VSN Presents: The Seattle Bears Dynasty

[JB123 728]

     

@v.2

Be sure to check out recent articles from VSN here if you haven't already:

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https://vhlforum.com/topic/109694-vsn-scouting-presents-the-s77-vhl-re-draft/

 

     The Seattle Bears. If you have been around the VHL for even a little while you immediately associate the name with one thing. Winning. The Bears have proven themselves to be a very successful franchise under general manager Blake Campbell @Banackock. Since his hiring in Season 49, Campbell has dominated the league, winning six Continental Cups, appearing in nine finals, winning five Victory Cups as the top team in the regular season, and earning four David Knight Trophies as the best GM in the VHL. Needless to say, he has developed a winning culture in Seattle. 

     Campbell’s first season as GM of Seattle was not bad. Although they had a solid winning record of 40-30-2, they missed out on playoffs in a formidable North American Conference. They had some success in the 50’s, notching 119 and 118 points in back-to-back seasons (S52, S53). However, it was during the late 50’s and into the 60’s, that the Bears truly asserted themselves as perennial contenders. In Season 58 they notched 111 points, good for third league-wide. They would go on to lose to the Riga Reign in the final in six games. The next season they would get their revenge. While they only finished with 85 points, they would win the Continental Cup, besting the Helsinki Titans in a wild seven game series. This was Bana’s first championship as GM of the Bears. 

     Season 60 proved that the Cup season was not a fluke. The Bears finished with 101 points. After a couple rebuilding seasons, Seattle would come back strong, posting three consecutive 100 point seasons (109, 108, 110). The next two seasons would be retooling years, before the team would absolutely tear up the league and make the playoffs twelve straight times. Yes, you read that right. Twelve. It was during this period that the Bears made their mark on the league once and for all. 

     Catalyzed by the emergence of an elite, future hall of fame goaltender in Rayz Funk @Rayzor_7, as well as a developing core, the Bears would finish first in the North American Conference in Season 68, earning 91 points. That team featured rising stars Joel Ylonen @Esso2264 , John Frostbeard @FrostBeard, Acyd Burn @Acydburn up front and future hall of famers Hulk Hogan @Hogan and Maxim Kovalchuk (Banackock) on the backend, to name a few. Funk would win 38 games, posting a .921 save percentage, second only to Finn Davison @Poptart of the HC Davos Dynamo. This ‘68 team would go on to win the Continental Cup, sweeping both the conference final and Cup final (vs the Calgary Wranglers and Malmo Nighthawks), with Funk winning the Daisuke Kanou Trophy as Playoff MVP. 

     Determined to repeat, the Bears ran it back with much of the same crew in Season 69. They would go 44-23-5, good for 93 points and second in the conference. Funk again was stellar, winning 39 games for the Bears en route to another Cup win. He would win the Kanou for the second consecutive season, with center Scott Greene @DoktorFunk leading the tournament in assists with fourteen. The Bears avenged their Season 58 loss to the Riga Reign, defeating them in the same number of games ironically (six). 

     In Season 70 Seattle would finish fourth in their conference, going 37-28-7 for 81 points and a playoff appearance. Fourth-year center Ambrose Stark (Banackock) would lead the team in points (67) and tie with Acyd Burn for the lead in goals with 29, in what was a breakout season for Stark. The Bears would advance to the Conference Final before the Wranglers beat them, four games to two. 

     Season 71 was an excellent season for the team. They would finish second in the conference only to the Vancouver Wolves. Stark had an even better season this time around, scoring 88 points, tied for the most in the league with Hunter Hearst Helmsley @Beaviss of the Wolves. Greene was right behind Stark with 82 points. Funk would tie Jacques Lafontaine of Calgary for most wins that season with 40. In the postseason, Seattle beat the D.C. Dragons in seven games followed by two five-game wins against the Wolves and Moscow Menace, respectively. Funk would win yet another Kanou, Campbell would earn his third Knight as best GM, Hogan would take home the Alexander Beketov Trophy awarded to the player with the most assists, and Stark would of course share the Mike Szatkowski with Helmsley. Safe to say, it was a terrific season all in all. 

