VHL Archaeology Part 1

[Will3 420]

I am back. After some wonderful time with my family and getting everything moved in, I am now in Helsinki ready to play for the Titans. While we wait for this long offseason to end, I have decided to grab my fadora and bull wip and and do some archeology. I will be digging up some long dead teams, analyzing them and wounder about a possible resurrection. Grab your torches. It is time to explore.

 

The Avangard Havoc were created in S2 of the VHL following the relocation of the Amstel Tijgers. (I may talk about Amstel later)  They would exist until S10 where they became HC Davos Dynamo where they remain to this day. Alought the team was most likely located in Tajikistan of all places, anyway Russia adjacent is a possibility. A KHL franchise in Russia even has a similar name to the VHL team. Tajikistan is very far away from most current VHLE clubs. As good as it is to have teams on diverse places, keeping travel cost reasonable is important for league health. For this reason, I doubt VHL hockey will return here in the future. Too much of an investment in a too location too far away for most fellow teams. I would also change the name as having a name in which you can't easily explain what you are is not a good one in my book.

 

The Madrid Thunder were created in S16 after a relocation from Vasteras, Sweden in an unpopular move. To highlight just how bad this move went, they would return back to Vasteras following S20 and the franchise would eventually become the namesake of two VHLE teams before folding after S57. (I did talk about those two teams in a pervious article.) Alought this team may be an unfortunate moment in VHL history many would like to forget, it wouldn't be smart to do so. Spain is a big market that the VHL is not currently in. Madrid or Barcelona would welcome a VHL or VHLE team and it might have a similar impact to the Mexico City Kings. Anyone is charge of expansion should consider placing a team in Spain. I would use a different team name however. The Thunder name was used as Stockholm first name and I believe that the Thunder name should belong to a potential return of a Minnesota VHLM franchise. It would make more sense in Minnesota then Madrid.  The return of hockey to Spain is inevitable. 

 

And that is all the time we have for digging today. I have had great time learning VHL history with you. Definitely planning on doing this again next week. You should come back and see what is discovered then. Thanks for reading and #HaveAHappyEaster.

[diacope 1,566]

Happy Easter to you too