Zamboni identifies his "VHL Dream Team"

[Thunder 782]

Rico Zamboni, the Las Vegas Aces ice resurfacer, left for Oslo this week to tour the Storm arena and check out the team along with meeting up with the Oslo Storm ice crew and offer suggestions.  Zamboni was listening to the Storm game from his office in Vegas and he caught some disturbing chatter about the quality of the ice, especially in the goalie crease.

 

On the plane to Oslo, Rico Zamboni had his IPad open and was monitoring the progress of the VHL.  Seated next to him was the star goalie for the Moscow Menace, Papa Emeritus.  A conversation was struck and Papa soon realized that Rico Zamboni knew all about the VHL and its history.  Papa and Rico talked the entire trip to Oslo, and covered a variety of topics, to include the progress of the VHL, the E league, the M, and what can make it better.  Rico told Papa several times, “Relax kid, you’ve got a good thing with this league.  Don’t make big changes for the wrong reasons but subtle changes for the right reasons.”

 

Papa listened to Rico mention several top players and he asked Rico if he could pick a VHL Dream team, what would it be.  Rico looked at Papa and told him it would be too easy to dig into his memory and choose Hall of Fame players, so he would give Papa the Dream team of season 82.

 

“First things first, kid,” the 84 year old VHL expert started, “you would be my starting goalie,” much to Emeritus’ surprise.  You’ve got a .916 save percentage, and you’re on a 4 game win streak.  Keep it up!”  “You may not have the top stats in the league right now, but I’m choosing you because you got heart.  You want to win and you want to be better.  So, you’re my starting goalie.”

 

Zamboni told Papa that he would want some defensive studs in front of him and identified Cabe McJake, from HC Davos Dynamo.  McJake is a solid defenseman who also puts in power play goals. Rico said he would partner McJake up with Toronto defenseman Janik Nylen, because Nylen is fast, blocks shots, and also puts up the numbers in assists.  Rico also likes Nylen’s slap shot.  Papa asked who Rico would select for offense.  To which Rico replied, “Duncan Idaho,” Papa’s current teammate.  Rico likes how Idaho hits hard and doesn’t take any bullshit. “He’s my right wing.”  Rico told Papa he would have Jerome Reinhart as his left wing starter.  Reinhart is the leading goal scorer and has helped Vancouver stay in the lead in the North American Conference.  Starting at center, Rico told Papa that he likes the young kid, Darth Kaprizov, because he’s a leading scorer and has a lot of TPE to earn.  The Prague Phantoms star is sure to be a big part of the Phantoms success to go deep into the playoffs.

 

“There you have it kid,” Rico said to Papa Emeritus as the plane was landing.  “I will take my VHL Dream Team against any old hall of famers you wanna throw at them.”  Zamboni told Emeritus to keep the puck out of the net and promised to stop by Moscow in the near future.  Rico’s current plan after Oslo, is to head to London for a brief visit and then he will spend some time checking out the E League arenas, but would put Moscow on the list and he hopes to see some good things out of Papa Emeritus.

 

On a side note, Zamboni identified the ice issue at the Oslo rink and gave Oslo goalie a vote of confidence now that the ice is fixed.  It must have worked as Oslo is on a two game win streak and Wumbo was 2nd star in both games.

 

Next week, expect to have a report from London, where Rico Zamboni is off to.