained what the team was doing wrong, if anything. The coach practically bounced up and down with excited. He said he had found his new Football Captain. (I should point out that my brother did not go to High School at that point and was making his way to the NFL - that's another parallel story) Before I was in Grade 11, I was scouted and offered a position in a semi-professional team for 2 seasons, until I could declare for the NFL. I played, I won awards and trophies, I dominated. 2 years after that I was drafted to the Miami Dolphins. It was a dream come true. I could support my Grandmother, and finally, my brothers couldn't stop me from playing football with him. He was in New York and I in Miami. Things were finally looking up. But then, the next year, 5 seasons after him playing in the league, my Brother committed suicide. He jumped off a fucking bridge. I know what caused him to do it - it was all the concussions and the lack of medical attention he got. It crushed me. Every time I stepped on the field, I was thinking about it in the aftermath. I was distracted... and I forgot to look up. I got creamed. I knew something was irreparably broken, but I'm no quitter. I soldiered on. I channeled my frustrated and rage at my brother's death, and rocketed into an opposing player. To this day, he's never played again. As soon as it happened, I knew my life in football was over. My body wouldn't allow me to take the punishment football players receive. I didn't want to hurt another player - end his career and livelihood. I couldn't do it. So I retired and took care of myself. This is where Phil Knight enters the story. Mr. Knight called my agent and set up a meeting to come visit me in my Grandmother's home. I didn't even know about. I would have been thrown into a rage, but Mr. Knight had a very calming, reassuring presence and I did not feel accosted at all. He told me he knew of my struggles and my abrupt end to my career. He asked if I knew what was next, knowing already that I had nothing. He asked me if I knew how to skate, or ever have played hockey. I had not. He asked if I would consider it. How it happened, I am not sure. He fully managed to convince me that I am best suited not for football but actually for hockey. Sports are very transferable, he had said. Something about Sports IQ. He had told me that hockey is relatively safe, especially the VHL - where no one has ever missed a game due to injury - and that I am best suited for the sport. So I worked with his team - Phil Gerrard flew in from London to coach me on the basics, Phil Rafter came over to work on my skills with the stick, Phil Hamilton swung by to teach me about defensive coverage and play. It was incredible. I felt motivated for the first time in a long while. My grandmother smiled for the first time in a while. Them I declared for the VHLm, when Mr. Knight said I was ready. I'd be older than everyone, but also much bigger. I was picked up by the Hounds, then drafted 4th overall by Houston and subsequently traded back to the Hounds. I played 83 games and got 85 points, with 171 hits and 134 blocked shots. I am told that was great. Calgary drafted me 3rd overall in Season 85 draft and it's been my home. I love it here. My grandmother loves it here. I still think of my brother every time I step out onto the ice. But I know he's at peace and that brings me peace. There's a lot that's wrong about football and I will fight for better healthcare for the player, but for now, I am focused on the VHL. It's funny to think that I could have been completely lost. Really, the moral of the story is that you only need one or two people to believe in you to fully motivate you. For me, it was Mr. Knight and my grandmother... and I love them both for it. http://images.thepostgame.com/assets/public/styles/story_main/public/The-Rock's-Character-Seems-To-Resemble-Former-Miami-Dolphins-Star.jpg

1. Now that we've had them for a few seasons, what are you thoughts on the Hybrid Attributes system? 2. Name two of the most distinguished VHL Franchises, in your opinion 3. Who are some underrated members? 4. Do you think we have an issue with retention? What could help with that? 5. Will I ever have another Hall of Fame player again? Why does Simon T hate me? 6. If we were to relocate one team in NA and one team in EU, which teams would we relocate and to where? @Ahma @FrostBeard

Strasmore is a Defenseman and I would like to pick him as my final pick.

G - Oskar Lindbergh @N0HBDY

Is Strasmore urinating in public again? The title of this article would indicate that, but no! It's all lies. What it is actually referring to is that Strasmore is entering his 3rd season in the VHL and after two solid seasons, he feels like he hasn't even ramped up yet. He's hoping to change that this season. The giant is poised for a huge boost in efficiency and performance. He's put in a lot of hours at the gym, is on a high after winning the World Cup with Western Europe (with fellow Wrangler @Daniel Janser, has a brand new 4-year deal with the Wranglers (courtesy of GM @Ricer13), and the team atmosphere is nothing short of shaking with hyperactivity. The defenseman for his efforts didn't just earn himself a new contract, he's also moved himself up in the Calgary Roster (and earns himself the respect of fellow defenseman @Rhynex Entertainment ) - no small feat considering Calgary were the overall best team last season. It looks like this season they will still be a dominant force. With their core still intact, they also, during the off-season managed to somehow acquire a fantastic netminder @Doomsday Lindbergh. The alternative captains were also announced today, sending more hype into the Wrangler-verse. @leandrofgand @jacobcarson877were the ones named. It's not a surprise, as these two studs have been intricately woven into the fabric of the organization for a long time. So again, why did I bring up the possible public urination meaning in the title? Well, if Strasmore actually ends up doing it, it would be completely accidental and like a puppy just wets himself in the excitement of this new season. Should be a blast

Landon Wolanin - F @Gustav you're on the clock

1. The S86 World Cup champions are Team Western Europe! Congratulations to all players involved! Also, congratulations to Team Nordic (WOOHOO!) for Silver and Team Canada for Bronze! Who did you expect to win it all? I had an inclination that Western Europe would finally bring home the Gold. I don't remember us winning it since we did back in the 40s with me and @sterling as the defensive duo Phil and Jeff Hamilton. We won 2 golds in our careers. Feels good to recapture those glory days. 2. Now that the WC is over with, we have SIMS starting soon! The indexes are posted, simmers announced, and the calendar says...season starts Wednesday (Jan 25)! Are you nervous? Excited? Anxious? HYPED?! I am super hyped. I have moved up in the roster and ready to step out of my rookie contract and into my big boy pants of a contract. 3. If you're doing predictions this season, how do you think you'll do compared to last season? I stacked them in favour of Calgary players so I should get at least a couple. I had a lot of points from predictions last season so I probably won't do better this season. 4. Who do you think has the best celly on the team? celly, as in, cell phone? Probably Ricer. He'd need all the memory and processing speed to deal with us ragamuffins. 5. If you could be any kind of bird for a day, which would you choose? Penguins. Fuck ya. 6. Is VR the future? I think R is the future but maybe it will be in a V way. It's definitely a completely immersive way to game, there's no doubt!

Transaction ID: 3NY86993LY314504P $1M Player Store Cash 5 TPE Uncapped Doubles Week

That is one of the best leadership teams I've ever seen

Anything that promotes activity and rewards those that are actively participating and engaged in this league is the best course of action. Swapping out an inactive for an active with the same/similar TPE and salary brackets is, from my viewpoint, essential to retention in, and the success of, the league. One of the unspoken, yet expected roles of a GM or AGM (or just good teammates), is to engage with their players and use that to ensure no one goes inactive. However, irl stuff will always comes first and sometimes we can't do anything about it. But if there's an eager or active member waiting in the wings, we should have the ability to swap them out with minimal to no penalty if the parameters are met and the only difference is really the activity.

Wonderful decision. Love to see this.

Oh my goodness. I love it. Thank you so much!!!

Final claim

awww you guys

F- Girts Galvins @N0HBDY