14 for the Memories

[animal74 1,821]

14 for the Memories

 

Even though we don’t have to write anything for the VHL’s 14th birthday, I still wanted to say a few words about this wonderful community that provides an opportunity to live out our hockey dreams as only the internet can.

 

I discovered the VHL in 2008 after meddling with other sim leagues and helping Simon Tremblay a bit with the English in his STHS documentation. There wasn’t anything else like the VHL and the chance to create my own player was very intriguing. My first foray was a blast and relatively successful as Gunnar-Rune Rorvik became one of the first Triple Gold Winners (S5 Founder’s Cup, S8 WC Gold, S12 Continental Cup). I stayed with Seattle my whole career and it paid off when I won the Cup with such stars as Alexander Beketov @Beketov, Josh Vestiquan @v.2, Pavel Dubnikov, Steve LaFramboise, Zacky Vengeance and others, some of whom are still here and others have taken a hiatus, like me, and come back.

 

And that’s a testament to the VHL’s leaders and community. Even though the league has had tough times and controversy, the VHL hasn’t given up. As a community you/we have grown together, gotten stronger together and now still stand for the new hockey fans that will become future stars and the old guard who have come back because of the good times had in the past.

 

That’s one of the reasons I enjoy being a VSN History Writer is because I played with and interacted with many of the first HOFers and stars. I played against the likes of Scotty Campbell @scotty, Mike Szatkowski @Mike, Kevin Brooks @brooks., Christian Stolzschweiger, Matt Defosse @Cowboy, Sterling Labatte @sterling, Chris Julien, Dust’n Funk @Strummer, Layken Heidt, Devon Marlow-Marta, Markus Sedin, Anton Ingberg. In the S12 Cup Finals, we beat a stacked Dynamo team with Jochen Walser, Tomas Jenskovic, Alec Miller, Da’Brickashaw O’Neal, Jonathan Matthias, Sebastien Perrin @Seabass, Tomas Ziegler, Zach Arce and Benoit Devereux. It’s been fun being able to share these memories with all of you. And albeit the players are imaginary, the people behind them are real and the memories remain. A community is a group of people that have stayed together long enough to develop, have fun and make memories.

 

I guess what I’m trying to say is thanks. Thanks to all the people who created the VHL. Thanks to everyone who have led the way, made tough decisions, and never given up. Thanks to the current BOG, GMs, and other leaders who continue to make the VHL a real place, a real community. And thanks for 14 years of memories.

 

And here’s to a lot more!

 

animal74

aka

Gunnar-Rune Rorvik

Ondrej Ohradka

Druss Deathwalker