Burritoville - A S76 Mexico City Kings Story

[Juice 641]

People line up in the Mexico City Center to take pictures with and get signatures from the newly crowned VHLM Founder's Cup winning Mexico City Kings

 

Going into the S76 season, the Mexico City Kings knew they had something to prove after a disappointing S75, where although dominating the regular season and getting to the finals they ended up facing a fierce opponent in the Philadelphia Reapers and ended up not clutching up when it means most. They've felt the lowest of lows of being that close to getting their first Founder's Cup, and they wouldn't want to ever feel that again. Thus, before going into the season, the GM of the Mexico City Kings Hylands @Hylands decided to make some big moves for an "all or nothing" season before the eventual need for a rebuild.

 

This started with a big trade that ended up with Clinton Giftopoulos @Thranduil coming to Mexico for a 1st and a 3rd in the next draft to Halifax. This was huge, as although Giftopolous was a defenceman, he put up a whopping 102 points with 30 goals in 72 games during the regular season and 28 points and 12 goals in only 15 games. To say he was clutch would be an understatement, and is a huge reason why the Kings did as well as they did as he held down the fort on the blueline.

 

Alongside the Giftopoulos trade, another trade went down that at the time might have seemed like a minor trade as it was a player for a player with a late pick added, however the Jon Strider @Strider is an underrated move by Hylands as although he gave up a younger player that will more likely than not be in the VHLM another season compared to Strider, to get an over PPG scorer for a cup run for a player swap and a 5th is something a GM would do anyday, let alone if the player puts up 76 points in 72 games in the regular season and 17 points in 15 games in the post-season. Looking at Strider's previous season of only 25 points in the regular season, to have a player explode to TRIPLE his point total is insane to say the least, but looking at his post-season totals from last season as well he only had 2 points in 9 games. This would mean he went from a .22 PPG in the post-season last year to 1.1 PPG in the post-season this year. When the Kings needed it most, Strider showed up.

 

With these two big additions to the core of the Kings, they were ready to have that cinderella run before they had to tear it all down. However not only that, but later in the season it was found out that the management staff were both heading up to the VHL the following season, which meant that Hylands whose been the GM for the past 3 seasons would be stepping down. This had a huge effect on the locker room, as the players and staff love him dearly, so a new trend of #doitforhylands formed which impacted morale and sent it skyrocketing. For every win, it was another #doitforhylands chant, and even when there were losses, you knew the players would rebound and get that next win as they wanted to keep #doitforhylands alive until they won the cup.

 

However, this season wouldn't be the same as the previous, as there was a new team on the rise that had all the eyes of the league on them. The Houston Bulls ran away with the last draft, and even that wouldn't really do them justice. Although they technically only had three first rounders, during the draft as it went on, they made additional trades to acquire three other first round talents. Houston was heading into the season stacked to the brim, and the league knew it. If you weren't already attempting to contend, there was no point as almost everyone pinned the Bulls to run away with the entire season. However, this did not faze the Kings. They had a committed and cup hungry team, and with a strong management staff behind them there's always a chance for an upset.

 

As the regular season went on, the Mexico City Kings ended up in third overall in the league behind the Minnesota Storm by only two points in second place and beast themselves the Houston Bulls in first place ahead by 17 points and who've only lost 11 games overall the entire season. The team was excited and ready for the playoffs, as the management team discussed and made the decision that they had the best group possible for a cup run despite the odds of beating the Bulls (let alone the rest of the competition) and made one last huge splash at the deadline.

 

Losing core players that can be still available for next season hurts, as they can either play or be traded for assets for the eventual rebuild needed. However, when you see the chance to strike, you better not hesitate. And after a few days of deliberation from the management staff and a few days of negotiation, Hylands pushed the button that helped get two amazing playoff performers that helped solidify their cup run. Thus, alongside the two core members mentioned earlier as well as a late pick, the Kings acquired Kaladin Kvothe @DangerGolding and Yuuto Kira Cloudera @kentakira who are two intensely talented players who are ultimately gone to the VHL next season, however they became some playoff beasts for the Kings. Kvothe, despite putting up only 8 points in 18 games in the regular season, put up a staggering 19 points in 15 playoff games, and Cloudera was a fantastic pickup all the way through with 19 points in 18 games in the regular season and 19 points in 15 playoff games! Getting 38 points out of two players in the playoffs is no joke, and ultimately was a huge factor throughout the playoffs and against the Bulls in the Finals.

 

Speaking of the playoffs, the Kings had a blast of their first two playoff series. With a sweep of the Las Vegas Aces and the Minnesota Storm, both tough opponents in their own rights, the locker room was at an all time high. The feeling of invincibility was present, however the reality of setting into the finals and going up against who they dreaded most, the Houston Bulls set in very quickly. They knew what going up against a strong opponent felt like knowing how the previous season's felt against the Reapers, however this time they felt more prepared with a more talented roster at hand.

 

The series was a back and forth battle through and through. The Kings would win their first game, but the Bulls would come right back with game two. The Kings would come back even harder with game three with a win, however the Bulls would strike right back. This battle of the titans was a fierce one, and something that caused both excitement and nervousness, as who would be the first one to break this back and forth? Well, it continued as game five would result with another Mexico City Kings win which put the Bulls on their heels as that would mean game six would be an elimination match, but the Bulls are also clutch and pushed the series to what every hockey fan in the world loves: a game seven.

 

Despite the loss of game six, the locker room for the Kings had their small moment of disappointment for not winning the cup that night, however that quickly faded as the motto with the team stuck: #doitforhylands. They knew that this was their time, the time to win a cup for this team for both the first one in team history as well as to solidify the bond the roster built with one another in history. With a chip on their shoulders, they went into game seven ready to go. Just like the series so far, game seven was one for the ages. The first period had two goals by the Bulls putting them up 2-0 heading into intermission. And with the second period, Mexico would both rebound and collapse by putting up two goals to tie it up, but also letting in two more right afterwards before the next intermission leaving the Kings at down 4-2 going into third. I'm not sure what Hylands said in the locker-room, whether it was praise or a motivational speech, but the team rallied like no other by putting up 4 back-to-back goals in the third period to both win the game and the cup with a final score of 6-4.

 

Waiver-signing pickup Gustislav Nasherov @Vat lifting the cup after the Mexico City King's victory over the Houston Bulls

 

Champagne was popped, tears were had, and Mexico City Kings had their first ever cup in the team's history. Going into the season knowing this was their final shot at a cup run, and also knowing their beloved GM was about to leave the team, this was a run of the ages and I love each and every single of the members of the locker-room.

 

On a personal note, as the acting AGM for the team for my one and only season here in Mexico as I will also be following Hylands to Malmo, I want to thank each and every one of you. I came into the role not knowing what to expect it to be like as an AGM and only hearing the bad parts of the job, but interacting with the locker-room and with each one of you was an absolute pleasure. You've all made me realize my love for the VHL even more, and I'll never forget my time here.

 

We had a special group here, and I'm glad we can cap it off with that final victory as you all deserve it more than anything.

 

#doitforhylands

(1667 words)

[Juice 641]

FYI, going to claim this for weeks ending in 7/3, 14/3, and 21/3

[Juice 641]

Claiming for week ending in 3/14

[Juice 641]

Claiming for week ending in 3/21