     In Season 72 the club again made the playoffs, amassing 97 points in the regular season, but this time lost to the New York Americans in Round 1. Defender Berocka Sundqvist won the Beketov that season. 

     Season 73 was a return to championship form. Winning the Victory Trophy for best record in the regular season, the Bears would go on to win their fourth Cup of Campbell’s tenure. Funk would win his fourth Kanou, and the team looked better than ever. Greene was tied for fourth in the league in points with 105. The Bears were gaining a bit of a new identity in the process, with rookie winger Timothy Brown @a_Ferk and goaltender Jacob Tonn @MexicanCow123 beginning to make their mark on the league. Furthermore, center Ola Vikingstad @Dil had a breakout season, scoring 34 goals and adding 37 assists for 71 points in 72 games. This team would defeat the Helsinki Titans for the Cup for the second, but not final, time with Campbell at the helm, in a six game series. 

     With Funk signing with the Dynamo for his last season of his career, Seattle turned to Tonn. In his first full season he won 37 games and had five shutouts. They had also added star center Kris Rice @Ricer13 to an already stacked team through a trade with Calgary. Rice tied with right wing Uhtred @leafsman for the team lead in points in Season 74 with 101. The Bears would lose in Round 2 to the Toronto Legion in five. 

     In Season 75 Brown became a true offensive threat. In 72 games Brown scored 90 points (41 goals, 49 assists), most on the team. There was an important first-year player on this team in center Isabella Campbell (Banackock). Campbell and Brown would develop into a dynamic duo for seasons to come. This season, however, the team was swept in the wild card round by the Chicago Phoenix. 

     Prior to Season 76, starting goaltender Jacob Tonn was traded to the Moscow Menace for Rara Rasputin @Victor. Kris Rice was dealt to Moscow too, in a separate trade. Even with the obstacles of losing two key players, Seattle persevered and found a way just like they always do. Brown proved to be a reliable scorer, tallying 43 goals and 42 assists for 85 points. Rasputin won 33 games that season with a .917 save percentage. The Bears lost to the Phoenix again in the postseason, this time in the second round, four games to two. 

     If there was any doubt as to if the dynasty was nearing its end, Season 77 proved all those doubters wrong. Seattle won the Cup for an unprecedented sixth time under Campbell, cementing his legacy for good. They beat the Titans for a third time in the final (four games to one). Jim Bob @jRuutu had 103 points, Brown had 89 and Campbell had 88. Bob led the league in goals with 48. Rasputin won 37 games and saved nearly 92 percent of shots, going on to win the Kanou Trophy in the playoffs. 

     In Season 78 they lost to the Warsaw Predators in the Cup Final in six games. Campbell had 99 points that season; Brown 87; trade acquisition Venus Thightrap @BladeMaiden had 86; Leo Strauss @gregreg had 85; and defenders James Rose @MattyIce and Kasper Kankkunen @16z had 82 and 80 points, respectively. Rasputin won 40 games that season. 

     In Season 79 it was the Malmo Nighthawks who ousted them in the championship, four games to two. Valtteri Vaakanainen @Jubo, acquired from Helsinki, led that team with 97 points, followed by Brown with 95, and Campbell with 94. Kankkunen had 89 points on defense. Interestingly enough, all four of them would not be on Seattle’s roster come Season 80. Campbell would earn another Knight Trophy for his work with this team in Season 79. 

     Season 80 has signaled change in the Bears organization. While Campbell shows no signs of stopping anytime soon, Seattle appears to have finally entered a rebuild. They have several great, young pieces to build around, among them left wing Vinny Detroit @dasboot and defender Erlantz Jokinen (jRuutu), as well as prospects Sven Eightnine @BarzalGoat (D) and Em Em Flex @oilmandan (G). 

      Campbell’s run has been truly incredible and unlikely to be matched in the near future. The Bears were a contender season after season for a long time. With everything comes change and that is what is happening with Seattle right now. The question is, what will their next Cup team look like?

 

Word Count: 1504 (2 week claim) 

[Esso2264 774]

1 hour ago, JB123 said:

rising stars Joel Ylonen

i was already an old man at this point

[Banackock 8,044]

DA BERZ BABY

[JB123 728]

Claim 2/2