a tale of two Brothers // Boulevard of broken dreams?

[Daniel Janser 1,982]

Graphic courtesy of Leandrofg

 

So after a remarkable 4-1 loss in the series against Bratislava, Marcel's season came to an abrupt end, and he would have more time to spend fishing on his dad's yacht 'Chancer'... or so the young Swiss thought. Alas both him and Kurt were called upon by Zef Gonçalves for Team Europe in the up and coming WJC.

 

Our Canada correspondent Jean-Luc Lieuxperroux had a chance to talk to the whole Janser clan in the old man's loghouse at the Lake Ontario.

 

JCC: 'Kurt, your record as a GM has improved compared to last season and some players have developed remarkably well under your guidance. Is that the reason, why Gonçalves called up on you for this WJC again?'

KJ: 'Well, you best ask Zef for the real reasons. I think we had a real good run last time around and that there is no reason to change a successful team. Of course I have more to show than last season with at least making the playoffs and we had some players in Mississauga who will play in the VHLE, but I do not know whether this is the grounds on which Zef nominated me again for the AGM role with Team Europe.'

 

JCC: 'Marcel, your season was cut short by a persistent Bratislava team. What do you think made Vasteras lose the final when almost everyone (with the exception of certain brass in Vegas), saw it as yours to lose?'

 MJ: 'First, we did not lose it but the Watchmen won it. I think Frostbeard just found a way to beat us, and maybe we became too used to winning and got complacent. Not unlike the Sbornaja in 1980. Congratulations to Bratislava to their great success.'

JCC: 'You are nominated to play for Team Europe in the WJC. Since you have connections to both the GM and the AGM, do you think that voices calling 'Nepotism' will be abound?'

MJ: 'I want to say what honour it is to dress for Europe and to continue a family tradition that Daniel has started. Everyone close to me knows that I take nothing for granted and that I do not want a position I did not deserve. I had a decent run in the VHLE and am in the Top Ten alltime for the Iron Eagles in several categories. While I am under no illusion about my limited offensive tools, I sure know how to block shots and even on an international levels, you need players who are willing and able to sacrifice their body. I am able to shut down the opposing offence, too.'

 

JCC: 'Daniel, the Wranglers were swept by Toronto in the first round of the playoffs. Does this sting?'

DJ: 'Not as much as you might think, Jean-Luc. Am I happy to lose? Of course not, nobody playing on that level is. But we gave the Legion a run for their money with three one-goal games. We did not expect to be in a direct playoff spot in the first place with a lot of experience traded away or retired in the last season, to start the rebuild. Our offence choked in the series which is exemplified by our regular season topscorer Sakukoivo who went from 1.5 points per game to 0.5 points per game. Imagine if he could have kept up his production in the post season... Alas, I am not blaming him at all, he was probably exhausted from carrying us offensively for 72 games. It would have been for the remaining players to pick up the slack, but somehow we did not manage to do that, including me. As an alternate it would have been my job to jump into the breach, but unfortunately my faceoffs left a lot to be desired. Hence, we had to chase the puck too often, which cost us a lot of energy.'

JCC: 'You are not eligible anymore for the WJC and the WC is only due next season again. What do you do in the inter-season?'

DJ: 'I signed up for the ProAm Tournament and will play with our netminder Dahl and former Wranglers team mate Perry for the Yorkshire Sissies. I hope to repeat the win of this renowned tournament. But mostly it is about meeting other players like Helsinki's Pearce, Toronto's Moreau and Warsaw's Nalwa as well as Vancouver legend Henry Tucker.'

 

JCC: 'Okay, that is all the questions I had, thanks for your time.'

All (in tune): 'Thanks for having us.'

 

Stay tuned for further updates.

 

https://vhlforum.com/topic/120943-a-tale-of-two-brothers-the-end-is-near/

https://vhlforum.com/topic/121119-a-tale-of-two-brothers-five-sixth-done/

https://vhlforum.com/topic/121157-a-tale-of-two-brothers-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel/

https://vhlforum.com/topic/121641-a-tale-of-two-brothers-season-end-season-end/

https://vhlforum.com/topic/121774-a-tale-of-two-brothers-quiet-in-calgary/

Spoiler

@Morcar80, @leandrofg, @Shindigs, @FrostBeard @DollarAndADream  @Ben@Spartan@Frank@NSG@Dil

 

Edited June 8, 2022 by Daniel Janser

[leandrofg 1,018]

Well, I definitely enjoyed that read.