Alternate Reality: Christoph Klose

[der meister 3,261]

German winger Christoph Klose had a pretty remarkable career. Initially drafted as a scoring winger, he became a two-way powerhouse as one of the top power forwards of his day. While he never won a Boulet as the top two-way forward during Karnage's reign of terror, Klose was a player who made every team he was on better. A three time Cup winner, Klose was a hairsbreadth away from an even more remarkable achievement - five Cups in six seasons with three different teams.

 

After winning a championship with the New York Americans as a rookie on the second line, scoring an admirable 21 goals as a freshman. The Americans then lost out early in the playoffs in Klose's second year, after exceeding a point per game pace, before the Americans decided it was time for a rebuild. Klose was dealt to the Cologne Express, and this is where our Moment in Time takes place.

 

Fresh off of a league title, the Express looked to Klose to keep the team strong and create a dynasty. Playing on the top line for the Express, Klose was the rugged glue guy, putting up 191 points and nearly 700 hits in those two seasons. Cologne was an absolute powerhouse in both seasons, but luck was not on their side. Reaching the Cup Finals in both of Klose's seasons, the German club fell just short in each run. The first year, S43, was the more heartbreaking of the losses, as the Express had a 3-1 series lead over the Seattle Bears before losing in game 7. S44, a series loss in 6 games to the Calgary Wranglers, was nearly as frustrating for the now-defunct club.

 

What if the Express didn't fall apart in the finals in back to back years? What if Klose, center Thomas O'Malley, or winger Bismark Koenig, managed to score a clutch goal in game 5 against the Cinderella Bears and win the Cup? And with a little bit of luck, the Express could have defeated the Wranglers, giving Klose three titles in four years between New York and Cologne.

 

Once again, Klose was dealt after two seasons with a team, this time heading from Cologne to Helsinki, with O'Malley. With the acquisition of two thirds of the best line in the VHL, the Titans were suddenly contenders, though Klose only had one year left on his contract. Reportedly, the day after the Titans acquired Klose, team management approached him about a contract extension, to which Klose said, "Let's win a Cup first, and then I'll extend." Klose did indeed lead his new team to a championship, extended for one season, and helped the Titans to win back to back Cups.

 

So there you have it - with a bit of revisionist history, Christoph Klose wins four consecutive cups between Cologne and Helsinki, along with a fifth from his time with the Americans. While he still doesn't win a Boulet, five championships in six seasons on three teams would be a remarkable achievement and one that would all but guarantee Klose's place in the top 50 players of all time and a Hall of Famer.

 

 

Regular season statistics, with asterisk for Cup victories:

 

*S41(NYA) 72GP | 21G - 25A -  46P | +46 | 257SHT |  6GWG |  43PIM |  67HIT | 55SB

S42(NYA) 72GP | 29G - 45A -  74P | +41 | 357SHT |  3GWG |  59PIM | 152HIT | 63SB

*S43(COL) 72GP | 38G - 46A -  84P | +34 | 476SHT |  8GWG |  78PIM | 333HIT | 44SB

*S44(COL) 72GP | 38G - 69A - 107P | +66 | 450SHT |  6GWG | 120PIM | 344HIT | 25SB

*S45(HSK) 72GP | 39G - 58A -  97P | +55 | 469SHT |  7GWG | 172PIM | 300HIT | 22SB

*S46(HSK) 72GP | 38G - 48A -  86P | +68 | 396SHT | 10GWG | 171PIM | 358HIT | 19SB

S47(SEA) 72GP | 36G - 29A -  65P |  +5 | 292SHT | 10GWG | 135PIM | 308HIT | 40SB
 

Edited April 12, 2021 by der meister